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VOLUME 136, NUMBER 222 BELOW THE FOLD: Officials warn of Medicare scam ■ 121-acre annexation includes commercial and apartments Wednesday November 22,2006 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH IN SPORTS Brunswick's football program has been on the rise as of late and now the Pirates are sailing Northside's way. Also, for the second straight year. Warner Robins girls swim team finished second at the Blue Devil Invite. - See 1B IN BRIEF Leadership Perry being organized The 2007 Leadership Perry class is now being organized by the Perry Area Chamber of Commerce with Chris Kinnas Jr. as coordinator. The deadline for applications is Nov. 27. Leadership Perry meets monthly from January to September for day-long tours that focus on state, county and city government, educa tion, Robins Air Force Base, health and human services and industry. The class will have its kickoff recep tion at 5:30 p.m., Dec. 7 at the Perry Chamber office, and will hold a class retreat in January at Georgia Veterans State Park. For an application or for more information, call 987-1234 GDOT to scale back holiday construction The Georgia Department of Transportation will scale back its construction projects - suspending related lane closures on all interstate and major state system highways - through Sunday to ease holiday traffic congestion. Beginning at 5 a.m., today and continuing until 5 a.m., Monday there essentially will be no scheduled lane closures on any interstate or primary state route. Drivers license centers to be closed All Department of Driver Services Customer Service driver’s licensing centers will be closed Thursday and Friday and will reopen Saturday. Landfill to reopen day after Thanksgiving The Houston County landfill will be closed Thursday for the holiday but will be back open for business beginning Friday. BIRTHDAYS Today ■ Ann Hoffman HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Nov. 21 ■ Mr. and Mrs. James D. Burch, 57th DEARLY DEPARTED ■ Mary Jo Davis, 77 ■ Joshua Hollis Duncan, 7 ■ Carl Lee White. 81 PERIODICAL 500 Hill 8 ”5510800001 1 4 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 (o( Mm*} Belter Newspaper Contest XPctrfly COOI * GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UN IV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 3-DIGIT 306 November 22, 2006 smvtm fflmsTm CmmMSmMMMM LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville County headed to court Filing relief against Perry to prohibit annexation By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Houston County has objected to several recent annexations by the city of Perry. The county asked for mediation to work out the differences with the city’s plans for high-density developments in the Langston Road area. In one instance, the county has even asked for an injunction to stop the annexa tion. On Oct. 27, the county filled a petition for injunctive relief against the city of Perry to pro hibit the annexation of 153.661 acres off Langston Road that par tially abuts Houston Lake. The county has objected because the land at the time of the June 16 request was not contiguous to city limits. iff b Remembering J hanksqtirtnq fpr; ~' 1 '"HI*! M'lSsflsJKlimWk - ?! ''hjMbJZ¥'■ f*> ■■■{§ 4 1 ■ fit - r " iP’/dM ip 'i, . * jr- -h * " fr- M 1 ? MAS. - '! j§ -Wm:’’. id?*- JE pHHKflfr v A:]3RHH7SH — Journal Charlotte Perkins This group of senior citizens who gather daily at the Rozar Park senior center shared their memories of long ago Thanksivings recently. Seated from left, Emma Sutton, Ida Thompson and Francie Walker; middle row, Annie Small, Doris Williams, Rosa Kendrick Ollie Conie, Brenda Scott, Betty Hancock, Katie Chambliss and Susie Mae Harris; back row Director Tammy Baker and Annie Maude Brown. By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Lifestyle Editor Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is the one that seems to change the least from generation to generation. It’s about family and food and mak ing memories. So when you put the big feast Officials warn of Medicare scam Special to the Journal The Georgia Cares Senior Medicare Patrol is issuing a warning to seniors to beware of collect call scams. According to a release from the organiza tion, a report has come in from the Athens area regarding scammers making collect calls to seniors claiming they are from Medicare or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The caller asks to verify www.hhjnews.com "The failure to notify the county resulted in the county's ability to object to the . annexation and request mediation." - Text from the county petition County Attorney Mike Long said an amendment to the peti tion was filed last week and asks the annexation be set aside. “We hope to sit down with them and work something out,” he said. “We’re always willing to sit down to work it out.” Perry City Attorney David Gray on the table or take a sweet potato pie from the oven, keep in mind that one of the children may be remembering that dish 60 or 70 years from now, and remembering you, too. Take Rosa Mae Kendrick who grew up in Henderson and now spends weekday mornings personal information (i.e., name, address, Medicare number and bank routing num bers). Georgia Cares SMR which is admin istered through the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Aging Services, is asking anyone who suspects Medicare fraud, error or abuse, to report it to the Georgia Cares SMP at 1-800-669- 8387. Georgia Cares SMP will file a complaint See SCAM, page jA said he has never received the original petition, just the amend ment, and can’t comment on something he hasn’t seen. “I don’t know what they are amending,” he said. Gray said the annexation was completed in September. “We got approval back from the Justice department.” Gray believed the objection is the city did not follow procedure. “We think we did follow proce dure,” he said. According to the county peti tion, the city has subsequent ly annexed parcels adjacent to this property but failed to noti fy the county after the 153.661 acres became contiguous to the city. “The failure to notify the county resulted in the county’s See COURT, page yA at the Perry Senior Center at Rozar Park. “My mother died and left six children,” she says, “and my aunt - her name was Rose Davis - she took us in and raised us.” For all the work she surely had to do, Rose Davis cooked Man dies in wreck By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Juan Hernandez-Torres of Warner Robins was killed about 4:46 a.m. Tuesday in a collision with a wrecker. The Traffic Division of the Houston County Sheriffs Office is investigating the fatal collision. The collision occurred on Ga. 247, about a half-mile north of Bear Branch Road. According to the Sheriffs Office, a white Dodge Caravan, operated by Hernandez-Torres was traveling south on Ga. 247, crossed the centerline and struck the wrecker. The white roll back wrecker owned by Tri-County Towing and operated by Justin Petersdorff of Warner Robins was north bound on Ga. 247. According to the Sheriffs Office See WRECK, page yA “We had chicken and dressing, and ham, too, and collard greens and ‘tater’ pie Council approves annexation, rezoning By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer The residents of Deei held and Prestige subdivisions will soon have apartments and commercial in their neighborhood. The Warner Robins City Council approved the annexation and rezoning aw Famwy local restaurant building a legacy * -Food 1C Three section** 20 pages Thanksgiving dinners to remem ber. “We had chicken and dress ing,” Kendrick remembers, “and ham, too, and collard greens and ‘tater’ pie.” ‘Tater pie, of course, is sweet potato pie with a southern See THANKSGIVING,page 7A of about 121.836 acres on the southwest corner of Smithville Church Road and South Houston Lake Boulevard for Leroy Carter from R-AG (residential agricultural) to C-2 (gen eral commercial). A vari ance also is being sought for about 27 acres at See APPROVES, page jA