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VOLUME 19 NUMBER 951 ART bmé atv L SRR T R 00 gtamohs A " Snnfrnslndiis Festpai >y Comminon e 5 0 ‘ :’ o e ‘..'.";"»-.v-{ % - 3 T i At g 5:, | s N Keglies-oaf . \ Watpviors L i bdasgpervaiiy X LT TS ot i ithires - 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 AGAE LA LY LEA " U LAY Serving Metropolitan ™= Ayqusta, South Carolina and the Central Savannah River Area $ 1 comemctmere IR 1 e mum— Wt 3 B s (] [ T NV / § T N R F? i %fij - t * P BT * R | o 11 | a 0 i i ¥ 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 e N i PR e /) ‘ L G B s gl < b e \ ;st?‘:fl% TSR TF L T i R e *fist“u b L e L ' G ) !"}s?,\ o ] - AR R 0 R b ik & RTA i 2 T : = THE OPRAH @ & VINRCVAPARNES @ N i 43 A % L Y b e b e S R -.,I“:“'”:". A iy il s, i e o S o A ; Ay R Ny a. ; O RWe o = g e G a Sl oTNBR ! / i e Dol G ‘ § ] G e el e T R | 7 T L (R NN W e i / i o i '*‘W» X "'ii* b o w 5 Start right here, O W /é\* | right now BN Gy el ‘ W, T F 1 A A7T | Al R | o R W , s LR Y L R AT Camille Cosby e *rl‘" T on how she’ T i o : ; | AR A "jfl o and Bill survived P o 7 S il their son’s A P g R 7ot i . : i e SRR es S ' tragic death | OPRAH WINFREY appears on the cover of the premiere issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, released at a news 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 4 "q / : ! ) Auh E & o b b N ¢ A N\ B 5 o ol e N £ Wi o *"%fl“’ R !;‘_.v-. s “ 1:_.\,4 ‘ . ] : ": A;':i-f T w":z. s 1 ,_:_(_A; ' 4 S AR e £ Ny ) ! TRe 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