Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Dec. 25, 1982, edition 1 / Page 1
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One Week Vacation This is the final issue of 1982. The Carolina Times staff will take a one-week vacation 0d the office will he closed December 25 through January 2. We will reopen on Mon day, January 3. Your next issue will be dated January 8, 1983. To each of you, we wish Peace, Good Will ilME 60 - NUMBER 51 lot of bad things happened in 1982! recession that started in 1981 sunk ;r. Interest rates climbed higher, iployment broke post World War II and international problems came nerica to roost. Durham, this mixed bag was evident >11. Much of it centered around con-. rsial politics, and as has been rically true, the major protagonists been white policy makers and power rs, versus blacks who believe that all as it should be. the same token, 1982 has produced highlights, some good things. On iiional level, inflation is down. More s joined the Congressional Black us following the November elec- The Columbia space shuttle made, Liccessful flights, and Larry Holmes ated himself by beating Gerry ley. good in Durham included a power on the county commission; a local m — Ms. Ann Atwater — won a na- community service award; a record of Year's Top Stories [ichaux’s W- 'ht Cariina I^THET^tUTM UWWHMtE^ (USPS 091-380) DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA — SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1982 Words Of Wisdom If what happens does not us richer, we must bid it welcome if it makes us wiser. —Samuel Johnson ***** Each of us requires the spur of insecurity to force us to do our best. —Harold W. Dodds TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE: 30‘Cents The Carolina Times Brought You 1982 number of blacks registered to vote, and The Carolina Times got better. Early in 1982, the newspaper. North .Carolina’s oldest black weekly publica tion, put its mainstreaming program into operation. In expanding the newspaper’s manage ment team, Mrs. Vivian Edmonds, editor and publisher of The Carolina Times, brought two new people on the staff. In June, she named Milton Jordan, a veteran journalist with more than ten years experience, and a national reputa tion, the newspaper’s first executive editor. Later, in October, she named a local radio station executive and former public relations operative, C, Warren Massenburg, advertising director for the newspaper. “For the most part,” Mrs. Edmonds said, “these appointments round out the management team that we plan to build the future of this paper around. We have one other slot to fill — a circulation direc tor — and we will be in a position to really make a move on the readership market here.” And as The Carolina Times got better, it began giving its readers a thorough look at the story behind the news. For example: * From May through July, The Carolina Times was Durham’s only paper to report in-depth on the hit and run death of Chester Reams, and the fact that Robert Grimes, the man' charged in the death, had a very questionable court record. * In May, The Carolina Times was the only newspaper to report that in Durham, leaders were not taking part in the statewide N.C. 2000 project, designed to give citizens input into planning for the future. * In June, the Times reported that Durham’s leading black organizations were trying to develop an united front on the downtown civic center $10.5 million bond referendum. * Also in June and July, the Times covered charges of racial discrimination filed against county government, as well as the question of whether the county needed an affirmative action program. In addition to all this, The Carolina Times also covered city government and, as strange it might seem, city government has done something else this year other than fight about Hayti and the civic center. The paper also covered H.M. “Mickey” Michaux’s quest for the 2nd District Congressional seat, probably one of the area’s biggest stories this year. Other big stories covered by the Times this year include; * The night bus service controversy. * The Voting Rights Act march to Washington through Durham. * The settlement of the 10-year-old Crest Street/East-West Expressway pro blem. * The start of the new middle school program in Durham City Schools. * The tense and controversial PCB pro blem in Warrenton. In September and October, the uest For ongress By Milton Jordan Executive Editor len H.M. “Mickey” aux announced his can- :y for the 2nd Congre.ssional ict seat earlier this year, he nto motion two political :1s. le was political history, e last black congressman North Carolina’s 2nd ict was George White who ‘sented the district for two s until 1901. le second was controversial, had several ramifications: Across the 10-county 2nd ict, blacks flocked to get names on the voting books. L.H. Fountain, the venerable District representative for It 30 years, retired rather face Michaux’s challenge. A lot of black Democrats AS the district took new hope. A lot of white Democrats is the district trembled in ap- lension. North Carolina Republicans ed in for the kill. II of this conspired to make 2nd District congressional one of the most exciting con- in the southeast, but it also luced what could be called iitical chicanery”, ccording to one highly placed locratic Party source, “Party lets just didn’t want Michaux (Continued on Page 7) The Christmas miracle... a Child is born and with Him comes the peace and joy of His love. May I hCs peace and Joy which is the glory of this holy season be an inspiration and a comfort to all. The Death of Chester Reams: A Carolina Times Investigation By Isaiah Singletary After months of delays and continuances, the trial'of Robert B. Grimes finally took place in Durham’s Superior Court on November 1. Grimes, who was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter and hit-and-run in the death of Chester Reams, pleaded guilty to hitting Reams with his car and thert leaving the scene. The charge of involuntary manslaughter, however, was dropped and Grimes was sentenc ed to two years on the hit and run charge as a committed youthful offender. The car, driven by Grimes, struck Reams from behind at about 10:25 p.m.. May 3 as Reams, a 37-year-old black man, and a white female companion walked along the 2400 block of Guess Road, The impact sent Reams “flying, rolling and tumbling,” according to eyewitnesses, and he finally came to rest some 80 to 90 feet from the spot where he was struck. Grimes flipped off his headlights and sped away from the scene. According to Ms, Patricia Reid, the white woman walking with Reams when the incident oc curred, the car had passed them earlier and the driver had yelled racial epithets saying that he would kill Reams “for walking with that white woman”. Another witness, the dead man’s brother, Eugene Reams, said he saw a car pass the couple and heard someone yell something at them. He said he could not hear what was said, however. But he said he saw the same car turn around about a quarter of a mile up the street and head back toward his brother and Ms. Reid. Later Ms, Reid told The Carolina Times that she recogniz ed Grimes as the driver because he and her brother, Allen Reid of Henderson, were good friends and had been involved “in dope together”. She also said that the two of them were “rednecks” and did not like blacks. Grimes, however, denied both of those allegations in a telephone interview shortly after the incident. The Carolina Times was unable to reach Allen Reid, but an investigation by the The Carolina Times showed that Grimes did indeed have a history of being involved with drugs. In fact, about a year before he killed Reams, Grimes was charged with growing some 70 marijuana plants on the roof of his apart ment building at 720 N. Gregson (Continued On Page 13) newspaper launched the first of an annual in-depth look at the state of the local, black community, and in November, the Times published the first of its new Special Section program — The Whiting Years — a look at Dr. Albert N.' Whiting’s 16-year tenure as president and chancellor of-NCCU. According to executive editor, Jordan, 1983 will be an even bigger year at the newspaper than 1982 has been. “We will continue our special section program and build on that,” he said,, “and we are planning a new and expand ed entertainment section, plus a new readership program. We will also begin covering business next year. So we look forward to 1983 being a very exciting year for the paper and its readers.” And so it seems that no matter what kind of year 1983 is in Durham and the region. The, Carolina Times will be there, bringing readers in-depth, comprehensive and hard-hitting reporting and writing. City Faced An Odd Year By Donald Alderman Like the seasons of the year, Durham’s city goverment and ci ty affairs gave citizens a mixed picture this year, ranging from the lighthearted to the melancho- ly. The year started off with city manager Barry Del Castilho ex plaining to the 13-member City Council that a heavy workload had slowed city business. He spoke of the city’s budget, downtown redevelopment, and revitalization efforts in St. Theresa and Edgemont, two blighted city neighborhoods. He also cited rebuilding Hayti, a black business district that, unlike the neglected neighborhoods, was deliberately wiped out under the banner of ur ban renewal. As the year ends Del Castilho has quit. In resigning his $52,000 a year post, Del Castilho cited some of the same problems that at the year’s onset he said had slowed city business, plus the fact that the city’s many factions (especially racial ones) make Durham “a difficult city”. Councilman Tommy Hudson also resigned because he moved from Ward 6. The turn of events was largely unpredictable around City Hall this year. In June, the city manager presented the council with a $48.5 million budget for fiscal ‘82-‘83 which runs from June 30 to July 1. It featured a one cent property (Continuedon Paged) Warren County Protest Biggest Regional Story of 1982 By Isaiah Singletary daily demonstrations against the n County landfill ended several ago. The landfill is packed with laden soil. The site is covered. Grass :cn sown on top of it and a fence has erected to'keep trespassers out. But arren County citizens’ fight against exposed to the toxic chemical is far being over. high point of the citizens’ move- at least as far as the general public .'crned, came when hundreds of pro- I were arrested in almost six weeks ily demonstrations against the land- hese demonstrations gained national The Correct Times Ibis space every week. The Carolina will correct errors of fact, iraphical mistakes and other miscues ippear in the newspaper. If you see bat we miss, drop us a lipe and we orrect them. n the Dec. 18 issue, on page eight, lisspelled Glennie M. Matthewson’s e Carolina Times regrets this error. attention, and people from far and near came to lend support to the Warren County fighters. Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCB’s, were first produced in 1929, and because the chemical has a very jiigh boiling point, it was used widely as fire retardant in transformers and other electrical equip ment until banned in 1974. Tests showed that the chemical caused cancer in laboratory animals. In 1978, the federal government adopted rcqulations requir ing that it be disposed of in approved in cinerators or stored in 55-gallon drums with a concrete floor, six-inch curbing and adequate siding and roofing. And in that same year, Warren County became involved with PCB’s, when it was discovered that some 31,000gallonsofoil laced with the chemical had been illegally poured along about 250 miles of roads in 14 North Carolina counties. Initially, the state of North Carolina propo.sed that a landfill be located in either Wake, Orange or Chatham county. The proposal was withdrawn, however, when citizens in those counties opposed the plan. Then, Warren County was selected, and there began the Warren County movement. A group was formed to protest the pro posal, and its organizers accused the state of choosing Warren because it was mainly black and poor, and because it lacks - political clout. Blacks make up almost 60 per cent of the population and the average annual in come of the county residents is $5,320. Organizers also pointed out that the landfill did not meet Environmental Pro tection Agency’s (EPA) .soil quality guidelines for such a toxic waste disposal site. There are, they said, some 700,000 acres of more suitable land in piedmont North Carolina. Additionally, movement organizers said that N. C. officials planned to use the Warren County site as a means to attract more toxic waste-producing industries to the state, and that Warren County would he opened up to further disposal of toxic wastes. Ken Fcrruchio. leader of the Warren County Citizens Concerned about PCB’s, said, for example, “tlie decision to dump PCB’s in Warren County was motivated, at least in part, by racial considerations. The main reason for choo.sing Warren County, however, is to use the dump as a lever to pry open the site for industrial development.” Even state officials expressed concern about the'project in 1978. One official wrote, ‘‘The proposed disposal site does not meet the separation requirements of 50 feel between the site and the ground- water table. The State of North Carolina has requested a waiver of this require ment.” With the waiver of EPA requirements, the botton of the landfill would be roughly 10 feet away from the water table. A 1981 memo from a section chief in the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development later con firmed this. And in 1979, three citizens filed a lawsuit against the project, saying that it would pose a great danger to the life and health of Warren County residents. They were joined in 1980 by the Warren County Board of Commissioners, whose lawsuit charged that the project was dangerous and public nui.sance. The commission al.so said that the project violated a county or dinance prohibiting the location of a land fill within county limits, and would threaten the county’s potential for growth. In November of 1981, U. S. District Court Judge W. Earl Britt ruled that the state could indeed, place the landfill in Warren County. He admitted, however, that the slate could not guarantee that the project would be entirely successful. He said, though, that he was sure the state had taken all of the necessary precautions - to ensure that it wouldn’t pose an^en- vironmental threat. But Warren re^dents^ said they still weren’t convinced that the project was safe, and vowed to continue their struggle against it. And in December of the same year, the Board of Commissioners voted to continue its fight also. The commis sioners filed an appeal with the 4ih U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, and the Warren County Board of Health passed a resolution supporting them. So it appeared that, together, the citizens of Warren County, the Board of ' Commissioners and the Board of Health would fight the landfill all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary. But this was not to be the case. About six months later, the Board of Commissioners reached an agreement with the stale which surprised and shock ed the citizens. The agreement was that, in return for receiving ownership of 120 of the 142 acres of the landfill site, the Board would drop its lawsuit. The 120 acres of property was to be used as a buffer bet ween the landfill and adjoining property. This didn’t stop the citizens’ move ment, however. Several other citizens also filed a lawsuit. But on August 10. 1982,
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Dec. 25, 1982, edition 1
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