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VOLUME 19 NUMBER 951
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Reviews, Local Happenings
Section C
Should Augusta schools pull
down confederate emblems?
Larke ducks taking
stand on hot issue
By Eileen Rivers
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
In 1993, the Fulton County Board of
Education voted to allow each school in
their district to decide whether the Geor
gia flag should continue to fly on their
grounds. Since then, 66 out of 67 public
schools in the county have stopped flying
the banner.
But when asked if
£ they would follow
; Atlanta’s lead, Rich
eO g mond County school
‘TR board officials who
. were willing to com
ment, hedged around
. the issue, and labeled
-~ the controversy sur
y rounding the flag, and
its confederate symbol,
a distraction to learn
ing.
However, for the
LARKE: No past month, African
response. American civil rights
leaders in Augusta have made it an im
portant issue, garnering its removal from
three different hotels, with the promise of
severe actions from the black community.
Augusta National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
leaders have encouraged all African
Americans in Augusta to take a stance
against the flag’s “insulting” display, in
the face of the school board’s hesitant
attitude.
Whether or not schools fly the Georgia
flag on campus grounds, is decided by
each school district, according to the state’s
“Flag, Seal and Other Symbols” ordinance,
and Richmond County superintendent Dr.
Charles Larke has neglected to take a
Laney-Walker group carries forth
with Armstrong Galleria Il plans
s e s e R R
By Timothy Cox
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
During their April 18 meeting, members of the Laney
Walker Development Corp. (LWDC) discussed a proposed
plan of action for completing the Phase II portion of the
Armstrong Galleria shopping center.
Gary Bussey, executive director of the CSRA Business
League, noted that his organization is on schedule for acquir
ing property rights from individuals who own houses that
must be razed, before new construction can occur. The
Business League serves in an advisory role for LWDC.
At the meeting which was held at Business League offices
on Laney-Walker Boulevard, Bussey provided a progress
report concerning land acquisition activities. According to
Bussey, of 15 private lots to be purchased by the Business
League, five land owners are dissatisfied with Business
League offers and have requested higher amounts for their
property. The Business League has issued counter offers. If
the owners and the Business League fail to reach a compro
mise, typically, the properties could be condemned with the
owners being forced to accept a final offer. Two owners have
not responded as yet, and eight owners have agreed to sell
their property to the city, Bussey said. The Business League
has been authorized by the city to acquire property for the
Phase II plan. ‘ ’
. In other business, LWDC is still preparing to present a
proposal to the city to gain allowance for developing land
See ARMSTRONG GALLERIA. paae 14A
Augusta Focus wins Phoenix Awards
for writing, photography ~ 14A
Tabernacle Day Care
Three decades of caring
See Page 2B
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The state flag outside of Butler High
School. it
public stance.
School officials have suggested that Dr.
Larke is intentionally skirting the issue.
“There are other issues more important
than this one that the school board has to
deal with, and that I have been thinking
about,” Mary Oglesby, board president,
said. ,
It may take a letter from the NAACP,
expressing the black community’s disap
proval of the flag, to even get the issue on
Richmond County’s table, Andrew A.
APRIL 20-26, 2000
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conference in New York, Monday, April 17, 2000. With a
newsstand distribution of 1 million, O debuts nationwide
Jefferson, vice president of the board, said.
“As soon as this thing becomes an issue
with the board, I will completely stand
behind its removal, and push for replacing
it with the pre-1956 flag,” the vice presi
dent added. “We could take a school-by
school poll of the students and we’ll live or
die by what they say.”
The school district is composed over
whelmingly of African-American students.
However Richmond County opposerssay
that removing the flag from public facili
ties that are run by taxpayer money should
not be done without the full public’s con
sent, statements that are hollow excuses
for inaction, according to Jefferson.
“We have a diverse community, and
they’re all taxpayers,” he added. “People
are still people, and we have a large num
ber that go to these schools, and are of
fended by this flag.”
Students, faculty, and the surrounding
community of Centennial High School,
the last school in the city of Atlanta to
remove its flag, voted unanimously last
month, near the end of Georgia’s legisla
tive session, for its removal.
A controversial bill calling for the re
moval of its confederate symbol, which
was placed on the flag in 1956 in response
to federally mandated school integration,
started ariffbetween Centennial students,
Stan Fouts, the school’s assistant princi
pal, said.
“There were several rallies, none of them
disruptive, before and after school, from
students on both sides of the subject,” he
added. “People thought kids would not be
interested in this topic, but they were
extremelyinterested, and it [voting] was a
great learning experience.”
After the rallies, students were given
packets of information about the original
flag, the confederate symbol, and then
given the choice to either remove the cur
rent flag, replace it with the old one, or
take no action.
See SCHOOL FLAG, page 3A
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SIAC BASEBALL CHAMPS: Dr. Shirley A.R. Lewis (center), president of
Paine College, salutes the Paine College baseball team for their
championship efforts. Pictured (L-R) are Mike Reeves, team MVP, Lewis,
and head coach Stanley Stubbs, voted Coach of the Year. The team was
honored during a banquet on Wednesday. (Photo by Timothy Cox)
Paine Lions cop SIAC baseball
title by defeating Kentucky St.
By Timothy Cox
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
The Paine College baseball team
earned the distinction of champions
of the Southern Intercollegiate Ath
letic Conference, after a lopsided vic
tory over Kentucky State University
squad 16-4.
In topping off a successful 27-7 cam
paign this spring, Paine head coach
Stanley Stubbs was named SIAC
Coach ofthe Year for leading his squad
to the school’s first baseball title in
recent history, according to school of
ficials. Shortstop Mike Reeves, a 20-
year-old sophomore sensation from
Brawley, Calif. near San Diego, was
named Most Valuable Player during
the SIAC tournament which was held
in Albany, Ga. during the weekend of
April 14-17.
Coach Stubbs, who took over head
reins for the Lions team just two years
ago, said defense and the ability to hit
during necessary times of the game,
are what led to his team improving
from a 17-14 record a year ago. “We
brought in a lot of freshmen and jun
ior college transfers which helped our
pitching, defense and hitting,” said
the 30-year-old coach, who came to
the Augusta campus after serving as See SIAC CHAMPS, 13A
lGov. signs bill granting Augusta
'slo million for local projects
BLaney-Walker district
evelopment, biomedical
esearch center among
eneficiaries
Timothy Cox
UGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
With a stroke from the pen of Gov. Roy
es, Augusta received a double bo
us in terms of economic progressin the
of state assistance for low income
using and medical research activity.
During ceremonies at the Augusta
etro Chamber of Commerce building
onday, April 17, the governor signed
'on a Senate appropriations bill which
includes a $lO million state grant des
ignated for the Augusta Neighborhood
Improvement Corp. and other local eco
nomic development initiatives.
In addition to a proposed medical
rncoarrh rantar which hag alsn heen
50 CENY S
BULK RATE
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
NO. 302 AUGUSTA, BA
assistant baseball coach at Jackson
State in Jackson, Miss. “We put the
ball in play, and made contact with
very few strikeouts,” said Stubbs,
who’s a member of the American
Baseball Association and an associ
ate scout for the Atlanta Braves or
ganization.
Dr. Shirley A.R. Lewis, president
of Paine College, said the team’s ac
complishment is well deserved. “As a
former softball player and track par
ticipant, I fully understand the com
mitment involved in earning such an
achievement,” Dr. Lewis said during
a photo session in her offices. In re
flecting on her days of watching
Brooklyn Dodgers stars Jackie
Robinson, Roy Campanella, Don
Newcombe and Pee Wee Reese at old
Ebbets Field, Dr. Lewis enlightened
theyounger Paineites about her early
attachment to “the game” which con
tinues to this day, she said.
“You hang ‘em, we bang ‘em” is the
theme which carried the team to the
top, meaning — if an opposing squad
hangs a curve ball, the Lions will
bangit out the batters’box. LeMoyne-
Owen College of Memphis was the
SIAC Eastern Conference champion,
but was knocked out of the tourna- ‘
approved, a new high-tech facility for
biomedical technology will also be con
structed in Augusta under the aus
pices of the Georgia Medical Center
Authority, also signed into law by
Gov. Barnes. Senator Charles W.
Walker (D-Augusta), is responsible
forintroducing thebill and called April
17 “a great day” for Augusta and the
entire state of Georgia.
“This means real economic develop
ment with emphasis on low income
and inner city neighborhoods,” said
Senator Walker, who also serves as
Senate Majority Leader. The Rich
mond County Development Author
ity also assisted in helping A-NIC
receive the funding, by performing in
a liaison role.
Concerning the medical research
center, the proposed complex will be
located somewhere in the downtown
Augusta area and have an affiliation
with the Medical College of Georgia.
See Governnr Rarnae nnge 2A