ME AC Photo by Yusut Abdullah and Ed Wallace
The 2010 Men's Champions Morgan Stale pose with their trophy.
ME AC set to make
return to The Joel
BY LAYLA FARMKR
THE CHRONICLE
The Twin City is again gearing up for the
MEAC (Mid Eastern Athletic Conference)
Basketball Tournament at Lawrence Joel
Veterans' Memorial Coliseum.
Members of the 13 Division I teams that
call the MEAC home will flock to the city
March 7- 1 2 to vie for the coveted MEAC title,
and a chance to make it to "The Big Dance,"
aka the NCAA Division 1 championship, later
this month.
The Conference, which is in its third year
in Winston-Salem, recently announced it
would be staying on in the city through the
_uiz tournament, i nougn the city
hud hoped to land a full three-year
commitment from the MEAC.
retaining the conference for another
year is a step in the right direction,
said Benjamin "Bucky" Dame,
director of Public Assembly
Facilities for the Winston-Salem
Entertainment Sports Complex,
which includes the Lawrence Joel,
where the tournament will be
staged.
"For the coliseum and the com
plex. it s a major event, said Dame. a
Virginia native who has worked for the city
for nearly 30 years. "It brings people into the
facility, but the other side of it and probably
more important, is the impact on the Winston
Salem community."
The six-day event typically draws around
30. ,000 fans to the area and translates to more
than $3 million in economic impact for the
city. Dame said, quoting statistics from Visit
Winston-Salem.
When Winston-Salem State University left
the MEAC last year to return to the CIAA and
Division II ball, some in the community
expressed concern that the MEAC would go
elsewhere, but conference leaders have laid
those fears to rest for the time being. Dame
-.aid.
"In talking with the MEAC officers, they
were committed," he related. "They saw it as
a good fit for the community and they wanted
to extend it on."
Dame
No decisions have been made about
whether the conference will stay on alter
2012, MEAC Comissioner Dr. Dennis
Thomas said, but Conference officials and
fans have been treated hospitably in Winston
Salem thus far.
"We are enjoying our stay here," said the
commissioner. "We feel that the city and
Mayor (Allen) Joines have provided the lead
ership we are looking for as a conference and
as a basketball tournament. That's why we
elected to sign on for another year."
The MEAC makes an effort to ensure that
the city benefits from its presence beyond the
financial gain that comes with the tournament,
Thomas said.
"The most important thing to me
is how we've outreached to the
community, particularly with Read
With MEac. That has been an
absolutely outstanding success." he
said, referring to a reading initiative
for youngsters the conference
stages annually in partnership with
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County
Schools. "It's important for us to
connect with the community and let
the community know we're here for
more than just a basketball tourna
ment."
The Conference stages other events, such
as a college lair on High School Day, where
college-bound students in the local area can
meet with representatives from each of the 13
MEAC schools.
"I'm really a proponent of engaging the
local community from an educational stand
point," said Thomas, an Alcorn State
University alumnus. "To me. that's what it's
all about."
As usual, the MEAC will host a
Community Day, two after parties and per
formances by local acts at half time and before
and after games throughout the tournament.
"I think people should come out to all the
activities." Thomas said. "It's wholesome
entertainment for the whole family."
For more information about the MEAC or
to purchase tickets, visit www.meachoops.com
or call 1-800-745-MX).
City crews begin
bulky item collection
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
The Sanitation Division began its annual bulky item collection on Monday, Feb. 28.
Through Aug. 29, crews will go through the city street by street, collecting bulky items
that garbage crews cannot accept. Furniture, mattresses.
appliances, grills. carpet ."old toys, and lawn furniture can
all be set out.
The city cannot collect televisions, computer equipment, |
building materials, hazardous waste, tires, cement, cars
and car parts, stumps, tanks and oil drums, fire wood
or yard waste. And the City is asking residents to not
mix bulky items with yard waste, recyclables. or |
brush.
Bulky item collection is for single family resi
dences. not businesses or apartments. The Sanitation
Division will mail post cards in advance to let home
owners know when bulky item collection will be held
in their neighborhood. Crews will go through each
neighborhood only once. To ensure collection, items must
be at the curb by 6 a.m. the Monday of
your collection ?week.
Citizens can view a map of collection
routes and look up their collection week
online at www.ci.winston
salem.nc.us/Home/Departments/Sanitat ion/ Articles/Bulky Items
Winston-Salem
For more information, call City Link at 336-727-XOOO
FlRSTGOVgov
1 (800) FED INFO
Ail kinds of government information
? ire just O c lick or < oil away
The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest H.
Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published every
Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co. Inc., 617
N. Liberty Street. Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101. Periodicals
postage paid at Winston-Salem. N.C. Annual subscription price
is $30.72.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636
Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636
News
Clips
Nomination period open
for 2011 N.C. Awards
Nominations are being
accepted for the 2011 North
Carolina Award, the highest
civilian honor bestowed by
the state. Created by the
General Assembly in 1961,
and administered by the N.C.
Department of Cultural
Resources, the award recog
nizes significant individual
contributions in fine arts, lit
erature. public service and
science.
Award nominations may
be submitted by anyone and
must include a completed
nomination form and cover
letter, as well as the nomi
nee's biography or resume.
Letters of support and exam
ples of the nominee's work
will also be accepted. All
materials should be sent to the
North Carolina Awards
Committee, N.C. Department
of Cultural Resources, 4601
Mail Service Center. Raleigh,
N.C. 27699-4601.
Nominations will be accepted
by the N.C. Department of
.Cultural Resources until April
15.
The North Carolina
Awards Committee will
review the nominations and
make its selections this sum
mer. The recipients will be
honored during ceremonies in
Raleigh in the fall . Past award
recipients have included some
of the country's most distin
guished artists, poets, writers,
performers, journalists, scien
tists, and public servants.
Among the recipients are
James Taylor. Maya Angelou,
Gertrude El ion and James B.
Hunt Jr.
To receive a copy of the
nomination form and guide
lines, contact Jennifer
McCrory Fontes at (919) 807
7256 or by e-mail at jen
nifer.fontes@ncdcr.gov. For
more information, go to
www.ncculture.com.
Journalism students earn
Moore scholarships
Three students from the
department of Journalism
and Mass Communication
(JOMC) at North Carolina
A&T State University are
recipients of the 2010-2011
Richard E. Moore
Scholarship. They are elec
tronic media and journalism
junior Shaketa Berri&; print
journalism junior Sylvia
Obeli; and broadcast produc
tion senior Brittany Wilson.
The scholarship is given
annually to English and jour
nalism and mass communi
cation majors based on merit
and financial need.
The award is funded by
an endowed scholarship
established by the family and
friends of the late Dr.
Richard E. Moore, who
graduated from N.C. A&T
with a B.S. degree in English
and a minor in Spanish and
military science. He earned
a M.S. degree from
Columbia University and a
doctorate in education from
the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro. He
was a renowned journalist,
educator and spokesman for
N.C. A&T and served at the
helm of the university's
Public Relations Office for
more than 28 years. He was
also an associate professor in
the department of journalism
and mass communication
and the organizer of the
University's Mass
Communication
Conferences held for many
years.
Each student will receive
a $1500 award. They will be
recognized in mid-April at
the 10th annual Richard E.
Moore Lecture Series.
Local Girl Scouts chapter
joins social media sites
Girl Scouts Carolinas
Peaks to Piedmont (GSCP2P)
has launched its official
Facebook and Twitter pages.
As pajt of its continuing
efforts to provide information
to the public and its member
ship, GSCP2P has establisheid
a presence on these two social
media sites. Now, people
from across central and west
ern North Carolina can use
II1V..M |A?pU"
lar social
media sites
to find
information
and receive
regular
updates.
The
GSCP2P
pages will
Colt
act as a platform for commu
nicating with the community,
current or potential volunteers
and members and parents.
Tweets will include news
updates, links to articles,
event information publica
tions and much more at
www.twitter.com/girlscouts_
p2p
"Face book and Tw itter are
an excellent way for our
council to alert those involved
or interested in Girl Scouting
with the most up-to-date
information possible," said
Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks
to Piedmont Chief Executive
Officer Marcia Cole.
Human Rights Campaign
awards ENC grant to fight
marriage bill
The Human Rights
Campaign, the nation's
largest lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender civil rights
organization, and Equality
North Carolina (ENC) are
have renewed a partnership
to work towards equality in
North Carolina. HRC has
provided a grant of1 $10,000
to support ENC's wor^ to
fight the proposed law.
Their focus will Senate
Bill 106. recently introduced
in the North Carolina Senate,
which would amend the state
constitution to include a new
section that reads, "Marriage
between a man and a woman
is the only domestic legal
union that shall be valid or
recognized in this State."
HRC and ENC say that
language would not only
limit marriage to opposite
sex couples, but would pro
hibit any other form of rela
tionship recognition.
k
< i
13TH ANNUAL
RIVERRUN
INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
WINSTON-SALEM, NC
APRIL 8-17, 2011
RIVERRUNFILM.COM
TICKETS: 336.721 .1945