CO M M EN TARY: Cor nel We s t a t C a m b ridge FORUM: Me dia ou t r age aim ed a t Eric Holde r’s DO J
U W rban Pro NEWS • COMMENTARY
ARTS
eekly
ENTERTAINMENT
Building Community FREE
The CSRA’s FREE WEEKLY WEEKLY
Newspaper Newspaper VOL.2 NO.35 VOL.2 NO.18 The CSRA’s
MAY 16 - 22, 2013
Photo by Vincent Hobbs
Commissioner Alvin Mason
2014 MAYORAL CAMPAIGN OPENS • MASON IS IN!
Summer Learning as low as $40 Summer Learning as low as $40 706-496-2006706-496-2006 Augusta Tutoring Center AUGUSTA TUTORING CENTER Summer Learning Loss: The loss in
Summer Learning Loss: The loss in academic skills and academic skills and knowledge over the course of SUMMER VACATION VACATION. knowledge over the course of the SUMMER 2-3 Hours of tutoring a week during Summer 2-3 Hours of tutoring a week during Summer Vacation will help students catch up or get Vacation will help students catch up or get ahead. ahead. 3090 DEANSBRIDGE RD AUGUSTA, GA 30906 WWW.AUGUSTATUTORING.COM
3090 Deans Bridge Road, Suite A, Augusta, GA 30906 • www.augustatutoring.com
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
2
Water Billing Improvements Currently there is a lag of approximately 35 days from the date your meter is read until the bill is mailed; the due date is 21 days after that. In an effort to provide our customers with more timely information about their water usage, we will gradually shorten the time between reading and billing from 35 days to 14 days. We are attempting to minimize the impact to our customers by shortening the cycle by 2 days a month over a 10 month period. • Customers whose payment is automatically drafted from their checking account should be aware that the draft will occur 2 days earlier than the previous month over the 10 month implementation period. • At some point over the 10 month implementation, each customer will inevitably receive two bills in a calendar month (for example on the 1st and the 30th.)
JOIN US FOR A COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR! Hosted by Peach State Health Plan and Hudson CME Church In partnership with Turpin Hill Neighborhood, Williams Memorial CME, Miles Memorial CME, Good Samaritan Baptist, St. Luke UMC, and Hope For Augusta.
The Spirit of Health: Health and Wellness Event Saturday, May 18, 2013 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Carrie J Mays Life Center 1014 Eleventh Ave., Augusta, GA THE EVENT IS FREE. For more information call: (800) 704-1484 MUSIC, FACE PAINTING, BOUNCY HOUSES, FOOD, HAIR AND NAIL SERVICES, HEALTH WORKSHOP INFORMATION ON: GENERAL HEALTH, FITNESS, NUTRITION, SAFETY, COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES, AND MORE!
Please contact us at 706-821-1851 if you have questions.
SPECIAL APPEARANCE FROM OLIVER VANCE!
www.pshp.com
Water is Life logo here
Augusta Solid Waste would like to welcome you as a new customer to our “Cleaner. Greener. Smarter.” program!
INFORMATION ABOUT
Your new service includes: Augusta has initiated a new centralized call center for all non-emergency issues. Have a question or suggestion?...call 311
One day a week pickups for services, with all collections made on the same day: Garbage, Recycling, Yard Waste and Bulk Waste
For additional questions regarding your new garbage service
Incentives for you to use at local businesses as rewards for recycling.
If you live more than 300 feet from the right-of-way to discuss your service options
Expanded county-wide service area, with exceptions for the city limits of Hephzibah and Blythe.
To request a recycling cart
Collection services provided to vacant/ unoccupied properties for yard and bulk waste to keep the neighborhoods clean.
To request additional garbage carts
www.AugustaSolidWaste.com
New community events including neighborhood clean-ups, educational programs and volunteer litter collections. Also, tire collections will now be done during monthly community events! All garbage trucks are fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) – cleaner and quieter. Reinvesting in the community with a local small business utilization goal of 25% of total contract value.
Augusta-Richmond Commissioner
Mayoral campaign starts Photo by Vincent Hobbs
“I have reached out and extended an olive branch in the past and will continue to do the same in future regardless of race, creed or color.”
This past week on Mother’s Day, Commissioner Alvin Mason acnnounced that he will be a candidate for Mayor next year. Mason, a military veteran and federal government employee has been a staunch advocate for increased fairness and accountability in local government. In the following interview, he hints at some of the characteristics of a Mason administration. UrbanProWeekly: Why did you announce your intention to run for mayor a full 18 months before the election in November of 2014? ALVIN MASON: Even though the election is over 18 months away now is the time to begin strategically planning as well as team building in order to develop a unified shared vision that enables me to properly address the needs of the city from a comprehensive point of view. UPW: As commissioner, you’ve had an uphill battle to get measures passed that you felt would benefit those in our community who have been considered the most vulnerable. You will likely be battling those same
U W rban Pro
forces as mayor. Why are you optimistic that you will be able to make an impact as mayor? MASON: Even though I have had an uphill battle I have still accomplished many things for our community and I have had the intestinal fortitude to speak truth to justice on issues that have affected our community. In those battles I have built relationships that will assist me in the execution of my duties as Mayor. The Mayor has great influence, so the key is to have the leadership skills to be able to effectively influence in order to accomplish the mission. I have reached out and extended an olive branch in the past and will continue to do the same in future regardless of race, creed or color.
eekly
UrbanProWeekly LLC Mailing Address: 3529 Monte Carlo Drive Augusta, Georgia 30906
Publisher Ben Hasan 706-394-9411 Managing Editor Frederick Benjamin Sr. 706-836-2018
UPW: Leadership starts at the top. What might you do differently in providing leadership in the areas of public transportation? MASON: First and foremost, a strong emphasis on the importance of transportation from Mayor of the city is vital to the growth and development of the city. The Mayor has a pulpit that no other commissioner has in terms of visibility and access to those who could assist with ensuring that we have a robust and comprehensive transit system. I have already begun meeting with the business community to get their input on our transportation system and what they can do to help. I recently met with Sue Parr of the Chamber of Commerce and several call
Sales & Marketing Phone: 706-394-9411 Photography and Social Media Courtesy of Vincent Hobbs
Commissioner Alvin Mason is running for mayor. The District 4 commissioner’s term ends next year. Mayor Deke Copenhaver’s term ends at the same time. Photo by Vincent Hobbs center businesses and they expressed that our current transit system is an issue for their business with lack of extended hours and service to less than half the city. We need to listen to our business community and do all we can to retain current businesses and at the same attract new businesses this helps to create revenue for the city and jobs for our constituents. At the same time business can help by advertising on our buses and purchasing bus passes for interested employees at discounted rates, which in turn increases revenue to be used to offset the additional cost of route expansion and extended service hours. This way everyone takes ownership through this collaborative effort to upgrade the city’s transit operations. UPW: What might you do differently in providing leadership in having the city do more business with women and minority business owners? MASON: I don’t know what the current Mayor has done in this regard, but here is what I would do as the Mayor of the city. I would make it a priority to have these discussions with prospective business developers, land acquisition companies and anyone wanting to do business with Augusta Richmond County. I would strongly encourage a greater amount of participation with women and minority owned businesses. But I would also include veteran-owned and disabled-owned businesses as well. I can’t legally mandate a certain percentage or quota, but I certainly can and will highly encourage it for the betterment of our community. I’m talking a hand up, not a hand out. Companies would have to be able to bond and meet the standards of their industry. UPW: The current mayor seems to have a very simple leadership formula. He will almost always follow the advice of the city attorney and the city administrator. As mayor, how Continued on next page
email: Ben Hasan bzhasan54@yahoo.com Frederick Benjamin Sr. editor@urbanproweekly.com Vincent Hobbs coolveestudio@gmail.com
3 UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
urban professional: Alvin Mason,
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
4
MASON from page 3 might that formula change? MASON: I’m not aware of the current Mayor’s formula but I have the ability to discern what is right and what is wrong not only educationally and systematically but logically as well. I strongly believe that it is important to be meticulous and attention to detail in carrying out all my assigned duties and nowhere is it written that my only course of action would be to follow the advice of the city attorney or the administrator. Assessment, evaluation and execution will be an integral part of my decision making process. I would absolutely seek their advice, that is why they are in those positions, but as the Mayor and the Chair of the Commission, I would have some autonomy when it comes to decision making. I will use all courses of action available to me to determine the correct path for the specific situation that I encounter. UPW: The city seems to be constantly battling issues regarding procurement and contract negotiations. As mayor, how might you work to alleviate those problems? MASON: Many of the issues that are portrayed within procurement come from outside forces that try to manipulate the system to benefit a few. I’ve worked in the Contract Management Office at Fort Gordon for 5 years for the Federal Government. I have my Masters Certification in Government Contracting and my Associates Certificate in Contract Management from George Washington University in Washington D C. So I have unique skill-sets as it relates to procure-
ment and contract negotiations. Total alleviation of the problem does not rest with the Mayor. At the end of the day the contract ends up on the Mayor’s desk for signature. UPW: Are there any departments in city government that you feel would benefit from privatization? MASON: Transportation is an area that can work for privatization if it is outsourced correctly. However, privatization is an avenue of last resort in most cases because government in and of itself was never meant to be private. I believe if we have the right leadership at the head of our departments who possess the skill sets to do an effective job and the right leadership at the City Administrator and Deputy Administrator position’s then we can be an effective and efficiently ran government. UPW: What aspects of military life and/or federal government employment do you feel might benefit you as chief executive officer of this city? MASON: The Mayor is elected by the entire city so he or she has to weigh and consider all citizens in making decisions and prioritizing efforts for the city. In the Military as well as the federal government we deal with people from all over the United States as well as the entire world. From rural to urban, from country to city, males to female, homosexual to heterosexual, Baptist to Catholic, you name it. There is no other organization that prepares you from a standpoint of diversity than the military. I retired with over 20 years of honorable service. This is a way of
NOTICE TO PUBLIC
CITY OF AUGUSTA AUGUSTA HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Housing Rehabilitation Program
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS The City of Augusta under the Housing Rehabilitation Program will be accepting applications for the Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program only. Starting on May 13, 2013 through June 6, 2013 all applicants interested in applying, can apply between the hours of 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday. Please be advised the Housing Rehabilitation Program is a first come first serve program and only completed applications along with requested documents will be accepted and processed. If you need further information or have any questions, please call Sonya Johnson-lee at 706-821-1797. Chester Wheeler III, Director Augusta Housing and Community Development Department 925 Laney-Walker Blvd. Augusta, Georgia 30901 (706) 821-1797 – TDD (706) 821-1797
life for me. More importantly I’m guided by the Army core values, Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage that spells LDRSHIP. That is the Leadership I have grown up with and instilled in my Soldiers. UPW: Some former officials have criticized the number of government and former government employees that are currently serving as commissioners. They feel that business owners and those from the private sector make better commissioners. How would you respond to those criticisms? MASON: I haven’t heard those criticisms. But for anyone who would say that government employees or former government employees should not be commissioners I would tell them that that is not representative of the voting population of Augusta nor would that be representative of the general population of Augusta. It would simply be another form of discrimination. After all this is government that we are talking about so who better to understand the operation of government. There is a reason why there is private business and then there is government. Government was not meant to be run exactly like a business. Government in and of itself is not in the profit making business. Private business on the other hand is primarily driven by a profit margin. UPW: Some feel that the relationship between city officials and the legislative delegation are not as cohesive as they might be. Do you share that view and how might you
work to improve that relationship?
MASON: I believe that the relationship between our local government and the delegation can and will improve. Under my leadership I will set up an initial meeting with the delegation and commission several months prior to the new legislative session to address the concerns of the city that we will need the delegation to address. I will take the lead in communicating with the Chairman of the delegation during the session to get updates on the progress of the issues and concerns previously discussed. And we will schedule additional meetings with the commission as needed.
UPW: In your announcement for mayor on Mother’s Day, you adopted a very spiritual, almost evangelical tone in your message. What part does faith play in your decision to run for mayor?
MASON: Faith is an integral part of whom I am and who I have become. My Great Grandfather was the founder of the Church of God in Christ, Bishop C.H. Mason. My Grandfather on my Mother’s side Elder Arzo Ellis was the State Overseer in Michigan for the Original Church of God, and My Father Reverend Eugene Mason was the pastor of Mason Tabernacle in Indianapolis Indiana. My Mother Hazel Sturdivant is a devout Christian and has instilled Christian morals and values in me and kept us in church doing something almost every day of the week. I pray daily for wisdom and guidance and I thank God for giving me a willing spirit to serve.
d . By Frederick Benjamin Sr. n UrbanProWeekly Staff Writer d e AUGUSTA e The decision to relocate some 250 dalternative school students from their ecurrent home at the Tubman Education eCenter has upset parents, staff and otheers with ties to that program. s On Tuesday, the Richmond County ySchool Board decided to go ahead -with a proposal to move the entire sAlternative School from its Walton Way headquarters to the vacant Lamar Elementary School on Baker Avenue rto make way for the entire Laney High dSchool student body along with teachlers, administrators and other staff. The tmove is needed while Laney underogoes a massive two-year construction project. According to the school board, the fmove is all about the numbers. There .is simply not enough room at Lamar to -house the Laney contingent of several ,hundred students, relocation proponnents argue. s However, the crowd of Alternative eSchool staffers, parents and students rwho attended the meetng feel the rissue is more about discrimination and sdisrespect. t A “talking points” document dobtained by UrbanProWeekly at the dconclusion of the Tuesday meeting disgputed facts allegedly used to justify the ydisplacement of the alternative school Istudents. t The “talking points” document challenged the notion that (1) the population at the Alternative School is smaller
than Laney; (2) that Tubman has more room for labs than Lamar (3) that Laney students would be at risk if they remained at their present location because they would have to cross a busy street to get to the athletic building and (4) that leaving Laney students in place would delay construction. According to the document which opposes the Alternative School students being relocated, “In the final analysis what is being proposed to do with the students of the Alternative Education program is tantamount [to] discrimination. It is very similar to what happened in this country during segregation - ‘Separate but equal (not).” None of the “talking points” were actually verbalized during the meeting, but is was clear that some school board members were sympathetic to the plight of the alternative school contingent present at the meeting. Richmond County School Board Trustee Barbara Pulliam compared the move a home intrusion. “It’s like a neighbor coming in my house and saying, get out while my house is being built,” Pulliam said. Pulliam expressed concern that morale at the alternative school would suffer in the wake of such a drastic move. “We’re disrupting a student body, and a staff that are in their permanent building...I thought the transitional building was Lamar,” she said. Jeff Baker, the spokesperson who advised the move, responded that although Lamar is the “swing” school,
You don’t have to live with BACK PAIN
or any other kind of discomfort, including headaches, neck stiffness, shoulder pain, muscle tension, sleep ������������������������������������ 706-736-5551
2 Locations: 1125Available! Druid Park Ave.•�� Road ACCEPTED M2583 OSTTobacco INSURANCE Drug Testing Now Augusta, GA 30904 Hephzibah, GA 30815 1132 Druid Park Ave, Augusta, GA
MEDICAL VILLA PHARMACY WE TAKE: •Georgia medicaid •Insurance plans •Charge cards •WIC vouchers Marshall Curtis, Pharmacist/Owner Baron Curtis, Pharmacist
FREE DELIVERY SERVICE
706-722-7355
it would be more adequate for an elementary school or a middle school but not for a full-blown high school. Baker works for Hanscomb GMK, a firm that is assisting the school system in its building projects. “I’m talking about the disruption of two schools rather than one,” Pulliam argued. “We just can’t throw away our alternative kids.” “I do believe that the upgrades that are going to be provided at Lamar will make it a very nice facility,” Baker countered. School officials put the capacity of Lamar at around 400 while the capacity at Tubman is about 700. Pulliam stated that she was under the impression that Lamar would be used for the Laney students with por-
tables being utilized to handle the over flow, but that assessment had obviously been changed. School Superintendant Frank Roberson appeared convinced that the move, though a temporary inconvenience, would ultimately enhance the education of the affected students. “The students are going to be fine. They follow the temperature of the adults. If the adults are fine, the students are going to be fine,” Roberson said. In the end, the financial considerations outweighed all others. The school system felt that to better serve most of the students and to maintain continuity at the high school level, that the alternative school students would have to be sacrificed.
Augusta-Richmond County Public Library Summer Reading 2013 May 26 – July 26 Themes ·Dig into Reading (children) ·Beneath the Surface (teens) ·Groundbreaking Reads (adults) Read books • Earn prizes
Kickoff Event:
·Block Party – Saturday, June 1st
·11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
·Main Library (downtown, 823 Telfair) ·Food, games, live/stage performances, gigantic book sale, and free prizes Register for Summer Reading at any of our 6 locations: Main Library, 823 Telfair St, 706-821-1600 Appleby Library, 2260 Walton Way, 706-736-6244 Diamond Lakes Library, 101 Diamond Lakes Way, 706-772-2432 Friedman Library, 1447 Jackson Rd., 706-736-6758 Maxwell Library, 1927 Lumpkin Rd., 706-793-2020 Wallace Library, 1237 Laney-Walker Blvd., 706-722-6275
Get Urban Pro Weekly at your local Circle K store In Augusta
5 UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
Relocation of alternative school students questioned
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
6
Young Christian CEO Leadership Conference Mission: Seek, Shape, and Develop This conference is designed to introduce students between the ages of 13-18 years old to the world of business and leadership. Through this conference students will be exposed to the following: · The importance of and how to develop a personal vision, mission, and goals · How to construct a business plan · How to create a business · How to effectively own and operate a business · How to make presentations to business owners, bankers, etc · How to dress for success · Effective Communication · Meeting and sharing with entrepreneurs · Touring a manufacturing plant (If schedule permits)
Main Presenter:
Sandra DeVoe Bland CEO and Founder of S. J. DeVoe & Associates
Ages 13-18 Years Old June 10-14, 2013 Cost: $150.00 per child Other Presenters:
Beverly Davis
Effective Communication Toastmasters International, Area 31, South Carolina •Active member; achieved “Distinguished Toastmaster” highest achievement level; •Sponsor of Voices of Distinction Toastmasters Club, Beulah Grove Baptist Church, Augusta, Georgia •BS, Human Resource Management, Southern Wesleyan University, Central, South Carolina •MS, Business Administration, Nova Southeastern University, 1998, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Cementhia Grant
Dress for Success and the importance of personal time •Recent graduate of Erskine Theological Seminary, Due West, South Carolina •Bachelor’s of Science-BA, Savannah State University, Savannah, Georgia •Director of Community Programs at 30901 Development Corporation
For more information call 706-722-4999
Mrs. Bland is passionate about helping people and living life with and on purpose. Mrs. Bland conducts workshops and seminars to encourage and motivate. Mrs. Bland consults with churches, corporations, small businesses, and community organizations. Many seek her counsel with regard to leadership, strategic planning, facilitation, process improvements, goal setting, project management, financial literacy, and team building. Mrs. Bland serves as a member of the SRP Federal Credit Union (Aiken, SC) Board of Directors. She serves on the Richmond/Burke County Workforce Investment Board. She graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (1984) and has a Masters of Project Management from Keller Graduate School of Management (2009).
AUGUSTA Georgia Regents University’s inaugural Summer Scholars Program for undergraduate students kicked off this week on Wednesday, May 15 in the Jaguar Student Activities Center’s Coffeehouse, on the university’s Summerville Campus. The program, sponsored by the GRU Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, allows students to spend the summer working with a GRU faculty mentor. Projects vary across academic disciplines and include such topics as oral histories of Augusta’s 1970’s race riots, illness identity integration in people with multiple sclerosis, and interactions between low energy gamma rays and dense metals. More than 20 students will participate in the 8-week program, according to Dr. Andy Hauger, a Professor of Physics and Director of CURS. “Our overarching goal is to challenge undergraduate students to become active contributors to the development and dissemination of new knowledge in their chosen field,” Hauger said. “We want to be able to engage students across their academic careers – from the moment they arrive on campus as freshmen through graduation and beyond.” The program will also include Friday Feasts at noon every Friday May 17-June 28, which will offer students professional development workshops with invited guest speakers; a panel discussion with current graduate students sharing their experiences on Wednesday, June 12, at 6 p.m. in the Coffeehouse; and a gala celebration with student presentations and awards on Wednesday, July 10, at 4 p.m., in the Jaguar Student Activities Center Ballroom. For more information about the Summer Scholars Program, contact the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship at 706-737-2083.
Paine hosts Augusta UNCF Campaign Kick-Off Reception AUGUSTA The Augusta United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Campaign will host the 2013-2014 Kick-Off Reception on Thursday, May 16, 2014 at 11 a.m. Dr. Stacey Mabray, Chair of the Augusta UNCF campaign, and its committee invite the CSRA to this opening campaign event. The complimentary reception will feature Marian Futrell, Plant Manager at Procter & Gamble as the keynote speaker. The reception will be held on the campus of Paine College in the Candler Memorial Library Building ballroom.
MCG seniors who choose family medicine receive scholarship support AUGUSTA Eight seniors at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University who will become family medicine physicians have been awarded scholarship funds through the David S. Sowell, M.D., Faculty Development and Scholarship Endowment in the MCG Department of Family Medicine. The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians Educational Foundation established the endowment in the Department of Family Medicine to honor Sowell, a 1952 MCG graduate and founding member of the foundation from Hampton, Ga., who has a 60-plus year career in family medicine.
Hit-and-run suspect taken into custody AUGUSTA On Wednesday, police apprehended and jailed Christopher Provost of the 1500 block of Citation Road in Hephzibah. Provost had been wanted for questioning concerning the hit-andrun fatality that occurred early Wednesday morning on Mike Padgett Hwy. Provost, who was placed into custody and transported to the Richmond County Jail, is facing charges of felony hit and run,and first degree vehicular homicide. Additional charges are pending. Christopher Provost was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with vehicular homicide.
Provost was wanted in connection with the death of a bicyclist near the 3500 block of Mike Padgett Highway. According to police reports, the victim was riding his bicycle north bound off the roadway when a vehicle travelling in the same direction veered off the roadway and struck the bicycle killing the rider. The vehicle then left the scene of the accident continuing north on Mike Padgett Hwy. The vehicle involved was described by witnesses as being a red and white Dodge Ram pick-up truck with front right side damage.
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC SCHOOL IS CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION “The Legacy Continues”
Join us for the Centennial Celebration Weekend (May 24th – May 26th 2013) Alumni Meet, Greet, and Eat/ “Old School Style” with D.J. May 24, 2013 (7:00 – 11:00) IC School located at 811 Telfair St. (BYOB) Tour of Immaculate Conception School – May 25th (10:00 am – 12:00 noon) Cruising on the Savannah River – May 25, 2013 at 1:00 pm $7.00 per person. Limited seating. Centennial Banquet – May 25, 2013 at 7:00 pm (Entertainment Provided) Augusta Marriott Hotel located at 2 10th Street Keynote Speaker: Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Tickets: $50.00 each (Tickets must be paid for in advance by May 17th) Centennial Celebration Mass - May 26, 2013 at 8:00 am Church of the Most Holy Trinity located at 720 Telfair Street Reception Immediately Following Mass in St. Patrick Hall (Light refreshments will be served) Banquet Tickets are available at Immaculate Conception School. For additional details and ticket information, call (706) 722-9964, (706) 589-6112 or (706) 399-0360. The Alumni Association is challenging all IC alumns and the local community to contribute $1.00 for each year that the school has been in existence. Contributions are tax deductible and will benefit scholarships. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Immaculate Conception School Centennial Giving Campaign. Payments may be made at the school or mailed to the school at 811 Telfair Street, Augusta, Ga. 30901. Our paypal account is available on the home page at www.mostholytrinity.org. Thanks for your support.
7 UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
Summer program provides undergraduate research opportunities
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
8
Joel Russell Brown in Augusta performance RUSSELL JOEL BROWN returns to Augusta, Georgia for his first concert here in eight years. Broadway and Beyond is a benefit concert for the Jessye Norman School of the Arts and will be held on AUGUST 18, 2013, 5 PM at the Maxwell Theatre for Performing Arts, GRU. Additional performers will be dancer, Justin Reeves, and singers from the Jessye Norman School of the Arts. In addition to the concert, local artists will be creating tribute works of art of Russell. These will be on display in the lobby of the Maxwell Theatre, and offered in a silent auction before the concert, and during the intermission. All proceeds will go to the Jessye Norman School of the Arts. Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for students under 25 with a valid student ID. Tickets can be purchased online at Jessyenormanschool.org, www.TICKETS.GRU.EDU and at the Maxwell Theatre Box Office. For more information call 706-667-4100. Augusta native, Russell Joel Brown, has toured the globe as a singer/ actor/ dancer in various Broadway musicals. His early formal dance training began at the Augusta Ballet School under
the tutelage of Zanne Beaufort Colton and legendary founder of the Augusta Ballet Company, Ron Colton. His musical training came at the hands of Mrs. Carrie Rockholt at Episcopal Day School ad Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Youth Choir, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, piano lessons with Mrs. Virginia Bush, and finally, voice lessons with Father John Fitzpatrick at Aquinas High School and Michael Joyce at St. Mary’s on the Hill Catholic Church. These early influences laid the groundwork for later work with Dr. David Morrow, Dr. Uzee Brown, and the late Dr. Wendell P. Whalum in the Morehouse College Glee Club and Morehouse Quartet. In New York, Mr. Brown studied voice with the late Melvin Jordan for 12 years. It was an early stint with the Augusta Joel Russell Brown will meet with the Players Youth Theater Wing that ignited Tuesday, May 20 and 21. Mr. Brown’s passion for theater. This led to lead roles in plays and musicals Misbehavin’”, and engagements in Taiwan at Aquinas High School. After moving and Mexico of Disney’s “The Lion King.” to New York, roles came in the First He currently tours as a bass and Mufasa National Tours of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”, understudy in the North American pro“The Scarlet Pimpernel”, and Disney’s duction of Disney’s “The Lion King”. LaShonda Reese is a dynamic sing“The Lion King”. International work has included the Japanese tour of “Smokey er/actress whose angelic voice and actJoe’s Cafe”, a European tour of “Ain’t ing skills have helped her career for
media in Augusta on Monday and more than 20 years. She has recorded on Motown Records, sang background for Faith Evans, Kelly Price, Brian McKnight opened for Maya Angelou’s speaking engagements, done stage plays with Stephanie Mills and Jackee Harry as well as the phenomenal Lion King on tour and on Broadway.
Paine Col lege Nationa l A lumni A ssociation Presents Gospel FEST Feat ur ing Dottie Peoples The Paine College National Alumni Association will present Gospel diva Dottie Peoples in concert Saturday, June 1, 2013 at 7 p.m. in the performing arts auditoDottie Peoples
rium of the Saint Phillips A.M.E. Church located at 240 Candler Road, SE, Atlanta, Georgia. General admission is $20. VIP tickets are available at $100 and will allow entry for two people and an opportunity
to meet Dottie in person in a private reception. Proceeds will benefit Paine College located in Augusta, GA. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www. pcnaa.com or call 404.626.4790.
Stress Physical Inactivity Family History of Cardiovascular disease Obesity Diabetes High Blood Pressure High Cholesterol Cigarette Smoking HEART ATTACK • BRAIN ATTACK • PREVENT ATTACK East Central Health District Hypertension Management Outreach Program
Richmond County 706.721.5800
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
ARE YOU AT RISK?
9
10 UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
MAY 19 JAMP Masters Afro Cubop Quartet May 26 Garden City Jazz 3
The Computer Guy Computers Done Right, Free Diagnostic Check Clarence PC TECH
Retired educator honored
Georgia Retired Educators President Mary Ann McDaniel presents the 2013 GREA Community Service Award to Dr. Charles Smith Jr. The award is in recognition of Exceptional Service to the Community by the Richmond County Retired Educators Association. The event was held at the Landmark Hotel in downtown Augusta. W.G. Sloan is the Executive Director of the GREA.
Augusta Mini Theatre Presents “Boxed In” Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. Community Arts and Life Skills School will present “Boxed In” with three performances. Performances are scheduled for Friday, May 24th at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 25th at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The performance will take place at the Judith Simon Drama Studio located inside the Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. Admission for adults is $10 and $8 for children and students. “Boxed In” is a production comprised of poems, pros, dialogue, chants, songs, spoken word and movements. This production will feature drama, dance and music students of the Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. for a cast of 91 students. “Boxed In” is directed by Judith SimonButler and assistant directed by Joya Moore. “This play explores the boxes life tends to put you in,” said Judith Simon-Butler, Artistic Director for the Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. “It explores the unwanted boxes, protective boxes, fun boxes, and circumstance/situation boxes.” Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Augusta Mini Theatre at 2548 Deans Bridge Road, Augusta, GA 30906, calling (706) 722-0598 or visitingwww.augustaminitheatre.com For more information contact, Natasha Carter or visit www.augustaminitheatre. com.
Omega Psi Phi in annual blood drive The Brothers Psi Omega Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. will sponsor its Annual Charles Drew Blood Drive Saturday, May 18, 2013, at WalMart Supercenter located on Deans Bridge Road. The Annual Blood Drive one of the Nationally Mandated program initiatives of the fraternity and is available to assist increasing the blood bank for individual citizens in need for the Shepherd Blood Center. The event is open to the public all types of blood is needed. The event is scheduled to start at 9:00 am and will end at 2:00 pm. The fraternity is giving away hotdogs and cokes to all donors in attendance.
2658 C Barton Chapel Rd. Augusta, GA 706.814.7188 computerguyaugusta@live.com
11
Success Is The Only Option!
Youth Conference Jackie L. Brewton Motivational Speaker
May 25, 2013 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Augusta Technical College Building 1000
Sponsored by East Central Public Health District Adolescent Health & Youth Development & Department of Juvenile Justice For more information, call 706-729-2054
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
F.Y.I. Can We Talk?
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
12
GRU unveils new alma mater AUGUSTA More than 1,000 graduates of the inaugural class of Georgia Regents University were among the first to hear a new alma mater during the university’s spring Commencement on Friday, May 10. Along with a new fight song that debuted in February, the alma mater was commissioned when the University System of Georgia Board of Regents in January 2012 announced the consolidation of the former Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences Universities. The song is composed by Dr. Martin David Jones, GRU Professor of Music; and written by Jim Garvey, a retired English Professor at former Augusta State University. “While I’ve composed music for churches and in other capacities, this is the first time I was asked to create an alma mater for a growing, new university,” Jones said. Garvey characterized the song as a hymn that incorporates three verses, one dedicated to each of the former intuitions, and a third and final verse descriptive of the consolidated GRU. “I knew I needed to find a way to characterize the two former institutions that were being consolidated,” Garvey said. “Two words came to mind – “healers” for the Health Sciences campus and “dreamers” for the Summerville campus.” “The song is a unifying element and I hope that is what people ultimately take away,” Jones said.
Brown v. Board of Ed. program set for May 17 at the Laney Museum Augusta Branch NA ACP will hold Brown V. Board of Education Program on Friday, May 17, 7 pm at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. The purpose is to commemorate the the Historic U.S.Supreme Decision in 1954 and to address educational issues in the community. A panel of educators, elected officials, and civic leaders will serve on the panel.
Jennifer Norman-Dixon Independent Cruise & Vacation Specialist
Hephzibah, GA 30815 Phone 706-925-2929 Toll Free (877-790-6082 Fax 404-601-4492
Email:jdixon@cruisesinc.com www.cruisesinc.com/jdixon
TREND SETTER Motorsports
TBA Trowell Builders & Associates Designers • Builders • Planners
Sanctuary Multi-Purpose Buildings Renovations P.O. Box 211886 Augusta, Ga 30917 1.800.546.2685 • Fax 706.738.6328 email: tbamakedreams@aol.com
Pick up the latest edition of UrbanProWeekly at a
location near your home or workplace.
2763 Tobacco Road, Suite G Hephzibah, GA 30815 706-814-5375
TIRES 225-35-20 245-35-20 235-30-22 305-40-22 305-35-24 305-30-26
...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
$120.00 ea. $120.00 ea. $130.00 ea. $145.00 ea. $175.00 ea. $190.00 ea.
RIMS 20” w/ Tires . . . . . $1250.00 22” w/ Tires . . . . . $1500.00 24” w/ Tires . . . . . $1850.00 26” w/ Tires . . . . . $2250.00 We carry any/or most every tire!!! Mon: 12-6 Tue-Fri: 10 - 6 pm Sat: 12-4
13
Providence Place 706-793-2664
2205 Southgate Dr. • Augusta,GA 30906 $150.00 Off firsT MOnTh’s renT 1 bedroom/1 bath $425 2 bedroom/1 bath $475 2 bedroom/1 bath $475 energy efficient
DireCTiOns Take I-520 to Deans Bridge Road North. Turn right on Richmond Hll Road. Property is on the left. OffiCe hOUrs Mon-Fri 9-5:30; 1st Sat of month 10-3
True Wellness is a Whole Body Concept Mind, Body & Soul Personal Training, Boot Camps, Group Fitness Classes, Corporate Wellness Programs, Diet Consults, Health and Diet Products Sold
Boot Camp starts on May 20!
2 bedroom/ 1 1/2 bath Townhome $550 *Certain restrictions may apply Call office for details
•Fully equipped kitchens •Mini-blinds •Pool •Laundry facilities •Total electric central heat and air •Washer and dryer connections in some •On-site courtesy officer •Near Ft. Gordon •Gas heat/hot water heaters •Playground •Picnic area/grills •Prices are subject to change
Gloria Hamilton
216 8th Street Cell: 706-341-1348 Augusta, GA 30901 Divinefitnessforlife.com Give Mom the Gift of Fitness! 6 week Boot Camp just $99. Lose up to 20 lbs. Gifts under $20. New Classes: Hot Yoga, Latin Dance, Kick Boxing, Vinyasa Flow & more!!!!
Marian T. Ebron, M.D. Internal Medicine and Esthetic Medicine Board Certified internal MediCine Certified in Botox & derMal fillers
Specializing in: Hypercholesterolemia Hypertension Diabetes Connective Tissue Disorder Thyroid Diseases Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder
alSo Specializing in: Esthetic Medical Procedures Beauty and Wellness Enhancement Anti-Aging and Youth Regeneration Skin/Dermal/Rejuvenation Non-Surgical Face Lift Botox & Dermal Fillers
You are beautiful ~ Show the world Call For Free Esthetic Consultation Office Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. – 9 AM - 5 PM 2047 Central Avenue • Augusta, GA 30904
706-738-7557
New Patients Are Welcome
Participating Provider For most Insurance Companies
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
DIVINE FITNESS FOR LIFE
Commentary
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
14
Cornel West: ‘They say I’m un-American’ The American academic and firebrand campaigner talks about Britain’s deep trouble, fighting white supremacy and where Obama is going wrong. By Hugh Muir The Guardian CAMBRIDGE, UK Cornel West, the firebrand of American academia for almost 30 years, is causing his hosts some problems. They are on a schedule but such things barely move him, for as he saunters down the high street there are people to talk to, and no one can leave shortchanged. Everyone, “brother” or “sister”, is indeed treated like a long lost family member. And then there is the hug; a bear-like pincer movement. There’s no escape. It happens in New York, where the professor/philosopher usually holds court. And now it’s the same in Cambridge. The best students accord their visitors a healthy respect, but West’s week laying bare the conflicts and fissures of race and culture and activism and literature in the US and Britain yielded more than that during his short residency at King’s College. There are academics who draw a crowd, but the West phenomenon at King’s had rock star quality: the buzz, the poster beaming his image from doors and notice boards; the back story – Harvard, Princeton, Yale, his seminal work Race Matters, his falling-in and falling-out with Barack Obama. Others can teach, and at Cambridge the teaching is some of the best in the world, but standing-room-only crowds came to see West perform. He performed. Approaching 60 now, he is slow of gait. But he always performs. “Britain is in trouble,” he tells me. “Britain is in deep trouble. The privatising is out of the control, the militarising is out of control and the financialising is out of control. And what I mean from that is you have a cold-hearted, meanspirited budget that the Queen just read; you have working and poor people under panic, you have this obsession with immigration that tends to scapegoat the most vulnerable rather than confront the most powerful. And it is not just black immigrants, but also our brothers and sisters from Poland and Bulgaria, Romania; right across the board.” He isn’t ranting. He doesn’t rant. He smiles, he growls gently, he leans in and whispers conspiratorily. There is an upside, he says. “Britain has a rich history of bouncing back too.” They looked after him at King’s, he says. Incongruous in his trademark black three–piece suit, with fob watch and old-time, grey–flecked, fly-away afro, he berthed in the understated splendour of the Rylands room in the Old Lodge. Named after Dadie Rylands, the literary scholar and theatre director educated at King’s and a fellow until his death in 1999, it was where Virginia Woolf lunched with Rylands and John Maynard Keynes. West likes such evocations. “I feel her spirit,” he says, leaning back on a chair. But then he is accustomed to the star treatment. A graduate of Harvard
. . . You can’t meet every Tuesday with a killer list and continually have drones drop bombs. You can do that once or twice and say: ‘I shouldn’t have done that, I’ve got to stop.’ But when you do it month in, month out, year in, year out . . . University in 1973, he received his PhD at Princeton; returning to both as professor of religion and director of the programme in African-American studies at Princeton and later professor of African-American studies at Harvard. He departed Harvard in 2002 after a bitter dispute with the then president of the university, Lawrence Summers, Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary, who was later picked by President Obama to head the US National Economic Council. Some claim Summers’s clash with West formed part of the spiral that led to his own departure from Harvard. West says Summers had an agenda to cut African American studies, and him, down to size. He “tangled with the wrong Negro”, the professor said later. He returned to Princeton, from which he has recently retired. Now his centre of academic operations is the Union Theologiocal Seminary in New York, where he began his teaching career. But he is multi-platform, which, critics contend, added something to the fall-out with Summers at Harvard. He is the author of 19 books and editor of another 13. A regular TV pundit. Co-star of the popular public radio show Smiley and West. Chair of the Democratic Socialists of America. He even played the wise Councillor West in The Matrix Reloaded. While the right throws the socialist tag at Obama like a poisoned dart, West wears it as a badge of honour. A “non-Marxist socialist” eschewing Marxism in favour of Christianity. A complex package. Hence the enthusiasm at Cambridge’s Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities to invite him over and peel the layers. Last week West appeared three times in conversation: on race and politics, with academic Paul Gilroy – their double header had to be moved to a larger venue and ended with a standing ovation; on philosophy and the public sphere, with philosopher MM McCabe; and with Ben Okri on literature and the nation. The fact is that he’ll talk indefinitely and on anything. In between Cambridge appearances, he headed to Sheffield University to unveil a memorial to a previous visitor there, “my brother Malcolm X.” Also to London to an event hosted by former race chief Trevor Phillips. For his radio show in the US, he also travelled to the Ecuadorian embassy for an encounter with Julian Assange. Exhilarating, by his account. “Boy, that was a rich one,” he says. “Oh my God, we went on for an hour and a half:
about the militarising of the internet and the use of US imperial power. They’re trying to squelch any whistleblower who wants to reveal the secrets of the dirty wars of the US empires and other governments. We talked primarily about courage. He is a very smart man and very courageous too.” They found points of contact. “He talked about Martin Luther King’s courage and how he has been inspired by Martin Luther King. We talked about the 3 June case with brother Bradley Manning and the witnesses the US government has lined up. I wanted people to hear his voice and to revel in his humanity; revel in his wrestling with his situation and to see what his vision is.” He found some optimism, he says. “He has this situation with the sisters in Sweden and that’s got to be resolved, and I think that’s in the process of being resolved. We have to be concerned about someone accused of violating anybody, but I think for the most part that is going to be resolved, and that was probably an attempt of the powers that be. One woman has already said she is pulling back and the other one admits it was consensual, so it is not as ugly as it was projected in the press. But once that is over he has got the big one coming. He has got a behemoth coming at him; the US empire and its repressive apparatus. That is a behemoth, man.” Race matters, West famously wrote. Does race still matter? “I think race matters deeply but it is in many ways denied,” he says. “The form of institutional racism and informal racism is very much there. White supremacy is very much alive in Britain. If you scratch below the surface you can still see how race matters. It is not as raw and coarse as it is in the US. You have 10,000 professors in Britain and 50 professors of colour. Ten women. This is pathetic; this is ridiculous. The ‘meritocratic’ brothers and sisters say: ‘It’s just a matter of merit and if they were doing the work you would have a higher percentage.’ And you say: ‘Please, get off the crack pipe.’ There are brilliant black and brown people who could gain access to these professorships. Something is happening.” What of America? “We elected a black president and that means we are less racist now than we used to be. That’s beautiful. But when you look at the prison industrial complex and the new Jim Crow: levels of massive unemployment and the decrepit unemploy-
ment system, indecent housing: white supremacy is still operating in the US, even with a brilliant black face in a high place called the White House. He is a brilliant, charismatic black brother. He’s just too tied to Wall Street. And at this point he is a war criminal. You can’t meet every Tuesday with a killer list and continually have drones drop bombs. You can do that once or twice and say: ‘I shouldn’t have done that, I’ve got to stop.’ But when you do it month in, month out, year in, year out – that’s a pattern of behaviour. I think there is a chance of a snowball in hell that he will ever be tried, but I think he should be tried and I said the same aboutn George Bush. These are war crimes. WeA suffer in this age from an indifference toward criminality and a callousness toa catastrophe when it comes to poor andt working people.” e Can you not cut the president some slack, I ask? Think of what he faced. What did you expect? “I worked to get him elected,” he says, almost indignant. “And I would do it again because the alternative was so much worse. But at the same time, I have to be able to tell the truth. I thought he was going to be a dyed-in-the-wool liberal rather than a weak centrist. I thought he would actually move towards healthcare with a public option. I thought he was going to try to bail out homeowners as he bailed out banks. I thought he would try to hit the issue of poverty head-on.” He and Obama, the first-time candidate, talked. And then West attended 65 events drumming up support. “He talked about Martin Luther King over and over again as he ran. King died fighting not just against poverty but against carpet-bombing in Vietnam; the war crimes under Nixon and Kissinger. You can’t just invoke Martin Luther King like that and not follow through on his priorities in some way. I knew he would have rightwing opposition, but he hasn’t tried. When he came in, he brought in Wall Street-friendly people – Tim Geithner, Larry Summers – and made it clear he had no intention of bailing out homeowners, supporting trade unions. And he hasn’t said a mumbling word about the institutions that have destroyed two generations of young black and brown youth, the new Jim Crow, the prison industrial complex. It’s not about race. It is about commitment to justice. He should be able to say that in the last few years, with the shift from 300,000 inmates to 2.5 million today, there have been unjust polices and I intend to do all I can. Maybe he couldn’t do that much. But at least tell the truth. I would rather have a white president fundamentally dedicated to eradicating poverty and enhancing the plight of working people than a black president tied to Wall Street and drones.” Unsurprisingly, he and team Obama Continued on next page
15 UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
Cornel West no longer speak. “They say I’m unAmerican.” His appearances on the platform are more scholarly. Alongside Okri, he talks poetry and theatre. They reference Chekhov, Shakespeare, Pushkin,
‘
Kierkegaard, the Bible and Shelley. Dante and Toni Morrison get weaved in. As do the merits of John Coltrane set against smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G. West lauds Stephen Sondheim, and then his past collaborators in hip-hop, such as
KRS1, Talib Kweli and Lupe Fiasco. The room is full, reviews are effusive. “His whole way of being an academic is different to Britain and different to Cambridge,” says Malachi McIntosh, himself the first black fellow at King’s in recent history.
Critics in the US say West is too busy being a celebrity to be a top-ranked academic. McIntosh, an English lecturer, sees him differently. “The focus on the moral imperative and the lack of ego. Black students have felt catered to,” he says.
Abuse of power’: Obama’s DOJ blasted for seizure of AP phone records By Jon Queally
Obama’s Justice Department is under fire following revelations revealed by the Associated Press that the government secretly obtained two months worth of private phone records from the news agency in 2012 during what appears to be a brazen attempt to discover the source of an intelligence leak. Calling the seizure of records a “massive and unprecedented intrusion,” AP itself disclosed the events on Monday after being informed by a US attorneys office on Friday: The records obtained by the Justice Department listed incoming and outgoing calls, and the duration of each call, for the work and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and the main number for AP reporters in the House of Representatives press gallery, according to attorneys for the AP. In all, the government seized those records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012. The exact number of journalists who used the phone lines during that period is unknown but more than 100 journalists work in the offices whose phone records were targeted on a wide array of stories about government and other matters. In a sharply worded letter, AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt protested the government’s action, saying it was a direct assault on the freedom of the press. “There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters,” the letter stated. “These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP’s newsgathering operations, and
“Freedom of the press is a pillar of our democracy, and that freedom often depends on confidential communications between reporters and their sources.” - Ben Wizner, ACLU disclose information about AP’s activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know.” “We regard this action by the Department of Justice as a serious interference with AP’s constitutional rights to gather and report the news,” Pruitt said. “The media’s purpose is to keep the public informed and it should be free to do so without the threat of unwarranted surveillance,” said the ACLU’s Laura W. Murphy, director of the group’s Legislative Office in Washington, DC. “The Attorney General must explain the Justice Department’s actions to the public so that we can make sure this kind of press intimidation does not happen again.” So far, the DOJ has refused to explain the reasoning or a more detailed account of why the records were seized. The White House on Friday pushed off all responsibility and directed all questions regarding the matter to the DOJ. “Other than press reports, we have no knowledge of any attempt by the Justice Department to seek phone records of the AP,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney in a statement. “We are not involved in decisions made in connection with criminal investigations, as those matters are handled independently by the Justice Department.” But press freedom advocates were quick to align this latest incident with a pattern of behavior by the Obama administration in which aggressive campaigns against whistleblowers and a severe lack of transparency have made a presidency that promised openness instead one of the most secretive. As The Guardian reports:
Although Obama was elected on a liberal ticket in 2008 and again in 2012, his administration has mounted a sustained campaign through the courts and other means against whistleblowers, particularly in relation to what it claims are sensitive intelligence matters. Media organisations and civil rights groups complain that many of the cases it appear to have to do with administrative secrecy than matters of national security. The Obama administration has brought six cases against people suspected of leaking classified information, which AP described as being more than under all previous presidents combined. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which focuses on protecting civil liberties in the digital age, said that US citizens and press advocates should be upset at the new revelations, but that it should be seen as an expected development given the pattern of behavior by law enforcement and government intelligence agencies in recent years. Overall, the group said in a post on their blog, “this revelation of government’s secret access to huge amounts of calling records as part of its leak investigation should not be such a surprise. The DOJ has long maintained that no one has any privacy interests in their call data records and has also engaged in unprecedented and aggressive prosecutions around government leaks.” As AP noted, “Prosecutors have sought phone records from reporters before, but the seizure of records from such a wide array of AP offices, including general AP switchboards numbers and an office-wide shared fax line, is
unusual and largely unprecedented.” On the specifics of the intrusion, the AP explained: Among those whose phone numbers were obtained were five reporters and an editor who were involved in the May 7, 2012 story. The Obama administration has aggressively investigated disclosures of classified information to the media and has brought six cases against people suspected of leaking classified information, more than under all previous presidents combined. Justice Department published rules require that subpoenas of records from news organizations must be personally approved by the attorney general but it was not known if that happened in this case. The letter notifying AP that its phone records had been obtained though subpoenas was sent Friday by Ronald Machen, the U.S. attorney in Washington. Spokesmen in Machen’s office and at the Justice Department had no immediate comment on Monday. The Justice Department lays out strict rules for efforts to get phone records from news organizations. A subpoena can only be considered after “all reasonable attempts” have been made to get the same information from other sources, the rules say. It was unclear what other steps, in total, the Justice Department has taken to get information in the case. But Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said the description of what occurred so far amounts to nothing less than an “abuse of power” and an assault on press freedom. “Freedom of the press is a pillar of our democracy, and that freedom often depends on confidential communications between reporters and their sources,” he said.
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
16
Summer Explosion
June 4 - July 12, 2013
Summer Explosion: $90/week and $40 registration fee Grades K-5 through 8th Grades This summer enrichment program is a six-week program for the kindergarten through eighth grade students. Students are placed in their promoted grades and are given a head start on the grade appropriate curriculum for the upcoming school year. The academics are taught by certified teachers from around the CSRA. The CRCT is administered and the program is designed to provide enrichment in the areas of math, science, language arts, and communication skills. It is also designed to enhance critical thinking skills and to heighten the students’ curiosity. The desire of the Summer Explosion 2013 staff is to create an academic fun-filled spiritual summer of activities for the youth of the CSRA. Program Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday) Extended Hours:Daycare will be provided FREE OF CHARGE from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM and from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM Program Site: Beulah Grove Administrative Building of Opportunity Receive a week free when you pay in full by May 30, 2013 (Must attend program for six weeks)
NO DEADLINE TO APPLY For more information go to www.bgcrcenter.org or call 706-722-4999
Students Eliminating Excuses and Doubts June 4 - July 12, 2013 S.E.E.D S.E.E.D.: $ 100.00/week; $40 registration fee Grades 9th-11th Mission: Strengthening Opportunities Through Development
This summer enrichment program is a six-week program for the ninth and tenth grade students. Students are placed in their promoted grades and are given classes to help strengthen, grow, and develop their leadership skills. S.E.E.D. is designed to provide enrichment in the following areas, but not limited to team building, peer mediation, test taking skills, résumé building, spiritual awareness, and many other developmental skills. Students attending S.E.E.D. will also be afforded the opportunity to attend the Young Christian CEO Conference during June at no additional cost. The desire of the Students Eliminating Excuses and Doubt (S.E.E.D.) 2013 staff is to create an academic fun-filled spiritual summer of activities for the youth of the CSRA. Program Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday) Program Site: Beulah Grove Administrative Building of Opportunity 1434 Poplar Street, Augusta, GA 30901 Receive a week free when you pay in full by May 30, 2013 (Must attend program for six weeks)
NO DEADLINE TO APPLY
17
Bev Bridal Boutique, LLC
is looking for a Part-Time Associate with the following qualifications: •Demonstrated experience in retail sales •Dependable •Flexible •Trustworthy •Efficient
•Knowledgeable •Courteous to clientele •Excellent communication skills •Time management skills •Willingness to work in a fast paced environment with little supervision
This position offers no benefits and work hours are based on an as needed basis. If you are interested in this position, please email a copy of your resume along with two references to sayidowithbev@gmail.com. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY The Richmond County School System will accept bids and request for proposals until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, for the following:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Kitchen Exhaust Hood System Cleaning RFP #13-632 Ambulance Service for Football Games RFP #13-637 Small Kitchen Equipment Bid #318 Paint RFQ #13-638 Chillers, Boilers and Energy Recovery Units Service RFQ #13-639 6. Fire Extinguisher Service RFQ #13-640 7. Uniforms for School Safety and Security Bid #326 8. Student Accident Insurance RFP #13-641
Bid specifications may be obtained by contacting Amy Bauman in the Business Office at 706-826-1298, on our web site at www.rcboe. org, or at the Richmond County School System, Central Office, 864 Broad Street, 4th Floor, Augusta, Georgia 30901. The Richmond County School System reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive technicalities and informalities. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY By: Dr. Frank G. Roberson, Secretary
Harold V. Jones II ATTORNEY AT LAW
Criminal Law • Divorce • Personal Injury • Employment Law
SHEPARD, PLUNKETT, HAMILTON & BOUDREAUX, LLP 429 Walker Street Upper Level Augusta, GA 30901
Phone 706-722-6200 Fax 706 722-4817 hjones@shepardplunkett.com
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
Say I Do With
MAY 14, 2013
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
GHSA Soccer Playoffs
18
Aquinas High School Lady Irish soccer player Alexis Kenny (#6) (R) battles keeps her eyes on the the ball during the first half of a GHSA playoff finals game against Fellowship Christian. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
U W rban Pro
eekly
THE CITIZENS AND BUSINESSES THAT APPEAR ON THIS DISPLAY SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY-ORIENTED MISSION
R L. PRESCOTT
Abdul & Janice El-Amin Dylan Walker Asia Cates Aldrian Robertson Dwannette Pullings &Joshua Toran Halim & Wendy Yazid Willie & Brenda Aiken Yusuf Rashada & Family
ARTHUR L. PRESCOTT
PRESCOTT INDUSTRIES, INC. 706-231-0446
GALLOP & ASSOCIATES
Dr. FAYE HARGROVE Hargrove Leadership Services 706-364-4237
Kreative Minds
T INDUSTRIES, INC. 6-231-0446
Childcare and Learning Center, Inc. 2542 Milledgeville Rd. 706-364-5627 Fax: 706-364-5628
ALLOP & SOCIATES
Dr. FAYE HARGROVE Hargrove Leadership Services 706-364-4237
-495-3796
Kreative Minds
Childcare and Learning Center, Inc. 2542 Milledgeville Rd. 706-364-5627 Fax: 706-364-5628
706-495-3796
706-814-6634
Aquinas Lady Irish soccer player Alanna McArdle (#4) makes her move down the field during a GHSA playoff finals game against Fellowship Christian. The Lady Irish were defeated 2-1, ending their bid to become Class A state girls soccer champions. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
706-814-6634
“One-Stop Construction” Our Office Provides: Architectural Drafting & Construction
ip
Professionals
I nsurance Professionals
• Invoicing • Accounts Receivable • Accounts Payable • Payroll
706/564-4898
Need Insurance?
Larry L. McCord Can Provide All We Can Help! Your Design and Construction Needs All Under One Roof
990
Rd 815
Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor ®
House Plans • Church Plans Auto Home Life Health Bonds Commercial Renovation Projects • Metal Buildings
nce?
x
Debra H. McCord
DESIGN - BUILD LLC
Life Health Bonds Commercial
p!
Dollars $ Sense Bookkeeping LLC
LARRY L McCORD LLC
CALL NOW QuickBooks Classes Available Limited 706.560.9990 23Seating Years Experience 2016 Highland Avenue 706.560.9997 fax
Augusta, Georgia Email:JyNelle d.mccord25@comcast.net 30904-5352 2636-C Tobacco Rd Handy, Agent Hephzibah, GA 30815Website: www.dollarsandsense-augusta.com INFO@INS-PROS.COM Office: (706) 733-2931 2016 Highland Avenue; Suite C Cell (706) 267-7998 Augusta, GA 30904-5352 Handy, Agent Email: JyNelle llmccord@comcast.net
ip
I nsurance Professionals
INFO@INS-PROS.COM
Auto Home Life Health Bonds Commercial
I nsuranceInga P rofessionals N. Hicks, PC i p We Can Help!
Need Insurance?
Auto Home Life Health Bonds Commercial
Attorney At Law
Need Insurance? 706.560.9990 ce P rofessionals I nsurance P rofessionals 706.560.9997 fax We Can Help! Life Health Bonds Commercial Uncompromised Representation and Unmatched Results 2636-C Tobacco Rd Hephzibah, GA 30815
JyNelle Handy, Agent
nce? 706.560.9990 706.560.9997 fax p!
INFO@INS-PROS.COM
2636-C Tobacco Rd Hephzibah, GA 30815
990 i I nsurance P rofessionals p x
Auto Home Life Health Bonds Commercial
Need Insurance? Rd JyNelle Handy, Agent We Can Help! 815 INFO@INS-PROS.COM
ce
ip
706.560.9990 706.560.9997 fax 2636-C Tobacco Rd Hephzibah, GA 30815
Professionals
Criminal Defense INFO@INS-PROS.COM Personal Injury Family Law Wills
JyNelle Handy, Agent
I nsurance Professionals
Auto Home Life Health Bonds Commercial JyNelle Handy, Agent
Need Insurance?
INFO@INS-PROS.COM
INFO@INS-PROS.COM
706-814-5998
4137 Columbia Rd., Suite C, Martinez, GA 30907 We Can Help!
UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
ce
19
20 UrbanProWeekly • MAY 16 - 22, 2013
THE LAW OFFICE OF
Frails & Wilson ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Experienced Representation
Real Estate Transactions Personal Injury Bankruptcy Social Security Disability Probate • Domestic Randolph Frails
Edwin Wilson
Criminal Defenses
Aimee Sanders
706-855-6715
211 Pleasant Home Road • Suite A1 • Augusta, GA “Making Your Feet Feel Like Your First Steps”
Fyne Foot Care Center
“Do you think you might have P.A.D. (Peripheral Arterial Disease)? Not sure? Why not GET TESTED?!” We now feature Vascular testing; so wonder NO MORE.
Specializing In Colon Hydrotherapy First Colon Cleansing Center In Augusta Removal of Toxins and Impurities for Optimal Health Shanta Johnson
706-733-5000
Conditions Responding To Colon Hydrotherapy Cited by Rheumatologist, Arthur E. Brawer, M.D. Enhances Weight Loss • Allergies • Acne • Constipation • Irritable Bowel • Gas/Bloating • Asthma • Chronic Fatigue • Spastic Colon • Potbelly • Body Odor • Headaches • Improves Sexual Health
2045 Central Avenue, Augusta, Ga 30904 EssentialCleansingCenter.com
Dr. Latanya P. Fyne Podiatrist
Ingrown Toenails • Corns Calluses • Spurs • Injuries Hammertoes • Diabetic Foot Care • Foot Ulcer/Wound Care Other Foot/Ankle Conditions
706-373-4402 NEW LOCATION
Most major insurance accepted 1710 Central Avenue Including Medicare Augusta, GA 30904 & GA Medicaid 1 blk from Family Dollar All Major Credit Cards Accepted 2 blks from Druid Park Ave. fynefootcare@yahoo.com
Fax: (706) 364-8628