Newspaper Page Text
6A
♦ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2006
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The Warner Robins Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony
for Children’s Chest Aug. 26. Owners Chuck and Anae Ferguson, Bobby and Brenda
Higginbotham welcomed friends, family and Chamber representatives in celebrating
the grand opening of their unique store located at 402 Hwy. 247, Ste.l4oo in Landing
Pointe. Children’s Chest sells new and pre-owned name brand children’s and maternity
clothes, toys and bay equipment at discounted prices. For more information about this
business call 225-6970.
APPROVES
From page iA
appear more responsible.
The city police chief request
ed the use of confiscated
funds account to help pay
for the his vehicle. The act is
legal under state law.
The council approved
the request that half the
purchase price for the used
vehicle come from the fund
and approved the deal made
with the vehicle’s provider
on a 12-month no-interest
loan for the remainder. The
balance is to be paid in the
next fiscal year.
Also on Tuesday’s agen
da was an authorization to
open a checking account for
the Downtown Development
Association Grant and
METH
From page lA
family relationship into con
sideration when they decided
he was not guilty of felony
murder.”
The explosion occurred in
the backyard of 105 Thrush
Court, Perry, where Collins
lived with his girlfriend,
Candace Gilliam. The explo
sion was heard several blocks
away, and neighbors said it
knocked pictures off their
walls. Gilbert, 27, was struck
in the chest by a large piece
of metal and pronounced
dead at the scene.
Hartwig said the investiga
tion by the Houston County
Sheriffs Narcotics Unit
revealed a methamphet
amine lab at that location.
Sgt. Wayne Franklin of the
Narcotics Unit, an expert
in clandestine methamphet
amine labs, testified that
the meth makers were about
halfway through the process
of making meth when the
tank exploded.
Gilbert and Collins were
in the process of making
anhydrous ammonia from a
homemade recipe when the
metal propane tank explod
ed from extreme pressure.
Investigation video showed
the tank peeled back like
a flower and another piece
of the tank stuck in a tree
more than 100 feet away.
Other precursors - items
used to manufacture meth
- were found on the scene
including crushed ephedrine
pills, ammonium nitrate,
lithium batteries, ether, lye
and drain cleaner.
“The Houston County
Sheriffs Office did an excel
lent job investigating this
incident and building their
case,” Hartwig said. “The
Sheriffs Office is top-notch
when it comes to investigat
ing meth labs.”
Collins, 23, of Perry was
sentenced Wednesday on
one count of manufacture
of methamphetamine imme
diately following the ver
dict in the three-day trial
in Houston Superior Court.
Collins was sentenced to 30
years and ordered to serve
15 of thofee years in prison by
Judge Edward D. Lukemire.
In addition to the prison
time, Collins was ordered
to pay a $5,000 fine plus
Ribbon Cutting
matching funds.
Eidson pointed out that
city received a SIO,OOO grant
from the Georgia Department
of Community Affairs and
that private sources have
matched that amount. The
City of Centerville has not
had to expend any public
money.
“The state has given (the
city) $5,000 up front, Eidson
said.
The money has to have
some place to stay , until
properly disbursed.
• Considering traffic conges
tion problems the city already
faces, the council approved
road repair applications for
the Local Assistance Road
Programs.
Eidson said that five roads
were submitted for the pro
gram with the understand-
numerous additional fees,
bringing the total to approx
imately SB,OOO. Collins was
also banished from Houston
County for the entire 30-
year sentence.
Once he gets out, he will
also be subject to special
conditions for drug offend
ers that include warrantless
searches, drug testing, and
treatment, if necessary. In
addition, he cannot possess
any methamphetamine pre
cursors or ingredients and
cannot possess any police
surveillance equipment.
Gilliam pleaded guilty ear
lier this month to possession
of ephedrine in an altered
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Just Fill Out <& Return The Form Below Or Call Our Office At 478-987-1823 '
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ing that not all of them
would be approved by the
state. The roads submitted
were both the Davis Drives,
Evelyn Drive, Collins Street
and Mason Drive.
The council also approved
disbursement for an adver
tisement for the Les Still
Benefit Concert.
“This fundraiser has been
going on for several years,”
Eidson said. “It helps raise
money for the Certified
Literate Community
Program.
The Centerville City
Council holds open meetings
the first and third Tuesday
of each month. The first
meeting begins at the town
hall at 7 p.m. and the third
at 6 p.m. and Centerville
citizens are encouraged to
attend.
state (powdered). She was
sentenced to 10 years and
order to serve 18 months in
prison. Like Collins, Hartwig
noted, she will be subject to
numerous other conditions
upon release.
She testified as a prosecu
tion witness at this week’s
trial, Hartwig said.
This case was prosecut
ed by Assistant District
Attorneys Hartwig and
Erikka Williams, Narcotics
Division, Houston Judicial
Circuit. Collins was repre
sented by attorneys Bennett
Willis and Angie Coggins
of the Houston Public
Defender’s Office.
P.O. Box 1910 • 1210 Washington Street • Perry, GA 31069
478-987-1823
LOCAL
Warner Robins MSA Employment
(In Thousands)
June to July
- 300 jobs I
. 54 5 54.8 54 5
53.1 jjj jj| rai jjjj SB jjj n
J LpJ LjJ L,J Lpl i ' *■!-* *"t 1 1 1 1 1 1
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jari Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
Note: Warner Robins MSA comprises Houston county.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor - Michael L. Thurmond, Commissioner
RATE
From page iA
5.1 percent and 5 percent,
as well as metro Macon at
6.4 percent.
The metro Macon area
declined to 6.4 percent in
July, down one-10th of one
percent from 6.5 percent
in June. The area’s jobless
rate was 6.2 percent in July
of 2005.
The state’s unemploy
ment rate declined to 5.1
percent in July, down one
10th of one percent from
5.2 percent in June. But
for the third consecutive
LETTER
From page 4A
Adult Services (in which the
Day Treatment Program
has been closed and the
office at Crawford County
closed, among other chang
es) to Child and Adolescent
Services.
If rearrangement of funds
results in diminution of ser
vices in any area, the ben
efits elude me.
It would seem to me
that overall adequate fund
ing is the answer, rather
than making it necessary
for public providers to
reduce funding in one needs
area to increase funding in
another needs area, if that
is indeed what is happen
ing.
I left the meeting
with the impression that
DHR/MHDDAD takes a
somewhat adversarial atti
tude toward the public pro
viders (Community Service
Boards).
Staying on a bare-bones
budget seems to be a more
2005
month, the Georgia jobless
rate was higher than the U.
S. rate, which was an unad
justed 5 percent in July.
While the unemploy
ment rate was down, initial
claims were up in Houston
County and statewide.
For July, there were
325 initial uiiemployment
claims in metro Warner
Robins, up 13 from the 312
in June, but down 29 or
8.2 percent from the 354 in
July 2005.
Statewide, the number of
initial claims was up 9,752
to 44,027 from 34,275 in
June, and up 3.4 percent
or 1,436 from July 2005’s
urgent goal rather than
seeking more funding from
the legislature. Problems
brought up \Vere repeat
edly referred back to deci
sions made by the providers
rather than acknowledged
to be problems inherent in
the w'hole Georgia MH sys
tem, which rfinks 43rd in
the country in funding.
Many questions were
raised but not satisfactorily
answered about the num
ber of mentally ill in jail and
the “revolving doors- at
the state mental hospitals.
The DHR folks maintain
that setting up Crisis
Intervention Teams will
stem the flow of mentally
ill to jails. Unanswered
were pressing questions
about long term care for
chronically mehtally ill and
funding for group homes.
Personally I wonder, if
funding is so tight, wheth
er the contract money paid
for SPOE (single point of
entry phone system) could
have been better used in
other needs areas.
Let me add that although
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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
2006
42,591.
In Macon, the number of
initial claims was down 19
from 1,067 in June to 1,048
in July, and down five or 0.5
percent from July 2005. The
Macon Metro Service Area
includes Bibb, Crawford,
Monroe, Jones and Twiggs
counties.
According to the
Department of Labor,
Georgia lost 16,700 non
farm jobs, with the bulk
of those among seasonal
workers in local educa
tion, as schools closed for
the summer. Georgia labor
market data are not season
ally adjusted.
I am a great admirer of
the National Alliance on
Mental Illness and volun
teer for them, I am neither
member nor spokesperson
for them.
My opinions are strictly
my own.
Kristina Simms, Perry
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