BY JESSE JACKSON March 18, 2013  Morehouse College, one of the most distinguished historically black colleges — with graduates like Dr. Martin Luther King, former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, film director Spike Lee and others — literally shut down for spring break this week. As its 2,000 students took their break, every member of the faculty and staff was furloughed without pay as the college struggles t ...

RULE WOMEN As I write, Chaka Khan’s empowering “I’m Every Woman” loops in my head – like a soundtrack. (By the way, have you seen her lately? All slim, trim and more fabulous than ever).  It’s Women’s History Month and the lyrics to that iconic anthem should be resonating with all women, and those who love us, as we celebrate ourselves and the countless contributions we make everyday – both large and small ...

By DAVID ROYSE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 13, 2013…. Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll has resigned the post amid a gambling investigation into a non-profit for which she once did consulting work, an official with the governor's office said Wednesday. Carroll, the first African-American woman to hold the post of lieutenant governor, represented a suburban Jacksonville district in th ...

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 12, 2013......The Internet Cafés that have popped up around the state, which some say are essentially strip mall gaming parlors, appear about to be finished as an industry in Florida. The president of the Senate and the speaker of the House both said Wednesday that the cafes should be shut down, and a bill doing that is likely to be heard on the House floor as soon as next we ...

By BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 5, 2013......The House passed an elections overhaul bill by an overwhelming margin Tuesday, tacitly admitting that lawmakers went too far in 2011 with a bill that had reduced early voting days and is now blamed for some of the snafus that plagued the 2012 elections. House members voted 118-1 to approve the measure (HB 7013), whi ...

By MARGIE MENZEL THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA   THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, February 26, 2013..........Last week, Rep. D-St. Petersburg, was elected House Democratic leader for 2014 to 2016. It's a marker on a long road for Rouson, 58, who has been both homeless and a drug addict. He built his recovery on his work as a lawyer and as president of the St. Petersburg NAACP. A former Republican who supported ...

By JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, February 28, 2013.......The state's self defense law would say people can fire warning shots to fend off attackers without fear of prosecution and teachers would be able to pack heat on campus under bills now before legislators. Freshman Rep. Neil Combee, R-Polk City, filed a bill on the one year anniversary of the shooting death of Trayvon ...

(Washington, DC) Today, Congressmen Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Everglades Caucus, introduced the bi-partisan Everglades for the Next Generation Act. The legislation authorizes sorely needed Central Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects that are shovel-ready, but have been delayed by Congressional inaction. It also provides the Army Corps of ...

FORT LAUDERDALE/BROWARD NAACP CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH  “THE LAW AND THE BLACK JUDGE” A TRIBUTE TO THE SIX BLACK JUDGES SERVING ON BROWARD COUNTY’S 17TH CIRCUIT                                                                                                  WHO:             Fort Lauderdale/Broward Branch NAACP   WHAT:           On February 28, 2013, the NAACP will celebrate Black History mon ...

By BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, February 18, 2013..........Lawyers for the Legislature have asked the Florida Supreme Court to block a Leon County judge from reconsidering the map for state Senate districts, opening up a new front in the long-running battle over the requirements of the state's new redistricting standards. The filing comes about a month after Leon Co ...