Largest State Has Low Participation

California is the largest state in the union,
so how come it has the lowest participation
with the food stamp program. After Reading the
story below, I'm sure that you will have something
to say about it.



Despite persistent economic woes, California leaves billions of federal food stamp dollars on the table each year that could help ease hunger and boost the local economy, officials say.

Only 48% of eligible Californians are enrolled in the nutrition program, according to federal figures from 2007, the most recent year available. That is well below the national average of 66%. Only Wyoming has a slightly lower rate.

California officials dispute the way the figures are calculated and say they do not reflect recent steps to improve the state's record, including greater outreach and simplified procedures.

As of December, more than 3 million people, about 1 in 11 California residents, were receiving food stamps, according to state figures. That is nearly 46% more than in December 2007. Because the number of people eligible for the program has soared during the recession, it is unclear whether the participation rate has gone up.

Federal officials say the state has taken steps in the right direction but needs to do more to improve access to the program.

"We're concerned that there are people, particularly in this economy, who need help putting healthy food on the table and aren't getting that assistance," said Jean Daniel, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service.

Potential recipients aren't the only ones losing out. Last year, California residents received $4.8 billion in food stamps.

Federal officials estimate that every $5 in benefits generates as much as $9.20 in economic activity by freeing income that would otherwise be spent on food and creating business for local companies. Many of these purchases are subject to sales tax, boosting state revenue.

A number of factors contribute to California's lagging participation.





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"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/

Entire Senior Class Accepted To College

An entire senior class at a Chicago
prep school has been accepted to go
to college. What makes this unique
is the fact that the students are
all black This is the first time
this has ever happened. Check out
the story below and feel free to
comment.




The entire senior class at Chicago's only public all-male, all-African-American high school has been accepted to four-year colleges. At last count, the 107 seniors had earned spots at 72 schools across the nation.

Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman surprised students at an all-school assembly at Urban Prep Academy for Young Men in Englewood this morning to congratulate them. It's the first graduating class at Urban Prep since it opened its doors in 2006.

Huberman applauded the seniors for making CPS shine.

"All of you in the senior class have shown that what matters is perseverance, what matters is focus, what matters is having a dream and following that dream," Huberman said.

The school enforces a strict uniform of black blazers, khaki pants and red ties -- with one exception. After a student receives the news he was accepted into college, he swaps his red tie for a red and gold one at an assembly.

The last 13 students received their college ties today, to thunderous applause.

Ask Rayvaughn Hines what college he was accepted to and he'll answer with a question.

"Do you want me to name them all?"

For the 18-year-old from Back of the Yards, college was merely a concept--never a goal--growing up. Even within the last three years, he questioned if school, let alone college, was for him. Now, the senior is headed to the prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. next fall.




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Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/

A Moment Of Self Control

A moment of self control could have
saved David Jassy the better part of
his young life. Now he must spend time
with the low-lifes and scum of California
in prison. This story could have happened
to any of us. Think about the times you
have become outraged at someone on the street.
Your comments are welcomed.




A judge sentenced a Swedish hip-hop artist to 15 years to life in prison Thursday for the road rage murder of a pedestrian in a Hollywood crosswalk.

Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson rejected a motion by defense attorneys to reduce David Jassy’s second-degree murder conviction to manslaughter, citing the brutality of the 2008 killing and the defendant’s “phony” trial testimony in which he claimed he acted in self-defense.

“I’ve independently reviewed the evidence, and I agree completely with the jury verdict,” Johnson said.

Under the terms of the mandatory sentence, Jassy, 35, who has been jailed since the incident, will be eligible for parole in 2024, when he is 49. He was convicted last month of the fatal assault on John Osnes, a 55-year-old jazz pianist, during a late-night confrontation at the intersection of Selma Boulevard and Schrader Avenue.

Witnesses said Osnes, who was on foot, struck the hood of Jassy’s rented sport utility vehicle with his hands after the vehicle edged into the crosswalk. Jassy responded, the witnesses said, by leaping from his vehicle, punching Osnes in the face and then kicking him in the head as he bent over.

Johnson told Jassy he did not believe his claim that Osnes, a tall, thin man, posed a danger to the rapper, his girlfriend and his automobile, which the judge described as “a three-quarter ton gross weight sport utility vehicle.”





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Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/

Are His Underwear Next?

Where will it all end? Now there is
disagreement on who owns the suit of
clothes that O.J. Simpson was wearing
the day of his acquittal. So what's
next, who get his draws?




A settlement conference was scheduled Monday over whether the father of the man O.J. Simpson was accused of murdering should get the suit the former football star was wearing the day of his acquittal.

Fred Goldman, the father of Ron Goldman, filed the lawsuit against Simpson and his former agent, Mike Gilbert, who allegedly has possession of the suit. Ron Goldman was killed in 1994 with Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole.

“This is a mandatory settlement to attempt to resolve who owns the suit and who has the right to the suit,” said Ronald Slates, Simpson's lawyer. "Gilbert said Simpson gave him the suit. If you believe that, you also believe in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy.”





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Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/