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The Chronicle
Volume39,Number3 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, September 13, 2012
Photo by Layla Garms
This barren area will soon be a lush green space.
PTRP project
may benefit
East Winston
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
The sea of gravel and
construction machines adja
cent to the Piedmont Triad
Research Park (PTRP) near
the union of
Business 40 and
Highway 52 won't
stay an eyesore for
long
The city is cur
rently partnering
with the Research
Park - home to a
number of innova
tive technology and
bio-tech firms - to
create a two-acre
storm water reten
tion pond, accord
ing to Mayor Allen
Joines. The pond,
which will occupy
the southern corner
of the park closest
to the two high
ways, will have a
practical use for the
city and Research
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venting flooding and erosion
in the area. But Joines said
the two groups decided to
make the most of the project
by turning it into a commu
nity amenity as well. While
the water won't be able to be
used for recreational activi
ties such as fishing or swim
ming, it will be a strong aes
thetic anchor for the city and
the park, Joines said.
"The lake itself is part of
the storm water retention
system, but we're going to
make it an amenity with
landscaping and a walking
Joints
Womblt
trail around it," he
explained. "...We felt like if
we could make it an attrac
tion and an amenity, it could
be a good thing for the city
and also something folks
from downtown and East
Winston could
come and enjoy."
The proposed
walking trail
encircling the
pond will connect
to a second initia
tive, the Rails to
Trails project:
Rails to Trails
aims to repurpose
unused NCDOT
owned railroad
tracks owned by
converting them
into bike and
walking green
ways. In this
case, with city,
state and PTRP
funding. Rails to
Trails would con
nect the proposed
park walking trail
to tne existing
Salem Creek Greenway, a
4.5-mile trail that extends
from Peters Creek Parkway
to Salem Lake and is popular
among bikers and pedestri
ans alike.
Winston-Salem resident
Ralph Womble is one of the
Rails to Trails project's
biggest proponents.
Womble, a member of the
NCDOT's Board, said the
project would be an asset for
local residents for both
recreational and transporta
See PTRP on AS
Ex-offenders can exercise
their right to vote
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
Nationally, laws denying people with felony convictions the right to
vote are keeping an estimated 5.85 million people
irom me pons, even inougn tney Have already paid
their debts to society, according to the policy reform
organization the Sentencing Project.
Here in North Carolina, the laws are friendlier to
ex-offenders. Those with misdemeanor convictions
may vote even while incarcerated, and those with
felony convictions only lose their rights temporarily,
said Linda Sutton, chair of the Forsyth County
Board of Elections and a field organizer for
Democracy NC, a nonpartisan voting rights organi
zation.
Sutton
Photo by Lay!* Garros
Bobby Wilson holds a voter registration card that
See Voting on A9 he helped a fellow ex-offender obtain.
Photos by Layla Parmer
Senior Delights (front row, from left): Faye Ivey, Julius Watson, Olinzie Johnson, Geraldine Dula, Clara Summers,
lsabell West and (back row): Helen Cameron, Jeanette Benjamin, Christine Scott, Geneva Badger, Carolyn Bland,
Louise SeweU and Director Brenda James-Stanback.
Annual OES gathering returns
Most Worshipful Grand Master Milton "Toby" Fitch Jr.
(front) with Eastern Stars Toneka Oliver, Denise King
and Michelle Evans.
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
Hundreds of women and men from across the state con
A n r?
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Center Sept. 6-9 for the 111th
Grand Session of the Order of the
Eastern Star.
The annual gathering brings
members of the historic group,
whose history in North Carolina
stretches back 133 years, together
from across the state. The event has
been held in Winston-Salem for the
past six years.
Grand Worthy Matron Margaret
Dixon convened the meeting of
Eastern Stars, one of the largest
fraternal organizations in the
world.
Grand Worthy Matron
Margaret Dixon
"My theme has been consistent since I came on board,"
See OES on AS
Winston Lake Y offers first outdoor class
BY TODD LUCK
THB CHRONICLE
Members have a new nature-friendly exercise
option at the Winston Lake Family YMCA.
Its new outdoor biking class is being billed as
a break from treadmills, ellipticals and other tra
ditional fitness center machines. Riders depart
the Winston Lake Y and pedal their way to vari
ous bike-friendly sites around the city and then
back to the Y.
The Y has seven new mountain bicycles and
helmets it can loan to participants; riders are also
welcome to use their own bikes.
Winston Lake Y Program Director Jolyn
Roberts frequently leads the rides and said that
the class, which is free to YMCA members, has
been a hit, attracting up to seven riders per ses
sion and many regular participants.
See Bike* on A8
Photo by Todd Lock
From left: Tiffany Martin-Clark, Jolyn Roberts, Linwood Skinner and
Mike Chambers prepare to ride.
A Sweet 9/11 TVibute
Photo by LayU Garms
Police Officer Claudia Morgan shares a hug with
Enrichment Center student April Anders during a Sept.
11 ice cream social that the Center hosted for local first
responders. More about the event will be featured in the
Sept. 20 issue.
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