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WATCH: A Victoria man painting a mural of ‘The Last Supper’ at the 9- 10 Club Soup Kitchen used to be one of its clients. April Lawrence has his story. One brush stroke at a time, Bob Sellmer is transforming the empty walls of a downtown Victoria soup kitchen . Sellmer has hand-drawn every intricate line in the recreation of Leonardo da Vinci 's The Last Supper . Now a self-taught artist being paid for his incredible talent, it wasn't long ago Sellmer was sitting in one of the 9-10 Club's seats himself, in need of a hot meal. "Lost my apartment and everything like that, it's like they say, we're all just a couple paychecks away," said Sellmer. Sellmer was hit by a bus while riding his bike in 2007. He was working as a house painter at the time. "Everything was mangled pretty bad , bad ligament damage , so that put me off the painting game," he said. He ended up on welfare and was living in hostels after being kicked out of his apartment. Afte...

As teachers, cooks, cashiers, and bus drivers are being priced out of Charlotte, one question looms: How does a growing, thriving city in modern America keep housing affordable for its working-class citizens? By RACHEL JONES Published: 2017.08.23 06:21 AM Jacqueline Ingram (middle) works full-time at the Ross Dress For Less distribution center in Rock Hill. But in this booming region, her salary isn’t enough to comfortably buy a home for her and her kids, 12-year-old Nya and five-year-old Rejonee. PHOTOS BY ANDY MCMILLAN ONE RECENT SUNDAY AFTERNOON , Jacqueline Ingram and her two daughters explore an empty four-bedroom house for sale on a Brianna Way cul-de-sac in southwest Charlotte , filling it with their dreams along the way. “This one is mine,” 12-year-old Nya says of an upstairs bedroom with a view of the Clanton Park neighborhood . “I could put my chest over there, and my table there.” As five-year-old Rejonee sprawls out on the carpet in the room across the hall, In...

A Keynote Speech by Mr. Sunday Dare, Executive Commissioner Stakeholder Management , Nigerian Communications Commission at the Annual Lecture of Mass Communication Students Association , University of Lagos, July 19, 2017 Courtesies I am gratified by the honour of being chosen to give a keynote address at this year’s annual lecture of the Mass Communication Students Association , University of Lagos. The history and products of this department have consistently projected it as a leading centre for communication studies in Nigeria with an uncommon commitment to community service. That promise to community service is demonstrated, in truth and indeed, by our gathering here today to reflect on how we can reshape our ever lively, often heated national narratives and discourse. Given the contemporary realities of our country, majority of us here will agree the timing is auspicious for us to discuss how we can foster national cohesion using the force of logic, rather than the logic of for...

Matteo Ruzzon, the DJ and producer better known as Madteo, was inside the Goodwill in Queens for about 60 seconds. He pushed through the glass doors and crossed the room in big, rolling strides, cocking his head to scan the blue bins that ran from one end to the other, each bearing different types of discarded consumer goods . "Nothin'," he said, meaning "no records," this being one of his favorite spots to dig. He briefly inspected a pile of DVDs then doubled back toward the door. "Honestly that's probably better, though. Otherwise we'd be here all day." Ruzzon stepped back into the heat, turned right and headed up Van Dam Street , adjusting his bulky messenger bag as he walked. "That place is on and off but it can be killer," he said. "It's worth going a few times without getting anything. I mean, it's not like you can get Basic Channel records . But then again, it's not like that's what I'm looking for. ...