Buses
from page A1
residents and enhance the
city's offerings for visitors.
"Anytime a service is
offered seven days a week
and 36S days a year, you
can expect it to be more
useful for both livability
and convenience," he stat
ed. "We're glad to offer
this service for the first
time. We hope that people
will take advantage of it."
City native Randy
Smith says he is looking
forward to the implemen
tation of Sunday service.
"It's about time they
catch up with the rest of
them - with Charlotte and
other cities," said the
grandfather of 13, who
rides the bus daily
Monday-Saturday. "Just
because it's Sunday, peo
ple still need to get
around."
Reading, Penn. native
Earnest Hancock only
i^vcim)' ucgau
riding the bus to f
save gas money, |
but says he is I
also planning to I
utilize public L
transportation jj
on Sundays.
"I think it'll E
help people out, I
like helping
more people get
Hm u/nfrwun vi;ht>n
uvmiivnu nnvii
stuff is going on," said
Hancock, a Forsyth
Technical Community
College student.
City native Bobby
Wilson has been advocat
ing for the city to add
Sunday service for years.
Wilson recalls paying a
dime to ride on the Safe
Bus - a black-owned bus
company that was eventu
ally absorbed by the
-JL_ I
Wilson
WSTA - on Sundays. He
said he was thrilled that
city buses will soon be
running seven days a
week.
"1 am overwhelmed
that it's going to happen
because it opens a new
chapter in Winston-Salem,
a serious new chapter,"
declared the 68
year-old, who
plans to use the
bus to get back
and forth to serv
ices at his church,
St. Stephen
Missionary
Baptist. "It's
good for the city,
it's good for the
green - the envi
ronment - and it puts us on
par with other cities of our
size. Across the board, our
city will be greatly
enhanced."
Turner said he expects
it will take roughly four
months for the city to hire
and train drivers and solid
ify routes, pushing the
expected rollout of Sunday
service to October or
November.
The new budget also
includes merit raises of up
to three percent for city
employees, a measure that
is long overdue in the eyes
of Taylor, who represents
the city's Southeast Ward.
"If we want to retain
our brightest and our best
employees, we have to pay
people, and this budget
addresses that," Taylor
said. "It made me feel
good to be able to turn to
our city employees (during
the budget meeting) and
say thank you."
Overall, the budget
received higher marks than
usual from Council mem
bers, in part because of the
work of the Citizens'
Organizational Efficiency
Review Committee
(COERC), a nine-member
committee that worked to
identify opportunities for
increased revenue for the
city and areas where serv
ices and/or expenses could
be cut. Among the COERC
recommendations that the
city adopted in its fiscal
year 2013-2014 budget
were a $5 increase in max
imum parking fines,
increased fees for ceme
tery plots and grave open
ings and increased fines
for weeded-lot violations.
"I'm definitely happy
with the budget," com
mented Taylor, noting that
he has voted against the
last two budgets. "This
year, we actually came
back and found well over
$1 million in savings, just
by cutting some of the fat."
Making cuts in other
areas allowed city leaders
to keep taxes increases rel
atively low, according to
City Council Member
Derwin Montgomery.
Because most homes in the
city have been devalued
following Forsyth County
Tax Assessor's most recent
revaluation, many home
owners will actually be
paying less for property
taxes despite the increase,
added Montgomery, who
represents the city's East
Ward.
"Their recommenda
tions have been very piv
otal in keeping the tax
rates from going up to rev
enue neutral," he said, ref
erencing a commonly used
taxing procedure that
allows the government to
still receive the same
amount of money despite
changes in property values
and other factors. "...This
budget, for the majority of
the citizens of Winston
Salem when it comes to
the taxes that they're pay-,
ing, they will feel nothing
changing, or they will see a
decrease."
The budget also includ
ed funding for several proj
ects, including revitaliza
tion efforts on the Martin
Luther King Jr. Drive
Corridor and the Creative
Corridors initiative, in
addition to water and
sewer and storm-water
management projects and
improvements at Winston
Lake Golf Course.
Montgomery said he
would've liked to have
seen more funding go to
infrastructure development
and maintenance, which he
says is greatly needed city
wide.
"It's going to probably
come down to us looking
to bring a bond to voters
within the next year or so
in order to get some of
these projects done," he
stated. "It's about $500
million across the city in
needed capital investment.
We're just chipping away
at that, but there's a lot that
needs to be invested in."
The City Council voted
to not accept merit raises
for itself.
Photo* by Lay la Garms
Earnest Hancock poses at the Clark Campbell Transportation Center.
Juneteenth
from page At
suggestion, he changed it
into the shape of a Zulu
shield to represent of the
power of theater to change
lives. The logo, filled with
images representing differ
ent aspects of theatre, has
been the signature of the
massive NBTF ever since.
Williams comes from a
long line of woodcarvers,
having served as an
apprentice under his broth
er. He wants to keep the art
form alive; therefore, he
now has apprentices of his
own. He hopes to return to
Winston-Salem's next
Juneteenth to conduct a
live carving demonstration.
Juneteenth did its part
to educate attendees alxmt
the current struggle. A
number of organizations
set up displays to tout
some of today's most
pressing social issues. The
NAACP set up a display
right beside one for
Democracy North
Carolina. Both groups are
sounding the alarm about
what they say are efforts by
Republicans in the General
Assembly to turn back the
clock on voting and equal
rights. Attendees were
encouraged to sign-up to
take part in the NC
NAACP's Moral Monday
protests, which have taken
place at the General
Assembly each week for
more than two months.
Democracy NC Central
Field Organizer Linda
Sutton has taken part in
several Moral Monday
protests. She compared the
movement to the March on
Washington.
"It's a good feeling to
be with people who are
fighting for causes you
believe in like that," said t
Sutton.
Juneteenth drew atten
dees from far and wide.
Last year, Alabama resi
dent Louretta Hampton
was in Winston-Salem vis
iting her sister-in-law, who
suggested they attend the
Juneteenth festival.
Hampton asked, "What's a
Juneteenth?"
She was dazzled when
she discovered the answer.
Hampton said she was
taken in with the event's
historical displays, espe
cially the one for black
owned Safe Bus Company,
which operated in
Winston-Salem from 1926
to 1972 and was the largest
black-owned transporta
tion company in the world.
Hampton said she has
made a vow to attend the
local festival every year.
She has followed through
with that commitment so
far. She was back at
Saturday's event; where
she stated that she likes
that the festival focuses on
black history beyond slav
ery.
"It (is) giving me a
sense of my culture," she
said. ,
Larry Womble, hon
orary and lifetime chair of
the local celebration, wel
comed afternoon attendees
to the celebration.
"We're here to have a
good time," he said. "I
want you to laugh, I want
you to enjoy yourself, be
with your great-grands and
your family ...and your
children and get good
food."
_ The former state repre
sentative also gave an
Ph.** try Todd ( ucl
Above: Linda Sutton
with interns Charles
Gray and Shelby
Armstrong.
Left: ? LaVon Williams
with his famous logo.
Below: The Safe Bus
exhibit was among
Louretta Hampton's
favorites.
update on his slow recov
ery from a traumatic 2011
car wreck. He said he was
doing well and hopes to be
recovered enough by the
next Juneteenth to do "the
slide" across the stage.
A. STANLEY MITCHELL
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Foreclosure ? Debt Solutions ? Lawsuit Defense
Mr. MNcha* has asrvsd the Isgsl system of North Caralna tor
mora than twenty ysara. Uoanaad to pracSoa stnoe 196S, ha
has bean auoosaaful In helping many cSenta obtain manageable
solutions to thalr debt laauas.
Telephone; (336) 723-4455
112 N. Marshall Street Toll Free: (855) 812-9308
Winston-Salem. NC 27101 Email: asmletsl@aol.com
Helen Monroe
For All of Your Real Estate Needs
336.413.6103
Helen.Monroe@goLRB.com
C.
LEONARD RYDEN BURR
11A L ?S T ATI
Muhammad's Study Group of Winston Salem
Host
The 8th Annual Unity Celebration
The Time And What Must Be Done:
"Muhammad's Economic Blueprint"
?
CATCH THE DASH AT HOME!
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1m tbi Itsfc far a sptcial mi stsrt
Thirsty Thursday:
50% off all leers
I Call now or go online to reserve tickets!
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