By Dianne Anderson Isolated solo seniors will have a little something to smile about this Christmas, thanks to the cheerful givers of the Orange County chapters of the National Action Network, the Delta Sigma Theta, and NCNW. Darlene Futrel, the president of the local NAN, said she started the event three years ago to help ...

By Dianne Anderson Growing up in Orange County, Msessie Hollis is well familiar with all the supposed upscale areas that house all the hidden homeless. Her family was among them. For that reason, she finds inner healing in helping others, especially this time of year. Her mother, now passed away, had issues with money mismanagement, ...

The California Black Power Network (CBPN), Equal Justice Society (EJS), and six former members of the California Reparations Task Force – Dr. Cheryl Grills, Lisa Holder, Dr. Jovan Scott Lewis, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Senator Steven Bradford, and Donald Tamaki – announced the formation of a new collaboration called the Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth. ...

By Dianne Anderson Sticker shock at the grocery store is a real thing for local food activist and tasty free meals connoisseur Connie Jones, who knows firsthand what the shopping experience is like for people subsisting on limited incomes. She said it is especially hard for families with hungry growing kids. “You wonder how people ...

By Dianne Anderson Cornelious “CJ,” Page Jr. tries to find middle ground for folks having problems affording the affordable Covered California, which has larger families struggling to make the payments. If people are single, he said it’s probably not so bad, but for families with a few kids, regular costs for urgent care or increased ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Sr Natl Correspondent Beginning Nov. 1, federal student loan borrowers will have to resume making payments on their loans for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. And, after the Supreme Court smacked down President Joe Biden’s original loan forgiveness program, the administration is targeting another avenue ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Sr Natl Correspondent As the Israel-Hamas conflict escalates, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are issuing warnings of an anticipated surge in hate crimes within the United States. The agencies underscored the need for heightened vigilance not only against antisemitic and Islamophobic ...

As part of a statewide effort to address hate, California Attorney General Rob Bonta was joined by Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan and local leaders for an anti-hate roundtable discussion. The roundtable in Irvine is the 13th in a series of meetings led by Attorney General Bonta across the state to bring together local elected officials, law enforcement officers, and community leaders ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Sr Natl Correspondent A recent report from the Sentencing Project has revealed significant strides have been made in reducing racial inequities in incarceration over the past two decades. However, the study also warns that ongoing pushback from policymakers threatens to impede further progress. The report, titled “One in Five: ...

By Dianne Anderson Whatever keeps the community up at night – or makes them pull the covers over their head to not face the day – probably won’t surface for years to come, but Dr. Karen Lincoln sees where it starts in the early stages through brain imaging. In and of itself, she said it’s ...