W 1 1 -t till I ::X'4 I |'| Hi '|i >| ? The Chronicle Vol. XXXVII No. 52 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, August 25, 2011 Young bailers battle for supremacy ?See Page BH New schools will open in Nov. -See Pane A9 Freshmen arrivS,?Cc fanfilft? west . w, rWinston-S. * I > ?>. '/ ' I. .1 I. *.?**4 C f-lMj'l Kvnil CTY HM. U I 0 W Mil Si Photo by Jamia Moore City workers unveil the new permanent street sign. Road to Success Stadium Drive renamed in honor of WSSU BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE Amid a season of tough decisions and setbacks due to state budget cuts, members of the Winston-Salem State University family found reason to celebrate, asxity workers unveiled the new street sign just outside the school's entrance at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and the former Stadium Drive. Stadium Drive, which extends from the WSSTJ entrance*' H^ihe campus of Salem College, was re-christened Rams Drive during a brief cer emony Friday mornings ? "For the university, this is truly a historic day. We consider the renaming of the Stadium Drive to be a badge of honor," declared Chancellor Donald Reaves. "I believe that having the street renamed .shows the city's level of respect for and under standing of our contri butions to this commu nity." The crusade to rename the street was led by State Rep. Larry Womble, a member of the school's Class of 1963, Womble says he is not aware of any other HBCU in the state that has a road name attributed to it. "This is a great occasion," Womble told the faculty, staff alumni and community leaders who gathered for the event. "It gives viability and it gives more visibility to one of the greatest institutions that we have, not just in Winston Salem, but in in the whole state of North Carolina." City Council Member Derwin Montgomery, who repre sents the city's East Ward, said the city was happy to partner with the university on the effort. "It was unanimously voted on so you have the full sup port of the City Council and this community," he declared. Montgomery, a 2010 graduate of WSSU who serves as vice chair of the city's Public Works Committee, said the renaming of a major thoroughfare such as Stadium Drive does not happen often. Sec Rams on A2 WSSU Photo by Garrett Gum WSSU aluum Stale Rep. Larry Womble speaks. Standing Tall and Proud UPf/Kcvin Dietsch The $120 million Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial opened Monday near the Tidal Basin on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall. The memori al - which features a 30-foot-tall statue of the civil rights leader - stands between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials and the nearby F.D. Roosevelt memorial. It is the first monument on the National Mall erect ed in honor of an African-American and a non-president . The official ded ication will be on Sunday, Aug. 28, the 48th anniversary of King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Photo by Layla Farmer Alberta Liles is 105 years-young. At 105, Liles gets first b-day celebration BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE City resident Alberta Liles' birthday party last Saturday evening was a long time coming. One hundred and five years to be exact. Despite more than a cen tury of living, Liles. a native of Wadesboro, said she had never had a birthday celebra tion in her honor before the Aug. 20 gathering at the Wingate hotel on the eve of her true birthday, Aug. 21. "It feels real nice," Liles said of finally having her day. "It's exciting to me." The centenarian, who walks without the aid of a cane or walker, arrived at the celebration dressed to the nines in a lilac suit having had her hair freshly coifed at the salon as is her weekly tra dition. "I thank y 'all for coming and I feel all right," she told her expectant guests at the outset of the celebration. "I praise the Lord and I thank Him for taking care of me See Liles on A10 Black community leaders at odds over prayer debate BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE Some say it's freedom of speech. Others say it's trampling the freedoms of others. Earlier this month, members of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners voted 6-1 to continue a battle over the sec tarian prayers that has been the source of heated debate across the county for years. County residents Janet Joyner and Constance Blackmon sued the Board in 2007. claiming that using sectarian prayers, which name a specific deity, to open a government meeting is unconstitutional. Since that time, the debate has escalated, with both sides gaining allies from organizations like the ACLU and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, both of whom support the plaintiffs, and the Alliance Defense Fund Inc. and the NC Partnership for Religious Liberty, who support Commissioners. Sec Prayer on A 1 1 Marshall Witherspoon HAWS, Urban League battle for bragging rights on the diamond The HAWS Hornets Photos by Todd l uck BY TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE Housing Authority of Winston-Salem (HAWS) employees challenged employees of the Winston Salem Urban League to an epic softball game last Thursday at BB&T Ballpark. Coworkers, family members and friends cheered on the Urban League Smashers and the HAWS Hornets from the stands of the massive ballpark, which hosts the home games of the Winston-Salem Dash. The players and fans were treated to the whole big ballpark experience. Each employee who went up to See Game on A 10 The Urban League Smashers Spend it here. Keep it here. BUY LOCAL FIRST! CHAMBER A Mind For Business.