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May be linked to pawn shop burglary
Thief hits Trae Jewiers
on Christmas morning
By ANISSA CLEMONS
Staff Writer
Perry Police arc looking for the
thief who burglarized Trae Jewelers
Christmas morning at 4:53.
The thief took S9O from the
cash register and left the store lo
cated at 1219 S. Main St. before
police arrived.
“Whoever it was came through
the roof,” Detective Steve Heaton
said.
The thief didn’t take any jew
elry according to Heaton. “There tire
different possibilities as to why (the
thief) didn’t take any jewelry. He
might not have been looking for
something he’d have to sell, or he
might have left because the alarm
went off.”
The store was also robbed last
month when two men held two
workers at gun point and took jew
elry worth thousands of dollars.
Perry police haven’t arrested anyone
for the armed robbery.
“1 haven’t found anything to
show the two incidents arc related.
Georgia traffic deaths
lower than expected
Both Houston County and the
suite of Georgia had a remarkably
safe Christmas holidays, as traffic
accidents fell below projections.
There were 2,162 accidents with
641 injuries and 14 fatalities in
Georgia over the Christmas holiday
season, Georgia Suite PaLrol offi
cials said. That is less than the
2,370 accidents the State Patrol had
predicted.
In Houston County, the Slate
Patrol responded to only one acci
dent with no injuries during the
holidays. They made five driving
under the influence arrests.
Houston County sheriffs re
sponded to four accidents over the
weekend; there were no serious in
juries.
The.. 14 .deaths state-wide was
Houston Home Journal to
be closed New Year's Day
The Houston Home Journal
will be closed on Friday, January
1 in observance of New Year's
Day.
The paper will be distributed
on Saturday, but deadlines have
been moved up because of the
holiday.
Look , from 1A-
continuing problems that growth in
the county has caused."
Because of growth, Houston
County is having problems with
overcrowding in the courthouse and
the jail. The county also needs to
work to consolidate the fire depart
ment and water system, Stafford
said.
"These need city-county resolu
tion and cooperation," he said.
"Four different governments in the
county arc often delivering the same
service.
"You have to deal with the reali
ties of different government not
wanting to but needing to combine
services. We need to learn how to
be smart enough to do that," he
said. "At the same time we end up
with a better product."
Because of the problems Stafford
forsccs he has set goals for the up
coming year on paper.
"I call it the 5 D's," Stafford
said. "Disposal of solid waste, de
livery of health care and social ser
vices, development of urbanization
in the county, demands of the court
system and decisions on how to fi
nance all of our needs."
Stafford said the county has to
have a plan ready by next July to
reduce solid waste in Houston
County by 25 percent by 1996.
Stafford also said the county has
to work to ensure there is adequate
health care and social services in the
county. Stafford said there needs to
be a special focus on pre-natal and
post-natal care.
The county will also have to
find ways to adapt to the growth the
county is experiencing.
Because of growth, both the
Houston County courthouse and the
jail are reaching the limits of their
capacity.
Stafford said the county has sev
eral options to alleviate the court
house overcrowding. The county
could add another story to the
courthouse, or they could build an
It’s just a happening and has noth
ing to do with die robbery,” Heaton
said.
Since the police responded
within one minute of the alarm ac
tivation and the thief got away from
the scene, Heaton believes the thief
was on foot.
Trae Jeweler Co-owner Ernie
Brown said, “It’s a feeling of anger
and an invasion of privacy. The
lirst feeling you have is to get re
venge.”
Brown said he feels the Perry
police are doing a great job trying
to solve bodi crimes. In response to
the two incidents, Brown said dicy
will “double up on the alarm sys
tem.”
Heaton said they are currently
investigating the crime and looking
at the possibility of a connection
with the Perry Pawn Shop burglary
which took place two weeks earlier.
The Perry Pawn Shop burglar tried
to enter the roof like the Trae Jew
eler burglar, but Heaton’s not sure
they’re connected.
eight less than the projected total.
The 14 deaths was the lowest death
total in 20 years.
"It appears we may have set a
modern day record for low number
of traffic deaths during the holi
days," spokesman Bill Wilson said.
The low number of deaths has
been attributed to the rainy weather
Georgia endured during the holi
days, the rain kept speeds low, re
ducing the number of fatalities.
But the rain docs not explain why
the accident figures fell below pro
jections.
The Suite Patrol is predicting
2,106 accidents with 18 deaths and
827 injuries for the upcoming New
Year's holiday period.
The holiday period will begin at
6 p.m. Wednesday and will con
tinue until midnight on Sunday.
If you want a story, announce
ment or a feature published in
Saturday's paper, it must be at
the Home Journal by noon
Thursday.
The Home Journal will be back
to regular deadline next week.
addition over the East parking lot.
Stafford also said the county could
enter into a joint agreement with
the City of Perry to buy the Perry
Annex and use it for offices.
"My timetable is I want to know
sometime during 1993 what we are
going to do and how we arc going
to do it," he said.
There is also a need for a new
jail facility to ensure that all
Houston County prisoners are
housed in Houston County.
"The only way to relieve that
problem in the short-term is an
other jail facility. At the end of four
months, I would hope to be able to
know what we want to do and what
we can do, and how we can finance
it," Stafford said.
The financing, according to
Stafford, may be the most difficult
obstacle for the county in the up
coming year. Because of the tax
cap, the commissioners will have
to work to find revenue to pay for
the needed projects.
Perry Police
Department:
Perry Police Chief Frank Si
mons said the department didn’t
have any specific written goals. He
said he wants to maintain their con
tinual goal. “We hope to perform at
the expectance of our citizens and
perform a better and complete ser
vice.”
Perry Chamber of
Commerce:
Newly-elected Chamber of
Commerce President Jimmy Fair
cloth said, “I’m excited about a new
year in chamber.”
He said former President Trudie
Warren has done a fantastic job the
past year. “Now we need to build
on that foundation.”
The board has comprised a
“road map” for 1993 which consists
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New Higher Education Chairman
Perdue named to chairman position
Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard has pro
moted State Sen. Sonny Perdue of
Bonaire to chairman of the Senate
Higher Education Committee and
named him to the influential
Appropriations Committee for the
1993-94 term of the General
Assembly.
Perdue was also reappointed to
the Finance and Public Utilities
Committee and the Economic
Development, Tourism and
Cultural Affairs Committee.
As chairman of the Higher
Education Committee, Sen. Perdue
will have an influential role in re
viewing funding and recommending
legislation affecting the operation
of the 34 institutions in the State
University System including
Steps can
Georgia insurance and Fire
Commissioner Tim Ryles urges
Georgia residents to take extra pre
cautions after Christmas when dis
mantling and storing holiday deco
rations and when discarding their
live Christmas trees, garlands and
wreaths. Statistics for 1991 show
that 35 percent of all fire-related
deaths in Georgia occurred during
the holiday season.
Commissioner Ryles says, "By
following these after holiday safety
tips, you can protect your families
and homes from fire-related
of outlines for economic develop
ment, community development and
internal affairs strengthening.
“We need to keep the commu
nity active and work towards the
common goal to improve the qual
ify of life in Perry,” Faircloth said.
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Hon between the superintendent, the
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Superintendent Tony Hlnnant
Schools
School Superintendent Tony
Hinnant has several goals for the
upcoming year.
"I want to open the lines of
communication between the super
intendent, the board and the com
munity," Hinnant said.
"I also want to see improve
ments in test scores at all grade
levels, and I would like to establish
a Parent Advisory Committee to
provide input to me," he said.
Hinnant is still adjusting to the
role of school superintendent, be
cause of this he has one other pre
diction.
"I expect to know a lot more
about my job," Hinnant said.
Macon College and Middle Georgia
College at Cochran.
"Georgia's colleges and universi
ties arc crucial to the suite's future
and Sen. Perdue is well-suited to
guide this important committee,"
said Lt. Gov. Howard in announc
ing the appointment.
As a member of the
Appropriations Committee and its
Continuation Subcommittee,
Perdue will help determine how the
suite's budget of more than $8 bil
lion will be allocated at a time
when demands for service continue
to outpace the stale's financial re
sources. Perdue will also chair the
panel's Vo-Tech and Higher
Education Subcommittee and serve
help avoid holiday fire danger
catastrophes."
• When unplugging decorations
from extension cords, always un
plug the extension cord first. If you
continue to use the extension cord
in your home, do not overload the
electrical outlet.
• Before removing the lights from
the trees, unplug them first. Avoid
winding the light strands too
tightly as they may cause the lights
to break and ultimately damage the
wires.
• Live Christmas trees, garlands
and wreaths become a fire hazard
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"From the standpoint of the fair
grounds we are expecting 1993 to be a
banner year."
Agricenter spokesman
Johnny Webb
Agricenter
Agricentcr Public Relations
Director Johnny Webb forsees a
bright 1993.
"From the standpoint of the fair
grounds, we are expecting 1993 to
be a banner year," Webb said. "We
are expecting more and bigger
things than we have had."
The Agricenter has recently added
a new sales representative. The rep
resentative's job will be to contact
groups, associations and busi
nesses. It is hoped that these con
tacts will increase the number of
organizations utilizing the
Agricenter.
"My gut feeling is that 1993
will be a great year," Webb said.
Perry Welcome
Center:
Welcome Center Director Fay
Riddles said one of the centers
greatest accomplishments is the in
crease of tourism traffic during
1992.
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30. 1992 :
on the Continuation
Subcommittee.
The Finance and Public
Committee considers tax and rev
enue legislation as well as bills af
fecting utility regulation and the
Public Service Commission.
The Economic Development,
Tourism and Cultural Affairs
Committee reviews and recom
mends legislation aimed at stimu
lating Georgia's economic growth.
The panel was previously called the
Economic Development and
Tourism Committee.
Perdue was recently elected a sec
ond term from the 18th Senatorial
District which includes Houston,
Bleckley and Pulaski counties and a
portion of Bibb County.
when the needles get dry and brittle.
Remove these items from your
home immediately when this hap
pens.
• Discard your tree and other
greens in an appropriate location
away from the home. Do not burn
your tree or other greens in your
fireplace.
• When discarding of used wrap
ping paper, do not burn it in your
fireplace.
• Before storing electrical candle
sticks, be sure to remove bulbs. 4s
with electrical lights, do not wind
“We want to see even more
traffic in 1993,” she said.
An added program on the Wel
come Center’s list is a tourism
week planned for the first week in
May, Riddles said.
“One of our goals is to start
booking bigger events that will last
during the week and not just on
weekends,” she said.
Non-emergency Phone #'s
Perry Police Department
987-6310
Perry Fire Department
987-6524
Subscribe to
the *zr
Houston
Home Journal.
Call 987-1823
Journal
Swearing in
Probate Court Judge Fran
cis Annis swears in 17 county
officials Tuesday. The elected
officials and appointed off
icers were sworn for terms
beginning on January 1. Ed
Lukemire, Cullen Talton, Caro
lyn Sullivan, Juanita Mason,
Danny Galpin, Calvin Maye, Jay
Walker, Larry Snellgrove, Tony
Hinnant, Skip Talkert, Dave
Davidson, Tiena Fletcher, Hu
bert Hucherson, Kelly Burke,
Nick Lazaros, Brenda Morton
and Joyce Mock were among the
officials who took oaths of
loyalty.
Sonny Perdue
the cords too tightly.
• Store all electrical decorations
in a dry area, free from moisture and
dampness. The storage area also
should be kept at a moderate tem
perature.
• When storing your holiday dec
orations, do not place boxes on cor
ridors, next to windows or in front
of doors, even temporarily, as you
may need to use these areas to exit
in the event of a lire.
Taking a little extra time after the
holidays to follow these safely lips
will help keep your family and
property protected from fire.
Perry Hospital:
Perry Hospital Public Rela
tions Director Marti Marchant said
they are expecting a great year in
1993.
“We will be receiving new ra
diology equipment this upcoming
year to replace the existing equip
ment. We look forward to providing
continuous quality care."
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