Rev. Martin Santellano, pastor of New Hope Apostolic Ministry, today (June 17) will end his 32 day hunger strike and hand over the mantle to well- known Chicago Pastor Father Jose Padre Landaverde of Our Lady of Guadalupe Anglican Mission, 3442 W. 26^{th Street}   

Santellano, during a press conference and prayer vigil today (June 17) at the Federal Plaza, 230 S. Dearborn, at 10:30 a.m., will announce an end to his 32 day Hunger Strike which began on May 17^{th .}

^{According to a press release, “Pastor Santellano’s body has weakened and he is responding to pleas from his family and congregation to stop before he further risks endangering his health.”}

^{Father Padre Jose Landaverde will continue the hunger strike. “The message is simple. President Obama must implement an immediate moratorium on raids, deportations, separation of families, the use of racial profiling through 287g, and secure communities act programs, and Arizona type laws such as 1070, until just immigration reform legislation is adopted and implemented,” said Father Jose Padre Landaverde.”}

^{Although they represent different denominations, Pastor Santellano, and Padre Landaverde both pastor Latino congregations.}                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Negative influences and negative thinking bring on negative results.

                                                                                                  – Juanita Bratcher, in the book,

                                                                                                   ”Straight-Up True Blue:

                                                                                                    My Two-Cents Worth”

Building the Dream one dollar at a time

Chicago, IL –  (BlackNews.com) — Construction has been delayed several times over the past few years on what will someday be a historical Mecca for many Americans. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project, located in Washington, DC, was slated for completion in April 2008, but due to flagging donations the memorial’s completion has been tentatively scheduled to commence in Spring of 2011. The completion can only occur through continued financial support from private and public donors.

“It is unfortunate that the original construction milestone was passed, as the scheduled opening date of April 4, 2008, was the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Junior’s death,” said Nye Hurst, advocate and supporter of African American historical preservation. “However, there is an opportunity for the general public to get involved and show their support in the project through individual donations. One time donations come in all denominations, and individuals that donate five dollars or more online will receive a blue ‘Build the Dream’ wristband to show their support.”

Many Fortune 500 companies have donated generously toward the establishment of the memorial, which is a great honor and recognition of the well respected Nobel Peace Prize winner and historical figure. To date, the Foundation has raised $108 of the $120 million needed to complete the memorial. A goal of Hurst’s is to assist the Foundation in garnering the public’s donations by Juneteenth, (June 19), which is the African American celebration of the day when the final slaves were notified they were free under the Emancipation Proclamation.

“I have dedicated two weeks of my time to visit in the Chicago area and discuss the urgency of completing the fundraising arm of this project as soon as possible. I chose Chicago specifically because it was the inspiration for the next phase of Martin Luther King’s campaign – Poor People’s Campaign – for socio-economic equality, before his life was tragically cut short,” said Hurst.

Those interested in donating to the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial Construction project can do so by visiting the Memorial’s website, www.mlkmemorial.org, or by mailing donations directly to the foundation:

Washington, DC Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation
401 F Street, NW, Ste. 334, Washington, DC, 20001

The Memorial is under construction on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and will feature a three-story sculpture of Dr. King, granite wall spanning over 2,300 cubic ft. inscribed with excerpts of his speeches, and hundreds of cherry and elm trees. Recently, an interactive webcam was installed at the Memorial to allow viewers to monitor the construction live. To view the webcam, visit www.MLKMemorial.org/earthcam.
About Nye Hurst
Nye has been involved in a variety of community affairs for over 20 years and is currently finishing his first book which details current issues in the African-American race. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Park University, served twelve years in the United States Air Force, and is a member of Mensa. His primary objective in assisting the Memorial Foundation is to help African Americans find another leader who provides hope and leadership to help lift the less fortunate members in society out of their despair. It is his wish that an endeavor of this sort can bring the same unity and purpose back to the African-American race that existed in the 1960s.

 In continuing effort to fight local level corruption in “Operation Cookie Jar” 

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in a joint investigation with the City of Chicago’s Office of the Inspector General has charged a supervisor in the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection with stealing evidence confiscated by city inspectors and selling the merchandise for profit.

Abd Ayesh, 32, employed by the city as a supervisor of Tax and License Compliance was charged with the Class 2 felony offense of Theft of Government Property and the Class 3 felony offense of Official Misconduct. If convicted, Ayesh faces up to seven years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Ayesh was responsible for storing items confiscated by city investigators prior to them being inventoried in a secured location. A revenue inspector for the city told investigators that he assisted Ayesh steal numerous cigarette cartons which the city had confiscated. Many of these cartons had been confiscated because they did not have the required tax stamps. After taking the cigarettes, the parties sold them for profit.

Investigators allege that Ayesh would remove confiscated cigarette cartons from the evidence area, put them in a plastic bag and then place the bag in his office. The revenue inspector would then pick up the bag with the cigarette cartons and drive them to south side convenience stores, where he would meet Ayesh or one of his relatives and exchange the confiscated cigarettes for money.

According to prosecutors, the revenue investigator agreed to assist investigators in this case. Recorded conversations obtained during the investigation revealed that in April 2010, Ayesh again stole numerous cigarette cartons from a city office where confiscated items were being stored. He then met with the revenue investigator and had the cigarettes delivered to a south

side convenience store operated by Ayesh’s brother. The cigarettes were valued at over $2000.

“This is a blatant example of an employee abusing his position for his own financial gain,” said Alvarez. “My office takes these cases seriously and will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies to root out corruption on the local level.”

Alvarez thanked the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General for their assistance in the investigation. Ayesh appeared in court today and Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan set bail at $25,000D. The next court date for this case is July 9, 2010.

The public is reminded that criminal charging documents contain allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the state has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.