The Cafe' [Think Tank]

By  Bradford Richardson  - The Washington Times - Thursday, December 28, 2017 An appeals court ruled Thursday against the Oregon bakers who were fined $135,000 for declining to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. In its decision, the  Oregon Court of Appeals upheld  an administrative law judge’s ruling that Melissa and Aaron Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, violated a public accommodations law barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Kelly Shackelford, president of the First Liberty Institute, a religious liberty law firm representing the Kleins, said he was “disappointed” by Thursday’s decision. “Freedom of expression for ourselves should require freedom of expression for others,” Mr. Shackelford said in a statement. “Today, the  Oregon Court of Appeals  decided that Aaron and Melissa Klein are not entitled to the Constitution’s promises of religious liberty and free speech. In a diverse and pluralistic soci...

Kevin Rector Contact Reporter The Baltimore Sun B altimore Police on Saturday identified the man they have accused of engaging in a “shooting spree” before and during a lengthy police chase through the city on Friday that left several people injured. Mausean Vittorio Quran Carter, 30, is facing charges regarding the chase, and has also been charged with first-degree murder and several other offenses in relation to other incidents over the past week, police said. Carter, of the 3000 block of Oakford Avenue, was taken into custody after he stopped the  Lexus  he was driving amid the chase and a woman — who police said was his girlfriend — ran up to the car and pulled him out of the driver’s seat. She was not identified by authorities. Police allege Carter shot a man on Edmondson Avenue last week and shot three men — including a still-unidentified 37-year-old man who died — Thursday afternoon in the city’s Franklintown Road neighborhood. Carter was denied bail, ...

louisianaweekly.com Blacks will have more money to spend on goods and services, according to a recent report. The State of the African-American Consumer Report found that black buying power is projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2015,   The Louisiana Weekly reports . The study, which focuses on black spending, media habits and consumer trends, reported an increase in the amount of blacks attending college or earning a degree to 44 percent for men and 53 percent for women. It also found an increase in the number of African American households earning $75,000 or higher by almost 64 percent. “By sharing, for example, that African Americans over-index in several key areas, including television viewing and mobile phone usage,” said Susan Whiting, vice chair of information and analytics company   Nielsen . “We’ve provided a better picture of where the African American community can leverage that buying power to help their communities.” Nielsen partnered with the ...