VOL. 53, NO.5 • NOVEMBER 16 - 22, 2017 Veterans Day 2017 Pages 32-33
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Democrats Dominate National Elections
UMC Future Uncertrain as City Cuts Veritas Contract
Women Abound, From Victorious Candidates to Determined Voting Blocs
By Stacy Brown WI Senior Writer United Medical Center board Chair LaRuby May said the board’s goal is to keep the hospital open, but that it’s “not possible” to find a new operator in the short time between last week’s vote to disapprove the Veritas contract extension and the expiration of its current contract on Nov. 30. “It’s three weeks to do a whole lot of things. It’s three weeks to keep the hospital from falling, from closing,” May, who supported an extension of the Veritas contract, told Sam Ford of WJLA-TV (Channel 7). “There has been a significant amount of damage to the hospital because of this vote.” City legislators on Nov. 7 severed ties with Veritas, the managing company of the city’s only public hospital, in a 7-6 vote that blocked its oneyear, $4 million contract extension. The hospital’s board of directors will hold its monthly meeting publicly on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rise Demonstration Center (2730 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE). Mayor Muriel Bowser and officials of her administration have also defended Veritas, saying that the firm inherited significant problems when they took over UMC. “[Veritas] has done what we asked them to do. They’ve done a very good job,” said D.C. Department of Health Care Finance Director
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5 “Dancing with the Scholars” guest judges Councilmember Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D-AtLarge) join WOLCF founder Wanda Lockrigde on stage for a dance to celebrate their November birthdays. /Photo by Corey Parrish.
‘Dancing With the Scholars’ Continues to Support Students
Competition Raises Funds for Southeast Scholarships By Tatyana Hopkins WI Staff Writer “Dancing with the Scholars” returned to THEARC community center Saturday Nov. 12 for its seventh installment, continuing the annual effort to support students in Southeast with a Hollywood theme that dazzled judges and guests alike. The fundraiser, modeled after the hit television show “Dancing with the Stars,” showcased the dance skills of three students from Woodson, Ballou and Anacostia high schools, who partnered with
officials from the State Board of Education (SBOE) in a competition for the “William O. Lockridge Spread Your Wings Award.” This year Ballou High School senior Reniya Brown and Markus Batchelor, Ward 8’s representative on the education board, took first place in the completion. “My partner was a much quicker study than me,” said DWTS first-timer Batchelor of his dancing skills. “I sure got an education over the past weeks.” Despite the hard work needed to learn and perform the dance routines, he said the cause will keep
him coming back as a DWTS participant. Inspired by the legacy of the late community and education activist William O’Neal Lockridge, the William O. Lockridge Community Foundation (WOLCF) hosts the event to support its efforts to provide scholarships to at-risk youth in Wards 7 and 8. This year, the foundation honored Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes for her commitment to its work. The foundation has awarded
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By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir There still remain a handful of races in Virginia that have been contested and therefore yet to be decided. However, the fact remains that for Democrats, the outcome of last week’s statewide elections has given both new life and energy to the party – one still reeling from Donald Trump’s surprise victory over Hillary Clinton for the White House. And given President Trump’s unorthodox, if not outlandish, attitude, behavior and unsettling agenda, the Nov. 7th wave of Democratic victories has many members of the GOP anxious about their own chances of success in the upcoming 2018 races including those currently holding seats in Congress, state legislatures and governors’ offices. As for “Old Dominion,” the resounding victory of Democrat Ralph Northam, the former state
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Celebrating 53 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area