By Dianne Anderson Voters wanting to get in on the action this election, but feel like they don’t have time to drive to their polling places – or they forgot to buy a stamp for their ballot – should not stress about fulfilling their civic duty. It’s as easy as putting it in the mailbox. ...

By Dianne Anderson Most people would think twice before reaching out to pull notorious archenemies, the Bloods, the Crips, the Insanes and the Rolling 20’s, all together for a day of hamburgers, hotdogs and three different jumpies. Admittedly, Rev. Dr. Gerald Johnson said it’s not the easiest population to deal with, but there’s not much ...

By Dianne Anderson Community advocate Keith Lilly is not wasting any time lately getting his applications submitted to tap some free grants under American Rescue Plan dollars that continue to flow down to Long Beach nonprofits. But this round of free money has a short shelf life. Deadline to apply is April 15. He said ...

By Dianne Anderson A recent Forwarding the Sixth Vision Plan drew input on priorities from community members across the Sixth District of Long Beach, now neatly compiled within a 134-page report highlighting the tough challenges, and hopeful solutions. Of the top concerns expressed in the report, 22% of the community said street cleanliness and public ...

By Dianne Anderson At different junctures along the way, Robbie Butler couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t getting appointed to a commission in the city of Long Beach, even though she had a long presence in the community But as any Delta Sigma Theta Sorority member would do, she decided to take the initiative and ...

By Dianne Anderson New hope for transforming the Long Beach Citizens Police Complaint Commission comes with recent city council approval to ready an initiative for the November ballot – provided the voters come out for a charter amendment change. Depending on the will of the people, the language of the proposed initiative, and the strength ...

By Dianne Anderson Robin Thorne is not a novice engineer, but when it comes to her latest management gig, she’s excited to just get her foot in the door. She was recently awarded the contract in managing the Long Beach Transit’s modernization project, which involves upgrading their facilities, including a state-of-the-art training center. The Transit ...

Millions of $$$ By Dianne Anderson Millions of American Rescue Plan Act funding lies just around the corner in Long Beach, provided that applicants first know the contract opportunities exist, and then submit their proposals really fast. As is often the case, RFQ and grant information slowly circulate within the Black community, and nonprofits must ...

By Dianne Anderson Water, that nearly invisible thing that nobody thinks about until it’s gone, is the catalyst behind Phyllis Venable’s mission with Sister Cities of Long Beach, and their Mombasa affiliate. Currently, the east coast of Africa leads the world in babies dying from waterborne diseases. It’s what keeps Venable up at night. Their ...

By Dianne Anderson Teens and parents are invited to join up and talk out their problems, but especially if they don’t think they have a problem, which was true for Maleka Chris throughout her growing years. Chris said she didn’t realize that she was the problem behind her choices that were causing more problems. It ...