Local

LOS ANGELES, CA- The Westside’s original high intensity interval training (HIIT) studio, Burn 60, in partnership with Reimagine, the other half of cancer care, is bringing back the 2^nd Annual “Bro 60” charity event on Wednesday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. at their Brentwood location located at 159 S. Barrington Place in Brentwood (90049) to help educate and raise awareness about men’s cancer.

Unless you’re living on a deserted island, we all know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but most are unaware that November is Men’s Cancer Awareness month, or “Movember”, a movement where men grow a moustache for 30 days to spark conversation and raise awareness for men’s health issues.  Statistics show that 1 out of every 3 people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime, and men have an even higher occurrence than women. This event helps participants emerge from their cancer journey feeling empowered, self-aware, connected to their loved ones and reengaged in life.

To support this amazing cause, all men are invited to the “Bro 60” event.  There will be a trifecta workout taught by three of Los Angeles’ most sought after and committed trainers which include Liam Glennon, Nick Malizia and Kris Cueva.  Class space is limited to 24 participants.  To sign up, log on to www.burn60.com while spaces last.  All proceeds benefit Reimagine’s nonprofit arm, the Pillars4Life foundation. For additional information, please contact brentwood@burn60.com. To learn more about Reimagine please visit: www.reimagine.me.

Frank Buncom IV

SAN DIEGO, CA- Frank Buncom IV, a student at Saint Augustine High School in San Diego, was selected to play in the Semper Fidelis All American Bowl which was held on January 4, 2014. Buncom is a model student and citizen. He maintains a 4.0 grade point average, participates in the associated student body council and is on the Saint Augustine principal’s list. Buncom is also an active member of the community through volunteer work with Young Christians Making a Difference organization (www.youngcmd.org), is a member of the Loyal Sons of Saint Augustine and has received the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. He was also named homecoming king.

Richard Sanchez, head coach for Saint Augustine, states “[Buncom] is the best player I have ever coached in 20 years in regard to character and leadership qualities.”

If you want nominate a young athlete to be highlighted, please send us his/her photo, their highlights, school that they play for, recent and major accomplishments, and a quote from either you or a coach to mail@westsidestorynewspaper.com.

What it Do! OMG, if you missed our TOP COOK COMPETITION/COMEDY SHOW Fundraiser on Friday, October 24 then you missed one heck of an event. The night was beautiful, as well as the dishes presented by our three competitors Iesha Nelson, Lawanda Lee, and Lanoris Brown. However, as we all know there can only be one winner. That night Chef Lanoris Brown reined supreme receiving high scores in taste, presentation, skill, and overall performance. Chef Brown, along with his team, came with their A-game on all levels, and he was crowned LUE PRODUCTIONS TOP COOK.

Audience members were able to experience some of the fabulous entrees that each cook made. The competitors had to present a three course meal for a panel of comedy judges. Talk about no pressure.

Chef Lanoris’ meal consisted of the following: an appetizer which was blackened chicken spring rolls. The entrée consisted of stuffed airline chicken breast with a mousseline forcemeat and asparagus, and to top it all off, for dessert he cooked a deep fried granola bar with cream cheese frosting, blue berries and raspberries, and then topped it with whipped cream and powdered sugar. All I have to say is when I get some more pocket change I will defiantly hire him as a personal chef, he’s that good! Congratulations, Chef Brown.

Chef Lanoris Brown graduated from Riverside Culinary Arts where he learned from some of the best in the field. This allowed Lanoris to create his own unique style. His fusion of Soul Food, Mexican, and Asian cuisine mixed with a little bit of French keeps folks wanting more. His desire is to one day be a restaurant owner. He stated that “he wants to see people eating and enjoying his food.”

Until next time and see you next week IE, much love!

Snoop Dogg

LAS VEGAS, NV- The holidays are coming up which means it is the perfect time of the year to not only take a mini vacation, but to also treat yourself…at the same time! On November 14 through November 16 the Rock’n’Roll Running Festival will be back in Las Vegas and on Sunday, November 16 at 3 p.m. rap icon Snoop Dogg will be performing during the pre-race.

“Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas has proven over and over again to be one of the biggest and most anticipated running events in the world,” said Josh Furlow, EVP of Global Events for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. “We are thrilled to continue this legacy in 2014 by announcing Snoop Dogg, one of the most legendary, chart-topping artists of the past two decades, as the headliner for this year’s festivities.”

The festival is the only running event to be illuminated by the neon lights on the Las Vegas Strip. Each of the marathon and half-marathon courses run down both sides of Las Vegas Boulevard, featuring everything from the iconic  ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign to the Fountains of Bellagio with the finish line at the base of the Mirage Volcano.

Weekend activities begin with a free two-day Health & Fitness Expo where all participants pick up their race number, gear bag and t-shirt. This ultimate running resource will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 15.  New in 2014, festival weekend will include the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll 5k presented by SLS Las Vegas on Saturday night where runners can take the on Remix Challenge; running two events and potentially garnering three medals in one weekend.

As the event’s official charity, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America will return with the Team Challenge half-marathon training program. Over the now six-year history of the Rock ‘n’ Roll event in Las Vegas, more than $20 million has been raised for CCFA through the Las Vegas race to find a cure for the 1.4 million Americans living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

For more information or to register for Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas, visit StripatNight.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.

(left to right) Tavis Smiley; Assmeblymember Cheryl Brown, 47th District; and Dr. Gloria M. Fisher, Interim president of SBVC. (Photo credit: John Coleman)

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Thursday, October 23, renowned media personality, Tavis Smiley, paid a special visit to San Bernardino Valley College where he enlightened the crowd on different issues within the community. Smiley has received 16 honorary doctorate degrees for his 30 years of dedicated and committed service as a talk show personality, political commentator, activist, author, advocate, producer, and benefactor.

During his speech at Valley College, Mr. Smiley urged both the young and seasoned individuals in the crowd to assist in changing the world to make it a better place. After the event guests were able to take photos and get an autographed copy of Smiley’s latest book.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

“Mama always said, “Stupid is as stupid does” – Forrest Gump. 

I tell you, too many of us “Believers” get stuck on stupid. We can be orthodox, faithful in our church attendance, givers, read our Bibles, pray regularly and still be stuck on stupid. Jonah was. In the beginning Jonah was stuck on stupid and he hadn’t learned a thing. And if we continue to keep repeating the same stupid sin, then we too are stuck on stupid.  Yes, the truth cuts, but truth never fears scrutiny.

The problem with most of us is that we have an arrested theological development. We go back to the way we always thought and don’t want to be shaken. But as Forrest’s sergeant asked in the movie, “What’s the matter with you? Are you stupid or something?” And just like Forrest, we stand at attention and bark, “Stupid is as stupid does, sir!”

Where am I going with this? Actions speak louder than words. Christian is as Christian does, faith is as faith does, and love is as love does. My friend, if you are still repeating the same sin that you did five years ago; ten years ago or even twenty years ago, and if you’re not growing; if you’re not even baby-stepping spiritually, then you’re probably stuck on stupid. The good news is that you don’t have to stay there. You can grow. You can change… starting today! As the writer of Hebrews challenged, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb. 12:1). God wants all of us to keep growing in grace until He graduates us and takes us home.

You know there is a huge difference between knowing the truth and living the truth. All the things that Jonah said while he was inside the fish were all things that he knew to be true before he set foot on the boat. But even though he knew it, he didn’t live it. Even though he knew all that about God, it still didn’t stop him from running away from God. I tell you at that point we can be a lot like Jonah. We can know the truth about what God has done for us in Jesus, but that doesn’t mean we always live it out. We can know that we have been saved from our sin, but sometimes our lives don’t show it. Jonah never got it. He was stuck on stupid. He never got over his sin of prejudice. He was still bitter and angry as the book closed. He still had a high opinion of himself and he’s hung on to the petty. Jonah never learned the lesson that God was trying to teach him.  How about you? Or are you a modern day Jonah? “Stupid is as Stupid Does!”

2013 Fashion Show

ONTARIO, CA- The lovely ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Eta Nu Omega Chapter, and The Inland Ivy Foundation are combining timeless fashions and a legacy of elegance through their annual Fashion Show fundraiser. The show attracts over 300 entrepreneurs, educators, public officials, and other professionals from the Inland Empire, Riverside and San Bernardino communities. Entitled “Timeless Elegance… Through Timeless Pearlfection,” the fundraiser will be held on Sunday, November 9 at the Radisson Ontario Airport Hotel located at 2200 E. Holt Boulevard in Ontario.

The audience should prepare to “expect the unexpected” as the models grace the runway in an array of beauty featuring all shapes, sizes and generations.  The show offers timeless fashions as seen through the pearlescent scope of Los Angeles’ top beauty and fashion experts as provided by Franzine Beauty, Model group and Runway production team.

In addition to the show, guests are invited to splurge in a shopping area featuring local small business owners or indulge in hot and chilled hor d’oeuvres and dessert bar. Guests have the opportunity to win a vast selection of door and raffle prizes ranging from vacation stays in Las Vegas and Oceanside to wine-lovers’ basket and designer clutches.

For Tickets please visit www.akafashionshow.eventbrite.com. For Advertisement and Vendor information please contact Gerri Foxall-Kater and Nellie Moore at akafashionshowhno@yahoo.com.

What It Do beautiful people of the inland empire! So, I have a question. Is food considered art? Well, in my eyes yes, yes, and yes! Okay you guessed it I’m greedy and love to eat new and exciting foods, and this Friday it’s going down! My company LUE Productions is holding a TOP COOK Competition and Comedy Show Fundraiser! Food and laugher goes hand and hand. I will be your lovely event host. Come out and sample a variety of food and get your laugh on, all at the same time.

Who will be known as the TOP Cook for our LUE Productions 2014 TOP COOK Competition and Comedy Show? We have five cooks in the mix. Come watch as these talented and amazing cooks go head-to-head competing for $100, an internet show interview, a write up in the Westside Story Newspaper, a spot in the final competition, bragging rights, and more! The roster of cooks consists of Iesha Nelson, Lawanna Lee, Kawanna Richardson, Lanoris Brown, and Dee Williams.

The following comedians will have you laughing your butt off! They include, Tamiko Kirkland, Bret As-is, and Ms. Arkansas. The event goes down this Friday, October 24 at 7 p.m. at 114 S. Arrowhead Avenue in San Bernardino. Tickets are on sale now for pre-sale at $8  and it comes with one free drink. Tickets at the door are $10.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/730802746993650.

Jack Hill has served many years of dedicated service on the library board. (Photo credit: John Coleman)

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- The community gathered together at the Norman Feldman Central Library in downtown San Bernardino to honor a legend within the city. Jack Hill, a public servant and community leader, was honored on Thursday, October 16 for his many years of service to the library board.

Mr. Hill is also a war veteran. He also owned and operated a successful catering business, started the first African American Boy Scout Troop in San Bernardino, and he is the first African American president of the San Bernardino Area of the Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he is a dedicated family man that loves working hard for his community and doing the works of God. More photos coming soon. 

Hakim Hazim

By Hakim Hazim

“The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.”

-Frederick Douglass

If we want to continue to be free from societal and self-inflicted limitations, we must return to our ancestral core psyche that enshrined faith, struggle, resilience and devotion to the cause of empowering our brothers and sisters. Those who survived the Transatlantic trip and gifted this country with their progeny were some of the most amazing people to ever walk the earth. They embraced these traits as their only hope and so should we. To be certain, we as a people have made tremendous strides. But it is curious to me that although our history has been replete with great spiritual fervor and passion, we are beginning to leave this out of our approach. Our most accomplished leader today was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He had a Gospel-oriented, political approach that implemented civil disobedience to achieve liberation for the masses of Black people. It cost him his life, and he gave it, without flinching. No man is perfect and without flaws, but I believe a flawless God chooses flawed people to carry out His will, if they are simply willing to suffer and struggle in order to fulfill His plan.

Given the current state of affairs, can any person of faith truly say this is God’s current plan for us? The incredible strides we made collectively post WWII to the Civil Rights Era slowed to a crawl only a few years afterward. Economic advancement was unleashed, but rife individualism accompanied this progress. What we need is leadership redux. Redux means to return or review a previous time and to glean from its benefits. We were a less self-centered people at one time. Driven by a great cause, we joined in and supported our leaders. The greatness of black leaders was their willingness to risk everything to move their people forward. History shows us that everything from great military campaigns to business ventures begins with risk tolerance. What separates pretenders from the valiant is risk, plain and simple. When it comes to social reform the same is true. Unfortunately, we don’t have men who will risk everything for their wives and families. We don’t have politicians who will risk their political career for the right thing or the people they represent, anymore. We don’t have godly men who will reject church opinion to comb the streets in search of the stray lamb that has little to offer the congregation. And because of this lack of leadership we can’t offer this generation what previous generations offered us. It is incumbent upon us to give them better.

We need to start fighting now and not concern ourselves with the winds of popular opinion. We must preserve the best aspects of our past and not prop up self-absorbed celebrities as the role models for our young. It’s great that many of our athletes and entertainers are making so much money, but we have to make sure their shine does not eclipse the pillars our fathers who made so much of our progress possible. We must remember those who risked being recaptured again into slavery to help others be free; those who sacrificed their lives to set things right, and those who labor still for the promise of what we can be as a people. Leadership redux is the only answer for our current state of affairs.