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,Vol. XXXVII No. 50
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
THURSDAY, August II, 2011
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Outreach
to be key
for new
health chief
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
The Forsyth County Department of
Public Health will soon have a new
leader.
The Forsyth County Board of
Health announced last week that it had
unanimously selected Marlon Hunter -
administrator of the Gadsden County
Health Department in Quincy, Fla.
He will be the county's first black
health director.
Board Chair Dr. Linda Petrou said
the Board was attracted to Hunter, 38,
in part because of his penchant for
establishing
Hunter
connections
between the
Health
Depart ment
and the com
munity. She
is hopeful that
he will use
that skill to
raise aware
ness of the
many pro
grams and
services that
the Forsyth County Health
Department provides.
"We've thought for a long time
that the Health Department is invisi
ble. It's seen as a place for poor peo
ple, and that is not the case," said
Petrou, a Pittsburgh native who is in
her second term on the Board. "...One
of the things he is going to do is raise
the visibility of the Department
because there's a lot of things avail
able, for people in East Winston and
in Buena Vista."
Petrou said she and the other Board
members - who selected Hunter from a
pool of nearly a dozen highly-qualified
applicants who responded to a nation
wide search last spring - were
impressed with the initiatives that
Gadsden County has implemented
under Hunter's leadership.
"He's all about public health; he's
all about involving the community,"
Petrou said. "He's just got some great
ideas on how to do things without nec
essarily spending a lot of money."
Hunter, the father of an 1 1 year-old
daughter, has spent the last 16 years in
the health care Field, including serving
as an industrial hygienist forCarolinas
HealthCare Systems in Charlotte.
Among Hunter's proudest accomplish
See Hunter on A9
Photo by Lay la Farmer
Popcorn Fanatic's Sharon Debnam teaches U.S. Rep Mel Watt
the art of making gourmet popcorn.
Popcorn S Politics
Watt likes President Obama's chances in '12
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
U.S. Rep. Mel Watt made
stops in Winston-SaJem and other
towns and cities in his 12th
Congressional District this week
as part of his 15th annual Trading
Places tour.
When Congress is in recess,
Watt uses the tours to work along
side his constituents at their
places of business to hear their
perspectives and gain their
insights on the issues he tackles
in Washington.
This year. Watt's local stops
included serving as an environ
mental consultant at Volt Energy
on Town Run Lane and as a sales
person at the Popcorn Fanatic in
Silas Creek Crossing shopping
center.
"If you're on an assembly line
beside an employee, they'll talk
to you about things they'll never
come to your office and say." he
said of Trading Places. "Ninety
nine percent of America is the
silent majority ... but if you ever
get them in their setting, in their
comfort zone, you'll find out
exactly what's on their mind, and
that's the fascinating part."
After he had served samples to
a handful of guests and even sold
a bag of popcorn he dubbed "Watt
Pop," at the Popcorn Fanatic
Monday afternoon. Watt spoke
about the problems that
Washington is tackling.
The Democrat believes talks
See Watt on A 10
Racing to the Head of the Class
Track club prepares
kids for victories in
the classroom
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
The Next Level Track Club of
Winston-Salem helped local stu
dents prepare for the new school
year this week during its annual
Jump Start program.
Held at the W.R. Anderson
Recreation Center, Jump Start is a
free, three-day program that pairs
youth of all ages with tutors to
brush up on their academics just
before the start of school.
The program, which is now in
its fourth year, was initiated by
Learmond "Buddy" Hayes, one of
Next Level's founders, and spon
sored by Golden State Foods.
"What we wanted to do was
combine the academic path with
athletics," said Hayes, a grandfa
ther of four who has coached
youth track for more than 25
years. "Instead of just being a
track team, we wanted to take it to
the next level like our name
says."
Next Level athletes recently
completed the outdoor track sea
son, and Hayes said he felt it was
important to help the athletes and
other youth shift their focus back
to education after a long summer
break. He modeled the Jump Start
program, which focuses primarily
Photos by Layla Farmer
LaQuanda Quick, a teacher and coach at West Forsyth, works with Jump Start students.
on language arts and math skills,
after a similar initiative at a local
private school.
"We need to do more than just
give these children an outlet
through athletics," he said. "We
should involve learning just as
much as we involve athletics."
Jump Start attracted around
110 youngsters in its first two
days, said Center Director Bryant
McCorkle. Many of the youth
involved are members of the
NL Athlete Marki McRae.
Center's ongoing summer camp,
which also has a strong academic
focus, McCorkle explained.
"We try to do more than
sports; everybody don't like
sports," said the WSSU alumnus,
whose 13 year-old son is a former
Next Level athlete. "It's good to
have basketball camps, but you've
got to have that education compo
nent to help the kids get ready for
See Tutoring on A2
True
Giant
Photo by Todd Luck
Former Winston
Salem Pond Giants
player and owner
Nathan Revel, holds
the ball he threw for
the ceremonial first
pitch at Saturday
night's Winston
Salem Dash game at
BB&T Stadium. The
Pond Giants, a local
semi-professional
team that played from
1914-1998, was hon
ored at the game. To
read more, see Bl.
Biggs returns home to screen her film
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Actress Jahmela Biggs has appeared
on "CSI: Miami" and in the film 'The
Green Hornet," but for Biggs, a city
native, one of the most rewarding
moments of her career was coming
back home last week to screen one of
her latest film projects.
"I see so many faces, people that I
love, people that I consider my family.
It means the world to me that y'all are
here," Biggs said, addressing the crowd
gathered in the A/perture theater on
Fourth Street to watch "Cocoa Love."
"It (the film) has been on BET but I
must say this is the most special."
Biggs, the daughter of former
District and Appellate Court Judge
Loretta Biggs and Realtor Larry Biggs,
made the trek from Los Angeles, where
she now resides, for the special screen
ing.
Sec Biggs on A9
Photo by Layl* Farmer
Homegrown starlet Jahmela Biggs chats with a sup- -
porter last week after her film screening.
Spend it here.
Keep it here.
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