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VOLUME 17 No. 838 iR e o ii L e e e fe iy o i 4 ae I N . L o S ‘x‘-. et il (4 B " § PG 4 T N o ; T . » o M’:_.t, 3 ,(" g AT & t ; Ry 8. ; e o T ‘;‘&g\ g 1 55:.’ e o v_;'vk ‘%l 8 N AR J g A BT s =y, > R g . .AS R e I rs- - « 9 4 e R o £ Rt L | o By s 5 et Wi b *h LAY b l , e WL ks F o T A o Y i W bRN N 5O 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 Don’t Miss It! ",:z;) e ! ,l'? , ¢ AL a 8 ' T W ;. e : ’fi; :’% A.‘ ,/r _:’v. ,r Mli“ic‘vgfou , \2. 1 & a 4 | o ) e ¥ " The Mini Theatre presents 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 FQ......................... ' ®National/International..............ccc.ccoosneer.. 24 ®Local/Regional News..............ccccocervruennenn. SA O-1 L ii s ®Editorial/Opinion ...............c..co.cconne... SA-9A ®Church News............cccccoernecrnnnene. 12A-13A BClassifieds/Employment .................... 58-7 B . .‘:‘ Ly 7 r " ._" ——yr B ylv"*{iakg " ¥ ; # 3 ]“‘ "» t’;“ 4 : ' v e At T ' o i R el 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 1 i e | ;- - | B e W potr | ke s | s ' . Er o A ;¢ so :’ A‘;{ ,‘"! #/ .. ;" ‘ P b - { . 5 ] Lo ’ S o M, , \ , o o 2 é A Nol ' v ’ g 7 ; / & E e g * ¥ \ | g ‘ i & ‘J%,v ; é § i I g/ / ] 2 - [ mmzc"’."";w:;a;;abw' H{, A ' I B bt vy P Ti b " : el B T " - | 9 F H l >) . f 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