WI Web Staff
It's Official! Groundbreaking Held for Unity Health Care Center
Friday, 13 July 2012 22:20 Published in Local
Public officials, health care leaders, community leaders, project partners, and Ward 7 residents joined Sharon Baskerville and Vincent Keane on July 11 at the groundbreaking celebration for the Unity Health Care - Parkside Health Center.
The soon-to-be-constructed health center will be a three-story building, approximately 80,000 square foot, which will include two floors of underground parking. It will be LEED-certified Silver and have a green roof. The new center replaces Unity's Hunt Place Health Center, which is a 13,500 square foot, run-down building with no windows, delivering services to 15,000 patients per year. Officials anticipate that the new facility will have the capacity to schedule more than 50,000 patient visits, representing a major transformation in primary health care for the District.
"This city's been on a tear for health care centers, I've never seen anything like it," said District Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. "Of late, there have been nothing but groundbreakings and ribbon-cuttings for health care facilities; nothing could give me more pleasure. Ever since the stimulus funds came down, and the first lady came to [Unity's Upper] Cardozo, the city has kept going to see to it that everybody has a medical home. And Parkside was not to be overlooked!"
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray remarked that the new development probably has the greatest potential of any tract of land in the District of Columbia.
"This [facility] is going to be a wonderful addition to health care. "We have done the right thing with Tobacco Settlement dollars," Gray said. "We have invested all of our dollars in the District of Columbia in health care purposes, and that is why we're going to have this [Parkside] clinic here." "This is a dream come true."
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Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker looks on as Pamela Creekmur is sworn in as Health Officer. Creekmur, who took the oath of office on July 10, was joined by her husband, J.C. and daughter, Rachael.
Photo credit – michael yourishin
Howard Theatre Tribute to Charles 'Skip' Pitts
Friday, 13 July 2012 20:52 Published in Arts & Entertainment
The Howard Theatre's Restoration Community Committee will salute home town guitar legend Charles "Skip" Pitts, with a tribute concert on Tuesday, July 17.
Pitts, a native Washingtonian and one of the greatest wah-wah pedal players in the history R&B, blues and jazz, died on May 1 of this year.
Pitts learned to play guitar at age 11, while receiving guidance from his neighbors Bo Diddley and Greg Gaskins. "He was known for having his own unique style, a one of a kind", recalled producer and musician Scott Bomar.
Pitts played with such artists as Albert King, Wilson Pickett, The Isley Brothers and Gene Chandler. He was a long time session musician at Stax Records. In 1971, Pitts became a collaborator with Isaac Hayes that spanned 37 years. That same year Pitts performed the popular wah-wah riffs on the theme music from "Shaft". His credits also include an Oscar winning film, "Hustle and Flow", and two Grammy nominated albums. He concluded his accomplishments as an actor in three films.
Among those performers for the benefit concert are:
• Bobby Parker's Blues Band
• Al Johnson backed by the Mousey Thompson Band
• Tanya Blount
• Robert "Mousey" Thompson & The James Brown Experience
• Jimi Smooth and the Hit Time Band
• Denyse Pearson
• The Greg Gaskins Experience
• Gene Chandler will make a cameo appearance
The event will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets cost $25. Half of the proceeds will go towards retiring the debt incurred by Pitts' hospitallization. For more information visit: www.howardtheatre.org.
Citing the heavy cloud of suspicion that has been hovering over his administration following a trail of convictions aligned with his 2010 election campaign, at least two D.C. Council members are calling for the resignation of Mayor Vincent C. Gray.
At-large Councilman David Catania and Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh said in interviews earlier this week they are demanding that Gray vacate his post immediately. According to Catania, it's the right thing for Gray to leave; and Cheh said it doesn't matter whether he had knowledge of any wrongdoings while seeking to unseat rival Adrian Fenty. Gray's who had been the Council chairman, won the election with assistance of an illegal shadow campaign. The campaign, which remains under investigation, involved laundering $653,000 that was donated by a local well-known businessman.
"Whether he knew or not about the shadow campaign, the time has come for the mayor to step down," Catania said in an interview Wednesday. "We know that his campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to undermine the election laws of our city, calling into question the legitimacy of the election and his legitimacy as mayor."
Cheh added that, "Whether or not he knew of the massive election fraud that was taking place in his name, he is responsible for it."
Meanwhile, Gray has said he has no plans to vacate his office.
During the recent dayslong heat wave, Jay Rock of Southeast D.C., attempted to cool off by dousing his head with a cold bottle of water.
Temperatures had consistently remained in the triple digits, with the oppressive heat having blanketed the Washington region./Photo by Shevry Lassiter for The Washington Informer
Feds Say Gray's 2010 Campaign Fraught with Corruption
Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:49 Published in Local
CFederal authorities have determined that an illegal shadow campaign helped get D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray elected on 2010.
According to testimony documented in federal court on July 10, Eugenia "Jeanne" Clarke Harris admitted that $650,000 in illicit funding which helped pave the way for Gray to take the helm, was provided by a District businessman. She acknowledged that the money – that went unreported to the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance– was used for supplies, consultants' fees and other expenses for Gray.
"The 2010 mayoral election was corrupted," Ronald Machen, U. S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said in an interview. "The mayoral campaign was compromised by back room deals, secret payments and flood of unreported cash."
A cover-up to mislead authorities began last year after an investigation was launched into Gray's campaign. In doing so, documents were forged and/or shredded, and tax returns for Harris's public relations firm, Belle International, were amended.
Harris, 75, a public relations executive, pleaded guilty to three federal and local charges. She has not been sentenced, but could reportedly face a prison term of two to three years and $60,000 in fines.
According to Harris's plea agreement, the businessman -- vaguely referred to as Jeffrey Thompson -- is listed a co-conspirator No. 1. He has not been charged, but the funds he provided were funneled through Belle International between late July and Sept. 14, 2010.
Gray, who once hired Harris as a communications consultant, has not been named in any court documents. But as a result of the improprieties aligned with Harris, his administration has marked its third credibility blow since May.
Meanwhile, Machen has vowed to continue the investigation until all parties involved have been held accountable.
A new report by the District-based think tank, Center for American Progress, reveals that students enrolled in the local public education system believe school is too easy and that most times they don't find classes like math to be very challenging.
According to results of the survey that was released this week, and which analyzed three years of questionnaires from the Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress, 39 percent of D.C. fourth-graders and 34 percent of eighth-graders have often viewed their math studies as always "too easy."
In comparison to their peers in the Maryland and Virginia systems, 90 percent of 8th graders in D.C. said they were more likely to classify their math classes as boring, even though significantly fewer District students are graduating from high school.
The survey also notes that while 71 percent of District eighth-graders usually report that they "understanding what their math teacher asks" (compared to 75 percent in Maryland and 77 percent in Virginia), District students were more likely than Maryland and Virginia students to read more than 20 pages in school and for homework.
Other points of the nationwide study found that:
• 51 percent of eighth-grade civics students and 57 percent of eighth-grade history students said their course work is "often" or "always" too easy;
• 39 percent of high schools seniors "rarely" write about what they read in class;
• 37 percent of fourth-graders said their math work is "often" or "always" too easy.
R& B singer Usher has reportedly "been in a world of hurt" since a tragic jet ski accident over the weekend left his stepson, Kyle Glover, brain dead.
Despite a very public and contentious divorce from Tameka Foster, the 11-year-old boy's mother, Usher had been very close to the child. The couple -- who separated shortly after they were married -- have not been getting along. But the tragedy has brought the singer to Foster's side," according to an entertainment report. Usher and Foster also have two young sons together.
"Usher practically raised Kyle as his own. He's known him for seven years. It is so sad what happened," a source in the report was quoted as saying.
The incident occurred on July 6, with reports stating that Kyle and a friend were floating on inner tubes on Georgia's Lake Lanier when a family friend collided with them on his jet ski.
Sgt. Mike Burgamy of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said in an interview that alcohol has been ruled out as a factor in the accident, but investigators are still looking into the cause.
"One minute the jet ski was running around, the next he ran over the top of them. It happened that quickly," Burgamy said. "It appears the watercraft did strike both juveniles, with the male taking the brunt of the force."
Hip Hop mogul Russell Simmons is among celebrity friends of Usher's who offered their prayers.
"My heartfelt prayers for Tameka and Usher. Can't even imagine..." Simmons said.
"My prayers go out to Usher Raymond IV and his family. His stepson was declared brain dead after a jet ski accident. Please pray for them," Donny Osmond wrote. "Sherri Shepherd of "The View," tweeted, "My heart hurts for Kyle Glover, Tameka Raymond's 11-year-old son . . . "Praying for her, Usher and family. Mother love."
Perkins, Martin Promoted to Morning Anchors
Tuesday, 10 July 2012 19:10 Published in Arts & Entertainment
WASHINGTON, DC – Tony Perkins and Wisdom Martin have been named anchors of WTTG's morning newscasts. In his new post, Perkins will co-anchor weekdays from 7a.m. - 10 a.m. alongside Allison Seymour and Martin will team up weekdays from 4:35 a.m. -7 a.m. with Sarah Simmons.
"We are pleased to welcome Tony and Wisdom into these new roles on our FOX 5 morning newscasts," said Phil Metlin, the station's vice president and news director. "They are both seasoned journalists, who are widely respected in this market by our viewers."
Perkins said he is excited about his new position on FOX 5's morning team.
"This is something I've wanted to do for a long time," he said. "I adore Allison Seymour and love working with her everyday. I truly believe we have the best team in morning television and I am humbled and honored to be a part of it."
Perkins previously served as co-anchor of FOX 5's weekday 9 a.m. newscast with Seymour, and has contributed to the morning weekday newscast in various capacities. He returned to FOX 5 in 2006, after serving as a weather forecaster and feature reporter for ABC's "Good Morning America." Perkins, who graduated from American University, has also served as Fox Morning New's weather personality.
Martin also shared his sentiments about being promoted.
"This a tremendous opportunity for me personally and professionally," he said. "I'm excited to join the morning team and work alongside such a talented group of people."
Previously, Martin served as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor for WTTG. Prior to FOX 5, he was a weekend anchor and reporter for four years in Nashville, TN at WKRN-TV. In addition, Martin who graduated from Jackson State University, has held reporter positions with KSEE (Fresno, CA), WRAL (Raleigh, NC) and CNN Headline News (Atlanta).
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