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GEORGIA NEWSPAPER project er Iribunt
UMIV OF GA
ATHENS GA
Vol. No. 119 Issue 0 ,/ednesday January 17, 2007 2 Sections, 16 Pages 50tf
Pcuch C'ounty's .noi//vc* o/ /oca/ news. ;ul \ cr( is i nc und spurts /iic over l(U> \cnrs
Well-known FV man dies in fire
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Photos by Brian Shreve
Top; The incinerated remains of the Fort
Valley property in which a man died last week.
Authorities said flames were so hot, they imme¬
diately engulfed a neighboring building as well.
ft Left: A dog believed to have belonged to Charles
Boyer sits at the Fagin Circle site at which Boyer
burned to death last Thursday.
By Brian Shreve
News Editor
A seemingly lost puppy
sat outside the remnants of
what had been the recent
living quarters of Charles
Boyer, Sr., a Fort Valley man
known for his love of ani¬
Robert Ray
honored on
retirement
By Faye Jones
On Saturday evening, Jan
13, a five-star event was pre¬
sented by the Peach County
Chamber of Commerce: an
appreciation banquet for
Rep. Robert Ray who is
leaving his post with the
state after more than 24
years of politics.
And a grand night it was
and a fitting tribute to one
, a..... m
ROBERT RAY ■
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Photo by Judy Robinson
From left: Newly retired State Rep. Robert Ray shares
a laugh with Tribune reporter Faye Jones and the
night’s keynote speaker, U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall during
a banquet held in his honor Saturday evening.
Legal Organ For Peach County, City of Fort Valley and City Of Byron
mals.
Boyer, 62, was burned
to death last Thursday,
January 11, during an early
morning fire that ignited at
the residence in which he
was sleeping, located at 103
Fagan Circle,
According to State Fire
of Peach County’s most pop¬
ular state representatives.
This was not a group of
politicians and holders of
public office, but more a
gathering of friends going
back to Ray’s childhood who
had come to pay tribute to
the barefoot tiller of the soil
who one day, while walk¬
ing home through a field of
see RAY pg iB
Marshal Brandon Ard, who
arrived on the scene shortly
thereafter, the blaze result
ed from a kerosene heater
that Boyer had placed at the
foot of his bed.
Fort Valley Police Captain
Joseph D. Saxon said the
city’s fire department had
f
been notified between 2:15
and 2:30 a.m. Thursday with
detectives from his depart¬
ment arriving at approxi¬
mately 5:30 to process the
scene.
After battling the fire,
firefighters found Boyer’s
body at the rear of the resi¬
dence and notified police.
“The fire was so intense
that the building beside the
residence where Boyer was
staying also received heavy
fire damage,” said Saxon.
“That was unusual to see,
that it had burned that
hot.”
Saxon said he believed
both houses had been aban¬
doned and that neither had
running water nor electrid
ity.
At press time, his depart¬
ment was still seeking the
identity of the property’s
owner.
Boyer leaves behind one
son, Charles, Jr., and his
wife Ethel, who is presumed
to live in Fort Valley.
Bruce E. Harris, who
lives across the street from
the fire site, said he would
always remember the vic¬
tim as a “nice, considerate
man.”
“He never bothered any¬
body,” Harris said, He
always ,tried to get along
with everybody, and every¬
body knew him. And he
always had his dogs with
him. Everyone loved him,
and we’U really miss him.”
see FIRE pg 7A
County for approves plans
contested property
By Brian Shreve
News Editor
The Peach County Board
of Commissioners granted
the go-ahead for develop¬
ment at what is popularly
referred to as the “Borah
property, the site which
happens to be at the root
of an ongoing court battle
between the cities of Byron
and Fort Valley.
In a public hearing fol
lowing the board’s regular
meeting last Tuesday, com¬
missioners voted to approve
the rezoning request of Lee
Ervin, paving the way for
a project that envisions the
On-site accident
claims life of
construction worker
■ r
Photo by Brian Shreve
A backhoe and other equipment lay unused Thursday fol¬
lowing the accidental death of a Garrison Construction
worker at a Highway 49 site.
By Brian Shreve
News Editor
In what was considered
a bizarre accident, a back¬
hoe operator ran over and
killed his fellow employee
last Thursday morning at
the future site of Heritage
Village shopping center
on Highway 49 in Fort
Valley.
Willie Joe Williams, 53,
died from severe neck inju-
s'f. r. m
' 5
.
,
Photo by Brian Shreve
A severe collision involving a car and SUV caused a
brief traffic delay Friday afternoon on Highway 49 in
Fort Valley, though no one was killed.
According to accident reports, Tammie Staines
Knowles was traveling southbound when her Chevrolet
Trailblazer struck the driver’s side of Anne Jackson
White’s Honda Accord, which had also been traveling
south. White had reportedly attempted to make a U
tum in front of Knowles.
development of 184 acres
into a retirement commu
nity for senior citizens.
In November, the city of
Valley filed a lawsuit
against Byron upon hear
* n 8 °f i^ 8 plans to annex
the land owned by Ervin
an( ^ Frank and Gayle Borah,
which currently lies in the
county s unincorporated
area; both cities want the
property and its potential
tax revenues,
Fort Valley won the first
round of the dispute on
November 9 when Judge
Phillip Brown issued
see BORAH pg 7A
ries following his being
struck by a backhoe driv¬
en by 22-year-old Eugene
Maxwell at approximate¬
ly 7:20 a.m. according to
Fort Valley Police Captain
Joseph D. Saxon.
Both men were working
for Garrison Construction,
which had roughly five
other employees on site
at the time of the acci¬
dent. Williams had been
see ACCIDENT pg 7 A
