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Carolina and The CSRA : -
April 8-14 Vol. 23, No. 1152
It's about time!
Local officials joined
the Downtown Devel
opment Authority in
unveiling the newest
edition to Broad Street’s
landscape-a 20 foot
clock.
Page 24
Driving while ‘black
finally comes under
slation banning’
racial profilin in
the Ug Housg gfgs&:i re
sentatives. Now, A}E it
makes it through the
Senate, the federal gov
ernment will finally
force states to take action
fiinst police officers
0 target motorist
based on race.
Page 2A
; sustor
In the wake of redistrict
ing, Georgia Republicansare
scrambling to keep control of
the Senate and according to
state Dems, to gain -the
House, too. Democrats say
they've been approached by
Republicans about switching
~ Vanishing ethics
Remember when Gov.
Sonny Purdue tried to
make ethics the center
. piece of his own admin
istration? It was just a
year ago and already the
so called ethics-reform
has been nearly annihi
lated...
Page 8A
Cajun Moon’ shines
bright on Garden City
Ballet-goers ~ were
transported to 19th cen
wry Cajun country with
the Augusta Ballet’s
recent performance of
the ballet Under a Cajun
- Moon
Page 1B
~ Leader of the pack
Director of the
Augusta VA Medical
Center, James
ETrunsley 111 s
leading by example
on what a good
employee is: he was
named employee of
the month. :
Page 4A
INDEX
Am’at 1.111.1.1.‘ B
_City/Regi0n......3A
Classifieds ......6B
7°°°d "m-n-’u“
Happenings ....2B
; m --)-annn--‘“
Nation/World ..2A
.v wm’..l“ll’ll.ll‘!.4a
Woods defends slumg as Masters
promises to be the best in years
e s (AP Photos/Dave Martin)
Three-time Masters chmzon %Woods tees off on the
first hole during practice for the Masters golf touma
ment at the N.w National Golf Club in Augusta, GA.,
Monday April 5,
Columbine-like threats at Columbia Middle
By THERESA MINOR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Its not Columbine High, it's Colum
bia Middle School. But some parents of
youngsters whose names turned up on
“hit lists” scribbled on the school's bath
room walls. before the spring break feel
the situation is just as threatening to
their children as the infamous Denver
school massacre five years ago.
Tonya Mackies daughter, Aja, was
nated on one of four lists in the girke
bathroom - one of the lists ending with
the phrase, “You must die.” Additional
ly, Mackie says she was informed by
school officials that a separate incident,
involving the drawing of “black’stick
figures being lynched by “white” stick
figures occurred around the same time.
Beard expected to run for District 1 seat
By HALEY A. DUNBAR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
The county’s political
community is abuzz with
talk that interim Augus
ta-Richmond County
Commissioner Betty
Beard will soon
announce that she is a
candidate for the District
1 seat she now holds.
Beard was appointed to
fill that position after the
untimely death of her
husband, Commissioner
Lee Beard, in December.
In recent weeks a num
ber of local politicos have
voiced expectation that
Beard, who was appoint
ed to fill the seat during
the first full commission
meeting of the year, will
toss her hat in the ring
for the July 20 special
election during which a
candidate will be elected
to fill the remaining year
of the term.
“I expect that she will
run and [ think it’s a
great idea. I believe she
really cares about the
people of District 1 and
that’s what they need
somebody who is looking
out, not for the best
interest of the blacks in
District 1 or the whites
in District 1, but the best
interest of everybody; the
entire district,” said
“They promised that there would be
more security. They have five security
officers in the school district and I think
this situation deserves to have at least
one of them at Columbia Middle
School all the time,” said Mackie.
Mackie says she has not told her
daughter that she was one of the target
ed students. She says Aja, a seventh
grader, knew thar there was a lot of talk
around the school about the hit lists but
did not understand what the phrase
meant and. had to be told.
Columbia County school officials
and police authorities feel confident
they have identified all the students
involved. An 11-year old boy and a 15-
year old girl were arrested and charged
with making terroristic threass. A 12-
year old boy was charged with posses
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Betty Beard
Commissioner Marion
Williams.
Williams went on to
explain that Mrs. Beard,
who couldn’t be reached
for comment due to an
out-of-town funeral,
jumped “wholeheartedly”
into her work once
appointed unanimously
by members of the com
mission during their Jan
uary 6 meeting. He said
he believes the last three
months have been a
learning experience for
Beard primarily because
she is “a very well
thought person” who is
willing to do the leg
work and the research
necessary to make an
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Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, Call (TO6) 722-4222, extension 223
RRO T IR RRRRRRIRR RRRR R R R BEIRT I E=—————
By THERESA MINOR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
The sheen of the tightly woven blue
green grass, the mingle of dialects, both
domestic and foreign heard in the long
line for the gift shop, the gallery of
thousands of roaring fans following
their favorite golfers — this was the
Masters Golf Tournament in the open
ing days and organizers couldn’t have
asked for more.’
The atrendance for this year’s practice
rounds is said to be better than it has
been in years, possibly because of the
pristine blue skies and mild tempera
tures or the absence of political drama
since Martha Burk decided not to
protest the Augusta National’s men
only membership this year. Whatever
the reason, it seem sit well with fans
and golfing pros alike.
This year is a landmark in other
sion of knife on school property around
the same time as the threats began.
Assistant Superintendent William
Morris says no one in the district is tak
ing the situation lighdy.
“We're all concerned about that and
think the school addressed it as aggres
sively as they could,” he said. “Thereisa
heightened awareness of all the teachers
and staft.”
As for the comparison to Columbine
Morris stated, “1 think there were some
signs at Columbine that” viereny paid
attention. Now if the there’s acomment
made or something scribbled on the
bathroom wall we have to look into it.”
Morris says authorities have not been
able to figure out a pattern or a connec
tion to the students who were named
and says “it seemed almost random.”
informed decision on
behalf of her constituen
cy. Williams also dis
closed that while Com
missioner Beard may be
very gracious and polite
— attributes that she and
Commissioner Barbara
Sims seem to have intro
duced to the commission
— she is also extremely pas
sionate and not afraid to
“speak her mind”.
While it could be argued
that Commissioner
Williams’ ringing endorse
ment of Beard stems from
a tendency of the two to
sit on the same side of the
fence on most issues, even
commissioners with
See Beard page 12A
www.augustafocus.com
respects. It will be Arnold Palmer’s
50th and final year at the tournament
and it was 10 years ago that a young
Tiger Woods made his debut in Augus
ta. The fact that it’s been a decade
seemed to take Woods by surprise.
~ “Yeah, can you believe that? Ten years
here. I played with Casey (Wittenberg)
today. He’s 19. I was trying to remem
ber back when I first played in my first
Masters and 1 was 19 years old. It’s
hard to believe that it was 10 yeas ago.
Kind of goes by fast, doesn’t it?”
While Woods may be feeling his age,
he defends his game against what one
sports journalist coined as the “mass
hysteria” about Woods’ game being off.
One reporter even questioned whether
Woods’ focus has been diverted away
from golf by his engagement to his
Swedish girlfriend, Elin Nordegren.
~ Sec Masters page 12A
Superintendent’s controversial
vacation payout cleared up
By HALEY A. DUNBAR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
After weeks of coming
under what some consider to
be unnecessary scrutiny over
the vacation payout made to
Superintendent Charles Larke,
members of the Richmond
County School Board Person
nel Committee voted to rec
ommend that changes be
made in the district’s vacation
policy.
During their scheduled
March 31 meeting, the per
sonnél committee agreed to
recommend a policy change
that would force Dr. Larke to
get the approval of the school
board president before being
allowed to work during winter
and spring breaks — when all
other district employees take
required vacation days. The
group also voted to pay the
superintendent for almost two
weeks' vacation pay for unused
time accumulated over a
decade ago. Based on his cur
rent daily rate of pay, which
the committee agreed to use in
calculating how much he’s
owed, Larke stands to receive
$10,197 either immediately or
upon retirement. Four addi
tional district employees are
also owed a total of $8,357 for
unused vacation time accrued
years ago.
The group also decided dur
ing the meeting to change the
current district policy that
gives administrative employees
FIFTY CENTS
He says a security officer is stationed at
each of the district’s four high schools
and the alternative school where prob
lems “seem to escalate faster.” The alter
native school is within a hundred yards
of Columbia Middle school and Morris
says can be at the campus within min
utes.
But tha’s little comfort to Mackie.
“With something like this going on,
my daughter attends that school and her
life has been threatened. I dont care
what they say they need security at the
school everyday. If it was one of their
children’s lives being threatened they
would have security.” she said insisting
that she will not drop her complaint
until school officials yield to the need
for added security at Columbia Middle
School.
two days of paid vacation per
month while only giving trans
portation, maintenance and
print shop custodians 1.25
days. The change, which will
grant all 12-month employees
two vacation days, will affect
hundreds of district employ
ees.
Both Larke and members of
the board hope that the discus
sion and subsequent decisions
made during the meeting will
help clear up misconceptions
that have circulated in recent
weeks about the legitimacy of
the superintendent’s daily rate
of pay.
“I feel relieved this morning
because I think they finally
understand one thing: I didn't
do anything wrong. I didn't
break any laws,” Larke told a
group of reporters after the
morning meeting,
Although the committee did
vote to make the policy change
affecting when Larke takes his
vacation, committee chair
Marion Barnes stressed repeat
edly throughout the meeting
that decisions regarding how
he’s paid for days not used are
contract issues that can only be
altered with negotiations
between Larke’s attorney and
school board attorney Pete
Fletcher.
The school board is expect
ed to vote on the recommen
dations during their next regu
lar meeting scheduled for Bpm
April 15 at the School Board
office.