Obama
from page Al
state for Obama's May pri
mary win.
"We made Winston-Salem
Obama country," said Ellison.
But he told the crowd that
they have a hard road ahead.
He said the Republican politi
cal attack machine is going
after Obama hard. Ellison also
acknowledged that there are
many myths and about Obama
designed to hurt his chances.
One popular myth claims that
the senator is a Muslim who
was sworn into the Senate
'using a Quran. Ellison does
have first hand knowledge of
an African-American member
being sworn into Congress
with a Quran, but it wasn't
Obama.
"The person who got
sworn in on the Quran was my
brother, not Barack Obama,"
said Ellison, whose brother is
Rep. Keith Ellison of
Minnesota, the first Muslim in
Congress.
The last Democrat to win
North Carolina in a presiden
tial election was Jimmy
Carter, who was aided by-the
fact that he was governor of
neighboring Georgia. Obama
seems to believe that he has a
shot at the state. His campaign
spent $2 million in advertis
ing in the state between June 3
and July 26.
Ellison told the crowd it's
time to turn the state "Barack
Obama Blue."
Obama is also eyeing other
traditionally Republican
prizes, such as Virginia. His
Republican opponent, Sen.
John McCain doesn't yet have
an operation in the state, but
The Associated Press reported
last week that the McCain
Campaign is sending a team
into North Carolina.
David Crawford urged the
crowd to take Obama buttons
and bumper stickers and put
them to good use.
"Wear the buttons proudly.
If you don't have a bumper
sticker on your car, put one on
your car. Let people know it's
okay to be for Barack
Obama," said Crawford, a for
mer candidate for Congress
and a prominent area'
Democratic Party official.
Tawanda Treadwell is
among those vowing to take
an active role in the Obama
campaign. She has already
volunteered to pass out but
Photos by Todd Luck
Tawanda Treadwell is excited about Obama candidacy.
Chris Johnson
tons at the new Obama head
quarters in downtown
Winston-Salem. Friday, she
signed up to work the phones
and take part in voter registra
tion campaigns. She says the
Illinois senator's campaign
theme is appealing to her.
"I like what he's saying
- change. It's time for a
change," said Treadwell.
The Obama Campaign has
also brought out the enthusi
asm of Chris Johnson, who
travelftl to other states during
the primaries to campaign for
Obama. Johnson, who's regis
tered as an unaffiliated voter,
said that Obama has appealed
to him in a way past candi
dates have not.
"I voted two times for
Clinton, then Gore, then
Kerry, but none of those can
didates eyer really spoke to
me. I was never really caught
up in what they had to say and
really inspired by them," said
Johnson. "This is the first
time I've sort of felt this is
someone I've actually liked
beyond just *... the lesser of
two evils."'
Photo by Layla Fanner
Officials from local churches take part in the ceremony.
Service
from page A1
of one man in a church not
so different from the place
where they now sat silently.
On that tragic Sunday in
Knoxville, 58-year-old Jim
Adkinson, an unemployed
truck driver, allegedly opened
fire at the church as children
were performing the play,
"Annie." Two church mem
bers were killed; seven others
were wounded, before congre
gants wrestled Adkinson to
the ground. According to law
enforcement officials,
Adkinson targeted the church
because of its liberal policies
and open acceptance of gay
members!"
The Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship of Winston-Salem
has the same wide-embracing
policies that allegedly drove a
man to hatred and then mur
der.
"This is a community of
acceptance and tolerance and
people who work together for
the common good," said Carol
Stuart, who joined the church
more than two decades ago.
"We're trying to respect other
people's beliefs, but you can't
respect, you can't tolerate,
violence... Someone who
thinks they're a Christian
doesn't take out their anger
with a gun."
The tragedy hit home for
many in the local congrega
tion.
"My heart just broke when
I saw how many had been
killed and had been hurt,"
declared UUF member
Michael Helein. "I wish we
could just go there and put our
arms around those people and
say, 'We understand what
you're going through.'"
Lopal church leaders took
time out Sunday to talk with
the youngsters of the congre
gation and address their con
cerns about the shooting,
Zurek says. The children
expressed a question that has
been on everyone's mind
since the shooting - "Are we
safe?"
Zurek tackled the compli
cated query in her remarks
Monday evening.
"Are we safe? No, but not
because some angry and con
fused individual may cross
our door," she told the group.
"We are not safe because we
choose not to be complacent
... because we will continue
to work for social justice and
peace."
Strangely, the shooting has
actually strengthened her
resolve to work for the ideals
upheld by the Fellowship,
Zurek said.
"It's funny because in a
way I feel I have to do even
more now, not only for me,
but for that church too," she
confessed. "As important as
it was before, it's even more
important now. It ... lets the
world know that you can't
intimidate people away from
the fight for justice."
Tracey Maxwell, who
founded Vigils for Healing to
recognize local victims of
violence, helped publicize
Monday's event. She said
although this city and the
local congregants are hun
dreds of miles away, their
actions and voices in response
to the killings are powerful.
"These public statements
are extremely important in
supporting and strengthening
the fabric of our community,"
said Maxwell. "I think this
was a really important gesture
that needed to be done, and it
was done with grace and with
style and with respect."
State has plan to fix deficient bridges
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
The state has more than
17,000 bridges that are at least
20-feet long, and most of them
are overseen by the state's
Department of Transportation.
in me waice 01 tne
collapse of a bridge in
Minnesota a year ago
that killed 13 people,
N.C. DOT is taking a
more proactive
approach in maintain
ing the safety of
North Carolina
bridges.
The department
announced a compre- hh
hensive bridge man
agemcni program lasi
week that focuses on timely
maintenance, rehabilitation and
replacement. It also places a
greater emphasis on preserva
tion activities to extend the life
of bridges and help prevent cost
ly future repairs.
"Our bridges are safe and we
are committed to keeping them
that way for the ever increasing
demands on the highway sys
tem," Transportation Secretary
Lyndo Tippett said.
But nearly 2,500 N.C.
bridges have been deemed
"structurally defi-^
cient," which means
the bridge is either in
relatively poor con
dition or has insuffi
cient load-carrying
capacity. Another
2,878 bridges have
been labeled "func
tionally obsolete"
because they were
Tippet t
built to standards
that are no longer
used. NL'DU I insists
that these bridges are not neces
sarily structurally deficient or
inherently unsafe.
NCDOT will target about
$20 million a year towards pre
ventative maintenance activi
ties, which include painting
structural steel, cleaning bear
ings, repairing and replacing
expansion joints, applying mate
rials that slow corrosion, and
waterproofing and resurfacing
decks and approaches.
Additionally, North Carolina
received about $25 million of
the $1 billion the U.S. Congress
provided earlier this year for
bri</gps nationwide. NCDOT
will direct $8 million of its share
toward bridge preservation.
Another $12 million of these
funds will be used to replace
bridges that the department oth
erwise would not have been able
to replace for eight to 10 years.
These bridges are eligible for
federal funding and will be
added to the statewide priority
list based mostly on structural
condition.
The remaining $5 million
will be invested into a compre
hensive bridge management
system that will help engineers
better analyze bridge needs and
target existing resources.
Denerson
from page <47
of the smooth jazz genre
he had become accustomed to
promoting in his hometown
of Macon, Ga.
"In Georgia, you always
had jazz radio. So more peo
ple knew the artists, (but) that
particular style of jazz was
not being played anywhere in
the Triad," related Denerson,
who worked to change that.
He started a jazz concert
series that brought a bevy of
acts to the Arts Council
Theatre.
"We were just adding to
the rich arts fabric that's
already here," said Denerson.
When the Downtown
Winston-Salem Partnership
looked to revamp the outdoor
summer jazz series, it looked
no further than to Denerson,
whose reputation was already
well-respected in local and
regional music circles.
Last year, the promoter
made waves when one of the
acts he brought to the jazz
series, Trumpeter Joey
Sommerville, set an atten
dance record for the Summer
Music Series.
"It was a huge success,"
Denerson declared. " The...
crowd ... had never seen that
type of excitement for some
one playing at the downtown
series."
Sommerville's connection
to Denerson dates back to
Post Entertainment's lean
years in Georgia.
"I wish all promoters were
so good," said Sommerville,
who recently returned to the
city to play a Downtown Jazz
concert. "He's like the ideal
person to work with ... Carl's
one of the gems."
Word travels fast in the
community of smooth jazz
musicians, and Saxophonist
Dee Lucas says the word
about Denerson has always
been positive.
"The level of profession
alism is very great," Lucas
said of Denerson. "He does
everything by the book; he
Photo courtesy of D Lucas
Dee Lucas has visited the city
many times to share his won
derful gift.
does it right."
o Lucas made his way from
his home in Atlanta to
Winston-Salem to play a
Downtown Jazz gig. He said
he jumps at the chance to do a
Post Entertainment engag
ment.
The union between the
Partnership and Denerson has
been a two-way street. He has
helped the concerts find new
steam and the opportunity to
do so has introduced his work
to a new audience, jazz-lovers
that he hopes will continue to
seek out his concerts all year
round.
When the Downtown Jazz
series ends tomorrow with an
"All Star Jam," Denerson,
who still works at RJ.
Reynolds, will focus his ener
gy on his own quarterly
Smooth Jazz Series, and on
his overall goal: to make resi
dents of this town jazz die
hards.
"My goal is to make
Winston-Salem the smooth
jazz hub of the South," he
said. "I want it to grow to the
point where we're going to
have a jazz festival."
While some of his plans
for the cits may be a bit down
the road, one thing's for sure,'
Denerson says: "Winston's
definitely going to be jazzy as
long as I'm here."
Fojr more information
about Post Entertainment,
visit www. post jazz .com .
0
ET CARE HEALTH AND MEDICAL
Ann i versa ry Celebra tion
August 10-15, 2008
A Special thank-you for your support and
patronage this year!
Auxnonzea Dealer:
Pridf. Mobility Scooters, Power Chairs,
Lifts
Ska aris Compression Therapy
Masada Skin Care Products
Tranquility and Select Incontinent
Products
Laurens Hope Medical ID Jewelry
Harmar Lifts
Diabetic Footwear by: DR. COMPORT,
ORtHOFEET, HOOPOE, AETREX, PEDORS,
Dr. Zen
Other medical equipment and
supplies include: Walkers, Rollators,
Wheelchairs, Hospital Beds, B/Pkits,
Skin Care and wound care products
and more..?.
Participating Provider: Medicare.
NC Medicaid, BlueCross BlueShield.
Medicare Blue PPO and HMO
Open House Monday , August 11 ,
2008. 1:30 pm -6:30 pm
Please join us throughout the
week to learn about the products
and services offered by E T Care.
I is it us at:
45&X Old Walkertown Road
(Of; burn Station Shopping Center)
H'inston-Salem, \'C 27105
556 744-0*51 / Fax 536 7 44-5595
A MciJu ?J Vc - >l>i
Specials throughout the week include:
? 30" o discount on in-stock Activa
Slot kings and FLA Orthotics
? Free Diabetic meter kit with purc hase of
5 boxes test strips
? Free medical tag with purchase of
Medical ID Jewelry
f Register for "Care Basket " - drawing on
Friday
I II I (ON
z a i o
I II I V I \ H