Newspaper Page Text
I f The Houston Home ff
Journal
Perry, Georgia's Hometown Newspaper it Houston County's Legal Organ Since 1870
117th YEAR, NO. 68,4 SECTIONS, 26 PAGES, PLUS SALES CIRCULARS
Porter drubs Golden; Collins edged out
By RANDY REESE
Managing Editor
Houston Porter and Hubert Hutcherson came away with runoff victories
Tuesday night in Houston County races despite a very low voter turnout
throughout the area.
Incumbent county commissioner Porter downed Ray Golden by a 4,402
to 2,828 margin which, despite the low turnout, was a much larger cush
ion that the Sept. 9th primary ballot.
In the school board race, Hutcherson defeated Perry homemaker Betty
Jean Collins by a slim 1,160 to 1,022. Hutcherson will now replace Dr.
Bo Amall who decided not to return for another term.
H. Porter
eyes his
3rd term
By SUSANNAH THOMAS
Staff Writer
Houston Porter succeeded Tues
day in retaining his county com
mission seat for four more years in
a runoff.
With the final tally, Porter re
ceived 4,402 votes to opponent Ray
Golden's 2,828. That comes out to
60.9 percent of the votes for Porter,
and 39.1 percent of the voters cast
their ballot for Golden.
Porter said he was "very happy
at the outcome. In spite of bad
weather, people came out and voted.
'Tm anxious to serve the public
as we've done before.
"It's a blessing to be part of
Houston County. As I've said be
fore, it's an oasis in the middle of a
desert."
Porter mentioned a number a
long range plans for the next four
years, including Phase Two of the
jail program which involves a trip
by commissioners to Boulder,
Colo, for five days of classes in
"early October,” and a "consolidated
approach" to planning and zoning.
On the latter. Porter recommends
"not to spend a lot more money,
but we need to use the resources as
best we can," he said.
He is on the committee
concerning districting the county
for commission posts and exploring
the possibility of a full time chair
man. "I will probably chair that
committee. 1 plan to devote a lot of
energy to that area," he said.
As far as serving as chairman of
the commission again, Porter said
he had "no reservations. I had the
opportunity in the past, and I opted
not to. In the future, as part of the
commission, I can do it as well as
anyone else can."
In the meantime, Porter plans to
"sleep eight to ten hours a day" for
the next couple of weeks and
"continue working."
Golden's plans centered around
going out today "and you will not
see a single Ray Golden sign in the
county.
"Porter and his people ran a
good, hard campaign, and myself
and my people equally.
Continued on Back Page
Pros and cons are discussed
on private vs. county hospital
By SUSANNAH THOMAS
Staff Writer
In Hospital Authority meetings,
the mention of private hospitals is
almost in the same breath as con
versations of funding.
, One of the advantages of having
a private hospital versus a county
hospital. Chairman Eddie Wiggins
said, is a private company can
"flood the market with doctors.
They have the resources for that ca
pability.”
The disadvantage would be that
the local government in the form of
the county commission would lose
"basic control."
Though, the complex has not had
any offers from a private company,
Wiggins thinks the possibility is
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Road work continues
Workers move rich Georgia clay in preparation for water lines
and widening the U.S. Highway 41 by the Department of
Transportation. Work should be completed on this road and Swift
SPORTS/RECREATION 1B
PERRY LIFESTYLE 1C
FOOD /RECIPES 1D
COLLINS • 4A MILLS 3C
BIRTHS 7A PEOPLE 6A
BLEDSOE 4D POLICE LOG 2A
CALENDAR 6A RECIPES 2C
CLASSIFIED 4B REGISTER 4A
DEATHS 2A SHERIFF'S REPORT 2A
EDITORIALS 4A STREET TALK 5A
ENTERTAINMENT 5B THARPE 6A
KERCE 4A TRUSSELL 2B
LEGALS 6B WARREN ID
LEWIS 3C WE SALUTE 5A
McGILL IB YOUTH 4C
Subscribe to Ga.'s #1 paper, Call 987-1823
"something to think about.
"If fe continue the way we are,
with all the bickering and fighting,
somebody's got to run it, and the
county commission's not going to
do it," he said.
"Private companies have an eye
for profit," Authority member Billy
Beckham said. "They would be able
to expand it to get the profit. That
in itseif would be a plus.
"Bfcth have been successful.
Thcrep pros and cons both ways. I
happqp to believe that as a whole,
county operated is best,” Beckham
said. With the ability of a private
hospital to turn away those who
can not pay, Beckham feels " a cer
tain segment" of the community
"would go lacking."
PERRV. NEWSPAPER COVERAGE- OF YOUR EVENTS, CALL 987*1823.
v■' , i
Here's how you voted in the runoff.
Complete election charts
appear on Page 3A
Election official Cathy Stanley said the unofficial turnout for the runoff
stood at 7,230 on Tuesday night.
There are 35,637 registered voters in the county which means just over
Both hospitals were built with
Hill-Burton funds; the Houston
Medical Center in 1960, and the
Perry Hospital in 1969. According
to Suzette Booker, director of
community relations for the Hous
ton Medical complex, the funding
carries a commitment to provide
indigent care.
The Houston Medical Center has
fulfilled it's obligation of 20 years
written into the contract, she said.
Last fiscal year, running from
March 1 of 1987 to the end of Feb.
1988, the entire complex spent
$656,437 in indigent care. It breaks
down to $582,054 from the hospi
tal in Warner Robins, and $74,383
from the Perry Hospital, she said.
Continued on Back Pago
COMPLETE
LOCAL SPORTS IB
* EDITO i
it LIFE? “S‘
at hb
PERRY, GA.
A PARK Ap j
NEWSPAPER dO(p
Street by October, supervisor Danny Bumgardner said. In the
meantime, motorists are being directed by work crews one lane
at a time per direction.
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'Jim ß
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Valerie Deal reads to her daughter Kathryn. Mrs. Deal is helping
organize a day center. See story on ...
Day care and latchkey kids page 2c
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TBp|r- Jj
Air Force donation
Third District Rep. Richard Ray donated a German officer's pistol
and holster to the Air Force Museum In Warner Robins last week.
The gun, used by the German Air Force, was taken In the surrender
of Germany during World War 11. Those present for the even
Included retired Col. Jack Maret, MaJ. Gen. Richard Glllls, retired
Gen. Robert Scott and Dan Callahan.
' USbmiiAM
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iv. it; WEEK
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 1988
20 percent of the voters went to the polls. In the primary race earlier this
month, 42 percent of the voters went to the poll or 14,973.
Thanks to the slim turnout, unofficial returns were in Perry by 7:30,
according to Stanley. The returns began to come in at 7:05, she said.
In the commission race, Porter won the right to serve his third term af
ter finishing first in a three-man race in September. Kathleen resident Roy
Avery was third in that race.
Porter is a junior high teacher in Warner Robins and Golden is a retired
quality control director for General Dynamics.
In the primary race. Porter won by only 1,098 votes but increased that
Continued on Back Page
Educator
planning
priorities
By MELODY BACAS
Staff Writer
Hubert Hutcherson said now that
the election for the Post 5 seat on
the Board of Education is over, he
can get on to actually do what he
has campaigned about.
"I pledge to my constituents the
maintenance of a quality school
system and a concerted effort to
move toward true excellence,"
Hutcherson said after the results
were final. It is my intent that we
move into the forefront of the
school systems in Georgia."
Hutcherson won the seat over
Betty Jean Collins in Tuesday's
runoff election by 138 voles
Hutcherson will replace "Bo"
Amall who is retiring.
Despite the margin, Hutcherson
only won two precincts, downtown
Perry and Lake Joy.
"It was a tight race. I’m very
pleased with the voter turn out. It
exceeded my expectations," he said.
Collins, also contacted after the
results were in, said she wasn't sure
why she couldn't pick up the Perry
and Lake Joy precincts.
"I don't know what it was. I lost
the Perry precinct the last time
loo," she said.
Collins said she has a lot of re
spect for Hutcherson and will sup
port him in the future.
"Mr. Hutcherson is a good man
and he'll make a good board mem
ber," she said.
Hutcherson, who said he had a
"mutual respect" for Collins, will
work now on organizing his
priorities for the school system.
"My primary concern will al
ways be as it was when I was
assistant superintendent, to pro
mote instructional accountability,”
Hutcherson said.
The new BOE member said he
wishes to thank the voters in the
Post 5 area for choosing him to
represent them, those who first en
couraged him to run for the office
and his campaign manager Richard
Erwin, "whose contributions and
indefatigable efforts were invalu
able."
'Temptation'.
security tight,
critic finds
By RANDY REESE
Managing Editor
The Houston Home Journal's
film critic, Jackie Cooper, says he
went to the first screening of the
controversial film The Last Temp
tation of Christ' with no idea about
what he would think about the
movie or what his eventual rating
would be.
The screening was held in a pri
vate screening room in Atlanta last
Wednesday two days prior to the
only Georgia opening in the same
city.
The film, Cooper said, depicts
the days of Jesus Christ up until
his final temptation on the cross.
Continued on Back Pago