ADELPHI, Md. (AP) — President Barack Obama says $750 million in new private-business commitments will help “close the technology gap” in America’s schools.
Obama announced the new funding Tuesday at a Maryland middle school. The money will be used to connect more students to high-speed Internet.
The White House hopes the pledges will help fulfill a goal Obama set last summer to have 99 percent of students in schools wired at high speeds within five years. The president says access to the Internet will help American children compete with students from around the world.
The initiative also builds on Obama’s focus for 2014 on helping more Americans join and stay in the middle class amid an economic recovery in which the benefits have come more quickly for those at the top of the income scale.

Free Pancakes at IHOP® Restaurants on National Pancake Day

GLENDALE, Calif.  – Get ready. Get Set. And…go to IHOP® restaurants on National Pancake Day, March 4, to enjoy a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes – and help raise money for charity!
IHOP restaurants, offering “everything you love about breakfast℠,” will again serve up free short stacks of its famous buttermilk pancakes on National Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday, March 4, 2014, and after eight years of success, and over $13 million dollars raised in the United States, the family-friendly restaurant chain will expand the program into Canada, Puerto Rico and offer a similar fundraising effort in Mexico for the first time. IHOP hopes to raise more than $3 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Shriners Hospitals for Children and other local charities this year.
More than 1,500 IHOP restaurants in the United States, including, for the first time, Canada and Puerto Rico, will be participating in the 15 hours of pancake delight on National Pancake Day, when millions of free pancakes will be served from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. In exchange for the free short stacks, customers are encouraged to leave a voluntary donation in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Shriners Hospitals for Children and other local charities. In Mexico, IHOP restaurants will offer a stack of two buttermilk pancakes for the radically reduced price of 29 pesos with that money being donated to Asociación Mexicana de Ayuda a Niños con Cáncer, (AMANC) that provides accommodations and resources to children undergoing treatment for cancer and their families.
“Our guests, our franchisees, their team members, and all of us at IHOP – look forward to National Pancake Day every year. Knowing that every free stack of buttermilk pancakes has the potential to improve the lives of the children in their own community makes serving them and eating them even more enjoyable than usual,” said Julia Stewart, Interim President, International House of Pancakes, LLC and CEO of the parent company, DineEquity, Inc. “I’m especially proud that what started as a grass roots effort in a few IHOP markets nine years ago has now grown into a significant and truly international event. This year, with the continued generosity of our guests across three countries, we will be able to support wonderful charities like Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Shriners Hospitals for Children and AMANC to save and improve the lives of many children in the communities we serve.”
Beginning February 1 through National Pancake Day on March 4, participating IHOP locations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico will also sell “Miracle Balloons” for $1 and $5 each to benefit the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. All icon proceeds will help provide life-saving care, equipment and programs at 145 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The Miracle Balloons, another way for guests to get involved in helping IHOP restaurants meet their fundraising goal, will be displayed throughout the restaurants. Customers who purchase a $5 Miracle Balloon will receive a $5 off coupon that can be used during their next dining visit.
For more information on National Pancake Day or to learn more about Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and make a donation, please visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University trustees picked a California educator as the school’s next president Thursday, ending a search that began with the former president’s retirement following remarks critical of Roman Catholics and Southeastern Conference schools.
Trustees voted unanimously in favor of University of California, Irvine chancellor Michael Drake to become the 15th president of Ohio State.
“Dr. Drake was the strongest and the consensus candidate,” said Jeffrey Wadsworth, an Ohio State University trustee who led the search.
Drake is an ophthalmology professor who also is a published textbook author. In 2005 he was named the fifth chancellor of UC Irvine, where he also served as a professor.
Drake said he was humbled by the opportunity and looking forward to working at Ohio State. He said the university is “in many ways the premier position in higher education in the United States today.”
“The trajectory and power of Ohio State are known throughout the world,” Drake said.
Under his tenure, undergraduate applications at Irvine increased more than 90 percent and the four-year graduation rate rose by nearly 20 percent. In 2006, Drake oversaw the creation of the first new public law school in California in more than 40 years. He also launched new programs in public health, pharmaceutical sciences and nursing science tailored to meet the community’s hiring needs.
Before the chancellor’s job, Drake worked for five years as vice president for health affairs for the University of California system, where he oversaw academic program policy at UC’s 15 health sciences schools. Prior to that, he was on the faculty of the UC San Francisco School of Medicine for more than two decades.
Drake received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his medical degree from UC San Francisco. He and his wife, Brenda, have two adult sons and two grandchildren.
At Ohio State, Drake will lead one of the nation’s largest public universities, one with a national profile in both academics and sports. The search committee had said that it was looking for someone with a record of significant fundraising and that an understanding of an academic medical center and top NCAA athletic programs would be desirable.
The presidential search was on track to cost more than $300,000. About a third of that is expenses for a one-day forum on the state of the college presidency. More than $200,000 was being paid to a head-hunting firm.
In addition to its undergraduate academic programs, medical school and hospital, and high-profile sports teams, Ohio State also has professional schools for business, law and pharmacy, among many others.
Former president Gordon Gee, who retired after his remarks, which also criticized Notre Dame, is now interim president at West Virginia University. In a statement he called Drake “a world-class academic and an exceptionally able and seasoned higher education leader.”

From cocktail lounges to hotel bars, specialty joints to craft breweries, these 20 spots will ‘change the way you drink this year,’ reports the magazine

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Southern Living names “The Best New Bars of 2014” in its February issue, on newsstands now. “A fresh crop of cocktail dens across the region are raising the bar,” reports Southern Living. “They’re a throwback to a time when whiskey and Champagne were sipped by elegant folks in sleek social rooms.”
Editors selected budding hotspots based on their laid back (yet refined) approach to serving spirits and skilled drink pros thirsty to elevate their craft. They combine the quality of a top-shelf joint with the rocking spirit of your favorite dive, reports the magazine. The following 20 new establishments…best define the modern-day craft bar.
For the list of the South’s 20 Best New Bars of 2014, according to Southern Living, go to  http://www.southernliving.com/travel/souths-best-new-bars-2014-00417000086833/
Each bar is broken down by a useful symbol key identifying which are date friendly, open before 5 p.m., have outdoor seating, require a dapper dress code, and more.
Southern Living also profiles “Bartenders to Know”: Bobby Heugel of Houston’s Anvil and The Pastry War, Greg Best out of Atlanta, and Derek Brown of Washington, D.C. joints The Passenger, Columbia Room, and Mockingbird Hill. These cocktail crafters share their favorite watering hole, go-to-drink as well as predict future drink trends.

Introducing the Southern Living Top 20 “Best New Bars 2014”:
 
The Back Rooms:
·      The Apothecary at Brent’s Drugs (Jackson, MS): Former medicine room becomes intimate lounge.
·      Paper Plane (Decatur, GA): Rising cocktail star Paul Calvert mixes up bold, spirit-forward drinks at this retro-mod stunner.
Cocktail Lounges:
·      Bar Smyth (Dallas, TX): With no set menu, Smyth bartenders have free reign to improvise.
·      Capt. Foxheart’s Bad News Bar & Spirit Lodge (Houston, TX):  A dark loft evokes a Victorian era saloon.
·      2 Birds 1 Stone (Washington, D.C.): Adam Bernbach culls a tight list of six straightforward, perfectly stirred cocktails and one nightly punch.

Hotel Bars:
·      The Broken Shaker (Miami, FL): Miami nightlife is reinvented here with tropical drinks with house-grown herbs and craft spirits.
·      The Hive (Bentonville, AR): This whimsical space in the new 21c Museum Hotel melds mid-century mod with a rotating art exhibit.

Social Clubs:
·      Básico at Mixson Bath & Racquet Club (Charleston, SC): This social house inspired by a country club leaves the high-fees and stuffiness at the door.
·      Pinewood Social (Nashville, TN): Nashville’s unofficial new clubhouse featuring a bowling alley, karaoke rooms, a bowling alley, lawn games and more.

Neighborhood Joints:
·      Carrigan’s Public House (Birmingham, AL): Owner David Carrigan – a stonemason by trade—hand built this space to reflect the city’s industrial roots.
·      Valkyrie (Tulsa, OK): This laid-back gathering spot is home to the best cocktail program in Oklahoma.

Specialty Bars:
·      Cane & Table (New Orleans, LA): Rum aficionado Nick Detrich runs this French Quarter hide-away inspired by a Colonial-era public house.
·      Mockingbird Hill (Washington, D.C.): One of three spots opened last year by D.C. bar luminary Derek Brown. Featured ingredient: Sherry.
·      The Pastry War (Houston, TX): This ode to tequila puts other bars of its kind to shame.

Craft Breweries:
·      The Arsenal at Bluejacket (Washington, D.C.): D.C.’s most anticipated brewery offers 25 distinct beer styles ranging from light and sweet to dark and dry.
·      Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta, GA): The three guys behind Monday Night Brewing turned their weeknight home-brewing ritual into a celebrated taproom.
·      Wicked Weed Brewing (Asheville, NC): The South’s breakout beer star has been garnering a national following over its funky farmhouse-style beers.

Restaurant Bars:
·      Heritage (Richmond, VA): This spot is leading the city’s growing cocktail scene with concoctions such as the signature Wasp Nest made with bourbon and absinthe.
·      MilkWood (Louisville, KY): Take the guesswork out of craving here, where drink names are arranged around a sketch of an open mouth, highlighting the five basic tastes.
·      Shoo-Fly Diner (Baltimore, MD): This all-American spot serves playful libations like their Mudslide milkshake made with house-made 4% alcohol soft serve.

Southern Living is holding its second-annual Southwide Happy Hour on Friday February 7, where select bars serve specials from 5-7 p.m. Go to southernliving.com/bars for participating spots.
For a more extended list of “100 Places to Drink Now,” which is only available online, go to: www.southernliving.com/bars.

Honorees agree they owe their success to those who paved the way before them.

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Trumpet Awards Foundation recently wrapped up the 22nd Annual Trumpet Awards where an international cast of who’s who in the areas of religion, politics, public service, law, entrepreneurialism, and entertainment turned out to witness the Awards Show and the celebration of African American achievers. The festivities took place at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Saturday,  January 25th.
The Annual Trumpet Awards was hosted by Melissa De Sousa, a NAACP Image Award nominated actress, and Laz Alonso, a NAACP Image Award winning actor. De Sousa was recently seen in the film Best Man Holiday. Alonso has several films to his credit which include Stomp the Yard, Fast & Furious, and Avatar; his television credits include, “Bones,”  “CSI-Miami,” “The Practice,” and more.
Celebrity guests, honorees, and participants who braved the cold weather and were seen on the Red Carpet included Tim Davies and the crew from Radio-One,  Martin Luther King III, Chris Tucker, Congressman/Ambassador Andrew Young,  Bobby Jones, Judge Mablean Ephriam, Danny Bakewell,  former Chief Justice Leah Sears Collins,  members of the staff of the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, and many others.
Xernona Clayton, Chair, President, and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation, and Creator and Executive Producer of the Trumpet Awards, and a national celebrity in her own right, presented the “Trumpet Award”  to  the honorees, including: DeVon Franklin; Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff; The Honorable Kamala Harris; Deryl and Cheryl McKissack; Charles J. Ogletree, Jr; Steve Pemberton; Alfre Woodard; the five Atlanta Bronner Brothers; and seven sisters of the entrepreneurial Williams Family from the Bahamas.
Presenters for the 22nd Annual Trumpet Awards included Palmer Williams,  Roland Martin, Sweetie Pie’s Robby Montgomery, and Nephew Tommy. Performers who provided the entertainment included award-winning recording artists Amber Riley,  Carl Thomas, Jaheim, Raheem DeVaughn,  SWV, Chubb Rock, Melle Mel, Kurtis Blow,   Smokie Norful and Donny McClurkin.
Other events held during the weekend included The Prayer Breakfast which was held on Thursday, January 23, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown Atlanta. This annual program kicked off the festivities with the Spiritual Enlightenment Award. Honorees include the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta; Rev W. R. “Smokie” Norful, Jr., Senior Pastor & Gospel Recording Artist, Chicago, Ill.; Linda Herring, musician, Memphis, Tenn.; Dr. Marvin A. Moss, Senior Pastor, Cascade United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Ga.; and Bishop William Sheals, Senior Pastor, Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, Norcross, Ga. Dr. Joseph L. Williams, Salem Bible Church, Lithonia, Ga. delivered the “Sermonette.”
Jonathan Slocumb and Charlotte Ottley hosted the High Tea with High Heels affair which was held on Thursday, January 23, and is a fairly new tradition of the Trumpet Awards. This affair combined the sophistication of high tea, high heels and high fashion and was initiated to salute a select group of distinguished women who are leaders in their communities and in their fields of endeavor. This event was a fundraiser for the Trumpet Awards Foundation’s scholarship initiative.
The Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, Senior Pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church, moderated the Race Relations Symposium on Thursday, January 23.  The panelists included Dr. Oliver W. Clark, Jr.,
associate pastor at Canterbury United Methodist Church, Birmingham, Ala., Rev. Markel Hutchins, civil rights advocate; Shirley Sherrod, executive director of the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative, Albany Ga.; Dr. William H. Smith, founding executive director, National  Center for Race Amity, Boston, Mass.; and Thomas N.
Todd, civil rights attorney, Chicago, Ill.
The induction ceremony of the 2014 honorees into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame was held on Friday, January 24 at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Frank Ski, with the Frank Ski Show, was the host for the occasion. The 2014 honorees included AME Bishop John Hurst Adams, civil rights activist; The Honorable Roy Barnes, attorney and former Governor of Georgia; Dr. John Carlos and Dr. Tommie Smith, U.S. Olympians, educators and activists; The Honorable Perry Gladstone Christie, Prime Minister of the
Bahamas; Harry E. Johnson, Sr. President, the Memorial Foundation, Washington, D.C.; Representative Calvin Smyre, Georgia State House of Representatives; Thomas Todd, civil rights attorney; and Rev. Jasper W. Williams, Senior Pastor, Salem Bible Church/activist.   These footprints will be placed into the granite at the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.
AIB TV (Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters), sponsor of this year’s Prayer Breakfast, will air three of the Trumpet Awards events during the month of February, 2014, including the Spiritual Enlightenment Awards at the Prayer Breakfast; Race Relations Symposium; and the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.  TV One will broadcast the Trumpet Awards and the syndicated television broadcasts of the Trumpet Awards will be announced on other television networks.  Please watch your television program listings for final air dates.

First Woman President in University’s History

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Board of Trustees of Florida Memorial University (FMU) has announced the appointment of Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis as the University’s 13th President, effective immediately. This historic appointment is unprecedented and Dr. Artis has made history by becoming the first woman President of the 135-year-old higher education institution.
After serving as Interim President since July 15, 2013, Dr. Artis has performed admirably during her six months in the position and has been embraced throughout the student body, the faculty and staff and the entire south Florida community.
“I am impressed with her adept administrative and people skills,” says Charles George, Chairman of the FMU Board of Trustees. “She has hit the ground running and brings superb qualifications and leadership skills to FMU.”
Dr. Artis is a Trustee Scholar graduate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she earned her Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from West Virginia University College of Law in Morgantown, West Virginia, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from West Virginia State College Institute in West Virginia.
Dr. Artis is delighted to be in her new role, and shared that “I am honored to have been chosen by the Board of Trustees to lead Florida Memorial University at such a critical point in its history. This University has been a key component of Florida’s educational system for 135 years. The University has provided access to a quality education for generations of students, many of whom would not have had the opportunity were it not for FMU. Its history is indeed rich and its future is bright. I am confident that the best is yet to come!”
Since arriving to FMU, Dr. Artis has provided immeasurable leadership and direction to the University family at all levels. She has become well-acclimated to the South Florida community, and has been appointed to multiple community and corporate boards and associations increasing involvement and exposure of the University.
On campus, Dr. Artis has spearheaded a series of new and innovative programs for students and is diligently striving to improve corporate and community relations and endowment initiatives for the institution. “We have assembled a knowledgeable, experienced and highly competent administrative team to work with our strong faculty and committed staff to create an environment that prepares our special young people with a well-rounded, holistic, educational experience.  Florida Memorial University is well positioned for the future,” says Dr. Artis.
Throughout her career, Dr. Artis’ extensive academic experience and accomplishments have been widely accepted and highly successful. For nearly a decade, she served in numerous roles at Mountain State University; including faculty member, Senior Academic Officer, Vice President for Advancement, Chief Academic Officer, and the University’s Provost. Her interests have included student retention, particularly as it relates to adult and non-traditional students, academic and co-curricular support structures in alternative learning modalities, strategic planning, institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes assessment.
In addition, she has also served as a partner at Assessment by Design, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in the development and implementation of comprehensive assessment strategies for academic and co-curricular programs in higher education; an attorney at the Wooton Law Firm, an adjunct professor at The College of West Virginia, and an associate attorney at Brown & Levicoff PLLC, among other notable positions.
“Dr. Artis has completed or made significant progress on the goals the board set for her,” states Chairman George. “She is an asset to our students, faculty and administration and the South Florida communities.”

Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 2642, the Agricultural Act of 2014:

“After two years of negotiations to pass a farm bill that meets the needs of both our farmers and those who rely upon nutrition assistance programs, I am pleased that Congress has come to a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a five-year farm bill. While not a perfect bill, it does represent a compromise that broadens access to irrigation, promotes our catfish industry and strengthens rural infrastructure.
While I am disappointed that this legislation doesn’t invest new resources in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), I voted for this bill because it strikes a compromise that provides a 5 year agreement that gives our farmers and consumers the certainty they deserve. It is my hope that the compromise reached on the farm bill is reflective of the bipartisan work to come out of Congress this year.”