Newspaper Page Text
; s e
MS.JEANNIE LEDFORD GA NEWSPAPE
PROJ CHIPS DEPT, MAIN L 1 UGA
M ATHENS, GA 30602-164]
Serving Metro Augusta, : -
South Carolina and The CSRA y
October 28-November 4, 2004 Vol. 23, No. 1181
* |
2 . /
P
Busha noshow on BET,
BET’s CEQO,
Robert Johnson is
miffed by the presi
dent’s refusal to
address African
Americans on the
television network.
Page 2A :
Church flap
An African Ameri
can congregation is
getting a chilly
reception in a largely
white neighborhood
-the site of their
new church. :
Page 3A
"m
Vote with a friend
Dr. Ralph Watkins
urges everyone to not
only vote, but to also
bring a friend along,
Page 8 A
Clearing up the vision
Gospel rap trio,
Pure Vision, is gving a
new view of hip hop.
Page 1B
R S R OS O R A SSR SRy
A new title for James
Linda James has
been named director
of educational enrich
ment programs at the
Medical College of
Georiga.
Page 5\
S A NPR R S A KSR
ARTbeat ..........1B
Bufll\'“ lno--n1;..“
cuthll..q.M
W' -nu-“
Good New5......4A
Happenings ....2B
leln' -...........14A
Nation/World ..2A
m}-inuuuu’;‘
m.’"m“..‘.1..‘.
The Vote 2004
Here’s how
to protect
your vote
By TRACY L. SCOTT
BET.com Staff Writer
Washington, D.C.-
Given the chaos at the
polls last Election Day,
there will be literally mil
lions of eyes worldwide
watching the process this
time around. According to
U.S. election officials and
voter advocacy groups,
expect to see swarms —
tens of thousands — of
volunteers, lawyers and
law enforcement officials
on hand at precincts
around the country to
make sure everything runs
smoothly and that your
voting rights are not vio
lated.
But that doesnt mean
you shouldn’t be prepared
for the worst-case sce
nario.
Let’s say, for example,
that you roll up on the
polling place in your
neighborhood and find
out that your name is
nowhere to be found on
the vote list. Or that your
name is on the list — but
it’s a list of ex-felons, and
youre incorrectly denied
your right to vote. How
about if the electronic vot
ing machines malfunction,
or the representative you
would like to vote for is
not on the ballot? Even
more dramatic, what if
there’s a group of heavies
blocking your way to the
election booth?
You might run into the
kind of problem that
makes you mad enough to
cuss and scream, but after
you vent, you'll still have
to deal with the fact that
See Protect, page 13A
With millions at stake, non profits rally to save SPLOST
By THERESA MINOR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
For weeks they have
watched the stop SPLOST
movement gain momen
tum without uttering a
word. But now the heads
of non-profit agencies say
they can no longer sit
silently while “the big guns
turn their backs on the
city.”
In an unprecedented
show of unity, representa
tives from seven area non
profit groups spoke up for
Question 1 on the General
Election ballot. That ques
tion asks voters if they
support $352 million
worth of projects to be
funded by an extension of
the penny sales tax.
Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, Call (706) 722-4222, TN
| :
o
G
9 : *‘ <
e
. "', E
g gy :
% Sy :
e : v
P o N iE
"».fi =ol S g éfifi- fa ; N Mt’ "my
B P 5, R % ST 7o Bl N il e -
- L saalt sVi s
e e £ W, sy e
B s Sl T A
",{i e ‘_T"‘Qf:w:;; £ R Wil )
i R e i ’ :
P A R
ri.)'fl o e o e ,‘ i, S
%j* TR e :
R e e Sl
Photos by Theresa Minor
Above left, Georgia Senate candidate, Charles Walker votes early but only after waiting in a line of
voters (top right) for nearly two hours at the Henry Brigham Community Center. Senior citizens
{bottom right) were allowed to move to the front of the line.
%" 7 : ’ erE. w
&gfl!\\ 1 : & . R # 1%;, g )
, S e, M L R
g PRI S S iqi R b il
S T 3 s% ¥¥ e : ; o
i & . g ‘“’QL e . !/ " # 2 *rs. . & }xg <‘
; x."i E b cf‘_,v‘: & fi 3 b & ,;, ‘7 i 2”‘ : 4
N # "A’Tfi' P i = e e 3 5 ‘ &
i, ™ " ? 5 i, ‘,‘ il ;*‘ e ,B \, - 's‘:'
e it . o 5 e
3 - & o > e PERET & R
: g e I}'& { N e :
_i; = b \
AT F 3 4 iy
‘.f Ty o ‘ 2
1; L Y
\ s
! *. :3 ,‘
§fA g )
o Y 5
f »"x p N,
fees s . |l
fi 3 *L F T,@""“” 2
o % ol T il |
W‘ fl;a 3 ‘} .*j' 4 44 1 ".‘E |
4 g o S W : (8 ‘,
w /i T WY o
iy 3‘;‘{s‘ 5 ‘R .. ":/;‘ # > ,-.',”}""’ % ! c
TN e .‘Lf'es"-;f sT o, % e ’
g '3 R 'fl:fig—"v % t"‘- ReT4 £ &‘
e o O T 1
N i S i tai* it ™ ) 113 g
AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma
Former President Biii Clinton waves to supporters, Presidential candidate John Kerry at his side,
as they take the stage at a massive campaign rally in Philadelphia, Monday, Oct. 25, 2004. Clin
ton made his first public appearance in Philadelphia following heart surgery.
The lion’s share of the
revenue would go toward
improvement of - roads,
drainage and other “unsexy
projects.” But groups like
the Augusta Mini Theatre
are among dozens counting
on the passage of Question
1 to improve. their services
to the community. The
Mini Theatre is on the bal
lot for $2.5 million intend
ed to go toward the con
struction of a performing
arts facility on Augusta’s
south side.
“Question one needs to
pass. We're going to be on
the telephone. We're going
to be communicating with
everyone to support Ques
tion 1,” said Tyrone Butler,
Executive Director and
Founder of the Augusta
Mini Theatre.
There are four SPLOST
questions in all on the bal
lot. Question two asks for
a yes or no vote for an $lB
million performing arts
theatre. A $32 million
amphitheater is up for a
vote on Question 3. And
finally, a- whopping $Bl
million entertainment
arena is the object of Ques
tion 4.
Groups like Augusta
Tomorrow and even Augus
ta Mayor Bob Young have
spoken out against
SPLOST saying it would
place an excessive tax bur
den on the community for
the nearly 14 years that it’s
expected to take to raise the
money. Ironically, the same
groups were in support of
www.augustafocus.com
' \!! “ 4 €fi,
.~: pr
N) g i
¥
s BN ,
W RO ¥
g | TH Yy 7 P 2
b 3Rt L e
o 4 -~
g i
| 4 4 )
.
the project until backers of
the entertainment arena,
including Augusta Chroni
cle owner, Billy Morrison,
were enraged when com
missioners refused to allow
the group control over the
arena project.
“They definitely couldn’t
live in my neighborhood,”
jokes Pat Jones referring to
opponents. Jones is the
director of Augusta Youth
Center. The after school
program is on the ballot for
$200,000.
As far as the eleventh
hour timing to come out in
defense of SPLOST, Lara
Plocha, director of the
Imperial Theatre stated,
“We may be a day late and
a dollar short. But no mat
ter what happens we're all
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
AUGUSTA GA
PERMIT NO 302
FIFTY CENTS
By THERESA MINOR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
“Why aren’t there more
machines?” a frustrated
early voter asks a poll
worker at the Henry
Brigham Community
Center. She had already
been standing in the fog
encased line for more
than an hour.
“You just don’t know
how much time it takes
to set up a voting
machine,” the poll work
er began before admit-
See Voter, page 16A
quip
*“I look forward to serving
the people of the 22nd Dis
trict. Weve been through
some rough times but help is
on the way.”
*“l'm, disappointed that
they dosed the MCG Pharma
cy. Itonly cost $6 million and
we have a $6 billion budgnn
You cant tell me they cant find
$6 million.”
*“You shouldn’ have to sell
everything to be eligible to live
in a nursing home. I want to
kcj) my assets in my name
and | believe you need to have
assets in your name..”
““Our children need the
HOPE Scholarship. And we
take in enough money every
year to do it, if we do it fairly.
We need to make sure our chil
dren the best education
possibF:.r”
going to be here and we're
all going to have needs. It
makes sense for Augusta to
vote for SPLOST. The
projects in there will trans
form Augusta.”
The Imperial Theatre is
also asking for $2.5 million.
to renovate the historical
theatre building. Also
coming out in support of
SPLOST are the Mach
Academy - a student
enrichment program look
ing to build a new facility,
Safe Homes of Augusta — a
shelter for battered women
and children and the Lucy
Craft Laney Black History
Museum - Augusta’s only
African American museum.
Each of the agencies are on
the ballot for $1 million to
improve or expand.