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*"* legal organ for Houston County, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville VOLUME 137, NUMBER 167 BELOW THE FOLD: Mossy Creek student arrested Orders needed to make tag reality GSP, county now on same frequency Today Weather Isolated T-storms High: 94 Low: 71 * hhjnews.com ' •ml litlah UGA students lose dis **CU counts on birth control Weekend August 25-26,2007 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH IN BRIEF NES sets school council meetings Northside Elementary School will hold a school council election for two parent/business members Sept. 13, at 5 p.m. in the media center. Meetings for the 2007-08 school year have also been scheduled. Meetings will be held at 5 p.m. in the media center. They are: Sept. 20, Nov. 15, Jan. 17,2008 and April 17, 2008. Northside Elementary is located at 305 Sullivan Road in Warner Robins. Principal Mary Lou Ezell may be contacted either by e-mail at mlezell@hcbe.net or by telephone at 478-925-7816. Agency reminds fanners of deadline NUSDA’s Risk Management Agency, in a news release, reminds farmers of the Aug. 31 sales clos ing date for crop insurance. This sales closing date, according to the release, is applicable to onions in Georgia. The sales closing date is the last date to purchase a new policy, to change the type of policy, or to change the level of coverage for an existing policy. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers or on the RMA website at www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents/. Kings Chapel ES sets school council dates Kings Chapel Elementary School has scheduled its School Council meetings for the 2007-2008 school year. All meetings will be held at 4 p.m. in room 178. The meetings are: Sept. 27, Jan. 31,2008, March 27, 2008 and May 29, 2008. Kings Chapel Elementary is located at 460 Arena Road in Perry. For more information, con tact Principal Paulette Tompkins at either PTompkins@hcbe.net or 478-988-6272. BIRTHDAYS Today ■ Paul Hartman Sunday ■ Lori Matthews Chaloult Monday ■ Courtney Jackson ■ Jennifer Stimus Rich PERIODICAL 500 Illlilll 8 "5 5108 0000l 11 4 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest ißllllillßSillltllllfltit COOI * Georgia Newspaper Project Main Library University of Georgia r\ i nci vo vj/n 3-DIGIT 306 Aug. 25-26, 2007 i S</ -AM///>’<:. {.‘ioluMh) M\(. I Ilk/lI Eggs & Issues Carpenter's address goes 'over easy' By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Education was the issue at Thursday’s Eggs & Issues breakfast. That’s because Houston County School Superintendent David Carpenter was there and gave a state of the schools address to the member ship of the Warner Robins Area Chamber of Commerce gathered at the Museum of Mmfct «*«*>-*- • 1 WBm *m -i ™ * ... —"’"g jßjßr -■—' Wf I JHs | • |D| n W * ;|g| '' „ .....i..-.!™ ™ m m MMb mv. l .‘' : jsSSHpWHsMr \ , rn i- ■ * ' pjFK. L.y.’ r »/A. .-AT I '-r •~: Student arrested at Mossy Creek By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer A teenaged boy was arrested and taken from Mossy Creek Middle School in handcuffs Thursday morning after he knocked a teacher to the floor, according to Perry Public Safety Director George Potter. The juvenile has been charged with fighting, simple battery and disruption in a public school and was released later in the day to his parents. Potter said that the teacher, Brenda Jackson, was attempting to intervene in a fight between the juvenile and another Orders needed to make tag reality By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer Have you ordered your “Joanna Tag”” The deadline is Sept. 30, and 200 more orders are needed. Jeff and Misty McAfee of Warner Robins, who started the Joanna McAfee Childhood Cancer Foundation after the death of their 6-year-old daughter during the Christmas season in 2005, are hoping to reach the minimum state requirement of 1,000 orders by the deadline. Otherwise the special tags featuring their child’s silhouette will not become a reality. To order your “Joanna Tag,” and support SPORTS: HoCo beats Colquitt in softball; Perry blasts SW; WRALL earns spot in U.S. finals; volleyball; golf results, 1D racing and more. | D "When I first got here they told me this is the way we do things here. We do it right and strive for excellence." - Superintendent of Schools David Carpenter Aviation for the monthly breakfast meeting. Carpenter went over the school system’s mission - to produce high-achieving stu dents; its vision - “that our student when she was knocked down. She did not have serious injuries. Assistant Principal Dr. Andy Gentry called the police. Potter noted that the student report edly told Gentry and confirmed to the arresting officer that he was a member of the Aces Gang, out of Warner Robins. He was wearing the gang’s red and green colors, including red and green shoelaces. “Gang activity starts in the middle school,” Potter said. Mossy Creek Middle School, a See STUDENT, page jA SWoo mmrnmm f the foundation, visit the Houston County tag office, or go to www.SupportCancerKids. org. for a printable form that can be mailed in with a check, and that form is See TAG, page 7A W W W.HHJNEW S.COM school system will become world class;” and “the Houston County way.” “I’ve been here 32 years,” Carpenter said. “When I first got here they told me this is Building blocks m Jam the way we do things here. We do it right and strive for excellence.” He touted the system’s academic success. In the Criterion- Referenced Competency Test, “our students, on aver age, scored higher in every subject for every grade,” Carpenter said. “Houston County students outper formed the state on all 36 tests.” State patrol, county on the same channel By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer State Troopers will soon be able to talk directly over the radio with local public safety agencies. Houston County has grant ed the Georgia Department of Public Safety access to the county’s 911 radio system. “It is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” said Commissioner Jay Walker. “Now we’re able to at no cost to the county.” Walker said agreement is for 13 radios, which will be able to communicate with all County writes off debt By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Houston County approved the write off of uncollectible debts. The total amount approved for write-off was $22,947.95. This included $346.90 from Solid Waste Disposal Department, $7,244.60 from Two SECTIONS • 18 PAGES IHSTYIE Try mari golds, petunias tor fall color; WR Class of 77 reunion. QQ Much more. OD M’ 9§?Aws Wwwhy L. > ■ ¥ On the high school gradu ation test, “in every content area,” Carpenter said, “our students performed above the state average.” Test scores were 99 per cent in English language arts, 98 percent in math, 95 percent in social studies and 86 percent in science. “We feel that’s pretty good,” but we’d like to bring it up, espe cially in science,” he said. See ADDRESS, page jA Perry’s Brianna Brown blocks an offer ing from North side’s Bryionna Floyd dur ing the two teams' volleyball match Thursday in Perry. For more, see 18. ENI/Gary Harmon agencies in Houston County. “It is something badly need ed in Houston County,” Walker said. “We are on two totally dif ferent radio systems,” said Sgt. Keith Collins, GSP’s Perry post commander. “There is no communica tions. This will be a lot bet ter” Collins said, “a trooper and a deputy could be less than half a mile from one another, and not know of an officer needing help.” Communications were relayed back and forth See CHANNEL, page 7A Waste Collection Department and $15,356.45 from the Water System. The write-off was done for accounting purposes, explained Commission Chairman Ned Sanders, “and is a continuance of action in a different form.” See DEBT, page yA