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FORSYTH CNTY HUH LIB
660 UJ 5TH ST
WJNSTOVl SALEM NC 27101
Vol. XXXIII No. 32
'"niiy
THURSDAY, April 19, 2007
Arena
football star
has local
roots
See Page Bl
New credit
union has *
official
opening
- Set Page AJ
Teacher's br. }i> cents
actionJMorth Caro^ty^ Room
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Summer
concerts
see more
changes
BY T KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
The star! of the popular
downtown outdoor concert
series is still two weeks away
but it is
already
clear
that 4th
Street
J a//. &
Blues -
the sig
nature
event
of the
series -
w on't
quite
live up to its name this season.
The Downtown Winston
Salem Partnership announced
this week that 4th Street Jazz
& Blues, which will offer a
different musicaJ act each
Friday starting May 18, won't
be on 4th Street at all. The
event, which will run through
Aug. 24, has been moved to
nearby Winston 'Square Park
on Marshall Street.
"It is the premier event
. location downtown," DWSP
President Jason Thiel said,
explaining the event's reloca
tion. "It was a waste not to use
the park."
When the first notes ring
out next month, it will mark
the 10th year that outdoor
summer music concerts have
been staged downtown In
addition to 4th Street Jazz,
there is a Thursday evening
series, Alive After Five, set to
start May 3, and a Saturday
series. Summer on Trade,
which will kick-off May 12
The concerts have been cred
ited with helping bring traffic
back downtown, which was a
virtual ghost-town when the
music series began a decade
ago. But in recent years, some
downtown restauranteurs and
shop ow ners say the concerts
have hit soar notes. L,ast sum- J
mer some complained that the
crowds attracted by the con
certs spend little money at
downtown businesses Others
complained that teens and
pre-teens who attend 4th
Street Jazz are too boisterous
and disruptive. 0
DWSP changed the loca
? tion of 4th Street Jazz last
year near the end of the sea
Sec Concerts on A 1 2
Heart of the Matter
Photo by Icfccut NkNfitV.ui
Dr. B. Waine Kong speaks to minority doctors of tomorrow Saturday night at
the Hawthorne Inn. Kong, the head of the Association of Black Cardiologist,
talked about the importance of a racially diverse health care field during his
keynote address at the Student National Medical Association's annual awards
program. To read more about the event, see page B14.
DNA's first
innocent man
shares his tale
BY TODD LUCK
rHE CHRONICLE
GREENSBORO - Kurt
Bloods worth spent years in
prison for a rape and murder
he-xlidn't commit, but in 1993
he used science to turn the
tables on the legal system that
prior record, the police arrest
ed him in August of -1984 for
murder. His triiil did not go as
he had hoped
" The gavel came down on
my life on March 26, 1985,
and it wolild he death. When
the judge hit the gavel on the
bench the court room erupted
loimcicu 111111
by' becoming
the first mai\ in
the United
States to have
a capital con
viction over
turned using
DNA testing.
? I le shared
his story of
injustice and
deli verance
with a packed
audience at the
University of
North Carolina
at Greensboro
last week.
in applause
that was the
loneliest feel
ing I ever fell
when e very
body got up I
never in my
life wondered
what it would
be like to feel
hated like that
and, I've got to
tell you, in that
instance I felt
everyone's
hatred for a
long time,
even years
after I got
Bloods vvorlh
spun a story all too common in
eases of wrongful conviction.
At trial, the prosecution
had little evidence and instead
relied heavily on eyewitness
testimony. Bloods Worth, a
Maryland resident, said it was
his neighbor who reported to
the police that he matched a
composite sketch of the sus
pect in the brutal' rape and
murder of young Dawn
Hamilton. He said with no
out," said
Bloods worth.
Originally Bloodsworth
was* sent to death row but alter
a retrial he ended up receiving
two consecutive life sen
tences. He would spend over
eight years in prison. He
vividly described the horrid
conditions inside, from rain
pant coachroaches to constant
violence. He said many of the
See Bloodsworth on All <
Slain officer and others honored with safety awards
BY LAY LA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
I"he Center for Community Safety (CCS) hosted its third
biannual Community Safety Awards Friday afternoon at the
Benton Convention Center. Iormed
by WSSU in 2(X)1 with the help of a
five-year grant from the Kate B.
Reynolds Charitable Trust, the Center
for Community Safety is a communi
ty-based initiative that seeks to
address public safety concerns
through collaborations, partnerships
and the implementation of new pro
grams
"It started as a way of really rec
ognizing individuals and organiza
tions who nnrmallv don't have their
names in the light and don't really
know that they're making a contribution to our community,"
explained CCS Interim Director Alvin Atkinson. "We want
ed to give them recognition, to have an opportunity to cele
brate their work, because it was their work that was helping
See Awards on A 5
WSSU Pt**?
Winners l.t. Robert T witty, from left. Bill McClttin, Tracey Maxwell, Tiffani Catl&art, Stan Hill
and Joyce Plouff, the widown of Sgt. Howard Plouff.
Workers honored for overcoming employment barriers
Forsyth Industrial
Systems assists dozens
with disabilities
BY TODD LUCK'
? THE CHRONICLE
Finding a job chn be hard
er for some people than others.
Bui for those with-'develop
mental and physical disabili
ties. finding and keeping a
goqd job is a real accomplish
ment
Forsyth Industrial Systems
(MS) held an awards ceremor
ny last, Thursday at the
Behavioral Health lla/a
downtown to honor many w ho
had achieved that feat
FIS presented Certificates
of achievement to all its clients
who have loumi and main
Phrto h> Todd Lock
The award recipients pose outside of Forsyth Industrial Systems after the ceremony.
laincd jobs over Ihc last year
I IS helps its clients with
employment and holds the cer
cmon> annually to highlight
their achievements
Though more than 80 peo
ple were listed as finding wojk
this year, far less showed up
for the aftern<x>n ceremony
because many were too busy
earning money at their places
of employment /
Kevin Hiatt, an HS ,
employment specialist who
hosted the awards, said that
finding a job can be very dill i
E
cult for those <\ i th disabilities,
so his clients' employment is
cause for celebration
"These guys fly under the
radar lor most ofQ their lives.
They've been told they 'can't'
and people tend to focus on
(he limitations of folks with
disabilities and we like to
highlight the abilities that they
have, the inspiration that the\
are to their families and to the
community," Hiatt said "The
community needs to see these
guys out working. I tlunk it's
gcxxl for everyone to realize
there is this kind of program
here. Anybody who docs a
good job I think should be
rewarded and it means a whole
lot to these guys."
MS works with those who
are -mentally and physically
disabled. Its clients have a
See Workers on A 14
In Grateful Memory of Our
Founders ,
Fbrrie S. Russell and
Carl H.Russell, Sr.
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better"
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
l
1
822 Carl KunsoII Ave.
(at Martin Luther KiriK ' >'?)
Wiiistoii-Sali'm , NC 27 1 0 1
C33?> 72213459
Fa* (336) 631-8268
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