Local

ABOVE PHOTO:  Kevin Johnson By Kiarra Solomon @By_Kiarrra On January 5, Rev. Kevin Johnson became the new President and CEO of  Philadelphia OIC (Opportunities Industrialization Center). OIC was was founded 50 years ago by Leon Sullivan and is one of the region’s oldest job training programs, . Recognizing that blacks needed skills to fill the…

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By Kendall Alexander The sunlight through a yonder church window breaks as young black children descend the stairway preparing for what was set to be another Sunday morning in church—that never came to fruition.   This is one of the many get-wrenching sequences that are sprinkled throughout the hauntingly captivating film “Selma.” This film went…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Russell Hicks (center) of Ebony Suns Enterprises is named 1st-place winner in the Cricket Community Stars: Salute to Solopreneurs contest. Hicks is joined by Cricket store staff and supporter Jon McKay during a Small Business Saturday celebration. Receives more than $5,000 in cash and mobility prizes, incl. a Samsung Galaxy S5 ATLANTA –Cricket…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Steve Van Stevenson Funeral services for Steve Van Stevenson will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2015 at the Salvation Army KROC Center, 4200 Wissahickon Ave., Philadelphia. Interment will follow and will be private.  Mr. Stevenson died on Thursday, January 1, 2015. Steve Van Stevenson, the youngest son of Grace Diggs Stevenson and…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Elijah Ahmad Lewis as Stevie Wonder on stage in ‘Motown the Musical’.  (Photo: Hennepin Theater Trust) By Kendall Alexander Motown the Musical is finally making a stop in Philadelphia, and I can’t contain my excitement!  Although I was not even a glimmer in my mother’s eye when Motown was created by innovator Berry Gordy,…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Mo’ne participated at this year’s Liberty Medal ceremony. (Photo: Bill Z. Foster) By Rob Maaddi Associated Press No one in the sports world had heard of the 2014 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year until August. That’s when 13-year-old Mo’ne Davis became an instant celebrity as she took the mound in the Little…

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 According to a report released by the Department of Health and Human Services, 180,046 people in Pennsylvania selected plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace leading up to the December 15 deadline for coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2015.  About 79 percent of Pennsylvanians who selected health insurance plans in the first month of open enrollment were…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  The Philadelphia Housing Authority broke ground for the new Queen Lane Apartments in historic Germantown.  The new $22 million development will be constructed on the site of the 1950s high-rise that was imploded in September. Show here (l-r) are Councilwoman Cindy Bass, Mayor Michael A. Nutter, PHA President & CEO Kelvin A. Jeremiah,…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Maury Singleton, President of the NFBVN and Sgt. Major Wesley at the Comfort House for Veterans.  By Kendall Alexander There are countless programs designed to improve the welfare of veterans in the country, but it is still tough to find one here in Philadelphia.  There is one non-profit that is seeking to change…

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ABOVE PHOTO: Century 21 picture store launch (Photo by Kharisma McIlwaine) By Kharisma McIlwaine In recent years, Philadelphia has become much more visible on the fashion scene. We can credit events like Philadelphia Fashion Week, The Philadelphia Collection,17 Days of Fashion, and now Small Boutique Fashion Week as major contributors responsible for helping put and…

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