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Winston-Salem Chnomcle
"Serving the Winston-Salem Community Since 1974” \0
il, VI NO. 24
22 Pages This Week
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
20 cents
U.S.P.S. NO. 067910 Saturday. February 9, 1980
Iderly Reject CD Grants
png
Bv John W. Templeton
staff Writer
, citizens in the East Winston
i,v Development project area are
to take advantage of a CD ■
ion grant program because of
their, heirs will have to repay
fthey.die.
elen Gwyn, president of the
iton Restoration Associations,
e eligible homeowners in the
opted not to take the grants.
•re afraid we would lose the
'said Mrs. Bonnie Eller of 1319
ve., one of the residents who
id the grant down.
Fear Loss of Property
The city makes the grants to senior
citizens in amounts up to $5,000 to
rehabilitate their homes. If the reci
pients leaves the home before five years
are up, then the grant must be repaid.
Once the five years has past, the debt is
"forgiven.”
Currently, the , provision is inter
preted to mean that if the recipient dies,
then the loan is due, said city lawyer
Roddey M. Ligon, Tuesday.
That policy came under sharp attack by
Alderman Virginia K. Newell, D-East,
during Monday nights Board of Aider-
men meeting. During a discussion of a
similar grant being advanced to Piney
Grove resident Wade O’.Neal, to install
his water line, she brought up the issue.
Newell maintained that as long as the
property is not sold or divided, then, the
five-year grace period should continue.
"There’s a lady who is 85 who wanted
this grant and her .son who is 65 passed
away the other day, said Newell. "He
wouldn’t take the grant because if his
mother had died the next day, he would
have had to cough up $5,000.”
Alderman John J. Cavanaugh Jr.
responded, "The idea was to create a
deterrent to profiteering...we really ago
nized over this provision.”
However, Newell insisted that i both
aims could be met. Ligon said he will be
meeting with City Manager Bryce A.
(Bill) Stuart within the next week to try to
draft language that .will allow recipients
to pass their property on to heirs once
they die and still prevent capital gains on
See Page 18
.'JEmStl
|Gvii Rights Costs
Rise out of Reach
Kuitja
Staff Photo By TcapIPtDa
BraWB".^l«h>a city’s agieeoent to hcok up water to Wade O’Neal.
*iney Grove Man
ins 8-Year Fight
By John W. Templeton
Staff Writer
ide O'Neal, the Piney Grove resi-
Iwho has been without water for
■months, has finally been hooked up
pears after his neighbors.
Board of Alderman approved
Jay night a contract by which
ftOO in community development funds
ladvanced to O’Neal to pay for the
Iconnection charge on the condition
Il'Neal apply for rehabilitation loans
Ji become available in Piney Grove
|yi.
The amount may be decreased once
city officials figure out the difference
between what O’Neal is being charged
and what his neighbors paid. O’Neal had
been told he would have to pay $435, but
elected not to get sewer service, which
costs $250.
Mrs. Sophia Brown, a Piney Grove
community leader, appeared before the
board, to ask for clarification of the
contract. "It’s not clearly understood
what they will pay and what liens will be
on his property,” she commented.
City manager Bryce A. "Bill” Stuart
‘ See Page 18
By John W. Templeton
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO-The cost of civil rights suits are
skyrocketing beyond the reach of many potential clients,
according to the one of the state’s leading civil rights
lawyers.
A stiffer attitude among judges has increased the risk
involved in civil rights suits, and advocacy organizations
are cutting back on their support, said James S.
Ferguson, a Charlotte attorney who had defended such
clients as the Charlotte Three and the Wilmington Ten.
Ferguson, a partner of the MAACP Legal Defense
Fund president Julius L. Chatnl ers, said here during the
Feb. 2 Mobilization, rally Yhat tivii rights litigation is
becoming "prohibitively expensive.”
"A lot of organizations which have spearheaded legal
efforts in the past have suffered a steep drying Up of
support, so they’re not able to support cases like they
used to,” said Ferguson.
Ferguson said judges have been increasingly reluctant
to certify suits as class action litigation. A class action
seeks damages on behalf of a whole group (for instance,
all blacks who have applied for jobs at a certain
industry).
"The cutting back on class actions means that the
burden now falls on individuals to try each individuals
case instead of getting systematic relief,” said
Ferguson.
From the lawyer’s perspective, legal costs in general*
are going up. "Inflation is catching up with litigation,”
offered the attorney,
Ferguson said there is a continuing need for civil
rights suits. "Throughout the ’80s, there’s still going to
be a number of cases that demonstrate that the N.C.
criminal justice systems is not willing to deal with racial
matters.”
The lawyers said he does not expect the furor over his
two celebrated cases to die down because of the release
of his clients on parole.
"I don’t think black folks are going to forgive and
forget,” he added.
\;j5,
Brrr....
-4
If you’ve found a coat uid muffler strong
enough to Qght off the “Hawk,” hang on to
it for dear life. FoUowing this week’s snow,
the National Weather Service’s long-range
outlook through Feb. 15 calls for below
normal temperatures.
Bias Suit Dismissed
By Patrice E. Lee
StaH Writer
A federal judge has,re
jected a Winston-Salem
man’s claim that, he was
fired from a factory job
because he is black, but his
attorneys have said they
will appeal the decision.
James A. Epps con
tended that 1 he was fired
from Continental Can Co.
Oct. 25,1973 because of his
race but Federal Judge
Hiram T. Ward ruled that
"the company did not con
sider Epps’ color in making
its decisions to promote or
discipline him,”
The 39-year-old Winston-
Salem man claims he was
fired while he was out sick,
but company officials claim
that lEpps quit because he
allegedly failed to notify the
company of his i planned
absence on three consecu
tive days, as required by
the union contract.
According to a union rule
on seniority, "an employee
will lose all seniority and
continuous service if such
service is interrupted...(if
he is) absent for three
consecutive days without
notifying the local manage
ment, unless he produces a
good and sufficient cause
for not notifying the local
management.”
Citing the company’s use
of the union rule on seniori
ty to substantiate Epps’
firing, Atty. Annie Brown
Kennedy said Epps, was
fired on a "pretext” be
cause he was never given
an opportunity to give a
good reason.
However, Judge Ward
ruled that)‘‘Continental
Can and the Steelworkers,
like others employers and
unions with a i similar con
tract provision, interpreted
the subgraph as providing
for the loss of all seniority
and (emphasis his), the
automatic termination of an
employee after three conse
cutive days of unreported
absence.”
Judge Ward also ruled
that \the union fulfilled its
duties of proper represen
tation by taking Epps’ case
to arbitration.
ields Crowded For State, County Offices
|Jolut W. Templeton
StaffWrlter
Jlliitry of late filing
a crowded field of
Ptocs in most races for
L county offices in
Jlk County.
Bcteen campaigners
|tke filing fee for the
" open seats on the
Republican primaries for
the State House, and one
for District Court, state
senate and registrar of
deeds-formally entered the
races.
ALderman Vivian Burke,
D-NE, chairman of the
Black Political Awareness
League, said she was
pleased by the black candi-
I of County Commis-
F and fifteen filed for
|®t vacancies on the
■County School Board.
Pooii candidates have
Fo'thefive seats in the
|C House of Representa-
»blacks..thtee on the
r/’OMd, two on the
“"’“'“‘oners, one
IJ"'‘be Democratic and
dates who have offered
themselves. "We need to
have black representa
tion,” she said. “It’s a
shame we don’t have any
body represented on the
school board.”
The noon, Feb. 4 filing
deadline attracted a throng
of candidates who filled the
outer office of the Board of
Elections Monday. The
ft
r-
Staff Phott By Tenpleteo
iling
Donald Walter Phillips takes oath from Elections Board official as he ffles for race as
registrar of deeds Just before the close of the filing period on Monday.
deadline put an end to
speculation about the plans
of two Democratic state
House incumbents, Ted
Kaplan and Richard (Dick)
Barnes, who were rumored
to be running for higher
offices. Both filed for
re-election.
A complete list of can
didates in state and county
races follows;
STATE SENATE(two
seats)-Democrats; Marvin
Ward, Rev. Moses A. Small
and Carl D. Totherow. Re
publicans: L. Hackett
French and John J. Cava
naugh Jr,.
STATE HOUSE (five
seat)-Democrats: Marga
ret Tennille, Judson S.
Davis, Annie Brown Ken
nedy, Ned R. Smith, Ted
Kaplan, Joe N. Norman,
Richard (Dick) Barnes. Re
publicans: Frank E.
Rhodes, C. David Kepple,
Marry L. Pegg, Donald R.
Billings, Rodney J.Sumler
andJohn F. Moss.
SCHOOL BOARD(four
seats)-Democrats: Edna
Rumley Walls, Gene M.
Marshalh Fleming A. El-
Amin, Tom C; Womble,
William I. (Bill) Sheppard,
Leon M. (Lee) Hope, Mar
vin S. Calloway, Julius
Cornell Jr. and Beaufort 0.
Bailey. Republicans: David
B. Wyatt, Vernon Logan,
Edward Higgins Jr., Nancy
Respess, Michealec and
Margaret Plemmons
COUNTY COMMIS
SIONERS (three seats) De
mocrats: H.B. Goodson,
Bernard F. Ball Sr.,
H.H.H. Clark, James L.
Ziglar Jr., Mazie S. Wood
ruff, John S. Pulliam, Neal
A. Bedinger, W.C. (Curt)
Musten and Robert Dun-
nagan. Republicans; For
rest Conrad, Ray E. White-
heart, C. Joe Grady, James
See Page 18