Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Dec. 9, 2004, edition 1 / Page 1
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All County JV players selected - See Page Bl Big 5 reunion returns with bang - See Page A4 Hospice families join memorial Organ donation needs stressed -See Page A3 rHRnN-" F A A IVV^X from thi8 library ?H^JLh^ P ?u CTi r ^2*1? P*' ^ . uc 2rj-?1' " Celebrating 30 years ok Community Joi rnai. 'ol. xxxi No. ,0 ? b, 14 A Greeting from Santa Photo hy Kev in Walker Santa Claus waves to little Sienna Liles Fri day night at the city's tree lighting ceremony in Corpening Plaza. Holding the little girl is her aunt Debbie Gough. Hundreds of people attended the ceremony ; which also featured music , food and special guests. To read more about the event and other holi day activities that took place over the week end, see page CI, Homebuyers beware Photo by Jaeson Pin Pecy/ Mills and her son , Michael , stand on the front porch of their Lansing Street home. Legal Aid helps woman keep her house BY COURTNEY GAILLARD THE CHRONICLE Grady ami Pearl Mills never missed paying a house payment in zu yean>. i ney Dougm their home on Lansing Drive in 1983 from a private seller, who agreed to pay the bank that held the mortgage in Texas. Even after Mr. Mills' death in 1 999, Mrs. Mills con tinued to make every payment on time. But Michael Mills knew something had gone awry the day sheriff s deputies arrived at his mother's home questioning the whereabouts of Deborah Thomas, the widow of the man the Millses were buying their house from. The Millses' worst fears were realized when they found out that the mortgage had not been paid in nine months. Eighty-year-old Pearl Mills was days away from being evicted from her home even though Thomas insisted there was no foreclosure pending. "My mom's money (was being taken) and was n't (being) sent to (the bank)," said Michael Mills, who is a local contractor. "By the time I had found out anything, we had three or four days before a foreclosure was com ing on the house." The Millses say they were able to get in contact with' Thomas, who they say reassured them that everything was taken care as far as the pay ments were concerned. The Chronicle tried to contact Thomas for this story. She could not be reached by phone or at rental properties she owns. In fact. Lib erty Heights, a boarding house Sec House on A9 Chief says residents can trust department New case has some wondering if police are overzealous in their work BYT. KEVIN WALKER THE CHRONICLE Police Chief Pat Norris defended her department last week amid new allegations that a former detective may have with held evidence in a 10-year-old investigation that led to a black man being convicted of brutally beating a white woman. The brutal beating of Jill Marker in 1 995 has come back to haunt the department after a series of articles in the Winston-Salem Journal contained statements from the lead detective in the case. Don Williams, that he held back information from the defense team of Kalvin Smith, the man who was charged and con victed of Marker's beating. Smith has always maintained his inno cence. In the Journal series Williams, who is now retired from the department, also said that he was encouraged to with hold some of his investigation by Assistant District Attorney Eric Saunders, who denied that charge in a Journal article. It is the second time in less than a year that the actions of police and prosecutor* have come under close scrutiny. Law enforcement is still trying to gain public trust after the release a year ago of Darryl Hunt, an African American who spent nearly 20 years in jail for the rape and mur der of Deborah Sykes. a white new spaper copy editor. Hunt was released from prison after DNA taken from the crime scene matched up with another man. File Photo Police Chief Pat Norrit has been head of the depart ment for less than a year Hunt supporters had always believed in his innocence and accused the police and prosecu tors of ignoring evidence that pointed to Hunt's innocence. Perhaps fearing that lingering questions about the Marker case would become another debacle like the Hunt case. Norris and District Attorney Tom Keith wast ed little time before calling in the State Bureau of Investigation to look into the claim that Williams withheld evidence. Nonis and Keith explained why they took this action during a joint news conference last week. See Police on A10 Watt says with new senator CBC can make inroads Local congressman is unanimously elected to head caucus BY T. KEVIN WALKER THE CHRONICLE ? Kep. Mel Watt said that he was hum bled by the unani mous vote Monday by his colleagues that will make him the next chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Watt - a six-term member of the U.S. House of Representa tives from Charlotte - will take over the chairmanship from Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) on Jan. 4. Watt Around that same Hi me, Watt said, the 43-member caucus will hold a retreat to formally organ ize an agenda for the upcoming congressional session. Watt said it would be premature for him to talk about the agenda issues he would like to see the caucus pur sue. My role is to understand WfR*^W' priorities are of the caucus and to organ ize the caucus in a way that maximizes the opportunity for us to be successful in achieving those prior ities," he said by phone from his Washington office Monday. "It is not about Mel Watt's agenda as much as it is about lis See Watt on A1 1 Local man steps out on faith with new Afrocentric political magazine BYT. KEVIN WALKER THE CHRONICLE At 36, Lawrence Long Jr. isn't old enough to remember the time when Malcolm marched, Long Martin preached and Rosa wouldn't budge. Yet Long TS'ftffptTlg that he can help t o reawak en the black consciousness that spurred the Civil Rights Movement through the pages of SouITic, an ambitious political maga zine he founded. The maga zine's name is a play on the word politic. "Life experience has taught me that politics affects our lives every day as blacks," Long said. "A lot of people in our community don't under stand politics. People perish by having a lack of knowl edge. (SoulTic) is a source of knowledge." The magazine had its com ing-out party Saturday night at Meta's Catered Affair. More than a dozen of Long's friends, family members and support ers came out to help celebrate the release of the first issue - 40 slick, color pages of politi cal commentary diced with a pinch of arts, business and religion. A city native. Long said he first came tin with the idea for the magazine three years agoT** The idea was God-inspired, he sajd. "It was a vision," Long said. "I saw it as clearly as I am seeing you right now." With no political, journal istic or graphic design experi ence. Long truly stepped out on faith to start the magazine. He says he keeps abreast of pressing Cissues through research and friendships he has formed w ith people around the globe. He wants to include See Soultic on A10 In Grateful Memory of Our Founders, Florrie S. Russell and Carl H. Russell, Sr. " Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better" JRttssell Jjimmtl ffiome Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support 822 Carl Russell Avo. (at Martin Luther King Or.) Winston-Salem. NC 27101 (336) 722-3459 Fax (336) 631-8268 rusfhome @ bellsouth.net
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