Newspaper Page Text
WEEKEND
EDITION
250
Perry & Houston County's
official Legal Organ
SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 1993
w
Good
morning, Perry
Deaths
Edward McCants, Bonaire;
William Van Roekel, Perry. For
details, please see page 3A.
INDEX
AGRICENTER EVENTS 3A
BRIGETTE HAMILTON 4A
CALENDAR 3A
CLASSIFIED 4B
DEATH NOTICES 3A
EDITORIALS 4A
PERRY SCRAPBOOK 4A
POLICE REPORT 2A
SPORTS 1B
JIM SHIPLEY 4A
STREET TALK 4A
JOHN TRUSSELL 2B
BOBBY TUGGLE 2B
BRIAN LAWSON 1B
Set your clocks
ahead one hour
Saturday night
Perry residents who don’t want
to be late for church or Sunday’s
Dogwood Festival events should
make sure they set their clocks
ahead one hour before retiring
tonight.
Daylight savings time returns
this Sunday, springing clocks
around the nation up one hour and
offering citizens an additional hour
of daylight for recreation or work in
the evenings. Daylight savings
time will continue through the last
Sunday in October.
Originally adopted during World
War I by Great Britain, daylight
savings time was utilized as an
economy measure. The United
States adopted it in 1918 and re
pealed it in 1919. Many cities,
however, continued to use it year
round, and the federal government
re-instated it from time to time as a
measure of energy conservation.
Then, in 1967, Congress
established daylight savings time as
an annual occurrence effective from
the last Sunday in April to the last
Sunday in October.
The law was amended in 1986,
moving the beginning of daylight
time from the last Sunday in April
to the first Sunday.
Bad weather is
putting farmers
in a bad spot
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
Rain , rain, go away.
That is the plea of farmers in
Houston County who are anxiously
awaiting enough dry weather to get
their com crop planted. Because this
area has seen so much rain recently,
farmers have had to halt field prepa
ration and are unable to get their
crops planted at this time.
"We are way behind in planting,
and the farmers are getting under
standably anxious," said Duren
Bell, Houston County Extension
Agent. "The wet weather has forced
the farmers to halt their prepara
tions, which may affect the crops
the farmers originally planned to
plant."
According to Bell, most of the
com crop for this area should be in
the ground by now but less than 10
percent has been planted. The delay
in planting will make farmers more
susceptible to drought later in the
summer.
"Basically, we are in a hurry-up
and-wait mode at this time," said
Bell. "We are having to wait on dry
weather, but once the ground dries
out, we'll have to hurry up to get
the crops planted."
Bell said the peanut, cotton and
soybean crops are not in danger yet
because it’s best to plant them
around mid-April to the first of
Please see BAD, page 6A
Fun in
the sun!
Students take time out
to enjoy the weather
Nothing guarantees
fun like the sunshine,
and local students in
Perry took time out
from classes to enjoy
the nice weather
Thursday.
Photo at right:
Meadowdale pre
schoolers, including
Phillip Thomas and his
teacher Missey Ray,
enjoyed a street dance
held at the center in
celebration of Month of
the Young Child which
observes the need for
quality early childhood
care and education
programs.
Bottom photo: Fifth
graders in Bob Perry's
classes at Tucker
Elementary, Including
Timothy King, Tommy
Dean, Gia Buckles,
Octavis Taylor, Carla
Pearce and Kyle
Padgett, culminated a
two-week unit on
space by having a
space fair for the whole
school to enjoy. All 21
students participated
in the fair by making
projects, writing
stories about their
projects and reading
books on space. With
10 booths set up, the
fair allowed students to
see how the various
principles of space
apply to certain
events.
(HHJ photos by Eric Zellars)
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County's ASAP program
needs funds to survive
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
The Adolescent Substance Abuse
Program in Houston County is
dangerously close to being closed
down due to a lack of funds. Loss
of such a program would strike a
hard blow to a court system at
tempting to reach juveniles before
they commit serious criminal of
fenses.
ASAP has been operating in the
county for the past three years under
a state grant. However, state offi
cials have indicated that the original
seed grant is being discontinued and
counties wishing to keep the pro
gram will have to furnish their own
funding. Judge Herb Wells has al
ready appealed to the Board of
Commissioners for financial sup
port of the program, but the board
could find no available funds to di
rect toward the program.
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"I understand that the county
doesn't have any money, but I sure
would hate to lose this program,"
said Wells. "We do a lot toward get
ting these juveniles help early on
before they get into more serious
trouble. To lose this project would
certainly lessen our ability to do
that."
ASAP uses drug pre-screening
and screening to test juveniles to
determine whether or not there is
any drug use, abuse or addiction.
Because the youths are screened
immediately upon leaving the
courtroom, they have no warning
that they are to be screened.
"If we order a screen, these kids
are not prepared for it and can't
clean up prior to the testing," said
Intervention Officer Jill West.
"Based on the pre-screen results, we
then determine what type of treat
ment may te necessary for the ju
venile."
West explained that the program
works to spot a juvenile's drug use
early to prevent more serious prob
lems down the road. If drug use can
be detected in a juvenile early
enough, and treatment can be ad
ministered, perhaps the juvenile
will not reappear in the court sys
tem in the future.
"We keep hearing about how the
county may have to build anew
jail, but we feel like a program
such as ASAP can help prevent
many juveniles from going on to
be a burden to society as they get
older," said West "If we can make a
difference in more juveniles' lives
early on, maybe all these new jails
and prisons would not be neces
sary."
Please see ASAP, page 6A
PERRY, GA.
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Police investigate
rash of burglaries
at several motels
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
A rash of burglaries which broke
out among local hotels and motels
late last week is currently under in
vestigation by the Perry Police De
partment.
According to reports, approxi
mately $2,700 in cash and property
has been stolen from various occu
pants of six Perry hotels and motels
in recent days. Several victims re
ported that they were asleep in their
rooms during the burglaries, and at
least one claimed the perpetrator
used a key to gain entry.
Although still under investiga
tion, Perry Police Chief Frank Si
mons says the similarity in reports
strongly indicates a probability of
the crimes being related and that the
department is presently following
up on several suspect leads. No ar
rests had been made at press time,
however.
Don't forget Dogwood!
Parade and Family Day highlight weekend
Perry’s Fifth Annual Dogwood
Festival is in full swing with
several activities planned for the
weekend.
Although the pageants and the
Street Dance have already been held,
Perryans are encouraged to visit the
downtown area today for
"Celebration on Carroll Street"
which will include the annual
Dogwood Parade and Arts & Crafts
on Carroll Street. Also downtown
Dogwood queens crowned Thurs. and Fri.
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
A large crowd turned out at Perry
High School Auditorium Thursday
and Friday nights to witness the
crowning of the five 1993
Dogwood Festival Queens.
Thursday night’s pageant featured
the crowning of Little Miss
Dogwood Jenison Cooper and
Junior Miss Dogwood Janna Leech.
Erica Sipps and Ashley Whiddon
Local chamber will woo
industry reps during tour
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Perry and other cities and towns
throughout the mid-state will be
rolling out the red carpet for
prospective industrial residents next
week.
Sponsored by the Georgia
Chamber of Commerce and state
wide economic developers, the 34th
Annual Red Carpet Tour will be in
Macon Wednesday, April 7,
bringing with it chief executive
officers of more than 50 expanding
and re-locating U.S. companies.
The purpose of the event is to give
the mid-state a chance to showcase
itself as a prime business location
and to outline its benefits as a
choice home for new industry.
Although the tour is a week
long event held annually, it does
not always come to central Georgia.
In fact, Peggie Williams, executive
vice-president of the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce, says it has
been several years since the mid
state has been featured.
This year’s tour will be traveling
into Macon via train from Atlanta.
Upon arriving in Macon, the tour
ing prospects will travel up Cherry
Street in golf carts, led by the Cen
tral High Sugar Bear Band, to a re
ception at the Hay House. A lun
cheon and presentation on central
Georgia will follow at the Macon
Auditorium.
According to Williams, Houston
County will join 13 other central
Georgia counties in sponsoring a
cooperative presentation to the 50-
123RD YEAR—VOLUME 27 I
The first report of a burglary
came from three Michigan college
students staying at the Hampton
Inn in Perry late last week. The un
known perpetrator is said to have
gotten away with $lB5 in cash and
personal property valued at $775.
No evidence of forced entry was
found by investigators.
Soon after the first call, local
police responded to a call from a
Florida couple staying at the Days
Inn in Perry. The couple reported
that someone forced entry into their
room through sliding glass doors
while they were sleeping. The
perpetrator reportedly stole the
gentleman’s pants containing $250
in cash, the woman’s purse contain
ing $450 cash and $350 worth of
jewelry.
The next burglary report came
on March 28 from Perry’s Red
Please see RASH, page 6A
merchants will be open and several
are having special sales in honor of
the celebration.
Featured at the gazebo will be the
Easter Bunny who is visiting Perry
during the festival to have his
pictures taken with children.
At 10 a.m. the City of Perry will
hold the dedication ceremony of a
new Courtyard Street Clock at the
comer of Main and Ball streets. The
Please see WEEKEND, page 6A
tied for second runner-up for Little
Miss Dogwood and Krystle
Kennedy was first runner-up for
Little Miss Dogwood. Second run
ner-up for Junior Miss Dogwood
was Tiffani Harris and first runner
up was Kimberly Jacaway.
Miss Macon Ivy Adams emceed
Thursday night's pageant with en
tertainment provided by several lo-
Please see QUEENS, page 6A
plus prospects as well as to a like
number of state hosts representing
such organizations as the Georgia
Department of Industry, Trade and
Tourism, Georgia Power and
Oglethorpe Power.
Making up the Houston County
regiment will be representatives
from the Warner Robins Chamber
of Commerce, Perry Mayor Pro
tem James Moore, and
representatives of the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to Williams, Perry
Area Chamber of Commerce board
members assisting in the event will
include: Jimmy Faircloth, chamber
president; John Sundquist, chamber
president-elect; Skip Dawkins,
manager of GTE; Trudie Warren of
Flint Electric; Jack Ragland of
Macon College and Betty Gocken
of A and I Travel Agency.
Williams added that the local
chamber will have a special booth
inside the auditorium highlighting
business in Perry, offering local
representatives an opportunity to
talk directly with industrial
prospects.
The event will conclude at the
Grand Opera House where perform
ing artists from all over the mid
state, including Perry’s own Perry
Players, will present a grand finale.
“Groups from throughout central
Georgia have been meeting since
October to plan this event,”
Williams said Thursday afternoon.
“It is a very important day for our
Please see TOUR, page 6A