Rocky Mount Telegram from Rocky Mount, North Carolina • 1

Serving the All-America city Tt Volume 91, No. 1 14- 50 cents MM 1 I fS fT 2 1 4 i 1 HI! SIGNING DAY Local pair sign with Pack, Pirates each sign 28 SPORTS IC A POETS LIFE One-woman show Saturday MARQUEE IB WHITE HOUSE Gunman shot outside gates NATION 3A iMlT. ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2001 iy 4 i TTT) A Tr i Kii "RITS'tr iff 'ciits; 1 Dil By BILL CRAIG Staff Writer Members of the D.S. Johnson Ele- County schools. McMahon was a finalist for the Nash-Rocky Mount School susperindent's job in 1999.

Christine Romero the assistant parents involved with the PTSO were not told about Farmer's reassignment. Freeman also questioned the timing of the move and asked why the district could not have postponed the transfer helped us as parents to be active participants in the education of our children, and for this we say 'thank However, we refuse to just let you -walk out of oii.r without let-tin "When a vacancy occurs at the school, it doesn't xrntary School Parait Teacher Stu- Red Oak Elementary, will WVIII G-n th DEBRA LANHAM Nash-Rocky Mount Schools "jjoard "of "Educafionappfo transfer of the school's principal, Sandra Farmer, to head Southern Nash Middle School. The transfer becomes effective Friday. Farmer has served as principal at D.S. Johnson for five years.

She will take the position formerly held by Rick McMahon, who resigned on Jan. 5 to take a position with Wilson Tiietransierwas" approved by the'schoSl board this week resulting in a literal session of musical chairs in principal and assistant principal posts. Other transfers, affect Rocky Mount Senior High, Northern Nash Senior High and Bailey, Red Oak, Williford and Pope elementary schools. Shirley Freeman, a parent of a Johnson Elementary student and The- PTSO has sent a letter to Farmer. asking her reconsiderher decision.

Trior to your principalship atD.S. Johnson, parent involvement was minimum at best," the letter read. "Your leadership over the past five years at D.S. Johnson Elementary School has created a wonderful school atmosphere for our children and PTSO, said Wednesday Farmer's departure comes at a crucial, time of the year when students" are preparing to take achievement tests. Norris, superintendent of Nash-Rocky Mount Schools, was out of town The school board, not Norris, gives the final approval of staff See PRINCIPAL, 2A member of the PTSO, said she became upset when she learned about Farmer's transfer at the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education meeting on Monday night.

Freeman said she and other iwm Going An Extra Mile u)uy feir iiiliillili I'llllliljpffl BD S(L0Sp(B01SQni Cooper supports proposal II Mik-mi m-Mui Hainan i 1 i i t--M 1 1 i 1 i .4 i By GENE METRICK Staff Writer Students suspended from school will no longer get to enjoy some free vacation time under a proposal being pushed by Attorney General Roy Cooper. Under legislation introduced in the General Assembly this week, middle; and high-school students suspended for up to 10 days would spend their time out of school in mentoring or tutoring programs where they will keep up with their school-work or at day-reporting centers, where they will be supervised. "We have to show these children that we want them to learn from their mistakes and to get back to learning," Cooper said. "Turning children loose on the streets is just asking them to find trouble." Short-term suspensions generally are imposed for misbe-. havior or poor attendance.

Stu 1 N.E.W.: Cannon resigned By RAY WATTERS Staff Writer After three days of speculation by concerned parents and basketball fans, the board of trustees for the -Nash-. Edgecombe-Wilson (N.E.W.) Christian Academy released a statement Wednesday saying former headmaster and head basketball coach Michael Cannon has resigned. That's in sharp contrast to Cannon's version of the story. Earlier this week, Cannon told the Telegram he was dismissed. On the advice of legal counsel, school officialswill not comment further, saying Cannon's departure is a personnel matter.

The board's statement also applied to Kay Bringle, who i identified her-. I I self to the Tele- I he gram as the Students academy's former office Ond the manager and quality of yearbook 1 adviser. She ttieir and Cannon education both said they have been dat- our mam ing for a iittie Concern9 more than six "We have; a good school program," board member Steve Stevenson. "The students and the quality of their education is our main concern." Until a new headmaster is chosen, the 12 members of the school's board of trustees are taking turns running the school, Stevenson said. All board members have children enrolled in the school, he said.

The academy on School Street near Sharpsburg was established in 1966. It teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade and has an enrollment of about 130 students, including 65 students in grades 7 through 12. Darryl Pittman, 34, said in an interview Tuesday that he accepted a promotion from assistant coach to head basketball coach Monday afternoon. Cannon's departure will have an effect on the Rebels, Pittman said. to N.E.V.,2A ROY COOPER N.C Attorney General parents work, Cooper said.

Studies show that these kids often fall behind in their studies and are at risk of getting into more serious trouble. The Nash-Rocky Mount School District is one of five school districts tapped to participate in the proposed pilot program by the N.C. Board of Education and Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Schools in Buncombe, Cumberland, Gaston and Yancey counties also dents punished for such offenses are not eligible to enroll in alternative-learning programs established -Qm- This is something that has Cox News service photo U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson, left, and John Edwards, take time off Wednesday to catch a late afternoon jog oh the Mali between the U.S.

Capitol and the Washington Monument. Temperatures in Washington were in the low 50s Wednesday afternoon. been an ongoing focus for us," said Wayne Doll, principal of Rocky Mount Senior High School. "We need to find more See SUSPENSION, 2A aents receiving long-term suspensions for serious or repeat disciplinary problems. Some students on short-term suspension often go unsupervised because both.

of their Call center close to getting new we were closing the Divx call center location in November or December," Hobden said. "Circuit City extended operations due to business needs. The official close date for the center is February 28. Negotiations to sell the. property have been proceeding since September.

I am extremely optimistic about those negotiations." Hobden said, "We have a nondisclosure agreement with the company that we are working with; For that reason, I am unable to provide a name. It is looking extremely positive. I am unable to share any information beyond that at See CENTER, 2A By TOM MURPHY Business Editor Several companies are considering acquisition of Circuit City's call center on Stone Rose Drive, Simon Hobden, director of call center operations for Circuit City's service division, said Wednesday. Circuit City, headquartered in Richmond, will close its facility, at 1690 Stone Rose Drive, in late February, Hobden said; Hobden said "Digital Video Express (Divx), a Circuit City subsidiary also based in Richmond, invested about $4 million to million in converting a Carolinas Gateway Partnership President John Gessaman said the. Partnership has assisted Circuit City in finding a buyer for the facility.

"We have been working very closely with Circuit City to market the facility to a quality employer, which would hire employees that are already there, plus expand and provide a similar support -operation Circuit City had before they announced their closing," Gessaman said. "We have had a considerable amount of interest, but companies make -these kinds of decisions not us. We can't do anything until the company makes a decision." "Originally, Circuit City announced "Ye have had a considerable amount of interest" JOHN GESSAMAN Carolina Gateway Partnership supermarket building to a Divx call center in February 1998. Divx operated in the Rocky Mount center from February 1998 to August 1999. Circuit City's service division has been at the facility since August.

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