Feds Tag $25 Fee Against Child Support Payments

Lansing – Beginning in September 2008, some child support recipients will be required to pay an annual fee of $25 to comply with a new federal law.

The Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 requires this fee on all child support cases where the custodial parent has never received cash assistance and the family has received child support of at least $500 during a one-year period.

Michigan will deduct the $25 fee from the next child support payment after the first $500 has been sent to the family.

“We have no choice but to abide by the federal law,” said Marilyn Stephen, director of the Department of Human Services’ Office of Child Support. “We are grateful that the federal authorities created a lifetime exception for families that have received assistance in the past because child support is the safety net that keeps many children out of poverty.”

Most of the proceeds from the fee (66%) will be sent to the federal government to fund child support programs in Michigan and throughout the nation.

The state of Michigan will retain the remaining third of the fee to offset the state costs of operating its program.

The average amount of child support received annually by parents who will pay the fee is approximately $5,600. The fee represents less than half of one percent of the total amount of child support received during a given year.

The fees will help cover costs of services provided to families through county prosecutors, friends of the court and DHS Office of Child Support staff.

One such service is sending notices to employers every time a non-custodial parent starts a new job to require that child support be consistently withheld from the parent’s wages.

Last year, $1.4 billion was collected for families through income withholding and other means of collections.

Michigan collected $6.38 for every dollar spent to administer the program during fiscal year 2007, which demonstrates the program’s commitment to provide efficient and effective service to children and families in the state.

PowerNetworking 2008 Conference Boasts Of Historic Meeting With Libya Prince, Black American Multi-Millionaires

The Grand Rapids Times
7-18-2008

Shown at the first of its kind of strategic meeting of Black American multi-millionares are: Front Row (l-to-r): Jon E. Barfield, President and CEO, The Bartech Group, Detroit, MI; Clovis L. Prince, President and CEO of Prince & Associates, Dallas, TX; Anita Williams, President of LESCO, Huntsville, AL; and Mike V. Roberts, Chairman and CEO, The Roberts Companies, St. Louis, MO. Back Row (l-to-r): Archie Meyer, ExxonMobil (sponsor); Gregg Williams, President of FraserNet, Inc; George Fraser, Author, Click, and Chairman and CEO of FraserNet, Inc.; Dennis Kimbro , Author , Think & Grow Rich: A Black Choice, Atlanta, GA; Winston Johnson , Chairman of Winsonic Media & Entertainment and Winsonic Digital Cable System, Atlanta, GA; and Keith Wyche, President, Pitney Bowes, Inc., North American Operation Management Services, Stanford, CT

Atlanta – His Royal Highness Prince Mahdi Al-Senussi of Libya flew into Atlanta to participate in a special meeting, at the 2008 PowerNetworking Conference, with ten Black American multi-millionaires who gathered to discuss collaborative business opportunities in the US, Africa and the Middle East.

Those attending this first of its kind strategic meeting, hosted by George Fraser (CEO & Chairman of FraserNet, Inc.), were Tommy Dortch, Bishop Eddie Long, Mike Roberts, Jon Barfield, Anita Williams, Clovis Prince, Winston Johnson, Keith Wyche, Everett Glenn and Curtis Brown.

“I enjoyed meeting such a fine group of exceptional and respected business leaders. I felt this meeting was long overdue. I developed new friends and business partners and look forward to seeing them again soon,” said HRH Prince Mahdi Al-Senussi.

Following this historic gathering of Black deal-makers, many of these business men and women participated on the panel at the 2008 PowerNetworking National Town Hall Meeting, hosted by Dr. Dennis Kimbro, with a power-packed discussion on the theme “From Zero to a Billion Dollars in One Generation."

Dr. Myles Munroe, Susan Taylor, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, George Curry, Les Brown, and Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu rounded out the list of over 50 speakers, seminar leaders and panelists who appeared at the Seventh Annual PowerNetworking Conference in Atlanta, Black America’s largest networking training event.

Fraser, America’s networking guru, as noted by Black Enterprise Magazine, assembled a list of “Who’s Who” in keynote speakers, workshop presenters and panelists who trained, inspired and empowered more than 1,500 conference attendees.

The ultimate goals of PowerNetworking and FraserNet, Inc. are to make Black people the number one employer of Black people in the USA and to build wealth for Black people that can be transferred to the next generation.

Speaking at the conference, George Fraser said, “Business is about relationships. Without relationships you have no business. Without relationships you have no business being in business. In fact, the business you are really in is the business of building relationships. At the PowerNetworking Conference, we teach you how to build the relationships needed to succeed at work and in the community.”

Area Professionals Encourage Minority Interns To Consider GR

The Grand Rapids Times
7-18-2008

Grand Rapids – The Multiracial Association of Professionals (MAP), a program of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Business Leaders Linked to Encourage New Directions (BL2END), Asian Professionals Organization (APO), and the Black Professionals and Executives Network (BPEN), will host the second annual Minority Intern Skyline Reception on Thursday, July 24.

“The purpose of the reception is to provide a warm welcome to interns of color and encourage them to consider West Michigan as their permanent residence upon graduation,” says Sonya Hughes, the Chamber’s Vice President of Diversity Initiatives and Programs. “The event will help them begin establishing a network here, and offer a great environment for interns to connect with each other, professionals of color, and business leaders from throughout the community.”

Held 17 floors above the Grand River on the rooftop terrace of law firm Varnum Riddering Schmidt and Howlett, the event will take place Thursday, July 24, from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. (Varnum is located in the Bridgewater Place building, 333 Bridge Street, N.W., downtown Grand Rapids.)

Interns and area professionals wishing to attend can call 616.771.0332 to register. Space is limited, so pre-registration is required.

Grammy Award-Winning Robin Eubanks Brings Flavor, Style To Idlewild
Jim Crow Museum, Writers Workshops Added

The Grand Rapids Times
7-18-2008

Much like the genre it celebrates, the 2008 Idlewild Jazz Festival embraces an array of eras, artists and melodic styles.

Slated for Saturday, August 2, in Idlewild, Michigan, from 1:30 – 9:30 p.m., this year’s event remains true to its eclectic tradition, brings together established and emerging musicians.

Festival acts range from big band to fusion, providing enough versatility to suit the breadth of any jazz enthusiast’s eight-track/LP/CD collection.

Leading this year’s Idlewild Jazz Festival is jazz trombonist Robin Eubanks and Mental Images.

Eubanks includes Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Eddie Palmieri, Sun Ra, Barbra Streisand and The Rolling Stones among his collaborations. He also won Grammys for his performances on Michael Brecker’s “Wide Angles” and Dave Holland’s “What Goes Around.”

He is brother to Kevin Eubanks, music director for The Tonight Show, and will be joined by their other brother, trumpeter Duane. They will perform at 3 p.m.

For festival organizers, the day is about more than notable names and big crowds.

[Click here to log in if you have a subscription and read more.  Or, click here to buy a subscription.]

Shanice Wallace Wins Computer Give Away Contest

The Grand Rapids Times
7-18-2008
By Richard Pulliam

Roosevelt Tillman continues to give back to his community by naming July’s winner of the essay writing computer give away contest. Twelve year old Shanice Wallace is this month’s winner of a brand new computer.

[Click here for a PDF of the story and winning essay presented on page 8 in this week’s issue of The Grand Rapids Times]

When Generations Become One

Middle and high school students in the 2008 Summer Camp sponsored by New Hope Baptist Church developed and sharpened their carpentry skills under the leadership of Bill and Oscatte Hendler in building two picnic tables to donate to Delaware Manor.

[Click here for a PDF of the story featured on page 09 in this week’s issue of The Grand Rapids Times]

New Study Gives Surprising Look At Black America

Special To The NNPA From The Louisiana Weekly

(NNPA) - According to one of the largest-ever studies of Black America, 70 percent of African-Americans already have a plan for their future.

The results of the survey was recently released by Radio One Inc., the study’s sponsor, and Yankelovich, the Chapel Hill-based research firm.

The survey of 3,400 African-Americans between 13 and 74 years of age, the only study to include Black teens and seniors, also found that 54 percent were optimistic about their future and 60 percent believe ‘’things are getting better for me.’’

The study, released in late June, provides the most detailed snap shot of African-American life in the United States today, and finds strong group identity across age and income brackets.

It also discloses a comprehensive and nuanced look at how African Americans feel about many aspects of life in America, and cautions against a simplistic reading of Black America as a monolithic group.

In fact, it shows that Blacks are divided evenly on how they liked to be described, with 42 percent (who are more likely to be affluent) preferring to be called ‘’Black’’ and 44 percent preferring ‘’African-American.’’

The survey, representing nearly 30 million Black Americans, identified eleven specific segments within Black America today, ranging from Connected Black Teens, Digital Networkers and Black Onliners at the younger end, to Faith Fulfills, Broadcast Blacks and Boomer Blacks at the older end.

Broken down into these segments, the analysis identifies differences in Black America regarding everything from what it means to be Black today, perceptions about African-American history and expectations for the future of Blacks, to consumer trends, media preferences and confidence in key institutions (such as the church, government, financial services companies and the media).

For instance, among the Connected Black Teens segment, 25 percent are saving to start a business. Yet, among Digital Networkers, the majority of whom are in their 20s, 45 percent are already saving for retirement.

‘’While people are less inclined these days to think that all Blacks are the same, they really do not understand the diversity within the African- American community,’’ Catherine Hughes, founder and chairperson of the Board, said.

‘’Blacks share many commonalities regardless of age, income and geography, but there are also differences - that suggest a new understanding of the past and a more optimistic sense of the future. We’re confident that Black Americans - and all Americans - will find the results of the survey useful and in some cases surprising, given perceptions about Black life that are still pervasive in our country.’’

Alfred C. Liggins, CEO and president, explained that Radio One commissioned Yankelovich to conduct the study to learn more about what Black Americans are thinking today about all aspects of their lives, including their hopes for the future, their fears, the institutions they love and hate, how they get information, whether they are plugged into the Internet, and what they want for themselves and their children.

‘’We wanted to know in detail who we are, what we want and where we are going,’’ Liggins said.
What is Black America today?

To read more, see page 01 in this week’s print edition of The Grand Rapids Times.

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