Black women are unlocking potential of hair untreated by chemicals See page 5
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RAYNARD JACKSON: Gays should start PRESORTED own Boy Scouts organizations Page 4 STANDARD
A ROUNDUP OF LOCAL SPORTS See page 7
East Central Florida’s Black Voice
www.daytonatimes.com www.daytonatimes.com
JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 6, 2013
YEAR 38 NO. 5
Residents could be in for a bumpy ride
PEOPLE SPEAK
Dozens of speed bumps in the works for Daytona, but one local merchant isn’t keen on the selection process BY JAMES HARPER DAYTONA TIMES harperjames59@yahoo.com
Several dozen speed bumps are scheduled to be installed on Daytona Beach streets this year. City residents also can request speed bumps for their streets, which concerns a member of the Second Avenue Merchants Association (SAMA). “I don’t think there should be any speed
bumps on any street unless there is a survey done on that street. It should not be one or two residents on the street’s word,” said SAMA board member Barbara Turner-Hymes. The board represents several businesses on Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard. The streets scheduled to have speed bumps installed or streets where they already have been installed include Colfax Drive, Tennessee Street, Forest Lane, Essex Road, North Street, Washington Street, Lincoln Street, Flanders Avenue, Derbyshire Road, Seneca Street, Margina Street, Loomis Avenue, McGee Street, Blais Avenue, Tomoka Road, Garden Street, Kennedy Road, Keech Street, Cadillac Drive, West Wood Drive and Benecia Avenue.
Traffic calming devices Speed bumps, considered traffic calming devices by the city, are constructed at the request of the city and the police department based on assessment of need, said Daytona Beach Public Works Director Ron McLemore. McLemore also confirmed to the Daytona Times that outside requests, made by residents, are added on a first-come firstserve basis. “Once an outside request is made, Traffic Engineering evaluates the request to determine if the installation is feasible and safe. If the evaluation is positive, Traffic Engineering determines the best location on the street,” McLemore said.
He added that the installation of the speed bumps goes on a waiting list for funding and installation is based on order of request.
Two bumps, one block “I would rather see that money going to hire more police; that’s what we need,” Turner-Hymes told the Daytona Times this week. Turner-Hymes first brought her concerns before city commissioners during a recent meeting. “Some streets have two speed bumps in one block no more than one-tenth of a mile apart,” Turner-Hymes noted. “We
SECOND TIME AROUND
Please see SPEED BUMPS, Page 2
‘Street gossip’ won’t stop renaming request by Lucas BY JAMES HARPER DAYTONA TIMES harperjames59@yahoo.com
Amina Lowery and Tangela Boyd strike a pose during the inauguration this month. Lowery also attended the 2009 swearing-in ceremony.
Daytonans were among many who traveled to D.C. this month for the president’s inauguration BY JAMES HARPER DAYTONA TIMES harperjames59@yahoo.com
Whitney, an instructor at Bethune-Cookman University, along with her daughter and friend Tangela Boyd, also visited the Mary McLeod Bethune National Council of Negro Women House while in D.C. Both are members of the local branch.
‘Awesome feeling’
Local residents were among the hundreds of thousands in Washington last week for the second inauguration of President Barack Obama. Many in the crowd were parents and grandparents who were determined that their children and grandchildren had the opportunity to witness history. “I am glad that it wasn’t as cold this time,” said Daytonan Amina Lowery, who was there with her mom Valerie Whitney. Regardless of the weather, Lowery said she felt called to take part in history.
Whitney said she and her daughter also attended the inauguration in 2009. “It was really an awesome feeling. It seemed only fitting that we go back the second time too, given the history that was made with his election,” Whitney said. Boyd, director of communications for the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, said she wanted to be part of history. “Attending the inauguration this time was very important to me since I missed the 2009 inaugural. President and Mrs. Obama are inspirational and transformational historical figures. I really admire them and felt
it was important to be there to show my personal support,” said Boyd. Also representing Daytona Beach was 8-year-old Edward Butts Jr., the grandson of Daytona Beach icon Dr. James E. Huger, Sr. He was escorted by Thomas and Linda Huger.
Up close and personal Edward was fortunate to meet First Lady Michelle Obama during her visit to Daytona Beach in November before the re-election of her husband. “She called him handsome and asked him for a hug. After that, he requested the opportunity to attend the inauguration,” said Huger. Huger said while at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Edward was selected from the crowd for a television interview. He said that the experience for Edward was exciting. Edward is a second-grader at Turie T. Small Elementary.
“Street gossip” will not stop the process of the renaming the athletic fields at Derbyshire Park after educator and coach Harold V. Lucas from going before the Daytona Beach City Commission, says the city’s leisure services director. Defamatory statements were allegedly made about Lucas during a city commission meeting last month, which has prompted a number of calls to Mayor Derrick Henry. “Most of the people who have called me – it has not been about his (Lucas) char- Harold V. acter. A lot of peo- Lucas ple are concerned about how things are named in the city,” Henry said. All of the Daytona Beach commissioners have agreed with Henry that the renaming process needs revision.
Vote scheduled Feb. 6 Currently, all an applicant interested in having a city property renamed has to do is get 50 signatures, put together information about the nominee, and get approval from the city’s Planning Board before the item goes before the city commission for a final decision. Leisure Services Director Percy Williamson said the city does background checks on those whose name have been nominated for a city facility or street. Please see LUCAS, Page 2
B-CU band again performs at Honda ‘House Party’ in ATL SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES
Fans, students and alumni packed the Georgia Dome in Atlanta last Saturday to witness performances by eight of the nation’s top marching bands from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) at the oneof-a-kind “House Party,” known as the Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase.
The Bethune-Cookman University Marching Wildcats band was again in that number. Other bands showing pageantry and musicianship were Albany State University, Alcorn State University, Edward Waters College, Jackson State University, North Carolina A&T University, Tennessee State University and Winston-Salem State University. This year’s showcase includ-
ed a performance by Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Brandy and American dance music singer and songwriter Crystal Waters. The Honda Battle of the Bands, presented by Verizon Wireless and official banking sponsor SunTrust Bank, celebrated its 11th annual Invitational Showcase. “The Honda Battle of the Bands not only provides a na-
tional stage to showcase the talent of these outstanding student musicians, but also the success of the music education programs at each school,” said Marc Burt, assistant vice president, of the Office of Inclusion and Diversity for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Honda is honored to support these programs with grants that each school receives for participating in the program.”
$20,000 for each band The Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase is the largest and most popular music event of its kind. Widely known to fans as “The Honda,” the showcase not only serves as a platform to highlight and celebrate the heritage and showmanship of HBCU marching bands, but also stands Please see BAND, Page 2