Houstonʼs voice


Whitney


hometown funeral


National A5 NEW


James Street Live: Classic venue reopens


Entertainer B4 VOL. 103, NO. 8 Three Sections


Pittsburgh Courier ‘No validity toWTAE story’


www.newpittsburghcourier.com Published Weekly FEBRUARY 22-28, 2012 INSIDE JudgeWoodruff tells Courier


by Rebecca Nuttall Courier Staff Writer


FAB 40 2012 Special Section


Obama Truth Team formed


by Rebecca Nuttall Courier Staff Writer


In 2009, President Barack


Obama’s decision to extend loans to automanufacturers General Motors Corp. and Chrysler saved 1.4 million American jobs, according to a release by the Obama campaign lastmonth.Today, GM, now known as General Motors Co., has regained its status as a global leader in auto sales. However, just last week at


a campaign appearance in Michigan, Republican pres- idential candidate Mitt Romney criticized Obama’s bailout of auto manufactur- ers and denied the presi- dent credit for their in- creasing success. In an ef- fort to combat these kinds


SEE OBAMA A3 Last week, WTAE aired a story on Al-


legheny County Judge Dwayne Woodruff and his involvement in a North Carolina Minor League basketball team. Promos prior to the sweeps week story said Judge Woodruff was guilty of owing taxpayers money. However, Woodruff, a former Pittsburgh


Steeler, said the story that aired on Feb. 13 couldn’t be farther from the truth. “There is no validity to the WTAE story


on me,” Woodruff said. “WTAE has prac- ticed theworst kind of journalismin totally creating a story where there was none, misleading and lying to their viewers and attempting to discredit my good name.” In the story, WTAE’s Jim Parsons ex-


plained that JudgeWoodruff had been part owner of a company called TD Hoops, which owned the since dissolved Carolina Thunder ABA basketball team. The story went on to say that TD Hoops owed $18,000 to the county-owned Cabarrus Arena in North Carolina for games their team played in the facility. “The truth is that I did not skip out on a


debt.As one of the owners ofTDSportsLLC, SEE WOODRUFF A3


JUDGE DWAYNE WOODRUFF


by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer


Jules Matthews, who was brought on to


head the Hill House Economic Develop- ment Corporation by then President Evan Frazier and who was instrumental in bringing together all the parties needed for the Hill House’s signature Centre Held- man Plaza project, is leaving. Her position as HHEDC executive director will not be immediately filled. “We are negotiating to have a newproject


manager—just for the plaza, but I’m not releasing any names yet becausewe’re still working through the scope of the job’s du- ties,” said Hill House and HHEDC Presi- dent and CEO Cheryl Hall-Russell. “We should have that person in place by next week.At some point we’ll hire a new direc- tor for the ECD, but that’s down the road.” She thanked Matthews for her work on


the project, and wished her well. As the Courier reported in September,


SEE MATTHEWS A3 WPIAL meet, NAACP probes, banana incident


by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer


TheWPIAL had scheduled a Feb.


21 hearing on charges that Brent- wood High School students used racial slurs while running onto the basketball court wearing banana costumes during a Feb. 3 game against Monessen. The Mon Valley NAACP head said she’s conducting her own investigation. Though the results of the hearing were not available by Courier dead-


line, news of the incident, including video, made headlines around the country and was even reported across the Atlantic by London’s DailyMail newspaper. Monessen fans allege the three


costumed students taunted the mostly Black visiting team with chants of “cotton picker” and “mon- key.” Brentwood, according the lat- est census, is 97 percentWhite. Monessen Coach Joe Salvino said


some of his players claimed both Brentwood fans and players made


racist comments, but he said he didn’t hear any. But Monessen School District Superintendent Linda Marcolini said she wants a public apology for what she called a “borderline hate crime.” Brentwood SchoolDistrict officials


said they have dealt with the stu- dents, and in statements posted on the district’s website on Feb. 8 and again on Feb. 13, said their investi- gation had found nothing to support the allegations, and that no “fans, officials or team representatives”


complained of any such behavior at the time. “The two students who attended


the game dressed as bananas have worn the costumes to previous events, including basketball games. But when they created a distur- bance running past the opposing bench and onto the court, school of- ficials said they were ejected from the game and have been disci- plined, but would not say how. A


SEE PROBE A3 Pittsburgh celebrates Whitney’s homegoing


by Ashley G. Woodson For New Pittsburgh Courier


While Whitney Houston’s private home-


going service was being held at New Hope BaptistChurch inNewark,N.J., the fans in Pittsburgh had a home going celebration of their own at Coston Funeral Homes Inc. in


East Liberty. More than 100 people came to the memo-


rial service ofWhitneyHouston.The service was the brainchild ofBethanyCriswell,who is a longtime fan of the singer. Along with her husband, Roland Coston-


Criswell, they put together a home going service for the many fans in Pittsburgh,


who needed to grieve and celebrate the life and legacy ofWhitney Houston. “Whitney was one of my all-time favorite


music artists. Growing up as a kid in the 80s, I just reveled in her beauty and song and all of the joy that hermusic brought in my life,” Criswell said. “When we had the Michael Jackson tribute after his death, I


told my husband that ifWhitney Houston passes, we have to do a service for her. I want everyone to knowthatWhitneywas a woman of God and she always had a spirit of love and wanted to convey the message that she loved the lord.” It was an evening filled with emotional


from beginning to end. There was crying and laughter and even dancing throughout


SEE PITTSBURGH A4


College Fair attracts record attendance


by Rebecca Nuttall Courier Staff Writer


Between 1999 and 2009, enrollment in


post-secondary education increased by 38 percent, from 14.8 million to 20.4 million, according to the National Center for Edu- cation Statistics. Since 1988 the percent- age of Black students enrolling in post-sec- ondary institutions rose from 9 percent to 14 percent, but the percentage of White students fell from83 percent to 62 percent. This year’s annual Pittsburgh National


WHITNEY REMEMBERED—Full of Grace—The Institute of Excellence group in front of Whitney Houston portrait. (Photo by Ashley G. Woodson) Pittsburgh Courier NEW


To subscribe, call 412-481-8302 ext. 134 or FAX 412-481-1360


Judge Greg Mathis says


Segregation is alive and well Opinion A6


SEE COLLEGE A4 soars at


America’s best weekly


suspension praised by GLAAD


National A2


Roland Martinʼs


$1.00


Hill House Will not delay grocery


Matthews leaves


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