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Moustmt JBmlg HJmifUsJP ~ - crash for crook... more. 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 Mllll | 8 *5 510 8 0 0001*4 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest liillillinilliittt<iiif tl HitiH COOI * GEORGIA NEWSPAIWAXGISr.* Main Library UNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602.0002 3-DiGIT 306 July 19, 2006 '.'.....miilii i 1 S'lwwfii Momrn v €m,w fciwi: MBM I — ” ■ 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. ■JK t tjfii «, t£9BS& V. tnK>Sr i^T^- WM&XJ&-'*#- vs X ‘ ■•■ >'■£•'*■■' ■;*■ ■i-&*&* ‘ _% • -—rfeiHr? •*“* ' .-JBb - '.■ 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 1% * !'W Wm - - - 4*23 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 n* *-■■£>s?' : 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 ■vsMwk-s I' amid W:\\ si>\ri:R 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