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VOLUME 19 NUMBER 946 | : ‘ 8 T x A busy weekend ahead See ARTbeaty for details Hit and run driver still eludes police L ""q AUGUSTA .£ ‘ S ¢ The Richmond . ’l. & County Shenff's De e * . partment 1s still o g searchingtorthegray, ¢ two-door car with e ; tinted windows, that ’l’u hit four-vear-old 2y e PRI ine Monroe on Mon ol day. March 13, on the s corner of Teakwood o Drive and Elmwood A Count ; ihvine. who 1s cur Divine Monroe rently in entical con dition at the Medical College of Georgna Children’s Medical Center, has undergone three surgenes ancluding one on her brain since she was hit, while wanting for the schoel bus with hereight vear-old sister, Ant ety The following day, Sheriff's deputies found agray 1988 Subaru station wagon on Windsor Spring Road, near Plantation Acres, pub hshed reports sad The car was simular in deseniption tothe one used 1n the accident, but was not the same vehicle, according to Antoinette the acodent’s only witness Investigators and crime scene techmaians found no further information about the car from evidence lefl on the scend Bl ] Cottrell selling Pro-Line Corp. to Alberto-Culver DALLAS (AP Beauty supplies entrepreneur Comer J Cottrell has announced that he will complete a sale of his Dallas-based Pro-Line Corp to lllinois-based Alberto- Culver by the end of the month Pro-Line will remain 1n Dallas and re tain all of its 280 emplovees Cottrell de clined to disclose how much Alberto-Cul ver will pay for the nation’s largest black hair-care company. which started 30 years ago. Sources involved with the deal told The Dallas Morning News that the acqui sition will cost the manufacturer between $75 million and SBO million See PRO-LINE, poge 2A Popular Atlanta Evangelist defies judge Scrutiny of Dr. Creflo A. Dollar Jr.’s activities surface in the glare of Evander Holyfield’s divorce proceedings. ATLANTA Dr. Creflo A. Dollar Jr . the Atlanta-based evangelist whose television ministry is con mdered the most hagh -profile and sucoessful black ministries in the nation, recently faced jail sentencing for has involvement in boxer Evander Holyfield s divorce procesding: Deoliar, whose Changing Your World tv program i» brosdosst through out the US. and cach morming on BET was erdered o fl*&'fl” 4 s ol found the preacher i conbesmgt for de fng & court ordes Wappns und give o Gopomition W wtior 5’ P . - R ' k‘é’fl o ’ o P, D Crofie A Dodier Bishop George Lee dies in Atlanta Leader of Living Word Christian Center succumbs to heart attack _ See Page 1, Obituaries 4B | Augusta Focus Se 'onetroboanVA o Agum, South Carolina and the Central Savannah River Area ving i World-class screening i e ‘ .." ?" A : i -, it \ ‘ : " Pd » ¢ i - Calee - | \'s"' = N *q " " P -:'.' ‘g e ’ - } '.“ § 7 i £ S | ERYKAH BADU from the motion picture ider House | Rules arrives at the 6th Annual Screen Actors Guild f Awords in Los Angeles, Sunday, March 12, 2000. The | picture is nominated for Outstanding Performance by o | Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture. (AP Proto Damian Dovarganes i A AT Water authority bill headed for senate battle By Eileen Rivers AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA A November referendum on whether Augusta should turn over its water op erations to an independent agency re mauns a possibility if the idea gets sup port from Augusta's two state senators On Monday, March 13, Augusta rep resentatives in Georngia's House passed a all, allowing the creation of a water nevs representing Janice Holvfield, es tranged wife of the former heavvweight champion Dollar reportedly has homes in Fayette County and in College Park —the Atlanta suburb were his 20 000-member church 1s located Attorneys representing Mrs Holyfield cdlaim the boxer may have given at least §7 million to Dollar's World Changers fasth, with more than half that amount given to the ministry 80 days prior to Mr Holyfield's divorce filings in March 1999 The separa having fathered two children out of wedlock while the couple were married Mrs w’l lawyers have reportedly de- Dellar and Mr Holyfield as “very susps oaous ” [dollar ssad b refuned 1o give 8 deprsitson e meame Uhe Babibe ardeved b to bowgs pregie marrwd. ot belp them divorce The evan &hhhafidhmm County pobsce officrrs §1 000 gfte Soe EVAMGELIST poage 24 MARCH 16 - 22, 2000 authority to come before local votersin the form of a November referendum during the presidential election. The ill, created by Rep. Henry Howard {D-Augusta), calls for a private panel to resolve the county’s nagging water prob lems The authonty members would also regu late money used from the county’s water and sewage revenue, a fund the comms sion has “misused” for the past five vears, according to Howard Spiritual leader of Living Word dead at 48 ®George D. Lee 11l considered by many to have been one of the city’s more progressive religious leaders. By Timothy (ox AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA Augusta’s religious community was shocked when learning about the death of Bishop George D Lee 111, pastor of the Living Word Christian Center Considered one of the city’s Lee reportedly died of a heart attack while returning to Augusta from an Atlanta busi ness trip Sunday, March 12 ASt Louis, Mo. native, Bishop Lee, 48, was an Air force veteran, moved to Augusta in 1979 and established the Living Word Chns tian Center Conssdered a man of vision in a “city of refuge.” the minister is recalied for : a near Gor gy et Mg facilsty at Old McDuffie Woman stabs boyfriend, is charged with murder ®Couple had problems dating back to 1997, police say. By Timethy Cox AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA About three years ago, Alicia Michelle Hall was having problems with her boyfriend She called police to let authorities know of her troubles. Instead, she backed off and chose not to file charges. Today, she sits behind bars — charged with murdering the same man —the father of two of her three children. According to Richmond County Sherniff's De partment investigations, Ms. Hall, 20, who lived in the Underwood Homes housing com- plex on Fairhope Street, on Friday night, Ma#ch 10, was to have met Christo pher Anthony Andrews, 21, at her grandmother’s resi dence in Barton Vil lage, located in south Augusta. Asthe evening went on, an argument erupted between Hall and Andrews — com panions since their teenage days, said In vestigator Jo Ann Nutter. With the stroke of midnight ap proaching and tem pers escalating, Hall, 20 who hives on Fairhope Street at the Underwood Homes housing complex, re- The bill passed by a vote of four to two in the House, awaits the endorsement of Senate Majority Leader Charles W Walker and Senator Don Cheeks, both democrats. The authority’s nght to take action with out the commission’s approval, and end “improper” monetary transactions made by the county, proves that it's a good piece of legaslation, according to Walker “This would be a private water author ity that won't have to go to the comms lEnjoying a Chaka moment l - Akayleeya D. Tate got o treat on Friday, M 10 when she met her ido! Chaka Khan backstage ot the Augusto- Richmond County Civic Center. Akayleeya is suffering from cancer. The singer was delighted to have lifted the youngster's spirits. Photo by Chares Jones » Road where his congregation currently wor ships Because of its modern design, the new church, which was completed in the early 19905, immediately attracted attention be cause it was considered by many as a new, local landmark — easily viewed by drivers accessing the four lane, Gordon Highway — specifically individuals en routs to Augusta Regional/Bush Field Airport. Although mem bership was comprised mainly of African Americans, Bishop Lee was also credited for delivering a spinted message which attracted a diverse ethnic population. As his ministry grew, the pastor eventually witnessed his Sunday morning services produced on televi sion. At Living Word, the pastor is credited with establishing a retreat for boys and girls, fam ily life center, a work farm, drug rehabilita and unwed mothers, a retirement facility and an education system from daycare to the mark, Spain and throughout the Unsted Ses LIVING WORD, page 2A ‘ 4 e ] A 9 i L ' :‘5, ‘; Bisbop George Lee portedly grabbed a three-inch blade and stabbed Andrews one time — 1n the chest. The single blow proved to be fatal — striking the victim in his heart Prior to being transported to the Medical College of Georgia, police tried to revive the victim but believe Andrews was dead prior to their arrival around 1149 pm The inadent happened in the hiving room area of the house and was reportedly witnessed by the couple’'s two children, ages 3 and 18 months Hall also has a four-vear-old, and is currently five months pregnant, Investigator Nutter said The grandmother was sleep dur ing the ordeal, while Hall's mother was outside See MURDER CHARGE, poge 3A slon, who obviously can't do their job, to make decisions about solving water prob lems,” the senator added But Cheeks refuses to sign a hill that would “put more bureaucracy into county government " “I am not going tosign this hill,” Cheeks said “We do not need another authority that the people won't elect, who would have the ability to rmse water rates.” See WATER AUTHORITY, page 3A 50 CENTS BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID NU. 302 AUGUSTA, GA AT A Memorial service for Bishop George D. Lee lii was held on Thursday morning, March 16, 2000. #See poge 48 for obituory.