Newspaper Page Text
WEEKEND
EDITION
250
Perry & Houston County's
official Legal Organ
SATURDAY, MAY 15, 1993
UF Good
morning, Perry
HOME JOURNAL
HIGHLIGHTS
Deaths
Bernice P. Teagle, Lillie Lee
Williams, William Henry Brown,
please see details on page 2A
Paved road
Residents on County Line Road
are finally able to look forward
to their road being paved. The
project is in full swing , as long
as the weather stays nice,
please see page 2A
Raising funds
Former Perry High School stu
dents are trying to raise money
to help fund a summer tour.
The Spirit of Atlanta will be in
town this weekend, please see
page 4B
Westfield honors
Westfield Schools honored its
best and brightest students
Thursday with honors ceremo
nies for younger and older stu
dents, please see page 3A
Snakebite!
Read Bobby Tuggle's columto
find out who grabbed the wrong
end of a copperhead, please
see page 2B
PHS honors athletes
For a complete list of the PHS
Sports Banquet award winners,
please see page 1B
Spring football ends
Read John Stephens' assess
ment of how Perry's spring foot
ball workouts went and what it
means for the fall, please see
page 1B
Special services
Mark you calendar now for a
special event at the Perry Ist
Baptist Church. On May 23,
noted minister Dr. Jess
Hendley, of Atlanta, will con
duct services at the church,
pelase see page 5A
Don't forget
The Perry Church of God will
hold a homecoming Sunday,
complete with a covered dish
dinner. . . City Council meets
Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at city
ha 11... please see calendar of
events on page 3A
- INDEX
AGRICENTER EVENTS 3A
CALENDAR 3A
CLASSIFIED 4B
DEATH NOTICES 3A
EDITORIALS 4A
BRIAN LAWSON IB
PERRY SCRAPBOOK 4A
POLICE REPORT 2A
SPORTS IB
JIM SHIPLEY 4A
STREET TALK 4A
BRENDA THOMPSON 4A
JOHN TRUSSELL 2B
BOBBY TUGGLE 2B
WOODS 'N WATER 2B
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Grant to help
plan schools
of the future
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
Governor Zell Miller announced
Thursday that Houston County is
one four counties ticketed to receive
$60,000 in developmental grant
funds next year.
The monies are part of The Next
Generation School Project, which
is a grassroots effort encouraging
local communities to re-organize in
an effort to improve their school
systems. Houston County will use
the funds to increase staff develop
ment, upgrade technology in
schools and improve evaluation of
instructional programs.
In applying for the grant, the
Houston County School System
hoped to receive funds in the
amount of SIOO,OOO. In addition to
receiving the $60,000, the school
system will also be required to con
tribute at least $50,000 in local
funds or in-kind contributions to
Please see Grant, page 5A
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Just Horsin' Around
(HHJ phot by Brenda Thompson)
Over 1,100 horses from across the country will be shown at the Region 12 Arabian Horse
Show at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. The show began on Tuesday and
will continue through Sunday, with each performance beginning at 8:30 a.m. Admission is free
to the public.
Program hopes to dispel myths surrounding rape
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
The Houston Drug Action
Council’s Rape Crisis Program
will host its first rape prevention
class in Perry on Thursday, May
20.
To be held in the cafeteria of
PerTy Hospital from 6:30-8:30
p.m., the class is designed to not
only help dispel the myths sur
rounding the crime of rape, but to
ROTC cadets
win honors,
pass review
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
The Perry High Air Force Junior
ROTC unit has had a busy month,
racking up state honors and finish
ing off their school year with the
Annual Spring Review.
The Perry High Color Guard
competed at state championships at
International City Stadium on May
1 and came away from the competi
tion with first place honors. The
team, commanded by Cadet Chief
Master Sgt. Alex beat
out 12 other teams to capture the
championship. Other members of
the winning team were Cadet Ist
Lt. Paul Lorenzana, Cadet Ist Lt.
Coby Johnson and Cadet Tech. Sgt.
Please see ROTC, page bA
PERRY, GEORGIA’S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1870--FOR COVERAGE OF YOUR EVENTS, CALL 987-1823
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2 SECTIONS—IO PAGES, PLUS SALES CIRCULARS
City issues new numbers
Thanks to anew phone system at Perry City Hall, local residents
can now place direct calls to many city offices, including the city’s
two recreation parks.
According to Janice Williams, Perry’s assistant city clerk, the
new phone system does not force callers to be routed through the
city hall’s main switchboard and allows for calls after 5 p.m. and on
weekends when the switchboard is closed.
New city numbers not yet listed in local phone books include:
•City Maintenance Barn: 988-8553
•Creekwood Park: 988-8385
•Detectives’ Office: 988-1166
•Dry Trash Landfill: 987-7075
•Fire Department Administrative Offices: 987-1212
•Parks and Recreation Dept: 988-8075 or 988-8131
•Police Dept. Administrative Offices: 987-2323
•Rozar Park: 988-8184
•Sewage Plant, F. Satterfield Rd.: 988-8513
•Water Plant, Gen. Hodges Boulevard: 988-8180
•Water Plant, Hwy. 341 North: 988-8375
Williams added that number for Perry City Hall remains the
same, 987-1911. Additionally, those residents with a police or lire
emergency should continue calling 911.
also explain what happens when a
victim reports a rape and to teach
preventive measures women can
take to make themselves less vul
nerable to an attack.
The class is open to the public
and free of charge.
A part of the Houston Drug Ac
tion Council (HODAC), a non
profit community agency based in
Warner Robins, the Rape Crisis
Program was created in 1980 and
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The Perry High AFJROTC showed what they were made of
Thursday night at their annual Spring Review held at the school.
responds 24 hours a day, seven days
a week to rape victims at Houston
Medical Center, Perry Hospital and
Robins Air Force Base Hospital.
Volunteers working with the
program provide much-needed emo
tional support to the traumatized
rape victim as well as to the vic
tim’s family. In addition, they typi
cally provide clothing to victims.
“So far, we have been able to
provide jogging suits to victims so
PERRY,GA.
1870
Cold, wet, heat have impact
on crops on Houston farms
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Although the weather has already
taken a negative toll on many small
grains and early peaches, a little
rain should get Houston County’s
two biggest cash crops on the right
track.
According to County Extension
Agent Duran Bell, the county’s
peanut and cotton crops, valued at
$4.75 and $4 million, respectively,
were a little late getting started this
year, but are nevertheless in pretty
good shape.
“Of course, like all our crops,
they need some rain,” Bell said
Thursday. “It’s dry out there. Very
dry.”
Crops that aren’t quite as hope
ful are the area’s peaches and small
grains. Both incurred notable dam
age due to a late March freeze and
snowstorm, but neither arc a total
loss.
“We sustained substantial dam
age in both fields and, unfortu
nately, much more than 1 had antic
ipated in regards to the wheat, rye
and oat crops,” Bell said. “Initially,
Lead in local water
no cause for alarm,
utility director says
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
As far as Perry is concerned, the
situation concerning excess lead in
water is not as heavy as it may
seem.
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency released reports
earlier this week indicating Houston
County may have higher than nor
mal lead levels in drinking water.
According to Public Works Director
Tommy Stalnaker, however, the
EPA reports are misleading and
have caused undue alarm in the mid
state.
"The EPA's release was decep
tive in that it made it appear that
the problem was in water systems,"
said Stalnaker. "The fact of the mat
ter is that there is nothing wrong
with the system, and some individ
ual homes may have problems that
that they can have some type of
clothing as well as some dignity
when they leave the hospital to go
to the police department,” said Mia
Brown-Shields, Rape Crisis
Program Director.
Shields added that the program is
currently in need of volunteers to
respond to the Perry Hosptial as
well as donations of women’s
underwear, socks, jogging suits and
trial size shampoo, soap, toothpaste
Board ponders future
of old vo-ed buildings
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
Everyone knows Middle Georgia
Technical Institute is getting anew
campus on Highway 96. What no
one seems to know is what will
happen to its present campus once
the new one is completed.
The Houston County Board of
Education gave the physical build
ing to the state of Georgia when
Middle Georgia Tech originally
opened. Now that the school will
have anew campus, boardmembers
are hopeful that the state will return
the structure to its original owners.
At a meeting with the local del
egation of legislators tv/o weeks
ago, boardmembers expressed a
strong desire to retain ownership of
the building for the purposes of
123 RP YEAR—VOLUME 39
II "
We sustained substantial dam
age in both fields (peaches and
grains) and, unfortunately, much
more than I had anticipated in
regards to the wheat, rye and oat
crops —Extension Agent Duran
Bell
— II
I had expected a 10 percent loss, bu'
it looks more like it’s going to be
closer to 20 or 30 percent.”
Bell added that Houston County
is the top wheat producer in the
state and that small grains represent
a $3 million crop. The losses this
year are expected to reduce that
value several hundred thousand dol
lars in 1993, however.
As for peaches, Bell indicated
that consumers will likely sec slim
pickings in the early peach crops
which are normally due in late
May.
On the up side, most area peach
farmers are already beginning to do
some thinning and the mid and late
crops are reported to be looking
good.
need to be corrected.
Stalnaker said random testing
was done to determine the lead
levels. Some homes tested high be
cause of the presence of lead pipes
or fixtures in their plumbing,
which is not reflective of any prob
lem caused by the water system.
Houston County and
Centerville were cited for having
above the accepted 15 parts per bil
lion of lead, but Stalnaker said the
report did not indicate Perry having
any problem with its water.
Additionally, Stalnaker said the 15
parts per billion is almost unheard
of in water systems.
"The testing is done on several
different houses and obviously none
of the Perry homes tested showed
high levels of lead in the water," he
said. "Even the areas cited are ques-
Please see Lead, page 5A
and toothbrushes.
“These donations of time and
items enable us to continue offering
these small touches of humanity at
a time when there appears to be a
total disregard for human dignity as
well as human life,” she said.
For more information on the
HODAC Rape Crisis Program or to
register for the upcoming rape pre
vention class in Perry, call Ms.
Shields at 953-5675.
providing a better open campus
program for the county.
"We want those buildings back
to use for an open campus so we
can provide better classes for those
students who need it the most,” said
Boardmcmber Shirley Lowery. "The
school was built with labs, and
since that is the best use for that
building, we feel we can put it to
best use."
Rep. Sonny Watson put a
damper on the board's hopes, how
ever, when he indicated he had heard
no indication that the building
would be relumed to the Houston
County Board.
"As it stands now, I don't be
lieve they have any intention of re
luming the school," said Watson.
Please see Tech, page 5A