SportsWeek
Hard work paying off
for Reynolds JVs
? ? ? ?
Rams take anger out
on Broncos
" See BI
See A9
See CI
Community
Conference focuses
on adults as mentors
? ? ? ?
Female record exec
making way in rap
75 cents
Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point
" * ?VIII No. 25
T^T rr Pud n\TTr ?Reterence
120202 "CAR-RT-LOT "C022 ? ? M I I I ? * not t?e taken
FORSYTO CNTY PUB LIB ^ ^ -A- ^
660 w 5th st # o the ( twice for African-American News ron> m's Mt>r?rv
Candidates ready to run
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Denise Hartsfield was at
the Forsyth County Board of
Elections early Monday morn
ing.
Surrounded by many of the
people she grew up with or
works beside, Hartsfield for
mally announced her inten
tions to seek the District Court
seat currently held Judge
Roland Hayes, who many say
will not run for re-election.
Hartsfield refused to spec
ulate about Hayes' future,
stating that Hayes should be
given the respect of announc
ing his decision when he sees
fit.
Hayes is the only African
American District Court judge
in the county. K. victory by
Hartsfield would ensure racial
diversity. But Hartsfield is the
first to admit that the election
is a long way off and much
work must be done.
Hartsfield said she counts
her native status as a big plus.
A graduate of East Forsyth
High School and Wake Forest
University School of Law,
Hartsfield has worked at the
local Legal Aid Society and is
currently an assistant county
attorney representing the
Department of Social Ser
vices.
"I do feel that it's a slight
advantage being from Win
ston-Salem. The people here
are not just citizens of Forsyth
County to me. I went to high
school with them. They are
my church members....These
are people that I care about,"
Hartsfield said.
As a result of a legislative
change, for the first time. Dis
trict Court races will be non
partisan.
Hartsfield said she is
happy about the change and is
looking forward to the chal
lenge of educating voters
about the change. _ __
Last year, Hartsfield was
on Gov. Easley's short list for
an open District Court judge
ship. She said she was hon
ored to be considered, but not
getting the position has
spurred Hartsfield to take the
traditional route to the District
Court bench - wooing voters.
Hartsfield already is facing
some competition. Dean Rut
ledge, a longtime attorney,
announced this week that he
also will seek Hayes' seat.
"I believe my 20 years of
practice will separate me from
other candidates," he said in a
statement. "In those 20 years,
I have always tried to be
Sec Candidates en A4
Denise Harts
field!, standing,
hopes to
become Judge
Hartsfield in
November. She
was at the
Board of Elec
tions Monday
preparing the
proper papers
to file to run
for District
Court judge.
Here she chats
with Shonna
Alexander, one
of her support
ers, in the
lobby of BOE.
Faith
leaders
take part
in land
blessing
BY FELECIA P. MCMILLAN
COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENT
Ivy Steward, church and
.community relations coordina
tor. Habitat for Humanity, and
Sonya Murray, director of devel
opment. led staffers in the first
Land Blessing. Fellowship and
Worship Service on Monday at
St James AME Church on Pat
terson Avenue. Pastor Mary
Petprson
U t* I I 1 1 I
c o m e d
the cler
gymen to
the sanc
t u a r y .
After a
breakfast
fe11ow
ship,
pastors
ana inin- r-eiwr?wi
isters of
57 United Methodist churches
that committed the money for the
project united their hearts in a
spirited celebration of the seven
homes that will be built on 14th
Street. This was the first land
blessing Habitat has held.
"It is a blessing to see this
vision come to pass." Steward
said. "This is exactly how I envi
sioned it would be. Because you
have come out, you have helped
to fulfill a dream. 1 want to thank
all of you for answering the call
from Habitat."
Steward also thanked her col
leagues who stepped in to com
plete the plans for the project
because her father recently died.
Rev. John Epps, pastor of
Saints Home United Methodist
Church, offered a sermon after
Rev. Benjamin Moseley of
Union Baptist Church read the
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-16. Epps
focused on the 13th verse, which
reads. "You are the salt of the
earth, but if the salt loses its salti
ness, how can it be made salty
?again?"
"This Sermon on the Mount
offers a description of the char
acteristics of the ideal Kingdom
citizen." Epps said. "The ideal
citizen will respond with love
and acceptance to all....Habitat
for Humanity has been serving
as the salt of the earth (to) bring
into fruition the great American
dream that everyone is entitled to
live in decent, affordable hous
ing."
Rev. Dr. Hurley Thomas,
v. Blessing en A11
The Real Deal
Photo by Kevin Walker
Salem College student Sara Al-Jazra asks Coral Smith about her experiences as part of the cast
of the IOth anniversary season of "The Real World," a long-running MTV reality show. Smith
was at Salem Sunday to talk to students about her new role as a human rights activist and self
proclaimed feminist. See page All for more on Smith's visit to Winston-Salem.
Mental
health
changes
may lead
to lawsuit
BY PAUL COLLINS
THE CHRONICLE
The Friends of Public Mental
Health of North Carolina Inc.
plans to file a class-action lawsuit
to amend or repeal a state plan
that will overhaul North Caroli
na's public mental health system.
Friends believes that the plan will
reduce mental health services;
that the plan discriminates
against minorities and poor peo
ple; that there will be increased
homelessness, crime and
vagrancy, and additional burdens
on local law enforcement and
social agencies, and additional
burdens on hospital emergency
rooms throughout the state; that
many public mental health work
ers will lose their jobs; and that
state taxpayers will have to pay at
least twice as much as they do
now for the state's public mental
health system, said Dr. Tom
Smith, a spokesman for Friends
of Public Mental Health.
However, National Alliance
for the Mentally 111 - North Car
olina said in a statement that it
"supports the vision of the men
tal health services and manage
ment contained in the proposed
MH/DD/SA (Mental
Health/Developmental Disabili
ties/Substance Abuse) State Plan.
But such a comprehensive initia
tive. as proposed in the State
Plan, often raises as many ques
tions as it answers." And NAM!
North Carolina has identified
some questions and concerns
"that need to be addressed to
make reform efforts successful."
And Ronald W. Morton, tgpa
director of CenterPoint Human
Services in Winston-Salem, the
public mental health agency for
Forsyth. Stokes and Davie coun
ties. said he agrees with many of
the objectives of the state plan,
and he thinks the plan should be
given a chance to work, though
he does have some concerns
about "unknowns."
Carmen Hooker Odom. sec
retary of the N.C. Department of
Health and Human Services, said
in a statement. "The statewide
plan says what services we're
going to provide, who we're
going to provide them to. and
Set Mental health ?? A10
Jones says he's ready for his chance at gold
KRT Photo
Front to back are driver Brian Shimer, Nathan Minton, Randy Jones and
brakeman Garreth Hines competing in the '98 games in Nagano, Japan.
BY SAM DAVIS
[III CHRONICLE
The four years of waiting is now down to
a matter of hours for Randy Jones. Jones, a
Winston-Salem native, and a member of the
U.S. Winter Olympic Team, will finally get
his chance on Friday to begin pursuit of the
medal that he so desperately w ants to earn at
this year's Winter Games.
After coming w ithin two-hundredths of a
second (less than the time it takes to bat an
eyelash) of earning a medal at the 1998
Games at Nagano. Japan. Jones and the U.S.
four-man bobsled team came away dejected.
It hurt Jones so much personalis that he took
two years away from the sport, concentrating
on business pursuits and his personal life.
Now. Jones' attention is focused squarely
on the bobsled competition that gets under
way tomorrow (Friday. Feb. 22).
"There's a really big anticipation," Jones
I said during an exclusive telephone interview
with The Chronicle from the Olympic Vil
lage in Salt Lake City. "The biggest thing is
the wait itself. It's a hard thing knowing that
if you miss it you have to wait four more -
years before you can try it again
"At that point you have to ask yourself,
'Am I going to wait
another four years or
am I going to go on
and do something
else?-"
This time Jones
hopes he won't have
to go through that. At
age 32. Jones said,
there might not be
another opportunity
fnr him In ranhinp :in
Jones Olympic ' medal.
Medaling at the
Olympics would be the crowning achieve
ment in Jones' athletic life. It also would help
him to do something that he believes would
help African-American youths.
Si < Jones on A9
? FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS CALL (336) 722 8634 ? MASTERCARD, VISA AND AMERICAN EXPRESS ACCEPTED ?