The Homeless Are Dying in Record Numbers on the Streets of Los Angeles

Homeless people are dying across Los Angeles County, on bus benches, hillsides, railroad tracks and sidewalks.


A homeless man sleeps on a sidewalk in Los Angeles on March 10. Nearly 53,000 people were homeless in L.A. County last year, according to a point-in-time count.(FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

Story by US News
Written by Anna Gorman and Harriet Blair Rowan

A record number of homeless people — 918 last year alone — are dying across Los Angeles County, on bus benches, hillsides, railroad tracks and sidewalks.

Deaths have jumped 76% in the past five years, outpacing the growth of the homeless population, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of the coroner's data.

Health officials and experts have not pinpointed a single cause for the sharp increase in deaths, but they say rising substance abuse may be a major reason. The surge also reflects growth in the number of people who are chronically homeless and those who don't typically use shelters, which means more people are living longer on the streets with serious physical and behavioral health issues, they say.

"It is a combination of people who are living for a long time in unhealthy situations and who have multiple health problems," said Michael Cousineau, a professor at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. "There are more complications, and one of those complications is a high mortality rate. It's just a tragedy."

Nearly 53,000 people were homeless in L.A. County last year, according to a point-in-time count of homeless residents, an increase of about 39% since 2014. The majority were not living in shelters.

The homeless population has also grown nationwide, but there is no national count of homeless deaths.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner considers someone homeless if that person doesn't have an established residence, or if the body was found in an encampment, shelter or other location that suggests homelessness.

Based on that criteria, the coroner reported 3,612 deaths of homeless people in L.A. County from 2014 to 2018.

A detailed look at the numbers reveals a complex picture of where — and how — homeless people are dying.

One-third died in hospitals and even more died outside, in places such as sidewalks, alleyways, parking lots, riverbeds and on freeway on-ramps.

Male deaths outnumbered female deaths, but the percentage of homeless women who died increased faster than that of men. And although black people make up fewer than one-tenth of the county's population, they accounted for nearly a quarter of the homeless deaths.

"We need to take action now," said Rev. Andy Bales, CEO of the Union Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter on L.A.'s skid row. "Otherwise next year it's going to be more than 1,000."

Substance Abuse

Drugs and alcohol played a direct role in at least a quarter of the deaths of homeless people over the past five years, according to the analysis of the coroner's data. It likely contributed to many more, including some whose deaths were related to liver and heart problems.

The coroner's cause of death determination "doesn't necessarily tell the whole story," said Brian Elias, the county's chief of coroner investigations, who called the increase "alarming."

A person who is homeless may get an infection on top of a chronic disease on top of a substance abuse disorder — and all of those together lead to bad outcomes. "It's a house of cards," said Dr. Coley King, a physician at the Venice Family Clinic.

Raymond Thill was just 46 when he died last year of what his wife, Sherry Thill, called complications related to alcoholism. The couple had been homeless for many years before moving into a small apartment in South Los Angeles shortly before his death.

Thill said her husband often drank vodka throughout the day and had been in and out of the hospital because of liver and other health problems. He tried rehab and she tried taking the alcohol away. Nothing worked, she said.

"His mind was set," she said. "So I took care of him."

In the end, Thill said, cirrhosis left her husband jaundiced, swollen and unable to keep food down.

King treated Raymond Thill and said he is convinced that Thill would have lived longer if he'd been off the streets earlier.

"This shouldn't be happening," especially when many deaths could have been prevented with better access to health care and housing, said David Snow, a sociology professor at the University of California-Irvine. "If you are on the streets, you are not getting the attention you need."

'Ready for Bad Luck to Happen'

Homeless residents in Los Angeles also died from the same ailments as the general population — heart disease, cancer, lung disease, diabetes and infections. But they did so at a much younger age, said Dr. Paul Gregerson, who treats homeless residents as chief medical officer for JWCH Institute clinics in the Los Angeles area.

A stressful lifestyle, lack of healthy food and exposure to the weather contribute to an early death, he said. "If you are homeless, your body ages faster from living outside," Gregerson said.

In Los Angeles County, the average age of death for homeless people was 48 for women and 51 for men. The life expectancy for women in California in 2016 was 83 and 79 for men — among the best longevity statistics in the nation.

The data does not include information about mental illnesses, which Elias of the coroner's office said could be a contributing factor in some of the deaths.

Stephen Rosenstein, 59, was walking across the street in Panorama City, an L.A. neighborhood, when a car struck and killed him one night early last year, said his sister, Cindy Garcia. He had spent years bouncing from the streets to shelters to board-and-care homes, she said.

Rosenstein had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic depression, Garcia said, and often resisted help — behavior she attributed to his mental illness. "Most people would want to have a roof over your head," she said. "He just fought it all the way."

Rosenstein's cause of death was listed as "traumatic injuries." Deaths by trauma or violence were common among the homeless in the period analyzed: At least 800 people died from trauma, and of those, about 200 were shot or stabbed.

"They are ready for bad luck to happen," King said.
________________________________________________________

This story was published by California Healthline and produced by Kaiser Health News (KHN), a nonprofit news service and an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. It has been reprinted with permission.
Over the five-year period in L.A. County, there also was a sharp increase in deaths of younger adults who were homeless. For instance, the deaths of adults under 45 more than doubled.

2019 NFL Draft Picks

NFL Draft Link: https://www.draftsite.com/nfl/draft-history/2019/live-partial-mock/

Urban One Founder and Chairperson Cathy Hughes makes makes history as the first African-American Woman inducted into esteemed National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Hall of Fame

Ms. Hughes making her acceptance speech at the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards.

(LOS ANGELES, CA) - April 9, 2019 - Urban One Founder and Chairperson Cathy Hughes made history as the first African American woman to be inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Radio Hall of Fame on April 8, in Las Vegas. To date, there have only been three women inducted into the NAB's Broadcasting Radio Hall of Fame in its 42-year history.

Reflecting on the honor, Hughes said, "It is an honor to be recognized by the peers in my industry and I thank God for this incredible blessing as well as the National Association of Broadcasters."


Urban One Founder and Chairperson Cathy Hughes made history as the first African American woman to be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Radio Hall of Fame on April 8 at the Encore in Las Vegas. Pictured L to R:
Alfred Liggins, III, Urban One CEO/TV One Chairman and CEO, Ms. Hughes, Marcella Jones and Terry Jones, Director, Urban One Board of Directors. (Photo Credit: Joe Durkin, Content Courtesy of Urban One)

A self-made media pioneer, activist and philanthropist, Hughes grew Urban One, parent company of Radio One, Inc., into the largest African-American owned, diversified media corporation in the nation. Radio One, Inc. will celebrate 40 years in 2020. Urban One is an urban market leader with 59 broadcast stations across the country. Hughes also became the first woman to own a radio station that was ranked number one in a major market. Today, the company is run by her son Alfred Liggins, III.

The NAB Hall of Fame event was hosted by "Entertainment Tonight's" Kevin Frazier, with an induction ceremony where media, entertainment and technology professionals gathered to honor those who have made radio and television a vital part of the American lifestyle - earning them a place in broadcasting history. The event also recognized broadcasters' commitment to innovating and creating new opportunities to deliver their highly valued content to their audiences. Other honorees included the landmark football pre-game show "FOX NFL SUNDAY," which was inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame; and Wendy McMahon, President, ABC Owned Television Stations Group, who received The Digital Leadership Award.

Stephen A. Smith poised to become richest talent in ESPN history

Story by New York Post
Written by Andrew Marchand
Photo by Getty Images

Quite frankly, Stephen A. Smith is going to be richer.

Smith is in line to become the highest-paid on-air person at ESPN by potentially boosting his salary to $10 million per year, according to people with knowledge of the upcoming negotiations.

The Post spoke with multiple executives and agents to figure out the number that Smith could garner, and the consensus was in the $8 million-to-$10 million range. By comparison, Mike Greenberg is paid $6.5 million to host “Get Up!,” which is the network’s highest publicly known salary. PTI’s Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser are believed to be in Greenberg’s neighborhood.

“SportsCenter”’s Scott Van Pelt, with his rising late-night ratings, is also considered in the nearly indispensable category in Bristol.

Since Smith still has two years remaining on his current contract — which is paying him, according to sources, in the $5 million per range — the two sides have not yet begun serious talks. But ESPN considers Smith among its most valuable on-air performers, and many think he is on top of the mountain.

Even as ESPN tightens its budget for some of its personnel, Smith is expected to receive a record payday. The Post reported last week that ESPN will still prioritize whom it considers must-keep personnel.

Smith, 51, is a polarizing figure, as those in the opinion business tend to be. He is on “First Take,” hosts his own national radio show and appears on countless programs.

In his second go-around at ESPN, Smith has re-established himself as the face of the network. While he has been criticized for rudimentary mistakes — such as saying Mike Scioscia is still managing the Angels — Smith has developed into a star.

He has been caricatured on “Saturday Night Live” and turned into the biggest non-athlete celebrity at ESPN, while still providing tonnage, appearing incessantly on every ESPN platform, not to mention his own social media handles.

Smith, a native of Hollis, Queens, is well-liked by ESPN’s top executives because he is always willing to go on the air, while other top talent have been known to complain if they are overused. In the next round of negotiations, Smith may try to be even better compensated for all the extra spots he does.

As far as potentially leaving ESPN, Smith has aspirations outside of sports. Smith could do a syndicated daily talk show, a game show, or — and this would be more risky — venture into politics. He also may want to be a producer of something to go along with his on-air work.

These days, agents always point to digital players with deep pockets as potential alternatives. A place like DAZN, run by Smith’s former ESPN boss, John Skipper, could try to blow ESPN out of the water to see if Smith would leave for a walled-off, subscription-model world, but one that could possibly be insanely lucrative.

However, it is unclear if that would work, as talk shows on over-the-top services — such as Chelsea Handler’s program on Netflix — have not been big draws.

Smith is well-positioned, with a usual suspect in Fox Sports, where his old contrarian, Skip Bayless, resides, and potential newbies, such as DAZN or Amazon or Apple, as possible landing spots or leverage.

There is an interesting inside twist to the Smith-ESPN negotiations, as Smith will have the president of Endeavor, Mark Shapiro, overseeing his negotiation. Shapiro used to run ESPN’s programming and production, so he has a good idea of how much Smith is worth to the company.

With Shapiro his biggest backer, Smith had his initial rise at ESPN. It was Shapiro who gave Smith his own show in 2005 called “Quite Frankly.”

By 2009, with Shapiro gone, Smith and ESPN could not agree on a contract. Smith would return a short time later, beginning as a radio host and writer for ESPN New York. From there, he built his value back up at ESPN.

Now Smith may be the most prominent on-air person at the network. His current contract is up in June 2021. He is well-positioned for a record raise.

Jay Dixon Named PD Of WRNB-WPPZ Philadelphia

Story by Inside Radio

Jay Dixon is named PD of Radio One urban AC WRNB, R&B oldies “Classix 107.9” WPPZ-FM and gospel “Praise HD2” on WPPZ-HD2 Philadelphia. An industry veteran, Dixon has been serving as a consultant for KBLX San Francisco and Emmis New York for the past five years.

“Now that the launch of Classix 107.9 is underway, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with someone with such passion and a track record of success in the R&B/urban AC formats,” GM Ezio Torres said in a release. “We are excited to see the continued growth for 100.3 WRNB, Classix 107.9 and Praise HD2 under his programming leadership.”

“Classix 107.9” displaced “Praise 107.9” in December 2018, placing the gospel channel on HD2 and online at PraisePhilly.com.

U.S.A.'s third largest city Chicago, Illinois has a new African-American Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Her win stirs hope for change in a divided Chicago

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot celebrates Tuesday during her election night party in Chicago. (Kamil Krzaczynski /AFP/Getty Images)

Story by AP
Written by Sara Burnett and Corey Williams

NPR Morning Edition report:
CHICAGO (AP) — Lori Lightfoot's victory in the Chicago mayor's race signaled hope among voters that the nation's third-largest city may someday move beyond long-entrenched divides, racial and otherwise, that have left large parts of the metropolis feeling ignored by people in power.

Lightfoot became the city's first black female and first openly gay mayor when she defeated another black woman, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, in Tuesday's election. She joins Chicago's top prosecutor and police chief as black leaders in a city that continues to struggle with race relations.

But the significance of her win also transcended race or gender. Lightfoot was the outsider, a little-known former federal prosecutor who grew up in Ohio and had never been elected to public office, much less climbed through the ranks of Chicago's Democratic machine. Yet she toppled some of the biggest political names and most powerful leaders in the city with a promise to end political corruption and be a voice for low-income and minority people and neighborhoods.

"Today is April 3, a new day for all of Chicago," Lightfoot said Wednesday at a news conference called by the Rev. Jesse Jackson to promote postelection unity . Preckwinkle stood beside her.

Chicago has long struggled with issues of segregation, housing discrimination mostly targeting blacks and Hispanics and a generationally engrained mistrust of the city's mostly white police department.

The tension between police and residents exploded in protests following the 2014 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by a white police office. Jason Van Dyke was sentenced earlier this year to fewer than seven years in prison for second-degree murder.

Chicago also has seen its population drop, due largely to thousands of black residents leaving neighborhoods on the South and West sides — areas South Side resident and political consultant Delmarie Cobb describes as "gutted." At the same time, downtown and predominantly white neighborhoods on Chicago's North Side have been growing and glistening with new investment.

For black residents, "you can't help but feel that the city and the city leaders have turned their backs on you," Cobb said.

"When you see hundreds of thousands of black people leaving" a city that once had a reputation as being the land of opportunity for black people, "people want to know that somebody is going to speak for them," Cobb added.

Joyce Ross, 64, supported Lightfoot and said one of the reasons she's most excited about her taking office stems from her own unsuccessful efforts to get a city job decades ago. She recalled it as a time when who she knew seemed more important than what she knew.

Then came the election of Harold Washington, the city's first African American mayor, who also was on the outs with the Democratic establishment.

"I got three calls really quick about jobs I could apply for," recalled Ross, who lives on Chicago's West Side. She did apply, and soon she was working for the city.

John Allison, a 64-year-old dog catcher, also compared Lightfoot with Washington, and said he believes she has a better chance of bringing the city together.

"She had more of a unity-type thing that kind of reminded me of Harold Washington, where she would let everybody in," Allison said.

Finley Campbell, a spokesman for the Chicago-based Unitarian Universalist Multiracial Racial Unity Action Council, said part of what makes Lightfoot's win historic is also that she reached out successfully to white voters.

She earned broad support, receiving about three-fourths of the total vote and winning all 50 Chicago wards. Her margins of victory ranged from about 8 percentage points in a largely black South Side ward to as high as 75 percentage points in predominantly white wards on the North and southwest sides.

"It is historic because a black, openly gay sister is out there," Campbell said. "What's also historic for me is she reached out very successfully to the white ethnic community, where you have traditional Polish, German, Irish-type people. There's also a connection to the firefighters and police department, and working-class people."

"Her ability to say 'I will represent you, too,' accounts for it being successful."

Lightfoot said she took Tuesday's results as a mandate for change, and that she plans to "take full advantage of it." But she noted there is much difficult work ahead .

She said her priorities upon taking office will be to get a handle on violence, rebuild the public school system, ensure Chicago is welcoming to immigrants and confront the city's deep financial problems.

"Honeymoons come and go, and I want to make sure we're doing all we can to really breathe life into the historic nature of this election," she said.

We Are “US”. Raynard Jackson on the movie "US"

Story by ThyBlackMan.com
Written by Raynard Jackson

Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry 1 Tweet(ThyBlackMan.com) Two weeks ago, I went to the theater to see Jordan Peele’s latest movie, Us. This was his follow-up movie to the box office hit Get Out.

Peele is an extraordinarily gifted writer. He has written for shows like Mad TV, Key & Peele, The Last O.G., etc.

He won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his horror movie, Get Out; which was also his directorial debut in 2017.

His latest horror flick, Us, is also receiving rave reviews. It starts off kind of slow, but when it does pick up, you are taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride in the vain of Alfred Hitchcock.

Note to millennials, civilization did not start when yall came out of the womb; nor is Friday the 13th a horror movie; it is simply a blood and guts movie with absolutely no substance to it.

If you want to know what horror movies are, then seeing Get Out and Us is a must!



In this column, I will not give you the typical movie critique, but rather give you a unique observation on Peele and his two hit movies, Get Out and Us.

What Peele is doing is so mind-blowing and so historic, I am truly hoping that he sets off a series of copycat movies; and not for the reason you might think.

Not only is Peele the Alfred Hitchcock of our time; but more importantly, he is the Bill Cosby of our time.

His movies send you on a g-force ridden ride and then drops you back down to that sunken place only to repeat itself again and again, and again.

Just like Hollywood told Cosby that America was not ready for a prime-time Black family that was intact and fully functional; Hollywood, to this day, believes you can’t cast a Black in the lead role of a major movie and have broad appeal that will make money.

Of course, the movie Black Panther destroyed that myth, but Hollywood said that was because it had an African backdrop and was targeting a Black audience. Let’s concede these points for purposes of this column, even though I could dissect this erroneous premise.

Us is a “mainstream” movie with not only a Black lead, Lupita Nyong’o, but she is also extremely black in skin tone.

Hollywood and most Asian countries are still under the ignorant notion that a very dark-skinned person is not as marketable as a fair skin Black like Halle Berry, Regina Hall, or Gabrielle Union.

Nyong’o is joined in the film by 13-year-old Shahadi Wright Joseph, a very cute dark-skinned actress. They both are major characters throughout the film.

In Get Out, the lead actor was Daniel Kaluuya and the main supporting actor was Lil Rel Howery, both very dark-skinned actors.

Kaluuya is of Ugandan heritage and Nyong’o is of Kenyan heritage. So, Peele is not only destroying the myth that Blacks can’t carry a movie, but he is also proving that Africans can also carry a major Hollywood production and still have global appeal while making money.

I am not sure people truly understand how Peele is making global tectonic shifts in how Blacks who have dark skin are viewed. This will have a generational impact on Hollywood.

The other issue no one seems to notice about Us is the Wilson family, which the movie is centered on, is a totally functional Black family. There is absolutely no dysfunctionality in this family. They work professional jobs, don’t use or sell drugs, the daughter is not having sex or is not pregnant, the son is put in check by the father every time he gets out of line.

They are the Cosby family in a horror movie without sacrificing the Cosby family values for marketability purposes. This is a major accomplishment for Peele

When was the last time you saw a major Hollywood movie that had no sex, very little cursing, no using of the n-word, and absolutely NO promotion of homosexuality?

There was no Trump bashing or Republican trashing. There were no overtly political messages or the promotion of Hollywood liberalism.

Us, truly allowed you to escape, for two hours, the reality of all of your daily cares and to actually be entertained in a way that was truly “escapism.”

If Peele stays true to this type of movie making, I think he single-handedly can change the way Blacks, especially those of a darker hue, are viewed by Hollywood; and ultimately the world.

Yes, Black actors can carry a movie globally and profitably; yes, Blacks can be portrayed in substantive, positive roles; and yes, Blacks do have many functional family units, with mom, dad, and children.

Peele is showing the world that there is a full range of possibilities lying dormant within the Black community. He has chosen to use his platform in the most positive of light; tearing down the tired ole stereotypes that never did properly show who Black folks really were.

This side of the Black community is not an aberration; it is more common than the media or Hollywood will ever show. Peele is simply one of the few Blacks in Hollywood who has chosen to exercise his power for good by showing that “we are Us.”
____________________________________________________________________

Staff Writer: Raynard Jackson

This talented brother is a Pulitzer Award nominated columnist and founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow Raynard on Twitter; Raynard1223.

U.S. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) Introduce Sweeping Anti-Poverty Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 3, 2019

CONTACT: Ryan Daniels Ryan.Daniels@mail.house.gov
Kristin Lynch Kristin_Lynch@booker.senate.gov

Clyburn and Booker Introduce Sweeping Anti-Poverty Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today introduced a sweeping anti-poverty bill to better target federal grant dollars to high-poverty urban, rural, and tribal communities. The bill, titled An Act Targeting Resources into Communities in Need, expands the successful 10-20-30 anti-poverty formula, including a significantly larger group of struggling communities and broader universe of federal accounts by targeting funding into high-poverty census tracts.

“While genius is spread equally across zip codes, opportunity is not,” said Senator Booker. “This bill more strategically targets federal resources to where they are needed most, ensuring that families and communities long left behind are given a fair shot. In doing so, we can move to a smarter, more responsive government.”

“For far too long, persistent poverty communities have suffered from neglect and indifference, leading to a lack of access to quality schools, affordable quality health care, and adequate job opportunities,” said Majority Whip Clyburn. “This legislation seeks to right this wrong by targeting much needed federal investments to areas that need them the most.”

“The quality of life in our urban counterparts is directly linked to the health and vitality of rural America….the majority of our food, fiber and fuel are produced in these areas….this legislation continues to strengthen that link,” said Sam Wade, CEO of the National Rural Water Association. “We would also like to commend our partners at Rural Development, and we believe they are uniquely qualified and experienced to assist these communities, many of which, unfortunately, lack the human capacity and financial resources to move ahead without some assistance. We at NRWA stand ready and able to work with Congress and our partners at Rural Development to further the health and prosperity in these rural communities.”

“In the United States, poverty is not equally distributed. It clusters in specific regions, states, towns, and even neighborhoods,” said Minor Sinclair, Director of Oxfam America’s U.S. Domestic Program. “At Oxfam, we’ve seen states in the Gulf Coast working to pull people out of poverty, but struggling against formidable barriers, including a legacy of racism with roots in slavery, exacerbated incarceration rates, and elevated exposure to climate hazards such as hurricanes. The Clyburn-Booker bill is a critical step to ending the injustice of poverty. This bill would target resources in the communities that need it most, helping to mitigate the historical, social, and environmental factors that inhibit communities’ abilities to thrive.”

“The Housing Assistance Council has almost 50 years of experience working in persistently poor rural communities across the country,” said David Lipsetz, CEO of the Housing Assistance Council. “We know how challenging it is to direct federal funds to these high-need places. Without increased federal investment in capacity on the ground, high-poverty communities will continue to fall behind. We applaud Congressman Clyburn and Senator Booker for addressing this challenge with An Act Targeting Resources to Communities in Need, which will direct important federal funding and programs – like those of USDA’s Rural Development and the CDFI Fund – to the nation’s most persistently poor communities.”

“In 2017, over 12.8 million children in America lived below the official poverty level -- $25,094 for a family of four, and nearly half lived in extreme poverty at below half the poverty level,” said MaryLee Allen, Director of Policy at the Children’s Defense Fund. “More than one in ten children spend at least half their childhoods in poverty and the longer a child is poor, the greater their risk of becoming a poor adult. An Act Targeting Resources to Communities in Need is an important step toward badly-needed investment in the persistently poor areas so many of our most vulnerable children and families call home.”

“Confronting and eradicating areas of persistent poverty will address educational imbalances, health disparities and economic inequities,” said Lou Tisler, Executive Director of National NeighborWorks Association. “National NeighborWorks Association supports instituting the 10-20-30 plan more broadly, as proposed by the Clyburn-Booker Act, which will prioritize and provide necessary resources, while creating impactful leverage and enduring strength in neighborhoods and communities across the country, as NeighborWorks organizations do every day.”

“Child poverty is not inevitable – we know firsthand from our work in rural communities across the country that investing in families and community supports can help break the pervasive cycle of poverty and ensure equal opportunity for all,” said Mark Shriver, senior vice president for Save the Children’s U.S. Programs and Advocacy. “Recently, the National Academy of Sciences released a landmark study confirming child poverty in the United States is a solvable problem if there is the political will to address it. I want to thank Congressman Clyburn and Senator Booker for focusing on one of the most pressing issues facing our country today.”

“Poverty is deeply related to place,” said Professor Trevon Logan, Economics professor at the Ohio State University. “That means we need solutions that target areas where poverty is entrenched and persistent. This bill expands on a proven policy of targeting federal expenditures to make sure that we do not overlook areas beset by persistent poverty. Bills such as this can move Americans out of poverty and move all of us towards economic prosperity.”

The 10-20-30 formula requires that a minimum of ten percent of federal funds of a particular federal program go to communities with “persistent” poverty, defined as a county where the poverty level has been 20 percent or higher over the past thirty years. This formula was successfully applied to three accounts in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, 15 accounts in the omnibus appropriations law of 2017, and 14 accounts in the omnibus appropriations law for 2018. This new bill expands this formula so that it applies to a larger universe of federal programs, ensuring that more high poverty communities are reached.

In order to ensure federal investment reaches all high-need communities, including pockets of deep poverty and those communities experiencing more recent economic downturns, preventing them from being defined as persistent, the bill would also require certain federal agencies and programs target resources to census tracts with poverty rates currently exceeding 20 percent.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Read a summary of the legislation: https://www.majoritywhip.gov/index.cfm?a=files.serve&File_id=2ACD0482-AC19-40BD-9EB2-1B2DDF5CF21B

Read the text of the legislation: https://www.majoritywhip.gov/index.cfm?a=files.serve&File_id=786065E8-9F28-40DF-8C1F-278B82157F68

Founder and Chairperson of Urban One Cathy Hughes to be Inducted Into NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame

Cathy Hughes to be Inducted Into NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame

Story by NAB

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Founder and Chairperson of Urban One, Inc. Cathy Hughes will be inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Hall of Fame at the 2019 NAB Show. The induction will occur during the Achievement in Broadcasting Dinner on Monday, April 8 at the Encore in Las Vegas.

Hughes grew Urban One, formerly known as Radio One, into the largest African-American owned, diversified media corporation in the nation. The company is an urban market leader with 59 broadcast stations across the country. As such, Hughes became the first woman to own a radio station that was ranked number one in a major market. Today, the company is run by Alfred Liggins III, Hughes’ son.

Urban One, Inc. also owns TV One, a television network serving more than 60 million households, and maintains controlling interest in Reach Media, Inc. (blackamericaweb.com), which provides several syndicated programs, including the “Tom Joyner Morning Show.” The company also provides social content, news, information and entertainment through its digital platform, iOne Digital, with popular websites including “Cassius” and “Bossip.” Urban One maximizes its reach to more than 80 percent of the African-American market by offering cross-platform marketing opportunities with its marketing firm, One Solution.

Hughes began her radio career at KOWH-AM in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. In 1971, she became a lecturer at the newly established School of Communications at Howard University in Washington, D.C. During her tenure, Hughes served as general sales manager at WHUR-FM, Howard University Radio, increasing the station’s revenue from $250,000 to $3 million in her first year. She also became the first woman vice president and general manager of a station in the nation’s capital and created the format known as the “Quiet Storm,” which revolutionized urban radio and was aired on over 480 stations nationwide. In 1980, Hughes purchased her flagship station WOL-AM, in Washington D.C. and pioneered yet another innovative format known as “24-Hour Talk From a Black Perspective.”

“Cathy Hughes is a truly remarkable broadcaster and entrepreneur whose contributions continue to greatly influence and drive our industry,” said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. “We look forward to honoring Cathy with this well-deserved award at this year’s NAB Show.”

In addition to her professional career, Hughes continues her family’s work and legacy at The Piney Woods School in Mississippi, which was established by her grandfather in 1909. The school is the largest of only four African-American boarding schools in the country. She also advocates on behalf of the homeless and minority communities, in addition to mentoring countless women.

Additionally, Hughes was awarded the NAB Distinguished Service Award in 2001.
________________________________________________________________________________


About NAB Show
NAB Show, held April 6 - 11, 2019, in Las Vegas, NV, USA, is the world's largest and most comprehensive convention encompassing the convergence of media, entertainment and technology. With nearly 100,000 attendees from 165 countries and 1,700+ exhibitors, NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and fuel the digital storytelling economy. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, NAB Show is where global visionaries convene to bring content to life in new and exciting ways. For complete details, visit www.nabshow.com.

About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.