Washington Informer

AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! returns this summer for another hit tour to showcase this season's talented top 10 finalists.

Launching the careers of many, the AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! Tour is the first chance to see your favorites in concert! The tour launches in Detroit, MI, at the Joe Louis Arena on Friday, July 6 and wraps up on Sept. 11 in Milwaukee, WS. The tour will also stop in D.C. at Verizon Center on Wednesday, August 8. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, May 11 via www.AmericanIdol.com , www.ticketmaster.com and www.aeglive.com .

"Every year we are amazed at the extraordinary wealth of untapped talent that is discovered on American Idol and we couldn't be happier with this season's top 10 contestants," said Iain Pire, president, 19 Entertainment. "We are truly excited to bring our contestants on tour across America directly to our fans' hometowns."

As presenting sponsors of AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! Tour 2012, CHIPS AHOY! and RITZ are thrilled to bring the excitement of the tour to their fans in a number of unique ways, from cookie and cracker coupons to a one-of-a-kind consumer promotion. The U.S. Air Force Reserve is an associate sponsor.

AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! gives fans the unique opportunity to be up close and personal with Idol finalists Colton Dixon, DeAndre Brackensick, Elise Testone, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips and Skylar Laine.

Tickets for the Verizon Center show are $65, $45 and $29.50 (plus applicable service charges) and there is an eight ticket limit. A ticket lottery will take place at 8 a.m., May 11 at the Verizon Center box office, and fans must be in line by that time to participate.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced during a gathering this week at the Southeast Children's Fund Child Development Center, that he has joined educational and human-services leaders in presenting his Early Success Framework

The initiative – which focuses on ways District government and partner agencies engage issues surrounding early-childhood education and healthy child development -- will not only more closely coordinate local government agencies, but ensure that all District children develop and learn in nurturing and healthy environments.

"During my State of the District Address earlier this year, I said that I want the District to 'Seize the Future' by creating a new economy, by ensuring that our residents are prepared to fill the jobs in that new economy and by improving the quality of life for all in our city," Gray said. "Early-childhood education and development is integral to each of those priorities. That's why we're announcing this Early Success Framework, which will help us coordinate efforts across the many functions of our government and our partners that touch on early-childhood education and development and will also help us measure our progress."

Among some of the Framework 's challenges are efforts to meet outcomes in quality standards for the District's early-childhood programs, provide access to high-quality programs for low-income children, and to lower the threshold for eligibility to participate in programs in support of infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities.

The Framework -- which is part of Gray's cradle-to-career" plan -- is the result of efforts coordinated by the offices of Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and Deputy Mayor for Education.

Howard University ended its 2012 spring men's football practice with an intra-squad game on Saturday, April 14 in Greene Stadium in Northwest. A women's Powder Puff Flag football game took place prior to the men's game and featured the Howard women's team against other local players. /Courtesy photo by Abdullah Yusuf

The 39th Annual Capital Classic pitted the U.S. All-Stars against the Capital All-Stars at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., on Saturday, April 21. The U.S. All-Stars defeated the Capital All-Stars105-93. Prior to the 39th Annual Capital Classic, a girls' basketball double-header featured the best public and private high school seniors.

These are the winninng essay submissions by students at Richard Wright Public Charter School. The students also participated in The Washington Informer's April 19, "A Conversation with John Lewis," which was held at THEARC in Southeast D.C. For the contest, students were asked to write about someone who inspisres them.

Inspired by a Movement...

At age 17, John Lewis was so inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that he wrote a letter to Rev. King asking to meet him. Dr. King responded and sent Lewis a round-trip Greyhound bus ticket to meet with him in Atlanta, Ga. The Washington Informer asked Richard Wright Public Charter School students to write a letter to someone who inspires them and tell them why they would want to meet them and join their cause. Below are excerpts of three compelling letters selected by The Washington Informer staff.

David McFarland

The Trevor Project

Dear McFarland:

I am writing this letter to you because I am very passionate about ending the cycle of bullying. I selected your organization to write to because you focus on supporting gay, lesbian, transgender, or questioning youth and ending the cycle of suicide among these youth by providing "life-saving" and "life-affirming' resources. I think it is wonderful that your organization exists and that it has a 24/7 lifeline intervention that the youth can call if they feel like they need someone to talk to.

I understand that the Trevor Project's vision is to create a future where all youth can have the same dreams and possibilities as everyone else, no matter what sexual orientation, or gender identity that they choose to be. That is a future I want to experience. I want to be affiliated with your organization because in the past, I have been bullied. I have been pushed around, and tortured, and it got to that point where I felt like nothing. Your organization would have been great to know about back then.

Another reason I'd like to be a part of your group is because one of my closet friends that I knew since 5th grade recently committed suicide. You see she was being bullied because she came out as a lesbian.

When I first heard about the Trevor Project, I thought to myself, if only I had known about this earlier then I could've helped my friend, I could've done something.

One way I think this can be stopped is to get parents more involved. It's not right to bully, and

I am writing this letter because this bullying thing has been happening a lot and it's time for this to stop. I am very pleased to learn about the work that your organization does. I would love to become a volunteer, or an advocate at any time. Please contact me to advise me of ways that I can get involved and make a difference. Thank you for all you hard work and effort.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Arianna Marsh

9th Grade Student

Honorable Julian Bond

The American University

Dear Mr. Bond:

I am writing this letter to let you know that I support the marriage between same sex couples. I believe this is a civil rights issue. Since you have always been a supporter for civil rights I hope you believe this way, too.

Discrimination against same sex couples is wrong. Same sex relationships are just as beautiful as opposite sex relationships. As a homosexual male myself, and not only that, but I'm being raised by a same sex couple I want to honor myself and my family.

My mother and her fiancé' are doing a fantastic job raising me and my siblings. What can opposite sex couples teach kids that same sex couples can't?

This topic is really sensitive for me because I've recently come out. I've been teased and discriminated against on more than one occasion. I think that treating someone differently just because they like something different from you is borderline mean. It bothers me that it's a huge million man march when a "homie" from the hood gets killed. It's all over the news and everywhere. But when a transgender is slain with a slit throat at a bus stop, people say absolutely nothing. Maybe you get a "this is a sad world we're coming to" and then someone flips the channel on the television, or the page in the newspaper is turned.

Legalizing gay marriage would be a giant move to help people accept homosexuals as equals. People need to wake up and realize that there are people in the world who are born differently.

What would legalizing gay marriage mean for me? This movement means the world to me. I know of your history with civil rights. I believe that you can offer me sound advice on how I can make same-sex marriage a reality in my lifetime. I hope that you will contact me with information.

De'Quan Barclift

9th Grade

Anthony Lake

UNICEF House

Dear Mr. Lake:

I am passionate about ending world hunger and helping needy children. I really appreciate the work that has been done by your organization. I feel that UNICEF is one of the greatest organizations supporting children today and I would love to be a part of it.

UNICEF is over 50 years old but it is still needed today because every year, 15 million children throughout the world die from hunger. Current data suggests that even in America, 1 in 4 children are at risk of starvation.

UNICEF is an organization that not many teenagers around me know about. But now that I know more about it, I feel as though I should inform others. World hunger is something that really affects young people in over 150 countries around the world. From my research I learned what UNICEF really stands for.

I learned that UNICEF is a global humanitarian relief organization providing children with so much to keep them alive like; healthcare, immunizations, clean water, nutrition, food security, education, emergency relief and so much more. That really inspired me to want to help children whose parents can't afford to feed them, or take them to regular doctor visits. I've always wanted to help people that didn't have much in life and to find out that this organization helps children in over 150 countries really makes me want to be a part of something so significant.

If you think about it this organization is saving lives of young people every day. Even though there are still 21,000 children that still die each day from preventable causes, with organizations like UNICEF, this situation will get better.

I would love to participate in the fight to feed and protect young people all over the world because it is something that needs to be done. During the past four years, our economy has more families in poverty and more children suffering. Every day I think about what I can do to help others. Please write to me and let me know what I can do to get involved.

Sincerely,

Akiya Kent

9th Grade Student

R&B legend Gladys Knight might have gotten the boot Tuesday from "Dancing with the Stars," but the 67-year-old diva walked away 60 pounds lighter.

She says she owes the dramatic weight loss to a health regimen she began shortly before teaming up with her DWTS partner, Tristan McManus.

"[Tristan] helped [by] wearing me out," Knight said in an interview. "You've got to eat healthy and you've got to put a little movement into it."

"The Midnight Train to Georgia" singer added that her diet for the show included an energy bar, protein drink and fruit for breakfast.

Mayor Vincent Gray and District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson recently released a five-year strategic plan, "A Capital Commitment," designed to improve the traditional public schools.

The plan outlines five goals: improve struggling schools, increase student achievement, graduation rates, enrollment, and student satisfaction. The Chancellor believes the strategic plan will guide DCPS spending and programmatic decisions through 2017.

"Mayor Gray and Chancellor Henderson's intentions are proper and there is merit to support the overall goals of the five-year strategic plan," said WTU President Nathan Saunders. "However, it only amounts to half of what needs to be done. To improve the quality of education for all students, it is imperative for schools to spend more time on tasks and less time on testing.

"Schools must also provide more services for our returning special education students and every student must have the benefit of robust art, music, physical education and library/media services.

Saunders added: "We must all acknowledge that education not only happens in classrooms, but also in our homes and communities--making it essential to secure and maintain the support of teachers, parents and students as the plan is implemented over the next five years.

"I encourage Mayor Gray and Chancellor Henderson to work with us to achieve these goals and I look forward to developing the substance and sustainability of this plan to achieve long-term success. Mayor Gray and Chancellor Henderson, our appointment books are open and we're ready for the hard work ahead."

Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry, who ended up apologizing earlier this month to the Asian community over comments he made about the upkeep of their shops, made a subtle comparison to the establishments with charter schools during hearing Tuesday morning.

Barry stated that because admission to charter schools is gained by citywide lotteries, students who live in close proximity can't always attend them. As a result, parents are hard-pressed to pull their children out of low-performing public schools in the District, he reportedly said.

"I'm running into the same situation with these restaurants in Ward 8," Barry was quoted as saying to charter school officials. "Somebody said to me the other day, 'Well, if they don't treat you well there, why should I shop there?' The problem is, in some of our neighborhoods — in my neighborhood — there's no other place at 9 o'clock at night or 4 o'clock in the afternoon, except those carry outs."

The veteran council member, who easily retained his post in the April 3 Democratic primary, added that: "So, we're going to make sure that they're clean, they're decent places to come in to, they're conducive to eat [at], but also that the owners are contributing to this community. They're not going to come into the Ward 8 community and just take all our money."

Jennifer Hudson fought back tears April 23 during opening testimony in the case William Balfour, who is accused with murder in the deaths of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew four years ago in Chicago.

When handed a photo of her mother, the Grammy and Oscar winner broke down in tears. She said the family never like Balfour, who was married to her sister Julia Hudson --mother of the slain child. Julia and Balfour are divorced.

"Where he was, I tried not to be. So if I saw him, I separated myself," Hudson was quoted as saying of Balfour.

While both sisters have suggested that Balfour had been violent toward Julia, a clear motive for the murders has not been revealed. However, Julia who also testified Monday, indicated that jealousy had always been an issue.

According to Julia, her former husband became jealous when she got gifts from other people, including her son, who was told not to kiss his mother. Balfour's nickname for the middle school student was "the little monster," Julia said.

Reports state that Balfour had threatened several times to kill members of Hudson's family, and that had Hudson not joined David Otunga, (who has since become her fiancé) on a trip to Florida, she might have been at the family's home when her mother and brother were killed. Police believe Hudson's nephew was abducted from the home and murdered.

According to the Chicago Tribune News:

Dressed all in black and wearing little make-up, the Academy Award-winning actress struggled at times to maintain her composure during a half an hour on the witness stand.

Her voice cracked as she described how no one in the family wanted her sister, Julia, to marry Balfour.