Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Sept. 18, 1997, edition 1 / Page 2
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UMO from page Al sines can only seat 12 riders. Bledsoe said he called the Yellow Pages and found out that the contact name for the ad was a man who belonged to King's church and with whom Bledsoe co-owned another limo, a 1995 Mercedes. Lorrance Lawson and Bledsoe entered the arrangement on that car just one month prior to Bledsoe's agreement with Project Homestead. King said he was not worried that another company was adver tising his organization's car. "It didn't concern me because it didn't affect us," he said. In December 1996, soon after the ad came out. Project Homestead Filed suit against East Coast Limousines to terminate its lease. Homestead lost the ini tial court fight in January, and Bledsoe kept the two cars through prom season, the busiest . time for limousine services. King later had federal mar shals seize the cars, and both vehicles sat outside Project Homestead's offices on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive until this week. King first said that the cars were being rented out, but said later that the cars had been recently sold. On Monday, the 1990 stretch limo still sat in Project Homestead's parking lot, but the 1988 did not. King said the 19S?0 Lincoln would be picked up by its new owner by the end of the week. He would not disclose the new owner's identity. Many questioned the appro priateness of Project Homestead's involvement with a limo company, as it is the only CDC in the state to launch such ? partnership. King and other CDC officials defended the ven ture, and said that CDCs are chaffed with finding for-profit partners that don't compete with traditional businesses. King said he wouldn't discuss if the vehicles caused any losses, except to state that public money was not involved. "I just don't think that it's proper to discuss the inner work ings of Project Homestead," said King. Shortly after the cars were seized, Bledsoe's finances dipped into the red; he later managed to keep his new business, All Stretched Out Limousines, out of bankruptcy. Bledsoe said that for the first few months of partner ship with Project Homestead, he handed over his original expense reports, because he didn't have a copy machine. About one month ago. Project Homestead's attorney, Peter Juran of Winston-Salem's Blanco Tackabery Combs A Matamoros, offered to settle with Bledsoe. Bledsoe's original expense reports would be returned to him if he agreed to settle with the organization and drop the case. But Project Homestead employees testified that they did not have the reports in their possession. "That proves that they lied in court," said Bledsoe. Bledsoe said he has been unable to file his 1996 tax return without the reports. Juran said that once Bledsoe handed over the reports, they became the property of Project Homestead. "When Reverend King was asked if he had any of Mr. Bledsoe's documents or busi ness records, he said no," said i Juran. "Mr. Bledsoe seems to think this is a lie." Bledsoe agreed to settle with Project Homestead, albeit for SI million. He it alto suing Lawson over their agreement with the Mercedes. Juran said he cannot cqm ment on the particulars of the offer to settle, but did say that Project Homestead would pro ceed with a civil case against Bledsoe. ? King called Bledsoe a {tax evader, and said that he is involved in another court case besides those involving Project Homestead and Lawson. "It's just a pattern of him going after black individuals," said King. Both King and Lawson are African-American. Bledsoe admitted that he has been undergoing an IRS audit for almost two years, but said that he has paid his taxes accord ingly. And, he added, "I don't have a problem with black people ... if he (King) wants to make-it racial, okay, but I'm not." Central High to mark 40 yaan Students leave Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., after classes Monday, Sept. 15. President Clinton is scheduled to visit the school Sept. 25,40 years to the day ? after federal troops escorted nine black children up the ? steps to integrate the school. Satcher is Clinton's noxt choice ? President Clinton and Dr. David Satcher, his choice for surgeon gen eral, meet reporters at the White House Friday, Sept. 12, where the president announced the nomina tion of Satcher, current ly director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (AP Phot<v5reg Gibson) Mmmck vtcUms Anally laid to r*$t As mourners walk around at ground level Sunday, Sept. 14, thousands of skulls are seen inside the mass grave for those killed during the 1994 massacre here at the Nyamata (Rwanda) Catholic church. The victims' remains were given a long-awaited burial on church grounds Sunday. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) Woods family romombovs VoaP TI90F (AP Photo/Dom Furore, Golf Digest) Tiger Woods and his father, Earl, look at photographs of the late Col. Tiger" Vuong Dang Phong, whom the golfer is named after, in Woods' Cypress, Calif., home Thursday, Sept. 11. Also pictured are Tom Callahan, center, Kutilda Woods, second from right, and Vuong Dang Phouc, son of Phong. Norman wows Woridng Mothors Labor Secretary Alexis Herman delivers the keynote address honor ing the "Best Companies for Working Mothers," sponsored by Working Mother magazine Monday night, Sept. 15, in New York. In a speech that inspired a standing ovation, she said that companies with progres sive work-family pro (AP Phcrto/Emile Wamsteker) grams are the "workplaces of the future." t (' ?' ^\qcS Vote!. September 23 ? Mayor Martha Wood ? Working For Us Every Day I* Mayor Wood has led us in the fight against rising crime. Since 1993, violent crime has decreased nearly 20%., ? Majror Wood leadis our city in hosting the CIAA Basketball Tour nament, bringing thousands of visi tors and millions of dollars to our community each year. j ? ? Mayor Wood works to keep our taxes low. No other major city in North Carolina has a lower tax rate than Winston-Salem. ? Mayor Wood makes a place at th^. table for everyone in our city I To help re-elect Mayor Wood, clip and send the form below: ? j Martha Wood for Mayor Campaign i J P.O. Box 11553, Winston-Salem, NC 27116-1553 j I Name Address I I Daytime Phone Evening Phone I YOU CAN COUNT ON MB TO: ? i I, Make a contribution (circle one) j $10 $25 $50 $100 other $ j Make telephone calls. | Help "Get Out the Vote" on election days. I Other 1 Display a yard sign. J ; Distribute yard signs. I Sponsor a coffee hour at my home. I Work In headquarters. I i H
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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