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- THE CHARLI fTTE PI 1ST
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Vi»Wie lJ^Number 42 THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, March 20, 1986 Price: 40 Cents
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Story On Page 6A
Dr. Darnell
Bad Check
Law Helps
Retailers
An informal survey by NCRMA
indicates that legislation passed by
the 1965 General Assembly, de
■ sighed to award treble damages for
worthless checks is working well.
Senator Wilma Woodard (D)
Wake County sponsored a bill that
allows the receiver of a worthless
check to collect treble damages, or
three times the face value of the
check as penalty._ _
The legislation requires that the
receiver of the check send a certi
fied letter to the check-maker
stating that he has 30 days in which
to make the check good, or the
receiver will file in magistrates
court and collect treble damages. As
a deterrent to the writing of bad
'check* in small amounts that
individually are not worth process
ing but collectively canreewsedt a
JilOO and Vjnaximum~pa*ymemt ofjk
*$00. This provides a civil penalty
. for bad checks pnd an incentive for'
the maker of a worthless check to
make the check good. No penalty is
incurred if the writer makes good
wiuun m days.
“Our conversation with members
clearly indicates that this legislation
is good for retailers wJk> have been
hurt by taking bad checks and this is
ultimately a savings to the con
sumer,” said William C. Rustin,
President, NCRMA.
“This new legislation has assisted
Food Lion by making it worthwhile
to collect very small checks that
previously we could not afford to
pursue, and that helps us to keep
food prices down in North Carolina,”
said Tom E. Smith, Presldetot, Food
Lion, Inc. •
“We are especially interested in
helping the smaller merchant who
has neither the time nor the staff to
collect on bad checks,” said Senator
Wilma Woodard.
1 he shrinero Are
yJAw rl-A’y.i.
Coming To Cfcaiiotte
The Shrine Directors Staff Asso
ciates are in Charlotte this week
through Saturday, March 22. The
Shrine Directors stage productions
for the million member service and
fraternal organization. This is their
first national meeting In Charlotte
since 1964.
The Oasis Temple, which is host
ing the convention, encompasses the
Charlotte area and the 48 western
North Carolina counties. Oasis is the
fifth largest temple hi Shrinedom..
Highlighting the five-day conven
tion will be a Shriners Parade
Saturday morning, beginning at
11:90.
In addition to the directors
meeting, thousands of Shriners are
expected to visit the dty from aO 10
Mates as well as Canada and
: jjjhlco.
Included in the agenda is a Joint
ceremonial tor the Oasis, Am ran,
and Sudan Temples, which will
include the Induction of mw
A thing is worth precisely what
It can do for you; not what you
choose to pay for M.
Seronica Bittle
.East Mecklenburg junior
Seronica Bittle Wins
• ‘ X
Usheans’ Oratorical Contest
By Jalyne Strong
Post Staff Writer
Seventeen-year-old Seronica
Bittle is the talented young lady who
. recently won first place in the
Oratorical contest of the North
Carolina State Ushers Convention in
Raleigh, N.C. She admits she was
“nervous” about presenting her
speech entitled, “The Dynamics of a
Dedicated Usher” before the entire
convention. But when it was all over,
she was surprised and happy to be
the recipient of the $150 prize, that
will go towards her college
education.
Seronica is a junior at East Meck
lenburg High School and she’s look
ing forward to graduating high
school next year. She says she’s
eager to “get on with my life, meet
new people, and get started on my
goals.
"I like working with computers,”
Seronica relates and she adds that
part of her career interest is to be a
computer operator. Interestingly,
she also wants to be a fecording
aruM. I warn 10 make gospel
record*,” she specifies.
This week's beauty's favorite type
of music la gospel Her favorite
recording artist is Dot tie Peebles
and the latest record she enjoys
most is "I’m Still Holding On" by
Deborah Barnes. Seronica has her
own opportunity to sing gospel at 8t.
Paul Baptist Church, where she is a
member of the Youth Choir and
was previously a member of the
P.W Drummond Choir. Seronica's
beautiful voice is featured in her
many aaloa for the choir. . ^
She is also planning to partici
pate as a soloist in the upcoming
Debutante Cotillion, sponsored by
the Charlotte Alum nee Chapter of
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. '
Seronica describee herself aa the
type of person who "likes to meet
new people and is very interested In
the future and whet she wants to
become In life.” Born under the
zodiac sign of Gemini, her main
interests center around her ehoNB;
St Paul Baptist. She is an usher and
vice president of the Junior Ushers
She is president of the - Youth
Missionaries and a member of the
Youth Advisory Committee. She is
additionally a member of the Girl
Scouts ■ - v *>•-;, _
This young lady is the otdeet child
in her family. She has one stater
Tymlka, who’s IS years old.
, .1> / * Si.
Seronica likes the responsibility of
being the eldest. “I can tell my sister
what's expected,” she relates from
experience. Seronica says her
advice to other young people is:
"Stay in school and connect and
apply yourself to a church. Listen to
your parents and remember they
have traveled the road which we
must travel.”
James and Janie Bittle are
Seronica’s parents. Seronica
says of her mother, “She’s a hard
worker. If she says something to
my sister and I, we can depend on it.
She’ll get on our case and we love
her. I personally would like to be
like her,” points out Seronica.
She adds that her favorite re
minder from her Mom is the
"Golden Rule”: "Do unto
others.”
"A frequent reminder from my
father,” concludes Seronica, “is to
never forget to pray.”
Rep. William Gray To
Challenge GrammRudman
Special To The Post
Representative William H.
Gray III “brings to national politics
a new ideology for black progress,”
says Publisher Earl G. Graves in the
March issue of Black Enterprise.
“His political style incorporates
quick-minded ingenuity with tough
wheeling and dealing,” continues
the cover story.
The Philadelphia Congressman
from the Second District will get the
chance to prove these talents this
year. As Chairman of the Budget
Committee, Gray has to bring the
federal deficit into line with the new
Gramm-Rudman Balanced Budget
Act.
“Gramm-Rudman completely re
writes the Budget Act," Gray told
Black Enterprise, “and with no
guidelines or previous experience an
how to proceed welbbe going down
an entirely new road.”
One of his toughest challenges will
be to reduce the deficit while
protecting much-needed social
programs. Gray has already taken
measures to exempt Social Security,
child nutrition programs, food
stamps, and Medicaid from an auto
matic, across-the-board spending
reduction that will go into effect if
the Congressional Budget Office and
the Office of Management and
Budget are unable to bring the 1987
federal deficit to the $144 billion
mark set by Gramm-Rudman.
One of Gray’s greatest assets,
according to Black Enterprise, is his
talent for convincing his colleagues
to support his goals - a talent he
may be relying upon a great deal
this year.
"Gray has been a buffer against
further cuts in health, education and
housing,” says Congressman
Walter Fauntroy (D-Washington,
DC). “The fact that we have a public
housing program at all is a tribute to
his leadership in the budet com
mittee.”
Despite the demands of being
House Budget chairman. Gray still
keeps Philadelphia's Second District
high on his list of priorities, reports
Black Enterprise. His staff of 11,
spread throughout three offices,
works for a very demanding boss
"The congressman isn’t the
easiest person to work for,” said one
staffer. "He knows what he wants
and how he wants it.”
William Gray
.Philadelphia Congressman
Gray admits he’s hard on his
workers. “I like things done right,
and I want my staff to seek to do a
perfect job,” he told Black Enter
prise. “They may not reach per
fection, but that’s what they should
be striving for.”
So what's next for Bill Gray after
tackling the mighty Gramm
Rudman? When his tenure as
Budget chairman ends, either in 1986
or 1988, Gray will be relegated to the
lowest third in seniority on the
See REP. GRAY On Page 2A
NAACP Fundraising Banquet Set
The annual NAACP Legal Defense
and Educational Fund (LDF) fund
raising banquet will be held Satur
day, April 19, at the Adam's Mark
Hotel. Pre-banquet activities will
begin at 6:30 p.m. with the banquet
following at 7:30
The affair is being billed as a
homecoming for nationally known
attorney and former Charlottean
Julius L. Chambers who is Director
Counsel of the LDF and banquet
speaker Prior to assuming the top
post at LDF headquarters in New
York City, Chambers was senior
partner of the former Chambers,
Ferguson, Watt, Wallace and
Adkins, P A Law Firm
Chambers is perhaps more widely
known as the attorney for the plain
tiffs in the landmark Charlotte
Mecklenburg Schools Desegregation
Case
The association between Atty.
Chambers and the NAACP Legal
Defense and Educational Fund
spans many years Following his
See NAACP On Page 14A
Carnival Of Sorts
Just Westfest Festival” Planned For Westside
By Jalyne Strong
Post Staff Writer
What about a celebration of north
west Charlotte; a way to highlight
all the poelUve things about this
community?
That's the brainstorm Sam Young
mulled over with friends, State
Alexander, Fred White, Cal
Thornton, Kelly Alexander Jr., Bob
Alston and Attorney Calvin
Murphy and, with their assistance,
his concept began to jell into a
possible Beatties Ford Rd. area
festival.
More ideas, more planning and
Young's ready to announce that the
"Just Weatfest Festival," a carnival
of sorts for the communities sur
rounding Beatties Ford Rd , will be
haM on Saturday, May 31.
"The parking lot of the University
Park Shopping Center will bn the
major focal point of the festival,”
projects Young. “There will be two
sound stages, concessions, arts end
crafts booths, s barbecue rooking
r on test, ft road rare, the possibility
of a bet sir balloon and hay rides. It
win be a festival everyone can fed
good about and enjoy. Clean, whole
some fun for the entire family.”
State Alexander
.Committee ekatraiaa
The festival Is expressly planned
to include the residents of the seven
West Charlotte communities of tbs
recently passed small area plan:
University, Park, Oaklawn, Lincoln
Heights, Dalebrook, Washington
Heights, Oakview Terrace and
li^t ^1. i — ft rim mm Masa
MCLrorey MPiRnrs However, Young
is looking forward to the pnfttdpa
Sam Young
.Prujcct organliar
tion of people fidm ell over
Charlotte.
With just Over two months' time
before the scheduled date of the
festival, the growidwork for "Just
Westfast” is being briskly laid by
Young and associates. He, along
with Alexander, White, Thornton,
Alexander Jr., Alston, and Morphy,
are the kev members of the ‘‘Just
Westfest" Board of Directors.
"We're in the process of forming an
Advisory Committee," comments
Young He drops the names of
Charlotte Post publisher Bill
Johnson, Bob Davis and Vivian
Nivens, Executive Director of the
Afro-American Cultural Center, as
confirmed members of the Advisory
Committee. Councilwoman Cyndee
Patterson, organizer of the Char
lotte SpringFest, has been named
honorary chairperson of the event,
Young relates
That fact taken with its many
apparent similarities to the annual
SpringFest event held annually in
downtown Charlotte may lead many
- to speculate that “Just Westfest" Is
merely a black SpringFest. But
State Alexander, chairman of the
Westfest publicity committee
negates that image. He asserts.
‘‘The Westfest is our way to express
ourselves and define what is Im
portant to us. We’re proud of
ourselves and what we’ve accom
plished in our community. We’re
proud of the northwest community
history and what we have to bring to
See WSflTrar Oa Page «A A