Newspaper Page Text
' LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 245
BELOW THE FOLD: Commissioners raise legislative concerns ■ Great Christmas Tree Round-up set for January
Thursday
December 28, 2006
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
IN BRIEF
Georgia Cares sends
out reminder
Georgia Cares SNIP volunteers
are reminding Medicare benefi
ciaries that they are not required
to make a co-payment when
receiving a flu shot because flu
vaccinations are covered under
Medicare, Georgia Cares is admin
istered through the Department
of Human Resources Division of
Aging Services.
"One of the best ways to pre
vent getting the flu is to receive
a flu vaccine,' said DAS Director
Maria Greene. “Seniors who are
on Medicare do not have to pay
for the vaccine; Medicare should
be billed for it. We encourage
all Medicare beneficiaries to call
Georgia Cares toll-free at 1-800-
669-8387 if anyone bills Medicare
and attempts to charge them for a
flu vaccine.”
Georgia Cares will forward
any complaints to the Office of
Inspector General or other appro
priate agencies for investigation.
High Museum bus
trip planned
The Fine Art Society of Middle
Georgia is planning a trip to the
High Museum, Woodruff Arts
Center in Atlanta Jan 16. 2007.
The bus will leave from Warner
Robins Senior Citizens Center at
9 a.m. and return around 6 p.m.
The cost is $24 which includes
transportation and admission to
the museum. To sign up call Pat
at 929-2891.
Correction:
In the Dec. 21 story “Grant
hinges on unincorporated fire ser
vice” the response times to two
fires were wrong.
While the 20-minute time were
correctly quoted, from the fire
chief and the mayor, their state
ments were not factually correct
according to Houston County Fire
Chief Jimmy Williams. Williams
said county volunteer firefight
ers responded to each fire “in
nine minutes, according to 911
records, which is pretty good for
volunteers.”
And in one incident the house
was fully involved when the 911
call was made by Warner Robins
firefighters.
BIRTHDAYS
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.
PERIODICAL 500
Villi
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Award-Winning
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GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
Main Library
UN IV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 3G6Q2-GGG2
3-DIGIT 306
December 28, 2006
Serving ffimsrm Cmsty Since 1870
Police seek suspects in robberies
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Warner Robins Police are seeking
suspects in three separate armed
robberies - one on Dec. 22 and the
others Tuesday night.
The first robbery took place at
the 700 North Davis Drive Citgo.
On Dec. 22, officers of the Patrol
Division were dispatched about at
9:51 p.m., in reference to an armed
robbery.
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Members of Perry High School's basketball team receive the first-place trophy for winning the Chick-fil-A Bear Brawl
basketball tournament held Wednesday-Saturday at Houston County High School. For more on the annual tourna
ment, see 18.
Commissioners raise legislative concerns
By RATLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Houston County
Commissioners, during
a meeting this past week,
raised several concerns on
possible legislation with the
local legislative delegation
in a meeting that included
city officials, who also had
concerns. Besides several
land use issues - including
annexation, infrastruc
ture development districts,
Oaky Woods - and septage
(see previous stories in the
Houston Daily Journal),
local officials also raised
issues including inverse con
demnation, wells, tax issues
and run-off election costs.
Commission Chairman
Ned Sanders explained
inverse condemnation as:
when a government physi
cally intrudes or signifi
cantly interferes with the
use of private property. Both
county and city officials were
opposed to any effort in the
Legislature to broaden the
concept. Sanders said some
individuals want to expand
the concept to include regu
latory decisions which will
put local zoning ordinanc
es, tree ordinances, historic
preservation ordinances,
erosion and sedimentation
controls and stream buf
fers at risk. He said changes
would impact local budgets
with legal fees and court
www.hhjnews.com
Upon arrival, the cashier report
ed three black males entered, one
brandishing a pistol and demand
ing money. The suspect fled after
obtaining an undisclosed amount of
money. No one was injured during
the incident.
The suspects were described as
black males about 5-foot,B-inches
tall and about 150-160 pounds.
The first suspect was wear
ing camouflage pants with a black
sweatshirt and wasm described as a
Bear Brawl champs
"It is a lose-lose deal. Developers sue
us for denying use of land they can then
sell for a premium price. If we approve
the rezoning, area residents sue for the
Impact and loss of value on their land."
- Commissioner Tom McMicbael
delays on public projects.
“It is a lose-lose deal,”
said Commissioner Tom
McMichael. “Developers sue
us for denying use of land
they can then sell for a pre
mium price. If we approve
the rezoning, area residents
sue for the impact and loss
of value on their land.”
Centerville City manager
Patrick Eidson said such
lawsuits “would cripple the
city of Centerville with our
small budget.”
Commissioner Jay Walker
said he had “mixed emotions
about it. That’s where I have
a problem because citizens
are losing enjoyment of their
land.”
Commissioner Larry
Thomson said “the Health
Department is doing that
now, denying public wells to
residents who have a water
line in front of their prop
erty, whether it’s two acres
or 100 acres.”
He said this includes wells
just used for irrigation.
“It’s not hurting our water
light-skinned black male.
The second suspect was wearing
blue jeans and a black short sleeve
shirt. The third suspect was wearing
a dark shirt and dark shorts.
Anyone with information about the
armed robbery at the Citgo is asked
to contact Det. Karen Stokes of the
Warner Robins Police Department
Criminal Investigation Division at
918-2980.
The first of the two Tuesday night
incidents occurred in the parking lot
supply,” Thomson said, “it
helps the county out dur
ing drought times because
they’re not using the county
water supply.”
He asked the legislators
for “some relaxation on
punitive action, some relief
with property acreage and
setbacks.”
Mayor Donald Walke- told
the commissioners “you
appoint them,” referri ig to
the local Board of H ;alth,
“you can hire them, yc a can
fire them.”
Sanders said, “the/ are
enforcing the laws o the
state.”
Representative L. rry
O’Neal said the Jate
requires 1.5 acres for x well,
“the county requires he tie
on is a waterline is avail
able.”
The taxation issues includ
ed changes in motor fuel
tax collection, increasing tax
exemptions and a property
tax freeze.
Sanders suggested local
sales taxes should be col-
lected at the distribution
point instead of at the retail
level and instead of more
taxes, improve the method
of collection. Sanders said he
is “asking for consideration
for local taxation purposes,
“so we don’t have to rely on
diminished retail sales.”
Representative Tony
Sellier asked if part of the
problem was “improper
record keeping?”
Other officials said that
was a nice way of putting it.
O’Neal said collection
would be increased better
than 20 percent. “We will
see a significant magnifica
tion on the collection of sales
tax,” he said.
He added, “the change is
because of different sales
tax rates throughout the
sate. We needed a look back
system since prices change
daily.”
Tolleson said “most people
in the fuel industry like it
because it makes (for) a level
playing field.”
The commissioners were
strongly apposed to legisla
tion to increase tax exemp
tions on ad velorem taxes.
Sanders said, “it is local rev
enue for local government to
carry out what is required to
carry our duties. It’s not an
undue taxation.”
McMichael said “we don’t
need to shift everything back
to the property owners.”
See CONCERNS, page 108
an Evans Family Newspaper
Three sections • 24 pages
of Secrets Lounge. At approximately
6:30 p.m., officers responded to 844
N. Houston Road to investigate the
reported armed robbery. The victim
reported he was in the parking lot
when three black males robbed him
at gunpoint. The suspects then fled
the scene on foot.
A juvenile was apprehended in the
area of the lounge and was identified
as one of the three suspects.
He was arrested and charged
See ROBBERIES, page 108
Housing
permits
drop in
November
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Housing permits in all of
Houston County dropped
about 31.33 percent from
October to November.
The number of single
family dwelling per
mits issued countywide
dropped from 150 in
October to only 103 in
November. It is also down
from the 155 issued in
November 2005.
While there were
increases in the unin
corporated areas and in
Centerville, the number of
permits dropped in Perry
and in Warner Robins.
Warner Robins had the
largest drop, at 50 per
cent, from 86 in October
to 43 in November. The 43
permits is also down from
65 in November 2005.
In Perry, permits
dropped 41.6667 percent
in November with 14
from the 24 in October.
It is down significantly
from the 44 issued in
November 2005.
The increase in
Centerville was only
See PERMITS, page ioB
Great Christmas
Tree Round-up
set tor new year
Special to the Journal
The Great Christmas
Tree Round-Up will
take place locally Jan. 6,
2007 on Maple Street.
The event, co-sponsored
by Flint Energies and
ABC Proffessional Tree
Services and hosted by
Keep Warner Robins
Beautiful, will run from 8
a.m. until 1 p.m. During
that time, free tree seed
lings will be given in
exchange for Christmas
trees.
Provided by the KWRB
organization, here are
some interesting live
Christmas tree facts:
■ Christmas tree farms
have environmental ben
efits. They replenish the
environment’s oxygen
supply, serve as wildlife
habitat, increase soil sta
bility and provide a valu
able and aesthetically
pleasing improvement to
the land.
■ Christmas trees
are frequently, or can
be, planted on barren
See TREE, page toB