Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 11-27-15 Edition

Local
Granddaughter Of Tampa Resident Crowned Miss Asheville
Last Saturday, history was made when the first African American woman was crowned Miss Asheville, North Carolina.
Kahlani Jackson, 23, granddaughter of Tampa resident George Gragg, will now rep- resent the City of Asheville in the Miss North Carolina pageant to be held in Raleigh in June 2016.
The Miss Asheville and Miss North Car- olina pageants are part of the Miss America Scholarship Pageant organization.
Ms. Jackson also won the talent compe- tition with her lyrical modern dance to India Irie’s “Beautiful Flower.” She is a student at Asheville-Buncombe Community College ma- joring in digital media. She previously at- tended Queen’s College in Charlotte, North Carolina where she was the recipient of the prestigious Grace Joan Love Schneider En- dowed Scholarship. She is also employed as a Program Coordinator with the City of Asheville Parks and Recreation Department.
Ms. Jackson is strongly committed to community service and is involved in numer- ous projects. Her main focus is the “Primped and Polished” program for young girls, teach- ing them with life skills and building confi- dence to achieve their dreams. She will continue her work on the program as her plat- form during her reign as Miss Asheville.
“We are extremely proud of Kahlani and all her accomplishments. She will represent Asheville very well in the Miss North Carolina pageant,” said Mr. Gragg, who attended the pageant along with companion, Jeanette
From left to right: Jeanette LaRussa Fenton, Kahlani Jackson, and her grandfather, George Gragg.
LaRussa Fenton of Tampa. Also supporting Ms. Jackson at the pageant were her parents, Trina Gragg Jackson and Chuck Jack- son, along with a host of relatives and friends.
Thanksgiving Celebration Service
REV. DR. DAVID GREEN ....Guest Speaker
REV. ANTHONY WHITE ...Host Pastor
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Members of The Tampa Bay Coalition of Clergy, Inc., founded in 2014, invite the public to join them on Thanksgiving morning for its Thanksgiving Celebration Service.
The 9 a. m. service will be held at Bible-Based Fellow- ship Church, Carrollwood, 4811 Ehrlich Rd. (Tampa, 33624).
The Reverend Dr. David Green, pastor of Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church, will be the guest speaker. Reverend Anthony C. White is the host pastor.
Bishop Thomas Scott,
Chairman of the Tampa Bay Coalition of Clergy, said this organization is “trying to en- courage the community to come out and be supportive of this service. After all it is Thanksgiving, and we want to give thanks.”
As pastor of the 34th Street Church of God, Bishop Scott said his church has al- ways had Thanksgiving Day Service. It’s not as popular as it had been, but the group is
trying to include the total community.
“When we organized this group of clergy, I recom- mended that we have a Thanksgiving Day Service that would include all the churches and denominations included in the organization. This year we chose to have it at Bible-Based.
“Those of us who know about the traditional Thanks- giving Day Services, it is not foreign to us. We just want to make the community aware, and invite them to join us. We won’t keep them long. The service will be no longer than 1-1/2 hours.”
BISHOP THOMAS SCOTT ...Chairman, Tampa Bay Coalition of Clergy, Inc.
State News
Senator, State Rep. Push For Campaign Finance Transparency
TALLAHASSEE --- State Senator Darren Soto D-Orlando and State Representative Amanda Murphy, D–New Port Richey have filed legislation pushing for transparency in how po- litical committees help fund campaigns around the state.
“There has been an alarming rise of dark money into our polit- ical process in the wake of the Citizens United decision. As a result, campaign finance transparency has become more critical than ever,” Senator Soto said.
State Rep. Murphy said, “People all over the State of Florida have been asking for a better way to keep track of the millions of dollars running through political campaigns.
“With political committees gearing up to spend millions, Floridians have a right to know who is influencing their legislators and how they are getting elected.”
House Bill 631 and Senate Bill 892 would require the pur- pose of each expenditure made by a political committee specify whether the expense was in support or opposition and the name of the candidate, issue, or position it is supporting or opposing.
The legislation has been filed for the upcoming 2016 legislative session.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A