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Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point
Vol. XXVI No. 35
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T^e Choice for African American News
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2
Program teaches kids joy of trees
BY CHERIS HODGES
THE CHRONICLE .
Photo by Cheris Hodges
Wilson instructs Jakia Rhyne how to act out the
le other students from the Winston Lake YMCA
Twenty-five children from the
Winston Lake Family YMCA got a
science lesson and an art lesson at the
same time last week.
The Historic Bethabara Park and
Arbor Investment Advisors teamed
up with the YMCA to provide chil
dren with an opportunity to celebrate
National Arbor Day.
According to Bethabara Park
assistant director Kathryn McGrew,
this event is the beginning of what she
hopes is a long partnership.
“Bethabara Park is known for
teaming with the community,” she
said. “This program celebrates Arbor
Day and educates the community.”
Judi Wallace from Arbor Invest
ment Advisors said working with the
park has been wonderful.
“(Arbor Investment) celebrates
Arbor Day every year because of its
name. We were looking for an activity
that we could do in the community
that would encourage planting trees.
McGrew said this was a way for
children to learn about art and natur
al science using the park.
Naturalist Karen Wilson was on
hand to provide the children with
information about the trees in the
park. She took the children to the
Arboretum, where they played a game
of “tree charades.”
“They will be engaging their bod
ies and their minds at the same time,”
she said. “(This) will help them gain
an appreciation of trees.”
The children walked up the hill
smiling as they headed over to the
freshly planted trees. “How long have
these trees been here?” Wilson asked
the children.
“About 10 months,” said Jakia
Rhyne, one of the students from the Y
“That’s right,” Wilson replied as
she told the children about the
seedlings.
After the children learned their
nature lesson, they headed inside the
park’s welcome center to start on an
art project.
Studio artist and teacher Lisa
See Bethabara on AS
fight to
obacco
from ruin
py Womble and Warren “Pete” Old-
support a bill passed last week by the
that puts a $25 million cap on bonds
3st while they appeal punitive damage
bill applies to all companies, it was
lecially designed for R.I Reynolds
1, along with other cigarette makers, is
,ty of having to pay up to $100 billion
;es stemming from the latest tobacco
orida. Without the bill, RJR would
post the full amount of punitive dam-
iig the award, which could have easily
rmer tobacco giant.
;ive Reynolds a fighting chance,” Old-
was one of about six legislators who
on the House side. However, the Sen-
la Garrou, D-Forsyth, sponsoring the
the bill. Oldham said the other House
-ious reasons for supporting the bill,
ely to protect RJR, a company he says
»Winston-Salem’s and Forsyth Coun-
quite naturally, was RJR....RJR pro-
oities for so many, and (has) done so
iam said. He added that the company
hefty chunk to the tax base and has
of thousands of dollars toward edu-
nity organizations. The bill was quick-
fim Hunt, who called a special session
lid be debated. Small tobacco farmers
libility of extinction,
economic backbone of a lot of North
nities,” Womble said. “It would cripple
)rkers and tobacco farmers if the com-
' business during the appeal.”
1 that it would be unjust to make a
front, the full amount of a punitive
ghting the award decision. “This is a
la It’s not fair that any company could
ikruptcy while it appealed a civil suit,”
the bill criticized lawmakers for pro-
y that they say has had a history of
and glorious as philanthropic history,
and several others over the years.
See Bill on A4
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Maxine Jones portrayed Zipporah, Moses' wife.
Photo by Paul Collins
‘Women of the Bible’
BY PAUL COLLINS
THE CHRONICLE
St. James AME Church’s Sarah Allen
Missionary Society, combined with Union
Bethel AME and Union Baptist, to pre
sent “Women of the Bible” Saturday after
noon at St. James AME.
About 29 people were involved in the
production.
Director Thelma Bridges, of Sarah
Allen Missionary Society, said in an inter
view, “We’re trying to let people know the
important roles women played in biblical
days. (The actresses) are telling about their
occupations and how the helped the Lord
carry the message and how they worked
with some of the disciples in the Bible, and
the many, many tasks they did to feed the
poor. We had the poor then. We have the
poor now.”
Bridges said this was the second year of
the program. “We try to improve on it
every year.” This year, the organizers
added greenery for the Garden of Eden,
props representing Jesus’ tomb and added
Jesus to the cast.
See Women on A4
Biggs tells Atkins
students to build
good records now
BYT. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Loretta Biggs went to the
wrong school last week to talk to
young people about the law.
The talk was scheduled to take
place before eighth-graders at
Atkins Middle School. Mixed sig
nals between Biggs, executive assis
tant US. attorney for the state’s
middle district, and Links Inc., a
well known, multifaceted service
organization, led to her showing
up at another East Winston school
- Ashley Elementary.
Biggs’ slight tardiness fit in per
fectly with one of the many themes
she hammered away at during her
40-minute address.
“Adults make mistakes,” she
said looking out at several hundred
students assembled in the school’s
auditorium. “It’s OK to make mis
takes as long as we (own) up to
them and correct them.”
However, some mistakes, Biggs
continued, should be avoided at all
cost. Although the students greet
ed Biggs with loads of Camel hos
pitality, she told the students that
she never wanted to run across
them in her line of work. Every
day, Biggs said, young people are
given 20-, 30- and even 50-year
sentences for making bad choices.
“You never, ever, ever, ever
want to come into federal court,”
she said. “I want you to under
stand how easy you can get there.”
You don’t have to be the direct
perpetrator of a crime to end up in
court and possibly in prison, Biggs
said.
She told the students if they are
with a person at the time a law is
being broken, they could end up
getting the same punishment as
the person who commits infrac
tions such as robbing a store.
Photo by T. Kevin Walker
Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney
Loretta Biggs quizzes eighth-
graders at Atkins about the func
tions of various courts in the
state, Biggs told the students
that federal court is someplace
they "never, ever, ever, ever"
want to be,
smoking marijuana or carrying a
concealed weapon.
To that end, she told the stu
dents to choose their friends wisely.
“You may think (the law) is not
fair; but as long as it is the law, we
have to abide by it,” she said.
Members of the Winston-
Salem Chapter of LINKS Inc. said
they wanted Biggs to talk to the
students about the law because she
not only has a wealth of experience
in the field, but also because she
has two teen-agers herself, one of
whom attended Atkins.
Biggs became a District Court
judge in Forsyth County at the
unlikely age of 32. She was reelect
ed to her seat several times before
going to work for the Justice
Department in 1994. Biggs has
See Biggs on AS
icerts have residents dancing in the streets
BYT. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
fuan sits atop his father's, Bryant
dders at last Friday's BellSouth
Oncert on Fourth Street.
The city received a one-two-three-punch in
its mid-section late last week, jolting it out of
its winter doldrums and sending its residents
dancing and frolicking into the streets.
The city’s popular summer outdoor music
concerts began last Thursday with Alive After
Five, an event held between the serene water
fountains of Corpening Plaza. BellSouth Jazz
and Blues kicked off last Friday, transforming
Fourth Street into an open-air food court and
fellowship hall.
Saturday’s planned Summer of Trade con
cert was to end last week’s musical odyssey, but
it was scrapped because of chilly winds and
rain. This upcoming Saturday will be the kick
off for that event. For entertainment-hungry
city residents, the three weekly concerts have
become the holy trinity of social events. “This
is her most favorite thing in the world,” Tyka
Hamilton said about her young daughter,
Kelsey, at Alive After Five. “She has been ask
ing me, ‘When are we going back down
town?”’ Kelsey and Hamilton’s niece, Kayla,
did cartwheels in the plot of shiny green grass
in Corpening Plaza as a band belted out clas
sic rock tunes on a nearby stage.
Several hundred people from all age
groups assembled in thick clusters around the
plaza, eating, drinking and socializing. “I work
in High Point and a lot of people in High Point
come down here, especially (for BellSouth Jazz
and Blues),” Hamilton added. “Apparently it’s
a good place to meet people of the opposite
sex, although it’s not why I come.”
As soon as Rosalind Banner picked her son
up from school last Thursday, she headed to
Alive After Five. It was her first time at one of
See Concert on A4
Rosalind Banner and son Alexander buy refreshments at
day's Alive After Five in Corpening Plaza downtown.
Photos by Kevin Walker
last Thurs-
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