Newspaper Page Text
♦ SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2006
8A
Run-off election to cost
the county $12,917
By RAYUGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
For the one run-off
race for the Public Safety
Commission on the Dec. 5
ballot, it will cost Houston
County $12,917.
That money will go to
pay 140 people to man
the 28 polling places. “I
dare say 1,500 people will
vote,” Commissioner Tom
McMichael said.
“It’s absolutely absurd the
state requires us to pay all
these people to stare at the
walls all day,” McMichael
said.
Commission Chairman
Ned Sanders said it was
something “we will discuss
with the legislative delega
tion.”
The commissioners float
ed ideas including a plural
ity instead of a majority
for elections and fewer pre
cincts. “The bottom line,”
Commissioner Jay Walker
said, “there’s a better way.”
BAY
From page 4A
moving forward socially,
politically and economically.
South Africa still confronts
tribal divisions and a host
of fractious issues, but the
TRC is regarded as a success
and a model for national
reconciliation. Rwanda has
implemented its own recon
ciliation process, with mixed
results. I recall reading about
a tribunal two years ago that
gave a confessed killer (a
Rwandan Hutu) a reduced
sentence, over the objections
of Tutsi villagers who had
lost family members in the
1994 massacres.
The man, however, had to
publicly confess his crimes,
ask forgiveness from those
who suffered and accept
his criminal sentence. The
greater public goal was a
PLANS
From page iA
The city council formally
approved the annexation
and rezoning on Monday.
City officials told the devel
oper, Neal Krajewski from
Nealco Developments, “san
itary sewer is not available
in the area at this time.”
Preliminary site plans
were also approved for Bob
Anderson’sWillingham Drive
and MJS Development’s
Wellston Hills subdivision.
Anderson withdrew another
request for a site plan for the
Old Perry Road subdivisions
once told sanitary sewer was
not available yet at either
location.
A timeline for sewer ser
vice was not available from
the city utilities engineering
department.
Krajewski said he is pur
chasing the site from First
Genesis, contingent on the
rezoning.
QUEST
From page iA
change. And they did.
As Halloween drew near
er, the next idea came. He
purchased two buckets for
his door-to-door travels. One
was for his candy and one
for spare change.
The project raised SBB
in spare change. That
might not seem like much,
but Germandsen, said he
believes that every one of
these coins counts when it
comes to helping.
As far as the role he’s
played, it’s modest, he said,
compared to what Davis and
other children who are ill
have to go through.
“I really like kids,” he said.
“I like to help out kids. Kids
like Robert need to be able
to play and have fun.
“’Little Robert,’ still needs
help,” he added. “I did not
have a lot, but it is impor
tant that people help, even if
it is a little.”
Cathy Holland, Robert
M.L. Davis’ grandmother
had some strong feels about
The costs include paying
for 29 precinct managers,
58 assistant managers, 38
election clerks, 24 janitors,
three election night helpers,
one supply pickup helpers
one technician as well as the
84 touch screen units, 28
pickup/return supplies and
28 cell phones.
The Board of Elections
was also given approval
to hire at least four work
ers to assist with the logic
and accuracy testing on the
direct electronic recording
units to be used during the
election. Testing was ten
tatively set for Nov. 22 for
machines used for absentee
voting and Monday for those
in the Dec. 5 election.
In other business, the
commissioners approved the
reappointment of Lynwood
Barrett and Judy Ross to
three-year terms on the
Board of Adjustment and
Appeals. The ad hoc board
meets only as needed and
has not met in some time.
township where both Tutsis
and Hutus recognized the
rule of law and agreed to
live together without blood
vendettas.
Iraqis know that decades
of dictatorship have splin
tered their society. Last
June, Prime Minister Nour
al-Maliki presented a rec
onciliation plan to the Iraqi
parliament. Maliki's plan
included a controversial
proposal that would provide
amnesty for some Iraqis who
have fought and killed coali
tion troops (including U.S.
troops).
At a press conference in
June, U.S. Ambassador to
Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said
that in his opinion there
were only two classes of
“irreconcilables”: “those
who want the old regime
back (i.e., Saddam’s regime)
and those who are al-Qaida
terrorist supporters.”
He plans to put about 58
1,500-square-foot homes on
the site.
He asked for 6,000 square
foot lots but city planning
officials said that variance
is not in the code. They will
work with Krajewski to do
some street realignment to
make the lots 7,500 square
feet.
The city offered variances
per lot for those that cannot
meet the standards due to
the topography of the site.
Krajewski assured adja
cent residents of Highland
Drive his development
- Carly Court subdivision
- would not affect them. He
said many of the man-made
drainage ditches on the site
would be piped and filled
in, with the exception of the
Bay Gull.
He said the new houses
will surround a detention
pond on the site. The pond
would be piped to drain into
Bay Gull.
whUTSi
grandmother said, will
be an important exam.
More than nine months
ago he was sent home
under hospice care. A
recent exam gave Cathy
and ML. Holland new
hjwever, for the
Hunter’s efforts, “ Hunter
melted my heart to have
only been 7 years old and
thinking about my ‘Lil’
Man’. Most 7-year-old do
not spend their time worry
ing about other kids.
“It is amazing that ‘Lil’
Man’ could touch Hunter’s
heart so much that he would
collect money for Robert.”
The board also approved
sls Kroger gift certificates
for all county employees
for Christmas. The county
received a 5-percent discount
off the face value of the 675
sl6 gift certificates. Kroger
was the only bidder though
offers were solicited from
Winn Dixie and Publix.
The gift certificates, which
will be distributed the week
of Dec. 11, exclude alcohol,
tobacco and lottery tickets.
Walker challenged his
fellow commissioners to
donate their gift cars to the
Salvation Army, “something
Gail (Robinson, county com
missioner) and I do every
year.”
The board also approved
renewing the county health
insurance with Blue Cross,
after negotiations to reduce
the rate increase from 18
percent to only 9 percent.
Voluntary life and short
term disability insurance
will change however from
Boston Mutual to UNUM.
The Washington Post quot
ed Khalilzad as adding, “All
wars must come to an end,
and the hostility has to be
replaced by reconciliation.”
Let’s hope Khalilzad is
right. Reconciliation encour
ages cooperation, which Iraq
desperately needs to advance
politically and economically.
Which leads to this holiday
observation: Thanksgiving
focuses on sharing a mutual
bounty ~ the harvest. And
it is broad cooperation that
produces the most bountiful
harvests.
To find out more about
Austin Bay, and read features
by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit
the Creators Syndicate Web
page at www.creators.com.
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LOCAL
RESCUE
From page lA
Tuesday, and for some time
prior, the family had been
living in a 68-year-old trail
er and under deplorable
conditions.
“This is a mom and
dad with no job, trying to
hold the family together,”
said Toni Henson-Slade,”
who was credited by Neal
Reagan of Perry Furniture
Outlet as the force behind
this fairytale surprise. He,
too, played a mqjor role,
however, in the form of pro
viding a household full of
furniture, as well as cabi
nets full of food.
“The dad has been laid
off,” Henson-Slade contin
ued. “The dad has been
looking for work as a
plumber but just hasn’t
found anything yet. They
were living in the best con
ditions they could find but
it was horrible.
“The beds the children
slept on were soiled and the
insects have all but taken
over the place. It just was
not a good place for chil
dren.
“The mom was cooking
Please don’t forge
r .
This Christmas season please help poor and suffering souls in
our community. Your gift today will let someone in desperate
need know they haven’t been forgotten.
Remember to give.
YES, 1 want to help provide food and shelter
for needy people in our community:
□ 320 to help feed a hungry person.
□ 535 to help provide toys for needy children.
□ SSO to help feed and shelter a hurting family.
□ S to help as much as possible.
namT
MAHRESS
1 cm"ViTiTvYi
meals on a hot plate. It
was just unimaginable,
the conditions. We came
up with this idea through
generous donations.”
Henson-Slade heads
a ministry that works
through music and special
donations to find families
in need.
“The family did not ask
for our help. We found
them,” she added. “We
believe so much that if you
have the means to bless
someone, an opportunity is
out there. It is not a hand
out, but more a hand up.“
Henson-Slade added the
McDowell’s situation was
much like last year in that
they - the organization she
represents - found 75 fami
lies to adopt and sponsor.
/S. ‘Jewelry Repair & Cleaning
/ \ ‘Watch Repair
-graving Hours:
WAI/iy / ‘Appraisals Mon. -Fri.
.Estate Jewelry 9:3oam-s:3opm
\ / Sat.
\/ ‘Class Rings 9.30am-2pm
[ CMP AND MAH, WITH YOUR GIFf TODAY
DAVID OVERTON JEWELERS
905 Downtown Carroll St. • Perry
Doing the
most GOOD
Please send vour
tax-deductible gift to:
The Salvation Army
P.O. Box 2408
Warner Robins, GA 31093
To make a gift by credit card
I 800 SAI. ARMY
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
“Our mqjor project last
year was to give family
support money for medical
bills,” she said. “We were
so blessed that we raised,
$26,000, towards medi
cal expenses for this per
son and family. Everyone
deserves a second chance!”
If you wish to become part
of this program or help out,
call Henson-Slade at 478-
396-8405, or contact her at
tonihenßonslade@cox. net.
Suberic today!
Call 987-1823
* - *•' fjgyng
4