TUESDAY
.
Making Jazz
Music from Spike Lee's "Mo' Bet
ter Blues" features an immensely
talented quartet.
i
Knockout Income
Dethroned heavyweight champ
Mike Tyson is highest paid
athlete in the world.
Pag« 9
The Tuskegee Institute
(now a university) opened
in 1881 with one building
and 30 students. It was
founded by Booker T.
Washington, author of “Up
From Slavery. He believ
ed that blacks would pro
fs** this week. p.2>
RALEIGH, N.C.
VOL. 49, NO. 75
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 14,1990
N.C,'s Semi-Weekly
DEDICATED TO THE SPIRIT OF JESUS CHRIST
109 E. JONES ST
RALEIGH NC 'L 7 6 J 1
CLocvvncnc ou^
Improving ^enormancc Plan _
N.C. Teachers, Students Enter New Era
North Carolina teachers and ad
ministrators will start the new school
year putting plans into action. The
pi»iw were desined under the state’s
School Improvement and Accoun
tability Act and the action should
result in improved performance by
North Carolina students.
Education officials believe North
Carolina is entering a new era that
will be marked by a statewide em
phasis on student outcomes.
“The School Improvement and Ac
countability Act, Senate Bill 2, has
forced many school officials to take a
hard look at the performance of their
students," according to State
Superintendent Bob Etheridge.
“In a six-month period last year,
thousands of teachers, principals,
parents and administrators prepared
school and school system improve
ment plans that will lead the way to
improved student performance. As
the new school year begins and local
officials start to put their plans into
action, I believe parents will notice a
tremendous difference in the excite
merit in schools and in the increased
emphasis put on ensuring that
students succeed.”
For at least the past 10 years,
teachers, principals, administrators
and state education officials have
agreed that more flexibility is needed
in public education. Too often, deci
sions have been made from the state
level when they should have been
made by those teachers and prin
cipals who work with students.
Senate Bill 2 provides local educators
the opportunity to be creative in mak
ing education work for every child.
But it also says that in exchange for
this flexibility, there will be accoun
tability.
All 134 local school systems are
participating in Senate Bill 2 and
have local improvement plans that
have been approved by the state
superintendent. These plans include
waivers from state laws and regula
tions that local officials felt would
prohibit them from meeting their
goals. Also, all of the local systems
opted to participate in the differen
tiated pay part of Senate Bill 2 that
rewards teachers and other certified
employees for achieving goals
established in local schools.
According to Dr. Sammie Campbell
Parrish, assistant state superinten
dent for program services and one of
the key leaders of Senate Bill 2 im
plementation, the School Improve
ment Act is unlike the many other
education initiatives that have been
undertaken across the country
because it will be easy to determine
its success or failure.
“We have set student performance
targets—and we have set a date by
which we expect to attain them. The
degree to which schools have improv
ed will be unveiled in clear,
understandable terms each year
through an examination of annual
milestones. The program’s success
will be judged as satisfactory or un
satisfactory at the end of three or five
years by determining whether a local
school system has reached its student
(See NEW ERA, P.2)
i
Hard Sharp Object
Man Held On Attempted Rape
Victim
Asleep
In Bed
An Angier man was arrested late
Friday and charged with first-degree
breaking and entering and first
degree attempted rape.
Frankin K. Killian, 25, of 8202
Oakdiff Lane in Angier, was charged
with breaking in through the front
door, of the victim’s trader at 2:?0
a.m. and threatening to rape her, said
LL John Jordan of the Wake County
Sheriff’s Department.
31-year-old victim, who had
asleep in her bedroom, told
i the man held a sharp object
to her body and demanded sex. She
said sbe discouraged him and calmed
him down before he left the trailer.
In other news: A Cary branch of
First Union National Bank was robb
ed of an undisclosed amount of money
Friday morning. Cary police Capt.
W.J. Hunter said officers were called
to the bank in the Waverly Place
Shopping Center at 11:18 a.m. after a
man passed a nbte to a teller deman
ding the bank’s money. The suspect
was carrying no weapons.
Described as a black man about six
feet tall, the suspect left the bank on
foot. The man was last seen running
to the south end of the shopping
confer. He was wearing a yellow rain
coat and a multicolored fishing cap.
Also, a Raleigh restaurant was rob
bed Wednesday night, apparently by
‘the same who robbed a conve
nience store Tuesday night, another
restaurant Monday night and a con
venience store in July, police said.
The man robbed the manager of an
undisclosed amount of money taken
ftem the restaurant safe, then left
through the rear door.
Police said the robber apparently
entered the rear door of the Hardee’s
'(See CRIME, P. 2)
NEW 6YMNASIUM - Dignitaries break ground for the
new gymnasium at Roberts Park, 1300 E. Martin St. From
left are Mayor Pro Tom Ralph Campbel Jr.; City Council
member Anne Franklin; Celeste Turner, the daughter of
city councO member Frank Turner, Mayor Avery C.
Upchurch; Parks and Recreatiofl Director Jack Duncan
and neighborhood activist WiNiani Rainbow. Standing
bohlnd the Mayor is Turner, who also lives in the
neighborhood. At the age of 4, Miss Turner helped cut the
ribbon (or tho opening of the Roberts Park Community
Center. (Photo by Jado D. Jurek)
N.C. Preparing Emergency Plan
For Energy Supply Disruption
In the wake of Iraq's invasion of
Kuwait, the United States is not alone
in its concern over the future oil pric
ing and availability. And if events in
the Middle East result in a shortage,
North Carolina has an emergency
plan that ranges from voluntary con
servation to mandatory measures, in
cluding four-day workweeks.
Although the United States has
never had a larger reserve of crude
oil stocks on hand than it currently
does, stocks of refined, available fuel
have seldom been lower.
Under the plan, Gov. James G.
Martin would declare an energy
crisis if either actual or an imnending
Groups Seek Ties
Wnth Burundi For An
Economic Venture
INSIDE AFRICA
BY MAXINE ALEXANDER
CMtriMtacWritar
Members of Southeast Raleigh and
the West Greenville Community
Development Corp. met recently with
Julian Kavakure, ambassador of
Burundi, and his councilor, Athanse
Budigi, to discuss the development of
mutually beneficial economic ven
tures between their respective com
munities.
“The time is right for African
Americans to invest in Africa. Our
futures are as intertwined as our
pasta,” Pauline Frasier, executive
director of SRCDC, stated.
Hie Republic of Burundi is a small
but heavily populated country, about
the aiae of Maryland, in east-central
Africa. It is bordered by Rwanda on
the north, Tansania on the east and
north. Lake Tanganyika on the
southwest, and Zaire on the nor
The Republic of Burundi has em
barked on a five-year development
plan which includes providing hous
ing for its five million citizens, expan
ding its transportation system, in
creasing educational, training and
employment opportunities, and
decreasing its dependence on im
ports.
Because it is a hilly country, and
land-locked, it is difficult for Burundi
to profit frojn exportation of Its goods
due to prohibitive transportation
costs. Its major exports are coffee,
tea, cotton and hides. The govern
ment is attempting to expand its ex
port capacity and to reduce its
dependency on coffee, an export crop
introduced during the colonial era,
which makes up more than to percent
of its export revenue. Plans are to in
crease export of cotton fabric produc
ed in a government-owned factory,
(See INSIDE AFRICA, P. 3)
acute shortage threatened the health,
welfare or safety of North Carolina.
While the future of OPEC
petroleum supplies is questionable,
the United States is in a better posi
tion to handle a disruption in fuel sup
plies now than in the 1970s. Energy
Emergency Preparedness was not as
prominent in the 1970s, leaving the
United States vulnerable to the
whims of OPEC. Since that time
states have been developing and up
dating detailed plans to manage
energy supply disruptions that may
result from political acts, natural
disasters or other causes.
The Energy Division, North
Carolina Department of Economic
and Community Development, has
been planning an energy emergency
situation for the past several months.
The dress rehearsal for an energy
supply disruption is scheduled for
Aug. 21-22 in downtown Raleigh and
will be conducted with assistance
from the Strom Thurmond Institute
(See ENERGY PLAN, P. 2)
NAACP Campaigns To
Boost Black Press
Ads And Readership
All Branches Urged To Buy
Black-Owned Publications
BALTIMORE, Md. (AP)—Hie
NAACP has announced a nation
wide campaign to boost advertis
ing and readership of the black
press, which is losing readers to
radio and television.
The Rev. Benjamin L. Hooka,
executive director of the Na^kpwL-,
Association for the Advancement
of Colored People, said he plans
to ask all American Fortune 500
corporations to begin or increase
their advertising in black-owned
newspapers, magazines and
radio stations.
Hooks said he was directing the
NAACP’s 2,100 branches to urge
blacks to buy black-owned
publications and listen to black
owned radio stations. He said he
would assign an NAACP staff
member to the campaign full
time.
Black-owned newspapers and
publications are struggling as
people increasingly turn to radio
and television for information, he
said.
Hooks did not cite numbers, but
related several stories in a
presentation recently.
The country has approximately
200 black-owned newspapers, 180
black-owned radio stations and 18
black-owned television stations.
Frances Draper, president of
the Afro-American, which
publishes weekly newspapers in
Baltiomore, Washington and
Richmond, welcomed Hooks' in
volvement.
A perennial problem, she said,
is that companies do not believe
the black press is the best way to
reach black consumers.
Archie Colander, president of
Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., a
national advertising represen
tative for 88 black-owned
newspapers, agreed.
“In many cases, they see us as
another charity," said Colander.
The 98-year-old Afro-American
was near bankruptcy a year ago.
The paper survived when the city
of Baltimore and the state of
Maryland guaranteed a (500,000
loan to ease its $900,000 debt.
Draper said the combined cir
culation has increased to 25,500.
“Since 1827, when John
Russwurm and Samuel Cornish
published the first newspaper for
African-Americans, Freedom’s
Journal, the black press has
spoken out on our behalf,” Hooks'
said. “When others Ignored us, it
told our story. When others
degraded and denigrated us. it
lifted us up and projected the true
picture of a mighty race struggl
ing against the odds to breathe)
the sweet air of freedom and
liberty.
“Without the black press, we
would long ago have succumbed
to despair and hopelessness. The
black press would never permit
(See BLACK PRESS, P. 2)
Raleigh9a Oldest Retail Business
Briggs Hardware Marks 125th Year
Brigg’s Hardware is readying for a
“Big Celebration” according to Mar
cus L. Scruggs, executive vice presi
dent of the company. The grand event
in honor of Raleigh’s oldest remain
ing retail business will begin at 8 a.m.
and run until 5 p.m. Wednesday,
August 15th. Free coke, popcorn, and
to win prizes including a free
trip for two to Bald Head Island will
be given away.
Personalities will be on hand in
cluding WPTF’s Maury O’Dell and J.
C. Knowles, who are slated to broad
cast live from the historic Briggs
Hardware site from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Also during this time, Ms. Agnes
Briggs, president of Briggs Hard
ware and wife of former Raleigh
Mayor James E. Briggs, will cut a
three-dimensional cake sculpture of
the store. Raleigh’s current mayor,
Avery Upchurch, is also expected to
drop by as well as Lieutenant Gover
nor James Gardner.
Marcus Scruggs told us, “When the
founder of this store, T. H. Briggs,
first took his two sons in, his goal was
to have the business continue for 100
years.” Briggs Hardware to date has
done 25 years better, and according to
Mr. Scruggs, “I have taken my two
children into the business, and we
hope that it will last 100 more years.”
Many of tlte ledgers and documents
from the many years of Briggs Hard
ware doing business in the Raleigh
community will be on display during
Mk I
the anniversary celebration. It was
(Mightful for us to preview some of
(See BRIGGS, P. 2)
HISTORIC SCENE—A tamtams arc stmt light on
FayattavMa Stmt along wltli tiorsa~drawn carriagas and
ina auiamaona am capiumu in mis vinngs pnoiu ui i»■ ».
This WMk, Briggs Hardware, lacatad an FayottevMe Street
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•Matt nmitntiii nM MmMms. (mala caurtaiy CaraMaa
PawartU|MCa.)