Carver
Basketball
looking
to step up
? -See Page B1
Burke hosts
holiday
event at
La Deara
-See Page A2
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I HE CHRONICLE
Volume41,Number 17 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, January 1,2015
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Help for
man's
water
woes
Randall Lindsay
had a more than
$2,600 water bill
BY CHANEL DAVIS
THE CHRONICLE
A local resident is breathing a
sigh of relief after the city has (decid
ed to drop $2,659.45 off of his water
bill. Randall Lindsay was facing a
$3,259.45 water bill in November
and was about to have his service
disrupted.
"It felt real good to have it taken
care of. I ain't never had no water
like that," said Lindsay, who lives on
a 3>721 monthly
disability
check.
The
Chronicle
reported the
problem that
the New Hope
Manor resident
was facing in
November, just
days before his
water service
Lindsay
was to be terminated.
Lindsay began receiving exorbi
tant water bills in August. His social
worker, Debborah Lindsay (no rela
tion), jumped into action, contacting
city officials and Lindsay's landlord
for assistance and answers. Co-prop
erty owner Nathan Tabor said the
high bills were the result of the
city's faulty meters. Anthony Baker,
an assistant city attorney who han
dles risk management for the city,
said the city believed the leak was
on the property side.
After the initial story, the city
installed an automated meter reader,
according to Baker, to record water
consumption in 15-minute incre
ments, 24 hours a day in Lindsay's
apartment. ?
"It basically. stores the data so
that we can pull it and not only see
how much total consumption is
being used - a normal reader does
that - but look at when it's being
used," Baker said.
A definitive cause of the high
bills has not been provided, though
Baker says some toilet fixtures were
replaced after an inspection found a
leaky toilet.
"After that was done, the meter
began to immediately read levels
that we expect for an apartment that
size with one bathroom," he said.
"The consumption levels dropped
dramatically."
He said the department read the
meter three more times ever the next
two weeks to confirm the readings.
Those readings led the city to drop
the cost of the bill. Tabor told The
See Water on A7
Photos by Todd Luck
Zen Sadler (center) helps Don Williams and Patricia Sadler light the Kwanzaa kinara.
Habari CJaniP
Kwanzaa kick-off echoes calls to value black life
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE ' ,
The recent deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police was at the forefront
on the first night of Kwanzaa (Friday, Dec. 26) at the Winston-Salem Urban League.
"1 know all of our hearts are heavy and we're deeply concerned about what's happen
ing to our young Afrifcan-Ametic^r males and women, as well," said keynote speaker
Rev. Dr. John Mendez. pastor ofEmmanuel Baptist Church and a noted community
activist. ,
"Uniting to Save Our Sons" was the night's theme, tying Umoja or Unity, the princi
ple of the first night of Kwanzaa, into recent events.
Mendez acknowledged that blacks have made progress over the decades, but said the
drugs and the laws established to punish drug offenders are crippling the community and
filling prisons with young black men.
"The War on Drugs, particularly in the African-American community, makes all of us
victims of police brutality and misconduct," he said.
In his remarks, Interim Urban League President Don Williams said protests proclaim
See Kwanzaa on A2
Antwian Scriven performs.
Congressional newbie Adams sets priorities
BY CHANEL DAVIS
THE CHRONICLE
U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, the
newest member of the U.S.
House of Representatives,
recently made her first official
tour of the 12th Congressional
District, making stops in
Charlotte, Greensboro, Concord
and other cities in the vast dis
trict. Here, in Winston-Salem,
she toured Industries for the
Blind and Reynolds American
on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
Adams said the tour will
help her learn more about the
businesses fn the 12th and the
need^ of' her constituents.
Adams was sworn in on Nov.
12, a week after she beat
Republican Vince Coakley. She
was seated so quickly because
the N.C. 12th Congressional
seat had been vacant since
December 2013, when Mel Watt
left Congress to join the Obama
administration. Adams said she
WSIFB Photo
Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind's Stephanie Davis
shows U.S. Rep. Alma Adams around IFB's facility.
has spent her first weeks setting
up offices throughout the 12th
so that residents can once again
feel that they have a say in the
goings-on in Washington.
"It was important for us to
put priority there so people
understood that they do finally
have representation and that we
do have a number of resources
and services that we can pro
vide," Adams said. "It is impor
tant for people to know that
there is finally somebody for
them to call and an office for
them to go to."
Adams^ said residents' ?
Tequests and inquiries are being
reviewed and will all be
addressed. She campaigned on
issues like improving care for
senior citizens, raising the mini
mum wage and alleviating stu
dent debt and plans to fight for
' all of them. The retired Bennett
College professor thinks educa
tion and job creation can work
hand-in-hand.
"We have to create new jobs.
A lot of the jobs in industries
that we've had here, we've lost,"
she said. "The community col
leges are going to be the ones
who will be retraining these
peopje for the workforce."
Another issue Adams has
See Adams on A7
Leadership Winston-Salem marks 30 years
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
For 30 years. Leadership Winston
Salem (LWS) has been bringing local
leaders together to learn how to better
serve the community.
The nonprofit was started in May
1984, inspired by a similar leadership
program local leaders had seen in
Birmingham, Ala.
LWS classes open with a two-day
D'Souza
retreat in which a class of about SS local
leaders get to know each other. Then
they reconvene for a series of monthly
seminars and hands-on activities all
across the city to learn about a variety of
topics ? including education, criminal
justice, health care and social services ?
while hearing from local leaders in each
area.
In 2006, LWS added an Action
See LWS on A9 L
Photos by Todd Luck
.WS alumnus Ricky Touchstone.
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