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Serving Metro Augusta, \
South Carolina and The CSRA
March 10-16, 2005 Vol. 24, No. 1199
INSIDE
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7’ "’
4
Usher looks to sports
The Grammy winner
Usher is now co-owner
of the Cleveland Cavs.
Page 2A
Inquiring minds want
to know
Bill Cosby talks about
the sexual harassment
allegations with the
tabloid, 7he National
Engquirer.
Page 2A
Fighting Terror
What will happen
when President Bush
licks terrorism? Dr.
Watkins asks this and
other questions.
Page 8A
Bring home Oscar
Terrell, Texas celebrates
its own Jamie Foxx’s
Academy Award win.
Page 1B
SR S PN SR SR DSN VB R
Multi-talented.
Rev. Joan Harrell
dons on another hat as
Program Associate for
Womanist Scholars
Program at Interdomi
national Theological
Center in Atlanta.
Page 4A
o SSO M AR S PR RS
‘M ....”....1.
8u5ine55..........6A
Classifieds ......6B
Good New5......4A
Happenings ....2B
LIVING wecvrueeensl4A
.
Laney-Walker housing
developers cleared by audit
By JESSICA BAPTISTE
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Laney-Walker Develop
ment Corporation could
breathe a sigh of relief
atter the Commission’s
March 7 administrative
services meeting.
An auditor from Cher
ry Bekaert & Holland,
Ken Fields said the hous
ing agency had no dis
crepancies in their 2003
audit.
“The problem that
they had run into in
2003 was the houses had
stopped selling,”
explained Fields, "It was
a proportion of the pro
ceeds trom the houses
that was providing them
funding for their admin
istrative costs and by the
end of the year, they had
no money left.”
Fields also concluded
that the houses still are
not selling and the cor
poration needs money
tor administrative costs.
“They certainly need
some expertise from
someone who can advise
them on how to get the
houses to start selling
again. he said.
Another red flag went
up when the U.S. Hous
ing and Urban Develop-
Proposed Georgia child support rules favor fathers
By KRISTEN WYATT
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) -
After years of complaints
that divorced dads in
Georgia sometimes pay
too much in child sup
port, the Legislature is
considering sweeping
changes to the way
judges assign payments
to noncustodial parents.
A bill put forward by
Republican leaders in
the House would direct
juages to consider the
incomes of both parents,
Deltas walk for AIDS awareness
By JESSICA BAPTISTE
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
The ladies of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority Inc. have
arranged a walk from the Lucy
Laney Black History Museum
on Phillips Street to Laney
Walker Blvd., in an effort to
raise AIDS/HIV Awareness on
Saturday, Marchl2.
The walk will cover 2.5 miles
and will begin at 8 am.
Monique Walker-Hill, the co
chair of the event feels that
awareness for the AIDS epi
demic is crucial with the
increasing statistics.
“It is our responsibility to
promote awareness as an organ
ization. We have been mandat
ed to provide a service because
of the alarming statistics.” said
Walker-Hill.
Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, Call (706) 722-4222, extension 225
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Photo by Jessica Baptiste
Crystal Johnson checks her mail outside of her residence in
Summerfield Subdivision. The neighborhood is a result of the
Laney-Walker Development Corporation.
ment Dept. did a finan
cial review of the corpo
ration’s records and
questioned the way
money was used to fund
the Summerficld East
Subdivision and also
finding what appeared to
be a miscalculation.
Because of that miscalcu
lation, the corporation’s
not just the income of
the noncustodial one,
when setting child sup
port. The bill also sets
up payment reductions
for noncustodial parents
who spend as little as
four days a year with the
child.
The proposal has long
been pushed for by
divorced parents, mostly
dads, who say the cur
rent system is unfair.
Although judges have
discretion to tweak the
child support paid by
AIDS/HIV is drastically on
the rise with young African-
American women. It has been
the leading cause of death of
black young women between
the ages of 25-34.
The Deltas will be holding a
forum; the Youth Health
Awareness Workshop will fol
low the walk at Lucy Craft
Laney High School. AIDS will
not be the main topic at the
workshop. Obesity, which is
another health concern, dental
hygiene and teen health, will
also be the topics on the hot
plate. Sandra Wilmberly, from
the Richmond County Health
Dept. thinks that good person
al hygiene is also needed to pro
mote a healthy lifestyle.
“We should treat the whole
individual. You need to be well
groomed.” she said.
funding from HUD has
been frozen. Warren
Smith, director of city
housing, contended that
$300,000 was unac
counted for.
“I was never accusin
anyone of fraud,” bmitfi
said, “As a business you
See Audit, page 16A
noncustodial parents -
which generally ranges
from 17 percent to 37
percent of income,
depending on the num
ber of children = some
dads say judges don't
consider the full finan
cial picture of both par
ents.
In some cases, they say,
the custodial parents
earn more than the non
custodial ones. They
point to cases where
moms have gone on to
remarry wealthy second
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Photo by Theresa Minor
Deita Sigma Theta sorority sisters come out to support HIV/AIDS
awareness during the annual Delta Walk in 2004,
www.augustafocus.com PRITY CENTS
Murphy hopes Foxx
will re-enact '
‘Charles’ visit -
ATLANIA (AP =
Thrilled by Jamie Foxx’s
Oscar win for his per
formance in Ray, the
Georgia House is Koping
the actor will visit the
Capitol and re-enact a
1‘)?9 visit by Ry
Charles.
A resolution intro
duced Thursday, March
3 congratulates Foxx for
his Academy Award-win
ning portrayal of the
Albany, Ga., native and
invites him to the cham
ber to be honored in per
son.
The Legislative Black
Caucus, which spon
sored the idea, is hoping
that Foxx would cr;:)rm
Georgia On My /&ind on
a piano in the House
chamber.
Charles performed the
tune for fi)awmakcrs in
1979 when it was desig
nated the state song.
(,}corgia politicians
maintained a close rela
tionship with the singer
afterward; he performed
at the 2003 inauguration
of Gov. Sonny Perdue.
Charles died last year.
In an autobiography,
Charles said he was decp{;'
honored by his visit to the
House.
“That touched my
heart,” Charles wrote in
“Brother Ray.” “ I cried. 1
truly did.”
Sponsors haven't heard
yet whether Foxx would be
able to visit, said the reso
lution’s author, Democratic
husbands, while the first
husband struggles with
child support payments.
On the other side,
there has been a sharp
response from singlc
parents who complain
the bill would hurt
already-struggling
moms.
“It would cut child
support in some situa
tions to half of what it
was previously,” said
Andrea Knight, an
Atlanta family law attor
ney.
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Quincy Murphy
Rep. Quing Muré)hy of
Auiusta. e said law
makers_just wanted Foxx
to know how much they
liked the movie.
“It’'s been tremendous.
It has resurrected all this
fiood will and feeling for
ay Charles,” Murphy
said.
As a House Judiciary
Committee combed
through the bill Tuesday,
March 8, Chairman
Wendell Willard, R-
Dunwoody, proposed a
study commission to
further research the
child support system
before changes are made.
He pointed out that the
proposed bill uses an
economic formula
researched in North Car
olina, not Georgia. o
But some lawmakers
See Support, page gA
Wilmberly thinks that the
black youth in the CSRA need
to know that fashion fads will
pass, but when it is time to firid
a job, you need to be awaré of
self-presentation. e
“People will see you becairsé
of the way you present yourself.
If it’s formal, let’s be formal. If
it's casual, lets be casual.” she
explained.
She also commends the
Deltas for their efforts and
services in this event. She
even quoted one famous
Delta Nikki Giovanni.
“Nikki Giovanni saud,
‘deal with yourself as -an
individual and know you
deserve respect and make
everybody treat you thé
same way.” g