Rev. Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. at historic Ebenezer M.B. Church, Atlanta. Source: Tom Hollyman / Getty
@kwellscomm PraiseIndy.com News & Sports —
Good day to you on this Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. holiday.
The National Weather Service says Indianapolis is under a hazardous weather outlook during the morning hours with freezing rain possible near and north of I-70. Be careful driving, especially on bridges and overpasses.
Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Numerous Indianapolis local attractions are offering free admission in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Click HERE to see a list. Note, admission is free at the museums of the White River State Park and zoo with the donation of a canned good, per person. The collected food will be donated to Gleaners Food Bank to feed hungry people across Central Indiana. WTLC personality Jerry Wade will be on-site at the NCAA Hall of Champions until 2 p.m. In addition to the attractions at the link above, the Indiana State Bar Association is offering free legal advice today and the Indiana Chapter of Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the ICLC, is hosting the 48th Annual Statewide King Birthday Celebration Service from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon at St. John M.B. Church. The church is located at 1651 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue and the program features keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Safiyah Fosua, Professor of Christian Worship and Christian Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University. It’s also an inter-faith celebration. The Boys & Girls Club in Noblesville is also hosting a blood drive today until 2 p.m. at 1448 Conner Street. Donors will receive a $10-off coupon to Noodles & Company restaurant.
Fr. Michael Pfleger, social activist/priest and Pastor of St. Sabina in Chicago on left, Sen. Bernie Sanders in center. Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
Elsewhere…Hot off the heels of Sunday’s “Save Health Care” rally in Warren, Michigan, Senator Bernie Sanders visits the ‘land of King’ today. That’s Atlanta. The former presidential candidate will give what’s being called a special tribute at a Martin Luther King Jr event at King’s home congregation, where he served during his life as senior pastor–following in his father’s footsteps of pastoral leadership, Ebenezer Baptist Church. The speech comes just days before Donald Trump gives his inauguration speech. Sanders is appearing there with social activist Roman Catholic priest, Father Michael Pfleger, who has also visited Indianapolis for King Day festivities and is noted for speaking out against senseless violence in Chicago and the actions of politicians who don’t work on behalf of the people they were elected to represent.
Rep. John Lewis Source: Bill Clark / Getty
A congressman boycotting Donald Trump’s inauguration says it’s necessary to find out what role Russia played in the 2016 election. Democratic Georgia Civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning, he’ll try to cultivate a relationship with the president-elect but admits he doesn’t view Trump as a “legitimate president.” In un-related Lewis news, he also spoke early on Monday telling a Miami crowd honoring role models on MLK Jr. Day that he doesn’t know where he’d be today without the civil rights leader. Lewis marched with King and was often a target of racial violence. He quoted his idol King as saying, “hate is too heavy a burden to bear.” He encouraged the young people in the audience to never give up, never give in, stand up and speak up when they see something’s not right. He said that while progress in race relations has been made, the scars and stings of racism remain deeply embedded in American society.
Source: The Washington Post / Getty
President Barack Obama says Donald Trump will need the intelligence community’s support once he’s in office. In an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” Sunday night, Obama said he hasn’t seen the Trump try to start building a strong relationship with intelligence officials yet, but Obama noted Trump has yet to be sworn in. Trump has been critical of the intelligence community, especially after recent reporting about a dossier that contained unverified claims about him.
Source: Kommersant Photo / Getty
Speaking of Trump, he again is promising that his plan to replace Obamacare will provide “insurance for everybody.” In an interview with The Washington Post, Trump stuck ‘true to form’ and didn’t give details of his plan, but said it will, “much less expensive and much better” than the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Folks here in Indiana and across the nation are not having it. They want the ACA to stay in place. Indiana’s delegation in Washington D.C. says Obamacare’s days are numbered. That’s despite the protests on Sunday around the country, including the one here at the Indiana Capitol. Hundreds of people gathered at the Indiana Statehouse to demand the new Congress keep the health care law. Representative Andre Carson spoke in favor of Obamacare at the rally. But Indiana’s Republican Congressmen say they intend to repeal Obamacare in the next few weeks. They ‘hope’ to have a replacement by then as well.
Also in local headlines…The suspect who led police on what turned into a deadly weekend wreck is dead. Anderson Police say Gary Agnew robbed a Pizza Hut Saturday night, then tried to outrun officers. That’s when police say Agnew smashed into an SUV carrying a family from Noblesville. Agnew and two of the people in the SUV died in the wreck. Two others from the SUV are listed as of Monday morning in serious condition at an Indianapolis area hospital.
Source: Getty / Getty
Attorney General Loretta Lynch says the fight for civil rights is not over. She says they still see people being targeted for simply being who they are.
In her last speech as attorney general, Lynch spoke at the historic 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She said that the church, which was bombed in 1963 killing four little girls, is proof that the fight for freedom is not free. She noted the importance of the church being part of the newly established Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, a move by President Barack Obama in his second-to-last week in office. Lynch also said progress in civil rights hasn’t always been a straight path. She said that if there is a “period of darkness,” that is when, “dreams are best made.”
Long & King Source: Pool / Getty
The controversial pastor of a Georgia-based megachurch has died at age 63. Bishop Eddie Long headed New Birth Missionary Baptist Church since 1987 in DeKalb County Georgia. It’s the church where Dr. Martin L. King, Jr’s daughter, the Reverend Bernice King, served for more than eight years as an elder and held her mother Coretta Scott King’s funeral in 2006 to the dismay of some because on one hand, King was a long-time member of historic Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church but on the other, King’s widow was an LGBT rights advocate. Long was notoriously publicly anti-gay, even leading an infamous march against same-sex marriage and denouncing homosexuality. Ironically, he later found himself at the center of a misconduct scandal in 2010 when he was accused of pressuring multiple young men into sexual relationships. Lawsuits were later settled. He denied the allegations, however Long’s wife, Vanessa, filed for divorce in 2011. However, the couple later reconciled. In a press statement, the church said Long died after a battle with cancer.
In Sports…
Source: Ron Hoskins / Getty
The Indiana Pacers play host to the New Orleans Pelicans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse today on the MLK Day holiday. The Pacers are 20-and-19 on the year, but had its five-game win streak snapped last Thursday overseas in London against the Denver Nuggets. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. Eastern.
The NFL’s conference championship games are set. The Falcons and Packers will square off in the NFC, while the Steelers and Patriots meet in the AFC. Both games will be next Sunday.
Colts punter Pat McAfee won’t participate in his second Pro Bowl due to a knee injury. McAfee was voted to his second Pro Bowl after leading the NFL in punting average at 49.3 yards per punt. Receiver T.Y. Hilton will now be the only Colts player at the Pro Bowl, which kicks off on January 29 in Orlando.
Indianapolis Weather…
Light rain early, remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. Today’s High: 48 degrees.
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