From Miscarriage to Prison

Purvi Patel will serve 20 years in an Indiana prison for the apparent crime of having suffered a miscarriage and then seeking medical care. The only two women ever charged under Indiana's feticide law were both AAPI women--in 2011, the same charges were brought against Bei Bei Shuai, a woman suffering from depression who lost her pregnancy after she tried to commit suicide.

14 GRU Physicians Ranked Top 1 Percent

AUGUSTA, GA (PR) – In celebration of National Doctors’ Day – March 30, 2015 – Georgia Regents University and GRHealth salutes all our physicians for their hard work and dedication to patient care. In addition, we want to recognize 14 physicians who are ranked in the top 1 percent of doctors nationwide in their field this year. These specialists have been included in the 14th edition of “America’s Top Doctors,” a national patient reference guide published by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. For more than a decade, Georgia Regents Medical Center, which specializes in tertiary and quaternary health care, has been the only hospital in the Augusta-Aiken area with physicians included in this prestigious list.

Encuesta Sobre Servicio de "Guaguas"

Click to watch the Transit Survey explanation to the Transit Citizens Advisory Board.

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - La municipalidad de Augusta, condado de Richmond, está pidiendo la opinión de la ciudadanía respecto a las necesidades de transporte público de pasajeros dentro y fuera de la ciudad. La encuesta está disponible en castellano y en algunas lenguas asiáticas y pueden ser reclamadas en el palacio comunal.

2015, the Year of Taxes and Costly Elections

AUGUSTA, GA (PR) - UPDATE: Sean Frantom won the runoff election against Louis Harris in a historic election.

People with Disabilities: Victories and Struggles

AUGUSTA, GA (PR) - Goodwill has been named the Disability Nonprofit Brand of the Year as part of the 2015 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study, an annual brand equity study released this week. The study ranked consumer awareness and perception of charitable nonprofit brands based on three factors — familiarity, quality and purchase consideration — that result in a brand equity rating for each brand. The study, in its 27th year, surveyed more than 38,000 Americans who assessed brands across 148 categories.

Caravana Ayotzinapa 43 in Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA (GLAHR) - Parents, family members, classmates and attorneys of the 43 Ayotzinapa students who disappeared at the hands of police last September in Mexico have set out on a United States speaking tour, called Caravana 43, during which they will visit more than 40 cities, including Atlanta.

Unprecedented Actions by Minorities in Augusta

"Kangaroo Court" and Impeachment for the Mayor 

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - UPDATE 3/25/2015: The Asian American woman entrepreneur after the third request finally was allowed the coveted permit to open her business. Six commissioners gave the OK to Mrs. Kartye while Commissioner Sammie Saias called "Kangaroo Court" the vote procedure and some in the audience yelled "impeach the Mayor". A request to comply with federal laws regarding interpreters for non-native speakers residents was taken as "information."

National Farmworker Awareness Week

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) – The Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs’ (AFOP) Health & Safety Programs is sponsoring the Second Annual National Long Sleeve Shirt Drive as part of its recognition of National Farmworker Awareness Week, March 22-28, 2015.

The goal is to collect over 1,000 long sleeve shirts to help farmworkers protect themselves from harmful chemicals and heat stress. (During last year’s event, 6,044 new and gently used shirts were donated.)  This year, 21 states, including Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. are participating in the campaign.

“Thank you. Yes. Amen”

Sarah Saldaña and Mick Mulvaney

LOS ANGELES, CA (PR) — ICE Director Sarah Saldaña issued a press release attempting to clarify her position on ICE’s unconstitutional practice that compelled police to detain immigrants. During a House Oversight hearing, Rep. Mick Mulvaney asked Saldaña if she would support legislation to mandate that “local communities cooperate” with ICE. Saldaña reponded, “Thank you. Yes. Amen.” The bizarre series of statements leaves uncertainty about the agency head’s position on DHS Secretary Johnson’s November 20, 2014 memo ending ICE's controversial and discredited Secure Communities deportation policy.  

Hispanic Caucus Silence on Net Neutrality

Republicans in Congress are already working overtime to overthrow one of the biggest progressive victories in recent memory — the new net neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed last month. The Republican majority, spurred on by their donors in the telecom industry, is using committee hearings to air wild conspiracy theories and levy baseless accusations at the FCC.

Más Opciones Médicas para Hispanos

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - La comunidad hispanoparlante tiene más opciones para el cuidado de la salud personal y familiar. Durante una mesa redonda, patrocinada por la Asociación Cultural Hispanoamericana (ACHA), líderes comunitarios recibieron información sobre el centro clínico a cargo de Medical Associates Plus. Pacientes sin seguro médico o asegurados pueden acudir a la clínica y los precios por servicios son reducidos. 

Religious Freedom: Exceptions Needed

Compromise is Not a Four Letter Word


UPDATE - The bill was defeated on Sine Die.

The Georgia Religious Liberty Restoration Act (“RFRA”) now sits motionless in the General Assembly’s House Judiciary Committee. Neither dead nor alive. Tabled by its proponents after an amendment they considered a poison pill was added to the bill.

Traffic Incarceration May Change in Georgia

ATLANTA, GA (PR) – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and DeKalb County, Georgia, announced a settlement in a federal lawsuit that alleged that practices resulted in the jailing of people unable to pay court-ordered fines in traffic cases. The agreement includes policy changes that could serve as a model in Georgia and across the country.

Prison and Fine for Drone Owners

AUGUSTA, GA - An ordinance to regulate the operation of drones or Unmanned Aircraft Systems passed unanimously in one session of the Augusta Richmond County Commission. There was no input from the public and the second reading was waved also. Violators to the new local law could face a misdemeanor, prison up to sixty days and subject to a fine of not more than $1000.

ACA 5 Years Later: 16.4 Million Uninsured Less

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) - One week out from the five-year anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, Human Health Service is announcing that about 16.4 million uninsured people have gained health coverage since the law’s passage – the largest change in the uninsured in four decades.

Will Commission OK License for Asian American Woman?

Related post: One Augusta getting some heat.

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - CLICK HERE FOR DRAMATIC UPDATE

The Augusta Richmond County Commission once more time failed (5-4) to approve (item 31) on the business license requested by Ok Pun Kartye for a retail package liquor, beer and wine. Last session before this one the Commission voted to approve alcohol license for Fine Pines Lounge, Inc. on probation for violating the controlled substance law, but couldn't manage to have 6 votes to OK the authorization for the Asian American woman entrepreneur.

Ferguson is America, and Cobb is Ferguson!

One month ago I had a life changing experience when eight Cobb County Police cars swarmed over my driveway and lawn at 2 am in the morning to wrestle my 24 yr. old, diminutive , light skinned/black, daughter to the ground, and arrest her for an alleged brake light out, while my family and I watched in horror (and had to be restrained and held back by police from intervening). I have taken a month to calm down, while some friends attempted mediation with the police—however they have justified their “sweating the small stuff” tactics and policy that it is better to stop and arrest 20 non-criminals in order to catch the one real criminal (sic). So I am far from calm!

Confusa Relación EE.UU-Venezuela

VENEZUELA (Agustin Blanco Muñoz) - Dijo Obama en su Decreto de Emergencia que Venezuela es una amenaza, un peligro para la seguridad norteamericana. Pero  el nuestro no es el caso de Ucrania, Sudán del Sur, República centroafricana, Yemen, Libia o Somalia. Entonces ¿sanciones gratuitas y sin fundamento a siete funcionarios  que no pueden ingresar a EEUU ni hacer transacciones? ¿Refieren  un supuesto narcotráfico? ¿Intervención militar para derrocar a Maduro y poner un gobierno de derecha, pelucón, pro-imperio y de transición?

AFL-CIO Freezes PAC Contributions

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) - The AFL-CIO announced that the federation and its affiliated unions are freezing all Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to federal candidates until further notice in order to conserve resources for the historic legislative battle around fast track (trade promotion authority) and the debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). 

Latinas Condemn Provisions in Trafficking Bill

Proposals would ban abortion coverage, dismantle birthright citizenship

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) - As the United States Senate considers the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 (S.178), the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) condemns provisions proposed to and included in the bill that would eliminate birthright citizenship and dramatically expand the scope of the Hyde Amendment, respectively.

$6.40 Pago Extra por Alcantarillado

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - El pago extra por la red de alcantarillado sanitario, estimado en $6.40 mensuales, que deberán abonar los propietarios de inmuebles en el condado de Richmond ya fue aprobado en el presupuesto del 2015. Sin embargo, la comuna de Augusta sigue dilatando el tema y una serie de 10 audiencias públicas serán realizadas por un mes. 

Low Expectation in District 7

UPDATE: Louis Harris and Sean Frantom runoff election on April 14. None of the three candidates obtained the required 50% of the votes to win on Special Election day.

Over 200,000 Abortions in 6 Years

ATLANTA, GA (PR) - Last week, Representative Joyce Chandler (R-Grayson) introduced House Bill 555 in the Georgia House of Representatives.  HB 555 proposes two key changes to existing abortion reporting statutes.  First, it creates a statutory framework for the Juvenile Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to compile and deliver accurate statistics to the Department of Public Health regarding 10-17 year-old girls who seek an abortion and who do not want to notify their parents.  Title 16 of the Georgia Code already requires the communication of this data, but the AOC has admitted it is not currently gathering data on minors seeking abortions and it has not done so for years. 

SB 186 Could Help Ethnic Media

ATLANTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - The Georgia Press Association (GPA) is asking publications around the state to oppose S.B. 186. The bill would make optional to publish legal notices by government entities to the “legal organ” and give the opportunity to ethnic media, such as anibalshow.com, to be considered for posting those paid ads in their sites. The Augusta Chronicle is the legal organ for Richmond County so it is difficult for independent/ethnic media with limited or none revenue to inform such officials documents to the community not subscribed to the only daily and its ideological agenda.

EV Charging Station in Augusta

AUGUSTA, GA (PR) - Georgia Regents University (GRU) leaders unveiled the school’s first electric vehicle charging station, and demonstrate, using an all-electric Nissan Leaf provided by an area Nissan dealership, how the station works.

License to Harm in the Name of Religion?

UPDATE: The bill died at the last day of session April 2. It could come back for the 2016 Georgia General Assembly session, though. 

Loss of Tax Credits Would be Devastating for Latinas

Millions could lose eligibility for credits that make health care affordable

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) - The Supreme Court of the United States hears oral arguments in King v Burwell, the challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions that provide tax credits to help millions of people afford the cost of health insurance. Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), released the following statement:

Immigration, Injustice and Asian American Women

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) — The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) released breaking data in its latest report, “Turning the Page on U.S. Immigration Policy: Immigration and Asian American Women and Families.” This report highlights the experiences and needs of the Asian American community, which is caught up in an outdated and unjust immigration system.

Cannabis Oil Legislation in Georgia

ATLANTA, GA (Harold Jones) - UPDATE 4/2/2015 - My first Day 40 at the capitol was an eye-opening experience. Let me update you on some of the key issues that we worked on during the final week.

La Relevancia de Garcia

Por Aníbal Ibarra - ACTUALIZADO - El candidato a intendente de Chicago, Illinois, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia no pudo convertirse en el primer hispanoparlante alcalde. En segunda vuelta compitiendo por el cargo con el actual intendente, Rahm Emmanuel con 55% de voto, en las elecciones del 7 de abril, perdió con el 45% de votos. Los trasfondos políticos de la campaña electoral tienen relevancia en el condado de Richmond.