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vB = - 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.” Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, C:j"(70‘65)12242%21¢3x1c*n510tl 225 . e > w’% i iGI ": ,;‘ : ¥:_ % % P : | s o AP % b eo R SR fl : : 8 - ] ?? . : \. g A‘:‘b o i - y s 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 US POSTAGE PAID AUGUSTA GA PERMIT NO 302 FIFTY CENTS