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MxmMhm J9mht %mmmX 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 lilllll * 8 ,1 55108 0000l 1 4 Award-Winning Better Newspaper fJti Contest itiiiiii<i.iiii.!iiii l iii}ii >M i( l iiiii.i l iiii{,.,ii COOI * 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. •a. • HP . •#• :a MF W f ~ L t. mm-' Si H I w m % r ' 4 % jk t\ m Ilk M* Wssm ■ M T 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 H | 1 I jL j iSsggg (s' -u. 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