?Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Volume 125, No. 88 Price 75¢

Polls Swing Lower

Obama?s approval rating slips among

Oct. 2 will be last day

Blacks, remains static for Hispanics, low among whites

Eric Mayes Tribune Staff Writer Records indicate President Obama?s approval rating among Blacks ? his staunchest supporters to date ? has dipped to an alltime low, hitting 86 percent in the last week of August. Prior to that, Obama had garnered approval ratings that remained above 90 percent fluctuating between 95 and 91 percent. The latest figures seemed to show restored confidence in the president among African Americans with approval figures hitting 91 percent. Obama has typically enjoyed much more support among Blacks than among other demographic groups. That trend continued this summer, but Black attitudes mirrored broader attitudes seesawing along with the approval ratings of the overall population. ?By taking on tough issues such as health care, the economy and Iraq, you are bound to alienate somebody,? said Bryan Monroe, former president of the National Association of Black Journalists and former editorial director at Ebony Magazine. ?There are other presidents that take on easy stuff and they don?t get any one upset. ?For whites, you are getting a lot of those who are kind of waffling in the middle or got excited at the potential of him winning the campaign,? he added. According to figures, 45 percent of whites and 68 of Hispanics support Obama. Among whites, that number represented an increase in approval ratings, up from 43 percent the previous week. Hispanic approval ratings remained static.

Officials probe

Across America Health Commentary Op-Ed Business

foiled attack

Alleged white supremacist planned attack in Springfield

Larry Miller Tribune Staff Writer Law enforcement officials are investigating allegations that an alleged white supremacist, now being held on $1 million bail, had threatened to attack Springfield Township, Montgomery County. And reports by the Southern Poverty Law Center state that the numbers of hate groups continues to rise significantly since the election of President Barack Obama. According to Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, 22-year-old James Gallagher of Wyndmoor had been posting threatening messages on his Facebook page, including pictures of himself allegedly holding AR- 15 and AK-47 rifles. Acting on a tip, an undercover investigator accessed Gallagher?s Facebook page and read several racially charged postings dating back to August. When police searched

INSIDE

3A 8-9A 10A 11A 1B Sports Entertainment Lifestyles Classifieds Obituaries 4-5B 6-7B 8-9B 10B 12B NEWS King Siblings Back in Court MLK III, Bernice suing Dexter over estate handling. 3A

DEBUT: BLACK PEARL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

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President Obama?s speech to a joint session of Congress last week didn?t provide much of a boost to his job approval rating, a USA Today/Gallup poll taken Friday through Sunday indicated. ? AP FILE PHOTO the suspect?s residence they confiscated an arsenal of weapons, ammunition and white supremacist items and literature. Among the items found was a flag that said ?White Pride World Wide.? ?He was threatening to shoot up Springfield and to just really cause massive destruction to the local community, and he had significant firepower,? Ferman said in a published report. But Gallagher is only one of the suspected thousands of Americans who are harboring white supremacist sentiments or are actively involved in one of the many organized groups dotting the country, according to Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center?s Intelligence Project. Even before Obama?s election as president, researchers who monitor hate groups and law enforcement officials were Supremacist ? Page 4A HEALTH Warning Pregnant Mothers of Alcohol?s Effects Working to prevent birth defects, learning disability linked to drinking. 8A ?It?s hard to be liked during a time when people don?t have jobs,? said Columbia University professor and political commentator Marc Lamont Hill. ?But even at 86 percent that is extraordinary.? Some have suggested Obama?s Ben Feller NEW YORK ? Lecturing Wall Street on its own turf, President Barack Obama warned financial leaders not to use the recovering economy to race back into ?reckless behavior? that could cause a new meltdown. He declared that a bailout-weary public will not break their fall again. Obama insisted on Monday that there is an urgent need for tighter financial regulation and he cautioned his audience not to try to block it. He spoke on the first anniversary of the collapse of the Lehman Brothers investment bank, the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history and a stark reminder of the financial crisis that spread into a deep recession despite huge federal bailouts of major companies. ?It is neither right nor responsible after you?ve recovered with the help of your government to shirk your obligation to the goal of wider recovery, a more stable system and BUSINESS Making ?ends? Meet Friends open new hair salon and day spa in Northern Liberties. 1B Today Partly Cloudy high: 82º low: 63º favorability numbers with whites dropped immediately after the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and not that of health care. Hill agreed with the notion. Obama ? Page 5A a more broadly shared prosperity,? Obama said in a stern bid to boost his regulation proposals. The president?s speech reflected public sentiment that taxpayers were immeasurably harmed from last year?s financial collapse ? and that, barring change, it could happen again. As Tomorrow P.M. Showers high: 67º low: 58º Thursday Showers high: 63º low: 61º investment giants return to profit, millions of Americans are still coping with unemployment, home foreclosures and retirement portfolios that got washed away in the storm. For symbolic emphasis, Obama spoke from venerable Federal Hall on Wall Street. ?Unfortunately, there are some in the financial industry COMING FRIDAY Plan your weekend with Entertainment NOW!

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without state action on city?s budget

Eric Mayes Tribune Staff Writer The shadow of Plan C ? the city?s doomsday budget ? continued to creep across the city on Monday with closure notices appearing on the doors of libraries across Philadelphia. According the notice, which was also posted on the Free Library of Philadelphia?s Web site, if the state legislature does not pass two tax relief bills now in the Senate, all libraries will close at the end of the day Oct. 2. ?The city of Philadelphia will not have the funds to operate our neighborhood branch libraries, regional libraries or the Parkway Central Library after October 2, 2009,? said the notice, signed by president and director Siobhan Reardon. ?All branch and regional library programs, including programs for children and teens, after-school programs, computer classes and programs for adults will be cancelled.? Patrons were also warned that all checked out material would be due Oct. 1 regardless of the return date. Nothing can be checked out after Sept. 30. The notices herald the possible implementation of the doomsday budget, which would include 3,000 layoffs, closing all recreation centers, the park service, nine fire companies and two health clinics and even the city?s courts. The legislation, which allows the city to temporarily raise the sales tax 1 percent and restructure pension fund payments needed to stave off Plan C, moved to the Senate on Friday after the House approved an amended bill that stripped it of pension rules that would have affected the entire state. If the bill does not win Senate approval by Friday, layoff notices will be sent out and Mayor Michael Nutter will be forced to re-submit his

It?s tough talk for Wall Street

President warns against reckless spending, stressed tighter regulations

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Libraries post closing notices

Budget ? Page 4A President Barack Obama warned financial leaders not to use the recovering economy to race back into ?reckless behavior? that could cause a new meltdown. ? FILE PHOTO who are misreading this moment,? Obama told a quiet audience of leaders from the investment sector. ?So I want them to hear my words,? Obama said. ?We will not go back to the days of reckless behavior and unchecked excess that was at Economy ? Page 6A The Philadelphia Tribune, a reflection of you. The Philadelphia Tribune

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