Happy New Year from Time SQ

Survival Instinct

The City of Fort Wayne is going into business with Hardball Capital, a group based in Atlanta, to build condominiums in downtown Fort Wayne. The owners of the Fort Wayne Wizards, a minor league baseball team, will enter into a memorandum of understanding with the city as developers. The Fort Wayne Wizards was sold to a group headed by Chris Schoen, a real estate developer, attorney Jason Freier and 10 other investors in February, 2006, according to Atlanta Business Chronicle. According to Atlanta Business Chronicle, Barry Real Estate Companies, Inc. was founded in 1996 and Barry Real Estate Companies, "[a]ll told, the company has about 18 projects in various stages of development -- the most in the history of the firm.

Other notable projects by Barry Real Estate include:

The Crown at Symphony Place in Nashville, Tenn. The 34-story, 600,000-square-foot office tower designed by Jon Pickard will be next to the new Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Delivery date is the first quarter of 2009.
Prospect Park in Alpharetta. Barry Real Estate will develop about 1 million square feet of office space on 22.5 acres of the 100-acre mixed-use Prospect Park. Delivery date is 2008.
Alpharetta Town Center in Alpharetta. The company will build a new City Hall on 9 acres as part of a mixed-use redevelopment of downtown that will include 81,000 square feet of retail, 157 condos and 48,000 square feet of office space. Delivery date is December 2008.
Overton Park in Atlanta's Cobb/Galleria submarket, which will include a 160-room hotel and 60 condominium units at the second phase of Overton Park, a 34-acre, mixed-use community at Cumberland Boulevard and Interstate 75. Madison Retail LLC will develop 55,000 square feet of retail at the site. Delivery date is December 2008."

Next year, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, "On the residential side, Barry Real Estate and Post Properties Inc. (NYSE: PPS) are teaming up to build Post at Allen Plaza, which will include 330 apartments, 150 condos and a 200-room suite hotel across from the new World of Coke. Construction will begin in the first half of next year. That project, along with condominium developer Novare Group Inc.'s TWELVE Centennial Park hotel and condo project, and the residences in the W, will bring the district to as many as 3,000 homes."

This was after years of quietly assembling the requisite land, according to the article.

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, there is a vast amount of land bordering Jefferson Boulevard, Harrison, Brackenridge and Ewing streets that the city will provide in the deal. According to the News-Sentinel, "Phase 1, which will include a hotel, 8,000-seat minor-league stadium, 1,000-space parking garage, park, 30,000 square feet of street-level shops and 60 condos, will be located on about 30 acres bounded by Jefferson Boulevard to the north, Ewing Street to the west, Harrison Street to the east and Brackenridge Street to the south. Agreements are already in place to acquire the necessary property, Becker said, although Bill’s Palace restaurant at 1202 S. Harrison St. has not agreed to sell and will remain."

The public will contribute about 50% of the dollars, according to the city's website. "Project costs for the initial phase, including land and infrastructure, would be around $125 million. Approximately 50% of the total project cost would come from public sources. The remaining 50% would be privately financed. When all phases of the project are completed, it’s expected that the overall costs would be 60% private and 40% public."

The website states these public funds won't come from property taxes. So my questions is if not from property taxes than wherefore from thine willet spring forth thee public funds come from? From the sky?

At the same time a local developer decides to forgo turning the downtown holiday inn into condominiums. Bill Bean cites the cost of buying and overhauling the building would be just too much for a leasing project. I suspect the three millions in tax credits to renovate the holiday will shift to the new project under the memorandum of understanding. And the brownfield development program funds that was to clean up and build housing in the Creighton-Hanna will more than likely shift toward the downtown area.

We did hear that somehow over 800 gallons of oils recently went undetected under the brand new spanking Allen County Library. The Library, just so happen to have sold some land to the city. 'head shaking' I enclose this here because I thought brownfield funds were for environment cleaning area.so what's up?

Oh and the city will borrow $45 million with a bond to contribute to the revitalization of downtown. What about all that TIF money for the area where is it going? I still trying to figure out the name of the new stadium..Richard Stadium?!



Click here to see an artist rendition of the Harrison SQ.

Habari gani-Imani/Kwanzaa/reflection

Faith-To believe with our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

The #1 story of 2006-- the faith of the world in our leaders and the righteousness and victory in each and every one of our struggles.

I did say this about the colts at the beginning of the season,"My feeling is that Indianapolis is nursing Manning individual passing record instead of a team that will win the Superbowl."



Personal reflections:

my youngest granddaughter singing karaoke with granny

I was able to drive down the highway without road rage and cussing out drivers.

I enjoy eating yogurt..of course it's the kind with added flavor (sweetness added).

I better understand Ben Franklin saying about doing the same thing over and over again.

Prediction as I hear sounds of early new year's eve gun shots


I will be more organized.

I will walk twice a day.

I will write more.

I will have more patient with people.

I will simply do better.

The Fort Wayne Sheriff Department will implement drug testing

The downtown stadium will be a bust

The Fort Wayne-Allen County consolidation will fail

The renaissance pointe housing program will not materialize

Mitch Harper will take over the Allen County Republican headquarters

My steps are not ordered by man

But my steps will be more ordered

Hillary Clinton will not run for president

2007 will be better for AWB-R.I.P...because you know you're among the living dead

Habari gani-Kuumba/Kwanzaa reflection

Creativity-To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.



The 3rd place winner of Frost Illustrated Newspaper's New Year's Cover Child photo contest has come over to wish you bloggers out there..A Happy New Year.




Libation for Barbara Jordan, Fannie Lee Hamer

Habari gani-Nia/Kwanzaa reflection

Purpose-To make our collective vocation the building and developing our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.


Libation for Ed Bradley

Allen County Legal Experts go Technicial bans cellphones

I was wondering why the inaugural ceremony was held on Friday, before the end of the year, could it had been because of the upcoming ban on cells phone starting Monday, January 1, 2007? According to Fort Wayne.Com, "The Allen County Courthouse; the Bud Meeks Justice Center where misdemeanor and traffic court is conducted; the Allen County Juvenile Center; and the Courthouse Annex which is where the Small Claims Division is located" will no longer permit cell phones in their buildings.

That's right, violators of the cellphone ban appearing at the metal detectors of these buildings will be punished by being stripped of their cellphones, that is if they want to remain in the buildings. We all know the real reason why cellphones are no longer allowed in the courthouse. Control. The judges are ticked that folks will not turn their ghetto fabulous toys completely off when they enter their courtrooms. I don't care what lies the papers are telling. Cameras in the courtroom ? Cameras are banned in the courthouse. Why not simply ban cellphones with cameras. Come on people, work with me. Just blame it on the real brain drain..or brain dead.


Cellphones ringing in the courtrooms is such a punch in the gut toward the arrogant judicial authorities who demand nonperson behavior from those who stand before them in the courtroom. That the only way to get back at these violators is to punish those malcontents who forget they are nonpersons when they enter the courthouse. So these influential folks will control these nonlegal actors of the courtroom at the point of entry by taking away their cellphones. Wait, not quite everyone, the court's family members when they enter the courthouse can bring in their cellphones. Ain't that special.

Well maybe not all their family members work for the court system, but it seems like it. Anyways, these folks may bring their cellphones to work. This is oh so not such a big surprise that an exception is irked out for the employees and attorneys. Just more evidence, these folks are evil, when it comes to the practice of favoritism. This time this act of kindness is aimed at their special employees to excuse the presence of a unauthorized cellphone in the courthouse. "The only exceptions to the new rule will be for attorneys with court-issued identification cards and county employpresenceees with their proper county identification badges", according to the article.

But why? Why do working folks on the job need their cellphones??? Why?

The workers are the very ones who do not need cellphones at work. And do you need to know the reason why? Because they are suppose to be on the clock working, right? Duh!Well, it must not be because, guess who gets to keep their cellphones? Who are these workers calling? Surely it's not ghostbusters or each other, you think? Personal conversations during working hours,hmmm??? And are we to believe that attorneys don't forget to turn off their phone? Ha!!!

What about emergency, like the one that occurred at the Indystar? Where a person died because a call may not have been made quick enough. Who plans a heart attack? But, it sure would be nice to have available a cellphone, especially if caught in that crazy place called a temple. “Our building and courts across the country are called temples of justice,” Allen Superior Judge Fran Gull said. “The reason it’s akin to temples is because of the solemnity of things going on. 'Cough' 'choke' 'gag' Does that really mean solidarity against the people by being rude and having disdain against the habits of the people? Another reason, the courts personnel simply is not too bright on identifying whether or not a cell phone is a cellphone or a stun gun perpetrating as a cellphone, but let's call it an issue of safety. Sounds good,huh!

So, who made such a crazy rule, "The Board of Judges, which includes all the superior and circuit court judges, makes that decision, and so far has denied official requests from the Allen County Courthouse Preservation Trust Board of Directors as well as a local doctor who provides services to the court.", according to the Fort Wayne.Com.


What's next? Will they require the citizenry to take the stairs reserving the elevators for judges and their workers in fear that judges and their workers will come in contact with folks they have mistreated? I'm telling you brain dead, I mean brain drain in the Allen County Courthouse.

More on Cooperative Economics

James Clingman, Kweku Akan and young male student at the Weisser Park Center Kwanzaa Celebration

James Clingman author of many books including Black-O-Knowledge and Blackonomic$: The Way to Psychological and Economic Freedom for African Americans


Akan holding up two of Clingman's books.





More Kwanzaa attendees

H.L. Gaulden, Member of the Tuskegee Airmen

Ramadan/Blue Marble/holding up game called cashflow

More attendees
Tamir/Furniture and More
and 6th District Council Glynn Hines and his wife Pamela Peterson-Hines




economic innovations/ making a way out of no way

Libation for Rosa Park, Coretta Scott King


Interview with James Clingman on Gabcast! Fort Wayne African-American Independent Woman #16 - Interview with James Clingman

Fort Wayne and Allen County 2007 Inauguration Ceremony

The 2007 Inaugural Ceremony for those who have been elected and re-elected to public office in Fort Wayne, Indiana was held on Friday, December 29, 2006 in the Allen County Court House Rotunda during the afternoon.

The Honorable David C. Long, President Pro Tempore, Indiana State Senate extended the welcome. The Oath of Office was administrated by the Honorable Fran C.Gull, Judge of the Allen Superior Court and The Honorable Therese M. Brown, Clerk of the Allen Circuit Court.


Others on the program were:

Reverend Ron Williams, Pathway Community Church, Concordia Lutheran High School, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, Robert Lee, Allen County Treasurer and the Honorable Thomas J. Felts.

Those sworn into office were:

Karen Richards, Prosecuting Attorney
Therese M. Brown,Clerk of Allen Circuit Court
Kenneth L. Fries,Allen County Sheriff

Allen County Commissioners

William Brown
Linda K. Bloom

Allen County Council

Paula Hughes
Maye L. Johnson
Darren E. Vogt

Township Assessors

Carolyn M. Berghorn, Aboite
Debbie Thomas, Adams
Lori Hammon, Cedar Creek
Angela Sorg, Perry
Timothy A. Nagel, Saint Joseph
Jacqueline Mahlock, Washington
Beverly J. Zuber, Wayne

Township Trustees

Barbara J. Krisher, Aboite
Brian Yoh, Adams
Patricia J. Crick, Cedar Creek
William L. Bowers, Jackson
Ronald Hakes, Jefferson
Patrick Lee, Lafayette
Daniel F. Linnemeier, Lake
Troy E. McDonald, Madison
Harold Kleine, Marion
Brian S. Hoeppner,Maumee
Chad MacDowell, Milan
Max J. Meyer, Monroe
Roger L. Gump, Perry
John D. Henry, Pleasant
Bruce J. Amstutz, Springfield
Richard G. Uhrick, Saint Joseph
Robert E. Arnold, Washington
Richard Stevenson, Wayne

Want to listen into the swearing in ceremony or listen to the lovely singing by the Honorable Thomas J. Felts click Gabcast! Fort Wayne African-American Independent Woman #15 - 2007 Inauguration ceremony for Fort Wayne and Allen County official in the State of Indiana

Habari gani -Ujamaa/Kwanzaa reflection

Cooperative Economics-To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Millions of dollars leave our community because it so easy for us to be consumers of instant gratification. It is so easy to jump in a vehicle and seek out a bargain. So we think, but leaving our neighborhoods cost us time and other incidental expenditures that we fail to include in the purchase of a product. It is important for us to prevent a ghost town from happening in our community, by supporting those businesses that support our community. And it is important that we address our community's needs by crafting products based on those needs.

When I was a little girl, I went door to door delivering out-of -state newspapers, such as Pittsburgh Courier, Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Indianapolis Recorder, and the Grits. Not only did I earn money for delivering the newspapers, but was able to read these newspapers. From the majority of these newspapers, I learned that African-Americans spoke their lives in newspapers, music and later magazines. These written resources were created from a people who earlier was forbidden to read or write. I was proud, peddling papers from a people, who not only could read and write, but dared to discuss issues that was impacting the African-American way of life in America !!! But, I got something else from selling those newspapers filled with diverse opinions, entrepreneurial skills. By the time I was 13 I was collecting my uncles' rent from apartments they owned.

James Clingman Read one of his articles.


Vendors celebrating Kwanzaa



Monte Patterson/filmmaker-Ghost Town


Vendors celebrating Kwanzaa




#1 Roots of Wellness/Kellie D. Hicks/#2 Urban Update


Sankofa Gallery, LLC/ Glynn Hines/Pam Peterson-Hines


Much Scents, Inc./Elizabeth

Reeta's Fragrance/African Paradise/Camille/L'Elegance Fine Jewelry/Inez Collin/no photos



Libation for Maria W. Stewart, Ida B. Wells, Zora Neale Hurston, Leanita McClain and Frank Burton.

North Side b-ballers tires out Concordia team

North Side 78 Concordia 63

Southside Lady Archers Basketball Win

South Side 63 Northrop 48

Habari gani - Ujima/Kwanzaa reflection

Collective Work and Responsibility-to build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's our problems and to solve them together.



Minister Chike Akua



Biography
Chike Akua is a 1992 graduate of Hampton University and a 2003 graduate of Clark Atlanta University. With over 12 years of classroom teaching experience, Bro. Akua has distinguished himself as an educator, lecturer, and author. In 1995, he was selected as a Teacher of the Year for Newport News (Virginia) Public Schools. In 1996, the Dekalb County Board of Education (Atlanta, Georgia) awarded him the Achievement Award for teaching excellence and service to youth. Akua has since conducted system-wide staff development and was described as “a master teacher.” Selected as one of Ebony magazine’s “50 Leaders of Tomorrow” (November, 1995), Akua has appeared on radio and television talks shows sharing his perspectives on education, spirituality, and self-knowledge. Additionally, he has facilitated workshops on sexual abstinence, youth advocacy, and African cultural awareness for the Tavis Smiley Foundation’s annual “Youth 2 Leaders” Conference. Akua, a Christian minister and consultant with Imani Enterprises, is the author of several books including:
• A Treasure Within: Stories of Remembrance & Rediscovery
• A Treasure Within: Parent/Teacher Resource Guide
• A Kwanzaa Awakening: Lessons for the Community
• WORDS OF POWER: Ancient Insights & Modern Messages for Parents and Teachers
• The African Origins of Our Faith
Akua is a member of the Imani Christian Center (Tucker, Georgia) where he teaches “The African Origins of Our Faith.” He has served as an educational consultant for Georgia State University’s teacher certification program and the North Carolina Center for Advanced Teaching. Akua continues to train teachers and develop Afrocentric and multicultural curriculum.


Note Minister Akua's brother J.R. Fenwick's audiobook How I Quit My $100,000 a Year Job

Libation for Bebe Campbell Moore-Author

Habari gani - Kujichagulia/Kwanzaa reflection

Self-determination-to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.


I changed my name during high school. I changed my name again, years later. I enjoy explaining who I am beyond the label given to me or about me. I enjoy creating my expression through writing and sharing my opinions about how I perceive stuff through my own personal lens. From my personal lens, I don't see a box that I must fit in but a path that I am not free to walk toward and to encourage others to walk toward self-determination.





Weisser Park Center Staff and Friends-Ms. Mac

Ramon Stevens


Mr. Jones and Nigel Brown


Fully understanding that a leaf changes overnight, that a miracle may just be waiting for us if we just work together towards a collective goal. It is a philosphy to prevent our communities from turning into ruins.



Monte Patterson/filmmaker-Ghost Town


Vendors celebrating Kwanzaa




#1 Roots of Wellness/Kellie D. Hicks/#2 Urban Update


Sankofa Gallery, LLC/ Glynn Hines/Pam Peterson-Hines

African Paradise/Camille

L'Elegance Fine Jewelry/Inez Collin


Much Scents, Inc./Elizabeth

Reeta's Fragrance/

Libation for Johnny Cochran-attorney

Habari gani - Umoja/Kwanzaa reflection

#1 Umoja

The principle= to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

If we could start with family, I believe many of the other collective groups might fall in place. I find working with family and extended relatives a challenge, myself The problem I confront on a daily basis is when a disconnect occurs from family members taking on street values rather than staying true to helping family has harmed the stability of many families.

The community, I think will heal when families began healing and by not treating folks like street. Our nation will move forward when folks we elect to represent our country are held accountable.

Our race as the human race can only improve after we began to treat others as being part of this great big family in the universe.


Libation for James Brown=thanks for telling us that we should be proud people. Please, Please RIP- Godfather of Soul.

Road Trip to Christmas

We wish you a happy happy holiday!!!


This one's for you BK and family



Gabcast! Fort Wayne African-American Independent Woman #14