VOL. 53, NO.7 • NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 6, 2017
The Washington Informer Honors the Memories of AIDS Victims
The Good and Bad News About AIDS in D.C.
Programs for Homeowners Saves Local Families
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Ten years ago, Washington, D.C., could lay claim as not only being the nation’s capital, but also a major AIDS jurisdiction where nearly four residents per day were disagnosed as HIV+. Now the District has seen a stunning 74 percent decline in new cases with the current rate at nearly one person per day. “I’m pleased to say that we have made considerable progress,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said when those statistics were released in the summer. “[But] I don’t have to tell you, there’s more work to do.” Indeed there is, because despite the progress, the District still leads the nation in HIV cases.
Woman Spends $30K in Foreclosure Battle By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill WillieAnn Lytle loves to teach special needs children, collect African artifacts and travel. Lytle didn’t do many of those activities after she “got ripped off” by an attorney who convinced her to apply for a loan modification in 2009 to decrease her mortgage payments. More than 90 days later she received a letter, her home went into foreclosure. Her previous mortgage company, GMAC Mortgage, didn’t inform her it sold her loan to Ocwen Financial Corp. of West Palm Beach, Florida, after GMAC went out of business in December 2013. In a last-ditch effort to save the family homestead, she filed for bankruptcy. “I panicked,” said Lytle, 70, whose parents raised her in the Capitol Heights ranch-style house her parents purchased about 1948. “I always paid on time because [mortgage company] would take the money at my account.
FORECLOSURE Page 15 4 WillieAnn Lytle of Capitol Heights smiles as she talks about her fight to retain her home. She celebrated her first Thanksgiving holiday worry-free for the first time since facing foreclosure in 2009. /Photo by William J. Ford
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5 The National Harbor waterfront in Maryland welcomed the 2017 holiday season with fireworks and a Christmas tree lighting on November 11. /Photo by Don Baker Photography
Ahead of World AIDS Day on Friday, Dec. 1, Bowser and other city leaders, health professionals and advocates around the globe are touting the 2017 theme — “Increasing Impact through Transparency, Accountability, and Partnerships.” In the District, officials said they’ve worked diligently to form partnerships that have led to a needle-exchange program, condom distribution and increasing the use of preventive medicine that has helped to curtail the spread of HIV, which can lead to AIDS. “It’s important to get an HIV test at least once a year and more often than that every three or six months, depending on your behavior and how much risk you may be for coming in
WORLD AIDS DAY Page 11
‘Tis the Season’ once more for Holiday Scams By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Holiday shopping brings other concerns, including those who might just be looking for a steal — literally. A study by AARP in Northwest, D.C., found that seven in 10 adults failed a short quiz on how to avoid becoming a scam victim. “You have to be conscious of everything, I mean everything, around this time of the year,” said Fritz Nathan, a 17-year security veteran who works undercover at a District-area department store. “Being cautious isn’t
enough. Keep your head up, clutch your wallet, and keep your eyes open.” Along with the Better Business Bureau, the AARP and other organizations concur that consumers should be on the lookout for package theft, data breaches, fake charities, online shopping scams, gift cards and phishing attacks. Thieves usually watch for opportunities to steal packages off doorsteps the moment a delivery driver pulls away. Among the suggestions is having packages sent to a store or another
SHOP Page 38
Celebrating 53 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area