Nicola McClain captivated the audience on Sunday, singing her way to the No. 1 spot in the ‘‘Omega Idol” countywide youth talent competition.
 
‘‘I’m really excited,” she said. ‘‘I’ve never really won a competition before.”

The Gaithersburg High School senior, who performed ‘‘I Am Changing” from the ‘‘Dreamgirls” soundtrack, impressed the judges with her stage presence and her big voice at the competition sponsored by the Mu Nu chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

‘‘She was the most comfortable on the stage,” said Godfrey E. Maynor, a competition judge and member of the fraternity, also noting McClain’s expressions and voice control.

Eight high school students from around the county competed for a $50 prize and a chance to advance to the District level competition in Atlantic City, N.J., during the event held Sunday at the East County Community Center in Silver Spring. Contestants sang, played violin, saxophone, piano and bass guitar, displaying a variety of musical talent.   more »

Some people mellow with age. Others grow more passionate.
If the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.'s weekly sermons seem overly zealous, Barak Obama's outspoken minister has earned his outrage over decades of social injustice, a longtime friend said yesterday.

"I look at Rev. White as controversial but prophetic," the Rev. G. Daniel Jones said. "He is informed and he informs. He is a religious analyst coming out of the biblical tradition who denounces social ills and warns people on how to become more just and more humane."

Jones is pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Germantown, Wright's spiritual home when he was growing up in Philadelphia.

Wright's father served as pastor there from 1938 to 1980. His portrait hangs in the entryway, above a plaque commemorating the church's centennial in 1992. The family was   more »

Bill serves as the Chief Executive Officer for The Miami Dade Chamber of Commerce. Miami Dade Chamber of Commerce is Florida’s oldest Chamber of Commerce that has as its primary mission the growth and retention of minority businesses. The Miami-Dade Chamber recognizes that its primary purpose is to serve the black business community through its membership. Therefore, increasing membership, retaining current members and attracting new members is a priority for Bill. While Bill manages the day to day operations of his staff, he is over all aspects including financial, programming and development. The chamber has over 400 + members whom Bill consults with elected officials as well as public and privately held corporations CEO’s in order to insure that the minority vendor community in Miami Dade can thrive.   more »

Today's the last day of 2007, and many Tallahasseeans are setting new goals for 2008.

"My New Year's resolution is to get back in the gym," said Don Drew, as he trimmed up a Yorkie at Pet Smart. "I've been slacking off for two years. I would say quit smoking, but I like it."

Jim Burgin, fitness director of Gold's Gym downtown, said the No. 1 New Year's resolution is to lose weight. The gym has already started to get an influx of people who are signing up early to reach their new goals.

"Anyone who is trying to get fit without a plan is like shooting at a target with a blindfold," he said.

Stephanie Cimmino, a sophomore at Tallahassee Community College, has set her fitness goals for next year low.

"I want to exercise more," she said. "Any (exercise) is my goal."

Those who want to stop drinking, smoking cigarettes or doing drugs should be ready for a struggle, said Robin Staton, drug-court coordinator for A Life Recovery Center.   more »

In this season of giving, we find ourselves buying extra boxes of pasta to tuck into a shopping bag full of nonperishables headed to the People to People feeding program.

We search our closets for the winter coat our children barely wore as they shot up six inches over the season, nurtured by good nutrition and a solid home environment. We clean it and give it to such groups as Nyack Homeless Project, hoping to warm a child from winter's cold.

We search for safe toys to give as agencies worry about lead content and safety recalls.   more »

The Rev. Thurman O. Echols Jr., longtime pastor and community activist, received the 2007 Jack Dalton Community Service Award on Tuesday.

“I’m grateful, I’m honored,” said Echols as he was presented the award.

Echols said Dalton, a former chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors who died in 2000, was good friend who gave “so much” to the community. He recalled how Dalton used to bring Echols vegetables from his garden.

“This will mean so much to me,” Echols told Dalton’s wife, Lois, who helped present the award.

Echols was nominated for the award by the Axton Life Saving Crew board of directors.   more »

The Omicron Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. honored Dr. Rosemary DePaolo, chancellor of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, with its Citizen of the Year award during the fraternity’s National Achievement Week observance on Veterans Day.

The award, made to the citizen that has made the greatest contribution to and impact on the community, is the fraternity’s highest honor. The award acknowledged DePaolo’s commitment to inclusion as well as her continued outreach to the less fortunate and those that are often overlooked   more »

Saying it's time to act or risk losing the next generation of African-America boys to drugs, crime and violence, a group of Jacksonville leaders announced a new Web site Thursday where people in Florida can sign up to become mentors.

People who sign up via www.floridacares.info will receive e-mail responses telling them how to find local organizations that will train and match them with mentees, Eddie Staton, the Jacksonville-based national president of MAD DADS, said during a news conference at Eugene Butler Middle School.

MAD DADS stands for Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder.   more »

A single file line of nearly one hundred wrapped around the outside of Webb Hall Auditorium Nov. 14 as students waited to get into Omega Psi Phi's Money Management seminar.

The keynote speaker of the program was Stafford Thompson, an actuary at North Carolina Mutual and member of the fraternity's Epsilon Psi chapter (Florida A&M).

Thompson's speech centered around   more »

A new generation of warriors is working to ensure the battle for civil and racial justice continues.

Among young people working to level the playing field and standing up for themselves and others is Edward E. James III, newly elected president of the Sarasota County Branch NAACP Youth Chapter.

The 18-year-old scholar, the third generation in his family to lead the community's fight for justice, is a three-sport athlete and a senior at Pine View School. Known to many by his nickname, E, his résumé is already packed, but one of his most distinguished is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People leadership role.

"Young Ed James was elected president from a group of strong candidates vying for the presidency as well as all of the offices in the Youth Chapter," said Trevor Harvey, Sarasota County Branch NAACP president. "Ed is an   more »