News

“Criminal” investigation into Michael Jackson’s death focuses on drug Propofol

Friday, 24 July 2009 16:13

(Taylor Media Services) Was Michael Jackson a homicide victim? His sister LaToya says he was and his father Joe Jackson is suspicious. Also suspicious is the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) with reports emerging last week that the probe into the “King of Pop’s” death has now become a criminal investigation. Several media sources, led by TMZ.com, say the LAPD is treating the 50-year-old singer’s death as a homicide.

Italy elects its first Black mayor; but she is a member of a right-wing party

Friday, 24 July 2009 16:11

(Taylor Media Services) A small Italian town has elected the first Black mayor in the country’s history. She is Sandy Cane - the product of an Italian mother and a Black American father who met one another in Italy during World War II. However, what makes Cane especially unique is that she is a member of Lega Nord - a right-wing political party which critics have called racist and xenophobic.

Black fraternity inducts Bill Clinton as member

Friday, 24 July 2009 16:10

(Taylor Media Services) Despite last year’s bruising battle for the Democratic Party presidential nomination which left many Blacks angry with his wife Hillary, former President Bill Clinton still appears to maintain his popularity with African Americans. That was demonstrated last weekend when the historically Black fraternity Phi Beta Sigma inducted Clinton as an honorary member.

Obama says the history of slavery should be taught in all U.S. schools

Friday, 24 July 2009 16:03

(Taylor Media Services) President Obama said in an interview last week that even though, or because, it is such “a terrible part” of American history the slavery endured by the ancestors of African Americans should be taught “in a meaningful way” in all U.S. schools.

Major compilation of Black historical records now available online

Friday, 24 July 2009 16:02

(Taylor Media Services) The historic Virginia Freemen’s Bureau records are now available online for historians and African Americans desiring to research their family histories and possibly discover ancestors from slavery. The Virginia records are generally considered the earliest compilation of historical data on Blacks. The records include names, marriages, educational skills, work contacts, health care and other data.

HIRE MN rallies at MnDOT Headquarters St. Paul for equal hiring

Friday, 24 July 2009 14:51

HIRE Minnesota served a Missing Persons Report to the Minnesota Department of Transportation Thursday to remind the agency that women and people of color are missing from highway construction sites around our state. See video below.

Are Black radio stations in danger of becoming extinct?

Friday, 24 July 2009 11:53

(Taylor Media Services) Black and Hispanic radio station owners sent an urgent appeal to Treasury Secretary Tim Geither last week seeking government financial assistance for their struggling enterprises. According to the online monitor of the radio industry Radio Facts (www.radiofacts.com), more than a dozen individual owners, trade associations and group owners signed the appeal saying the aid was desperately needed in order to weather the current recession.

Mugabe denounces African Americans carrying out U.S. policies in Africa

Friday, 24 July 2009 11:51

(Taylor Media Services) While U.S. President Barack Obama was in Ghana last week urging African leaders to end corruption and tyranny in their countries, the controversial president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe was once again busy denouncing African American diplomats for carrying out what he considers racist and imperialist U.S. policies in Africa.

Gay marriage issue threatens a split in major civil rights organization

Friday, 24 July 2009 11:49

(Taylor Media Services) Civil Rights Movement icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a group of Black activists who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1959. Even after King’s assassination in 1968, the SCLC remained one of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations. But now the group’s cohesion is under threat. The issue which could potentially split the organization is same-sex marriage.

Is MN hit by 2 x 4 in housing market?

Wednesday, 22 July 2009 17:09

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota's housing market is not on stable ground. Even as rents stabilize and foreclosure rates decline, both renters and homeowners continue to fall behind on their house payments, according to the "2 x 4 Housing Report" released by the Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP). MHP Executive Director Chip Halbach says the steady increase in Minnesota's unemployment rate is putting a lot of heat on families. "Times are too challenging, and too many good people have lost income and need this basic level of support. "

Proposals toughen airline safety rules included in FAA Reauthorization Bill

Tuesday, 21 July 2009 15:50

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar secured two amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill that passed the Senate Commerce Committee today. The first amendment will improve airline safety by enhancing transparency and accountability in the FAA’s safety review process. Klobuchar’s second provision will provide additional oversight to the Air Traffic Control Modernization Board that will oversee the FAA’s transition to NextGen – 21st century technology to increase efficiency in tracking flights and improving safety for consumers.