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Posts tagged as “Charlotte”

Obama to Name Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as Secretary of Transportation

By goodblacknews on April 28, 2013
5/7/12 – Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx greets President Barack Obama as he arrives at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. TODD SUMLIN

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama Monday will nominate mayor Anthony Foxx to be Secretary of Transportation, a White House official said Sunday on the condition of anonymity. The nomination of Foxx, who hosted last year’s Democratic National Convention, would make him the only African-American selected for a Cabinet opening in Obama’s second term.
As mayor of Charlotte, what it called one of America’s most vibrant cities, the White House said Foxx has the firsthand knowledge needed to create jobs and compete in a globe economy. The White House praised Foxx’s ability to integrate local, state and federal resources to meet transportation challenges.
Federal officials cited his work on the Charlotte streetcar project to bring a streetcar line through the center of the city, expanding Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and extending the city’s light rail system north to UNC Charlotte.
Some of Foxx’s accomplishments that the White House has praised have been questioned closer to home, however.
The mayor is fighting an effort to shift control of Charlotte-Douglas from the city to an independent authority – a move Foxx has been stridently against. Local business leaders and some legislators have said they are worried the city has been meddling in airport affairs, a charge Foxx has denied.
The streetcar project, which Foxx is launching with a $25 million federal grant, is in limbo. The mayor has been unable to convince City Council members to approve expanding the 1.5-mile line currently under construction, and the streetcar has been the cause of a nearly year-long impasse over the city passing a nearly $1 billion capital budget.
Foxx, who has called Obama a friend, was elected mayor in 2009. He was re-elected in November 2011 with nearly 70 percent of the vote. He also is a lawyer for Charlotte hybrid bus maker DesignLine.

College Sophomore Honored for Her Work With Children Whose Parents Are in Prison

By goodblacknews on January 4, 2013

oliviastinson

Olivia Stinson, a sophomore at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina was recognized as a 2012 L’Oreal Paris International Woman of Worth. Stinson, a business administration major from Charlotte, was honored for creating the Peers Engaged and Networking (PEN) Pals Book Club for the children of incarcerated parents. At age 13, Stinson used a $500 grant to start the project for children aged 12 to 19. The PEN Pals Book Club has evolved into a full support group for the children of parents who are in prison. She has now added a Be a Reader (BEAR) Book club for children aged 2 to 11. The clubs now not only provide books and other school supplies, but also food and other support. Since the program was established, more than 4,000 children have received benefits from the program.

For winning the Woman of Worth distinction, Stinson’s book clubs will receive a $10,000 contribution from L’Oreal Paris.  To learn more, check out Stinson’s Huffington Post blog here.
article via jbhe.com

R.I.P. R&B Singer Billy Scott of The Georgia Prophets

By goodblacknews on November 20, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rhythm and blues singer Billy Scott died November 17 in North Carolina at age 70.

Bill Kopald with the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame said Scott died from pancreatic and liver cancer Saturday at his home in Charlotte.

Born Peter Pendleton in Huntington, W. Va., he sang with various groups while in the Army. After he was discharged in 1964, he changed his name and with his wife, Barbara, in 1966 began recording as The Prophets. Their first gold record was 1968’s “I Got the Fever.” Other hits included “California” and “Seaside Love” as the Georgia Prophets.

The group recorded a number of hits in the 1970s in the beach music genre, a regional variant of R&B. Scott was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

Learn more about his life and music here and watch/listen to “I Got The Fever” below:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3EHUHW-xQ&w=420&h=315]

Cam Newton Donates $150,000 to Three North Carolina Schools

By goodblacknews on November 15, 2012

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton sits with students Tuesday at Randolph IB Middle School, where he announced that his foundation would give $150,000 to be divided evenly among Bradley, Randolph and Thomasboro Academy middle schools. (Photo: Glenn H. Burkins for Qcitymetro.com)

The Cam Newton Foundation has donated $150,000 to three Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools.  The money will be divided evenly among Bradley, Randolph and Thomasboro Academy middle schools and will be used for activities and resources that boost school pride, the foundation said.  Newton, a second-year quarterback with the Carolina Panthers, made the official announcement in an auditorium packed with cheering children and teachers at Randolph Middle. He encouraged the students to stay in school and get an education, regardless of their career plans.  The donation was part of the foundation’s newly formed School Pride Program.

Newark Mayor Corey Booker Wows Democrats In Charlotte

By goodblacknews on September 4, 2012

Newark Mayor Cory Booker wowed ‘em at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday when he offered the party’s 2012 platform to delegates. Here are a few excerpts:

“Our platform emphasizes that a vibrant, free, and fair market is essential to economic growth. We also must pull from our highest ideals of justice and protect against those ills that destabilized our economy – like predatory lending, over-leveraged financial institutions, and the unchecked avarice of the past that trumped fairness and common sense.”
“When your country is in a costly war, with our soldiers sacrificing abroad and our nation facing a debt crisis at home, being asked to pay your fair share isn’t class warfare — it’s patriotism. But we all know – it’s common sense – that for an economy built to last we must invest in what will power us for generations to come.”
“This is our American mission. These are the dreams of our fathers and mothers. This is the demand from the next generation, who call to our conscience in a chorus of conviction, in classrooms from coast to coast, north to south, when they proudly proclaim with those sacred words from our most profound pledge, that we are a nation with liberty, and justice, for all. And this November, with the reelection of President Barack Obama, this generation of Americans will ever expand upon the hope, the truth, and the promise of America.”
He got a standing ovation and there were people wiping tears from their eyes. Booker clearly liked being in the spotlight.
by Bob Ingle via blogs.app.com

Landra Johnson Offers Natural Hair Care Line For Children Of Color

By goodblacknews on July 25, 2012

Landra Johnson of Charlotte, N.C., lives an all-natural lifestyle. Not only is she a vegetarian but she also only uses products free of preservatives, artificial ingredients and toxins. When her first child, Davis, was born in 2006, Johnson was determined to keep him away from these as well. But, it wasn’t an easy task. Johnson set out on a quest to find products that would naturally soothe Davis’ skin and care for his hair’s curly kinks and coils.  She scoured the aisles of local hair care stores but all she found were products filled with petroleum, mineral oil and artificial concoctions.
“I wanted products that were genuinely chemical free and effective,” said Johnson, 38, a former broadcast journalist who now has two children. “The market at that time was really dominated by general products with nothing for the ethnic market.”  “When we couldn’t find it, we decided to make it,” said Johnson, adding that she and her sister, Kristi Booker, launched in 2009 a hair and skin care line for children of color called Cara B Naturally. With little prior knowledge of the beauty industry, Johnson spent three years researching and collaborating with chemists who work with natural ingredients. Her line of all natural shampoo, soap, leave-in conditioner and body lotion is now certified by the Natural Products Association, Johnson said, noting CVS and Target offer her products.