Change: Morningside gets facelift i
By DAMON FORD
Changes an afoot for Greensboro's Morn
ingsidr Homcv
Thanks to a $76 million grant, 670 new
and renovated housing units wiO be in place at
the 47-year-old public housing complex and
neighboring anas Lincoln Grove, Tolbert and
Eastside Park by the year 2003.
The changes an just what the doctor
ordered, says Morningside Homes council
president Evelyn Taylor.
T haven't been able to contain myself,"
she said. "It will feel so good to see people ride
by and hear than nay 'how can I pet inT It's
going u> be beautiful. Irt going to be a drug
free community."
Twenty three million dollars will come
from the Housing and Urban Development's
Hope VI Program. The program's focus is to
transform public housing back to its original
purpose of providing temporary low coat
housing for families as they work to better
their economic situations.
Greensboro taxpayers are chipping in
another J12.5 million and private fmancers
such as N.C. AAT State University and Ben
nett College and other resource agencies will
provide more than S35 million in additional
funding.
The money will be uaed to demolish and
construct new housing units, streets and side
walka
"The Greensboro Housing Authority is
ecstatic at having the opportunity to help revi
talize one of our older neighborhoods with
the Hope VI fund," said Elaine Ostrowski,
GHA director. "There will not be any trace of
public housing after the work is done."
And that suits Linda Jones just fine. She
has lived in Eastside Park for five years. She
ferOHAavAtO
75 cents WlNSTON-SALEM GREENSBORO HlGH POINT Vol. XXV No. 2
The Chronicle
The Choice for African American News and Information ?-mail address: wschron@netunlimited.net
^ . ,
It's a classic
Milestone: Vote
- x ?
secures future of
historic cemetery
By JER1 YOUNG
THE CHRONICLE "
In a vote hailed by members of the
Black Leadership Roundtable as a vic
tory for the common man, the Winston
Salem Board of Aldermen voted Tues
day to expand New Evergreen Ceme
tery.
The board voted 4-3 in favor of the
expanding the historic black cemetery
by 13 acres.
Located in the heart of East Win
ston. New Evergreen, the first public
cemetery to accept blacks, had long
been a source of pride for the African
American community.
"It shows you can fight city hall and
win," said N.C. Rep. Larry Womble, D
Forsyth. "It shows it is possible to pre
vail and win. It's a major victory for
African Americans and the community.
It shows that people can make their
concerns heard."
The hoopla over the cemetery's
future began in May when board mem
bers tied 4-4 on a vote to purchase the
additional land for expansion. The tie
meant the proposal did not pass and led
to a series of rallies, press conferences
and a massive petition drive to force a
revote on the expansion. Had board
members not voted in favor of the pro
posal, the cemetery would have reached
capacity in less than two years. And city
officials estimate the cemetery would
have lost the city more than SI million
to operate over the next 10 years.
Mayor Jack Cavanagh, who held the
tie-breaking vote, was on vacation and
did not vote the first time the measure
Wombl*
See lv>rgr?in on A9
Photo by Wida Nuh
N.C. AAT"s now-look oftonso, M by sonlor quarterback Rodney Woodruff, spankod NCCU Saturday during tho Aggio/Saglo Clonk at
SaMgh's Cartor-flnloy Stadium. Tho Aggios boat tho logics by a scoro of 40-10 boforo a crowd of almost 30,000. Woodruff, pkturod
above with AAT Chancollor Sdward Port, was namod tho gamoh Moot Voluablo Ployor. Woodruff passed for 142 yards and throo TPs. Par
mora on black collogo sports, soo CIAA This Weak an pago SI.
; i
Challengers take aim at minority congressmen
?1?
The primary for the newly revamped 12th Con
gressional District will be held Tuesday. The hotly
contested race marks the first time incumbent Mel
Watt faces a strong Republican challenger, and
experts estimate less than 5 percent of the eligible
population will make it to the polls. We asked area
residents if they planned to vote and for whom.
Robert Settlor
"I plan to vote. Basi
cally I vote for the best
candidate that's going to
help me out as for as my
needs as a resident of
Forsyth County. He may
be a Republican or
Democrat but Fm going
to vote for the person I
feel is going to handle
the issues."'
"I'll vote next Tues
day. but I have no com
ment on who I will be
voting for. I do think vot
ing is very important.
We have a voice and we
should put dowh who we
want to represent us."
Gregory Parker
Koiyrt Dogwie
"I moved here about
a year ago and I voted in
the last primary election
and I'll be voting in this
primary election. I read
something about Mel
Watt and I know a little
about his record and /
will be voting for him."
By DENNIS PATTERSON
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH - They were the first black
members of Congress from North Caroli
na this century, and as the century winds
down, Reps. Eva Clayton and Mel Watt
are facing primary challenges in districts
that have been controversial since they
were drawn with black majorities in 1991.
And if they survive the primary elec
tion next week, both Democrats face chal
lenges from Republicans who believe their
redrawn districts can be won by the GOP.
Watt's district has been redrawn twice
since he first won election in 1992. The new
district stretches from Charlotte to Win
ston-Salem, while the old one ran from
Gastonia to Durham along Interstate 85.
The district drawn in 1997, which he
never got a chance to campaign in, was 46
percent minority, while the new district
approved in June is 35 percent minority.
The changes helped draw not only a
primary opponent for Watt, but six
Republicans interested in the seat.
"It's obviously a more difficult cam
paign than the ones we have run for the
last four years," Watt said. "The district is
different and the Republicans believe they
have a chance. I don't think you can
assume anything."
Watt would have faced no primary
opposition had the election been held in
May, but the redrawn district convinced
Ronnie Adcock of China Grove to chal
lenge Watt in the Democratic primary.
Adcock, a first-time candidate who
works at Freightliner, said he thought
Watt's voting record was too liberal for the
district.
Only two Republicans had fifed to
challenge Watt in the original primary. But
the redrawn district drew four more
Republicans into the campaign.
"We got joined by a group of people
that I call political opportunists," said
John Kozlowski of Lexington, one of the
original candidates. "My feeling is that
since people have only one thing to vote on
Sept. IS, the\ will have to have a reason to
show up. Unlike the others, who are talk
ing conservatism, I can show a history of
living it."
Scott Keadle of Salisbury, who also
was on the original ballot, said he believed
the early start and the shift of more
Republicans into the district had helped
his campaign.
"We just need to keep working hard
and maintain our grassroots support,"
Keadle said.
State Rep. Steve Wood, R-Guilfotd,
' said the general election campaign would
be a 'classic liberal versus conservative."
"That's one of the reasons I was
intrigued about the race," Wood said. "If I
won the primary, it would feature the most
conservative member of the North Caroli
na House against the most liberal member
of the U.S. House. The incumbent has to
campaign in new territory, too. It's not a
cakewalk, like he's had before."
Tom Bush, the chairman of the Meck
lenburg County commissioners, said he
was running television ads and making
personal calls to help push voter turnout,
which some analysts say could be as low as
5 to 7 percent.
"1 have talked personally with Mel
Watt where if I am the Republican nomi
nee, 1 have agreed I will do no attack ads
unless he does them first," said Bush, a for- ?
mer member of the Florida state House.
"That campaign will be on the high road
and deal with issues and not personalities."
Jim Cohen, a former Rowan County
commissioner, said he was a different kind
of candidate.
"My message to the voters is, if you're
looking for a congressman to mix and
shake and compromise and fit in with the
current crowd, then I'm not your man,"
Cohen said. "Nobody in this field of six
people has as much fight in them as I do."
Mike Jackson, the other Republican
candidate, did not return phone calls from
7 Associated Press
See Mactioil on A10
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