Newspaper Page Text
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MS.JEANNIE LEDFORD GA NEWSPAPE
PROJ CHIPS DEPT, MAIN LIUGA
ATHENS, GA 30602-1641
Serving Metro Augusta,
South Carolina and The CSRA -
November 11 -18, 2004
HIV assault
A Washington
man, Anthony
Whitfield, has been
convicted in a serial
HIV assault case.
The case has sparked
racially charged
retaliation.
Page 2A
For the first time
since Reconstruc
tion, Georgia has
elected a black State
Representative.
Willie Talton is from
Warner Robins, Ga.
Page 3A
OPINION
Bush, God and the vote
Bush supporters are
unanimous in their
belief he possesses
God-like qualities.
But has the GOP
exploited religion?
Page 8A
Kelly, Jay Z at odds
Recording artist, R.
Kelly is suing rap phe
nom Jay Z for $75
million over a botched
concert tour.
Page 1B
Kettle time v
The Salvation Army
is kicking off its annu
al Kettle Drive at the
Augusta Mall.
Page 4A
INDEX
ARTbeat ..........1B
8u5ine55..........6A
City/Regi0n......3A
Classifieds ......6B
Good New5......4A
Happenings ....2B
Living «enesusenl4A
Nation/World ..2A
Opinion ...cceeene-.BA
Spirit.ccconsnssesensdß
Vol. 23, No. 1183
Republican efforts to stop Walker loosing steam
Local delegation brace for challenging session
By THERESA MINOR
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
No one is underestimating
the formidable challenge local
Democrats face in the next ses
sion, least of all Senator-elect
Charles Walker. In addition to
returning to politics after a two
year absence confronted by a
Republican powerhouse, some
have suggested that Walker
would not be allowed to be
seated as a legislator because of
a pending federal court fraud
trial. There has apparendy
been a softening of that posi
tion.
Senate President Pro Tem,
Eric Johnson of Savannah sug
gested to the Atlanta Journal
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indicted
Atlanta GA - Former Geor
ia School Superintendent,
Finda Schsaukis i 45 1
count indictment alleging that
she funneled federal fimz into
her failed campaign for gover
nor in 2002.
The indictment maintains
Schrenko stole $250,000 of a
$614,000 federal grant for her
mrl\r,lipalgn war chest.
erle Temple, the state’s for
mer deputy superintendent
and Stepglan Botes, Schrenko's
gubernatorial campaign man
ager were also nama:gjin the
indictment, accused of stm]jx;fi
more than $500,000 in fede
funds.
Pete Theod;o}fiovr‘lfiu Schrel&dnko’s
artorney, asfiys she will plead not
to all charges.
gu‘{l]?i,nda did not steal an
money and we very much looK
forward to having our day in
court so that the truth can
come out.” Theodocion is
uoted as saying in The
fllthnta—]oumal Constitution
Schretr)le%o’s SCFl;(eigrl;lledCo to
a ore a urt
Mpagistrate on Nov. 14.
MCG takes part in study of new treatment for blacks with heart failur
The Medical College of
Georgia has joined a national
study to determine whether a
unique combination of drugs
can help blacks with heart fail
ure live longer, healthier lives.
MCG is enrolling patients in
the African American Heart
Failure Trial, the first prospec
tive study of a heart failure treat
ment specifically for blacks.
The sru% tests whether or
not BiDilO, a nitric oxide
enhancing medicine that com
bines the drugs isosorbide dini
trate and hydralazine, is effec
tive in reducing mortality, hos
pitalization and improving
quality of life in African-Amen
cans. Half the study partici
pants will receive the new ther
apy in combination with their
existing drug therapy; to ensure
objectivity, remaining partici
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Photo by Theresa Minor
Above, Senator-elect Charles Walker gets enthusiastic congratula
tions from supporters on election night, Nov. 2. Walker says the Rich
mond delegation has its work cut out for it.
Turnout for Bush strong
among black voters
BE‘{'OE DAVIDSON
BET.com Political Columnist
Washington —A strong turnout
by African Americans on Election
Day wasn’t enough to defeat Pres
ident Bush. Despite cases of voter
intimidation, he beat John Kerry
fair and square. And Bush did it
with greater support from black
voters than he won four years ago.
Bush made a modest inroad into
the black community, but that’s
more than enough to let Republi
cans crow. Surveys of voters after
they left the polls indicated that
11 percent of African Americans
voted for him, up at least two
points from 2000. In some places,
like Ohio, Bush took 16 percent
of the black vote, an increase of
seven points.
Kerry won a solid 88 percent of
the national black vote, but that
was two points lower than Al
Gore’s African American support
in the last presidential election.
Bush’s 51 percent of the total vote
gave him a popular vote majority,
quite a contrast to his popular
vote defeat (that was followed by
an Electoral College win) last
time.
No Thievery
And, unlike four years ago, you
pants will continue their usual
drug regimen and receive a
placebo.
MCG is participating in the
final round of clinical trials of
the new therapy; earlier trials
have indicated that the two
drug combination may be par
ticularly helpful to blacks says
Dr. L. Michael Prisant, cardiol
ogist and director of Hyperten
sion and Clinical Pharmacolo
gy at MCG and a principal
investigator on the study. The
dlinical trials are required before
the Food and Drug Adminis
tration will consider approving
a new treatment.
Congestive heart failure, a
condition in which the heart
can no longer adequately pump
oxygen-rich blood throughout
the body, affects nearly five mil
lion Americans, according to
Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, Call (706) 722-4222, extension 225
can’t say the Republicans stole the
election. Although, the Election
Protection Coalition says it took
70,000 calls about Election Day
complaints, there is not the same
sense of fiasco and thievery that
America experienced in Florida
last time.
So if he didn't steal it, how did a
president who presides over dou
ble digit black unemployment
rates increase his black support
even marginally? How does a man
who fights affirmative action get
increasing affirmation from
African Americans?
One thing the pundits ponder is
the impact so-called “moral
issues” and religion-related poli
cies had on the electorate in gen
eral and black folks in particular.
Bush used his faith-based policy
that funnels money into churches
for social programs to gain sup
port from some black preachers.
Gay Marriage Miscue?
Black people also can be socially
conservative folks,” and Bush’s
opposition to gay marriage struck
a positive chord with African
Americans. A majority of them
agree with him on that point,
even if they don’t support his call
for a constitutional amendment to
ban 'same-sex marriage. Even the
the National Heart, Lung and
Blood Institute.
Blacks are twice as likely to
experience heart failure as
whites and have higher death
rates. Hypertension and heart
attacks are major contributors
to the condition affecting an
increasing number of Ameri
cans, especially those age 55 and
older. Heart failure leaves
patients short of breath; in later
stages, patients often say they
feel as if they are smothering,
Dr. Prisant says. About half of
patients will die within five
years of learning they are in
heart failure; the condition is
the most common diagnosis for
hospital patients age 65 and
older.
“Statistics tell us that this
unfortunately common condi
tion is even more common in
. ‘
www.augustafocus.com
Constitution that he does not
plan to challenge Walker.
“The people of the 22nd
District have made their choice
and they are entitled to the
consequences of that choice,”
Johnson told and Atlanta Jour
nal reporter. “We will appro
priately welcome Senator-elect
Walker back. At this point, I
think the Senate is going to
want to move forward with
taking care of the people’s busi
ness and let the judicial process
play itself out.”
Sull, some might see local
lawmakers as the ultimate
party crashers —the majority
Democratic Richmond Coun
ty legislative delegation in a
blacks but there have been no
studies looking for the best
treatment for these patients,”
says Dr. Prisant. In fact, previ
ous studies, which included
some black participants, have
provided evidence that current
heart failure therapies, includ
ing angiotensin converting
enzyme or ACE inhibitors and
beta blockers, do not benefit
whites and blacks equally.
However previous studies look
ing at isosorbide dinitrate and
hydralazine separately have
shown they may benefit blacks
with heart failure, Dr. Prisant
says, noting the hypothesis that
blacks may not produce
enough nitric oxide in their
blood vessel system.
“So here’s the dilemma: We
have all these studies that show
mortality benefits for predomi
majority Republican con
trolled statehouse. They are not
taking the fact that they are
outnumbered lightly, but nei
ther are local lawmakers ready
to abandon ship.
Senator-elect Walker believes
that the well-being of the state
will override any political con
sideration.
“Georgias a very diverse
state. The state breaks down
philosophically to being 38
percent Democrat, 38 percent
Republican and the rest some
where in the middle. No dom
inant political party can afford
to alienate that many con
stituents,” he said.
Sec Walker, page 12A
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civil union alternative has little
support in black communities.
It's a subject that Washington
radio talk show host Joe Madison
says resonates with callers to his
program on WOL/XM “The
Power.” “They just simply believe
it's a man and a woman that
should be married,” he said.
“They aren’t strong on that liberal
viewpoint (regarding gay mar
riage). They don’t like it.”
Bush didn’t make gay marriage a
central issue of his campaign and
See BI.IST,;;g;:TZK
nately whites. We have very
scanty data for African Ameri
cans. That is the reason we are
involved in this study,” he says.
“We want to know if there is a
better way to treat these patients
that will prolong the quality
and length of their lives.”
Study participants were fol
lowed dg:cT;' Pfstr] up to 18
months and received extensive
medical evaluation at no cost,
document heart function and
electrocardi that meas
ure elearifi activity of the
heart. Those who participated
il:ll;:ldl:sded male and female
18 and older in
three oargefi)ur heart faflum.s"la;fiz
drug company, NitroMed, Inc.
stopped the study in July after
findings nationally of the signif
icant survival benefit to
patients.
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