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l ll‘ ; ) LEDFORD GA NEWSPAPEL
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ATHENS, GA 30602-1041
Serving Metro Augusta,
Mavs 11 2005 Vol 24. No. 1207
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An idol affair
American ldol feels
the heat as Paula Abdul
is being accused of hav
ing an affair with a
contestant.
Page 2A
A black party
Minister Louis Far
rakhan tells 300 black
mayors to organize
their own political
party.
Page 2A
Open minds :
Was Dr. Lowery's
baccalaureate ceremo
ny speech Paine Col
lege’s graduation exer
cises said in vain?
Page 8A
ARTBEAT
This and That
A Little Bit of This
and a Little Bit of That
will take center stage
at the Jack B. Patrick
Technology Center
May 7. The play is
directed by Judith
Simon-Butler.
Page 1B
African-American
Initiative Program
comes to Augusta
Savannah State and
Armstrong Atlantic
State University will
host a program
designed for black
males.
Page 4A
ARTbeat ..........1B
8u5ine55..........6A
ci ~,"n 'S ......08
Good New5......4A
Happenings ....2B
Living ...cconnnes 14A
m-wmuiu‘.
Mtume admits having a personal elaionship with an NAACP staffr
By MAKERBRA ANDERSON
SEccial to NNPA
WASHINGTON
(NNPA) - When the
NAACRs Board of
Directors declined to
renew the contract of
President and CEO
Kweisi Mfume last fall,
some speculated that it
was because of the inter
nal conflicts between
Mtume and Board
Chairman Julian Bond.
However, published
reports have now dis
(l()xcd Ihd[ thcrc were
also concerns over
Mfume’s personal rela
tionship with one female
staft member, possibly
Inorte.
“l 1 don't think this has
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Photo by Dennis Williams
Son of State Rep. Henry Howard, Cariton Howard, presents a
proclamation to NBA veteran Michael Curry at his alma mater,
Glenn Hills High School, during their annual athletic spring ban
quet which was held Tuesday, May 3, 2005.
Augusta Entertainment
makes arena proposal
By JESSICA BAPTISTE
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Ideas of horse shows,
hockey games and full
concession stands may be
a mere possibility with
Augusta Entertainment
entering into a private
public partnership with
the Augusta Commission
on a sports arena. The
old Regency Mall site has
been chosen to house the
arena. City Administra
tor Fred Russell present
ed the commission with
the proposal at its May 3
meeting.
“They approached me
after my presentation
and wanted to be a part
ner in a multi-sports and
entertainment arena.
We've talked in some
length and what they've
done is give me a letter
of intent to what I per
ceive to be the demands
of the commission last
year.” Russell said.
Last year Augusta
Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, Call (706) 722-4222, extension 225
anything to do with per
sonality conflicts. What
people have been talking
about is why Mfume left
and in that context they
were talking about the
problems with Bond, but
28 it turns out, that
might not have been the
issue at all. This may
have been the issue,” said
University of Maryland
professor Ron Walters.
It was recently dis
closed that last summer,
a female employee of the
NAACP, Michele Speaks,
accused Mfume of unfair
treatment. The NAACP's
executive committee
requested that an outside
lawyer review her allega
tions and assess the orga-
Entertainment LLC with
the representation of
millionaire Billy Morris,
and businessman Frank
Lawrence spearheaded
the SBB million propos
al, but heard a dead
silence as it was voted
down by the commis
sion. If the bond is
passed on the June refer
endum ballot, the city
would have ownership of
the site and it will be
financed by S6O million
from the general obliga
tion bond of Augusta.
There will be $24 mil
lion from the revenue
bonds issued by the city
and will be repaid from
the hotel-motel tax that
is currently be used to
endorse operating
deficits. It will also pay
off the outstanding debt
on the bonds issued by
the Augusta-Richmond
County Coliseum
Authority. There will
also be $lO million, if
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Former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume
nization’s liability. One
month after the lawyer
Curry leaves rich legacy
By JESSICA BAPTISTE
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Michael Curry is now
hanging up his #2O bas
ketball jersey for good.
He has announced his
retirement from the NBA
at his old alma mater,
Glenn Hills High School.
Curry graduated from
the school in 1986 and
embarked on a world
wind career playing for
Georgia Southern Univer
sity, then traveling over
seas to play on teams in
Italy, Belgium and Ger
many. Among his many
accomplishments, Curry
is known for scoring nine
points in a 10-game stay
with the Philadelphia
76ers and for his position
as president of the
National Basketball Play
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Billy Morris
needed, in revenue bonds
to be paid out of the
funds generated by the
operation of the com
plex, payment that will
be guarantecd by Augus- |
ta Entertainment. Any
proceeds not needed for |
construction may be |
used to cover operating |
losses. |
Commissioner Tommy l
Boyles is pleased with |
the proposal and wants |
to see productivity for |
|
Biolkainaebasibe o |
See Arena, page 16A ’
www.augustafocus.com
presented the memo to
the committee, Mfume
ers Association. Coach J.
Quarles, a basketball
coach at Glenn Hills,
knew Curry before he
played professional bas
ketball and knew he was
going to “make it big”.
“You talk about a hard
worker and conditioning,
he’s done it through the
years. That has been one
of his pluses, that he is a
conditioning man.” Quar
les said.
The coach says that he
is proud Curry has lasted
15 years on the court
because the longevity of
professional players is
only seven to eight years.
“He put four years in
overseas and 11 in the
NBA. Believe me, it’s not
no 15 years.” he said.
The newly retired Curry
will not turn his back on
Black leaders in U.S. call for
police to be disciplined after
handcuffing five-year-old girl
By MITCH STACY
Associated Press Writer
51, PETERSBURG,
Florida (AP) - Black leaders
urged the police chief to
punish officers involved in
last month’s handcuffing of
an unruly five-year-old girl,
a video of which was aired
around the world.
About two dozen black
leaders, many of them
retired educators and
administrators, met with the
police chief Thursday, April
28 to discuss the March 14
incident at Fairmount Ele
mentary School, where three
white police officers hand
cuffed the black kindergart
ner.
“St. Pete just comes out
smelling when you look at
that picture that's worth a
thousand words,” said Sevell
Brown, a St. Petersburg
minister and state president
of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.
A video camera, rolling as
part of a classroom exercise,
PRSRT STD
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resigned.
Mfume states that his
resignation had nothing
to do with Speaks’
charges.
“My contract was up
there (at the NAACP) on
October 24. It was really
time for me to move on
and do something else,”
he said on the National
Public Radio program,
“News & Notes with Ed
Gordon.” He explained,
“What that something
else was, as | said at my
press conference, could
have been business, it
could have involved poli
tics, it could involve
writing or it could have
involved spending more
Sce NAACP, page 12A
the game, as he will be
training up and coming
players for the game.
“They come down dur
ing the summer and work
out with him.” Quarles
said.
In seeing the strengths
and shortcomings of play
ers through high school
basketball, Coach Quarles
sees a light like he did in
Curry 16 years ago.
“Those ones that are
dedicated, academically
and athletically, they are a
special kind of breed and
have nothing but success
written on them.”
He also has some advice
to those gifted, talented
few, “Be like Mike, with
the academics, he’s a
super role model!”
captured images of the girl
tearing papers off a bulletin
board, climbing on a table
and punching an assistant
principal before police were
called.
Then it shows the child
appearing to calm down
before three officers
approach, pin her arms
behind her back and put on
handcuffs as she screamed
“No!" and began to cry.
She was put in the back of
a police car and released
later without charges.
Police Chief Charles Har
mon said officers never
should have been sum
moned to the school, but he
refused to say whether they
made a mistake by hand
cuffing the girl. The investi
gation is still ongoing.
“I think these officers were
forced into’a situation they
had no preparation or train
ing for,” he said.
School officials declined
to comment.