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Forum pages A6&7 SMPUBPElj^1 I
The Chronicle
Volume41,Number33 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, April 30, 2015
Public input meetings
scheduled throughout city
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The Winston-Salem Transit Authority is preparing fi
the first evef major overhaul of its routes, and the public
being invited to give its input.
WSTA will be holding more than 20 meetings arour
the city to get public comments on the proposed change
which will go into effect later this year or early next yet
WSTA General Manager Art Barnes said that WST
has made smal
changes to it:
past four decades
J become inefficien
"Instead o:
forest, we've beer
trees for a lonj
~ "So we decided t(
3r est, and some o:
u/anf^H trv rlr\ ic
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how we can
~ i 1L..1
cuiiicui, aiiu mai means some aireci
s routes to our major generators... like malls and hospitals,
lr' social services."
A Some of the routes go back decades, back to the Safe
Bus Co., the precursor to the WSTA. Safe Bus was a pri
I incremental
I routes over the
I but that's
I over the years.
I dealing with the
I dealing with the
M time," he said.
I deal with the for
I the things we
i tiln o iaai/ at
___/ taivv a iuua at
become more
vate, black-owned bus company founded in 1926 to pro
vide mass transit for the black sections of the city during
segregation. The company would operate until 1972,
when it was bought out by the city and became the WSTA,
which now makes more than 2 million passenger trips a
year and provides service seven days a week.
Barnes said making incremental changes had caused
some routes to lengthen and caused passengers to take
longer to get to their destinations. He said the goal with
the new routes will be to have shorter travel time, better
passenger access and increase the frequency of bus serv
ice. This will all be done at the current cost of the transit
system, using the same amount of miles driven and work
er hours. There won't be an increased cost to passengers
See Routes on A2
Barnes
UNREST IN BALTIMORE
A man walks past a burning police vehicle, Monday, April 27, during unrest following the funer
al of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was
arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van.
Hopes of peace before
justice fall with riots
BYE.R.SH1PP
SPECIAL TO THE AFRO-AMERICAN NNPA MEMBER
BALTIMORE ? Just hours before Baltimore
went upside down, the Rev. Lisa Weah prayed at
Freddie Gray's funeral "that Baltimore will be a
model of how to move forward and to be better than
what we've been."
After many more rich words that fed the soul
and fired the resolve Monday [April 27], we went
out into the great unknown hoping for a miracle.
But a nightmare had been unfolding even as we
heard such inspiring words from the Rev. Jamal
Bryant, who was anointed by no less than the Rev.
Jesse Jackson Sr. as a worthy standard bearer in
these times; from Billy Murphy, the lawyer who
claimed he did not know how to preach but set the
Perspective
house afire anyway; from Rep. Elijah Cummings;
and from Jackson himself.
The Baltimore Police Department had sent word
out that law enforcement personnel were being
threatened by a frightening coalition of Crips,
Bloods and the Black Guerrilla Family. About the
same time, someone sent word out to school-age
Baltimoreans to meet at the Mondawmin Mall for a
"purge."
So even before Freddie Gray's casket was low
See Unrest on AS
Council to vote
on contested
rezoning issue
in E. Winston
BY CHANEL DAVIS
THE CHRONICLE
Two different agencies are hoping that the Winston-Salem City
Council will vote Monday, May 4 in their favor when it comes to the
property at 939 Cleveland Ave.
The Housing Authority of Winston-Salem's (HAWS ) Board of
Commissioners voted to sign a petition of protest against the rezoning
of the property at 939 Cleveland Ave. at a special meeting that was
called on April 21. A petition of protest triggers a super majority of the
City Council in order for the rezoning to pass, thus it would require six
members to pass instead of five, the mayor would have to vote.
The petition could prevent The Salvation Army from purchasing
the daycare building from Greater Cleveland Christian Church and
turning it into an estimated 90-bed facility to house homeless individ
uals directly across from the Oaks at Tenth property.
"The reason that this building interests us is ***p 53
because it's a place we have the money on hand to neSIQeniS
buy, it's adequate for our needs because it has nine 0pp0S6
rooms already where we can have 12 people per rezonina
room and it has a kitchen already in," said Major '
James Allison. "Some of the folks in the neigh- See page A9
borhood and Housing Authority think that it ????_
would deter the plan (Cleveland Avenue Initiative Masterplan) and the
investors from coming and investing in the neighborhood. 1 don't
believe that would happen."
The Salvation Army leased 901 Cleveland Ave. back in October
with hopes to purchase the adjacent property in question. The goal is
to relocate the nonprofit's family shelter there. The purchase of the
building would be temporary, although there is n<? current date as to
when The Salvation Army would leave. The organization is hoping to
raise funds to create a future building to hold its administrative offices,
family shelter and emergency assistance offices.
"The Salvation Army is committed to serving homeless women
and families. This is a great opportunity for us to continue to do all of
that," Allison said." 'We don't plan to be there one day longer than we
have to. It will take some time to build and hold the campaign,
though."
The organization said that the facility will provide better access to
public transportation, the Department of Social Services and the
Department of Mental Health.
Also, the organization touts the proximity to its administrative
office as another reason to have its facility there.
"This gives us the ability to provide better services through those
emergency facilities while they are staying with us," Allison said.
"They are all a straight shot from where the building would be. The
icing on the cake would be the two lovely playgrounds for the children
that are with us."
Larry Woods. CEO of the HAWS, said that the petition is not
against the agency but against having the shelter there
See Rezoning on A9
i . *
_a Cbmmunity honors Geneva Brown; educator, Sunday school teacher, gplfer
BY FELECIA PIOGOTT-LONG, PHD.
FOR THE CHRONICLE . _
In spite of the rain and the chill factor, more
than 200 administrators, educators, former stu
dents, former employees, family members and
friends made their way to the auditorium of the
Simon G. Atkins Academic & Technology High
School on Saturday, April 25, to honor the legacy
of Geneva Anita Bland Brown.
On this special day, two crystal vases of pink
and green gladiolus rested on each side of the
podium. Easels of Brown's paintings of land
scapes, portraits and a still life lined the stage of
the auditorium. Moore School musicians and
singers walked onto the stage to sing "I Believe 1
Can Fly" and raised lit candles as they sang "A
Candle for Remembering." One student stepped
forward to say, "We know that Mrs. Brown loved
all children. She taught us that if we believe in our
selves, we will fly."
The Rev. Dr. Bill J. Leonard, Professor at
See Brown on AS
Photo by Erin Mizelk for thc||
Winston-Sakm Chronicle
A portrait of the
beloved Geneva
Brown sits outside
the Simon G. Atkins
Academic &
Technology High
School auditorium
on Saturday, April
25,2015.
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