Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 20 NUMBER 984
V. & a
Gordon Parks
is subject of
HBO Special
See 1B
Election Standoff
Florida lawmakers may call session
By Randolph Pendleton
Times-Union Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE
As Al Gore sought a speedy resolution
to the contested presidential election in
Florida, more than 1 million ballots were
being prepped Wednesday for a trip from
South Florida to Tallahassee.
Meanwhile, Gov. Jeb Bush defended
the Legislature’s right to take action,
saying he would sign a bill creating a
separate set of presidential electors for
the stateif it is “the appropriate thing to
do.”
Florida’s 25 electors could decide the
presidency. .
Legar woangling contfnued Wednes
Shaw to leave CNN
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CNN anchorman Bernard Shaw
listens to an interview while on set
at the network’s Atlanta headquar
ters in this Nov. 10, 2000, file
photo. Shaw told the New York
Times Magazine that he’s given a
lot of thought to how his departure
from the network early next year
will affect the racial composition of
his profession.AP Photo by Erik S. Lesser
INSIDE:
L
BWorld/National2A-3A
mCity/Region 3A
BPeople 4A
BBusiness 6A
mOpinion BA-9A
ELiving 12A-13A
W Spirit 14A-15A
EARTDbeat 1B
BEmployment 6B .
~ Is nation headed for
North-South hattle?
See Commentary, 8A
Hatney prevails in education runoff
. See details, page 2A
Serving Metropolitan %sta, South Carolina and the Central Savannah River Area
day when Gore authorized an appeal to
the Florida Supreme Court, asking the
justices to force another recount of dis
puted presidential ballots.
Expecting the courtroom maneuver
ing to drag on past the Dec. 12 deadline
for selecting Florida’s electors, a joint
House-Senate committee had a second
day of hearings into whether the Legisla
ture should go into special session and
appoint a slate of presidential electors.
House Speaker Tom Feeney said he is
convinced lawmakers need to have that
special session — possibly as early as
next week. Presumably, the Republican.
led Legislature would soleci electorst.iat
would cast their ¢t for George,™™
Bush. .t y
Officials say nooses found at SRS
not a threat directed at minorities
AIKEN, S.C.
(AP) Two nooses recently found at the
Savannah River Site nuclear complex
were pranks or theresult of carelessness,
not hostility toward minorities, site offi
cials say.
But the president of Westinghouse
Savannah River Co., which runs thecom
plex for the Energy Department, said the
nooses could be considered harmful by
black employees and wants people at the
sitenear Aiken tobe more sensitive to co
workers.
“I want to make sure my point is clear:
What may seem harmless to one person
can be harmful or intimidating to an
other,” Joe Buggy wrotein an e-mail sent
Monday.
In one incident, a noose was displayed
NBA Star on trial for his life
*'
Rae Carruth, on trial for murder, talks with Vicki Bentley, a member of his
defense team, Monday, Nov. 27, 2000 in Charlotte, N.C. The 26-year-old
Carruth could be executed if convicted of arranging the shooting of his
pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams. Adams, 24, gave birth to a son, then
died a month later. AP Photo/Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/Pool)
NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 6, 2000
“Idon’tbelieve there’s an option at this
point and I'm prepared to go,” said
Feeney, who along with the Senate presi
dent has the power to call a special ses
sion. “I’m standing on the playing field
ready to put my helmet on.”
Jeb Bush, brother of the GOP candi
date, applauded the lawmakers for con
sideringthe historic step. He said it would
be “an act of courage” for them to gointo
special session if it appeared the legal
fight would drag past Dec. 12.
“’I admire them for at least on a contin
gency basis, accepting that responsibility
and duty,”’ Bush told reporters outside a
Cabinet meeting. “Ifthereis uncertainty,
see ELECTION, page 28T - -
in an office as an inside joke that anyone
entering the work group was “hanging”
his career.
Aninvestigation determined that there
was no intent to offend or harm other
employees, Buggy said. Disciplinary ac
tions were taken, but Westinghouse
spokesman Will Callicott would not say
what was done.
In the second incident, a worker made
a noose from a spool of rope in a storage
trailer. After learning of reaction to the
knot, the employee acknowledged that he
madeit and apologized for offending any
one, Buggy said.
“It’s a symptom of an underlying prob
lem at the site, and it begs to be fixed. For
See NOOSES, page 3A
Media
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The Rev. Al Sharpton and Carolyn Kennedy of the Greater Caribbean
Chamber of Commerce, speak io the media in front of U.S. District Court
in Miami Monday, Nov. 27, 2000. Kennedy is one of the plaintiffs in a
suit filed by Sharpton against Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris
:nd Republican presideitial neminee George W Rush, vaving that they
interferred with the rights of Florida’s minority voters. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
Cops: Gang
threat is
real conern
Thanksgiving double slaying
rocks Westside neighborhood
By Timothy Cox :
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
The Thanksgiving weekend murders
of two local teenagers were gang-re
lated, according to a Richmond County
Sheriff’s Department spokesman. In
addition, local law enforcers advise area
residents that gang life in the Augusta
area should be considered a serious and
growing activity.
A notebook found at the Westwood
Village Apartments where a Nov. 24
triple-shooting occurred, contained ver
biage and encoded words that would be
comprehended by members of gang af
filiates such as the Crips and the Bloods.
Locally, a group called Folks may be
involved with the most recent shooting
and could have ties with a pawn shop
shooting in south Augusta in 1999, said
Major Ken Autry of the Sheriff’s Depart
ment.
Therefore, should local residents be
concerned about the growing numbers
of gang life in Richmond and Columbia
counties? Apparently, local authorities
in both counties are tracking activities.
“It’s not like it’s to the extent of major
cities like Los Angeles or Chicago, but
we're not taking it lightly,” said Autry.
“The signs are there —the graffiti, the
rules, the colors. They’re trying to de
velop gangs, but it’s not yet a way of life.
It’s not like they’re quitting school to
devote to this.” His department quickly
responds to calls with gang-related con
cerns, Autry said. Capt. Steve Morris of
the Columbia County Sheriff’'s Office
said his department is likewise “proac-
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tive” when it comes
to gang talk. “We
consider it a prob
lem and keep track
oftheir activity,” he
said. Morrissaid the
Folk gang is also
known in hiscounty
and is reportedly
known in the two
state Georgia,
South Carolina re
gion. “We consider
them kind of disor
ganized but we’re
cognizant of their
activity,” Morris courtesy Richmond County
said. Same-colored Sheriff's Dept. -
outfits, hand signals, bandanas and one -
rolled-up pant leg are signals worth ngt- -
ing said the police officers. Both men:
advised calling local law enforcement;if
such signs are noticeable. “Nip it in the
bud,” Morris added. i
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Rolondo
Marcus Moore remains behind bars at,
Richmond County Jail, charged with twa*
counts of murder in the Friday afterz=
noon shootings. Moore, who resides in -/
suburban Evans in Columbia County,is
charged with shooting 18-year-old Nitels -
Nicole Wesbey of Hephzibah and Corey -
Andre McMillan, 18, who died at the:
Medical College of Georgia one day after”
the shooting. Wesbey, a student at:
ValdostaState University, wasdead when .
police arrived. McMillan lived at theZ
apartment complex located in west A 2
gusta and was allegedly confronted by*
See GANG-RELATED, page 3A
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Rolondo “Buck”
Moore is in police
custody. Photo -