Daily News on a Weekly Basis - Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - June 28, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............3
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................7
Classifieds............................3
Entertainment......................2
Finance..................................7
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Lawndale..............................4
Legals............................. 4,6,7
The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
ways, too. The U.S. Pentagon only buys flags
made in the U.S.A. that fly at military bases
and installations here and abroad.
The biggest exporter of American flags to
the states is China, though sales accounted for
just over $5 million in 2017, according to U.S.
Census Bureau data. U.S. flag manufacturers
dominate the marketplace, with Mexico and
the Dominican Republic being the biggest
customers for the star spangled banner.
April, May and June are the busiest months
for flag sales, according to industry figures.
Memorial Day, Flag Day on June 14, and
Independence Day are considered the most
popular times to fly the American flag. It’s
acceptable to display the flag every day of the
year, though etiquette calls for the flag to be
taken down for inclement weather and after Friday
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Pets........................................8
Weekend
Forecast
Officers Helping the Hungry
Inglewood Police Department officers did their part in donating to the @abc7 7th Annual Feed SoCal Food Drive to help end hunger. The June campaign supported Los Angeles Regional Food Bank,
among others in the region. Photo: Inglewood PD.
Imported Banners Raise Red Flag
By Rob McCarthy
Life hasn’t been the same since 9/11. The
Homeland Security Agency was created to
intercept and prevent terrorists from launching
attacks on U.S. soil. Flying became more
of a hassle as airports erected checkpoints
and scanned passengers boarding flights for
weapons and explosives. And, American-made
products grew in demand.
With the Commerce Department slapping
higher tariffs of thousands of Chinese-made
products, the interest in buying products
made in the U.S.A. could peak again like it
did after Sept. 11, 2001. The current dispute
between the U.S. and its trading partners,
including Canada and Mexico, almost certainly
means higher prices on automobiles,
clothing and foods.
Consumers are caught in the middle until a
truce is called in the trade war over protecting
home-grown industries. That’s the purpose
of the tariffs, according to experts, and every
major trading nation uses them. The North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
with Mexico and Canada eliminated most
of the import taxes -- particularly those on
farm products, garments and automobiles.
Even that agreement and its future hangs in
the balance right now.
One avenue to avoid price increases is
to buy American-made products until the
dust settles. Consumers trust the “Made in
U.S.A.” tag on a product and expect the
claim to be true, according to the Federal
Trade Commission. The FTC explains on
its website that “Made in U.S.A.” means “all
or virtually all” the product has been made
in America. The materials and labor that go
into manufacturing also must originate in the
United States, according to federal law. The
FTC polices “Made in the USA” claims and
prosecutes companies it suspects of cheating.
The sale of American flags after 9/11 soared,
according to the trade group calling itself Flag
Manufacturers Association of America. The
Wayne, Pennsylvania-based group issued a
reminder ahead of the July 4 holiday to read
the label before buying a new or replacement
banner. Not all American flags are created
equally, the group says.
“How would you feel if the American flag
you so proudly display was made in another
country? Kind of defeats the purpose of
being a true symbol of patriotism, doesn’t
it?” asks the Flag Manufacturers Association
of America on its web page explaining its
certification program to ensure the American
flags are “homegrown with pride.”
U.S. law requires every flag be labeled
with its country of origin, the group says.
The red, white and blue national banner is
protected from foreign competitors in other
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See Imported Banners, page 3
Johnstone Attends Final Regular
Wiseburn School Board Meeting
By Duane Plank
Two days and counting until Dr. Tom
Johnstone, long-time Superintendent of the
Wiseburn Unified School District (WUSD),
heads off into retirement. While most retirees
are aware of the date of their last official
day on the job, Johnstone, courtesy of a
retirement countdown clock that was gifted
to him by a WUSD food services employee
more than two years ago, has been noting
his countdown date for a while.
Johnstone noted that he originally planned
to say goodbye last year, but decided to
stay on until the Wiseburn High School
opened. “I wanted to work here in this [new]
building for a while,” he said. Meanwhile,
he attended his final official School Board
meeting Tuesday evening. He will also be in
attendance Friday morning when the Board
is scheduled to okay the District’s 2018/19
budget at a brief gathering. Johnstone was
selected, for the first time in 10 years, he
said, to lead the assembled members and
audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to
kick off the meeting’s open session.
Dr. Blake Silvers, who had been serving
as Dana Middle School’s principal, becomes
superintendent upon Johnstone’s retirement.
Silvers, in his comments Tuesday evening,
noted how Johnstone is a man who doesn’t
take no for an answer when it involved
the welfare of the WUSD. “There’s always
a reason not to do something,” Silvers
See Wiseburn, page 5