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TPATPATPATPATPATEXASPUBLISHERSASSOCIATION

Presorted StandardU.S. Postage Paid

Austin, TexasPermit No. 01949

INSIDEVol. 42 No.24 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: pr@theaustinvillager.com October 31, 2014

RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’Tommy WyattTommy WyattTommy WyattTommy WyattTommy Wyatt

TheAustinVillager.comTheAustinVillager.com

Austin Breaks Ground on Vibrant Urban Living

by Angela Wyatt

AUSTIN, TX - Tues-day morning, October 28,2014, both ARA and TexasInTown Homes held agroundbreaking ceremony

JUNIPER HEIGHTS- Austin Revitalization Authority and Texas Intown Homes develop premier “SmartGreen Healthy” affordable living, enriching the East Austin community. Photos courtesy of Angela Wyatt

for the construction of amixed-income townhomedevelopment in the 1000Block of Juniper Street inEast Austin. Numerousdignitaries rallied in thesupport of the revivalproject. City of AustinMayor Pro Tem SherylCole, Kathie Tovo, Chair-man of the Austin Revital-ization Board Dr. CharlesUrdy, Neighborhood Hous-ing and Community Devel-opment Director BetsySpencer, Chair of the Ur-ban Renewal Agency,

Michael Clark-Madison,developer representativeof ln-Town homes, TomMercer, Larry Jackson,Vera Givens, Willis Hunt IIand Mrs. W.G. Hunt alongwith a host of communityleaders.

After four years of in-ternal re-assessment ofthe organization, the Aus-tin Revitalization Authority(ARA) has completed anew strategic plan to con-tinue the revitalization ef-forts in East Austin. Thefocus of ARA has been on

establishing strategicpartners, and moving for-ward with the leasing op-portunity for one of thefirst properties purchasedby ARA, the HermanSchieffer House.

President and CEOGreg Smith, who joinedARA in 2009, said the or-ganization is markedly dif-ferent than it was even 18months ago. “ln the pastfive years we’ve restruc-tured our board of direc-tors and revised our mis-

See InTown, page 2

Season Premier ofFix My Choir Coming

November 5 on OxygenBy Naomi Richard

Season Premier Photo courtesy of Oxygen Network

Oxygen Media iscoming to the rescue ofchoirs across the countryin the new music series“Fix My Choir,” premieringWednesday, November 5at 10 pm ET/PT. In thisbold and uplifting series,struggling choirs get somemuch-needed mentoringfrom gospel superstarDeitrick Haddon(“Preachers of L.A.”) andGrammy Award-winningrecording artist MichelleWilliams of Destiny’s Childfame.

Fix My Choir exam-ines the root cause of hu-man conflict, troubled re-lationships and musicalhurdles commonly foundin music groups aroundthe country. Challenges

are indiscriminate crossingrace, denominations andgender. To effectively min-ister as a gospel choir,Haddon and Williams landon the scene searching forthe fundamental problemswith the choirs leaving nostone unturned.

The aggressive andfocused methods of thisexperienced duo are directand to the point. Theydelve into the dark placesseeking the hindrances tothe music ministry. Insome cases the voicesneed training, sometimesmembers need to findtheir inner soul, past hurtsneed forgiveness and aunified purpose must bedefined.

With only a short

time to achieve such ex-tensive goals, Haddon andWilliams effectively arriveready to hit the ground run-ning and the choirs arewilling to give their all tomake the process success-ful.

Fix My Choir is a re-alistic series full of infor-mation we can learn fromand what’s clear is thatchoir problems don’t van-ish or miraculously healthemselves. They requirework, attention and love.Can your choir be fixed,challenged and taken tothe next level of ministry?Yes it can with a few fun-damental steps and a will-ing spirit.

Don’t miss this newaction packed series withyour favorite Billboard top-ping choir experts. Choirmusic isn’t dead, if any-thing it’s undergoing a re-surgence and definitelyhere to stay! Tune in No-vember 5 at 10 pm ET/PT.

DeitrickHaddonMichelle

Williams

Constance “Connie”Harper, Associate

Publisher/Editor atCleveland Call & Post,

dies at the age of 81

Constance “Connie” Harper

By Kathy Wray Coleman,editor-in-chief, Cleveland Urban News.Com

CLEVELAND, OH-Civil Rights advocate andlongtime Call and PostNewspaper Associate Pub-lisher and Exec EditorConstance “Connie”Harper died Friday at aDayton, Ohio hospitalwhere she was on life sup-port after suffering a heartattack. She was 81.

Funeral arrange-ments are pending.

Harper fell ill on Sun-day at the homecoming ofCentral State University,which is located in Xenia,a city some 21 miles out-side of Dayton. She wasthe Cleveland alumnichapter president for CSU,Ohio’s only historically

Black public college or uni-versity.

Family members, in-cluding her sister, retiredOhio Eighth District Courtof Appeals judge Sara J.Harper, and their sisterGloria, and close nieces,nephews and cousins vis-ited Harper in Dayton.They had hoped that shecould be flown by helicop-ter back to Cleveland, butfate had it otherwise.

Connie Harper was asister-in-law of retiredCleveland Municipal Courtjudge George Trumbo,

See HARPER, page 8

ACC committedto accessible and

affordable education.See BRYANT

Page 6

Many voters have been voting aStraight Ticket for years. Thatmeans when you vote in thestatewide and national races,they can vote for the entirecandidate of a particular party bymarking just one box. You will beable to do that this year, but afteryou have marked your ballot forthe party of your choice, you willstill have work to do. In former years, City Council,School Board, Austin CommunityCollege, and local Propositionswere held at different times. Thisyear, for the first time, they are allbeing held on the same day. Andsince these positions are notelected by party, they have to bevoted on individually. That makesit necessary for voters to be moreinformed on the candidates andissues. However, it is acceptableto skip over any candidate orissue that you are not sure of. This will be our finalendorsement before the electionon Tuesday, November 4, 2014.We have saved the statewideraces for last. For those who arenot voting the straight ticket, wemake the followingrecommendations:

U. S. Senator –David M. Alameel

District 25, U. S. Rep. –Roger Williams

District 35, U. S. Rep. – Lloyd Doggett

Governor – Wendy Williams Lt. Governor –

Leticia Van dePutte Atty. Gen. – Sam Houston

Railroad Comm. – Steve Brown

Dist. 14, State Senator – Kirk Watson

Dist. 46, State Rep. – Dawnna Dukes

Dist. 48, State Rep. – Donna Howard

Dist. 49, State Rep. – Elliot Naishtat

Dist. 50 State Rep. –Celia Israel

Dist. 51 State Rep. – Eddie Rodriguez Chief Justice,

3rd Court of Appeals – Diane Henson County Judge –Sarah Eckhardt District Clerk –

Velva L. Price County Clerk –

Dana DeBeauvoir County Treasurer –

Delores Ortega Carter Precinct 2, County

Commissioner – Bridget Shae Precinct 4, County

Commissioner –Margaret J. Gomez Precinct 1, County

Commissioner – Yvonne Williams

We did not makeendorsements in uncontestedraces, because when thecandidates vote for themselvesthey are automatically elected. This is the time for the votersto let their wishes be known. So,take this opportunity to sendyour message.

Sen. Davis seeks toroll back assaultson voters rights.

See TPAPage 9

AGE trains Texanson caregiving

scale for seniors.See MEDICARE

Page 3

Straight TicketVoting is Not

Enough

Page 2 ~ October 31, 2014/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

THE COMMUNIQUÉ

sion and vision state-ments as part of our new stra-tegic plan in order to aid moreeffectively in the rebuilding ofEast Austin.

After these last fewyears of serious assessment,we’ve also developed greatrelationships with others who

Texas InTown Homes developed hundreds of singlefamily and townhome units in Houston and Dallas

continued from page 1share a strong interest in de-veloping the East 11th andEast 12th Street areas.”

Among one of the cur-rent projects, ARA has es-tablished a strategic part-nership with Texas InTownHomes, for the develop-ment of the Juniper Heights

Townhomes to be located at1159 Curve Street.

Texas InTown Homeshas developed hundreds ofsingle family and townhomeunits in Houston and Dallas,TX. Juniper Heights will be oneof their first developmentprojects in Austin which willconsist of 16 townhome units.Fourteen units will be sold atmarket rate and two units willbe sold as affordable units.

The Austin Revitaliza-tion Authority (ARA) is a pri-vate, non-profit community/economic development cor-poration working in the East11th and East 12th StreetCommercial Corridors to re-store the cultural and eco-nomic viability that oncethrived in that area. ARA’smission is to engage in com-mercial, residential and cul-tural development that pro-motes community well-be-ing, while respecting thepeople, institutions and his-tory of East Austin and otherunderserved communities.For more information call512-469-1705 or visitwww.austinrev.org.

INTOWN HOMES- Visionary team, Dr. Charles Urdy, Frank Liu, Greg Smithand Tom Mercer break ground on strategic revitalization plan of upscale homes.

The Andy RoddickFoundation held its 9thannual charity gala, pre-sented by Pine RiverCapital. This year fea-tured a concert by coun-try artist, Darius Rucker,at ACL Live at theMoody Theater. The an-nual gala serves as thechief fundraising eventfor the Andy RoddickFoundation to supportits mission to expandopportunities for youngpeople to learn, thriveand succeed.

Darius Rucker/Photo Naomi Richard

9th Annual Andy Roddick FoundationCharity Gala Headlined Country MusicSensation Darius Rucker by Naomi Richard

We Want YOU!Advertise With The

VILLAGER

We Want YOU!Advertise With The

VILLAGER

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/October 31, 2014 ~ Page 3

CHURCH & TOWN BULLETIN

Ebenezer Baptist Church1010 East 10th Street 512-478-1875 Fax 512-478-1892

WednesdayMidweek Prayer Service 7:00 P.M.Child Development CenterAges 0-5 years (Daily) 512-478-6709

Bus Ministry Call 512-478-1875

St. Peter’s United Methodist Church 4509 Springdale Road Austin, Tx 78723

Office 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281Christian Web Site-

stpetersaustintx.ning.comstpetersaustintx@att.net

THE PLACE WHERE WE STEP OUT ON FAITH.COME AND STEP OUT ON FAITH WITH US

Sunday School 8:45 a.m. Praise and Worship 10:15 a.m.

Wednesday Bible Study 12:00 p.m.and Praise /Bible Study 6:30 p.m.

(to include Children’s Choir Rehersaland Bible Study with age appropiate Activities)

Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor

Agape Baptist ChurchIn “The Centre” Bldg. F-15 7801 N. Lamar Blvd. (SE Corner of N Lamar and 183)

AGAPE is a chuch for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the love Heexhibited is Exemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you.

For there is no greater love!

Church ServicesSunday School 9:30 AMSunday Worship 11:00 AM

Mid-Week Service Thursday: Praise,Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PMCall 454-1547 for Transporation

Website www.agapebcaustintx.comRev. H. Ed Calahan

Pastor

Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium 5214 West Duval Road

Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship Service 10:00 A.M.•Power Hour Bible Life Group 6:00 P.M.

Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval Austin, Texas 78727

Visit:imanichurch.comOffice: 512-343-9300Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims

7801 N. Lamar Blvd,Suite D 102,

Austin, Texas 78752

Worship: Sunday--10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Tuesday Bible Studies--7:30pm - 9:00 pmFriday Prayers--7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

The Church of Pentecost, USA Inc,Austin offers a wide variety of opportuni-ties for children, youth, adults, and olderadults to be involved in worship, spiritualgrowth, education, community outreach,and making a tangible difference to thosein need in our community. You too, canmake a positive difference in our commu-nity through your prayers, your presence,your gifts, your service, and your witness.Tel: 512 302-1270

Leading People to Experience God’s Love, Know Jesus Christ & Grow in His Image

The Church of Pentecost

Olive Branch Fellowship of Austin / All Faith Chapel4110 Guadalupe St Bldg #639 Austin, TX 78751

Sunday MorningWorship @ 11: am

Romans 5:1 Therefore,having beenjustified by faith, we have peace

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

This life, therefore, is not righteous-ness, but growth in righteousness; not health,but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest,but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be,but we are growing toward it. The process isnot yet finished, but it is going on. This is notthe end, but it is the road. All does not yetgleam in glory, but all is being purified.

--- Martin Luther

Kenneth Hill, Pastor

DOUBLE

GROCERY“R”

450l East Martin Luther King Blvd.

*We cash ALL Tax Refund*Checks *Check Out

1179 San Bernard Street,Austin, TX 78702, 512-478-7023

Sunday Morning Bible Study, 9:00 A.M.Sunday Morning Worship, 10:15 A.M.Visit our website @ www.obcaus.org

Globalizing the Gospel

A Ministry That Ministers

Edward M. Fleming,Sr. Pastor

OLIVET BAPTISTCHURCH

Felix Bamirin, Pastor

GRACEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCHExperience Grace For Life

(By Parmer Lane Baptist Church building, behind Wells Fargo)

Call: 682.472.9073 l Email: gracewayaustin@aol.com lVisit: www.gracewaycca.org

JOIN US This SUNDAY / THURSDAY@ 12424 Scofield Farms Drive, Austin, TX 78758

SUNDAYS 10:30 A.M., THURSDAYS 7:30 P.M.

Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church 5900 Cameron Road Austin, Texas 78723-1843

(512) 451-0808 (512) 302-4575 Fax Web Site - www.themount.net

WORSHIP SERVICESSunday Worship - 7:45 a.m. & 11 a.m.Church School - 9:45 a.m.Bible Studies - Mon, 6:30 p.m. & Wed., 12 noonWednesday Night Worship - 7 p.m.

“Ministries For Mankind” Luke 4:18

A.W.. Anthony Mays, Senior Pastor

Worship Service 8:00 A.M.Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Discipleship Training 10:00 A.M.Worship Service 11:00 A.M.

Sunday Services

Dr. Ricky Freeman,Pastor

Country Boyz Fixin’s4140 E. 12th Street, Austin, TX 78721

Featuring Fish, Poboys, Hot Wings, Pork Chops,Homemade Gumbo, Shrimp and Alligator

DINE IN OR ORDER TO GOMon - Friday 11 am - 8 p.m.Saturday - 12 noon - 8 p.m.

Closed SundayCall (512) 928-5555

*Mention this ad and get a FREE 20 oz. Drink*

The National

Black Church

Initiative Says

That Ebola

Represents an

Opportunity

for

Faith-Based

Readiness

Washington, DC –The National Black ChurchInitiative (NBCI) a coalitionof 34,000 African Ameri-can churches constituting15.7 million membersurges its members to takethis opportunity during theoutreach of the Ebola cri-sis to reflect on how to de-velop appropriate proto-cols based upon WorldHealth Organization(WHO) and the Center forDisease Control (CDC)standards. We understandthat those standards arebeing revised as we speak;therefore it is importantfor church and denomina-tional leaders to call onexperts in the field of in-

fectious diseases to comeup with the appropriateprotocols for faith-basedcommunities. CDC needsto publish guidelines forthe faith community sothat we can take this op-portunity to ready our con-gregations.

We have the respon-sibility to demonstrate toour parishioners and therest of the general com-munity how to respond tothis disease without hys-teria and confusion. Ourjob is to work with the ap-propriate government au-thorities to keep our pa-rishioners informed, pro-vide adequate literature,and utilize the pulpit to

emphasize important life-saving messaging onEbola or any other infec-tious diseases.

Reverend AnthonyEvans, President of the Na-tional Black Church Initia-tive implores CDC and thenew Ebola Czar to utilizethis opportunity to workwith church leaders to helpus in three critical areas.

1. Help us createmessaging to calm our pa-rishioners.

2. Provide protocolsto be put in place at theappropriate time to makesure that this disease isnot spread. This will in-volve distance and/orspacing during church ser-

vices and new proceduresfor communion and bap-tism if ever called upon toimplement.

3. Provide adequateliterature and to makesure that faith-based lead-ership is part of any high-level meetings or commit-tees concerning Ebola.

Here we have an op-portunity to also share thepower of God’s messageof salvation and hopethrough the ethics andteaching of our Lord andSavior Jesus the Christ.The church must employits’ spiritual arsenal to de-feat and destroy Ebola. We

must also carry the samemessage of hope, of mon-etary and medical assis-tance to our brothers andsisters in Guinea, Liberiaand Sierra Leone.

We must utilize ourreligious influence andauthority to make surethat Africa is treated fairly,respectfully and will notbe dismissed like Mr. Tho-mas Eric Duncan. Ourprayers go out to Mr.Duncan’s entire family andthe two infected nurses,Nina Pham and AmberVinson. We continue topray for all victims of Ebolaworldwide.

Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church, 385 FM 20,Bastrop, TX., Elder Larry Washington, Pastor cor-dially invites each and everyone to their annual choirjamboree, Saturday, November 1, 2014 @ 6:00 PM.The special guest will be Unity of Bryan, TX. Formore information contact Sister Delora Hargrove @512-769-6180 or Sister May Lott @ 512-882-8054.

AGE of Central Texas Offering FreeCaregiver Workshop on “MedicareUpdates – Insurance Options for

Seniors” in Austin on November 1st AUSTIN, TX - AGE

of Central Texas will hostthe free caregiver supportseminar “Medicare Up-dates – Insurance Optionsfor Seniors” on Saturday,November 1st, from 10:00am to noon at the AGEBuilding, located at 3710Cedar Street in Austin.The seminar will discussthe latest updates onMedicare with expertsfrom the HICAP Division ofthe Texas Department ofInsurance.

HICAP is a part-nership of state and localorganizations that assistMedicare beneficiaries.HICAP is the State HealthInsurance Assistance Pro-gram (SHIP) for Texas in anational network availablethroughout the U.S. and itsterritories.

Since 1986, AGE ofCentral Texas has beentackling the challenges ofaging with expert solutions.The regional non-profit or-ganization provides support

and education to people allalong the spectrum of grow-ing older through five inter-related programs that en-hance the health and well-being of older adults andthose who care for them, in-cluding:

- The only li-censed, secure, non-resi-dential Adult Day HealthCenters in Central Texas,with locations in Austinand Round Rock;

- Early MemoryLoss Support, with weeklycognitive activities andsupport for individualswith an early memory lossdiagnosis;

- Caregiver Re-sources and Education in-cluding free personalizedassistance and guidance,educational seminars,support groups, andclasses;

- Health Equip-ment Lending Programproviding free loans ofgently-used durable medi-cal equipment; and

- The AGE Com-puter Lab offering peer-based computer classesfor seniors.

Free respite carefor older family memberswill be available duringthe seminar at AGE’s AdultDay Health Center, withadvance RSVP by October29th. For more informationand to register, contactHector Rodriguez at (512)600-9286 or registeronline at http://tinyurl.com/registernov1.

For more informa-tion about AGE of CentralTexas and more resourcesin the community, visitwww.AGEofCentralTX.orgor call (512) 451-4611.

The Halloween AlternativeBy Shirley A. Hammondfollow her on twitter.com/xtremeridewish1

There is more to the end of October than ghost andgoblins. Many area churches have already had or plan tohave a Harvest Day, or some type of Harvest Festival. Thiswholesome Christian alternative gives children somethingto do besides dress up in scary costumes and go out tocollect a stash of cavity-causing sweets from strangers.Some churches are offering food, games, music and candy.Some have additional fun activities slated for the evening.Following are some churches which are turning theevening into a time of positivity on October 31.

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist ChurchLocated at 2838 East 13 Street (near Harvey), this church

will hold its Fall Festival on October 31 from 6:00pm-8:00pm.Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist ChurchLocated at 5900 Cameron Road, this church will hold

their Angel Night on October 31 from 6:00pm-8:00pm inthe adjacent Family Life Center.

David Chapel Missionary Baptist ChurchLocated at 2211 East Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd, this

church will hold their Fall Festival on October 31st from6:00pm-8:30pm.

S. James Missionary Baptist ChurchLocated at 3417 East Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., this church

will offer their Fall Fest with a movie (Space Jam) in the parkinglot on October 31 from 6:30pm-9:30pm, with prizes given fortheir costume contest. Costumes should be positive, free ofblood and gore, with no monster type themes. Participants areurged to bring blankets and lawn chairs.

Shoreline ChurchLocated at 15201 Burnet Road, this church will hold their

Trunk or Treat event on October 31 from 6:30pm-8:30pm.

Page 4 ~ October 31, 2014/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

YOUTH BRIGADEYouth of Today

Hope of Tomorrow Black RegistryBlack RegistryBlack RegistryBlack RegistryBlack Registry

Kevin ParishPark Crest M.S.

Ira “T.J.” WilliamsRidgeview M. S.

Genesis StiggersElgin Middle School

Weekend Excitement

On Friday I was verymad because I didn’t get togo to a dance that my schoolhad. When my parents gothome from Houston my dadsaid “put on your boots anda long sleeve shirt”. When I

did, we went to a barn formy friend’s birthday party,all I did was play. Friday wasreally fun. Saturday cameme, Dexter and my dadwent to a benefit trail ride.While my dad was riding hishorse, Dexter and I were ona wagon looking at theother horses and comparingthem to ours.

All of us had a reallygood time at the trail ride.It was a very good weekendThis Tuesday we the unde-feated Park Crest Pumaswill go up against DessauMiddle School looking foranother win to become 6-0.

GO PUMAS!

Imagination

In my GT class todaymy teacher said some-thing that really got tome. She sa id that stu-dents are now beingtaught to do a specif icthing a specific way andthe students can’t learnto ana lyze and th inkabout different ways tofix problems. There is acertain way to do things

and that is f inal . Whatsome schools don’t un-derstand i s that withimagination people cando amazing things.

Albert Einstein hadmany thoughts a l ljumbled up in his mind.In fact, some days he for-got to put on his sockswhen he left the house.Even though he couldn’torganize his thoughts hisimagination was brightand he knew he could doamazing things that he isknown for today.

Albert Einstein is agood example of howimaginat ion can makebri l l iant minds. That iswhy I th ink that a l lschools should not justg ive a certa in way toth ink but to he lp s tu-dents learn how to cre-ate ways to learn that are

right for them.

The Zombie Experience

On October 24-25, 2014,the Cedar Ridge High SchoolDrama Department hosted aspecial dramatic eventcalled, The Zombie Experi-ence. Before actually walkinginto the school, people weresent to different nursing sta-tions to check for bite marksor strange, zombie-like be-havior. Then we would be putinto groups of 6 and directedinto the zombie experience.

As we walked, wewould see televisions withthe president speakingabout the zombie apoca-lypse and how Cedar Ridgewas one of the only “SafeZones” in the United States.Down the hall, a group of sol-diers directed us through theschool towards to the sleep-ing area. Suddenly, a strangealarm went off and zombieswould crawl out of the shad-ows and toward the civilians.Everyone started screamingand ran around in a hugepanic.

The soldiers wouldherd the panicked hoard outto the courtyard where doz-ens of zombies were pre-tending to eat civilians andeach other. Everyone ranacross the courtyard, into the

next building, and up thestairs. Having a few momentsto catch our breath, the sol-diers guided us through thehallways to safety. As weturned a corner we saw twolittle girls holding hands andmuttering some sort of spell.Suddenly, their faces be-came blank and they turnedto us and started saying,“Come play with us.” Every-one screamed and ran in dif-ferent directions. Some ranin bathrooms where somezombies were lurking. Oth-ers were too scared to evenmove. After the soldiersrounded us up, we ran for thecafeteria.

As we got to the cafete-ria we saw a mother and childin the corner crying. The mas-ter sergeant offered themhelp but just as he did, threezombies grabbed them andsucked them into the shad-ows, which cause even morescreaming. While runningaway we saw two civilianstrying to get our attention.The soldiers led us to the ci-vilians who opened twodoors which led down a darkhallway. They told us at theend was the exit. No one ar-gued. We ran as fast as wecould down the hallway. Ev-ery so often a zombie wouldtackle a soldier and start eat-ing him. By the time we gotto the end of the hallway onlythe master sergeant wasalive. He opened the doorsand everyone darted outscreaming. We had survivedthe apocalypse and wereawarded free water bottles.

The Cedar Ridge DramaDepartment did a great jobcreating The Zombie Experi-ence and I can’t wait until

next year.

Homecoming Week

This week is home-coming week . We have adifferent theme for every-

Aubri Allen-BrentDel Valle High School

day . Monday was wear ajersey day , Tuesday was“tacky” day , Wednesday is“throw back” day , Thursdaywas camouflage day , andFriday waa show your “Car-dinal sprit” to beat austinhigh Maroons at the gamethat night. however we lostwith a score of 34-17 . Butwe had a good game . At ourpep rally we had a specialguest come visit us forhomecoming the RapperB.o.B came to share someencouraging words with us. Our freshman won thecontest break the mold andgot B.o.B to visit our school.

SaNaya WhiteCedars Int’l Academy

Fall Festival Weekend!

I had a great weekend!This weekend I attended 2fall festivals! The first festi-val was at my school, CedarsInternational Academy. Myaunt, uncle and little cousinjoined me and my mom. Mycousin, Zaila and I both wore80s costumes and my momwas a good witch. Therewere lots different gameslike the spider toss, cakewalk, Bingo, petting zoo and

much more! We even hadfunnel cakes that were su-per yummy!

The other festivalwas at my cousin's school.They had lots of games too.I did 1 where you stick yourhand in the box to feelgooey items. The monstereyeballs and boogers wasdisgusting! There was alsoa haunted house, that wasnot very scary but they didhave a nice costume con-test. I won the 5th gradecontest and got a medal! Ihad so much fun at both!!

KGCC Family fun Fest

On October 25, 2014my church had a FamilyFun Festival. It was a greattime and a great turn out.We had a lot of deliciousfoods like hot dogs, soda,candy, nachos and more.Some of the activities thatwe had was horse backriding, plinko, ufo toss,gummy worm eating con-test, hula hoop contest

Zachariah WashingtonCedars Academy

and lots other.My Pastor and Co

Pastor and I got into anlittle competition on a lotof games like the dounuteating contest, the ufotoss, this fishing game andthe bouncy house. My Pas-tor who is much older thanme showed that he hadbetter skills than me. Westarted a game where tosee who has better skillsin the bouncy house . Istarted the game by jump-ing falling on my back andgetting back up withoutmy hands. My pastor wentnext and he fall and didntsucceed but the third timehe succeed and he didsomething better than Idid, he's so much fun toplay with..

After the festival meand my church family andwe bounred and wenthome.

Alon RodgersHendrickson H. S.

Hawks District Football

It is not comfortableterritory to report a loss indistrict competition for thefootball team but In Friday'sleague match, the visitingRound Rock Dragons footballsquad scored a big 49-7 vic-tory over the HendricksonHawks. Next for the Hawks isa match against Cedar Ridge.It is difficult but there is noreason why this team can notregain its dominance, makethe playoffs, and march intoa high ranking to completethe season.

The HendricksonHawks has finished 2nd placebehind newcomer LeanderRouse to qualify as a team to

the Region II Cross CountryChampionships on Novem-ber 1st in Grand Prairie Texas.Sophomore Daniel Viegrafinished 1st place overall andis the District Champion forDistrict 13-6A. Finsihing 4thwas Senior Jose Viegra and5th was Sophomore JustinBotello. Senior Brandon Ruizfinished 20th overall andMario Avila finished out thescoring in 34th place overall.Also running was Cale Floyd-Sophomore and JoshSchubert- Junior.

The girls team finished6th of out 8 teams withSophomore Gwyneth Garciafinishing 20th overall andFreshman Maya Martinezfinishing 23rd and FreshmanAlyssa Solis finishing 26th fol-lowed by Senior JocelynWhistler- 40th, Kinley Rush-ing- 47th and Angel Thai-48th.

Events:*Cross Country is at Old

Settlers Park to face McNeilSaturday *SAT Prep sessionwill be Saturday at 2 pm (pre-register) *Golf team is atHays Nov . 6 *Volleyball teamtravels to Rouse Nov. 7

De’Ja HillLamar Middle School

Hello readers,In my guitar class, our

teacher Mr. Marsden toldall of the students about awebsite that we can use tohelp us learn our musicnotes by sight. To join thesite would cost no morethan ten dollars per stu-dent, but he said the morestudents that joined the

sight the lower the pricewould be. Joining thesight is not mandatory,because it can help all ofthe students to improvethemselves, the site isrecommended. I read themusic notes pretty well soI have not signed up to thesight yet, but I will soon.

Friday, I had to go tothe dentist and to betruthful I was really ner-vous. The reason I wasnervous is that the lasttime I went to the dentistI had to get a filling be-cause I have a problemeating sweets. The den-tist had to numb my gumsby giving me a shot with aneedle, which was scary.This time I did not haveany cavities and I only hadto get sealants on my bot-tom teeth.

Until next time.

Dentist Visit

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/October 31, 2014 ~ Page 5

YOUTH BRIGADE

Whitney BrownS. F. Austin H. S.

Expectations

This past week wasgood overall. It gave me achance to realize my truestrengths and weaknesseswhen it comes to prioritiz-ing and not being a procras-tinator. The best part waswhen my professional com-munications teacher,Finney, helped me realizewhat my life story was andwhat my dreams consistedof. This past Friday I turnedin my Disney Dreamers Ap-plication for the DisneyDreamers Academy spon-sored by Steve Harvey and

Essence magazine. I wouldlove to be a Disney dreamerbecause the dreams I desireto make come true requireopen doors. I believe thedifferent opportunities Iset myself up for, includingthe Disney Dreamers Acad-emy, will help me openthose doors and succeed. Iam the type of person thatcan only see the best inpeople and I love to knowwhat others aspire to be. Ilove the idea of being morethan what is thought of you.

Everyone has expec-tations. Some are set byyour families, schools,friends, and even yourselfthough the best feeling iswhen you know what is ex-pected of you, high or low,and exceed that expecta-tion. I truly believe I have atrue chance to become aDisney Dreamer becausemy story is similar to oth-ers. The only difference isthat I will take my story,embrace it, learn by it, then

lead by it.

Touchdown

Hello readers,This week there was

not too much activity atschool so the only thing Iwill be talking about is foot-ball. The Reagan Raiders’team played the McCallumKnights’ team throughoutthe week. Although, I donot know the final score ofthe freshman or the varsitygames, I do know that the

Zyon HillReagan High School

junior varsity team lost theirbattle by a score of

31-6. the only touch-down that was made was byAdriean Been. The sadthing is I knew that it was agame that was lost long be-fore it was even played.Giving credit where creditis due, McCallum has a tre-mendous team.

I spent time with myoldest brother DatronPlummer, which was greatbecause I do not get to seehim as often as I would liketo. We talked about allkinds of things, but nothingat the same time. BecauseDatron is married withthree children, he stayspetty busy even after hegets off work, which is whyI was happy to spend somequality time with my bigbrother.

Until next time.

Aaron WilliamsKealing M.S.

Skills for Living

This week in my skillsfor living class, we are learn-ing how to take care of ababy. We are not taking careof a real baby, but a simu-lated one. The baby has a

small key hole in the backthat can make it cry or messup the diaper just like a realbaby. The baby cries in themiddle of the night when itis hungry or needs to haveits diaper changed. Thebaby has a little device thatwill let us know what wehave done to the baby.

Kealing football teamplayed an undefeated teamthis week and we won.Throughout the first threequarters, the score was tiedat 0-0, then in the fourthquarter scored the onlytouchdown of the entiregame. The final score was6-0, which made us cham-pions of our zone.

Until next time.

Imani DempsDel Valle High School

This week schoolwent good. I caught up withall my work and I'm not try-ing to fall behind again. I'velearned when you do ev-erything when you first get

it your not rushing to finishit last minute. GovernmentIs the hardest class that Ihave. The teacher expectsso much from us. At first Ithough it was because hedidn't like us. But I think he'sjust trying to prepare us forwhat's next College. I nowhen I get there it's goingto be a lot more work thenwhat I'm doing now. I justwish school should havebeen hard all my life be-cause I would be preparedfor what's coming my way.But nothing in like comeseasy so I have to do what Ihave to do to better myselfand be what I want to be.

Government Class

Honoring the Past

Rebecca RichardBowie High School

“If you don’t knowyour history, watch out--there ain’t gonna be no fu-ture!” These wise wordsfrom my grandmother arean excellent reminder ofthe important role historyplays in our daily lives.

Too often in my his-tory classes throughout theyears have I heard studentscomplain about why we arelearning about somethingthat happened in the past.However, one might arguethat few core classes aremore beneficial, not only tobetter understand ourpresent situation but also toensure our future success asa nation, in addition to re-inforcing cultural signifi-cance.

During the Stone Age,commonly associated withthe idea of a caveman, oralhistory was the most effi-cient way of maintainingeach tribe or group's indi-vidual history and passing iton from generation to gen-eration. Likewise, in the Af-rican-American culture, we

celebrate our history bycontinuing to sing thehymns that sustained andguided our ancestors asthey sought liberation fromslavery.

In both of those cases,a knowledge of history pro-vides a context for the ad-vantages of the present.The life we live now, acrossall cultures, is built on theachievements of those thatcame before us; what wehave now- politically, so-cially, and culturally, is builton the foundation laid bythose who lived before us.

The idioms “historyrepeats itself” and “there isnothing new under the sun”are essential to keep inmind when making sense ofthe past and applying it toour present and future. Forexample, rememberingthat humanity has had thesame struggles since thedawn of time like navigat-ing the perils and rewardsgreed, love, betrayal, andjoy provides a certain per-spective and sense ofcomfort that only comesfrom an appreciation ofthe past.

Thanksgiving is rightaround the corner, and ifyour grandparents or otherolder relatives are visiting,instead of tuning out oncethe conversation turns tothe "good old days," I en-courage you to listen andlearn from them- you mightbe surprised at exactly howlittle humanity haschanged. One love.

Growth in Cedar Park

Cedar Park i s justnorth of Aust in and i sone of the fastest grow-ing c i t ies in the U.S .Many people are movinghere for the fami ly -friendly neighborhoodsand good school district.You can rea l ly see thegrowth in all of the newconstructions and roadexpansions.

1431 is a major roadin Cedar Park that runseast-west between 183and I-35. A lot of restau-rants and shopping cen-ters are located a long1431. Wal-Mart, Costco,

Kiara MyersVista Ridge High School

Chipot le, and BJ ’s , areamong the new addi -tions to the area. 1890Ranch is among one ofmost popular shoppingcenters and holdsCinemark Cedar Park,Mighty- Fine, Chick fil A,Target, Academy, andmany other stores. It is ex-iting to see all of the newadditions because I neverhave to worry about whereI’m going to eat.

W ith the growth inCedar Park, traffic has in-creased as well. At theintersection of 1431 andParmer there i s con-struction that is expand-ing lanes in all four di-rections. Events at theCedar Park center such asconcerts , hockey, andbasketbal l games a lsoattract many peoplefrom around the Austinarea. Cedar Park is prettymuch surrounded byother cities making geo-graphical expansion dif-f i cu l t , but with in c i tylimits everything else isbooming!

Trenton LearyHornsby Dunlap Elem.

39-0

On Saturday October25, 2014 Capital City Bearcatscame home with another vic-tory. Capital City BearcatsJunior team is still unde-

feated. Saturday we de-feated SAO Blue 39-0. Thiswas a very good game and itwas also SAO's homecoming.This football season is wind-ing down, but it feels goodto still be undefeated . I amhoping that we can keep thewinning streak up and wemake it to bowl game. OnSunday October 26, 2014 ourBearcat cheer had a compe-tition at the Tony Burger Cen-ter. I want to congratulatethem on their hard work.

Until next time be bless

and have a safe week!

Over 500 of my peersmade Honor Roll for thefirst six weeks at O. HenryMiddle School. There areabout 950 students at O.Henry. So that means overhalf of the studentsearned A's and B's. Butwhat about the 400 plusstudents who did notmake Honor Roll? W i llthese numbers change forthe second six weeks? Ithink there will be fewerstudents making the

Averill ToppsPease Elementary

Honor RollHonor Roll because theclass work is predicted toget harder. I would guessthe percentage would beabout 2% less studentsmaking the list of Honorstudents due to the classwork being more challeng-ing and grades could beimpacted by fewer days inschool/class with the up-coming Thanksgiving Holi-days, and girls basketballand boys soccer tryouts.

Most of my friends,including myself, clearlyunderstand that learning isa priority and that educa-tion can open up all kindsof doors for the future. Iguess we all have to be upfor the challenges that layahead with the under-standing that sometimesyou can be in and that 'sgreat, but sometimes youcan be out and to make itback in, well that's theHonor! Go Mustang's

Central Texas Studentsin 55 Elementary

Schools to be OfferedFree Flu Vaccines

Students in five Central Texas school districts(Hays CISD, Manor ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Taylor ISD and12 Austin ISD schools) will be offered influenza vac-cines this fall at no cost to school districts or familiesto help the most vulnerable members of our commu-nity remain healthy this fall.

Almost half of all student absences in our regionis due to acute illness. There is a direct correlation be-tween high student absence rates and county reportedflu outbreaks in Central Texas. E3 Alliance in partner-ship with Healthy Schools LLC and Schoolhouse Pediat-rics is launching the largest on-site school flu immuni-zation campaign ever in the State of Texas. The cam-paign will take place November 3-7, and will offer freevaccines to ALL students in 55 elementary schools in 4school districts and 12 pilot schools in Austin ISD inCentral Texas. The campaign aims to have an impacton student and family health and absenteeism in ourregion.

On Wed. Oct. 29, football greats Vince Young andTony Boselli joinedTexas Sen. Kirk Watson andPflugerville ISD Superintendent Dr. Alex Torrez, SchoolsLLC and Schoolhouse Pediatrics to kick-off the largestflu immunization effort in Texas, which will occur in the55 schools during the week of November 3–7, 2014.

The goal of the campaign is to ensure immunityfor our community during the upcoming flu season dur-ing a time of heightened concern about contacting po-tentially deadly viruses. For more information on theCentral Texas Flu Immunization Campaign pleaseemail: Susan Dawson at sdawson@e3alliance.org.

Sponsors for the immunization campaign includeAISD, Central Health, Children’s Optimal Health, theDivision of Diversity and Community Engagement atThe University of Texas at Austin, E3Alliance, HaysConsolidated ISD, Healthy Schools LLC, Manor ISD,Pflugerville ISD, St. David’s Foundation, SchoolhousePediatrics, Seton Healthcare Family, Superior HealthPlan, Taylor ISD and Texas Department of StateHealth Services.

4th Annual Childrenin Natures Workshop

WHAT: 4th AnnualChildren In Nature Work-shop

WHEN: Saturday, No-vember 8th, 2014 10am-2pm

WHERE: GeorgeWashington Carver Mu-seum,1165 AngelinaStreet, Austin, TX 78702

WHO: Children of allages.

WHY: The purpose ofthis series is to exploreand appreciate nature withchildren of all ages. BeyAcupuncture seeks toshare the sincerity of na-ture with the community atlarge, promote a healthylifestyle, and creative ex-pression.

For More InformationCall 484.354.1734

Page 6 ~ October 31, 2014/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

CITY ~ STATE ~ NATIONAL ~ WORLD

Burkina Faso is aland-locked country inWest Africa. It is borderedby the south by the na-tions of Togo, Ghana,Cote-D'Ivoire, and Benin;to the east by Niger; andto the north-west by Mali.Its population stands ap-proximately at 16,900,000million inhabitants. Thepeople of Burkina Faso areboth religiously and ethni-cally diverse who havemanaged to keep the

Henson LeadingEfforts In

Williamson Countyby Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

In the past, Williamson County would have beencounted as an easy gain for the Republican Party.However, the Williamson County Democrats are try-ing to "rewrite" the narrative by challenging this no-tion of political analyst. Williamson County Demo-crats have "slated" all the candidates up and downthe tickets, including Diane Henson for the 3rd Courtof Appeals.

Diane Henson is the sole Democrat running inthe Democrat primaries to replace Chief JudgeWoddie Jones. Moreover, Diane Henson is one ofthe most experienced candidates for this position dueto the fact that she served on that Court from 2006 -2012. As a judge on the Third Court of Appeals, “Jus-tice Henson served on three-judge panels that madedecisions on more than 2,000 cases and authoredmore than 700 opinions.” During her time in privatepractice, she worked on numerous appellate mattersand argued cases before different Courts such as theIntermediate Appellate Courts, the Texas SupremeCourt, and the Federal Courts of Appeals.

Since the Democrats ticket is running a "strongground campaign in Williamson County," then Diane

Henson has an opportunity to win. For instance, the Bucy Campaign is running for the Texas House, hasknocked on over 60,000 doors and made over 15,000 phone calls. According to political analyst, "DianeHenson is going to win the 3rd Court of Appeals, and then there must be a very strong voter turnout inWilliamson County. Moreover, the Bucy Campaign for Texas House District 136 will provide the surge neededto get Diane Henson over the top. In addition, candidates like Nick Lealos who is running for Justice ofPeace Precinct 1 has hired a field team who have been knocking on many doors.

John Bucy, Diane Henson and Chris Osborn. Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

GigiEdwardsBryant

by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon

Gigi Edwards Bryantis a candidate for AustinCommunity College Dis-

trict, Place 2. GigiEdwards Bryant who isrunning for a Board posi-tion, actually attendedAustin Community Collegewhile seeking a collegedegree. Bryant stated anddescribed herself, "I am afifth generation CentralTexan, who started inBastrop County and mi-grated throughout CentralTexas into Austin, where Iwas born. My deep-rooted

desire to serve the com-munity reflects National,State, and CommunityBoards through member-ships, committees and ap-pointments."

Furthermore, Gigi Ed-ward Bryant is running foroffice on certain issuesthat would better the com-munity. For instance,some of the issues thatshe is running on are suchas to have access to edu-

cation within communi-ties; to create a local sus-tainable workforce, and tokeep education affordable

and accessible. In addi-tion, Bryant believes that,“the Austin CommunityCollege's model and local

staff were integral keys tohim becoming a part of theworkforce and being ableto afford to stay close tohome."

Also, Gigi EdwardBryant has been en-dorsed by numerousgroups and organiza-tions, including the Aus-tin Villager Newspaper.In addition Bryant hasbeen active in the com-munity; she has servedon organizations such asthe Austin CommunityCollege FoundationBoard, Selection Commit-tee, Austin CommunityFoundation, Governor,American Association ofUniversity Women, Aus-tin Police DepartmentBlue Santa and theDouglass Club of Austin,Education CommitteeChair.

Gigi E

dwards B

ryant

Burkinabe’s Diaspora inCentral Texas Observe theUnrest Back Home

country united.In the past years,

Burkina Faso has emergedas peace makers. How-ever, in the past weeks,the nation of Burkina hasseen some major civil un-rest. The civil un-restcomes from the fact thatsome people do not wantthe current president tochange or to modify theconstitution in order to runfor a third term of office.Some acts of civil disobe-

dience in the streets havebeen noted by blocking thestreets and stoppingschools from being held.

In Central Texas, theBurkinabe Diaspora is anx-iously looking at theevents that are un-foldingin their native land. ManyBurkinabes are hoping fora peaceful resolution ofthis political issue. In Cen-tral Texas, the BurkinabeDiaspora has grown due tothe good economy.

Hey District 3,I’ve got your back!

GALINDO / DAWSON• Improve public safety and

pedestrian walkways on high-traffic streets such as South First• Add traffic calming in neighborhoods to prevent cut-through traffic• Support designation of South Austin Park as protected parkland• Help homeowners navigate proposed city buyouts along Williamson Creek

CESAR CHAVEZ / HOLLY• Prevent displacement of long-term and fi xedincome residents• Ensure the Holly Shores Plan

meets the expectations of theneighborhoods

• Improve street lighting andpolice presence in the newenterainment district andsurrounding neighborhoods

visit us at josevalera.com

A FRESH VOICEFOR A NEW ERA

Though I’m new to politics, I’m not new toDistrict 3 — my family has been here for fivegenerations. So I understand and care person-ally about the issues that are important to thisdistrict — such as housing affordability, trans-portation, public safety, and the environment,to name a few.

As the owner of Tamale House East, I un-derstand the needs and concerns of small busi-ness owners and service workers in Austin. As aWest Point graduate and Iraq War veteran, I knowhow to build coalitions and lead diverse teamsthrough difficult situations. And as a UT Lawgraduate and practicing attorney, I know how toget to the heart of tricky issues and find mutu-ally beneficial solutions. Join me as we build abright future for Austin.

Pol. adv. paid for by Jose Valera Campaign. Edna Parra, Treasurer. Thiscampaign has not agreed to comply with the contribution and

expenditure limits of the Austin Fair Campaign Chapter.

MONTOPOLIS / RIVERSIDE• Prevent the loss of affordable housing• Ensure that community members

have meaningful input on howMontopolis Recreation Centerbond money is spent

Vote Valera!

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/October 31, 2014 ~ Page 7

CLASSIFIEDS ~ PUBLIC INFORMATION

City of AustinPurchasing Office

EMPLOYMENT / PROPOSALSPUBLIC

INFORMATIONFOR SALE / FOR RENT / BIDS

MISCELLANEOUSWe want

YOU!AdvertiseWith The

VILLAGER

Apply at HRMiddle Fiskville Rd.

6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512 223-5621hhtp://www./austincc.ed

EEOC/AA/M/F/D/V

The City of Austin Purchasing Office invitesyou to view current bid solicitations at https://www.c i . au s t i n . t x . u s / f i nanceon l ine /vendor_connection/solicitation/solicitations.cfm.Vendors are encouraged to register on-line in theCity’s Vendor Self Service System. Once yourcompany is registered, you will receive notifica-tions about new bid opportunities. For addi-tional information regarding current bid opportu-nities or Vendor Registration, please call the Pur-chasing Office at 512-974-2500.

For information on the City of Austin’s Mi-nority Owned and Women-Owned ProcurementProgram and the certification process, pleasecontact the Small & Minority Business ResourcesDepartment at 512-974-7600 or visit their websiteat http://www.austintexas.gov/smbr.

City of Austin Featured Job Opportunities

The City of Austin is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

 

Please visit the City of Austin employment website atwww.austincityjobs.org to view requirements andapply for these and other job opportunities. Weencourage you to check the employment websiteoften as new job opportunities are posted daily.If you have any questions or need assistance,

please call 512-974-3210 or email us atemployment.services@austintexas.gov.NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE OF APPLICANTS FOR

APPOINTMENTTO THE TRAVIS APPRAISAL REVIEW BOARD (TARB)

Applications are now being accepted for appointment to the Travis Appraisal Review Board (TARB).TARB is an organization of about thirty citizens charged with hearing and resolving disputes overappraisal matters based on evidence presented by both the taxpayer and the Travis Central AppraisalDistrict (TCAD). TARB members are appointed by the Travis County Local Administrative Judge andserve two year terms.

Full-time positions are available in calendar year 2015 during the months of June through Augustwhen taxpayer appeals are heard. TARB members are not scheduled to work every day but must beavailable to serve when needed. During the rest of the year, the TARB meets approximately once a month.TARB members are paid on an hourly basis, (1st term: $17.50/hr.; 1st term, 2nd year $18.50/hr.; 2nd term:$20.50/hr.; 3rd term: $22.50/hr & Chair: $25.00/hr) Also paid training sessions for TARB members arescheduled throughout the year.

Minimum Requirements: To be eligible for appointment an applicant must be a resident of TravisCounty and have resided in Travis County for at least two years.

Preferred Skills and Abilities: Patient, impartial, and fair. Ability to follow the law as instructed. Awillingness to work late (after 5 p.m.) during the summer months (June, July and August 2015).Strong verbal skills, calm demeanor and the ability to exercise tact in trying situations. Excellentattendance is critical.

Ineligible Applicants: Individuals who fall into any of the following categories are not eligible forappointment to the Travis Appraisal Review Board (TARB):

· If you are currently employed by the State Comptroller of Public Accounts, or are a memberof a governing body, an officer, or a full or part-time employee of a county, city, school district,community college district, MUD, or any other entity supported by local property taxes. Formergoverning body members, or officers of a taxing unit served by TCAD are ineligible for four full yearsfrom the date they ceased to serve in that capacity.

· Persons who own an interest in property on which delinquent taxes are due, regardless ofwhere in Texas that property may be located, unless the tax is deferred or being paid under aninstallment agreement.

· Anyone who personally, or whose spouse personally, has a contract with a local governmentor an appraisal district. The same restriction applies if the person, or his or her spouse, owns a 10%or greater interested in a business that contracts with a local government or taxing unit.

· Persons who at any time have appeared before the TARB for compensation as a tax consultant,accountant, appraiser, or representative of a property owner.

· Persons who have ever been employed by Texas Central Appraisal District (TCAD) or haveever served as a member of Travis Appraisal Review Board (TCAB’s) board of directors.

· Persons who are related within the third degree by consanguinity or within the seconddegree by affinity, as determined by Chapter 573, Government Code to a member of TCAD’s board ofdirectors.

· Persons who are related within the second degree by consanguinity or affinity, as determinedby Chapter 573, Government Code, to an individual who is engaged in the business of appraisingproperty for compensation for use in proceedings under the Texas Property Tax Code (TPTC) or ofrepresenting property owners for compensation in proceedings under the TPTC in Travis County.

· Persons who have served for all or part of three (3) consecutive terms as a member of theTARB are ineligible to serve during a term that begins on January 1, 2015.

· Also, individuals are not considered if they are presently under indictment or have previouslybeen convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude..Application forms may be downloaded from www.traviscad.org or are available by contacting Mr.Henry Johnson at (512) 834-9317 ext. 582 at Travis Central Appraisal District located at 8314 CrossPark Drive, P.O. Box 149012, Austin, Texas 78714-9012. Fax number 512-835-5371. Email questions toMr. Johnson at: taxpayerliaison@tcadcentral.org.

Applications will be accepted through Friday, November 7, 2014. Applicants selected as finalists willbe scheduled for interviews in November or early December 2014.

Austin Travis County IntegralCare is currently solicitingproposals through a Request forProposals (RFP) process forLocum Tenens and PermanentPlacement Services for PsychiatricPrescribers. RFPs may be mailed orsent electronically, by contactingBrody Ballard atbrody.ballard@atcic.org or (512)440-4022 beginning October 27,2014. The deadline to submit aproposal under the RFP is 4 p.m.on November 24, 2014. HistoricallyUnderutilized Businesses, includingMinority-Owned Businesses andWomen-Owned Businesses, areencouraged to apply.

New Jobs for theWeek of 10/26/2014

Coordinator, Clinical Lab-NursingEastview CampusMonday-Friday,

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.$3,499-$4,374/Monthly

Job# 1410027Coordinator, Evening/Weekend

Operations-PT-(50%)Riverside Campus

20 hours per week as assignedduring the following hours: Friday,

5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.; Saturday,8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.; Sunday,

12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.$1,587-$1,984/Monthly

Job# 1408034District Police, Dispatcher

Service CenterHours are as assigned

$2,369-$2,961/MonthlyJob# 1410012

LocksmithService Center

Monday-Friday,8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

$2,611-$3,264/MonthlyJob# 1410024

Specialist, Business AssessmentHighland CampusMonday-Friday,

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. some evenings and weekends

$2,487-$3,109/MonthlyJob# 1410033

Specialist, Early College StartHighland CampusMonday-Friday,

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., some evenings and weekends

$3,023-$3,779/MonthlyJob# 1410017

Specialist, Marketing Graphic DesignHighland Business Center

Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

$2,879-$3,599/MonthlyJob# 1410019

Specialist, Student LifeRound Rock Campus

Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

$2,611-$3,264/MonthlyJob# 1312014

Technician, AccountingService Center

Monday-Friday,8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

$2,487-$3,109/MonthlyJob# 1410011

Technician, Senior ComputerLab Support

Eastview CampusMonday-Friday,

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.$3,023-$3,779/Monthly

Job# 1410016Technician, Science Lab

Highland CampusMonday-Friday,

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.$2,879-$3,599/Monthly

Job# 1410032

The City of Austin is currently seekingqualified applicants for the followingpositions:• Park Ranger I (2 Openings)• Animal Health Technician• Public Information & Marketing CorporateManager• Building & Grounds Lead• Administrative Assistant• Dispatcher Technician- Temporary• Building & Grounds• Drainage Ops & Maint III• Traffic Signal Technician• Engineer A• Administrative Specialist

NOTICE TO CREDITORSNOTICE is hereby given that original Letters of De-

pendent Administration with Will Annexed for the Estateof LaJuander Gale Smith, Deceased, were granted onJuly 24, 2014, in Cause No. C-1-PB-14-000814, pend-ing in Probate Court No. 1 of Travis County, Texas, to:Clint Alexander.

Notices to the Department Administrator with WillAnnexed may be delivered to the following address:

c/o Barnes Lipscomb Stewart & Ott PLLCAttorneys at Law

2901 Bee Caves Road, Box DAustin, Texas 78746

All persons having claims against this Estate which iscurrently being administered are required to present themwithin the time and in the manner prescribed by law.

Dated the 21st day of October, 2014.

CITATION BY PUBLICATION

While Austin hostedits well-attended TexasBook Festival this pastweekend, miles down theroad there was the NationalBlack Book Festival, held atFallbrook Church at 12512Walters Road in Houston,Texas. In its 7th year, the fes-tival drew about 1,000 at-tendees, according to GwenRichardson, festival co-founder. Richardson is alsonational coordinator of thefestival, which is dedicatedto giving African Americanauthors exposure and dis-pensing information to helpwriters and emerging au-thors to develop the rightset of strategies related toself-publishing, writing cer-tain genres, getting book

NationalBlack Book

Festival

By Shirley A. Hammondfollow her on twitter at

twitter.com/xtremeridewish1

club attention, etc.She stated that they

changed from their formerdowntown location be-cause the church has anample parking area, a spa-cious gynmasium andplenty of adjacent class-rooms. This enabled themto offer the parking and ad-mission for free; whereasboth cost at the formerdowntown hotel venue.

In addition to 10 fea-tured high profile authorswho already had extensivereadership; there was 80author vendors trying to viefor attention and sales oftheir books. Richardsonsaid most author vendorswere self-published.

Amongst the featured

authors was actor/authorEriq LaSalle, who leans to-ward writing mystery thrill-ers. His latest titles are“Laws of Wrath,” and “Lawsof Depravity.”

Two noteworthy de-velopments that Richardsonwished to highlight wasthat authors Victoria Chris-topher Murray andReShonda Tate Billingsley(authors who attended thefestival in 2013 and 2014with plans to return in 2015),have launched a new pub-lishing company titledBrown Girls Books. She saidthey facilitated a sessionwith some of their con-tracted authors in atten-dance, and that many at thefestival elected to attend

their session. Richardsonalso reported that a newcoalition was formed byfive published female au-thors called Children Au-

thors of Color.The National Black

Book Festival lasted fromThursday, October 23 throughSaturday, October 25.

Page 8 ~ October 31, 2014/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com

Sara Harper’s long-time husband.

Raised in Cleveland,Harper graduated fromJohn Adams High School inCleveland and went on toearn a bachelor’s degreein elementary educationfrom CSU, where she wasthe editor of the studentnewspaper. She was theyoungest of five femalesiblings, two of them de-ceased.

Harper was a majorvoice in Cleveland’s Afri-can American communitysince the early 1960s.That’s when she began

Harper was a major voice in Cleveland’s AfricanAmerican community since the early 1960s continued from page 1

writing for the paper andeventually became theeditor under the late Calland Post publisher W.O.Walker. She also hosted atalk show on WJMO, a lo-cal radio station.

She was a former el-ementary school teacher forthe Cleveland MunicipalSchool District and laterworked in the national box-ing arena as vice presidentfor Don King Productions, aboxing promotion companyowned and operated by in-ternational boxing promoterDon King. She worked for theCuyahoga County Board ofElections before rejoiningthe Call and Post in 1998when King became pub-lisher.

Harper, as editor, andKing, as publisher, werethe first of the more the215 African-Americannewspapers of the Na-tional Newspaper Publish-ers Association (NNPA) toendorse now PresidentBarack Obama, America’sfirst Black president.

Harper was astaunch advocate of civiland human rights andknew most of the NNPApublishers, some of themof whom are millionaires.

She was at one time anofficer of the Black influ-ential media organization,which has championedObama and visited thepresident and First LadyMichelle Obama at theWhite House per Obama’sspecial invitation.

Harper was a mem-ber of the Old Black Politi-cal Guard and was amongthose that help elect thelate Carl B. Stokes asmayor of Cleveland in1967, the first Black mayorof a major American city.She grew up on Cleveland’slargely Black east sidenear King and the Stokesbrothers, Louis Stokes ofwhom ultimately becamethe first Black congress-man from Ohio, a post nowheld by 11th Congres-sional District Congress-woman Marcia L. Fudge.

The Civil Rights pio-neer, who was a moderateRepublican with bi-parti-san values, published Calland Post articles conse-quential to the Black com-munity, including on po-lice brutality, racial dis-crimination, education,Black empowerment, andthe election of Obama aspresident in 2008, and his

reelection in 2012. She re-ceived numerous awardsand commendations andin 2010 accepted the Tho-mas Morgan III Award forAIDS/HIV awareness fromthe Atlanta based Centerfor Disease Control andthe California-based BlackAIDS Institute for the Calland Post, Ohio’s oldest andmost prominent BlackNewspaper with distribu-tions in Cleveland, Colum-bus and Cincinnati.

Harper was honoredby the Cleveland Chapter of100 Black Men earlier thismonth and was scheduledto attend a Nov. 7 gala bythe Cleveland Press Club tobe inducted into the Cleve-land Journalism Hall ofFame with four others, in-cluding former ClevelandFox 8 News anchor WilmaSmith, and 19 Action NewsReporter Paul Orlousky.

Harper was a friendof the Rev Al Sharpton, andknew the Rev Jesse Jack-son Sr., both of whom areprominent Civil Rights ac-tivists. She was also anactive member of Olivet In-stitutional Baptist Churchin Cleveland, and was amember of Delta SigmaTheta Sorority Inc.

“Harper was a member of the Old Black Political Guard and wasamong those that help elect the late Carl B. Stokes as mayor of

Cleveland in 1967, the first Black mayor of a major American city”

Constance “Connie” Harper

COLLECTED PRÉCIS

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/October 31, 2014 ~ Page 9

PROGRAMS ~ AWARENESSTexas Publishers Association’s statewide elections endorsements

On Nov. 4 Texans will cast their votes for the nextgovernor of the state. With only one week remainingto decide, the two leading candidates Wendy Davis andGreg Abbott are stomping the campaign trail to garneras much support as possible. We at the Texas PublishersAssociation (TPA) are here to join in that support withour endorsement of Davis whom we feel is not onlythe right choice for our state but the only candidatewho if elected will use the full weight of the governor’soffice to fight for all Texans and roll back the assaultson our educational system, women’s rights and voter’srights that we have endured the past 14 years underGov. Rick Perry.

It is an irrefutable fact those who seek to disen-franchise and abrogate our liberties and attainments,our political victories and strides are well-organized andsteadfast. Bearing this in mind, it is our duty to be notonly just as coordinated in our efforts but to also beproactive. When candidates come campaigning for ourvotes we must be collectively ready to present themwith a platform that best benefits our community. Inthe words of Frederick Douglass, power concedes noth-ing without demand. The Texas Publishers Associationhas made it clear we will not be endorsing any candi-date in the upcoming statewide elections that did notattend our candidate screening.

For the office of lieutenant governor, TPA endorsesLeticia Van de Putte. Unlike her tea party opponent DanPatrick, Van de Putte is committed to ensuring all chil-dren regardless of their economic status or ZIP code inthe state of Texas receive a quality education and thefunding and resources are available to realize this. Aslieutenant governor she pledges to:

By NICOLE JAMES SCOTT

- Restore funding for full-day learning for pre-Kstudents as opposed to 3 hours a day.

- Limit the class size for children grades K-4.- Invest the necessary funding in Texas’ public

schools, restoring the 2011 Legislature cuts.- Remove the standardized testing pay based on

performance system allowing teachers to utilize theircreativity and skills to teach.

- Allow for more involvement of parents and com-munity members in control of their neighborhoodschools.

Sen. Patrick’s record has already proven he is notconcerned with educating children in our public educa-tion school system. In 2011 he was among those whovoted to cut $5.4 billion in public education funds andeven opposed the use of the state’s Rainy Day Fund tooffset cuts. In 2013 when he had the opportunity torestore the cuts not only did he vote against it but com-posed legislation to limit state appropriations and re-quire any future state surplus funds to go toward prop-erty tax relief instead of education. In addition he pro-posed exempting certain residences from propertytaxes, reducing public education revenue and filed“mandate relief” legislation making it easier to lay offemployees, reduce teachers’ salaries and higher fewerteachers by increasing class sizes.

For the state comptroller’s office TPA endorsesMike Collier who if elected will be the first CPA in his-tory to hold the state’s top accountant position. At thetop of his agenda is to make property taxes fair for allhomeowners. Since 1997 the property tax appraisal lawhas unfairly allowed for large companies to drive downthe market value of their properties causinghomeowners to foot the bill. In 2013 SB 1342 was pre-sented to correct this flaw; however Collier’s opponent

Sen. Glen Hegar along with his powerful campaign con-tributing group of lawyers and tax consultants stalledthe legislation killing it upon arrival to the Senate.

TPA endorses Steve Brown for Texas railroad com-missioner who is the only African American running forstatewide office. Until now the railroad commissionerhas always come from the ranks of the oil and gas in-dustry, including Brown’s opponent Ryan Sitton whoboasts of his fifteen years of experience in the oil andgas and petrochemical industry. But what to him seemslike a selling point is in fact to us concern for pause. Assomeone so intricately involved with the oil and gasindustry it is foreseeable the Railroad Commission willbe nothing more than an extension of the oil and gaslobby. As an outsider of the industry Brown representsa breath of fresh air, someone who can bring forth anew and unbiased commission that will put the needsof the citizens before the industry. He has alreadypledged to protect the interests of all Texans as well asthe environment.

For attorney general TPA endorses Sam Houston, aHouston-based attorney that has been practicing civil lawat the state and federal level for 26 years. When electedto attorney general he has vowed to immediately over-turn the AG ruling that currently prevents Texans from learn-ing if hazardous chemicals are stored near them. Up untilJune of this year Texans had the right to know if hazard-ous materials were being stored near them. But Republi-can Attorney General Greg Abbott ruled that to releasesuch information jeopardized homeland-securitylaws.Houston has shown himself to be a gentleman withintegrity and an evenhanded temperament, unlike his con-tender Sen. Ken Paxton who has a swirl of ethical issuessurrounding him including being fined by the State Securi-ties Board. Paxton alleges to be in favor of transparency.

(AUSTIN, Texas) — Prospective students and their parents are invited to discover Huston-Tillotson University during HT Preview Day that will include the added NASA Space Science Day(NSSD). HT Preview Day will be held Saturday, Nov. 8, beginning at 7:30 a.m. NSSD will run Friday,Nov. 7 through Saturday, Nov. 8 for educators, middle school students and their parents.

HT Preview Day provides an opportunity for prospective students to sample the college expe-rience, tour the campus, meet faculty and staff, obtain information about majors, and receivescholarship and financial aid information.

Prospective Students Invited to Huston-Tillotson Preview Day and NASA Space Science Day

www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/October 31, 2014 ~ Page 10

Theme: Knowledge, Wisdom, Money and Life.Come Join Us!!! We will have: Financial Workshops, DoorPrizes and more. Continental Breakfast and Lunch willbe provided FREE. Please register online atwww.eventbrite.com and enter 4th Annual Financial Fit-ness Seminar to be eligible for door prizes, workshopsand meals. For More Information, contact NABA Presi-dent Sheri Marshall at 512-461-8510 or Roger Davis,event Chair at 512-366-0483. The National Associationof Black Accountants is the premier professional orga-nization representing the interest of over 100,000 Afri-can Americans in the fields of Accounting, Auditing,Business, Consulting, Finance and Information Technol-ogy and Entrepreneurs. Our mission is to assist stu-dents aspiring to enter into these professions and wecan not do that without you, your membership is im-portant to us. We have an overwhelming amount ofstudents that have enrolled in the three of our chap-ters Huston-Tillotson University, Texas State Universityand The University of Texas at Austin.

THE COURIERNABA Austin Cen-Tex ChapterPresents 4th Annual Financial

Fitness SeminarSaturday, November 8th ~ 8am to 3:30pm

ACC Eastview Campus, Bldg 85003401 Webberville Road

Austin, TX 78702

May 11-16 2015 For the Sesquicentennial Anniver-sary of the Battle of Palmito Hill. WANTED: SIXTYREENACTORS: Officers & Enlisted (17 years old & up noexperience necessary). For the Formation of the 62nd

United States Colored Infantry Regiment Contact us formore information: The Living History Foundation 512 578-6267 or email Allen_Mack909@yahoo.com.

Money for College Athletes

By Omar TyreeNNPA Columnist

The issue of grantinga stipend for the market-ing, enrollment, game at-tendance, sales of schoolparaphernalia and othermonetary gains that popu-lar student athletes pro-vide at hundreds of Ameri-can colleges and universi-ties is in the national newsagain—this time becauseof a recent suspension forillegal profits of GeorgiaBulldogs running back andearly Heisman Trophy can-didate, Todd Gurley II.

Gurley, a junior, wasreportedly paid $400 by anautograph dealer for sign-ing a few hundred schoolitems during the springoffseason that are nowbeing sold on eBay. It’s aviolation of NCAA amateurrules that do not allowscholarship athletes toaccept or seek payment orgifts for their autographs,appearances or popularity.Gurley was suspended in-definitely from the Univer-sity of Georgia, which didnot have a choice underNCAA rules.

Once reports sur-faced that Gurley was sus-pected of NCAA violations,the school could havebeen forced to forfeit theirSaturday game against theMissouri T igers, alongwith paying other NCAAfines and penalties. SoUGA Director of Athletics,Greg McGarity moved toshut Gurley down the ath-

Todd Gurley II

lete immediately even asschool officials and attor-neys continued to uncoverthe details of the case.

This couldn’t havecome at a worse time forGurley.

I had just read a greatarticle about Gurley. A re-porter wrote all about hishumble upbringing with asingle mother in Balti-more, who moved Gurleyand his older siblings toRocky Mount, N.C. andlater to Tarboro, N.C. fora more affordable livingand a simpler life “out inthe country.” Gurley didn’teven have access to cableTV. It wasn’t in his mother’sfamily budget.

So this kid learned towork hard for everything.All he had was the love ofhis family, friends and foot-

ball. His excellence as ahigh school athlete thenpaved the way for a grandopportunity to attend theUniversity of Georgia, oneof the premiere footballschools of the south.

But once Gurley ar-rived there as a celebratedfreshman, and had imme-diate success on the field,just imagine the differ-ence this kid felt whenhundreds of thousands offans showed up to cheerand celebrate him eachweek, while millions morewatched on TV, boughtthousands of his team jer-seys, and began to ask himfor his autograph every-where we went. Only,Gurley could not make adime off of anything, and hehad to be very careful aboutthe wrong person invitinghim out to a movie with but-tered popcorn and a Pepsi.

Sure, I’ve heard allabout the “free rides” offull scholarships that stu-dent athletes receive—now worth $30,000 –$80,000 a year. But I’vealso been there at the Uni-versity of Pittsburgh in myfreshman year of 1987,and those so-called “freerides” are earned, becausethese schools will workathletics to death in orderto win. So good luck withchoosing a major that’sactually worth $30,000 –$80,000. Most athletesdon’t have the time for it,

and many coaches will tellthem so—especially infootball and basketball.Nor were these kids invitedto school to focus on amajor. They are recruitedto play sports, while mas-querading as students.That’s the hardcore realityhere.

But every time theconversation to pay thempops up, we are remindedof a million complications.Would these paymentsdestroy the real reason forattending school? Howmuch do we pay athletes?Do we pay them in allsports or only the selectedfew? Would the paymentmodel be fair to womenathletes and Title IX rulesof gender equality, know-ing that most women’ssports cost more annuallythan they earn?

These are the manyquestions of executionand fairness that pop up.It’s all an insane argumentthat will need to be dealtwith sooner rather thanlater. The NCAA will haveto find a better way tomake it all work—in fair-ness.