Winter
League
• See Opinion/l orum pages on A6&7*
• See Sports on page HI*
Volume 44, Number 28
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
THURSDAY, March 15, 2018
Prep captures fifth state title
Phoenix defeat Pamlico County 7046
to take NCHSAA1A Championship
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE___
Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy (WSPA)
wrapped up a magical season with a state title last week
end when they defeated Pamlico County by 24 points.
After starting out slow on March 10, the Phoenix
caught fire in the second half and never looked backed in
route to a 70-46 victory. After trailing 30-28 at halftime,
WSPA finished the game on a 33-4 run and held the
Hurricanes to only four points in the final period.
WSPA was led by senior guard Daivien Williamson
who finished the game with 27 points and was named the
game’s Most Valuable Player. Senior KJ Watson, who
was named West Region Most Valuable Player, had a stel
lar game for the Phoenix as well; he finished the contest
with nine points and eight rebounds.
See Prep on A2
Submitted photo
Winston-Salem
Preparatory Academy
wrapped up a magical
season last weekend
with a State
Championship when
they defeated the
Hurricanes of Pamlico
County 70-46.
Photo by Todd Luck
Walter Marshall’s family unveils the plaque honoring him inside the Department of Social Services
Walter Marshall
building dedicated
Paulette Marshall
remembers her late hus
band, Walter Marshall,
at a ceremony naming
the Department of
Social Services building.
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The Forsyth County Department of
Social Services building is now officially
The Walter Marshall Building.
Marshall was a county commissioner,
former school board member and former
local NAACP president who was a long
time member of the Social Services
board. He passed away on Feb. 22,2017.
The exterior of the Social Services build
ing now bears Marshall’s name and a
plaque in his honor was unveiled inside
the building during a ceremony on March
8.
“This building is the least we can do
to honor his work in this community,”
said Commissioner Fleming El-Amin.
Each of the county commissioners
remembered their former colleague, who
was often outspoken in championing
what he believed in.
“He will call you out and that’s what
leadership is,” said Everette Witherspoon.
County Commissioner Vice Chair
Don Martin remembered a quieter time
with Marshall, when he sat beside him on
a five hour flight in which they discussed
their upbringings.
“I had this really wonderful glimpse
of what it was like to grow up as a young
African-American male in the late ’50s
and early ’60s and learned about his val
ues and what that meant and what com
munity meant to him and what he
believed in,” said Martin.
Numerous community leaders also
shared their thoughts, too. Dr. Carlton
Eversley described Marshall as a “friend
See Building on AS
City/County
applying for
‘Opportunity
Zones’
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE_
“Opportunity Zones” that give tax breaks for invest
ing in low income areas are coming to Winston-Salem.
Opportunity Zones were created by a provision in the
2017 tax overhaul bill. The zones will be census tracts
mai nave eiuicr pcivciu
of households living
below the federal poverty
line or where median fam
ily incomes don’t exceed
80 percent of statewide
median incomes.
Contiguous tracts thdjt
don’t exceed 125 percent
of.the qualifying adjacent
tract can also be included.
Investors will be able
to use Opportunity Funds,
certified by the U.S.
Treasury, for investing in
properties in these tracts.
These funds will have
capital gains tax relief that
grows the longer the
investment is held, with
investments that exceed
10 years being exempt
form capital gains taxes.
Funds can be used for
company stocks, infra
structure, real estate,
affordable housing, transit
systems, machinery/equip
Witherspoon
Plyler
ment and other assets.
Only 25 percent of qualifying census tracts will
become Opportunity Zones. City and county staff met to
select just over 10 tracts for the program. The recommen
dations will go through the Piedmont Triad Regional
Council of Governments, the Governor’s Office and
then, ultimately, the U.S. Treasury Department, which is
expected to accept at least 10 tracts in Forsyth County.
The intention of Opportunity Zones is to bring invest
ment to distressed areas and opportunity to lower income
communities. However, nearly half the census tracts in
See Zones on AS
WINSTON SALEM. NC 27101-2755 60
Some commissioners want a county sales tax
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Forsyth County commissioners are consider
ing a quarter-cent county sales tax.
A staff presentation was given to the commis
sioners about the county sales tax option last
month. County Commissioner Chair Don Martin
likes the idea and renewed the discussion about it
during last week’s county briefing on March 8.
Whisenhunt
In 2007, the General
Assembly gave counties the
ability to charge a one-fourth
of a cent sales tax. This would
have to be approved in a voter
referendum on an even num
bered year and would not
apply to groceries or gas. The
county could apply the money
to whatever it chooses.
The tax would bring in an estimated $12.7 mil
lion. A 2003 study solicited by the county found
that 33 percent of sales tax revenue in Forsyth is
from purchases made by non-county residents.
According to a 2013 estimate, a quarter cent sales
tax would generate $3.3 million from non-county
residents.
Martin has proposed using the generated rev
enue by in-county residents to lower county prop
See Sales Tax on A5
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