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VOLUME 137, NUMBER 166
BELOW THE FOLD: Lightning strikes cause two fires INSIDE: Perry man makes his 20th-something mission trip to Mexico
Friday
August 24,2007
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
WHERF/NeGHiafolLs^lEET
IN BRIEF
Superintendent seeks
advisory members
Superintendent of Schools Kathy
Cox is accepting applications for
her 2007-2008 Student Advisory
Council.
According to a release, the
members of the Student Advisory
Council meet four times during
the school year with Cox to dis
cuss how decisions made at the
state level are affecting students
throughout Georgia.
Members are advisors and act
as liaisons between the Department
of Education and the students of
Georgia.
All students in grades 9-12 are
eligible to apply. Meeting dates are:
Oct. 15, Dec. 3, Feb. 11, 2008 and
April 28,2008. (Noted: According to
the release, these dates are tenta
tive and are subject to change).
Applicants should be able to attend
all four meetings.
To be eligible, applications must
be received by Sept. 7.
The application and further infor
mation can be found at www.gadoe.
org/sup.aspx?Pageßeq=SUPSAC.
Northside ES has
Pre-K openings
Northside Elementary School
has two opening for its Pre-K pro
gram. The school will fill the posi
tions out of zone, on a first-come,
first-served basis for those who are
not currently enrolled in Pre-K.
To enroll a child in Pre-K, the
school needs the following: proof
of residency, birth certificate, Social
Security card and Immunization
Forms (available from pediatrician
or health department) (Georgia
form 3300, Georgia form 3231).
Northside Elementary is located
at 305 Sullivan Road in Warner
Robins. For more information, call
the school at 478-929-7816.
BIRTHDAYS
Today
■ Meagan Langston
■ Morgan Langston
■ Casey Brogan
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.
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Aug. 24, 2007
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Today
Mostly sunny
High: 100 Low: 72
Weather
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Contributed
Tech Sgt. Charles Anderson, with daughter Francesca in tow, is welcomed home
Sunday by Brig. Gen. Richard Severson, Air Force Reserve Command assistant
vice commander, following Anderson’s deployment to Iraqi Freedom. Anderson
and 10 other members of the Band of the Air Force Reserve were part of “Live
Round,” an Air Expeditionary Force band that entertained troops and civilians
throughout the Middle East and Africa from May to August.
High temps raise clean air concerns
By RATLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
As temperatures have
risen to 100-degree days, so
have clean air concerns.
“The high tempera
tures raise conditions in
the atmosphere to cause
the creation of ozone and
smog when combined with
particles from burned fos
sil fuels,” said County
Commission Chairman Ned
Sanders, who serves on the
Middle Georgia Clean Air
Coalition. “We are doing
what we can, reducing trav
el, and outdoor burning to
reduce smog, but if we see
85 parts per billion,” the
current particulate limit,
“our neighbor to the north,
Bibb County could be kept
in non-attainment and the
EPA could bring us in as a
contiguous county.”
If that happens, Sanders
said, “it could put limits on
Lightning strikes cause two fires
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Lightning strikes caused two fires
Thursday morning, said Houston County
Fire Chief Jimmy Williams.
Houston County Fire Department
responded to both, one right after the
other, Williams said. One was on Moody
Road and the other on River Vulley, with
two stations responding to each.
The fire on Moody Road was contained
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
HEALTH: New
family practitio
ner joins
practice in CA
Perry DA
American ‘band’ stand
"The high temperatures raise
conditions in the atmosphere to cause
the creation of ozone and smog when
combined with particles from burned
fossil fuels.”
- County Commission Chairman Ned Sanders
new industries to Houston
County and any new mis
sions to Robins Air Force
Base. “It is a very serious
concern.”
Sander said the EPA
might also reduce the
threshold from 85 parts per
billion to 75 or even 65
parts per billion. It would
make it even more difficult
to achieve attainment.
Greenspace, Sanders said,
“is on of the things we can
do. We can look at purchas
ing more greenspace.”
WWW.HHJNEWS.COM
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Sanders also talked about
the water situation.
“We are under water
restrictions now,” he said,
“with outdoor watering
only from midnight to 10
a.m. on an odd/even sched
ule.”
Odd numbered addressed
can water on Tuesday
Thursday and Sunday, while
even numbered address
es can water Monday,
Wednesday and Saturday.
There is no outdoor water
ing permitted on Fridays.
to the attic of a two-story building under
construction. “Everything is still stand
ing, we did a pretty good job on that
one,” Williams said. “We had to close
the road down to run the lines since
the hydrant as one the other side of the
road,” Williams explained. Stations 2
and 5 responded.
The damage to the structure on River
Valley was estimated at less than SSOO,
Williams said. Stations 7 and 5 respond
ed to that one, Williams said.
SPORTS: Perry horseshoe
pitcher earns first, award;
voOeybaH results;
golf tourney results. Til
More. in
Robbery suspect
arrested on 1-75
Perps still at large in Krystal heist
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Perry Police caught a
fleeing robbery suspect at
the top of the median on
Interstate 75 Wednesday.
Capt. Heath Dykes said
the suspect, Xavier Tracey
Hickey, 41, of 510 Boy Scout
Road, Byron, fled from the
scene of the Dollar Tree on
St, Patrick’s Drive. “He ran
up behind the Burger King,
crossed over the exit ramp
and ran to the top of the
median where he was appre-
Hospital Authority
moves to privatize
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Hospital Authority
of Houston County will be
privatizing the operation of
its two hospitals.
The authority voted
Wednesday to form non
profit corporations as part
of a reorganization effort in
which the non-profits will
aquire, by lease or transfer,
the assets and operations
of the authority. Houston
Healthcare CEO Dr. Tony
Alford said the issue has
been discussed in detail at
strategic planning sessions
and the resolution starts the
process of reorganizing into
a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
“We are one of the last
in the state to do this. It is
nothing new, it has become
the standard,” Alford said of
the privatization.
“There is a lot of discus
sion in Atlanta about Grady
having to do this to save the
hospital,” he said.
It is a move to take us
to the next level,” said
Authority Chairman Sonny
Watson. “It will allow us to
compete for medical busi
ness as a whole.”
Alford said the move
“gives us a lot more flexibil
ity. Right now we’re limited
statutorily in what we can
do. This gives us additional
business options.”
Those possibilities include
home healthcare, durable
medical equipment. “It
broadens our legal protec
tion and gives us more lat
itude, Alford said. It sets
the stage for success in the
future.”
Watson said he has dis
cussed the move in detail
with county commissioners
and the mayors.
“They are all aware of
what’s going on,” he said.
Watson said he wouldn’t
speak for them, but said
there was “a lot of favorable
comments.”
The resolution contain
ing “whereas” 17 times and
“resolved further” five times
over four pages explains the
authority can lease operation
of the hospitals by others for
up to 40 years and a lease
ONE SECTIONS * 10 PAGES
hended,” Dykes said.
Hickey is charged with
armed robbery of the Dollar
Tree. About 5:30 p.m., the
subject walked in and bought
a small item. When the clerk
opened the register, Dykes
said, “the suspect pulled
out a Leatherman (a util
ity knife), pointed it at the
clerk and snatched money
out of the drawer. No one
was hurt.”
Dykes said Hickey matched
a composite drawing of
See ROBBERY, page iA
and transfer, “being part of
an overall plan of reorga
nization, will promote the
public health needs of the
citizens of Houston County
by making additional health
care facilities available.”
The leasee will be required
to operate on a non-profit
basis and act in a manner so
that no portion of net profits
benefit any private person
or individual. The hsopitial
will be required to operate in
a manner to generate suffi
cient revenue over expenses
to provide proper mainte
nance of the hospitals and
facilities and provide for any
revenue anticipation certifi
cates issued.
The hospital will still be
required to provide indigent
care, and operate emergen
cy facilities available to all
regardless of ability to pay.
The leasee will be required
to continue to participate
in Medicare and Medicaid,
and continue to maintain
the same level of services
as are currently provided,
unless an alteration in such
services would benefit the
citizens of the county.
The leasee will also have to
employ all current employ
ees of the authority and be
required to indemnify and
hold harmless the authority
and comply with provision
of the state Open Records
and Open Meetings acts.
Financial statements will
also be available for public
inspection.
Any lease of the hospitals
has to have approval of the
state Attorney General and
has to be approved by the
Hospital Authority at a pub
lic meeting. The resolution
authorizes and directs the
authority and its employees
to execute and deliver to the
Georgia Secretary of State
the articles of incorporation
of each such corporation
created and file the neces
sary paper with the Internal
Revenue Service and state
Department of Revenue.
Language in last month’s
bond resolution allowed for
Houston Healthcare to con
vert to a private non-profit
See PRIVATIZE,page lA
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