"vun^aroirnaRoom
Locals IHHHMI.K ',I; 75c.n,.
^ party at BHBBiyijBl breakfast ^ OO^*
"People's a^racts ? (JO 1
?a" huge crowd %Jvea? g
-See Page A3 Oi. .
\\l -See Insert ^Hit\ ^
The Chronicle
-
volume39,Number22 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, January 24, 2013
sweepsTakes ?
~~ - ^3??*
T^j^l "s ?01W?, DMWINGS
I '* "
Luck may
have ran
out lor
sweepstakes
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE ?
City native George Brown opened the doors of his
business, Liberty Corridor Sweepstakes, four months
ago.
Now Brown, a R.J. Reynolds retiree, is facing the
very real possibility that he might have to close.
Brown, a grandfather of five, is among the dozens of
local sweepstakes owners who may have to close their
doors because of a ruling by the North Carolina
Supreme Court.
The General Assembly had banned the use of sim
ulated slot machines video gambling in "server-based
electronic game promotions."
However, sweepstakes halls
have continued to operate
under a loophole in that legis
lation. The sweepstakes
industry, represented by Hest
Technologies. Inc. and
International Technologies
LLC. challenged the law. call
ing it an unconstitutional
restriction on the industry's
freedom of speech. The Court
of Appeals ruled in favor of
the plaintiffs, but on Dec. 14.
u* K? "r';i i
Carmon
2012 the state Supreme Court
struck the ruling down.
"Since the founding of this nation, states have exer
cised the police power to regulate gambling." the
Court's opinion reads in part. "State legislatures have
weighed the social costs of gambling against the eco
nomic benefits and chosen different paths according to
each legislature s conclusions. North Carolina's
approach has evolved from a total ban on casino gam
ing and lotteries to authorization of a state-run educa
tion lottery and limited casino activity on Native
American lands within the state... While one can ques
tion whether these systems meet the traditional defini
tion of gambling?because plaintiffs have ostensibly
separated the consideration or 'bet' element from the
game of chance feature by offering 'free' sweepstakes
entries?it is clear that the General Assembly consid
ered these sweepstakes systems to be the functional
equivalent of gambling, thus presenting the same
social evils as those it identified in traditional forms of
gambling..."
Many sweepstakes businesses in the local commu
nity and across the state closed their doors at the start
of the year, saying they were modifying their machines
to be in compliance with the law. Brown was among
those who took steps right away to convert his
machines, at the advice of Liberty Corridor's parent
company. New Jersey-based BS2. He said he was
hopeful the conversions would prevent him from hav
ing to shut down completely, but the Carver High
School alumnus said he objects to the Court's ruling.
"I think it's ludicrous that they're trying to handle
other people's affairs," he declared. "It's no different
than the lottery, it's no different from Cherokee (casi
See Sweepstakes on A2
A Kiss for Luck
NcwsCotn Photo
President Barack Obama receives a smooch from the First Lady Monday after he was sworn in for his second
term. Looking on are the First Daughters, and Supreme Court Justices (from left) Anthony Kennedy, Sonia
Sotomayor, Antonin Scalia and John Roberts, the chief justice of the United States.
Content of Character
Perkins vying for win in nontraditional pageant
BY LAYLA GAR MS
THE CHRONICLE
Kelli Perkins is on a mis
sion to inspire our nation to
broaden its standard of beau
ty
Perkins, the assistant
director of high school life at
the UNC Schoo) of the Arts
and the current Miss Central
North Carolina American
Beauties Plus, is hoping to
put Winston-Salem on the
map this spring when she
competes for the title of Miss
American Beauties Plus
2013. Unlike traditional
beauty pageants. American
Beauties Plus' interview cat
egory counts as 50 percent of
a contestant's final score.
There are also fashion and
evening wear categories.
Perkins is active in the
local community. She volun
teers with a variety of initia
tives through her sorority,
Zeta Phi Beta Inc., which
she also represents on the
vWinston-Salem Pan Hellenic
Council, pitches in monthly
in an office-wide volunteer
effort UNCSA has dubbed
"The Big Help" and gives
her time to local youth infor
mally, through tutoring and
mentoring, making her a
prime candidate for the
American Beauties Plus
crown. Royal Productions
Inc., the parent company for
American Beauties Plus,
describes the pageants as
"nationally known, plat
form-based pageants that
reward women who are
active in their communities,
families and careers.
Winners have the total pack
age: they are approachable,
delightful, sincere, beautiful
See Perkins on A7
Photo by I ^ayta Gartm
Miss Central North Carolina American Beauties Plus
Kelli Perkins lives in Winston-Salem.
Team's skill, determination wins over fans
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE ^
For decades, the Triad Trackers Wheelchair
Basketball Team has been taking it to the hole.
The Trackers is the only Triad team in the Carolina
Wheelchair Basketball Conference, which is part of
the National Wheelchair
Basketball Association.
Members say the team is about
much more than hoops and win
ning.
"1 joined for the camaraderie
and the peer contact type stuff,"
said Trackers President Daniel
Moody, who has been on the
team since 2005.
The South Africa native was
paralyzed as a college student
after a car accident Moody says
Moody
he enjoys the "physicality" of the basketball, and his
teammates have opened his eyes to waterskiing and
other activities.
Wheelchair basketball is similar to the traditional
basketball game. Players use specially-designed
wheelchairs with inward slanting wheels. The wheel
See Trackers on \2
Photos by Todd I -tick
Triad Tracker's Tamirat Ives-Rublee (right) and Michael
Lamhourne play ball.
JT h*
~ 8 o
? (J ??5
? J u">
=- < ? ?
=: ? S ?
= ? I 5?
= s i
? a 3 o
= O CD ''
II M
4-! ?"S
i I g |E f g
.7 ? o: W 5 ci
=-8?8?sf
? s z u. a
4 *
Drug court offers young defendants a fresh start
Photo by Lay la Ganra
Judge
D e n i s e
H artsfield
poses with a
pineapple
that she
used as a
prop on the
first day of
court.
BY LAYLA CARMS
THE CHRONICLE
Juvenile offenders who are battling drug prob
lems have a new opportunity to make a fresh start
in life, thanks to the emergence of Forsyth County's
Reclaiming Futures Juvenile Drug Court
Thirteen youth came before District Court
Judge Denise Hartsfield in Courtroom 3C of the
Forsyth County Hall of Justice last week to receive
their first set of instructions and mandates. Most of
See Court on A8
Ellison
e?1??? assured meebem =i
hhgataiii storage bbkmail
of Winston-Salem, LLC ^HT
\> i?r . v ?