?Friday, January 22, 2010 Volume 126, No. 19 Price 75¢ Ayana Jones Tribune Staff Writer Efforts to provide Haitian relief are continuing to unfold throughout Philadelphia. A coalition of local community groups, clergy and political officials are participating in efforts to ensure that needed aid gets to those affected by the devastating earthquake. The Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia is spearheading efforts to raise $100,000 to fuel a jumbo jet that will transport food, medical professionals and supplies to Port-au- Prince. They are in the process of sorting and packing their inventory of supplies to be shipped. ?We?re working on getting all of our shipments packaged and ready to go so that when we get the call ? we?re prepared. We?re in rush mode right now,? said Florcy Morisset, HPP member and owner of Vivant Art Collection. ?We are looking for partners because there is so much space on the plane we want to make sure that we are getting as much doctors and as much supplies there,? she said. ?We want to make sure that everything is calculated and very strategic.? Morisset said many are responding to their call for water, food, medical supplies and donations. ?We?ve got such an overwhelming response,? she said. Across America Commentary Op-Ed Religion City & Region

SPORTS, 5B

EAGLES PONDER FREE AGENT POSSIBILITIES

Teen Is Elderly Murder Suspect

Ellen Walton

Citizens, local groups pack goods for country

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3-A 8-A 9-A 10-A 1-3B Action Line Sports Lifestyles Classified Obituaries 4-B 5-6B 7-8B 9-B 10-B Today Mostly Cloudy high: 45º low: 28º Florcy Morisset, who is a member of the Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia and owner of Vivant Art Gallery, is one of many Philadelphians of Haitian descent who is accepting donations of medical supplies, money on behalf of Haitian relief. ? ABDUL R. SULAYMAN/TRIBUNE CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER HPP is coordinating with AMURT International, Beyond Borders, The Red Cross, The World Food Program, the Haitian Coalition of Philadelphia, the Haitian Clergy of Philadelphia, the Mayor?s Office, Temple Haitian Student Association, University of Pennsylvania Haitian Student Association, Philadelphia Young Democrats, political officials and other organizations to accomplish the goal of getting assistance to those in need. The organization already has a truckload of supplies en route to Haiti. The Philadelphia Police Department has set up drop-off locations at various precincts throughout the city for water and medical supplies. Donations ? Page 4A

A change comes to Obama

Eric Mayes Tribune Staff Writer Larry Miller Tribune Staff Writer Philadelphia police have arrested an 18-yearold neighbor, charging him with the murder of a 68-year-old Germantown grandmother in her home on Jan. 8 ? although her battered body wasn?t found until earlier this week, according to local authorities. It?s too early to sound the death knell of the Obama administration and the Democratic Party despite the election of Sen. Scott Brown, a conservative Republican, to replace Sen. Edward Kennedy, a stalwart Democrat, agreed a collection of Democratic lawmakers and political observers. ?The presidency in modern history is not determined by the first year,? said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College and a political historian. There is little doubt that President Barack Obama has had a rough first year. His job approval ratings ? hovering at 50 percent ? are at record lows. But other presidents have endured Obama ? Page 5A

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Family says Ellen Walton was a loving grandmother

Tomorrow Mostly Sunny high: 45º low: 32º Sunday Few Showers high: 50º low: 35º Officials said defendant Corey Conaway was burglarizing the victim?s home in the 6300 block of Magnolia Street when Ellen Walton walked in on him. She recognized him, so he killed her, authorities said. ?She has known him his whole life ? he lives in the next block down from her,? said Homicide Unit Captain James Clark. ?And with that, he doesn?t want to be caught, I guess, so he chooses CITY & REGION

Beyond Borders? Haiti Effort

Long-established on the island already, brings aid from U.S. 1B to pick up a frying pan and knock her down. She goes down, but then he jumps on top of her and continues to beat her until she is dead.? Clark said Conaway then took some TVs, jewelry and other items, put them in the victim?s car, and went joyriding for several days ? meeting up with friends, even going to school one day. Conaway is now in custody, and several sources said he has confessed.

SAVING LIVES IN HAITI

Fueling Relief Effort

Michelle Faul and Tamara Lush PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti ? The rubble from the epic earthquake now deathly quiet, search-and-rescue teams packed their dogs and gear Thursday as the focus shifted to keeping injured survivors alive, fending off epidemics and getting help to hundreds of homeless camps. ?We?re so, so hungry,? said Felicie Colin, 77, lying outside the ruins of her

MASSACHUSETTS LOSS IS SETBACK FOR PRESIDENT

Rescue hopes dim; focus now to help Haiti?s homeless

President Barack Obama speaks about financial reform on Thursday at the White House in Washington. ? AP PHOTO/CHARLES DHARAPAK

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Port-au-Prince nursing home with dozens of other elderly residents who have hardly eaten since the earthquake hit on Jan. 12. As aftershocks still shook the city nine days later, aid workers streamed into Haiti with water, food, drugs, latrines, clothing, trucks, construction equipment, telephones and tons of other relief supplies. The international Red Cross called it the Rescue ? Page 6A LIFESTYLES

Miss Black USA Hosts Local Conference

West Philly native wants to lift up young women. 7B ENTERTAINMENT

?Blue Door? Opens

Play delves into Black men?s psyche. 6C COMING SUNDAY Health-care reform option for Democrats

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Unions, firms gain campaign powers

Mark Sherman WASHINGTON ? A major U.S. Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance Tuesday could alter drastically who gives and gets hundreds of millions of dollars ahead of the November congressional elections. The top U.S. court threw out a 63-year-old law designed to restrain the influence of big business and unions, ruling that corporations may spend as freely as they like to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress. By a 5-4 vote, the court overturned two of its own decisions as well as the law that said companies and labor unions could be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to produce and run their own campaign ads. The decision threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states. It leaves in place a prohibition on direct contributions to candidates from corporations and unions. Critics of the stricter limits have argued that they amount to an unconstitutional restraint of free speech, and the court majority agreed. ?The censorship we now confront is vast in its reach,? Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his majority opinion, joined by his four more conservative colleagues. Strongly disagreeing, Justice John Paul Stevens said in his dissent, ?The court?s ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions around the nation.?

Unemployment gap grows between Blacks, whites

Eric Mayes Tribune Staff Writer A new report has detailed what most African Americans already know ? the Great Recession has thrown more Blacks than whites out of their jobs ? and predicted that the unemployment gap will continue to grow in 2010. In a related note, the report?s authors predicted that if the unemployment gap continued to grow, 50 percent of African-American children would grow up in poverty. ?The gap has already grown dramatically during this recession, and it is expected to continue growing,? wrote Kai Filion in the study. ?These data make it clear that the nation must aggressively address the ongoing human tragedy brought on by this recession.?

INSIDE ENTERTAINMENT, 9C

Walton?s body was found in her own home a short time after her car was found abandoned. Detectives said the murder of Walton falls into the category of especially heinous. She had been struck on the head with a frying pan in her home and her assailant, who hit her so hard it broke in half. ?My mother didn?t have any enemies,? said the victim?s only son, Damon Walton. ?She was a retired case worker for the state and basically just tried to make the world a better place. For some- Grandmother ? Page 5A

Supreme Court overturns rulings against funding ads, puts states? limit in jeopardy

Court Ruling ? Page 5A The report, by the Economic Policy Institute, recorded national unemployment data among both Blacks and whites and then used historical trends to predict what might happen in 2010. It was not good news for African Americans. The overall national unemployment rate for African Americans was projected to hit 17.2 percent, up from 8.6 percent in 2007 before the recession. The latest statistics showed unemployment rates at 9 percent for whites and 16.2 percent for Blacks. The overall unemployment rate is 10 percent. Pennsylvania is expected to mirror the nation?s downward trends with the African-American unemployment rate climbing from 11.6 percent in the final quarter of 2009 to 13.5 percent at the end of 2010. Both numbers represent an enormous Unemployment ? Page 5A The Philadelphia Tribune, a reflection of you. The Philadelphia Tribune

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