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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, Police Beat -5A
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 148
Weekend
July 29, 2006
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
INSIDE
Wf
■ A DAY: At DJ’s in Lifestyle.
-See 1C
■ Michael Vick found a bit of
closure Thursday as the Falcons
opened camp at Flowery Branch.
Also, Braves Notebook, pictures
from the Landings’ Junior Club
Championship and sports news
about two locals competing in a
U.S. Amateur qualifier.
- See 1B
IN BRIEF
NASCAR chief to visit
Mid-State RV Center in Byron
will hold its annual summer Big
Show and Sale
Highlighting /
Steve Letarte,
NASCAR
Nextel Cup
driver Jeff Gordon's crew chief. He
is slated to be there at noon to sign
autographs. Also Saturday, Mid-State
will provide complimentary hot dogs
from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (or untii they’re
gone) and will have plenty of give
aways.
Ya done good
Matthew Heath of Warner Robins,
who has been accepted to Embry-
Riddle Aeronautical University
in Daytona Beach, Fla. He will be
pursuing a degree in Aerospace
Engineering. He is the son of Tommy
and Melissa Heath.
BIRTHDAYS
Monday
■ Jack Gillie
E-mail your birthdays to:
hhj@evansnewspapers.com or
donm@evansnewspapers.com or
send them to: 1210 Washington
St., Perry 31069: attn: Don
Moncriet. You can also call him at
987-1823, Ext. 231.
DEARLY DEPARTED
■ Evelyn B. Thein
■ Sara Matthews Green
INDEX
LOCAL 2 A
WEATHER 3 A
OPINION 4 A
SPORTS 1 B
COMICS 4 B
CLASSIFIEDS .... 5 B
LIFESTYLE 1C
PERIODICAL 500
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Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
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Main Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602.0002
3-DiGIT 306
July 19, 2006
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■ The Hospital Authority of Houston County may issue
up to $75 million in bonds to pay for construction
■ Local initial unemployment insurance claims decline
Inside ‘scoop’
City of Peppy, chupch
make land swap deal
*
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
The tangle of streets and concrete islands historically
known as the “Crossroads of Georgia” is getting a facelift,
thanks to some creative cooperation between Perry United
Methodist Church and the City of Perry.
Through a swap of land, the city has obtained the site
along Macon Road which was most recently home to “The
Inside Scoop” ice cream and sandwich shop. That site will
be landscaped as part of an overall redesign of the entry to
the downtown area.
In return Perry UMC will gain new and convenient
parking on the stretch of Meeting Street between Carroll
to Main. This is at the point where two streets run paral
lel. The one adjacent to the church will be closed to traffic
and redesigned for use as church parking, while the other
will continue to be used as a two-way city street.
The white frame church, which is a Perry landmark,
owns a number of downtown lots. Kim Mullins of the
Downtown Development Authority, explained that other
cooperative efforts are going on between the church and
the city, which will benefit both the church and those who
are working on beautifying the downtown area. The large
parking lot at the corner of Carroll and Commerce Streets
will be landscaped with a brick walk-through so that it is
visually harmonious with the overall plan for Commerce
Street.
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Journal Charlotte Perkins
What’s going on here? The pavement is being broken up
and the land made ready for landscaping at the former
site of the “Inside Scoop.” This is part of a larger plan
which involves beautifying downtown Perry, but also
improving parking and pedestrian walkways.
Hospital looks at bonds
to pay lop constpuction
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Hospital Authority of
Houston County may issue up
to $75 million in bonds to pay
for the proposed central ener
gy plant and a new four-story
bed tower, it was said during
the group’s regular meeting
this week.
The money may also be used
toward the $8,435,000 remain
ing from the bonds issued
in 2002, explained Houston
Healthcare Chief Financial
Officer Frank Powell.
He said the current out
standing debt has a variable
rate, and the new debt may
be more than 30 years with a
fixed rate.
“It’s gonna cost us one and
a half percent more, just so
we can get our money back?”
asked Hospital Authority
member Glynn Greenway.
Authority Member Sonny
Watson noted the 2002 bonds
have been at “a very favor
able 3 percent variable rate.
Going to 4.6 percent fixed, if
so, is doing well.”
Hospital Authority Mike
Gray recommended paying off
the existing bonds to be done
www.hhjnews.com
with them, to wrap them up
into a new financial arrange
ment and to free up credit for
the future projects.
Authority member Jack
Ragland made the motion
authorizing Powell, Chief
Executive Officer Dr. Tony
Alford and Authority
Chairman Ed Dyson to take
any and all action to execute
and deliver documents neces
sary to affect the undertaking.
It was unanimously passed by
the authority.
Alford also gave the
Authority an update on the
construction projects in which
he noted early designs and
pricing estimated are about
23 percent over estimates.
The architect, contractor
and engineer were sent back
to the drawing board to pres
ent us with a cost estimate
more in line with the budget,
Alford said.
Alford said the certificate
of need application for the
expansion is still being worked
out with a target date of Aug.
31 for submission.
The certificate of need for
the central energy plant
See BONDS, page 6A
DOG (tired) SLED
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Perry football player Quintan Stripling pulls a sled during the Panthers’ The Grind, a
test of mettle and then some. For more, see page 18.
Unemployment claims decline in June
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Warner Robins had 312
first-time claims for unem
ployment insurance bene
fits in June, down 59 claims
or 15.9 percent from May’s
371.
However, the unemploy
ment rate for the Warner
Robins Metro Service
Area, which includes all of
Houston County, rose to 5
percent, up four-tenths of
one percent from 4.6 per
cent in May. The areas job
less rate was 5.2 percent in
June 2005.
In comparison, Macon
had 133 fewer initial claims,
down 11.1 percent, from
1,200 in May to 1,007 in
June. The highest percent
age decrease was metro
Gainesville, which was
down 151, or 29.4 percent,
Warner Robins MSA Employment
(In Thousands)
May to June
+ 200 jobs I
53.6 53 4 53.7 54-1 54.7
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j — Lh— MMM —M— M —*-h M —‘-h — L r l M
Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
2005 2006
Note: Warner Robins MSA comprises Houston county.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor - Michael L. Thurmond, Commissioner
Three sections • 20 pages
from 513 initial claims in
May to 362 in June.
The unemployment rate
for the Macon Metro Service
Area, which includes, Bibb,
Crawford, Twiggs and
Monroe counties, rose to
6.5 percent in June, up six
tenths of one percent from
4.7 percent in May. The
area’s jobless rate was 6.2
percent in June 2005.
Intial claims were also
down 10.1 percent or 35
from June 2005’s 347 in
Warner Robins. Macon was
down 6.1 percent or 69
claims from 1,136 in June
2005.
Statewide, some 34,275
laid-off workers filed first
time claims for unemploy
ment insurance benefits
in June, down 3.2 percent
from May, according to
Georgia Department of
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Labor and those claims
were down mostly in the
service industries. The
state’s unemployment rate
rose to 5.2 percent, up one
half of one percent from 4.7
percent in May.
The jobless rate rose
because of the seasonal
influx of students into the
workforce looking for tem
porary summer jobs and
recent graduates seeking
permanent employment,
explained the Department
of Labor.
Initial claims were also
down from 34,450 filed in
June 2005 for an over-the
year decrease of one-half
of one percent. While most
were down, three metro ser
vices areas had more claims
than the previous month,
Augusta, Brunswick
See CLAIMS, page 6A