Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 105 NO. 13
A Long Siren Blast
Police Establish
Tornado Warning
I
beginning today, a con
tinuous blast of the Perry fire
sirens will be warning Perry
area citizens a tornado is
approaching the city and
might strike.
Perry Police Chief B.E.
Dennard and Fire Chief Sira
Lawhorn issued this an
nouncement and a list of
procedures for Perry
residents to follow in case of a
tornado in a Wednesday
morning news conference in
Chief Dennard’s office.
Chief Dennard said in times
of tornado conditions, police
officers will be placed in
several areas of the city to
watch for funnel clouds. If a
cloud is spotted, the siren will
ijlkst continuously for several
minutes warning. Dennard
also said the warning will be
broadcast over WPGA FM
AM Radio in Perry. Residents
Ctl® ’ * 'f^T. '&'•
Tucker Seeks Guidance ?
Houston County Commissioner Alton Tucker
seems to be seeking “divine” guidance at
Tuesday night’s Commission meeting in Perry,
hands folded in pontifical reflection. Actually, he
was just attempting to relax in the midst of the
arathon session Tuesday night, but the
multitude of problems faced by the board would
have caused many men to cast glances heaven
ward for assistance. The board heard county
health department executive Bill Shirk tell them
the health department may have to discontinue
some services due to federal funds im
poundment...
Photo By Joe Hiett
Easier Sunrise
Service Set Sun.
Dr. Leonard Cochran will be
the speaker at special Easter
sunrise services to be held this
Sunday morning beginning at
7:15 A M. at the Perry High
football stadium.
Special music for the
community sunrise service
wil be provided by a choir
made up of singers from
several Ferry church choirs.
Rehearsal by the choir will be
held Saturday night, March
29, at 7 P.M. at the First
Baptist Church. Choir director
Bob Brewer invites anyone
interested in singing with the
choir to attend the rehearsal.
The public is invited to
attend the community Easter
sunrise services.
Others with roles in the
Sunrise Service include;
Prayer by Rev. Bobby
Coleman, pastor of the
Crossroads Methodist
Church; Old Testament
The Houston Home Journo!
Published Every Thursday At Perry Georgia’s Real Welcome Center
in isolated areas of the city
will be warned by police of
ficers traveling the area
blasting sirens. Dennard
urged citizens to be on the
Watch for these warnings in
times of severe weather and
tune their radios to WPGA AM
or FM. The local radio station
has a direct link with the
Macon Weather Bureau and
receives teletypes of all the
latest weather data from the
radar center in Macon.
Dennard said in the event a
tornado sets down in Perry,
persons should go to a safe
place. If you are in your home,
get in the basement if you
have one. If not, go to the
center of the house or a
hallway away from fireplaces
and windows. Dennard said
the windows in the house
should be raised 6 inches.
Persons in places of business
Scripture by Aldene Lasseter
of the Perry Presbyterian
Church; and New Testament
Scripture by Rev. J.B. Smith,
associate pastor of the Perry
United Methodist Church.
Dr, Cochran
PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, THURS., MARCH 27, 1975
in the downtown or shopping
center areas should also find a
safe place in the store away
from the windows and flying
debris. Dennard said there are
basements in several of the
churches here and in the
courthouse.'
Dennard pointed out that
persons in automobiles should
pull their car off the road in a
low place, switch the ignition
off and stay in the car.
Dennard further warned I
that people should not leave
their home or safe shelter
once the winds begin. He said
most injuries and deaths in
tornados are caused by flying
debris.
Dennard said, “The first
thing we want people to
remember if a tornado
warning is issued is not to
panic. They should go about
hurredly taking the proper
precautions and getting ready
for the tornado. We hope to
give as much warning as
possible but it won’t be long.”
Dennard said if a tornado
sets down in Perry, the area
will immediately be roped off
and no one will be admitted.
He said merchants in a
stricken area should take
what valuables or cash they
want and leave. He said a
stricken area will be under
tight security by local police
and National Guardsmen. He
asked that all people stay out
of the area.
In the case of a tornado, the
Mayor will be in charge of all
operations, Dennard said. The
chief pointed out that the
Mayor will issue all orders in
the emergency through the
police chief.
In an emergency, all the
local police and firemen will
report for duty immediately,
Dennard pointed out.
| Funds For Downtown And Other Improvements
McKinley Protesting
HUD Fund Decision
Perry Mayor James
McKinley Wednesday mor
ning dispatched letters to the
area’s three Congressional
representatives expressing
“displeasure and disap
pointment" over Monday
news that Perry would not
receive ANY Community
Development Act funding at
all. McKinley addressed the
letter to Senator Sam Nunn
with copies to Senator Her
man Talmadge and
Congressman Jack Brinkley.
Mayor McKinley Monday
received notification from
W.A. Hartman, Area Director
of the federal Department of
Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), that
Perry’s application for CDA
funding would not be funded
this year. Hartman told
McKinley in the letter “due to
the unexpected heavy national
interest on the part of counties
seeking urban county status
as defined in the statute, the
Department has reluctantly
concluded that we cannot
expect to fund ANY SMSA
discretionary balance grants
in Fiscal Year 1975.”
Hartman added, “The
statute provides that funding
for urban counties must be
taken out of general SMSA
funds, as must formula or hold
harmless funding for en
titlement cities, BEFORE
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Not Enough Hands?
Houston County Tax Commissioner Mrs. Joyce Griffin appears to have four
hands in this photo as she prepares to take on more than 15,000 automobile
owners who have not yet purchased their 1975 decals for their auto tags. The
deadline is next Tuesday, April 5, at 5 P.M. Those who purchase decals after
next Tuesday will suffer a penalty in the cost of the decal and taxes. They also
run the risk of getting a citation from law enforcement officers, Mrs. Griffin
warns. Those auto owners who received their tag notice in the mail can avoid
the long lines by mailing the notice to the Tax Commission with a check or
money order immediately.
there can be any SMSA
balances for discretionary
Bishop Named Vice Pres.
Os First National Bank
First National Bank of
Houston County President
James R. Stubbs announced
this week the promotion of R.
Gary Bishop to Vice
President. Bishop has been
employed with the bank since
November, 1971, and was
Assistant Vice President prior
to his promotion.
Bishop is married to the
aSSeSSf
Gary Bishop
grants.”
Mayor McKinley also
former Lynda Hancock and
they have two children, John
and Julie. The Bishops reside
at 1508 Tucker Road. The
family attends First Baptist
Church of Perry, and Bishop is
a member of the Board of
Directors of NOVV, Inc., a
youth oriented organization.
Bishop is a member of the
Rotary Club and this year is
serving as Chapter Secretary.
He serves on the Board of
Directors of the Houston
County United Givers Fund,
and is a member of the
Houston Lake Country Club
Men's Golf Association,
currently serving as
Treasurer of the organization
In addition, Gary is very
active with the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce, and is
a Coach on the Pee Wee
baseball league.
Bishop graduated from
Florida Slate University of
Tallahassee with a B.S.
Degree in Business Ad
ministration and is a member
of the Phi Delta Theta social
fraternity.
received a letter from Middle
Georgia Area Planning and
Development Commission
(MGAPDC) executive
director Charles Howell.
Howell said, “Late last week
we learned that due to a
negligent error by HUD, no
application for Community
Development funding under
the balance of SMSA category
will be considered this year.,..
Our understanding is that this
applies nationwide to all
Community Development
funding under the balance of
SMSA category. The reason
we are told, is because the
number of potential ap
plicants under another
Cont. on page 2-A
James McKinley
1 ■
Funds May Be Cut Off
Health Dept.
% , **
In Jeopardy
Because President Gerald
Ford is seeking to impound
federal health program funds,
the Houston County Health
Department may have to
seriously limit its services
beginning April 1. County
Health Executive William
Shirk appeared before the
Houston County Commission
Tuesday night, urging them to
write Congressman Jack
Brinkley and Senators Sam
Nunn and Herman Talmadge
to seek continuation of the
funding.
Shirk told the com
missioners that President
Ford’s impoundment plans
would mean that the county
Health Department would be
about $12,500 "underfunded”
for the last three months of the
current fiscal year (April,
May and June). The funds loss
could conceivably mean that
services such as salaries for
county health nurses and
county sanitarians might have
to be reduced.
Shirk began by saying, “The
President is proposing an
impoundment of 314 (d) health
revenue sharing funds. These
funds are routed to states, who
pass them on to county health
departments. Georgia has
been receiving about two
million dollars annually and
for fiscal year 1974-75 Houston
County was designated to
receive $47,496.”
Shirk mentioned that the
$7,496 allocation is a major
portion of the county’s $92,000
health department budget.
The county itself allocates
about $30,000 annually.
Houston County also receives
about $3,500 from Peach
County for services performed
by the health department in
that county.
The funds are slotted
through the Mental Health
area but are used to comprise
a portion of the entire county
health budget. Shirk with
him memos from the State
Department of Natural
Resources substantiating his
statements. Shirk said that he
believed the Congress and
Ford differed on ap
propriation of the endangered
funds, and said that the Senate
and House of Representatives
had passed a resolution for the
funds to continue.
Houston County has already
Rites Held Here
For Dan H. Britton
Former Perry City Coun
cilman Daniel Holman
Britton, 62, of 1404 Main St.,
died Saturday, March 22, 1975,
at his residence. Services
were Sunday at 3 P.M. in the
Perry United Methodist
Church. Rev. Elick Bullington
and Rev. J.B. Smith of
ficiated. Interment was in
Woodlawn Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Max
Lewis, Obie Bush, Richard
Johnson, Cohen Walker, Earl
Lewis, Jim Warren, B.E.
Dennard and Richard Talton.
Mr Britton, who served
briefly as acting mayor in
1973, was on the Perry council
from 1963 to 1973. His political
career included several years
as mayor pro tern.
A native of Natchez, Miss.,
Mr. Britton lived in Perry 16
years, moving from Albany.
He was plant manager for
Swift Farms Services, a
Mason and a member of the
Farm Bureau. He was a
member of the Perry United
Methodist Church, the ad
26 PAGES
*
received a substantial portion
of the $47,496, but payments
for the final fourth of the year
were expected. It is those
payments that are in danger
of being impounded, since
President Ford’s budget
shows SO.OO for the program
for the fourth quarter of this
fiscal year.
In a letter to the Georgia
Congressional delegation,
Department of Human
Resources (DHR) Deputy
Commissioner Jim Parham
said the impoundment “would
be devastating to the
development of a health care
system in our state. Georgia
presently receives $2,005,500
under this program. Eighty
percent of these funds are
used along with local mat
ching funds to comprise
county health budgets. If these
funds are withheld, a great
many personnel will lose their
jobs which will also result in a
reduction of health services!”
In letters to Senator Sam
Nunn and Representative Phil
Landrum, both on their
respective Budget com
mittees, Parham added,
“These funds are critical to
local public health, including
Mental Health, in Georgia and
in other states. These funds
are used to employ county
health nurses, sanitarians and
other community health
workers. Sudden loss of these
funds would be devastating to
Georgia county health
budgets!”
Commissioner Alton Tucker
commented, "I could see this
happening down the line. They
(the federal government) get
us into these programs, then
whack you off and leave you
holding the bag. All these
programs- there is no
guarantee of future years
funding. This is just the first
we’ll be faced with.”
Commissioner Steve Byrd
moved to send a telegram
from the Commission to
Senators Nunn and Talmadge,
and to U.S. Representative
Jack Brinkley urging them to
"take whatever action is
necessary to stop this im
poundment.” The vote was
unanimous.
In conclusion, Shirk stated,
“This would wipe us out if
there were no money to
replace it!”
ministrative board and the
Men's Bible class.
Survivors include his wife,
Mrs. Jewel J. Britton of
Perry; and two daughters,
Mrs. E. Brown of
Cockeysvllle, Md., and Mrs.
Jack R. Newman of Jackson.
Watson-Hunt Funeral Home
had charge of arrangements.
Dan Britton