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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville VOLUME 136, NUMBER 242 BELOW THE FOLD: $1 million fire department grant hinges on unincorporated service ■ Perry goes against county, approves rezoning Thursday December 21, 2006 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH IN BRIEF Perry Longhorn opening February The new Longhorn Steakhouse on Hampton Court in Perry will open Feb. 5, 2007, according to restaurant manager Jason Shawn Bivins, who attended the Perry City Council meeting Tuesday. Bivins was there for the vote on the restaurant’s application for a beer, wine and mixed drink alco hol license. This will be the second Longhorn in Houston County, the other being on Watson Blvd. in Warner Robins. Bivins is also the manager of that restaurant. - Charlotte Perkins Georgia DOT to scale back over holidays The Georgia Department of Transportation, according to a release, will scale back its con struction projects across the state - suspending related lane clo sures on all interstate and major state system highways - through Monday to ease Christmas holi day traffic congestion. Beginning at noon Friday, and continuing until 5 a.m., Tuesday there essentially will be no sched uled lane closures on any Georgia interstate highway or primary state route. (Similar work restrictions will be in place next weekend for the New Year's Day holiday.) The Department noted that some work may continue on less er-traveled state and local system roads and that incident- or emer gency maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary on any route. Georgia DOT encourages the public to access NaviGAtor ser vices at its website (www.geor gia-navigator.com) for detailed construction and traffic incident information. The public may also call the Department's traffic and construc tion hotline toll free, 24 hours, seven days a week, at 404-635- 6800. BIRTHDAYS Today ■ Robert Minter ■ Bobby Tuggle E-mail your birthdays to: hhj@evansnewspapers. com or donm@evansnewspapers. com or send them to: 1210 Washington St.. Perry 31069 attn: Don Moncrief. You can also call him at 987-1823, Ext. 231. DEARLY DEPARTED ■ Harris “Rooster" Harmon, 83 PERIODICAL 500 nail 8 *55108 00001* 4 Award-Winning Better Newspaper VaNglSjl Contest COOI * GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UNfV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 3-DIGIT 306 December 21, 2006 Serving Mmston Cocnty Since 1870 Perry Police to add gang investigator By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer Speaking to the Perry City Council on Tuesday night, Public Safety Director George Potter made the case for having a full time gang investigator on the police force. The city council subsequently voted to approve the position. During the work session prior to the regular meeting. Potter, who once headed the gang investigation effort for the police force in Columbus, lit , ' I- -'t . . V'/V'” 4 Danny Evans President Evans Newspapers. Inc. This building at 110 Kellwood St was set ablaze Tuesday, suspectedly when roofers left hot torches on top of the facility. Kellwood plant set ablaze By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Roofer’s torches may have started a Tuesday night fire at the old Kellwood plant in Perry. Perry Deputy Fire Chief Joel Gray said the build ing at 110 Kellwood St. in Perry, was undergoing reno 1L - ’’lp?? §•■■■ ’ ■ * Grant hinges on unincorporated fire service By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Warner Robins is still pondering the acceptance of the $1 million grant for the fire department. “The grant hinges on if we do fire service in the unincorporated areas of the county,” explained Mayor Donald Walker. The intergovernmental policy group, Vision 2020 has commissioned a report from the Middle Georgia Regional Development Center in Macon to study the matter and deter www.hhjnews.com gave the mayor and council a short course on gangs, using a Powerpoint presentation. He explained that under Georgia law, a gang is defined as any organi zation, association or group of three or more persons engaged in crimi nal gang activity, which includes crimes of violence, graffiti, sexual and stalking offenses and crimes involving weapons. He noted that gangs are organized with specific leaders, that they iden vation. “They were putting a new roof down and using torches to seal the seams,” Gray said. “The workers left about 5:20 to 5:25 p.m. and we got the call about 5:30 p.m.,” Gray said. “It was pretty well involved when we got there.” mine the estimated costs to the cities and taxpayers in the unincorporated areas for increased fire service. “The RDC should have that study done by January,” Walker said. The question the city has had to deal with is how the city will be paid for increased expenses involved with additional fire protection. The city can cover some areas now with the exiting coverage - and does if the county fire department asks. Another issue is if the residents of the unincorporated areas are willing tify with specific areas or territories and that they are engaged in crimi nal activity, and also recruit new members who are in need of social acceptance and lack positive role models. He noted that in some gangs a requirement of membership is to commit a felony, and that there have been several instances of cars being stolen in Perry by those seeking acceptance in Macon gangs. Potter was joined in his presenta Gray said Perry responded with an engine and a lad der truck. An engine from the Warner Robins Fire Department also responded. “We have an automatic aid with Warner Robins,” Gray said. “They send an engine for any structure fire See FIRE, 6A 'jT' ‘ m Wj&L . jgyß # to pay more for increased fire protec tion and if that increased amount is offset by a reduction in their fire insurance premiums. Residents in the unincorporated areas pay an extra 1.7 mills for fire service. The county, Warner Robins Fire Chief Robert Singletary noted, cannot afford for citizens north of Ga. 96 to stop paying and still provide fire service. The increased city costs include personnel as well as equipment for See GRANT, page 6A "They were putting a new roof down and using torches to seal the seams... It was pretty well involved when we got there." - Perry Deputy Fire Chief Joel Gray _ - \ an Evans Family Newspari y ; Two sections • 20 pages tion by Perry Middle School Principal Thomas Moore, who described an incident at the middle school where students were apparently imitat ing gang behavior with a “beating in”, an initiation that, in this case, involved hitting a fellow student six times in the chest. The incident was completely investigated, and the stu dents involved were sent to the sys tem’s alternative school, Moore said, noting that Perry Middle School is See GANG, page 6A Perry goes against county on rezoning By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer The City of Perry and the Houston County Commisson are at odds over the future of a large parcel of mid-coun ty land, and the appoint ment of a mediator will be the next step in resolving See REZONING, page 6A « «*