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Winston-Salem
50 cents ? 34 Pages This Week T/ie Twin City's Award-Winning Weekly"
Thursday, May 24, 1990 ? VOL. XVI, No. 39
New homeowners :
We've been had
City says it is not at fault
By TONYA V SMITH
Chronicle Staff Writer
A couple who recently moved
into their first real home said the
man who built it is not a licensed
? general contractor, constructed a
defective dwelling and owes them
money.
Robbin and Surachart Campbell
live in what appears to be a beautiful
home at 1504 Pittsburg Court They
bought the three bedroom, one story
ranch house though the city's Home
tance Program. Sponsored by the
Twin City Development Corporation
in cooperation with the City of Win
ston-Salem, the purpose of the pro
gram is to assist in the purchase of
new housing units by low to moder
ate income households.
Once they were found to be eli
gible for the program, the Campbel
l's were supplied with a list of gen
oversee the building of their dream
house. Despite the city's recommen
dation that the Campbell's make
queries to two or three people on the
Mortgage Assts
list before making a final decision.
in March 1989 they selected Oak
Leaf Corporation Inc., and its owner
Leon Witherspoon to build their
home.
"We saw three homes he had
twill over in East Winston and they
are gorgeous," said Mrs. Campbell.
'."We talked to him and the people
whose houseshe had built and he
was in very high regard as far as we
knew."
The Campbell's wondered why
an Astro Construction Company
4nev sign was4f^front^>f their home
during construction when that was
not the name of Mr. Witherspoon's
company. Soon afterwards, Mr.
Witherspoon told the Campbell's
they couldn't have the blue master
bathroom fixtures they requested
because he couldn't find them. After
they accepted this and the bathroom
had been completed, the Campbell's
found the requested items in a local
? Mr. Witherspoon charged the
Campbell's to hang wallpaper they
bought, and two storm doors when
Please see page A 1 1
Planned populist meeting
rattles blackcommunity :
By RUDY ANDERSON
Chronicle Managing Editor
The scheduled meeting this
weekend in Winston-Salem of an
organization advocating white rights
and white self-determination has sent
shockwaves through certain segments
of the community.
The Populist Party's National
Committee has reserved space for
their meeting at the Ramada Inn at
420 High Street in downtown Win
ston-Salem May 25-27. Various
groups who watchdog the party's
activities have said the Populist Party
is made up of former Klansmen, neo
nazis, and members of the anti
semi tic Posse Comitatus.
The committee has invited as
guest speakers for the conference
John Tyndall, head of the British
National Party, and Kirk Lyons, a
Houston attorney representing the
Patriot's Defense Foundation which
defends nationalists across the coun
try in court
Jeff Jones, manager at the Rama
da, confirmed in an interview Tues
day that the party's Nationaf Commit
tee was scheduled to meet. But he
said," in researching the group there
was no evidence uncovered to lead us
(Ramada managment) to believe that
any incident whatsoever would
occur."
That may be. But for those who
say they have monitored the activities
of the Party and those invited to
U.S. Senate Race Analysis
Gantt-Easley run-off:
Questions to answer
By MILTON C. JORDAN
Chronicle Legislative Correspondent
RALEIGH - Scores of questions
loom large in the June 5 Democratic
primary runoff U.S. Senate race
between Harvey Gantt and Michael
Easley.
From a strictly political perspec
UYt, UIV v^uu>uvJii>i iuvi
? Which of these two Democrat
has the best chance to beat Jesse
Helms in November?
? Which of these two Democrats
offer the broadest and longest coattails
in November for other Democratic
candidates on the party's ticket? This
question is especially sensitive for the
state's Democratic Superior, and
Appeals Courts judges and State
Supreme court justices. '
Republican opposition in judicial
races are expected to argue that incum
bent Democratic judges are soft on
crime.
These and other questions either
define the campaign or muddy the
waters, depending upon whose analy
sis you believe.
Some of the other questions
asked:
? Can the North Carolina Demo
cratic party heal its internal schisms
quickly enough to back the more qual
lllCtl Ol U1C LWO liUlUKMLU*.
? Can the party machines slow
down enough to promote party unity
over self-interest?
While some answers will be clear
after the votes are counted on June 5,
other issues will be lost in the largest
of all questions in this campaign.
That question, of course, is race.
Simply stated, can Mr. Gantt, an
Afro- American, conquer the fears and
prejudices that seem to still rule much
of North Carolina's politics and vot
ing?
Please see page A9
Embezzlement charges
prompt cries of racism
against local Red Cross
By RUDY ANDERSON
Chronicle Managing Editor
A former assistant chapter man
ager of the Winston-Salem Red Cross
charged Monday with embezzlement
of chapter funds claimed the charge is
an attempt to camouflage rampant
discrimination and harassment against
Afro-Americans working there.
Mrs. Jean Carolyn Cook, of 1260
Springwood Circle, has been charged
with embezzling more than $18,000
from^|e local chapter from January
1986 through December 1989.
Mrs. Cook has admitted that
errors may have been made involving
credit union deductions from her pay
check. "1 take responsibility for not
catching the error. I even offered to
pay the money back. The error, if it
was my error, occurred because of my
general emotional state at the time,"
she said. The money was suppose to
have been taken out by the company
that did the Red Cross payroll she
said. That company is Automatic?
JDaU-Brocessing (ADP). But $hg
denied any wrong doing involving
misuse of chapter credit cards and
cash advances.
Mrs. Cook was^ employed with
the local Red Cross chapter from
Oct. 10, 1983 to Jan. 8, 1990. She said
although her title was listed as assis
tant chapter manager she actually held
six other titles and had to work in
Jean Cook
each separate function as : Director of
Administration; Director of Finances;
Director of Personnel; Employee
Benefits Coordinator; Supervisor of
Volunteer Services; and Supervisor of
the Emergency Services unit.
Mrs. Cook said she was informed
while still in the hospital recovering
from back surgery that she had been
Please see page A7
? I 1
"We were not treated fairly by the city or
Mr. Wi t her spoon and we wa nt justice . ' '
- ~ Surac hart Campbell
CD ?
Lowes anchors E. Winston center
By TONYA V. SMITH
Chronicle Staff Writer
~ After nearly four months of courting, developer Her
man L. Turner consummated a deal Tuesday with Lowes
Food Stores to build a $1.5 million grocery store in the
New Walkertown Market Center in East Winston.
Located off New Walkertown Road between
to follow suit.
In early February, Mayor Martha S. Wood convened a
luncheon at the Piedmont Club to give Mr. Turner an
opportunity to present his plan to Lowes. Among those
attending the luncheon were Dennis G. Hatchell, president
of Lowes Foods Stores; East Ward Alderman Virginia K.
Newell, Isaiah Tidwell, city executive with Wachovia
Bank & Trust Co.; James R.
Grace, executive director of
Dellabrook and Gerald Street,
the neighborhood shopping __
center has been in the plan- "The consummation of our deal with Lowes the East Winston Community
ning stages since 1988. Phase Foods represents the kind of result that can Development Corporation;
one of the of the project - the be achieved when progressive civic and
erection of an ABC st oz&Js^business leaders focus on and dedicate their
near completion and land efforts toward creating business develop
ment opportunities in Winston-Salem."
-- Herman L. Turner
preparation work is beginning
for the second phase, said Mr.
Turner, the CEO of TDS,
Turner Development Services.
Mr. Turner began his search for an anchor tenant to
locate in the shopping center almost a year ago. An
anchor tenant is usually a grocery store or large retail
facility which, when signed, motivates other businesses
Rod Hatcher of Carolina
Commercial Brokers, the leas
ing agent that procured Lowes
for Mr. Turner; and Tom Hay,
real estate director of MDI,
_ Merchants Distributors Inc. -
Lowes' parent company.
Representing New Walkertown Market Associates,
the ownership corporation for the shopping center, Mr.
Please see page A7
Rev. John Mendez
speak, nothing could be further from
the truth.
An organization called the Cen
ter for Democratic Renewal based in
Atlanta wrote in a news release that it
Please see page A9
Business
Classified
Community News
Editorials 1
Entertainment ....
Religion
Sports...............
Winston
Mandela to visit sawn U.S. clttea
WASHMGTON f Nelson Mtndth win tptnd 10 iil&lff
U.S. storing Junt 2D. Ht it tchtdultd to (Ml with Prt?
Bush andtaka cart in a tickartoot oarade Ntw YoffeCfcv.
Budget includes development funds
By TONYA V SMITH
Chronicle Staff Writer
Despite rumors that a trimmer budget for
fiscal year 1990-91 would mean no money for
catalytic projects designed to spur economic
development in East Winston* the city manager
presented a proposed plan that includes a quar
ter of a million dollars for the blighted area.
Bryce A. Stuart's proposed budget ?lso
includes a 7 cent property tax increase, from 53
ccnts per $100 of assessed value to 60 cents.
That means a person who owns a $94,5000
home who pays $500 in city taxes will pay $567
in 1991.
In presenting the budget to the city Board
of Aldermen Monday night, Mr. Stuart noted
that the property tax increase in the general fund
is to help current revenues keep pace with
expenditures and enable the city to reduce its
reliance on reserves to meet operating costs.
The near $213 million budget includes
Please see page A8
Shortfall forces hard choices
By JOCELYN DANIELS
Chronicle Legislative Correspondent
RALEIGH - As they, returned here for the so called
"short session" Monday, state legislators faced a deficit of
almost S500 million. Other issues on the table included
gubernatorial veto, prison expansion, improving public edu
cation, protecting the environment and a North Carolina lot
tery.
Initially, it seems that state legislators and the Gov. Jim
Martin administration might spend some time simply agree
ing to disagree.
Everyone appeared braced for battle.
Gov. Martin and his administration, with Lt. Gov. Jim
Please see page A8
Logan Burke