Newspaper Page Text
Perry names Gray deputy chief
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
Joel Gray, a Floridian with
nearly 25 years of experience
in firefighting, fire preven
tion and investigation, will
take the helm at the Perry
Fire Department Tuesday.
The announcement,
which followed an extensive
search, multiple interviews
and a background check,
was made Friday morning
by Public Safety Director
George Potter. Gray’s wife,
Karen, pinned the Deputy
Fire Chief badge on her hus
band’s shirt as part of the
ceremony. Gray will head
the fire department with a
Loud and proud and formerly with a
legal organ for Houston County, / shroud of megai activity
* city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville pol,ce BEAT_SA
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 173
Weekend
September 2,2006
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
IN SPORTS
■ Football and plenty of it. But,
that's not all. You will also find
writeups on the county’s softball
and volleyball teams. Also, look
for a preview of Georgia Tech's
matchup with Notre Dame, the
Bulldogs' notebook and the latest
from NASCAR.
- See 6A
IN BRIEF
Miller Elementary
sets council dates
Miller Elementary School has set
its School Council dates: They are
Sept. 13, Nov. 15, Feb. 7, 2007
and May 9, 2007. All, according to
a release, will be held in the data
room and begin at 7:30 a.m.
BIRTHDAYS
Today
■ Jeannette Underwood
■ Cheryl Snay
■ Shawn Cartwright
Sunday
■ Lois Underwood
■ Angela Cameron
■ Judy Arrowood
Monday
■ David Sherman
■ Donnie Patterson
■ Sheila Dean
INDEX
LOCAL 2 A
WEATHER 3 A
OPINION 4 A
SPORTS ‘. ... .6 A
LIFESTYLE 1 B
COMICS 5 B
CLASSIFIED 6-7 B
PERIODICAL 500
eiolll 4
Award-Winning XTdAJSk
Better Newspaper Vyr IjjW
Contest
i.iii •n
COOI *
GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
Matrs Library
UN IV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-OtGIT m
September 2, 2006
I
"I was in a hotel room working on an
investigative report that morning, and
I heard the lirst news report... I went
down to the fire hall to be with the
firefighters and we watched together.”
- New Perry deputy fire chief Joel Gray, on y-n, and on what inspired
him to leave his private sector job and return to public service back in
the fire department
salary starting at $60,000.
Perry City Manager Lee
Gilmour explained that
under the recently-adopted
organizational structure,
Potter will continue as
Public Safety Director. Gray,
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Houston County’s Craig Presley gets airborne while trying to block Ricardo Negron’s punt in the Eagles and Bears’
season opener Friday in McConnell-Talbert Stadium.
Four locals make judge short list
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Four local attorneys have
made the short list to fill
the recently approved third
judgeship on the Superior
Court of the Houston
Judicial Circuit.
The third Superior Court
judgeship was approved by
the General Assembly in this
past session. “The Judicial
Council of Georgia recom
mends the judges based
on population and ranked
Houston County number
one in the state,” explained
Houston District Attorney
Kelly Burke.
Governor Sonny Purdue
will appoint the judge to fill
the position, with a two-year
term that begins Jan. 1,
2007. The position will come
up for election in 2008 for
the term that begins in Jan.
1, 2009, Burke explained.
“The governor’s Judicial
Nominating Commission
received nine or 10 nomina
tions, with some not com
pleting the questionnaire,”
Burke said, “as they didn’t
want the job.”
The JNC has submitted
the following recommenda
tions to fill the vacancy on
the Superior Court of the
Houston Judicial Circuit:
Jeffrey L. Grube, Katherine
K. Lumsden, Walter G.
as Deputy Fire Chief, will
report to Potter, as will two
Perry Police Department
Captains. As far as titles go,
there is no “Fire Chief” in
Perry now. Nor is there a
“Police Chief.”
WWW.HHJNEWS.COM
Grace landing
Here comes the judge ... possibly
Jeffrey L. Grube, 52 - sole practitioner, Warner Robing since 1982. Grube
is one of the few in the county qualified to defend death penalty cases. . /
Katherine K. Lumsden, 35 - Chief Assistant District Houston
Judicial Circuit since 2000. Lumsden tries murder and Violent crimes for the
District Attorney’s Office.
Waiter G. “Bo” Sammons Jr., 48 - partner; Sammons & Sammons;
Warner Robins, since 1996. '
Bob Turner - sole practitioner, Warner Robins, formerly with the firm of
O’Neal, Long and Hall. He was recently nominated to fill the vacancy created
by the death of Houston County Chief Magistrate Judge David Pierce. He is
scheduled to be confirmed and sworn in by the County Commissioners on
Tuesday.
4sa«P * ' .
“Bo” Sammons Jr., and Bob
Turner.
Of the four nominees,
Burke said, “I’m supporting
Katie for the position. I’m
making no secret about it.
I’ll tell the governor and the
commission that she’d be a
great choice.”
The short list was compiled
by the 19-member Judicial
Nominating Commission,
appointed by the governor
to interview and select a
short list for judicial vacan
cies in the Georgia Supreme
Court, Court of Appeals and
Superior and State courts.
The committee is chaired
The Grays will move
here from Clearwater,
Fla. where he is leaving
the position of chief of the
city’s Fire Prevention and
Investigations Division, and
has been third in command
of the department, which
serves a community of over
100,000.
He and his wife were
already looking at houses in
Perry on Friday. Gray’s first
day of work in his new post
will be Tuesday.
Gray said he decided on a
career in firefighting after
volunteering with the Safety
Harbor Fire Department in
Florida. In his early work
See GRAY,page 10A
by former Attorney General
Mike Bowers and includes
local attorney Mike Lpng
of the firm O’Neal, Long
and Hall. Long also serves
as attorney for the county
and the Houston County
Development Authority.
The Judicial Nominating
Commission was created
by executive order at the
very beginning of Perdue’s
administration, said Shane
Hix, Perdue’s spokesman.
Nominees were also
announced for appointments
in five other judicial circuits.
There are three for Superior
Court - Blue Ridge Judicial
Ip mjj
Journal/Charlotte Perkin*
Karen Gray pins the deputy chief badge on husband,
Joel, during a ceremony Friday.
Circuit, Coweta Judicial
Circuit and Paulding Judicial
Circuit - and two for State
Court - Gwinnett County
State Court and Toombs
County State Court.
The final candidates will
now interview with the
governor. Each candidate
already has interviewed with
the commission. “There is
not a specific timetable for
appointments,” Hix said,
“but it will be done as quick
ly as possible. With so many
nominees, it should be done
in the next several weeks.”
The new judge will
See LIST, page 10A
aa I:\ a\s Family Newspaper
TWO SECTIONS • 18 PAGES
Below the
fold
■ Four local attorneys
named to short list to fill
judgeship
■ Vision 20/20 has
plan to improve fire
service
is l SPLOST
refund on the
horizon?
By RAYLIGHTNER
journal Staff Writer
The 2001 Special
Purpose Local Option
Sales Tax was for SBS mil
lion over five years.
The 2001 SPLOST “dis
continues the end of this
month, (August) with the
last check coming from
the state in December,”
said County Director of
Administration Steve
Engle.
In March voters
approved a renewal of the
SPLOST, this one for six
years and $l3O million
starting in January with
the first check coming
in March. With the 2006
SPLOST, any additional
money will go toward
additional jail pods at
•the Houston County
Detention Center.
Legislation recently
changed on the rules for
SPLOST, no longer lim
iting the amount that
See REFUND, page ioA
Vision 20/20
comes up with
fire service plan
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Vision 20/20 has come
up with a plan to improve
fire service in the unin
corporated parts of the
county.
The plan would have
city fire department
responding outside of city
limits, so the closest fire
station would respond.
“If we have the capacity
to do it,” said the new
Vision 20/20 Chairman,
Centerville Mayor Harold
Edwards, “we should see
if we can do it.”
If the cities and the
county can work out the
details and costs, home
owners in the unincorpo
rated areas may get and
See PLAN, page 10A