#NNPA BlackPress

MTA Board Votes to Raise Fares and Cut Service

THE TENNESSEE TRIBUNE — Because of an $8.7 million budget shortfall, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is raising fares and cutting 8 bus routes. Regular bus fare will increase from $1.70 to $2. WeGo’s door to door paratransit service will increase from $3.40 to $3.70 per trip. The fare increases will go into effect August 2. Route changes will occur in late September.

Published

3 years ago

August 16, 2019

Tribune Staff

Rhonda Clark, a frequent user of WeGo’s on-demand service, reading the meeting agenda and studying the proposed changes MTA board approved last week.

By Peter White

NASHVILLE, TN — Because of an $8.7 million budget shortfall, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is raising fares and cutting 8 bus routes. Regular bus fare will increase from $1.70 to $2. WeGo’s door to door paratransit service will increase from $3.40 to $3.70 per trip. The fare increases will go into effect August 2. Route changes will occur in late September.

Magnetic stripe change and fare cards will be in use until December 2020. WeGo will then switch to stored value fare cards which are like EBT debit cards. So-called smart media will automatically provide a two-hour transfer. Buses will still accept cash but no longer sell tickets in order to speed up boarding times.

The bottom line is that bus riders will pay more for less service. At a board meeting last week, the MTA directors decided to cut its two free downtown circular routes, and instead will ferry commuters from the Music City Star train station to a few downtown stops. The part of Route 29 which goes down Jefferson Street to TSU will be retained but cost a normal fare.

The increased fares will bring in an extra $300,000 and that will keep Sunday service on the 25 Midtown route. It will also allow expanded service on Routes 8 and 17 on 8th Avenue South. Other changes are listed at WeGo’s website: nashvillemta.org.

Music City Riders (MCR), a group of concerned Metro bus riders, are frustrated with the status quo and want more bus routes and want them to run more frequently and operate longer. They cite the need for more crosswalks and more sheltered bus stops.

“I think it’s going to be a transit crisis. A lot of people have limited funds who are depending on the buses to get to work or hospitals,” said Kutonia Smith, MCR spokesperson.

About 100 Music City Riders rallied in front of the central bus terminal on Tuesday, June 18, and marched to City Hall in support of a substitute budget that would have raised teachers’ wages, continued certain bus routes, and extended hours of operation. The city council failed to pass that budget by one vote forcing the cutbacks to Metro’s bus service.

“We need a new mayor who’s for the Nashville workers,” Smith said. “We don’t feel like the ones who are here are for the people so they need to be replaced. They’re not for the Nashvillians who live here. They’re just for the tourists,” she said.

“The riders union is consistently and regularly raising hell about these things, as they should. And they have been focused where they should be focused—on the council and the Mayor,” said Walter Searcy. Searcy is a MTA board member and chairs MTA’s operations and finance committee.

“The access ride community is really is bus dependent. They come out to these meetings. You can expect that they will be well-represented,” Searcy said.

MTA’s paratransit service uses smaller buses for people with disabilities and the elderly who are picked up from their homes. About 100 people attended the MTA board meeting on Thursday, June 27 at Music City Center. About 25 bus riders took three minutes at the microphone to address the five-member MTA board.

Rhonda Clark is glad the on-demand service won’t be cancelled. “You can‘t go anywhere in this town for $2. You can’t go anywhere in this town for $4. You can sit in traffic and waste $2 in gas,” Clark said. Clark is okay with paying a bit more to get where she wants to go and back again when she wants to return. She has lived in Nashville for 23 years.

“Nashville is one three cities out of the 40 largest cities in the country that does not have a dedicated funding stream for mass transit,” Searcy said. That means MTA does a yearly dance adjusting fares and services, as well as its workforce, from its piece of Metro’s operating budget.

“Future growth requires predictable and reliable funding to sustain the services we provide to our communities. This year’s budget only further serves to highlight the need for a long-term, dedicated funding source for transit, one that relieves pressure on a Metro General Fund budget crucial to so many community priorities,” said Steve Bland, WeGo Public Transit CEO.

This article originally appeared in The Tennessee Tribune.

Up Next

Two years later, mother still grieves

Don't Miss

Gov. Desantis: ‘It’s The Internet’

Tribune Staff

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

Brittney Griner Sentenced to More than 9 years in Russian Prison

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The lawyers of WNBA star Brittney Griner, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a written statement following the verdict announcement that the court ignored all the evidence they presented and that they will appeal the decision. “We are very disappointed by the verdict. As legal professionals, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone regardless of nationality,” Attorneys Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement.

Published

6 days ago

August 4, 2022

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

WNBA Superstar Brittney Griner has been sentenced to more than 9 years in a Russian prison following her conviction on drug charges.

Her lawyers called the verdict a disappointment and vowed to appeal.

The lawyers of WNBA star Brittney Griner, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a written statement following the verdict announcement that the court ignored all the evidence they presented and that they will appeal the decision.

“We are very disappointed by the verdict. As legal professionals, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone regardless of nationality,” Attorneys Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement.

“The court completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea. This contradicts the existing legal practice.

“Taking into account the amount of the substance (not to mention the defects of the expertise) and the plea, the verdict is absolutely unreasonable. We will certainly file an appeal,” they added.

Russian officials contended that Griner committed the crime on purpose. They also levied a fine totaling about $16,400 American dollars on the basketball star.

Authorities arrested Griner on Feb. 17 at an airport in Moscow after finding less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage.

She has been detained since then.

Recently, American officials revealed that the Biden-Harris administration had offered notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for the release of Griner and Paul Whelan.

“Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” President Biden said.

“It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates. My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”

#NNPA BlackPress

Report: Human Rights Violations in Prisons Throughout Southern United States Cause Disparate and Lasting Harm in Black Communities 

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “The U.S. has long failed to live up to its international human rights treaty obligations on eliminating racial discrimination, perhaps more so in the area of mass incarceration and prison conditions than in any other context,” said Lisa Borden, Senior Policy Counsel, International Advocacy at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Published

6 days ago

August 4, 2022

Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire

NEW YORK – The Southern Prisons Coalition, a group of civil and human rights organizations, submitted a new report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination on the devastating consequences of incarceration on Black people throughout the southern United States.

With the long-term goal of eliminating all forms of racial discrimination in the criminal legal system, including the carceral system, the report describes the widespread, disparate harms resulting from the arrests, harsh prison sentences, and incarceration on Black communities.

The report also cites the devastating impacts of solitary confinement, prison labor, the school to prison pipeline, and incarceration of parents on Black families.

On August 8, 2022, the UN will review the United States’ compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination for the first time since 2014.

Among the ongoing stark racial disparities throughout prisons in the southern United States, Black people are five times more likely to be incarcerated in state prisons.

In states like Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, where Black communities comprise 38% of the total population, Black individuals account for as much as 67% of the total incarcerated population.

While incarcerated, Black people are more than eight times more likely to be placed in solitary confinement, and they are 10 times more likely to be held there for exceedingly long periods of time.

By submitting the report to the United Nations, the Southern Prisons Coalition hopes to solicit concrete recommendations from the UN Committee as well as commitments from the United States delegation about their plans to address systemic issues in the United States prison system, particularly in the South.

According to the report, several states in the United States have also failed to meet several of the UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the treatment of incarcerated people, including:

Work should help to prepare incarcerated people for their release from prison, including life and job skills;
Safety measures and labor protections for incarcerated workers should be the same as those that cover workers who are not incarcerated;
Incarcerated workers should receive equitable pay, be able to send money home to their families, and have a portion of their wages set aside to be given to them upon release.

“The U.S. has long failed to live up to its international human rights treaty obligations on eliminating racial discrimination, perhaps more so in the area of mass incarceration and prison conditions than in any other context,” said Lisa Borden, Senior Policy Counsel, International Advocacy at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“We hope the Committee will help to shine a light on these very dark truths and prompt the U.S. to take its obligation to make significant improvements more seriously.”

“The abuses of forced labor are inextricably tied to racial discrimination in our nation,” said Jamila Johnson, Deputy Director at the Promise of Justice Initiative.

“In Louisiana, for instance, people are still sent into the fields to labor by hand in dangerously high heat indexes, for little to no compensation, and with brutal enforcement reminiscent of slavery and the era of ‘convict leasing’.”

“This report reveals the suffering of Black people in southern U.S. prisons, whose stories of marginalization and discrimination echo the racial subjugation of slavery and convict leasing during our country’s most shameful past,” said Antonio L. Ingram II, Assistant Counsel at the Legal Defense Fund.

“Despite widespread knowledge of the longstanding racial inequalities in the criminal legal and carceral systems, the United States continues to allow egregious human rights violations to persist for Black incarcerated people in violation of international law. This report serves as a sobering reminder of how far we need to go.”

Read the full report here.

#NNPA BlackPress

Celebrate your birthday with 10 free items

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Is your birthday coming up, and you’re not sure how to celebrate? Beat the summer heat by grabbing free ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery, or a daiquiri at WhoDaq Daquiris “The Daiquiri Shoppe.” Not in the mood for sweets? Head over to Jersey Mike’s or McDonald’s. Check out the rest of these Top 10 places giving out free items on your special day.

Published

6 days ago

August 4, 2022

admin

By Angelina Liu, Entertainment Editor of The Trendsetter / Texas Metro News

Is your birthday coming up, and you’re not sure how to celebrate? Beat the summer heat by grabbing free ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery, or a daiquiri at WhoDaq Daquiris “The Daiquiri Shoppe.” Not in the mood for sweets? Head over to Jersey Mike’s or McDonald’s. Check out the rest of these Top 10 places giving out free items on your special day.

1. Chocolate Secrets

At Chocolate Secrets, located at 3926 Oak Lawn Ave, Dallas, TX 75219, you can celebrate your birthday by getting one free piece of candy under their candy cases.

2. WhoDaq Daquiris “The Daiquiri Shoppe”

Head to WhoDaq Daquiris “The Daiquiri Shoppe”, located at 684 W Pioneer Pkwy Suite 100, Grand Prairie, Texas 75051, to claim a free small personal daiquiri on your birthday. Quench your thirst with signature flavors such as “Strawberry Shortcake” or “Bahama Mama.”

3. Sephora

Sign up for a free, Beauty Insider account and receive your choice of 250 bonus points, Laura Mercier, Amika or Tatcha sets on your birthday. The choice of powders, lipsticks and skincare is bound to make you look fabulous for your special day.

4. Starbucks

Need a quick pick-me-up on your birthday? Starbucks has it covered! Join the Starbucks Rewards Program seven days prior to your birthday and make one purchase. Starbucks will then email you a coupon for a free food or beverage item two days before your birthday. The birthday reward qualifies for anything on the menu, including any size handcrafted drink or food item.

5. Jersey Mike’s

In the mood for a sub? Head over to Jersey Mike’s and receive a free sub and drink. Make sure to sign up for the Jersey Mike’s Subs Email Club prior to your birthday to receive this reward. Nothing tastes quite like melted cheese and meat in between a toasted baguette, along with an icy cold drink.

6. The Cheesecake Factory

Celebrating with friends? Tell your server it’s your birthday and receive a free treat as well as a song. It may be mildly embarrassing, but hey, it’s free!

7. Culver’s

Need something cold and sweet to beat the Texas heat? Head to Culver’s for a free sundae when you sign up for their rewards program. The sweet creaminess will surely not disappoint.

8. IHOP

Want to indulge in a sweet breakfast before birthday festivities? Join the International Bank of Pancakes rewards program to receive a free stack of pancakes on your birthday. Pair your pancakes with a choice of chocolate chips, syrup, fresh fruit or a dollop of whipped cream.

9. McDonald’s

Need a snack before embarking on your next birthday adventure? Download the McDonald’s app and join MyMcDonald’s Rewards to receive free large fries. Mmm, the taste and smell of fresh, perfectly salted french fries.

10. Smoothie King

Want to celebrate your birthday with a healthier option? Enjoy a birthday smoothie at Smoothie King. Download the Smoothie King app to receive this offer.