Newspaper Page Text
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VOLUME 136, NUMBER 206
Below the Fold: Centerville Police Department receives $15,000 grant ts Chamber of Commerce still has leadership class openings
Thursday
October 26,2006
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
IN SPORTS
■ Look for: Results from the
GISA state cross country meet -
with pictures: a Houston County
and Warner Robins Elite Eight
softball preview and more.
- See 1B
IN BRIEF
Journal aims to
recognize veterans
Hey veterans. We want you ... to
tell us and the readers a little about
yourself. To that end, and in prepara
tion for your day, Veterans Day Nov.
11, we re asking you to do just that.
We re asking you to submit a little bit
about yourself, who you are, where
you live now (just the city is fine),
what branch of service you serve
or served in and the timeframe you
served (i.e. 1947-1967), places you
were stationed and maybe even your
greatest accomplishment.
We would even like to have a
picture of you in your hey-day (i.e. in
uniform). You can e-mail your sub
missions to Don Moncrief, managing
editor, at donm@evansnewspapers.
com or hhj@evansnewspapers.com
(the latter please if you've got photos
attached). Or, you can mail them
to: 1210 Washington Street, Perry
31096.
University women to
hold book sale
The Warner Robins Branch of the
American Association of University
Women will hold its 41st annual used
book sale at Houston Mall today-
Saturday. On sale will be tons of
books - from antique to travel.
The sale will open with a sneak
preview from 5-6 p.m, Thursday.
Those who attend the $5, one-hour
preview will have the first opportunity
to browse through the books.
There will be no admission charge
during the remainder of the sale from
6-9 p.m., Thursday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.,
Friday; 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday.
For further information visit www.
aauwwrga.org.
Southside Baptist to
hold festival
Southside Baptist Church of 1040
N. Houston Lake Rd. in Warner
Robins is having a Family Fall
Festival today from 6-9 p.m.
There will be food, fun and fellow
ship for all ages. There will be also
be gamesand rides, as well as live
entertainment. Costumes are wel
comed. (Please no witches, devils,
ghosts or ghouls). There is also
no admission charge - only a food
donation for a local community food
bank. (Small jars of peanut butter,
jelly, can goods, dry milk, small bags
of flour and sugar and rice.)
DEARLY DEPARTED
■ Bettye G. Hanners, 76
■ Jacob Russell Thomas
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October 26, 2006
Houston C 'ot \n Si.\( i: 1870
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Where will he live?
'
•Journal Charlotte Perkins
Margaret and Johnnie Arnett share the front porch swing with their son, Johnnie
Mack. They’re hoping to see group homes built by the Heart of Georgia Developmental
Disabilities Ministries so that he can continue to have security and independence when
they can no longer provide for his care.
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
HHJ Lifestyle Editor
Although the bonds
of love between par
ent and child last a
lifetime, it’s in the nature
of family life all around
the world that a parent’s
major responsibilities are
over when a son or daughter
reaches adulthood.
For some few, however,
parenting is a lifetime job.
Take Margaret and
Johnnie Arnett of Kathleen.
They’re retired now, and
while their other three chil
dren have long since flown
the nest, their oldest son,
Johnnie Mack still lives with
them, as he has for the last
57 years.
His life is good in many
ways. He has a job at Happy
Hour. He likes to swim.
He goes bowling once a
week, and has bowled in the
Special Olympics .
He’s a loyal fan of the
Warner Robins High School
Demonettes softball team,
which his sister Brenda
coaches, and attends almost
all of their games.
On Sunday mornings
he’s at Shirley Hills Baptist
Church with friends he’s
known for years. He loves
music of all kinds and has a
huge collection of CDs.
Get him talking about
music and he’ll tell you he’s
a big “Alabama” fan.
www.hhjnews.com
All donations to the Heart of Georgia
Developmental Disabilities Ministries, Inc. are tax
deductible. Make checks out to Heart of Georgia
DDM. The mailing address is 615 Corder Road,
Warner Robins, GA 31088
Volunteers are an important part of this ministry.
Individuals to contact for more information on Heart
of Georgia DDM, are:
■ John Bodenhamer, 987-0004, jrbodenhamer@cox.net
■ Audrey Clance, 953-4687, apcjim@alltel.net
■ Hulda Cook, 953-2992, hhdcook@juno.com
■ Dr. Napp Granade, 988-877, nsgranade@aol.com
■ Helaine Landon, 953-0117, helainelandon@aol.com
■ Shirley Randal, 935-8809, Srran9o9@aol.com
■ Carol Sapp PhD, RN, 922-7750, carolsapp@netzero.
net
■ Ben Taylor, 994-6364, taylormadeforthejob@mail.com
■ Judy Youmans, 953-1457, Jeyl@cox.net
As for TY he likes game
shows and “wrasslin’.”
“I like the good guys, not
the bad ones,” he says.
He likes his mom’s cook
ing and he likes the pizza at
Stevie B’s too.
Without a loving family
and good community sup
port agencies, however,
Johnnie Mack Arnett’s life
could be very different.
Because of a cerebral hem
orrhage at birth, he has been
disabled all
of his life. The brain dam
age caused a neurological
vision problem that can’t
be corrected with glasses.
His speech is halting, and
How to help
his coordination isn’t good.
Some adult activities, like
driving a car, have always
been beyond his capabili
ties.
It’s been a long time since
he was a baby. The Arnetts
were a young couple then,
living in Mobile, Ala.
Margaret Arnett still
remembers the difficult
delivery, the doctor explain
ing that he had suffered
brain damage but very little
more.
The young couple hoped
that once they got their baby
home, he’d be all right,
Johnnie began to
See NEED, page 6A
Two sections • 20 pages
PD makes arrests
in home invasion
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Three suspects are now
in jail on charges from an
Oct. 17 home invasion on
Arnold Boulevard.
The three, Ronald Anton
Wells, Jarvis Antwon
Williams and Ras Robel
Robinson are charged with
armed robbery, burglary
and possession of a firearm
during the commission of
a crime.
They are accused of being
part of the early morn
ing home invasion where
five masked black males
forced their way into the
residence.
Police responded about
1:41 a.m. and were told one
of the suspects demanded
money from the victims,
to which an undisclosed
amount was relinquished.
All five suspects then
departed the residence in
an unknown direction.
There were no injuries
sustained during the inci
dent.
The next day, Wells,
16, 103 Mauldon Court,
Warner Robins, was arrest
ed and he is currently
being held at the Regional
Youth Development Center.
Warrants were also issued
for Williams and Donshea
Simmons.
On Monday at approxi
mately 12:40 a.m., Williams,
19, of 115 Demetree Drive
Centerville police awarded grant
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Centerville Police
Department has been
awarded a major traffic
enforcement grant from
the Georgia Governor’s
Office of Highway Safety
in Atlanta.
The department received
the $15,000 grant in rec
ognition of its lifesaving
work as the coordinat
ing agency of the GOHS
Middle Georgia Traffic
Enforcement Network.
The Middle Georgia Traffic
Enforcement Network
region includes law enforce
ment agencies in the nine
counties of Houston, Peach,
Twiggs, Macon, Dooly,
Crisp, Pulaski, Wilcox and
Turner.
There are 16 such traf
fic enforcement networks
throughout the state.
“This says thanks for
the dedication and support
of the Centerville Police
Department and Traffic
Enforcement Network
Coordinator, Capt. Roger
Hayes, for their region
wide efforts to protect
Georgians from speed
ers and impaired drivers,”
said GOHS Director Bob
Chamber still has class openings
Special to the Journal
The Chamber of
Commerce is still taking
applications - until Friday
- for its Leadership Warner
Robins Class.
The program, accord
ing to a release from the
chamber, uses selected ele
ments of the University of
Georgia’s Fanning Institute
curriculum and incor
porates best practices of
other Chamber Leadership
Programs around the coun
try.
“It is a premiere offer-
mEv-Ms. jy Mint Nmsmttui
ja
Ml
in Warner
Robins,
surren
dered
to the
Houston
County
Sheriff’s
Office con
cern i n g
the afore
mentioned
arrest war
rants.
Also on
Monday,
three
arrest war
rants were
obtained
o n
Robinson,
25, 319
SIMMONS
a
Mm
ROBINSON
Ferguson St., Warner
Robins. Robinson was
already incarcerated at the
Houston County Detention
Center for an unrelated
offense and the aforemen
tioned arrest warrants
were served there.
The whereabouts of the
fourth named suspect,
Simmons, 20, are still
unknown.
His last known address
is 110 Parkway Drive in
Warner Robins.
Anyone with information
concerning his whereabouts
is encouraged to contact
their local law enforcement
agency.
See ARRESTS, page 6A
pr
Wish grant-eiT
Breakout of what tbt ■
Centerville PolidSmkm
Department planSiEP I
£ grant: I
• $7,500 to go tdivard I
•j jppport activities I
If - et I
• $7,500 for traf- I
I ftcsafety equipment ■
IDcillcis
Of the $15,000 half goes
to support the activities of
the Traffic Enforcement
Network and half is to be
spent on traffic safety equip
ment for the Centerville
Police Department.
Hayes said the $7,500
will buy three in-car cam
eras.
“It’s pretty nice for the
officers, with these three,
all the cars will have cam
eras,” Hayes said.
The $7,500 for the
network, Hayes said,
See GRANT,page 6A
ing and requires a serious
commitment,” the cham
ber release reads.
Each session includes
formal instruction in lead
ership. Featured subjects
include Understanding
Leadership, Making Group
Decisions, Managing
Conflict, Community
Leaders Role in Local
Economic Development,
Communicating
Effectively, Leading
Community Change,
Valuing Community
Diversity, Conducting
See OPENINGS, page 6A