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Mansion Matin Journal VOLUME 136, NUMBER 134 TUESDAY July 11, 2006 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH IN BRIEF Perry Players auditions ■ Perry Players Community Theatre will hold auditions for Ernest Thompson’s “On Golden Pond" this Sunday and Monday, July 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. Six roles are being cast. 2 Women: One age 35-40 and one age 55-70. 3 Men: one age 65+, two ages 35-45. One boy age 11- 13. Performances begin September 8. For information, call 987-5354 or visit Perryplayers.org. Community Health Fair ■ The Warner Robins campus of Macon State College will be the site of Community Health Fair 2006 on Thursday. The event is free and open to the public. Screenings, which include hypertension, diabetes, smoking ces sation and safety, will be given. It is slated to run from 3-6 p.m. this Thursday. Reed, Cagle fight on GPTV ■ ATLANTA (AP) - Former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed challenged claims that he could face criminal charges before the November elections at a heated debate Sunday, calling the asser tion from his GOP opponent a “low blow.” ‘lt's a low blow to suggest that somebody’s committed a crime. As far as I’m concerned, you should be ashamed of yourself," he said, admonishing state Sen. Casey Cagle, his Republican rival in the lieutenant governor race. Cagle has questioned publicly whether Reed will be charged with a crime for the work his lobbying firms conducted with disgraced lob byist Jack Abramoff in a move to lure disaffected GOP voters to his camp before the July 18 primary. “It’s clear that the Abramoff scan dal is a national scandal and it’s one that will continue to haunt my opponent,” Cagle said. A Senate investigating committee last month found that two Indian tribes, which were both Abramoff clients, sent $5.3 million to Reed to battle gambling initiatives that would have hurt their business. Reed has not been charged with a crime and said the Senate probe confirms he has done nothing wrong. “Clearly, in hindsight, that was business I should have turned down,” he said. INDEX LOCAL 2 A WEATHER 3 A OPINION 4 A SPORTS 1 B COMICS 4 B CLASSIFIEDS .... 5 B PERIODICAL 500 IIIIIIIH 8 "5510 8"0 0 0 01™ 4 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest 11l Hiliiiii!!..!! • •■IK !.!!! ni!!ifti!i»»»ii hi! I»i COOI * GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 3-DIGIT 306 July 11, 2006 If ■ ■ I II Ml ■■ ■» I « I> 'Mil r IL I'W wv-M ufi 11,11 WMHgyhßpeWft; Sww.HorsmM’QLvn S,yn ,870 LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville Centerville to take up taxes and alcohol tonight By KIMBERLY CASSEL PRITCHETT HDJ Contributing Writer Centerville will take up the word ing on two controversial referen dums tonight - taxes and Sunday liquor sales. Discussion of the wording for a referendum for the possible repeal of a property tax law that gives 100 percent exemption to seniors age 70 and older and the possible granting of the sale of alcohol by the drink on Sunday in restaurants is expected to take place at the Centerville Council meeting tonight. HM ■ B_ _ ■H . I -4? « k# ■ I ft**, |S M wBH !« .£& v IIP/ Ir fl| ■ I ).;3e*;Ti -£■; _ - ,•;«<> - ■ k fCT ; 'WI-or*' ■} - Ri’ ( ' .ijAS n hV m MWknnliwßm wSrfii JIIBH —,<Atf SB SB BWiBnMIaBSiW MSS *4, m* —v Jp JB B glfi | S | HDJ/Charlotte Perkins The Houston County Honor Band, comprised of students from the four high schools, performed Saturday. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra plays to full house in Perry From staff reports The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performed to a full house on Friday night at the Georgia National Fairgrounds. The Houston County Honor Band performed prior to the symphony, with conductors Wally Shaw of Houston County High School; Michael Thomas of Northside High School; Bruce Fisher of Perry High School, and Todd Howell of Warner Robins High School The event was organized by the Houston Arts Alliance, which present ed its annual Sherrill Stafford Search for Excellence Award to Flint Energies for its supports of arts programs year round. The symphony, conducted by Laura Jackson played a program that includ ed both classical music by Strauss, Dvorak and Liszt and movie themes by John Williams. A number of local agencies and businesses bought tables, which were decorated for indoor picnics. Through their sponsorship many seats were made available at low cost for area music lovers. Benefactors of the event were Flint See ASO, page 2A ‘People first’ as WR-ALC and union sign latest deal By RAY LIGHTNER HHJ Staff Writer “At the end of the day, the focus is on people first,” said Major Gen. Mike Collings. Collings, the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center commander said, “we needed to ensure productive members of the team are serving their government, this great nation and the Air Force.” Collings and Tom Scott, presi dent of the base’s 9,000-member union, the Association of Federal and Government Employees, Local 987, signed a fifth memorandum of agreement on Friday. The agreement allows physically disqualified employ ees to return to work if possible, with modifications to the job duties or retraining. www.hhjnews.com The council has held three town hall meetings to hear from the pub lic about the two issues, which could end up on a referendum later this year for public vote if the council votes to place them on a referen dum. At the town hall meetings, the public was given a spreadsheet with a scale of assessed property rang ing from $62,500 to $400,000. The sheet showed how much would be owed if the homestead exemption were $25,000, $20,000, $15,000 and $10,000; owners of a house assessed at $62,500 would have no taxes to '* ?.*i • * i fgs MB? I *' '. j»t JBp j W W mStWQ ■ i HHHPi, y | f ' S. ' . : * jjr * Bj|ir w I § ■- ■■ JKSj -a M|jn '% v ix.’JyP* HDJ/Charlotte Perkins Assistant District Attorney Jason Ashford, John Trusssll and County Commissioner Jay Walker share a laugh during a break in the show. WR-ALC Personnel Director Mike O’Hara explained the agreement puts the emphasis on evaluating what employees can do instead of what they can’t, restructuring posi tions to keep employees as close to their original area of expertise as possible. “When a sheet metal worker is injured, that is their life, all their friends are sheet metal workers,” O’Hara said. “People are not will ing to be placed out of their career field.” Since 2094, in order to keep injured employees from being sent home and drawing workers’ compensation, employees were placed in other posi tions, as allowed to keep their pay grades. See MOA, page 5A pay. The other option is to leave the law as it is. “Four possible scenarios were put out as examples,” said Centerville Attorney Rebecca Tydings, adding that the council needs to decide and give some instruction as to the pos sible wording on the referendum. She said that in the possible repeal of the tax exemption law for seniors, the two variables are the amount to be exempt and the age of exemp tion. “It’s going to be on the agenda as far as I know,” she said, referring to the discussion of the wording on the I. *1 1 ■& ■ hßb Hk & Ar ! ? HnR«H J | w .jy J® '.fßkf H pp% ■fc^ : HIM Ray Lightner WR-ALC Commander Major Gen. Mike Collings shakes hands with AFGE 987 President Tom Scott after signing the memorandum of agreement creating the physically disqualified placement process. Standing are U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Macon, who assisted in broker ing the deal and members of the WR-ALC team. 7WO SECTIONS * 12 PAGES referendum. Tydings said she plans to have a draft ready for the council to discuss, but may leave the exact variables out until council gives her directions on them. “It is my inten tion to have something drafted and get specific instructions - however they decide it should be,” she said. “We have to send the wording for the referendum in to the Department of Justice for pre-clearance,” she said, adding that the dates of a special election are statuatory and this year it provides for the third See CENTERVILLE, page 5A WRPD seeking suspects in Saturday assaults By RAY LIGHTNER HDJ Staff Writer Warner Robins Police are looking for your help. Police are seeking infor mation on two suspects from two assaults that occurred after 11 p.m. Saturday night. At approximately 11:55 p.m, Warner Robins Police responded to Galleria Park Apartments, 100 Robins West Parkway, in reference to an assault. Upon arrival officers learned that Mark Powers Jr. had been attacked and had sustained several injuries, believed to be stab wounds, to his arms, back, shoulders and abdomen. Powers told police that a young Hispanic male approached him and his brothers on the short road at the entrance to the prop erty, explained Det. Mark Wright of the Warner Robins Police Department Criminal Investigations Division. The Hispanic male demanded money, and a fight ensued. Sometime during the fight the Hispanic male produced a knife, and he cut Powers several times, Wright said. Powers Jr. was transport ed to the Houston Medical Center, where he is still hos pitalized, for treatment of his injuries, which are not considered to be life threat ening, according to police. Powers and his brothers, who were witnesses to this incident, told police there were several black males and a white male accom panying the Hispanic male suspect. At approximately 11:10 p.m., Warner Robins Police responded to the 300 block of Ivelyn Drive, in reference See ASSAULTS, page 5A