Augusta focus. ([Augusta, Ga.) 198?-current, January 27, 2005, Image 1

Augusta focus., January 27, 2005, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextB — e ’ PAPE FORD G A NEWS t,\\\II.IH) iy “':(;‘H CHIPS |)I-.|’l : MAIN 1t |\llI; NG GA NMIZ-H.M Serving Metro Augusta, South Carolina and The CSRA anuary 27-February 2, 2005 b Y s :.}‘i‘ D .:“. v“ 2 } "\ Cosby in controversy. Former female employee to the leg endary comedian Bill Cosby, is now saying he fondled her a year ago. Page 2A Social Security gender bias. Female beneficiaries for social security can greatly benefit and be hurt if Social Security is stamped out during the last Bush administra tion. Page 2A Mocking freedom Is the Bush Admin istration trying to pull the wool over every one’s eyes with the rest of the world as Iraq struggles? Page 8A ARTBEAT Romance unplugged Russell Joel Brown will host an evening of love and jazz on Valentine’s Day week end. Page 1B Wachovia gives to Paine Wachovia Founda tion in support of the United Negro College Fund gave Paine Col lege $68,000 for schol arship support. PagegiA ppo INDEX ARTbeat ..........1B 8u5ine55..........6A City/Regi0n......3A Good New5......4A Happenings ....2B Living .cosnnnnnnallA Nation/World ..2A Opinion .uuuee...BA Vol. 24, No. 1195 Some residents say they were not evacuated as quickly as others GRAMITEVILLE, S.L. (A¥) ~ Alken County officials say it is unfortunate that some residents here think they were treated differently because of their race during a recent chemical spill. Sheriff’'s department spokesman Lt. Michael Frank said that no resi dents were told to stay in their homes while others were told to evacuate tollowing an ecarly morn ing train crash Jan. 6 that released a deadly plume of chlorine gas. Some residents com plained that they were not evacuated soon enough. Johnnie Alexander lives about three blocks from the crash site. He Civic Center strives to get young artists By JESSICA BAPTISTE Augusta Focus Staff Writer An upcoming concert featuring R&B song bird Alicia Keys, just may be reversing the fortunes of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority. The authority, which runs the Augusta Civic Center and the Bell Auditorium, is often crit icized for running the facilities at a deficit and not promoting the arenas to major performers. Larger metropolitan areas like Atlanta and Charlotte have been playing host to these artists, thus fans in Augusta go to these cities, throwing business toward other cities. 1o suffice this, The Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center will host a concert for the Grammy Award winning Hundreds expected for Winter Fest 2005 By THERESA MINOR Augusta Focus Staff Writer More than 300 people from around the country and some even from Europe are among those flocking to the area to take part in the 15th Annual Pennamon’s Win ter Fest in February. The four day revelry started in 1990 as a birthday cel ebration for Augusta businessman, Bob Penna mon. “I decided to give myself a party because I was the same age as my mother was when she Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, Call (706) 722-4222, extension 225 told The (Columbia) State newspaper that friends who are white and live nearby told him they were evacuated soon after the 2:40 a.m. wreck Jan. 6. Alexander, who is black, and his wife were evacuated about 3:30 that afternoon. “Being three blocks away, me and my family should have gotten out earlier,” Alexander told the paper for a story. Frank said when the evacuation order was given, police officers from across the state went through all sur rounding neighborhoods at the same time. About 5,400 people were evac uated from a 1-mile area around the crash site. ; E e P - ; i ’ ‘~w . ; ‘ s TG K. T K g e g e e ;‘:: A P : 1 "'w‘ gz‘ L b . ™~ 3 N ‘.,_ Alicia Keys artist, Alicia Keys on Feb. 27. The coficert is expected to be a success because of the steady ticket sales. The Alicia Keys performance was [ ; . .? p ; ™ p “’a{_“—' r% ; YY e d |"3 v i e T FE 3 ’ ok e P e o 3 Photo by Theresa Minor Bob Pennamon seen in the background enjoys Winter Fest 2004 with Sheila Walker (center) and Senator Charles Walker. died. I thought it might be heredity so I decided I better have a party” Pen namon jokes. He spares Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt said resi dents were treated the same in the evacuation order. Initially, residents near the site were told to stay in their homes and close windows and shut off air conditioners and heaters to avoid the chlorine gas. The 1-mile evacua tion area was announced later in the afternoon. “I'm satisfied with the evacuation,” the sheriff said, “and I wouldn’t do anything differently.” Ronald Coleman, sen ior pastor at Valley Fair Baptist Church, said he hopes government offi cials will address the concerns of residents. “It Sec Residents, page 5A sold out in a martter of two hours. Larry Rogers, general manager for the Civic Center, thinks that See Clvic Center, page 5A no expense in putting on a memorable event. This ~ Scc Winter Fest, page 124 www.augustafocus.com e ik Ty o S - e * . .‘ R I ) 25 s : {, & > " A ? ‘ ‘ ‘:::’1 : . : F «—3}s N O gt e - '}Y: 1 .'. v i i of: : T i 3 ~, e J ; b‘ T R , 5 : o ¢ £ | ot K- % S o PR D i ¥ . WA - o ; e <3 b T l-&:”"‘ 55 ¥y - e 3 L BT 3 SR y o TG ' . o ;.A:t. L . 2 % ‘}“'.n = 5‘ oo g s y b 4 "'2 / J\. Wess. b & G 0 o a 3 e, R o il 4 : g T R S — iol 5'«:3,:%’ g " R R g W aran LS Tl ?&ﬁ:ﬁ“‘w e o B A ‘;.{;W« Net WL R T o & Sk % SO il Im —& AP Photo by Mary Ann Chastain An unidentified man is helped through the decontamination process at the versity of South Carolina Alken after being exposed to chiorine gas om a train deraliment in Granitevilie Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, in Alken, 5.C. Sub arrested for threatening students Sheriff’s deputies have picked up a substitute teacher from Murphey Middle for allegedly threat ening 22 students in his 6th grade class. Students have written statements indicating Mr. Frederick Jones told a student that if he (the stu dent) didn’t “shut up” that (Mr. Jones) would hit him (the student) in the head with a stapler. The students also said that Mr. Jones told them, “I lay awake at night dreaming of killing people.” Stu dents are said to have also indicated that the substi tute teacher threatened to kill them if they didn't behave. The sheriff’s department is investigating this inci dent. Mr. Jones has been removed from the Rich mond County School System substitute teacher list pending the outcome of the investigation. Accord ing to the board of education, if the investigation does not end in his favor, Mr. Jones will be perma nently removed from the substitute teacher list. Laney-Walker educational complex construction progressing By THERESA MINOR Augusta Focus Staff Writer The boarded up shot gun houses that pepper the landscape along the north end of Laney-Walk er Boulevard gives no clue to the massive construc tion project underway — a $27 million project that will significantly impact the inner city community bordering the construc tion. According to Mechelle Jordan, Public Relations Director for the school system, land acquisition in the area, which has been going on for 18 months, is coming to a close. One hundred-fifteen parcels have been purchased by the school board, 25 remain to be closed of which 15 are under con tract, PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID AUGUSTA GA PERMIT NO 302 FIFTY CENTS “In each instance, the land owner has been offered fair market value,” according to a statement released by Jordan. Richmond County Board of Education mem bers came under fire a year ago by property owners who were concerned that they would not get a fair price for their land. The complex will include a sl4 million expansion of A.R. Johnson Medical and Engineering Magnet High School, $8 million worth of renova tions to C. T. Walker Ele mentary School and a $6.7 million stadium for Lucy Laney High School. The stadium, which will include a baseball field, soccer field and additional parking space, is slated to open by the fall of 2006.