Augusta focus. ([Augusta, Ga.) 198?-current, December 19, 1996, Image 4

Augusta focus., December 19, 1996, Page 4A, Image 4

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Newspaper Page Text4A December 19, 1996 AUGUSTA FOCUS Weltare reform prompts pow wow between state and industry : By Timothy Cox i Special to AUGUSTA FOCUS AUGUSTA : State welfare officials are en ¢ couraged that the transition from : public assistance to employment ¢ will beasmooth one for thestate’s : welfare recipients. On Tuesday, i officials from the Department of : Family and Children Services i (DFCS) met with area corporate i personnel leaders to explain pri i vate industry’s role of ensuring % trouble-free transition from wel fare to work. . “The response from industry ¢ representativesis nothingbut up : beat,” said Linda Johnson, direc : tor of Richmond County DFCS. : She is charged with carrying out : President Clinton’s welfare re : form act in Richmond County. ¢ State Senator Charles Walker i assisted Ms. Johnson with mak :ing sure area legislative leaders ‘were part of the process and :complimented the DFCS director for leading the significant de icrease in welfare rolls over the ipast two vears in Richmond :County. : Senator Walker emphasized ‘public- and private-sectorrolesin Kwanzaa: It’s catching on quickly From page one Other Kwanzaa promoters have taken note of the increased popu larity of the celebration, but are less concerned with the commer cial aspect. Among them is Willie Knox, educator, lecturer and spe cialist on the black child. Ms. Knox, a teacher at Butler High School, popularized Kwanzaa celebrations, not only during the holiday season, but Need a DJ? Call COOL BOBEY D. Specializing in Quality Music Wedding Receptions, Family Reunions, Fund Raisers, Birthday Parties, House Parties and Anniversaries Work (803) 279-0368 Beeper (803) 442-7726 North Augusta, SC i .().’;()/)/{y BV TR VA _ a = E D [—B . W “ The SUPERSTORE Is Now Open! % Ali Prices Are Marked on the Windshields! 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Welfare recipi ents would be assisted with child care, transportation and other factors that typically hinder a person from becoming successful employees, Mr. Walker said. “It's our way of upholding our social responsibility,” said the senator, who also owns the Geor gia Personnel temporary employ ment agency. “The able-bodied must work, but the children will not be pun ished. The people of Georgia will nottolerate people fallingbetween the cracks, and we certainly won’t punish children,” the senator as sured the gathering. Ms. Johnson and her staff ex plained how employers would re ceive incentive to hire workers from the former welfare ranks. “We want business people to realize there’s a pool of people out throughout the year. “It’s a lot more noticeable than it was years ago. [ don’t think it’ll ever be over-commercialized be cause of its emphasis on spiritual ity for African-American people,” she said. Ms. Knox further ex plained that, in comparison with Christmas, Kwanzaa was inten tionally celebrated the day after the big day, in order for less em phasis to be placed on commer cialism, while offering families a way to purchase gifts at a price Local / Regional there they've never seen — and they can be productive. Although they may be on welfare now, we don’t want to stereotype anyone,” said Ms. Johnson. “They’re regu lar people just like us. They just need a chance.” Through a state program called Work Supplementation, instead of a recipient getting a welfare check inthe mail, the same money would be diverted, or given to an employer to be used as salary for the recipient. For a three- to nine month period, the new worker could remain on the job under these special pay provisions. Ifthe worker did a good job, the employer would have the option of hiring the worker full-time. Forexample, ifarecipient would normally receive S3OO for a monthly Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, for merly AFDC) check, that amount would be added to the S7OO amount contributed by the em ployer. The worker would now receive a SI,OOO monthly salary. Jobs must be newly created, and not result because of layoffs or firings. Gerald Woods, vice president of business operations at the break — typically, on Dec. 26, when stores place items on sale. Ms. Knox developed the first area-wide Kwanzaa celebration for the CSRA in 1991. At some area book stores, Kwanzaa books are among the top sellers — especially in the children’s sections. “I'm sure it has a lot to do with gift-buying,” said Carretha Jack son, assistant manager at Hamilton Bookstore and Gallery in downtown Augusta. “There’s _J - - o °°nald;g / 56 9 PuT It BACK WHERE You GOT IT FrOM. Since its birth in 1970, the National Black McDonald’s Operator's Association (NBMOA) has fostered and advanced the ideas, concerns, and dreams of their communities. Through a commitment to employment, educational programs, and local causes, the NBMOA “puts back” into their neighborhoods to share success together. That's what community is all about. NBMOA Officers 5 i ¥ m "‘t ":tf;;:; b ' : , ‘ ©1996 McDonald's Corporation : b o - Medical College of Georgia, likes the idea. “We'll definitely consider this — especially for the entry-level positions. And, it’s a good method of training people,” Mr. Woods said. Terry Gooding, communica tions manager at International Paper (formerly Federal Paper Board) and Deirdre Hicks, hu man resources administrator, In ternational Flavors & Fragrances, were both in accord with objec tives set at the meeting. “It could be a win-win situation for all parties,” said Mr. Gooding. “Training is very important. This soundslike a positiveinvestment,” Ms. Hicks said. The meeting, which was held at Augusta’s Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, also included area personnel managers from the following agencies: Augusta State University, Augusta-Richmond County government, Boardman Petroleum, E-Z-Go/Textron, Geor giaßegional Hospital, Proctor and Gamble, University Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital. Also in attendance were Sen. Don Cheeks, Rep. Jack Connell and Rep. Henry Howard. also a lot of Caucasian customers who are buying books for their children. Kwanzaaisbeingtaught more in schools, so, that probably has lots to do with it,” she said. At Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Augusta West Parkway shop ping plaza, the Kwanzaa-related books in the children’s section are nearly all gone, but they were prepared for the rush. “Mainly, because of past sales, our buyers felt it was important tohave enoughKwanzaabooksin Bus driver disputes results of drug test From page one doing the test using the same sample. Could theinitial test have been wrong? What is the possibility of a false positive? Wouldn’t the second test have shown traces of marijuana despite the passage of time? Experts discount the possibil ity of an error. The initial test used was state-of-the art accord ing to laboratory professionals. “It’s considered the gold stan dard,” said Phil Williams, gen eral supervisor of Mullins Pa thology, an Augustalab that does substance abuse testing. He was referring to the GCMS (gas chro matography) test used by the city. There’s really no such thing as a false positive when such a test is used, Mr. Williams said. “The possibility of a misidentification is virtually nil.” In drug tests such as the one administered to Mr. Wells, an initial screening is done first. If that test suggests the presence of an illegal substance, then a more stringent procedure is implemented, Mr. Williams said. All along the way stringent cod ing, labeling and testing proto cols are adhered to to prevent contamination or mislabeling. Mr. Wells’ independent test stock. Maybe it’s because of par ents are buying Christmas pre sents for their kids, but the children’s section is nearly de pleted,” said store manager Nique Domzalski. Her store’s New York headquarters were encouraged by increased sales a year ago. The store also sells Kwanzaa books in the adult African-Ameri can Studies section throughout the year. Despite its growing popularity, however, the Kwanzaa-inspired marketing frenzy hasnot reached the saturation point. Many huge marketers have yet to catch on to could have come up with differ ing results for a number of rea sons, Mr. Williams suggested. “First, the sample is not the same. It's from a week later. Sim ply, the drug traces might no longer be in the system. Second, the individual’s attorney should have contacted the lab, gotten some of the same specimen and had another labconduct thesame test. Most legitimate labs would have been happy to have cooper ated,” he said. Still, despite the precautions, could amistake have been made? Yes, according to Mr. Williams. “It happens. People make mis takes,” he said. Mr. Williams also acts as a consultant for attorneys who need to dispute lab findings. “I show attorneys how to in vestigate the chain of'custody of a specimen,” Mr. Williams said. How a specimen is handled, la beled and stored is important. While the test may be foolproof, human error can enter into the picture. Thatis what Mr. Wellsis count ing on. At a hearing this week, he and his attorney pleaded his case. Chances are, however, he won’t know if he can be rein stated tohisjobuntil after Christ mas. “I'mbeing screwed,” Mr. Wells said. “Why? I just don’t know.” its bottom-line potential. “If I were to be approached by someone who felt that Kwanzaa could have some relevance as a display, I would be certainly open to suggestions and to learning more about the celebration. We value every customer and the black customer is very important to us,” said Ed Asbridge, store manager of JCPenney in the Au gusta Mall. Although his store has taken into account specific buying hab its of black consumers, Kwanzaa has not been identified as a mar keting attraction.