By Cassiette West-Williams NNPA Special Contributor Darrien Boone almost became a murder statistic a year ago at the age of 17. A car pulled-up as he was walking and the driver pointed a gun towards him and threatened to kill him over a female classmate. Standing alone, Boone talked fast, explaining that he did not know the young lady in question and, more importantly, that he valued his life. For some reas ...

Providence St. Mel has a track record that speaks for itself. For the last thirty four-years 100% of all Providence St. Mel graduating seniors have been accepted into four year universities. It takes extreme planning and coordination to gather such a bunch of alumni for fun. On Saturday July 14, 2012 Providence St. Mel Alumni Association hosted the First Annual Providence St. Mel All Classic Picnic. Hundred ...

As a kid on the Westside of Chicago learning bass guitar in church, Tony Russell wasn’t focused on growing up to work with some of the biggest artists in popular music. ‘When I was coming up, I just wanted to play. I wasn’t thinking about having a career, I just wanted to be good enough to play in church’, he explained. Tony grew up in neighborhoods at Cicero and Polk, Avers and Lake, and Augusta and Lake. ...