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Uity Region
Brown children scheduled to f
appear with Tony Wilson and
the Godfather of Soul Band
‘ |
Three children of the late ‘Godfather of Soul’ are
scheduled to share the stage with former musicians
from James Brown's band (1977-2006) and front
man Tony Wilson at the For Sisters Only cultural
event in Charlotte, NC on April 14, 2007 to contin
ue the visual musical legacy. Deanna Brown is sched
uled to be the special guest host during the 90-
minute tribute, Venisha Brown is scheduled to per
form as a special guest vocalist; and Daryl Brown is
scheduled to perform as a special guest musician.
This event is presented by CBS Radio. For more
information, go to www.forsistersonlycharlotte.com.
Ga. high court considers
arguments against ethics law
By GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - Geor
gia’s ethics law is facing its
stiffest legal challenge yet,
as the first people to be
criminally prosecuted
under the crackdown are
contesting the rules before
the state’s highest court.
Lawyers representing
Nancy Walter and political
consultant Bill McKinney
will argue Monday that the
Ethics in Government Act
was wrongly used in charg
ing the pair with a host of
election violations.
According to briefs filed
with the Georgia Supreme
Court and defense attor
neys, the two are the first
to be criminally prosecuted
under the law enacted in
1986 and updated two
years ago.
The argument was
prompted by a hotly con
tested Gwinnett County
Commission race that pit
ted incumbent Kevin Ken
erly against two other can
didates.
During the campaign, an
opposition group called
BeatKevin.com sent more
than 9,000 mailings of
DVDs containing a video
House tightens eligibility for Peach Care amid funding shortfall
By SHANNON MCCAFFREY
Associated Press
ATLANTA - Georgias
House on Tuesday voted
to tighten eligibility for
the Peach Care health
insurance program for
poor children; a move that
critics say will boost the
number of uninsured chil
dren in the state.
The measure, sponsored
by House Speaker Glenn
Richardson, would lower
the income eligibility for
Peach Care beginning with
those who enroll in June.
Families would have to
of Kenerly gambling in Las
Vegas with Gwinnett
developers.
Prosecutors said the
political” organization was
not registered with the
state as required by the
new law, and they slapped
Walter and McKinney -
who they claimed were the
leaders of the group - with
29 charges accusing them
of election law violations.
The pair also is accused of
not disclosing about
$28,000 in donations and
a number of expenditures.
Walter died in December
after a bout with stomach
cancer, but her son wants
to clear his mother’s name,
said defense attorney J.
Tom Morgan. McKinney
still faces up to 29 years in
prison, as well as a felony
charge of attempting to
influence a witness.
In October, a Gwinnett
judge refused to throw out
the charges, but delayed
the trial unal the state’s
high court decides whether
the charges were constitu
tional.
The defense attorneys are
arguing that prosecutors
erred when they pressed
See Law, page 9A
pay extra premiums for
dental and vision cover
age. The bill would also
put new screening in place
to weed out those in the
country illegally. The bill
passed by a vote of 101-
63. It now moves to the
Senate.
Peach Care has dominat
ed the legislative session as
lawmakers have wrestled
with how to handle a sl3l
million shortfall in federal
funding for the popular
program. The Legislature
took a two-week recess to
see whether Washington
would come through with
AUGUSTA FOCUS
Clayton’s new police chief is a familiar face
(AP) JONESBORO, Ga. -
When Jeff Tumer joined the
Clayton County Police
Department 20 years ago, he
was the departments third
black officer.
Turner, 43, now outranks
everyone else in the agency.
Unanimously appointed by
the county commissioners on
March 20 - after serving five
months as interim chief - Turn
er became the departments
10th leader and its first black
chief.
He was already the highest
ranking black officer in the 66-
year-history of the county
police department, and had
L\rn its spokesman for four
years.
A week after Turner was
named chief, TV reporters
gathered in an open room on
the first floor of the depart
ments headquarters. One of
them asked, “Are you still going
to answer our phone calls?”
Turner laughed, easily and
comfortably. He teased the
cameraman, “Rarely, if ever,”
he said.
Turner speaks an administra
Arrest of coach’s son is a jolt
to Wolfpack’s feel-good season
By JOEDY McCREARY
A¥’ Seorts Writer -
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) _
Sidney Lowe put together quite
a feel-good story this )mr.ql'hc
former North Carolina State
point guard and Jim Valvano
pr< )tcgc ame back to mach his
old team, donning a stoplight
red jacket and drumming up
exctement with a surprising
season-ending surge.
A week later, after bailing his
21-year-old son out of a
Greensboro jall in the middle
of the night, Lowes coat may
have been temporarily replaced
by a red face.
Lowe found himself in an
cmbarrassing situation
Wednesday in the aftermath of
a series of charges filed against
his oldest snn%idncy R:&‘inwc
Jr, ranging from ading and
abetting armed robbery to drug
E()mqon. Several charges stem
»m the weekend shooting of a
man in a University of 'fionh
Carolina at Greensboro dormi
tol‘y.
Its unfortunate, but he's like
all of us — he cant control his
children,” said Glenn Futrell,
who' on the board of directors
of the school’s Wolfpack Club.
Lowe left the Guilford
County magistrates office
without talking to reporters
around 2a.m. \%’cdncsday, after
i § ) Peach Care
for Kids
additional cash to plug the
Peach Care gap. The pro
gram covers 308,000
Georgia children.
Richardson said the
shortfall demonstrates
that the program must
tors language: Pursuits ensuc,
scarch warrants are executed,
suspects are apprehended.
He also speaks in the
straightfl>m'arc§x tongue of
street-level c)ma'rs. He uses
words like “dead,” “shot,”
“caught,” “stomped” and
“beat” without trying to pretty
up the facts.
In two decades at the depart
ment, Tumer has sometimes
been at odds with the leader
ship.
Hired during what former
chief Ronnie Clackum
described as an “aggressive”
push to recruit minonty offi
cers, Turner said he initally
encountered resistance from
some older, white police veter
ans.
“Change started happening
and people have a hard ume
accepting change,” Turner said.
“We did have to deal with
ignorant officers. There were
comments made. They did use
the ‘N’ word. The word
‘sambo’ was written on one of
my reports. The 'N” word was
written on onc of my reports.
Wee talking about the ‘Bos.”
his son was released on a
$450,000 secured bond. Later
that moming, Lowe made his
first public comments on' the
matter, a two-sentence state
ment issued by N.C. State in
which he thanked the schools
administration and fans for
their support.
A school spokeswoman also
said Lowe canceled his plans to
travel to Adanta for the Final
Four, which doubles as a con
vention for coaches.
“This 1s a difficult ame for
my son, mysclf and my family,”
Lowe said in the written state
ment. * We appreciate the sup
ort and ung-rstmding of the
(Y/nlfipack family.”
Some influenaal boosters say
the schools rejuvenated fan
base isnt likely to turn on Lowe
_ not after he returned amid
much fanfare to the program
hc ]t‘d toan impn )bablc natj< n
al ade in 1983, replacing Herb
Sendek.
“l dont think theres any
uestion the Wul(?)ack Club 1s
axlly behind Sidney Lowe,”
Futrell said. “Everybody’s
extremely satisfied with him
and I'm sure he'll be supported
fully.”
UNC Greensboro police
filed nine charges against the
Lowe Jr. in connection with the
shooting Saturday of freshman
slim down to remain
viable for those who really
need it.
He called his bill “a rea
sonable, measured
response.”
“We were in a jam. We
Later, he and wo fellow
black officers - Greg Porter,
now an administratve captain,
and Victor Hill, now the coun
tys sheniff - filed a complaint
about racial bias in the use of a
promotions test.
An ambitious 31-year-old
detective, Turner wanted to nise
of the top of the force. The son
of a military policeman, he had
majored in cniminal justice In
college - not a requirement to
get hired in law enforeement in
the 1980 s, said John Fuller, a
criminology professor - who
taught Tumner, fiu( adegree you
might get if you wanted to
become police chics.
“If T'm going to be anywhere,
then I'm going to be promot
ed,” Turner said. “I was one of
the few people, at the time that
h.ld a & )”tgc dc‘gn\‘. We dulft
mind being competitve, but
give us a fair chance ... [ was out
there busting my butt.”
Hc Was pre »m()tcd to ser
geant, where he got to work
with Darrell B. Partain, who
went on to lwmmc Chics in
2002.
Every ame Partain was pro
Stephen Cobb inside the
school's Weil Hall. The gunshot
W( )und.\' were dc:\a'ihcc:l as not
life-threatening.
Other charges filed by cam
pus police include two counts
of possession of a weapon on
educational property; posses
sion with intent to sell and
deliver marijuana; maintaining
a dwelling for the keeping and
selling n? a mntmlrcd sub
stance; possession of between a
half ounce and 1.5 ounces of
martjuana; and three counts of
stolen goods or property.
The charges were filed after
the younger Lowes home in
Greensboro was searched
Monday, police said. Cell
phones, cash and computers
were seized, and an ;l\filll‘)[ rifle
was discovered, according to
police.
Brian Patrick Martin, 19, of
Greensboro, was arrested soon
after the shooting on charges of
attempted murder and
attempted robbery charges.
The younger Lowe's attorey,
Locke Clifford of Greensboro,
said City P lice have also filcd
13 charges against his client in
connection with a separate indi
dent March 16. .{)nwc and
another man are accused of
going to a house with six Fc( ple
in it and striking one of them
on the head with a borde.
were insuring ceveryone
and everybody,” the
Republican from Hiram
said.
Democrats battled
against the changes, saying
they will result in more
uninsured children, which
would ultimately boost
health care costs in the
state.
“Why in the world in
this growing, vibrant state
would we go backwards?”
asked House Minority
Leader Dußose Porter.
State Rep. Nikki Randall
has gone to the well of the
House almost ecvery day
April 5, 2007
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Jeff Turner
moted, he tried to bring Turner
.dung
Atter Partain became chiet,
he made Turner the depart
ments spokesman.
“Jest represents change,” Par
tain sad. “We have o acaept
the fact that when you see a
white, whité-haired chict, it
looks like hes been there sinee
Noah buile the ark. les always
ood to bring in new ideas.
’\-‘Uilh someone like him. you
do et ch.mgc.“
He faces six counts of rob
bery with a dangerous weapon,
six counts of second-degree
kidnapping and one count of
assault inflicung scrious bodily
mnjury in that incident, Clifford
said.
LA we was enrolled last year at
North Carolina A&T Univer
sity, which is in Greensboro,
butis no longer a student there.
“We understand what a dish
cult ame this must be for the
Lowe family,” N.C. State ath
letic director Lee Fowler said.
have spoken with Sidney and
assured him that we support
our coach and will do what we
can for him and his family as
they deal with this situation.”
Futrell predicted that when
people think of Lowe, theyll
recall his ebullient leadership of
the 1983 Wolfpack team that
won an improbable natonal
tide, and the bright red jacket
the coach wore for memorable
upsets of North Carolina and
Duke _ not for whisking his
son from a magistrates office
late at night.
“Hes a great person and a
great coach,” Futrell said.
dont think this will reflect on
him.”
thi.\ sesston to bescech
lawmakers to pump more
funding into the program.
She decried Richardson’s
bill for making dental and
vision benefits more cost
ly.
“We should invest more
in insuring our children
now and making sure they
have access to preventative
medicine so they don't
show up in our emergency
rooms,” the Macon
Democrat said.
But Richardson said the
changes bring the program
Sce Shortfall, page 9A
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