Houston home journal. (Perry, Ga.) 1999-2006, December 31, 2002, Image 1
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2001
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Volume 131, Number 104
TUESDAY
Wed 62/35
Morning clouds followed by late
day sun.
59,32 w
Chance of showers. Highs in the
upper 50s and lows in the low 30s.
51/27 l ‘‘ l
1/3 “ **
Partial sunshine. Highs in the low
50s and lows in the upper 20s.
S 3 * 56/32 /W *
1/4
More sun than clouds. Highs in the
mid 50s and lows in the low 30s.
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Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the
upper 50s and lows in the mid 30s.
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While preparing to meet the
challenges of 2003, take a look
back at the year 2002 in photos.
See Page 3A.
Home bum
A Houston County family lost
their home to fire Friday.
See Page 2A
A Gaia Event
The Houston Arts Alliance was
hosted to a benefit gala
See Page 1C
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The Houston Home Journal
offices will be closed Jan. 1 in
observance of New Year’s Day.
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OPINION PG.4A
CLASSIFIED ...PG. 7C
LEGALS PG. 5B
COMICS PG. 6C
LIFESTYLE ... .PG. 1C
NEWS BRIEFS . .PG. 2A
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Periodical
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Perdue talks about priorities lor months ahead
New administration will push /or redrawing voting districts, meeting needs of "the vulnerable"
By Charlotte Perkins
Staff Writer
On December 24 with last
minute Christmas shopping still
to do, Sonny Perdue took time
for a relaxed interview in a busy
Warner Robins restaurant
stopping every minute or two to
smile and shake hands with one
more well-wisher.
With his wife, Mary, at his
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Sonny and Mary Perdue on Christmas Eve.
Top ten stories of 2002 in Houston County
7. Sonny won!
Houston County’s undisputed
top story for 2002 the aston
ishing personal and political vic
tory of Bonaire’s Sonny Perdue
began in 2001 when
Republican State Senator
Perdue said that if the State
Senate’s Democratic leadership
“sliced and diced” his 18th dis
trict in the reapportionment
process, he would seek higher
office. Perdue’s 18th district,
which included all of Houston
County, was subsequently man
gled, with his home county
divided between three raggedly
drawn, precinct-splitting dis
tricts, and Perdue kept his
promise. After months of specu
lation that he would run for
lieutenant governor of Georgia,
he announced that he would
run for governor, and subse
quently resigned from the sen
ate to concentrate on his cam
paign.
The rest is history. Despite all
odds and a modest campaign
fund, Perdue and his supporters
built a formidable statewide
grassroots campaign, took the
primary in August and went on
to win the general election
against incumbent Gov. Roy
Barnes in an upset that stunned
Williams: County gets sll
million service for $1 million
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
While reminiscing recently
about his 20 years of fire service
for Houston County, Fire Chief
and Houston Emergency
Management Agency Director
Jimmy Williams said citizens
may be getting a deal they are
not aware of.
If the more than 100 fire/res
cue volunteers for the county
fire department were paid min
imum wage, it would cost the
county $lO million a year more
than it does to provide the same
service they get for almost free
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“Houston County's Legal Organ Since 1870 ’
December 31, 2002
side, the man who will soon
become Georgia’s 81st governor,
talked about some key issues,
but also reflected on the
changes ahead for his family,
and the need to “stay ground
ed.”
The Journal: We’ve learned
that a bill has been pre-filed to
redo Georgia’s reapportionment
- Are we going to be able to
political pundits and media
alike, and gave the governor’s
post to the first Republican
since Reconstruction days.
Speculation and interpreta
tion continues about the multi
ple reasons for Perdue’s success
in unseating Barnes. There was
however, never any doubt of
how his home county would
vote. While he clearly drew sup
port from voters of both parties
in Houston County, a highly
organized Republican party
campaign effort backed not only
Perdue, but three other chal
lengers - U.S. Senatorial candi
date Saxby Chambliss, U.S.
Congressional candiate Calder
Clay and Perryan Ross Tolleson
for State Senate, bringing the
energy and resources of several
campaign efforts together.
Blue and white signs pro
claiming Houston County
“Sonny Country” lined roads,
and Perdue won a 93 percent
vote in the local primary. When
the gubernatorial candidates
met for a debate at Reaves
Arena a month before the gen
eral election, Perdue’s local sup
porters came out by the hun
dreds with signs and tee shirts,
shouting and waving signs for
their candidates.
now.
Almost free because the vol-
unteers
now get
paid for
their
training
hours
not for
actual
calls they
run - at a
rate of $2
per hour
for their
.mi
Chief Williams
first 120 hours of training and
See WILLIAMS on page 7A
repair the senate districts that
were so mangled? What will be
the standards for a revised
map?
Gov. Elect Perdue: We’re
hoping to redo both the legisla
tive and the congressional dis
tricts. There are three stan
dards we plan to follow. The
first is to obey the law clearly
and convincingly. The second is
to keep counties whole and keep
communities of interest intact.
The third is to keep the devia
tion (in the equalized numbers
required by the one person -one
vote rule) as low as possible.
I think we should throw out
political data such as how dis
tricts have voted in the past.
We don’t want any stringing
districts together based on how
people have voted before.
Elections ought to be about the
future.
The Journal: What are
going to be your budget priori
ties in these lean times?
Gov. Elect Perdue: The pri
orities have to be meeting the
human needs of Georgia: edu
cating our children, protecting
the most vulnerable such as
children in foster care and sen
ior citizens, keeping Georgia
safe and meeting health needs.
We have to be thinking about
jobs, transportation and meet
ing the human needs of our cit
izens.
Operating a state is a little
like operating an extender! fam
ily. If you have a sick parent or
As the cheering subsided,
Perdue turned to Governor
Barnes and said, “Welcome to
Sonny Country.”
And once the votes were
counted, The Houston Home
Journal, which was the first
paper to announce Perdue’s
plan to run for Governor, ran its
biggest headline ever one
whole front page announcing
simply, “It’s a Sonny Day in
Georgia!”
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The grand opening of the Houston County Judicial Complex took place in November 2002.
WSrrall: Proud of the past, looking to the future
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
Perry Mayor Jim Worrall said
there are a number of things
that have been accomplished in
his town this past year of which
he is proud.
And, the future looks inter
esting for the City of Perry, he
added during a recent inter
view.
Here are some of the high
lights of 2002 he remembers:
• Adoption of a Master Plan
for the downtown area and
development of a plan to
improve the Courtney Hodges
Boulevard area.
“We have made a step in the
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By B
Governor-elect Perdue tries to talk a small boy out his cookie.
grandparent, you have to put
othei; important things aside to
take care of that.
The Journal: Recently, you
told the Republican caucus that
you wanted to see “a govern
ment with©«fc-g»ile.”* What did
yqu mean by that and do you
think it’s possible?
2. Courthouse/jail
completed
The S4O-plus million Houston
County Judicial Complex
opened in Perry with a gala
event in November of 2002.
Hundreds of people gathered
to hear comments from several
local dignitaries who spoke dur
ing the dedication ceremony.
Senior Superior Court Judge
L.A. “Buster” McConnell, who
right direction in planning for
the City of Perry,” said Worrall.
The implementation of a plan
for the downtown area may be
what “saves our
downtown,” said the
mayor.
The downtown
area is the heart of
any community and
when that area suf
fers, it spreads out
to affect the entire
community, he said, i
• Council’s ability
to get through |
another fiscal year
without raising
property taxes.
Three Sect ions • 30 Pages I
Gov. Elect Perdue: I mean
that people who serve should
have no motive of retribution,
no hidden agendas that they
should expect the best and work
for the best, being candid and
straightforward.
I’m idealistic. I’d rather take
See PERDUE on Page 7A
issued a court order in the mid
-1990s mandating the county
build a new courthouse and jail,
told those gathered that he just
“lit the stove.” Many others
helped make the project a reali
ty, he said.
The Complex located on the
Perry Parkway includes a
112,400 sq. ft. courthouse and a
detention facility designed to
See TOP TEN on Page 8A
Worrall said he believes it is
the willingness of the City’s
department heads to “bite the
bullet” and put innovative
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Mayor Jim Worrall
sft
thinking and plan
ning into action.
He said he also
realizes “they’re the
ones who suffer
when council says
‘no.’”
• New post office.
After a decade of
waiting, Perry final
ly has a brand new
post office.
Moved from the
old building on
See WORRALL on Page 7A