=— the CHARLI ITTE PI 1ST as
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The Voice OJ The lil/ick Community "
Vojume 9. Number 18 THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday. Pcber ia»V- -
*==
Stratford Has High
Praise For Staff
^ __ -
See Story On Page 13A
Ethel Guest Keeps
Miss Stroud’s Dreams
- Alive!_
See Below
I White Leads Bears
^Against Golden Bulls
See Story On Page 9A
NICHELLE BENNETT VIEWS
*v j ?— • ,
.^Positive aspects of politics
Our Beauty Believes Jackson
“Should Become^President?—
uy Teresa Simmons
Post Managing Editor '
With all the commotion
about black political can
didates and with comments
like: “Should he run for
this office?*” or "“This one
will be the first black
mayor,” our beauty has
her mind set only upon the
positive aspects of the out
comes.
“I would like for Jesse
.la^kcnn tn Wnm« Prpsi
dent of the United States,”
Nichelle Bennett stated. J,I
think he would improve si
tuations not only for blacks
but for whites as well.”
As a 10th grader at South
Mecklenburg Senior High
School our beauty keeps up
with current events and
enjoys studying German,
“...because it is a new
subject in my curriculum,”
she added. She also en
joyed studying science un
der Mr Brewer while she
was a student at Quail
Hollow. Art is another fa
vorite subject of Ms. Ben
neit She received a rprfjfj
cate of excellence in art in
junior high school.
Many aspects-of life in
terest Ms. Bennett; like
jogging and keeping phy
sically fit. She runs track,
the 440, and also enjoys
traveling and in general
just going places.
Michael Jackson and the
Jacksons are favorite en
tertainers of Ms. Bennett.
"J have just about all their
latest albums,” she con
fessed.
WCTIMMA
What we are depends
on what we do when we
might be doing aome
thing else
j_4 - .
*
Ms. Bennett has two
brothers: Shawn and
Donovan. She and her
family attend Simpson
Gillespie United Methodist
Church where Rev.
Preston Jones is pastor.
“My ambition is to be
come a surgeon,” our
beauty projected. It is a
goal she has long grasped
towards. She is encouraged
by her mother, Mrs. Shalia
Walker, and her Annf
Vivian. "I really admire
my Aunt Vivian. She is
more like a teenager when
it comes to understanding
theprooiems i face.''
The awards and honors
Ms. Bennett has received
in life have been the good
grades in school she has
achieved from studying
Her ambition of becoming
a doctor will depend- ofTtter
discipline So far she
makes A’s and B’s and she
admits a few C’s.
The important charac
teristic is Ms. Bennett’s
belief in success; that just
as Jesse Jackson nas The
makings of a good presi
dent, so has she the will to
achieve her goals.
165,000 Eligible To Get
Help With Heating Bills
Faircloth
Picks Black
Woman
Eva M. Clayton of War
ren County has been ap
pointed vice chairman of
the campaign to get Lauch
Faircloth elected governor.
/
Mrs. Clayton is chairper
son of the Warren County
Commissioners and a
former assistant secretary
of the North Carolina
Department of Natural
Resources and Community
Development. She is presi
dent of Technical
Resources International, a
planning and management
firm in Raleigh.
Between 1977-1980, Mrs.
Clayton was the highest
ranking Black woman in
Gov. Jim Hunt's ad
ministration. The county
commission chan pci son—
recently stated about
Faircloth, “Lauch
Faircloth is the right man
for the right time for North
Carolina. He has a commit
ment to a healthy economy
and increased job op
portunities for all of North
professed.
The only Black woman jn
North Carolina who is a
county commission chair
man, believes Faircloth is
committed to fairness
whicfTWitt-ensure equal ac
cess of the resources of our
state's economy to
minorities and women.
.Vis. Ethel Guest, action director of the
Anita Stroud Story Hour supervises the
children in their various activities.
(Photo by Peeler)
Ethel Guest Proudly Keeps
Miss Stroud’s Dream Alive!
By Loretta Manago
Post Staff Writer
No one thought much
about who would carry on
the Anita Stroud Program
when Miss Stroud was well
ana aDie to OHie lui "liei
children" herself No doubt
, it seemed that Miss Str
oud would continue forever
to lift children from out of
despair to hope
But as the years steadily
passed and increasing age
and poor health slowed her
steps, the thought of who
Second in a series
would continue what. Miss
Stroud had begun was an
ever present one
-EnrlnnJloly fnr y<;cc_
Stroud and her children
(here was a woman who
sensed a need to give her
life more direction, more
meaning and had come to
Miss Stroud to offer her
services. That woman was
Ethel Guest For years she
worked alongside Miss Str
oud. learning the skills of
For Senior Citizens
L. C. Coleman Proposes New Ordinance
By LORI GRIER
Post Staff Writer
Mr. L. C. Coleman, 65,
longtime neighborhood ac
tivisit and senior citizens’
spokesman, wants the
Mecklenburg legislative
delegation to provide relief
numbers of elderly and
mentally and physically
handicapped persons ef
fected by the Charlotte
Mecklenburg property
revaluation.
Mr. Harry Schultz, direc
tor of Chalotte
Mecklenburg’s Tax
Revaluation Department,
knows that the only remedy
lies in legislation.
“The law requires us to
fix a true market value. We
are ethically and morally
bound to do that. We cannot
take condition of ownership
into consideration," he
said.
Because of time and staff
considerations, the depart
ment is unable to search
out property owners who
did not, for what ever
reason, appeal the validity
of the market value that
tax appraisers placed on
their homes.
"A survey to locate and
identify these persons, lie
continued, would be one of
the greatest causes any
organization could under
take.”
Schultz said his depart
ment, now inundated with
work on appraisal* of new
construction, will welcome
L.C. Coleman
...Neighborhood activist
appeals again after
January 1,1984.
"The law allows an ap
peal every calendar year.
If we have made any
substantial errors in fact,
refunds are in order," ad
mitted Schultz.
Coleman says 30 to 35
cases he has run across in
41
volve "the elderly, the
senile and the illiterate who
did not understand the
mailed notice of their right
to appeal before the July 1
deadline or they felt
like it was no use.
"These people, see, have
no power, never had It,
don't know how to get It
Most are in their 70s to 90s.
sit on the porch, go to
church anti to bed A long
time ago they paid maybe :
$5,000 to $8,000 for a house
and now all of a sudden
they get a tax bill bigger
than any house payment
they ever made when they
wtif£ feanUrig.-^-pointrd *h9
Coleman.
Coleman wants .Mecklen
burg’s delegation to the
General Assembly to seek
legislation with a
homestead exemption for
those who have incomes
below $600 a month and
who have owned the pro
perty for 50 years.
On September 9, 1981 he
spoke before the County
Commissioners and gave
each a copy of his or
dinance which would help
to insure the senior com
munity a better life
through the elimination of
property taxes for eligible
elderly individuals The tax
committee is made up of
the Senior Citizens United
(100 members) and the
Washington Heights Com
munity Action Association
(40 members!.
The proposal states the
following 1) The commit
tee proposes the exemption
from property tax assess
ment for any senior citizen
aged 66 and above who has
lived In Charlotte -
Mecklenburg for 50 years,
resides in his own home
and has a fixed income of
no more than $600 a month
Any individual meeting
these Criteria would not be
required to pay property
tax; 2) The r .iinittee pro
poses an amendment to the
state law which allows tax
exemption for $8,500 of pro
perty value for persons ag
ed 85 and above. Due to the
new property revaluation,
this amount is insignificant
and does nothing to ease
the tax burden of elderly,
fixed-income residents.
The committee would en
courage the Charlotte City
Council, the Mecklenburg
County Board of Commis
sioners and the Mecklen
burg County Delegates to
lobby for an amendment in
state law which would
allow a higher amount for
property value exemption
in accordance with the in
creased tax base; 3) The
committee recommends in
vestigation of the possibili
ty of Federal Subsidy or
loan to City, County and
State Government to help
finance the program
Coleman mentioned that
Ms Marilyn Bissel sug
gested that they change the
50 years listed in proposal 1
to 20 years His response
was "sure, we'll do
anything which can help us
out.”
He hopes somehow to
find a mechanism for a
survey to identify the
helpless and powerless to
reflect the magnitude of
the problem He also plans
See Coleman on page 5.
this sacrificing woman, ac
quiring the patience and
- growing in love for the
children with whom she
had constant contact
As director of the Anita
Stroud Program. Ms. Gu
est has devoted 22 years of
her life to this cause With
Miss Stroud as an inspira
tional mentor Ms Guest Is
continuously engaged in
discovering new adven
tures for the children to
benefit from, and in mak
ing the public aware of the
Anita Stroud program and
its objectives
A former Charlotte
Mecklenburg School teach
er, Ms. Guest is a profess
ional artist, who studied at
A&T State University, Ho
ward University, Boston
University and the New
York School of Interior
Design
ms wuest actively
exhibits her art work
appearing in several one
person and group shows
Affiliated with many art
organizations, Ms Guest
has been distinguished with
numerous honors and
awards including the Nine
Who Care Award (1982).
The Human Service Award
Black Women's Caucus
' 1982i, The Governor Ja
mes B Hunt Volunteer
AWARD (1982;, and the
National Wjourner Truth
Meritorius Service Award
(19821
There ure others who, in
addition to Ms Guest, have
felt the need to become
directly involved in the
work of Miss Stroud One of
those persons is Nadine
Houston Her association
with Miss Stroud began as
one of “Miss Nitas
children" but her work
with the missionary began
as a teenager at camp
"When we would go to
camp I used to be one of the
counselors,” reminisced
Mrs Houston
That was years ago Now
grown. Mrs Houston, a
music teacher at Our Lady
of Consolation Catholic
Church has returned the
See Ehtel on page 13
s.
Average
Household
To Get $202
Special To The Post
K A 1.EK1H - An
estimated 1(55.000 low
income households across
the state will be eligible for
financial help with their
heating bills this - winter
through the federal l.ow
Income Energy Assistance
program.
' Bonnie Cramer, assis
tant director for program
administration in the
Department of Human
Resources’ Division of
Social Services, said bow
income F.nerRy Assistance,
provides a one-time paj -
ment to help eligible
households pay their
heating bills. ’ It’s not the
purpose of the program to
pay all of a family's
heating bills, but to provide
--seme- -e*4mf- U*«i) the-iugli
cost of nimmg," she i.iiH _
i.ast year more than
145,000 households received
assistance under the
federal assistance pro
gram. with payments
averaging S 2 0 2 per
household. The size of the
payment a tannly receives
under the program
depends upon the number
of people in the household
their incomes, the region of
the state where they live,
and the type of heating fuel
they use
Cramer said North
Carolina’s share of the
estimated $1,875 billion in
federal funds authorized b>
Congress for this year's
l ow Income Energy
Assistance program is
$29.fi million The Depart
ment of Human Kesources
has been designated as the
for administering the pro
gram. County social ser
vices departments across
the state will determine
eligibility ’
Crarner sa id only
households that have
heating hills are eligible for
financial assistance. Ap
plicants also may he eligi
ble if their heating hills are
included as part of their
rental payment Persons
who live iri public housing
and are subject to addi
tional heating c harges mlfy
qualify for partial
payments Households that
receive a utility allowance
from the HUD Section 8
program also may he eligi
ble for a partial payment if
their utility allowance does
not cover all their healing
costs
Eligible households must
have total countable in
comes at or below the 1981
non farm poverty level.
The amounts paid for
Medicare and hospital in
surance premiums are
deducted from income
nousenoias mat have
working members may
deduct work related and
child care costs from their
earned Income Some other
types of income are not
counted at all such as
loans, income of children
under 14, and in-kind con
tributions
The non-farm poverty
level for different size
See 1(15,000 on page 5