April 23, 2020

75 cents

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Volume 46, Number 31

W I N S TO N - S A L E M , N . C .

• See Sports on page B1•

THURSDAY, April 23, 2020

‘Shine a light’ on the Class of 2020

Photo by Tevin Stinson

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the high school seniors of 2020 will miss out on some of the milestones and celebrations that come along with completing high school.

As a way to acknowledge high school seniors, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools asked its high schools and surrounding neighborhoods to turn their lights on.

On Monday, April 20, Carver High School, along with other high schools, turned their stadium lights on for 20 minutes at 8:20 (which is 20:20 in military time) to “shine a light” on the Class of 2020.

City officials launch Mask the City initiative to stop the spread of COVID-19 The City of WinstonSalem is partnering with Wake Forest Baptist Health (WFBH) and Renfro Company to supply enough face masks for everyone in the city.

According to city officials, a group of doctors at WFBH have developed a new mask design that is effective in preventing the transmission of germs and bacteria. Renfro Company, a Mount Airy-based sock maker who moved its headquarters to WinstonSalem last year, will produce the masks locally and have already earmarked 300,000 for locals, including 60,000 for those living at or below the poverty threshold.

Dr. William M. Satterwhite III, who led the team responsible for designing the mask and WFBH chief wellness officer, said the masks are equipped with a “breathing pocket” that makes it easier to breathe.

He said the fact that they

went from the design phase to mass production in less than a month is an amazing accomplishment.

“It was just 29 days ago that I assembled my team and said there isn’t going to be enough masks. Not enough masks for healthcare workers, not enough masks for people in the city,” Satterwhite said. He said five days later the prototype was ready and within 15 days the masks were ready to be tested.

“A stunning accomplishment in just 29 days,” Satterwhite continued.

“And I will tell you, some of this happened on the design side, some of it has happened because of the leadership of this city.”

When discussing the launch of the “Mask the City” program, Mayor Allen Joines said city officials hope to begin incrementally relaxing some of the restrictions and the Mask the City program will help ease the process when making those decisions.

“I’m extremely proud of the masking effort because I believe it will bring our community together for a common cause that will benefit us all,” Joines said. “Many local businesses and organizations have already committed to purchasing masks for their employees and the masks will also be made widely available to those who are in need in our community

The Nightingale Mask was designed to provide both protection and comfort. at no cost from a fund that’s being administered by the Winston-Salem Foundation.”

Joines continued, “In fact we hope to provide up to 60,000 masks to those individuals who are living at or below the poverty level in our community.”

According to Joines, free distribution sites will be set up in locations across the city using various nonprofit organizations and churches. The

Winston-Salem Foundation has set up a fund to provide masks for the various distribution sites.

During a virtual press conference earlier today, Joines urged residents to wear a mask whenever they go outside to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

“I’m seriously challenging every person in Winston-Salem to continue practicing social distancing and to add wearing a mask every time they go

outside to help drastically stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” Joines said.

“We must remain diligent ... I am confident that the citizens of Winston-Salem will rise to this challenge and this occasion under the Mask the City initiative. This is our time to shine for all the country to see as we develop a new normal until a vaccine is developed.”

The City of WinstonSalem received the first

Submitted photo

shipment of more than 25,000 masks earlier this week and distribution has already started. Masks will be available for purchase at local Lowe’s Foods stores on Friday, April 24.

For more information on the face masks, visit maskthecity.com. Additional information can be found at nightingalesafe. com and on social media by searching “@maskthecity”.

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BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

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The C hronicle

April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month

Side-lined volunteers are sad and grieving as their service is put on hold

BY JUDIE HOLCOMB-PACK THE CHRONICLE

Normally, Scott Hooper would be looking forward to volunteering with the Arc of High Point, helping their clients with learning disabilities to use their creative talents to draw and paint. Hooper, who also works for Walgreens, is a member of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem. He replied to my recent Facebook request for comments from side-lined volunteers and wrote, “I work with adults with learning disabilities at the Arc of High Point.

What we do is help with the painting class. I miss the one-on-one we have with the students and I miss working with the other volunteers to create something wonderful with the students. I think we all grow as people and artists.

We are building friendships as well as creating artwork.”

Scott Hooper helps Brent High Point.

April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month and April 19-25 is National Volunteer Week. This is usually a time when nonprofit organizations celebrate their volunteers with luncheons and certificates of appreciation. But because of COVID-19 and the stay-at-home order, none of that will be happening this year.

Volunteers don’t do what they do for the glory, however. They do it because they’re passionate about the cause. Many local nonprofits have had to adjust their hours and limit their volunteers due to the possible spread of the virus. Older persons, who most often volunteer because they are retired and have the time, are at particular risk. Because of this, charities such as Crisis Control Ministry are not currently using any volunteers and have staff performing all the duties that volunteers once did.

Needless to say, they are missed. They recently showed their gratitude for their volunteers by taking a photo for Facebook of the staff in the parking lot holding signs with messages such as “We miss you!”

Carmina “Peggy” Jenks, director of the Shepherd Center Singers, mentioned during a telephone interview that although her

Submitted photo courtesy Crisis Control Ministry

Crisis Control Ministry staff practice social distancing while letting their volunteers know they’re missed. chorus can’t perform right ing. sion Master Gardener volnow, she “appreciates the “I miss the human con- unteer once a week and we creativity that is coming tact,” said Marva Reid, can’t do that now. I also out in other ways.” Since who is with the East/ work in my own garden, her choir members can’t Northeast Winston Neigh- but it is not the same as sing together, they are find- borhood Association. “You working alongside other ing other ways to be cre- have to be creative … we gardeners. I miss contact ative. One member shared talk on the phone, but you with other EMGVs.” a poem and said it was the can’t look at their expresAnn also volunteers first poem she had writ- sions,” she said. “I miss for the Shepherd’s Center, ten in over 50 years. Jenks being able to physically, visiting with a homebound emotionally be there … senior. “She is no longer a you can’t feel through the client because she had to phone.” move to skilled care over a In a text message, year ago. I had been visitChris Puliselic, related her ing her for about 10 years feelings. “Being a Shep- so I continued visiting her herd Center Book Room once a week. I miss our visvolunteer for some years, I its and hearing her stories. am unhappy that it has to I know I have heard them be closed. When we enter all, but she loves to talk that room … our eyes light about old times. We can’t up, hoping for many, many talk on the phone as she is boxes of donated books very hard of hearing and to process. We consider it she can’t get to the phone fun,” she wrote. “Not be- without help. I am writing ing able to go there is like to her every week.” Ann is being separated from fam- also writing cards to shutily members who share the ins through Shepherd Censame love of books … not ter’s Card Connection. being together is definitely Bob Campbell said via a sadness … It’s like tem- email, “For over 25 years I porarily losing a lifeline volunteered at Crisis Conto what keeps our minds trol Ministry. It was part of open.” my Tuesday evening rouIn a phone interview tine. I miss the comradery with Bobby King, who has of the fellow volunteers, volunteered with Senior but most of all, I miss not Services’ Meals on Wheels knowing what happens program for 14 years, said to the people who would Submitted photo courtesy Arc of High Point that he is still able to vol- normally be receiving aswith his artwork at Arc of unteer, but in a much re- sistance. Although some duced capacity. He is now rents and utilities may be delivering frozen meals, forgiven now, what will said they had just started to which he leaves at the door happen in a few months?” work on their spring sea- of the client. “It’s totally The Walkers are a couson when the virus hit and contactless deliveries now, ple who volunteer togethnow the season has been which is highly imperson- er. Debbie wrote: “Most cancelled. She is working al, but at least we get the of our volunteer work on music for the Christmas opportunity to yell at the includes driving people season and hopes that they door.” King calls clients or delivering meals. Jon will be able to begin re- before he makes deliveries drove for the VA on Monhearsals by early summer. to make sure someone will days, taking veterans from W-S and the surrounding areas to appointments at the clinic in Kernersville.

We both drove for the Kernersville Shepherd’s Center, and we both drove for Meals on Wheels. We stayed pretty busy with this, and it gave us a purpose in life that included helping others. We greatly miss the interaction with the people we drove, and I know they miss seeing us.”

Without volunteers donating their time and passion to the causes they care about, most nonprofits would be sunk. Using paid staff to tutor students, greet hospital patients and their families, care for shelter dogs and cats, distribute meals to the elderly and disabled, and other tasks happily performed by volunteers would be imposSubmitted photo sible – and impossibly exCrisis Control Ministry collage of messages to pensive. Volunteers make volunteers it happen.

Zoom meetings don’t work be at home. “It’s not quite Bobby King summed for rehearsals, so Jenks has as rewarding, but I thank up what many of the volfallen back on the “old- God for at least that.” unteers expressed: “We fashioned way” by searchIn an email, Ann are just as much blessed as ing out tape recorders on McLain mentioned that those we bless.”

Amazon so that the singers she volunteers at several can have cassettes of the places. “I volunteered at music they will be learn- Tanglewood as an Exten-

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T he C hronicle

A pril 23, 2020

Superpowers Heroic adds face masks to product line

BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

Superpowers Heroic Apparel is looking to help keep people safe during the pandemic. The local men’s and women’s clothing company started

by Winston-Salem native Anthony Ingram is selling washable face masks at a fraction of the cost of competitors.

On April 3, President Donald Trump recommended that face masks be worn in all public places and since that time face masks have been flying off the shelves. Ingram, who launched Superpowers Heroic in 2011, said after doing his research and talking with his manufacturer, he saw an opportunity to help people while promoting his brand at the same time.

Ingram, who is a 2000 graduate of Winston-Salem State University, said he remembers the masks they were given when working toward his degree in nursing and wanted to provide face masks that are more durable.

“I have a nursing background, healthcare is my thing. I worked case management for 15 years, so I remember using the masks when we were in school, so I knew a lot of them were thin,” Ingram continued. “My plan was to get with a developer who can make one better.”

Ingram said what sets the Superpowers Heroic face mask apart from others is quality. The face masks are equipped with a breathing valve, two filters to block germs, and as mentioned earlier, the mask can also be washed.

Similar face masks sell

online for $10-$15 each.

Ingram is selling his face masks two for $15 with free shipping. While discussing the face masks with The Chronicle earlier this week, Ingram said not all masks and fabric is designed to block bacteria and other germs. “The filters are designed to combat those things,” Ingram said.

“The ones at the hospital have a filter but a lot of the times they are easily soiled. Another thing is a lot of places are making people reuse those things.

If we would’ve did that in nursing school, we would be sent home with a zero for the day.”

When he got his shipment of masks, Ingram said he wasn’t in a rush to put them on the market because he wanted to make sure it was a quality product first. Ingram said he spent a few days wearing the mask while completing normal everyday tasks. He said, “When they came, I wasn’t in a rush ...

I washed my car, changed my oil, put new tires on my car, I even fixed dinner while wearing it. I took my time.”

After putting the mask through the gauntlet, Ingram decided to post the mask on social media and in less than 12 hours he was sold out.

“I was just eating dinner one night and I decided to post the mask on Facebook ... by eight o’clock that next morning I was completely sold out,” he continued. “People were buying like 10 and 12 at a time and many were coming back for more.”

Since posting the face mask on social media and

SmartBank secures $240 million in loans for small businesses SUBMITTED ARTICLE

SmartBank has been working diligently over the past two weeks on behalf of local small businesses in their fight to survive the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the bank has processed approximately 1,700 loan applications and secured over $240 million in loan commitments through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security (CARES) Act. “I’m extremely proud of our team and how much they have accomplished on behalf of our local small businesses in such a short period of time,” said Billy Carroll, president and CEO of SmartBank.

“They continue to work long hours to ensure these small businesses receive the much-needed funds during these challenging times.”

The CARES Act is the largest financial support package in U.S. history – a $2.3 trillion stimulus package – and $349 billion of that is allocated to help small businesses. The PPP comes through the Small Business Administration as an incentive for employers to maintain payroll during the pandemic. This helps maintain cash flow and worker retention even though all states are under some sort of stay-at-home order.

The first round of PPP funding, initially available

on April 3, has been distributed, and Congress is working to allocate more funds for a second phase of funding. “It’s critical that business owners respond quickly to ensure they obtain a portion of the next round of paycheck stimulus dollars once they are made available,” Carroll said.

“Our team is prepared to handle the next influx of loan applications once the second phase of PPP is announced and we urge all the small business owners to be prepared to submit their application if they haven’t already,” said Carroll. “Our main focus is to assist as many small businesses as possible in our communities to get the funds they need to keep their businesses going.”

Carroll explains it is important for businesses to remember that once they receive a loan through the PPP, they have eight weeks to spend the loan on payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent and utilities.

That amount will be eligible for forgiveness.

“We’re excited for the local small businesses that are going to benefit from this,” said Carroll. “It’s been great to see how our communities have come together to support these businesses in so many different ways over the past month and we’re fortunate to have the opportunity to play a small role as well.”

For more information on SmartBank, visit www. smartbank.com.

the Superpowers Heroic website about two weeks ago, Ingram has shipped face masks to several different states including New York, Maryland, Florida, and West Virginia.

Ingram said when looking for face masks to protect themselves and others, the public should do their research and buy something that’s comfortable and protects you.

“Just remember when you come out, you don’t know what’s out here,” Ingram said. “We can cut corners to do things, but sometimes cutting corners means you have a longer run. Like I did when I started, you have to do your research.”

The Superpowers Heroic Face Mask can be purchased by visiting www.superpowersheroic. com.

THANK YOU —— — — to —— — — OUR NEIGHBORS Thank you for trusting us to nourish your family during this time.

We’ll make it through this together.

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The C hronicle

OPINION

James Taylor Jr. Publisher Bridget Elam

Managing Editor

Judie Holcomb-Pack

Associate Editor

Timothy Ramsey

Sports Editor/Religion

Tevin Stinson

Senior Reporter

Shayna Smith

Advertising Manager

Deanna Taylor

Office Manager

Paulette L. Moore

Administrative Assistant

Our Mission The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth to power, standing for integrity and encouraging open communication and lively debate throughout the community

Guest Editorial

Science vs. Myth — The COVID-19 Crisis Trump’s decision to cut funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) is yet another example of his efforts to obscure reality and distance himself from any responsibility for the mess that the USA finds itself in as a result of his handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

There is a deeper problem, however, than Trump’s apparent narcissism and scapegoating. We are seeing the consequences of avoiding reality and replacing reality with what can, at best, be described as wishful thinking.

In the last couple of weeks, very damaging information has emerged regarding the handling of the COVID-19 crisis by the Administration. It now appears that as early as December 2019, the Administration was being warned about possible dangers from this outbreak.

Indeed, from the early days of the Administration there were warnings from various departments of the danger arising from viral pandemics. These were ignored.

The Administration brushed aside scientific evidence and concerns regarding the pandemic, downplaying its spread and the depth of the problems we were encountering. It was only in March that they were forced to shift gears. But in shifting gears the blame game started, afresh, with a focus on the Chinese, the WHO, and probably we shall soon hear that aliens from the Romulan Star Empire were somehow involved.

Leaving aside the complicity of most Republican elected officials with the Administration’s nonsense, it is time for a reckoning when it comes to reality. Should decisions by government in the face of crisis be based on wishful thinking? Self-aggrandizement? The wishes of the wealthy? Or should they be based upon facts, data, scientific judgment, and concerns for the population?

The record is clear for anyone to see that the Trump administration blew off reliable information. One must ask why that is? Was it for fear that reality would have an impact on his election wishes? Or does he truly believe, in the words of the comedian George Wallace, that “…that’s the way I see it, and that’s the way that it ought to be…”

Throughout the course of this Administration, we have seen, time and again, a dismissal of facts and science. The clearest case is probably in connection with the environment and the efforts underway to reverse nearly fifty years of legislation and practice to address pollution and global warning. But one can also see evidence of this in the Administration’s illogical withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, despite all reliable evidence of Iranian compliance with the agreement.

The core of Trump’s base appears to believe that if Trump says something, then it must be true. As for the rest of us, well, we will have to ensure that reality is incontrovertible, and to the benefit of the majority, in November.

Bill Fletcher, Jr., NNPA Newswire

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Value of a Life

To the Editor:

With Covid-19 deaths mounting in the U.S., perhaps this is a good time to come up with an amount that best represents the dollar value of a human life. To help with the math, I will employ one of North Carolina’s most successful investors, Senator Richard Burr.

You may recall that shortly after attending a closeddoor meeting that included warnings of a potentially devastating economic threat from the coronavirus, Senator Burr, on February 13, sold between $618,000 and $1,700,000 in stock, while at the same time downplaying the threat to the public. Weeks later, the market crashed, losing 30% of its value in a matter of days.

Research published on April 15 revealed that “the vast majority, as much as 90%, of U.S. deaths from the coronavirus outbreak, could have been avoided if strict social distancing measures were imposed just two weeks

earlier.” Read another way, had Senator Burr called the New York Times instead of his broker, tens of thousands of American lives could have been spared.

With that in mind, let’s do the math. Since deaths are increasing daily, we will use the total of 42,518 deaths as of April 20 in our calculations. Considering the research referenced above, 90% of those deaths, or 38,266 lives, were lost thanks to the suppression of critical information

by Senator Burr, among others.

Based on his disclosures, Senator Burr avoided a 30% drop in his portfolio equivalent of between $185,400 and $510,000. By dividing these amounts by the number of avoidable deaths, we arrive at a valuation ranging from $4.85 to $13.33 per life lost.

So, now we know how much our lives are worth to Senator Burr and, sadly, to his Republican colleagues who have remained silent in the face of his reprehensible behavior in a time of national crisis.

Jeffrey Zalles Southport, NC

Trump is not a wartime president — and COVID-19 is not a war Kristin Henderson Guest Columnist

Using a war narrative to talk about COVID-19 plays into the hands of white supremacist groups.

U.S. officials and the media should stop it.

Fighting a war is not an appropriate metaphor for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Framing this crisis as a war puts Americans at greater risk of violence in their own communities. In the midst of this pandemic, farright extremists are staging armed protests, while targeted racial attacks are on the rise.

War is inherently divisive, built around a good “us” versus bad “them” mentality.

President Trump’s racist mislabeling of COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” coupled with his war metaphor is demonstrably dangerous.

By blaming COVID-19 on China, he is signaling that they are the enemy of this “war.” As a result, hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans have surged.

Calling attention to racial differences and

vilifying nonwhite groups is standard practice for most far-right extremists. Khury PetersenSmith of Institute for Policy Studies draws the connection, asserting that President Trump is embracing far-right talking points when discussing the virus.

Not only is our president echoing far-right sentiment, he has also been accused of encouraging far-right violence and fomenting domestic rebellion. Online extremists view his recent ‘LIBERATE’ tweets as a call to arms. Ignorance and indulgence in conspiracy theories — both of which Trump is regularly guilty — will not benefit Americans.

A global pandemic and an imagined war beget uncertainty and fear, both of which are textbook recruitment tools for far-right extremists. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has reported that these groups view the pandemic as an opportunity to expand their ranks. As Cassie Miller of SPLC explains, “these far-right extremists are arguing that the pandemic, which has thrown into question the federal government’s ability to steer the nation through a crisis, supports their argument that modern society is headed

toward collapse.” Many of them subscribe to accelerationism — a fringe philosophy that promotes mass violence to hasten the collapse of our society.

These groups frequently discuss plans to use the virus to infect people of color and target medical facilities.

Disturbingly, we can see this discourse playing out in real time. Recently, a well-known far-right figure planned an attack on a Missouri hospital treating COVID-19 patients. He was subsequently killed in a shootout with the FBI. White supremacist terrorists also planned to fill spray bottles with COVID-19 infected saliva and use it as a bioweapon to target people of color according to intelligence briefings by federal law enforcement.

Violent white extremists view this pandemic as an opportunity, and they are eager to take it. Ginning up sentiments of war emboldens them. Such rhetoric is dangerous and can lead to more deaths. One of the most important things we can do, right now, to stymie these groups is to reject the war metaphor and talk about COVID-19 in a more accurate way.

U.S. officials and the media should adhere to accuracy and transparency when sharing information

about the virus and its impact. It is okay to admit what we do not know. In line with a feminist perspective, leaders should be speaking in terms of solidarity and interdependence, not division and fear. They should also be pushing back against separation ideologies. During a pandemic, we have no choice but to rely upon one another for our individual safety. Mainstream media outlets ought to be reminding Americans that we are in this together and highlighting examples of collective action that has slowed the spread of the virus.

Saving lives is the most important thing we can do in response to this crisis. Messaging matters, and a message of war does not save lives. A war, after all, implies a violent fight between groups leading to large number of casualties.

White supremacists are seizing on this pandemic and the war narrative to justify their violence and bolster their ranks. But this pandemic is not a fight between people. This is a challenge for all of humanity to overcome united.

Kristin Henderson is the project manager for War Prevention Initiative based in Portland, Oregon.

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T he C hronicle

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A pril 23, 2020

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The Trump Administration wants to re-open America.

Are we ready?

Dr. James B. Ewers Jr.

Guest Columnist

In a million years, I never thought I would hear someone talk about re-opening America. How can that be? America has always been open. It has never been closed. Well, the unthinkable has happened.

America has been officially closed for a while now.

Commerce for the most part has been stopped. Only essential businesses have remained open. Just a few days ago the president said America will re-open gradually. It is

a three-pronged approach.

In his conversation with our country’s governors, he stated some states were in a better position to reopen. He is leaving that decision up to them to make.

For example, in Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has already said that “our state will not be one of the first states to open.” He said, “This is not a cookie cutter approach where one size fits all. We don’t like it, but we are a hotspot here.”

While some may differ with his assertion, Louisiana was leading the country at one point in the number of new cases of the coronavirus. He has said repeatedly while the numbers have improved and the curve appears to be flattening, we are still

not out of the woods. He added, “Social distancing will be in place until there is a vaccine.” In my opinion, this will be for awhile as a remedy has not been identified.

The City of New Orleans has stretched its policy of no contact until May 16. Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced this decision this past Wednesday at her daily press conference. While some are disappointed, the decision was based on public health and safety. Currently, there have been 1,267 people to pass away from COVID-19 in Louisiana.

Other states such as Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, and Wisconsin are slow to re-open. Protests are happening in Michigan and Wisconsin because many of their citizens

want to return to work.

There are no quick fixes to this health crisis that has huge economic implications. We are going to pay now or pay later, but we will pay for the decisions we make.

Florida and Texas are opening some of its recreational facilities. The Sunshine State is opening its beaches in Jacksonville. It is revealing that Florida has made that decision given that a large percentage of its residents are senior citizens. The COVID-19 research has already shown that older Americans are more likely to contract the disease. If I were a senior citizen living in that state, I would stay at home. Use discretion in the short term and it will pay off in the long term.

Many senior citizens

have pre-existing conditions such as heart problems, diabetes, and high blood pressure, all of which means we must stay out of harm’s way.

While our knee-jerk reaction might be to rush back into the public square, we should not do so.

Medical experts and health reports suggest that we need at least 500,000 testing kits. We need to know who has COVID-19 and who does not. Right now, the disease is beating us, so we must be wise about how to attack it. It is my thinking at this time that we should have a mandatory face-maskwearing law. Simply put, that when we are in public, that we should wear a face mask. This law should be enacted sooner rather than later.

This will curb the spread of COVID-19.

Other measures that we are taking are working and wearing a face mask will work too. Changing our behavior and the way we do things will ultimately benefit us. If we do not, we will become a statistic and that is not what we want.

James B. Ewers Jr., Ed.D., is a former tennis champion at Atkins High School and played college tennis at Johnson C. Smith University where he was all-conference for four years. He is a retired college administrator and can be reached at ewers. jr56@yahoo.com.

War, irony, and the new normal ROBERT C. KOEHLER

Guest Columnist The uber-irony about the deadly coronavirus is that, as it claims lives, endangers millions, and interrupts the social normal threatening unprecedented global chaos, it is also quietly informing us what we must do to create a better world — and, indeed, creating it, in certain ways, as we look on in stunned wonder.

The “what we must do” part is obvious to many: “After all,” writes Lawrence Wittner, “why not work cooperatively to save humanity from massive global death and economic collapse rather than continue to devote $1.8 trillion a year to waging wars and engaging in vast military buildups with the goal of slaughtering one another?”

And Khury PetersenSmith, pointing out how xenophobic racism at the level of national government — e.g., Donald Trump’s initial impulse to blame China for the virus — fans the flames of public stupidity, writes:

“The impact will be disastrous. Already, racists have taken license to attack Asians and AsianAmericans in public. And stoking division on a world scale will undermine one of the most important keys to our collective survival of this crisis: cooperation across borders.”

As the world struggles to create or flee from the new normal that’s emerging (or maybe not), here’s a phenomenon almost too strange to comprehend: March 2020, with schools across the country closed down, “was apparently the first March in nearly two decades without a school shooting in the U.S,” CBS News reports. The last March our school system has been free of a shooting spree was 2002.

What?

America, America, God shed His grace on thee …

But let’s go back to the nearly $2 trillion the world as a whole devotes annually to war and armaments, all in the name of keeping itself safe. This is insanity beyond comprehension. Because, up until the last couple months, it has been for several millennia the essence of normal, the falseness of that belief

doesn’t matter. It’s the way things are. Protecting borders and “interests” is the primary function of most national leaders across the globe. Almost every nation maintains a hammer — that is to say, a military — and every problem out there then becomes a nail to whack at. Is the coronavirus waking us up?

“Imagine,” writes David Swanson, “if the nuclear doomsday clock being closer to midnight than ever before were addressed appropriately, with some hint of interest from human governments in human survival.”

That’s precisely what millions of people across Planet Earth have desperately wanted from their governments — some hint of interest in human survival! — since, I would say, the dawn of the nuclear age. Has the division of the planet into nation states, each with a desperately maintained sense of identity -- an identity that seems so real to so many when there’s an enemy beyond the borders to hate and fear -- completely deprived national leaders of the ability to think holistically: to think beyond the imaginary borders of the worlds they rule?

“Considering these

questions,” writes Murtaza Hussain, “it’s hard not to conclude that the American government’s national security priorities have been so askew of reality that they left the country dramatically unprepared for an acute threat to millions of its people.”

While world leaders prepare for war, real threats continually percolate. One of them, of course, now has the name COVID-19. But most of them remain nameless and barely imaginable. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be looking at and addressing them with all the clarity we can muster.

Doing this is the work of what Swanson called a Department of Actual Defense, which is a far different entity from the current U.S. Department of Defense, which for most of American history was more accurately called the Department of War. A Department of Actual Defense “would need to be global, not national,” and, actually having an interest in human survival, would address our collapsing ecosystem, as well as poverty, physical and mental health, and issues of safety, he writes. I could see it also addressing the ongoing global pandemic

of violence, the inadequacy of our prison system, the nature of crime and the nature of healing.

“A Department of Actual Defense,” he writes, “would train pro-environment workers, disasterrelief workers, and suicide-prevention workers in the tasks of protecting the environment, relieving disasters, and preventing suicide, as opposed to training and arming them all to kill large numbers of people with weapons, but then assigning them to other tasks. We don’t need a military redirected, but disbanded.”

Unfortunately, while the Department of Actual Defense has not yet attained actual existence, the Department of War … I mean, the Department of Pseudo-Defense … continues to strategize about winning victories that have nothing to do with the real world and its real dangers. For instance, the New York Times recently informed us: The Pentagon has ordered military commanders to plan for an escalation of American combat in Iraq, issuing a directive last week to prepare a campaign to destroy an Iranian-backed militia group that has threat-

ened more attacks against American troops. …

Some top officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert C. O’Brien, the national security adviser, have been pushing for aggressive new action against Iran and its proxy forces — and see an opportunity to try to destroy Iranianbacked militia groups in Iraq as leaders in Iran are distracted by the pandemic crisis in their country.

Actual military commanders see a few problems with this: “The debate is happening as top Pentagon officials and senior commanders worldwide are also expressing growing concerns about coronavirus cases expanding rapidly in the ranks, potentially threatening the military’s ability to field combat-ready troops.”

And there you have it: The virus is interrupting humanity’s ability to kill itself.

R o b e r t Koehler (koehlercw@ gmail.com), syndicated

by PeaceVoice, is a Chicago award-winning journalist and editor. He is the author of “Courage Grows Strong at the Wound.”

Time to declare an outbreak of peace Paula Green Guest Columnist The Secretary General of the United Nations issued a plea to the countries of the world to declare an immediate ceasefire. “The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war,” he said.

“Let us dedicate ourselves to the real fight, which is not with each other, but is to protect our health and the health of our planet.” Can we heed his plea, acknowledge more fully than ever our profound and indisputable interdependence, and seize this perilous moment as an opportunity for broad and deep societal change? How much more evidence do we need? Borders and

boundaries do not protect us. Position and privilege may not keep us from harm. No country or village is too far away. We are all vulnerable to this virus.

Life offers each of us more than enough suffering without armed conflict. Let us require our governments to respond to the Secretary General of the UN with their national commitments to end armed conflict. We can put our trust in the tools of diplomacy and band together across nations to alleviate the anguish of wars. Seeing through the delusions of separateness so clearly helps us mobilize for the transformation to a human race at peace with itself and the planet we share. An aware and empowered populace will hasten this change.

The current reduction of human activity forced

by this coronavirus enables the earth, scarred with pollution and toxins, to begin to purify and renew itself so that in the future rivers will sparkle and stars glitter. Just as the soil, water, and air around us recover from some of its poisons when we cease our frantic consumption, perhaps we humans, especially those with the privilege of slowing down, will accept the challenge to renew and liberate ourselves as well.

This juncture provides an opening to rethink our values and behaviors, to recreate societies that reflect altruism and peace. Many whose lives are comfortable are now discovering how to live with a lot less, and as we diminish our greed, we reduce one of the major causes of war.

Might we now give up on the illusion that we are rugged individuals and proclaim our interconnect-

edness? We all crave contact, which we currently attain in dystopian fashion on Zoom. In being present for each other, even electronically, we strengthen our common humanity and social solidarity. We find ways to nurture and weave our precious human web, to remember that our human needs are universal, and that our generosity is a gift that ripples out and reproduces itself. As we engage locally, we extend our concern to those millions of us who are vulnerable, perhaps experiencing increased economic hardship, political repression, the scourge of racism, the pain of exclusion, or health difficulties.

The climate crisis, appalling inequality, the destruction of our earthly home and its flora and fauna, are all powerful evidence that our ways of organizing society are dan-

gerously outmoded. Social change emerges slowly and invisibly, yet the new is always fermenting within the old. Eventually the old ways fracture, and new realities will burst forth.

Our minds, burdened by the fear and endless battles of our politics, can take us to negative images of increased authoritarianism, militarism, xenophobia, and injustice. Many will be pushing for that kind of social order, and we have to organize mightily against their demands, beginning now. But we do not serve ourselves or our society by focusing on our fears. Focus instead on what your awakened and discerning self can see and do. This planet-wide virus, tragic as it is, has the potential to galvanize multitudes.

Once awake, there is no returning to delusions like walls, borders, hatreds, or an us-them mentality.

Once conscious, we are all “us.”

We are each citizens of the community of life and everything we do matters in the universe. Our visions and actions are the building blocks of the community and the world we deeply wish for. We prepare for its arrival as we make the most of this potentially transformative moment.

Paula Green is founder of Karuna Center for Peacebuilding and professor emerita at the School for International Training. She is currently guiding the Hands Across the Hills dialogue project working to bridge divides between communities in red state Kentucky and blue state Massachusetts.

She can be reached at paula@karunacenter.org.

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A pril 23, 2020

The C hronicle

BUSTA’S PERSON OF THE WEEK

She taught an old dog, an old a trick. It’s become a beautiful love story

BY BUSTA BROWN FOR THE CHRONICLE

COVID -19 has the world shook up and afraid to leave their homes. And with good reason! We’re dying in record numbers, and sadly, those numbers are growing daily.

So I decided to do a fun, sweet and very warm story about the results of putting in work after you pray. And if you’re a dog owner, this story will give you an awesome way to bond with your best friend.

According to Cynthia Hunter, this love story

wasn’t an option. Hunter loves Sebastian very much and was devastated about their living conditions.

Now, the next part of this story is one of the many positive examples of why it’s good to stay cordial with your ex-significant other.

“One day my ex-husband and his fiancé called me and asked me where I was at, and I just broke down and started crying.

He asked me where was Sebastian. I said with me, and then he said bring him to us. And so I did. They kept him for nearly a year.

Submitted photo

Cynthia Hunter and Sebastian

started three years ago, “when I became homeless, no fault of my own. We all go through so much in life.

My dog and I were in my car, and I started praying to God to make him phenomenal. Everyone wanted Sebastian, but he wasn’t doing any of the stuff he does now,” said Hunter.

And let me tell ya, he’s doing some very interesting stuff these days. Although she couldn’t provide shelter for her dog, giving him to just anyone

I loved him too much to keep him from having a home. I prayed that God would make my dog so phenomenal that no man can deny him,” said Cynthia Hunter. She eventually found a place to live and then Sebastian joined her.

And that’s when things took an extremely strange and interesting turn. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t witnessed it for myself.

One day Hunter and Sebastian were playing,

and she decided to try something out of the blue.

“I said let me teach this dog how to count to five, so I bought some flash cards. It all began with me teaching him numbers with my fingers, and then flash cards. I showed him the number five and asked him to count, and by the third time, he started doing it. I was like wow! I was amazed that he was doing it. Months later I started throwing numbers at him.

I said ‘Count to ten,’ and he was doing that as well.

Every number I showed him, he would bark that number,” said Hunter.

She had the spirit of a proud mother and Sebastian knew it. Cynthia Hunter took her lesson to the next level. “I taught him how to understand numbers in Spanish as well. And then we began doing multiplication. And Busta, honest to God, I was playing around and

had no idea that any of this would happen. When I told my neighbor I was going to ask Sebastian to multiply, she was like, come on Cynthia, and then laughed. When I got home from work, I asked him what was 3 times 3, and I kid you not, he barked 9 times. I started to think that was coincidental, so I asked him what is 5 times 2, and he barked ten times.

My heart started beating faster and faster, and I got so scared I stayed in the house for two days. I thought, maybe I was losing my mind,” she said.

She wasn’t losing her mind; I witnessed Sebastian barking 8 times after asking him an equation. I put him to the test a few more times, and he amazed me each time.

Cynthia said, if she can teach a dog math, there’s no excuse for teachers to fail our children. “It’s all about the love we give to

them, and building trust.

Sebastian trusts me, so it’s easy for me to lead him and teach him. He’s not only doing math, but we have conversations as well,” she said.

As crazy as this sounds, I asked Sebastian a question about my favorite musical family, The Jacksons. What I’m about to say really happened! I asked him, how many siblings does Michael Jackson have? And he barked 8 times. And then Cynthia asked how many sisters does Michael have, and he barked 3 times. Was I freaked out? Not at all.

More like amazed, because I remembered the first part of our conversation, when Cynthia prayed that God make Sebastian phenomenal. And from my interaction with the eightyear-old Shitzu mixed with Pekingese, God answered her prayer.

In her book, “Everyone

loves Sebastian: The dog with wings,” she goes into more details. The book is very entertaining and inspiring. It’s a great read for children and adults. It challenges a topic that most of our children deal with daily: bullying. The book will warm your heart and bring some much-needed light to these dark times we’re living in today.

I asked Cynthia what’s next for Cynthia and her best friend. “The ultimate level for Sebastian is to be in a church so people can recognize that God did this. And if he did this for me and Sebastian, what would he do for you?” said Hunter.

You will also enjoy Cynthia’s novel, “Diary of a Crack Addict’s Wife,” also on Amazon. For more information and to contact my phenomenal person of the week, visit www.everyonelovessebastian.com.

T he C hronicle

A pril 23, 2020

Federal COVID-19 checks: What they mean and who might get left out

BY PATRICK MCHUGH NC POLICY WATCH

Much has been made of the direct cash payments included in the CARES Act, passed by Congress to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing emergency aid was the right move, but this step alone won’t solve the financial challenges facing North Carolina families or pull the state out of a rapidly deepening economic hole.

The first and largest issue with these cash payments is they are simply too small to get families through this time of crisis.

The cash aid included in the CARES Act will cover only the cost of basic living expenses for a few weeks, grossly inadequate in the face of a pandemic likely to last months. Compounding that fundamental issue, using the tax system as the infrastructure for distributing the aid risks delaying that help to the neediest people, or bypassing them altogether. For several reasons, it is nearly certain that by issuing the aid as a tax rebate, checks will take longer to reach a lot of North Carolina’s poorest residents, and many may not receive a check at all.

The COVID-19 outbreak highlights how vital it is to have effective ways to support people facing a financial crisis beyond their control. The pandemic has underscored the vulnerability of our entire economy when such a system is not in place.

Cash payments won’t meet families’ needs for long Direct cash payments are the single fastest way for government to support families in a time of crisis, whether it is a pandemic, illness, loss of a job, or other unforeseen event.

The CARES Act creates a $1,200 one-time payment for all U.S. residents, or $2,400 for married couples, with an additional $500 per child dependent, which phases out for highincome people.

That’s certainly nothing to sneeze at, but it won’t address the longterm economic fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak — particularly given that roughly two out of every five households in North Carolina can’t survive above the poverty line for three months without income; many of those families are the same lowincome workers who were the first to lose their jobs to the COVID-19 crisis.

Based on our most recent Living Income Standard report, the direct aid provided by the CARES Act will pay for the basic necessities for roughly two to four weeks.

Families will burn through the aid faster in the more expensive urban parts of North Carolina.

How long the aid will last also depends on family

size and how travel and childcare costs change during this time. Regardless of the details, many families will certainly use up the cash aid and need additional support before this crisis ends.

Direct payments to people in need are the best economic stimulus, but these checks won’t pull us out of the COVID-19 recession Putting money in people’s pockets is the best way to stabilize a quaking economy. As we saw during the Great Recession, direct payments to individuals had a significantly larger economic return on investment than tax cuts.

Thankfully, these cash payments are not the only provision of the CARES Act that puts money in the pockets of people and families. The package boosts the amount and duration of Unemployment Insurance payments for people who lose jobs or hours due to the outbreak. Particularly in states like North Carolina where existing Unemployment Insurance benefits are grossly inadequate, the UI provisions will prove far more important than one-time checks for many families.

That said, we are confronted with a sobering reality. The CARES Act will not pull us out of a downturn that is getting worse by the day, one that will almost certainly be one of the most severe economic collapses in American history.

Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians filed for unemployment in just the first few weeks of the outbreak in the state, starting in mid-March. The rebate aid is really about immediate financial survival, so leaders from at all levels of government should be setting up the economic stimulus that we will need to actually recover and avert a prolonged recession.

Using the tax system to deliver relief is a huge problem In a replay of how aid checks were dispensed during the Great Recession, the CARES Act reveals giant holes in how we get cash to people in desperate need. Without federal, state and local policy action, many of the North Carolinians who need aid most urgently will

be the last to get it or won’t get it at all.

A recent analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that North Carolinians in the bottom 40% of the income distribution will receive less than their proportional share of the cash payments.

Very low-income people not required to file tax returns The one-time payments for individuals and families is technically a tax rebate, so many of the poorest North Carolinians are likely to miss out. The rebate is tied to tax filings in the past two years, and many of North Carolina’s least affluent people may be ineligible to receive the aid because people with incomes below the federal standard deduction are not required to file a tax return.

That means that a lot of people with disabilities and very low-income workers may not receive assistance from the CARES Act. Moreover, immigrant taxpayers who file with an ITIN — an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number — or for whom no member of the household has a Social Security number, are ineligible for the cash payment. This provision alone excludes at least 300,000 adults and children across North Carolina.

These holes in the system mean many families and communities who need stabilizing aid the most are not currently in line to receive it.

We saw this problem in 2008 when millions of people had to submit tax filings just to receive stimulus checks, which caused delays and confusion, and some people missed out.

Experts believe the Trump Administration can easily overcome this barrier, but that action has not happened yet. Under pressure from Congressional Democrats, the Treasury Department did announce all Social Security recipients would get the checks, but that doesn’t address the full scope of the problem.

Because the Trump Administration has yet to use its authority to overcome these problems, state and local leaders need to step up and ensure that as many North Carolinians as pos-

sible receive these cash payments as fast as possible. In some instances, this may entail using existing infrastructure for delivering public benefits.

Homeless individuals and people who don’t have a bank account Tax filers who provided bank account information in their 2019 filings will have the rebate directly deposited just like a normal refund, and checks will be mailed to everyone else who is eligible. First, this will mean North Carolina’s lowest income people who don’t have bank accounts will be the last to get their assistance, and many of them work in the service jobs already disappearing in the first phases of the outbreak.

Next, it creates a huge problem for people with unstable housing or for homeless North Carolinians. If someone has moved since filing their tax returns or lacks stable housing altogether, the checks may never reach them or at best, will be even more delayed. State and local authorities need to be moving now to figure out how checks will actually get to many of the people who need them in the most urgent way.

College students and their families If a college student is claimed as a dependent, their parents will receive the $500 additional aid for a child. That means that college students whose parents cover at least half of their expenses will receive nothing directly and also that the whole family unit will lose out on the $700 difference between the child rebate and the full $1,200 adult rebate.

Here again, relying on the tax status of individuals undermines our ability to put money in the pockets of people who need it.

Prevent scammers, cheats and predatory lenders from having a field day It’s a sad fact of life that whenever poor and economically vulnerable people have any money in their pockets, that scammers, cheats and unscrupulous lenders will try to steal it. Unless state and federal elected leaders and law enforcement step up fast, the COVID-19 checks won’t help all the people

who need them the most.

North Carolina has some of the best laws in the country against predatory lending and scams that target state residents and consumers who already have lost jobs, have little savings, and are struggling to survive. Similar to the Great Recession, state and federal policymakers and regulators may need to take quick and decisive regulatory and legislative steps to help ensure that predatory service providers and/or lenders are unable to take advantage of people who are receiving federal aid checks.

Predatory lenders are not the only threat out there. For example, we’ve already seen scammers trying to get bank account information by posing as the IRS and even some companies trying to siphon off their employees’ COVID-19 aid. Just as with predatory lending, rigorous enforcement, along with potential state and federal legislative fixes, will be required to prevent these kinds of abuses.

Patch the holes and then build a better boat All problems with the cash aid in the CARES Act ultimately flow from the same source. We lack the tools to deliver cash payments to individuals who fall on hard times, a problem only thrown into greater relief by the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead of having a way to deliver adequate assistance to everyone who needs it, lawmakers had to hit the panic button and jury rig our tax system to execute a job that it was never designed to do.

Federal, state, and local leaders can solve some of these problems this time around by using other programs, like existing antipoverty programs, to deliver the payments, but that won’t ultimately fix the long-term issue. Lots of developed countries have figured out better ways to support citizens experiencing personal crisis, and such infrastructure becomes even more essential in times of national emergency.

Patrick McHugh is a senior public policy analyst at the N.C. Budget & Tax Center.

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Sexual abuse lawsuit filed against Methodist Church Children’s Home CHARLOTTE – A North Carolina man has filed a lawsuit alleging he was sexually abused by his house parents while living at the Children’s Home in Winston-Salem in the early 1970s.

The suit, filed April 16, 2020, is one of the first to take advantage of a new state law that gives any adult who was sexually abused as a child, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred, the opportunity to seek compensation for their injuries.

Michael Lakins, now 59, claims in the lawsuit that he was sexually abused starting at age 10

by Jack and Beatrice Biggs, who were assigned as house parents to Anna Haines Cottage, one of 12 on-campus dwellings designated for the care of orphans. The abuse stopped after three years when the couple was believed to have been fired over their sexually abusive actions, the suit states.

Lakins’ suit was filed in the Superior Court of Mecklenburg County as Lakins v. Western Conference United Methodist. Defendants are the Western Conference of the United Methodist Church, which oversaw the home, and the Children’s Home, Inc. “My client has endured a lifetime of suffering as a result of this abuse – a lifetime he’ll never get back. He and other sexual abuse victims who otherwise would be time-barred from suing now have the opportunity to confront their abusers and those who aided and protected them and to seek redress and justice,” said attorney Richard M. Serbin, of Charlotte. Serbin heads the Sexual Abuse Division of Janet, Janet & Suggs, a national law firm.

“North Carolina lawmakers should be lauded for recognizing the trauma child sexual abuse victims live with, and for giving them the chance to hold accountable the institutions that failed to protect them, failed to report the abuse to authorities, and covered up the abuse to protect their reputations,” Serbin said.

According to the suit, the abuse occurred in the couple’s bedroom and included fondling, oral sex and sodomy. The couple also abused other children in their care, the suit alleges. Beatrice Biggs, 82, and Jack Biggs, who died in 2015, are not included as defendants.

North Carolina’s Safe Child Act of 2019 reformed the state’s laws dealing with sexual abuse.

North Carolina joined other states, including New York, New Jersey and California, in enacting legislation providing a limited opening of their statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits to be brought. North Carolina’s law opened the period for two years.

“These are compassionate laws, just laws,” said Serbin, noting many child victims of sexual assault take decades to come to terms with what happened to them. By then, statues of limitations prohibited them from the opportunity to seek justice.

The suit is based on counts of negligence; negligent hiring, retention and supervision; breach of fiduciary duty, and constructive fraud.

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A pril 23, 2020

The C hronicle

COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County awards second round of grants

36 local nonprofits to receive over $1.4 million to help community members SUBMITTED ARTICLE

A total of $1,501,000 has been awarded to 37 local nonprofits in the second round of grants awarded from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County.

These grants will ensure rapid funding for nonprofit organizations meeting basic needs for community members impacted by the pandemic, including food, shelter, housing, and emergency financial assistance.

Grants announced from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County are: * ABC of NC Child Development Center - $40,000 to help children with autism and their families access and pay for essential autism programming during the COVID-19 crisis * Big Brothers Big Sisters Services, Inc. - $15,000 to fund technology-enabled engagement tools allowing college-success mentoring to high school students and mentor check-ins for younger students, many who have socioeconomic barriers and opportunity gaps * City With Dwellings - $100,000 to provide critical overflow shelter services for the homeless population during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as support the financial assistance needed for individuals receiving diversion and outreach work as part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Continuum of Care * Community Care Center - $50,000 to support increased operating costs when non-essential office visits and procedures increase as COVID-19 social distancing medical restrictions are lessened * Dress for Success Winston-Salem - $10,000 to help maintain job readiness services for lower-wage, largely minority working women to adapt to challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis * El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services - $24,000 to support Latinx households, many of whom are undocumented, have lost their jobs, and are lacking transportation, including assistance for groceries, medical expenses, and utilities *Experiment in Self-Reliance – $30,000 to support low-income community members by providing increased financial assistance for housing services and homeless prevention activities * Family Services - $100,000 to maintain current levels of mental health and domestic violence services, to prepare for anticipated increases in demand, and to support families/clients who are in need due to COVID-19 * Financial Pathways of the Piedmont - $87,000 to support operating expenses and additional costs for remote work requirements, and to provide financial assistance to clients to offset expenses and challenges related to COVID-19 * Footbridge Inc. - $15,000 to support the cost of one of their dental clinics, providing free dental exams and services, including complex dental work, to lowincome individuals or to those who have recently lost insurance due to circumstances related to COVID-19 * Goodwill Industries of NWNC, Inc. - $100,000 to provide education and career training assistance, including virtual services, to individuals who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 * greeNest - $30,000 to provide furnishings and housewares for clients moving from homelessness into permanent housing, as operations have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic * Guiding Institute for Developmental Education - $30,000 to provide tutorial and online academic afterschool assistance and wrap-around services, including household supplies, to families primarily in East Winston-Salem * Habit Missions Ministry - $10,000 to support the increase in requests for assistance from their homeless client population * Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County - $40,000 to help low income families experiencing unemployment or reduced hours to pay their mortgages * Honorable Youth - $5,000 to continue to provide economically disadvantaged single mothers with financial literacy programming in the Two-Generations Program, support and provide food for single-family households, and assist families with rent, utilities, and mental health support * Hoops4 L.Y.F.E. - $30,000 to provide affordable low-cost childcare, breakfast, lunch, and snacks to students, mental health support, and coaching for unemployment claims * HUSTLE Winston-Salem - $10,000 to support community members and entrepreneurs who need access to remote software and technology * Love Community Development Corporation - $50,000 to meet the increased demand for food and clothing requests from diverse populations, especially people of color, single-family heads of households, displaced or laid off workers, seniors, and homeless individuals

* Mi Casa – $50,000 to provide critical response to the needs of Forsyth County’s Spanish speaking community, assisting clients with immigration services, and waiving tax preparation service fees, which is critical to their receiving tax refunds since they are ineligible to receive stimulus checks * My Brother’s Second Chance $10,000 to increase support for underprivileged African American youth and their families including providing access to food, Internet support, and transportation * NC Congress of Latino Organizations - $20,000 to increase the capacity of grassroots Latino organizations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse economic impacts * New Beginning Pentecostal Church Inc. - $10,000 to support families, single mothers, and seniors with assistance for their rent, mortgage, utilities, medicine, clothing, and food * Pretty in Pink Foundation - $10,000 to provide uninsured and under-insured breast cancer patients with financial assistance for quality, life-saving medical treatment * Quality Education Academy $30,000 to allow their feeding site to serve adult family members * Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem, Inc. - $5,000 to provide meals for individuals and families at a time when volunteer food donations are unavailable * Senior Services, Inc. - $15,000 to provide nutritional support and homedelivered meals for older adults who are homebound * Sunnyside Ministry - $100,000 to provide increased food and financial assistance to community members during and after the COVID-19 crisis * The Centers for Exceptional Children Inc. - $25,000 to assist children with special needs and their families with increased services and remote support * The Dwelling - $20,000 to provide access to showers, clean clothes, and personal hygiene for those experiencing homelessness * The Fellowship Home of WinstonSalem, NC, Inc. - $10,000 to adapt their structured residential program and provide necessities for men recovering from substance use disorders * The Twenty, Inc. - $75,000 to distribute disinfection and contamination kits, set up healthcare evaluation and testing sites, and deliver meals to those experiencing food insecurity * Triad Dream Center, Inc. - $20,000 to provide food assistance and clothing to individuals and families in need * United Health Centers - $100,000 to provide affordable and comprehensive healthcare to underserved community members and distribute educational materials about COVID-19 in both English and Spanish * Winston-Salem Urban League $100,000 to assist residents who are seeking employment during and after the COVID-19 crisis * World Relief Triad - $25,000 to provide vital services such as food and financial assistance for refugees, survivors of human trafficking, and vulnerable immigrant populations * YMCA of Northwest North Carolina - $100,000 to adapt services and provide emergency childcare, coordinate community food distribution, and make wellness calls for seniors Cheryl Lindsay, speaking on behalf of the response fund grant distribution committee, says, “The committee was impressed by the quick response of nonprofits who adapted to address the needs of so many community members who have been affected by the coronavirus. Unfortunately, the needs in our community are still greater than our current financial resources, so we’d welcome continued support of the COVID-19 Response Fund to be able to make more grants in the future.”

Since the Fund was announced on March 18, almost $2.6 million has been committed to the fund from private sources, including foundations, corporations, groups, and individuals.

Additional grant applications to the COVID-19 Response Fund are currently suspended, as existing funds from private donations have been fully committed through the two grant rounds. However, fundraising will continue, and future funding phases will be developed by evaluating the funds available, community needs, and government response.

The City of Winston-Salem, which contributed $1 million to the COVID-19 Response Fund, in addition to the almost $2.6 million from private sources, will be managing a separate review process for those applications already in the system. Applications will be reviewed by the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee. For more information on the city’s process, please visit their website at https://www. cityofws.org/2689/COVID-19-CityGrant-Review-Process>.

Project Mask WS celebrates one month anniversary with 25,000th mask SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Melissa Vickers, Katie Sonnen-Lee and Marissa Joyce were three friends united with a desire to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by a Facebook post shared by Katie Sonnen-Lee, the three decided to see if there was a local demand for fabric masks. They quickly found out the demand was overwhelming, and issued an online plea for other locals to help. A Facebook group was soon created, and over 2,000 people have joined the online effort to “mask the city.” To date, over 43,000 masks have been requested.

“In a time of social distancing, I have never felt so connected with my community. I am hearing from old friends, new friends, and strangers who are all asking how they can help,” says Melissa Vickers, project organizer.

The mask, made with two layers of fabric and elastic straps, is a simple design, and has been tested

by Wake Forest Baptist Health to use in situations where a n95 mask is not warranted. Masks have been requested from over 500 different healthcare providers in 14 counties.

We have provided masks

to healthcare providers in all areas of practice, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health care workers, first responders, government agencies, VA hospitals, military hospitals, food banks, homeless shelters, nonprofits, and pharmacies.

Project Mask WS volunteers have formed teams to help with every aspect of the mask making process.

There are teams organized to wash and cut fabric, measure elastic, put fabric into ready-made kits, sew masks, and deliver masks and supplies across town.

Several houses and businesses have been set up around town as front porch ‘delivery sites’ for finished masks. Throughout the process, they have raised thousands of dollars to purchase supplies from local fabric shops to support the local economy. All of these donations are from private citizens committed to helping serve their community.

Love Out Loud serves as PMWS’s fiscal sponsor and donations can be made through their website.

“We have been surprised and overwhelmed by the demand for these masks in our community,” says Marissa Joyce, one of the project organizers.

“It feels great to feel as if

there is something we can do to be a concrete help to the heroes in the medical field who are on the front lines of this epidemic.”

Volunteer sewists have shared stories of their experiences over Facebook.

From people learning to sew for the first time, to seasoned sewists who have made over 300 masks this month, there are stories of women hooking up their sewing machines to generators while their power was out, a group of Karenni refugees who have banded together to produce masks for the group, and children learning to sew with their parents while school is on hiatus.

The mask uses simple materials, with two layers of a tight weave fabric and either elastic or fabric straps. It can be washed and dried and used multiple times. Project Mask has a website page where volunteers can register to volunteer, request masks to sew, donate funds for supplies, and where providers can request masks for their organization.

For more information, visit www.projectmaskws. org or https://www.facebook.com/groups/projectmaskws/.

The BBB issues warnings for social media use SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Bored at home? Think twice before taking that Facebook quiz.

Here’s how the scam works: You see a fun quiz on Facebook or another social media platform. What’s the harm, you figure? You answer a few questions and prove how well you know a friend. Or you take a short personality test to match with a character from your favorite TV show.

These quizzes ask seemingly silly or meaningless questions, but scammers can use that information for nefarious purposes. For example, some quizzes collect personal information by asking questions like: “What is your mother’s maiden name?” or “What is the name of the street you grew up on?” These are common security questions for banking and credit card accounts. Sharing this information can lead to your accounts being hacked, and your personal and financial information being stolen.

Not all social media quizzes are data collection scams, but BBB cautions users to be careful about what they share online.

Social media data and quiz answers can be used to steal your identity or enable a scammer to impersonate you to your friends and family.

Tips to avoid social media scams: *Be skeptical: Before you take a quiz, figure out who created it. Is it a brand you trust? Just because something appears to be fun and innocent, doesn’t mean there isn’t an inher-

ent risk. *Adjust privacy settings: Review your social media account’s privacy settings and be strict about what information you share - and be mindful of who you are sharing it with. *Remove personal details from your profile: Don’t share information like your phone number or home address on social media accounts. *Don’t give answers to common security questions: Be cautious if the questions in a quiz ask for things like your mother’s maiden name, street you grew up on, or the name of your high school. *Monitor friend requests. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know. Also be wary of a second friend request from someone you are already connected with; the second profile may be an imposter trying to access your data and your Friends list.

BBB Tip: Thinking of sharing your senior photo on Facebook? Think twice!

It seems harmless and fun! A bunch of friends on Facebook or other social media are sharing their senior portraits, including the high school name and graduation year, to support the graduating class of 2020 (most of whom are at home because of the coronavirus pandemic).

Watch out, scammers or hackers who surf through social media sites will see these #ClassOf2020 posts, and will now have the name of your high school and graduation year, which are common

online security questions.

All it takes is an Internet search to reveal more information about you, such as family members, your real name, birthdate or even where you live.

Better Business Bureau (BBB) cautions everyone to be aware of what they are sharing. Even if you think it’s just going to your friends, it could also be going somewhere else.

Other recent viral personal list posts include all the cars you’ve owned (including makes/model years), favorite athletes, and top 10 favorite television shows.

What most people forget is that some of these “favorite things” are commonly used passwords or security questions. If your social media privacy settings aren’t high, you could be giving valuable information away for anyone to use.

BBB has the following tips to keep you safe on social media: Resist the temptation to play along. While it’s fun to see other’s posts, if you are uncomfortable participating, it is best to not do it.

Review your security settings. Check your security settings on all social media platforms to see what you are sharing and with whom you are sharing.

Change security questions/settings. If you are nervous about something you shared possibly opening you up to fraud, review and change your security settings for banking and other websites.

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Also Religion, Community News and Classifieds

THURSDAY, April 23, 2020

NFL exec Troy Vincent talks draft, HBCU initiatives

BY STACY M. BROWN NNPA NEWSWIRE

Troy Vincent’s career and life have come a long way since the Miami Dolphins selected him with the 7th pick in the National Football League (NFL) Draft in 1992.

The former five-time Pro-Bowl cornerback has risen to become the secondin-command for America’s most popular sports league, ranking behind only Commissioner Roger Goodell, which makes it possible that he’ll one day ascend to the top job. No former player, not even the most popular, has ever risen higher than Vincent in the league’s top office. No African American has ever served as commissioner.

On April 23, Vincent will help Goodell kick off the NFL Draft, which will be conducted virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is a moment where we need some semblance of hope in some of our communities, and we are hoping that’s what occurs next week,” stated Vincent, who starred for the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Redskins over a stellar 15year career.

This year’s draft, which begins with Round 1 at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 23, and concludes with Rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday, April 25, marks the first time the process is held exclusively online.

Draft night begins with a Draft-AThon fundraiser to benefit those affected by the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The fundraiser will receive heavy promotion throughout the draft and through a multi-person video chat hosted on the NFL’s digital properties and will feature celebrities, football legends, other influencers and health-care workers. Rich Eisen and Deion Sanders will host the event, and Kevin Hart, Quavo, Toni Harris and Kane Brown will be among the guests, according to the NFL. Draft-A-Thon will allocate funds to six national charities and their local chapters: the American Red Cross, the CDC Foundation, Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army and United Way. Half of the total money raised will go to the national organizations to be distributed across the country wherever the funds are needed most. The other half will be directed to local chapters of those organizations as decided by each NFL team.

Before the pandemic, the draft was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas.

“We did a Zoom call with all of the top 30 prospects, something we usually do in person, but these are unprecedented times,” Vincent stated.

Submitted photo

Troy Vincent “The commissioner and all of us remain completely aware of the reality of what’s going on, and we hope that maybe for one hour or during two or three hours we can provide an alternative, give you a little joy on your television sets.”

He added that the young draftees are understandably excited, but much of that has been tempered.

“They are used to traveling, and we are used to doing this in person, so when they ask questions like when will they be able to meet their teams, we have to tell them that we must stay in compliance with [stay-at-home and social distancing] orders and guidelines,” Vincent stated.

Watching the news can be a bit of a downer, too.

Vincent said in between calls, he is reminded by news reports of the reality of the coronavirus, which has claimed more than 36,000 lives in the U.S. alone.

“For us holding the draft, we’ve had to be responsible,” Vincent stated.

Responsibility was something Vincent learned at a young age, and he recalled a stern reminder given to him by his grandmother after the Dolphins drafted him.

“When I did my contract, I was taking care of my grandparents, and I remember being in the car, and the Dolphins offered me more than $1 million,” Vincent recalled.

“My grandmother was sitting in the car next to me, and I told them that the money wasn’t what I was looking for

per year. When I hung up the phone, my grandmother told me to pull the car over.

She said, ‘I just heard you say no to a couple of million dollars.’”

He continued: “She told me how she and my grandfather worked for $1.45 per hour for 30 or 40 years raising my mother and aunts and uncles and how they never wanted for anything. She said she never wanted to hear me turn down that kind of money again. She said, ‘You need to call that man back.’ I did call them back.”

It’s also because of that upbringing that Vincent has been integral in the NFL’s outreach to African Americans.

He’s spearheaded work between the NFL and HBCUs and the league’s social justice platform, which emphasizes education, economic development, and community and police relations.

The platform includes the funding of grass-roots community organizations and establishes a digital learning curriculum for African American history in 175 underserved high schools.

Working with the Players Coalition, an independent 501(c)(3) entity, the NFL formed a joint player-owner committee focused on social justice, which focuses on reducing barriers to opportunity, and prioritizes making improvements in three key areas: *Education and economic advancement *Community-police relations

*Criminal justice reform Additional programs focus on reducing poverty, promoting racial equality, and supporting workforce development.

“Every community knows the grassroots organizations in their respective neighborhoods that do the work, the daily hands-on work,” Vincent said.

It’s also been about four years since the NFL started the “Strength of HBCUs, Impacting Prof Football,” which celebrates and honors the historical impact of HBCUs and their players on the game, and to provide career opportunities in the game of football.

“The NFL’s partnership with HBCUs has deep roots in football’s history,” Vincent noted.

“We’re working together to honor the rich history and provide opportunities to students and administrators from these great institutions.”

The NFL’s HBCU program celebrates the history, increases opportunities for HBCU students and athletic administrators, and provides access through career forums, workshops, internships, and other programs.

“It’s really important for us to identify men and women of color, particularly those who are black, for these efforts,” Vincent noted. “This allows us to deal with black and brown people at these historic institutions where there are multiple programs to take advantage of.”

USA Hockey affiliate Carolina Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) partners with Positive Coaching Alliance to benefit youth athletes SUBMITTED ARTICLE

USA Hockey’s affiliate, the Carolina Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA), has established a three-year partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a national non-profit developing “Better Athletes, Better People” by working to provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building sports experience.

The partnership provides CAHA and their member associations access to PCA’s training for coaches, sports parents, student-athletes and administrators, comprising live group workshops, online courses, books by PCA Founder Jim Thompson, and additional online resources, such as emailed follow-up tips and reminders.

PCA has partnered with roughly 3,500 youth sports organizations, schools, districts, conferences, and parks-and-rec departments to create a DevelopmentZone ​culture, where the goal is using youth and high school sports to develop better athletes, better people, Thompson said. “We look forward to working with CAHA and

their member associations to create the best possible experience for the youth athletes.

“Our research-based materials combine the latest in sports psychology, education and practical advice from top pro and college coaches and athletes that help improve athletic performance while also ensuring kids take life lessons from sports that will help them throughout the rest of their lives.”

Paul Fidishun, CAHA president, states that “we are excited to provide our coaches, players, officials, parents, and associations with this tremendous resource to create a fantastic hockey experience in the Carolinas for all those involved. PCA is a world leader and we feel that they will help us achieve our goals set out in our recent Strategy Plan that gives us the roadmap to grow hockey in the Carolinas for many years to come.”

The workshops are scheduled to begin in May 2020 and will be led by one of PCA’s lead trainers via a virtual workshop.

For information about the dates and locations, please contact Brad Hoffman at BDHATHPG@aol.com.

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April 23, 2020

The C hronicle

RELIGION

Elder Richard Wayne Wood Sunday School Lesson

The Lord Loves Justice Scriptures: Isaiah 61:8-11; 62:2-4 By the end of this lesson, we will: *Explain the hope of vindication for the righteous and faithful; *Desire salvation and restoration for God’s people; *Commit to making just decisions in everyday life.

Background: Isaiah’s audience here is the Jewish “remnant,” those who will be released from Babylonia.

Chapter 61 of Isaiah is subtitled “The Good News of Salvation” because it’s based on the background of the year of Jubilee. Every seven years the Israelites were to observe a sabbatical year and allow the land to rest.

After seven sabbaticals (49 years) they were to celebrate the fiftieth year as the year of Jubilee. During that year, all debts were cancelled, all land was returned to original owners, all slaves were freed, and everybody was given a fresh beginning. This was the Lord’s way of balancing the economy and keeping the rich from exploiting the poor. “For I the Lord love justice …” (verse 8).

Lesson: We start with a covenant discussion. The “everlasting covenant” (read Jeremiah 31:31-37 for description) is different from the Mosaic; it is inward so that God’s law is written on the heart and not on tablets of stone, as the “Ten Commandments” were. Jesus’ work on the cross is the basis for the new covenant, which is a personal commitment by each individual to have a change of heart, a new heart if you will, and is not a national covenant. Though the address here is to Israel, Jesus makes it a universal covenant for all who accept. Isaiah speaks in verse 9 of the descendants … these are the Jews who will enter into the millennial kingdom and will be identified as “… the prosperity whom the Lord has blessed.” Then will the entire world know who God is and the justice He has given Israel. In verses 10-11 Isaiah is praising the Lord on behalf of the “remnant” for all He has done. “He has cleansed them and clothed them with His own divine righteousness by grace through his faith and all the nations are witness to His works.

Chapter 62:2-4, Isaiah informs Jerusalem of the reversal of their current situation … they will have a new name which will reflect God’s favor. “… which the mouth of the Lord will name.” (verse 2). God promises to keep speaking and working until His purposes for Jerusalem are fulfilled. Isaiah goes on to say that they are currently known as the “forsaken” and their land as “desolate,” but the new name will be Hephzibah – Hebrew for “my delight is in her” - and the land will be “Beulah”- Hebrew for married to and is symbolic of the heavenly Zion. “For the Lord delights in you, and to Him your land will be married (verse 4). Isaiah was speaking to a fully restored relationship with the Lord for Jerusalem. The earth will know no righteousness or peace until Jerusalem gets her new name and becomes a crown of glory to the Lord. (The Jewish Study Bible, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, The MacArthur Study Bible, the Oxford Bible Commentary and the UMI Annual Commentary 2019-2020).

For Your Consideration: How do we know today that God is pleased with us? He said He would change the name of Israel … are we due for a name change for justice’s sake?

Application: We are called to fall in love with justice like God has. By falling in love with justice, we are to keep one eye on the big picture while focusing our other eye on ways that we can remind individuals and communities that they are not forsaken by God. “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

RELIGION CALENDAR Thursdays and Saturdays Christ Rescue Temple Church, 1500 North Dunleith Ave., will serve hot meals as part of the People Helping People Feeding Program. Meals will be served every Thursday and Saturday from noon until 1 p.m. at the church’s location. For more information, call 336-722-9841.

April Meeting – canceled Forsyth County Missionary Union The Forsyth County Missionary Union Monthly meetings and programs for the month of April have been canceled. This includes all departments: youth, young adults and seniors.

April 26 First Waughtown Baptist Church Live Stream Dr. Dennis W. Bishop, senior pastor of First Waughtown Baptist Church, will deliver the Sunday message, The Grace Message -- part 3, online at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 26. Please join us on Facebook Live, https://www.facebook.com/FirstWaughtown/ or the First Waughtown website, https://www.firstwaughtown.org and click on MEDIA. April 27 - May 1 Baptist Training Institute – canceled The Baptist Training Institute scheduled for April 27 - May 1 is also cancelled for this year 2020.

How Christian business owners should lead in a time of crisis

SUBMITTED ARTICLE

The COVID-19 pandemic is testing the leadership capacity of business owners and CEOs across the nation and around the world, and that’s perhaps especially true for those whose spiritual lives are fully integrated with their business lives.

Christian business leaders face the onerous task of making difficult management decisions in uncertain times, while still holding true to their Christian values.

“Leaders are charged with the three-fold challenge of learning from the past, assessing the present and declaring the future,” says Michael Sipe, author of the Amazon No. 1 bestseller “The AVADA Principle” and founder of the Christian executive coaching firm 10x Catalyst Groups (www.10xgroups. com), which provides guidance to businesses organized on a foundation of biblical principles.

“The risk of being wrong in making those distinctions is enormous.

Lives, cultures, organizations, and economies are at stake based on the competence, character and actions of our leaders,” said Sipe.

Rarely has that been the case more than it is now, as many businesses have had to close their doors while others operate with their employees working under stressful conditions or fulfilling their duties remotely from home.

The question is: How do Christian business leaders navigate through unsettling times such as these so that their businesses – and the people they lead – will continue to thrive?

Sipe says meeting that challenge comes down to engaging three core attributes of truly wise and effective leaders: heart, head and hands.

He offers these ideas on how to do that: Guard your heart. When Sipe speaks of the heart in this context, he means the metaphorical one, not the physical organ.

“Your heart includes your mind, will and emotions and is the very essence of who you are as a human being,” he says. “When leaders fail to guard their hearts against the inherent human tendency to drift toward deceitfulness, their hearts become shallow, hard or evil. Followers will suffer and the leader’s declared outcomes will be thwarted or diminished.”

Christian leaders, he says, need to model love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol for those they lead.

Sharpen your mind. While having a big heart is wonderful, it’s not sufficient, Sipe says.

Some people with great hearts don’t have the competence to lead. “We must continually strengthen our minds, build our skills, and develop our competence to lead,” he says.

Some of the components of a sharp mind include

leadership skills such as critical thinking, analysis, planning, communicating, delegating, hiring, firing, promoting and demoting.

For Sipe, sharpening the mind also means desiring and seeking the revelation of the plans, purposes and perspectives of God. Strengthen your hands. A leader needs to act as well as talk. “A softhearted person who’s unwilling to act is not a leader,” Sipe says. “A smart guy who’s unwilling to act is simply a hypocritical blow-hard, not a leader.

To lead effectively in challenging times, we must build the habit of effective action. We must act out of good motives. We must act

wisely. And we must act courageously, promptly and decisively.

“Clearly, we are living and leading in hard times,” Sipe says. “That makes it a time for exceptional leaders. Leaders who guard their hearts and temper tough decisions with love and compassion. Leaders who sharpen their minds and grow in competence.

Leaders who go to work with strong hands and an indomitable will to serve others, and to help all we serve to come out the other side of this challenging season better in every way.”

Just how strange are you?

James A. Washington

NNPA Newswire SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING

You know God has a history of using people in the strangest ways. Or is it that He uses the strangest people to carry out His divine will? After all, isn’t the Bible that let’s us know that those who feel quite strange about it, are chosen

by God to carry out heavenly tasks here on earth?

Moses was a murderer.

Paul (Saul) killed a few Jesus lovers in his time. Rahab was a ‘ho’ and Jacob was, well, y’all know all about Jacob’s shortcomings. And David … I ain’t gone even talk about this guy.

The point is that God uses the least of us (by our definition) to carry out His plans in spite of what we think we’re capable of or what we think we’re worthy of. I mean most of the prophets were reluctant participants at best as implementers and vehicles of God’s message to His peo-

ple and those around them.

As a matter of fact, most wanted nothing to do with their assignments because they didn’t think anyone would listen, they weren’t worthy, or someone else was better suited for the challenge.

Whatever the reason, we should all be mindful that the hand of God is at work where He deems it will do the most good, regardless of what we think.

Anyone and everyone are candidates for greatness in the eyes of the Lord, including you, and yes, including even me.

I used to think that only those called to preach had the gift of ministry. Try telling that to anyone who has accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and watch how quickly they get corrected. I know I did or was. Slowly and reluctantly, I’ve accepted we all have a ministry according to the gifts given to us by God. Neither economic status, academic achievement or social standing means anything if God says ‘tag’ it’s your turn to do His bidding, carry His message or, simply let others see Him in you.

One thing is for certain: You cannot refuse to hear Him when God comes knocking. Just ask Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah or Jeremiah. More importantly, ask yourself, as I have lately: what are you reluctant to do in the name of God? Only you know if you’re in denial. Only you know if you’re trying to convince God to choose someone else.

The question is how long will it take you to realize that eventually, as have so many others, you’re going to do what God is telling you to do?

I think you might want to get to that conclusion before God stops asking and starts telling. God is apt to stop asking and abandon you altogether and accept your no as a final answer.

The prospect of that gives a whole new meaning to “When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die.’ and you do not warn him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sins and I will hold you accountable for his blood.” Ezekiel 3:18.

I now believe that the measure of your life and mine is how we respond

to God’s call and not how hard we work, even if we judge that work as beneficial to others, according to what we’re called to do.

The question then is: How do we know when God is the one doing the talking? I believe God doesn’t confuse us. I also believe He’s talking all the time. The key for us is to make a conscious and deliberate effort to listen and hear Him. That requires persistence and prayer.

Combined, listening then becomes habitual.

All I’m trying to say is, I’m trying each and every day to hear God. In doing so, I’m obligated to share with you that maybe my calling and my job is to accept as a blessing this platform, use it as but another wonderful conduit for God’s will, and continue to say loudly and publicly that Jesus is Lord.

And if you also believe this, then you probably better tell somebody.

May God bless and keep you always.

James A. Washington is a father, husband, Christian, writer, entrepreneur, and the owner/publisher of the Dallas Weekly.

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T he C hronicle

Tim Black named Forsyth County’s new Emergency Services director SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Tim Black has been promoted to emergency services director for Forsyth County Government.

Black previously served as deputy director of Emergency Services and assumed his new position on April 18.

Black emerged as the

sions.

An Army veteran, Black has bachelor’s degrees in nursing and emergency medical care from Western Carolina University. He’s worked with the county for more than 20 years, beginning as a field paramedic before being promoted to training officer and then compli-

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Tim Black top candidate after the county conducted a nationwide search. As emergency services director, he will oversee the county’s Emergency Medical Service, Fire Service, and 911 Communications divi-

and provide exceptional service to those in need under his watch,� said Assistant County Manager Damon Sanders Pratt. Black succeeds Dan Ozimek, who retired at the end of February after 42 years of service.

Ozimek started as a basic emergency medical technician (EMT) in 1977 and

ance officer. In 2015, he became deputy director of Emergency Services “Tim has been an exemplary leader during his time with Forsyth County, and Emergency Services will continue to advance

eventually became EMS director in 2000. Ozimek became the first director of Emergency Services in 2009, when EMS was combined with Fire and 911 Communications to form a new department.Â

Winston Salem native ECSU Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon honored with Platinum HBCU Grow Award SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Elizabeth City State University’s Chancellor, Dr. Karrie G. Dixon, has been awarded the platinum Best Leadership award by the HBCU Grows LEAD Conference 2020. A Winston-Salem native and Carver High School graduate, Chancellor Dixon is the university’s 12th chief executive officer.

In addition to her award, under Chancellor Dixon’s leadership, ECSU was awarded three more platinum awards.

Chancellor Dixon was also recently named one of the 10 Most Dominant HBCU Leaders by HBCU Campaign Fund. Since her time as chancellor of ECSU, she has focused on campus revitalization, enrollment growth, and infrastructure with a focus on building the foundation for a sustainable future. “I have to recognize that I do nothing on my own,� Chancellor Dixon said upon receiving the HBCU Grow award. “It’s all about the shoulders I stand on.�

She went on to recognize ECSU’s senior leadership who, she said, has taken charge of forging the university’s future. “I have a dynamic team,â€? said Chancellor Dixon. “I thank each and every one of them every day for waking up every morning and asking what is best for our university.â€?Â

Dr. Karrie G. Dixon The university received platinum awards for innovation with its signature aviation program, for being a military friendly university, and for its marketing and branding efforts of the aviation program. “We are graduating pilots. We are growing our aviation program,� said Chancellor Dixon. “Over the past year alone, we grew by 45%.�

Prior to coming to ECSU, Chancellor Dixon served as the UNC System’s vice president for academic and student affairs, where she was responsible for overseeing the Division of Academic and Student Affairs for the system’s 17 institutions. She also served as the chief student affairs of-

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ficer for the UNC System, working closely with vice chancellors for student affairs and other university leaders.

Chancellor Dixon holds a bachelor’s degree from NC State University, a master’s degree from UNC Greensboro, and a doctorate from NC State.

HBCU Grow is a consortium of people dedicated to helping HBCUs grow enrollment, alumni giving, and address marketing challenges. The LEAD awards recognize the efforts of HBCUs in various categories. This year’s HBCU LEAD Conference theme was “The Intersection of Business and Education.�

April 23, 2020

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New members added to local COVID-19 Relief Fund committee

BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

Three new members have been added to the local COVID-19 Relief Fund committee. The new members, James Perry, Mortica “TT� Parmon, and Corey McCann, will join the committee responsible for reviewing applications and making grant decisions for the fund established by a partnership between United Way of Forsyth County, The Winston-Salem Foundation, the City of Winston-Salem and Community Organizations Active in Disaster.

Perry currently serves as president and chief executive of the WinstonSalem Urban League. Parmon and McCann are both known for their work to uplift the community. Parmon, who recently ran for the Northeast Ward seat on the City Council, is the daughter of former county commissioner and state legislator Earline Parmon.

McCann is the co-founder of Rally Up Winston-Salem, a grassroots organization that focuses on ending street and gang violence.

The COVID-19 Relief Fund for Forsyth County was established to support

local community members impacted by the pandemic.

Grants made possible by contributions from private sources and the City of Winston-Salem will provide one-time funding to local non-profits to help address the economic needs of populations in the community most in need.

All applications submitted are reviewed by a group of individuals representing various organizations in the community and the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee.

The city set up a separate process for its money to ensure citizen input on how the city’s money is allocated.

The three members will join the 11 members who already serve on the committee. Those members are: Deborah T. Wilson – United Way of Forsyth County, Nora D. Ferrell and Jason W. Baisden – Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Maegan Gomez – Community Representative, Courtney James – Community Representative, Peggy S. Reingold – Wells Fargo, Mamie Sutphin – Reynolds American, Inc., Cheryl Lindsay – Hanesbrands, Brent A. Waddell – Tru-

ist, Reginald McCaskill – Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity, and Sandra FishelBooth – The Winston-Salem Foundation.

The first round of grant recipients was announced earlier this month. Although funds have not yet been distributed, it has been reported that $1,062,000 will be awarded to 15 different nonprofits. Grant recipients were: Bethesda Center for the Homeless, Cancer Services, Inc., Crisis Control Ministry Inc., Eliza’s Helping Hands, Inc., H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem, Inc., Imprints Cares, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods, Samaritan Ministries, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, Inc., The Salvation Army, Whole Man Ministries of NC, Winston-Salem Rescue Mission, YWCA of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, and Union Baptist Church.

For more information on the COVID-19 Relief Fund for Forsyth County, visit www.covid19forsyth. org.

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April 23, 2020

The C hronicle

Winston-Salem Symphony to stream music online during pandemic SUBMITTED ARTICLE

The Winston-Salem Symphony, under the innovative artistic vision of Music Director Timothy Redmond, has been working tirelessly to find ways to help and support the Winston-Salem community during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Symphony has been posting and will continue to post musical events and listening opportunities online on Facebook (@ wssymphony) and YouTube, and archived on its website - wssymphony. org.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-evolving and unprecedented situation,” said Timothy Redmond. “The Winston-Salem Symphony is doing everything in its power to assist in the containment efforts and support the well-being of our community, patrons, and musicians. But we also are continually looking for

safe ways to connect with and perhaps bring moments of beauty and joy to our community. Music has the power to bring hope and solace during difficult times. We have created a series of musical events that we will post online throughout the pandemic that we hope will brighten the world for at least a bit.”

The Symphony will present the following ongoing series online: “Musician Moments” will feature Winston-Salem Symphony musicians every Monday evening at 8 p.m.

“Camera 1” will feature previously recorded concerts, broken out into movements, every Friday evening at 8 p.m.

“Specials” will be uploaded periodically.

See below for a list of videos that have taken place or are currently scheduled to take place.

These events are continually evolving so check Facebook for updates.

Musician Moment Monday, April 6 at 8 p.m.

For years audiences have seen Ronald Rudkin on stage with the symphony as second clarinetist, occasionally as acting principal clarinetist, and even recently as a Basset hornist. He is also an amazing jazz saxophonist, as seen in this brief clip.

Special: Beethoven Movie & Music pt. 1 Tuesday, April 7 at 8 p.m.

In collaboration with a/ perture cinema, and as part of MBWSPresents’ yearlong, city-wide #BTHVNRocksWS celebration, Winston-Salem Symphony staffer Allie Arpajian in-

troduces three of the several movies that a/perture cinema is featuring that include music of Beethoven as part of the score. Stream these films from the comfort of your own couch via Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Vudu, and other sources.

Special: Beethoven from the Rooftop Wednesday, April 8 at 8 p.m.

While the Symphony was on the roof for this heartfelt message, they also wanted to celebrate Beethoven in a unique way. A trio of symphony musicians performs one of his most popular tunes— even though it wasn’t published during his lifetime.

Part of #BTHVNRocksWS. Special: Beethoven Movie & Music pt. 2 Wednesday, April 9 at 8 p.m.

In collaboration with a/ perture cinema, and as part of MBWSPresents’ yearlong, city-wide #BTHVNRocksWS celebration,

Winston-Salem Symphony staffer Allie Arpajian introduces three of the several movies that a/perture cinema is featuring that include music of Beethoven as part of the score. Stream these films from the comfort of your own couch via Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Vudu, and other sources.

Camera 1 with the Winston-Salem Symphony Friday, April 10 at 8 p.m.

The Symphony performs the second movement of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 6 from the Stevens Center on Sunday, March 8. Tim Redmond conducts.

Musician Moment Monday, April 13 at 8 p.m.

Winston-Salem Symphony Assistant Concertmaster Rebecca Willie and her husband, WinstonSalem Symphony percussionist Eric Willie, perform Telemann from their basement in Greensboro.

Camera 1 with the Winston-Salem Symphony Friday, April 17 at 8 p.m.

The Symphony performs the fiery Furiant movement of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 6 from the Stevens Center on Sunday, March 8. Tim Redmond conducts.

Musician Moment Monday, April 20 at 8 p.m.

Learn about a WinstonSalem Symphony musician through a virtual performance from their home.

Camera 1 with the Winston-Salem Symphony Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m.

The Symphony performs the triumphant finale of Dvorak’s Symphony

No. 6 from the Stevens Center on Sunday, March 8. Tim Redmond conducts.

Special: Timothy Redmond’s Audition Concerts Tuesday, April 28 at 8 p.m. and Thursday, April 30 at 8 p.m.

On their one-year anniversary, the Winston-Salem Symphony will stream a filmed recording of Redmond’s audition concerts. Hear the symphony perform Igor Stravinsky’s captivating Pulcinella: Suite; Jean Sibelius’s epic Symphony No. 1, op.

39, E minor; as well as Samuel Barber’s lyrical Violin Concerto, op. 14 with guest violinist Steven Moeckel.

Musician Moment Monday, April 27 at 8 p.m.

Learn about a WinstonSalem Symphony musician through a virtual performance from their home.

Music Lovers’ Luncheon: Home Cookin’ Friday, May 1 at Noon An enlightening online

discussion between Music Director Timothy Redmond and guest violinist Steven Moeckel. The symphony will post a simple lunch recipe online the week before, that attendees can make if they like.

Camera 1 with the Winston-Salem Symphony Friday, May 1 at 8 p.m.

Superstar violinist Rachel Barton Pine joins the symphony to perform the opening movement of Sibelius’s beloved Violin Concerto from the Stevens Center on Sunday, March 8. Tim Redmond conducts.

Musician Moment Monday, May 4 at 8 p.m.

Learn about a WinstonSalem Symphony musician through a virtual performance from their home.

Camera 1 with the Winston-Salem Symphony Friday, May 8 at 8 p.m.

Rachel Barton Pine performs the second movement and the finale of Sibelius’s beloved Violin Concerto from the Stevens Center on Sunday, March 8. Tim Redmond conducts.

These online events are free. However, those listening are encouraged to donate to the symphony’s Crescendo Campaign (annual fund) at wssymphony.org and to subscribe to the 2020–21 season. To find out more about the Symphony’s exciting 2020–21 season and to subscribe visit wssymphony.org/tickets/subscribe/.

For the most up-to-date Winston-Salem Symphony information related to COVID-19, please refer to the website at wssymphony. org/covid19/.

Community Calendar Please call ahead to make sure your event is still happening. We will post cancellations/postponements announcements when received.

NOW – Volunteer Center of the Triad The Volunteer Center of the Triad is responding to COVID-19 by bringing the volunteer community together. We have designated a portion of our website www.volunteercentertriad.org to assist our non-profit community as their needs arise around the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are interested in volunteering, visit www. volunteercentertriad.org, click COVID-19 Response and search volunteer opportunities available.

NOW – Girl Scouts on Facebook Live Every Monday through Friday at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Saturdays at 11 a.m., Girl Scouts and anyone who is interested can tune into Facebook Live workshops with topics ranging anywhere from STEM and gardening to life skills and family game night. They even host a weekly campfire on Thursday evenings.

Virtual Troops will kick-off the week of April 13. To receive information for these newly forming troops, families can visit www.BeAGirlScout.org/ connect. There will be specific troop times for each girl grade level.

For more information about virtual Girl Scout opportunities or to learn more about Girl Scouting in your community, please visit www.girlscoutsp2p. org. Questions about virtual programming can also be directed to info@ girlscoutsp2p.org or 800672-2148.

April 24 – City Committee To Review COVID-19 Fund Grant Request The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee will hold a special online meeting Friday, April 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. to review applications and award grants from the city’s $1 million contribution to the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County. The meeting will be conducted online to comply with social distancing recommendations for fighting the

spread of COVID-19.

Residents who want to listen to the meeting should contact Meridith Martin by calling 336747-7212 or emailing meridithm@cityofws.org.

A recording of the meeting will be available by Wednesday, April 29, on the city’s COVID-19 website (CityofWS.org/2686/ COVID-19-ResponseFund).

May 17 – “Writing Your Manuscript” series “Finishing Your Manuscript: Revising, Rewriting, Beta-reading, and Reaching Your Goal,” part 4 of the public series on Writing Your Manuscript from Triad Sisters in Crime, with Rase McCray, MFA, at High Point Library, 1:45-4 p.m., 901 N. Main St., High Point.

Stay to 5 p.m. to chat with authors.

Aug. 27-29 – Used book sale The Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem will hold its 33rd Annual Used Book Sale on Thursday, Aug. 27, and Friday, Aug. 28, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (1/2 Price on all items!). The book sale is one of the largest in our state! Parking and Admission are free. The event will take place at the fairgrounds.

Here are online Bookmarks events for the month of April Contact: info@bookmarksnc.org URL for info on all events: https://www.bookmarksnc.org/calendar Book Trivia Monday, April 27 at 7 p.m.

Test your literary knowledge against other readers. Join us for Book Trivia with Bookmarks’ Inventory Manager, Caleb Masters. Email caleb@ bookmarksnc.org to receive a link to participate virtually.

Bookmarks Book Club - The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Tuesday, April 28 at 7 p.m.

Email jamie@bookmarksnc.org to receive a link to participate virtually. For more info, https:// www.bookmarksnc.org/ event/bookmarks-bookclub-now-online Book Buzz Book Club - Radiance of Tomorrow

by Ishmael Beah Thursday, April 30 at 12:00 p.m.

This book club meets to discuss lesser-known titles by some of today’s favorite authors.

Email beth@bookmarksnc.org to receive a link to participate virtually. For more info, https:// www.bookmarksnc.org/ book-buzz How to submit items to the community calendar: We appreciate your community news. Here’s how you can help us to process your news more efficiently: *Please give us complete information about the event, such as the sponsor and address, date, time and place of the event and contact information so that the public can contact someone for more information if needed. *Please submit items in document form in an email or Word or PDF attachment. *Submit photos as attachments to emails as jpegs at least 4 inches wide by 6 inches deep rather than sent on documents. Please send captions with photos. *Please do not send jpeg fliers only, since we cannot transfer the information on them into documents.

The deadline is Sunday at 11:59 p.m. to have all calendar items submitted for that week’s paper.

Send your calendar items to news@wschronicle.com. You can also drop them off, Monday through Friday before 5 p.m., or mail your items to Winston-Salem Chronicle, 1300 E. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101; or send them via our website, www.wschronicle.com.

www.wschronicle.com

T he C hronicle

April 23, 2020

B5

10 local artists receive grants from Arts Council Regional Artists Project SUBMITTED ARTICLE

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County has announced the recipients of its 2020 Regional Artist Project grants. A total of $20,000 was awarded to 10 local individual artists (or collaborative groups) to help them further their professional development. Recipients reside in Forsyth, Davie, Davidson, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin counties. The grants are sponsored by The Arts Council with support by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Randy Eaddy, president and CEO of The Arts

Jazmine Moore

Grant Coversano

Submitted photo

Council, said, “This is one of our most dynamic and potentially impactful programs. Eligibility for grants spans five broad artistic genres. Our grant’s panel, which is comprised of an Arts Council board member and a diverse cross section of representatives from the greater arts community, reviews the applications strategically, with supporting the careers of area artists at pivotal points in their professional lives foremost in their minds.”

The five genres, or disciplines, that are eligible for grants are: Music Composition, Film/Video, Literature/Playwriting, Choreography/Dance and Visual Art/Craft. Artists must be over the age of 18 and not currently enrolled in a degree or certificate program.

2020 Regional Artist Project Grant Recipients: *Michael Anderson (Music) $2,000 - To produce an album containing a collection of original songs that reflect on physical and mental postures. *Tony Artimisi (Music) $2,000 – To construct an online drum sampling kit for studio recording purposes. *Destiny Brothers (Music) $2,000 – To record and produce an urban jazz album. *Grant Coversano (Film) $3,000 - To complete a research project that will conduct interviews with LGBTQ youth growing up in the American South and will serve as the basis for a narrative film.

Nicole Lawson

Tony Artimisi *Nicole Lawson (Dance) $1,000 - To convert a solo work that explores internalized racism and white privilege, into a dance film.

*Cheryl Ann Lipstreu (Visual Art) $1,500 - To attend the World Bodypainting Festival in Klagenfurt, Austria. *Jazmine Moore (Visual Art) $2,000 - To produce an illustrated children’s book for kids who have experienced trauma. *John Ray (Music) $2,000 - To assist with the promotion and marketing of his band’s live-recorded album featuring progressive jazz. *Michael Tyson (Music) $2,000 - To record and produce his band’s album featuring Americana storytelling songs. *Cory Williams (Visual Art) $2,500 - To help scale sculpture into works of public art.

For more information about Regional Artist Project grants, contact Dara Silver, The Arts Council’s vice president of Grant Programs and Partner relations, at 336-747-1426 or dsilver@intothearts.org.

B6

CLASSIFIEDS April 23, 2020

C hronicle TTHhe E C H R ON I C LE

APRIL 23, 2020 B7

DEADLINE: MONDAY 5:30 PM • CALL CLASSIFIEDS AT (336) 722-8624

We accept major credit card payment on all classfied Ads. Email us your ad by Monday.. see it on Thursday: adv@wschronicle.com M/WBE BID NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Bond Order Authorizing the Issuance of not to exceed $1,840,000 General Obligation Parks and Recreation Bonds of the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Bond Order Authorizing the Issuance of not to Exceed $5,000,000 General Obligation Street and Sidewalk Bonds of the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Bond Order Authorizing the Issuance of Not to Exceed $30,500,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds of the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina

WINSTON-SALEM CITY COUNCIL ON PETITIONS FOR ZONING CHANGES

Construction & Rehabilitation Services, Inc. P.O. Box 38

404 Billy Jacobs Road Hoboker, GA 31542

912-458-3747 Phone 912-458-3081 Fax

Project: Winston-Salem Forsyth Coounty

Kernersville Neighborhood Sewer Rehabilitation Bid Date: Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 @2 PM

Prices Needed by: April 28th, 2020 (Tuesday) @12 PM We are bidding the above project as a prime contractor.

We are inviting quotations from M/WBE contractor/supplier firms that might be interested.

Possible subcontracting opportunities are: Concrete,

Asphalt Paving, Manhole Rehabilitation, Traffic Control,

Trucking (Hauling), Open Cut/Storm Sewer Open Cut,

Point Repairs, Erosion Control, Water Service Reconnect/Replacement and Service Lateral Excavate and Replace.

(The work can be broken down or combined into econom-

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to the requirements of Article 19 of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes of North Carolina, that the City Council of the

City of Winston-Salem will hold a public hearing in the

Council Chamber at City Hall, Room 230, 101 N. Main

Street, Winston-Salem, NC at 7:00 p.m. on May 4, 2020,

on the following proposed amendments to the Official Zoning Map of the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina:

1. Zoning petition of Clifford Wilson, to amend and

change from RMU-S to NB-S (Arts and Crafts Studio; Church or Religious Institution, Neighborhood; Com-

bined Use; Food or Drug Store; Furniture and Home

Furnishings Store; Government Offices Neighborhood Organization, or Post Office; Museum or Art Gallery;

Offices; Recreation Services, Indoor; Restaurant (without drive-through service); Retail Store; Services, A; and Banking and Financial Services): the zoning classifica-

tion and Official Zoning Map of the property located at

the southeast corner of South Main Street and Barber

Street; property consists of ±0.44 acre and is as portion PIN 6834-42-0341.00 as shown on the Forsyth County

Tax Maps and on a site plan on file in the office of the

City-County Planning Board (Zoning Docket W-3432).

2. Zoning petition of City of Winston-Salem, to amend

and change from AG (Forsyth County Zoning Jurisdic-

ically feasible units to facilitate participation).

tion) to AG (Winston-Salem Zoning Jurisdiction): the

Plans and Specifications are available at: Issuing Office

of ±6.00 acres and is PIN 6864-32-7378 as shown on the

of HDR Engineering Inc. of the Carolinas 301 N. Main

zoning classification and Official Zoning Map of the property located north of Patsy Drive; property consists

Forsyth County Tax Maps and file in the office of the

Street Suite 2030 Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Contact

City-County Planning Board (Zoning Docket W-3433).

(lauren.hunter@hdrinc.com)

3. Zoning petition of Ray and Sallie Edwards Invest-

Lauren Hunter (336) 995-8250 or by email Electronic plas are also available upon request.

ment, LLC, to amend and change from HB-S and LB to

GB-S (Storage Services, Retail): the zoning classification and Official Zoning Map of the property located on

Please call our office to obtain the information concerning

the east side of Peters Creek Parkway, south of Bridgton

quest for the bid material, please direct inquires to

of PIN 6822-78-3147 as shown on the Forsyth County

this job at 912-458-3747. If you would like to email a recristy@cajenn.com. All subcontractors negotiations must

be completed prior to the bid opening date referenced above.

Quotes must be received in our office by 12 PM on April 28th (Tuesday)...

Road; property consists of ±2.82 acres and is a portion

Tax Maps and on a site plan on file in the office of the

City-County Planning Board (Zoning Docket W-3434).

4. Zoning petition of Challenges of the 21st Century,

Inc., to amend and change from GB and RS7 to IP-S

(School, Public and School, Private): the zoning classi-

fication and Official Zoning Map of the property located

CaJenn Construction will negotiate fairly with interested

firms and will not reject any as unqualified without sound

reason based on a thorough investigation of the capabili-

ties. We will notify your firm is your bid is accepted for this project. M/WBE firms not selected for the work may

contact CaJenn Construction for information why they

on the north side of Goldfloss Street between Vargrave

Street and Glendale Street; property consists of ±2.42

acres and is PINs 6834-65-0715, 6834-55-9707, 683455-9756, and 6834-65-2791 as shown on the Forsyth

County Tax Maps and on a site plan on file in the office

of the City-County Planning Board (Zoning Docket W-

3435).

were not selected. If you have not heard for us within

5. Zoning petition of Burger King Corporation #1283

and we will inform you of the status of your bid.

west corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Fifth

seven (7) days following the bid date, please contact us

from HB MLKO to HB: property is located on the north-

Street; property consists of ±0.8 acres and is PIN# 6835-

67-9815 as shown on the Forsyth County Tax Maps

If you need assistance with obtaining bonding, loan cap-

(Zoning Docket W-3344).

agreements to secure loans or suppliers or letters of credit,

All parties in interest and citizens are invited to attend

ital, lines of credit, equipment, insureance, or joint pay

please contact us, and we will review your needs and direct you to available agencies for assistance.

said hearing at which time they shall have an opportunity

to be heard in favor of or in opposition to the foregoing proposed changes.

CaJenn Construction & Rehabilitation Services, Inc. will

During the public hearing the City Council may hear

arrangement if appropriate.

scribed property or any portion thereof. At the end of

look at the possibility of a joint venture or partnership

CaJenn Construction & Rehabilitation Services, Inc. will

look at the possibility of modifying our payment schedule to meet your individual needs upon submission of qualified invoices.

other proposals to amend the zoning of the above-de-

the public hearing, the City Council may continue the

matter, deny the proposed rezoning, in whole or in part, grant the proposed rezoning, in whole or in part, or re-

zone the above-described property or any portion thereof

3747.

any additional information on these proposals which is in the possession of the City-County Planning Board by

inquiring in the office of the City-County Planning

Please include a copy of all MBE/WBE certifications

with quotes.

Board in the Bryce A. Stuart Municipal Building on weekdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

All requests for appropriate and necessary auxiliary aids

Respectfully, Cristy S. Jennings, President CaJenn Construction & Rehabilitation Services, Inc. The Chronicle April 23, 2020

and services must be made, within a reasonable time prior to the hearing, to Angela Carmon at 747-7404 or

to T.D.D. 727-8319.

BY ORDER OF THE CITY COUNCIL Sandra Keeney, Secretary to the City Council of the City of Winston-Salem

The Chronicle April 23, 30, 2020

www.

wschronicle .com

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of WinstonSalem, North Carolina (the “City”) deems it advisable to make the improvements hereinafter described; and WHEREAS, an application has been filed with the Secretary of the Local Government Commission of North Carolina requesting Commission approval of the bonds hereinafter described as required by the Local Government Bond Act, and the Secretary of the Local Government Commission has notified the City Council that the application has been accepted for submission to the Local Government Commission.

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WHEREAS, the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina (the “City”) has previously issued its (1) General Obligation Bonds, Series 2008, (2) Taxable General Obligation Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds, Series 2010A, (3) General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2010B, (4) Taxable General Obligation Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds, Series 2010D, (5) General Obligation Bonds, Series 2012A, and (6) General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2012B (collectively, the “Prior Bonds”);

WHEREAS, an application has been filed with the Secretary of the Local Government Commission of North Carolina requesting Commission approval of the bonds hereinafter described as required by the Local Government Bond Act, and the Secretary of the Local Government Commission has notified the City NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED by the Council that the application has been accepted for WHEREAS, the City Council of the City (the “City submission to the Local Government Commission.

Mayor and the City Council of the City, as follows: Council”) deems it advisable to refund certain Section 1. The City Council of the City has ascer- NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED by the maturities of the Prior Bonds (the “Refunded Bonds”); tained and hereby determines that it is necessary to Mayor and the City Council of the City, as follows: WHEREAS, an application has been filed with the provide for constructing, renovating and improving certain parks and recreational facilities, including, among other things, golf courses and playgrounds throughout the City.

Section 1. The City Council of the City has ascertained and hereby determines that it is necessary to provide for improving and repairing certain streets and bridges Section 2. To raise the money required for the pur- located in the City.

poses described above, in addition to funds which may be available for such purpose from any other source, bonds of the City are hereby authorized and shall be issued pursuant to the Local Government Bond Act of North Carolina. The maximum aggregate principal amount of such bonds authorized by this bond order shall be and not exceed $1,840,000.

Section 2. To raise the money required for the purposes described above, in addition to funds which may be available for such purpose from any other source, bonds of the City are hereby authorized and shall be issued pursuant to the Local Government Bond Act of North Carolina. The maximum aggregate Section 3. Taxes will be levied in an amount sufficient principal amount of such bonds authorized by this to pay the principal and interest of the bonds authorbond order shall be and not exceed $5,000,000. ized by this bond order.

Section 4. A sworn statement of the City’s debt has been filed with the City Secretary and is open to public inspection.

Section 5. No debt shall be contracted during any fiscal year by the issuance of bonds pursuant to this bond order if the amount of such debt and if all other debt contracted during such fiscal year shall exceed twothirds (2/3rds) of the amount by which the outstanding indebtedness of the City shall have been reduced during the next preceding fiscal year, unless the incurring of such debt shall be submitted to a vote of the people of the City and shall be approved by a majority of those who vote thereon.

Section 6. This bond order will take effect thirty (30) days after its publication following adoption, unless it is petitioned to a vote of the people within thirty (30) days after its publication as introduced, as provided in N. C. G. S. Section 159-60, and in that event the order will take effect when approved by the voters of the City.

The foregoing bond order has been introduced and a sworn statement of debt has been filed under the Local Government Bond Act showing the appraised value of the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina to be $22,956,242,395 and the net debt thereof, including the proposed bonds, to be $286,242,371. The Chief Financial Officer of the City has filed a statement estimating that the total amount of interest that will be paid on the bonds over the expected term of the bonds, if issued, is $772,800. The estimate is preliminary, is for general informational purposes only, and may differ from the actual interest paid on the bonds. A tax will be levied to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds if they are issued. Anyone who wishes to be heard on the questions of the validity of the bond order and the advisability of issuing the bonds may appear at a public hearing or an adjournment thereof to be held in the Council Chamber of the City Hall Building, Winston-Salem, North Carolina at 7:00 o’clock p.m. on the 4th day of May, 2020. The public may also participate in this public hearing electronically.

All requests for appropriate and necessary auxiliary aids and services must be made, within a reasonable time prior to the hearing, to Angela I. Carmon, the City's ADA Coordinator, at 747-7404 or TDD 7278319.

to some other zoning classification.

Prior to the hearing, all persons interested may obtain

Please direct all questions to Cristy Jennings 912-458-

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of WinstonSalem, North Carolina (the “City”) deems it advisable to make the improvements hereinafter described; and

Date: April 23, 2020

/s/Sandra Keeney Sandra Keeney City Secretary

The Chronicle April 23, 2020

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA FORSYTH COUNTY The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of MARGUERITE D. COLE, deceased, late of ROCKDALE COUNTY, GEORGIA, with property in Forsyth County, North Carolina, hereby notifies all parties having claims against said estate to present them to the attorney for the undersigned at 3735 Memorial Drive, Suite 100, Decatur, Georgia 30032 on or before July 17, 2020 or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED by the Mayor and the City Council as follows: Section 1. The City Council deems it advisable to refund the Refunded Bonds.

Section 2. To raise the money required to pay the costs Section 3. Taxes will be levied in an amount sufficient of refunding the Refunded Bonds as set forth above, bonds of the City are hereby authorized and shall be to pay the principal and interest of the bonds issued pursuant to the Local Government Bond Act of authorized by this bond order.

North Carolina. The maximum aggregate principal Section 4. A sworn statement of the City’s debt has amount of such bonds authorized by this bond order been filed with the City Secretary and is open to public shall be and not exceed $30,500,000. inspection.

Section 3. Taxes will be levied in an amount sufficient to pay the principal and interest of the bonds Section 5. No debt shall be contracted during any fiscal year by the issuance of bonds pursuant to this authorized by this bond order. bond order if the amount of such debt and if all other debt contracted during such fiscal year shall exceed Section 4. A sworn statement of the City’s debt has been filed with the City Secretary and is open to public two-thirds (2/3rds) of the amount by which the outstanding indebtedness of the City shall have been inspection.

reduced during the next preceding fiscal year, unless the incurring of such debt shall be submitted to a vote Section 5. This bond order shall take effect on its of the people of the City and shall be approved by a adoption. majority of those who vote thereon.

The foregoing bond order has been introduced and a sworn statement of debt has been filed under the Local Section 6. This bond order will take effect thirty (30) Government Bond Act showing the appraised value of days after its publication following adoption, unless it the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina to be is petitioned to a vote of the people within thirty (30) $22,956,242,395 and the net debt thereof, including days after its publication as introduced, as provided in the proposed bonds, to be $286,242,371. The Chief N. C. G. S. Section 159-60, and in that event the order Financial Officer of the City has filed a statement will take effect when approved by the voters of the estimating that the total amount of interest that will be City. paid on the bonds over the expected term of the bonds, if issued, is $4,743,036. The estimate is preliminary, The foregoing bond order has been introduced and a is for general informational purposes only, and may sworn statement of debt has been filed under the Local differ from the actual interest paid on the bonds. A tax Government Bond Act showing the appraised value of will be levied to pay the principal of and interest on the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina to be the bonds if they are issued. Anyone who wishes to $22,956,242,395 and the net debt thereof, including be heard on the questions of the validity of the bond the proposed bonds, to be $286,242,371. The Chief order and the advisability of issuing the bonds may Financial Officer of the City has filed a statement appear at a public hearing or an adjournment thereof estimating that the total amount of interest that will be to be held in the Council Chamber of the City Hall paid on the bonds over the expected term of the bonds, Building, Winston-Salem, North Carolina at 7:00 o’if issued, is $2,100,000. The estimate is preliminary, clock p.m. on the 4th day of May, 2020. The public is for general informational purposes only, and may may also participate in this public hearing electronidiffer from the actual interest paid on the bonds. A tax cally. will be levied to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds if they are issued. Anyone who wishes to All requests for appropriate and necessary auxiliary be heard on the questions of the validity of the bond aids and services must be made, within a reasonable time prior to the hearing, to Angela I. Carmon, the order and the advisability of issuing the bonds may appear at a public hearing or an adjournment thereof City's ADA Coordinator, at 747-7404 or TDD to be held in the Council Chamber of the City Hall 727-8319.

Building, Winston-Salem, North Carolina at 7:00 o’/s/Sandra Keeney clock p.m. on the 4th day of May, 2020. The public Sandra Keeney may also participate in this public hearing City Secretary electronically.

Date: April 23, 2020 All requests for appropriate and necessary auxiliary The Chronicle April 23, 2020 aids and services must be made, within a reasonable time prior to the hearing, to Angela I. Carmon, the City's ADA Coordinator, at 747-7404 or TDD 727-8319. /s/Sandra Keeney Sandra Keeney City Secretary Date: April 23, 2020 The Chronicle April 23, 2020

All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned at the above address.

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This the 20th day of Deccember 2019 Rose F. Outlaw, Administrator Boykin Edwards Jr. Attorney At Law 3735 Memorial Drive Suite 100 Decatur, GA 30032 The Chronicle April 16, 23, 30 and May 7, 2020

Secretary of the Local Government Commission of North Carolina requesting Commission approval of the bonds hereinafter described as required by the Local Government Bond Act, and the Secretary of the Local Government Commission has notified the City Council that the application has been accepted for submission to the Local Government Commission.

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