Washington Informer

BALTMORE, MD -- A coalition of African American Clergy recently announced the launch of a new voting initiative entitled "The Empowerment Movement." The faith-based voting initiative will bring together leaders of the faith based community of all denominations, designed to move the African American Community forward in politics, education and economics with the use of Christian principles.

The Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, pastor of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, has been named president of the organization. Their mission is a massive undertaking, with a goal to register one million voters on one day, Easter, April 8, making Guinness World Book history for democracy, by challenging every black church in the United States to register 20 people on that day.

There are an estimated 500,000 black churches in America, and more than 5 million unregistered voters within the black church. Recently, representatives of leading black Christian organizations held a closed door summit to strategize on a collective effort of the church preparing for the November elections. As a result, the Empowerment Movement was formed.

The Empowerment Movement, a non-partisan organization, was launched with the support of the AME Church, AME Zion, Cogic, Progressive, Bible Way Churches, Full Gospel, Gospel Music Workshop of America, CME, United Covenant Churches, Harvest Churches, Fellowship of international Word of Faith, Church of God, Rep. Elijah Cummings, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, to name a few.

Bryant, 40, has broken the stereotype of yesterday's clergyman. He is the leader of a new breed of ministers who embrace the idea of capitalizing on the ever- increasing marketplace of Internet and technological innovations to spread the gospel.

With more than 8,000 members, Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, and approximately 35,000 followers on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, Bryant believes that "God is not just in the church; He is also in technology."

As a result, Bryant's mission is to "empower people spiritually, develop them educationally, expose them culturally, activate them politically, and strengthen them economically."

Bottom Line: CostsWill Decrease

The District of Columbia Public Service (DCPSC) has authorized a decrease in supply rates. Based on the results of a competitive auction, District customers who buy their electricity through the Standard Offer Service (SOS) program will see decreases in their electricity bills beginning June 1, 2012. SOS represents about 70 percent of a residential customer's bill. The change will decrease average monthly residential electricity bills by about 5.8 percent. The average residential customer uses about 825 kWh per month in the summer and 615 kWh per month in the winter. The monthly bill for an average residential SOS customer will decrease by $5.25 adjusting the average bill from $90.00 to $84.74.

The supply cost of electricity (including generation and transmission) for SOS customers will decline from 9.75 cents per kWh in the summer to 8.86 cents per kWh and from 9.22 cents per kWh in the winter to 8.61 cents per kWh. As a result the supply portion of the average residential electricity bill will decline from $63.71 to $58.45. The average monthly residential bill (including supply and delivery charges) will be about $84.74.

"This is great news for our District of Columbia customers because the cost of electricity has the greatest impact on their bills," said Thomas H. Graham, President, Pepco Region.

The SOS program is administered by Pepco under rules established by the DCPSC. Under legislation passed by the D.C. Council in 1990, Pepco no longer owns any power plants. The DCPSC has designated Pepco to purchase electricity for SOS customers through power supply contracts in an annual auction.

For more information and updates, visit www.pepco.com and follow Pepco at www.twitter.com/PepcoConnect

"Special Music Program to Feature Arts Songs and Spirituals"

 An extraordinary musical concert, "A Celebration of Black Composers in Art Songs and Spirituals," featuring five outstanding up and coming young opera superstars and an equally accomplished pianist on a concert Steinway who will celebrate the works of black composers of historic spirituals and rarely heard art songs. Operatic vocalists will include Samantha McElhaney (soprano), Alia Waheed (soprano), Bridgette Cooper (mezzo-soprano), Issachah Savage (Tenor), Kevin Thompson (Bass) and accomplished pianist, Victor Simonson.

The event will be held at 4 p.m., March 11 at First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C., 1328 16th Street, NW.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, will feature soloists with world-class operatic-size voices who thrill audiences with their artistry and musical presentations of art songs and familiar spirituals - the unique American folk music beloved by peoples around the globe.

For more information, please visit www.firstbaptistdc.org

Animated Series for Ages 2-7 Premiers March 23 on Disney Junior

Emmy Award-winning Ty Burrell ("Modern Family") guest stars in Disney Junior's "Doc McStuffins," an animated series that models good health, hygiene, compassion and nurturing for kids age 2-7.

The series premieres Friday, March 23 on the popular Disney Junior block on Disney Channel (10:00-11:00 a.m., ET/PT) and the new 24-hour Disney Junior channel (4:00-5:00 p.m., ET/PT).

The heartwarming stories, each featuring an original song, introduce a little girl named Doc who can talk to the stuffed animal and toy world -- and they talk to her too, especially when they need her help repairing a stitch or bandaging a boo-boo. Along the way, Doc and her friends Stuffy, Lambie, Hallie and Chilly impart helpful tips about self care and care for others, and chase away the worries over visiting the doctor.

Burrell voices Big Jack, a nurturing Jack-in-the-Box, who takes his son Little Jack to get a check-up from Doc in the first story of the premiere episode titled "Out of the Box." In the second story, Doc helps her little brother Donny's toy race car recharge in "Rundown Race Car."

The series voice cast includes: Kiara Muhammad as Doc; Loretta Devine as Hallie; Lara Jill Miller as Lambie; Robbie Rist as Stuffy; Jess Harnell as Chilly; Jaden Betts as Donny McStuffins; Kim Brooks as Mom McStuffins; and Gary Anthony Williams as Dad McStuffins. The series' theme song is performed by the star of Disney Channel's hit series "A.N.T. Farm" and Hollywood Records recording artist, China Anne McClain.

Metro has announced an email and text alert system that will inform riders about service delays, schedule changes and other information pertinent to their commutes.

Riders interested in signing up for the alerts can sign up online at WMATA.com. Information will be sent to their mobile phones or desktop computers. The alert system will operate between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. weekdays.

The Metrorail service already has a similar alert system in place.

"WBA, IBF, Boxing Commission Agree "Capital Showdown" Met Standards

The Committee on Small and Local Business Development, chaired by At-Large Council member Vincent Orange, voted to approve the report on the "Capital Showdown" Championship Boxing match between Lamont Peterson and Amir Khan.

The report revealed the integrity of the officials' scoring was affirmed and complied with standards of the sanctioning bodies. On Friday, Feb. 3, the Committee on Small and Local Business Development held a public oversight hearing to receive testimony from interested parties in the "Capital Showdown" Championship Boxing event held on Dec. 10, 2011. Invited to testify before the Committee were the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission, Events DC, Golden Boy Promotions, the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Home Box Office (HBO), Washington area professional boxers, including Lamont Peterson and Anthony Peterson and their manager/trainer Barry Hunter.

Each of the organizations provided representatives for the hearing, except HBO and the WBA. However, the WBA provided written testimony for the record. The testimony presented by the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission, the IBF and the WBA, all affirmed the actions of the officiating scores and judges complied with their standards.

Since the December fight, the outcome of the match has been engulfed in controversy regarding the title changing hands to Washington's own Lamont Peterson, who defeated the reigning champion Amir Khan. Several allegations raised by key players regarding the conduct of ring officials, the scoring of tally sheets, and the overall integrity of the boxing match were laid to rest.

Witnesses from the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission and IBF gave testimony affirming the conduct of the ring officials and the integrity of the scorecard being preserved. Further, testimony by WBA revealed that their supervisor evaluated the scoring of two judges as "good," and of the other as "very good," and evaluated the performance of the referee as "regular."

A major contention was laid to rest, when the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission Chairman Scottie Irving said, "I'm absolutely, positively sure there were no changes to the scorecard." Daryl Peoples, President of IBF, a major world sanctioning organization said, "There were no irregularities as far as scoring goes." The referee is operating within his right to call a push a fowl. He further provided testimony referring to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, that all referees and judges must be "certified and approved" by the local boxing commission responsible for regulating the match.

Moreover, counsel for the promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, states he could not point to anything specifically that would change the outcome of the fight. The scorecard governs, and its integrity was validated.

"The findings of the report on the "Capital Showdown" boxing match between Peterson and Khan will serve to permanently remove the black eye on the District of Columbia and restore our reputation as a legitimate boxing venue, while setting the record straight on our ability to convene boxing matches with professionalism, fairness and integrity," said Orange. "The scorecards show Peterson won and there is no dispute between the sanctioning bodies, the IBF and WBA, which contradicts that decision."

Prince George's County council member Karen Toles was recently pulled over for driving 50 miles over the speed limit.

The incident occurred Feb. 22 when Toles was stopped for driving 105 mph in a 55 mph zone. She reportedly said in a statement that she was late for an appointment. Toles added that she considered moving violations serious matters and that she regretted the incident. She received a warning for speeding but was issued a ticket for recklessly switching lanes.

Toles, who represents several portions of Prince George's County -- including Capitol Heights, Seat Pleasant and Suitland -- had been driving on the Beltway near Branch Ave. before she led officers off and through two lights before stopping

The non-profit organization that former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas used to funnel funds for his personal use, lies in limbo, with its administrators having to explain to a City Council committee why the fund should continue to exist.

Thomas resigned in January after pleading guilty to embezzlement charges that involved some $300,000 that had been earmarked for youth sports programs. He is awaiting sentencing in May.

While the Children and Youth Investment Trust Fund has been beneficial providing much- needed programs for D.C.'s youth, trust witnesses have testified that changes have been put in place to avoid repeat instances of embezzlement, according to a published report.

Millicent West, who served as the fund's CEO during the time Thomas stole from it, was replaced. However, in the wake of a federal investigation of the fund, West resigned as director of the District's Homeland Security and Emergency Management office, stating to Mayor Vincent Gray that she didn't want to be a distraction amid an ongoing corruption probe that surrounds the City Council.

Legendary R&B singer Smokey Robinson will be the guest artist for this year's Duke Ellington School of the Arts' concert series benefit. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 3 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In addition to this concert, which will offer a national platform to promote the value of the arts, D.C.'s own Duke Ellington School of the Arts students will be performing with Robinson.

As a D. C. public school, much attention will be placed on the value of public education and the importance of using the arts as a vehicle for reaching urban youth who might not otherwise graduate from high school.

Ellington, which accepts talented youth from every ward in the city without regard to academic grades, boasts a graduation rate of 98 percent and a college acceptance rate of 95 percent.

For ticket information, contact the Kennedy Center Box Office at 202-467-4600 or at kennedy-center.org.