ports on page B1
Volume 44, Number 16
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
Witherspoon: C
no choice but C
THURSDAY, December 21, 2017
unty had
rdinal
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
County commissioners voted on an
agreement with Cardinal Innovations
Healthcare, curbside recycling and a
wrongful death settlement during their
Thursday, Dec. 14, meeting.
Commissioners approved an annual
performance agreement with Cardinal
Innovations Healthcare, which provides
mental health, developmental disability
and substance abuse services in Forsyth
and 19 other counties. By state law, coun
ties help pay for such services. The agree
ment includes providing the county with
invoices, quarterly progress reports on
service utilization and other data related to
the use of county funds. It also says that
Cardinal will provide training and assis
tance to the Social Services and Public
Health departments.
Cardinal, the state’s largest managed
care organization, was temporarily taken
over by the state recently because of “seri
ous mismanagement of funds ” which
includes paying its CEO three times what
is allowed by state law before firing him
with a $1.7 million severance package.
County Commissioner Vice Chair Don
Martin was absent from the vote because
he was attending a meeting to choose
See Cardinal on A7
-!---i.....
t Bakers Waste Equipment Incorporated Image
This is the type of recycling compactor that Forsyth County will be adding to the
Hanes Mill Road Landfill, though the county’s will be colored green.
jmm
A family is in the process of choosing a toy at the
16.
>s for War Toys toy giveaway
Winston-Salem
Photo by Busta Biown
on Saturday, Dec.
in
BY BUSTA BROWN
THE CHRONICLE
God said, “Let there be
peace on earth as it is in
heaven,” and Winston
Salem’s Ben Piggott has
been doing just that for 23
years with his annual Peace
Toys for War Toys event.
The program gives children
and adults the opportunity
to exchange war toys for
free peace toys.
Piggott started the pro
gram because of a personal
tragedy.
“My brother was killed
by his best friend, and the
first thing my mother told
us was, regardless of what
happened about the shoot
ing, let God handle it,”
Piggott said.
Piggott got. emotional
as he spoke about his moth
er’s wisdom. “Her very
Sophia Mitchell and daughter Emma Parsons have
fun at the Peace Toys for War Toys toy giveaway on
Saturday, Dec. 16.
words before she passed
two years ago, was the
same as before, remember
to always let God handle it.
So with Peace Toys for War
Toys, we’re going to get
out there and spread love
instead of hate. We’re not
going to cause any prob
lems. We want eveiy child
to know that, giving love
solves all of our hate prob
lems.”
Ben looked at .me,
smiles, put his arms around
me and says, “There’s no
way in the world that
revenge is the way out.
Give love and stretch your
arms around that brotha
and let him know you love
him, because Christ is
about love, and that’s what
we’re doing today.”
The expression on the
children’s faces was price
less, what they were feeling
was something neither gift
nor money could buy, and
that was pure love, which
you could see and feel from
Piggott and the many vol
unteers, liked Gary Lash.
“Look around, Busta,
look at all the people here,
smiling faces, a bunch of
happy children, and happy
parents that didn’t have to
go out to get any extra toys;
• it means the world,” Lash
said.
I felt Lash’s passion,
and as I looked around, I
nearly began crying tears
See Peace on A7
W-S native
steps down as
Durham mayor
BY CASH MICHAELS
TOR THE CHRONICLE1
After 16 years, Durham Mayor William “Bill” Bell, a
Winston-Salem native, stepped down as the Bull City’s
titular government leader Dec. 4. Under his leadership,
the city has gone from being perceived as a sleepy little
also-ran to nearby neighbor Raleigh, to now being one of
the hottest, ever-growing destination areas in the
[.JdllMfot, with jewels in the crown like North Carolina
Central University, Duke University, the* American
Tobacco District, Duke Medical Center, and of course, the
Durham Performing Arts Center, attracting tens of thou
sands of new businesses and residents.
He looked back with pride, couched in his trademark
cool, insight and
thoughtfulness.
!§•• “By and large,
we’ve sort of found a
niche,” Bell said,
regarding ~~ why
Durham is such a hot
location right now.
‘Durham is sort of a
funky-type town any
way. With the revital
ization we’ve had
downtown, and the
way we’ve done it, up
until the past few
years, it has all been
renovations ot exist- j|
ing factories. ge[[
“Now we’ve got
new buildings that are coining on line, but as a part of that,
we’ve created a place to be, rather than a place to be away
from, particularly in downtown. People are able to work
there; live there; entertainment - DPAC'has been a great
success, the Durham Bulls a tremendous success. With
that has come restaurants, and we’ve come to be known as
sort of the ‘foodie’ type town in the south. More hotels, so
all of those things coming together, I think have sort of put
a spotlight on Durham, in terms of what it had been in the
past.”
William Bell was bom in Washington, EXT, but was
raised in Winston-Salem. After graduating from Atkins
High School, which was segregated, Bell attended
Howard University from 1957 -61, where he studied engi
neering. Bell was 16 when he finished.
In college, Bell was in the ROTC, and after Howard,
he went to work at Martin Marietta in Orlando, Florida.
But soon, the US Army called, and he found himself sta
See Bell on A7
660 W5THST
WINSTON SALEM NC 27101-2755 60
City Council approves controversial cell tower
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The Winston-Salem City Council
approved a controversial cell tower,
a report on a potential bond referen
dum and an ordinance allowing for
trolley pubs in its Monday, Dec. 18,
meeting.
The meeting was again dominat
ed by a controversial special use zon
ing for a 150-foot cell tower on the
property of Twin City Bible Church.
The “slick stick” pole would have no
visible attachments. The petitioner
was represented by lawyers and real
tors who presented analysis of home
values in the area and in another
neighborhood with a cell tower that
showed it would have no significant
impact on property values. The
Ardmore Neighborhood Association,
which represents approximately
5,000 homes in the area, disagreed.
Ardmore Association President
Daniel Castro argued against the
methodology and conclusions of the
Veal tors.
By state law, cellphone towers
receive quasi-judicial hearings,
where the council hears sworn testi
mony and can only base their vote on
findings of fact. They can only con
sider “expert” testimony on property
values.
City Council Member Dan
Besse, whose Southwest Ward the
tower will reside in, said that the law
obligated him to side with the peti
tioner’s evidence over his con
stituents. He said that if the tower
was denied it wolild be easily over
turned in court.
See Tbwer on A7
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