Beware of scams

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is warning residents to beware of scams, especially ones targeted toward senior citizens.The bureau says that it has been receiving reports of several types of scams, such as individuals calling and pretending to be a family member incarcerated in another country and needing money for bail; individuals going door-to-door pretending to be repair persons, carpet cleaners and insurance agents and robbing homeowners while they are distracted. Also they said they have received reports of individuals tapping into emails and sending letters requesting money to individuals on the person’s contact list. The scammers tend to try to include some information to reinforce the relationship. The bureau suggests that residents be cautious when speaking to or verifying personal information, check identification and if a person calls, ask the caller to provide a call back number and tell them you will return the call. That usually deters the scammer and they hang up the phone abruptly. Residents should contact their local police bureau if they feel something is illegal.

In about two weeks, the U.S. government will begin mailing out census forms and it is sparing no expense to ensure the 2010 census is the most complete ever. Part of that includes a broad outreach effort to the country’s minority communities, where past responses have been less complete.

In Allegheny County, said U.S. Census Bureau Media Specialist Pamela Golden, the outreach effort includes some 450 partner organizations. Some of these include churches, community-based organizations, libraries, media companies and local government.

FOLLOWING UP— In April, census takers will begin going door-to-door to follow up with households that did not return their census forms.

“It is critical to achieve a complete count because not only does the information determine our number of representatives in congress, but it also helps to determine how federal resources are allocated,” said Golden. “It’s used for community planning and economic development. It’s about where roads go, where schools are built.  Even the allocation of H1N1 vaccine was based on the census.”

This Spring, André Kimo Stone Guess will begin the task of setting up The August Wilson Center for African American Culture as the top African-American cultural institution in the world. As the August Wilson Center’s new president, Guess, who will start his position April 16, said this goal is well within reach.

ANDRE KIMO STONE GUESS

“My vision for the August Wilson Center is it can and will be the preeminent institution for African-American culture in the world,” Guess said. “I’ve been fortunate to travel all around the world and there’s really nothing like it in the world. It’s everything in one that deals with African-American culture.”