Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 137, NUMBER 98
BELOW THE FOLD: Fire services proposals up to 4 Commissioners vote to name new middle school road after Carpenter
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Weekend
May 19, 2007
The Home Journal s
FRONT
PORCH
IN BRIEF
Runway opens, sonic
booms to return
The Robins AFB community
will, according to a release, begin
hearing sonic booms again now
as the base runway is reopened
Saturday. On Monday, the release
reads, the (light checks and test
ing of the F-15 aircraft which have
gone through programmed depot
maintenance will resume.
The 339th Flight Test Squadron
will fly its normal schedule on that
day. The runway was closed for
14 days, May 4 through Saturday,
for repairs.
During the closure, the replace
ment of 40 concrete slabs and
90,000 linear feet of joint seals,
placed between the slabs to repel
water. The repairs cost approxi
mately $1.5 million.
WRPD to host Youth
Police Academy
The Warner Robins Police
Department is hosting a Youth
Police Academy from July 10-26
at the Police Department Training
Complex. Classes will be every
Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to
5 p.m. for three weeks. A gradua
tion lunch will be held on July 26
with family and officers
The program, according to a
release, allows students to learn
about law enforcement and to
meet the officers.
Class instruction includes the
hiring process, communications
(with a visit to the 911 Center),
criminal and drug investigations,
crime scene investigations use of
force and firearms.
The class is for students ages
15-17. Participants must have
waiver signed by a parent or
guardian. Applications are avail
able from school resources offi
cers or by calling Grace Hodges
at 929-7253.
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May 19, 2007
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hhjnews.com
A step toward
recovery
Web
Police add prom money
theft to suspect's list
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Sta ff Writer
The Elko man arrest
ed in a Warner Robins
pawnshop has also been
charged with taking the
Hawkinsville High School
prom money.
According to Cpl. James
Williams of the Houston
County Sheriffs Office
Criminal Investigation
Division, the arrest of
Ryan Neeley Thompson
has cleared a burglary case
involving Hawkinsville
Eric Williams had a dream. Some would have called it an impossible dream. He wanted tb play
football with the Perry Panthers.
H“l talked to him about it” his mother, Helen Williams says. “I talked to him about his asthma and I
told him, ‘Eric, there’s a lot of running to do,’ but he said, Tm going to do it, no matter what.’*’...
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Perry and Troup baseball players bow their head in a prayer in remembrance of Eric Williams Thursday in LaGrange.
Perry loses 'Big F
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
Eric Williams had a dream. Some
would have called it an impossible
dream.
He wanted to play football with
the Perry Panthers.
“I talked to him about it” his
mother, Helen Williams says. “I
talked to him about his asthma and
I told him, ‘Eric, there’s a lot of run
ning to do,’ but he said, ‘l’m going to
do it, no matter what.’”
There were other obstacles, too.
Eric was born with cerebral ptdsy.
He needed special education class
Fire service proposals up to 4
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Susan Lasseter came up
with the costs for increased
staffing at county fire sta
tions.
Lasseter of Kathleen con
tacted the county fire chief
to get budget numbers for
the past three years - 2004
to 2006 - to provide cost esti
mates for her two proposals
for increased staffing. The
previous month she gave
the county commissioners
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
High
School
prin c i -
pal Mary
Royal at
her Elko
home.
Royal’s
home was
burglar
ized and
money
that her school had raised
from the prom was sto
len.
The money was estimat-
two more options to con
sider when it comes to fire
service.
The county and Vision
2020 are considering a num
ber of options which are
based on some form of con
solidation with the Warner
Robins Fire Department for
fire services north of Ga.
96.
Vision 2020, which recom
mends policy to the county
and the cities, next meets
Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at
www.hhjnews.com
LIFESTYLE: Perry
Farmer's Market
returns.
Birthdays and IQ
more. D
THOMPSON
es.
But, still, the big love of his life
was Perry Panthers football, and
thanks to Perry High School head
coach Andy Scott, Williams got his
chance.
The coach and the team made the
dream possible. He was not only
given a spot on the team, but was
even on the field playing during one
game.
The coach acknowledges that
Williams couldn’t really play com
petitively, but says, “We sheltered
him a bit. We just loved him.”
Robby Taylor and Stephen
, ■!■ a - j ■'•efeJiuilHfouL.
ed around $4,000 in cash
and checks, which she
brought home after the
Saturday night prom and
planned to take to school
the following Monday,
before discovering it miss
ing.
Williams said evidence
has been found that
Thompson was respon
sible for “this burglary
as well as several more
in Houston County and
Peach County,” he said.
See LIST, page yA
Centerville City Hall to take
up fire service consolida
tion, as well as consolidated
animal control services and
early storm warning sirens.
proposal
includes the entire county,
not just the area north of
Ga. 96, which is the first
phase of a-plan being consid
ered by Vision 2020. In any
of the options, whether con
solidation with the Warner
Robins Fire Department
See PROPOSALS, page 6A
SPORTS: Troup out
guns, ousts Perry
Macon
Music and QQ
more. OD
He takes a licking but keeps on ticking
Embattled director
offered contract
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Contrary to the wishes of
Mayor Donald Walker, the
Warner Robins Housing
Authority signed a contract
with its executive director,
Charles Alexander.
“The board has seen fit to
keep Mr. Alexander and will
execute a contract with him,”
explained Authority Attorney
Gene Harrington.
“It’s been a tremendous
ordeal,” Alexander said.
See CONTRACT, page 6A
Calhoun were two of the players
who took a big interest in Williams,
enjoying his company as a friend.
They called him “Big E.”
“He really brightened up every
body’s day,” Taylor said.
When Taylor, who is a graduating
senior, got a football scholarship to
West Georgia, Williams said imme
diately that he wanted to go there,
too. Taylor brought him back a West
Georgia T-shirt that Williams cher
ished.
Williams wanted to have Taylor’s
number 49 on his football jersey.
On Friday morning, Scott brought
Commissioners vote to name new
middle school road for Carpenter
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The new road to the new
middle school will be named
after the retiring school
superintendent.
The Houston County
Commissioners made a
unanimous motion and
had a unanimous second
then a unanimous vote to
name the new four-lane
road between Ga. 96 and
Two sections • 18 pages
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"It's been a
tremendous ordeal.
I'm glad it's over, for
our part. I look
forward to moving on
to a healing
process."
- Warner Robins housing
Authority Executive Director
Charles Alexander
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f •
Eric Williams
a brand new one to Heleh Williams
See BIG E, page 6A
Sandefur Road that goes
past the soon-to-bpen Mossy
Creek Middle School Danny
Carpenter Drive. The road is
named after retiring School
Superintendent Danny
Carpenter in honor of his
34 years ot service to the
Houston County Board of
education.
While there were sugges
tions from Mossy Creek Road
and Gator Alley (after the
See ROAD, page 6A
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