Anne Bradley's Campaign Kick Off Party

You're invited to Attorney Anne Bradley's Campaign Kickoff Party on Monday, Sept. 28 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Easy's Restaurant, 2325 Calder St. in Beaumont. Bradley is running for Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 2. Judge Vi McGinnis who has held the position for more than 20 years will not seek reelection.

Houston Texans' offer Seminar on How to Break into the Sports Business

Have you or someone you know
always dreamed of working in the sports industry
but didn't quite know how to go about getting there?

Here's your chance to learn from the experts, get all your questions answered, drop resumes, and visit with members of our HR department regarding current and future job openings within the organization!

Program includes:
Behind-the-scenes tour of Reliant Stadium
Presentations by staff from Texans
Marketing, Ticketing, Event Management,
Public Relations, and more.
*
Ticket to see your Houston Texans take on the San Francisco 49ERS
at Reliant Stadium on Sunday, October 25th @ Noon
*
Texans Gift

Houston Texans Administrative Offices
Reliant Stadium
Saturday, October 24th
12:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
$50 per person
Register today online!
Additional game tickets are available for purchase

(Information on parking to be distributed upon completion of registration process
Don't miss your chance to learn from the experts!
To reserve your spot for this one-of-a-kind program call Courtney Neal at
(832) 667-2102 or register online!

NAACP Criticizes Channel 6 for Lack of Diversity

During a leadership breakfast sponsored by the Beaumont NAACP Tuesday, Member Paul Jones chided KFDM Channel 6 for its lack of diversity. Jones gave a report to the group of more than 70 members about Blacks on TV. He said Channel 6 lags a distant third behind Channel 12 and Channel 4 for its hiring of Black on-air talent. He urged the group to think twice about its TV viewing in light of KFDM's hiring practices. KBTV Channel 4 has two Black anchors and several Black reporters. KBMT Channel 12 with the recent addition of Jackie Simien has three Black anchors, but no Black reporters. Channel 6 has one Black weekend anchor/reporter (no one in primetime) and no fulltime Black reporters.
Jones also pointed out that none of the stations have Black managers in place. However, Channel 12 does have a Black Chief photographer.
The Beaumont NAACP is led by former JP Paul Brown. During the meeting, a panel led by Councilman Jamie Smith talked about voting issues, the BISD Bond program, and the Beaumont Police Department. Those attending included Dr. Carrol Thomas, Carolyn Guidry, Jamie Smith, Woodrow Reece, Terry Williams, James Payne, Langston Adams, Jessie Haynes, Larry Johnson, Lee Smith, Georgine Guillory, Joe Stevens, Tudy Duriso, Calvin Williams, Duce Jones, Vernon Durden, and Alberta Jones.

Buy Pink Shopping Card and Support Breast Cancer Awareness

The Pink Shopping Cards are here! Get Yours today. The cards are $50. You get a 20 percent discount at more than 650 retailers including area restaurants from Oct. 22 to Nov. 2. Money raised will be used to support the Gift of Life Breast Cancer Program and provide mammograms to those who can't afford it. The committee met Tuesday to get updates on the campaign and distribute the cards. I'm a member of the committee. If you'd like to purchase a card or if you're a business owner and would like to sell the cards, please call me at (832) 428-3461.

"Shred It & Forget It" at Parkdale Mall

The Better Business Bureau of Southeast Texas will host ”Shred It & Forget It” on Saturday, September 19, 2009, from 10am to 1pm, at Parkdale Mall as part of an effort to reduce identity theft. Since July 2006, six events have successfully been held in Southeast Texas with a grand total of 1705 vehicles being served and 138,000 pounds of shredded documents being collected!

Shred-It will provide mobile shredding trucks for the one-day event. The BBB invites consumers to bring documents to be shredded for FREE, such as credit card statements, old checks, I.R.S. tax returns, and anything that lists personal information. Bring up to five (5) boxes per vehicle. (Box size is limited to a standard banker’s box, approximately 10 x 12 x 15 inches.)

The BBB stresses the importance to shred your confidential documents; when improperly disposed of, it can lead to identity theft. “Shred It and Forget It” is brought to you by Shred-It, MCT Credit Union, Bill Clark Pest Control, A-OK Moving, Shredding & Storage, and Clear Channel Radio, with additional support from the Lamar University’s Alpha Kappa Psi, West Brook High School’s Key Club, Beaumont Coca Cola Bottling Co., and Papa John’s Pizza. The event will be held at the Parkdale Mall parking lot off Eastex Freeway in front of JC Penney in Beaumont between 10am and 1pm. For more information, contact Debbie Wylde-Bridgeman at 409/835-5951, Ext. 117 or debbiebridgeman@bbbsetexas.org.

Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons will be in Houston Saturday

Cathedral of Faith Ushers' Celebration

Sunday afternoon was set aside to honor the Usher Board at Cathedral of Faith Baptist Church for 20 years of service. Rev. Delbert Mack, pastor of Cathedral, says it just a way to say thanks for the ushers who work tirelessly throughout the year at funerals and various other programs at the church.The event took place at Cathedral. Rev. R.D. Carrington of Emmanuel Baptist Church of Jesus Christ served as the guest preacher. He gave a powerful message. The event was attended by Usher Boards from various churches around the city. During the service, various ushers and supporters were honored for going the extra mile. Afterward a reception was held in the family life center. I recently joined the Ushers. It's a great group of people led by Sister Loyce Fisher.

Brandon Jones' Going Away Party

Friends and colleagues came out to say farewell to Reporter Brandon Jones on Saturday at Pappadeaux's restaurant. Jones left KBTV Channel 4 recently after a two-year stint. Now he's looking at job opportunities in Dallas and Austin. We wish him the best!

Date Auction Raises more than $25,000

Bachelors and Bachelorettes in the Golden Triangle went on auction Thursday night for the Ubi Caritas fundraiser. The fundraiser was held at Madison's restaurant. Ubi Caritas provides affordable healthcare for children. Participants were paired with a package that included tickets to a Texan game or a fishing trip, or a golf outing, just to name a few. Participants competed in a live auction. Some of the packages raised more than $1,000. Six News Anchor Bill Leger emceed the event. The participants included Nicole Murray, Ashley Gaston, Ivan Lemus, Alex Murphy, Cody Schroeder, Amy Whitman, Bill Jack Lynch, Jason Richards, April Hecker, Marcie James, Brooke Vernon, Nathan Tice, Marissa Wheeler, Jody Nolan, Roy Culver, Lisa Taylor-Cowart, Shannon Golf, Scott Frederick, Trey Ricks, Tiffany Martin, and Rhianna Rae Artz. Congrats to Ashely Gaston for a very successful event!

Shaq Wows the Crowd

Hundreds of people waited in their cars or stood in the humid Southeast Texas weather for hours to get a glimpse of Shaq. And when they did he didn't disappoint. Shaquille O'Neal was in Port Arthur Thursday to help his friend and fellow NBA Player Stephen Jackson give back to the community. The two helped distribute food for 800 residents in need as part of Jackson's Jack 1 Foundation and the Feed the Children Program with Larry Jones. Shaq signed autographs, took pictures, and gave a motivational pep talk to some Port Arthur students. The two athletes also took questions from the media.
Shaq said his mother and Stephen's mother, Ms. Jackson, are good friends. His mother called him and told him that Ms. Jackson wanted to him to come to Port Arthur so he did. Shaq is big on TV but he's even bigger in person. His size is matched only by his big personality. He was very personable and really seemed to enjoy his visit. We thank him and Stephen for giving back! It's a wonderful to see! Those attending included Mayor Delores Prince, Supt. Johnny Brown, Mark Porterie, Rapper Bun B, Pimp C's mom, Weslyn Monroe, and Roosevelt Petry. Shaq is big on TV but he seems even bigger in person, but he's av ery

More Shaq Pictures

Shaq will be in Port Arthur Tomorrow

NBA Superstar Shaquille O'Neal of the Cleveland Cavaliers will be in Port Arthur, Texas on tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. He's coming to support his friend NBA Player and Port Arthur Native Stephen Jackson. Jackson's foundation, Jack 1 Foundation, is hosting a Feed the Children Program with Mr. Larry Jones. The foundation will distribute 800 boxes of food and personal care items. The event will take place at the Stephen Jackson Gym, 235 Proctor St. Only those with vouchers will receive the food.

Kohl's Re-opens

Three weeks after it was damaged by a tornado, Kohl's department store is back in business. The store reopened this morning. As part of its reopening, store managers presented a $10,000 check to the American Red Cross for its help in the recovery effort. Store Manager Jason Chandler tells FRONT ROW, the store is almost like new. It has new floors, new walls, new roof, news doors, and new ceiling tiles.
As a result of the tornado which hit the west end of Beaumont on Aug. 18, Kohl's roof collapsed, trapping some customers inside and part of the roof was torn off.
The tornado also overturned cars and damaged the nearby Walmart. Chandler says employees were compensated the week of the storm and were able to return the following week to help in the recovery. We're glad they're back!

Tomorrow is 09/09/09 Once in a lifetime date!

Tomorrow is Sept. 9, 2009, the ninth month of the ninth date in the year of 2009. It's a special once-in-a-lifetime date. The date won't roll around again until 2109. Because of its special significance and many think nine is a lucky number, some people are planning weddings and other special events. Historically, Chinese culture associate the number with long life, while the Japanese culture say it is bad news. In Japan, the number is considered very unlucky and is associated with suffering. What do you think? Do you think nine is lucky? Are you doing anything special Wednesday?

Sidewalk Construction at Shopping Center

They're tearing up the sidewalks at the World's Gym Shopping Center on Dowlen. I noticed it when I went to the gym this morning. The concrete has been torn up across the mall from the gym to Hobby Lobby. Sources tell FRONT ROW that the renters complained to management about water that was coming into the building after it rained. The problem stemmed from a slanted sidewalk so management decided to fix the problem. By the way, the gym will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 9) for repairs.

Beaumont Children's Museum Lecture

A free lecture on Immunizations/Link to Autism will be held on Thursday, Sept. 10 in the Spindletop Room at 740 Hospital Drive at 6 p.m. It's one of several lectures that will be sponsored by the Beaumont Children's Museum. The children's museum is scheduled to open in the next three to five years in downtown Beaumont. It will give children a window to the world through creative and interactive programs. For more information, go to www.beaumontchildrensmuseum.org