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LEM LONG, JR. INSTRUCTS WORKERS
— it construction site
Lvm Long, Jr. Says Services Continue
Renovation Not Hampering
Long And Sons Operations
By Hubert I.ane Jr.
Post Staff Writer
Long and Son Mortuarv
Service of 2312 Beatties
Ford Road is being reno
vated. Lem Long Jr., own
er and funeral director,
wants everyone to know
that arrangements have
been made through local
- bdrches to continue
funeral services.
“We will have no pro
blem whatsoever in ar
ranging funeral services,
he assured... First Baptist
Church has agreed to work
with us during the reno
vation period,” said Long
Long decided to increase
the size of the building be
cause of a 55 percent in
crease in business. He said
that things were getting a
III IS Saretary Schweiker
Announces S3 Oianges
Special To The Post
11 MS Secretary Richard
S Schweiker last week re
versed a Carter Adminis
tration decision and
ordered his department to
write new regulations so
that aged, blind and dis
ced persons who pur
chase burial plots and
burial contracts do not risk
losing their Supplemental
Security Income (SSI)
benefits.
In addition to SSI, the
changes Schweiker an
nounced also will affect
Medicaid beneficiaries in
the 34 states where Medic
aid coverage is automatic
ally extended to SSI reci
pients
"We think it is unfair to
penalize low-income elder
ly and disabled people who
have provided for their own
hurial expenses, by making
them give up their burial
plots or contracts in order
to remain eligible for SSI
and Medicaid benefits,”
Schwoiker said in announc
ing the change, which will
replace regulations in
effect since the beginning
of the SSI program in 1974.
Former HHS Secretary Pa
tricia Roberts Harris in
June. 1980 rejected depart
mental recommendations
to lake the action Schweik
er ordered this week
SSI is an *8 2 billion
floral program providing
cash assistance to nearly
9.7 million low-income
elderly, blind or disabled
l>crsons Medicaid is a
tlKTLE-TAt*
« a
When a friend makes a
mistake don’t rub it in-rub
it out!
state-run program for me
dical assistance to iow
income persons which is
funded in part by the
federal government.
Under 1972 law, SSI
benefits can be provided
only to persons with re
sources of $1,500 or less
($2,250 for couples). Cer
tain specified necessities of
living, like homes and
clothing, are not counted
when computing a person s
‘ resources.’' But under the
current SSI regulations,
burial plots and contacts
have been counted as ‘‘re
sources." This can cause a
person’s “resources” to ex
ceed the limit, thus dis
qualifying the individual
from SSI and in some in
stances, Medicaid assist
ance.
r irst United Women’s Organization To
Sponsor Black Female Church Forum
First United Presbyte
rian Church Women’s Or
ganization will sponsor the
second annual Black
Female Church Forum
September 8-9 from 7-9
p.m
The purposes of this fo
rum are: to involve church
women of various denomin
ations in timely informa
tion sharing and giving; to
emphasize the need for
continued spiritual and se
cular total involvement of
black females; and to es
tablish a greater religious
support network among
black females and their
respective churches.
Panelist and topics for
this forum include: "The
Role of Church Women in
the 80s,” with Anna Hood
and Rev. Jackie Alexander
as speakers
Betty Eddleman will
speak on the "Political
Status of Black Women in
the 80s," while Jean Web
ber will deliver the mes- •
sage on "The Analysis of
the Economic Upward Mo
bility of Black Women. "
Thelma Council
...Health speaker
Mearl Purvis will dis
cuss the topic, “Communi
cations” and Attorney
Marnite Shuford Perry will
speak on the “Legal Up
date for Black Women ”
Adelaide Hunt will speak
on “Education-Black
Women-Black Families" ,
along with Kathleen
Crosby, Dr. Shirley Ander
son and Elizabeth Koontz.
Thelma Council, Dr
Debra Scott and Mrs.
Carole Ricks will speak on
"Physical Health. Mental
Kathleen Crosby
.. .Education speaker
Health and Relationships
Among Black Women and
Black Families ”
Culminating the two
evening forums will be the
observance of Women’s
Day at First United Pres
byterian Church This will
be held Sunday. September
12. The speaker for the
programs will be Elizabeth
Koontz
Ms. Koontz is the former
Assistant Superintendent
in the North Carolina De
partment of Public Instruc
Dr Debra Scott
. . . Forum speaker
tion
In January 1969 Presi
dent Nixon appointed Ms *
Koontz as Director of the
U S Department of Labor
Women s bureau. She was
the first black director and
subsequent Deputy Assist
ant Secretary for Labor
Employment Standards
While in that capacity, she
became the U S Delegate
to the United Nation’s Com
mission on the Status of
Women, which was re
sponsible for the resolution
on international Women’s
Year Observance in 1975
Ms. Koontz was educated
in the public schools and
received her B.A. degree in
secondary school English,
mathematics and elemen
tary education from
Livingstone College She
received her M A degree
from Atlanta University,
and did further graduate
work at Columbia Univers
ity, Indiana University and
North Carolina College
with emphasis on Special
Education.
Her participation in
civic, religious and edu
cational organizations has
been long and rewarding,
as it follows a family tra
dition of public service She
has traveled extensively
around the world for per
sonal tours, as well as in
her capacities as a go
vernmental and organiza
tional representative.
Ms. Koontz's humani
tarian interest in people of
all ages, races and socio
economic conditions has
been widely recognized by
See FIRST UNITED Pg. 2
little cramped and it was
time to spread out some.
It'-s going to take any
where from two or maybe
three months before the
building is complete Ac
cording to Long: “Our
building will be twice the
size it is now. We have
invested nearly $200,000 to
enlarge tire chapel, display
room, morgue and even to
add three more offices, and
two bedrooms.”
Long hasn’t raised his
prices in a full year and he
admitted that he doesn't
intend to raise prices due to
the reconstruction of the
building.
"We will not raise prices
because of renovation
cost," he said. “We hope
the 55 percent increase in
business will pay for that.”
Most of all Long wants to
convert the parlor into a
home-like atmosphere and
use the wake area as a
separate facility. He also is
adding a special waiting
area that is separated from
the main office.
l^ong has also arranged
to buy all new furniture and
he’s getting three new cars.
With these added items
along with the polished
building area Long hopes to
be able to better serve his
clientele and to make the b
building itself more com
fortable.
XCAE Vows To Fight
Insurance Benefits Cut
Construction
Industry
Reeling
The North Carolina con
struction industry contin
ues to reel before the on
slaught of the recession,
according to figures re
cently released by N.C.
Labor Commissioner John
C Brooks
However, despite contin
ued decreases in overall
new construction, the first
glimmer of hope in months
for recovery in the de
pressed industry appeared
in the form of an increase
in non-residential construc
tion.
In April, Brooks said.
North Carolina's largest
cities authorized a total of
2.926 new construction
units, down 24.1 percent
from 3.857 in April 1981,
and a 12.8 percent decrease
from March’s 3.355.
Estimated value of the
building dropped 19.9 per
cent from the April 1981
total.
double-digi* declines
v.ere still evidert in new
eonslruetion of single
family homes (-25.3 per
cent) and multi-family
units (-17.7 percent).
For the first time this
year, though, one of the
four categories of building
activity reported by the
state labor department
showed a gain over 1981
figures: non-residential
construction increased 9 3
percent from April 1981 A
total of 377 permits were
issued for non-residential
construction projects in
N.C. cities of over 10,000
population during the
month of April
Charlotte, which has so
far escaped most of the
damage of the current re
cession, registered a com
paratively healthy figure of
$12,398,2-15 in value in new
construction for April
Mecklenburg County re
ported issuing 216 new
permits for single-family
units in April; 87 permits
were issued for non-resi
dential dwellings
IKMA ARNETTA LORICK
...( om m a mention* major
rhis Week's Beauty
Irma Lorick Has Taken Firm
Position Towards Advancing
**v leresa Simmons
Post Managing Editor
Being one to think ahead
Irma Arnetta Lorick has
taken a strick position tor
wards advancing, learning
and achieving Instead of
worrying about what could
have been our beauty con
centrates on what can be
“I'm an aggressive per
son And since I like tax
work I'd like to continue
mv education and become
a professional tax prac
titioner in accounting.-' she
stated
Presently Ms. Lorick is a
secretary and the book
keeper for Andrew Gray’s
Accounting Service
Waldon Business Consult
ants and the Tricia Paint
ers and Company. She re
cently became a Notary
Public
She has attended John
son C Smith University
M976-79) where she ma
jored in communication
and speech.
A graduate of Lumber
ton Senior High School, Ms
Loric is a native of Lum
berton where she grew up
with five brothers and one
sister.
“It was all right growing
up in a big family. We
would always say grace at
dinner time and we always
stuck by one another," she
reminisced.
“My father. Paul Lorick
Sr., is my favorite person, '
she continued “He raised
seven children and worked
all his life and all of us have
attended college He saved
enough moncfy for all seven
of his children to go to
college."
"I also admire my
mother. Rev Evalena C
Lorick She is a licensed
minister and president of
the Minister's Alliance As
sociation of Robeson Coun
ty "
Looking on the positive
side of many issues Ms
Lorick feels that she is
surviving the economy's
predicament rather brave
ly “I really can't tell that I
am living in a recession
since I've been on my own
For one thing I live w ithin
my budget '
"I can't really say that I
am hurt by Reaganomics
because money has to be
spent anyway But I know
that there are those going
through some trouoled
times right now." she
commented
“If I could I would re
place our present president
with someone who would
help everyone not just the
rich, but the poor also.”
she concluded
Leaving the more serious
side of our Aries beauty we
find that she enjoys the
tunes of the Commodores’
soul and religious melodies
and Stevie Wonder’s realis
tic and meaningful lyrics
Backgammon, collecting
stamps and playing tennis
are other favorite pastimes
of Ms Lorick She also
enjoys attending church
where Rev Owens is
pastor
Ms Lorick is an indus
trious young lady who re
ceived two scholarship* to
college: one from the Ma
tron Guild Social Club and
one from the Les Femmes
D' Action Social Club.
Her industrious nature
continues to push her for
ward in life's zone of ac
complishments and com
pleted feats. It is not
everyday one sees a lady
with such courage and zeal
...but for our beauty, Irma
Lorick. these characteris
tics come naturally.
MI IbV/iHUl
M>i$m
J.iiJill
State Has
Brokm Fitidi
Widi Tellers
KAI.EICH - The presi
dent of the 41,000 member
North Carolina Association
of Educators NCAE > Wed
nesday vowed to take the
battle over huspitalmedi
cal insurance back to the
General Assembly alter a
state board voted to cut
insurance benefits for
teachers and state employ
ees
Loretta M Martin
NCAE president, said that
the state "has broken faith
with teachers and state cm
ployees and is subjecting
them to yet another econo
mic disaster, ail in the
name of fiscal responsi
bility."
She said the latest cu.,
which will increase the de
ductible teachers must pay
by $50 and increase the r
co-insurance liability by up
to $4o0. ' adds insult to in
jury for teachers and stale
employees who got no
salary increase tni.-. yea";
and were even deprived ol
the salary-increments thev
nari already earned
Martin charged that !t,e
leadership of the General
Assembly “knew full well it
was not appropriating
enough money to fully fund
the hospital medical insur
ance program and knew
that the State budget Of
fice would later have to
reduce benefits “
She said the leadership
either knew the fact or
simply did a sloppy job of
checking with their con
sultants.”
She said NCAE has been
told that the consultants in
fact did warn Assembly
leaders of the full cost of
the medical insurance pro
gram
“We intend to take the
problem back to the Gener
al Assembly which created
it." she said, adding thai
NCAE “will put medical
insurance commitments r
right up there at the top of
the list of promises it will
seek from candidates for
the General Assembly this
November.”
She said she can't
imagine ihe state NCAE
n<»r any NCAE local en
dorsing a politician who
refuses to commit himself
or herself to vote for ade
quate funding if the me
dical program
"The question the State
uf North Carolina must ask
itself is how long it can
keep forcing its teachers
and other employees to
subsidize the work they
do," Martin said She add
ed that she has never seen
teachers any more angry
over a single action than
they are over the reduction
in the health benefits
"This action literally
takes money out of the
pocket of every teacher in
the state who uses the me
dical policy, and they fully
understand the gravity of
the situtation.’* Martin
said.
I-aw Program
DI RHAM The Evening
I-aw School Program at the
North Carolina Central
University School of Law is
the only evening law pro
gram offered in the state of
North Carolina The pro^
gram is separately accred
ited by the American Bar
Association