By Jonathan Landrum Jr. and Jennifer Peltz   NEW YORK (AP)—DMX's legacy was immortalized as a man beloved by his family, honored for his strong faith and respected as one of hip-hop's greatest icons at his memorial service Saturday, with several heartfelt speeches from those who knew the rapper best. The speakers included friends Swizz Beatz and Nas, as well as his daughter, who rapped in honor of her father. Kanye West and Busta Rhymes were among the big names who attended the two-hour ceremony at the Barclays Center in New York. The service at the...

By Christopher Spata   TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Things were looking down for Lionel Barnes in late 2018. He'd been let go from his information technology job in Plant City. A rocky relationship had ended. He was soon sleeping in his 20-year-old Mercedes with his teenage son, Lionel Jr. He'd park in front of fast food restaurants in Tampa and use the free internet to apply for jobs. Trying to figure out how to come up with some money, he remembered his old Google Adsense account. The platform allows YouTube video creators—something Barnes dabbled in with...

By Susan Haigh   In July after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, Black and Latino members of the Connecticut General Assembly worked to enact sweeping changes to policing in the state, and since, have continue to flex their collective muscles. Vowing that was “just the beginning,” the lawmakers have turned to other long-standing issues affecting communities of color, from insisting any new recreational marijuana program will benefit those most harmed by the war on drugs, to addressing the impact of racism on public health disparities that were underscored...

By Darlene Superville   WATERFORD, Pa. (AP)—Jill Biden sees a teachable moment in the depths of the coronavirus pandemic. The first lady sat in a socially distanced circle in the library at Fort LeBoeuf Middle School in Pennsylvania, listening and taking notes as parents expressed relief that the school had reopened and their kids were back in the classroom. One mother talked about the “bumpy patches” of online learning and said reopening “has been so to the T” that she doesn't worry about her son and daughter. Another mom said the...

By Chris Frost Oxnard-- Teens looking for a great future found tremendous choices, Friday, April 23, as Oxnard High School hosted its Armed Forces Career Day and provided attendees with lots of great information.   Students got the chance to interact with Army technology and speak with experienced guidance counselors about the great careers and benefits waiting for them in the Armed Forces.   The event was hosted by the Jr ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp) and the Oxnard U.S. Army Station at Oxnard High School. The military personnel attending had the...

By Chris Frost Oxnard-- It was a perfect day to unite one world and one breath, Saturday, April 24, as World Tai Chi Day brought happy seniors to Oxnard Beach Park for free demonstrations, and the group joined in the 10 am global Tai Chi session.   Tai Chi is an internal Chinese martial art used for meditation, physical fitness, and health benefits.   Kim Dizon works for the City of Oxnard and said World Tai Chi Day is celebrated on the last weekend in April every year. She led the group.   "We show appreciation and honor for Tai Chi and its...

By Chris Frost Oxnard-- The Community Services, Public Safety, Housing & Development Committee, April 27, approved the Office of Traffic Safety, Selective Traffic Enforcement Grant.   The requested amount of the grant, $478,019, will fund 12 DUI Checkpoints, 30 DUI Enforcement Operations, 18 traffic enforcement operations, 10 bike, and pedestrian enforcement operations, eight distracted driver operations, six motorcycle safety enforcement operations, four traffic safety educational presentations, four Know Your Limit Campaigns, and training for an additional 20...

By Chris Frost Thousand Oaks--The City Council, on April 27, approved a residential capacity allocation and initiation for a project located at 2150 West Hillcrest Drive.    Amgen is the applicant, and the project is a mixed-use multi-family concept.   Senior Planner Carlos Contreras is asking the council to allocate residential capacity and initiate a general plan amendment to allocate 246 residential units.   The request initiates the general plan amendment and allocates Measure E units, allows concurrent processing, and evaluates the...

By Chris Frost Ventura-- The Board of Supervisors, on April 27, approved a memorandum of understanding between the county and the City of Oxnard detailing the conceptual framework, development, and operation of a permanent emergency shelter.   The shelter will help people experiencing homelessness and is consistent with the framework set up with the board in 2018. It is modeled after the City of Ventura created The Arch, a 55-bed shelter, in a county-owned building.   The county and city started meeting regularly in 2018 to pursue the establishment of a west...

Oxnard-- Let's start with something simple. It's a Friday night, I'm a little tired, but from time to time, I try to relax, have a couple of beers, and try to forget that I work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.   My version of relaxing is probably different than most people. I pay bills, clean the kitchen, look at my retirement accounts, and try to figure out a way to explain to the J Train that we're not retiring anytime soon. As a bonus, I get to justify that Daisy, my dog, has more money spent on her than me or the J-Train for her food...