Urban Pro Weekly, November 15, 2012

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NEWS12 ANCHOR CHRIS THOMAS TO EXIT MARKET

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Newspaper VOL.2 NO.11

ENTERTAINMENT NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

Randolph Frails Making a difference

The CSRA’s

UrbanProWeekly • NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

Building community through discussion By Frederick Benjamin Sr. UrbanProWeekly Staff Writer From the single mom who is concerned about school bus driver accountability to the local publisher telling a sitting city commissioner that he’s out of touch; from the state senator who assures us that he doesn’t need to take money for his vote to the sheriff’s candidate who doesn’t just want to lock folks up — stuff gets discussed on the Fattz and Cher in the Morning and stuff gets said there that you won’t hear anywhere else. The 6 - 10 am sign on time puts them in a great position to actually break news as it happens — and it has done so on numerous occasions. When the newsmakers are behind the microphone, they’re going to make news. This week on the show, listeners were the first to hear the official announcement that News12 anchor Chris Thomas will be leaving the market on Nov. 21. Thomas made the announcement as part of his “Inside Story” segment that appears weekly on the Morning show.

Local fits all sizes. Whether you like jazz, country or hip hop, any story that you hear about in the news becomes more real to you when you work with, play with, or pray with the people being reported about. There’s nothing greater for building community than local news sources like the Fattz and Cher Morning Show where the news of the day is not just reported, but the community gets an opportunity to join the conversation. From sports to civics to birthday surprises, you never know what’s going to happen next on your local live radio. In this day and age, media or news organizations have an unprecedented level of access to consumer information which they can leverage to reach various target groups. Sadly, it is easy to lose the human, familiar element when important decisions are being made. Increasingly news organizations and media outfits need to find ways to stay “in touch” with real people. Witness the colossal failure of campaign organizations and polling operations with unlimited resources and

Thank You! for re-electing

RICHMOND

•

COLUMBIA

•

BURKE

I look forward to serving you for the next 4 years!

view. That would be a mistake. Look what happened to the Romney campaign. Look what happened to the national Republican Party. Locally, we have a situation where the largest news organization with relatively unlimited resources by Augusta standards failed in 90 percent of it political endorsements. They simply lost touch with their community. The lesson to be learned is that money and technological sophistication can never trump honest dialogue and real community. There’s a troubling trend of late which sees local broadcast operations scaling back or cutting altogether their local community-oriented programs where people from the community can visit or call in to talk about local issues. Many radio listeners no longer tune in to their stations just to listen to Chris Thomas’s last “The Inside music, they can get that from their cell Story” broadcast will be Wed., phone. But they do tune in for honNov. 21, 2012. est person to person chit chat — you Photo by Vincent Hobbs know the type of conversations you used to have around the dinner table. access in the last election. Chris Thomas’s last local broadIt is almost as if the more information that is available, the less there is a need cast on the morning show will be on to discuss or defend differing points of Wednesday, Nov. 21. Let’s keep it local.

THANK YOU

Voters of District 1 For Re-electing Marion E.

BARNES

Proven. Effective. Experienced. Follow us: Paid for by the Committee to Elect Ashley Wright for District Attorney.

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Publisher Ben Hasan 706-394-9411 Managing Editor Frederick Benjamin Sr. 706-836-2018

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Law as a second career offers opportunity to serve others brief â€˘ case Attorney Randolph Frails has engaged in practice of law since 1997. He obtained a Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Georgia in 1997. He has a minor in Aviation Management from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1991. He is U.S. Navy Veteran who served 20 years before retirement. He is a member of the, State Bar of Georgia, State Bar of South Carolina, Augusta Conference of African American Attorneys, Augusta Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in all the State, Appellate, and Supreme Courts in Georgia & South Carolina. He also admitted to the U.S. District Court of South Carolina, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. & U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. He is married to Dr. Marian T. Ebron and has three children.

FRAILS & WILSON

211 Pleasant Home Rd. Augusta, GA 30907 706-855-6715 The firm consists of three attorneys and five support staff. Its practices consist of civil litigation, serious personal injury cases, real estate transactions, bankruptcy, family law and will & probate.

UrbanProWeekly â€˘ NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

Q&A: Attorney Randolph Frails

Attorney Randolph Frails, in front of the John H. Ruffin, Jr. Courthouse on Ninth Street. Photo by Vincent Hobbs UrbanProWeekly: Where were you born and where did you spend your high school years? Randolph Frails: I was born in Harlem, Georgia and graduated from Harlem High School UPW: Law happened a little later in life for you. Often, a person goes to law school out of high school and then after a time they begin their legal career. What happened to you between high school and law school? FRAILS: Although, it is becoming more common for individuals to work in other professions prior to attending law school, my enrollment in law school at age 37 after 20 years in the U.S. Navy was an objective that simply took a delayed detour. I joined the Navy right out of high school with the intention of saving money for college and stayed a bit longer than I had planned. So I obtained my undergraduate degree while on active duty and went directly to law school after 20 years in the Navy. UPW: Where did you study law and why did you decide to become a trial lawyer? FRAILS: University of Georgia School of Law. I did not plan to become a trial lawyer. After graduation, opportunities were limited. Consequently my military training and life experiences guided me along this path. . UPW: We often hear that young defense attorneys straight out of law school are very idealistic but that after a few years of experience tend to modify their expectations of the criminal justice system. Did that happen to you? FRAILS: My concepts or expectations concerning the criminal justice system have not changed that dramatically since I graduated from law school. My life experiences probably gave me a more realistic view of the justice system. Lady Justice is not blind and the scales of justice are rarely balanced if ever. In some instances justice depends upon who you know and the size of your bank account. It is a quite disheartening to see so many young African American males are negatively impacted by the system. It is so important that we stress education and economic empowerment to our youth. If we improve our economic situation we will have less crime. UPW: What would be your single most important piece of advice to a young person who was contemplating a career in law? Continued on next page

UrbanProWeekly • NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

FRAILS from page 3 “Although there has been some improvement over FRAILS: Being an attorney is a rewarding profession that requires tremendous effort and sacrifice. Be prepared for hard work and long hours. Find a lawyer and make him or her your mentor to guide and advise you. UPW: In this digital age, most professions have had to make adjustments. Has the advent of the information explosion changed the way you practice law from, say, 15 years ago? FRAILS: Technology has not changed the way I practice law. It certainly has increased the speed and productivity You still have to study the law and prepare your cases and meet and discuss issues with your clients. Prior to practicing law, I worked in the field of electronics and information technology in the U.S. Navy. Therefore, I embrace technology, especially when that technology increases efficiency and reduces cost. UPW: What are the challenges faced by African American attorneys practicing in the CSRA? FRAILS: Although there has been some improvement over the years, the biggest challenge facing local minority attorneys is the lack of significant, meaningful, opportunities for gainful employment. When I first started in private practice in the local area in 1997, there were

the years, the biggest challenge facing local minority attorneys is the lack of significant, meaningful, opportunities for gainful employment.”

only about 25 local African American Attorneys in both the private and public sector. Our former Solicitor, Harold Jones was a catalyst in changing the demographic landscape of the legal community in Augusta. He hired a number of African American Attorneys. Prior to his efforts, the message was that no black attorneys want to work in Augusta. Today 1997 number of 25 has more than doubled. There are well over 50 African American Attorneys practicing in both the private and public sector in the local area. Unfortunately though there is much more work to be done in that area. We still need more African American attorneys in both the private and public sector. Opportunities for clerkships with local judges and Assistant State Attorney General positions are severely limited. UPW: The recent failure to place African Americans on the Juvenile Court bench has some people calling for a separation of the Juvenile Court from the Superior Court system. How do you feel about that failure in diversity and the prospect of a separate Juvenile court system? FRAILS: Separation of the Juvenile and Superior Court systems would not be in the best interest of the public at

large. Judges need to work together to ensure that children who are subject to the judicial system are treated fairly. Often times the same children seen in juvenile court also end up in Superior Court. Failure to place an African American on the Juvenile Court Bench send a sour message to the citizens and voters in Richmond, Burke and Columbia Counties which make up the Augusta Judicial Circuit. Circuit. Not having an African American on the Juvenile Bench also reflects a complete insensitivity to the needs of the Juvenile Justice System, especially for Richmond County. Well over 90% of the children in Richmond County Juvenile Court are African American. Burke and Columbia also have a high percentage of minority juveniles in there system. The feedback is that no African American that applied was qualified. I disagree with that assessment. There are quite a number of African American Lawyers in the Augusta area that, in my opinion, are well qualified to hold a Juvenile Judge position. Some of those well qualified minority lawyers applied for the positon and were denied appointment. But, If in fact the decision makers believed that none of those minorities who applied for the position were well qualified; it was incumbent upon them and the need

for fairness to reach out, inquire, and seek someone of color who was qualified. Finally this lack of sensitivity toward the needs of African Americans in the Juvenile Justice System provides fuel to the continual argument Richmond County should be a separate distinct Judicial Circuit apart from Columbia County. Our local legislative delegation certainly should consider this matter.

UPW: You have been a key player in the Richard Roundtree Sheriff’s campaign. Have you been active in other campaigns and why did you feel it was necessary to get involved in the Roundtree campaign? FRAILS: The Roundtree Campaign was my first foray in to politics. Assisting Richard Roundtree was a simple decision for me. I had known him for a number of years and strongly felt that Roundtree was and is the best and most qualified candidate for Sheriff. My colleagues Harold Jones and Charles Lyons encourage me to get involved. We each contributed to the campaign in our own unique way. UPW: Have you ever been approached to run for political office and would you ever consider entering politics as a candidate? FRAILS: I have been approached about the possibility of running for office but, I have never seriously considered myself as potential candidate. As far as the future is concerned, no one should EVER say NEVER.

Pennamon honored as top agent Augustan Bob Pennamon was honored by Mutual of Omaha’s vice president and national sales manager Greg Garner for his hard work during the summer’s Annual Baseball Contest. The baseball contest was based on commissions earned during the contest period. Pennamon was among the top 25

veteran agents in the nation who were given all expenses paid trips to Detroit Michigan for games 3 and 4 of the 2012 World Series. Pennamon, a graduate of Lucy Laney High School and Savannah State University has been with the company for over 39 years and has earned the companies highest award, The Chairman’s Council, many times.

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COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY The Richmond County School System will accept bids and request for proposals until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, for the following: 1. Commodity Processing RFQ #12-615 Bid specifications may be obtained by contacting Amy Bauman in the Business Office at 706-826-1298, on our web site at www.rcboe.org, or at the Richmond County School System, Central Office, 864 Broad Street, 4th Floor, Augusta, Georgia 30901. The Richmond County School System reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive technicalities and informalities. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

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OF RICHMOND COUNTY By: Dr. Frank G. Roberson, Secretary

By Bill Barrow Associated Press ATLANTA Georgians often bemoan the quality of their public schools. But state Superintendent John Barge, fresh off a defeat in a debate over expanding charter schools, wants to change public perception. Taking a cue from corporate America, the state Department of Education on Tuesday will launch a marketing campaign titled “Georgia’s Future. Now!” The campaign comes with Georgia still trailing the national average in many standardized test measures, while Atlanta schools continue under the shadow of alleged cheating on those same tests in recent years. And Barge continues to face questions about his leadership from some of his fellow Republicans. Those realities, the superintendent said, require an aggressive response. “A lot of folks don’t know the good things going on because we historically don’t do a good job telling them about it,” Barge said. The effort, which Barge will announce Tuesday at a Buford school, includes old-fashioned outreach: printed literature, knickknacks with a logo, a speaker’s bureau of teachers to address community groups. If enough private money is raised, it also will feature a Web TV comedy series — with hopes of the show being broadcast on Georgia Public Television — titled “Modern Teacher.” Styled after the television series “Modern Family,” it depicts life in a Georgia school. Producers have developed a trailer, but not yet filmed full episodes. Target audiences are rank-and-file teachers, parents, legislators, business leaders and taxpayers. The program will explain, among other details, new curricula and changes in teacher evaluations. Many of the changes dovetail with Georgia’s participation in the federal Race to the Top grant program.

The campaign also will highlight that Georgia is the only state this year where students have increased their average ACT and SAT scores for college entry; the number of AP college credits earned; and the math, reading and science portions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress test. The department has spent about $70,000 in public funds so far, most of it paid to Voss & Associates of Florida. Barge’s staff and consultant David Voss have shared details, including the “Modern Teacher” trailer, with several outside groups. “I’ve been one who has been complaining for years that there is a lack of clear messaging from the system,” said Steve Dolinger, president of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, a group heavy on business leaders. Yet among top elected officials, Barge appears to be going about it largely alone. Senate Education Chairman Fran Millar, R-Atlanta, said “the concept is good,” but he questioned Barge’s timing so soon after voters overruled the superintendent on charter schools.

Barge angered many of his fellow Republicans, including Gov. Nathan Deal, with his opposition to the constitutional amendment that affirms state power to create charter schools. Millar said he was unaware of the Tuesday unveiling and noted that it occurs at the same time Dolinger’s group meets in Atlanta. Millar will be with Dolinger, as will many of the business leaders that could help fund “Modern Teacher.” “That tells you all you need to know,” Millar said. “I’m trying to mend a lot of fences in spite of this guy. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking.” Barge aides said Deal’s office is aware of the program. But no one from the governor’s office will be part of the Tuesday event. Still, Barge got some support from a recent opponent. Bert Brantley, a spokesman for the charter amendment campaign, said this kind of effort is “definitely needed.” Brantley, who worked for Gov. Sonny Perdue, recalled the difficulty of navigating what voters and outsiders think about schools. “They are certainly better than people think

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they are,” he said. Brantley said political campaigns can be a double-edged sword. “A lot of governors, superintendents and legislators have run on a platform of ‘improving schools,’” he said. “The perception has been built up over a lot of years.” The next step is for Barge to raise money to send “Modern Teacher” into full production. Dolinger said his board members — executives from top firms like Georgia Power, Lockheed Martin and AT&T — are receptive to the program. As for underwriting it, he said, “they’re taking a wait-and-see approach.”

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5 UrbanProWeekly • NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

GA Superintendent Barge launches branding campaign

UrbanProWeekly • NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

e m m b t p t i

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ASU Lady Jaguar volleyball player Collette Richards (4) goes for a dig during a match against Armstrong Atlantic State at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Nov. 3, 2012. The Lady Jags were defeated 3-2. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

Jags ready for Peachbelt Championship rounds AUGUSTA Augusta State will take on Montevallo in the opening round of the Peach Belt Conference Volleyball Championships on Friday, Nov. 16 in St. Augustine, Fla. The PBC office officially released the tournament matchups Saturday afternoon at the conclusion of regular-season play. The Jags earned the No. 5 seed, while Montevallo is seeded No. 4. The tourney begins Friday at 10:00 am on the campus of Flagler College, who is hosting its first PBC championship event. The Jags, who registered an 18-14 regular-season record and have already clinched the fourth-winningest season in school history, dropped a pair of regular-season matchups to Montevallo. ASU fell 3-1 to the Falcons on Sept. 22 in Montevallo, Ala., and suffered a 3-2 setback in Christenberry Fieldhouse on Oct. 23. Armstrong Atlantic State won its second consecutive PBC regular-season championship on Saturday, and its third in the last five years, and will be the top seed for the tournament. The Pirates finished 13-1 in PBC play and 29-5 overall and are the top seed for the second straight season. Tourney host Flagler will be the No. 2 seed. The three-time defending PBC Tournament champions, Flagler made its second NCAA Elite Eight appearance last season. Flagler went undefeated in conference play at home this season. USC Aiken captured the No. 3 seed

outright, finishing conference play with a 7-7 mark and 18-12 overall. Four teams finished the PBC regular season with a 6-8 conference mark and were tied for the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh seeds. Augusta State, Francis Marion, Lander and Montevallo all entered the PBC’s multi-team tiebreaker, which begins by matching up just those four teams and their cumulative head-to-head records against one another. Looking at the four teams, Montevallo comes out on top with a 4-2 record against the other three, tops in the group. With that result, the Falcons capture the #4 seed for the PBC Tournament. With UM separated out, the remaining three teams return to step one and their head-to-head records against one another are added up. ASU, FMU and Lander were all 2-2 against one another, leading to the second step of the tiebreaker: records against the top seeds. All three teams were swept by Armstrong, but Augusta State had a win over Flagler on Nov. 2. Flagler swept both Lander and FMU, so Augusta State captures the fifth seed. Lander and Francis Marion then return to the first step and their head-to-head record. Lander captures the sixth seed thanks to their regular-season sweep of two matches against the Patriots, putting FMU at the #7. The four quarterfinal winners will return for the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 17, at noon and 2:00

pm. The tournament championship game will be played on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 2:00 pm. All-day tickets are $5 with seniors and students (with valid ID) and children ages 3-17 only $3. The winner of the PBC Volleyball Tournament receives an automatic

bid to the NCAA Tournament. For complete tournament information, including directions, hotels, and schedules, visit the following link: http://jaguarsroar. c o m / s p o r t s / w v b a l l / 2 01 2 -1 3/ releases/20121110u6vcx1.

ASU Lady Jaguar volleyball players Katie Beresford (L-2) and Kristin Koch (R-8) try to block the ball during a match against Armstrong Atlantic State at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Nov. 3. The Lady Jags were defeated 3-2. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

If you are an artist, entertainer, or event promoter that has a private social media page that only you and your mother can access, stop reading now because this article does not pertain to you. However, if you are in the public eye and want a target audience to notice you in a favorable way, it’s important to pay close attention! Having a marketable talent is a huge responsibility that some artists take for granted. They will go online and “trash talk” other people, constantly display a negative attitude or outlook about everything, or even copy/paste other people’s ideas claiming them as their own and then expect a fan base to

respect them and support their work. Yeah, right! If you are in the position to potentially sell your art to others, it’s a wise idea to not go online and be a crazy “Dr. Jekyll” then try to display to the real world a calm “Mr. Hyde” that wants people to buy your product or service. Your online image is an imperative key in your marketing portfolio. Think about the last event you attended. More than likely, you got online flyers in your inbox from an individual or a group of people promoting the event. In order for you to make the decision to prepare to go, some factors come into play: Is the host of the event someone cool that

you know? Have you heard anything negative about the venue where the event is going to be held or the people organizing the event? Etc. If you were just anyone that didn’t need an audience to buy your art or attend your show, you could go online and use your “freedom of speech” to say whatever to whoever. It’s very difficult to convince people to like you enough to support your art if you’re always debating or arguing with your virtual public! I’ve always been told a motto when it comes to artistic events which is “Provide what you promote.” Don’t go online and tell a mass amount of people that your art, service or event is

going to be one way and when I pay my money or attend your show, it’s anything but that! People quickly pick up on and support a track record of consistent quality. If you expect people to regard you favorably when it comes to your work, you must present yourself in an organized and creative way. A part of being organized is having a virtual business card or online event page that is so effective that you don’t have to annoy people with it 100 times a day. Take pride in your art and showcase it, online and off, as a true professional would!

Lecture series seeks to boost interest in the humanities AUGUSTA A lecture series being hosted by the Augusta State University Humanities Program in collaboration with the Morris Museum of Art kicks off this month. The series is part of a grant project called Linking Local Resources to World History. According to Kristin Casaletto, director of ASU’s Humanities Program, this program is funded by a $2,000 Community Partnership grant awarded to ASU’s humanities program from the Georgia Humanities Council in 2011. “ASU is very honored to be working with the Morris Museum of Art to present programs that we hope will increase humanities education in

area schools and surrounding communities,” said Casaletto. The first lecture in this series will be held Friday, Nov. 16, and will feature ASU art professor Karen Klacsmann discussing The Enduring Influence of Classical Cultures. The next session will be held Friday, Nov. 30, with ASU professor of German Rob Bledsoe presenting a talk on Arts and Issues in Northern European Culture. The lecture series will conclude on Friday, March 22, with ASU history professor Hubert van Tuyll discussing Impressionism: Arts and Change in the Nineteenth Century. All of these sessions are free and will begin at 1 p.m. in the Morris Museum of Art auditorium. According to Casaletto, this lecture series

The Apollo Theater to relive its storied past The Apollo was headquarters for the popular music of the day — jazz — and ‘Apollo Club Harlem’ will evoke the ‘first-name’ artists whose performances resonate at the theater to this day. NEW YORK The Apollo Theater will be transformed into an old-fashioned nightclub for a new revue evoking the Harlem music clubs of the 1930s and 1940s. The show, “Apollo Club Harlem,” will recall the theater’s early years, when it often presented variety programs featuring big bands, singers, dancers, female impersonaters, acrobats and comedians. The seats will be removed from the orchestra level and the audience will sit at cafe tables, tended by waiters and waitresses. The lineup will include the jazz vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Cecile McLorin Salvant, as well as the dancers Storyboard P and Dormeshia. The show will play three nights: Feb. 18, Feb. 22 and Feb 23. Tickets go on sale on Nov. 19. Mikki Shepard, the Apollo’s executive producer, said the fast-paced revue would pay homage to the great jazz musicians and dancers who once performed on the same stage, from bandleaders like Duke Ellington and Count Basie to dancers like Earl “Snakehips” Tucker and the tap master John Bubbles. “The Apollo was headquarters for the popular music of the day — jazz — and ‘Apollo Club Harlem’ will evoke the ‘first-name’ artists whose performances resonate at the theater

is part of a one-year initiative in which both organizations are working together to create six educational units, each linked to a specific work of art at the museum, that explore historical themes that reveal Augusta’s connection to international culture and history. In addition to this lecture series, Casaletto says other goals of the partnership grant project include the creation of a new museum tour for students and the public and the enhancement of the humanities resources being distributed by local educational and historical institutions. For more information, contact Danielle Harris, media relations specialist in ASU’s Office of Public Relations and Publications, at 706-737-1876.

Omega Psi Phi to host Achievement Program The Psi Omega Chapter Of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. will host an Achievement Program on Sunday, November 18, 2012 at Tabernacle Baptist Church at 4:00 p.m. The keynote speaker for the evening will be Brother Christopher Norman of the Eta Omega Chapter in Atlanta, Georgia. Awards will be presented to the

Omega Man of the Year, Omega Superior Service Award and the Omega Citizen of the Year. All Greek Letter organizations are invited to participate in the Candle Lighting Ceremony. The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For information, call 706-284-0275.

7 UrbanProWeekly • NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

Livin OutLoud Artistic Commentary Provided by LadyVee DaPoet The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of your online experience

UrbanProWeekly • NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

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How will Feds deal with legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington? A potential showdown will probably not target individual users of the drug, instead focusing on new regulations that will make marijuana sales permissible, a violation of federal law. By Mark Guarino CSM Now that voters in Colorado and Washington have approved legalized sales of marijuana in those two states, the federal government is expected to aggressively confront the new laws through lawsuits saying they are invalidated under US law. A potential showdown between state and federal authorities will probably not target individual users of the drug, instead focusing on new regulations that will make marijuana sales permissible, a violation of federal law. “Federal law is federal law; it’s pretty black and white,” says Kevin Sabet, a former senior adviser at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Obama administration. “How it’s enforced, given resource constraints, is that small-scale users will likely not be targeted. But you’re going to see efforts by the Justice Department against large commercial grows or retail sales or states making money off the new laws.” The measures passed last week in Washington State and Colorado both allow the recreational use of marijuana, but of more interest to federal authorities is that they require states to establish a system to license, regulate, and tax commercial retailers expected to sell the drug, including industrial hemp. Such a system would be much like what currently exists for the sales

of alcohol and tobacco. Under the new laws, the sale and possession of marijuana is restricted to adults 21 and older and does not apply to public use of the drug. The Colorado law also allows for a person to grow up to six marijuana plants for personal use in the privacy of his or her home, but forbids their sale. So far, the US Department of Justice has not commented on what steps it might take against either state. “In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance. We are reviewing the ballot initiative and have no additional comment at this time,” Justice Department spokeswoman Nanda Chitre told CBS News last week, referring to the Colorado measure. An amendment will be added to the constitution of each state by January, but it will take time before lawmakers can create a regulatory system to establish how and where the drug can be sold, a process that may go into 2014. “There’s no reason for the Feds to do anything instantly. There is time right now for consultation and deliberation for how to best proceed and for the states to persuade the federal government to give this time to develop,” says Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group based in New York City that helped campaign for the measures in Colorado and Washington.

Medical marijuana is packaged for sale in 1-gram packages at the Northwest Patient Resource Center medical marijuana dispensary, in Seattle Nov. 7. Ted S. Warren/AP Clues into how the Justice Department will approach the issue are in how it has dealt with state laws governing the sale of marijuana for medicinal use. Last week, Massachusetts became the 18th state since 1996 to legalize marijuana for health purposes. No individual has yet faced federal prosecution for personal use, but legal challenges in federal court have been waged in most states with medical marijuana laws on the books. To what extent federal authorities crack down on states may depend on the strength of the regulatory system each has put into place, Mr. Nadelmann says. For example: California, the first state to pass the law, has the least developed system in place, leaving regulation to individual cities. As a result, California has seen scattershot court rulings and federal involvement. In July, the Los Angeles City Council decided to close down most of the city’s storefront medical marijuana shops because it said their proliferation has made them too difficult to control. The city estimates that with 750 shops officially in operation and 200 more known to exist, it has

more retailers selling marijuana than any other city in the United States. Medical marijuana advocates launched lawsuits to block the ban, saying it was unconstitutional, which prompted the city to rescind the ban in October. Both city officials and advocates are appealing to the state for guidance on how to navigate inadequacies of state law regarding how to govern the market. The situation follows almost a year of Justice Department raids against some city marijuana shops that it says are fronts for drug traffickers. However, Mr. Sabet says, the more states get involved in attempting to regulate the voter-approved marijuana market – whether for medical or recreation purposes – “the more they get in violation of the federal law.” That may pose an incentive to stall. In a statement released last week, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said that while he personally disagrees with the amendment’s passage, he is challenging the Justice Department “to make known its intentions regarding prosecution of activities sanctioned” by the amendment “as soon as possible.

Time to secede from the Union? By Mark Guarino Are they just sore losers? Or are they, rather, champions of free speech exercising their right of protest against a president they didn’t vote for? The answer, like the outcome of the 2012 election itself, may lie in the eye of the beholder. Either way, an attentiongetting, post-election petition drive is under way online from people in 30 states who say they want their state to secede from the Union. Most come from states that went for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the election, with Texas leading the way. So far, they’ve flooded the White House website with their petitions – a move calculated to provoke some kind of reply from the executive branch. So far, the White House has said nothing. Secession, of course, has been tried before (the Civil War springs to mind) and is outlawed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Most of the petitions feature identical wording for each state, and ask the Obama administration to allow the states to create a new government that would operate independently.

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12th annual Radiothon supports Children’s Medical Center

AUGUSTA In June 2010, the world came crashing down around Jeremy and Nikki Taylor. Their 3-year-old daughter, Emma, was admitted to the Georgia Health Sciences Children’s Medical Center for what appeared to be dehydration. “She had been on antibiotics for an ear infection, but she was not eating well, not drinking much and not feeling well,” said her mother, Nikki. “At the hospital, Emma’s muscles were - spasming, her heart rate was increasing and her blood pressure began dropping. It was an out-of-the-blue shock for us.” Emma entered a semi-comatose state, and the family spent over a month at the children’s hospital, much of it in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. From there, Emma spent time in rehabilitation in Atlanta. After nearly two years of examinations and tests, Emma was finally diagnosed with mitochondrial disease. Mitochondria, the “power house” of cells, cannot efficiently turn sugar and oxygen into energy for children like Emma, so the cells do not work correctly. The many types of mitochondrial disease can affect one or multiple parts of the body, but they seem to cause the most damage to the cells of the brain, heart, liver, skeletal muscles, kidneys and the endocrine and respiratory systems. In addition to seizures,

Emma has muscle weakness that necessitates a walker. Unfortunately, the disorder has no cure, so she will receive lifelong care at the Children’s Medical Center. “She sees multiple doctors at the CMC – a neurologist, a geneticist, a general pediatrician, and sometimes occupational and physical therapists,” Nikki said. “We are very grateful they are here. You don’t realize how important it is to have a children’s hospital at your back door until you need it. We talk to our physicians via email, Facebook, telephone and face-to-face. They always have time for us.” Emma, now 6, enjoys spending time with family, shopping and hunting with her dad. “She is much stronger about this than I would be,” said Nikki. “She never sees herself as not being able to do something; she just does it her own way.” You can hear more about Emma during the 2012 Cares for Kids Radiothon, a fundraiser for the Children’s Medical Center, the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Radio stations 104.3 WBBQ and 96.3 Kiss FM will broadcast live from the lobby of the GHS Children’s Medical Center on Thursday, Dec. 6, and Friday, Dec. 7, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dozens of stories like Emma’s will be shared during this weekend fundraiser for the area’s only dedicated children’s hospital.

New to the Cares for Kids Radiothon this year is the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital Race to 50K. The Taylors and three other patient families have volunteered to help raise $5,000 each in the weeks leading up to Radiothon using Facebook and other social media and communication tools. To view their fundraising pages, visit: Team Emma: http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/ index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.par ticipant&participantID=141880 Team Peyton: http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/ index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.par ticipant&participantID=141879 Team Kiki: http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/ index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.par ticipant&participantID=141784 Team Howell: http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/ index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.par ticipant&participantID=141893

Since 2000, the Radiothon has been the largest single Children’s Miracle Network Hospital fundraiser for the Children’s Medical Center, raising more than $161,000 last year. The 154-bed Children’s Medical Center is the secondlargest children’s hospital in the state, providing the highest level of pediatric critical care and neonatal intensive care, as well as a wide range of general and complex health care for children. Pledges can be made any time through the online giving portal at www.caresforkidsradiothon. com and during the Radiothon by calling locally at 706-922-KIDS (5437) or toll-free at 1-866-412-KIDS (5437). Knology will provide phones and service for the phone bank. Donors can become “Miracle Makers” by pledging $15 a month for 12 months. “We encourage you to join us to help raise money for the Children’s Medical Center to help treat and care for children like Emma and to give hope for families like us,” Nikki said.

Open Forum scheduled for Nov. 16 Open forums will be held with Georgia Health Sciences University President R ica rdo A z zi z and Augusta State Universit y Interim President Shirley Kenny at noon Friday, Nov. 16 in the Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium in the GHSU Auditoria Center; and at 3 p.m. in the

ASU Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre. In addition to the Presidents’ remarks, both forums will feature ASU Athletic Director Clint Bryant and GHSU Vice President for Student Services and Development Kevin Frazier presenting consolidation-related milestones.

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9 UrbanProWeekly • NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

PEOPLE & organizations making a difference

UrbanProWeekly • NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

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High Court to rule on scope of U.S. powers in Voting Rights Act case

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A landmark civil-rights-era law will come before the US Supreme Court later this year, when the justices will consider if Congress was out of bounds in renewing a part of the Voting Rights Act. ut By Warren Richey CSM Staff Writer The US Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine whether Congress overstepped its authority in 2006 when it extended for 25 years a key portion of the Voting Rights Act. In announcing that it would take up an appeal filed by Shelby County, Ala., the high court is significantly boosting the profile of its current term. The justices have already heard a potential landmark case concerning the constitutionality of race-based affirmative action programs at state universities. Now the court appears prepared to decide another potential landmark case examining the federal-state balance of power, and whether Congress acted within its constitutional authority in reauthorizing the civil-rights-era law. The action comes three days after President Obama, the first African-

American president, won reelection. And it comes several months after Mr. Obama’s Justice Department used Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act to block newly enacted voter ID laws passed by Republican-controlled legislatures in Texas and South Carolina. The laws had been patterned on a similar measure in Indiana that was upheld in 2008 by the US Supreme Court. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) is considered one of the government’s most effective measures to promote and protect civil rights, and is sometimes called the crown jewel of the civil rights movement. But some state and local governments say it imposes an unfair burden, forcing them to seek special approval from Washington under a regime that holds them accountable in 2012 for a history of discrimination in the 1950s and 1960s that they say has long since

been remedied. Supporters of the law counter that the United States has not yet solved the problem of racial discrimination in voting, and that the law is still needed to prevent backsliding. The central argument against the law invokes federalism, the constitutionally mandated balance of power between the states and the national government. At issue is whether Sections 4 and 5 of the VRA are an improper intrusion by the federal government into the sovereign power of state and local governments. Those two sections of the Voting Rights Act rely on Congress’s authority to enforce constitutional protections against racial discrimination in voting and elections. The high court has said such federal enforcement efforts must be “congruent and proportional” to the targeted problem. Faced with persistent efforts by some

i jurisdictions in the 1950s and 1960s tof systematically deny full voting rights toe minorities, lawmakers in Washingtonn decided to take extraordinary action. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 createda a list of state and local governmentst with particularly egregious records oft fostering discrimination in voting. Thes new law required those on the list tob obtain permission from Washingtond before they could implement any newt voting procedures. Discriminatory procedures were disallowed. Thus, state and local governments that in the past had tried to bypass the Voting Rights Act’s requirement of equal treatment were forced to adopt fair voting procedures. Much has changed in the US since the 1950s and 1960s, both socially and demographically. The question now is whether those same powerful federal controls Continued on next page

Why Israel is red and American Jews are blue Israel would have voted for Mitt Romney by a 2-to-1 margin, but American Jews voted for President Obama by almost the same margin. By Joshua Mitnick Exit polls from the US presidential elections highlight a gap between American and Israeli Jews. At the conclusion of a campaign in which loyalty to Israel played an outsized role in the debate because of Republican claims that the administration had neglected the alliance, voter surveys indicated that American Jews maintained their decades-old support for the Democratic Party. Some 70 percent voted for President Obama – a proportion that was nearly the mirror image of public opinion polls indicating that Israelis backed Mitt Romney by a 2-to-1 margin. “It’s true that Israel is a red state and that American Jewry is a blue state,” says Yossi Klein Halevy, a fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Though that seems to indicate a rightward shift in Israel away from America’s liberal Jewish population, Mr. Halevy and other experts say it’s not that simple. Some even caution the very comparison is awkward because Israelis aren’t citizens. That said, surveys indicate that American Jews vote primarily on economic and social issues, while considerations about Israel and foreign policy are secondary. By contrast, Israelis focus on a more narrow view of candi-

dates’ approach to the Middle East and don’t focus on domestic policy, which they think has no impact on them. “American Jews are overwhelmingly democratic because of social issues, not because of foreign policy,” says Shaul Kelner, a sociology professor at Vanderbilt University who focuses on ties between American Jews and Israel. “It’s easy for Israelis to be hawkish about American foreign policy when they don’t have to live here and deal with consequences of the social policy.” Indeed, on domestic policy Israelis are significantly more blue that the average republican: Gays have openly served in the military for years and few would support dismantling Israel’s state-funded public health system. Meanwhile, American Jewish views on the Middle East and the Arab Spring are closer to Israeli skepticism about the prospects for democratic change than the views of the average democrat, Mr. Kelner says. Despite the robust Jewish support, Mr. Obama’s approval numbers did decline to about 69 percent compared with 78 percent four years ago according to exit poll data. Jewish democrats assert that support for Obama in 2008 was actually 74 percent, and argue the drop was less pronounced, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Israel wasn’t always red Back in the 1990s, Israel wasn’t a

A woman wears Obama campaign buttons, in both English and Hebrew, as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright speaks to a group of women at the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center in North Miami Beach, Fla., Sept. 13, as she campaigned for President Obama. J Pat Carter/AP “red state.” The most popular US figure Mr. Halevy. “The result of that is that was President Bill Clinton, who mod- Israelis view their surroundings with erated peace negotiations that would deep fear, while American Jews underhave required significant territorial standably view their surroundings as concessions. The floundering of the benign.” peace process and the outbreak of a Palestinian uprising have made Israelis American Jews are less likely to base more cautious about diplomatic com- their vote solely on Israel because they promise. consider support for the Jewish state to “Israelis have fought one continuous have war against terrorism since 2000,” says Continued on next page

VOTING RIGHTS ACT from page 10

Instead, the justices upheld the VRA because, the court said, the Texas utility district could apply for an exemption from its preclearance requirements. Nonetheless, the justices teed up the constitutional issue for a future case, proclaiming in their decision that aspects of the VRA “raise serious constitutional questions.” The court invited Congress to address its concerns. Congress has not taken up that invitation. “Congress has shown no interest in revisiting these issues,” wrote Washington lawyer Bert Rein in his brief urging the justices to hear the Shelby County case. “Section 5 will foreclose the implementation of more than 100,000 electoral changes (more than 99 percent of which will be noncontroversial) unless and until they are precleared by federal officials in Washington, D.C.,” wrote Mr. Rein. “Because of this prior restraint, a covered jurisdiction must either go hat in hand to [Justice Department] officialdom to seek approval, or embark on expensive litigation in a remote judicial venue if it wishes to make any change to its election system,” he said.

“These constitutional challenges appeals correctly applied settled legal arise, in significant part, in response principles in reviewing the 15,000-page to the [Justice Department’s] needless- legislative record, determining that ly aggressive exercise of preclearance Congress correctly identified a pervaauthority,” Rein said. “For example, DOJ sive constitutional problem.” has refused to preclear the Texas and He added that Congress’s reauthoriSouth Carolina voter identification laws zation was a congruent and proportionnotwithstanding [a 2008 US Supreme al means of enforcing constitutional Court decision upholding a similar protections. voter ID law in Indiana].” The Obama a d m i n i st r at ion urged the court not to take up the case. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli said the Shelby County case had been correctly decided by the federal appeals Trowell Builders & Associates court and that no further review was necessary. “With regard to the latest reauthoDesigners • Builders • Planners rization in 2006,” Mr. Verrilli wrote, “the court of

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AMERICAN JEWS from page 10 bipartisan backing in Washington. Instead, they focus on a loyalty to the Democrats’ policy of liberal inclusiveness going back to the administration of Franklin Roosevelt. Indeed, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, an energetic advocate for Israel, cited in a Jerusalem Post op-ed the need to protect abortion rights, church-state separation, and civil rights for gays in the Supreme Court as a justification for

supporting Obama. Americans hew to their liberal tradition because of the conviction that “the nature of being a minority is having a stake in social domestic peace,” says David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute. Israelis “often have viewed a muscular American foreign policy, or at least muscular rhetoric, as something that would deter extremist forces in the region.”

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deemed necessary to end blatant Jim Crow-era discrimination remain an appropriate use of federal power 40 to 50 years later. The initial VRA enforcement procedures expired after five years. Congress renewed the enforcement regime in 1970, 1975, and 1982. The most recent renewal came in 2006, when Congress extended the procedures for 25 years. Although Congress voted to extend the regime four times, no effort has been made to update the list of covered jurisdictions from lists assembled in the 1960s and 1970s. Opponents say if Congress wants to use its extraordinary power to enforce the Voting Rights Act it must do so in a more targeted fashion, by carefully identifying those jurisdictions that engage in the most egregious discrimination today, not 40 years ago. The Supreme Court last considered a Voting Rights Act case in 2009, when the law was challenged by a utility district near Austin, Texas. Despite widespread anticipation that the VRA might be struck down at that time, the court declined to address the broader constitutional issues.

UrbanProWeekly • NOVEMBER 15-21, 2012

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