November 10, 2022

Local midterm election results offer few surprises

BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

For months candidates campaigned and did their part to gain the trust of voters ahead of the 2022 midterm election. Although official results won’t be ready for a few days, here’s a look at the early results in some of the most talked about local races.

Forsyth County District Attorney

The race for the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office between incumbent Jim O’Neil (R) and former District Court Judge Denise Hartsfield was probably the most anticipated race on the local ticket.

O’Neil has served as Forsyth County District Attorney since 2009. A graduate of Duke University, O’Neil received his law degree from New York Law School. He started working in Forsyth County in 1997 as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office. According to his website, his mission is to continue to make Winston-Salem one of the safest cities in North Carolina and the country, by prosecuting dangerous criminals to get them off the street.

Hartsfield attended Spelman College, where she graduated in 1976 with a degree in English. Hartsfield returned to Winston-Salem after undergrad and earned her law degree from Wake Forest University.

After Hartsfield passed the bar, she worked for the Legal Aid Society of Northwest NC, a statewide nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people. In 2002 Hartsfield was

elected to serve in the 21st Judicial District when Judge Roland Hayes decided not to seek reelection.

On election night, early voting numbers pushed Hartsfield out to an early lead, but as the night progressed the votes for O’Neil started to roll in. With about 98% of the vote reported, O’Neal held 51% of the vote.

Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A

There were two Democrats and two Republicans in the race for the two seats up for grabs in District A on the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners: incumbent Tonya McDaniel (D), Shai Woodbury (D), Reginald Reid (R) and Michael Owens (R).

To no surprise to those familiar with the voting patterns in this race, Democrats held strong and took both seats. McDaniel was the top vote getter in the race with nearly 40% of the vote. Woodbury received 38% of the vote.

McDaniel was first elected in 2018 and is seeking her second term. During her time on the board, McDaniel said she has helped bring valuable programs, initiatives, and funding to District A.

Moving forward, McDaniel said there is still work to be done. Earlier this year she mentioned the need to improve the county’s facilities on Highland Avenue. The county’s Social Security, Health, and Human Resources departments are all located on Highland Avenue in WinstonSalem. She said the facilities on Highland Avenue should provide wrap-around services that ben-

efit the entire community.

Shai Woodbury (D) currently serves on the local school board and is the first Black woman to serve as its chair. Woodbury said her main focus on the board of commissioners will be education, improving teacher pay, and bringing a much-needed change to District A.

Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B Incumbent Don Martin, who serves as vice chair of the board of commissioners, ran unopposed for his seat on the board. Martin was first elected in 2014 after retiring from a long career in education, including 19 years as superintendent of WinstonSalem/Forsyth County Schools.

Forsyth County Board of Commissioners At-Large

In the race for the two atlarge seats on the board, voters choose between Democrat Dan Besse and Republican Terri Mrazek

Besse (D) finished with nearly 55% of the total vote.

Besse is probably most known for his time as a member of the Winston-Salem City Council. He served 19 years as the representative for the Southwest Ward. He said his goal as member of the board of commissioners is to bridge the gap between the more rural areas of the county. He said there is great wealth in Forsyth County but it’s unevenly distributed.

Forsyth County Sheriff Incumbent Democrat Bobby Kimbrough won by a landslide against Republican Ernie Leyba.

Kimbrough was first elected to office in 2018. He began his law enforcement career in 1984 as a police officer for the Winston-Salem Police Department. In 1987, he became an arson investigator with the WinstonSalem Fire Department while serving in the role of assistant fire marshal. He then moved to work with high-risk offenders at the North Carolina Department of Probation and Parole. From 1995 to 2016, Kimbrough served the United States Department of Justice as a special agent in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Since taking office, he has forged relationships among the Forsyth County’s Sheriff’s Of-

Local church holds Veterans Day event, tour of renovated home

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

One of the core values

Whole Man Ministries keeps close to their heart is outreach. For years, the church has been living outside the walls by giving back to an often forgotten segment of our community, which are our military veterans.

For years, the church has been assisting veterans with their housing needs and tomorrow, on Veterans Day, they will host a Veterans Day event at the current home they are renovating on Thurmond Street from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“On Veterans Day we invite our veterans out and we have lunch for them and normally we have a speaker,” said Bishop Barry Washington, se- nior pastor of Whole Man Ministries (WMM). “We would bring a general in, or somebody like that. I don’t think we are going to bring one this time.

“We are going to invite some veterans over and the public over and walk through and take a look at our newest home for a veteran. We will also have some Chic-fil-A there for those that are attending. It’s just a small lunch for them.``

This event is open to the public and any veteran who would like to attend. The renovations on the

home are not completely finished, but Washington is eager to show the progress they have made since starting on the home during the summer.

“We are not completely finished and we will have some pictures of the house from when we first started and then be able to see where we are now,” Washington said. “We are just going to allow everybody to go through it and tour it.”

WMM started renovations on the home during the summer and according to Washington, the goal

was to be finished by Veterans Day. He says due to funding and other issues, they are a little behind schedule and will not meet that goal.

“It’s coming along great,” he said. “I thought we would be finished by Veterans Day, but we are not quite finished. We are probably one month out from being finished.”

Washington stated the major reason for the holdup in construction is that some of the skilled professionals had to wait on other parts of the home to be finished to do their work. Also, certain things could not be continued until inspections were made.

Washington also partnered with pastor Jeff Dowell of Bondage Breakers Ministry once again for this project. Dowell brought individuals from his program to volunteer at the construction site doing light work.

They have not selected a veteran who will receive this current reconstructed home and are in the process with several veterans’ organizations to select the perfect candidate. Washington says he can’t wait for the veterans in attendance to see the progress they have made on the home.

“I am going to be really happy because those two

houses have changed the community and the neighborhood completely,” Washington said. “Now I see one or two houses that are trying to spruce their houses up a little bit, and I think the whole community has benefitted from it. But more than anything, we know that our veteran community is benefitting from it.

“I am happy to bring a project to an end and put another veteran and his family in this place and out of the cold. That right there brings me the most joy, because with a house, it gives that veteran a little bit more independence, a little bit more confidence and actually a springboard to do other things, like buy a car or just stabilize their life.”

Washington and WMM are not stopping. They are looking into a property with four units that will not only help veterans, but they have the space to build more units to help low income families as well. He says it’s a big project and needs the help from anyone and everyone.

“I am intentional when it comes to this project because I am hoping, by the grace of God, if possible, we can take and renovate these four units and build eight more units on this property to get them out of

the cold and into a warm house.”

Pastor Camilla Washington, wife of Bishop Washington and associate pastor of WMM, says they have been blessed to be able to share their vision of helping veterans and low-income families with the city of Winston-Salem. She is making a call to the citizens of the Triad to lend their helping hands to their new project, because it’s needed.

“One of our oldest sons was a Marine, and I guess I shouldn’t say former because I understand that once you are a marine, you are always Semper Fi. So when he came home from the Marines, he lived with us for awhile, while others come home and they have a lot of problems and issues and are not accepted back into the community,” said Pastor Camilla Washington.

“They don’t have anywhere to go, so now what we have been blessed to be able to do is to have these veteran homes where they can have a place to cover their heads. I am thanking God that Whole Man Ministries has been pivotal in doing something great for the community. And it’s not just us, it’s the whole entire community, because

Submitted photo

Bishop Barry Washington and Pastor Camilla Washington are helping yet another veteran get off the streets.

Everyone has a dream job, that one job that aligns with their interests, skill set and work style. Not many people ever have the good fortune to work their dream job, but last month Dr. Antonia Richburg got that opportunity when she officially assumed the role of president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Forsyth County (UWFC).

Richburg has a Ph.D. in leadership studies from N.C. A&T State University and a master’s degree in public affairs with a concentration in nonprofit management and public personnel from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She also has a postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from Duke University.

Before joining UWFC, Richburg served as vice president and senior program officer at the Cone Health Foundation, but before that she worked for many years for the United Way of Greensboro and she says she loved every minute of it.

“I worked there for a number of years … it’s the best job I ever had. I just absolutely positively loved it,” Richburg continued. “I always wanted to be the president of United Way. I always felt like I could have a greater impact if I could be a part of the decision making … I just want the opportunity to effect change for the most vulnerable populations in our community and United Way is a tremendous vehicle to do that.”

The mission of the United Way of Forsyth County is to bring the community and its resources together to solve problems.

Dr. Antonia Richburg

According to their website, in 2021 United Way of Forsyth County donated funds directly to over 370 agencies and nonprofits.

In February 2023 it will celebrate 100 years of service. Richburg said what sets United Way apart from other organizations is that they are intentional about eliminating silos and bringing people together.

“When you work in silos it’s really difficult to be able to really effect change because you’re a little piece of the pie, but you are looking at the total picture,” she continued.

“There are so many people in the community who have needs and if we work together, then we could be much more effective in helping them than if we did our own thing.”

Although the announcement was made in August, Dr. Richburg officially stepped into her role as president and CEO on Oct. 10. For the past month Richburg said she’s been on the move. Over the next 120 days, Richburg plans to hold a listening tour where she will travel around the county listening to the issues and concerns of the people.

Community Brief

Veronica C. Black selected for inclusion in the Nationwide

Women of

Registries

Richburg said she also plans to meet with local elected officials and other stakeholders in Forsyth County, but she plans to spend most of her time listening to the issues and concerns of those who often go unheard.

“I have been everywhere I can possibly think to be in these first 24 days and over the next four months I plan to be more intentional about where I’m going to be in terms of starting this listening tour,” Richburg said. “I’m just going all over Forsyth County listening to different groups to talk about what’s going well

in Forsyth County, what are issues, what are the concerns. … I just want to hear from the voices that don’t often get heard.

“Before I can clearly articulate what’s the new vision for United Way or what we’re going to do over the next 100 years, I need to hear from the community.”

Richburg said there are a lot of committed people in Forsyth County when it comes to issues of education, homelessness, and lack of affordable housing.

She also said she’s noticed the wide gap between the “haves and the have nots” in Forsyth County and she

wants to be the catalyst to help bridge that gap.

“So far it seems like it’s a very resilient community … but at the same time, it seems to be divisive in many ways in terms of the haves and the have nots … so that’s a concern for me,” Richburg said. “Having been born in poverty … I get what that feels like and I’m hopeful that we can find ways to bridge that gap. I think that’s important because right now I feel that’s what divides us as a community and I’m hopeful as I said, that I’ll be the catalyst to build some bridges while mending some fences.”

Distinction

2022 Honors Edition

Veronica C. Black has been selected to represent her state for inclusion in the Nationwide Registries Women of Distinction 2022 Honors Edition. She is recognized for her professional career accomplishments, community service, leadership awards and her demonstrated dedication. After 32 years, Veronica retired as a senior vice president/group executive from Wachovia Bank (currently Wells Fargo). At the time of her retirement, she was the executive in Human Resources responsible for the corporation’s diversity initiatives. Veronica graduated with honors from Livingstone College. She completed the Young Executive Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Senior Management Development Program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She is also a graduate of Leadership Winston-Salem. Veronica has served on over 12 boards of directors or committees in the community. These include Winston-Salem Foundation, Hospice Foundation (currently Trellis Supportive Services), Senior Services, Winston-Salem Urban League, Quality Education Schools, Winston-Salem State University and NC A&T State University. She was the recipient of the 2007 Volunteer of the Year Award from the Winston-Salem Urban League and the 2016 recipient of The Certificate of Recognition of Outstanding Women Leaders from the City of Winston-Salem. In 2007 Veronica successfully chaired the citywide capital campaign to build the Quality Education Academy Charter High School in Winston-Salem. Her name is displayed on the front of the building.

Submitted photo

Getting more of our best teachers in our lowest-performing schools

BY JOHN RAILEY

Brittany Broadway says one good thing came out of the frequent moves around Winston-Salem her family made as she was growing up: She got to go to one good school, Sherwood Forest Elementary. It was an opportunity that Broadway, who usually lived in neighborhoods of low resources, might not have gotten if her family had not moved into the school’s district.

“Of all the schools I attended, I got more attention there than anywhere else,” said Broadway, who attended Sherwood Forest from 1994 through 2001. “I had a math teacher who cared for me as if I were her daughter. She taught me how to concentrate.”

Now, she searches for permanent housing to provide more stability for her daughter’s education, through Honorable Youth, a program supported by WinstonSalem State University’s Center for the Study of Economic Mobility (CSEM).

Sherwood Forest has consistently received high ratings. In 2002, for example, it had a performance score of 93.0 and an A rating. Thirty-four percent of its teachers had advanced degrees, compared to 28.7% in the overall elementary school system. Sixty-eight percent of Sherwood teachers had more than 10 years of experience, compared to 54.2% in the overall system. The teacher turnover rate was only 11%, compared with the overall system average of 18.6 %, according to data gathered by Zach Blizard, the research manager at CSEM, which has extensively studied local public education, including the challenge of how to get more of our best teachers in our lowest performing schools.

Efforts to do that have stretched from the school system offices to the legislative chambers in Raleigh. In a 2020 paper on the issue, Blizard wrote, “Analyzing Forsyth County elementary school data, I find that the percentage of experienced teachers at a school is a significant predictor of performance. At high-performing schools, a much larger share of their faculties consists of highly experienced and educated teachers, compared to low-performing schools that predominantly serve economically disadvantaged children.

“High-quality teachers can have significant long-term impacts on elementary school children, especially those from underprivileged families. Yet in Forsyth County, schools with greater shares of disadvantaged children have lower percentages of teachers with these characteristics. Research regularly demonstrates that disadvantaged children have the greatest need for high-quality teachers. Having an effective school teacher as early as kindergarten, can result in significant increases to lifetime earnings.”

Blizard writes that “the school sys-

tem should continue to pursue plans, and expand existing ones, to draw more experienced and educated teachers to lowperforming schools and shrink the share of novice teachers there.”

Financial incentives programs have been tried, but haven’t been that successful, often because of limited funding. Blizard wrote that other types of incentives might be tried as well, such as opportunities to participate in school-level decision making, work for supportive administrators, and faculties that foster collegial relationships. There are programs that try to provide that, he writes, including the Teacher Academy, established in 2017 with a grant from The Winston-Salem Foundation.

More work to meet the challenge is needed, said Broadway, who graduated from Atkins High School, attended Forsyth Technical Community College, and works in a factory. She keeps pushing to improve life for herself and her daughter Rihanna, who attends Smith High School in Greensboro where her father lives and where she can live in a better neighborhood than her Winston one. Broadway lives on East First Street in a rental house.

She takes part in programs at Honorable Youth, which recently unveiled plans for Salem Cohousing, where single mothers and their children can live and pursue their dreams of upward economic mobility. When that housing becomes a reality, Broadway hopes to live there with her daughter and save money for a house.

Homeownership is a bedrock of economic mobility that CSEM has studied in depth And so is equity in education.

“It’s time to get these low-performing schools more of the teachers their students deserve,” Broadway said.

John Railey, raileyjb@gmail.com, is the writer-in-residence for CSEM, www. wssu.edu/csem.

Submitted photo

Brittany Broadway, right, and her daughter Rihanna.

OPINION

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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

October U.S. Jobs Report proves better than economists predicted

BY STACY M. BROWN

The latest government report shows widespread job gains across various industries, including health care, professional and technical services, and engineering. The report issued on Friday, Nov. 4, revealed that the market remains robust, even more so than what financial experts predicted.

More than 261,000 jobs were added by employers in October, while the unemployment rate came in at 3.7%. Economists had predicted about 205,000 new jobs. Leading the way, health care realized a gain of 53,000 new jobs, while professional and technical services added 43,000. Additionally, manufacturing saw 32,000 new jobs, while the leisure and hospitality industry added 35,000.

“Today’s jobs report – adding 261,000 jobs with the unemployment rate still at a historically low 3.7% –shows that our jobs recovery remains strong,” President Joe Biden said.

“With jobs now added every single month of my presidency, a record setting 10 million job increase, a record 700,000 manufacturing jobs added, which puts us at 137,000 more manufacturing jobs than we had before the pandemic, historically low Black and Hispanic unemployment rates, the gross domestic product increasing, and incomes on the way up, one thing is clear: while comments by Republican leadership sure seem to indicate they are rooting for a recession, the U.S. economy continues to grow and add jobs even as gas prices continue to come down.”

The president called inflation America’s top economic challenge.

“I know that American families are feeling squeezed. The global inflation that is raging in other countries is hitting us as well,” Biden stated.

“I’ve got a plan to bring costs down, especially for health care, energy, and other everyday expenses. And we’re already making progress – the cost of gas at the pump is down over $1.20 a gallon since this summer.”

He said the plan Republicans have put forth “is very different.”

“They want to increase prescription drug costs, health insurance costs, and energy costs, while giving more tax breaks to big corporations and the very wealthy,” Biden asserted.

“Here’s the deal: cutting corporate taxes and allowing big pharma to raise prices again is the Republican inflation plan and it’s a disaster.”

The president concluded:

“Let me be clear. We’re going to do what it takes to bring inflation down. But as long as I’m president, I’m not going to accept an argument that the problem is that too many Americans are finding good jobs.

“Or that too many working Americans finally have more dignity in the workplace. Or that our largest, most profitable corporations shouldn’t have to pay their fair share.

“I will continue to work for an economy built from the bottom up and the middle out, not the top down as my Republican friends would have.”

Reach him at @StacyBrownMedia.

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Tell the Supreme Court: We still need affirmative action

Ben Jealous Guest Columnist

One of the great joys of my life is teaching. I’m fortunate to teach classes on social justice at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most respected schools in the country. Penn has a longstanding commitment to affirmative action, and I have seen firsthand how diversity in the classroom benefits all my students. There’s just no question that diversity is a core piece of a vibrant academic community and a critical part of the learning experience – for all of us. Bringing together students with different lived experiences forces students to think critically about their assumptions, which is an essential goal of a university education.

That’s why I, like so many of us, am deeply concerned about two affirmative action cases argued at the Supreme Court just a few days ago. Opponents of affirmative action have been trying to destroy it for years. And now it looks like they just might get their chance.

Two universities, Harvard and the University

of North Carolina (UNC), are defending their admissions programs against opponents who want them declared unconstitutional. (The university where I teach, Penn, and the organization I lead, People For the American Way, have both joined briefs supporting the universities’ positions.) Considering race as one of many factors in admissions has been upheld by the Supreme Court for decades. The Court has said repeatedly that diversity in higher education is a “compelling interest.”

But today’s Supreme Court is different. It’s dominated by far-right justices who have made it clear they don’t share this view. Chief Justice John Roberts’s famous quote, “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race,” sums it up: conservatives believe affirmative action is at best unnecessary and at worst just another type of discrimination. Some conservatives would like to retire affirmative action because they claim it’s accomplished everything it set out to do. But it hasn’t. Not even close.

In Texas and Michigan, applications and enrollments of Black and Latino students plunged after state politicians banned the consideration of race in admission to their public

universities. That’s a huge red flag. Nationally, there’s a big gap between the percentage of white and Black students who earn a bachelor’s degree. And that perpetuates all kinds of harm and inequities in income, health, family wealth, and more. We still have a long way to go in building a fair society in which all our children can thrive.

And here’s an important point that often gets lost. All students - no matter their race or color or creed - benefit from affirmative action. Having diverse classmates promotes a stimulating exchange of ideas and viewpoints. It prepares all students for living and working in our increasingly diverse society. The Supreme Court as a whole used to understand that. Today, I worry that only a minority of the justices do.

One of those justices is Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Court and a person of profound insight and wisdom. Her questions in oral arguments got to the heart of the matter. Imagine two qualified students applying to UNC, Justice Jackson suggested: a white North Carolinian student whose family members had attended the school for generations, and a Black North Carolinian whose family had historically been shut out. The white applicant might make the case that

attending UNC is deeply meaningful to her because it is a family tradition. The Black applicant might make the case that it is deeply meaningful because her family was so long denied.

Jackson’s question made it clear what would happen if the Court adopts the Far Right’s position: the white student’s appeal to family history would be allowed to help their chance of acceptance, while the Black student’s would not. It would further institutionalize discrimination and the harm it has caused generations of Black Americans.

I am so grateful for Justice Jackson’s voice on the Court. I also know that the six right-wing justices expressed skepticism of affirmative action at oral arguments. Many reporters are already writing its obituary. I hope for the sake of our education system and our next generation, that they will be wrong. The “compelling interest” that led the Court to uphold affirmative action in the past still exists – in fact, it may be stronger than ever.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. A New York Times best-selling author, his next book, “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” will be published by HarperCollins in January 2023.

Stacy M. Brown is the NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent.

FORUM

Can incivility and democracy exist together in America today?

Dr. James B. Ewers Jr.

Guest Columnist

Our America is going through some difficult times right now. Good times have been replaced by bad times.

Politicians on both sides are trying to convince us to follow them. They say what we want to hear, yet their talk doesn’t match their walk in many instances. Running for public office has made them say about anything that will make people clap and cheer.

They make us feel good for 50 minutes and then like smoke, that feeling evaporates. We are left

disillusioned and disappointed.

The question at the podium is: can anything be done to change this feeling of despair?

In days gone by, we would not have to debate about civility and democracy going together. It would be a no-brainer. Yet today we are living in times of mayhem and mean spiritedness.

When did this period of callousness begin? It depends upon who you ask.

For some, this era of rancor and recklessness is just fine. They revel in it and love the confusion that it brings. However, if you ask them about it, they ramble on about how much is wrong in America.

If you mention the January 6th catastrophe, they justify it in some awkward and nonsensical way.

I believe this period of

insolence started in earnest with the last president of the United States of America.

Don’t get me wrong, there were problems before, but not to this extent. As a nation, we were able to squash them as they didn’t overwhelm us. Bad people with bad intentions were in the background, however they couldn’t get a foothold on our democracy.

It is my opinion that closet haters and racists have come out of their dungeons and now are in full view in America. They spread lies and half-truths. Sadly, they are influencing a significant number of people who lack understanding and clarity about the issues of the day.

According to reports by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, hate crimes increased dur-

ing the first half of this year. The FBI defines a hate crime as “a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.” Data for this report was collected in 15 major cities with a combined population of 25.5 million people.

Arusha Gordon of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said, “It always makes me very nervous discussing the data around hate crimes just because we know that the data is really so lacking.”

With hate on the rise, America is falling and failing its citizens.

As midterm elections have come and gone, we will see what happens with

those that we have elected to lead us. Prior to the midterm elections, some states were being overly influenced by folks who wanted to see injustice reign supreme. Candidates in some states had questionable credentials and dubious reputations.

America, we were being duped and hoodwinked.

Can we do better?

Yes, we can.

However, we the sane must overcome the insane.

Whether you were a Democratic winner or a Republican winner, you must put America first on your agenda. If you were a Republican winner, please do not talk about the 2020 election being stolen. It wasn’t and Joe Biden is the president of the United States of America. If you won, develop relationships with the other political

party. Being isolated and thinking your way is the only way will not work.

Democracy is a cornerstone of the American way of life. Be an advocate of right and not a carrier of wrong.

As we have all heard before, we are better together.

Breaking News! The Houston Astros and their manager, Dusty Baker, are the 2022 World Series Champions!

James B. Ewers Jr., Ed.D., is a former tennis champion at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem and played college tennis at Johnson C. Smith University, where he was all-conference for four years. He is a retired college administrator. He can be reached at overtimefergie.2020@yahoo.com.

Time to reset military relations with Saudi Arabia

oil.

governor about that arrangement.)

and it’s an even worse idea now.

Saudi Arabia and OPEC have decided to cut oil production by two million barrels a day. The President is miffed and has signaled that he’s fed up with the Saudis who, according to a New York Times report, “duped” the administration into believing OPEC would not be cutting oil production - and in fact would significantly increase it.

If the episode amounts to Saudi duplicity and Russian influence, as opposed to an honest Saudi cost-benefit calculation on oil pricing, the question is: What will Biden do about relations with Saudi Arabia?

Let’s look at the balance sheet on US-Saudi relations.

Supporters of the partnership argue that Saudi Arabia offers U.S. military access, is a major weapons buyer, shares hostility to Iran, is tolerant of Israel, and of course, has all that

Mel Gurtov Guest Columnist Andrew Moss Guest Columnist

For good reasons, the spotlights of the media have been shining brightly on the fate of our electoral democracy; undoubtedly this intense focus will continue long after the midterm elections.

But it’s an error to gaze only where the light shines most brightly. Important developments pertaining to our democracy, particularly to economic democracy, are unfolding in many places outside the spotlight. At first glance, the developments may seem modest. But they have far-reaching consequences for the wellbeing of working people and for

On the negative side, it’s a serial human-rights violator, home to most of the 9-11 terrorists, purchaser of Russian oil that helps fund Putin’s war machine, war crimes candidate in its Yemen intervention, and unreliable partner when called upon for support.

And there’s the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi on orders from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). He will lie to Americans whenever it suits him, confident that his decisions on oil production and pricing will always keep them in line. And for decades, he and other Saudi leaders have been right: Cheap oil and the Iran enemy have always trumped human rights and other supposed American priorities.

(One other item closer to home: A Saudi agricultural company, Fondofirm, rents 3,500 acres of state-owned farmland in drought-stricken Arizona to grow feed for Saudi cattle. The water the company uses could supply 54,000 homes, according to a Sierra Club report in its fall 2022 magazine. Maybe Biden should get on the phone to Arizona’s

Joe Biden is the latest U.S. president to be hoodwinked by the Saudis. He entered office seemingly determined to recalibrate the U.S.-Saudi relationship. The Khashoggi murder and the humanitarian disaster in Yemen were getting a bad press and faced rising anger in liberal quarters of Congress.

Biden vowed the Saudis would “pay the price and make them, in fact, the pariah they are.” Yet by the time Biden made his first trip to the Middle East in July, he was backtracking.

In an op-ed for the Washington Post prior to his trip, Biden said: “From the start, my aim [with Saudi Arabia] was to reorientbut not rupture - relations with a country that’s been a strategic partner for 80 years.”

Thus, the infamous fist bump with MBS and the message, intended or not, that all is forgiven. The head of the U.S. Central Command for the Middle East chimed in, saying of military ties with Saudi Arabia: “The Kingdom is poised for the future, and I look forward to a continued military partnership.” That was a bad idea then,

Terminating the Military Partnership.

But remember this: MBS never promised Biden that the Saudis would increase oil production - a major goal of Biden’s trip. The trip was a win for MBS, who gave up nothing in return for American renewal of a partnership that has resulted in billions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Saudi Arabia, as well as over $100 billion in weapons sales contracts.

What should be happening is termination of U.S. military ties with Saudi Arabia - the direct assistance, the supporting role in its Yemen intervention, the soldiers on the ground, the U.S. bases, and (as the Washington Post has just revealed) the retired senior U.S. military officers who serve as wellpaid advisers to the Saudi defense ministry.

That last practice is not new; recall General Michael Flynn’s work for Turkey. With the Saudis, it’s generals like James L. Jones, President Obama’s national security adviser, who recruited four other retired generals and William S. Cohen, the former

defense secretary, as part of a team set up by Jones in his consulting firm.

Similarly with the Saudis’ partner in Yemen, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), another absolute monarchy that not only is a major customer for U.S. arms and provides bases for U.S. air and naval forces. The UAE also counts on advice from retired generals like James Mattis, Trump’s former defense secretary.

These advisers, by the way, can only serve upon approval of the State Department and the Pentagon, which turn out to be very reluctant to report it and quick to defend the practice. (The State Department’s response:

“The UAE has long been a vital U.S. partner on a wide range of regional security issues. … We intend to continue to help them improve their capabilities to defend their territory and are confident that our strong relationship will continue.”)

That should tell you how obliging administrations are, even when they know full well that retired military officers are supporting reprehensible regimes that now are playing ball with Russia on oil

Sowing seeds of economic democracy

civil society at large.

In a northeast corner of Los Angeles, not far from where I live, there’s a neighborhood called Atwater Village, and in that neighborhood an enterprise called the Proof Bakery does a thriving business selling a wide range of pastries, cakes, sandwiches, coffees, and other popular items. Three years ago, its founder and owner, Na Young Ma, decided to relinquish ownership after running the business for almost 10 years. But instead of selling the bakery to an outside owner, with all the possible consequences that could accrue from such a sale (including the firing of employees), she took the more challenging, time-consuming path of initiating a transition to a worker-owned cooperative, inspired by the long-running, successful Cheese Board Collective and Arizmendi Bak-

eries in California’s Bay Area (Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco, San Rafael, Emeryville).

Ms. Ma sought out advice from a nonprofit consulting group called Project Equity, and after two years, she sold the bakery to her employees in August 2021. Eleven of the employees stepped up to become worker-owners, with another 13 remaining as employees. An employee can become a workerowner after working for the bakery for a year and investing $2,500 in the business, either up front or through paycheck deductions. Since the bakery opened as a cooperative a little over a year ago, it now has 13 worker-owners and 12 employees.

Visiting the bakery recently, I spoke with one of the worker-owners, James Lee. Formerly an employee when Ms. Ma was the sole owner, Mr. Lee is

now a member of a threeperson management team, and, like the other workerowners, he participates in collective decision-making about a wide variety of issues pertaining to the running of the enterprise, including compensation and benefits.

I asked him about the transition to a workerowned co-op and he was candid about the challenges that it entailed. He discussed the very different expectations that the new worker-owners brought to the fledgling enterprise, and about the efforts to get to know one another as they continued to work through those differences.

But he also spoke about the value of sharing not only the profits but also the stresses associated with running the co-op, stresses widely acknowledged as very high in the food and restaurant businesses. And though he didn’t use the term “economic democ-

racy,” he spoke of ongoing work-related conversations that focus on much more than the bottom line.

“We talk a lot about community, accountability,” he said. “The conversation is about people, about us.”

According to the Democracy at Work Institute, a policy and action center supporting worker cooperatives, there are over 600 such cooperatives in the U.S. today, an increase of 30% from 2019 to 2021. The co-ops operate in a wide range of economic sectors, from the food industry to construction, manufacturing, home care, and digital production, to name only a few. In other nations, there are thousands more cooperatives, and one of the largest aggregations of such businesses, the Mondragon collective in the Basque region of Spain, has received increasing attention for keeping workers employed during the pandemic and for helping

pricing. It’s only thanks to a lawsuit by the Washington Post that we know about this revolving door.

In short, the U.S. military relationship with Saudi Arabia, now under scrutiny in Congress, is a classic case of MAGIC’s (the military-academicgovernmental-industrialcomplex) influence on Middle East policy. Fact is, military ties are the only basis for relations; the Saudi regime has made clear that Russia and China are equally important partners.

One Congressional critic said: “What galls many of us in Congress is the ingratitude.” Galling? How about this for gall? MBS recently asked the U.S. for help when his intelligence reported an Iranian threat of attack. But beyond gall is our own gullibility in accepting Saudi excuses and lies.

Ending military ties with the MBS regime is long overdue.

Mel Gurtov, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor Emeritus of political science at Portland State University and blogs at In the Human Interest.

control inequality in its home region by means of the co-op principle of sharing wealth.

As an engineer from one of its enterprises, a manufacturer of solar panels, explained, “The objective of the cooperative is not to produce rich people, it’s to produce rich societies.”

As we consider the aftermath of the midterms and extend our gaze beyond the brightly-lit theater of political action, it may well be worthwhile to ask how rich a society we really are. And, perhaps, how real richness might someday emanate from an enterprise on the very next block in our neighborhood.

Andrew Moss, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is an emeritus professor (English, Nonviolence Studies) at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

LEAD ‘Girls Rising’ Expo delivered inspiring, one-of-a-kind experience for local girls, parents

LEAD Girls of NC, a local nonprofit founded in WinstonSalem, hosted nearly 100 local girls and their parents at its annual “Girls Rising” Expo which was held on the campus of Salem College. The free, two-day Expo featured an opening movie night followed by a full day of highenergy workshops, inspiring presentations, and parent conversations led by local community leaders. LEAD Girls NC works within the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and in the community to provide a variety of programs designed to inspire, motivate and empower girls in grades 6-10 to lead at school, at home and with their peers.

“This Expo was such an im-

portant time for us and these girls to interact in person especially as we consider how incredibly difficult and traumatic these past two-plus years have been for our community’s young

people,” said LEAD founder and executive director Joy Nelson Thomas. “Now, more than ever, we need to be pouring into young girls and empowering them to use their voices and make good

choices.”

Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines and Mayor Pro Tem D.D. Adams welcomed the crowd of Expo participants and volunteers with a special proclamation of Oct. 29 as LEAD Girls of NC Day. In addition, community and business leaders, including retired District Court Judge Denise Hartsfield, Salem College Associate Director of Admission Ashley Curry, and Triad Voice founder Chelsie Hart-Smith, served as presenters, lunch table captains, and Expo volunteers.

Award-winning author Chrystal D. Giles, a champion of diversity and representation in children’s literature, was the event’s featured speaker. Ms. Giles’ debut book, “Take Back the Block,” was widely ac-

W-S Street School basketball program to compete in new conference

SUBMITTED ARTICLE

On Dec. 6 the Winston-Salem Street School boy’s basketball team will compete in its first ever conference, which will include a nine game season and league tournament.

The Twin City Conference was created in late summer as an opportunity for the Street School program to compete with area high school age church recreation teams. Teams that used to participate in Hoops for Him, came together to form a league that includes the Street School’s three-year-old program. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, The Greek

Orthodox Church, and Centenary United Methodist Church, along with the Street School, will all participate in the inaugural season of the conference.

The Street School has never had an official sports program and began playing scrimmage games against local high school JV teams in 2020. Games were random at best, which did little to create consistency with competition for Street School players. With the creation of the Twin City Conference, the Street School’s team finally has a home and a place to grow.

All games will be played at the Fulton Family YMCA on Tuesday evenings at 6

and 7 p.m. Also new for the Street School program will be the first ever cheerleading squad, who will cheer and perform at each game.

The Winston-Salem Street School is a private, nonprofit school that serves high school students in Forsyth County who have not found success in the public school environment. The reasons are many: behavioral, mental health and anxiety, bullying, becoming teen parents, poverty, broken homes and families, among others. This population of students is welcomed at the Street School and given a second chance at earning

their high school diploma and a “road to hope” for a brighter future.

Since 2004, over 280 students have not only graduated from the Street School but have received support with food and necessities, counseling, legal support, and help with preparation for life after high school, such as furthering their education and career readiness skills. In the last two years, the Street School has experienced phenomenal growth, now serving record numbers of students in their high school and adult online programs. The school expects to have at least two dozen graduates in the upcoming Class of 2023.

claimed and recognized as an NPR Best Book. Her next novel, “Not An Easy Win,” will be published in February 2023. All Expo participants received a copy of “Take Back the Block.”

“We’re incredibly grateful to our girls and their families for being part of the Expo and to the nearly 60 volunteers who made this two-day event so successful,” said Thomas. “It is very meaningful when our girls have the opportunity to see adults standing alongside them during these influential years in their life when there is so much going on physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and academically.”

For more information on LEAD Girls of NC, visit www. leadgirls.org.

The Street School kicked off a new five-year strategic plan in 2021, focused on growing the program and reaching more students. As of the start of this school year, the Street School, which normally serves around 40 students in the high school program and 15 in their adult online program, experienced a dramatic increase in the number of students served, with 66 on the high school roster and 37 in the adult program.

For more information on the Street School, or to see how you can become involved, call 336721-1110 or visit: www. wsstreetschool.org.

when you take a veteran off the street and give him a home, you’re making a big difference in his life and then he becomes active in the community and feels like he has purpose.”

Washington wanted to give a special thanks to the Forsyth County Commissioners, Home Depot Foundation, and Truist Charitable Foundation for their contributions to the project. He also wanted to thank the many churches that sent volunteers to lend a helping hand as well. That assistance helped fast track the renovations on the home and will get the veteran in the home much faster than any other build they have had in the past.

Walk with a Doc

Join us for “Walk with a Doc!” This doctor led group is a fun and safe place to go for a walk, learn about health and meet new friends. The event is free, and all are welcome!

Walk with a Doc Saturday, November 12 | 10 – 11 a.m. Newell Massey Greenway 901 Waterworks Road Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Meet at the park right by the Ray Agnew Baseball Fields (Rain Location: Hanes Mall) To learn more and pre-register, visit aarp.cvent.com/AARPTriadWWAD * Please consult your physician before starting a new exercise regimen. ** Please note that event dates, locations, times and format are subject to change due to AARP Covid-19 protocols with little to no notice. By registering for this event or program you agree to assume all Covid-19 risk.

Submitted photos

LEAD Girls Rising Expo Group

Tate trains young people for a show business career at THE POINTE!

BY BUSTA BROWN FOR THE CHRONICLE

Gina Tate is a name you need to know. Her journey is very inspiring, but it wasn’t a smooth ride. “I grew up with a father that thought as an African American, there’s no way you’re going to make it as a dancer. He said it wasn’t something you could make a living doing. He made me feel as if I had to prove myself as a Black woman in this industry, to show him that I was good enough to do whatever I set my mind to,” said Gina.

Her father passed in 2010, but fortunately, he was able to see what his beautiful and talented daughter did. “I put together our annual recital, which he attended. I remember looking back at him and he was crying the entire time.”

During the intermission, Gina and her father shared a very emotional moment. “I went up to my father and asked, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? He said, ‘I didn’t know, I just didn’t know,’ and that was it. I was happy he was able to see what my gift to the world was before he passed. That was awesome!” shared an emotional Gina Tate.

In 2006, the beautiful entrepreneur, wife and mother, opened The POINTE! Studio of Dance in Greensboro. The dance studio quickly gained a reputation for training the best of the best young dancers, singers and actors in North Carolina. In 2020 when COVID hit, Gina said she decided to downsize. “I wanted a training ground geared towards the entertainment

and arts to help children and adults tap into their passions and make a career out of it.”

With the help of her staff and her good friend, director, actress and acting teacher, Robin T. Rich-McGhie, this dynamic crew turned The POINTE! Company and Technique Conservatory into a training ground to teach very technical dance, vocal and dramatic training. The company also teaches their students how to maintain professionalism when they go out into the real world, to have values, and how to be amazing individuals. which she feels is extremely important for her students.

The POINTE! Company and Technique Conservatory’s track record speaks for itself. Her son, Avilon Trust Tate, has a very impressive acting, dancing and singing resume. He’s recently been cast in his first Broadway tour, “Mean Girls,” and is currently on tour for nine months. Several students from THE POINTE! Company and Technique Conservatory also have successful careers in the entertainment industry.

Brion Watson was cast in two hit Broadway Musicals, “Hamilton” and “Wicked.” Jordan Speas is currently on tour as the Genie in “Aladdin.”

Jaylan Evans is a regular in the new Netflix series, “My Life With The Waterboys,” and his first animation cartoon of “Spirit Rangers,” along with two more students on their way to the big stage of Broadway.

“It’s a big deal, but I can’t talk about that yet,” said an excited and proud

Gina. She’s an amazing dancer, actor and singer, and has done choreography for lots of famous artists. A fun fact: she was one of 37 women out of 800 to earn an inaugural position with the Carolina Panthers football team as a “Top Cat” professional cheerleader!

Gina’s passion for acting came at a very early age. “I was an Annie fanatic. I wanted to be the first Black Annie! I was born in Akron, Ohio, and I used to beg my mom to take me to their community center for auditions. My mom was a single parent at that time, so she was at work. I waited on her all day so she could take me, and she did not show up and it broke my heart,” shared Gina.

Years later, she noticed there was never an African American Annie. “I’ve seen Annie on Broadway and never saw a Black girl. My production partner, Robin, and I got together and did an all-dance rendition of Annie called ‘It’s A Hard Knock Life.’ The production received rave reviews at The National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem. We were already in production be-

fore Jamie Foxx came out with his movie version of ‘Annie,’” said Gina.

She was very open and honest about the work that goes into what she does. “It’s hard, it’s very hard. It’s a lot of work and exhausting.” She said that there were plenty of days that she wanted to quit, but it was her mother’s love that kept Gina in the industry for so long. “I got so much joy watching my son Avilon come under me and I wanted him to have the best, so all of my students got the best as well. It’s what I love to do, so I’ll continue to train,” she said, with a warm and sweet smile.

Her husband, Jamie Tate, is also an amazing singer and very supportive of his wife’s vision. “He asked me, ‘Where would these kids be without THE POINTE!’” she shared with a huge smile. It was sweet.

Her second passion is interior decorating and her business called “A UNIQUE POINTE! OF VIEW.” Her design business is another expression of the arts that she loves to create.

Learn more about The POINTE! at www.thepointstudioofdance.com. My phenomenal Person of the Week is Gina Tate.

Gina

Submitted photo

Students of Gina Tate’s THE POINTE! Company and Technique Conservatory.

Local balloon professional earns recognition as Certified Balloon Artist

Kelli Woodbury of MK Events And Creations LLC in Winston-Salem recently earned the Certified Balloon Artist (CBA®) status. Woodbury was one of a select group of balloon professionals who successfully completed a series of tests, including oral and practical examinations. The certification was administered by the Qualatex Balloon Network SM(QBN®), a professional organization dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in balloon decor and bouquets. There are currently more than 2,000 Certified Balloon Artist professionals worldwide. Woodbury is the first and only balloon artist in Winston Salem to earn the certification of Certified Balloon Artist.

“The education I’ve received as a result of pursuing my CBA designation will be invaluable in helping me provide highquality, professional balloon products and services

Midterm

fice, Winston-Salem Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies for the first time. Kimbrough also helped establish several community programs, including a GED program for adults and an after-school program for at-risk youth at Winston Lake YMCA. He also helped raise $60,000 for students at North Hills Elementary School.

Board of Education District 1

The battle for the two seats in District 1 which are decided by voters who live within the city limits, was fought and won during the primary election in May. With no Republican opposition, the two seats automatically went to the Democrats who had the most votes in the primary, incumbent Alex Bohannon and retired educator Trevonia Brown-Gaither.

Brown-Gaither (D) worked nearly 20 years in

to everyone in the Winston Salem area,” said Woodbury.

To achieve certification, CBA candidates are required to:

1. Satisfactorily complete a series of exams;

the local school district before retiring from Parkland High School in 2021. She said her goal as a member of the school board is to ensure every student has a S-E-A-T (Safety Equity Advocacy and Transparency) at the table.

Bohannon (D) currently works as a diversity compliance specialist for the City of Winston-Salem. He was chosen to fill a vacant seat on the board in 2021. Bohannon’s top issues of focus are ensuring high quality instruction for every child and cultural infusion across all subjunctive areas, and creating a positive workplace culture for every employee.

Board of Education District 2

In the race for District 2, which represents voters who live outside the city limits, there were five candidates vying for four seats: incumbent Leah Crowley (R), Robert Barr (R), Steve Wood (R), and Jennifer Castillo (D). Republican candidate Stan

2. Apply knowledge of skills and techniques by designing and building professional balloon deliveries, arrangements, and decor;

3. Demonstrate their understanding of design

Elrod, who died earlier this month, was replaced on the ballot by Susan Miller.

Under state law, Elrod’s name was to remain on the ballot, but the executive committee of the Forsyth County Republican Party picked the replacement before Election Day.

Historically, District 2 has been a Republican stronghold and this year was no different. Crowley finished with 22% of the vote, while Miller, Barr and Wood rounded out the top four.

Crowley (R), has served on the board since 2018. In her next term Crowley has said she will support school choice and improving neighborhood schools and magnet schools and increasing teacher pay.

Miller (R) won more than 6,000 votes in the primary, but didn’t have enough to make it through to the general election. According to her website, she worked in the district for

theories, delivery techniques, and business systems through an oral presentation to a panel of industry leaders.

Participants in the CBA Practical Exams are graded according to their knowledge of theory as well as the application of key design elements. In preparation for the CBA exams, Woodbury was required to study a series of educational DVDs and written materials produced by Pioneer® Balloon Company, manufacturer of Qualatex® brand balloons and developer of the Qualatex Balloon Network.

The CBA certification process is a key program in the Qualatex Balloon Network, which establishes industry standards and guidelines for balloon professionals. QBN supports balloon retailers through education, business systems, and marketing.

Woodbury is the CEO and lead designer of MK Events And Creations LLC

more than 20 years.

Barr (R) also has experience working in the district. He taught at Moore Elementary School, Paisley Magnet School, and Kernersville Middle School. He also served as curriculum coordinator at Atkins Middle School.

Wood (R) is a U.S. Army veteran and pastor emeritus of Forsyth Friends Church. According to his website, Wood is committed to maximizing the learning opportunities for every student.

Board of Education At-Large There are several candidates vying for the three at-large seats on the board. Incumbent Deanna Kaplan (D), Sarah Absher (R), Richard Watts (D), Allen Daniel (R), Sabrina Coone-Godfrey (D), Regina Garner (L), and Michael Hardman (R).

As the votes started to roll in, the Democrats in the race held the lead throughout the night and took all three seats. Ka-

in Winston Salem. MK Events and Creations specialize in event decor and balloon decor for corporate, personal, and school events. You can check out their work by visiting www.mkeventsandcre -

ations.com, or following on Facebook or Instagram under MK Events And Creations.

For more information, call 336-497-1721 or email info@mkeventsandcreations.com.

The United Way of Forsyth County brings the community and its resources together to solve problems no one organization can address alone. Money raised stays right here in Forsyth County and makes a big difference in the lives of our neighbors in need.

plan was the top vote getter with 18% of the vote, while Coone-Godfrey and Watts both finished with over 17% of the vote.

Kaplan (D) was first elected to the board in 2018 and currently serves as chair. Her priorities moving forward as a board member include teacher recruitment and retention and closing the achievement gap.

Coone-Godfrey (D) is a mother of two children in WS/FCS and serves as a PTA president and on several other committees and boards. One of her main priorities will be improving communication between the board and the community. She also mentioned the need to implement district level teams that consist of parents, staff and students that will have the opportunity to interact directly with the board.

Watt (D) brings 32 years of experience as an educator to the board. Before retiring, Watts

served as principal at Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy, Kimberley Park Elementary and Julian Gibson Elementary. Currently Watts serves as coordinator for Crosby Scholars’ AAMPED (African American Males Pursuing Educational Dream) program. During a recent open forum, Watts said the first thing he will do as a board member is sit down with groups of teachers, students, and parents to find out what changes they want to see in the district.

Other local races NC State Senate District 32

Incumbent Paul Lowe Jr. (D) defeated George K. Ware (R).

NC House of Representatives District 72 Incumbent Amber Baker (D) defeated Shelton Stallworthy (R).

NC House of Representatives District 74 Incumbent Jeff Zenger (R) defeated Carla Catalan Day (D).

United Way is holding a Driving Forward Together Car Giveaway and will randomly select ten finalists who make a gift of $100 or more to the annual campaign. One lucky finalist will receive a brand-new car valued up to $25,000!

Submitted photo

Kelli Woodbury is the only balloon artiist in WinstonSalem to be recognized as a Certified Balloon Artist.

One of Woodbury’s balloon creations

Ramsey Sports Columnist

Lakers and Warriors off to slow start

I didn’t think the Los Angeles Lakers would be championship contenders this season; however, the way they have started the season, they are looking like a lottery team tanking for the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. On the other hand, I thought the Warriors were perfectly set up for another championship run, yet they are off to a slow start themselves. I think the Warriors will eventually right the ship; unfortunately I don’t feel the same about the Lakers.

The Lakers have limped out to an 0-5 start to the season and are currently 2-6 at the time this column was written. They have the second worst record in the Western Conference and they have not looked impressive at all so far. In fact, they look like one of the worst teams in the league right about now. They can’t shoot a jump shot to save their lives and the only bright spot seems to be their defense.

To start the year, the topic of conversation was Russell Westbrook. There were trade talks nearly every day on sports programs, saying this was the only way the team would get better. Eight games in, Westbrook seems to be the least of their problems right now. But the question remains as to why the team didn’t foresee this problem prior to the season starting.

How didn’t general manager Rob Pelinka foresee this being a problem as the team was going into the season? Whenever you have LeBron James as your best three-point shooter, you’re probably in need of some better shooters. Looking at the roster, I assumed Pelinka noticed this because there is no way he thought this team as presently constructed was going to be a good team.

I didn’t expect the Lakers to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference this year. I did expect them to at least compete for one of the bottom two playoff seeds in the west. By the looks of how things are starting, instead of fighting for a playoff spot, they may be one of the lottery teams fighting for the No. 1 draft pick.

James is 37 years old and I am not sure he can carry a team on his back as he did in years past. Plus, the Western Conference is so tough, not even James’ heroics can save Los Angeles this season. Couple that with the fact that

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

WWT Championship PGA Tour offers opportunity to promote diversity and inslusiveness

NNPA Newswire

This week’s World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba on the PGA Tour will not only showcase some of the world’s top golf talent, but Jim Kavanaugh, CEO of sponsor WWT, and his team will offer this unique opportunity as a platform to promote and educate the importance of “a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that fosters a sense of belonging.”

World Wide Technology (WWT) is in its second year as title sponsor of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, and the organization has dedicated a tremendous amount of their resources this week to diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives that they will share to its hundreds of attending partners, clients, staff and guests.

As one of the largest minority-owned companies in the United States, its mission of enforcing diversity, equity and inclusion is rooted in the company’s makeup.

“As a global organization, it is critical for WWT to look at the world through a different view,” Kavanaugh said.

“As we continue to focus on the landscape of our global business, it is extremely important to understand the different

cultures and experiences of all of our employees at WWT. Building DEI into the DNA of our company and our core values supports these efforts, but it requires vigilance.

“WWT is an organization that’s growing quickly. As a result, we

must be very intentional about ensuring that DEI is embraced at every level of the organization and that we have buy-in from both leadership and employees.

A true DEI strategy will aim to ensure that everyone is given equitable access to opportunity.”

WWT serves as title sponsor of the Advocates Pro Golf Association (APGA) Player Development Program.

Established in 2010, the APGA Tour is a nonprofit organization with the mission to prepare African Americans and other minority golfers to compete and win at the highest level of professional golf, both on tour and in the golf industry.

As part of WWT’s support, the top five eligible players from the final APGA Tour standings were brought to Mexico for the Monday qualifier, including Trey Valentine, Kamaiu Johnson, Andrew Walker, Ryan Alford, and Marcus Byrd. These five players are also playing in Tuesday’s Pro-Am.

In addition, former PGA Tour pro Brad Adamonis earned an exemption into Mayakoba by winning last month’s APGA Tour’s inaugural Ascension Classic at Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis.

Kamaiu Johnson became the first player to win the World Wide Technology Player Development Program bonus pool reward with his victory in the Mastercard APGA Tour Championship at TPC San Antonio in August. He has earned a full exemption to the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica.

Following Tuesday’s Pro-Am, the participants and PGA Tour pros will be treated to a short panel discussion with two of the APGA players, Kamaiu Jonson and Andrew Walker, as well as APGA CEO Ken Bentley. The Q&A is hosted by Bob Ferrell, executive vice president, diversity, equity and inclusion and public sector

Also Religion, Community News, and Classifieds

Timothy

strategy at World Wide Technology. Ferrell is a

The Dudley Panthers got off to a slow start

this season, losing two of their first three games. They have bounced back in a major way winning eight games in a row and shutting out six straight opponents in that span. They blew out

Pisgah in the first round of the 3A playoffs and will face South Point tonight to get one step closer to yet another state championship for the Panthers.

Photos by Alphonso Abbott Jr.

Submitted photo

Trey Valentine was one of the top five from APGA Tour brought to Mexico for the Monday Qualifier.

Whole Man Ministries asking for community’s help with turkey giveaway

SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Paul Sails for Rome

Scriptures: Acts 27:1-2, 33-44

By the end of this lesson, we will:

*Know how Paul’s faith in God enabled him to remain calm in the midst of a storm;

*Appreciate how our relationship with God helps us cope in a crisis;

*Witness to others about relying on God’s strength when facing crises.

Background: Luke, the author of Acts, was a close friend, traveling companion and personal physician to Paul. Luke was also eye witness to many of the events recorded in Acts. We know he is giving a firsthand account in the lesson because he speaks in first person plural pronoun “we,” putting him on the boat with Paul, experiencing the storm, the wreck and the threat of death. Luke is very meticulous in his description of the sea voyage. All the drama is a great contrast to the calm that Paul exhibits.

Lesson: Calm before the Storm (Acts 27:1-2). When it was decided that they would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius (verse 1). Luke is at Paul’s side on his journey to Rome. For his safety, Paul is in the care of Julius and at least one hundred soldiers. Julius was tasked with the duty of escorting important prisoners. Though Paul is the main character, he is not the only prisoner that Julius and his men were taking to Rome. According to the Greek for “other,” “others of a different kind” may suggest that they were likely prisoners sentenced to death in the Coliseum. Perhaps during the trip Paul’s witness could tell them how to go to heaven when they died. “And entering into a ship of Adramyttium … “ (verse 2a.). Adramyttium was a city on the northwestern coast of Asia Minor. The plan was to find a ship there sailing to Italy and hitch a ride. “… one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us” (verse 2b.). Aristarchus was also a traveling companion to Paul. It was the favor Paul enjoyed from Julius that allowed his companions to travel with him (see verse 3).

Calm in the Storm (verses 33-38). In previous verses we see that an unexpected hurricane-strength storm made the journey to Rome more difficult and lifethreatening. Paul gives a warning of the certain danger (verse 10), but the centurion chooses to listen to the experienced pilot and the captain of the ship. The result is that they underestimated the storm. Luke tells in the in-between verses of lost hope and how Paul encourages them all after his angelic visitation (verses 22-26).

Paul remained calm – how? Here is a suggested acronym: C - call on God during crises, A - anticipate God stepping in to rescue, L - listen to God’s instruction, M - make known God’s promises.

Because of Paul’s calm, Julius is now more inclined to listen to him rather than the sailors. Paul’s advice in verses 33-34 is to take some sustenance. Paul had a word of faith and confidence from the Lord for the crew and the passengers “… for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish” (verses 34). This is a common Jewish

With many families struggling to put food on the table, as well as dealing with rising food and gas prices, this year the need is great! Whole Man Ministries is answering the call to help those families who otherwise would not have a Thanksgiving dinner to put on the table. Bishop Washington said, “We gave out 330 turkeys and fixings enough to feed a family of four for a week last year. This year our goal is 350 turkeys and fixings.”

However, there is one challenge Whole Man

Ministries has standing in its way: getting enough turkeys for 350 families. This year there is a 13% increase in the price of turkeys. On top of that, there was an outbreak of bird flu that caused prices to rise and a turkey shortage. Pastor Camilla said, “We never like to disappoint the community during times like these. We will do our very best to get the turkeys.”

“The community looks forward to this event. We have been doing this for four years now,” said Bishop Washington. “We have

raised $2,100 of the $8,000 to pull this event off.”

Last year Whole Man Ministries had a line of cars stretching three miles long and fed over a 1,000 people total. With an event this big, it takes 30 or more volunteers to carry out all assignments.

“The need is great!” said Bishop Washington, “Turkeys are expected to be $19-$27 dollars each.”

If you can consider donating toward this cause, please contact Whole Man Ministries at 336-7852080. Mail checks to: 3916 Old Lexington Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27107.

GMBC celebrates 15th pastoral anniversary of Dr. Nathan E. Scovens

SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Galilee Missionary Baptist Church (GMBC), 4129 Northampton Drive, will celebrate the 15th pastoral anniversary of Dr. Nathan E. Scovens throughout the month of November.

The celebration begins with a Roll and Glow Skate Party with the GMBC Youth Ministry. GMBC youth are asked to join Pastor Scovens at Skate Haven Skating Rink on Nov. 6 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. The Nov. 13 worship service will be designated to show its appreciation for First Lady Wyvondalynn Scovens. We will gather on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. for a Thursday evening worship service featuring guest speaker Dr. George Parks, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, Little Rock, Arkansas.

The 15th Anniversary Black Tie Gala follows on Friday, Nov. 18, beginning at 6 p.m. at Legacy Stables and Events. The celebration honors Dr. Scovens and family with live entertainment, dinner, a formal ambiance, and an experience to remember. The event is sold out and no tickets will be provided at the door. The celebration concludes with a Sunday morning worship service at

10

In addition to celebratory events, the church has partnered with Ashley Academy of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools for a community outreach effort throughout the month. The church has committed to collect 360 pairs of leather athletic shoes for Pre-K – 5th graders at Ashley Academy. Those interested in assisting in the effort may visit the GMBC multipurpose room following Sunday worship services to receive an assigned ticket with the gender and shoe size of the student. Monetary donations are accepted through the GMBC website www. galileemissionarybaptist.org via Givelify (use the button marked Ashley Shoe Drive), CashApp @ $GMBC4129, or by cash or check payable to GMBC and note Ashley Shoe Drive. For more information on the shoe drive, please contact David Portee @ dlportee@msn.com. Donations will run through Dec. 4. The shoe distribution to Ashley Academy will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 13. All support is welcomed and appreciated.

RELIGION CALENDAR

Each Sunday Sunday service

Transformation Ministries will have service every Sunday at 10 a.m. We are located at 4880 Burnette Drive. Masks are required.

3rd Friday of each month

Women’s fellowship

The Antioch Baptist Church (ABC) Women, 5061 Lansing Dr., cordially invites all women to join us the third Friday of each month at 7 p.m. for conversation as we share and embrace each other in these challenging times. Join us via conference call. Dial in: 267-807-9601 Access Code:189545592#. Rev. Frederick L. Barnes, Jr. is the senior pastor. For more information, call 336-9923751.

Nov. 11-12

Hidden Jewels Project

The Hidden Jewels Project is a domestic violence advocacy organization, The event’s theme is “Trauma 2 Triumph.” The Hidden Jewels Project will host a twoday event raising awareness of domestic violence with the annual Hidden Jewels Weekend Nov. 11-12 at Ardmore Baptist Church, 501 Miller Street.

The Gala & Awards Ceremony will highlight community advocates with speaker Mercedes L. Miller and the Man Stand where the men will commit to stand against violence against women and children in our community, led by Forsyth County Sherriff, Bobby F.

Kimbrough. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite and the website www.hiddenjewelsproject.org,Tickets are $25.

The conference will educate the community on domestic violence, sexual assault and sex trafficking and inspiration from Dr. Telika McCoy and Pastor Tembila Covington. Tickets are $30.

Nov. 12

Call for prayer

Bethabara Christian Church and Dove in the Vineyard Outreach Ministry will host A Clarion Call to Prayer on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 9:45 a.m. This in-person, one-hour prayer session will focus on our communities and the issues we face during these critical times.A light continental breakfast will be served. Safety guidelines will be followed including masks and social distancing.

Bethabara Christian Church is located at 2287 Luther Green Road. Rev. Charles Kennedy is the pastor.

For further information contact Minister Angela Summers at 336-986-9314 or Rev. Deborah HauserOdom at 336-345-7123.

Nov. 13

First Waughtown Baptist Church (FWBC)

Senior Pastor Dr. Dennis W. Bishop will deliver the message on Communion of the Holy Spirit (reference scripture 2 Corinthians 13:14). Front doors will open at 9:15 a.m. for screening, devotion, and announcements for the 10 a.m. service. Completed waiver forms

and masks that cover the nose and mouth are required. Both are available in the church lobby. Other in-person protocols and information about 6 p.m. virtual Sunday School are accessible via the FWBC homepage RE-ENTRY link. Persons who prefer to worship virtually can find the service on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com (First Waughtown); Facebook, https://www.facebook. com/FirstWaughtown/; and the First Waughtown website, https://www.firstwaughtown.org. (NOTE: Services are posted on a one-week delay.)

Nov. 15-17 Fall revival

Emmanuel Baptist Church will host its fall revival Tuesday, Nov. 15, through Thursday, Nov. 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m. nightly. The public is invited to attend each night to hear a word from the Lord for such a time as this - to be renewed, refreshed, and revived anew! Emmanuel Baptist Church is located at 1075 Shalimar Dr., where Rev. Dr. Herbert Miller II is the senior pastor. For more information, contact the church office (336) 788-7023.

How to submit items to the Religion calendar:

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 Thursday before 4 p.m., or mail your items to Winston-Salem Chronicle, 1300 E. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101; or send them via our website, www.wschronicle.com.

Elder Richard Wayne Wood

Sunday School Lesson

See Paul on B5

Submitted photo

Last year, Whole Man Ministries’ turkey giveaway saw a line of cars that stretched more than a mile down Old Lexington Rd.

a.m. and the guest speaker will be Dr. Wesley Keith McLaughlin, pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church, Petersburg, Virginia.

In 2021, WMM handed out 330 turkeys.

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

TO: Christopher Craft - Father of the Juvenile

TAKE NOTICE that a Juvenile Petition seeking relief against you have been filed in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is an adjudication of Termination of your Parental Rights with respect to the above-referenced child pursuant to N.C.G.S. 7B-1111.

You are required to make a written answer to the Petition alleging to Terminate Parental Rights within forty (40) days after the date of this notice; and upon your failure to make a defense to the Petitions within the 40 day period specified herein or to attend the hearing on the said Petition, the Petitioner will apply to the Court for terminating your parental rights to the above-referenced juvenile.

Any counsel appointed previously to represent you and not released by the Court shall continue to represent you.

If you are indigent and not already represented by appointed counsel, you are entitled to appointed counsel and provisional counsel has been appointed upon your request subject to the Courts review at the first hearing after this service.

The hearing on the Petition alleging to Terminate Parental Rights is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 in Courtroom 4-J of the Forsyth County Hall of Justice in Winston-Salem, North Carolina or as soon thereafter as the Court can hear the said case.

This the 3rd day of November, 2022

County Department of Social Services 741 Highland Avenue Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101 (336) 703-3901 The Chronicle November 10, 17, 24, 2022

NORTH CAROLINA

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DAVIDSON COUNTY DISTRICT COURT DIVISION 22 JT 86

IN RE: JOSHUA ANDREW PREVETTE, JR.

A Minor Child JOSHUA ANDREW PREVETTE

Petitioner CAMERON B. MCKNIGHT

Respondent Mother

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

TO: CAMERON B. MCKNIGHT

Respondent Mother

TAKE NOTICE that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above- entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Petition for the Termination of Parental Rights.

You are required to make defense to such pleading no later than December 15th, 2022, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought.

This is the 3rd day of November, 2022.

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE FORSYTH COUNTY DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO: 21 JT 210

IN THE MATTER OF: JACK GAGNER DOB: 11-08-2021

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

TO: RODNEY THOMPSON, DUTCH MILLER, AND ANY UNKNOWN AND UNNAMED MAN [“JOHN DOE”] WHO MAY BE THE FATHER of the minor child identified above, and to TAUNIA ANNE REGAN (DOB: 03/27/1983), MOTHER of the minor child identified above.

Loops, etc.

Plans and proposals are available at 217 Asphalt Trail, Elkin, NC 28621 and online at NCDOT website.

Interested firms can contact Dale Rose or Joel Greene for information and assistance. We may be available to assist interested M/W/DBEs in obtaining any required insurance, bonding, letter of credit, equipment, supplies, materials, and any other related assistance that may be required by these contracts. Contact by phone: 336-8357506, fax: 336-835-2501, mailing address: PO Box 786 Elkin, NC 28621 or email: carlrosepaving@yahoo.com. Please have quote into our office by November 16, 2022 @ 4:00 pm. The Chronicle November 3, 10, 2022

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having qualifed as Executor of the Estate of George H. Johnson, Jr. (22 E 2393), also known as George Haywood Johnson, Jr. , deceased December 3, 2021, Forsyth County, North Carolina, this is to Notify all persons, firms, and corporation having claims against the Estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before January 25, 2023 this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the said decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 20th day of October, 2022.

Sharon J. Buford

Executor for George H. Johnson, deceased 2504 Treetop Lane Winston-Salem, NC 27101

The Chronicle October 20, 27, and November 3, 10, 2022

Julie A. Parker

Attorney for Petitioner Penry Terry & Mitchell LLP 151 South Main Street Mocksville, NC 27028 Phone: 336.753.0753 Facsimile: 336.753.0756

The Chronicle November 3, 10, 17, 2022

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COUR OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FORSYTH COUNTY BEFORE THE CLERK 19 SP 274

IN RE: DOE

To: THE UNKNOWN FATHER OF A MALE CHILD

TAKE NOTICE THAT a petition has been filed for the adoption of a male child born on or about the 11th day of May, 2013 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to Sonia Janille Nicholson Guthrie (white, then 34 years of age, approximately 5 ft.2 in. tall and 250 lbs., brown hair, brown eyes). It is believed that the child was conceived in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area in late summer or early fall 2012 and that the father is Hispanic and may have lived at or near 2221 Urban Street in Winston-Salem. You must file a written response to the petition for adoption with the Clerk of Superior Court of the county named above within forty (40) days after November 3, 2022, exclusive of such date, to participate in and to receive further notice of the proceedings, including notice of the time and place of any hearing. Upon your failure to respond to the petition within the time prescribed, the petitioners will apply to the court for an order that your consent to the adoption is not required and for a decree of adoption which will terminate any parental rights you may have with respect to the child.

Brinton D. Wright

for Petitioners

Attorney

N.C. State Bar No. 7409 324 W. Wendover Ave. Suite 114 Greensboro, North Carolina 27408 Telephone: (336) 373-1500

The Chronicle November 3, 10, 17, 2022

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having qualifed as Executor of the Estate of James F. Day (22 E 1589), also known as James Francis Day deceased July 1, 2022, Forsyth County, North Carolina, this is to Notify all persons, firms, and corporation having claims against the Estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before January 25, 2023 this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the said decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 20th day of October, 2022.

Joseph Marron Executor for James F. Day, deceased 118 N. Sterling St. Morganton, NC 28655

The Chronicle October 20, 27 and November 3, 10, 2022

TAKE NOTICE that a Motion to Terminate Parental Rights seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action. The aforementioned minor child has been in the custody of the Forsyth County Department of Social Services since November 2021 was adjudicated to be a neglected juvenile on April 13, 2022. The nature of the relief being sought is the permanent and irrevocable termination of your parental rights to the minor child named above pursuant to the Motion to Terminate Parental Rights filed by the Forsyth County Department of Social Services on or about November 11, 2022.

YOU ARE REQUIRED to FILE AN ANSWER to the Motion to Terminate Parental Rights within thirty (30) days after the date of this notice. If you fail to make a defense to the Motion to Terminate Parental Rights on or before Monday, December 12, 2022 or fail to attend the hearing on the Motion for Termination, the Movant (Forsyth County Department of Social Services) will request the Court to terminate your parental rights in and to the minor child indicated herein.

If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be entitled to appointment of counsel. To immediately request provisional counsel, contact the Forsyth County Clerk of Court, Juvenile Division at (336) 779-6311.

The trial on this matter will occur on January 6, 2022 at 9:30am or as soon thereafter as the Court can hear it in Courtroom 4J of Forsyth County Courthouse in Winston-Salem, NC.

SHOULD YOU FAIL TO ANSWER OR APPEAR as directed herein, the Court can enter an order which permanently and irrevocably terminates your parental rights in and to the said minor child.

This the 10th day of November 2022

By: Melissa Starr Livesay, Assistant County Attorney 741 Highland Avenue Winston-Salem, NC 27101

The Chronicle November 10, 17, 24, 2022

STATE

Theresa A. Boucher Deputy County Attorney Attorney for the Forsyth

NOW – Dec. 7

Medicare open enrollment sessions

The Annual Medicare Open Enrollment period will take place from October 15 to December 7, 2022.

Annual enrollment assistance will be provided by volunteers and staff of the Shepherd’s Center of Greater WinstonSalem, the Forsyth County coordinating site for the North Carolina Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). One hour appointments will be offered during the period subject to the availability of counselors. Appointments must be made by calling the Shepherd’s Center at 336-748-0217 during weekdays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Nov. 11-12

HanesBrands sale

It’s been seven years since HanesBrands held its popular Community Product Sale and now this special event is back on Nov. 11 and 12 at the YWCA Wellness Center located at 1300 S. Main Street. The HanesBrands Community Product Sale takes place on Friday, Nov. 11, from noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 12, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. To volunteer or for more information about the HanesBrands Community Product Sale, visit ywcaws.org/news-events/.

Nov. 12

Pancake breakfast and food drive

The A. H. Anderson Alumni Association will sponsor a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser along with a Thanksgiving Food Drive on Saturday, Nov. 12. Anderson alums and the community are invited to enjoy healthy "all you can eat" pancakes and sides. The alumni association also asks members and friends to donate non-perishable food items for the annual food basket donations made to families in the Happy Hill Community.

The event takes place at the New Light Missionary Baptist Church located at 1535 E. 15th Street with breakfast served from 9 a.m. to noon and nonperishable food donations received from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information or advance ticket purchases contact Theodis Foster, president, at 336 978--3517.

Nov. 12

Anniversary celebration

Celebrate the 68th anniversary of Malloy/Jordan East Winston Heritage Center on Saturday, Nov. 12. Drop by to learn about the branch’s rich history, listen to interviews from the “Shades of Forsyth” Oral History Project, as well as “Memories of Malloy/Jordan East Winston Heritage Center” interviews and participate in fun activities that test your knowledge of the branch. A light reception will be held from 1-2 p.m. Please call the front desk for more information at 336703-2950.

Nov. 12

Free health screenings

More than 10 free screenings, tests and other health-related services will be available to the public this Saturday, Nov. 12, at the 22nd annual Share the Health Fair. This free event will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wake Forest Baptist’s Downtown Health Plaza, located at 1200 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The event is open to all adults regardless of insurance coverage, income level or immigration status. Masks are required and interested individuals can pre-register online or walk in the day of the event. Spanish-language interpreters will be available.

Nov. 12

NAACP elections

The Winston-Salem NC NAACP Branch 5471 will have its virtual 2022

saying that indicates absolute protection. Paul gave encouragement to the men and he gave thanks to God.

“Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat” (verse 35). There were two hundred and seventy-six persons and they were all encouraged (verses 36-37). After gaining strength from eating, “they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea (verse 38). This was a struggle for survival.

Shipwrecked, But Saved (verses 39-40). Paul’s prediction, “Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of lading and ship, but also of our lives” (verse 10). (See

elections on Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If additional information is needed, contact the chairman of the nomination committee, Dr. Pam Peoples-Joyner, at pam.peoplesjoyner@gmail.com.

Nov. 14

LTWS auditions

The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem will hold auditions for One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean from 6:308:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, at 419 N. Spruce Street in Winston-Salem. No appointment is necessary, and everyone is encouraged to audition. Phillip Powell will direct. There are roles available for 8+ men (ages 25+) and 3+ women (ages 20-40). Additional details and character descriptions are available at www. LTofWS.org/auditions.

Nov. 28

Virtual Medicare workshop

The Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem is offering a virtual workshop for individuals turning 65 (as well as those who already have Medicare) to learn about the different insurance options available. The session will be held virtually via Zoom on Monday, Nov.28, from 3 - 4:30 p.m. through computer and telephone access. The session is provided at no cost. Because space is limited, reservations are required. Contact the Shepherd’s Center at 336748-0217 or Info@shepherdscenter.org for more information or to reserve a seat.

Jan. 2, 2023

Contest entry deadline

The Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize sponsored by NCWN and administered by the Creative Writing Program at UNC-Chapel Hill, is open to any African-American/Black writer whose primary residence is in North Carolina. Entries may be fiction or creative nonfiction, but must not have been published before (including on any website, blog, or social media), and must be no more than 3,000 words.

The deadline is Jan. 2, 2023. The winner will receive $1,000 and possible publication of their winning entry in The Carolina Quarterly. Visit https://www. ncwriters.org/programs/competitions/ jacobs-jones-african-american-literaryprize/ for more information.

How to submit items to the community calendar:

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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 Thursday before 4 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.

verse 22 also) are all coming to pass in verses 39-41. “The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape” (verse 42). Roman law says that any soldier or guard who allowed a prisoner to get away would forfeit his own life. So, once again Julius’ favor toward Paul is expressed. “but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention …” (verse 43). Paul’s prediction in verse 22 comes to pass in verse 44 “… And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land” (verse 44). Because of Paul’s destined audience before Caesar, all are saved. (Read verses 23-26 again). God’s word never fails. (UMI Annual Commentary 2021-2022, The MacArthur Study Bible, The Wiersbe Study Bible,

for fourteen days. Why? What do you think is meant by “God has granted you all those who are sailing with you”?

Application: Paul was able to provide an encouraging word to others in the storm. Ask God to show you how to encourage others through emails, letters, or cards that provide hope and peace. (UMI)

FYI: Forsyth County Sunday School Union will meet “virtually” every third Sunday at 1:30 p.m. with teaching and programs. You may join using the following “Zoom” credentials: ID 819 7872 9662, Passcode 787444, Phone: 1-301-715-8592.

retired Army lieutenant general who joined WWT in 2017 after 38 years of service, culminated by his position at the Pentagon as chief information officer for the Army.

On Friday morning, WWT will host a diversity, equity and inclusion panel hosted by Michael Bush, CEO at Great Place to Work and a global chief executive with over 25 years of experience leading small and mid-sized organizations through transformational growth.

The panel will consist of Dan Soto (chief com-

StartFrom page B1

Anthony Davis is already dealing with nagging injuries and it could be a very long season for the Lakers and their fans.

With the Lakers missing the playoffs last season, I think everyone expected big changes to the team but that did not happen. The last time the Lakers started a season 0-4 was the 2015-16 season, which was the late, great Kobe Bryant’s last season. The team ended up with a 17-65 record. I don’t think this team will be as bad as that Laker squad, but anything is possible.

The league is always better when Los Angeles is relevant. It’s still early on, so the Lakers could make a couple of moves to make them a better team. All I know is that the Lakers need to make some moves very quickly because James does not have too many seasons left in the tank. I know the Lakers want to maximize every season they have with him because who knows how long we will be able to enjoy him on the court.

As for the defending champion, Golden State Warriors, their slow start was definitely unexpected. At the time I wrote this

pliance officer, Ally Financial), Tanya Van Court (founder & CEO, Goalsetter), Erik Moore (managing director, Base Ventures), and Chris Womack (president, chairman & CEO, Georgia Power).

“Much of our DEI journey has been led in large part by our workforce and their desire for a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that fosters a sense of belonging,” Kavanaugh emphasized.

On the golf course, the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba will feature a marquee field that includes two-time defending champion Viktor Hovland of Norway;

column, the Warriors are 3-7 on the season and are currently the 13th seed in the Western Conference. They also went 0-5 on a recent road trip, which was unexpected as well.

As the defending champions, I didn’t think they would have gotten off to such a slow start, especially since they have kept the core of the team together. I guess that offseason fight between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole affected the team chemistry more than anyone thought it would. Or it couldt be that the other young players on the team haven’t developed as much as the team thought.

I have heard people throwing around the phrase “championship hangover” but I don’t think that is the case since this is not the first championship for this group. With the championship pedigree this team has, I’m sure they will right the ship sooner than later. Even though I don’t think it’s a championship hangover, head coach Steve Kerr feels differently.

“It feels like a little bit of a championship hangover,” Kerr said. “I don’t think even our main guys have played great defense. And then there’s some inexperienced young guys, new guys on the roster,

reigning Masters Tournament winner and PGA Tour Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler; two-time major champion Collin Morikawa; last week’s PGA Tour winner Seamus Power of Ireland; and a significant contingent of top players throughout Latin America.

Off the course, WWT executives will be in the community for such events as “Career Discovery Day” for 10th and 11th graders at local K’iin Beh School, participating in a “Career Readiness Workshop” for at least 20 local university students; and they are taking PGA Tour players to K’iin Beh School so the children can meet some of

so we haven’t built that defensive identity and cohesiveness yet and that’s gotta come. But I told the guys, we have to save us, because nobody else is coming. Every team can’t wait to play us. Orlando was great tonight, Miami was great the other night, Charlotte, Detroit. We’re the defending champs, we come in here and they can’t wait to play us. And if you’re not defending and you’re fouling, you’re putting yourself in a dangerous spot.”

That quote feels like coach-talk to me. Steve Kerr has been around the NBA for decades and knows what to say to the media to not put out too much information about what’s really going on inside of that locker room. I will agree with him that the defensive intensity that has been a staple for this team is lacking early on this year. Normally the Warriors are one of the best team defense squads in the league and they look a bit off so far. Once again, they will fix it, I’m confident of that.

And everyone has been giving the Warriors their best shot for the last six or seven years. Every team in the league knows they are the current gold standard in the NBA and wants to reach the level that Warriors are currently at. It’s

golf’s rising stars.

The week will be punctuated by a CEO Beachside Chat with Jim Kavanaugh that will include a number of CEO and business leaders, including PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan; Jeff Holzschuh (chairman, Institutional Securities Group for Morgan Stanley); Joseph Impicciche (CEO, Ascension); Ron Kruszewski (CEO, Stifel Financial Corporation); and Mike Descheneaux (CEO, Silicon Valley Bank). NBC Sports Steve Sands will also serve as a moderator for portions of this all-star gathering of global business voices.

not because they won the championship last season, but instead teams use them as a measuring stick for their own evaluation. The Warriors should be used to that by now.

Unlike the Lakers, the Warriors will be OK sooner than later. It will be interesting to see how the other teams in the Western Conference take advantage of the slow start for Golden State. I also look forward to the much-needed roster changes made by the Lakers to better their team.

Friedman is an internationally renowned author and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times Wait Chapel

Tickets on sale now facetoface.wfu.edu

november 15 at 7:30 p.m.

THOMAS FRIEDMAN

Presented by

Moderated by PBS NewsHour’s Nick Schifrin