Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

6A ♦ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2006 V - p:^ v <i - KmM t .... _ _. ..'.......-: iCK»:i?.\::SHS y •■-i-yj^^Sw^SgNWWi^lin. :’:-::^:?i??l%.o?<^-S:.-':tfgz>^S°': £..■■■>.... Submitted 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 mm/ jh SBHHEtok MB MtMMB B Bf SMMMBb MM HI HH MB BM mB W MJw Sm SbIBSB SStSm SB MbSBSBSSBuBm /B SS ' SAVE OVER 50% Off THE COVER PRICE f Just Fill Out <& Return The Form Below Or Call Our Office At 478-987-1823 ' \ v Name: 1 Phone: - Address: City: State: Zip: Email: - $10.20 - $30.52 - $60.34 (Above prices include tax) Credit: □ Master Card □ VISA □ Discover - Card #: __ Exp: 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 THY 1 aUTOPBY! And Bill Your Credit Card Quarterly For Your Subscription -Without All The Hassle! W 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 Free AD for items ■ under SSO Call 987-1823 for details iiauston Saily gmxxnm [37043