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Vol. XXXVII No. 23 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, February 3, 2011
Speedy
times
recorded
for runners
?See Page BI2
Town Hall
meeting
addresses
concerns
-See Pane A3
Former
inmates
offer^ythc
-See Pane HI
Photo by Layla Fanner
Virginia Newell pledges her support
to Atkins leaders.
As Atkins
changes near,
leaders try to
ease concerns
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHfeONlCLE
Educators, community members,
parents and students gathered in the
auditorium of Atkins Academic &
Technology High School Monday
night to discuss changes that are slat
ed to take place at the school within
the next year, and what those changes
will mean for current and future stu
dents.
Concerned Citizens for
Educational Accountability and
ChiUers
Achievement
(CCEAA), a
grassroots
organization
formed by com
munity activist
Rev. Dr. Carlton
Eversley and
veteran educator
Virginia Newell,
has fought for
many of the
changes that are
now taking place at Atkins. The
organization convened the meeting
Monday to allow locals a chance to
have their questions answered by
Atkins administrators and to explain
the benefits of the forthcoming
changes, Eversley said.
Beginning in the 2011-12 school
year. Atkins will adopt a new. more
streamlined administration. The cam
pus had formerly been home to three
distinct schools -the School of
Biotechnology, the School of Pre
Engineering and the School of
Computer Technology - with three
separate administrations. Next year,
the schools will become one entity
offering three curriculum tracks.
See Atkins on A5
Practicing What He Preaches
Photo by LayU Farmer
Dr. Sir Walter Mack is excited about his new diet and exercise program.
Dr. Mack takes personal fitness
commitment to the masses
BY t.AYt.A FARMER
THB C'HRONICLH
When it comes to living a healthier lifestyle. Rev. Dr. Sir Walter
Mack Jr. is walking the walk - quite literally.
The 44-year-old pastor of Union Baptist Church has worked for sev
eral years to improve the health of his mammoth congregation of more
than 4,2(X). doing everything from encouraging them to make preventa
tive health care a priority in his sermons to inviting various health and
fitness professionals to the church to lead sessions on nutrition and exer
cise.
in 2009. he implemented the Character Football League (CFL), a
popular Christian-hased football program that does not have a weight
limit, to help get youngsters in the community more physically active.
Over half of CFL participants lost weight during the 2010 season.
Union officials report. And last summer, the church opened the Harvest
Open Air Farmers' Market, held Thursdays through SatilT3ays in the
Sec Mack on A 10
Bottled
water under
scrutiny at
Wake Forest
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
A movement on the campus of Wake Forest
University aims to curb the use of bottled water.
The Choose to Reuse campaign, started by
Senior Frannie Speer in conjunction with the
school's Sustainability Office, kicked off Jan. 25
with an on campus screen of the documentary
"Tapped," a scathing commentary on the bottled
water industry.
The campaign is urging the WFU community
to stop purchasing bottled water and to instead use
reusable water containers and fill them with water
from the tap. Those who attended the screening
received a reusable bottle and signed pledges to
reduce their bottled water consumption.
Speer, an economics major from Augusta, Ga.,
was a bottled water user herself until she took a
class that focuses on sustainability issues. She
then did her own research. What she discovered
made her stop buying bottled water and convinced
her to campaign for others to do the same.
The annual amount of oil used to produce and
transport plastic water bottles could fuel nearly
1 .5 million cars for a year, Speer says. There are
also concerns about pollution created by bottled
water plants and the depletion of water from
springs and aquifers that are used to fill the bot
tles. Health concerns that chemicals in plastic bot
tles could leak into the water over time have also
been raised by some.
"It's much better for the environment, better
for waste reduction, if you just invest in the
See Water on A9
?Photo b> Todd 1 .uck
Frannie Speer holds a reusable water bottle as she stands in the heart of campus.
Ready to Shine
WSSU Photo by Garrett Garms
Dr. Michael Magruder gives a pep talk Saturday to members
of Winston-Salem State University's Red Sea of Sound
marching band just before the group hits the field at the
Georgia Dome in Atlanta to perform in the 2011 Honda
Battle of the Hands.
Love at First Hear
Blind couple find love via the telephone
The Chronicle will periodically spotlight local resi
dents who record stories about their lives as part of the
ECHO Network's Story Line project. This is the first such
feature story.
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
For Winston-Salem residents Bernie and Marsha
Buckles, love truly is blind, and the couple - both
\Storii
CIMpKJ_yCt> ill 1 1 1 V.1 11 > 1 1 I V >
for the Blind - wouldn't
have it any other way.
The two met on a
national telephone chat
line in 2003. At the time, she was living in Ohio and
working as a telephone solicitor. He was in Philadelphia,
See Love on A 10
Photo by Lay la Farmer
Marsha and Rernie Buckles wed in 2005.
Spend it here.
Keep it here.
BUY LOCAL FIRST!
CHAMBER
A Mind For Business.