L8 129409 .
NORTH CAROLINA ROOM
FORSYTH CTY PUBLIC LIH
660 W 5TH ST
WINSTON SAL2M NC ? 27 _0
Vol. XXXV No. 40
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C
THURSDAY, June 4, 2009
Boys of
summer
1 prepare
for battle
-See Page B7
Forsyth
hosts
African
nurses
Boys
become
Eagle
Scouts
Leery
leaders
to monitor
Taser use
Police force will get
electroshock
weapons in July
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE . ' ?
Every police officer in Winston-Salem will
soon be equipped with a Taser, an electroshock
weapon that can briefly disable those shocked.
The City Council approved the purchase of
550 Tasers at a cost of nearly $550,000 for the
Police Department. Money confiscated in drug
Burke
Cunningham
arrests will be used to
cover the bulk of the cost,
but taxpayer money may
be required as well.
At the same time the
Council was approving the
purchase of Tasers at
around the time that
African-Americans resi
dents of Warren, Mich,
were up in arms after 16
year-old Robert Mitchell
died after police used a
Taser on him. It was the
third death involving peo
ple shot with a Taser in
2009.
Mayor Pro Tempore
Vivian Burke, who heads
the Public Safety
Committee, voted for the
Tasers but said she didn't
do so lightly. Burke talked
with Police Chief Scott
Cunningham, who
requested the Tasers, to make sure they would be
used only by "well trained people" who are
"carefully monitored." She said she wanted the
assurances so that Tasers won't be used used in
a heavy-handed manner or to target minorities.
"I'm very concerned," said Burke. "That's
why I have said that this is not a tool that will be
used in such a way that is not monitored careful
ly and also people will be cautious how they use
it."
Cunningham said he's a "firm believer" in
Tasers as a less-lethal law enforcement tool than
guns. He supervised their use in pervious posi
tions in police departments in Cary and Tampa,
Fla. He said he believes in their safety, citing
studies like a recent one by Wake Forest
See Tasers oft A8
'09 NBTF
Season is
set to begin
Pre-festival events
start on Saturday
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Although the National
Black Theatre Festival is still
two months away, officials at
the North Carolina
draws ever closer, but
Executive Director Gerry
Patton is adamant that the
Festival will go off without a
hitch, despite the setbacks.
"It's going to be a success,
Black Reparatory
Company, which *
puts on the bienni
al event, are
already working to
stoke the fervor for
the six-day extrav
aganza, which will
mark its 20th
anniversary.
With the death
of Founder Larry
Patton
no doubt about it,"
Patton declared.
"We've always done
a whole lot with a
little bit; we're just
keeping up the tradi
tion."
While the econo
my may have affect
ed the Festival's
fundraising ability,
it has had no impact
on participation thus
Leon Hamlin still
fresh in the minds of many,
and the ever-present fundrais
ing pressure in an ailing econ
omy, the 2009 season has
been a challenge. The
Festival faces a steep deficit
even as the opening day
far. Pattern said. The Festival
remains an attraction for peo
ple from far and near, who
plan family reunions, confer
ences and the like to coincide
with Festival week, she said.
See N'BTF on A9
File Photo
Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner poses with fans during the '07 NBTF.
Yellowjackets stung by negative attention
Active alumni population has kept school strong , leaders say
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
On any given day, you can
find them, in the hallways, in the
classrooms, at the entrance of
Carver High School. And the
members of the Carver High
School Alumni Association don't
stop with mentoring and greeting
at the historically black high
school; they raise money for
scholarships; attend school pro
grams; and support the students
in myriad other ways.
"I've not worked in another
school that's had an alumni asso
ciation that's so actively
involved," said Judy Nelson,
who has served as interim princi
pal at Carver since the fall of
2008 when the school's former
principal, Carol Montague, was
promoted to assistant superin
tendent. "Usually, people gradu
Photo by Lay la Farmer
Interim Carver Principal Judy Nelson.
ate from high school and they
move on, but this group has
always had an interest in
Carver."
The network of support is a
hallmark of the school, according
to Alumni Association President
Isaac "Ike" Howard, who has
volunteered at Carver for more
than a decade.
"We have one of the most
active alumni associations of any
school in Forsyth County, made
up of individuals from all career
fields ... all over the nation," he
said. "We're currently inside the
school, working with staff, facul
ty and students to try to turn
things around."
Carver alumni and students
share a special bond, says
Howard, a member of the Class
of 1965
"The old Carver spirit is still
here," he commented. "Once
they go to Carver, there's a cer
tain closeness that's instilled,
even now. That's why we call it
'Carver Nation.'"
See Carver on AIO
Hoping for a Feeding Frenzy
City leaders, school officials work to promote summer feeding program
Photo by Layla Fanner
Second Harvest's Clyde Fitzgerald talks about the
summer program.
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Summer break is a time that many area children eagerly
anticipate. For many youngsters, summer camps, vacations
and time by the pool are the hallmarks of the season.
However, for the thousands of local kids who depend on free
and reduced cost meals during the school year, the time away
from school may also mean time away from the nutritional
sustenance they enjoy when school's in session.
In an effort to eliminate this concern, Winston
Salem/Forsyth County Schools hosts a Summer Feeding
Program, which offers free, hot breakfasts and lunches to
local youth, from birth to age 18. The program is supported
by funding from the federal government that is allocated for
summertime feeding initiatives.
Last year, a collaborative effort between the school sys
tem, the Office of Mayor Allen Joines and Second Harvest
Food Bank of Northwest NC provided for the dispensation of
more than 64.000 meals, served from 20 designated locations
across the city and county. But that isn't enough for Joines.
who joined the effort four years ago. agreeing to help pro
See Feeding program on A9
Best of the Best
Photo hy Chad Roberts
All eyes were on Brian Jones' 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle on
Saturday during a car show at Carver High School. Jones' ride
was one of the top winners at the event, which rasied money for
the school. Read more on page A10.
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