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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 207
Friday
October 27,2006
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
IN SPORTS
■ Look for: Story of football play
offs as who's in and who's out is
starting to take shape, a preview
of Warner Robins' matchup at Tift
County and more.
- See 1B
IN BRIEF
Oxendine fines Blue
Cross-Blue Shield
Insurance Commissioner John
W. Oxendine announced Thursday
he had fined Blue Cross and Blue
Shield, $600,000 for violations of
state insurance law. The fine was
ordered by Oxendine because,
among other violations, Blue Cross
refused to offer quotes for group
health coverage to certain small busi
ness, as required under the Georgia
insurance code. The company was
also using sales agents that were not
properly appointed.
As part of the agreement, the
company must also monitor and
record quote offers and requests
for such quotes, and make all such
records available for ongoing exami
nation by Oxendine’s office. Blue
Cross waived the right to a hearing
in the matter, Oxendine said.
- Special to the Journal
Museum department
to hold fund-raiser
The Museum of Aviation Education
Department is having a fund-raiser.
Proceeds will be used to support
student educational field trips at the
Museum. For sale will be barbecued
Boston butts for S2O, and tubs of
chocolate chip cookie dough for sl2.
All orders must be prepaid, and are
due by Nov. 10. Buyers will pick up
their purchases in the Museum of
Aviation Freedom Park on Dec. 2.
Contact Melissa Spalding at the
Museum of Aviation, 926-5558; or
by e-rfiail at mspaulding@museu
mofaviation.org. for information on
ordering.
NorthsideFFA offering
pansies, snapdragons
The Northside FFA is holding a
plant sale at the school now through
Nov. 10, with pansy and snapdragon
trays going for $7 each.
The sale will be held Monday,
Wednesday and Friday from 3-4
p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday
from 3-5 p.m. Northside is located at
926 Green Street in Warner Robins.
BIRTHDAYS
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■ Ryan Prior
■ Bill Self
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October 27, 2006
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Below the Fold: HCBOE third in the nation for being tech-sawy City to vote on intersection cameras
Man gets 15 years
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Allen Dewayne Smith, 33, of Warner
Robins, was sentenced Wednesday to 15
years, 10 to serve in prison for drug and
obstruction charges.
His is a story of repeat business, unfortu
nately.
“This offense was committed while Smith
was out on bond for his previous two cocaine
cases/’ said George H. Hartwig 111, Senior
Assistant District Attorney, Houston Judicial
Circuit. “Some folks just never learn.”
“I think that because he was tried and
acquitted on similar charges in 2004, he
truly thought he was untouchable,” Hartwig
added.
The pending cases are for cocaine posses
up?
Jason Lloyd, far left, participates in one of the science challenges with his teammates Tuesday at the Discovery
Channel Young Scientist Challenge currently going on in Washington D.C.
Local student competes at challenge
By NANCY HAWK
Journal Staff Writer
Houston County is the home of
a young man who has science on
his mind. Jason Lloyd recently won
bragging rights to a science project
that has currently taken him all the
way to Washington D C.
As a semifinalist for the 2006
Discovery Channel Young Scientist
City to vote on intersection cameras
By RATLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
“It’s not the first or sec
ond but the third car going
through the red light we
need to worry about,”
said Maj. John Wagner of
the Warner Robins Police
Department.
Wagner presented inter
section cameras to the city
council once again as a
means to stop drivers from
running red lights. “The
biggest reason is safety,”
Wagner said.
The city police department
has tried to work hard with
patrols and Operation SERV
(stopping every red light
violation). “It’s manpower
intensive,” Wagner said,
“and we lost a police car to a
wreck at Houston Lake Road
A world of Discovery
”1 know different organizations don't
like them and have concerns about big
brother watching, but its all about
safety."
- Warner Robins Police Department Maj. John Wagner
and Watson Boulevard.
Wagner told the city coun
cil at Tuesday’s called work
session there were 481 red
light violation citations
issued in 2004, 1,800 in
2005 and about 652 so far
this year just between two
motorcycle officers.
He said the city is look
ing at intersections with
high accidents, like Watson
Boulevard at Houston Lake
www.hhj news.com
sion with intent to distribute, and the other
is criminal attempt to sell cocaine.
Smith was tried and acquitted in February
2004 on charges including possession of
cocaine with intent to distribute.
Wednesday’s guilty verdict appears to be
Smith’s first cocaine conviction, Hartwig
said.
“I’m certainly glad the court gave Smith a
significant prison sentence. If ever a defen
dant deserved every bit of the sentence he
got, it was Allen Dewayne Smith,” Hartwig
said.
“The citizens of Houston County should
rest a little easier knowing Smith will not be
around for the next 15 years,” he added.
Smith was convicted by a jury
See YEARS, page 6A
Challenge. Lloyd is working through
the rigors of problems in deduc
tion and reason as a member of
the Green Team Discovery Young
Scientists Challenge. The event
being hosted at the National
Institute of Health has been a year
ly event since its inception in 1999.
Lloyd, speaking on the phone
from D.C. gave a few details about
the week and how it’s been going at
the challenge. For starters, his day
begins between 6 and 7 a.m. and
can last through 9 p.m.
After breakfast at the hotel stu
dents are taken to the institute
where they break into assigned
teams.
Lloyd’s project - the one that got
him to the challenge - was devel
oping a better mosquito trap.
See CHALLENGE, page 6A
Road, Watson at Carl Vinson
Parkway, and those streets’
intersections with Russell
Parkway.
Wagner said there has
been a 60 percent drop in
accidents at intersections
where the cameras are used
“The city is a good speci
men for red light cam
eras, “Wagner said. The
whole premise is safety and
See CAMERAS, page 6A
Two sections • 12 pages
‘Victim’ admits
to false report
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The report of a sexual assault last Friday is false.
According to Warner Robins Police, the alleged victim
admitted Wednesday the report was false.
During the course of the investigation, evidence in
the case was not consistent with statements about what
occurred.
Investigators had completed collecting evidence
from 1606 Watson Blvd., and completed interviews on
Wednesday related to the reported sexual assault at
the Pathology Institute of Middle Georgia on Friday
See REPORT, page 6A
•< ' JP
Contributed/Bill Fitzpatrick
HCBOE a tech-sawy group
Earns third in the nation for Large Systems
Special to the Journal
The Houston County
Board of Education has
been named a national top
10 digital school board,
winning third place in
the large systems catego
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Presidential
visit plans
being made
Includes ticket,
travel information
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
Jimmy Carter came
through town on the
Interstate a few times dur
ing his presidency, but as far
as anybody knows, Tuesday
will mark the first time a
seated U.S. President has
paid a visit to Perry.
George W. Bush is slat
ed to arrive at Robins Air
Force Base mid-afternoon
Tuesday, and will travel
by an undisclosed route to
Reaves Arena at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds.
He will be speaking on
behalf of Bth District
Congressional candidates
Mac Collins, R-Jackson.
This is the president’s sec
ond visit to Middle Georgia
to boost Collins’ campaign
against incumbent Rep. Jim
Marshall D-Macon.
Perry Police Chief George
Potter confirmed that Secret
Service agents are already
in Perry to plan with local
officials for the president’s
security during his brief stay
in Houston County.
Potter said that all county
and city public safety agen
cies are involved.
The route Bush will take
has not been disclosed, but
Potter said that even if it
were made public, there
will not be an option for
See VISIT, page 6A
ry. The Center for Digital
Education and National
School Boards Association
chose the country’s most
digitally-advanced school
boards based on their sec
ond annual Digital
See GROUP, page 6A