the Chronicle
Volume43,Number2 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, September 15, 2016
Running
out of
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MS. 1
Ex-W-S teacher, NCAE leader dies
Rodney Ellis' mission was
to inspire young boys of
color
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE .
Last weekend, educators and others
across the state were shocked and sad
dened when reports surfaced that a former
president of the North Carolina
Association of Educators (NCAE ) who
had taught in Winston-Salem died
Saturday morning. Rodney Ellis was 49.
Elhs, a graduate of Winston-Salem
State University, began his teaching career
at Atkins Middle School (now Winston
Salem Preparatory Academy) as an eighth
grade language arts teacher in 1999. After
serving as the president of the Forsyth
County Association of Educators (FCAE),
Ellis was elected NCAE vice president in
2010, where he served for two years
before he was elected president in 2012.
A wake will be held for Ellis on Friday,
Sept. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Great
Commission Community Church, 3733
Ogbum Ave. in Winston-Salem. His funer
al will be Saturday, Sept. 17, at 1 p.m. at
St. Peter's World Outreach Center, 3683
Old Lexington Road in Winston-Salem.
Russell Funeral Home is in chaige.
Although he had left the classroom set
ting, Ellis' mission in life was to inspire
Ellis
children from low income households,
especially African-American males, to
always do their best and strive for great
ness.
During an event hosted by the local
Initiative for African American Males
(IAAM) earlier this summer, Ellis said,
"Helping improve the lives of African
American males has always been impor
tant to me.
"It takes a full commitment from the
entire community," he continued. 'To be
successful students need the support of
parents, educators, elected officials, and
other stakeholders in the community as
well."
See Ellis on A4
Photo by Tevin Stinson
New York native Marianela Melendez, who worked in the World Trade Center during the terror attacks on
Sept. 11,2001, reflects on that unforgettable day and what life has been like for her sonce.
Community reflects on
terror attacks 15 years later
BYTEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
In remembrance of
Sept. 11, 2001, last week
the Love Community
Development Corporation
(LCDC), which has a mis
sion to enrich lives through
educational programs and
resources, partnered with
AmeriCorps to host a spe
cial event to remember
those who lost their lives,
and others whose unselfish
generosity to help save
lives during one of the
greatest tragedies in
American history.
During the event held
on Friday, Sept. 9, just two
days before the 15 th
anniversary of the terror
attacks that shook the
country to the core, Mayor
Allen Joines said most peo
ple will never forget what
they were doing when
planes flew into the World
Trade Center and The
Pentagon.
He said he will also
never forget the image of
first responders running
toward the fire.
"We saw thousands of
people running away from
the World Trade Center, but
we saw the first responders
running toward the fire to
try to save lives." said
Joines. "Every day we
thank God for our first
responders because we
know what they mean to
our city and our communi
ty."
After thanking first
responders and veterans in
attendance for their service.
Joines noted, "Following
the attacks, there was a
huge wave of patriotism,
but it seems like over the
years that support has not
been as strong. But, it's
events like this that will
help remind us that our first
responders are the ones
who keep us safe.
"I'm glad to see our
churches and our commu
nity organizations putting
this before us and not let
ting us forget. We have to
See mi on A5
BOEto
decide on
WSSU as a
voting site
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE ?
.. Election Day voting at Winston-Salem State
University is among the polling changes the Forsyth
County Board of Elections is considering.
It was one of three polling place changes discussed
during the board's Thursday, Sept. 8 meeting. The plan
would be to move it to the Anderson
center at w^u, whicn was a long
time early voting site before the 2014
election. After the board changed to
majority Republican, the site ceased
to be used for early voting.
The sole Democrat on the board,
Fleming El-Amin, unsuccessfully
challenged this year's early voting
primary plan to the State BOE when
Anderson wasn't included. Dozens
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CAMPAIGN
and community leaders
spoke in favor of WSSU as
9U ?4 g ? --4B an early voting site in this
r? _ year's BOE meetings and
petitions with more than a
thousand signatures for the
site have been presented to the board. During the last
debate on early voting sites for November, El-Amin
agreed to vote for a plan that included more sites in
minority communities, but not WSSU, as long as
Anderson was discussed as a polling place for November.
Anderson Center was an ideal site for students at the
college, since freshman cannot park on campus and don't
have access to their 8wn vehicles. The current board
chair, Ken Raymond, filed a complaint against the site
when he was a poll worker there in 2010, alleging that
students were given extra credit for voting. The BOE of
the time dismissed the claim, saying even if that had hap
pened, nothing was given to students in exchange for vot
ing a certain way.
Nether arguments for or against WSSU students came
up in last week's meeting. Instead, Anderson's conven
ience to voters throughout the precinct was discussed.
Anderson Center is in Precinct 405, which has U.S.
52 cutting though the center of it. Construction on the
See WSSU Voting on A4
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V
Republicans figure out way around voter ID ruling
BY CASH MICHAELS
FOR THE CHRONICLE
Last Thursday, the Republican
led state Board of Elections (BOE),
met all day, and well into the night,
putting the final touches on the
early voting plans of 33 counties
that could not come to agreement
on either the number of sites or
hours, or even if there would be
Sunday voting allowed.
In Wake County, for instance,
the state BOE, at the urging of the
Democratic minority, expanded the
number of early voting sites during
the first severt days from just one to
nine, because of 2012 calculations
of roughly 10,000 a day.
In Mecklenburg County, 10
sites will now be open during the
' ' ?
first seven days of early voting
instead of just one because 15,000
voters a day are expected. The
Republican majority on the local
BOE wanted to open just one site
to combat "fraud."
But neither the N.C. NAACP or
other civil rights advocates who
successfully knocked down parts
of the 2013 voter ID law in federal
appellate court were pleased. As
far as they were concerned, the
July 29 UJS. 4th Circuit Court of
Appeals ruling against voter ID
and other discriminatory parts of
the law was clear - The
Republican-led General Assembly
targeted African-American voters
See ID on A5
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