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I VOLUME 19 NUMBER 838 Immaculate Conception opens the doors to Christ See Page 14A ! \ ) ' 1 ‘ o A i .4 L REMEMBERING MARTIN: The Rev. Bernice King, youngest child of slain civil rights teader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,, oddresses the crowd at the arnual ebservones of his birthdoy at Bishop State Community College Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2000, in Mobile, Ala. AP Photo The Mobile Register Victor Calhou Education, development top Walker’s legislative initiatives BAugusta Senator outlines proposal to attract millions of dollars to the local economy. By Timothy Cox AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Winiter AUGUSTA Senator Charles W Walker held a press conference with the pur pose of informing local media of pressing legislative Issues on the horizon for the General Assembly, including educational reform, eco nomic development and medical research opportunities In the confines of the conference room at The Walker Group head quarters on Laney Walker Boule vard, the senator touched on is sues simultaneously affecting the state and Augusta, including edu cation reform, housing develop ment and proposed plans tobuild a medical research building, locally. On the subject of education, Sen. Walker said it's important to offer an cquiabic g amount o school funding, ifschools Keysville gets jump on King birthday celebration State Representative Arnold Ragan challenges celebrants to make a difference. By Eileen Rivers AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer KEYSVILLE, Ga. “What have you done to give back to the bank account of jus ‘tice™ asked Stone Mountain, Georgia Rep. Arnold Ragan. “This is a question that | am constantly asking myself ... and those of you who are like me, striving for more, should also be - used these powerful Mbud}:ywm“:‘m Luther King Jr. march, held on Saturday Janvary 8. About 50 people took to the streets to pray, sing and pay Augusta Focus Serving Métropolimnv - Augusta, South Carolina and the Central Savannah River Areo are in rural or metropolitan areas of the state In what he terms as “equity fund ing,” the senator proposes that all school districts in the state should be treated fairly, in terms of local funding received. Counties with higher socio-economic demograph ics receive more state funds, on an annual basis — per pupil. Con versely, economically deprived counties receive less momes, he said. “Achieving equity funding is something we'll try to achieve this year,” said the senator. In addi tion, another educational related goal is to decrease teacher-pupil ratios down to one teacher for each student. Current ratios show as many as 30 students being taught by one teacher. Sen. Walker de scribed these initiatives as “criti cal” for continued progress in the state’s educational system. When questioned whether tribute to a man many refer to as the “father of the civil rights move ment” - a tradition that has ex isted in this small Burke County, town for the past several years. “Tyrone Brooks called me some years ago and suggested that we start this march,” explained Keysville Mayor Emma Gresham, we have been able to do it every year since.” This year's march, which started and ended at Mount Taber A M.E. Church, was part of an all- lay pre See KEYSVILLE, poge 3A The Chicago Detenae: | on the auction block ~ 6A Cornetist Nat Adderly dies ~ 1B X r - o ,\ . .‘ E ‘»,‘ \-"' ,;> 3 R g §#l ) B ] 3 4 i gl 3 1: y 5 il ¥ S ‘ “.: 24 v l I Sen. Charles W. Walker odd >3 the media during a Jon. 7 press conference at The Walker Group headquarters. Photo by Jmmy Caner school vouchers are a viable alter- the program. “Under no circum nativeeducational plan inthe state, the senator was quick to discount See SENATOR, page 3A R el ¢ .an \ ‘ WAy 3/ (SER 4 Sy ) We i : E ad it ‘ L 3 '\k', s ‘;‘"" % *%.V‘;z‘ w “ o B " :' ir* 5 ' 0 ‘ ’ A \'A* : Y 5 l. &w L 4 hoss ' E ‘ ' » : , -I. ] % {foreground) march in Keysvilie to honor Dr. Martin Luther ° King Jr. on Saturday, Jon. 8. Proto by Edesn Rivers JANUARY 13 - 18, 2000 I Mayor, Mack spar over HUD spending ®Federal agency tells Augusta it has to do better and spend HUD money at a faster rate. The director of the city's department of Neighorhood and Housing Development 1s told to pro duce a workable plan. By Timothy Cox AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA The federal government is not pleased at the rate Augusta is spending its allocation of community develop ment funds and Maygr Bob Young redirected the criti; cism to the department head responsible and then let the media in on both issues. That did not sit too well with Keven Mack, director of the aty's Neighborhood and Housing Development department -the department responsible for the HUD dollars in question ‘ “I think I should have been contacted first to see what this [letter] means, instead of him giving it straight to the media. It just wasn't appropriate and 1 wouldn't have done that to him,” Mack said The Issue revolves around two letters. The first letter was addressed to Mayor Young from Cardell Cooper, Assistant Secretary of the U S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. After informing the mayvor that the city would be receiving nearly $4.5 million dollars in HUD grant money for the current fiscal year, it chided the city for failing to meet the performance standard “for the timely expenditure of CDBG [Community Develop ment Block Grant| funds ™ The letter went on to say that “a high level of unexpended funds dees not reflect favor- See HUD SPENDING, poge 3A Mysterious disease more likely to strike down black women Sarcoidosis is a deadly disease with no known cause or cure. The fact that it s known as “a black disease”™ has hampered necessary research, many feel. One local woman hopes to beat the odds. By Eileen Rivers AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA Time may be running out for Mamie Norman Myers Since July of '9B, the 42-vear-old. Saluda County resident has been waiting for a lung that could improve her chances of survival by 30 percent, and enrich her quality of life over the next five to 190 years Like thousands of others, Myers suffers from sarcoidosis, a myste rious, potentially terminal illness that affects the African-American community ten times more fre quently than any other ethnic group. The disease, according to sarcoidosis researchers, has been virtually ignored by doctors and clinical scientists in comparison to other terminal diseases. “It's considered a ‘black disease,™ commented Sandra Conroy, founder ofthe National Sarcoido sis Resource Center (NSRC), and author of the Sarcoidosis Research Guide and Directory “When AIDS first started it was considered a deiuua and they |doctors| . 't do anything about it, now they're doing a lot. When doctors realize that sarcoidosis affects ‘more than the black population, ’&ly'l choose to do something " In October of 95, Myers was diagnosed with the iliness which can attack any internal organ, and cause severe scarring and swell ingofthe lymph nodes. In Myers's case the disease attacked her lungs. “It started with me coughingand sneezing all the time,” the former teller at Wachovia bank explained. e 3R g N Momie Normon Myers, 42, suffers from sarcoidosis and needs a lung tronsplant. She is shown at o recant tundraiser at st. Mary’s Help of Christion Catholic Church. Photo by Chares Jones . “I thought I just had a cold, so 1 blew it off Then during one of my daily walks | had a hard time breathing, so hard that | had to sit down and take break. That had never happened be fore, so | thought maybe | was out of shape, so | ignored it, but it got worse.” wal determined that g g b y Sev eral chest x-rays, a cat-scan and, See LOCAL WOMAN, page 4A