As the November elections get closer by the day – and his fellow Democrats continue to read polls that indicate the possibility of a tsunami that would wash away their governing majorities in both houses of Congress – President Obama has had two choices on his major first-year priority of comprehensive health care reform: either give up a tough... Full story »

The Honorable Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), the current chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, will give the keynote address for Case Western Reserve University’s 2010 Stokes Leadership Symposium at noon Monday, March 22 at Ford Auditorium in the Allen Memorial Library, 11000 Euclid Ave. In her free, public talk, Lee will address the topic, “Opportunities for All, Pathways out of Poverty: ... Full story »

The whispers had been going on for several months. There was some uneasiness between African American civil rights and congressional leaders and America’s first Black president.  President Barack Obama, the whispers seemed to indicate, was insufficiently attentive to the concerns of African Americans.  The president had not sought targeted help for the African-American community.  And reports began to emerge... Full story »

COLUMBUS – When Mayor Michael Coleman praised Columbus Police Chief Walter Distelzweig for his plan to reform the Columbus Division of Police patrol operations in his state of the City speech last week, it was a good chance to explain his reasons for agreeing with a plan he said “should not be a revolutionary idea.” “Think about that, more... Full story »

COLUMBUS – In a tough economic environment, plagued by shrinking resources and an economy that is hobbling back to health, at best, it seemingly makes a lot of sense to put your best competitive foot forward at all times. No one understands that better than Franklin County commissioners who decided to change a few things so that the government... Full story »

By HERB BOYD NNPA Special Correspondent NEW YORK (NNPA) – Hours before the NAACP officially announced that Roslyn M. Brock was the new chair of the National Board of Directors, she sat down with reporter Herb Boyd in her suite at the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan recently for an exclusive interview. Brock, 44, a vice-president at Bon Secours... Full story »

COLUMBUS – When Democrat and attorney Oyango Snell spoke to students at the Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business last week to officially kick off his campaign to represent the 15th District in the Ohio Senate, it was a good opportunity to outline his economic development platform. And the message he brought to them was pretty simple: Ohio’s... Full story »

When U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan came to Columbus a month ago to announce the award of $2 billion in federal housing funds, he – and other Democrats – fired a first salvo in the fight to secure the Democrats’ political future by reevaluating its past. Donovan – and his fellow Democrats – aggressively defended the... Full story »

  CLEVELAND - We’ve all received letters in the mail notifying us of class action lawsuits and requesting a response to become a member. However, what happens afterwards is where the issue gets gray since few people complete and return the forms to claim their share of the funds. Most often, the correspondence ends up with the junk mail,... Full story »

COLUMBUS – The city of Columbus is doing something to help communities devastated by the recent housing crisis. Thanks to the $23 million in federal stimulus dollars it recently received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The housing crisis is vast and multipronged, but it appears city officials are zeroing in first on those neighborhoods that... Full story »

The Ohio General Assembly missed one deadline to put a major rewrite of how the state draws its legislative districts after the decennial census. Now, it is facing another, and there is still no bipartisan agreement on the appropriate strategy for deciding who draws those lines, and how. But a couple of things are certain: if Democrats and Republicans... Full story »

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of... Full story »

COLUMBUS – The story in the Columbus Dispatch used the biggest of type for the ugliest of messages: “AUDIT: SCHOOLS MISSPENT MILLIONS.” It was the story of two hyped, popular charter schools, the Harte-Crossroads schools, which had been located in the Columbus City Center, and which were closed three years ago. An audit by State Auditor Mary Taylor found... Full story »

As Case Western Reserve University aspires to be an inclusive environment, they tend to host a variety of diverse events and speakers. So, in honor of the 17th annual University Convocation to Honor the Life and Contributions of Dr, Martin Luther King Jr. last month, the school brought in Veteran Democratic Political Strategist Donna Brazile to address the topic,... Full story »