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J J ijurtfltt jllllottt®M2®J VOLUME 137, NUMBER 145 ■y jya fjry 1 * sis W |^lw g |l fSiyi!Bg s's Thursday July 26, 2007 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH IN BRIEF Informed Citizens United to host forum Informed Citizens United will host a Community Forum at the Nola Brantley Library on Watson Boulevard in Warner Robins Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon. The forum, according to a release, is designed to give county residents the opportunity to express their feel ings about the good and bad aspects of living in today’s Houston County. The meeting is open to the public. Morningside to hold election, meeting Morningside Elementary School, according to a release, will hold a School Council election Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. (in the school’s lunchroom) for one parent representative. The first 2007-2008 Morningside Elementary School Council meeting will be held Sept. 5 at 7:30 a.m. in the Professional Learning Lab. Morningside is located at 1206 Morningside Drive in Perry. Principal Pat Witt may be contacted either by phone at 478-988-6261, Ext. 24260, or by e-mail at pawitt@hcbe.net. HCHS to provide freshman orientation Houston County High School will host a freshman orientation Aug. 2 at 6:30 p.m. Incoming freshmen and their parents, according to a release, are invited to attend the open house to receive important information on school rules and procedures. Also per the release, there will not be an open house for students in 10th through 12th grades. To receive their schedules, sophomores, juniors and seniors should report to their connection teacher on the first day of classes, Aug. 6. BIRTHDAYS Today ■ Delton Hawkins ■ Kadeja Wright (Happy sev enth!) ■ Jeff Beard ■ Carolyn S. Watson ■ Ray Trice ANNIVERSARIES Today ■ Jenny and Doc Crumley ■ Cynthia and Ronnie Harden PERIODICAL 500 iiimni 8 "551080000l 1 4 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest liilfif luiiliiilli null Him||iii||i llt ,|i|| lll || COOI * GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main library UN!V OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 306G2-GGG2 3-DIGIT 306 July 26, 2007 I-Vov /ay; Holsivx Cot \ n Si\( i: : 1870 Today Weather PM thunderstorms High: 92 Low: 71 hhjnews.com Rhett Akins went after two goals in life Web Old yields to new in Perry Walgreens going up but historic home becomes the cost of progress mmm ®ftß i§| Warn ••■4a ■••ajsa- •„ ■. ac-tawwi- 'lammu ■■ m9E * *9 .ViKi ffl^****W*V3F&** ' SSMS ' sSHSSBp (MB <®gS» *8 Journal Charlotte Perkins This Perry home, which has been used as an insurance office by Eiwood Waites in recent years, was built in the late 1930 s and is listed as a historic building by the Georgia Historic Preservation Division. Plans are under way to demolish it to make way for the Washington Street entrance to the new Walgreens which will be built in the parking lot area between Washington, Ball and Commerce streets. By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer Pending the approval of the Perry Planning Commission, the old Perry bungalow-style home now known as the Eiwood Waites Insurance Agency, will be torn down to make way for an entrance to the Walgreens Drug Store planned by the Paradise Development Group. Home invasion duo now in jail By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Both suspects in a July 18 morn- ' -Sill LORENZO WILUS Monday. Tolbert was arrested at his Macon residence without incident See DUO, page 6A LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville ing home invasion robbery on Bear Branch Road in Kathleen are now behind bars. Michael Dewayne Willis, 29, of Fort Valley, and David L. Tolbert Jr., 33, of Macon, are both being held without bond in the Houston County Detention Center on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping. Willis turned himself in Tuesday afternoon at the Houston County Sheriffs Office. Warrants for his arrest were issued SPORTS: PJL girls prep for World Series. Also, Fears and Ricker lead group to links win. World tourney horseshoes, Music, IQ Little Linker pics and more. ID The Washington Street entrance to the pro posed Walgreen store and parking area will be opposite the Washington Street entrance to the CVS drug store on the corner of Washington and Commerce. The Perry Downtown Development Authority voted Tuesday night not to oppose the demolition. See WALGREENS, page 6A - - - | ml/' F i * W* www.hhjnews.com 1 fish, 2 fish, red fish ... new fish Tgraak ' ilraf Police hunt 2 in Fillers robbery By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Perry Police are inves tigating the armed rob bery of the new Fillers on Houston Lake Road. According to Perry Police Sgt. Ken Ezell, two armed men entered the store at 2390 S. Houston Lake Road, at about 1:21 a.m. Both, identified as black males, wore colored latex gloves, masks and hood ies and were described as being about 5-foot-11 to 6-foot tall and weighing 130 to 150 pounds. The gunman had a dark blue hoodie, a white filter mask and sunglasses. County sot to roise tax pate By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer If approved next Tuesday, county taxpay ers will be paying a little more in taxes when the tax bill comes. How much is a little? Approximately $3 more for a SIOO,OOO house and $7 more for a $200,000 home, according to Commission Chairman Ned Sanders. He said at a hear ing Wednesday that the “slight, marginal increase” in the millage rate - to 9.45 - mills is up 1.39 percent from last year’s rate of 9.32 mills and 1.6 percent above the rollback rate of 9.3 mills. He also said the increase would cost about 25 cents a month for the owner of a SIOO,OOO home and 59 cents for the owner of a $200,000. “That’s not too bad,” Two sections • 20 pages Legale. 2-8 B he said. The total net increase, with the county raising its millage rate 0.13 mills and the school board reduc ing its rate to 0.03 mills - from 12.5 to 12.47 mills - is a 10th of a mill, which Sanders said, equals $3. Residents in the unincor porated areas of Houston County will also see a reduction in the county fire tax millage rate. County Administrator Steve Engle said the fire tax would drop from 1.19 mills to 1.18 mills. “We’re bringing enough in that we can lower it,” Engle said. “We face increasing pressure in the increase cost of goods an services,” Sanders said, explaining the need for the tax rate increase, saying those “are factors beyond our control.” The commissioners See RATE, page iL4 . vi v Fmiw Slaws r. mw He had ■’■■■■l a stain- | |>J«B less MIhMIHH full sized, video surveil framed lance photos semi- of suspects in automat- robbery ic pistol ‘ P a 9 e 6A and light blue latex gloves. The other suspect had a grey hoodie, black ski mask, purple latex gloves and a black aluminum baseball bat. The suspects forced the clerk to give up an undis closed amount of cash and left on foot in an unknown direction. The robbery was See ROBBERY, page 6A Adrian Chase works on an art project during an art camp held at the Perry Arts Alliance Center this past week. For more, seepage S A. ENlAtary Hannon