Newspaper Page Text
WEEKEND
EDITION
250
Perry & Houston County's
official Legal Organ
SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1993
Good
morning, Perry
Deaths
Margaret Louise Wilson, Perry;
Woodrow Chatham, Kathleen;
Mack Charles Felder Jr., Elko;
Ruby Sumner McAlum, Alamo;
James Henry Poss, Perry. For
details, please see page 3A.
INDEX
AGRICENTER EVENTS 5A
ROBIN BOOKER 4A
CALENDAR 5A
CLASSIFIED 4B
DEATH NOTICES 3A
EDITORIALS 4A
PERRY SCRAPBOOK 4A
POLICE REPORT 2A
SPORTS IB
JIM SHIPLEY 4A
STREET TALK 4A
JOHN TRUSSELL 2B
BOBBY TUGGLE 2B
BRIAN LAWSON 1B
WOODS 'N WATER 2B
Perry chamber
breakfast to be
held March 24
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Perry residents and business
people will have a chance to gel the
scoop on what’s happening in lo
cal, county and state government
during the Perry Area Chamber of
Commerce’s first “Good Morning,
Perry” Breakfast scheduled
Wednesday, March 24.
The first of a series of breakfasts
to be held once every two months,
Good Morning Perry will be held
from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at the
Houston County Agricultural
Building on Carroll Street in Perry.
Coffee, doughnuts and an informa
tive program are on tap.
The program for Wednesday’s
Please see CHAMBER, page 6A
Whole language
will be topic of
BOE hearing
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
A public hearing tentatively
scheduled by the Houston County
Board of Education for March 23
has been re-scheduled for March 30
at 7 p.m. at Houston County High
School's auditorium.
The hearing will be held to ad
dress the issue of the language arts
curriculum currently being taught
in elementary classrooms in the
county. Many parents have voiced
concerns that the curriculum does
not adequately cover instruction in
the area of phonics because phonics
Please see TOPIC, page 6A
Local fire dept, is
giving out detectors
Just a reminder that area fire de
partments will be distributing free
smoke detectors from 10 a.m. until
noon this Saturday, March 27.
A promotion sponsored by the
Houston County Chapter of Safe
Kids of Georgia and the Georgia
State Firefighters Association, 150
smoke detectors will be given away
on a first-come, first serve basis at
fire stations throughout the county.
The Perry Fire Department has been
allotted more than one dozen detec
tors.
For more information, call Gary
Hamlin at the Perry Fire Depart
ment, 987-6524, or Bob Smith and
Jimmy Williams at the Houston
County Fire Department, 542-
2026.
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Perry Middle School eighth-grade math teacher Thelma Sexton has been named
the Houston County recipient of the Sailie Mae First Year Teacher Award.
Thelma Sexton is honored
during first year of teaching
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
She always knew she wanted to
teach, but it took Thelma Sexton
seven years in the wrong profession
before she changed careers and en
tered the world of education.
Sexton’s decision to leave the
business world and become a middle
school math teacher is already prov
ing to be a rewarding experience
both in and out of the classroom. In
her first year of teaching at Perry
Middle School, Sexton has been
named the Houston County recipi
ent of the Sailie Mae First Year
Teacher Award.
"This year has been wonderful
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(HHJ photo by Eric Zellars)
Track and field season begins
Perry High’s Nikkita Simon placed first in a high jump competition against Dodge
and Jones counties Thursday afternoon. For more details on the outcome of the
meet and scores see the story on page 1B of today’s sports section.
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2 SECTIONS—IO PAGES, PLUS SALES CIRCULARS
for me in so many ways," she said.
"People think I’ve lost my mind to
love working with eighth-graders So
much, but I think it's the best age
to teach."
Sexton said eighth-graders are in
a constant state of change and
growth, which makes teaching
more interesting to her. Because her
students are at an impressionable
age, Sexton uses a cooperative
learning strategy in her classes to
teach the students about working
together and being part of a team.
"Kids at this age need to learn
how to work with others if they are
going to be successes later in life,"
she said.
When asked what her secret of
success is, Sexton said it must be
her approach to teaching.
”1 think teaching works for me
because I don't really use the book.
I use it as a resource, of course, but
mostly I teach my kids how to ap
ply math principles to their every
day life, and that makes it work for
them," she said.
Being named the system's first
year teacher was a surprise for
Sexton as well as a challenge.
"Receiving such an award makes
you expect a lot out of yourself,"
Please see SEXTON, page 6A
Facts presented
from both sides
at EPD hearing
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
The bottom line is deciding
whose facts are the most believable.
Around 200 people turned out
Thursday night for an
Environmental Protection Division
hearing at Perry High School con
cerning Medusa Cement Company’s
application for a permit to burn
hazardous waste. Opponents as well
as supporters of Medusa attended
the hearing to go on record as to
how they felt about the burning of
hazardous waste at the Clinchfield
plant.
If Medusa is given the go-ahead
to bum hazardous waste, the plant
will burn approximately 80,000
tons of waste each year in their ce
ment kilns. Medusa officials main
tain that they need to burn the
waste to compete economically
with other cement companies.
Opponents of the plan contend that
burning the waste will prove to be
a health hazard and want Medusa's
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Perry High STAR Student Jason Spencer Barrett and
his STAR Teacher Charles Wayne Murphy.
US fif 1
Westfield STAR Student Jenny Larkin Goss and her
STAR Teacher William K. Gottswals.
STAR students and
teachers honored
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
A large crowd of educators, stu
dents and local dignitaries were on
hand Tuesday afternoon as the Perry
Area and Warner Robins Area
chambers of commerce hosted a re
ception to recognize Houston
County's STAR students and
STAR teachers.
Mediators help juveniles
earn a second chance
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
Sometimes all a person needs is
a second chance in life. Thanks to a
new program in Houston County, a
great number of juvenile offenders
are getting that second chance and
making the most of it.
Houston County has imple
mented a mediation program that al
lows first-time juvenile offenders to
123RD YEAR—VOLUME 23
permit application denied by EPD.
"I live in the general area of the
plant and have property nearby,"
said Edwin Whitehead. "I am con
cerned about the well-being of my
children, and if this will be haz
ardous to anyone's health, I don't
want it."
At a press conference prior to
hearing. Medusa officials stated that
their intention to bum hazardous
waste is safe and will help ensure
Medusa's financial security in the
future.
"Other cement plants are burning
waste, and it gives them an eco
nomic advantage," said Dick
Kistler, Medusa plant manager.
"Time is passing and it's time we
move ahead on this. Let's run the
tests and let the scientific facts
come out."
Many opponents of Medusa's
plan gave emotionally-charged
statements about the effects the
Please see SIDES, page 6A
Honorees from Perry were Jason
Spencer Barrett, student, and
Charles Wayne Murphy, teacher,
Perry High School; and Jenny
Larkin Goss, student, and William
K. Gottswals, teacher, Westfield
Schools. The students represent the
top 10 percent of their senior class
Pltrase see STAR, page 6A
work out resolutions to conflicts
without going through the court
system. The program employs the
services of 20 volunteers who serve
as mediators to help the juveniles
see that conflicts can be resolved
through compromise and talking,
not violence.
"Our volunteers go through a
Please see HELP, page 6A