San Franciscans band together for human needs
SAN FRANCISCO — A broad coalition of organizations gathered on the steps of City Hall last week to launch a campaign to increase by $25 million the share of funds in the next city budget for programs serving human needs. They presented their vision of a city whose residents are nurtured and supported, not driven out by soaring costs, dwindling services and growing violence.
Ken Lay YMCA changes its name
KATY, Texas — Convicted corporate criminal Ken Lay, former CEO of Enron and close friend of President Bush, requested that his name be removed from a YMCA facility in a posh suburb of west Houston. The executive board of the YMCA of Greater Houston granted his request and renamed the facility the Katy Family YMCA.
NAACP steps up for Katrina survivors
HOUSTON — When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Louisiana coast last Aug. 29, the NAACP here stepped up to the plate and is still providing services nine months later.
In California, the race is on
Wasting no time after the June 6 primaries, the labor movement and the California Democratic Party are already gearing up to unseat Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in November.
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Campus climate challenge Students refuse to censor newspaper ‘Friendship 2006’ camp to open N.Y. City Council stops plan to ban cell phones
Community moves against roots of violence: Residents demand teen centers, jobs, and schools
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — This small seaside town of about 100,000 inhabitants was recently rocked by the murder of Bernadette “Bunny” De Pina, mother of one of the main suspects in an alleged gang slaying. The tragic events have drawn national attention and have been the main headlines in the local press.
Chilean students strike for quality education
Some 600,000 private and public high school students took to the streets and went on strike throughout Chile on May 29, demanding improvements in their education. At least 500,000 youth marched all over the country the next day.
World Cup: Brazil is team to beat
BERLIN (AP) — Brazil is so loaded with talent that it could probably field the best two teams in the World Cup. Lucky for host Germany, the upstart U.S. and a handful of other upset hopefuls, the rules for soccer’s big party — the world’s most popular sporting event — only allow one team per country.
EDITORIAL: Bushs marriage protection ploy
Once upon a time, President Bush threw his weight behind a discriminatory “Marriage Protection Amendment” months before an important election. The amendment was debated in the Senate and failed, not even garnering 50 votes of support. The year? Well, take your pick. It’s happened twice now, in 2004 and just this week.
EDITORIAL: The silent war
When 10-year-old Sireta White went to her cousin’s birthday party she didn’t expect to die. But she was killed in a drive-by spray of bullets. The fifth grader was the second child victimized by gun violence in her predominantly African American Chicago neighborhood that week in March. It gripped the neighborhood and city. Public officials made speeches, but answers were few.
