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VOLUME 136, NUMBER 200 Below the Fold: State to double GBI meth force agents; its impact on Houston County? « Schools mark school bus safety week Tuesday October 17,2006 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH IN SPORTS ■ Brittney Stewart - per her norm - ran away from the field in the Coach's Cup Also, a handful of locals will be in contention when the 21st Annual Georgia Women’s Championship tees off. - See 1B IN BRIEF Ceremony to be held for stadium dedication In a ceremony preceding the Perry High-Peach County game Friday, Perry High School, will dedicate its football stadium as the Herb St. John Stadium. St. John was Perry High's first and most successful football coach. During his football career at the University of Georgia, he was an All-American in 1946 and the first of only two players ever to be selected to the All-Southeastern Conference team four times. In 2004 St. John was inducted into UGA’s Circle of Honor for student athletes. Following his college career, he played pro fessional football for two seasons for the Chicago Hornets and the Brooklyn Dodgers clubs. After leaving the NFL, he began his career in education. He start ed the football program at Perry High in 1954. His teams won two regional championships. St. John also coached the track team to nine regional championships. He Was named coach of the year six times. In addition to teaching and coach ing, he served as assistant principal at Perry from 1961-1969. St. John moved into administration full-time in 1969 as director of transportation and maintenance for the Houston County School System until his retirement in 1987. He resides in Perry. Scholarship pageant to be held The Miss Georgia Agriculture Scholarship Pageant will be held Nov. 11 at the Georgia Baptist Convention Center in Norman Park. It is open to all ages, however, Teen and Miss contestants must live, work or attend school in Georgia. Contact Renee Ruby at 229- 386-1556 or Pam Forehand at 229-776-6664 or visit the website PageantsGalore.com for more infor mation. BIRTHDAYS E-mail your birthdays to: hhj@evansnewspapers.com or donm@evansnewspapers.com or send them to: 1210 Washington St., Perry 31069: attn: Don Moncrief. You can also call him at 987-1823, Ext. 231. DEARLY DEPARTED ■ Stephen 0. Sapp, 48 PERIODICAL 500 Mill 8 "55108 00001" 4 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest luliiiltiiilliilliiiiilillliiilliiilliiiiililliiill COOI * GEORGIA WENPROJECT Man Library UN IV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 3-DIGIT 306 October 17, 2006 SmwmEmsrox Cotkt r sim Wo legal organ for Houston County, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville Westfield wins state championship The hard way - five games, 38 innings and nearly 10 hours of fast-pitch softball By MA TTHEW BROWN Journal Sports Writer The Westfield Schools community took a near 10- hour ride on the “comeback wagon” Saturday at the Southern Pines complex in Dublin. The last stop was the winner’s circle with a GISA Class AAA softball cham pionship trophy laying in waiting. “That went on forever,” said sophomore pitcher Kelsey Gilliam, who threw every pitch for the Hornets in five games - not 35 regu lation innings either, but 38 ‘ >4* jp|| 1 i ■ L **P*33k f||a*l I wSwiM jIMI **»■■■ jjg& mmFwM « m Ip , ikt' r ; & f '£ : h Iff : * JjSL sSt '• j~' * '• '' mi Wkf'Zfc f §HeT " »*•- HHL fm ' :r *#^^p33pibik*-• -f•' JPTi MT* 1 - ihE^H Schools mark safety week Special to the Journal “Be Aware - Cross with Care” is the 2006 theme for National School Bus Safety Week, which began Sunday and will run through Saturday. The Houston County School System also observed School Bus Driver Appreciation Day Monday. “Bus drivers have a tremendous responsibil ity,” said Danny Carpenter, superintendent of schools. “Their priority is safe trans portation as they maneuver their buses through traf fic in all kinds of road and See SAFETY, page fA www.hhjnews.com thanks to two overtime con tests against Tattnall Square Academy. But after everyone else fol lowing the Class AA and A tournaments had long left the facility, Westfield and First Presbyterian were still bat tling tooth and nail to deter mine the final order in the state’s highest classification. The Hornets had their backs against the wall - much like a tennis player facing numer ous match points - time and again, but wouldn’t let the day end until the last pos sible at-bat. See STATE,page >A B i" P S sLmb 'hm. ENI/Gary Harmon Perry Middle School students Jatavis Owens, Ansley Gentry, Olivia Albritton and Adrianna Pitter board the bus Monday. ' HL i ' . ’ f'fppp ' ■ 'TJgfS. , L' .i i J ' *•# ~ i l WM m l#y rr Big time Big & Rich, alias Big Kenny and John Rich, whose first album went platinum, were on hand to entertain fairgo ers Saturday. ENI Gary Harmon <'' '"-'ll ,'k\ ' ’ • - \ '•'• Mr,, * Two sect/ons • 12 pages Court upholds HC murder conviction By RA Y LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously affirmed a Houston County murder convic tion Monday. In Durham versus The State, the Court ruled that the evidence relied on by the jury supported its verdict and that no reversible error occurred at trial. The jury in Houston County convicted Maisha Mahalia Durham of mur der and other crimes in connection with the shoot ing death of her boyfriend, Derrick Mathis, Sept. 3, 1999, on Sunstede Road in Warner Robins. “She was mad because he hadn’t cdme home the previous night,” according to Chief Assistant District Attorney Katherine Lumsden. Durham was indicted on eight counts includ ing murder (times two), aggravated battery, aggra vated assault and posses sion of a firearm or knife during a crime (times four) Sept. 21, 1999. Lumsden said See MURDER, page §A State to double GBI meth agents By RA Y LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Even before it starts the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Meth Force, thanks to a moved signed into law by Gov. Sonny Perdue last week, will be doubled from 15 to 30 agents. Perdue created the force earlier this year with an initial 15 agents. Those agents will com plete their training in the next month and will begin working with local and federal law enforcement by the end of the year. While none are coming to the Perry GBI office, the Macon Drug Office is getting a couple, explained J.T. Richardson, supervisor at the Macon GBI office. He said once the See AGENTS, page fA \ X f:\-WS /Ml III) \l w S/* \PI R Senior Kaitlyn Chasteen passes on the GISA AAA softball champion ship tro phy to her Westfield Hornet teammates, ending a long day of five games in a row Saturday at Southern Pines Complex in Dublin. Journal /Matthew Brown