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jirtfKM&itofxitt Jhnmml VOLUME 137, NUMBER 97 BELOW THE FOLD: Perry approves greenspace initiative Student wins 5 awards INSIDE: Perry child molester back in jail Friday May 18, 2007 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH IN BRIEF Delegation reception to be held at MGTC The Houston County Legislative Delegation Reception will be held May 31 at 6 p.m. at Middle Georgia Technical College - in the lobby of Building A, which is located at 80 Cohen Walker Drive in Warner Robins. According to a release, this is an opportunity to meet with Georgia state representatives and senators to let them know “how much we appreciate them working on behalf of the Middle Georgia area. The cost is S2O per person and you must RSVP by May 29. To do that, visit this website: http://war nerrobinsgacoc.weblinkconnect. com/C WT/External/WCPages/ WCEvents/EventDetail. aspx?EventlD=l6ol Association to hold ‘huge’ yard sale The Houston County Association for Exceptional Citizens (501 c org) (Happy Hour Workshop) will hold, according to a release, a “huge" indoor yard sale Saturday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at 716 North Young Avenue in Warner Robins. All proceeds, according to the release, benefit challenged persons. Good clean quality donations accepted and appreciated. Contact Judy Goddard at 478- 335-5403 for more information. BIRTHDAYS ■ Dorothy Thomas ■ Buddy Achord ■ Marvin Gilbert E-mail your birthdays to: hhjllievansnewspapers.com or donm (ctevansnewspapers.com or send them to: 1210 Washington St., Perry 31069 attn: Don Moncrief. You can also call him at 9^7-1823, Ext. 231. PERIODICAL 500 News tip hotline 6 a.m.-4 p.m: 987-1823 Ext. 231 4 p.m.-until: 397-8811 llllilll 8 ,, 5 510 80 0 0 01 1 4 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest COOI * GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 3C6Q2-GOG2 3-DIGIT 306 May 18, 2007 S ll\ \ / S'y i I Ini s/m Coi V/V Si\< i IS7O Today Sunny High: 85 Low: 52 Weather hhjnews.com Cast net shrimpers catch break Web DDA soon to be DOA By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer The three new mem bers of the embattled Warner Robins Downtown Development Authority may only serve for one more meeting. That’s because the next meeting is likely to be the last for the authority as members expect to vote to transfer the last of the DDA assets to the city’s Redevelopment Agency and request that the city coun cil deactivate the DDA. The only reason the board didn’t do it at Wednesday’s meet ing was to give them time to tie up any loose ends like debts and property sales. '' ' * f -* *- j v ? ' r *' K t< a snsß '••■ - V'"-‘ • • ' - < ■#' •' - ’ ' ' ' •’ ap •* JK MSm sflnp. MF |||. ■** 4 ji i j jgv .m m I - I IHT *1 W \ . * HMm. L„ ._ ■ W | ■ ■! \jHf % \ jm 18l f$ r *f" r *3S& <- &**• ■ —«*» '.. 'Aft. . L ..--a>.lev. ,_ l . '' , *" ' 1# ■ ■ ~. ' - , '“ .T-' * " W Perry catcher Jeff Stewart successfully blocks the plate as a Troup player attempts to score in the two teams’ AAA state tournament opener Wednesday in LaGrange. For more, see 9A. Peppy Council approves greenspace initiative By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer Will Perry eventually develop resi dential sprawl and lose touch with its rural and agricultural roots? Will all the pecan orchards, grazing land for horses and farm fields give way to subdivi sions? Not if City Manager Lee Gilmour can help it. At Gilmour’s recommendation, the Perry City Council has approved a greenspace lease program aimed at maintaining traditional agricultural use of land as the city grows and annexes land. Under the program, Gilmour explains, landowners using land for agricultural or related uses, can agree to annex a minimum of 50 acres into the city with the city leasing the land for five years. The lease payment would See INITIATIVE,page 6A LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville That decision came at the end of the meeting, as mem bers - both new and old - realized there was no lon ger a need for the authority, as the city is creating the Redevelopment Agency to handle the redevelopment of the older and downtown areas of the city. City Attorney Jim Elliott said the city council is Panthers step it up force Game 3 www.hhjnews.com SCHOOL: Some cab bage patch kids, NS BETAS do a whole lot of CA reading. More. (Jrl "It gave the new agency a good place to start. It gave us land and money. We had to take care of business mid it got taken care of." - City Councilman Doug McDowell Local UGA student earns five awards From staff reports University of Georgia for est environmental resources and wildlife major and Perry resident. Sara Johnson was recognized with five separate awards and recognitions at the Daniel B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources 76th Annual Spring Awards Banquet. “I would like to congratu late Sara for her tremendous dedication to her education and all of her efforts as a stu dent leader who helps make the Warnell School a great place to obtain a degree and prepare for a career,” Warnell School Interim Dean Robert Warren said. “Sara has prov -.A expected to constitute the Redevelopment Agency at Monday’s meeting and appoint the mayor and councilmember to the new agency. The next to last DDA meeting began normally enough with old business, the land sale from the last meeting that wasn’t. See DDA, page 6A en her ability to succeed in our rigorous academic pro gram and we are certain she will make a marked contribu tion in whatever career path she chooses to pursue.” The awards and recogni tions bestowed upon her include: • Ag Hill Council Outstanding Senior in Forest Resources - Based on schol arship, extra-curricular and community activities and leadership, this award is pre sented by the Ag Hill Council to an outstanding student at the Warnell School. • Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Senior in Forest See A WARDS, page 6A SPORTS: Warner Robins and Houston County 1-2 in region QA honors. Url Fund-raiser to benefit ill Northside student By DON MONCRIEF Journal Managing Editor Powder puff. In compari son it is an appropriate title. That’s because what they, Fellowship of Christian Athletes from Warner Robins, Northside and Houston County High schools, will be doing Thursday is just that compared to the monumen tal battle Chris Johnson has been waging. The former Eagle defen sive end, who would no doubt love to be back out there today, was diagnosed with leukemia July 14, 2005. ENI/Gary Harmon A Jr JfM H ■> Contributed/Wamell School of Forestry and Natural Resources Perry resident Sara Johnson was recog nized with five separate awards and rec ognitions at the Daniel B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources 76th Annual Spring Awards Banquet. ■ W "" 1 W&EvAns FAMi/Y,\ ! i:\vsr\ri R One section • 12 pages What: Fellowship of Christian Athletes powder puff flag foot ball game Why: To raise money to help defray medical costs for Northside student/athlete Chris Johnson Where: Northside High School practice field (right behind the school) When: Thursday, 6 p.m. Cost: $5 at the gate (a dona tion of more is welcome) He has been waging war with it since. See BENEFIT, page 6A Jury convicts 2 WR men for 'O6 robbery Special to the Journal A Houston County jury, according to a release, delib erated for almost three hours Wednesday before convicting two Warner Robins men of armed robbery and posses sion of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Ronald Felix Emory, 17, of 223 Crescent Drive and Kris Miles Powell, 19, of 437 Sarah Drive, were convicted in Houston Superior Court for a robbery that occurred at the Wachovia Bank Oct. 16, 2006. During the three-day trial, prosecutors, according to the release, presented evi dence Powell drove Emory to the Wachovia bank where a Family Dollar manager was robbed of daily receipts at gunpoint by Emory. A witness testified they saw a truck matching the description of Powell’s uncle’s truck leaving the scene of the robbery at high speed. Further investigation by Warner Robins police dis covered a pair of sunglasses See CONVICTS, page 6A