Newspaper Page Text
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MSJEANNIE LEDFORD GANEWSPAPE
PROJ CHIPS DEPT, MAIN L 1 UGG A
ATHENS, GA 30602-1641
Serving Metro Augusta,
South Carolina and The CSRA SR
March 3-9, 2005 Vol. 24, No. 1198
INSIDE
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Slain boy’s mother sues
The mother of Devin
Brown, the 13 year old
boy who was shot and
killed by LAPD police
will sue the city for his
son’s death.
Page 2A
Declining funds may
stop
“Truth’ campaign
Anti-smoking adver
tisements may feel the
financial crunch if it
does not receive finan
cial help.
Page 2A
OPINION
Black Achievement
Watkins sounds oft
on the Academy
Awards honoring
Jamie Foxx, Morgan
Freeman and other
stars.
Page 8A
ARTBEAT
Revenge of the Mad
Diary of a Mad
Black Woman debuts
at no.l, despite the
sting from film critics.
Page 1B
United Way celebrates
its goals
The non-profit
organization celebrat
ed reaching its goals at
an annual meeting.
Page 4A
INDEX
ARTbeat ..........1B
8u5ine55..........6A
City/Regi0n......3A
Classifieds ......6B
Good New5......4A
Happenings ....2B
Living .cccvseunen 14A
Nation/World ..2A
Spirit...ccocvverenn 4B
Spelman continues
its war on hip hop
BY FLIOTT C. Md AUGHLIN
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - TVT
Records and Black Enter
tainment Television never
had a chance.
What FEssence magazine
billed Friday, Feb. 25, Spel
man College “panel discus
ston” about hip-hop’s por
trayal of women quickly
turned into a slamfest on
BET spokesman Michael
Lewellen and TVT Records
exec Bryan Leach.
Betore the discussion
even began, speakers took
the microphone to call rap
music hypersexual and
hypercriminal. When
Leachs turn came to make
opening comments, moder
ator Michacla Davis
\tuppcd him to show a col
lage of videos trom artists
like Trick Daddy and 50
Cent that mostly consisted
of women’s jiggling back
sides.
When the boos died and
Leach was allowed to speak
uninterrupted - a rare
occurrence — he explained
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Photo by Dennis Willlams
Recording artist John Legend is flanked by fans who won an intimate brunch with the soul singer
in a contest sponsored by KISS 96.3 radio. John Legend opened for Alicia Keys last Sunday night.
Recording artist, John Legend
takes time out for Augusta fans
By JESSICA BAPTISTE
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Winners of a radio con
test sponsored by POWER
107 had an enjoyable after
noon when hot, new
recording artist, John Leg
end shared a VIP brunch
with them on Sunday, Feb.
*7
The contest was part of a
promotion to spotlight the
“The Diary Tour of Alicia
Keys” which took place to a
packed house at the Bell
Auditorium the same day.
Legend was an opening act
on the tour. Chilling out
from a trip from Tampa,
Legend enjoyed talking to
fans over tea and omelets.
“The brunch was nice.
He is real open, real nice
and took pictures with every
body.” said radio personality
and Promotions/Marketing
Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, Call (706) 722-4222, extension 225
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that the videos clips selected
were largely from BET's
show Uncut,” which airs at 3
a.m.
Later in the discussion,
when Leach tried to explain
that the market was dictat
ing what record companies
produced and that the argu
ments otherwise were
devoid of economic consid
erations, Davis -the Fssence
tashion editor charged with
mediating the discussion -
barked at him, “Crack sells,
too.”
Leach and Lewellen
acknowledged afterward
they knew they were walk
Assistant Miss Monique.
The winners also asked
Legend questions and
received signed autographs
on his new CD, Ger Lifted.
One of the winners, Tyrell
Moultrie, was the only male
present at the brunch. That
fact did not bother him
because he was excited to
meet the up and coming
pianist whose song Ordi
nary People is in the number
nine slot on the Billboard
Chart, but he is also a die
hard fan or Miss Monique.
e 1 wd Ma
Monique from the begin
ning when people ask me
where | was going, I told
them I was having brunch
with the first lady,” he
chuckles, “when she
informed me that 1 was
going to be the only guy
other than John Legend, it
made me even more excit
ing into the lion’s den.
Likely the most famous
black women’s college in
the country, Spelman has
been on a mission since last
April to make the music
industry look at itselt and
what it produces. Rap
superstar Nelly canceled a
L’h.lrit)' event at the school
last year when he learned
the students were planning
a protest.
“Spelman 15 10 blocks
trom a strip club. You're not
out in front of the strip club
picketing,” an incensed
See Spelman, page 16A
ed.”
Moultrie was excited to
meet Legend because he has
aspirations to become a
pianist and singer, like Leg
end.
“The fact that he can play
that piano as good as he can
enthrall me into his music.
I noticed that he was drink
ing hot tea and honey, so |
asked him if that was his
drink of choice. He said he
was performing that night
and the hot tea and honey
helps the vocals out.” he
said.
Moultrie also inquired
how Legend came up with
the video for Ordinary Peo
ple.
“He said it was really
Kanye’'s (West) concept,
with the white room and
just him and a piano, it was
actually his concept. The
See Legend, page 16A
www.augustafocus.com
Public
Works
shake-up
By JESSICA BAPTISTE
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Re-routing the chain of
command and responsibil
ities in the city’s Public
Works and Engineering
Department may cause
some feathers to be ruffled.
At a four hour meeting
on Feb. 23, City Adminis
trator Fred Russell went
before the commission
with a plan to separate the
public works department
into three entities: solid
waste, maintenance and
engineering. Under this
new structure, Teresa
Smith, Public Works
Director, would become
director of engineering,
with her authority scaled
back drastically..
“We will be narrowing
her responsibilities so she
can concentrate on some
engineering needs as we
think it 1s necessary to
grow and work on eco
nomic development.” said
Russell.
In essence he thinks that
Smith needs to be “freed
up” from some of her
duties. He also requested
that the SPLOST program
be moved to the engineer
ing department.
“Right now an example |
use is it the plumbing goes
wrong in this building. we
want to bury somebody in
the cemetery, you want to
build a new subdivision or
complain about a new pot
hole in your road,”
explained Russell, “Mrs.
Smith is in charge of all
lh;ll."
Norris brings
home the gold
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Photo courtesy of Red Wolfe, Inc.
Augusta Focus graphic designer, Renee Norris, took top place
in the category of Best Mosalic during the Augusta Advertising
Federation's ADDY Award presentation.
In all, sixteen different design firms and marketing depart.
mens were recognized for outstanding creative achievement
in advertising created in 2004,
Norris’ collage created for an Augusta Focus news series in
August entitied, Roots of the Slave Mentallty, was the plece
recognized by judges.
Norris(above left) is joined by Focus colleague Ebony Brown to
celebrate the award.
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PAID
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FIFTY CENTS
He also thinks that her
focus needs to be more on
engineering concerns as
economic development
grows in Augusta.
“I think because of our
needs and some of the
issues we've had in engi
neering, we need to let her
take away some of the
issues that in my mind can
stand alone like the land
fill.” he said.
And the landfill would
be one less worry for Smith
if the new plan goes into
action. In a letter submit
ted to Commissioner
Jimmy Smith, who s
chairman of the public
works study subcommit
tee, Russell recommended
that Mark Johnson be
named director of solid
waste and Mike Green be
named interim director of
maintenance. The com
missioner agrees with Rus
sell about the new division
ot the three departments,
“The main thing is our
economic development,
our engineers, CONtractors
and developers are com
plaining about how long
plans are being held up and
they cannot get anything
going.” he said.
Smith also says that this
plan can work because
nothing would be changed
as far as Mrs. Smith’s salary,
she will just have less
responsibility.
“To me, I'd jump for It.”
he chuckled, “I dont
understand why anybody
See Shakeup, page 16A