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REGIONAL
THURSDAY, April 17, 1997
Rowan proposes to help give kids a Smart Start
By Brian Powe support services, health bene- service agents, have taken on bility and the children will be future. most at stake. I’m very pi
By Brian Powe
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
SALISBURY - The Rowan
Partnership for Children has
proposed a plan it hopes will
insure that infants are physi
cally and mentally prepared to
start school.
The Smart Start program of
North Carolina was designed
to help parents find family
Around Rowan
Poetry reading
at Tubman
Little Theatre
April 17
• 7 p.m.: Poetry Reading,
Juanita Torrence-Thompson of
New York; Livingstone
College, Tubman Little
Theater, 701 W. Monroe St.,
Salisbury.
April 17-18
• 7:30 p.m.: Revival, Mt.
Calvary Holy Church, 1400
Standish St., Salisbury.
April 17-19
• 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Curator’s
Choice exhibit, Waterworks
Visual Arts Center, Kerr &
Waters Streets, Salisbury. In
conjunction with Livingstone
College Fine Arts Festival.
April 18
• 4 p.m.: Poetry reading,
Livingstone College, Aggrey
Student Union, 701 W. Monroe
St., Salisbury. Students, facul
ty and staff participating.
Admission free.
• 7 p.m.: Bible study,
Jerusalem Baptist Church, N.
Long St., Spencer
April 19
• 9 a.m.: Salisbury District
Missionary Prayer Breakfast,
Third Creek AME Zion
Church, Cleveland. Sponsored
by the Supply Department of
the Woman’s Home and
Overseas Missionary Society.
Tickets $4.
• 3 p.m.: The Ink Spots,
Catawba College, Keppel
Auditorium, 2300 W. Innes St.,
Salisbury. The internationally
renown recording artists
appearing in concert.
Sponsored by Rowan County
Concert Association. For infor
mation call 638-9887 or 633-
1474.
• 6 p.m.: Gospel Choir 28th
anniversary, Gethsemane
Baptist Church, 719 S.
Caldwell St., Salisbury.
Director: Milton Griffith, pas
tor: Rev. J.L. Stowe.
April 20
• 2 p.m.: Author showcase.
Rowan Public Library, 201 W.
Fisher St., Salisbury Meet 14
different authors, including
Betty Lou Lowery Grace:
“Things to remember for
Children & Youth of Color.”
• 3 p.m.: Usher’s Day,
Miller’s Chapel AME Zion
Church, 1114 Miller’s Chapel
Church Road, Salisbury. Seven
churches participating in the
Fruit of the Spirit. Pastor:
Rev. Matthew Williamson.
• 3 p.m. Men’s Day, Love
Christian Center, 102 N. Long
St., East Spencer. Pastor:
Ronald Hash. Guest speaker:
Minister Alvin Harris of
Refuge Temple, Jonesville,
N.C.
• 7:30 p.m.: UNC-
Greensboro Jazz Ensemble,
Catawba College, Keppel
Auditorium, 2300 W. Innes St.,
Salisbury Concert featuring
jazz across the years.
Sponsored by the Rowan
County Concert Association.
Admission : $15
• 4 p.m.: Gospel Choir In
Concert , Gethsemane Baptist
Church, 719 S. Caldwell St.,
Salisbury.
April 22
• 6-8 p.m.: Parenting classes.
First Union Methodist
Church, 110 W. Church St.,
China Grove. Educational
See Events on page 10B
support services, health bene
fits, and affordable child care.
Rick Travis, director of the
Rowan Department of Social
Services, and Amelia Watts,
director of the Cooperative
Extension Agency, are serving
as moderators for this effort in
Rowan County.
A committee of Rowan
Partnership board members,
child care caterers, and human
service agents, have taken on
the task of seeing that Smart
Start’s goals are developed and
established in Rowan.
According to officials, the
coalition will work until chil
dren and families in Rowan
County are physically, emo
tionally, socially, financially,
and spiritually healthy.
Concurrently, parenthood will
be viewed as a major responsi
bility and the children will be
valued beyond compare, so
that, they will be able to reach
their potential and become
contributing members of soci
ety.
Chairperson of the Rowan
Partnership for Children, Dr.
Shirley Richie, told The
Salisbury Post that the pro
gram should make sure chil
dren are taken care of in the
Campus royalty
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS HI
Shinea C. Wright gets the roya! treatment at the Miss Livingstone College pageant
Step show stresses positives
By Brian Powe
FOE THE CHARLOTTE POST
Thel Stay in School step
show will take place Saturday
at the Paul Laurence Dunbar
Center in East Spencer at 6
p.m.
Boogie D and Busta Brown,
radio DJs of 102 Jamz in
Greensboro, are hosting the
show.
Jerome Banks, program
organizer and director of the
Trojan Legion drill team, said
the program was created to
demonstrate there are rele
vant and effective ideas being
manifested in the black com
munity.
“We want to show that there
are some positive things being
done with our children,” he
said. “There are people who
really care about our youth
and are willing to do for them,
not just bad mouth them.
“We have to do more than
just say, “We want them off the
Baseball Challenge tests
youngsters’ diamond skills
By Brian Powe
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
SALISBURY - The Salisbury
Parks and Recreation
Department and the Charlotte
Knights are co-sponsoring a
Baseball Challenge for youth
in Rowan and neighboring
counties.
The tournament, for girls
and boys from the age of 9-14,
is starting its second season.
“The guys are instructed sep
arately according to their age
and gender,” director Jeff
Holshouser said. “This way,
each individual can maximize
their potential as a baseball
player.”
Each player competes on an
individual basis during the
challenge in three categories:
batting - distance one can hit
the ball off the tee; pitching —
See BASEBALL on page 10B
future.
“It’s prevention, not waiting
until things happen and then
react,” she said.
Richie said that she would be
happy if more parents and
members of the community
would come forward and offer
suggestions on how the Smart
Start plan could work more
effectively.
“They’re the ones with the
most at stake. I’m very proud,
but we’re facing apathy. It’s
either a whole lot of trust or
lack of interest.”
Officials say there is still
plenty of leeway for sugges
tions about Smart Start.
If all the programs objectives
are met, children will receive:
dental services, immuniza
tions, medical exams and
See SMART on page 10B
School tries to
meet state
time standard
By Brian Powe
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
SALISBURY - Knox Middle School is having a huge problem
with meeting the state’s requirement of 5.5 hours of instructional
time each day.
Because of circumstances seemingly beyond control, the pre
dominantly black middle school has had to change its class sched
ule several times this year to make sure it satisfied state regula
tions.
According to the Principal Catherine Rivens, Knox has not vio
lated time regulations anytime during the year, though the school
has been cutting it close.
“We were meeting the 5.5 hours, but it was real close,” she was
quoted as saying. “We certainly want to be in compliance. We were
kind of on the border line. We wanted to make sure that we had
5.5 hours.”
One of the overwhelming problems that contributes to the situ
ation is bus transportation of Rowan County students.
Knox Middle has to share school buses with Isenberg and
Overton elementary schools as well as Salisbury High School. The
lack of vehicles has caused a drawback as to what time students
are picked up and dropped off from their schools.
Initially, Rivens began the school year with a schedule which
started at 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., but that program quickly changed.
Because Knox students were taken home first, their students
were mandated to leave school earlier than expected.
“We were never able to let out at 2, which is what we wanted to
do,” Rivens said. “We’d like to go until 2:15.”
Nevertheless, Rivens says Knox which dismiss students the ear
liest of all Rowan County schools, has always met the requirement
if the minutes taken for lunch and changing classes are removed.
After some changes and rearrangements, Rivens has set a new
schedule which puts Knox students in school from 7:25 am to 1:57
See SCHOOL on page 9B
Rebel flag will
be factor in S.C.
Senate race
street comers.’ We have to get
up and make things happen.
So in response, this is one of
the initial examples of practi
cal programs being imple
mented for our youth to have
some fun and be positive at the
same time.”
Banks said the event will
feature step teams from:
Carver High School of Winston
Salem, West Mecklenburg of
Charlotte, the Boys Tb Men
drill team of East Spencer, and
the Trojan Legion team.
There will also be step teams
from North Carolina A&T’s
Kappa Kappa Psi, Winston-
Salem State’s Phi Beta Sigma
Fraternity, and Livingstone
College Pep Band.
In addition to the step show,
a dance will be sponsored until
midnight. Banks says elemen
tary school students can party
from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.,
and middle and high school
students from 9:30 until 12
a.m. He said that DJ-14K will
be on hand providing the
music.
Admission to the step show
and dance is $3. Refreshments
will be sold.
By Robert Tanner
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, S.C. - State
Attorney General Charlie
Condon is flirting with a run for
the U.S. Senate that could turn
into a hard-fought Repubhcan
primary with the Confederate
flag at the center.
Condon, who has a knack for
headlines and emotional issues,
said he was offended by U.S.
Rep. Bob Inghs’ criticism of the
GOFs Southern strategy, which
stresses the South’s conser
vatism but which has been criti
cized as racially divisive. Inghs,
of Greenville, is the only
announced candidate to chal
lenge U.S. Sen. Ernest “Fritz”
Hollings, a 75-year-old
Democrat and former governor
who has served since 1966.
Condon said he will decide in a
few weeks.
Some Repubhcans say Condon
would be a powerful candidate
against Inghs and Holhngs, who
only narrowly beat his
Repubhcan chahenger in 1992.
“Quite frankly, if he enters I’d
have to install him as the
favorite over Inghs,” said Neal
Thigpen, a Francis Marion
University pohtical science pro
fessor and a Repubhcan. "He’s
going to get nothing but positive
reaction.”Condon is weU-known
statewide, has strong pohtical
and financial connections after a
prominent role in Bob Dole’s
campaign for president, and
appeals to Republican voters
strongly in support of the
Confederate flag. He vocally
opposes Gov. David Beasley’s
stalled effort to move the
Confederate flag off the
Statehouse dome. Inghs sup
ports Beasley’s idea to move it to
a Statehouse memorial, but
three of every four voters in the
1994 GOP primary said the bat
tle flag should stay where it
is.Condon went on statewide TV
to oppose the Repubhcan gover
nor late last year, but said he
would not challenge Beasley
next year. But Condon said
Thursday he is “leaning toward”
the Senate race after Inghs criti
cized the GOFs Southern strate
gy for failing to reach out to
minorities.
“As I read it, (Inghs) was say
ing that the Repubhcan Party is
morahy bankrupt or a moral fail
ure - everything’s designed to
stir up ‘rednecks,’ Condon told
The Greenville News. “Here
you’ve got Fritz Hohings and he’s
a knovm hberal; and here you’ve
got (Inghs) our standard-bearer
at this time, imopposed in the
Repubhcan nominating process,
rejecting what the GOP stands
See FLAG on page 11B