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VOLUME 137, NUMBER 163
BELOW THE FOLD: Westfield begins new school term INSIDE: Man gets time for first running, then fighting deputy
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Tuesday
August 21,2007
The Home Journal s
FRONT
PORCH
VVI^UERE*NEIGHBt)RS*i<IEET
IN BRIEF
Pearl Stephens to hold
council elections
Pearl Stephens Elementary
School will hold a School Council
election Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. in the
school media center: Elections will
be held for three parent represen
tatives with one also serving as a
business partner. Pearl Stephens
Elementary is located at 215 Scott
Boulevard in Warner Robins. For
more information, contact Principal
Dr. Marion Ford at MFord@hcbe.
net or 478- 929-7895.
WR Middle sets
school election
Warner Robins Middle School
will hold a School Council election
Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the lunch
room. Two parent representatives
and two .parent/business partner
representatives Will be elected. The
term of office is one to two years.
Warner Robins Middle is located
at 425 Mary Lane, Warner Robins.
For more information, contact
Principal Dr. Donald Warren at
DWarren@hcbe.net or 478-929-
7832.
Bonaire Middle
seeks parent reps
Bonaire Middle School will hold
a School Council election Thursday
at 6 p.m. in the media center. Three
parent/business partner represen
tatives will be elected. The term of
office is two years with meetings
held quarterly. Interested parents
must be present on the night of
the election to be nominated and
selected. Bonaire Middle is located
at 125 Highway 96 in Bonaire. For
more information, contact Principal
Cindy Randall at CRandall@hcbe.
net or 478-929-6235.
BIRTHDAYS
Today
■ Stephanie Blackmon
■ Tony Mangual
■ Johnnie Mae Ross
■ Jentavious Johnson
■ Rebecca Parrish
■ Tonnette Hughes
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
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Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
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3- DIGIT 306
Aug. 21, 2007
Houston t'ovsn Sixer: WO
Today
Weather Most| y sunn y
High: 101 Low: 74
hhjnews.com
Web Rescue mission helps
destitute find their way
Former teacher/coach wanted again
Warrants issued for new aggravated stalking, violation of probation charges
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Mark Stephen Taylor, a for
mer Houston County Board
of Education employee, is
wanted again for stalking
and a violation of probation
on his previous charges.
On Aug. 13, warrants
were taken against Taylor
for a new aggravated stalk
Slings, things
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Gavin Medley and Danny Barfield talk to Andre Zaika about Slogan Slings at the Buckarama held this past week
end at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry. For more, see Page 2A.
Westfield starts
new school term
From staff reports
More than 600 students
began the 2007-08 term
at The Westfield Schools
Friday.
Accordingto Sally Tolleson,
Westfield Public Relations
Director, About 80 new stu
dents were enrolled, repre
senting 50 families. The
newcomers were welcomed
with an ice cream social on
the first day of school.
Tolleson said that new
campus improvements
made during the summer
month include a new park
ing lot, landscaping and traf
fic design by the Arts &
Sciences and gymnatorium
buildings; new playground
and multi-purpose practice
fields behind the gymnatori
um; new school bus loading
and unloading zone.
There are also new cur
riculum offerings.
“In addition to the Bihle
classes currently offered for
fifth, sixth, and ninth grade
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
ing charge and violation of
probation, said Det. Karen
Stokes of the Warner Robins
Police Department Criminal
Investigations Division.
“It is the same victim yet
again,” said District Attorney
Kelly Burke. Burke said the
violation of probation is from
Taylor’s last interview with
the media where he said he
students,” Tolleson said,
“we’ve expanded the nine
week enrichment classes
for eighth grade: adding a
Bible class taught by Kim
Cassell and art and Spanish
enrichments for the eighth
grade. They will continue to
have computer technology
classes.”
Westfield will also offer
enhanced academic support
services for upper school
students after school.
A number of new educa
tors have joined the Westfield
administration and faculty.
Karol Moore has been hired
as Director of Academic
Support in Lower School.
Moore lives in Bonaire and
has taught in the Houston
County school system for
11 years, most recently at
Tucker Elementary where
she has taught reading
and language arts since
2002. She has also taught
at Bonaire Middle School,
See TERM, page fA
Houston Medical
Center's tower
project
wd under Q A
way Oil
www.hhjnews.com
"It is the same
victim yet again.”
- District Attorney Kelly Burke
was innocent.
“We still do not know his
location,” Burke said, add
ing Taylor’s name has been
l
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KNI iiary klarmon
Christine Everidge adds sprinkles to her ice cream as her mother Felicia watches dur
ing The Westfield Schools ice cream social Friday.
SPORTS: WR, HoCo
win at softbaN;
MUUleaguers
split games; Hh
Music and more. / n
“given to Crimestoppers.”
Taylor, 43, a former sev
enth grade science teacher
at Northside Middle School
and Warner Robins High
School track coach, was
arrested and charged with
stalking, simple battery,
harassing phone calls and
influencing a witness June
6 after the Warner Robins
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One section *lO pages
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Police Department received
a complaint from a school
administrator at Northside
Middle School, who told
police Taylor was stalking,
threatening and making
unwanted contact with a co
worker.
He was later indicted on
those charges and pleaded
See WANTED, page 6A
Housing permits
County sees
decline in July
By RATLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Housing permits are down
countywide from June to
July.
There were 104 single
family dwelling permits
issued countywide in Julv
down 23.08 percent from the
137 in June. Permits were
also down in all three cities
but up slightly from 32 in
June to 34 in July in unin
corporated Houston County.
In Warner Robins, 48
permits were issued, down
32.39 percent from 71 issued
in June In Perry 17 permits
were issued, down 34.61 per
cent from 26 issued in June.
In Centerville, there was
37.5 percent or three less
permits in July from the
eight in June.
While the number of
permits is down, the aver
age value of the homes
countywide at $137,252.70
for July is up 4.35 percent
from $131,528.94 aver
age in June. The average
value of permitted homes
was also down Perry and the
unincorporated areas with
See DECLINE, page 6A