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♦ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2006 6A NEED From page lA notice that his baby son didn’t really seem to see him until he was very close. “You couldn’t get his attention unless you were right down in his face,” he remembers. Still Johnnie Mack was an active child in his own way. He didn’t sit up or crawl for along time, but he learned to walk at nine or ten months. “He was so strong and determined,” his mother says. Later, his dad says, he struggled to learn to ride a bicycle against all odds. He worked at it until he was black and blue with bruises, and did learn to ride, but he finally took a bad fall and gave it up. Meanwhile, he started to school in special educa tion classes, and his par ents gradually learned from a friendly pediatrician and from his teachers how best to give him the attention and discipline he needed. There were other children. They both had jobs. But they saw to it that he was brought up right, despite any disabilities. He helps with household chores. He dresses neatly, and keep his room in the family home tidy and organized. He’s up every weekday morning, ready for the van to arrive to take him to his job working with newspaper and card board recycling. Today, he’s silver-haired, and it’s easy in talking with Houston County building permits drop in September By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Permits for single-family homes are down in Houston County for the month of September. There were 104 permits issued for single-family dwellings in all of Houston County in September. That is down from the 150 per mits issued in August and the 159 permits issued in September 2005. Each city and the unincor porated areas of the county each also had fewer permits than the previous month and from September 2005. Warner Robins had 44 permits in September, down from 61 in August and down one from the 45 in September 2005. September was the second lowest num ber of permits for the city, topping only June’s 38. Centerville’s 13 permits were also down one from last year and down from the OPENINGS From page iA Successful Meetings and Building Communities Through Collaboration. Self-assessments will be GRANT From page i A “will go to buy incen tive items for officers, like gear bags, ticket holders, AlcoSenors and window-tint meters” as well as meals at the monthly meetings. Through the efforts to the Perry High School Football 103 d) The Patriot fi H U The Right Station For News, Talk & Sports are teaming up. Listen to Brian Nash, Chris Kirby, and michael Felix for all of Perry High's football play by play action on 103.9. Pregame starts at 7:30 flB 1 Journal Don Mom-riff Johnnie Mack shares a win with his favorite coach - alias sister Brenda Arnett, Demonettes softball coach. Mark Ballard in benefit for DDM The Heart of Georgia Disabilities Minsistries, Inc. and the Flint Energies Foundation, will hold a fund raiser Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Wellston Senior Center in Warner Robins. The program will be an evening df comedy with Mark Ballard. There will also be a silent auction and refresh ments. Admission is sl2. him, to catch glimpses of the man he might have become had not a brain injury lim ited his options. What’s more impressive, however, is how well he and his family have coped through the years. He has three loving younger siblings - two brothers, Jimmy and Jeff, and a sister, Brenda. All of them are committed to making sure their older brother has a secure home after their parents are gone, or even if advancing age or 20 issued in August. In Centerville the 13 per mits is the third highest for the year so far, below the 20 in August and the 14 in June. In Perry there were 19 permits issued in September, down from the 33 in August and the 26 in September 2005. January was the only other month this year when Perry had only 19 permits. In unincorporated Houston County there were 28 per mits issued, down from 36 in August and 37 in September 2005. September also had the lowest number of permits of the year so far. The average prices of the homes permitted coun ty wide in September also dropped to $144,791.53, from August’s $159,328.33. It’s also down from the $152,133.86 average price in September 2005. While there were fewer homes permitted, the aver done in Leadership Practices and Communications Styles. A diverse group of instruc tors has been hand-picked to make these presentations. The cost is $750 for tuition, which, according participating law enforce ment agencies in the Middle Georgia Traffic Enforcement Network region will coor dinate year-round waves of high visibility concen trated patrols, multi-juris dictional road checks, and sobriety checkpoints as law enforcement partners in the illness keeps them from pro viding a home for him. “Brenda has said that he can live with her,” Margaret says. But the Arnetts want their daughter to have her independence, and - besides that, they know all too well that life is unpredictable - and they want a plan for Johnnie Mack that will be as solid as brick and mortar. So they’re pinning their hopes on the Heart of Georgia Developmental age prices were up in Warner Robins and in the unincor porated areas from the pre vious month. In Warner Robins the average price was up to $117,976 from August’s $109,359.18. In the unincor porated areas the average price went fr0m5163,142.77 in August to $184,042.50 in September. Like the county wide aver age, Perry and Centerville average prices were also down. Perry dropped from $142,346.06 in August to $128,372.63 in September. Centerville dropped from $182,889 in August to $169,391.53 in September. Manufactured home per mits were also down county wide with only eight in September compared to 12 in August. Unincorporated areas of the county were the only ones to issue any permits in September. No permits for apartments to the chamber, covers all expenses. The class size is limited to 25. For additional informa tion or application materi als, contact the chamber at 922-8585. Operation Zero Tolerance initiatives and the Click It Or Ticket mobilizations, Dallas said. Char-Broiled Sizzling Steaks g mMB. *•7# t*iM 36 • 987-5877 38861 LOCAL * . || \ ;■ S '* « ■ ' *** •V; J||l Ml ' »';v: •Journal Charlotte Perkin* Johnnie Mack Arnett enjoys music of all kinds and collects CDs. His favorite group is ‘‘Alabama. ” Disabilties Ministries, an independent non-profit agency that has been formed in Houston County, mostly by other parents facing the same challenge. This group, which meets regularly at Shirley Hills Baptist Church is commit ted to building group homes for adults with developmen tal disabilities. They have a site, on the new mid-county campus of Central Baptist Church. These homes would be modeled on Christian family life. There would be four to six residents in each home, with two live-in house-par ents and a weekend relief were issued in the month of September or August. For the year Warner Robins has issued 128 per mits for apartments, all in February; Centerville has Great Deals Free AD for items under SSO Call 987-1823 for details afjsxtttm l X wi " be °P en Ijfempkin J m ,his year 'mLL W p 7 with a ?3III' V / Come see what’s in season for p i jB fall fresh vegetables... Ihp As always Kauffman’s has fresh baked A goodies from our kitchen and we’re still L \ serving the best sandwiches in town! J A Come and try our new soups - /w // a different selection all week. \ / We're open Mon. - Sat. A 8 30 ' person. Every effort would be made to keep the residents func tioning as independently as possible, sharing in the day to-day chores of the home, participating in community and church activities. If Johnnie Mack lived there at some point in the future, he would still go to Happy Hour, to church and to the social and recreation al activities he enjoys, and maybe the home would be full of the sound of country music, too. For the Arnett’s, whose son is one of a group of developmentally disabled adults smiling in a photo issued four, all in May; and Perry has issued 20 - 16 in February and four in May. None have been issued for the unincorporated areas of the county. Sulscnbe today! Cal 987-1823 DAVID OVERTON /EWELERS <s^ 905 Downtown Carroll St. • Perry 478-987-1392 ! HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL graph in the DDM brochure, taking part of the effort to build these homes is another step in the lifelong challenge of caring for their son. To see the homes built, with sufficient funds for ongoing operation, will give them the reassurance they need that they have done their best by their son and by the whole family. Through sharing their story, they are hoping to help the community understand how important the work of the Heart of Georgia DDM is, and to encourage both volunteer support and finan cial support for the building of the group homes. ARRESTS From page lA Anyone with information concerning the home inva sion is encouraged to con tact Det. Art Curnutte of the Warner Robins Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 918-2977 or 929-1170. People Pleasing! (We will delight you!) green derby 175 E«» 136 • 987-8877 38865 •Jewelry Repair & Cleaning •Watch Repair •Engraving Hours: •Appraisals Mon.-Fri. •Estate Jewelry 9:3oam-s:3opm Sat. •Class Rings 9:3oam-2pm