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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 Today ■ Patrick Palmer ■ Ryan Prior ■ Bill Self DEARLY DEPARTED ■ William T. Hill, Jr., 82 ■ Annette Josey, 65 PERIODICAL 500 8 "551 lii 4 Award-Winning Better Newspaper ysj|~jay Contest liiSlifiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiifiiiiHiiiiiniiiiiiiuiil COOI * GECRG?A NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UN tV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30607-000? 3-DIGiT 306 October 27, 2006 " I ■ l ' ■ 1 . M STMTS!r, JloVsrox VoTSifT Six CP. IX7O 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 V I i V ft - jH tv Taws Family Newspaper] 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