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Live Rock Hall induction ceremony in Cleveland cancelled, inductees Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G. among the 2020 Rock Hall class of inductees as the live ceremony previously set for Cleveland will be substituted with an HBO Rock Hall special

13 July 2020

Kathy

Pictured are the late Whitney Houston and the late The Notorious B.I.G., both among the 2020 Rock Hall Class of inductees

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

CLEVELAND, Ohio-As the second spike in coronavirus pandemic confirmed cases and deaths ravages the nation many spring events, including concert tours, were pushed back to late summer and fall and now the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced that its live induction ceremony originally scheduled for May 2 at Cleveland Public Auditorium and then re-scheduled to Nov. 7, will not take place live at all.

Instead, it will air a special on HBO honoring this year’s class of inductees, namely Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., T. Rex, and artist managers Jon Landau and Irving Azoff.

The special will air on the date the live event was re-scheduled for, Nov 7 and the exhibit at the Rock Hall devoted to this year’s class will open on Aug 14. at the Rock Hall museum in downtown Cleveland.

The 2021 inductions, the 36th annual event, will move to the fall and will take place in Cleveland next year, absent another coronavirus scare that precludes mass gatherings of more than 10 people.

Though the Rock Hall museum is located in Cleveland the induction ceremonies were held in New York City, this year's now cancelled live event, had it gone forward, marked a change in location from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to Public Auditorium in Cleveland.

The late R&B singer Whitney Houston, one of the best selling record artist of all time with estimated sales of 200 million records worldwide, is the only Black woman among this year's inductees and is likely the most famous of members of the 2020 Rock Hall class.

The late rapper, songwriter and music producer The Notorious. B.I.G. is the only Black male solo artist among the inductees this year.

Houston died in 2012 in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room of what was later determined a drowning precipitated by coronary artery disease and cocaine intoxication.

She was 48-years-old at the time of her death.

Born Chris George Wallace, The Notorious B.I.G., considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, was a young 24-years-old when he was gunned down in Los Angeles via a drive by shooting in March of 1997.

Last Updated on Monday, 13 July 2020 23:13

Ninety-two percent of Blacks back Biden for president but young Blacks aren't all so sure, some of them activists who want Biden to join them in their mission to defund police and to seek to eradicate racism nationwide-By editor Kathy Wray Coleman

12 July 2020

Kathy

Pictured is former vice president Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president of the United States

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

CLEVELANDURBANNEWS.COM, CLEVELAND, Ohio- Former vice president Joe Biden, who served under former president Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president, will face incumbent Republican President Donald Trump for the 2020 presidential election in November and young Black voters and activists want him to woo them to get their votes, including joining them in their fight to eradicate racism and to defund the police across the country and reallocate those funds to community venues.

And while elderly and southern Black voters may be enamored with Biden, 77, who leads Trump in the polls by as much as 12 percentage points, some young Black people, many of them among the millennial generation, say his message falls short of addressing public policy issues of significance from criminal justice reform, to systemic racism, excessive force, educational and job opportunities, and widespread political and public corruption.

They say his candidacy is not generating enough excitement and that neither Republicans nor Democrats are doing enough, if anything truly substantive at all, to deal with America's racism problem, and its cops-killing-Black-folks- problem.

His online interview with "The Breakfast Club" a few months ago for which he later apologized for being arrogant and saying that Blacks aren't Black if they do not vote for him did not help, not to mention the exchange during the First Democratic Debate where then rival candidate U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, a Black Democrat now on his shortlist as a potential running mate for vice president, accused him of fraternizing with segregationists as a U.S. senator, and of opposing court-ordered busing plans during the schools desegregation era.

Simply put, young Black voters are not clinging to Biden as a whole, and have asked for concessions in exchange from votes from the young Black community.

This comes as a new Civil Rights Movement emerges in the midst of a global pandemic and following nationwide protests and riots behind the Minneapolis police killing in May of unarmed 46-year-old Black man George Floyd, and the erroneous shooting death by Louisville Metro police in March of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, who was also Black.

Nonetheless, Biden remains the favorite among Black voters in general.

A June 25 Washington Post-Ipsos poll found that a whopping 92 percent of Black voters support him over Trump for president.

Biden has long been a favorite son in Democratic political circles.

Winning the Democratic nomination for president this year was all but ensured for Biden, a former longtime U.S. senator from Delaware turned vice president, when his closest opponent dropped out of the race, U.S. Sen Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

A socialist Democrat, Sanders was making his second bid for president after losing the nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Clinton going on to lose the general election to Trump, a real estate mogul and former television personality.

During his bid this time around for the nomination Sanders, as was Biden, was effective in narrowing the more than 28 Democratic candidates down to the two of them.

Sanders nearly won Iowa, coming in second place to Pete Buttigieg, and he went on to win New Hampshire and Nevada.

But Biden, powered by the Black vote and an endorsement from Black U.S. Rep James Clyburn, subsequently won South Carolina, and Super Tuesday, and never looked back.

Obama and Sanders, and Sen Harris, and nearly all of the other Democrats who ran for president this year, and the Dems in general, have endorsed Biden's candidacy for president as the polls continue to dampen President Trump's campaign for reelection.

A still popular Republican among his strong base of supporters, President Trump lags behind Bideni in nearly every poll, including the conservative leaning Fox News poll, and Quinnipiac, CNN, ABC News/Washington Post, and Emerson polls.

And while polls show Biden is the favorite to win the presidency this year, when Democrats and Black people stay home and do not vote, or, since the coronavirus outbreak, choose not to vote by mail, it helps the Republicans, data show.

While Black voter turnout for the first time in history proportionately outpaced Whites in 2012 when Obama ran for reelection, it declined by 7 percentage points in 2016 when Clinton lost the presidency to Trump, pundits saying that if Blacks vote in this year's election like they did in 2012 Biden has a good chance of beating Trump.

Last Updated on Monday, 13 July 2020 23:22

U.S. breaks single day record of reported coronavirus cases on Friday as Ohio's governor orders masks in public in 12 Ohio counties, and coronavirus deaths soar in Ohio and Kentucky, among other states-By editor Kathy Wray Coleman

11 July 2020

Kathy

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

WASHINGTON, D.C.-After months of decline, the coronavirus pandemic, which began re-spiking late last month, broke another record Friday with nearly 60,000 cases in single day nationwide, a figure that brings the total in the U.S. since the pandemic broke in early March to 3.3 million confirmed or probable cases countrywide and some 136,000 deaths.

While New York still tops the list as the state with the most coronavirus cases at 427,000 confirmed cases and over 32,000 deaths, followed respectively by California, Texas ,New Jersey and Illinois to round off the top five, Ohio has reported 64,230 confirmed cases statewide and 3,041 deaths.

Neighboring Kentucky has 18,670, cases and 620 deaths, and Indiana, 51,079 cases and 2,756 deaths.

Worldwide there are 12.5 million confirmed cases and more than 560,000 deaths.

Data show that COVID-19 is affecting 213 countries and territories around the world and two international conveyances, the U.S. leading all of the countries in both reported cases and affiliated deaths.

As Americans nationwide deal with a second spike of the virus, masks are now required in public in states, counties and cities across the country, including the 12 Ohio counties that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday per his executive order for such masks.

Earlier in the week the governor announced seven counties, including Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, in which masks are required in public, the other six being Hamilton, Butler, Montgomery, Franklin, Huron, and Trumbull counties.

The GOP governor has since added five more counties to his emergency watch list, namely Clermont, Pickaway, Fairfield, Wood, Lorain and Summit counties, the 12 counties chosen based upon the number of spiking cases and other criteria determined by the governor and state officials, Ohio a state with 88 counties.

Failure to comply with Gov. DeWine's order for masks in public for select Ohio counties is a misdemeanor, at least one police department, Dayton police specifically saying it would not be enforcing any such order.

Last Updated on Saturday, 11 July 2020 21:48

U.S. Representatives Marcia Fudge, Barbara Lee and John Katko urge Congress to increase SNAP/Food Stamps benefits during the coronavirus pandemic, Fudge's largely Black 11th congressional district of which includes Cleveland, Ohio

09 July 2020

Kathy

Pictured from left are U.S. Representatives Marcia L. Fudge of Ohio (D-OH) (wearing red scarf), Barbara Lee of California,(D-OH), and John Katko of New York (R-NY)

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Reps. Marcia L. Fudge of Ohio (OH-11), Barbara Lee of California (CA-13), and John Katko of New York (NY-24) have delivered a letter to congressional leaders urging an increase in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/or formerly known in unofficial terms as the Food Stamps Program) to deal with rising food insecurity and unprecedented demands at food banks across the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter, which comes as the pandemic is sweeping the nation via a second spike in confirmed cases and deaths, is addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer .

It is signed by 161 members of Congress.

The letter urges congressional leaders to increase the maximum SNAP benefit by 15 percent and increase the minimum monthly benefit to $30 throughout the duration of the pandemic, as well as suspend administrative rules designed to weaken program eligibility.

“Prior to the pandemic, nearly 40 million Americans struggled with hunger, a number that is surely increasing with each passing day,” said Rep. Fudge, a Warrensville Heights Democrat whose largely Black 11th congressional district includes Cleveland and several of its eastern suburbs of Cuyahoga County. “SNAP is our best tool to fight food insecurity on behalf of hungry Americans at a time when they need help most.

Most of Fudge's constituents live below the poverty line.

The congresswoman said that “by boosting SNAP benefits and suspending harmful rules that limit eligibility for the program, we can avoid preventable mass hunger, alleviate the stress on our food banks, and stimulate the economy.”

SNAP is the largest and most effective nutrition program in the country, serving as the nation’s first line of defense against hunger and food insecurity.

According to the latest Census data, SNAP lifted 3.4 million individuals out of poverty in 2017, including 1.5 million children.

The current public health and economic crisis has deepened the inequities that existed long before its onset, with households of color disproportionately impacted.

In April 2020, more than one in three households with children, and approximately two in five Black and Hispanic households with children, were food insecure.

With schools and childcare centers closed, families are stretched even further to find the resources needed to feed their children who regularly receive meals at school and childcare.

“We are facing the worst economic and public health crisis in generations, and people need help now,” said Rep. Lee, a Democrat. “With so many people losing jobs, income and food security, it is critical that Congress ensures a basic level of nutritional support for those struggling in our communities.”

A Republican, Congressman Katko agreed.

“I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort alongside Reps. Lee and Fudge to urge Congressional Leaders to expand SNAP benefits for those adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rep. Katko. “With families in Central New York and across the county currently facing significant financial hardship, it is imperative that Congress act to maintain food security for vulnerable members of our community."

A representative for the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) said that it is crucial that Congress take action to help Americans with food insecurities. "FRAC joins in calling on U.S. senators to boost SNAP benefits as soon as possible to limit the depth and duration of the food hardship and economic dislocation Americans are experiencing in the wake of COVID-19,” said FRAC president Luis Guardia. “Increasing SNAP maximum and minimum benefit levels and suspending harmful SNAP rules changes are crucial pieces of the package to jump start the robust recovery America needs.” Kate Leone, senior vice president of government relations and a member of the Feeding America executive team, was also adamant about the need for federal lawmakers to increase SNAP benefits during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The increased need for food assistance during this crisis is starkly illustrated by the increase in demand at the Feeding America network of food banks across the country,” said Leone. “Food banks are a key partner in addressing hunger, but for every meal our network provides, SNAP provides nine."

Congress persons Fudge, Lee and Katko said that “we are pleased to see bipartisan support for increasing SNAP benefits along with other key supports including increased food assistance through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and child nutrition programs and are eager for this help to reach the people we serve. ”

The text of the letter can be found here.

Last Updated on Friday, 10 July 2020 19:02

Cleveland activists oppose Ohio Governor DeWine's order today for masks in public and at public demonstrations in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, six other Ohio counties as anti-free speech, unenforceable, unconstitutional, and stop-and-frisk

07 July 2020

Kathy

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio- Ohio Gov Mike DeWine today issued an executive order for face masks to be worn in public and in public places for seven of Ohio's 88 counties, including Cuyahoga, which includes Cleveland, a reversal of his order last week that such authority be relegated to local and county governments and a move that might conflict with legislation passed this week by city council in at least one Cleveland suburb in the county, Cleveland's City Council poised to also take up the now moot issue as well as the 11-member Cuyahoga County Council.

In Beachwood, an affluent Cleveland suburb, city council members adopted a wear-masks-in public ordinance earlier this week, but for indoor public venues only, DeWine's order going further and mandating masks for all outdoor activity of gatherings of more than 10 people and all indoor public places, including libraries, businesses, restaurants, and pools and recreation centers.

Children under 10-years-old, certain minors, and those with medical conditions are exempt.

Failure to comply is a misdemeanor, DeWine says.

The order will take effect at 6 pm on Wednesday.

The other counties subjected to the mandate per a color coating scheme by the governor on the severity of the pandemic are Huron, Trumbull, Montgomery, Hamilton, Franklin and Butler Counties, though the data on confirmed cases and deaths from the deadly virus have vacillated since the outbreak of the virus in early March, raising questions about which of Ohio's counties are severely affected by the pandemic.

DeWine said he chose the seven counties at issue as all were a code red public emergency at the third level of seriousness for the pandemic, a somewhat questionable method by which to decide whether to impose intrusive measures like mandating masks in outside public places, his critics say.

Franklin County is the state's largest county, in front of Cuyahoga County.

It includes the capital city of Columbus, the state's largest city in front of Cleveland.

To date there are roughly 11.7 million confirmed or probable coronavirus cases worldwide, and some 540,000 deaths, 3 million of those confirmed cases in the U.S. alone, which has reported more than 133,000 deaths from the pandemic.

Ohio has reported some 59,000 confirmed cases to date, and more that 2,900 deaths.

This week Cuyahoga County has taken the lead in the most cases since the pandemic surfaced at 8,084 confirmed cases and 379 deaths.

Just last Sunday, Cleveland recorded 75 new coronavirus cases, the highest single day figure since the height of the pandemic in early April, figure that that day brought the total number of cases since the pandemic broke out in early March to 2,245 cases.

Sources say that DeWine, a former Ohio attorney general and prior U.S. senator, and a powerful member of the GOP in Ohio where Republicans hold all of the statewide offices except two seats on the Ohio Supreme Court held by Democrats, will, in fact , be sued over the measure by opposing forces.

DeWine, like Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, is not a lawmaker with such authority to take such action, independent of Ohio's state legislature, sources say, and data suggest.

Greater Cleveland activists say they oppose Dewine's order for face masks at public demonstrations in the county, and in general, and that the criminal implications for not complying create another problem for the Black community, which already does not trust police.

"I oppose it because it is nothing more to me than stop-and- frisk and we will picket if necessary on this issue," said longtime activist Alfred Porter Jr., who leads the greater Cleveland activist group Black on Black Crime Inc.

Stop-and-frisk, commonly known for its implementation and fallout effects in New York City, is the practice of police routinely detaining, questioning, and at times searching civilians and suspects on the street for weapons and other contraband, and often without probable cause or reasonable suspicion.

Activists said that even if police intrusion were narrowed regarding the controversial issue, it is still unconstitutional, they believe, to mandate such masks, and on several other grounds, including racial profiling government overreach and intrusion, and the targeting of select counties like the 29 percent Black Cuyahoga County. .

They say also that it is an invitation for police harassment and excessive force.

But activists acknowledge that face masks are needed to keep people as safe as possible from the pandemic and suggest that people wear them.

"I wear a mask and we recommend that others wear them too, but mandating them at public demonstrations is overkill, and a recipe for disaster," said Porter, both a community organizer and a greater Cleveland Black activist.

The majority Black city of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice have been parties since 2015 to a consent decree for police reforms that follows a string of questionable excessive force killings by police since 2012 of unarmed Black people, including Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell in 2012 and Tanisha Anderson and 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014

How police officers will handle any mandated requirement for such masks remains to be seen as racial tensions remain high behind the Minneapolis police killing in May of unarmed Black man George Floyd, and the shooting death in March by Louisville Metro police of Breonna Taylor, Taylor also Black like Floyd.

Riots have broken out in cities nationwide behind Floyd's killing, including in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, Atlanta, Los Angeles Oakland and Minneapolis itself.

Last Updated on Thursday, 09 July 2020 12:21

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Example of Section Blog layout (FAQ section)

Live Rock Hall induction ceremony in Cleveland cancelled, inductees Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G. among the 2020 Rock Hall class of inductees as the live ceremony previously set for Cleveland will be substituted with an HBO Rock Hall special

Ninety-two percent of Blacks back Biden for president but young Blacks aren't all so sure, some of them activists who want Biden to join them in their mission to defund police and to seek to eradicate racism nationwide-By editor Kathy Wray Coleman

U.S. breaks single day record of reported coronavirus cases on Friday as Ohio's governor orders masks in public in 12 Ohio counties, and coronavirus deaths soar in Ohio and Kentucky, among other states-By editor Kathy Wray Coleman

U.S. Representatives Marcia Fudge, Barbara Lee and John Katko urge Congress to increase SNAP/Food Stamps benefits during the coronavirus pandemic, Fudge's largely Black 11th congressional district of which includes Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland activists oppose Ohio Governor DeWine's order today for masks in public and at public demonstrations in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, six other Ohio counties as anti-free speech, unenforceable, unconstitutional, and stop-and-frisk

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