Newspaper Page Text
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VOLUME 136, NUMBER 224
BELOW THE FOLD: Agencies come to the rescue of needy family WR P&Z goes through with annex/rezoning plans despite shortfall
Weekend
November 25, 2006
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
IN BRIEF
State’s tag offices to
be closed
Dec. 9, county vehicle tag offices
throughout Georgia will only be able
to provide minimum service due to
required maintenance being per
formed on the computers that house
the state's motor vehicle registration
and title databases.
Beginning Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. and
continuing until Dec. 11 at 6 a.m„
local tag offices will not be able
to contact the central data system
to transact any business regarding
motor vehicle registration and titling.
Internet renewal and registration
will also be unavailable from Dec.
8 at 7 p.m. until Monday. Dec. 11
at 6 a.m.
It is recommend that individuals
planning to conduct business at their
local motor vehicle tag office that
Saturday contact the office before
hand to determine if they can com
plete their business. All local offices
should be fully operational during
their normal business hours Dec.
11.
- Special to the Journal
AARP to host
driving course
The American Association of
Retired Persons will host a defensive
driving course at Rehoboth Baptist
Church, located at Highway 41
South in Perry Monday and Tuesday
from 6-10 p.m. The course is open
to all ages. Call Larry Sandefur, 987-
2973, for further information.
Leadership Perry
class 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
Monday. 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 and will hold
a class retreat in January at Georgia
Veterans State Park.
For an application or for more
information, call 987-1234
BIRTHDAYS
Saturday
■ Lamarcus Lowe
■ Barbara Maner
■ Dynasty McLeod, 17
Sunday
■ Mary Murphy
■ Horace Woodruff (Happy first)
■ Eric Rich Phillips (Happy first)
DEARLY DEPARTED
■ Pierce Pollett, 84
PERIODICAL 500
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Award-Winning
Better Newspaper fJti
Contest
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GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
Main Library
UN IV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-DIGIT 306
November 25, 2006
SMVm; Houston Cot sty Si\n 1870
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
HCFD gets Homeland Security grant
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Houston County Fire
Department has received a $58,220
Homeland Security grant.
County Commissioner Gail
Robinson explained the grant is to
enhance the capabilities of the haz
ardous materials response unit of
the Georgia Search and Rescue pro
gram.
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Hunter Germandsen .
Agencies come the rescue of local family
By Nancy Hawk
Journal Staff Writer
The duplex stood like a
castle against a clear Georgia
blue sky.
Jennifer McDowell was
amazed, as if some spiritual
army of white knights had
charged up and rescued her
family from a terrible situ
ation.
Just like in a fairy tale,
McDowell said she felt swept
away, honored to have some
one so generously, “take the
time to help strangers.”
“I once dreamed of being a
pediatrician,” she said, “but
with my first child there
were complications and now
I must care for him. He has
a lot of needs.
“Then my little girl too,
needs help,” she said. “We
do have dad’s income but it
is very hard with six people
living on one income.”
That was on Wednesday.
See RESC UE, page SA
www.hhjnews.com
The 100 percent grant had no
matching funds requirement, how
ever the county will have to make
the purchases, pay for the purchases
and then request and receive pay
ment, Fire Chief Jimmy Williams
explained in a letter to the commis
sioners.
The board unanimously approved
the acceptance of the grant, which
was awarded by the Georgia
Emergency Management Agency
Hunter’s paradise
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JournaLNancy Hawk
Jennifer McDowell stands with her daughter as furniture store workers furnish her new
apartment.
One child’s quest to help save another
By NANCY HAWK
Journal Staff Writer
Hunter Germandsen couldn’t wait until
Christmas to do a little giving.
Instead, he opted for Halloween.
At a time when most children became inter
ested in what kind of candy they might get
for trick or treat, Germandsen, an 8-year-old
Perdue Primary second grader, was thinking
about how he might help others.
At first he thought about UNICEF.
But, even though he knew it was/is
a great cause, he also knew it was
for kids far away. He wanted to
\ help someone closer.
'\ To that end, he and his mom
I worked on ideas. First they
} thought to huy candy for
kids in the local hospital.
A good idea but Hunter
■. **-*
Journal Nancy Hawk
from the Department of Homeland
Security fiscal year 2006 sate home
land security grant program.
The grant is to help the local agen
cy build an enhance capabilities to
prevent, protect against, respond to
and recover from terrorist attacks,
major disasters and other emergen
cies.
The list of equipment to be pur
chased with the grant includes 25
separate items; some with multiple
Three sections • 18 pages
quantities includes personal pro
tective equipment, detection equip
ment, decontamination equipment,
reference materials and equipment
for logistical support.
The items include breathing appa
ratus, cooling vests, lights, personal
decontamination kits, chemical iden
tification and detection equipment
as well as digital cameras, digital
camcorders, triage tags and storage
containers.
wanted to do something more concrete and
then he remembered a little boy named Robert
M.L. Davis who had been in the paper. Davis, a
15-month-old, was born with pulmonary atre
sia, a congenital heart-lung problem where no
pulmonary valve exists in the heart. As a result
of that condition, blood is unable to flow from
the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery
and then on to the lungs.
And with that, Germandsen, who back when
the family lived in Macon where he was born
was selected Mr. Cherry Blossom and - a sepa
rate title - Georgia Cover Boy - had found his
cause.
He also has two younger brothers so he could
relate in a big way.
First he set about making signs. Then he
decided if he had a party and invited his friends
they could come over and bring some spare
See QUEST, page SA
, •i-jftmt - „ r °
aM b
Kathy and M.L
Holland share a
moment with Robert
M.L. Davis - the latter
the cause of Hunter
Qermandsen.
ENWary Harmon
No sewer, no problem
WR P&Z moves
on with plans
By RA Y LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Warner Robins
Planning and Zoning
Commission gave the
OK for an annexation
and rezoning and three
preliminary plans even
though sewer service is
not yet available in the
area.
The board, during its
meeting this week, rec
ommended approval for
the annexation of rezon
ing of 21.52 acres on Park
Avenue into the city for
First Genesis LLC, with
rezoning from C-l (com
mercial) to R-3 (single
family residential with
7,500 square foot lot min
imum).
See PLANS, page SA