NEWS • COMMENTARY • ARTS • ENTERTAINMENT Newspaper The CSRA’s FREE WEEKLY June 28 - July 4, 2012 U rban W eekly Pro Bryson, Flack Caught In The Act FIRST RESPONSE Band Camp & Battle of the Bands Fast & Furious Scandal So you need an ambulance and a fire truck shows up. What gives? Augusta’s fire trucks are staffed with trained First Responders, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Paramedics. Meet LaShon Polk, Augusta’s new EMS Coordinator, the woman who runs the show. EMS Coordinator LaShon Polk at the Augusta Fire Dept. Headquarters. Photo by Vincent Hobbs Review by Tim Cox
Transcript
NEWS • COMMENTARY • ARTS • ENTERTAINMENT
Newspaper
The CSRA’s
FREEWEEKLY
June 28 - July 4, 2012Urban WeeklyPro
Bryson, FlackCaught In The Act
First response
Band Camp & Battle of the Bands
Fast & Furious Scandal
So you need an ambulance and a fire truck shows up. What gives?Augusta’s fire trucks are staffed with trained First Responders, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Paramedics. Meet LaShon Polk, Augusta’s new EMS Coordinator, the woman who runs the show.
EMS Coordinator LaShon Polk at the Augusta Fire Dept. Headquarters. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
Review by Tim Cox
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Urban Pro Weekly: I see that you’re not from Augusta originally. Where were you born and where did you receive your early education?
POLK: I am from Los Angeles, California (born in Long Beach) and grew up in an area call the “Miracle Mile” District. I am a product of the Los Angeles School District (LASD) and graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School.
Urban Pro Weekly: When and why did you first become a firefighter?
POLK: I began my career in the fire service in 1997-1998 by participating in a pilot program hosted by the Oakland Fire Department in an effort to increase their recruitment of women into the fire service. I also started taking Fire/EMS classes through Peralta Colleges (Oakland, CA), as well as worked as a Recruit Intern with San Jose Fire. In 1998, I completed fire school with the Oakland Fire Department where I was a volunteer in their Ride-a-Long program, which gave me fire fighting experience. However, edu-cation for my new career was just beginning; I enrolled in the College of San Mateo’ Fire Science program and did course work until I was hired with the City of Atlanta as a Professional Career Firefighter.
Before becoming a Firefighter I was in the brokerage industry, working in San Francisco’s financial district. I was a single parent and knew I needed more time in my schedule to participate in my son’s school and extracurricular activities. One night I had a dream I was a firefighter, woke up to hear and see fire apparatus in front of my apartment. The next morning I spoke to a good friend about my dream, she laughed saying, I’m
too proper and too much of a girlie girl to be a firefighter. She continued saying she met a Fire Lieutenant [Oakland Fire Dept.] a few days prior to our conversation who was encouraging her join the fire service and invited her to a fire sta-tion Open House. I asked my friend if she ever heard of the Celestine Prophecy, she relied no. I told her the message about joining the fire service was not for her, but rather she was the conduit to deliver the message to me. From that day, along with other insights, I knew the fire service was the profession for me and I have not looked back.
Urban Pro Weekly: Explain what an emer-gency first responder does and why it’s such an important job.
POLK: There are several levels of Emergency First Responders - Augusta Fire Department is an emergency First Responder agency responding to: fires, medical, hazardous materials incidents, water rescue, technical, disasters/mass casualty incidents and/or anything that disrupts the “nor-mal” conditions in a person’s life whether it’s manmade or brought on by a natural source. i.e. hurricanes, earthquakes or tornados. As a First Responder our priorities are: Life Safety, Incident Stabilization and Property Conservation. The majority of today’s First Responder incidents are medical calls, which accounts for approximately 80% of our call volume nationwide. EMS inci-dents are either emergent (needing immediate intervention) or urgent in nature and others are classed as service calls. Nonetheless when a citi-zen call 911, it is the responsibility of the trained fire service personnel/Fire Responder to priori-tize all incidents as emergent unless told other-wise by Augusta’s 911 Communications.
Urban Pro Weekly: What is the difference between an EMT and a Paramedic and does the fire department train its own or do they recruit people who are already trained?
POLK: Under the Department of Public Health, the Georgia Office of Emergency Medical Services governs the all Allied Pre-Hospital Healthcare Professional which includes: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advance Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), Cardiac Tech (CT) and Paramedic.
Most First Responders are certified through the National Registry for Emergency Medical Technicians and authority is practiced as Healthcare Providers in Georgia is granted through the Georgia Office of Emergency Medical Services. Further, we function under a Medical Direct, a Board Certified and State Licensed Medical Doctor. As Allied Pre-Hospital Healthcare Professional EMTs and Paramedics follow state protocols that are reviewed and approved by the agency’s Medical Director.
The difference between the various profession-al licenses is the level of education one is trained to perform as a Pre-Hospital Healthcare Provider. Pre-Hospital Healthcare Professionals are trained to function within their Scope of Practice and this varies for each professional license.
For example, an EMT is trained at a basic level and their Scope of Practice allows them to accurately collect vital signs (respirations, pulse rates, blood pressures and oxygen saturations and administer oxygen, supervised by an AEMT or higher); an EMT cannot perform any invasive procedures (IV’s and advanced airway adjuncts)
EMS Coordinator LaShon Polk at the Augusta Fire Dept. Headquarters. Photo by Vincent HobbsLaShon Polk
EMS Coordinator On A Mission
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EMS coordinator from page 3or assist or administer medications. An AEMT builds on the EMTs Scope of Practice, which allows them to perform basic skills in addition to doing invasive procedures i.e. blood glucose monitoring and starting I.Vs as well as administering medica-tions in the AEMTs Scope of Practice (Oxygen, Albuterol, Epi-Pen Narcan & D50 and Glucagon). CTs and Paramedics utilize the basic and advanced EMT skills as the founda-tion for their Scope of Practice and add more advance technical skills to treat patients.
Paramedics are the highest level of Pre-Hospital Healthcare Professionals and focus on severe cardiac and respiratory problem and have been granted the privilege to perform invasive procedures such as reading and interpreting EKG strips and inserting advanced air devices. Paramedic can also administer life saving medications, including certain Schedule II controlled sub-stances.
Augusta Fire Department trains all new recruits at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) level. As for the future, one of the expressed long-term goals is to implement an in-service Paramedic Program.
Urban Pro Weekly: What unique perspectives or experience would you bring to the job?
POLK: What makes my perspec-tive and experience unique as the EMS Coordinator for Augusta Fire Department is the fact that I am a sworn Firefighter, with 14 years of demonstrated and proven knowledge, skills and abilities in field operations. I am a Nationally Registered Paramedic, a Tactical Paramedic and I have experience in both the Pre-Hospital and Clinical settings. I’ve had the opportunity to run fire/EMS calls, work in a hostile and/or uncontrolled environment
and I do exceedingly well under pressure. Having field operational experience along with corporate knowledge has taught me to be an effective communicator through active listening and speaking on multiple levels. Whether informa-tion needs to be conveyed to hos-pital staff/doctors, the community and/or to our Firefighters, I’m told I am effective. More importantly, I am focused and a determined per-son who cares about the community I/we serve.
Urban Pro Weekly: Are there different “schools of thought” or philosophies when it comes to EMS Management or does every-one pretty much approach things the same way?
POLK: As it relates to EMS Management each agency has a dif-ferent thought process, with some agencies more in alignment with others. My thoughts: Progressive First Provider agencies have EMS Divisions separate from the Fire Training Division and although we are all First Responders, both Divisions are specialized and should not be combined instruc-tion.
Managing an EMS Division is just like any business; one sets goals with parameters, establishes pri-orities and lays out the objective for achieving both. For Augusta Fire Department – EMS Division, my goal is to meet the needs of the internal customer, so they can provide the highest quality of care to the external customers; the citi-zens of Augusta, GA. I work with my EMS Committee to assess the needs of our internal customers and to get feedback from the field on day to day EMS insight. My first prior-ity is to implement an in-house EMS training program to provide our First Responder Continuing Education Unit (CEUs), validated
courses similar to those outlined by the National Registry for Emergency Medical Technicians. This will ensure that the members of Augusta Fire Department have the minimum required CEUs to recertify bi-annu-ally for their state Healthcare pro-vider license.
Urban Pro Weekly: Most people know very little about firefight-ing or EMS operations. Give us some idea of the kinds of EMS resources that are available in the fire department.
POLK: The first point I’d like peo-ple to understand is WE, the mem-bers of the Augusta Fire Department are here to serve the community. Our day to day operations and over-all responsibility includes: respond-ing to all emergency incidents in a timely and professional manner and ensuring that we have done our best to stabilize the situation.
The Augusta Fire Department is a community service-based orga-nization, providing services such
as blood pressure check; attending jurisdictional community event, health fairs, church invitations, sta-tion tours for small groups of chil-dren accompanied their caregivers. As Chief James new Executive Staff get settled into our positions, we will be introducing more community ori-ented activities, keeping in mind… SAFETY is priority.
Urban Pro Weekly: What are some goals that you have set for improving service to the citizens of Augusta?
POLK: As far as my goals for future improvement of services for the citizens of Augusta; as I men-tioned previously I am focusing on building an EMS Division that includes: In-service training for our members, identifying medical pri-orities as outlined in various trade periodicals, upgrading EMS equip-ment, troubleshooting, building community relationships and most importantly, providing outstanding customer service.
Sherryl James (cen-ter), Community Service and Outreach Librarian, helps library patrons fill out raffle ticket information for a prize giveaway of Amazon Kindles, during the Augusta Library’s second anni-versary celebration.Photo by Vincent Hobbs
EMS Coordinator LaShon Polk (R) speaks with Firefighter Ross Williams (L) at the Augusta Fire Dept. Headquarters.Photo by Vincent Hobbs
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Bicyclists compete in the men’s junior 17-18 division in the USA Cycling National Criterium Championships held in downtown Augusta. The five-day event also included competitions at Lake Thurmond and Fort Gordon.Photo by Vincent Hobbs
Cyclistscompete inAugusta for national ranking
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By Timothy Cox
ATLANTA Fittingly, the June 23 concert held
at an outdoor amphitheater in subur-ban Atlanta featured two legendary performers during what’s officially called Black Music Month.
Rare performances by Roberta Flack and her longtime musical mate, Peabo Bryson, attracted about 2,500 patrons who were provided separate performances by the two living leg-ends.
Bryson, a Greenville, S.C. native, opened the two-hour show by dis-playing his unique brand of voca-lese that has garnered him Grammy Awards and other accolades through-out his successful 35-year career.
In a recent interview from his Atlanta home, Bryson reflected on his formative years in the Baptist church-es of South Carolina’s Piedmont region.
During his Atlanta performance, he displayed the gospel-like grit that helped him become a household name and romantic crooner with hit songs like “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” and the Disney hits which placed the soul crooner in a more classic category – “Aladdin (A Whole New World)” and “Beauty and the Best” – his best-selling duets with singers Celine Dion and Regina Belle, respectively.
At midpoint of his show, Peabo announced that he would revisit the R&B side of his career. To a rousing ovation, his rhythm section segued to a familiar intro into “I’m So Into You.”
Bryson’s smokin’ six-piece band was led by his longtime bassist and Musical Director, Dwight Watkins, also of Atlanta.
Notably, Bryson’s vocal clarity and range remains intact, while nattily dressed in an off-white smoking jack-et, the classic crooner worked hard enough to evoke perspiration enough to remove the jacket to the delight of his many lady fans.
During the interview, Bryson noted
that remaining physically-fit remains priority.
After a too-lengthy changeover in backline band equipment, it was finally showtime for the lady legend on the bill.
This show evoked memories of the 1981 “Live and More” LP that fea-tured Roberta with then-label mate, Bryson, when both recorded on Capitol Records.
Flack noted that on that particular tour she specifically sought-out Peabo as her recording mate, considering that less than two years earlier – her good friend, Donny Hathaway, had died.
“I’ve always been very particular about the male singers that I work with. Luther (Vandross) was one of my background singers,” she said during a pre-concert interview from her home in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.
I really hoped that Peabo would accept – I knew he was the one fellow who could perform the songs Live – I’m talking about all those songs that Donny and I had recorded in the studio,” she said.
Conversely, Bryson said he was pleasantly surprised that Flack chose him to do the live tour.
“I remember thinking. ‘she wants me to sing with her’? I was so hon-ored,” he said.
Bryson also acknowledged per-forming at the AmVets nightclub in Augusta, Ga., while working as a young, lead singer for the Moses Dillard Textown Display Band.
“I cut my teeth in Augusta. People there know their music,” he added.
During the first portion of Flack’s recent show, she kicked-it-off with a smooth-but-funky version of her clas-sic, “Feel Like Making Love.”
Flack is forever known for her intricately sweet background vocal arrangements.
She failed to disappoint on this humid evening -- especially on a less-familiar mid-‘70s hit called “Feelin’ That Glow” and her rendition of the Marvin Gaye’s “Inner-City Blues,” “You Sure Love To Ball” and “Mercy, Mercy Me (Save The Children)” offered a unique, flashback vibe for the largely mature audience.
Flack’s background vocalist Derek Hughes of Oakland, California, shined throughout the evening, dis-playing a multi-octave range reminis-cent of jazz-fusion vocalist Phil Perry.
Another crowd-pleaser occurred when Bryson joined Flack onstage during a welcomed rendition of their duo hit “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” and “Back Together Again,” the Hathaway/Flack classic.
Both singers reminded us that they are musicians. Roberta, the classical-
ly-trained academician of Howard University, was comfortable at her baby grand piano, while Bryson sur-prised some while performing the Sade classic, “King of Sorrow,” as he accompanied himself on an acoustic guitar.
Remarkably, both singers’vocal chops remain largely unchanged from their younger days – very similar to what occurred with vocal nuances of the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, whose girlish soprano stayed unblemished.
Flack also performed two singles from her just-released CD, ‘Let It Be Roberta’ which covers hits from The Beatles.
Her rendition of “Hey Jude” was also mimicked by concertgoers throughout The Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater in suburban Peachtree City, about 20 minutes south of down-town Atlanta.
While Bryson noted that this show is not part of a dedicated tour, he did say that audience reaction and ticket sales for the performance were being gauged to determine whether it justi-fies escalation to a national tour.
Meanwhile, it’s hoped the tour will at least visit select American cities in order to provide real-music lovers a unique opportunity to witness these two living legends – Back Together Again.
Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson reunion provides classic backdrop for Black Music Month show
Peabo Bryson Roberta Flack
ABOUT BLACK MUSIC MONTH: On June 7, 1979, President Jimmy Carter designated the month of June as Black Music Month in order to pay homage to the lasting impact of Black Musicians upon American music and pop culture. In 2008, President Barack Obama changed the name to African-American Music Appreciation Month. Philadelphia producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff were originators of the annual music-based acknowledgement.
Rare performances by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson attracted about 2,500 patrons to a suburban Atlanta amphitheatre. Photo by Tim Cox
7UrbanProW
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In an environment in which many marketers expect their advertising budgets to decrease and some brands are shifting their multicultural advertising to general market agencies, a consortium of media outlets and marketing agencies has formed to tout the spending power and habits of black consumers.
Titling their effort #InTheBlack, the consor-tium points out that African-American buying power is expected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2015 (according to GfK MRI) and argues that their companies are uniquely posi-tioned to help marketers access those dollars.
The campaign, which launched this week with an advertisement in the business section of the New York Times and coverage by all of the con-sortium’s media outlets, seeks “to encourage increased invest-ments in the African American consumer marketplace while helping companies reach the African American audience more effectively,” according to a collective statement.
Spearheaded by BET Networks, the consortium includes many of the larg-est black-focused media out-lets and marketing agencies,
as well as mainstream com-panies. The partners include (in alphabetical order): Black Enterprise, Burrell Communications, Cable Ad-vertising Bureau, Essence Communications, GlobalHue, HuffPost BlackVoices, Inner City Broadcasting Company, Interactive One, Johnson Publishing Company, KJLH Radio, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, National Newspaper Pub-lishers Association, Nielsen, North Star Group, One Solution, Radio One, Reach Media, Steve Harvey Radio, TheGrio, The Africa Channel, The Root, TV One, UniWorld Group, Vibe Media and Walton Isaacson.
While efforts to tout the value of the black consumer are nothing new – last year Nielsen and the National Newspaper Publishers Asso-ciation published “The State of the African-American Consumer”
report about black spending power and buying habits – the #InTheBlack effort stands out by having so many competing outlets band together under one umbrella. “We are excited to partner with some of the nation’s most influential media and marketing groups to high-light the growing economic opportunity of the black mar-ketplace. As a collective, we are better positioned to dem-onstrate the value of targeting the black consumer audience and partnering with leading brands to help them succeed,” explained Debra Lee, chair-man and chief executive officer for BET Networks.
Said Donna Byrd, publisher of The Root, “We’re proud to be associated with this collab-orative and historic effort. We believe that focusing our col-lective attention on the eco-nomic power of the African-American consumer will have a positive impact on the entire
industry.”To put the campaign in
context, total American buy-ing power is currently $12.2 trillion, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth. While black spending power comprises more than 8 percent of that figure (black people are 12.6 percent of the U.S. populaiton), the growth of that spending power is outpac-ing the rate of growth in other groups. Meanwhile, nation-al advertising buys in black media (excluding newspaper and online media) totaled just under $2 billion in 2010, according to Nielsen, a year in which $142.5 billion was spent on ad buys overall.
Given these conditions, the outlets behind #InTheBlack see an opportunity to “raise awareness and create a sense of urgency around the eco-nomic opportunity the black consumer segment presents,” according to their released statement. “African American media have the unique ability to reach the African American consumer base directly and are an important resource in identifying and establishing trends within the black com-munity.” They are targeting executives at major Fortune 500 companies, brand lead-
ers and media planners, as well as consumers, with that message.
They point to the fact that nearly one in seven babies born in the United States is now of African-American descent, and call black people “mega-consumers beating out all other ethnic groups in the consumption of automobiles, wine and spirits, baby care products, groceries, health and beauty products, personal care products, apparel, elec-tronics, movies and travel and entertainment,” because they spend more on these items relative to other populations. Hoping to gain the attention of luxury categories, they also note a 64 percent increase between 2000 and 2009 in the number of black households earning $75,000, and an 89 percent uptick in those earn-ing $100,000 and more.
The prospect of so many black-focused companies banding together for a common purpose points to myriad possibilities; but at least for now, the consortium’s main purpose is building awareness and educating people about the black consumer segment. More information about their campaign can be found at
Over two dozen firms form a consortium to tout the $1 trillion-plus buying power of black consumers.Media outlets unite to boost Black ad buys
“African American media have the unique ability to reach the African American consumer base directly and are an important resource in identifying and establishing trends within the black community.”
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Where Caring, Learning, & Sharing Come Together in A Loving Environment
Criminal Law • Divorce • Personal Injury • Employment Law
By Patrik Jonsson
Rep. Darrel Issa, chair of the House Oversight Committee, has led the now 16-month old investigation into who knew what, and when, about an ill-advised gun interdiction scheme on the border called Fast and Furious.
The effort, says Mr. Issa, is to get answers for the family of Brian Terry, the Border Patrol agent shot and killed in a high desert shootout where guns belonging to the Fast and Furious gun-walking program were found.
But as Congress moves now to cite
the attorney general of the United States, Eric Holder, for contempt, the situation has quickly become more intense, fueling a central and long-run-ning conspiracy theory about Fast and Furious.
How much do you know about the US Constitution? A quiz.
Along with conservative commenta-tors like Rush Limbaugh, Issa suggested as late as April that Fast and Furious may have been part of a policy by the White House to flood the Mexican market with guns to foment violence, which would then put political pressure
back on the US to curb its wide-open border gun bazaar and weaken Second Amendment rights.
That contention, liberals say, is on its face absurd. Comedy Central sati-rist Stephen Colbert summed up the extent of the alleged conspiracy on Friday, concluding Fast and Furious-spawned border violence was intended “to panic Americans in order to gin up support for a Draconian gun control measure Obama has never introduced. Complicated? Yes. The fevered ram-blings of a syphilitic brain? Perhaps.”
But the “worse than Watergate”
internet rumblings aside, last week’s Oversight Committee vote – which fell along partisan lines – to recommend Holder for a House vote on contempt and President Obama’s decision on the same day to invoke executive privi-lege to keep related documents secret did enliven debate about what’s real-ly at stake with the investigation. To wit, whether the documents Congress wants and that the Administration won’t release may be able to confirm or put to rest suspicions that not just Holder, but
Whether or not a botched government gun interdiction scheme known as ‘Fast and Furious’ was tied into White House gun policy is roiling the right – and a cause for scoffing on the left.
What ‘conspiracy’ lies behind Eric Holder and ‘Fast and Furious’?
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Obama, had a policy hand in Fast and Furious.
In opening the contempt hearing on Wednesday, Mr. Issa contended that, “[The contempt hearing] is not about this investigation, it’s about a narrow subset of documents that this commit-tee must ultimately receive.”
But in April, Issa gave an interview at the National Rifle Association con-vention in St. Louis, in which he gave credence to suspicions held by many conservatives and gun owners about the program’s true intent.
“Could it be that what they really were thinking of was in fact to use this walking of guns in order to promote an assault weapons ban?” Rep. Issa said. “Many think so. And [the administration] hasn’t come up with an explanation that would cause any of us not to agree.”
Loosely based on two similar opera-tions that took place during the Bush administration, Fast and Furious began in 2009, shortly after administration officials, including Obama, several times cited in public a contested estimate that 90 percent of guns used in Mexican violence came from the US, a situation they said was wreaking havoc in Mexico and injuring relations between the two continental powers.
Around that time, the administration says, ATF agents in Phoenix, under pressure to stem the flow, began allow-ing straw purchasers to “walk” assault weapons into Mexico, in order to track the guns and build criminal cases against not just low-level drug opera-tors, but cartel bosses.
But in the process, ATF lost track of 1,400 guns, some of which have been recovered at murder scenes in Mexico
and two of which were found at the scene in Arizona where Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was gunned down by suspected drug smugglers.
To be sure, Holder, who has testi-fied nine times about the program, has made some slips, including the fact that he told Congress he didn’t know about the program until after the death of Agent Terry, though it now seems clear that some of his direct reports may have had rudimentary knowledge of the pro-gram 10 months earlier.
Another event that piqued Republican interest came last year when Holder had to retract a letter sent to Congress on Feb. 4, 2011, which stated flatly that the ATF wasn’t allowing guns to walk. DOJ said it was relying on inaccurate field reports when it wrote that letter, and filled Congress in six months later when they could confirm and nail down the truth.
In the aftermath, both Holder and the President have acknowledged the gam-bit was a terrible idea, shouldn’t have happened, and won’t happen again. Though he contends he was never directly involved, Holder, as Obama’s top cop, has taken responsibility and apologized to the family of Agent Terry for his death. Meanwhile, half a dozen involved agents and officials have lost their jobs or been reassigned.
While tens of thousands of documents are in play, Congress say it wants to look specifically at a set of 1,300 documents, mostly emails, that investigators hope will shed light on who at Justice and the White House were directly involved. Holder has maintained that releasing some of the documents Congress wants could put cases and field agents in jeopardy.
At the least, the contents of the docu-ments could fall short of conspiracy but still yield politically embarrassing information about how the administra-tion crafted its response to the scandal, giving rise to charges that Republicans are on an irrational “fishing expedition” for political dirt.
“Though it’s not clear exactly what these documents may involve, it seems likely they consist of the Department of Justice’s reaction to the backlash against Fast and Furious,” writes Matthew DeLuca of the Daily Beast.
“The Republicans are succeeding in a strategy that they laid out for all of you at the beginning of last year,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Friday. “They vowed to use their investigative powers to score political points against the administration and to further obstruct the President’s legisla-
tive agenda.”Democrats on the Oversight
Committee on Saturday filed a “minor-ity view” to be included in next week’s scheduled contempt vote, noting specifi-cally that, “The Committee’s investiga-tion of ATF gunwalking operations has been characterized by a series of unfor-tunate and unsubstantiated allegations against the Obama Administration that turned out to be inaccurate.”
But while the political lines around Fast and Furious are thus clearly drawn, allusions to Watergate-sized conspiracy theories do, at the very least, also help bolster Issa’s central point: If only to quell such theories, Americans deserve to know whether it was really a hap-less bureaucratic blunder or whether administration officials lied about the extent of their involvement in what became a deadly scandal.
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SITE-BASED WAITING LIST OPEN Walton Oaks
The Legacy at Walton Oaks
The Housing Authority of the City of Augusta, Georgia, in partnership with Walton Communities, is pleased to announce that the site-based waiting list for Public Housing admission to Walton Oaks and the Legacy at Walton Oaks will open on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 through Friday, June 29, 2012.
The Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Program (River Glen Apartments) will also open Wednesday, May 23, 2012 through Friday, June 29, 2012. The waiting lists for the Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) for admission to the Legacy at Walton Oaks, the Public Housing program and the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program are currently closed.
The community, located at 401 Fairhope Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901, is a gated, smoke free community that will provide a quality living environment. Seventy-five (75) newly-constructed apartment homes for families are in the final stages of completion and will be ready for occupancy in July 2012. All units will include washer/dryer connections, a business center with computers and a community library for resident use.
Special rental assistance will be provided with respect to 14 of the 75 apartment homes through the Augusta Housing Authority. Fourteen (14) units will be designated for eligible public housing applicants. No walk-in applications will be accepted. Effective May 23rd, anyone interested may complete an on-line application at www.augustapha.org.
Walton Communities will require a $14 application fee to process your application. Once approved, a $250 deposit must be paid in full in order to reserve an apartment. Applicants will be placed on the site-based waiting lists, will be ranked by date and time applied and will be notified in writing when selected from the waitlist so that they may be scheduled for an interview to determine eligibility for the program. Preliminary applications will be accepted until 6pm on June 29th at which time all site based waiting lists will be closed.
The Augusta Housing Authority does not discriminate in admission or access to its federally assisted programs. Any potentially eligible individual who has a visual or hearing impairment will be provided with information necessary to understand and participate in the Augusta Housing Authority's programs. Sevi B. Roberson has been designated as the responsible employee to coordinate the Augusta Housing Authority's efforts to comply with the nondiscrimination based on handicap regulations.
Equal Housing Opportunity The Housing Authority of the City of Augusta, Georgia
By: Jacob Oglesby, Executive Director Mission Statement: To promote adequate and affordable housing, economic
opportunity and a suitable living environment free from discrimination.
Health & Fun Day
June 30, 2012 11:00 AM-3:00 PM
· Surgical Group · Oncology Nurse· Dietitian · HIV Information & Testing · Sheppard's Blood Bank · Blood Pressure & Diabetes Screening · Free Clothes and Food Give-A-Ways · Cardiology Nurse · Physical Therapist · Various Vendors · Other give-a-ways · Fun and games for children
Faith Kingdom Life Center 1852 Gordon Hwy Augusta, GA 30904
Located on Gordon Hwy in the Midway Shopping Plaza Next door to Tire Town
Contact Person: Dr. Mary Hollimon Mobile: 706.726.8990 Phone: 706.733.6083 Fax: 706.736.0026 E-mail: [email protected]
Bring at least one nonBring at least one non perishable food itemperishable food itemBring at least one non-perishable food itemperishable food item
Oncology Nurse
AUGUSTAMiddle and high school band
students have until June 29 to register for the first Band Camp of Champions, which honors the mem-ory of the Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion.
The weeklong overnight camp takes place July 9-14 at Paine College in Augusta. It includes workshops that will train, groom and strengthen musicians and dancers as a whole.
Experienced instructors and clinicians include Jason Price, who played Nick Cannon’s stunt double in the movie “Drumline”; Kolomo Bailey from Kentucky State University; Benjamin McKnight from South Carolina State University; and Emmanuel Roundtree from Fort Valley State University.
Champion, a Southwest DeKalb High School alumnus, died in an alleged hazing inci-dent aboard a FAMU band bus in Orlando, Fla., last November. A camp workshop will focus on haz-ing. Champion’s parents, Robert and Pam, are expected to be guest speak-ers at the camp.
A national music scholarship fair will take place during the camp for college-bound students.
Cost for the camp, which includes room and board, is $300 per person. For applications, contact Christina Proctor at 706-469-0149.
The camp will conclude with an “Extravaganza” show, an all-star battle of the bands, and mass band finale on July 14. Tickets for the Extravaganza are $5, $12 for the all-
star battle, and $15 for both shows.The Peach State All-Star Battle of
the Bands is scheduled for Saturday, July 14, 2012, 5:00 - 9:00pm, at the Laney Stadium.
We strive to provide an educa-tional, entertaining and positive experience for one and all. There
will be performances by All-Star bands from within the CSRA, as well as other All-Star bands from Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Mississippi. There will also be amazing performances by special guest college bands and artists this year. This annual event will
also provide excellent recruiting opportunities for our band students with college/university band direc-tors.
For ticket purchase contact 706.294.9141 visit your local House Hold Rentals or go online www.tixon-line.com.
Band of Champions weeklong camp concludes with Battle Of The Bands
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RE-ELECT
ElainEJohnsonClerk of Superior Court
Paid For By The Committee to Re-elect Elaine Johnson - Rick Toole - Treasurer
Vote Tuesday, July 31stDemocratic Primary
Elaine Creed Johnson is a native Augustan. She began her career in the Clerk of Superior Court Clerk’s office in 1973, was elected in 1992 and assumed her official duties as the Clerk of Court in 1993. She has 39 years of continuous experience.
Elaine is married to Major Gene Johnson with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. They have one daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Shane Prince, and one granddaughter, Ella Grace.
RE-ELECT
ElainEJohnsonClerk of Superior Court
Paid For By The Committee to Re-elect Elaine Johnson - Rick Toole - Treasurer
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