Serenade to End Family Detention Centers

Left to Right: Leng Leng Chancey (NAPAWF Communications and Development Director),  Sameera Hafiz (We Belong Together Campaign Policy Director), Meghna Damani (Immigrant rights activist and maker of “HeartSuspended”), Miriam Yeung (NAPAWF Executive Director and Co-Chair of We Belong Together Campaign), and Representative Judy Chu (D-CA).

By Miriam Yeung (We Belong Together)  - There is a crisis of conscience in our country regarding our immigration system right now and I’m dropping a note to let you know how proud I am of the fierce Asian American and Pacific Islander women who are standing up to injustice.

"DC is Proud To Be a Sanctuary City"

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) - City officials and immigrant rights groups joined in a unity press conference at the front steps of City Hall to denounce efforts in the US Congress to scapegoat immigrants and undermine local Trust or sanctuary cities like Washington, DC.

Church Security Conference

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - The shooting deaths of nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina has raised questions about safety in places of worship around the globe. Although there is no way to entirely protect a church from violence, leaders can increase safety precautions in order to be proactive rather than reactive. A conference on the matter will take place at Hammond Grove Word Power Ministry, August 3 at 7 p.m. in North Augusta.

Law Enforcement Funding at Risk

Under various legislative proposals, funding for critical law enforcement grants to cities and counties that have community trust policies are in danger. These policies include a wide range of practices and laws that specify how state and local law enforcement officials should interact with federal immigration officials. Georgia could lose around $770.000.

Elected Latino Prosecutors Only 1.7%

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (PR) - An analysis by the Women Donors Network’s Reflective Democracy Campaign entitled Justice for All? shows that 95% of elected prosecutors in the U.S. are white and 79% are white men, revealing a stark imbalance between those with enormous power in the criminal justice system and the people they are elected to represent.

Augusta Honored by Georgia Corrections

AUGUSTA, GA (PR) - Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA recently was honored as the only non-law enforcement agency named by the Georgia Department of Corrections as a Partner Agency of the Year. The Richmond County Correctional Institution as County Facility of the Year.

Asians and Hispanics Could Achieve #Health4All

California can succeed in providing health care for all of its undocumented immigrants if the Asian and Pacific Islander communities band together with the Hispanic community and push for it, said Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, and Assemblymember Rob Bonta, D-Oakland. Both men are spearheading the effort in their respective chambers through Health for All bills authored by Lara. The bills are currently making their way through the legislative process.

Preventing Car Hacking

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (PR) - FCA US LLC is conducting a voluntary safety recall to update software in approximately 1,400,000 U.S. vehicles equipped with certain radios. The recall aligns with an ongoing software distribution that insulates connected vehicles from remote manipulation, which, if unauthorized, constitutes criminal action.

Billionaire Setting National Agenda

Yesterday the House of Representatives voted to pass HR 3009, despite a very clear statement from President Obama that he would veto it. "While the vote did not surprise anyone, it reminded many of the need for more, rather than less, protective policies at the municipal and state level to shield communities from the dangerous combination of a broken congress, a rogue law enforcement (ICE), and a bigot billionaire who somehow has managed to set the national agenda."

Sunburn Tattoo Not Good to Beat the Heat

AUGUSTA, GA (PR) – There were 123 heat-related deaths across the nation in 2014, according to the National Weather Service. “People suffer heat-related illnesses when their bodies are unable to compensate and properly cool themselves,” said Dr. Richard Schwartz, chair of emergency medicine at Georgia Regents University. “No matter if you’re in the garden, on the playing field, at the beach or at the construction site, summer activity should be balanced with measures that aid the body’s cooling mechanisms and prevent heat-related illness.”

Hispanic Life Expectancy and Social Security

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) - The Social Security Board of Trustees released its annual report on the long-term financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds.  The combined asset reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds are projected to become depleted in 2034, one year later than projected last year, with 79 percent of benefits payable at that time.  The DI Trust Fund will become depleted in 2016, unchanged from last year’s estimate, with 81 percent of benefits still payable.

When Older Adults Give Up the Keys

ATLANTA, GA (PR) - Older adults who have stopped driving are almost two times more likely to suffer from depression and nearly five times as likely to enter a long-term care facility than those who remain behind the wheel, according to a new report released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and Columbia University.  

Augustans Responded First Telephone Town Hall

AUGUSTA, GA (PR) – Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr. hosted his first Telephone Town Hall Meeting last evening with nearly 2,000 Augustans.  Mayor Davis gave a brief update about the work he is doing as Mayor of the City and informed residents about what to expect in the days ahead. 

Stormwater Fee or SPLOST 7?

Stormwater Fee Prevails

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - UPDATE: The stormwater fee ordinance was approved by 6 votes, with some modifications, after several time failing to pass. On the other hand, the Commission is running out of time to send to the Board of Elections the SPLOST 7 request to be on the ballots November 3, which deadline is middle September.

Tras 54 Años Flamea Bandera de Cuba en EE.UU

WASHINGTON, DC (Sergio Alejandro Gómez) - Por primera vez en más de medio siglo se escucharon hoy en esta capital las notas del Himno de Bayamo y se izó la bandera de la estrella solitaria para dejar oficialmente reinaugurada la embajada de Cuba en los Estados Unidos.

10 Aniversario de Feria de Salud

Click to Play - Pulse para ver el Vídeo

TRENTON, SC (Anibal Ibarra) - Costa Layman, el invernadero donde se realiza la feria de salud para sus empleados, celebró el décimo año de la actividad. Numerosos de sus aproximadamente cuatrocientos operarios participaron nuevamente de la misma y también de un estudio que Georgia Regents University está llevando a cabo. No solo se intenta mejorar la salud de los trabajadores sino que además se busca hallar soluciones a largo plazo de ciertas deficiencias sanitarias, apuntaron sus organizadores.

Casa Blanca y EPA Honran a Estudiantes Ambientalistas

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) — El Consejo de la Casa Blanca para la Calidad Ambiental, en conjunto con la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés), reconocieron a los ganadores del Premio Presidencial Ambiental Juvenil (PEYA, por sus siglas en inglés) y al Premio Presidencial de Innovación para Educadores Ambientales (PIAEE, por sus siglas en inglés) que se otorgan anualmente. Fueron honrados 44 estudiantes y 27 maestros de todo el país en una ceremonia por sus contribuciones sobresalientes en educación ambiental y protección ambiental.

The “Video Case” Against Planned Parenthood

New York, NY (PR) – “The Ms. Foundation for Women stands in support of Planned Parenthood and the women, men and teens they serve. We are disappointed in lawmakers who are rushing to call hearings based on a video created by anti-abortion extremists. We urge lawmakers to join us in supporting women’s health by standing with Planned Parenthood.”

Iran Deal: Tell Your Opinion to Senator Perdue

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) - “If this requires walking away from such a deal and strengthening sanctions, I will encourage President Obama to consider this course of action. To be clear, rejecting this agreement is not condoning war, it is standing firm for peace and against Iranian aggression." U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement regarding the announcement of a nuclear agreement with Iran:

Broadband Access in Public Housing

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) – Building on the Obama Administration’s goal to expand high speed broadband to all Americans, today, President Obama and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro announced, ConnectHome, an initiative to extend affordable broadband access to families living in HUD-assisted housing. Through ConnectHome, Internet Service Providers, non-profits and the private sector will offer broadband access, technical training, digital literacy programs, and devices for residents in assisted housing units in 28 communities across the nation. 

Community Meetings for Transportation

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - The Augusta Planning and Development Department (APDD) invites the public to participate in a second round of community meetings throughout the region during the months of July and August 2015. More than 1,100 persons provided input during the first round of community meetings and outreach from February through May 2015.

750 Mil Mexicanos Favorecidos por DACA

ATLANTA, GA (PR) - El consulado general de México en la capital de Georgia cuenta entre sus funcionarios jóvenes quienes son beneficiarios de la acción ejecutiva de la administración Obama, DACA. En la serie titulada “La historia de un mexicano”, la sede diplomática narra las experiencias de quienes accedieron al permiso de trabajo temporal que les permite trabajar. La medida administrativa favorece a 750 mil jóvenes mexicanos residentes en Estados Unidos, mientras se espera una eventual legalización permanente de las personas indocumentadas en el país.

Back-to-School Vaccinations

ATLANTA, GA (PR) – As students return to school in August, it’s important that all children are up-to-date on all of their vaccinations for vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, mumps and pertussis. What better time for parents to ensure that their children’s – and their own – immunizations are up to date, before children and germs gather in the classroom.

Georgia is 2015’s 10th Most Energy Expensive State

With July tending to be the month with the highest energy consumption and summer being the season that most Americans relocate to start a new family or career, the personal finance website WalletHub followed up on its analysis of the Best & Worst Cities for Families with an in-depth look at 2015's Most & Least Energy-Expensive States.

One Year of Cherry Tree Crossing Demolition

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - First their homes were demolished and today they were evicted from the list of registered voters. The Richmond County Board of Elections (RCBOE) voted to take 496 names from the official list of electors. None of them took part of the last attempt made by the board to avoid the action during a public hearing. They must register to vote again with their new addresses. CLICK HERE TO CHECK YOUR VOTING STATUS

Maintaining the Legacy

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - Once considered a park that celebrates the legacy and aspirations of the oldest Black church in the United States, honoring the historic Springfield Baptist Church, the landscaped setting for two important sculptures by Richard Hunt is near an eyesore. The highlight of the park, the "Tower of Aspiration," a 45-foot stainless steel sculpture, due to the lack of maintenance in the 2.5-acre park looks more like a place of desperation.

Confederate Flag Down, MLK Statue Up?

Andy Davis

UPDATE: Weeks after being tapped to sculpt a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at Georgia State Capitol, Andy Davis was pronounced dead July 12 around 10 p.m. Governor Nathan Deal signed an order in 2013 to remove a statue of Tom Watson, a segregationist U.S. Senator known for his racist attacks on blacks. Several Democratic leaders pushed him to replace it with a statue of King. The Confederate Flag was removed from South Carolina State Capitol grounds Friday morning. Davis was struck from behind by a pickup truck while stopping at a red light on his motorcycle later that night in Atlanta.

The Machinery of Detention and Deportation

Immigrants are (still) less likely to commit serious crimes or be behind bars than the native-born

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) -  The new report released is a sequel to a 2007 report and confirms that anecdotes are simply no substitute for hard data. For years, the quantitative data has established two key facts with respect to the relationship between immigrants and crime: immigration is associated with lower crime rates and immigrants are less likely than the native-born to be serious criminals.

Desegregating Housing

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a final rule to equip communities that receive HUD funding with data and tools to help them meet long-standing fair housing obligations in their use of HUD funds. HUD will also provide additional guidance and technical assistance to facilitate local decision-making on fair housing priorities and goals for affordable housing and community development.

Would Cooks Keep in Order Housing?

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - UPDATE 7/21/2015: Hawthorne Welcher, Jr, was selected as Director of the Augusta Richmond County Housing and Community Development with a salary of $100.000. 

We Are Not Erasing Southern Past

“We continue to heal, as one people and one state”

UPDATE: COLUMBIA, SC (PR) – 7/9/2015 - Governor Nikki Haley today issued the following statement: “Today, as the Senate did before them, the House of Representatives has served the State of South Carolina and her people with great dignity. I'm grateful for their service‎ and their compassion. It is a new day in South Carolina, a day we can all be proud of, a day that truly brings us all together as we continue to heal, as one people and one state.”

Vaccine Overdose to Detained Children

Family Detention Must End

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) - This weekend, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Immigration Council (Council) learned that, recently, medical personnel at the detention center in Dilley, Texas that holds nearly 2,000 children and their mothers mistakenly gave adult-strength Hepatitis A vaccinations to approximately 250 children. 

Repudian Expresiones de Donald Trump

AUGUSTA, GA (Anibal Ibarra) - Que los mexicanos son drogadictos, violadores y que quizá algunos sean buena gente, comentarios formulados por Donald Trump, precandidato republicano a Presidente de los Estados Unidos, fue repudiado por la Asociación Cultural Hispanoamericana (ACHA). La organizadora del certámen de belleza Señorita Latina, sostiene que las expresiones racistas del co-dueño de Miss USA solo buscan adeptos a través de la difamación y la discriminación.

Salvataje a la Deuda de Puerto Rico

Una petición a la administración de Barack Obama para que ayude a paliar la deuda financiera que afecta a Puerto Rico lleva 6 de 100 mil firmas. El reclamo que empezó ayer obedece al fracaso del gobierno local en impulsar medidas económicas que logren el desarrollo de la isla, propiedad estadounidense, según la petición. Puerto Rico ayudó a Estados Unidos en guerras, argumenta la solicitud.

New Americans to Strengthen Democracy

SEATTLE (PR) — Today, on its fourth anniversary, the New Americans Campaign launches a new site in Seattle. It joins the growing list of campaign sites across the country that promote naturalization for the 8.8 million lawful permanent residents in the U.S. who are eligible. 

Seattle is the 17th site to join the New Americans Campaign, an innovative partnership with legal-service providers, faith-based organizations, businesses, foundations and community leaders that helps aspiring Americans overcome barriers and achieve citizenship. OneAmerica and Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) will lead the Seattle site.

Building Local Food Systems

WASHINGTON, DC (PR) — The Obama Administration invited communities to participate in Local Foods, Local Places, a federal initiative providing direct technical support to build strong local food systems as part of a community's emerging economic action plans. Under this effort, a team of agricultural, transportation, public health, environmental, and regional economic experts will work directly with local communities to spur local economic growth and improve the quality of life for all residents.