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VOLUME 17 No. 838
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Meet the hottest group around * P.IB
It’s full speed ahead for
new Goshen school
®Richmond County
policy makers not
moved by charges that
new school site poses
danger to students.
Larke responds to
Development Authority.
By Frederick Benjamin Sr.
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Two weeks of public alarm
sounded over alleged hazards of
locating a new high school near an
industrial park in South Richmond
County may have done little to
persuade a majority of local school
board members to consider an al
ternative site.
“The majority of the board is
sticking to its
original deci
sion,” Rich
mond County
School Board
president Adna
Stein said on
Article of
Analysis &
Interpretation
R e, .
Mr. Stein voiced support for
Richmond County School Board
superintendent Dr. Charles Larke
who has suggested that the board
would continue with the construc
tion of a new high school near
Goshen and adjacent to land oper
ated by Amoco Polymers.
In the past 14 days, critics have
chided the board for its selection
of the site near Goshen because of
its proximity to industrial plants.
The location poses a serious threat
to the safety of the students, crit
ics say. Members of the Richmond
County Development Authority
chimed in with its concern last
week that a school located at the
site would hinder economic devel
opment.
In a letter to Development Au
thority chairman, Monty Osteen,
Dr. Larke stated that the Board
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Who's Killing the Dream, Thursday
. and Fri (Jan. 15 and 16) ot the Bell
Auditorium. For tickets and informa
tion call 706-722-0598
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Land for the new high school in south Richmond County is
being prepared for the new structure. More than $2 million
has been expended in land acquisition, studies and infra
structure construction. No new evidence that the site would
put students at risk has been presented, school officials say.
Photo by Charles Jones.
acted deliberately and prudently
in assessing the appropriateness
of the Goshen site. The key points
Murder suspect may have
slipped through probation net
BDespite being on
intensive probation —
an enhanced level of
supervision — many of
the state’s probationers
can violate curfew, for
days in some cases,
without fear of
detection.
Walker joins state’s
100 mostinfluential
ATLANTE
Senate majority leader Charles W. Walker
of Augusta joined former president Jimmy
Carter, Ted Turner, Former U.S. Senator
Sam Nunn and Atlanta Mayor William C.
Campbel on theGeorgia Trend list of the 25
most powerful and influential Georgians in
1997 plus 75 who were movers and shakers
in the fields of politics, business, sports and
the professions.
The 100 Georgians profiled tell the story
of Georgia for the past 12 months.
In the category of Elected Officials and
Political Advisers among the 75 movers and
shakers, Mr. Walker was in the company of
Bob Barr of Smyrna, John Linder of Tucker,
Tom K. Perdue of Atlanta and Americus,
Randy Poynter of Conyers, Linda Shrenko
of Grovetown, Mat Towery of Vinings, Larry
Walker of Perry and Stan Wise of Marietta.
Walker is the first African American
elected as majority leader of the state sen
ate. With the exit from politics of Lt. Gov.
Pierre Howard, Sen. Walker and President
ProTem Sonny Perdue are expected to take
leadership of the senate. Walker is also
among the leadership of the Legislative
Black Caucus and is one of three senate
conferees picked to iron out the 1997 state
budget.
The top 26 most powerful and influential
Georgians listed were (in order) Jimmy
Carter, Newt Gingrich (Speaker of the U.S.
Work Western powers seek halt to Algerian strife - Page2\
Music: Bill Cosioy produces jazz tribute to son- Page (B
Augusta Focus
Seving Metropolitan Augusta, South Carolina and the Central Savannah River Areg
of Dr. Larke’s communication fol
low:
BThe site was first identified by
By Christy Allen
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
The key murder suspect in the
death of WFXA deejay Irene
Shields may have been in violation
of the terms of his probation in the
days and hours leading up to the
murder, but no action by the Rich
mond County Department of Cor
rections appears to have been
taken.
Garry Deyon Johnson, currently
being held without bail in Burke
T RCRPAIREYT:
anindependent study in 1994. The
results of the study was publicly
®ln 1996, Planning and Re
search, Inc., an independent con
sulting firm was commissioned to
make an in-depth study of the best
site for the new school. After con
sidering demographics, traffic,
nearby land use, and a wide vari
ety of other factors, it recom
mended the Goshen site.
Bln February 1997, the State
Board of Education inspector re
viewed the site and confirmed that
it met criteria set by the State
Board of Education for school lo
cations. Also, an environmental
study of the site was conducted by
GSC Environmental which con
firmed the suitability of the site.
®The school board selected the
Goshen site in a public meeting.
®Bln October, 1997, Amoco Poly
mers conducted a risk manage
ment survey and concluded that
there was a low probability of in-
See NEW SCHOOL, page 3A
County charged with the murder
of Ms. Shields, had been serving'
three months of intensive proba
tion at the time the crime was
committed. Ms. Shields and Mr.
Johnsonsharedaresmi%(gzeat4l2s
Pinnacle Pines Ct. in South Au
gusta. Under the terms of
Johnson’s probation, he was re
quired to be home by 9 p.m.
Three days prior to Ms. Shields’
abduction and subsequent mur
der, Richmond County police were
See MURDER SUSPECT, page 3A
Cola; Bill Dahlberg, chairman, Southern
Company; Arthur Blank, president/CEO,
The Home Depot Inc; A.D. (Pete) Correll,
president/CEO, Georgia-Pacific; F. Duane
Ackerman, president/CEO, Bell South;
Leo Mullin, president/CEO, Delta Air
Lines; Tom Cousins, chairman/CEO,
Cousins Properties; James A. Blanchard,
chairman/CEQO, Synovus Financial Ser
vices; Daniel P. Amos, president/CEO,
AFLAC; Stephen Portch, chairman, Board
of Regents, University System of Georgia;
Paul Coverdell, U.S. Senator; Atlanta
Mayor Bill Campbell; U.S. Senator Max
Cleland; Tom Murphy, Speaker, Georgia
House of Representatives; Roy Richards,
chairman/CEQ, Southwire Company;
James P. Kelley, president/CEO, United
See 100 GEORGIANS, page 3A
cramps to defeat Hingis
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Venus Williams of Palm Beach, Florida, USA, raises her hand
to celebrate her victory over world number 1 women’s tennis
player, Martina Hingis of Switzerland, at the International in
Sydney, Tuesday, January 13, 1998. Williams overcame leg
cramps to win with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Death of Ron Brown
questioned by many
BJustice Department
review rules out foul
play “at this time.” Hole
in skull only resembled
gunshot wound.
By Paul Shepurd
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
WASHINGTON
Responding to questions by sev
eral black leaders, the Justice De
partment said last week it has
found no evidence of any crime in
connection with Commerce Secre
tary Ron Brown’s desth.
An Air Force pathologist’s state
ment that a circular wound on
Brown’s head resembled a gun
shot injury, based on photos and
X-rays, has raised concerns among
some black leaders who have called
for further investigation.
Bert Brandenburg, the chief
Justice Department spokesman,
said that in the past month the
agency hasreviewed with defense
officials the information ob
tained by military pathologists
after Brown and 34 others died
in the April 1996 crash of a U.S.
military plane in Croatia.
Officials have found no evi-
House of Repre
sentatives); Ted
Turner, vice
chairman, Time
Warner Inc.; Zell
Miller, governor
of Georgia;
James S. Will
iams, chairman/
CEO, Sun Trust
Banks; Doug
Ivester, chair
man/CEO, Coca
Ron Brown: No
crime feds say.
Justice Department investiga
tion.
Attorney General Janet Reno
said at her weekly news confer
ence that the department is not
currently lookinginto the Brown
case. She added, “If there is cred
ible information developed that
acrime hasbeen committed, then
we will pursue it immediately.”
Black ieaders including Jesse
Jackson, NAACP President
Kweisi Mfume and Rep. Maxine
Waters, D-Calif., who chairs the
Congressional Black Caucus,
have urged further investigation.
Spokesmen for both Waters
and Jackson said neither would
comment after the report.
Mfume was on vacation and
couldn’t bereached for comment.
dence of a
crime “at
this time,”
Brandenburg
said. He
stressed that
the review
wasdoneasa
consultation
with Defense
Department
officials and
was not an
independent