Baseball announcer fired for referring to Kamala Harris as colored

Cleveland radio anchor Kyle Cornell has been fired after saying “The U.S. officially has its first colored vice presidential candidate. More coming up after the game on Newsradio WTAM 1100 Cleveland.” He made his comment during a Cleveland Indians Wednesday night broadcast.

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Tuskegee Airman James A. Cotten dead at 93

James Alonzo Cotten was born on June 4, 1927, in Chapel Hill, NC. At his request, he was cared for at home by his family, and transitioned on August 14, 2020. James was married for 73 years to his high school sweetheart, Oteria. They met at a dance, and continued to dance throughout his life.

Chief Master Sergeant (Ret) James A. Cotten was drafted into the U.S. Military Service from his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa., and was inducted into the U.S. Army at Indiantown Gap, Pa. on August 14, 1945. Upon completion of Basic Training in January 1946, he was selected for assignment to the famed Tuskegee Airman, 332nd Fighter Group, the all Afro-American Army Air Corps Unit at Lockbourne Army Air Base, Columbus, Ohio.

During his military career, Cotten was assigned to many other military installations and after more than 21 years of active military service in the U.S. Air Force, he retired at McGuire AFB, Lakehurst, New Jersey on December 31, 1965.

In 1966, he entered into U.S. Civil Service for another 45 years with the Department of Defense at Joint Base McGuire-Dix. In December 2012, he retired as the Supervisory Contract Administrator for U.S. Transportation Command Contract Airlift Program.

On May 3, 2012, James A. Cotten was presented the Congressional Gold Medal for his military service with the Tuskegee Airmen. A Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress and is the highest civilian honor in the United States. It is awarded to persons "who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement."

Mr. Cotten was an active member of the Twenty Plus Retirement Club. He served the ABCO community in the capacity of Board Member and was on the Supervisory Committee for more than 9 years. Also, he served on the New Jersey Credit Union League Board of Directors for over 20 years.

Mr. Cotten affectionately known as "Dad or Granddad", was the patriarch of the Cotten family, and he leaves behind to cherish his loving memory, wife, Oteria; brother, Ralph (Sandra); sister, Lorraine (Roland); sisters-in-law, Charolette (Russell-predeceased), Gwendolyn, and Antoinette (Ben); brother-in-law, MSgt (Ret) William Smith (Debra); ten children, Charen; LtCol (Ret) James M. (Berthel); Marlane (Tyrone); Wannetta (Cmdr (Ret) Ernest L. Jolly); Christina; Terie; Arlene (Mark); SMSgt (Ret) Dale A. (Zina); Kevin; Lauren (Aundrey); 16 Grandchildren; 21 Great-Grandchildren; two Great-Great-Grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the Twenty Plus Retirement Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 46, Mt. Holly, NJ 08060.

His life Celebration Services will be held private to the family Friday, August 21, 2020. Family and friends may participate in a walk through viewing Thursday, August 20, 2020 5pm until 8 a.m. at the TL Hutton Family & Friends Funeral Services, 869 Beverly Road, Burlington, N.J. All attendees must wear a mask to enter walk through. Friends may also view by Live Stream 11 a.m. Friday at the website below.

TL Hutton Family & Friends Funeral Services

www.tlhuttonfuneralservices.com

To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.

‘Static Shock’ Movie in Development

A new “Static Shock” movie may be on the way.

At a DC FanDome panel on Saturday, filmmaker Reginald Hudlin said there’s been “serious conversations” about bringing the electric-powered teen hero to the big screen.

Virgil Hawkins, a.k.a. Static Shock, was created by Milestone Media and DC Comics in the 1990s and starred in a Kids’ WB animated series in the early 2000s. The series received multiple Daytime Emmy award nominations and is still highly regarded by fans for being one of the few superhero series starring a Black character.

“One of the things we’re really excited about, we really want to live up to the name of the company, Milestone Media,” said Hudlin. “When we spoke to Jim [Lee] about reviving the Milestone line, we said ‘Look, we all know this has been a hit comic book and hit animated series. It’s time to expand back into all those areas and then some.’ So we’re in serious conversations about, as we’re launching the comic book series, developing the ‘Static Shock’ movie. That will be a theatrical feature film.”

There were no other details given on “Static Shock’s” move to the big screen, but he will star in a digital comic book series in February 2021.

[SOURCE: VARIETY]

Union County Freeholders Celebrate New Statewide “County Commissioner” Name

Union County Freeholders Rebecca Williams, Angela Garretson, and Andrea Staten (l-r) joined New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in a bill signing ceremony in Trenton on Friday for a new state law that changes the title of freeholder to commissioner.

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders welcomes a new state law that changes the name “board of chosen freeholders” to “board of county commissioners,” and “chosen freeholder” to “county commissioner” for all 21 counties in New Jersey. Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation earlier today, and the changeover will take place beginning in 2021.

The title “freeholder” dates back to the 1700’s. It refers to white male property owners who had clear title to their land, reflecting laws that effectively prevented most women, and practically all Black Americans, from holding public office in New Jersey.

“This Freeholder Board strongly supports the Black Lives Matter movement, and we support efforts to break down the barrier of structural racism in all its forms,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “This change in title will finally put to rest a centuries-old concept of civic participation that is out of step with the diversity of our population and inconsistent with the principles of equality.”

“County Commissioner’ is an inclusive title that celebrates and respects all citizens who seek to participate in the civic fabric of our community,” said Freeholder Angela Garretson, who sponsored a Freeholder resolution in support of the name change and worked with colleagues at all levels of government throughout New Jersey to advocate for the change.

“As one of five women on our nine-member Freeholder Board, I understand the historical significance, and need for change. I am especially proud of the transition to a title that fully embraces the contributions of all women, minorities, and/or non-privileged members into the democratic process in New Jersey,” Freeholder Garretson added.

“We continue to strive to represent our ever diversifying constituency,” said Freeholder Andrea Staten.  “As an African American member of a majority female board, this new title is a positive and significant change for County Freeholders throughout the State of New Jersey.”

“As the late, great Toni Morrison noted, language is something that we ‘do,’ it is the action verb that we perform daily. With the change to County Commissioner, the State of New Jersey acknowledges that the path toward an equitable and inclusive society requires that we pay attention to how we use language to represent both ourselves and the people—as commissioners, we are entrusted to serve the people with all the meaning with which that word is invested,” said Freeholder Rebecca Williams.

Collective efforts to modernize the title have been undertaken periodically in recent years. These efforts gained momentum in recent months, following the murder of Minneapolis, Minnesota resident George Floyd. The widespread actions, including many in New Jersey and Union County, challenged the persistence of institutional and structural racism in America and raised awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement and racial inequities, at a time when the COVID-19 crisis has underscored disproportionate impacts on health and food security.

Rep. Payne, Jr. Pushes Party Leadership to “Stand Firm” on Postal Service Funding

Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. sent a letter today to urge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to “stand firm” in their support of funding for the United States Postal Service.  The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a bill tomorrow to provide $25 billion to the Postal Service to improve mail delivery and service before the 2020 election.  Rep. Payne, Jr. was a co-leader on the letter with Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and it was co-signed by 101 House members of Congress.

“We need the Post Office to guarantee that everything from ballots to Census forms arrive on time,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr.  “Usually, support for this critical American institution is not a political issue.  Unfortunately, President Trump has decided to try and limit service to improve his re-election chances in November.  Now, the Post Office needs every dime of this money to thrive.  I wanted to write this letter to encourage House and Senate leadership not to negotiate on the final funding figures when it comes to something as important to Americans as mail delivery.”

The letter comes before a crucial vote on the Delivering for America Act.  Along with the funding, the bill (H.R. 8015) would halt post office closures or consolidations, stop the reduction of hours at postal locations, ensure that employees receive overtime pay for overtime hours, and return postal service to the level Americans experienced on January 1, 2020, before the coronavirus public health crisis crippled the nation. 

“The United States Postal Service provides essential jobs and services to our communities and is critical to our democracy and our economy,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. “As the Trump administration and their handpicked Republican accomplices work to undermine and sabotage the USPS, it’s critical that we stand firm in our demand to provide the Postal Service with the resources and support it needs to remain the strong, secure, and reliable public service agency that it is.”

It is the latest action in Rep. Payne, Jr.’s battle to save the Post Office from President Trump’s attempts to defund it.  In the last two weeks, Rep. Payne, Jr. has written or co-signed five letters to House leadership, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and others to provide funds for the Postal Service in the next coronavirus bill and improve service to all Americans during this global pandemic.  In addition, he toured three local Post Offices in Newark, Orange and Union to discuss postal issues with local managers and carriers.

The full text of the letter is below.

August 21, 2020

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer,

We write to you with extreme concern regarding the massive delays of mail delivery being reported across the country. If left unabated, this has the potential to negatively impact two cornerstones of our democracy: the decennial Census and the 2020 general election. As you continue to engage in COVID-19 negotiations with the administration, we urge you to stand firm in support of the United States Postal Service and support at least $25 billion in emergency funds to meet the increased demand brought on by this pandemic.  The Postal Service is set to lose over $54 billion over the next 10 years.  These funds would offset the cost-cutting measures that have led to uncertainty in mail delivery. The universal right to the ballot box has been affirmed through a long struggle in courthouses, legislatures, and in communities across the nation. We cannot allow any unravelling, reduction, or suppression of this fundamental right of democracy.

From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Postal Service has been the primary method for Americans to complete their Census forms, register to vote and cast their ballots in primary elections. This is why we are so concerned by attempts from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to weaken the USPS. Since Postmaster General DeJoy took office in June 2020, his changes have required mail to be left in distribution centers if it delays routes and eliminated overtime to complete all mail deliveries. This has directly hampered the ability of citizens to receive the level of service that they have come to expect and deserve from this constitutionally mandated service.

With the general election taking place in just a few months and primary elections underway, it is imperative that millions of Americans can safely rely on the critical infrastructure provided by seamless and timely mail delivery. What is particularly troubling is that there appears to be a deliberate slowdown of mail delivery that has an enormous potential to impact the general election and congressional reapportionment. Any attempt to subvert the right to vote or undercount the Census must be met with swift and decisive resistance.

We respectfully urge you to continue efforts to push for much needed emergency aid and fight back against efforts to undermine the United States Postal Service so the American people can have faith that they will be counted in the Census and their ballots honored in the election.