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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Sluuston Dmlg:saunuii
Perry Office
1210 Washington St.
P.O. Box 1910
Parry, GA 31069
(478) 987-1823
See us online at
www.hhjnews.com
Reader
OKF©
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POSTMASTER: Send address
changes to: P.O. Box 1910, Perry,
GA31069
The Houston Home Journal, A peri
odical, mailed (ISSN 1526-7393)
at Perry, Ga., is published Tuesday
through Saturday for $62 per year
by Evans Newspapers Inc., 1210
Washington St., Perry, GA31069;
(478) 987-1823 Fax (478) 988-1181.
Not published Thanksgiving and
Christmas.
Office Hours:
The office in Perry is open from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
NEWS TIPS:
Call (478) 987-1823 ext. 231
Newsroom Fax: (478) 988-1181
Presentation editor:
Contact James Tidwell at
jtidwell@evansnewspapers.com
Corrections:
The HDJ strives for fairness and
accuracy, and will print a correction
or clarification when one is in order.
Call ext. 231.
Advertising errors and omissions:
The advertiser agrees that the pub
lisher shall not be liable for damages
arising from errors in advertisements
beyond the amount paid for the
space actually occupied by that
portion of the advertisement in which
the error occurred. There shall be
no liability for non-insertion of any
advertisement beyond the amount
paid for such advertisement.
This newspaper is a
member of
The Georgia Press Association,
The National Newspaper
Association and
The Associated Press
Two suspended
after allegations
SAVANNAH (MNS)
- Police are investigating
allegations that two city
employees sexually assault
ed three teenage girls at a
city pool.
The employees, who work
for the city’s leisure servic
es department, have been
placed on paid administrative
leave, said Joe Shearouse,
leisure services director.
The victims, ages 14, 15
and 18, were at the Delaware
Pool on Lincoln Street
Thursday evening when the
attack allegedly occurred,
according to two Savannah-
Chatham Metropolitan
Police reports.
According to a report, one
of the employees was play
ing with the 18-year-old in
the water when he took her
to the corner of the pool.
She told police she tried to
get away, but he pulled her
bathing suit aside and raped
her, the report says.
She was treated at Candler
Hospital.
The 15-year-old girl was
working at the pool when
the second suspect pulled
her into the water, accord
ing to the report. She was
then touched inappropriate
ly by both suspects, she told
police.
Her 14-year-old cousin
climbed into the pool to help
the girl. She told police she
also was touched inappropri
ately by both suspects, the
report says.
The suspects are two men
between the ages of 39 and
50.
As of Monday evening,
no charges had been filed,
police spokesman Sgt. Mike-
Wilson said.
Police: Mother's
death a homicide
LAWRENCEVILLE (AP)
- Gwinnett County police
have ruled the death of
YOUR WEATHER TEAM!
[TODAY’S
Today's Weather
Local 5-Day Forecast
Fri
8/11
/
92/74
A few thunderstorms
possible. Highs in
the low 90s and lows
in the mid 70s.
Sunrise Sunset
6:57 AM 8:23 PM
Thu
8/10
94/74
Scattered thunder
storms possible.
Sunrise Sunset
6:56 AM 8:24 PM
Georgia At A Glance
\ Atlanta ~ V
\ 90/72 X Augusta
\ 93/75
\ 7 x? 5 ©
V Warner Robins \
\ TNI/74
\ Savannah 'Tfeprc
> Perry © 95/75 £
) *»BsJ*\*! 93/74v_.X £
( / Valdosta
\ty • 99/73 / r>s —
Area Cities
I Illy Ml Lo Cond. |
Albany 93 73 t-storm
Athens 91 72 t-storm
Atlanta 90 72 t-storm
Augusta 93 75 t-storm
Bainbridge 93 75 t-storm
Brunswick 95 77 t-storm
Cartersville 91 72 t-storm
Chattanooga,TN 85 71 t-storm
Columbus 93 74 t-storm
Cordele 94 74' t-storm
National Cities
Lo C° n d. I
Atlanta 90 72 t-storm
Boston 80 66 t-storm
Chicago __ 81 68 t-storm
Daflas ” 104 83 mst sunny
Denver 91 64 t-storm
©2005 American Profile Hometown Content Service
a mother a homicide and
arrested her two adopted 15-
year-old daughters on mis
demeanor charges.
One of the girls has been
charged with misdemeanor
involuntary manslaughter
and the other with misde
meanor tampering with
evidence, police spokesman
Cpl. Darren Moloney said
Tuesday. The mother who
died Sunday night at the
family’s home in Buford.
Authorities declined to
release the girls’ names
because both are juveniles.
The mother’s name also has
not been released until the
next of kin has been noti
fied. Asked whether charges
against others are possible,
Moloney said the investiga
tion still is ongoing.
“We’re not done yet,”
Moloney said.
The girls sought help
at a nearby house - tell
ing a neighbor they had a
fight with their mother and
that she was dead. Police
answered a 911 call and
found the 57-year-old woman
dead. They questioned the
daughters Monday.
Man indicted for
McDonald's killing
COVINGTON (AP) - A
Newton County grand jury
handed down a 12-count
indictment against Lanny
Perry Barnes, the man
accused of running down
five family members at a
McDonald’s restaurant.
The 46-year-old has been
charged with malice murder,
two counts of felony murder,
four counts of aggravated
battery and five counts of
aggravated assault. The
indictment was released
Friday.
Newton County District
Attorney Ken Wynne said he
has made a decision whether
to seek the death penalty
against Barnes but has not
announced it yet. He said a
trial was not likely to hap
pen this year.
Sat
8/12
90/73
Scattered thunder
storms. Highs in the
low 90s and lows in
the low 70s.
Sunrise Sunset
6:58 AM 8:22 PM
TRENT WILLMON
a little more livin’
ava;l.aHLk: -fHtiRCTiBR »u;s:e :s sole-
j City Ul Lo Cond. |
Dalton 91 72 t-storm
Dillard 84 67 t-storm
Dublin 96 73 t-storm
Duluth 90 71 t-storm
Gainesville 90 73 t-storm
Helen 88 69 t-storm
Lagrange 90 71 t-storm
Macon 93 74 t-storm
Marietta 90 71 t-storm
Milledgeville 90 74 t-storm
Houston 94 75 t-storm
Los Angeles 85 69 mst sunny
Miami 89 81 t-stQrm
Minneapolis 83 69 t-storm
New York 87 71 t-storm
STATE BRIEFS
The three murder charges
stem from the death of 2-
year-old Avery Nicole King
of North Carolina. Witnesses
previously said Barnes
laughed as he repeatedly
struck Avery; her mother,
Anita King; and Covington
residents Stephanie Casola
and her two sons, Isaac and
Jake. The surviving victims
continue to recover from
their injuries.
Developers to keep
sex offenders out
CANTON (AP) - A group
of developers has a plan to
keep sex offenders from buy
ing homes in a new subdivi
sion.
The developers say they
will conduct background
checks on prospective buy
ers and will not sell to any
one who has been convicted
of a sex crime.
Edwin Swords 111, one of
the developers of the 54-acre
community, about 34 miles
north of Atlanta, said the
plan is not a perfect solu
tion. But he says developers
of Iris Park are doing all
they can “to create a safe
family environment.”
“These offenders are sup
posed to be registered, but
many of them don’t, and
that’s concerning, because
it’s overwhelmingly difficult
r
•Air Conditioning Repair
•Engine Repair
•Tune Ups, Belts & Hoses
BILL BREWER, JR.
SMtotthDH** (47»)H« MM
STATE AND REGION
Meteorologist
Jerry Mathewson
Turns fsr Ntows*
Sun
8/13
/
91/72
Scattered thunder
storms possible.
Sunrise Sunset
6:58 AM 8:21 PM
Moon Phases
Thu 8/10 Kj Extreme
Fri 8/11 H Extreme
Sat 8/12 || Very High
Sun 8/13 fl Very High
Mon 8/14 H Extreme
The UV Index is measured on a 0-11
number scale, with a higher UV Index
showing the need for greater skin pro
tection 0 : "i«11
jetty Ul Lo Cond.
Peachtree City 89 71 t-storm
Perry 93 74 t-storm
Rome 92 72 t-storm
Savannah 95 75 t-storm
St. Simons Island9s 77 t-storm
Statesboro 99 77 t-storm
Thomasville 92 74 t-storm
Valdosta 90 73 t-storm
Warner Robins 93 74 t-storm
Waycross 96 73 t-storm
Hi Lo Cone}.
Phoenix 105 86 pt sunny
San Francisco 77 58 : Windy
Seattle 74 55 pt sunny
St. Louis 92 74 t-storm
Washington, DC 88 72 pt sunny
to keep up with them,” said
Christopher Geiger, another
of the developers.
The plan to screen poten
tial homeowners in the
development comes as
Georgians continue to con
sider the merits of a tough
new sex offender law.
And the developers’ pro
posal apparently is legal.
Man charged with
molesting children
ALPHARETTA (AP) - A
man is accused of molest
ing his three daughters and
showing it in an Internet
video chat room where he
took requests from viewers,
police said.
Steven L. Pease, 40, was
jailed on seven felony charg
es after being arrested last
week.
Most of the abuse took
place while the girls’ moth
er was working three jobs
to support the family, said
police, who added that the
girls - ages 5, 7 and 12 -
were also abused while their
mother slept, and at a com
munity pool.
Pease repeatedly raped
his oldest daughter, directed
her in performances for Web
viewers and also sexually
abused her in the pool dur
ing a game of “Marco Polo,”
investigators said.
ASE MASTER
MECHANIC
mm l
Mon
8/14
/ Hk*
96/73
A few thunderstorms
possible. Highs in
the mid 90s and
lows in the low 70s.
Sunrise Sunset
6:59 AM 8:20 PM
1 w
Last
Aug 16
m
First
Aug 31
©
Full
Aug 9
•
New
Aug 23
OBITUARIES
HUGH M. MANTOOTH
KATHLEEN - Hugh M. Mantooth, 77, passed away
Sunday. Services will be held at 3 p.m. today in the chapel
of McCullough Funeral Home with interment following in
Magnolia Park Cemetery.
Mantooth was born on June 30, 1929 in Bradley County,
Tenn.
His parents, Alpheus Lonnie Mantooth and Grace Hayes
Mantooth, his brothers, Wayne and Herman Mantooth, all
preceded him in death.
Lawmakers consider
ending tax on cars
By BRANDON LARRABEE
Morris News Service
ALPHARETTA - An
unpopular tax is in the cross
hairs of Georgia lawmakers
as the November elections
approach.
Republicans in the General
Assembly are considering
repealing the state’s proper
ty tax on cars, putting local
governments on edge.
A study committee meet
ing centered on the proposal
drew a standing-room-only
crowd of nearly 100 people
at the Marriott Hotel in the
suburbs of Atlanta. Citizens,
lawmakers, candidates and
education groups crowded a
section of the hotel’s ball
room to hear about the pro
posal.
Supporters say it’s unfair
for citizens to continue pay
ing a tax on a vehicle once
they have bought and paid
sales tax on it.
But political concerns also
entered the conversation in
an election year.
“It’s good political policy,”
said Jack Reid, a Republican
member of the Virginia
House of Delegates. He
added that, if lawmakers
believe tax money belongs
to citizens, “then I suggest
to you that it’s not only good
political policy, it is excellent
public policy.”
He said former Virginia
Gov. James Gilmore, a
Republican, was locked in a
tight battle for the state’s
highest elected office when
he proposed repealing the
car tax at an event in north
ern Virginia.
“Ladies and gentlemen,
the place erupted,” Reid said.
“It erupted. The reaction of
the electorate was instanta
neous. ... As of Labor Day,
that election was over.”
But Reid said the state slid
a little in its goal of eliminat
ing car taxes after Gilmore,
limited to one term by state
law, left office.
Residents still get a hefty
Forecasters lower
hurricane predictions
By JESSICA GRESKO
Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) - The 2006
Atlantic hurricane season
should be slightly less active
than originally predicted,
federal forecasters said
Tuesday.
Forecasters now expect
there to be 12-15 named
storms and seven to nine
hurricanes, three to four
of which could be major
hurricanes with sustained
winds of at least 111 mph,
the National Hurricane
Center and other National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration agencies
said.
Government scientists
made their first prediction
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discount.
Arthur Ferdinand, the
Fulton County tax commis
sioner, said it’s not unusual
to hear complaints about
taxes.
“The one on motor vehi
cles really sticks in people’s
craws,” he said.
However, any move to get
rid of the car tax wouldn’t
primarily hit the state.
The overwhelming major
ity of the tax flows to local
governments. Of the nearly
$650 million in car taxes,
only about $5.2 million
goes to the state. Another
$368.8 million goes to school
districts, $171.9 million to
counties and $55.7 million
to cities.
And those figures don’t
include the revenues for
some fire and police depart
ments, parks and other ser
vices.
House Speaker Pro
Tem Mark Burkhalter, R-
Alpharetta?, said the state
was not trying to starve
school systems, cities and
counties that rely on the tax
from being able to cover the
costs of governing.
“The idea is to try to reim
burse or local governments,
not to take it away from
them,” said
But school systems and
other local governments
across the state are still con
cerned that a repeal of the
car tax cut could hit local
revenues.
“Some small school sys
tems, this is a really huge
chunk of their revenue,” said
Rick Williamson, the assis
tant director for planning at
DeKalb County Schools who
attended the meeting.
He said local officials
were skeptical that the state
would completely cover any
loss stemming from the end
of the tax.
“The question is, will the
state be able to reimburse it
in all economic conditions?”
Williamson said.
in May, saying the season
could produce 13-16 named
storms, and eight to 10 hur
ricanes, four to six of which
could become major.
There have been only three
tropical storms and no hur
ricanes so far, but August
through October are typi
cally the most active months
of the season. The revision
follows that of forecasters at
Colorado State University,
who updated their forecast
Thursday. They reduced
their storm estimate from
nine hurricanes, five of them
major, to seven, with three
to five major ones.
The forecasters had ini
tially called for 17 named
storms, but now predict 15.
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