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VOLUME 18 No. 894
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Porgy and Bess * Section C
Lauryn Hill’s Grammy triumph
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TR T 0 03 "EF".NA & W i TrEA I RS
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A VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE HILL .
Recording artist Lauryn Hill points to her head
while performing at a recent sold-out concert in
Detroit during the opening night of her first solo
tour. On Wednesday, the 23-year-old record
ing artist won five Grammys for her triple
SRS plaintiffs hopeful of progress on bias suit
By Adrienne Turner :
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer -
AUGUSTA
After almost 18 months of si
lence on behalf of Westinghouse
Savannah River Site, African-
American employeesand their at
torneys are still waiting for
WSRS to respond to the settle
ment demands of a class-action
lawsuit citing unfair treatment
ofits African-American employ
ees.
Thelawsuit against WSRS, the
largest employerin South Caro
lina, was filed in October ot 1997.
INSIDE
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Sinclair Pinckney Remembered
Inside your ARTbeaTV Section C
e
. BNational/International .................. 2A
. MLocal/Regional News.........cccccoeeene. SA
2 BEVING i s nrsions 10-11 A
: MEditorial/Opinion ..........cc.c..c.... BA-9A
. MBUSINESSs ...........ccceemvieesvencns. 14A-15A
: BOreh ... st v LAA-134
. MClassifieds/Employment .......... 68-7 B
WARTbeat/ TV listings .......... Section C
(rime: Who really killed Amadou Diallo? Page 84
Society: AKAs host Grand Basileus White Page 4\
SewingMetr& g}lgusm,SSouflgfiund the Cenguguhlklerfi
platinum debut solo albumThe Miseducation of
Lauryn Hill. Hill also won best new artist, album
of the year, best rhythm and blues album, best
R&B song, and best R&B vocal performance.(AP
Photo/Paul Warner)
The charges intend to show that
African-Americansas a class, not
justindividuals, are being treated
unfairly. The twelve named
plaintiffs in the case were chesen
because their cases were the most
typical and easiest to document,
says Willar Hightower, an em
ployee at WSRS and Aiken County
councilman.
According to Ivan D. Smith,
Esq., an attorney for the plain
tiffs, African Americans “are not
being promoted at the same ratio
of whites, they are not getting
paid the same amount of money
as whites in the same positions,
White supremacist
ruled guilty of murder
By Pavline Arvillaga
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
JASPER, Texas
- Janell Brown was hovered over
the radio at Smokers Island to
bacco store when the verdict came
in. Her one-word reaction seemed
to sum up the feelings of an entire
town: “Yes!”
“I think they ought to hang ‘em
all — absolutely,” Ms. Brown said
Tuesday upon hearing that white
supremacist John William King
had been convicted of dragging a
black man to death last year.
“It’san evilmanthey’ve got right
there,” she spat. “To me, even the
death penalty’stooeasy.”
Jasper mayor R.C. Horn saidhe
was proud.
“Iknewjustice would be served,”
he said. “Thank God.”
White and black, young and old,
the people in this town forever
branded the place where racists
committed an unspeakable crime
cheered the verdict against the
first of three suspects to be tried for
killing James Byrd Jr. . i
But the verdict was expected,
they said. SRR
What they still anxiously await
isthejury’sdecision about whether
tosentence Kingtolife in prisonor
execution. That, they insist, will
be the true measure of how, this
community views Byrd’s death.
- Attorneysbegan presenting wit
‘February 25 - March 3, 1999
they‘are not getting the same
access totrainingto help them go
on to the same positions as whites
and they are proportionately in
more hazardous positions than
whites.” Arecent letter to South
Carolina Governor Jim Hodges,
supports these charges stating
that these things occurin spite of
African Americans’educational
and experience levelsand arein
creased due to poor evaluations.
Westinghouse spokesman, Will
Callicott contends that, “both par
ties are continuing to talk to see
ifitis possible to reach some type
of settlement.” This statementis
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Convicted killer John William King, center, is escorted from the
Jasper County Courthouse after being found guilty of capital
murder in the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. Tuesday, Feb.
23,1999, in Jasper, Texas. King could be sentenced to death for
his crime. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
nessesin the punishment phase of
the capital murder trial Tuesday
afternoon. '
“Itain’t somuch him being found
guilty. It’s just the sentence that
theygive—that’swhat everybody’s
really waiting on,” said Craig
Johnson, owner of the World of
Sounds music store, located a few
blocks from the courthouse where
King was tried.
“I think that’s going to be the
mainissue. Nowifhe'd walked out
of there not guilty, we’d have an
Schoolboardmembers
to get 100% pay hike
BLegislature approves
increase, but amount is
subject to debate.
By Adrienne Tummer
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Within the final days ofthe 1999
General Assembly Session, Rich
mond County Board of Education
board membersmay be approved
for a payraise. Legislatorssigned
abill Tuesday togrant the board
apayincrease this year, though
the raise will not be effective
until the year 2000. The ques
tion now being debated is how
much of an increase should be
granted. A proposal will be pre
sented tolegislatorson Friday to
increase the salaries 100 per
cent: raising them from $4,000
disputed, however,by C. Anthony’
Mulrain, Esq., attorney for the
plaintiffs. = “Westinghouse re
quested that we come to them and
advise them of what must bedone
for this case to go away. They
solicited a settlementdemand from
myself and from Mr. Smith. We
gavethem whatthey asked forand
what they told us was that ‘We
don’t think it appropriate to re
spond toyour settlementdemands’,”
said Mr. Mulrain. Westinghouse’s
attorney, Victor Franklin, refused
tocomment on Mr. Mulrain’sstate
ment or any accusations included
in the suit, citing that he is “for
other Los Angeles,” Johnson said,
referring to the riots that erupted
in California after police officers
were acquitted of beating Rodney
King.
And his opinion on the punish
ment Kingdeserves?
“He needs to go the same way
that man did,” Johnson said, refer
ring to how Byrd was chained by
his ankles to the back of a pickup
truck and dragged nearly three
See JASPER, page 2A
to SB,OOO a year for board mem
bers, $4,500 to $9,000 a.year for
the Vice President and from
$5,000 to SIO,OOO a year for the
President. Representative Jack
Connell is hesitant to increase
the salary of board members to
SB,OOO at once because some of
the members have only been on
the board for a short period of
time. :
The Augusta Legislative Del
egation decided toreview the sala
ries of RCBE board members and
compare them with other coun
ties of similar size, says Y. N.
Myers, memberof the board. This
is in light of the fact that board
members have not received a pay
increase in the last ten years.
According to Kenneth Echols, the
results showed that, compara
tively, RCBE board members are
grossly underpaid. Recent re
bidden to talk about the case
because it is still in litigation.”
Mr. Hightower says, “We are
not looking for pity or any special
treatment. We just don’t wish
the same thing to happen to fu
ture generations of our children
or other people’s children.” He
adds that if he were to receive a
cash settlement, he would donate
100 percent of it to the NAACP
Legal Defense Fund which has
been instrumental in providing
behind the scenes support to their
cause. Mr. Hightower does not,
however, anticipate much assis
tance from any of his fellow
CITY-COUNTY
Still no move to
abolish city EOO
By Adrienne Turner
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Though granted a brief reprieve, the one-woman
Augusta-Richmond County Equal Opportunity Of
fice, directed by Brenda Byrd-Pelaez, may still be
faced with the possibility of being abolished by legis
lation being prepared in the Georgia Senate. The
proposed legislation sponsored by Senate Majority
Leader Charles Walker, Sr., D-Augusta was not
properly advertised to the public which prevented
legislators from being able to consider the bill on
February 16th. Senator Walker states that the
legislation will be reintroduced as a separate bill.
When that might happen, however, is aquestion. As
of Wednesday, the proposed bill still had not been
advertised. ‘
Senator Walker said that he sponsored the bill at
the request of Commissioners Henry Brigham, Jerry
Brigham and Lee Beard. These commissioners feel
that theofficeis “not workingout,” Mr. Walker said.
Commissioner Henry Brigham is not sure if the
House hasenough votes todo passthe bill. However,
ifthe bill does pass he says it will save the city about
$40,000. When asked if he was in favor of the
proposed legislation, he responded, “I would be in
favor of saving the city $40,000. ;
Mayor Pro Tem Lee Beard is also supportive of the
bill. Mr. Beard says of Ms. Byrd-Pelaez, “Sheis not
good enough to occupy a position making $40,000 a
year. Sheis not keeping good records or contact with
the Human Resource Commission. Since the Mayor
is looking to cut back and make everythingleaner, I
can’t see wherethe efficiency isthere to get the most
out of our money.”
Commissioner Jerry Brigham was unavailable
See EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICE, 2A
50 CENTS
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U.S.POSTAGE PAID
NO. 302 AUGUSTA, GA
ports add that despite the fact
that theintended raise willdouble
the current salaries, it still falls
shortin theline of other counties
of similar size.
The board members, however,
are not overly enthusiastic about
the raise. “I’'m not saying that
the board members can’t use the
money”, says Kingsley Riley.
“Just that those who are closest
toimplementing the policies and
training the children should be
compensated first.” Fellow board
members echoed similar senti
ments. Barbara Padgett says
that sheisthere for the children
and it doesn’t matter one way or
the otheriftheraisesare granted.
Kenneth Echols expressed con
cern that such an increase may
encourage people to run for the
board for reasons other than the
well being of the children. ‘
councilmembers. He contends
that not one of the eight, of the
are nine total, him being the only
African-American, has ever con
ceded having any knowledge of
the case. “Theyhavenot asked me
anything about the case, whether
or not I am involved in the case,
about the Time magazine article
or anything,” Mr. Hightower says.
Hedescribestheir silence as “very
unnatural.”
In the June 1998 Time maga
zine article featuring Mr.
Hightower and his wife, Mr.
See LAWSUIT, page 9A