Washington Informer

WPRS-FM Teams Again With St. Jude in Fight Against Childhood Cancer

Lanham, MD-- Radio One DC Station WPRS-FM Praise 104.1 will host T=the annual St. Jude Radiothon on Thursday, April 5 from 6 a.m. -10 p.m. at their new

facility located at 8515 Georgia Avenue Silver Spring,Md.

The broadcast will begin during "The Yolanda Adams Morning Show" which airs from 6 a.m. -10 a.m., and will continue through "The Lonnie Hunter Show," from 10a.m -3 p.m. Local updates will be provided by Community Affairs Director Sheila Stewart and other radio show personalities up until 10 p.m.

On-site volunteers taking pledges this year will be the D.C. Congress of Black Women; 100 Fathers Inc; Sisters 4 Sisters Network; D. C.'s 100 Black

Men of America; Prince George's County 100 Black Men of America; Men Aiming Higher organization; as well as the Greek organizations, Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Phi Beta Sigma, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Zeta Phi Beta. Local government and elected leaders and NBA/NFL players will also participate.

Last year the station raised more than $200,000 to benefit St. Jude and their global efforts to find a cure for cancer and diseases in young children. Listeners in the area can donate to St. Jude during broadcast hours by visiting praisedc.com.

Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker and the Bowie Baysox are teaming-up with "Read Across Prince George's" to hit a home run for reading.

The partnership will include up to 50,000 tickets to be used as incentives by teachers and schools to show significant improvement or performance among students in reading and language arts. The partnership also includes the Bowie Baysoxs' designation of June 12 as "Read Across Prince George's Day," which will feature Baker throwing out the first pitch.

Students and their families are encouraged to attend to celebrate the joy and fun of summer reading.

"Read Across Prince George's" is receiving overwhelming kudos from the business community and community-at-large and I am excited," said Baker. "I want to especially thank the Bowie Baysox for their enthusiasm, generous donation of tickets and commend them on their literacy programs and efforts as a franchise."

Baker added that, "We all want the best for our children however, the path to educational greatness begins with putting in place and providing the right tools to reach our desired outcomes – Read Across Prince George's is one of many educational prongs that will be launched by my administration in the near future. "

Baysox Community Program Manager Kate Milstead said the Baysox are happy to host the reading project.

"As the Baysox's "Read & Hit a Home Run" reading program celebrates its 16th season with over 4,000,000 books read across the state of Maryland, we know that getting kids excited to read is one of the most important things we can do for our community today and for our future leaders and citizens of tomorrow," Milstead said.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray has nominated D.C. Department of General Services' (DGS) Brian J. Hanlon to head the agency.  Hanlon has served as the department's interim director for the past six months, and his nomination will have to meet the D.C. Council's approval.

"Brian Hanlon has the breadth of experience needed to lead what is now one of the District's largest agencies," said Mayor Gray. "During the hugely complex transition and through this interview process, I've had a chance to observe Mr. Hanlon in action, and he has certainly earned the opportunity to lead DGS."

Hanlon's resume was among more than 20 that were examined during the exhaustive year-long recruitment and search for a new DGS director.

"Brian was the only candidate with the unique mix of design, construction, real estate and facility management expertise needed to lead this new agency into the future," said City Administrator Allen Y. Lew. "DGS is at the very heart of the physical transformation of the nation's capital. It is a vision that Mayor Gray has laid before us, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that we succeed."

Hanlon, a D.C. native, said he was eager about having the opportunity to move the agency forward.

"Through the leadership of the mayor and with the support of the Council, I am optimistic about our agency's ability to have a positive effect on the quality of life of the District's residents in delivering and maintaining modern, clean and safe spaces for them to enjoy," he said. "My vision for the agency is to leverage our size and scope to find and execute the best value for our residents, provide meaningful business opportunities for local firms and develop the best public facilities possible for our workforce."

Hanlon's career includes nearly 25 years of architecture, project management and real-estate development in both the public and private sectors. Among his various responsibilities and accomplishments as executive program manager at the Department of Real Estate Services, Hanlon was the principal author of the District's Workplace Design Guidelines. The Guidelines provide a toolkit for creating a high-performance workplace to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs.

"His depth of knowledge of design through construction implementation, expertise in financial analysis, business planning, and strategic analysis will continue to be a valuable asset to the District," said Lew.

To mark the anniversary, the company contributes more than $2.5 million to charities and donates, builds or renovates 160 homes

SAN FRANCISCO  – Wells Fargo & Company marks a milestone anniversary of 160 years helping customers succeed financially and communities thrive with a series of donations and volunteer activities across the nation.

In celebration of 160 years of service, Wells Fargo is donating more than $2.5 million to more than 60 nonprofit organizations across the U.S. In some regions, eligible Wells Fargo customers helped determine how pools of $160,000 were divided among local non-profits by voting at Wells Fargo ATMs. In addition, Wells Fargo will donate, build or renovate 160 homes in the communities it serves over the course of 160 days.

"We've been working with our customers and communities to help them succeed financially since 1852," said Chairman and CEO John Stumpf. "Through the years, we've put our customers first, and we'll continue to do so as we look ahead to the next 160 years of service. Our celebration includes ways to honor our customers, communities and team members and says thank you for being with us over time."

The company also is organizing local volunteer activities for team members across the country in celebration of the anniversary. The activities address needs that are important to our team members, customers and communities including affordable housing, sustainable environments, hunger assistance, and education. Among the many volunteer opportunities, in some regions Wells Fargo team members collectively are volunteering 160 hours at local food banks, and in others they are visiting 160 classrooms to read to students and provide financial education lessons.

Wells Fargo team members also took part in a company-wide poll, which determined how the company would distribute $160,000 among three national non-profit organizations. As a result of the voting, Feeding America® will receive $100,000, and Semper Fi Fund and Teach for America will each receive $30,000.

Founded as a banking and express company on March 18, 1852, in New York City, Wells Fargo opened its first western office on the waterfront of Gold Rush San Francisco on July 13, 1852, the site of the company's current headquarters. With the merger of Wachovia, Wells Fargo once again serves customers coast to coast.

"From East to West and back again, Wells Fargo has always strived to move our customers forward toward financial success by providing outstanding service," Stumpf said. "In the 1860's Henry Wells was asked what it takes to succeed in business. He said, 'There is one very powerful business rule. It is concentrated in the word courtesy.' Today we call it 'service.'"

To learn more about Wells Fargo's 160-year history, visit https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/history/ or http://blog.wellsfargo.com/guidedbyhistory/ .

As of January, even as local joblessness in other places took an upward spiral, the Washington region boasted the lowest rate among large cities.

The U. S. Labor Department Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported recently that although unemployment rates were down in 345 metropolitan areas in January, they increased in 16 areas while remaining unchanged in 11.

Overall, the District's unemployment rate increased slightly in December, with the joblessness having moved back above 10 percent in January, from 9.8 percent in December.

Also, with a current rate of 13.1 percent, Las Vegas remained among cities with the most unemployed individuals.

Bismarck, N.D., and Lincoln, Neb., tied for the lowest jobless rate of 3.8 percent.