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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 SBEI f ’W*' J|HH' ft VH , ly^|BE^^^BaJßßl^igj^f^'4t : ,!%> r . ri[r | 1A , ■’ * M* ■. '■'■ * a' S 1L s 4 ''""-'aM '9H^HHPHHi|Hi v jil •*&?■<*... •|gf * *•■*• v, v, 'ill- . '■<&!•■. : .■v A^ ail' 4 ' ** #» sA>a ™ '£.v « , \-Mjg%i Witt * ♦ ■ . 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. . • i 'Jim ß Wf'' JSk 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 , ¥ *{f <A gi * p‘; t'* 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 is Ga LlB *ARy ROj £CT 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