INSIDE Vol. 45 No. 2 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: [email protected]May 26, 2017 This paper can be recycled RAPPIN’ Tommy Wyatt TPA TEXAS PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION Presorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid Austin, Texas Permit No. 01949 www.TheAustinVillager.com BOYZ II MEN, NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK & PAULA ABDUL SET A-TOWN ON FIRE! By Naomi Richard | The VILLAGER BOYZ II MEN & NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK performing at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center. Photos by Naomi Richard. AUSTIN, TX - Over 11,000 Central Texas fans packed Austin’s Frank Erwin Center to jam the night away with the legendary boy band NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, the American Idol Icon PAULA ABDUL and multi-platinum-selling pow- erhouse BOYZ II MEN! BOYZ II MEN kicked the evening off sing- ing crowd favorites like “I’ll Make Love to You” and “End of the Road” while charming the la- dies with long stemmed red roses. It was awe- some to experience their strong vocals and riv- eting dance moves. With 25 years under their belt, it is safe to say they haven’t lost their groove! Then came PAULA ABDUL surrounded by dancers with majestic stage designs. The music, choreography and her energy had the crowd on their feet swaying from side-to-side. The stage per- formances coupled with her track-based vocals produced an entertaining performance of seven number-one hit singles. Next, the final group of the evening stepped out to thunderous applauds from the audience. Headliner NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK hit the stage ready to entertain. They sang songs such as “One More Night,” “My Favorite Girl,” “Dirty Dancing” and many more. At one point the lights dimmed and the group re-appeared all wearing Texas Longhorn jerseys! As you might imagine, the crowd went wild. They nailed it for Austin’s foot- ball lovers and at that point the group could do no wrong! The Total Package tour delivered as promised, a full night of entertainment with some of your favorite chat-topping artists. The tour was spon- sored by Live Nation. Original L.C. Anderson Alumni Hear Plan for Restoration of Old School Site Several of the Original L.C. Anderson High School Alumni, Austin Independent School District Board Trustee Member Yasmin Wagner and District Superintendent Paul Cruz tour the former highschool building at 900 Thompson after meeting to discuss plans for the building’s future. First row left to right:(first lady Unidentified), Pamela McCullough, Nancy Thompson, Travis County Historical Commissioner Vonnye Rice-Gardner, Thelma Williams, Linda Moore, Donald Thompson and Beverly Wilson. Second row left to right: Trustee Yasmin Wagner, Joann Lewis, Barbara Spears-Corbett, Barbara Wilson, Alma Crayton, Arvy Crayton and Super- intendent Paul Cruz. (Photo by Christian Clarke Casarez, J.D., AISD) AUSTIN, TX - If you love the Original L.C. Anderson High School and wish it were once again the home of educational excellence, there is a seat at the table for you, ac- cording to Barbara Spears-Corbett. She is one of the organizers who sprang into action when she realized that plans were underway to demol- ish the old site. She, Nancy Thompson and others be- gan dialogue with the Aus- tin Independent School District to once again save the school. Spears-Corbett wants the community to know that the steering committee is not an exclu- sive club. “We invite all in- terested people to join us in this effort,” she said. “The more people, the more ideas.” Recently, the com- mittee, concerned citizens and more than 100 former students of the Original L.C. Anderson High School once again walked the hal- lowed halls of the now dimmed Beacon on The Hill in East Austin. They See BONDS, page 7 TEXAS HOUSE OF REPS PASSES “BATHROOM BILL” ON 2ND READING Statement from Eddie Rodriguez | 51 st District Austin, Texas - Today, the Texas House of Repre- sentatives added an amendment to Senate Bill 2078 that regulates bathroom usage in schools. The House passed SB 2078 on second reading by a vote of 92-49 after adopting the discriminatory amendment. State Representative Eddie Rodriguez issued the following statement regarding the amendment: “We’ve lived through dark days in this country. ‘Separate but equal’ was the law of the land for de- cades and millions of Americans lived as second-class citizens based on the color of their skin. “So-called ‘bathroom bills’ represent the next chapter in our nation’s shameful history of state-spon- sored discrimination. “Representative Paddie’s amendment was sold as an effort to protect Texas children, but it targets one of our most vulnerable populations for bullying and ha- rassment. SB 2078 would keep transgender schoolchil- dren out of the bathroom they feel most comfortable using and single them out as different from their peers over something they can’t control. “There was no appetite for a ‘bathroom bill’ in the House, but in the final days of session Lieutenant Gov- ernor Dan Patrick threatened to force a special session if the House would not help him deliver on his political promises. Representative Paddie’s amendment is not about child safety, it is the House capitulating to the lieutenant governor’s threat. “The national ‘bathroom bill’ debate is driven by ambitious politicians exploiting fear and misunder- standing of transgender people. There is no room for compromise when it comes to discrimination.” High School scholar wins BIG Region VI oratorical competition. See MCCAULEY Page 2 Austin exceeds state and national job growth averages. See CITY Page 7 TX Rep. receives backlash for seeking Trump impeachment. See THREATS Page 6 OUR FATE IS IN OUR OWN HANDS! Since Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States, we have had a lot of fear going on in the African American com- munity. Many fear that the focus of the new admin- istration is not in our best interest. While I agree that we may be looking at a lot of changes, we have survived under other Presidents who did not have our best interest at heart. The new Republican majority in Washington will have to do damage to a lot of their supporters, before getting to us. The Trump slogan of “Make America Strong Again” was code for put the “Majority” back in control. It was “feared” that organized minority groups were gaining power over White males of this country and that needed to stop. The Black community may be in a better position of protecting itself than some others. That is because we have been in a defensive posture since the abolition of slavery. However, we may have been lulled to sleep under the illusion that “all men are created equal.” As a result, we have gotten into the habit of working alone, rather than working together. For example, on many of the jobs that we have we are the only Black person in our department. So, we have no support when we want to complain about unfair treatment. It is time for us to get back to the basis of working together. For example, when I first came to Austin I became aware of what happened when our Black business community worked together. The businesses were the employers of those who were not acceptable to businesses outside of the community. As a result, many of the people who had police records could find jobs with community businesses who knew them and their families. And we worked hard on educating our young people for them to be prepared for work outside of the community. And we did that job well. What we need now is to rebuild our Black owned businesses community to give our youth an opportunity to have jobs with us to get the experience needed to get jobs outside of the community. We also need to get back in the habit of our business working together for the good of all.
BOYZ II MEN, NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK& PAULA ABDUL SET A-TOWN ON FIRE!
By Naomi Richard | The VILLAGER
BOYZ II MEN & NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK performing at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center.Photos by Naomi Richard.
AUSTIN, TX - Over 11,000 Central Texas fanspacked Austin’s Frank Erwin Center to jam thenight away with the legendary boy band NEWKIDS ON THE BLOCK, the American Idol IconPAULA ABDUL and multi-platinum-selling pow-erhouse BOYZ II MEN!
BOYZ II MEN kicked the evening off sing-ing crowd favorites like “I’ll Make Love to You”and “End of the Road” while charming the la-dies with long stemmed red roses. It was awe-some to experience their strong vocals and riv-eting dance moves. With 25 years under theirbelt, it is safe to say they haven’t lost theirgroove!
Then came PAULA ABDUL surrounded bydancers with majestic stage designs. The music,choreography and her energy had the crowd ontheir feet swaying from side-to-side. The stage per-
formances coupled with her track-based vocalsproduced an entertaining performance of sevennumber-one hit singles.
Next, the final group of the evening steppedout to thunderous applauds from the audience.Headliner NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK hit thestage ready to entertain. They sang songs such as“One More Night,” “My Favorite Girl,” “DirtyDancing” and many more. At one point the lightsdimmed and the group re-appeared all wearingTexas Longhorn jerseys! As you might imagine, thecrowd went wild. They nailed it for Austin’s foot-ball lovers and at that point the group could do nowrong!
The Total Package tour delivered as promised,a full night of entertainment with some of yourfavorite chat-topping artists. The tour was spon-sored by Live Nation.
Original L.C. Anderson Alumni Hear Planfor Restoration of Old School Site
Several of the Original L.C. Anderson High School Alumni, AustinIndependent School District Board Trustee Member Yasmin Wagner andDistrict Superintendent Paul Cruz tour the former highschool building at900 Thompson after meeting to discuss plans for the building’s future.First row left to right:(first lady Unidentified), Pamela McCullough, NancyThompson, Travis County Historical Commissioner Vonnye Rice-Gardner,Thelma Williams, Linda Moore, Donald Thompson and Beverly Wilson.Second row left to right: Trustee Yasmin Wagner, Joann Lewis, BarbaraSpears-Corbett, Barbara Wilson, Alma Crayton, Arvy Crayton and Super-intendent Paul Cruz. (Photo by Christian Clarke Casarez, J.D., AISD)
AUSTIN, TX - If youlove the Original L.C.Anderson High School andwish it were once againthe home of educationalexcellence, there is a seatat the table for you, ac-cording to BarbaraSpears-Corbett. She is oneof the organizers whosprang into action whenshe realized that planswere underway to demol-
ish the old site. She, NancyThompson and others be-gan dialogue with the Aus-tin Independent SchoolDistrict to once again savethe school.
S p e a r s - C o r b e t twants the community toknow that the steeringcommittee is not an exclu-sive club. “We invite all in-terested people to join usin this effort,” she said.
“The more people, themore ideas.”
Recently, the com-mittee, concerned citizensand more than 100 formerstudents of the OriginalL.C. Anderson High Schoolonce again walked the hal-lowed halls of the nowdimmed Beacon on TheHill in East Austin. They
See BONDS, page 7
TEXAS HOUSE OF REPSPASSES
“BATHROOM BILL”ON 2ND READING
Statement from Eddie Rodriguez | 51st District
Austin, Texas - Today, the Texas House of Repre-sentatives added an amendment to Senate Bill 2078that regulates bathroom usage in schools. The Housepassed SB 2078 on second reading by a vote of 92-49after adopting the discriminatory amendment.
State Representative Eddie Rodriguez issued thefollowing statement regarding the amendment:
“We’ve lived through dark days in this country.‘Separate but equal’ was the law of the land for de-cades and millions of Americans lived as second-classcitizens based on the color of their skin.
“So-called ‘bathroom bills’ represent the nextchapter in our nation’s shameful history of state-spon-sored discrimination.
“Representative Paddie’s amendment was sold asan effort to protect Texas children, but it targets one ofour most vulnerable populations for bullying and ha-rassment. SB 2078 would keep transgender schoolchil-dren out of the bathroom they feel most comfortableusing and single them out as different from their peersover something they can’t control.
“There was no appetite for a ‘bathroom bill’ in theHouse, but in the final days of session Lieutenant Gov-ernor Dan Patrick threatened to force a special sessionif the House would not help him deliver on his politicalpromises. Representative Paddie’s amendment is notabout child safety, it is the House capitulating to thelieutenant governor’s threat.
“The national ‘bathroom bill’ debate is driven byambitious politicians exploiting fear and misunder-standing of transgender people. There is no room forcompromise when it comes to discrimination.”
High School scholarwins BIG Region VI
oratorical competition.See MCCAULEY
Page 2
Austin exceeds stateand national jobgrowth averages.
See CITYPage 7
TX Rep. receivesbacklash for seekingTrump impeachment.
See THREATSPage 6
OUR FATE ISIN OUR OWN
HANDS! Since Donald Trump’selection as President of theUnited States, we have had alot of fear going on in theAfrican American com-munity. Many fear that thefocus of the new admin-istration is not in our bestinterest. While I agree that wemay be looking at a lot ofchanges, we have survivedunder other Presidents who didnot have our best interest atheart. The new Republicanmajority in Washington willhave to do damage to a lot oftheir supporters, before gettingto us. The Trump slogan of“Make America Strong Again”was code for put the “Majority”back in control. It was “feared”that organized minority groupswere gaining power overWhite males of this country andthat needed to stop. The Black community maybe in a better position ofprotecting itself than someothers. That is because we havebeen in a defensive posturesince the abolition of slavery.However, we may have beenlulled to sleep under the illusionthat “all men are created equal.”As a result, we have gotten intothe habit of working alone,rather than working together.For example, on many of thejobs that we have we are theonly Black person in ourdepartment. So, we have nosupport when we want tocomplain about unfairtreatment. It is time for us to get backto the basis of working together.For example, when I first cameto Austin I became aware ofwhat happened when our Blackbusiness community workedtogether. The businesses werethe employers of those whowere not acceptable tobusinesses outside of thecommunity. As a result, manyof the people who had policerecords could find jobs withcommunity businesses whoknew them and their families.And we worked hard oneducating our young people forthem to be prepared for workoutside of the community. Andwe did that job well. What we need now is torebuild our Black ownedbusinesses community togive our youth anopportunity to have jobswith us to get the experienceneeded to get jobs outside ofthe community. We alsoneed to get back in the habitof our business workingtogether for the good of all.
Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/May 26, 2017 THE COMMUNIQUÉ www.theaustinvillager.com
Christian McCauley, Blacks In GovernmentOratorical Competition Winner
AUSTIN, TX - Chris-tian McCauley, a Sopho-more attending SanMarcos High School is theson of Dr. Christopher andMrs. Madeline P.McCauley of San Marcos,Texas. Christian placed1stt Place at the AustinChapter Competition andadvanced to the BIG Re-gion VI Competition in SanAntonio Texas held at theHilton Resort SPA on April29th. Region VI is madeup of Chapters from thestates of Arkansas, Okla-homa, Texas, NewMexico, and Louisiana.During the competitionChristian captured the at-tention of the judges andaudience with his power-ful oration of the competi-tions 2017 Theme: Unitingthe Blue Divide: What CanYoung People Do to Im-prove the Relationship be-tween Law Enforcementand Their Communities?
As the 1st place Win-ner for Region VI he willnow advance to the BIGNational Training Institute
(NTI) in Atlantic City, NewJersey August 24, 2017 forthe final competition,where students fromacross the United Stateswill come together for thefinal youth competition.The purpose of BIG’s Train-ing In Communications(TIC) Program is to provideyoung people training incommunications, leader-ship skills, and practicalexperiences to developthose skills. The TIC Pro-gram is composed of twoparts: a) CommunicationsAcademy, and b) StudentOratorical Contest. TheTIC targets 9th – 12thGrade students to com-pete for scholarships andawards. The TIC programenables the Austin Chap-ter to make a positive con-tribution in the commu-nity, thus increasing thechapter’s visibility. It pro-vides an excellent oppor-tunity to share with othersBIG’s mission and vision.
BIG is a nonprofit,nonpartisan, educational,training, and professional
development organizationthat is an advocate forjobs, education, career ad-vancement, housing andhealth services on behalfof the 3.0 million AfricanAmericans employed andretirees, in federal, state,local governments andmilitary services. Our or-ganizational structure iscomprised of 300 chaptersstrategically locatedthroughout the UnitedStates. BIG cultivates adesire to succeed, stimulatepersonal development andprofessionalism, and con-tinuously focuses onachieving equality of oppor-tunity for all Americans.
The Austin Chapter ofBlacks In Government cel-ebrated its 33rd Anniver-sary on September 1st,2017. For more informa-tion please contact TerryLendo, 1st Vice Presidentand Youth Program Chair@ (512) 587-0072. ThankYou for Think BIG!!!www.bignet.org or http://www.bignet.org/regional/region6/index.htm.
Pictured from left to right: Terry Lendo, 1st VP, Youth Program Chair,Dr. Christopher McCauley and Mrs. Madeline P. McCauley, (center) Chris-tian McCauley, Region VI 1st Place Winner, Darrell G. Porter, ChapterTreasurer, Gregory Reeves, Chapter President
Austin, Texas - CoachAdrian Hayes is very ex-cited to return to home torun H.A.Y.E.S. BasketballCamp. As the Men’s bas-ketball Coach at ColoradoNorthwestern CommunityCollege, Coach Hayesstarted H.A.Y.E.S. (HelpingAthletes Yield Elite Skills)Academy. This is a busi-ness built in hopes to help,teach, serve, and inspireyouth to grow as athletes.Giving back is somethingthat is very important toCoach Hayes and he hasbeen blessed to coachbasketball, run camps andplay this game all over thecountry. Hayes is anxiousto share his knowledgewith those Austin youth
like him, who just loved to“play ball”. Coach Hayes ishosting a 3-Day H.A.Y.E.S.Basketball camp at TravisHigh School on June 12th-14th , 2017, from 10am-3pm for Ages 12-18.
Hayes is really look-
ing forward to workingwith some of ATX’s bestyoung “Ballers’”. For reg-istration informationplease visit the website atwww.hayesacademy.netor you may email [email protected].
H.A.Y.E.S.Coming toAustin Nest
Month
Adrian Hayes
Take Away the Juice, Pediatricians SayThe following story has been posted to REthink: New Perspectives on Health,a publication of the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin:
Fruit juice has been marketed (and in some cases, recommended by physi-cians) as a healthy, natural source of vitamins and calcium. Kids like the way ittastes — in fact, children and adolescents continue to be the highest consumers offruit juice and juice drinks.
But there is no reason to include them in the diets of children less than a yearold, the American Academy of Pediatrics now says.
Steven Abrams, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Dell MedicalSchool at The University of Texas at Austin, co-authored the policy statement, re-leased today. It also recommends limited consumption for older children and ado-lescents.
“There’s never been a question that whole fruits are the best choice for chil-dren — adults, too, for that matter,” Abrams says. “On the other hand, water andlow fat milk are much better choices for most children. We just have to take a stepback and realize that there are harmful consequences to consuming large amountsof juice by children.”
Fruit juice should not be offered to children less than a year old, and should beconsumed by older children only in limited amounts. Fruit juice should not be usedto treat dehydration or constipation.
Pediatricians should continue to recommend the consumption of whole fruits,especially for children who have already been exposed to fruit juice, and shouldadvocate for the elimination of fruit juice in young children’s diets.
A complete ban on fruit juice through government programs, such as the Spe-cial Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), is notnecessary or beneficial. But physicians should advocate for limits on juice and en-sure that parents are educated about the risks associated with high juice intake.
Children should consume less fruit juice says pediatricians. Shutterstock
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church 4509 Springdale Road Austin, Tx 78723Office 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281
COME AND STEP OUT ON FAITH WITH USSunday School 8:45 a.m.
Praise and Worship 10:15 a.m.Wednesday Bible Study 12:00 p.m.
and Praise /Bible Study 6:30 p.m.(to include Children’s Choir Rehersaland
Bible Study with age appropiate Activities)Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor
Agape Baptist ChurchIn “The Centre” Bldg. F-15 7801 N. Lamar Blvd. (SE Corner of N Lamar and 183)
AGAPE is a chuch for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the love Heexhibited is Exemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you.
For there is no greater love!
Church ServicesSunday School 9:30 AMSunday Worship 11:00 AM
Mid-Week Service Thursday: Praise,Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PMCall 454-1547 for Transporation
Website www.agapebcaustintx.comRev. H. Ed Calahan
Pastor
Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium 5214 West Duval Road
Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship Service 10:00 A.M.•Power Hour Bible Life Group 6:00 P.M.
Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval Austin, Texas 78727
Visit:imanichurch.comOffice: 512-343-9300Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims
The Church of Pentecost, USA Inc,Austin offers a wide variety of opportuni-ties for children, youth, adults, and olderadults to be involved in worship, spiritualgrowth, education, community outreach,and making a tangible difference to thosein need in our community. You too, canmake a positive difference in our commu-nity through your prayers, your presence,your gifts, your service, and your witness.Tel: 512 302-1270
Leading People to Experience God’s Love, Know Jesus Christ & Grow in His ImageThe Church of Pentecost
Olive Branch Fellowship of Austin / All Faith Chapel4110 Guadalupe St Bldg #639 Austin, TX 78751
Sunday MorningWorship @ 11: am
Romans 5:1 Therefore,having beenjustified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
This life, therefore, is not righteous-ness, but growth in righteousness; not health,but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest,but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be,but we are growing toward it. The process isnot yet finished, but it is going on. This is notthe end, but it is the road. All does not yetgleam in glory, but all is being purified.
--- Martin Luther
Kenneth Hill, Pastor
1179 San Bernard Street,Austin, TX 78702, 512-478-7023
Villager Youth Brigade will be taking sponsorshipsstarting summer of 2015.Your support has beenmuch appreciated over the years. Please continueto invest in Austin’s youth. We look forward toanother successful year with some promisingstudents. FMI Call 512-476-0082
DOUBLE
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www.theaustinvillager.com THE BULLETIN THE VILLAGER/May 26, 2017 ~ Page 3
We Want YOU!Advertise With
TheVILLAGER
New Lincoln Missionary Baptist Church2215 E. 8th St., Austin, TX 78702
DAVID CHAPEL Missionary Baptist ChurchSUNDAY
Christian Education 9:15a.m. | Worship 10:30 a.m.Nursery Available
WEDNESDAY |Worship 1st Wed. monthly 7:00p.m. | Bible Study 7:30p.m.
Dr. Joseph C. Parker, Jr.Senior Pastor
2211 East Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.Austin, TX 78702
Austin, TX – The Original L. C. Anderson Alumni Association Austin Chapter were host tothe chapter’s 2017 scholarship recipients and families at their monthly meeting. The graduatingseniors are; Rae Shon Bolton (Akins High School) to attend Texas A&M or U.T.; Kirida McDaniel(Reagan High School) to attend Texas A&M or U.T. At Arlington; Quyara Billingsly (ReaganHigh School) to attend Texas State or Texas Women’s University; and Thomas Sanders (BowieHigh School) to attend Angelo State University. In addition, the chapter’s guest speaker wasFannie Burt, a member of the “All-Girl Dance Band” at Prairie View College during World WarII before her graduation in 1944. Photo by August “Bubba” Thomas.
Greater Mt. Zion Awards Scholarshipsto Graduating Seniors
Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church awarded three $1,000 scholarships this year to graduat-ing high school seniors. Two GMZ members: Bianna Bright, a Stony Point High School stu-dent that is attending Hampton University and Chelsie Kindred-Brown from Stephen F. AustinHigh School is attending Texas Southern University. Also, a scholarship was awarded to a non-GMZ member, Eric Zeno, a Leander High School student, as the Austin area community win-ner. He is attending the University of Texas next year. The scholarships were awarded underthe GMZ Education Cause Ministry which envisions improving education in the Austin areacommunity for minority students.
REMEMBER
Memorial Day Monday, May 29
Youth of TodayHope of Tomorrow
Kappa Alpha PsiFraternity, Inc
Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/May 26, 2017 YOUTH BRIGADE www.theaustinvillager.com
Growth in Middle SchoolBand Trip
Kennedy GeorgePflugerville Cele M. S.
Montrae NelsonFour Points M. S.
friends so there was reallyonly one person I knew thatwas going to PflugervilleMiddle School with me. I wasalso a little chubby because Ididn’t do any sports. I didn’tlike talking to the people thatI didn’t know very well and Iwas scared of the eighthgraders(who looked like theyshould be seniors in highschool).
I think now I can talk toothers better. I started play-ing some sports in seventhgrade so I have lost a littleweight. School has gotten abit more difficult but I havelearned not to be afraid to askfor help. I have grown a lotin middle school.
This past Saturday the6th grade band went to SanAntonio to perform songsfor a audience. The songswere called "School Spirit"and "Flying High". I play thebells on school spirit andthe bells on flying high,
once we were done the re-ward was going to six flagsand i was super excited.
After the performancewe found out that our bandgot the best grade for theperformance and we wereawarded a trophy to go onthe wall at our school.When we arrived at six flagswe had a lot of fun, i rodethe sky scrapper and thewater log and the rest of thetime we played in the pool.
Lastly, the school yearis coming to a end but ilearned so much this year, Ilearned to play instrumentsthat i couldn't at this timelast year so that's really ex-citing. Thanks for reading
Ropes Course
No classes for aweek because of aproject. We were given a$50 budget to purchase allneeded items for thisproject and a one weektime constraint. My groupsprojects is called the Stel-lar Star Spinner. The Stel-lar Star Spinner is a way forincoming 6th graders tosmoothly transition fromelementary school to AnnRichards. The ropes coursechallenges their physicaland mental strength whileassisting our new sistersin making lifelong friendsat their new school. TheStellar Star Spinner is ba-sically an old children'sfavorite merry-go-round,but with a fun twist.
This ropes course ac-tivity is a spinning AnnRichards Star that has aphysically and mind chal-lenging activity to com-plete. Through the centerof the merry go round is a
SaNaya WhiteAnn Richards
PVC pipe that acts as adowel. Attached to thoseconnected poles are thinpieces of string that cre-ate an obstacle coursethat two students mustget through together untilthey make it full circle andring a bell. The ropescourse begins by havingtwo students step ontothe Stellar Star Spinner.They will have items pro-vided that they must bothbe touching at all times.The course will begin onceboth students are next tothe bell.The other studentswill be off of the StellarStar Spinner and will beginspinning the star slowlyonce everyone is readyand has given the thumbsup. The students will dotheir best to make theirway around the merry- go-round while never lettinggo of the object, while theother students are cheer-ing them on. The studentswill attempt to not touchany of the string and ringthe bell where they began.The next pair of studentswill give it a try.
This project was away for us to learn whilegiving others a chance tobecome more open andless shy. Only a fewgroups get to become atemporary permanentropes course on campus, Ihope we are one of the topgroups. This project wasstressful but extremelyfun!
My FIRST {For Inspira-tion and Recognition of Sci-ence and Technology} Ro-botics Team, the Lady Cans,is going to compete in mul-tiple off-season events thissummer. For these compe-titions, we are going to al-ter our robot in order tomake it more efficient onthe playing field. Our pre-vious design had an intakecomprised of a spinningshaft with wheels on it tosuck whiffle balls in and asystem of pulleys to movethe balls through the robot.It also had a rotating circlewith holes that the ballscould sit in, which we calledthe carousel.
The carousel woulddeliver the balls to ourshooter, one-by-one. Ourshooter was curved like amacaroni noodle and hadwheels inside that spun toshoot the balls into the goal.
Off-Season Robotics
Quinn LangfordCedar Ridge H. S.
There was a sort of metalpouch at the back of the ro-bot for gears, which aregame pieces that have to bedelivered to a certain spot.Our intake doubled as ourmechanism we used toclimb a rope. This design isgoing to change a lot. Wehave decided to keep theshooter, but we are com-pletely moving it to the backof the robot rather than thefront, and rotating it ninetydegrees. We’re going to getrid of the carousel com-pletely, because it causedjams.
As a replacement, wehave prototyped two buck-ets with ball-sized holes inthem. A shaft with a pieceof tread attached perpen-dicularly to it would spinaround inside, eventuallyknocking the balls into theholes, where they would besucked away by the shooter.We have decided that theintake and the climbershould not be the samemechanism, because rightnow if it breaks we lose twofunctions instead of justone. We have not yet fig-ured out where the sepa-rate climber should go. Ad-ditionally, instead of havinga simple metal pouch forthe gears, we will have amobile gear intake mecha-nism. With these changes,the performance of our ro-bot will definitely improve.
Baseball Champions
Tyler AllenBarbara Jordan Elem.
Our school year iscoming to an end. Yetthere are many things stillgoing on. Last week thefifth Graders got to take atrip to the San Antonio Zoo.The Safety patrol also willget a treat this week.
The highlight of lastweek was our baseballchampionship game. Wefinished the season unde-feated. We beat every op-ponent by 8 or morepoints. Our opponent in
the championship gamewas Oak Springs Elemen-tary School. The game washeld at the Downs fieldStadium. That stadium wassome interesting history Iwas told. It was namedafter Karl Downs. In thepast it served as the foot-ball stadium for the OldAnderson’s football team.Tillison and Sam HustonCollege also played there.
The team from OakSprings were out for re-venge. In the first game ofthe season we defeatedthem 15-0. The gamestarted out bad for Bar-bara Jordan. We fell be-hind 5-0 in the first end-ing. Our two ace pitchersshut them down the rest ofthe game. It took twohome runs for us to pull itout. I managed to score inall our games. The high-light of the game was abase clearing hit by “Geo”.We won 6-5. We are the“JR RBI CHAMPIONS”.
Is Basketball Dominance Bad for the NBA?
The Golden State War-riors and the ClevelandCavaliers are two of thebest National Basketball As-sociation (NBA) teams inthe league today. For thepast two years, both teamshave faced each other in theFinals for the championshiptitle. Led by 2-time MostValuable Player (MVP),Stephen Curry, the Warriorsrose from the league’s un-derdogs to an NBA “superteam.” As for the Cavaliers,after their hometown hero,LeBron James, returned af-ter four years with the Mi-ami Heat, the team hasgone from one of the worstteams in the NBA to a titlecontender alongside theWarriors. However, thedominance of these twoteams in their conferenceshas made the game of pro-fessional basketball “un-fair.”
For the past three sea-
Ira “T.J.” WilliamsCedar Ridge H. S.
sons, the Warriors andCavaliers have been domi-nating in their conferences,being one of the top seedsin their playoff brackets.But the lack of competitionagainst these two organiza-tions has left the leagueand its fans disappointed,knowing that their teamsmost likely won’t make it tothe Finals each season.Even this season’s playoffshave been one sided inboth conferences. Both theCavaliers and the Warriorshave swept each opposingteams in their “Best-of-7”series, leading them totheir conference finals.However, it already seemsthat the other teams aredoomed to fail as the War-riors and Cavaliers domi-nate in each game.
The Cavaliers andWarriors will most likelydefeat the opposing teamsin their conferences to thenface off in the NBA Finals forthe third straight year. Eachoffseason in the NBA,teams are constantly tryingto stack their rosters in anattempt to pose a threat tothe Warriors and Cavaliers.So far, none of the other 28teams in the league havebeen able to stop or slowdown the Warriors andCavaliers. Will any team beable to find the Warriors’and Cavaliers’ weakness?Perhaps the various teamsfeaturing rising stars willbecome contenders in thefuture.
When I first startedmiddle school, I was intro-verted and shy. I had justmoved to Pflugerville in fifthgrade and I didn’t have many
Averill ToppsStephen F. Austin H.S.
At Austin High School,we are going to start takingour finals next week forfour days straight. We aregoing to take biology first,then English, Wold Geogra-phy, and Algebra. On thefourth day, school ends!
We also have a fourday weekend we call the"Great Study Weekend",which starts before the fi-nals. The "Great StudyWeekend" is when we haveFriday and Monday off ofschool. During the "GreatStudy Weekend", I will fo-cus most of my attention tostudy Algebra (since Alge-bra requires more thinkingthan the other subjects).
Upcoming Finals
Hello everybody, to-day I want to talk about fi-nals that are coming upsoon. I am very anxious be-cause our finals are thirtypercent of our grade. I knowthat if I study diligently I canscore way higher than Iwould if I didn't.
Sole Hope
Ava RobertsSpring Hill Elementary
@TheVillagerATX
On May 12, I partici-pated in a Girl Scout ServiceProject. It was a “SoleHope” shoe cutting party.Sole Hope is an organizationfounded by Asher Collie.
Their goal is to help Ugan-dan children live free fromjiggers and to help Ugandanmen and women by teach-ing them how to makeshoes. Their mission is “Of-fering HOPE, healthierlives, and freedom fromfoot-related diseasesthrough education, jobs,and medical relief.”
I feel good about help-ing to make a difference.You can help too by hostinga shoe cutting party, volun-teering, donate, andspreading the word. Formore information, go towww.solehope.com.
www.theaustinvillager.com THE COURIER THE VILLAGER/May 26, 2017~ Page 5
GADA Dance Recital
The Greater AustinDance Academy (GADA)opened 10 years ago, so tocelebrate, the theme oftheir Spring recital wasDancin' Through the De-cades. They had 5 recitalson Saturday, May 20th,each displaying differentlevels of skills and differ-ent styles of dance. Therecitals were held atHendrickson High School’sPerforming Arts Center.The atmosphere of theauditorium was very posi-tive because people werethere to support their sonsand daughters and recog-nize the amount of workthey put into the show.
I went to the 4:30show and was very im-pressed. It started with the3-year-old age group, thentraveled through time withdifferent age levels. Theperformance began in the1950’s and ended in2010’s. Although eachdancer wore a bright smileon their face, I could see alook of determination in
Cyrena MatingouCedar Ridge H. S.
their eyes as they focusedon executing their moveswith grace. As the showprogressed, differentstyles of dance were usedto represent the decades,such as hip hop for the 90’sand jazz for the 70’s. In ad-dition to dancing, GADA’smusical theater studentsdid a number from “Thor-oughly Modern Mellie,”the musical. As great as itwas to see the older stu-dents perform compli-cated pieces, it was just asenjoyable to watch the el-ementary boys and girlsdance on the stage fear-lessly.
Ashlynn Person is a9th grader who has beendancing with GADA forabout 7 years. At her 7:00performance, she per-formed tap, jazz, and bal-let routines. After she per-formed, Ashlynn “felt re-lived because I didn’t messup and it was actually re-ally fun because I wasdancing with my friends.”GADA dancers have beenworking on their dancesfor this show since lateDecember of 2016, so theywere very excited to showthe result. Ashlynn saysthat the most excitingthing about performingwas “the fun and flashyoutfits we got to wear.Also, the dances to the90’s songs were really cooland fun to watch anddance to.” The GADASpring recital was a hugesuccess and I hope to seethem perform again nextyear!
Recording Studio
On Friday, May 19th(my 14th birthday) theAthlos Leadership Acad-emy 8th graders in choirand band went to a re-cording studio to record asong. The recording studiowe went to was Orb stu-dio. Many stars have been
Sarah RobertsonAthlos Leadership Acad.
to this studio. I've neverbeen to a recording studiobefore which made this agreat experience. Thesong that we were record-ing was called Tightropeby JanelleMonae. Sinceband had to lay down theirtrack first, the choir stoodin the waiting area. In thewaiting area there wasping pong table, a pooltable, video games and ar-cade games. Once theband finished the choirstarted to record. It wasreally difficult because wehad headphones on andcouldn't really hear eachother but we got the jobdone and sounded amaz-ing. I wouldenjoy goingback to a recording studio.
Kevin ParishPark Crest M.S.
Summer is approach-ing, I have a week ofschool let and I am reallyhappy about it. Before weget out of school we haveto take finals. Finals are atest that we take at theend of the year and itcounts for your final se-mester grade. If you were
Final Examsto average an 80 or abovewith less than two ab-sences you are exempted,which where you do nothave to take final tests andit also goes the same wayif you have a 90 or above.I am working on gettingexempted from all myclasses so I won’t have totake the tests. We take fi-nals on the 25th, 26th,30th and the 31st of May,which is our last day ofschool. I am exempt from3 classes right now. I hopeI can get exempt from theothers as well but if I can’tI believe I can do well onthe finals. I had a greatfreshman year and I hopeeveryone had agood yeartoo.
At the end of school
we have an end of yearfield lesson. On the end ofyear field lesson you areable to earn many thingsand do many things. But inorder to earn the field les-son you musy have trustfrom all your teachers, andhave no missing assign-ments.
This year were go-ing to sleep at school, goto Jump USA, Zilker Park,and were going swim-ming. I'm most interestedin going to Jump USA.
End of Year Field Lesson
Joshua MooreKIPP Austin Academy
Senior Plans
Damon Luckett IIHays High School
This year has been arough year for me. I havewent through the ob-stacles of being a Juniorand my year has come toan end. Junior year hasmade me realize that I'mcloser to being a man thana child. I have one moreyear until I'm out on myown. Next year, I will haveto finish out the yearstronger than any year be-fore.
One thing I have towork on is procrastination.I tend to wait until the lastminute on things thatcould be taken care of in 2hours. Most of the time,it's just because I'm tiredfrom the previous workthat I received. Procrasti-nation has crippled me inthe past years and I can'tlet that happen to me nextyear. My goal is to tackleprocrastination and focus.
Another thing is mymindset. Teenagers likemyself struggle to balancetheir social life and theireducation. This is one ofmy problems. I've learnedthat I will always have timefor friends. I won't always
have time to get an edu-cation.
Also, I need to stopsettling for less. One thingI learned is to strive for anA instead of getting bywith C's. Doing this willmess up your GPA (GradePoint Average). You needa certain GPA in order toget into College. If yourGPA doesn't meet the cri-teria, then you're just backtracking.
Another problem Ihave is my backpack. Nextyear, I will have a cleanbackpack. It might seemirrelevant on how clean abackpack is but it reallyeffects your grades. Anunclean backpack leads tobeing unorganized. Beingunorganized leads to badgrades.
Last but not least,sleep. I like to game andwatch TV at night becauseI feel like it's apart of myrelaxation time. Staying uptoo late is not good. Beingdeprived from sleep be-fore school effects yourfocus in class. Sleep is veryimportant.
My mother and fa-ther told me, "If you dowhat's hard right now,your life will be easier. Ifyou try to go the easy way,you're life will be harder."My parents do a great jobraising me to be the manthat I'll become. They in-spire me to be a betterperson than the day be-fore. Senior year, I willmake them and everyonewho's depending on mehappy.
Barbara's Book Bag
Barbara Williams
Angie Thomas, theNew York Times best-selling author will be atthe Carver Museum todiscuss her novel at apre-festival event of theAfrican American Festi-val, June 22, at 6:30 PM.This book was inspiredby Tupac Shakur and TheBlack Lives Matter Move-ment.
The book is about a16 year old teenage girlnamed Starr. She lives ina mostly all black, poorneighborhood and sheattends a private schoolin an upper class whiteneighborhood. She andone other student are theonly black students in theschool. Starr has a differ-ent personality for homeand school. She acceptsa ride home from a partywith a childhood friend,Khalil, she hasn’t seen ina long time. They arestopped by a policeman.After a brief exchange,Starr’s friend Khalil isshot and killed by a po-liceman, without warning.His death becomes na-tional news. Starr spendsthe remainder of her timedealing with what she,the only witness, to Khalil
“THE HATE U GIVE” by Angie Thomas A Young Adult Novel
death should do and thechoices she makes aboutthe safety of herself andher family and her com-munity
Starr is smart, funloving, and caring. A lotdepends on what Starrdoes. You learn to loveand care about her aswell as most of the char-acters in the book, andthere are a lot of them.The author developsKhalil character, who hewas and why he madethe choices that he did.The media shows an-other side of him that ismore on the negativeside.
Starr’s family andher relationship withthem comes across asclose, caring andsupportive.She has aspecial relationship with
her father who is an exconvict, She has a spe-cial relationship with herincredibly supportivemother and her brotherSeven. She also has agood relationship withher uncle Carlos who isa policeman.I really loveeach member of her fam-ily. Her brother Seven issmart, loving and protec-tive of the females in theblended family. The au-thor does a good job ofpresenting him in a posi-tive light. Each of themale characters havesome admirable quali-ties. This includes Starr’sboyfriend, Chris who iswhite.
The plot of the noveldeals with issues, chal-lenges and choices Starrhas to make as shegrows up. How she finds
her voice, her activism,courage and bravery. Theauthor includes thereader in Starr’s growth.She conveys the mes-sage that people whogrow up in poor circum-stances are not badpeople. They are trying tobetter their circum-stances the same asother people. They aretrying to better their lives.
Most things takeplace in Starr’s home,school, her fathers gro-cery store, Uncle Carlos’suburban home, and onthe streets of her commu-nity. The problem ofprejudice, racism andpolice brutality is ad-dressed in a fashion thatremind you of some ofthe verdicts of recent kill-ings of young black menin America. Enjoy theway the book ends whenyou read it. This is a well writtenbook. 444 pages long. Ituses more profanity thanI like in my readings butit is an important book. Ienjoyed how the storywas told and I am gladAngie Thomas told it.
I am looking forwardto seeing and hearingM s . Thomas talk about herBook on June 22, at theCarver Museum. I givethis book 4 Stars. ****ENJOY!
Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’Follow-Up Set
for 2019 Release
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedian turned filmmakerJordan Peele is following up the remarkable success of“Get Out” with a provocative original thriller set forrelease in March 2019. Universal Pictures announcedthe release date for Peele’s untitled film on Monday.
Peele’s buzzy directorial debut “Get Out” becamea box office phenomenon this year grossing $229.6million worldwide on a production budget of only $4.5million. Universal Pictures distributed “Get Out” and hassince set a first look deal with Peele and his MonkeypawProductions.
Director Jordan Peele(Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)
Page 6 ~ THE VILLAGER/May 26, 2017 DIASPORA www.theaustinvillager.com
African Business NetworkHost Second Mixer
Since the first event ended with “bang”, leaders of the African Businessheld a 2nd “General Body Meeting.” Moreover, the general body meeting isthe regular meeting in which the various businesses in the network get tomeet and listen to one of the members make a presentation. At this event, itwas the African Diaspora United (ADU) business group that made a presen-tation on their business. For instance, Herve Sarr with ADU talked about thevarious services they offer such as providing a marketing platform and forbringing the African community closer to African owned business and non-profit leaders
As previously, ADU made a very informational presentation. In the pre-sentation, they mentioned that, “The poverty rate within the African Diasporacommunity has increased due to the fact they don’t own a lot of businesses.”In addition, ADU mentioned that African businesses tend to remain small dueto the fact that, “They don’t understand the concept of marketing and bring-ing people together.” Consequently, ADU hopes that, “Our services can changethe mentality of African Business owners.” In addition to ADU, there wereother African and African American businesses present such as TropicalMarket, Dupree Cosmetic and Numerique.
Not only is the ABN a platform for African owned businesses but, it isalso for African American businesses. According to the leadership group ofthe ABN, “It is important for the African Diaspora Community and the AfricanAmerican to unite because this creates more businesses for both communi-ties. In addition, they mentioned that, “Bringing these two groups togetherwill provide both of them with greater markets which in term means morerevenues.
Pictured left to right are members of the African Business Network;Herve, Debra, Julien and Angela. Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist
by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon | Villager Columnist
Cameroon’s Reunification Day
On May 20th allCameroonians, includingthose living in CentralTexas celebrated the “Re-unification of Cameroon.”Although Cameroon re-ceived its Independence onJanuary 1, 1960 it remainedsplit between the “FrenchCameroonians and theAnglo Cameroonians.”However, on May 20th,1961 both the “French andthe Anglo Cameroonians”united to become oneCameroon. According tosome in the community,“the Reunification is asimportant as the Inde-pendence Day celebra-tion.” Since the Reunifica-tion of the “French and the
Anglo” sections ofCameroon, they have ex-perienced some good andbad times but, has soughtto remain together.
In Central Texas, theCameroonian Communityof Central Texas decided tocelebrate the Reunifica-tion Day by holding a soc-cer game against the“Black Stars Soccer group.”Despite the rain and thethunder, the players meton a muddy and wetfield. Then at the end ofthe day, the CameroonSoccer Association ofCentral Texas lost thegame by the score of 2goals. After the soccergame, it was an opportu-nity for the players tohold a barbecue and tosocialize with other Afri-
can communities living inCentral Texas. Accordingto Boseme Ensuju, “I washappy to celebrate theunification of my countryand also to enjoy the pres-ence of other Africans.”
In the past decade,Central Texas has a greaterinflux of Camerooniansand other Africans. Justlike other Africans,Cameroonians are startingto skip the, “Mega citiesand moving to the me-dium size ones like Austin.”As they move to Austin,the Cameroon Soccer As-sociation has been aplace to help the new ar-rivals adapt to a new city,state, and country. In ad-dition, it provides a“safety nest” for others inthe community.
Members of the Cameronaian American Soccer Association.Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
Capital Metro to Provide ModifiedService on Memorial Day
No MetroRail service, asagency operates on
Sunday-level May 29
AUSTIN, TX - OnMonday, May 29, CapitalMetro will operate on aSunday-level schedule inobservance of the Memo-rial Day holiday. There willbe no MetroRail, UTShuttle or E-Bus service.
All MetroAccess sub-scription trips will be au-tomatically canceled thatday. Customers who needto keep their subscriptiontrips on Memorial Dayshould call 512-852-7272or visitcapmetro.org/maonline to reschedulethem.
Service will return toits regular weekday sched-ule Tuesday, May 30.
Capital Metro admin-istrative offices and the
Transit Store will be closedMay 29. However, theCustomer Service GO Linewill be staffed from 8 a.m.to 5 p.m., and customerswill have 24-hour access tothe automated phone lineand online trip planner.
More informationabout Capital Metroschedules and services canbe found at capmetro.org,on the free CapMetro Appor by calling the GO Lineat 512-474-1200.
Callers Threaten Black TexasCongressman Who Seeks Trump
ImpeachmentHOUSTON, TX (AP) -
A Black Texas congress-man said Saturday thathe’s been threatened withlynching by callers infuri-ated over him seeking im-peachment of PresidentDonald Trump.
U.S. Rep. Al Greenheld a town hall meetingand played recordings ofseveral threateningvoicemails left at his of-fices in Houston andWashington, the HoustonChronicle reports.
The seven-termDemocrat told the crowdof about 100 people thathe won’t be deterred.
“We are not going tobe intimidated,” Greensaid Saturday. “We are notgoing to allow this to causeus to deviate from whatwe believe to be the rightthing to do and that is toproceed with the im-
peachment of PresidentTrump.”
One male caller useda racial insult and threat-ened Green with “hangingfrom a tree” if he pursuesimpeachment. Anotherman left a message sayingGreen would be the oneimpeached after “a shorttrial” and then he wouldbe hanged, according tothe recording.
Green took to theHouse floor on Wednes-day to say he believesTrump committed ob-struction of justice and noone’s above the law.
Trump, a Republican,has dismissed criticism ofhis firing of FBI DirectorJames Comey amid theagency’s investigation ofpossible links betweenRussia and Trump cam-paign associates.
Green said he
wanted his constituents tobe aware of the hatefulcalls he’s since received.
“When a person talksabout lynching you, wethink that’s a pretty seri-ous threat,” said Green, aformer president of theHouston branch of theNAACP, according to hiscongressional website.
U.S. Rep. Al Green(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Apply at HRMiddle Fiskville Rd.
6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512 223-5621hhtp://www./austincc.ed
EEOC/AA/M/F/D/V
EMPLOYMENT | PROPOSALS | PUBLIC INFORMATIONFOR SALE | FOR RENT | BIDS | MISCELLANEOUS
www.theaustinvillager.com CLASSIFIEDS THE VILLAGER/May 26, 2017 ~ Page 7
Are you interested in doing businesswith the City of Austin?
For information on the City of Austin’s Minority/Women-Owned Procurement Program please contact theSmall & Minority Business Resources at 512-974-7600 orvisit www.austintexas.gov/smbr.
Integral Care is currently solicitingproposals through a Request forProposals (RFP) process for Familieswith Voices/Familias con VocesServices. RFPs may be sentelectronically, by contacting BrodyBallard at brody.ballard@ integralcare.org beginning May 15, 2017.The deadline to submit a proposalunder the RFP is 4 p.m. CST on June30, 2017. Historically UnderutilizedBusinesses, including Minority-Owned Businesses and Women-Owned Businesses, are encouragedto apply.
Integral Care is currentlysoliciting proposals through aRequest for Qualifications (RFQ)process for Audit Services. RFPsmay be sent electronically, bycontacting Brody Ballard [email protected] May 16, 2017. Thedeadline to submit a proposalunder the RFP is 4 p.m. CST onJune 20, 2017. HistoricallyUnderutilized Businesses,including Minority-OwnedBusinesses and Women-OwnedBusinesses, are encouraged toapply.
New Jobs for the Week of 05/21/2017Faculty, 2D Animation
Northridge CampusJob# 1705018
Marketing CopywriterHighland Business Center
Job# 1705016Manager, Construction
Service CenterJob# 1705012
CarpenterService CenterJob# 1705026
Assistant, Senior LabTaylor Fire Academy
Job# 1705025Assistant, Student Services
Rio Grande CampusJob# 1705023
Specialist, AccreditationHighland Business Center
Job# 1705032
were there to hearplans presented by theAustin IndependentSchool District (AISD) staffto preserve and modern-ize the campus at 900 Th-ompson Street.
The alumni repre-sented classes from the1950’s to the school’s finalyear, 1971. Most were at-tired in gold T-shirtsadorned with the famedyellow jacket in blackprint, along with theirclass and reunion years.
Nicole Conley, AISDChief Financial Officer, ex-plained the plans for anupcoming bond electionthat would include the Th-ompson site for develop-ment of an Urban Educa-tion Center for all stu-dents. She explained thatthe school board trusteeshave final decisions aboutthe amount of the bondand which items will be in-cluded in it.
City Council MemberOra Houston, District 1 andAnderson Class of 1966,stood to express her con-cern of where the schoolwould be placed within thebond. “Based upon our his-tory with AISD and thisschool, I don’t trust theboard,” said Houston. “Iwant to know where thisschool will be placed in thebond. How soon will youbegin this renovation?What AISD can do is moveforward with the historicdesignation for the 900 Th-ompson site.”
Conley respondedthat the board has votedthat the school will be slatedin the one-to-six-year bond.But she warned that the fullrenovation of the schoolwould be done in phases asapproved in bonds over sev-eral years. She also said thiswill only be achieved if thebond passes by citywideelection.
Travis County Com-
Bonds hold key for restorationof OLCA sitemissioner JefferyTravillion, Sr., PrecinctOne, told the audience,“That means that every-one of us needs to call ourSchool Board Trustee, nomatter which district welive in, and tell them wewant this school includedin the bonds. They need tohear from us, and often, toknow this is important tous.
“Then we must besure we, and everyone weknow, shows up to vote inthe bond elections,”Travillion continued. “Inthe end, it only matters ifthe bonds pass. That is theonly way this restorationand renovation can hap-pen.”
Travillion also saidthat full completion of aproject of this size cannotbe completed financiallyby one entity alone. Hesuggested a collaborationbetween the Austin schoolboard, Travis County andthe City of Austin. He wasreferencing talks under-way at the county regard-ing a possible Venue Taxlevied on hotel rooms tobe used for priority com-munity projects in Austin,such as this one.
Matias Segura ofAECOM, an engineeringfirm for AISD, showedslides of designs for theplanned renovation. Theoutside structure, per thealumni request, will re-main the same where pos-sible. Also at the insistenceof the alumni, the campusaddress will revert to Th-ompson Street. Currently,AISD uses a Neal Streetaddress, on the south sideof the building.
The design includes amuseum at the main en-trance that will showcaseAnderson memorabilia.There also will be a YellowJacket Conference Centerfor use by the community.
Michael Emery, Class of’71, said the old gymbleachers had been torndown and the wood wasstored somewhere in thebuilding. He suggestedthat wood be used insome decorative way, in-cluding signage that wouldexplain its historical signifi-cance. The audienceagreed.
In addition to restor-ing the building, the groupexpressed emphaticallythat they wanted the Al-ternative Learning Schoolfor suspended andtroubled youth movedfrom the Original L.C.Anderson site. They aredemanding that futureprograms placed at thisschool exemplify the edu-cational excellence andleadership for which thisschool was known from1889 to 1971, when it wasclosed as part of a federaldesegregation lawsuit.
The alumni commit-tee echoed Council Mem-ber Ora Houston’s desireto gain a historical desig-nation for the campus toprotect it forever fromdemolition threats. Theyare currently working onit. Two audience membersvolunteered to help,Caroline Wright of thePreservation Austin Boardand Vonnye Rice Gardnerof the Travis County His-torical Commission.
Dr. Paul Cruz, AISDSuperintendent, thankedeveryone for their com-mitment to the processand assured the audiencethat the work would con-tinue. School BoardTrustee Yasmin Wagner ofDistrict 7 also was presentand actively engaged inthe community dialogue.For more information onAISD’s plans for the Origi-nal L.C. Anderson site, seeAISD’s Facility Master Planat www.aisdfuture.org.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
At the height of the recent tensions withNorth Korea, I met with our military leaders andforeign affairs experts in South Korea and Japan.We are fortunate to have the capable leadershipof General Vincent Brooks, commander of theUnited Nations Command, Combined ForceCommand, and U.S. Forces Korea. He currentlyoversees the 28,000 American troops stationedthere. During our visit, his wife, Dr. CarolBrooks, a member of the Perry family, which werecognize from the Perry-Casteñada Library atUT, was in Austin with her mother. While firmlyprojecting our military strength, we must alsoutilize our nonmilitary strength to avoid a con-flict that would lead to the deaths of perhaps asmany as one million including tens of thousandsof Americans.
Congressman Doggett meetsGeneral Brooks during recent
visit to North Korea
Where is theHottest JobGrowth inYour City?
The Texas economyexpanded in March 2017with the addition of 9,500seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs. The state’s un-employment rate roseslightly from 4.9 percent to5 percent. Statewide,Texas’ job growth rate re-mained steady at 1.9 per-cent over the year. Despitethe slight increase in theunemployment rate,economists at the FederalReserve Bank of Dallaspredict that the state’s jobgrowth will reach 2.4 per-cent by the end of 2017.One of the major metro ar-eas in Texas is Austin.
An employmentsnapshot of job growth inAustin far exceeds stateand national averagesacross almost all sectors,and the capital city’sMarch unemploymentrate was 3.6 percent. Ac-cording to a 2016 analysisby American City BusinessJournals, the number ofsmall businesses in Austingrew 9.7 percent from2010-2013, the fastest ratein the nation. Innovativestartups, the abundanceof technology firms and athriving university com-munity have securedAustin’s spot as one of thetop tech towns in thecountry.
So Who’s Hiring?Everyone! From technol-ogy startups to health careto restaurants, the jobmarket in Austin is robust,and competition for talenthas driven wages higherthan state and nationalaverages.
From the Daniel Group AUSTIN, TX - CoachHoward Ware will be re-tiring from Huston-Tillotson University after22 years of dedicated ser-vice. Throughout CoachWare’s tenure at HT, hehas helped producecountless Red River Ath-letic Conference champi-ons and NAIA All-Ameri-cans. Coach Ware hastaken the HT Track Teamto the Nationals 19 out of22 years. His last day willbe June 30, 2017. Pleasejoin the HT Athletic De-partment in congratulat-
Coach Howard Ware
ing Coach Howard Ware ona great career and wishinghim luck in all his future en-deavors.
By Todd C. Cruff, Special to the Villager
Coach Ware TouchesTape after 22 Years
Forbes: Jay Z and Beyoncé Wortha Combined $1.16 Billion by: The AP
NEW YORK (AP) —Jay Z and Beyoncé are abillion-dollar couple ac-cording to one estimate.
Forbes puts the com-bined wealth of the mar-ried superstars at $1.16billion. The magazine esti-mates Jay Z’s fortune at$810 million. It says
Beyoncé has amassed$350 million.
Forbes says most ofJay Z’s money is involvedin Roc Nation and his othercompanies. Both the rap-per and the singer alsohave a significant stake inthe Tidal streaming musicservice.
Jay Z signed a 10-yearpact with Live Nation topartner on concert events.Variety reported last weekthat the deal is worth $200million.
The couple has a 5-year-old daughter, BlueIvy. Beyoncé is pregnantwith twins.
Beyonce and Jay Z (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Page 8 ~ THE VILLAGER/May 26, 2017 THE DISPATCH www.theaustinvillager.com
AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s Fake Facts Record While Abroadby: Calvin Woodward and Christopher S. Rugaber with Josh Lederman, Ricardo-Alonso Zaldivar and Jim Drinkard|Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Here’s a new U.S. export:President Donald Trump’s exaggerations about hisrecord.
In his speech in Saudi Arabia on Sunday during hisfirst foreign trip as president, Trump claimed to haveaccomplished record spending on the armed forces,even though Congress has yet to pass a budget thatreflects his plans and promises. Trump releases a de-tailed budget proposal Tuesday after having come uponly with an outline before, and nothing is achieveduntil and unless Congress passes something.
Trump often takes credit for accomplishments thathave yet to be realized or that were the work of hispredecessor, as he did last week when boasting abouta Coast Guard icebreaker that the Obama administra-tion started. But it was his first opportunity to do soabroad.
Trump’s foreign trip came as something of a breakfrom the storm over the investigation into his 2016campaign’s relationship with Russia. That episodeprompted a number of questionable statements by thepresident and his aides. Here’s a review of claims onvarious matters over the past week:
TRUMP: “In just a few months, we have createdalmost a million new jobs … and made record invest-ments in our military.” — speech in Riyadh on Sunday
THE FACTS: He’s getting ahead of developmentson military spending, with no budget passed. He alsonot proposing a record increase in military spending ashis remarks might imply.
The 10 percent increase he called for in his Marchbudget outline has been exceeded three times in re-cent history — the base military budget went up by 14.3percent, in 2002, 11.3 percent in 2003 and 10.9 per-cent in 2008, according to the Pentagon. Looked at an-other way and deeper into history, military spendingconsumed 43 percent of the economy in 1944, duringWorld War II, and 15 percent in 1952, during the Ko-rean War. It was 3.3 percent in 2015, says the WorldBank.
Trump’s claim that almost 1 million jobs have beenadded is in the ballpark, though it’s taken more than a“few months” and Barack Obama was president formost of one of them, January.
Job creation has averaged 185,000 a month fromJanuary through April. But that is the same pace of hir-ing as occurred in 2016, when Obama was president,and slower than in 2014 and 2015, when more than225,000 jobs a month were added, on average.
___TRUMP: “I’m proud to say that under my admin-
istration, as you just heard, we will be building the firstnew heavy icebreakers the United States has seen inover 40 years.” — Coast Guard Academy speechWednesday
THE FACTS: Trump is claiming credit for somethingthat started under his predecessor. Obama’s homelandsecurity secretary, Jeh Johnson, spoke about modern-ization of the Coast Guard fleet and design work on anew heavy polar icebreaker a year ago in a speech tograduating Coast Guard cadets.
___TRUMP, on his decision to fire FBI Director James
Comey: “I actually thought when I made that decision— and I also got a very, very strong recommendation,as you know, from the deputy attorney general, RodRosenstein.” — news conference Thursday with hisColombian counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos.
THE FACTS: The recommendation he cites cameafter Trump decided to fire Comey, according toRosenstein and to Trump’s own previous statement tak-ing sole ownership of the decision.
In an interview with NBC two days after the May 9Comey dismissal, Trump said he had been planning tofire Comey for months, and linked it with the FBI’s Rus-
sia investigation. “In fact when I decided to just do it, Isaid to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing withTrump and Russia is a made-up story.’”
On Thursday, Rosenstein told senators in a closed-door briefing that he had been informed of Trump’sdecision to fire Comey before he wrote his memo pro-viding a rationale for that act, said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
___TRUMP: “Even my enemies have said there is no
collusion.” — Thursday news conferenceTHE FACTS: Democrats have not absolved Trump
on whether his campaign and Russian officials coordi-nated efforts last year to disadvantage his Democraticrival, Hillary Clinton. Several have said they have notseen evidence of collusion, but that’s not to say theyare satisfied it did not happen.
Trump has cited James Clapper, the director ofnational intelligence until Trump took office Jan. 20,among others, as being “convinced” there was no col-lusion.
Clapper said this past week that while a report heissued in January did not uncover collusion, he did notknow at the time that the FBI was digging deeply into“potential political collusion between the Trump cam-paign and the Russians” and he was unaware of whatthe bureau might have found. The FBI inquiry contin-ues, as do congressional investigations and, now, oneby the special counsel.
___TRUMP: “Obamacare is collapsing. It’s dead. It’s
gone. There’s nothing to compare anything to becausewe don’t have health care in this country. You just lookat what’s happening. Aetna just pulled out. Other in-surance companies are pulling out. We don’t havehealth care. Obamacare is a fallacy. It’s gone.” — Thurs-day news conference
THE FACTS: He’s venting and not to be taken liter-ally. Obama’s health care law remains in effect andpeople are using it. As of last count 12.2 million signedup for private health plans through HealthCare.gov andstate markets that offer federally subsidized coverage.Separately another estimated 12 million were madeeligible for Medicaid through the law’s expansion of thatprogram. It’s true that many people who buy their ownhealth insurance are facing another year of big premiumincreases and shrinking choices.
Trump worked with House Republicans to pass abill that would roll back much of the health law and theSenate is considering the legislation.
___TRUMP, speaking of the MS-13 gang presence in
the U.S.: “A horrible, horrible large group of gangs thathave been let into our country over a fairly short pe-riod of time. … They’ve literally taken over towns andcities of the United States.” — Thursday news confer-ence.
THE FACTS: His depiction of the gang as a foreignone “let into” the U.S. is not accurate.
The gang actually began in Los Angeles, accordingto a fact sheet from Trump’s own Justice Department,and “spread quickly across the country.” And it startednot recently, but in the 1980s, according to that samefact sheet.
The department indirectly credits the Obama ad-ministration, in its early years, with helping to rein inthe group, largely made up of first-generation Salva-doran-Americans and Salvadoran nationals. It said:“Through the combined efforts of federal, state andlocal law enforcement, great progress was made dimin-ishing or severely (disrupting) the gang within certaintargeted areas of the U.S. by 2009 and 2010.”
The U.S. carried out record deportations during theObama administration and, on MS-13 specifically, tookthe unprecedented action of labeling the street gang atransnational criminal organization and announcing afreeze on its U.S. assets. Such actions were not enoughto bring down the group and the Trump administrationsays it will do more.
___TREASURY SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN: “I be-
lieve that a goal of 3 percent GDP or higher economicgrowth is achievable if we make historic reforms to bothtaxes and regulation.” — Senate Banking, Housing andUrban Affairs Committee hearing Thursday
THE FACTS: Several quarters or a year of 3 per-cent growth may be possible, but few economists ex-pect the changes Mnuchin has proposed would resultin sustained growth at that pace. That’s because theU.S. economy is facing long-term constraints. As babyboomers retire, fewer people are working. As well,workers’ productivity is growing at historically weaklevels. An economy can only grow as fast as the sizeand productivity of its workforce. If Trump’s policiesreduce immigration, the U.S. workforce would groweven more slowly.
Trump’s goal of cutting corporate taxes could en-courage companies to spend more on computers andmachinery, making employees more productive, accel-erating growth and lifting wages. Liberal economistsargue that corporate profits are already high and anytax cut probably would go to shareholders instead ofequipment.
___TRUMP: “I won’t talk about how much I saved
you on the F-35 fighter jet. I won’t even talk about it.”— Coast Guard Academy speech
THE FACTS: He shouldn’t. Trump has repeatedlytaken credit for cost savings that began before his presi-dency on this jet. Pentagon officials took steps beforethe election to reduce costs on the Lockheed contractand announced savings Dec. 19, a month before Trumpwas sworn in.
___NIKKI HALEY, ambassador to the U.N.: “I believe
the Western Wall is part of Israel and I think that that ishow, you know, we’ve always seen it and that’s how weshould pursue it … we’ve always thought the WesternWall was part of Israel.” — interview on Christian Broad-casting Network on Wednesday
THE FACTS: That’s a misstatement of U.S. policyand diplomatic history. The wall is in the Old City, a partof east Jerusalem, which the U.S. and most of the worldconsider to be occupied territory. So the U.S. positionis that the wall is part of Jerusalem, not specifically Is-rael. Since Israel’s founding, the U.S. has maintainedthat no state has sovereignty over Jerusalem and itsultimate status must be resolved through Israeli-Pales-tinian negotiations. That stance has not changed.
In addition to misstating U.S. policy, Haley steppedoutside diplomatic norms in asserting a personal viewat variance with that policy — that the Western Wall isor should be considered part of Israel. Find all AP FactChecks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd
President Donald Trump delivers a speech to theArab Islamic American Summit, at the King
Abdulaziz Conference Center, Sunday,May 21, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
