Editorial: Revised Act toughens Consumer Protections
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in News
ComEd is one step closer to passing the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act. The legislation will overhaul the company's 100 year old energy delivery grid. (Photo Credit: ComEd)
Recently, stakeholders have voiced their opposition to the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act, which is an overhaul of ComEd’s 100 year old energy delivery grid. However, since then, the legislation has been revised and addresses several of the issues raised. One of the main concerns voiced by stakeholders was automatic increases to consumer’s energy bills.
We believe opposing stakeholders are mistaken in their opposition to ComEd’s energy reform project. The project is not solely to increase the monthly bills of ComEd’s customers, but to improve the century’s old energy delivery grid.
The revised bill has major benefits for consumers and Illinois residents.
First, the surplus of technological advancements such as cellular phones, laptops and digital music players demand for sufficient and reliable energy to power the gadgets that keep society moving. With a reformed energy grid, customers will be able to use electronic items and not worry about uninterrupted service due to system surges.
Secondly, the new digital grid will be composed of smart meters that wirelessly communicate with ComEd and allow customers to monitor their energy usage. ComEd still uses analog meters which creates a bevy of disadvantages. Under the current analog grid, customers must notify ComEd when they experience a power outage.
With the new smart meters, the electric company will be privy of outages which relate to a quicker reconnection time. ComEd estimates that over 4 million outages can be avoided and hundreds of millions of dollars can be saved with the digital grid.
The Smart Meter is a digital unit that communicates wirelessly with ComEd. If a power outage occurs, ComEd will know prior to a customer calling to report the outage because of the signals the Smart Meter sends to the company. The meter replaces ComEd's analog meters. (Citizen file photo)
Lastly, economic development is a huge component of the bill. If the legislation is passed it could generate 2,000 jobs and will include greater economic competitiveness for Illinois.
A service reform of this magnitude requires a significant amount of financial support. The proposed overhaul includes $2.6 billion investment. The money will be used to install smart meters in every home, reform electrical infrastructure and restructure how the ICC regulates utilities. The investment necessitates that ComEd customers support a rate increase of a little more than $3 per month, which translates into approximately $36 a year, $3 a month and 10 cents per day.
On Monday, the House approved the revised bill in a 67-47 vote. The legislation has been objected both by Gov. Pat Quinn and Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan who both called for more consumer protections. For the bill to become law, it must be approved by the Senate.
The revised bill allows the company to modernize its system while protecting consumers through strong regulatory oversight and it brings stability to the regulatory process.
ComEd is one step closer to passing the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act. The legislation will overhaul the company's 100 year old energy delivery grid. The company's substation in Glenbard is pictured here. (Photo Credit: ComEd)
For every day customers, once the new smart meters are available, consumers could save 10 percent in the first year and 15 percent in the second year, outweighing the initial price increase. Customers will also receive a refund if utilities generate excessive profits.
Another major revision is designed to ensure that annual residential rate increases are held to no more than 2.5 percent on average for the first three years of the program starting in 2012 and continuing until the end of 2014. If that target were exceeded, the new regulatory program created by the legislation would be terminated. There is also six-year sunset on the bill, requiring utilities to return to the General Assembly in 2017 to obtain permission to complete the program.
The revised legislation also includes tougher performance standards, holding utilities feet to the fire on consumer benefits such as reduced number and duration of outages and virtual elimination of estimated bills. If utilities don’t meet certain performance standards, they would pay financial penalties against their allowed return on equity.
And while critics question that modernization investment spending would be automatically approved, ComEd has responded by saying that the company must annually file a plan with the ICC for approval. Those worried about the review process for rate hikes should acknowledge that rates will not change until the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) gives a full review and approval through a formal rate proceeding.
From the standpoint of committing to major investment in grid modernization, annual rate review provides utilities with the opportunity to recover costs and investments more quickly than under the existing regulatory system, in which recovery can take several years. That lag time creates uncertainty for utilities, cost consumers more money and discourages long-term investment in a modern grid.
Moreover, under the revised legislation, the ICC would set rates each year after an eight-month proceeding in which utilities would have to demonstrate that investments and operating costs have been prudent and reasonable. Annual review also strengthens ICC oversight of utility costs. Under the current system the Commission only reviews cost when utilities file rate cases every few years.
Another key change to the legislation includes lowering the maximum allowed return on equity. The actual number would vary based on market conditions as determined by the interest rate on 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds, according to the bill’s sponsor. Each utility would still have to make the case to the ICC that they should be allowed the legislated return on equity.
Additionally, all stakeholders have input of how money should be spent, something else which should allay concerns.
We hope stakeholders recognize the benefits the energy reform project would bring to Illinois both in terms of jobs and in terms of badly needed reforms; and not focus solely on the financial stipulation needed to bring the initiative to fruition.
Community Colleges Prepare Students for Careers
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Community Focus
Accenture and City Colleges of Chicago executives answer questions from students during a special event on May 20. From left, Mike Scimo, Accenture Chicago Managing Director; Cheryl Hyman, City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor; Bill Green, Accenture Chairman of the Board. (Photo Credit: Accenture)
By Thelma Sardin
Local community colleges are working hard to prepare students for careers in the global marketplace. At the McCormick Place on May 20, the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) partnered with Accenture to help students attain skills needed to find jobs and get off on the right track in their careers.
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 215,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries.
During Accenture’s annual meeting in Chicago, over 800 CCC students and alumni networked with nearly 3,000 of the company’s employees during a “speed networking” session to help the students refine critical interpersonal skills needed to seek employment. Students also learned to use targeted keywords in their resumes to attract employers during online job searches.
Through its Skills to Succeed corporate citizenship initiative, Accenture is working to prepare 250,000 people globally by 2015 with the skills needed for employment or entrepreneurship.
Mike Scimo, Accenture Chicago Managing Director says the company has been working with CCC for nearly six months.
Scimo says strong communication skills, confidence and exercising good judgment are some of the skills students should possess when entering the workforce. “They’re key aspects of being a professional,” he said.
In a recent e-mail, CCC Chancellor Cheryl Hyman explained why Accenture’s CCC partnership is important.
“…it establishes a direct connection between the City Colleges of Chicago students and a successful business and its employees. Most importantly, the relationship is giving our students a leg up by offering them the opportunity to develop the “soft skills” that employers require and the chance to make connections early in their career.”
Hyman also added that the Accenture partnership is an “ongoing and long-term relationship.” “Accenture has developed several unique programs that give our students practical and relevant advice, including how to navigate the 21st century workplace and how to present oneself to a prospective employer.”
The Accenture partnership is also part of educating students for jobs in a global economy. “Accenture is a global management consulting company on the cutting edge of business trends. Our relationship with Accenture offers students’ access to information about growth areas in the job market and the skills needed to be competitive,” Hyman said.
The networking portion of the McCormick place event was successful.
An Accenture employee, left, networks with a City Colleges of Chicago student at McCormick Place West on May 20. (Photo Credit: Accenture)
“Our students responded very positively to having the chance to interact with Accenture employees and learn more about what they do and how they got into their careers. It was an educational and rewarding experience for our students,” Hyman stated.
The chancellor also explained how CCC is preparing students to be competitive in job market. She said the city colleges is reviewing all of their “programs and operations with the goal of ensuring our students’ success – whether that is securing or advancing in a job or pursuing further education.”
Additionally, she explained how such programs will meet the demands of the workforce.
“As part of this effort, we are working to make sure our programs align with the demands of the marketplace so that our students are earning credentials of economic value. The Accenture partnership specifically is giving our students critical exposure to the demands of the 21st century workplace so they are ready to hit the ground running. We look forward to building similar partnerships with more area businesses.”
Chancellor Hyman also reiterated some of the same skills Scimo said students will need in the job market.
“I like what Accenture Chairman Bill Green said during our Q & A session. To be successful in business — in any job — first, you need to be competent: That is, be good at what you do and master your job. Second, you need to have confidence: People want to know what you think. Third, you need to care: You have to care about the people you work with and care about the company you work for. And I want to add, seek out mentors, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and always work hard and do your very best.”
One community college in south suburban South Holland is also preparing students for the workforce.
For the past 20 years, South Suburban College (SSC) has hosted a community job fair. This year’s job fair was held on May 17 and the school worked in cooperation with Thornton Township. SSC serves the residents of District 510 which encompasses twenty-one south suburban communities.
JoAnn Morgan, SSC’s Coordinator of Career Development said the college hoped to “expose community members to employers who are looking to hire people.” Students and community residents were able to network with employers and attend an information gathering session.
Morgan said SSC is preparing students for the job market by assisting with job searches, faxing resumes and job applications for students and conducting mock job interviews.
According to its website, SSC offers a free Employer Services web-based Job Posting Board. Register at: www.collegecentral.com/southsuburbancollege
IDA Pushes LEARN Act
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Global News
The International Dyslexia Association will be holding their 62nd annual literacy conference in Chicago in early November. Topics of discussion include training teachers to teach reading to diverse student populations.
By Sherico Jones
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is urging Congress to pass the “Literacy Education for all, Results for the nation” (LEARN) act. The LEARN act, introduced by Senator Patty Murray from Washington, would authorize federal literacy funds to be used for Multi-tier System of Supports (MTSS) to help struggling learners from birth through high school.
“The LEARN act will ensure that all children in pre-k will be screened for language issues, vocabulary and phonics,” Cinthia Haan; IDA board member and chair of the Government Affairs Committee said. “It includes targeted intervention to boost areas of weakness. The goal is to continue to watch them and not let them get two years behind before referring them to Special Ed. This is not a Special Ed issue, it’s a teaching issue. “
Part of the plan, according to Haan is for children to learn phonics and be able to read for knowledge by second grade; have this skill reinforced in third grade and be able to take in information and think critically by fourth grade.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, in 2007, the state of Illinois ranked 25th in the country for fourth grade scores. Haan states that fourth grade students who are not proficient in reading, are very likely to become the nation’s least-skilled, lowest-income, least-productive and most-costly citizens of tomorrow. Low-income and minority students are being left behind, she said. Only 15% of these students read proficiently by fourth grade.
“We are not educating our kids to compete in this ever-changing global economy,” she said. “The pool that jobs, colleges and the military pull from is too small and shrinking because kids don’t get to the fourth grade knowing how to read efficiently. Only 2 out of three do, according to the nation’s report card.”
The Learn Act funding, coupled with state’s enacting literacy laws, are the key to closing the achievement gaps for what IDA refers to as “SEEDS kids”: Struggling readers, English language learners, economically disadvantaged youth, dyslexia students and specific learning disability students.
The plan would require all teachers to be retrained and certified to teach reading. If the teacher is not effectively teaching children to read, they would either be re-trained or removed from the school system. The LEARN act would provide $12 billion in federal funding to facilitate this.
“Most children with reading difficulties aren’t addressed until after 3rd grade, by then the child is seriously behind and losing self-esteem,” Haan said. “The perky, bright-eyed, eager student we witnessed in Pre-K thru 2nd grade has begun to feel stupid and inadequate. It will take years of work for this child to catch-up; the child has lost important developmental growth [and] is highly likely to never reach grade level reading and may drop-out of high school.”
The national dropout rate in 2007 was 16%. The dropout rate among African-American students, ages 16-24, was 9.9% compared to 4.8% for their Caucasian counterparts; according to the latest report from the Illinois National Center for Education Statistics.
“In 2007, 6.2 million young people ages 16-24 years old had dropped out of high school and will cost our society an estimated $260,000 each in lost earnings, taxes and productivity, Haan said. America’s high school dropout rate has become a national crisis,”
The IDA, which has become the Illinois Dyslexia and Literary Association, will be hosting its 62nd annual Reading, Literacy and Learning Conference November 9-12 at the Hilton Chicago. Topics of discussion include teaching diverse student populations how to read. The IDA is hoping to start a grassroots literacy movement.
The LEARN act is currently in the Illinois senate and is the only one that specifically targets comprehensive literacy, Haan said.
“These children can all be nurtured to grow, “ Haan said. “I don’t care if a student just came over the border with their parents and just learned the English language. I don’t care if they have a learning disability or if they struggle due to trouble at home; if teachers understand the roots of language and are trained to teach diverse populations, these kids can learn to read.”
For more information or to register for the upcoming Literacy conference visit: www.interdys.org.
Beedie Jones, MEd, NCC
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Good Citizenship
Beedie Jones (center) is pictured here receiving the Life Services Network Honoring Excellence program's "Strive and Thrive" award at Chicago's Navy Pier. (Photo Credit: Life Services Network)
Occupation: Café Manager
Why does she stand out?
In March of 2011, Jones won the “Strive and Thrive” Award given by the Life Services Network Honoring Excellence Program. She won the award due to her exemplary work as manager of the Mather’s—More Than a Café on 83rd street in Chicago. The café is located in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood. The award is given to people who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to excellence. At the café, Jones coordinates a volunteer program. The program recruits individuals to perform a range of café duties from serving to giving presentations to clients. She credits the program’s success to being able to “work closely with the community to solicit volunteers.”
In addition to being an active church member and coordinating the volunteer program, Jones finds time to volunteer herself for organizations like the Chatham Business Association and the Chatham Avalon Park Community Council. When she talks about her experience as a volunteers she says, “I love giving back to the community,” she states.
by Thelma Sardin
Graduation Rate Up at CSU
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Community Focus
CSU President Dr. Wayne Watson discusses several initiatives that encourage the University's students to complete college.
By Thelma Sardin
Chicago State University (CSU) recently celebrated its 348th Commencement Ceremony. A day before the ceremony, the school reported a significant boost in its graduation rate.
A press release stated that CSU’s six-year graduation rate for first-time, full-time freshmen has grown to 23.2 percent from 13.9 percent a year ago and 14.1 percent two years ago, according to the criteria defined by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
According to the National Center for Education’s website, IPEDS’s function provides basic data needed to describe — and analyze trends in — postsecondary education in the United States, in terms of the numbers of students enrolled, staff employed, dollars expended, and degrees earned.
CSU is primarily a transfer institution and in this capacity, the school serves mostly minority, female and economically challenged urban students. Essentially, students complete their education with a marketable degree at more affordable tuition rates, the release stated.
The six-year graduation rate for new transfer students stands at about 48 percent for the 2011 graduating class, up from 45 percent a year ago, and 38.8 percent two years ago. The six-year marker is a universal rubric defined and monitored by the U.S. Department of Education for all postsecondary institutions through IPEDS, the release also stated.
CSU’s president Dr. Wayne Watson credits many things to the school’s success.
The school has an education philosophy called the “5 E’s.” “We embrace our students, we engage our students, we educate our students, we enlighten our students and we empower our students,” Watson said. The president added that the “5 E’s” allow the university to have a close relationship with its students.
Watson also credits CSU’s educators. “We have faculty at Chicago State University that works with our students, they not only teach them in the classroom but they get our students involved in research.” He added that the school’s faculty is “striving for excellence.”
The University also has an Early Warning System. According to Watson, the program monitors student attendance, homework and exams. “If they are having problems we personally contact them,” he said.
Giving plays a huge part in student success at CSU. The university’s foundation and alumni association students are able to receive scholarships.
The gift of giving has created several principles for the school.
“There are three cultures that we are enhancing: work, learning and giving. When all three of those cultures are enhanced, they will provide us a more comprehensive and enriched learning environment for our students at Chicago State,” Watson said.
‘Remember Me’ Works to Memorialize Missing, Murdered Black Women
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Global News
Victoria Kent (left), Karen Morgan, Tericka Tate and Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld (right) attended a kick-off vigil for the Remember Me organization, which observes missing or murdered Black women. (Courtesy photograph.)
by Shernay Williams
Special to the NNPA from the AFRO-American newspapers
Like so many around the country, Victoria Kent was horrified by the disappearance of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes. But, while many residents merely followed Barnes’ story, Kent, 23, was inspired into action.
It was at a local vigil for the teen that Kent decided Barnes and the countless other Black women who had experienced similar tragedies deserved better. “The ceremony was poorly organized and very few people showed up on time,” she said.
“I’m a young African-American female and I grew up in Baltimore and it was heartbreaking [to learn about Barnes]. I thought that there must be a lot of girls who have been raped and murdered and she got some coverage, but there are a lot that didn’t.”
This month, the Loyola University graduate and two friends formed Remember Me, an organization that memorializes Maryland’s missing or murdered Black women.
Kent says a victim’s story might initially appear in a newspaper, but by the following week, everyone has “forgotten about her,” and she is merely added to the police’s missing or murdered statistics. “That’s a tragedy,” Kent said. “If something were to happen to me or someone I knew, God forbid, I wouldn’t want to be just a statistic.”
According to the police department, four Black women have been killed this year and 18 were murdered in 2010.
The group plans to highlight one missing or murdered woman a month, holding vigils for the dead and a gathering called “Honk for Her” for the missing. During “Honk for Her,” the organization, along with supporters and the victim’s family members, wield signs and photos at the location of the disappearance and urge passing drivers to honk their horns to bring attention to the woman.
Remember Me’s first vigil, held earlier this month outside City Hall, attracted support from Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld and state Del. Mary Washington, who both spoke while supporters waved placards in honor of several brutalized women.
Police spokesman Kevin Brown said groups like Kent’s are “very helpful” as police conduct investigations into disappearances. “The commissioner is committed to working hand in hand with the community,” he said, “and groups like this do lead to many tips being received that help in the investigations of missing person cases.”
Tanise Ervin, a 19-year-old killed by crossfire outside a Better Waverly carryout last March, will be the first woman officially spotlighted by the group in June.
Kent is working on obtaining non-profit status for Remember Me and is teaming up with other groups with similar missions, including the human rights organization Power Inside, which supports women and girls who have experienced gender-based violence and oppression.
Kent’s ultimate goal is for the group to maintain a national database of missing and murdered Black women and keep the memory of the victims alive. “We have a lot of work to do,” she said.
Winfrey Finale Devoted To Fans
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Entertainment
The finale of Oprah Winfrey's talk show was taped Tuesday and aired on Wednesday.
by CARYN ROUSSEAU
CHICAGO (AP) There were no free cars or vacations. No favorite things or makeovers. No celebrity guests on stage though there were plenty in the audience.
The finale of Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, taped Tuesday and aired Wednesday, was all about the one thing that made her a billion-dollar success: the unique connection she made with millions of viewers for 25 years. In what she called her “love letter” to fans, she made clear that to her, all those TV friendships went both ways.
“Something in me connected with each of you in a way that allowed me to see myself in you and you in me,” Winfrey said. “I listened and grew, and I know you grew along with me.”
Winfrey was the only person on stage with little background music and short flashback clips. The show went to commercials with “Twenty-Five Years,” a soft song that musician Paul Simon wrote and recorded for her.
She called fans her “safe harbor” and became teary eyed when reflecting on her upbringing in rural Mississippi.
“It is no coincidence that a lonely little girl,” Winfrey said, choking up, “who felt not a lot of love, even though my parents and grandparents did the best they could, it is no coincidence that I grew up to feel a genuine kindness, affection, trust and validation from millions of you all over the world.”
Winfrey told viewers that sometimes she was a teacher, but more often her viewers instructed her. She called Wednesday’s episode her “last class from this stage.”
At one point she thanked viewers for sharing her “yellow brick road of blessings” something she said back in November 2009, when she announced that she would end her show. The program gave rise to a media empire, including a magazine and Winfrey’s own cable network, which she launched in January.
Wednesday’s show was the last piece of a months-long sendoff, but as the hour wrapped up, Winfrey stopped short of saying farewell.
“I won’t say goodbye. I’ll just say, until we meet again,” she said.
She hugged and kissed her longtime partner Stedman Graham and shook hands with audience members before walking through the halls of Harpo Studios in Chicago, hugging and crying with her staff. She shouted, ‘We did it!”
The last shot of the finale showed Winfrey walking away with her cocker spaniel, Sadie.
Some fans across the country had parties for the finale. Sharon Evans, 53, of Chicago had pancakes with her mother and girlfriends.
“She was very subdued today and I appreciated that she was taking that last hour not to showcase any celebrities or favorite things,” Evans said. “It was truly what she said, a love letter to us.”
Amy Korin, 32, of Chicago, was in the studio audience when the show taped on Tuesday. She described Winfrey’s monologue as having the feeling of a graduation commencement speech. “It was just amazing to witness,” she said.
Celebrities in the audience included Tyler Perry, Maria Shriver, Suze Orman and Cicely Tyson. None of them joined Winfrey on stage. A week earlier, Hollywood A-listers and 13,000 fans bid Winfrey farewell in a double-episode extravaganza at Chicago’s United Center.
In the bare-bones final taping there were just 404 audience members, according to Harpo Productions. The show received 1.4 million ticket requests throughout its final season, the company said.
Winfrey became famous over the decades for landing hard-to-get celebrity interviews and her annual giveaway shows, where she bestowed audience members with such stunning gifts as cars and Australian vacations.
Already a television journalist, Winfrey came to Chicago in 1984 to WLS-TV’s morning talk show, “A.M. Chicago.” A month later the show was No. 1 in the market. A year later it was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Winfrey opened Harpo Studios on Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood in 1990. On Jan. 1 of this year she launched the Oprah Winfrey Network, which is based in Los Angeles.
Associated Press text, photo and/or graphic material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.
Liberty Media Execs Discuss Barnes & Noble Offer
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Bill's Business
Barnes & Noble nook (ebook reader device). Photo Ajai Khattri
NEW YORK (AP) – Executives with online company Liberty Media say the “interesting interplay’”between Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-reader and its retail stores is one reason they have bid for the book seller, but Barnes & Noble executives launching the device’s latest version Tuesday were mum on the $1 billion offer.
Barnes & Noble held an event in New York to introduce a new, smaller $139 black-and-white touch-screen Nook that replaces some earlier iterations.
The Nook Color, which will still be offered at $249, and the new version are central to the book seller’s future as it faces increasing competition selling traditional books.
Liberty executives, including Chairman John Malone, signaled during a special stockholders meeting that they have no plan to shutter all of Barnes & Noble’s stores.
“There will be a physical (Barnes & Noble) presence for a long and long time to come and it will be a profitable physical presence,” said Malone, a longtime leader in the cable television industry.
The comments helped explain why Malone and his Liberty Media are pitching to enter a retail sector that appears to be on life support. Barnes & Noble’s chief rival, Borders Group Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection in February, brought down by heavy competition from online and discounter competition.
Liberty CEO Greg Maffei said the Nook is a “very interesting’” device and there is an “interesting interplay” between how the stores and device could work together.
Maffei cited Apple stores, which sell iPads and other devices, as a good example of how retail stores can help drive demand for devices. Maffei also outlined how Liberty sees the e-book reader and tablet market evolving. Last month, Barnes & Noble added an app store and an e-mail program to its Nook Color e-reader. That brings the $249 device closer to working like a tablet computer like the iPad. But the focus in the newest Nook was on simplicity, Barnes & Noble said.
Associated Press text, photo and/or graphic material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.
Michelle Obama Lights London With Bright Colors
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Fashion
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama talk with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace in London, England, May 24, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
by SAMANTHA CRITCHELL
AP Fashion Writer
Michelle Obama packed a wardrobe of cheerful, colorful clothes to accompany her husband on a state visit to England. She made quick changes from one dress to another on Tuesday, wearing designer labels that stretch from Los Angeles to London.
But Mrs. Obama wasn’t the only trendsetter at Buckingham Palace: The new Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, wore a sand-colored dress by the British label Reiss to an arrival ceremony with Queen Elizabeth II. Her appearance sparked such a rush in demand for the above-the-knee sheath, with a retail price of $340, that the retailer’s website traffic increased by more than 300 percent, resulting in several crashes throughout the day, according to the company.
The 29-year-old newlywed “looks her age. I was afraid the minute she got in the royal family, she’d be wearing clothes that were too formal. I like that there’s no coat or suit,” said Kate Betts, author of “Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style.”
At the palace, the first lady wore an ice-blue, floral-jacquard dress by California designer Barbara Tfank, which she paired with a light purple bolero. The frock complemented the queen’s own blue floral dress.
“The color of her dress, the print it all seems like an homage to the queen,” said Betts, a contributing editor at Time magazine.
Betts noted that Mrs. Obama wore a cardigan sweater when she first met the queen two years ago, sparking debate whether she had taken too literally the casual sportswear style that is the signature of American fashion. “I think she wore that bolero jacket as a wink to the cardigan thing,” she said.
Later in the day, Mrs. Obama went with President Barack Obama to Westminster Abbey and 10 Downing St., the official residence of British Prime Minister David Cameron. For that, she wore a purple dress by Serbian-born Roksanda Ilincic with a bright blue coat by New York-based Narciso Rodriguez.
That came after an electric blue ensemble by British label Preen she wore for her late-night arrival on Monday at the Stansted Airport. Her dangling, teardrop earrings were made by Hollywood favorite Cathy Waterman.
Local Team To Raise $23,000 For Breast Cancer Awareness
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Community Focus
State Representative Maria Berrios (left) attended Team Rack Pack's fundraiser at Darkroom on Chicago's north side in support of fighting breast cancer. Here, she is pictured with Team Rack Pack member Erica Pacheco (Right).
by SheRico Jones
The Susan G. Koman Foundation’s annual 3-day walk for the cure will be coming to Chicago in August. Many registrants have signed up as individual participants but others have formed teams and set high standards for themselves. One of the teams is Team Rack Pack who recently hosted an event entitled “Save the Boobies” at Darkroom on Chicago’s north side.
“Save the Boobies” was a fundraiser for the Susan G. Koman 3-day for the cure event. From the hours of 9pm-11p.m., all money collected at the door went toward Team Rack Pack’s goal to raise $23,000 for breast cancer research.
The Susan G. Komen Foundation is the most widely known breast cancer organization in the United States. It was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, in honor of her sister Susan Goodman Koman who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33 and died three years later in 1980. In order to keep a promise she’d made to her sister— that she would do everything she could to end cancer forever, Brinker founded the Susan G. Koman Foundation in 1982.
The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is a three day event in which participants walk a total of 60 miles to raise millions of dollars for breast cancer research. Team Rack Pack, with help from childhood friends the Drummond Brothers, created the “Save the Boobies” fundraiser to help them reach their goal. Collectively, the team has lost both family members and friends to breast cancer. This will be their 2nd year participating in the walk.
“The event was organized to raise money for Team Rack Pack’s goal for their walk in August,” Jessica Pol, Team Rack Pack leader said. “We will be walking 60 miles over the course of 3days for the Susan G. Komen three day for the cure walk. As a team, we have to raise $23,000 by August. We all have different reasons for why we have chosen to walk, but we all are walking for the same cause; a cure!”
The event at Darkroom had a turnout of almost 100 people including State Representative Maria Berrios. “The turnout was awesome,” Team Rack Pack member, Erica Pacheco said. “It turned out to be a very successful night. We raised a great amount of money and are looking forward to working together in the future again.”
To make a donation or attend upcoming fundraising events, visit Team Rack Pack’s page at: http://www.the3day.org/goto/RACKPACK2011.
Also, registration is still open for Chicago’s 3-day walk for the cure which will take place August 5-7. For more information or to register, visit www.the3day.org.
