Newspaper Page Text
v.—.
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 216
Below the Fold: Russell billboards coming down ■ Cellphone employee accused of sending porn to teen customer
Thursday
November 9, 2006
The Home Journal's
FRONT
PORCH
IN SPORTS
Houston County's football game
against Coffee County could very
well determine if the Bears make the
playoffs. For Northside, its task is to
host Mt, Zion for a play-in game.
-See 1B
IN BRIEF
Gunn Road to have
lane shift Friday
Friday, construction crews will be
installing a waterline on Gunn Road
just west of U S. 41.
The roadway will not be closed,
but the work will require a lane shift.
Traffic will be routed to the shoulder
on the south side of Gunn Road.
There will be flagmen on either side
of the construction to direct traffic.
The lane shift will be in place for
most of the day according to the
Warner Robins Police Department.
The city's Utility Department will
supervise the construction.
Informed Citizens
United to meet
A meeting of Informed Citizens
United, a public policy issues discus
sion and action group, will be held
at Fuddrucker’s at 133 Margie Drive
today at 6:30 p.m.
The featured speaker will be Capt.
Glenn Queener of the Warner Robins
Salvation Army. He will, according to
a ICU release, “discuss the role of
this private organization in meeting
many needs within our community.''
The public is invited to attend.
MGC Peacock Gallery
to host exhibition
Middle Georgia College's Peacock
Gallery announced this past week it
will be hosting an exhibition by art
ist Bridget Conn. The exhibit enti
tled “Memory Womb” will begin on
Monday and will remain in the gallery
until Jan, 18, 2007.
An opening reception will be held
from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday and will
include a gallery talk and question
and answer session.
Democratic women’s
club to meet
The Middle Georgia Democratic
Womens' Club and Houston County
Democrats will be meeting at
Audrey's Bistro on Margie Drive in
Centerville Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. A buffet
will be available for $5. Reservations
are required. E-mail Beth Perera
by Nov. 16 at BETH@CHEFBETH.
COM or call her 953-1933.
BIRTHDAYS
Today
■ Betty Seago
■ Jeff Adams
DEARLY DEPARTED
■ Sidney James. Jr., 67
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GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
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UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-DIGIT 306
November 9, 2006
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Smyrna Houston Cot vn Sistv l»70
Parfles agree elderly, disabled
sex offenders not a real threat
By RAY LIGHTS ER
Joumiil Staff Writer
Sheriffs in several counties
have agreed not to enforce a
portion of the House Bill
1059, Georgia’s sex offender
legislation.
Attorneys and the sher
iffs in the counties where
nine elderly and/or disabled
plaintiffs live have reached
agreements that the indi
viduals named in the motion
will not have to move from
their homes, nursing homes,
and hospice care facilities.
A Houston County man is
one of nine John Doe plain
From elections to confections
EN I/Gary Harmon
Glenn Hancock, left, and Randy Christian put up Christmas lighting Tuesday in front of
the Perry courthouse.
Billboards coming down
By RAY LIGHT* ER
Journal Staff Writer
Some of the billboards
on Russell Parkway will be
coming down soon.
“It’s a long time coming,”
said Warner Robins Mayor
Donald Walker during the
council meeting this week.
The city made an agree
ment with developer John
Thornton in March that in
exchange for annexation
and city water and sewer he
would move four of his bill
boards off Russell Parkway
within a year’s time, by
April 7, 2007.
Peppy Council approves Wooden Eagle
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
“So we’ve put a little lipstick on this
Pig"
That was Perry Councilman Joe Kusar’s
terse comment following a lengthy work ses
sion explanation of the zoning and terminol
ogy changes, additions of parks and green
space, and reduced number of houses that
finally led to the city’s approval of developer
Charlie McGlamry’s Wooden Eagle subdivi
sion proposals.
www.hhjnewß.com
"ob, It's like a load
fell oil (my
shoulders). He
doesn’t have to
move.”
- Mrs. John Doe VII, on the
decision by sheriffs in several
counties not to enforce a portion
of House Bill 1059
tiffs in the lawsuit.
The local man, only identi
fied as John Doe VII, is 81
The billboards were
approved by the Peach
County Commission, prior
the city’s annexation of the
road and land along it out to
Interstate 75.
Russell Parkway has an
overlay zoning with addi
tional land use and appear
ance restrictions including
no billboards
On Monday, Thornton
was back before the council
with four possible locations
within the city to move the
billboards. Three of the sites
are zoned commercial and
will reqire a special exemp
tion for the billboards.
The subdivision, which involves more
than 80 acres at the southwest corner of
Sandefur and Lake Joy Roads has already
been partially annexed into the City of Perry
and now will be completely within the city
limits.
In an effort to bring the housing den
sity into accordance with city standards for
Residential 2 and Residential 3 zoning, the
number of lots has been reduced from 297
to 269, and two parks as well as a green
space area have been incorporated into
See APPROVES, page 6A
and lives with his son and
77-year-old wife of 61 years.
His wife had not been able
to find another home.
“Oh, it’s like a load fell off
(my shoulders),” said Mrs.
Doe VII. “He doesn’t have
to move.”
Her husband is in the last
stages of Alzheimer’s, which
has disabled him for the last
three years. Mr. Doe VII is
losing the power of speech
and cannot recognize family
members.
He was convicted of stat
utory rape in 1994, said
See A GREE, page 6A
The fourth, on Hickman
Street at Ga. 247, is zoned
industrial, which permits
the signs.
The other three locations
are 715 Hwy. 96, Galaxy
Liquor Store; 581 Carl
Vinson Parkway by the
Honda motorsports deal
ership; and 6037 Hwy. 247
Connector, west of U.S. 41.
That last site is across
from a church, but Thornton
said the contract includes
stipulations on what can be
advertised. “Nothing lewd,
or suggestive in content,”
he said.
See DOWN, page 6A
Two sections • 20 pages
"But I wanted to do more. It was
nearly 1845 and everyone seemed to
either talk about it or go and loin up. I
thought 'Why not me?’ Why not me, to
help the wounded men? It was Just the
right thing to do, to help out."
- Ruth Metcalfe
Nursing a nation
back to health
Editor's Note: This is
installment No. 3 in our
salute to vets. Don’t miss
Friday I Saturday’s paper
for a special section on
those who have served so
well.
By NANCY HAWK
Journal Staff Writer
The sparkle in her
eyes is bright. Her
hands sway and
move with a grace that
betrayed her profession as
a surgical nurse.
An unmistakably caring
nature poised her words
and relayed the story, her
story, of a successful career
as an officer in the United
States Air Force.
Born Myrtle Ruth Brewer,
in Lumber City, Telfair
County, Dec. 7, 1918, she
was not a shy flower of
Georgia but a child of the
country and farm.
She spoke of how her
grandfather, a stern man
of the day, would take her
fishing. The sturdy farm
life prepared her for many
things. Her mother’s nim
ble fingers - the same ones
that clothed Ruth Metcalfe,
her married name - pre
pared her for others.
The first major one of
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Ruth Metcalfe breaks out some
|k of the ribbons!decorations she
earned while serving more than 20
WM years in the military.
Man accused of sending
porn to teen customer
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
An employee at a cell
phone store is accused of
sending porn to a teen
after selling him a phone.
The 16-year-old and his
mother reported the inci
dent Nov. 2, after she and
her son purchased the
phone from the Centerville
Verizon Wireless store.
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those was joining the Army
Nurses Corps.
When asked how her
mother felt about that,
Ruth Metcalfe’s eyes
dance.
“She didn’t like it, but
then she made it better. We
talked a good bit.
“But she knew I was a
Tom-boy. They were basi
cally happy since I had
found what I liked to do. I
think she was happy with
it.”
Her brother, eight years
her senior, just seemed sat
isfied.
She chose the military
way of life because, a stu
dent at Emory, she had
higher aspirations.
“I enjoyed the nursing
school,” she said.
See NURSING, page 6A
The woman said they met
with an employee named
“Jon” while purchasing the
phone.
After leaving the busi
ness, the 16-year-old began
to receive pornographic
photos on his Verizon cellu
lar phone from “Jon”. “His
phone number and name
were on the phone with
See PORN, page 6A