VNN ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

BIRMINGHAM -- "In order to be a great leader one must first learn to follow," was the essence of essays written by several seniors in the Birmingham metropolitan area who will be awarded scholarships by Voter News Network.

VNN has established a $30,000 scholarship program that will encourage young scholars and leaders in the areas of business and leadership. The scholarships, $1,000- each to 30 high school seniors, will be awarded at a banquet for the recipients hosted by Alamerica Bank.

"There is a wealth of intellectual talent among the youth in the Birmingham area," said Sharon Childs-Long, VNN's Education Committee chairwoman. "The application process revealed substance, character and ambition among the many students and the essays were awesome. This financial support by VNN is an investment in these students, because many of them are tomorrow's CEO's and elected officials."

Scholarship winners were selected by a panel comprised of Childs-Long, Clarissa Harms, Alamerica Bank Board Director and Brian Rogers a December 2003 graduate of UAB in the field of Human Resource.

Scholarship winners are:
Parker High School: Erica Redwine,- daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Ervin Redwine; Vanessa Green - daughter of Ms. Doris Ann Green; Ramsay High School: Sydney Rucker, - daughter of Mrs. Denise Rucker; Kenneth Robinson, - son of Mrs. Nadine Mason; Cheneia Sanderson, - daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Norris; Jennifer Bogan, - Mr. & Mrs. Bogan; Jessica Spencer, - Ms. Plummer; Alicia Kindred, - daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Kindred; Branden Washington, - daughter of Mrs. Eunice F. Washington; Tiffany Stubbs, - daughter of Ms. Gladys Stubbs; Jared Miller, - son of Mr. & Mrs. Horace Miller; Cornelious Thomas, - son of Mr. & Mrs. James Thomas; Charlton Holt - son of Mr. & Mrs. Charles Holt; Shonteria Johnson - daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Johnson; Mountain Brook High School: Jennifer Goldstein, - daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Joel Goldstein; Midfield High School: Wesley Daniel Sims - son of Ms. Cynthia Sims; Bridgette R. Smith, - daughter of Ms. Flora W. Smith; Shades Valley High School: Jessica A. Smith, - daughter of Ms. Kimberly Smith Jordan; Mauri Robinson, - son of Mr. James E. Robinson; Wenonah High School: Evette Crumpton, - daughter of Mr. & Mrs. James Crumpton; Felicia Bimbo, - daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Bimbo; Alexis Horton, - daughter of Ms. Shelia Horton & Mr. Andre' Wren; Katrina Price - foster daughter of Ms. Joan Bowling & Ms. Michelle Caterinichia; West End High School: Jamie Lewis, - daughter of Ms. Sheryl Harris; Shanika Jones, - daughter of Ms. Fannie R. Holme; Maria Williams, - daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd Williams; David Parker, Jr., - son of Mr. & Mrs. David Parker; Ensley High School: Joycelyn L. Smith, - daughter of Mr. & Mrs. John W. Smith; Vestavia Hills High School: Amanda Bowling, - daughter of Ms. Sabrina Bowling; Clay-Chalkville: Ryan Jones, - son of Mr. & Mrs. Keith Jones;

Applications for the scholarships were made available on VNN's website, www.Voternewsnetwork.com in 2003. The deadline for submitting applications was February 2004.

The development of the scholarship program is consistent with VNN's reinvestment in the community. "We believe that this project has caused a rippling effect and other agencies are investing in our children's education," Childs-Long said. "We hope the idea continues and more organizations look at additional contributions they can make to assist our youth. Also, we look forward to seeing these young people return to our area with college degrees in hand and ready to work and contribute to make our community even better."

TRANSIT AND DOME FUNDING IN LEGISLATURE'S HANDS
By Dr. Richard Arrington, Jr.

The fate of Birmingham's long fight to develop a first-rate county-wide public transit system and to expand and upgrade its rapidly deteriorating convention center is now in the hands of the Jefferson County legislative delegation. A bill to provide funds for transit is now before the Jeffco House delegation. It was introduced by Rep. George Purdue after the Mayors of Cities in Jefferson County closed ranks and voted to support the bill. The bill also has the backing of the Birmingham-Jefferson Transit Authority, the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Birmingham and the Jefferson County Commission. This strong backing means that only the Jeffco Legislative delegation can prevent the funding.

Bill to Approve Jeffco Vehicle Registration License

The proposed bill, now before the Jeffco House delegation, calls for an annual vehicle registration tax. That tax, originally to be $118, is expected to be reduced by the House to $30-$40 average per year and would generate approximately $40 million/year of the $50-$60 million needed by the Transit Authority, to permit it to qualify for matching federal funds needed to upgrade the system. Another $15 million is expected to come from a revised county business license tax under new authority given to the county by a second bill.

The amendments to the currently proposed transit funding bill are expected to be introduced by Birmingham Representatives Purdue and John Rogers. The fate of the bill in the House appears now to be in the hands of Birmingham Rep. John Rogers, Chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee of the House delegation. Most observers believe that Rogers' support for the proposed legislation is pivotal. His active support is needed to pass the bill in the House and send it to the Senate for action. Rogers' failure to back the bill would be its death kneel.

Provided for $400 million Dome

The passage of the transit funding bill would also free up the millions of dollars per year from the city of Birmingham and Jefferson County now received by the Transit Authority. Those dollars would no longer be needed for transit and would be used to help fund the expansion of the convention center, including a new domed stadium. The Civic Center Authority now receives partial funding for the expansion from sales and lodging taxes made possible by legislation sponsored by Rogers.
The economic impact of a first-rate transit system and a modern convention center is projected to be on the order of $150 million/year in the local economy. This projection includes 2300 new permanent jobs, a number that compares favorably with the number of new jobs in Alabama (2000 each) from the automobile plants of Mercedes, Honda and Hyundai.

Other major cities in the southeast, like Atlanta, New Orleans, Charlotte and Nashville upgraded their convention facilities and public transit systems a decade ago. Without these modern facilities Birmingham can never compete for major attractions such professional sports, major conventions and the Olympics, as the City of Atlanta has done in recent years.

BARACK OBAMA: DEMOCRATS HOPE FOR THE U.S. SENATE
By Latoiya Stout

On Tuesday, March 16, 2004, Barack Obama had a spectacular victory defeating six opponents in the Democratic primary to become the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. Currently, Republicans control the Senate by a 51-48 margin. Obama has set the stage for his party to win control of the Senate. If elected, Obama would become the third African-American senator since Reconstruction, following Edward Brooke and Carol Moseley Braun respectively. There are currently no blacks in the Senate. Obama is the only black Democratic prospect this year.

So who exactly is Barack Obama? The 42- year old former civil rights attorney has been coined the "rising star" in the political arena. Obama, a Columbia University grad with a degree in political science and a specialty in international relations, has been a major driving force for change in some of Chicago's roughest neighborhoods. He has worked to organize job training programs, reform local schools, and improve services within the city. He also studied law at Harvard, where he graduated magna cum laude and served as the very first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Currently, he works at the University of Chicago Law School as a senior lecturer specializing in constitutional law.

Obama, whose mother is white and father is black, grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii. He stated that he realizes his background in somewhat "exotic" in relation to American politics, but in a country striving to obtain guidance in the midst of the continuous rising of our nations diversity, his background sets him apart. According to Obama, "I'm rooted in the African-American community, but I'm not limited by it." Joe Moore, a white man who represents Chicago's Rogers Park on the Board of Aldermen was recently quoted as saying, "He is the embodiment of the multicultural society, the kind of multicultural society we have become, because he himself is multicultural." David Axelrod, a Chicago political consultant, stated that Obama has managed to cross "racial, geographic, and economic lines."

Recognized for his effective leadership abilities and his commitment to the poor and working-class families, Obama strives to make a genuine difference in the lives of people. As listed on his web-site, his legislative accomplishments include:

Education
Obama helped push through an expansion of early childhood education and accessible, high quality day care for working families. He co-sponsored legislation that expands innovation through charter schools, increases accountability for all school districts, improves the recruitment, training and retention of a highly skilled teaching corps, and limits tuition increases and maintains scholarships to make higher education more accessible.

Health Care
Obama passed laws extending health coverage to children and families without insurance, co-sponsored legislation establishing a prescription drug discount for seniors, passed a Hospital Report Card that makes hospitals more accountable to consumers, championed increased funding for AIDS prevention and other public health initiatives, and sponsored legislation to move the state towards universal health care.

Jobs and Opportunity
Obama passed legislation to provide targeted tax breaks for investment in depressed areas and to hold corporations accountable for tax breaks they receive from the state. Working with community colleges and area employers, he helped design and fund an innovative job-training program that has moved hundreds of unskilled, low-wage workers into high skill, high wage jobs. He was the driving force behind a state Earned Income Tax Credit, which has provided over $100 million in tax cuts to working families over three years.

Criminal Justice
In the wake of a series of shocking exonerations of innocent persons on death row, Obama drafted and passed landmark legislation requiring the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases, and was chief co-sponsor of comprehensive reform of the death penalty system in Illinois. He has been a leader in reforming the juvenile justice system to keep more young people in school and out of prison, and has fought to increase penalties for domestic violence.

Civil Rights and Liberties
As a senior lecturer in constitutional law, Obama has been a leading voice in the Senate in protecting a woman's right to reproductive freedom. He passed model legislation designed to curb the practice of racial profiling by law enforcement.

Ethics Reform
Working with former U.S. Senator Paul Simon, Obama was a chief architect and sponsor of the first state campaign finance reform legislation in 25 years, and has helped toughen rules governing government contracting and procurement.

As you can see, Barack Obama is definitely a man on the rise. His name is sure to be known worldwide. In November, Obama, along with the other nominees will compete to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.

Sources: www.obamaforillinois.com, New House News Service, CNN online

E-POLITICS 2004: HOW ONLINE CAMPAIGN COVERAGE HAS CHANGED IN FOUR YEARS
Feb. 5, U.S. Newswire

WASHINGTON -- As the Internet matures, how is the campaign news Americans get online changing? Surveys show the Web has become as increasingly important a source for news about the presidential race. Now 13 percent of Americans say they get "most" of their election news online, up markedly from four years ago.

What are they getting there? Is the Internet living up to its promise of interactivity and diversity?
Four yeas ago the Project for Excellence in Journalism produced the first ever study of online election news. That study found that sites made wide use of links to other sources, but relied heavily on wire copy and offered only a limited sense of the candidates.

This new study updates that previous one and reveals how online political news sites have changed since 2000.

The study, which looked at the top eight news sites political/election front pages, plus two leading opinion journalism sites, examined coverage from just after Iowa to the days following the New Hampshire primary. The sites include ABC, AOL, CNN, MSNBC, National Review Online, New York Times, Salon, USA Today, Washington Post and Yahoo.

Among the answers the study provides:

-- How much of the reporting in the lead stories online is original work versus wire copy.

-- How much use the major sites make of the multi-media potential of the Web.

-- How much interactivity the major sites offer.

-- Whether or not citizens can find out where the candidates stand on issues, something virtually impossible four years ago.

-- How many internal and external links are available on each site.

-- To what extent sites take advantage of the immediacy of the Web to update stories.

-- To what extent citizens can get a comprehensive sense of any candidate strictly online.

-- How specific major sites have changed since 2000.

-- Profiles of the 10 sites studied.

The entire study is available on the Web site, http://www.journalism.org. For more information or to receive a copy by mail, call 202-293-7394.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Contact: Tom Avila, Matt Carlson or Amy Mitchell, 202 293-7394, all of the Project for Excellence in Journalism

PERSONAL FINANCE:
10 MISTAKES YOU CAN'T AFFORD
CHECK OUT THESE 10 THINGS TO AVOID IN YOUR HOME FINANCES
By Lew Sichelman
Homestore.com

Most advice columns tell you how you should do things. But there are all kinds of things you shouldn't do, either. Here are 10 frequent financial mistakes that consumers routinely make -- and you should avoid.

Don't:

1. Choose the Wrong Mortgage: With the advent of instant refinancing, home loans are no longer the lifetime obligations they used to be. Still, you don't want to be saddled for even a short period of time with the wrong one. Investigate all your options, then lay your choices side-by-side and do the math, making sure to compare worst-case scenarios. Be sure to look at initial interest rates, future interest rates and payments (if different), and the possibility of prepayment penalties.

2. Confuse "Pre-Approved" and "Pre-Qualified" with a Loan Commitment: These are debatable terms in real estate because not all lenders apply the same definition to each expression. In fact, one leading real estate dictionary contains neither expression because their definitions are uncertain. According to one school of thought, however, when you are "pre-qualified," the lender is making an educated guess about how much you can borrow based on information you've provided. When you are "pre-approved," the lender has verified everything you have told him or her and is offering to lend you up to a given amount at current interest rates -- under certain conditions. Whether pre-qualified or pre-approved, final clearance and a check at closing -- a loan commitment -- are subject to an appraisal satisfactory to the lender, good title, a last-minute credit check, and other verifications. When meeting with lenders, always ask how they define each term and what additional steps will be required to obtain a loan.

3. Have Too Much Credit: Excessive credit is almost as bad as no credit or even bad credit. Even if you pay your bills on time, lenders tend to focus just as much on how much credit you have available to you as they do on timeliness. So being up to your ears in car loans and credit cards is a sure way to be turned down for a mortgage. Postpone any big ticket purchases until after you buy your house.

4. Lie on Your Loan Application: Exaggerating your income on a mortgage application or putting down other untruths can be a federal offense. Lenders rarely prosecute liars. But if they find out later, they can call your loan due and payable. Don't ever sign your name to a loan application that is not completely filled out, either. Loan officers have been known to stretch the truth to get a client approved, but it's the borrower who ends up paying the price, often in the form of monthly loan payments he can't afford.

5. Hide If You Can't Make Your Payments: The worst thing you can do is ignore phone calls and letters from your lender when you are behind on your payments. Lenders have many options at their disposal to help keep borrowers from losing their homes to foreclosure. But they can't do anything for you unless they can talk to you about your difficulties. Lenders are the enemy only if you give them no other choice.

6. Skip a Home Inspection: Failing to make your purchase contingent on a satisfactory home inspection could be a costly mistake. Independent home inspectors examine houses from stem to stern. They'll be able to tell you whether the roof and/or basement leaks, whether the mechanical systems are in good shape and how long the appliances should last. They can't report on things they can't see, but at least their trained eyes are better than yours. So don't pass just to save $300-$400; that's money well spent.

7. Hire Just Any Agent to Sell Your House: All real estate agents are not the same. You want to look for those who specialize in your neighborhood and are top producers. Ask your candidates how they plan to market your house, what you can do to make the place more attractive to prospects and how much you should ask. If you don't like any of the answers, looks elsewhere. And above all, stay away from relatives. Unless Aunt Bessie or Nephew Nick fit the description above, keep looking.

8. Fail to Check Out a Remodeler: Never, ever hire a contractor who knocks on your door or says his prices are good for only a few days. Reputable remodelers don't not solicit door-to-door, and they don't cut prices just because they happen to be in your neighborhood. Check out a potential contractor thoroughly by calling several of his past clients, your local better business bureau, his bankers and suppliers, and your local consumer affairs agency.

9. Pay Too Much Upfront: If a contractor asks for more than a third of the contract price as a downpayment, chances are something's wrong. At worst, he's a scam artist who has no intention of returning after he cashes your check. At best, he's undercapitalized and can't afford to purchase materials on his own. Or, in between, he could be using your money to pay workers on another job. Never give a contractor cash, either.

10. Burn Your Mortgage: It's a wonderful feeling when you make your last house payment. After all, the place is now yours, all yours. Many people celebrate by holding a mortgage burning party. But they torch the original document. Don't. Make a copy and burn that instead. Keep all your loan docs in a safe place.

DR. CHARLES DREW: RENOWNED RESEARCHER, TEACHER, AND SURGEON
By Latoiya Stout

Dr. Charles Drew, born June 3, 1904 in Washington, D.C. had a major impact on the medical industry. Described as a renowned researcher, teacher, and surgeon, Drew was responsible for many life-saving procedures.

While a medical student at Columbia University, Drew did extensive research on the collecting and storing of blood. Through his research and experiments, he learned that blood plasma could be used instead of whole blood during blood transfusions. During this time, whole blood was extremely perishable and could only be stored for seven days before going bad. Because of Drew's new found discovery, blood was able to be stored and shipped great distances without perishing and had a less likely chance of becoming contaminated.

In 1940, Dr. Drew earned his Doctor of Medical Science Degree from Columbia University. He was the first African-American to receive this degree. Around this time, World War II was starting. Drew began the use of "bloodmobiles", which are still in use by the Red Cross today, to get blood plasma to the soldiers in need. Drew became the medical supervisor of the "Blood for Britain" project, which helped to save thousands of lives.

Drew eventually became the director of the Red Cross Blood Bank and assistant director of the National Research Council, where he was in charge of blood collection for the U.S. Army and Navy. He was also noted as speaking out against the military for their order to separate blood according to race of the donor, and African-American soldiers be refused. He condemned the policy as unscientific because there was no evidence that supported this claim that would cause soldiers to die needlessly waiting for "same race" blood. His statement was later confirmed by scientists.

In 1941, he became the professor of surgery at Howard University and in 1943 he became the first African-American surgeon to serve as an examiner on the American Board of Surgery. Although Dr. Drew died an untimely death at the age of 45 in 1950, he contributed so many techniques that are still in use to today to save millions of lives each year.