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M M S 808 NENNEBERGE
UGA LIBRARY
ATHENS, GA 30602-
Serving Metro Augusta,
BouhCaciimeandTheCSßANlEE 200 WA B>
April 15-21 Vol. 23, No. 1154
’ =% 41
‘Condi’s concession -
A&ettcsfifyin%zbeforc v
the 9/11 Panel, Nation
al Security Advisor
fi% to face the fami
lies of September 11
victims. Some accepted
‘her hugs and smiles;
others ~ demanded
answers, Page 2A
Down M&z}tfim
Starr Jones' allegedly
Fay fiancé has brought a
ot of national attention
to “down low beothers”
in the African-Ameri
can community- ladies
men by day, men’s men
by night. Page 2A
Purdue’s flighty flight
: Geo;?a Attorney
Gener Thurbert
‘Baker has lodged an
investigation into the
validity of Governor
~ Sonny Purdue’s use of a
_state owned jet to
_attend a hunting trip.
Page 3A
OPINION
. Will SPLOST go
oAPIe - itigens
- §PLOST Review
- Committee has recom
_ mended that the big
-~ ticket projects - a
sports arena, petform
- ing arts theatre and
trade center ~ be listed
_in separate referen
dums on the ballot.
The Augusta-Rich
- mond County Com
~ mission appeared to be
~in agreement with this
- position. Page 8A
- Welcome to Augusta
where the players
Pyl .
Jermaine D(:fn,
mega-famous produc
er and current love
interest of Janer Jack
son, has been added to
_ the all-star lineup of
this year’s Powerfest.
Page 1B
GOOD NEW
- Tone e stu
_dents Danicflccf)micly
and Tyjuan Willams
lege of Georgia. €
- seniors will begin stud
_ies at the prestigious
_institution in the fall.
P )
Crime victims speak out
against ‘culture of death’
By THERESA MINOR ;
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Betty McFadden remembers hearing what she
thought were firecrackers sounding off near her home
on New Year’s Eve. She learned a short time later that
they were the sounds of the semiautomatic rifle that
took her sons life. The murder occurred less than two
blocks away from McFadden's home.
“I just went numb. The last thing I remember envi
sioning was him lying on the ground and I could
only get cose enough to see the top of his head
because they had covered him up. And when I think
about it that’s all I can think of is him lying on that
cold ground,” said McFadden as her voice trembled
with emotions.
She recalled her son as an “outgoing man” who
“loved his family” and who had recendy returned to
the church. Tremmelyn McFadden, 39, was Rich
mond County’s last homicide in 2003. According to
police reports, he was shot to death over a money dis
pute outside a Central Avenue convenience store that
had already been the scene of a murder earlier in the
year. Pedro Jose Pereira, 32, was charged with mur
der and awaits trial.
There were 33 homicides in Richmond County
last year — triple the murder rate of 2002. The victims
included a six week old baby and his 16-year old
mother, shocking unless you consider statistics published by the Justice Department
that indicate children under the age of four are four times more likely to be mur
dered in the United States when compared to other Western countries. The same
report states for every child age four and under who are killed by guns, more than
eight others die violently by other means.
“Young people are dying at rates greater than ever before. We feel the accessibility
of guns is partially to blame,” Barbara Thurmond stated. “But the other part is that
young people are not being taught the value of life. It's becoming a culture of death.”
Kolb, other county administrators not out of woods
By HALEY A. DUNBAR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Despite recent efforts by the
county commissions Delin
eation of Responsibility Sub
committee to foster a better
working relationship with
county administrator George
Kolb, it seems some members
of the commission are still not
quite sold on Kolb, his job
performance or the terms of
his contract.
Bush perplexed on question of mistakes
BET.com Staff and wire reports
President Bush, speaking to the nation dur
ing the bloodiest month of the Iraq War, hint
ed that the United States would likely send
more troops to Iraq in the near future.
America has suffered a series of “tough weeks
in Irag,” Bush said in the nationally televised
speech, adding that the United States would
“finish the work of the fallen” and usher in a
new era of liberty and peace.
At least 83 Americans have been killed and
Augusta Sounds Off: “What's your reaction to President Bush’s statement
and responses to questions asked during the recent prime time press conference?”
“In my honest opinion even if there
were no weapons of mass destruction,
he still made a good case for the war in
Iraq. I mean looking at the overall pic
ture- the terrorism and the condition
the world could possibly be in when my
kids are older- and not the personal
aspect of my husband being over there,
I think he made a wise decision.”
-Donna Flores
During an April 12 special
called meeting of the Augusta-
Richmond County Commis
sion, commissioners were slat
ed to “discuss the Administra
tor's contract” as part of the
meeting agenda. The item
was referred from the April 6
commission meeting.
Although time constraints
kept the governing body from
addressing the issue at either
time, it seemns likely that it will
surface again. Commissioner
another 600 wounded this month, according
to US. military statstics. Nearly 700 U.S.
troops have died since the war began in March
2003.
When asked whether he made any mistakes
prior to 9/11, Bush paused. “I'm sure some
thing will pop into my head here,” he said dur
ing the brief news conference that followed his
17-minute speech. “I don't want to sound like
I have made no mistakes. I'm confident I
have. “Maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I
should be in coming up with one.”
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Photo by Theresa Minor
Betty McFadden holds photo of son, Tremmelyn who was the
last homicide victim in 2003.
Andy Cheek explained that
Mayor Bob Young had the
item placed on the agenda
because of concerns with the
ever-green provision which
automatically renews the con
tract every year for one year.
“It ceally puts the city in a
bad situation because if, for
whatever reason, we decide
not to renew his contract, wed
have to pay him six months
See Kolb page 12A
“Those people have been living that
way for years and I think they should be
able to live how they want to. Our boys
are over there dying for a cause that Bush
believes in.”
GnthiaSinkler
www.augustafocus.com
The Crime Victim's Rights Memorial Program will be held on Saturday, April 24,
10 a.m. at the Beaulah Grove Community Center, 1446 Lee Beard Way. There is
no admission. :
Molly Moran, author of Finding Susan, is a guest speaker. Moran’s book is a true
crime memoir about the disappearance and murder of her sister. Richmond Coun
ty Chief Assistant Solicitor, Harold V. Jones will also address the group.
For more information about the program contact Blacks Against Black Crime at
(706) 737-0054 or (706) 737-4747.
Drainage fix tops
SPLOST list for some
county leaders
By HALEY A. DUNBAR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
From before the flood of
1908 that destroyed all of the
city’s bridges to flash floods in
recent years that have caused
millions of dollars in damage, it
seems losses due to flooding
have become a way of life for
Augusta residents.
In order to change that,
some members of the county
commission want to use
SPLOST 'V revenues to
improve local drainage prob
lems — but first it appears as if
they'll have to convince fellow
members of the governing
body to support more flood
mitigation projects over the
big-ticket entertainment build
ing projects.
Thurmond is head of the grassroots organiza
tion, Blacks Against Black Crime. For the past 13
years, the organization has held a memorial pro
gram to honor those who were slain the year before.
The program is held in conjunction with National
Crime Victims Rights Week which is being
observed nationally April 18-24.
“Its a chance for us to come together as a com
munity to say we value these lives. Placing worth
on someone’s existence comes under crime preven
tion,” she stated. ;
Family members, like McFadden, will attend this
year to hear guest speakers, mostly crime survivors,
share their stories and to learn they are not alone in
their pain and confusion. McFadden says she has
struggled over the past several months since her
sons death to make sense of it and agrees with
Thurmond that eroding values share the blame,
especially involving black on black crime.
“T've been hashing over with myself and just try
ing to find an answer to what I can say to reach
people and tell them to put your guns down and
stop the violence. We need more love in this world
for each other. We need more Christ. Anybody
got Christ in their life, I don't think they would
have the heart to take another personss life,” she said
as she gendy stroked a photo take of her son just a
month before his murder.
“Listening to the problems
our citizens are dealing with
because of flooding, I certainly
hope we will see the impor
tance of, and the need for,
using SPLOST money on
projects that will help them
and help to beautfy our city,”
said Commissioner Betty
Beard.
Beard’s plea, during a recent
meeting of the commission’s
Engineering Services Commit
tee, came on the heels of a
request from local resident
Constance Williams for' coun
ty assistance with water runoff.
It has so eroded the land
underneath a building on her
property that the edifice has
See Drainage page 12A
1
“I think it was very positive in terms of
re-stating our purpose and mission in
Iraq. But I got a litde discouraged when
he said it was our obligation to spread
freedom and fight AIDS in Africa. 1|
think we need to fix our own problems
before we need to attempt to help any
body else.”
-Joel Samuelson
PRSRT STD
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