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2A SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2006 Tax-free holiday approaching for Georgia Teachers able to use gift cards for supplies Special to the Journal ATLANTA Gov. Sonny Perdue announced recently that Georgia teachers will be able to use their SIOO gift cards during the state s tax free holiday. The 2006 tax-free holiday begins at 12:01 a.m., Aug. 3 and continues until mid night Aug. 6. It combines last year s two tax-free shop ping periods into one four day period. By using the SIOO gift cards during this tax-free holiday, teachers will be able to purchase additional sup plies to help their students succeed in the classroom, Perdue said. Teachers often spend money out of their own pockets to buy classroom supplies. These gift cards are another tool to help our teachers with the important work they do on a daily basis. Georgia s single tax-free shopping holiday will include schools supplies, clothing items, computers, comput er accessories and certain Energy Star merchandise. All qualified items are FIRE From page 1A it’s another world out there. When I was I in a coma for a month and a half, I had a whole totally differ ent life. When I came out of my coma, it was like ‘Wow! Where am I?’ I didn’t know if I was alive or not.” Johnson doesn’t remem ber any real specifics of his first moments of conscious ness except his wife and his mother asking basic ques tions like, ‘Do you know who you are?’ He could see people moving around and comprehend his surround ings. He did remember his wife, gave her a big hug, then went back to sleep. “The doctors are real sharp,” said Johnson. “I started comprehending within about an hour or two. I knew what day it was, all kind of stuff. I pulled through, and I’m just proud to be here.” Johnson was a three-year veteran of the semi-profes sional Southern Football League, two years with the EFA champion Stallions and last season with the South Georgia Stars out of Americus. He played high school football at Macon County High School (gradu ating in 1997), then played at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville. As a member of the 2005 league champion Stars, Johnson was the SFL’s Most Valuable Player as a defen sive end. He’s also been a linebacker and strong safety - in fact he played safety in a free-agent all-star game in North Carolina. As a football player, Johnson has suffered through all the injuries like muscle pulls and sprains. There can be no compari sons to the kind of pain he went though in January, if he felt any at all being in a coma. He said, though, the most pain he felt in this experi ence occurred during reha bilitation. “The pain in the hospi tal wasn’t that bad,” said Johnson. “By me playing football, being an athlete, I learned to go through pain. But the hardest part was not being able to walk, not feeding myself, not bathing myself. I wasn’t hurting, I just wasn’t able to do all those functions. “My skin wasn’t healed. My foot wasn’t healed. I didn’t have any balance. Rehab was the hardest part, learning how to walk, getting up out of the bed. My surgeries and all those things they did, taking my staples out, I was able to get through that.” TO HEALING MACHINE’ What Johnson found about his physical condition exempt from both state and local sales tax during the four-day period. School supplies bought for classroom use or classroom related activities are exempt if they cost S2O or less per item. Included in this area are pens, pencils, notebooks, paper, book bags, calcula tors, dictionaries, thesau ruses, children s books and books listed on approved school reading lists for pre kindergarten through 12th grade. Sales tax will be due on the purchase of any single school supply item that exceeds S2O. Clothing and footwear are exempt up to SIOO per item, but there is no limit on how many pairs of shoes and clothing items an individual may buy. If the price of an article of clothing or pair of shoes exceeds SIOO, then the item will be taxed at its full retail price. Clothing accessories, jewelry, handbags, umbrel las, eyewear, watches, watch bands and similar items are not exempt from sales tax during the tax-free period. Johnson doesn't remember any real specifics of his first moments of consciousness except Iris wife and his mother asking basic questions like, 'Do you know who you are?' He could see people moving around and comprehend his surroundings. He did remember his wHe, gave her a big hug, then went back to sleep. upon waking up was second (facial) and third-degree (body) burns on 80 percent of his body. He also lost four toes to amputation. He said the doctors were able to save one of his arms. “We talked to six doctors, and all six doctors predicted I was not going to make it,” said Johnson. “One doctor said if I do make it, I would be in the hospital for at least two years. This is coming from professional doctors. “Well, I woke up Feb. 28 and lfeft March 28. I walked out of the hospital, which the doctors said they have never had a patient do that in 20 years.” And just how did this happen? Johnson doesn’t have any real explanation. All he knows is the doc tors don’t know him as Jarrod Johnson, but as “The Healing Machine” and “The Miracle Child.” “They can’t even answer the question of how my skin healed so fast,” said Johnson. “They were shocked, didn’t know what was going on with me. When I came out of my coma, they said it would take at least six months for me to get my appetite back. I got my appetite back in a week.” Johnson was on solid foods two weeks after awakening. He quickly went from a diet of applesauce to his favor ites like meat loaf and pork chops. “They said it’s got to be UNIFORM SHOP 50% Off (Already Discounted Items, Cherokee Unisex Scrubs & Dansko Shoes NOT Included) JULY 26th - AUG. 4th BUY 1 get 1 FREE Shirts Select Shoes just $19,99 Clearance Rack - EVERYTHING SB.OO Hours: M-F Sam-6pm Sat 9am-lpm CLOSED Sunday 1544 Watson Blvd. Warner Robins, GA (478) 328-9977 Purchases of personal com puters and accessories are exempt up to $1,500 per transaction. If the purchase exceeds $1,500, the entire purchase price is taxable. Items included in the per sonal computer exemption category include monitors, personal computer base units, keyboards, hand held computers, monitors, printers, modems, non recreational software and other peripheral devices. Personal digital assistants are exempt unless they allow voice communication. Other items that are not exempt include cell phones, digital cameras, furniture and any systems, devices, software or peripherals designed or intended pri marily for recreational use. Energy Star qualified mer chandise includes windows, doors, dishwashers, clothes washers, air conditioners, ceiling fans, fluorescent light bulbs, dehumidifiers, programmable thermostats and refrigerators. The purchase of any exempted item cannot exceed the Lord’s work, because they’ve never seen anybody heal like me,” said Johnson. “These doctors are from all around the country. I look at myself right now and I see my skin getting healed and I go out and run a little bit. This just happened six months ago. “I think it’s the Lord’s work.” Johnson didn’t have to go through this alone. His wife Nicole Thomas Johnson was there in Augusta, and the story is she would not let nurses assist her husband with such tasks as feeding. Johnson said that was her way of pushing him and encouraging him back to health. “Every time she showed up I could feel all the pain go away,” he said. “While she was there, I was good. She leaves, I get depressed. She supported me through the whole thing, and it takes a strong type of woman to do that.” Johnson said there were people in his family who didn’t want to see him in that condition. It’s not that they were not supportive, but more for emotional rea sons. “They are used to me smil ing, running around and playing with my kids,” said Johnson. “My kids thought I was going to die, and when I came home they were cry ing. They didn’t want to see LOCAL ENI/GwyHwnon Shelly Osbourne, Ist grade teacher at Perry Primary, gets an early start on purchasing school supplies at Wal-Mart in Perry. $1,500. If the purchase price of an exempted item exceeds $1,500, the entire purchase price of the item is taxable. The sales tax exemption on all qualified merchandise is intended only for individuals and their personal use. It does not apply to pur me like I was. “When I came home I was wrapped up in bandages from head to toe. It was hard to see my kids crying. They were scared to come to me. It took a while to get to know them. Overall, it’s brought us real close. One day you could be here, and the next day you’re gone.” /M , M ; vinsf J r 1 IP ||^H| APBH ■llMllMlii j JifiP''- m m |fS %m /v, M \ \ ' : ijp'# jtl& : I \ \ ■<) P# gmi& I \ i ># / I 1 %;-§/ i \ l—l 888-58-NEXTEL / GETNEXTELNOW.COM NEXTEL RETAIL STORES MACON 4696 Presidential Pkwy. 478-405-7507 1687 Bass Road 478-476-4402 t ifebne and linkup services may be available to qualifying customers. Please call !-888-%6r6Att or visit their website at www lifeiinesuppcrtory for hat her information on these services ••Nextel also imposes a monthly federal Programs Cost Recovery (fPCR) fee of 52.89 per line. The rPCR is not a tu or government required charge. "Offers: Expire July 31.2006 Phone Offer Tiw-ycar contract and new activation required. Rate Hers Rate plans start si $23.99 per month Twoyear contract required Addrtannl fees S2OO ealy termination and $19.99 setup fee per phone, max of SBO per account Monthly bills include fees to cover our costs of complying with federal programs: up to 16086 per»!! (may vary quarterly) and $209 pet line fees for state and local proyams may apply (vary by area), plus government tares/lees. Shtppmo and handing charge of 5M.99 pet writ, uptoK) writs per order may apply kkxitNv infrastructure fee of $1.99 per account appiies for Account Spending Umit Customers: AdrJhonal andtor different fees apply to Acaxrnt Spending Ltml Customers. Mease ask your sales representative tor details. Cellular 200 minutes included In toe plan, purchase up to 500 minutes at $5 tor every additional 50 minutes. Overage above SOOminutesiSOiOffriru. Partial minutes charged as tod minutes Nights Ppm - Tam) Weekends tfri Tpm - Mon. 7am). Anytane mmutes do not share, long Distance mckxles domestic calts only. wawe'Tamrr loxal/Nationwide waikfetafkie (50.!5/mru A# waSue- talkie calls charged to toe initiator (rate x nwiufes x participants). Wadfe-tatar nvnutn are availabta in your local caiimg area onty. TUaNay Test 60 days of TeleNav sarvice are free with new Nextei service activation. After toe initial 60 day trial period, a monthly fee of $9.99 per unR wrl apply unless you cancel by contacting Nextef Customer Care al 1-888-566617). TeleNav offer includes 05 M 8 ol data f» 10 routes per month). An overage rate of SOJS/kb applies Service available only on JavafWS- enabled handsets Terms and coxStions of use mil apply and must be agreed to prior to activating tire Tetetex service Additional restdctions may apply. Environment may limit CPS location info. Please cal vour Nextel Customer Care Representative at 1 888-566 Mil tot plan details and requirements. Nexlel reserves toe right to canceifextend offers wittrout notice. Ottors may not be avaMAe in alt markets. Merten Nationwide Network serves 297 o» the top 300 markets. ©2006 Nextel Partners, Inc. NCCTHL (be NEXTU logo toe Driver Safety logo and other marlrs are service marts and trademarks of Nextel Communicatiorrs, inc. MOTOMOIA andthe Styfded M Logo are registered in toe US Patent 6 Trademark Office. All ttnroperty product nr senrice names are toe property of their respecting owners All rights reserved chases made for resale, purchases by businesses, items leased or rented or items sold at sports facili ties, theme parks, res taurants, public lodging establishments or airports. Additional information and a comprehensive list of In fact, Johnson’s children were the last people he saw on the night of the fire as he put them to bed two hours earlier. UCKTOroOTBIU Before Jan. 13, Johnson knew there was a new effort DAVID OVERTON JEWELERS /\ ‘Jewelry Repair & Cleaning / \ ‘Watch Repair ‘Engraving Hours: -Appraisals Vv/ ‘Estate Jewelry yy e( j. ‘Class Rings lOam-ipm 905 Downtown Carroll St. • Perry 478-987-1392 POSE FOR YOUR FREE CAMERA PHONE. WARNER ROBINS 206 Russell Pkwy. Ste. 500 478-923-4339 HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL exempt items are available at any of the Department of Revenue s regional offices or on the department s Web site at www.dor.ga.gov. Individuals can also get information by calling 404- 417-6601 or via email at tax payer.services@dor.ga.gov. to bring an SFL team back to middle Georgia in the form of the International City Warriors. However, he had another league at the forefront of his mind, the National Football League. Nicole Johnson was on See FIRE, page 8A FREE i 275 CAMERA PHONE with two-ywar agreement* The 1275 features > Built-in walkie-talkie > GPS enabled > Speakerphone > Web and email capab > Multimedia messagln PLANS START AS LOW $29*99 per m< Other mortthhr charges appty." PLUS, NIGHTS STAR! The 1275 features: > Built-in walkie-talkie > GPS enabled > Speakerphone > Web and email capable > Multimedia messaging PLANS START AS LOW AS s29«99per month. Other monthly charges apply “ PLUS, NIGHTS START AT TPM. I* DIRECT SALES OFFICE MACON 478-476-5450 Q MOTONOU