Newspaper Page Text
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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, \
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Cent t kvii i t |
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BELOW THE FOLD: Miss Perry HS crowned Perry Chamber recognizes 3 achievers INSIDE: WR shelter quarantined, again
Weekend
February 17, 2007
The Home Journal's
FRONT
PORCH
IN BRIEF
FAMA to meet in
Centerville
Families Against
Methamphetamine Abuse will
meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the
Centerville Lions Club. James
Vaughn, president of Georgia
Addiction Counselors Association,
will speak.
FAMA meetings are held every
third Tuesday, and are open to
the public. For information, call
953-6955 or visit www.middlega
fama.org.
Exceptional citizens
to hold yard sale
The Houston County
Association for Exceptional
Citizens (501 c orgj will hold an
indoor yard sale today from 8
a.m.-1 p.m. at the Happy Hour
Work Shop 11. The workshop is
located at 716 N Young Avenue
in Warner Robins.
All proceeds benefit the devel
opmentally challenged Also,
“good, clean quality" donations
are accepted and appreciated.
Bell-Willis to address
NAMI-Central meeting
Feb. 26. Liz Bell-Willis will
address the monthly meet
ing of NAMI-Central Ga. on
“Depression.”
According to a release, in
any given year 13-14 million
Americans suffer from clinical
depression. It is the leading cause
of disability among women, reads
the release.
Bell-Willis is a registered nurse
with 21 years of experience in
psychiatric nursing. The meeting
will be at 7 p.m. at the New Hope
Center, located at 100 Story Road
in Warner Robins. The public is
invited to come and ask ques
tions. For more information or
directions call 328-0508
BIRTHDAYS
Today
■ Wanda McGee
Sunday
■ Kenny Thomas
■ Tuadasia Solomon
Monday
■ Brittney Myers
M Shawndrecia “Bay" Lowe
■ Robbie Settles
!> Lucille Godfrey
ANNIVERSARY
Monday
■ Joe and Mary Ray, 46 years
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ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-DIGIT 306
February 17, 2007
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Sixvim Houston Comm Since 1870
Some entitled to new
homeowner exemption
Deadline to apply March 1
HyRAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff W riter
Houston County Tax Commissioner Mark
Kushinka announced that new exemptions
are available for homeowners.
Thanks to the referendum passed by vot
ers in November, homeowners over age 65
are now eligible to exempt all or just a por
tion of the state’s property tax. “It’s real
complicated,” said Kushinka of the applica
tions, “some of it has to bv done by the tax
commissioner.”
He said his office just received guidelines
"He's blessed. There's not a scratch on him. It happened in slow motion.
The truck is fine.”
- Perry Police Field Training Officer Eric Phillips
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Journal/Ray Lightner M
The owner and the driver of a gravel truck from Folsom Construction of Cordele talk with the Warner
Robins Wrecker driver about the overturned truck at Bear Branch Road and Ga. 127 across from the
entrance to Houston Lake.
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Gravel truck overturns by Houston Lake
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff W'riter
Once the weight shifts there’s noth
ing you can do.
According to Perry Police Field
Training Officer Eric Phillips said the
Miss Peppy
HS cpowned
Special to the Journal
Senior Laurel Thompson
was crowned Miss Perry
High School 2007 before
a packed auditorium on
Thursday night.
The pageant, which show
cased 28 Perry High School
students who competed in
interview, sportswear and
platform, talent and evening
gown opened to the contes
tants dancing to the theme
“New York, New York.”
Winners for the evening
included: Miss Congeniality
- Susanna Agnew; Talent
Winner - Laurel Thompson;
Interview Winner -Courtney
Boone.
Taylor Feeney was named
Miss Freshman 2007;
Katie Claxton was named
Miss Sophomore 2007; and
Susanna Agnew was named
See CROWNED,page ioA
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from the state and wants to get the word
out. We’re kind of in a rush,” he said, “since
the deadline is March 1.”
The exemptions are only for the state por
tion of the property tax, which is .25 mills of
the total tax bill. Homeowners will still have
to pay county (9.32 mills) and school (12.5
mills) taxes, as well as city or county fire
taxes (1.19 mills). City millage rates vary.
Legislation proposed by state Senator Cecil
Staton, R- Macon, would move the date back
toApril 1, but for thisyear the date is March 1.
There are also new exemptions for the
unremarried surviving spouses of U.S.
service members killed in action and for
See ENTITLED, page toA
driver of a truck carrying 23 tons of
gravel was turning right onto Bear
Branch Road, He had to try to cut the
corner, as a car was stopped at the
stop sign on Bear Branch.
Phillips said the truck driver told
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Contributed
The Miss Perry High School court, from left, Miss Junior Susanna Agnew, Miss Perry
High School Laurel Thompson, Miss Sophomore Katie Claxton and Miss Freshman
Taylor Feeney.
Infant dies in crash
HyRAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff W'riter
A 3-week-old child died
Thursday after being eject
ed from her grandmother’s
van in a crash on Ga. 247
and Ignico Drive.
The child, Lilly Rose
Logue, was laid in a car
seat, hut not strapped in
and the seat, which was not
Operative: He'll take O'Neal
complaint to prosecutors
By GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press W'riter
The former Democratic
operative who filed an cth
ics complaint against Gov.
Sonny Perdue’s lawyer said
the car to go, but the driver didn’t
hear him, so he tried to make the
turn. “He almost made it,” Philips
said. “The cab and all but the last axel
made it.”
See OVERTURNS, page 6A
buckled to the vehicle, said
Cpl. Sean Alexander of the
Houston County Sheriff’s
Office Traffic Division.
“Had the child been in the
seat properly,” Alexander
said, “we would have been
in a better situation than
we are today.”
The child and the
See INFANT, page ioA
he is taking the case to
prosecutors after a legis
lative panel dismissed his
complaint.
“The choices of the
See COM PI AI NT, page ioA
Meth lands
five in jail
By RAY LIGIITNER
Journal Staff W'riter
A two-day investigation
of a drug operation out of
a motel room landed five
people in jail on drug dealing
charges. Houston County
Sheriff’s Office narcotics
investigator Sgt. Manny
Quinones said the five
arrests are all related.
The drugs, methamphet
amine ice and marijua
na, were reportedly being
sold out of Marcus Jimmy
Blount’s motel room at the
Margie Drive Days Inn.
Blount was arrested follow
ing a traffic stop Thursday
at 1:25 p.m. near the motel
by Deputy Clay Chambers.
Quinones and Sgt. Wayne
Franklin executed a • search
warrant on the vehicle, a
2000 Chevy Sliverado pick
up, reportedly finding sever
al bags of marijuana, several
bags of crystal meth, as well
as bags and electronic scales
and $3,179 in cash.
The truck and its contents
were seized. Blount is in the
Houston County Detention
center without bond on
charges of possession with
intent to distribute meth,
possession with intent to dis
tribute marijuana and con
spiracy to distribute meth.
At 11:15 a.m. Thursday,
Deputy Clay Chambers of
HCSO Interstate Criminal
Enforcement conducted
See METH, page 6A
Chamber
singles out
3 achievers
From staff reports
At their annual meeting
on Thursday, the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce hon
ored Frank Shelton with
the Seabie Hickson Award
for service to the commu
nity and named Rob Brooks
Volunteer of the Year. The
Bank of Perry was honored
as Business of the Year.
Shelton was recognized
for his years of behind-the
scenes work as a volunteer
and his generosity to the
community, with specific
thanks for his recent work
on the Grace Village project.
Brooks was com mended not
only for his work on behalf
of the chamber as Military
Affairs chairman, but his
service to the Rotary Club,
See ACHIEVERS, page 6A
h AMILY NEWSMPM