High and low
West Forsyth wins!
• See Opinion/Forum pages on A8&9 •
75 cents
• See Sports on page B1•
Students to Raymond: ‘Uncle Tom!’ W I N S TO N - S A L E M , N . C .
Volume 43, Number 3
BOE denies WSSU voting site for 2016 BY TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE
The Forsyth County Board of Elections voted for a final time that there will no 2016 voting site at Winston-Salem State University, which was met with a racially charged
T H U R S D AY, S e p t e m b e r 2 2 , 2 0 1 6
chant from some attendees. The Anderson Center at WSSU was a longtime early voting site before the
2016
CAMPAIGN
board became majority Republican in 2013. Since then, it hasn’t been used as a site, becoming a point of contention at meetings as
Russell
students, residents, community leaders and even elected officials have requested early voting return to the historically black university. The board’s sole Democrat,
El-Amin
Fleming El-Amin, said 53 people have requested that Anderson Center be used for voting during the board’s public comment sessions. The Tuesday, Sept. 20,
Raymond
BOE meeting was the last chance for WSSU to be a voting site this year, as Election Day polling place changes were considered. El-Amin proposed that Anderson Center be used
as a voting site for Precinct 405 since construction on U.S. 52 is making it difficult to cross that highway to get to its current polling place at Sims Community Center. The measure was voted down 2-1 with Chair Ken Raymond and Stuart Russell, both Republicans, voting against it. A chant of “Uncle Tom” rang out among the many WSSU students in the audience during the vote. Raymond, who is
City takes precautionary measures
See BOE on A6
BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE
After missing a fuel delivery earlier this week because of the Colonial Pipeline Co. oil spill in Alabama, Winston-Salem city officials suspended the operation of all non-emergency vehicles as a precaution Monday afternoon. The Colonial Pipeline sprung a leak last week, affecting southeastern states such as North Carolina. Meanwhile, everyday drivers across the community and the state were met with colored plastic bags and signs. According to AAA Carolinas, the oil spill also caused prices to increase. The average cost of gasoline is currently $2.16. Last
Opening Day in Winston-Salem
New playground coming to East Winston neighborhood
A crowd fills the Hillary Clinton campaign office during its opening on Thursday, Sept. 15. With a little more than two months until Election Day, polls show the race between Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump tightening. SEE STORY ON PAGE A10.
Playground Build Day set for Sept. 24 at 14th Street Recreation Center BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE
The kids in East Winston will soon have a brand new playground to enjoy. This weekend, community
members, volunteers, and local organizations will come together to build a new playground that will replace old equipment at the site near the 14th Street Recreation Center that hasn’t been updated in more than 20 years. Ahead of “Playground Build Day” set for Saturday, Sept. 24, children in the community had the opportunity to design the new playground during a event held at the recreation center. According to project master-
mind Sean Hawkins, more than a dozen children submitted drawings of what they thought the playground should look like. “It was really wonderful to have the children be involved in this process,” said Hawkins. “The playground is for them, so we thought it was important that they be included in making decisions on what the finished product would be.”
Assistant City Manager Derwick Paige speaks during a press conference on Monday, Sept. 19. Paige discussed the city’s precautionary actions taken to deal with the Colonial Pipeline Co. oil spill.
Photo by Tevin Stinson
week’s average was $2.05 According to a press release, “Colonial Pipeline operators are currently working to repair the pipeline and expect to re-start the movement of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from Texas and Louisiana refineries to a number of Gulf Coast and southeastern states sometime this week.” The Colonial Pipeline disruption could contribute to the availability of supply and North and South Carolina may see higher prices until normal shipments resume. “We want to remind motorists that this issue is temporary and to continue normal habits at the pump,” said AAA Carolinas
Kennedy High reconstruction going inside and out BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE
A lot has changed at Kennedy High School since 2010. That year Carter High School, which serves Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools’ special needs students, was moved from their location on South Main Street to Kennedy on Highland Avenue. At the same time, construction began to
See Playground on A6
move the Career Center, an extension of the county’s high schools that offers advanced placement courses and other classes, to the campus as well. While the changes to the exterior of the school were major, the most drastic change at the school happened inside the classroom. Once known as an alternative school for high school and middle school students with behavior issues, today Kennedy offers a unique opportunity that students can’t get anywhere
See City on A6
else and is near the top of the county’s list of senior graduation rates. In 2015 Kennedy saw the largest growth in graduation rates in the entire district. The past two school years, Kennedy has also exceeded growth expectations, and most of those improvements are directly related to the school’s new education system. See Kennedy on A6