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AMERICAN
“A Man In Debt is So Far A Slave” -R.W. Emerson
NEWSPAPER A Community Newspaper Serving San Bernardino, Riverside & Los Angeles Counties
November 10, 2022 Thursday Edition
Volume 53 No. 30 Mailing: P.O. Box 837, Victorville, CA 92393
Office: (909) 889-7677
Email: Mary @Sb-American.com
Website: www.SB-American.com
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them and these will continue till they have resisted either with words or blows or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance those of whom they suppress. —Fredrick Douglass (1849)
Artworks Capturing Political Chaos Rejected by Billboard Companies
A series of lawsuits, verdicts, and settlements, against San Bernardino County Children & Family Services raises alarms – Part 3
By Ben Jealous
What is happening to foster children while under the care of San Bernardino County Children & Family Services that led to lawsuits being filed?
Art can be a powerful tool for social change. Sometimes that threatens people in power. Right now, some of America’s greatest artists are contributing their time and creative talents to remind voters in Georgia what is at stake in this year’s elections. And a couple of national billboard companies are refusing to let People For the American Way share some of those images with voters. The Georgia billboards are part of a multimedia campaign to remind voters—especially Black men—why Republican candidates Brian Kemp and Herschel Walker are the wrong choices in this election. Georgia is ground zero for attacks on our democracy by MAGA extremists with agendas calculated to stop progress. The billboard campaign is designed to expose hard truths to voters in a way that makes these attacks real—and motivates people to vote. “As artists, we can create art that addresses the ills of systems that devastate the fabric
of our families, our communities, and our nation,” says renowned multimedia artist Carrie Mae Weems. “Artistic expression can inspire people to channel their energy into voting for a better future for everyone.” The billboard campaign is also part of a broader long-term project to engage artists in making political and social change. As a longtime civil rights leader, I know that there is a long lineage of artists whose music, poetry, spoken word, and visual arts have helped energize our great social justice movements. Weems and other artists participating in this campaign have taken their place in that honorable history. They include Victoria Cassinova, Shepard Fairey, Alyson Shotz, Deborah Kass, and Cleon Peterson. Shotz, whose art depicts the attack on the U.S. Capitol by people trying to prevent a peaceful transfer of power after Trump lost the 2020 election, notes that art played a crucial role in the national mobilization to defeat fascism in
the 1940s. “Now this task is upon us again, to fight the power of authoritarians and conspiracists, racists and nativists and fearmongers,” she says. “It falls to us, We the People, to save democracy, through our actions, through our art, through our votes.” Art can speak to our hearts. That’s part of its power to provoke thought, emotion, and action. And that is why censorship is often a weapon wielded by those who fear art’s motivating power. “The personal and political chaos in our world is a direct result of the violence against human beings in the name of power,” says Peterson, whose art installations depicting white supremacist gun violence and attacks on reproductive choice were rejected by billboard owners. “The art for these billboards depicts the rawness and the terror of those struggles and I hope it’s enough to move the people of Georgia to action in this midterm election.” Kass contributed an installation
that includes the faces of five farright Supreme Court justices—a clear reminder that the courts and all the rights that depend on a fair and independent judiciary to uphold them—are at stake in this election. People For the American Way will use billboards and social media to bring the censored artwork to Georgia voters and to people around the country who care about the issues that are at stake in this year’s elections. There is no doubt that art expressing the harsh realities people face in their daily lives can be jarring. But that is no reason to turn away. “There’s a short line between the intense reactions to the art depictions and the urgency that we carry to the ballot box,” says my colleague Svante Myrick, executive director of People For the American Way. “If this artwork offends you, wait to see what happens if you don’t vote.” Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. A New York Times best-selling author, his next book “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free” will be published by Harper Collins in January 2023. The post COMMENTARY: Artworks Capturing Political Chaos Rejected by Billboard Companies first appeared on Post News Group. This article originally appeared in Post News Group.
Kanye West’s Donda Academy Closes Following Rapper’s Controversial Remarks By A.R. Shaw | Atlanta Daily World
Grammy Award Winning Artist Kanye West Brings ‘Sunday Service’ to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. (Photo by: atlantadailyworld.com) Kanye West continues to face backlash for his views following controversial remarks. His Donda Academy recently announced that it will close for the 2022-23 school year. D o n d a A c a d e m y, a n unaccredited Christian school in Simi Valley, California, has about
100 students and tuition is $15,000 a year per student. Before students could enroll, parents had to sign a non-dislosure agreement. Students wore school uniforms designed by Balenciaga and the Yeezy brand. The school began to be impacted by Kanye’s words and actions. During the controversial
interview with “Drink Champs,” Kanye said, I can say anti-Semitic s—- and Adidas cannot drop me.” Along with his controversial remarks on “Drink Champs,” he also tweeted, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” Kanye would apologize days later during an interview with Piers Morgan by saying, “I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the ‘Death Con’ — the confusion that I caused,” the artist formerly known as Kanye West told Piers Morgan on his TalkTV show. “I feel like I caused hurt and confusion. And I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I have been through, and that I
used my platform, where you say hurt people hurt people, and I was hurt.” After several companies discontinued their relationship with Kanye, Donda Academy’s basketball team was removed from a tournament. On Oct. 26, the school’s principal, Jason Angell, reportedly emailed students’ parents, “Our leadership team will be working diligently to assist all families during this transition, ensuring that every scholar has what they need to succeed in their next community in a prompt and gracious manner.” The post Kanye West’s Donda Academy Closes Following Rapper’s Controversial Remarks appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.
Gail Fry Contributor
Credit: Shutterstock Currently, the San Bernardino American News is informed of at least four lawsuits where there are allegations of physical and sexual abuse of foster children being covered up that resulted in settlements and a jury verdict (now under appeal) of more than $10 million, with a fourth lawsuit going to trial. The plaintiffs all point to the San Bernardino County Department of Children and Family Services as being responsible for failing to protect the children. The Department of Children and Family Services mission statement is, “Children and Family Services (CFS) protects endangered children, preserves, and strengthens their families, and develops alternative family settings. Services mandated by law and regulations will be provided in the least intrusive manner with a family centered focus. This mission is accomplished in collaboration with the family, a wide variety of public and private agencies and members of the community.” The Goal of CFS is: “…to keep the child at home when it is safe. If it is determined that the child is at risk, the goal is then to develop an alternative plan as quickly as possible.” The County of San Bernardino reached settlements in two of the lawsuits totaling more than $7.5 million, and one lawsuit resulting in a federal jury awarding $2.5 million to a former social worker turned whistleblower, all cases involving Child and Family Services. The County of San Bernardino recently announced its appeal of the $2.5M jury verdict. In response to the San Bernardino American News’ question of whether the County of San Bernardino planned to review or make any changes at CFS as a result of the two civil settlements, and the jury verdict involving CFS, SBC Public Information Officer David Wert responded, “Children
and Family Services policy is consistent with applicable laws and other regulations, and always has been. CFS continues to hire staff at all levels on a continuous basis.” These four lawsuits as well as the California State Attorney General’s announcement of an investigation in 2016, and detailed in numerous SBC Grand Jury Reports, appear to indicate serious issues at CFS, the county’s agency responsible for ensuring the safety of foster children. Former San Bernardino County Social Worker Eric Bahra, turned whistleblower, informed his supervisors at Children and Family Services of systemic failures that caused 54 foster children to be placed in the home of a known abuser and after Bahra and San Bernardino County Sheriff Detective Michelle Brand witnessed the interview of a foster child victim, Bahra identified the abuser and the 54 foster child victims and gave the list to Brand. (source: https://provider.kareo. com/eric-bahra). The lawsuits allege CFS failures As previously reported by The San Bernardino American News, the first in a series of lawsuits was filed in federal court on December 14, 2016, by SBC Social Worker and whistleblower, Eric Bahra, and named the County of San Bernardino, San Bernardino County Department of Children and Family Services (CFS) and its employees, Kristine Burgamy and Nickola Hackett. Court documents claim when Bahra realized and reported CFS’ failures to monitor, data errors, and the systemic failures caused 54 foster children to be placed in the unlicensed foster home of a known serial child molester, Leonardo Rodriguez, the county covered up the abuse, and retaliated against him. In an interview with the San Bernardino American News, Attorney Charles Bonner confirmed Rodriguez was never continued on page 2
Thursday, November 10, 2022
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COMMUNITY/EDUCATION/ADVERTISING
SBCUSD Board Of Education Launches Nationwide Superintendent Search The Nurses Pub Launches Rock The Sox Campaign To Honor Veterans and Residents of The Inland Empire
Community /Education News
Community News
The San Bernardino City Unified School District governing Board is seeking applicants for superintendent. Applications can be accessed via the application link and will be accepted through November 30, 2022. The new educational leader for California’s seventh-largest school district is slated to be named by February 2023. Candidates must have the background, skills, and abilities essential for excellence in educational leadership. In October, the Board hired McPherson & Jacobson, LLC, an executive search firm that specializes in education, to lead a nationwide search for SBCUSD’s next leader. As part of the new search, the Board is seeking input from parents, employees, and the community on desired characteristics through a survey that will help shape the search process by asking respondents to weigh in on the personal and professional qualities they want in a new top administrator. The educational partner input survey is available now and closes Friday, November 18. The Board of Education will also hold several meetings to give various educational partners an opportunity to give input.
An educational partner input meeting for select participants will be held on Tuesday, November 8. A Superintendent Criteria Board of Education workshop will be held Tuesday, November 15 at 4 p.m. in the Dr. Margaret Hill Community Room at the Board of Education building, 777 North F Street in San Bernardino, and the public can attend. A community forum for input is on Monday, November 14 from 6 to 7 p.m. also in the Dr. Margaret Hill Community Room. This forum will be both in person and virtual and is open to the public. The virtual participation is limited to the first 500 participants who register. The plan is to interview semifinalists for the post at the end of January. It is anticipated that the process will be completed in January 2023, and a contract would be offered by February 2023. Applicants may view a District profile, a search timeline, and more information about the District on a webpage devoted to the superintendent search. Since July, SBCUSD has been run by four administrators in charge in rotation: Harold Sullins, Ana Applegate, Dr. Sandra Rodriguez, continued in last 2 columns
NORTHWEST PROJECT AREA COMMITTEE Join us to find out what is happening in the 6th Ward and City! Find out about:
With the support of Bombas. com, Wesley Health Centers (IWCH Institute) and Opera-tion Be Kind, The Nurses Pub will launch a community giveaway to support San Ber-nardino and Inland Empire Veterans and families needing high quality socks and a chance to win $50 Visa Gift Cards. 500 pairs of socks and a complimentary Nurses Pub goodie gift bag will be available with COVID testing on November 11, 2022, from 7:30 am until 2:30 p.m. and Novem-ber 12, 2022, from 7:30 am until 1:00 p.m. at 468 west 5th Street, San Bernardino, Cali-fornia, 90241. The Nurses Pub is a non-profit organization working with CDPH (California Department of Public Health) to provide FREE COVID testing for the San Bernardino residents that otherwise would not have access to covid testing and informational resources, Currently, testing is available Tuesday until Friday from 7:30 am until 2:45 p.m. and Saturday, 7:30 am until 1:00 p.m. According to Clayton, CEO, The Nurses Pub organization is elated
to be able to sup-port Veterans and individuals experiencing homelessness by offering free services for the community. Although transmission of the virus is declining we are also capturing individuals that are testing positive for the virus.” Our services are free of charge and our staff are the top of the line in service and testing states Clayton. The Rock The Sox Campaign will continue until November 18, 2022, and The Nurses Pub anticipates providing over 500 pairs of socks for the community. “These socks are much needed especially during the winter months,” and our goal is to be a service for veterans and others in the underserved communities of San Bernardino and the Inland Empire. Raffle drawing nominees will be announced on November 18, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. at the testing site. For additional information regarding The Nurses Pub or to interview Ms. Clayton, CEO, please email: thenursespub@ gmail.com or call (562) 537-1646. www.thenursespub.org www.testfreesb.com
¨ 6th Ward Councilmember, Kimberly Calvin ¨ San Bernardino Police Dept & Code Enforcement IN-PERSON MEETING ONLY When:
Monday, November 14, 2022 Time:
6:00pm
Where: 1505 Highland Avenue, San Bernardino Contact: 909.913.0831 SBCUSD Board Of Education Launches Nationwide Superintendent Search...continued and Dr. Marcus Funchess. Doc Ervin, the previous superintendent, retired in July. About San Bernardino City Unified School District: SBCUSD has been serving the San Bernardino and Highland communities since 1964, and now serves nearly 47,000 prekindergarten through 12th-grade students. The District encompasses 110 square miles, including the unincorporated communities of
Muscoy and Devore. The District is home to 50 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, a K–8 school, 7 comprehensive high schools, 2 alternative high schools, a child development program, a virtual academy, and a thriving adult school, the Inland Career Education Center. For more information, please visit www. sbcusd.com.
A series of lawsuits, verdicts, and settlements, against San Bernardino County Children & Family Services raises alarms – Part 3 ...continued from page 1 arrested. Attorney Bonner testified that a systemic failure at CFS resulted in 54 foster children being placed at a foster home whose license had been revoked, the home of Leonardo Rodriguez, a serial sexual molester, who sexually molested the foster children. (Source: Gail Fry, The San Bernardino American News). The court records document that SBC fought Eric Bahra’s whistleblower lawsuit until it went to a jury trial, where testimony and evidence was presented to a jury, after hearing the testimony and evidence, the jury found against the county awarding Bahra $2.5 million in damages. Five of the 54 children, who were placed in the unlicensed foster home of Leonardo Rodriguez, a serial child molester, were able to retain Attorney Jack Anthony who filed a lawsuit on their behalf. Anthony gave Bahra credit for his accurate testimony, which assisted Anthony in establishing the county was placed on notice that foster parent Rodriguez was known to have a record of molesting, mistreating and neglecting foster children. Anthony told the San Bernardino American News that testimony from Bahra provided Anthony with the basis to reach a substantial confidential settlement and some form of justice for five of Rodriguez’ victims. Attorney Bonner, Bahra’s attorney, verified in an interview with the San Bernardino American News, that despite the fact that SBC Sheriff Detective Michelle Brand witnessed the interview of a 10-year-old girl, one of the
children molested by Leonardo Rodriguez, he was never arrested or charged criminally for his alleged molestation of numerous foster children. Bonner confirmed that San Bernardino County Detective Michelle Brand requested all information about what occurred including the identity of the foster children placed in the home of foster parent Leonardo Rodriguez, however, Rodriguez was not arrested or charged for his alleged crimes. (Source: Gail Fry, San Bernardino American News). On August 17, 2018, the third lawsuit was filed by foster/ adoptive parents, William and Michelle Mueller, and grandparent Michael Dobie, alleging San Bernardino County and/or its social worker, Deborah Kay, was aware a young boy known as E.M. was being sexually abused by his older brother C.T., were negligent, and failed to protect E.M. when he was placed together with his brother C.T. in foster care. The Muellers’ federal lawsuit claimed prior to their planned adoption of E.M. and C.T., that CFS had intentionally covered up the fact that foster child, E.M., the younger brother, was being abused by foster child, C.T., the older brother. Eric Rossman, Attorney for the Mueller Family, confirmed his investigation discovered ongoing issues with San Bernardino County CFS, which included prior lawsuits, and several grand jury reports. (source: Gail Fry, San Bernardino American News). On August 30, Attorney Eric S. Rossman, representing the
Muellers and grandparent Dobie, announced the $7.5 million settlement reached with San Bernardino County. The fourth lawsuit, which is ongoing, was filed on September 25, 2015, at the San Bernardino Superior Court by former SBC CFS Social Worker Mary Anna Whitehall alleged the County of San Bernardino committed fraud upon the court, covered up child abuse occurring within its foster care program, and retaliated against whistleblowers. Whitehall claimed retaliation by the county after she testified to the San Bernardino Superior Court on March 6, 2014, that SBC Children & Family Services committed a fraud upon the court in order to obstruct justice and discredit former social worker turned whistleblower, Eric Bahra. As part of their fraud upon the court, Whitehall alleges CFS also concealed and failed to investigate the biological parents of a baby found dead at their home under suspicious circumstances, allowing the biological parents to keep their remaining children. San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Bryan Foster scheduled a pre-trial hearing in the Whitehall case for October 27, at 8:30 a.m. at the San Bernardino Justice Center. This article is the third in a series examining the failures by San Bernardino County’s Department of Child and Family Services to protect children entrusted to its care and the millions of dollars in settlement costs to the county as a result. Part 4 will look deeper into the troubled history of this department.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
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COUNTY/BUSINESS/ CONSUMER/FINANCIAL NEWS
Academic Study Finds Reparations To Black Americans Would Narrow Health Gap, Increase Life Expectancy Study in JAMA Network Open Cites Links Racial Wealth Gap to Health Inequities READ STUDY HERE: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/ jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2798135?utm_source=For_The_ Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_ term=110722 Business/Consumer/Financial News
Dr. William Darity Jr BOSTON, MA - A study published today in JAMA Network Open concludes that the racial wealth gap has lethal implications for Black Americans. On average, White households have more than a 6 to 1 advantage over Black households in mean wealth, $980,549 to $142,330, contributing to widespread racial health inequities and shortened life expectancies. Completed by researchers at Harvard Medical School, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, Drexel, and Duke, the study finds that eliminating the wealth gap with reparations payments would shrink racial inequities in health and longevity. The study links the low wealth of Blacks, a product of the legacy of slavery and subsequent discriminatory public and private policies and practices, to their shorter life expectancy. “Our study demonstrates a reparations plan that raised Black net worth sufficiently to eliminate the racial wealth gap for Black
American descendants of U.S. slavery would lengthen Black lives dramatically,” said Dr. William Darity Jr., professor of Economics, African and African American Studies at Duke University, and a co-author of the study. The researchers analyzed data on 33,501 Black and White middle-aged Americans who were tracked for up to 26 years in the federally-funded Health and Retirement Study, which collects comprehensive data on each person’s wealth. Specifically, it includes data rarely available in health studies, such as net value of investments, housing equity, vehicles and other assets. Among the research subjects, whose average age was 59 at the outset of the study, the odds of dying for Blacks was 26% higher than their White counterparts, equivalent to 4.0 fewer years of remaining life expectancy. The researchers found that differences in wealth accounted for much of the life expectancy gap and projected the effect of equalizing wealth through reparations payments. Their analysis indicates that fully closing the wealth gap would nearly equalize the two groups’ odds of dying, greatly reducing continued in next 2 columns
Academic Study Finds Reparations To Black Americans Would Narrow Health Gap, Increase Life Expectancy...continued the current Black-White inequity in life expectancy. “Our findings add to the compelling moral case for
reparations,” said Dr. Kathryn Himmelstein, a study co-author and infectious disease fellow at continued in next 2 columns
FirstBank Maintains Growth Heading into the Final Quarter of 2022
Bank launches bilingual initiative to enhance financial literacy by offering banking education resources Business/Consumer/Financial News PALM DESERT, Calif., Nov. 8, 2022 — FirstBank, one of the nation’s largest privately held banks with a focus on “banking for good,” announced sustained growth in income, assets, and deposits as part of its third quarter summary on the company’s holding and activities. Across FirstBank California branches, FirstBank net loans increased 28.8 percent to $416.9 million, and total deposits rose 5.0 percent to $683.6 million. Across all markets, FirstBank reported a net loan balance increase of 16.6 percent to $15.7 billion. Total deposits climbed 5.2 percent to $26.4 billion, total assets grew 3.9 percent to $28.5 billion, and net income increased 15.2 percent to $256.3 million. “By continuing to put our customers, communities, and employees first, we have experienced consistent growth despite the uncertain economic conditions around us,” said Jake Wuest, California Market President for FirstBank. “FirstBank will continue to invest in our community to deliver on our banking for good mission, so customers can feel confident
in their banking decisions and financial needs in any economy.” In a recent consumer survey by American Banker, FirstBank was ranked among the top 20 banks, fintechs, and credit unions nationwide for its customer experience and satisfaction ratings. In collaboration with the Desert Community Foundation (DCF), the bank announced the inaugural Coachella Valley Giving Day, a 24-hour online giving event that will launch on March 1, 2023, with the goal of increasing individual philanthropy and supporting local nonprofit organizations in the Coachella Valley. 501(c)(3) organizations in the Coachella Valley, including eligible schools and churches, can participate for free by registering from November 1, 2022, to February 1, 2023. In Q3, FirstBank launched its “Empower All” initiative, a collection of online financial education resources available in English and Spanish, which aims to help all communities, especially those who are underserved, become more financially confident. For more information about FirstBank, visit www.efirstbank. com.
Academic Study Finds Reparations To Black Americans Would Narrow Health Gap, Increase Life Expectancy...continued Harvard's Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's Hospitals. “Compensating Black families for the economic legacy of slavery and discrimination would do more than heal their finances – it would improve their health and add years to their lives.” Some activists and scholars have long advocated reparations for Black Americans as compensation for the racism that began with slavery and continued with Jim Crow laws, New Deal programs that initially excluded many Black Americans, housing policies that limited Black families from gaining intergenerational wealth, and other racist government policies and practices. Reparations advocates point to historical precedents like the U.S. government’s payments to previously-interned Japanese Americans and Germany’s
payments to Holocaust survivors. Poll data from 2021 suggest 36% of all Americans, including 86% of Black Americans, support reparations (up from 15% of Americans in 2014), and 196 members of Congress have signed on to a bill that would establish a federal commission to study reparations. “Many health workers are aware of the deadly impacts of racism on health for Black people, but few have supported reparations as a remedy,” said Dr. Michelle Morse, a co-author of the study and internal medicine physician and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. “This research makes it clearer than ever for the medical and public health community to consider reparations as a remedy to advance racial justice and health equity.”
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California Holding Oil Companies Accountable for Gas Price Hikes and Record Profits, Hosting Hearing to Get Answers County/Business/Financial News SACRAMENTO – Oil companies charged Californians record high prices for gasoline, even as the cost of crude oil
went down, leading to record profits for the oil industry in the past three months. Today, the continued on page 4
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LOCAL/NATIONAL/CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
COMMENTARY: ‘Give Light and People Will Find the Way’ Teaching all children about our shared history by exposing them to books by excellent authors like Carole Boston Weatherford and others who are part of the CDF Freedom Schools curriculum, and by taking them to visit important historical and cultural sites like the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, are ways of giving children the light they will need to be prepared to plot their own futures. But this midterm election season reminds us yet again that many adults are fighting this idea today, and many are on ballots right now from school boards to statewide offices across the country. Educate yourself about the candidates seeking to represent you and make sure you are prepared with a plan to vote. Once again, we can never take any office or any election for granted. Children cannot vote, but they desperately need parents, teachers, and leaders who will be lanterns, not adults who seek to dim the light. By Marion Wright Edelman | Washington Informer
Courtesy of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Earlier this year, members of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools team and other colleagues had opportunity to attend a training session near the plantation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore where Harriet Tubman was enslaved and where she returned again and again after her own escape to lead others to freedom. The retreat’s theme was “Give Light and People Will Find the Way,” the title indomitable civil rights movement justice warrior Ella Baker used for one of her training workshops at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee. This message is relevant to the CDF Freedom Schools program’s work today teaching young people they can make a difference in themselves, their families, their communities, their country, and their world with hope, education, and action, and the same message could also describe some of the inspiration the team drew from Harriet Tubman’s legacy. During the retreat, they visited
the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Church Creek, Maryland and sites important in her life, including the plantation where her family was enslaved and the dry goods store where she was assaulted and suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child. She was standing inside that store when an enslaved boy ran in being chased by an overseer who ordered Harriet to help grab the boy. When she stood between the boy and the white man and did not move, the overseer hurled a lead weight at her head, leaving her bloody and unconscious. She suffered seizures, sleeping spells, and debilitating headaches the rest of her life, but also began experiencing vivid dreams about God and visions and premonitions about escaping slavery. Seeing these places and the land where she had to travel and hide reinforced how difficult her mission was and how much courage and determination she needed to possess in order to survive. Now, through the National Historical
Park, a state park and visitor center, the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center, and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway, a 125-mile trail that includes waterways and safe houses she and others used as they fled towards freedom, these sites are preserved as a piece of American history that can teach and inspire young people today. The importance and inspiration of teaching history was also central in the message the CDF Freedom Schools team heard when acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford joined the retreat for a conversation. Her books for children and young adults often revisit key moments and people in African American history, and one of her most loved is the lyrical, beautiful Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award-winning book “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom,” illustrated by Kadir Nelson. During the meeting, she asked her listeners to consider how Black history is often taught through a lens of enslavement and oppression. She then challenged them to consider this question: “Who taught us to be free?” She continued, “You can’t teach what you don’t know, and you don’t know what you weren’t taught.” She said as she wrote “Moses,” she was inspired by the parallels between Harriet Tubman and the biblical Moses, who both took it upon themselves to free themselves and their people, and
she challenged CDF Freedom Schools leaders with a charge to take up that call — teaching the next generation how to be free. These are crucial lessons. Teaching all children about our shared history by exposing them to books by excellent authors like Carole Boston Weatherford and others who are part of the CDF Freedom Schools curriculum, and by taking them to visit important historical and cultural sites like the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, are ways of giving children the light they will need to be prepared to plot their own futures. But this midterm election season reminds us yet again that many adults are fighting this idea today, and many are on ballots right now from school boards to statewide offices across the country. Educate yourself about the candidates seeking to represent you and make sure you are prepared with a plan to vote. Once again, we can never take any office or any election for granted. Children cannot vote, but they desperately need parents, teachers, and leaders who will be lanterns, not adults who seek to dim the light. Edelman is founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund. The post MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN: ‘Give Light and People Will Find the Way’ appeared first on The Washington Informer.
La Quinta Art Celebration Returns November 10-13, 2022, La Quinta, CA The outdoor affair will showcase 185 world-class, jury-selected artists from 32 states and five countries exhibiting their original artworks.
California Holding Oil Companies Accountable for Gas Price Hikes and Record Profits, Hosting Hearing to Get Answers...continued from page 3 California Energy Commission (CEC) announced a public hearing on November 29 to bring in oil executives and experts to provide answers about gasoline price hikes amidst record profits, refinery maintenance, and how to prevent such price increases in the future. “We’re taking action to get answers for Californians who paid for these record profits through gas price hikes. They had the opportunity to provide written responses, but big oil dodged and outright refused to answer basic questions. This hearing will help get answers for gas price hikes and help us make sure this doesn’t keep happening,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. Governor Newsom spoke to these record profits as Californians paid price hikes at the pump. This upcoming hearing follows the CEC having requested written responses to questions about price spikes despite the cost of crude oil going down – questions that the companies largely failed to answer in writing. In the third quarter of 2022, from July to September, oil companies reported record high profits: Phillips 66 profits jumped to $5.4 billion, a 1243% increase over last year’s $402 million; BP posted $8.2 billion in profits, its second-highest on record, with $2.5 billion going towards share buybacks that benefit Wall Street investors; Marathon Petroleum profits rose to $4.48 billion, a 545% increase over last year’s $694 million; Valero’s $2.82 billion in profits that were 500% higher than the year before; PBF Energy’s $1.06 billion that
Poverty drops in California but only because of child tax credit, COVID relief funds BY WENDY FRY
BOB’S BASEBALL TOUR
Local News La Quinta Art Celebration returns over the four days of Veteran’s Day Weekend, November 10-13, 2022, at the visually stunning La Quinta Civic Center in La Quinta, CA. The hours for this fall show have been set at 9 am to 4 pm to take full advantage of our desert sunshine. This is the Coachella Valley’s signature art event and is presented by SCOPE Events, LLC, with the full support of the City of La Quinta. The outdoor affair will showcase 185 world-class, juryselected artists from 32 states and five countries exhibiting their original artworks in styles ranging from classical to whimsical, and spanning 11 media categories: 2 & 3D Mixed Media, Ceramics, Digital Art, Drawing & Pastel, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Painting, Photography, Sculpture and Wood. To complement the unparalleled art experience, the Celebration will offer its patrons a diverse variety of upscale amenities that include live music, gourmet dining from Best Beverage Catering, and topshelf beverages at Celebration Bistro, Champagne Bar, Winery Experience, Oasis Lounge, Palm Tree Bar and lakeside at the Don Julio Margarita Bar. Daily live entertainment will feature favorite local performers Scott Carter (9 am-12 pm on the Amphitheater stage) and Michael
Anthony Gagliardi (9 am-4 pm at the Oasis Lounge). Headlining on the Amphitheater stage from 1-4 pm are Del Lago Trio (Friday), The Art of Sax (Saturday), and Shaken Not Stirred (Sunday). In addition, live music will be performed by Nick Sosa in the Celebration Bistro on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm. Featured Artists at ENCORE 2022 are Mark Lewanski of Michigan, Erin Hanson of Oregon and Robert Weil, a local La Quinta resident. Mark is the Master of woven glass and his work is exhibited on the event poster. Erin's, oil painting, Waves of Sunflowers, was selected for the women’s t-shirt. Robert Weil's digital art comprises the men’s T-shirt with the whimsical Encore. La Quinta is a community steeped in pride for the arts, and La Quinta Art Celebration seamlessly intertwines the visual, performing, and culinary arts all at one event. La Quinta Civic Center is located at 78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, CA 92253. Event hours are 9 am to 4 pm. Admission is $20, or $25 for a Multi-Day Pass. Children under 12 are free. Parking options include free parking throughout the Village of La Quinta, self-paid for $10 and valet $15. To avoid long lines at the gate, purchase tickets online now – plus get all event info at www.laquintaartcelebration.org.
was 1700% higher than the year before; Shell reported a $9.45 billion haul that sent $4 billion to shareholders for stock buybacks; Exxon reported their highestever $19.7 billion in profits; Chevron reported $11.2 billion in profits, their second-highest quarterly profit ever. This comes on the heels of a report showing that refiners like PBF Energy are making more profits off of Californians than in any other state – $0.78 per gallon compared to the national average of $0.50, a 56% differential. According to Consumer Watchdog, “PBF reported making 78 cents per gallon refining crude oil into gasoline in California in the third quarter – the greatest raw profits anywhere in the nation or world. By contrast, PBF’s profits per gallon were 48 cents on the Gulf Coast, 49 cents per gallon on the East Coast, 55 cents per gallon in the Midwest – an average of 50 cents across the rest of America.” Big oil was making these record profits at a time when Californians were seeing gas price hikes at the pump, despite the fact that the cost of crude oil was down: Governor Newsom has taken action to lower prices at the pump, ordering the switch to winterblend gasoline and demanding accountability from oil companies and refiners that do business in California, leading to record relief at the pump for consumers. Since California’s record-high gas prices of $6.42, the Governor’s actions have reduced those prices to $5.47 most recently – a decrease of 95 cents.
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Poverty fell in California during the COVID pandemic, recent data shows, largely due to state and national safety net programs, especially the expansion of federal child tax credits. But a deadline to file for those tax credits expires November 17, prompting advocates in California and a few state lawmakers to sound alarms. “If you haven’t been doing your taxes, now is the time,” said Assemblymember David Alvarez, a San Diego Democrat who held a press conference reminding people to file and claim the tax credits. “As an advocate for children, and as a parent of two, I know that the need is high right now, especially for families with children as they struggle to keep up with all the inflationary pressures.” The California Policy Lab, a nonprofit that analyzes public data, estimates about 290,000 California children living at or near poverty could miss out on the 2021 child tax benefit — leaving $928 million on the table, according to Brett Fischer, co-author of its latest report. That’s because 37% of the people who became eligible under the 2021 guidelines — mostly those making little or no income — may be unaware they need to
file income tax forms to receive the credit. “The concern is that a lot of individuals who were eligible for this credit would not end up going through the administrative burdens of applying and filing taxes in order to gain the credits,” said Hilary Hoynes, a public policy and economics professor and the Haas Distinguished Chair in Economic Disparities at the University of California Berkeley. Made with Flourish Tracking poverty Contrary to many expectations, California’s poverty rate dropped from 16.4% in 2019 to a projected 11.7% in fall 2021, according to research by the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan think tank, and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. They use the California Poverty Measure, which takes into account this state’s high housing costs and various governmentfunded anti-poverty programs and payouts. Based on this measure, about 4.5 million Californians live in poverty, which is pegged at $36,900 annually for a family of four. Millions more would have been in poverty, statistics show. 2022 ELECTION Your guide to the 2022 general election in California The federal government’s continued on page 8
Thursday, November 10, 2022
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LEGALS/CLASSIFIEDS/NEWS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN 20220010209 Date Filed: 11/07/2022 Filing Expires On: 11/07/2027 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME (as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.) 1. BUSINESS ORGANIZED SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES 2. SELIKA BATES-BORDENAVE County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Street Address of Principal Place of Business: 11175 AZUSA COURT SUITE 110 RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91730 Name of Individual Registrant: SELIKA T. BATES-BORDENAVE Residence Street Address: 11175 AZUSA COURT SUITE 110 RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91730 This business is/was conducted by: An Individual Registrant has commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: Oct 18, 2022 Selika T. Bates-Bordenave, Owner, declares that all information in this statement is true and correct. NOTICE- IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORT IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper November 10, 17, 24, December 1, 2022.
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVBA 2200519 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: ANGEL NATHANIEL PARRA filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: a. ANGEL NATHANIEL PARRA to Proposed name: ANGEL NATHANIEL CARDENAS THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 11/28/22 Time 1:30 p.m. Dept.: B2 The address of the court is: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO 235 E. Mt. View Ave. Barstow, CA 92311 Barstow Branch A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date: October 25, 2022 James R. Baxter Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper October 27, November 3, 10, 17, 2022.
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN 20220009381 Date Filed10/11/2022 Filing Expires On: 10/11/2027 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME (as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.): NEW ERA PARTY RENTALS County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Street Address of Principal Place of Business: 13782 BEAR VALLEY ROAD SUITE D3 VICTORVILLE, CA 92392 Mailing Address: 14233 BISON CT VICTORVILLE, CA 92392 # of Employees: 0 Name of Individual Registrant: Name of corporation or limited liability company as shown in the Articles of Inc./ Org./Reg.: NEW ERA PARTY RENTALS LLC State of Inc./Org./Reg.: CA Inc./Org./Reg. No.: 202252519395 Residence Street Address: 13782 BEAR VALLEY ROAD VICTORVILLE, CA 92392 This business is/was conducted by: A Limited Liability Company Registrant has commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: Not Applicable Wilson C. Hannibal. Manager, declares that all information in this statement is true and correct. NOTICE- IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORT IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper October 20, 27, November 3, 10, 2022.
GUARD DOG STORAGE OF HESPERIA, 17147 Lemon S, Hesperia, CA 92345 (760) 956-7500. Notice is hereby given that pursuant to Section 21700 of the. Business & Professions Code, State of California, the undersigned will sell at Public Sale by Competitive Bidding On November 16th, 12 pm at Guard Dog Storage of Hesperia, County of San Bernardino, State of California, the goods, chattels or personal goods and property of the tenants, household goods, tools, toys, etc. Mark Lawrence, Terry Grimmer, Sally lang, Cheryl Parker x2, Amanda Egnozzi x2, Phillip Costancio, Amber Popp, Paulo Sanchez, Elva Rivera, Kathy Lockhart, Dina Hill, Jeremy Irvine,
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Michael Hopkins x2. Purchased goods are sold as is and must be removed within one day of purchase. Payment is to be with cash only and made at the time of purchase. The sale is subject to cancellation without notice in the event of settlement between owner and obligated party. Auctioneer
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John Cardoza, License #5860870. (209)-667-5797. Published in The San Bernardino American News November 3, 10, 2022. Covered California Enrollment Launched - Healthcare Help Available for All Californians Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media California’s health insurance marketplace, known as the Covered California Health Exchange, launched its 10th open enrollment period on Nov.1. Covered California is the government agency that offers subsidized Obamacare plans for Californians. Those who qualify receive financial assistance
PETITION/PROBATE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN 20220009539 Date Filed10/17/2022 Filing Expires On: 10/17/2027 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME (as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.): AFFORDABLE WINDOW REPLACEMENTS County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Street Address of Principal Place of Business: 14080 DRIFTWOOD DRIVE VICTORVILLE, CA 92395 Mailing Address: SVL BOX 8927 VICTORVILLE, CA 92395 # of Employees: 0 Name of Individual Registrant: THOMAS A VELOZ Residence Street Address: 14080 DRIFTWOOD DRIVE SVL BOX 8927 VICTORVILLE, CA 92395 This business is/was conducted by: An Individual Registrant has commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: Oct 11, 2022 Thomas A. Veloz, Owner, declares that all information in this statement is true and correct. NOTICE- IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORT IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper October 27, November 3, 10, 17, 2022.
NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE
NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: JAMES MELVIN VERMILLION AKA JIM MELVIN VERMILLION CASE NO: PROSB 2201398
To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of: JAMES
MELVIN VERMILLION AKA JIM MELVIN VERMILLION
A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by: FRANK VERMILLION in the Superior Court of California, County of SAN BERNARDINO. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that: FRANK VERMILLION be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: Date: Nov 15, 2022 Time: 9:00 a.m. Dept: S37 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO 247 West Third Street San Bernardino, CA 92415-0212 Probate IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: David A. Akintimoye 23962 Alessandro Blvd. Suite P Moreno Valley, CA 92553 (951)656-5777 Published in The San Bernardino American Newspaper November 3, 10, 17, 2022.
on a sliding scale for their health coverage in compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Depending on income, some consumers may qualify for another state-provided health insurance option, Medi-Cal, at a lower or no cost. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra joined Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA-37), Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and other Covered California leaders at Union Station in Los Angeles to kick off open enrollment. “We saw from COVID how many gaps there are in our health public health care system. First and foremost, we’ve got to get people covered. They know they have that peace of mind if they can walk into any doctor's door, into any hospital. It gives them the confidence to do it the right way,” said Becerra. “That's why we're going to continue to expand. When you can offer an American health insurance plan for 10 dollars or less a month; you can't go see a movie today, not in LA, for 10 dollars… 10 dollars or less a month for peace of mind. That's what we're selling.” Since Covered California’s first open enrollment campaign in 2013, federal data shows that California’s uninsured rate fell from 17.2% to a record low of 7.0%, the greatest percentage decrease for any state in that period, and below the national average of 8.6%. Publicly funded Certified Enrollment Counselors, or “navigators,” provide consumers with free, unbiased advice as they look for health insurance options
C LAS S I F I E D S
available on the marketplace. They help complete eligibility and enrollment forms and they assist with outreach, education, and renewal support services. “We just came out with a report that showed that in the past year, because we went out to where you were to try to get to you, especially with our navigators, we saw a rise in the number of African American enrollees by 49%. And we saw a rise in the number of Latino enrollees by 53%,” said Becerra. Still, according to estimates from Covered California, 1 million people are uninsured and eligible to get insured with low-cost or no-cost plans. “Regardless of your income, if you need health insurance or if you’re covered directly through a health insurance company, come to Covered California to see if you can get financial help to make your insurance more affordable,” said Jessica Altman, Executive Director of Covered California. “The increased and expanded help that was extended by the Inflation Reduction Act is changing lives by helping more Californians get covered and stay covered.” Getting and maintaining coverage is a critical first step that cannot be overstated, some health advocates say, but the healthcare system still has opportunities to better serve Black Californians. A recent California Healthcare Foundation (CHCF) survey found that 90% of Black Californians have health insurance coverage, but nearly one in three reported being treated unfairly by a healthcare provider because of their race or ethnicity. “Just because Black folks are covered, doesn’t mean they are getting quality care,” said Congresswoman Bass, a former physician’s assistant. “That has nothing to do with Covered California per se. It has to do with the inequities in the healthcare system. And having worked in the healthcare for a long time, I know that those inequities exist, and its across class. So, when Beyoncé and Serena Williams almost lose their life after a normal childbirth, it’s indicative of problems that are related specifically to race.” The best remedy at this time is engagement. According to the CHCF survey, two thirds of Black Californians report researching a health condition or concern before meeting with a healthcare provider to mitigate potential negative experiences, an observation Congresswoman Bass agrees with. “The main thing that people can do is make sure that they are well educated. In other words, when you go to a doctor, don’t just leave it 100% up to the doctor, study up on what they are saying,” Bass said. “We need to have advocates inside of healthcare who are trained - sometimes there are medical social workers who do that.” Californians can explore their options at CoveredCA.com or by calling Covered California at (800)300-1506. They can easily find out if they qualify for financial help and see what coverage options are available.
The open enrollment period will continue until Jan. 31, 2023.
Over 80 children and their families celebrate ‘historic’ day for adoptions in Riverside County Dozens of heartwarming ceremonies
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RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif.—Cuddly teddy bears were presented to five sisters, ages three to nine, when they arrived at the Larson Justice Center in Indio on a brisk Saturday morning. They were dressed for their special day in matching denim outfits and white shoes, eager to enter the courthouse to finalize their adoption. “I’m happy to be getting my parents today,” said Evolet, 9, sitting next to her siblings Izabella, 7, Quetzaly, 6, Ahura, 5, Lucy, 3 and soon-to-be parents, Sofia Rivera and Miguel Angel Avena, of Cathedral City. A short while later, the family of seven entered the courtroom and listened excitedly for the long-awaited moment as the paperwork was signed and the judge proclaimed the five girls were legally adopted. They were officially a family forever. Dozens of other families experienced the same heartwarming moment Saturday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio and the Riverside Historic Courthouse. November is National Adoption Month, a time when counties and communities across California promote adoption and permanency awareness through activities and events. It draws attention to the needs of the children and youth in foster care waiting for families to adopt them. On Saturday, the Children’s Services Division at the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services and the
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of children and families as we share the adoption process with every one of these families,” said the Juvenile Court’s presiding judge
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Mark Petersen. “The court recognizes how important it is for all involved agencies to come together and support the new beginnings
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Riverside Superior Court co-hosted the 14th annual Adoption Finalization Day. 50 families legally adopted 82 children. County officials say the number of children adopted at a single event this year was historic. Overall, Riverside County completes between 300 to 700 adoptions each year. “The Riverside Superior Court is honored to be a part of Adoption Finalization Day. This year we celebrate a substantial number
each of these families will have as they move forward as a family.” Children and youth of all ages participated in Adoption Finalization Day, surrounded and cheered on by social service professionals, court personnel, civic leaders, faith-based partners and volunteers. “Today, we celebrate all the homes created,” said 5th District Supervisor and board chair Jeff Hewitt. “To do this with over 80
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children makes me proud to be part of this county.” Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez visited the eastern county event in Indio and observed the court proceeding where a family finalized the adoption of two children. “I am glad that I got to see the process, meet the families and observe one of the adoption finalizations take place,” said Supervisor Perez. “Adoption is a major lifelong commitment and it is beautiful to see.” At the Riverside Historic Courthouse, 18-year-old Jesus Negrete was adopted by Brian and Chandra Concannon, a Riverside couple in their 60s who had initially only thought about fostering. But when Jesus entered their life about a year ago, they decided to pray about it and made the decision to adopt him. “When I was younger, I always wanted to be adopted but as I grew older, I gave up on that dream,” said Jesus. “But when I met
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my parents, they reminded me of everything I wanted in a family, everything I dreamed of as a child, and they opened that door up
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for me again.” “My heart is so filled with joy to see these families uniting through adoption as we celebrate National Adoption Month,” said Charity Douglas, assistant director of Children’s Services. “We also know that there are children who still need homes. We continue to implore our community to continue to support our children and families in Riverside County.” For more information on fostering or adoption in Riverside County, please call 1-800-665-KIDS (5437) or visit www.heartgalleryriverside. org.
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Thursday, November 10, 2022
Page 6
“Tell Me, What Does It Profit A Man to Gain the Whole World and Lose His Soul!” [Matthew 16:26]
By: Lou Coleman-Yeboah
Lou Coleman-Yeboah
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, all is vanity. [Eccelisates1:2-5]. All man does lead to futility - pointless. Solomon drew this conclusion from how he felt despite his enormous wealth, life status, and position in society. No matter what he did—he found absolutely nothing that fully satisfied his heart. Nothing gave him a deep sense of fulfillment. Whenever he found something that pleased him, the sense of gratification was temporary and short-lived; it soon passed away. So, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Absolutely nothing! If you succeed in the things of this world and fail to save your soul, then you have failed miserably. If you miss Heaven and go to Hell, what a fool you are,
what a wasted life you have lived! I tell you, there is nothing more important that your soul salvation! Do not be blinded and deceived by the lust of the flesh and the eyes in this sinful and perverted generation. To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Indeed, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. The word of the LORD is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it” [Jeremiah 6:10]. “As a river leads a man through sweet meadows, green woods, fertile pastures, fruit-laden fields, by glorious buildings, strong forts, famous cities, yet at last brings him to the salt sea; so, the stream of this world carries along through rich commodities, voluptuous delights, stately dignities, all possible content to flesh and blood, but, after all this, brings a man to death, after death to judgment, after judgment to hell.” [ Earthly Pursuits – End Miserably- Bible Hub -T. Adams.] What tragedy! Repent before it is too late!
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE #1124
The Digital Divide Is a Justice Issue Karen Georgia A. Thompson I live in a suburb fifteen miles west of downtown Cleveland. Upon moving into my house, I noticed that the cellular service in the area is not that great, such that I require Wi-Fi access to use my cell phone at home. This need for internet access for cell phone use was one of the motivations for purchasing an internet plan for my home three months after moving in. I bought the highest tier of service and was glad I did when I began working from home daily because of office closings due to COVID-19. In the months working from home, internet access has been a challenge. The service has gone out during the day. The assumption is that I can then get on my cell phone to participate on calls. I cannot. Cell service is too weak. My perspective—though emerging from a place where I can afford to pay for internet access, and have three computers, two tablets, smart televisions, and a host of internet dependent devices— has afforded me a glimpse into the widening digital divide and the need for internet access to be addressed as an emerging justice issue. My internet worries are at best an inconvenience, while for many, the lack of access to internet has far more serious consequences. When they were closed as a result of the pandemic, schools around the world relied heavily on a variety of videoconferencing platforms to continue having classes daily. But few questions were asked about how children would attend in this new way. Laptops and internet access were requirements not all could meet. Some schools provided computers for their students, but in poorer communities this was not always possible. By current estimates, two-thirds of the world’s school age children do not have internet access. As the world continues to
embrace digital technologies requiring internet access as a primary option for work, education, and living, there is a significant portion of the global community who will continue to fall behind because they will be unable to cross the widening digital divide and keep up with the digitally privileged. There is a call for closing this gap. Here in the United States and around the world, there is the recognition that not all have the ability to access social media at will or utilize search tools to satisfy every curious thought emerging in solace or from group conversations. Most recently, the National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) issued its position on “net neutrality and broadband” to stop the growth of the digital divide. NBCI made addressing the internet access gap a priority, noting the intersectionality of this issue with race in the United States: “This question breaks down to race simply because the income to purchase new technologies is not readily available to minorities based upon the perpetual unemployment that engulfs the African American community.” As more employers afford their staff the opportunity to work from home, those without internet access will be left behind, as will millions of students who are already vulnerable and on the margins because of poverty and other social indicators. The United Church of Christ must add these concerns to the list of justice concerns priorities being addressed. The church has a part to play in ensuring equal access for all to quality, affordable internet. UCC Media Justice has been advocating for affordable internet for all. Their campaign Love Your Neighbor: Get Them Internet is an opportunity for churches to get involved in advocacy, awareness continued in next 2 columns
LIFESTYLE/ENTERTAINMENT/RELIGION NEWS The Digital Divide Is a Justice Issue...continued and education. Closing the digital divide means the church will also need to evaluate and balance the requirements for participating in events, whether it be worship, meetings, or special events. There are many who are being excluded by the continued prioritization of virtual meetings as we emerge
into post-pandemic realities that rely heavily on internet access for meaningful participation. Karen Georgia A. Thompson is the Associate General Minister for Wider Church Ministries & Operations and Co-Executive for Global Ministries for the United Church of Christ.
Healing ARC Newsletter Provides Updates On Efforts To Eliminate Structural Racism In Medicine Lifestyle/National News
Dr. Manisha Sharma Cassandra Georges This Edition Features the work of Dr. Manisha Sharma & Cassandra Georges BOSTON, MA - The Healing ARC Campaign today released the first edition of its newsletter providing news and insights on strategies and interventions that seek to eliminate structural racism in patient care, including the Healing ARC framework. “Our newsletters inform hospital administrators, public officials, community activists and others about the efforts to eliminate institutional racism in medicine,” says Dr. Bram Wispelwey, a codeveloper of the Healing ARC framework. “We also provide comprehensive information about the Healing ARC application at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) that brings equity in the treatment of heart failure patients in the emergency room.” Dr. Wispelwey, an Instructor in Medicine at BWH and Instructor at the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, maintains that the Healing ARC addresses two antiracism goals by providing clinician education through acknowledgment of a racial inequity and providing a path of redress for patients of color. One newsletter article details the journey of Cassandra “Cass” Georges, a 26-year-old UMass Amherst graduate, who helps implement a Healing ARC care model at BWH. In 2015 a study found that, on average, fewer Black and Hispanic heart failure patients were admitted to the specialty cardiology unit that improves patient outcomes. Subsequently, Dr. Wispelwey and other physicians developed a digital application that sends an alert reminding emergency room physicians that Blacks and Hispanic heart failure patients have been disproportionately sent to general admissions rather than cardiology when admitted to the hospital. Georges organizes the “Wisdom Council,” a group of neighborhood leaders whose constituents are impacted by racism at the hospital. She connects her current work to her journey from foster care to ensuring that successful community engagement is a vital part of the Healing ARC and restorative health equity work. “We are reaching out to community members so we can leverage their input and insights in the hospital’s decision making,” Georges says. “There are too many
times when attempts to address health disparities are designed at the top of the bureaucracy and ignore community views and opinions. Historically, instead of going to harmed populations and including their thinking in the remedy, they are completely cut out of picture.” Another newsletter article highlights the work of Dr. Manisha Sharma, a family medicine physician working at the juncture of patient care, community health, social justice, health policy, and innovation. In a lengthy interview with the Healing ARC Newsletter, Dr. Sharma says that racism can be rooted out of medicine and patient care. “But first we must acknowledge it exists,” she says. “That is a first step, right? Acknowledge it. Cities and communities around the country are declaring that racism is a public health crisis. These narratives are really, really important. Once you name it, you can start to change it. We have had racism for 400 years in this country. That is what the country was built on. It has permeated into an array of institutions. Do I think we are moving the right direction? Yes. Because people are coming out and saying, ‘This happens to me, this is happening to me,’ “With technology and social media, people are seeing the things that are happening. The Black & Brown patients at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston that were not being admitted equally to the cardiology unit. Thanks to courageous professionals, like Drs. Michelle Morse, Bram Wispelwey, Michael Wilson, Regan Marsh and a whole team of folks, that is being directly challenged. They documented the structural racism in a study and developed The Healing ARC to address it. People know about the structural racism at the hospital; the hospital has acknowledged it and now The Healing ARC is fixing it. The bigger point is people are not ignoring racism anymore. Right? I hope that we can really, truly see racism uprooted in my lifetime. I am cautiously optimistic. We need to invest more into race-conscious interventions that are highly effective at rooting out racism.” For mor information read the entire newsletter HEREhttps:// healingarccampaign.com/healingarc-newsletter-2/
Wendell & Wild by Dwight Brown NNPA News Wire Film Critic Sometimes there’s too many cooks in the kitchen. Sometimes there are too many storylines in a movie. Same difference. Thirteen-year-old Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross, TV’s This is Us) lost her parents (Gabrielle Dennis, Gary Gatewood) in a tragic car accident when she was eight. She still blames herself for their deaths, wants them to come back into her life and has been in an extended state of angst for years. This tween punk rock princess enters her town’s Rust Bank’s Catholic School for Girls with a chip on her shoulder. Her journey should be the film’s central focus, but it’s not. As the movie’s title reveals, the main story is about two demons who are brothers, Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Jordan Peele). They’re trying to scheme their way out of the Underworld and slither into the Land of the Living. To fulfill their dream, they need the aid of a “Hail Maiden,” someone with magical powers who can help demons crossover. Hence their interest in Kat. She’s got that swag. Connecting the two storylines is enough of a gulp. Adding another competing plotline about a wealthy, greedy and wicked couple, Irmgard (Maxine Peake) and Lane Klaxon (David Harewood), who use intimidation, fire and murder to buy Rust Bank properties for pennies on the dollar is overkill. This class warfare theme involving corporate greed further overshadows the kid’s soulsearching journey, the only plotline worth following. Writer/director Henry Selick’s jampacked storytelling is aided by cowriter Jordan Peele (Nope). They merge ghoulish fantasy with modern Black life and social issues in a way that are very contemporary. Kat’s afropunk rocker vibe is cool as hell and her green afro puffs hairdo is so retro it’s fun. Raising her parents from the dead is her goal and a compelling quest that should retain audiences’ attention for 1h 45m. Instead, her path is so cluttered with distractions and characters it’s hard to keep track of her mission. There are plenty of gimmicks, including hair cream that brings the dead back to life and a magical toy bear. There’s a bevy of people in her life: Sister Helley (Angela Bassett), a nun at Kat’s school, is a mentor with supernatural abilities: “You’re a Hell Maiden. But it has to be our secret.” Father Bests (James Hong) runs the school, and his fundraising efforts leave him susceptible to trickery. Her fellow student Raúl Cocolotl (Sam Zelaya), an artist, is her wingman. Three clueless classmates, Siobhan (Tamara Smart), Sweetie (Ramona Young) and Sloane (Seema Virdi), are warned to be careful: “Bad things happen to people I’m close
Lyric Ross in Wendell & Wind to. They die.” What’s on view is either a wealth of storylines, quirky devices and characters or a pileup. Viewers will decide. Some audiences find stopmotion animation unique, other think it’s distracting. Artists manipulate objects whose positions are changed and recorded, and on film those images often move around in a jerky fashion. Not smooth and fluid like the 3-D computer-animation in films like DC League of Super-Pets. It’s a style the director Selick cemented back in 1993 with The Nightmare Before Christmas and further perfected as a writer/director on the Oscar-nominated Coraline. It’s an acquired taste. The sketch comedy series “Key & Peele” brought Keegan-Michael and Jordan millions of fans. They were wry, funny and very animated. Part of their schtick involved their very telling facial expressions. It’s a trick that doesn’t transport to the wicked cartoonish characters of Wendell & Wild, where their antics seem muted and their personas can seem annoying. But the vocal performances by Ross, Bassett, Hong and Zelaya, which perfectly convey the emotions and eccentricities of their characters, make up for what W&W lack. The dull palette of colors (too much gray and purple) isn’t particularly eye-catching, though the cinematography (Peter Sorg) captures it all. The exteriors and interiors (production designers: Paul Harrod, Robin Joseph, Lou Ramano) do the job, but aren’t particularly evocative. Music is the film’s strongest asset, including Bruno Coulais’ (Les Choirstes) musical score and a fun playlist. Resurrecting the classic 1981 song “Ghost Town” by The Specials is a stroke of otherworldly genius. Blasting “You Sexy Thing (I Believe in Miracles)” by Hot Chocolate adds spirit. And playing “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour is a well-deserved tribute to guitarist Vernon Reid, singer Corey Glover and the rest of that hard rock funk band. Tween and teen girls and other kids may find this ghoulishly cartoonist animation a nice distraction. Mainstream audiences may wish the narrative wasn’t so congested and that the footage was more arresting. Merely speculating who will and will not like this ani/ hor/com/fam and its underworld shenanigans is a sign that this film’s success may vary. Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.
MISSION STATEMENT Clifton Harris /Editor in Chief Investigative Reporter sbamericannews@gmail.com Mary Martin-Harris / Editor Legal /Display Advertising (909) 889-7677 Clifton B. Harris / Audio Engineering Editor Digital Online Banner Advertising (909) 889-7677 The San Bernardino American News was established May 6, 1969. A legally adjudicated newspaper of general circulation on September 30, 1971, case number 15313 by the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News subscription rate is $59.00 per year. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News is committed to serving its readers by presenting news unbiased and objective, trusting in the mature judgment of the readers and, in so doing, strive to achieve a united community. News releases appearing in the San Bernardino AMERICAN News do not necessarily express the policy nor the opinion of the publishers. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News reserves the right to edit or rewrite all news releases.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
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WORLD/HEALTH/ADVERTISING
What Parents Should Know About RSV By Frederick Kuo, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare, Southern California. three to five of infection. Only 3% of children with RSV will require a hospital stay.
before you give any over-thecounter cold medicine to your child.
If symptoms become severe, contact your pediatrician right away. This may include:
RELATED: ER, urgent care or virtual visit? Where to go for care How it spreads
RT Dr. Kuo As RSV cases continue to spike across parts of the U.S. — with some areas nearing seasonal peak levels — those typical “bugs” your child brings home may have you feeling on edge. With so much swirling around these days, it can be difficult to know what’s behind a constant cough, especially if your child is very young. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, can include symptoms similar to a common cold. However, the virus can develop into something more serious. RSV can infect people of all ages but is most severe for older adults and young children. Usually almost every child under the age of 2 has been exposed to RSV, but due to all the pandemic response over the last few years, kids have not been exposed as much to RSV. That is one of the reasons why we are seeing such a spike this year, as well as RSV in children older than 2. Symptoms RSV symptoms may vary and
typically begin four to six days after infection. The most common symptoms might include: Runny nose Low appetite Coughing Sneezing Fever Wheezing For young infants with RSV, they might be irritable, sluggish or find it harder to breathe. Your pediatrician will be able to figure out whether it’s a common cold, COVID-19 or RSV, if you have concerns about symptoms your child is showing. They might perform tests, like chest X-rays, to see if pneumonia has developed. When should you call a doctor? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes an increase in RSV-associated emergency room visits. However, most cases will go away on its own in a week or two. Symptoms are typically at their worst on days
Symptoms of bronchiolitis Symptoms of dehydration (only one wet diaper in 8 hours or more) Difficulty breathing Gray or blue lips, tongue or skin A significant decrease in activity or alertness Even though RSV is common, and it might seem difficult to figure out how severe it will become, there are some risk factors parents should be aware of. Children who are born premature or are 6 months old or younger are most at-risk for RSV complications Children with chronic heart or lung disease, or a weaker immune system, can also be susceptible to RSV Treatment There’s currently no vaccine to prevent RSV and no specific treatment for the infection. As stated, most cases will resolve on their own. However, there are a few things you can do to help relieve the symptoms: Manage pain and fever with over-the-counter medications (consult your pediatrician for guidance and never give aspirin to children) Drink plenty of fluids Nasal saline to help with breathing Cool-mist humidifier to help break up mucus Talk to your health care provider
RSV is typically spread through coughs and sneezes, but can spread when someone touches a surface that has the virus on it and then touches their face, before washing their hands. The following tips may help reduce your family’s risk: Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your arm, not your hands Avoid close contact with others, especially those who are sick Wash your hands frequently Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home If you’re sick, stay home The best way to avoid transmission of RSV is what we have been doing very well over the last few years: Scrupulous hand hygiene with washing our hands frequently with soap and water, and cleaning the surfaces small hands get to, like doorknobs and handles. Also, wear a mask if you have any respiratory symptoms. With the knowledge of what RSV may look like — and how it is different from other viruses — you’ll be able to take steps to keep your child as healthy as possible all year round. For more information, visit the CDC website.
American Cancer Society Launches "Get Screened For Cancer Day" African Americans are more likely to die from cancer than any other ethnic group. World/Health News
LOS ANGELES – The American Cancer Society (ACS) announces the launch of “Get Screened for Cancer Day” taking place Wednesday, November 16, 2022, to highlight the need for cancer screening in the African American community and the importance of having conversations with loved ones about getting screened. The nationwide screening campaign features partnerships with community-based organizations and celebrity influencers as well as a social media campaign to encourage individuals to get screened, learn how to have the conversation with others, and share personal screening stories. “Today is the day to have The Conversation about cancer screenings with your loved ones and then be The Conversation
for yourself,” stated Dr. Robert Winn, director and Lipman chair in Oncology of VCU Massey Cancer Center and a member of the American Cancer Society Board of Directors. “Schedule screenings you have missed and do what it takes to get your family and friends to their appointments -- whether that is making the phone call or committing to drive them to the doctor's office. Early detection increases the likelihood of survivorship, and we all have a responsibility to take that message to the masses." Regular cancer screening can detect changes in your body before cancer develops, and screening tests like mammograms and colonoscopies can catch cancer early when it may be easier to treat. “You can’t play around with your life,” said Dave Ford, colon
cancer survivor and ACS Cancer Action Network board member. “Loving yourself means that you're going to do the right thing to get screened, so you can be around to witness a childbirth, weddings, a high school and college graduation of your children or a grandchild. Getting screened gives you a greater chance of survival.” One in two men and one in three women will face cancer in their lifetime. Yet, many wait until they have symptoms to visit a doctor. Screening tests, for people without symptoms, check certain parts of the body at regular intervals to detect changes that may develop into cancer and can catch them early. "The COVID pandemic highlighted health disparities throughout the African American community, and cancer screenings
are not exempt,” said Dr. Winn. “More and more African Americans put plans for screenings on pause, and it has the potential to move the needle in the wrong direction for a population that already has the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial or ethnic group for most cancers.” Cancer screenings are safe, effective, and should be a regular part of your life. Cancer doesn’t wait and neither should you. Talk to your loved ones about getting regular cancer screening. Even if you think you don’t need to, talk to a doctor about what screening tests may be right for you. There are resources available for people who don’t have a primary care doctor, who are uninsured or underinsured, or who have never been screened. Many states also have free or lowcost cancer screening programs. Find guidance and screening resources for you or a loved one at cancer.org/get-screened. About American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society is the leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision of ending cancer as we know it, for everyone. We are the only organization working to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Find more information at cancer.org.
Can Coffee Help You Fight Off Cancer? World/ Health News
For many people, a cup or two of coffee is a necessary part of how they start their day. The caffeine will definitely wake you up but could this aspect of your daily routine reduce your risk of cancer too? Researchers have been doing the work to find the answer to this very question and give you a whole new reason to reach for your coffee mug. What The Experts Know So Far According to a series of recent individual studies, drinking coffee can be linked to a lower risk of developing certain cancers. There is also some good news for people who currently have cancer or are recovering from it. The amount of coffee that made a difference in the risk for the illness varied based on the individual’s health status. For example, with prostate cancer, it took six cups per day to significantly reduce cancer risk in those who hadn’t had it. In some cases, three cups cut down the likelihood of the more aggressive form of prostate cancer. For those who were recovering from that form of cancer, four cups of coffee per day could prevent its recurrence. Similar amounts of coffee have also been found to reduce your risk of developing skin, endometrial, throat, liver, and mouth cancers. Interestingly, the same effects were seen whether the coffee was caffeinated or decaffeinated. That fact strongly suggested that the benefits weren’t linked to caffeine content, which prompted further investigation. Those studies suggested that the antioxidants in coffee could be the components that have the observed effect on cancer risk because of their anti-inflammatory properties. They also found two other nutrients known as kahweol acetate and cafestol, that may slow the progression of cancer cells. However, more studies need to be done. The Other Side Of The Coin Though the findings are promising, it’s important to note that more research needs to be done. The most definitive answers would come from clinical trials and these haven’t been arranged
yet. You should also bear in mind that consuming the amount of caffeine that could reduce the risk of cancer may have consequences. For example, having 32 ounces of coffee daily can give you headaches, dizziness, restlessness, insomnia, and anirregular heartbeat. If you drink too much coffee consistently, you may develop a dependence on it, which in turn leads to a form of withdrawal if you stop. The symptoms of withdrawal can include headaches, tremors, fatigue, depression, and irritability. Additionally, it isn’t safe for everyone to drink a lot of coffee. Typically, people who are pregnant, are breastfeeding, have sleep disorders, have anxiety, are taking antibiotics, and have digestive issues like GERD should stay away from caffeine. As noted before, though, it might be possible to achieve the same results with decaffeinated coffee so that’s always an option for you. Proven Ways To Reduce Your Cancer Risk There are different things that you can do to reduce your cancer risk. These can differ depending on the type of cancer but some changes are universal. For example, being physically active and maintaining a healthy diet have been shown to significantly impact your risk level. Staying away from secondhand smoke and quitting if you smoke can reduce your risk of lung cancer whereas protecting your skin from the sun is likely to prevent skin cancer. It’s also a good idea to get checked out regularly because there are genetic factors that will impact your risk of developing cancer. The frequency with which you need to be screened can be influenced by your age, medical history, and current lifestyle. You should talk to your doctor about what specific schedule will work for you. Unless you have a sensitivity to caffeine or have a condition that limits how much of it you should have, coffee can be an easy way to manage your risk of developing cancer. If you’re drinking more than a cup per day, however, make sure to talk to your doctor. You should also avoid the habits that increase your cancer risks and attend scheduled screenings.
It's our annual Health Fair Come out and enjoy an afternoon filled with Laughter..Food and Fun! Senior Healthcare and Resource Fair Healthcare representatives available to answer all questions and sign you up immediately! Tues. November 22, 2022 11:00 a.m. Apple Valley Senior Club 13188 Central Road Apple Valley, CA To reserve vendor space send email to: hdivnews@msn.com Call (760) 887-3746 for more information Enjoy delicious food..Entertainment..Raffle Prizes! FREE...FREE...FREE
Thursday, November 10, 2022
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STATE/POLITICAL NEWS/ADVERTISING
Domestic Abuse Discussed During a Paint Poverty drops in California but only because of child tax credit, COVID relief funds...continued from page 4 & Sip Event at Marin City Gallery poverty rate generally measures In San Diego, some who incomes like Angela and her son. basic needs for Elly. At that time By Godfrey Lee
Domestic Violence and its signs were discussed at a Paint & Sip event held at the Marin City Art Gallery on Sunday, October 30. The Paint & Sip instructor, Olubori Babaoye, a NigerianAmerican artist from Oakland who works as a classical painter and digital illustrator, directed the group in painting a drawing of a tulip on a small canvas, encouraging each person to render work in their own individual style as they sipped wine. Domestic violence survivor Starr Lamare shared experience while they painted. The group briefly discussed how abuse and violence impacts women and men in their relationships, and about the eight types of abuse: They are physical, emotional, economic, verbal, sexual, spiritual, stalking/ cyber, and choking/strangulation. Below is a brief description of abuse described in a flyer from the Center of Domestic Peace. Physical abuse is physical violence done to the victim such as hitting, or around the victim such as breaking their possessions, which sends the message that “You’re next!” Emotional abuse is deliberately withholding the 4 A’s: acceptance, appreciation, attention and affection in order to control and coerce the victim. This will include negative name calling to demean
the victim’s spirit. Economic abuse occurs when the abuser controls the victim’s financial resources, such as keeping the victim from getting a job or going to school, or unjustly taking their money. Verbal abuse is when the abuser threatens, teases, taunts, trivializes, or “Thingifies” (being called a name that makes the victim feel like an object) their victim. Sexual abuse is sexual behavior that crosses the victim’s boundaries without their permission. Spiritual abuse includes putting down the victim’s spiritual beliefs and customs. It can also include using improper interpretation of spiritual doctrines to control the victim. Stalking/Cyber abuse includes excessive following and repeated contacting, threatening the victim through a variety of means, or to monitor and harm the victim though computer technology. Strangulation is the squeezing of the victim’s neck, which cuts off blood flow and oxygen from the brain, resulting in loss of consciousness or death within a few minutes. Lamare, a mother of three, described how she was burned in January of 2013 by her boyfriend, Dexter Oliver, in San Francisco, when they were arguing whether or not they should leave her wash clothes at the laundromat. Oliver then ran home, got some gasoline, ran back to the laundromat, threw the gasoline on Lamare, then lit the continued in last 3 columns
income from a person’s work. Under that measure, the number of Californians who fell into the poverty income threshold — say, earning $36,900 or less for a family of four — actually rose from 10.5% in 2018 to 11.6% in 2021. But that rate doesn’t include such government assistance as child tax credits or public benefits like CalFresh. The government counts those in its supplemental poverty measure, and the Public Policy Institute similarly counts that additional help in its poverty measure. With that assistance, 3.9 million Californians stayed out of poverty, the institute said. State unemployment insurance, the expansion of food assistance, utility bill assistance and rental assistance all probably helped avert a bigger crisis, analysts believe. A spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom credited much of California’s positive poverty numbers to state spending, such as the $18.5 billion the state sent to residents via direct payments, $8 billion in rent relief and $2.8 billion that helped with overdue utility bills. “California acted swiftly to support Californians hit hardest over the past few years,” said Alex Stack, a spokesperson. At the federal level, experts said the most impactful poverty relief was the expansion of the child tax credit, which paid families $3,600 for each child under 6, and $3,000 for children ages 6 to 17. Sleeping in a car
gasoline and setting Lamare on fire, according to the news reports. Oliver was soon arrested in Oakland and is still serving his 27 years prison term for attempted murder, along with a prior strike on his record.
Regardless of the season, California is still experiencing an extreme drought. Here are a few simple tips to help you save water. CUTTING BACK ON OUTDOOR WATERING even for one day a week can save up to 20% more water RECYCLING INDOOR WATER to use outdoors can cut water use by 30% ADJUSTING SPRINKLER HEADS AND FIXING LEAKS saves up to 6,300 gallons of water per month USING A BROOM TO CLEAN OUTDOOR AREAS saves 6 gallons every minute you’re not running a hose WATERING EARLY MORNING OR LATE AT NIGHT can save 50% of sprinkler water otherwise lost to wind and evaporation
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Some experts argue that COVIDera stimulus measures should be extended, pointing to the impact they’ve had on these families. “It’s not rocket science for how to reduce child poverty,” Hoynes said. “We just need to give people money. And that’s what we did.” But more money can feel like less with inflation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ quarterly index shows wages and salaries rose by more than 5% in the fiscal year ending in September — but when adjusted for rising prices, real wages and salaries declined by 3%. Hoynes said families said they spent relief money on basic needs such as food, school supplies, clothes and bills. Rosalee Reyes, 29, speaks with a social worker, right, from Father Joe's Villages, a shelter and social services center, on October 28, 2022, in San Diego. Photo by David Maung for CalMatters Rosalee Reyes, 29, speaks with a social worker, right, from Father Joe’s Villages, a shelter and social services center, on October 28, 2022, in San Diego. Photo by David Maung for CalMatters That’s how Rosalee Reyes, 29, said she spent her child tax credit. Reyes, her partner and their 18-month-old baby, Elly Rose, had been living in an apartment but recently moved into a temporary shelter adjacent to San Diego’s Civic Center downtown. “Kids are very expensive — diapers, wipes, and things like that; the money was gone within a month,” Reyes said. “We spent it pretty much on
I did have an apartment, so it went to things like gas, lights, water … I think they should have kept the credit, because it was helping a lot of families. For people who live paycheck-to-paycheck, that just provided a little extra to get through the rest of the month.” Poverty rebounds Carmen Ruiz Valdez, a program coordinator for Dreams for Change agrees. The San Diegobased nonprofit which helps stabilize homeless or very lowincome families also assists people trying to collect tax refunds and relief benefits. Valdez said she recently assisted a father who earned $27,000 a year but was living on the streets with his two children. He was unaware that stimulus funds were available because he had not filed tax returns, Valdez said. With her help, he found out his family qualified for a $14,553 tax refund. “He had tears in his eyes,” she said. Most of these COVID-era anti-poverty programs ended in mid-2021. Sarah Bohn, the vice president of research and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, predicts that new economic data will show a different poverty picture in 2022. “We’re expecting that when we look at 2022 poverty and income inequality, that it will increase,” she said. “It won’t look as favorable as it does right now.” This article is part of the California Divide project, examining income inequality and economic survival in California.
Domestic Abuse Discussed During a Paint & Sip Event at Marin City Gallery... continued
Water saving actions that make a big difference
AUGUST
received the extra money from the child tax credit say it definitely made a difference. After sleeping in a borrowed car for four months, Angela Reyes Melo and her teenaged son have squirreled away almost enough money to put down a deposit on an apartment in Lakeside, a rural suburb outside of San Diego. Some of that $3,000 came from the expanded federal child tax credit, she said. “It saved my life,” said Reyes, who earns about $18,000 a year as a cook while supporting her son whose disability leaves him mostly non-verbal. Still, she worries about affording that $1,600-a-month apartment and acquiring beds and furniture. But just having a roof over their heads will be a relief, she said, likely safer than sleeping in a car or at some of the shelters. Recently a man stuck his hand in the car while they were trying to sleep, she said, and people often fight at the temporary shelter in downtown San Diego. “If you just look at them they start screaming… and try to fight you,” she said. Reyes also worries that her stash of cash for her apartment is slowly being whittled away by rising food costs. “Just getting everyone a burrito can cost almost $50,” she said, referring to her four-person family. Show more Made with Flourish When more is less Advocates say there are hundreds of thousands of California families with very low
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Lamare says that life is hard for her, and she has her ups and downs. Still, as someone in the Paint & pointed out, that she is lucky to be alive, and that her children still have their mother to care for them.
The post Domestic Abuse Discussed During a Paint & Sip Event at Marin City Gallery first appeared on Post News Group. This article originally appeared in Post News Group.
California's Growing AMR Challenges Demand a Federal Response By Rob Purdie An epidemic is taking shape in California and effective treatments to stop it are getting harder to find. In 2020, the CDC reported that antibiotic resistant infections and related deaths increased by 15%. A portion of this was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but what too many people don’t know is that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly urgent threat throughout the country, and it takes many forms in California. While people living with chronic conditions are at an increased risk, there is another growing threat in California that is putting antimicrobials to the test. Valley Fever is caused by a fungus found naturally in parts of the state, most notably Kern County at the southern end of the Central Valley. Symptoms are usually flu-like, though at its most serious, Valley Fever can be long-lasting and even lead to death. With the fungus long present in the southwest, California and Arizona account for the vast majority of the roughly 20,000 annual U.S. cases. But it would be a mistake to treat this as a strictly local matter. The rise of Valley Fever is part of a larger global health crisis known as antimicrobial resistance, or AMR. Doctors typically treat Valley Fever with a 3-to-6-month course of anti-fungal medication. But the more we expose microbes
like fungi and bacteria to medicines designed to kill them, the more some become immune. The medical community calls these drug-resistant microbes "superbugs." Drug resistant superbugs already kill about 35,000 Americans each year and about 1.27 million people worldwide. Without a large-scale effort to develop better medicines, this superbug threat is growing even more deadly. The declining effectiveness of antimicrobials has several causes. For one, these medicines have been vastly overprescribed for years. Excess and incorrect use breeds more resistant microorganisms. Here, Valley Fever provides a telling illustration. Since Valley Fever resembles many bacterial infections, it's common for doctors to mistakenly prescribe antibiotics to patients who have the disease. When antibiotics are used inappropriately, it accelerates the process by which bacteria become immune. This is also happening in the world of fungi. A dramatic reduction in types of pharmaceutical development is also to blame for the AMR crisis. In fact, scientists haven't successfully brought a new class of antibiotics to market since 1984. The reasons are largely economic; according to a Cambridge University study, it costs about $1.5 billion to
develop a new antibiotic. Since antimicrobials are supposed to be prescribed as little as possible, companies have little chance of earning a return on this kind of investment. As long as these market barriers persist, so will the antimicrobial resistant infections and related deaths. Fortunately, legislative solutions are in the works. One, the PASTEUR Act, would create a model in which the government pays for effective new antimicrobials on a subscription basis, providing developers with a source of income regardless of quantity used. Another promising proposal, the FORWARD Act, takes a more targeted approach, directing funds to the development of new treatments for fungal infections including Valley Fever specifically. Together, these two bills could mark a turning point in the U.S. fight against antimicrobial resistance -- and address a public health crisis that is putting Californians at increased risk. Rob Purdie is a lifelong California resident who was diagnosed with Cocci Meningitis, one of the most severe types of Valley Fever, in 2012. Rob leads Patient and Program Development at the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical.