SN Football?

 Understanding
 what the

 NFL Lockout
 means for us
 Page 2




 MENoPAvsE

 Questions every

 middle aged

 woman should

 be asking

 her doctor
 Page 7

 Woman charged with killing 4 in
 TX daycare fire returns from Nigeria
 HOUSTON, Tx. A Texas woman who alleged-
 ly fled to Nigeria after authorities say four chil-
 dren died in a fire at her day care facility is on
 her way back to the United States.
 Jessica Tata was charged after she left a group
 of children alone inside a home with the stove
 on, officials have said. Four children died and
 three others were injured in the February blaze.
 Earlier this month the U.S. Marshall service
has added Tata to its "15 Most Wanted" fugitive list.
Tata allegedly left the seven children unsupervised in the home day-care
facility and drove off in her car in February, authorities have said.
The blaze likely originated on an electric stove, which was on and had
a pot on it containing oil, according to Houston Fire Department arson
investigator Thomas Wood.
A definitive cause for the fire will be announced once the investigation
is complete.

 Survey shows 'mixed heritage" is
 now the epitome of American beauty
 America is a melting pot of cultures that has not been a functioning
 community, but it seems that may be changing. It may be that the enter-
 tainment industry has a lot to do with this contribution to the new
 America-the America that now wants to be darker and curvier. Hip-hop
 has penetrated the country's fashion, music, and film industries leaving a
 face of color as the vision behind them all.
 Allure magazine reported the results of a recent survey they gave to find
 out how much the standards for beauty in the U.S. have changed over
the past 20 years. Two decades ago, Allure conduct-
ed the same survey of 2,000 men and women and
the results showed a major difference of what is
attractive and sexy.
Most women of color reported that:
 African-American and Hispanic women
are twice as likely as Caucasian women to
report not wanting to change their body.
- 70 percent of those who wish to change their
skin color wanted it to be darker.
- 74 percent of those surveyed believe that
a curvier body type is more appealing
now than over the past 10 years.
But the most surprising was: "64 percent think women of mixed race
represent the epitome of beauty."
In this scenario, diversity works in the U.S. If there is a mix of races
everyone gets to feel good about themselves.

 Illinois abolishes the death penalty
 The movement to abolish the death penalty recorded a significant
advance last week when Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation
abolishing capital punishment. The action, which comes a decade after
then-Governor George Ryan imposed a blanket moratorium on execu-
tions there, makes Illinois the 16th state to ban capital punishment.
 "If the system can't be guaranteed, 100-percent error-free, then we
shouldn't have the system. It cannot stand" a somber Quinn said as he
signed the bill of abolition in the state capitol of Springfield.
 Both houses of the Illinois state legislature had approved the abolition
measure in January and sent it to him.
 Support for the mushroom had mushroomed after a series of investiga-
tions in the 1990s of 13 prisoners awaiting execution found that they
were innocent or had been convicted improperly. At the time Illinois,
which reinstituted the death penalty in 1979, had executed 12 prisoners.
Ryan imposed his moratorium in 2000 and three years later emptied the
state's death row, commuting the sentences of 167 inmates to life in
prison without the possibility of parole.

 NAACP calls Miss.Redistricting

 Plan in violation of Voting Rights Act
 Jackson, MS. -The NAACP Mississippi State Conference filed a feder-
 al lawsuit to stop the Mississippi board of election commission from
 adopting what they perceive as a racially discriminatory redistricting
 plan that has not been pre-cleared by the U.S. Department of Justice.
 "The NAACP calls on the legislators to formulate an equitable redis-
 tricting plan that is inclusive of all Mississippians," stated NAACP


President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. "States are required to use
Census results to draw new districts based on population fluctuations;
this must be done without partisan posturing so that fair boundaries are
drawn. We commend the NAACP Mississippi State Conference for their
efforts to protect the voting rights that form the core of our freedom."
United States Census results require every state government to approve
a new redistricting plan that evenly distributes the state's population
among electoral districts. In Mississippi both the House and Senate must
approve each redistricting map before the plans go to the U.S.
Department of Justice for final approval. MS-NAACP filed the suit
immediately after the State Senate voted to break custom with the regu-
lar process for redistricting for state legislative redistricting, thus creat-
ing an impasse in approving new plans to be submitted to the Justice
Department before the end of the regular session on April 4, 2011. If a
new redistricting plan is not adopted this year, legislators could run
twice: once this year under mal-apportioned lines and again next year
under a court ordered plan or a plan adopted during the next session.


 .4+ .. ... _______ _, 

 Demise of
rzant

the : public school

List sports is

 the more than

Tfect a notion
 Page 8 Page 4-
 -~~ ~~~ IO -,-N \ '


 rt^^ r^r- .. -^ '
 II moil 1---a





 'L 1: L)A'b I C 0 i f .OA 1 QL. ALI Y BLACK E K KLY 50Cents


Volume 24 No.23 Jacksonville, Florida March 24-30, 2011

 Alvin Brown advances to

 General Election in May


over Republican Audrey Moran's
22% of the vote giving him the
4,000+ votes he needed to advance.
 The election will be an uphill
battle for the Jacksonville native
who worked his way through
school while working at Winn
Dixie. He is the second major
African-American candidate of
color to advance to the general elec-
tion which will be May 17th against
former Tax Collector Mike Hogan.
 Driven by the mantra, "a better
Jacksonville for all" and a dedica-
tion to make Jacksonville more than


 Shown above flanked by his wife Santhea and children is Mayoral
candidate Alvin Brown at his Election Night Watch Party. FMP
 Standing in front of a cadre of needed 50 percent plus one vote to
supporters, Democrat Alvin Brown avoid a runoff.
- who some even said was a long "To God be the glory", were the
shot, has won a spot to compete in first words Brown spoke behind the
Jacksonville's upcoming mayoral podium to his supporters. He cap-
race. To win this week, a candidate tured the spot with a 24% margin

 Thousands vie for top honors at Bob


 LBOBiI~u


 B-1p


 The 47th Annual Bob Hayes Invitational Track & Field brought thou-
sands of Floirda teens to Raines High School last weekend to compete for
track honors. named for Jacksonville native Bob Hayes, the meet is known
to be a training ground for future Olympians. Shown above is Garrett
Scantling of Episcopal High School displaying his trophies for the Pole
Vault (14'.6) and High Jump (6'.6). For more scenes, see page 5. FMP

Bill passes prohibiting saggy

 pants in Florida schools


Sagging pants will soon be a thing
of the past at least in Florida.
According to new bill passed by the
state's House of Representatives K-
20 Education Innovation
Subcommittee last week, students
are no longer allowed to wear their
pants too low and "exposes the
underwear or body parts in an inde-
cent or vulgar manner."
 Despite criticism from a local
chapter of the NACCP, which
alleges that it is targeted at black


youth, the bill never actually uses
the term "sagging." It also received
unanimous support in the House,
taking aim at the style of dress, dis-
played by many youth and adults.
The bill theorizes that the fad was
born in the prison system, where
belts were not issued in an attempt
to prevent inmate suicides.
 "This pro-family, pro-education,
pro-jobs bill provides each school
district ... adopt a student dress
code of conduct, a policy that
explains to each student their
responsibility," said Rep. Hazelle
Rogers, who also introduced the
measure. "This would make for a
better school district and more pro-
ductive students."
The measure against sagging pants
isn't the first of its kind. In 2009,
Morehouse University banned its
students from wearing sagging
pants, gold grills and other "hip-
hop attire," in accordance with its
"Appropriate Attire Policy."


a 'pass through", Brown is deter-
mined to unite the city.
 "I want to thank you and the vot-
ers for sharing our vision," Brown
told a group of supporters Tuesday
night, "the vision and leadership
that says, 'We want to take
Jacksonville to the next level. We
want Jacksonville to be a destina-
tion and not a pass-through. We
want to put Jacksonville back to
work."
 Only 29 percent of Jacksonville's
registered voters made their way to
the polls.


Joycelyn Petty (Lady in Brown), Lauren Ousley (Lady in Yellow), Leslie
Ousley (Lady in Blue), Tarra Jones (Lady in Green), Candace Crump
(Lady in Purple), Robin Daniels (Lady in Orange) and Loretta Williams
(Lady in Red) round out the "For Colored Girls" cast. KFP Photo
Stage Aurora's For Ci ..r Girls

 delights Jacksonville audiences


 The Stage Aurora Theatrical
Company, Inc. opening night per-
formance of For Colored Girls
Who Have Considered Suicide
When The Rainbow is Enuf played
to a riveting audience hungry for
dialect that featured women suffer-
ing mentally, spiritually and physi-
cally. The award winning play and
film was written by playwright
Ntozake Shange and originally per-
formed on Broadway.
 The talented players gave new


credibility to local talent present-
ing a spellbinding performance.
Actors captured every movement,
breath and seduction of coming of
age as a woman, experiencing trials
and tribulation while bouncing
back shouting "give me back my
stuff." The play continues through
the end of March.
 For tickets contact: Stage Aurora
Performance Hall inside (Gateway
Town Center) 5188 Norwood
Avenue.765-7372.


Mother/Daughter night out

perfected by Diane Reeves


 Willetta Richie, Khalilah Liptrot, LJ Hollo%%a N
Helen Holloway at the Dianne Reeves show (inset). I t
 Jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves elec- Jazz Vocal Performance". She is
trifled a sold out Ritz audience last the only singer to have won the
weekend culminating their Ladies Grammy for three consecutive
of Jazz series. recordings.
 Considered one of the most The performance was punctuated
important contemporary jazz by a deserved standing ovation of
singers, the Detroit, MI native has jazz lovers.
won for Grammy Awards for "Best


Iyania Vai

 back on

 Bestseller

 following

 Oprah ef