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WEEKEND EDITION 250 Perry & Houston County's Official Legal Organ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1994 The community’s sympathy is ex tended to the families of those who recently died. They include: Minnie Handly Cross, Perry; John D. Gillis, Abbeville; Sudie Johnson Rowland, Fort Valley; Willie T. Rid ley, Perry; Maybeth Harrison Baird, Sea Beach, Ca.; James Adkison, Perry; Alvaneter Brooks, Perry. For more information please see Page 2A. t%sittelßlll in nm i h BILL OVERTON 5A CLASSIFIED ZA DEATHS 2A EDITORIAL? 4A PERRY ?CRAPBQOK 4A JIMSHIPLEY 4A BRiGETTE LOUPERMILK 4A CHPRCH NEW? 2A WOOD?'N WATER 6A CALENPAR 2A Businesses asked to support local Fire Safety Program By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK Managing Editor The Perry Fire Department is seeking Financial support from the local business community to fund their annual Fire Safety pPorgam. Through the program, 1,695 children from kindergarten through upper elementary grades in Perry will receive fire safety education. The goal of the local department is toprevent fires and fire losses. "This vital program will assist us in teaching children fire safety and bum prevention. We strongly believe that by making children aware we can prevent tragfic fire loss, even death," Chief Gary Hamlin said. The department needs $2,712 to fund the program in 1994. This money will be used to purchase materials needed to teach the course. Acknolwedgements will be given to financial supporters of the program on a prestige page of all activity manuals. Response is required by March 30, 1994. Checks should be made payable to the National Fire Safety Council and can be mailed to the Perry Fire Department, 1207 Washington St., Perry, Ga. 31069. National Fire Safety Council, a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt, non-profit organization, designed the materials to be used in the program. Local hospital will raise service rates during 1994 year By VETO F. ROLEY Staff Writer Patients at Perry Hospital will pay six percent more for service in 1994 than they did in 1993. The Houston County Hospital Authority approved the fiscal year 1994 budget Wednesday, Feb. 9. In cluded in the budget are provisions for a six percent rate increase at both hospitals. According to a press re lease issued at the end of die meet ing, even with the increase in rates, the rates are "still... well below the state average and among the lowest in Middle Georgia." Employees were the big winners in the approved budget, getting a four percent merit pay raise and a re tirement supplement plan. The hospital authority approved, in principle, offering the 1,000 em ployees employed at Houston Medi cal Center and Perry Hospital a 403(b) retirement plan. Under the plan, the hospital would match 50 percent of an employee's contribu tion to the plan, up to two percent of the employee's salary. "There are a lot of things to be worked out and finalized before (the plan) is set in place," said Barbara Calhoun, a member of the commit tee that worked on the retirement plan. "We wanted to allow for as much flexibility as we could have and not be tied to numbers. There may come a time when we can't make that (match financially)." Hospital employees will be Please see RATES, page 10A Hog heaven! Houston County hog market coming to Agricenter Feb. 19 BY BRENDA THOMPSON Staff Writer Wives, take heed! If your hus band leaves the house next Saturday saying that he’s going to bring home the bacon, he might just mean it literally. For the 18th consecutive year, the Young Farmers of Houston County will be sponsoring their annual Houston County Market Hog Show on February 19 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. With approximately 80 swine al ready entered in the show and 40 expected to go on the public auc tion block, activities will get un derway at 2 p.m. All hogs being shown and sold have been raised by Houston County youngsters all of whom are between the ages of 9 and 18 and most of whom participate in the local 4-H or Future Farmers of America programs. “This is a great project for the kids participating in that they learn a whole lot of responsibility during the two to three months they spend raising their hogs” said Tim Lewis, coordinator and advisor for the Houston County Young Farmers’ Association. “And, they do a good job. We always have some real quality hogs out there.” According to Lewis, participants got their show hogs from local hog producers this past November and December. Each hog started out at approximately three months of age and weighed anywhere from 90 to 100 pounds. However, by show time next week, each animal will weigh in at between 220 and 270 pounds. “These hogs are all U.S. Num ber One animals and each will gain anywhere from one and a half to two and a half pounds per day dur ing the time the students are work ing with them,” added Lewis. In addition to keeping the hogs fed, students and show participants also learn about showmanship, ex ercising the animals on a daily ba sis and financial responsibility. They have to keep detailed records and are judged in several categories and can win awards for not only having quality hogs, but also for good record keeping and the like. The top award for the contestants is jt !■ v if Members of the Leadership Perry Class of 1994 left yesterday for a weekend retreat at Pine Mountain. Here, they pause for a quick photo before departing. Leadership class attends annual retreat BY BRENDA THOMPSON Staff Writer Members of the Leadership Perry Class of 1994 left the soggy grounds of middle Georgia Friday morning and headed for the moun tains. Pine Mountain, that is, where they are spending much of this weekend getting acquainted with PERRY, GEORGIA'S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1870--FQR COVERAGE OF YOUR EVENTS CALL 987-1823 f The Houston Homeff Journal 1 SECTION—B PAGES, PLUS SALES CIRCULAR §!|| w v ; " , HBSt Jason Talton, a senior at Perry High, will be taking this little plggle to market next Saturday for the 18th Annual Houston County Market Hog Show at the Agricenter In Perry. Talton, last . year's Herdsman Award winner, has partlcpated In the show for the past four years. the Herdsman Award and is based on overall excellence. The top awards for the hogs is the division and grand championships. As for the auction part of the show, Lewis encourages local busi nesses and individuals to attend the show and bid on their favorite hogs. All monies collected from the auc tion of each hog goes to the student who raised it and is the method in which they recoup their expenses of the project. Lewis added, however, that those who bid on the hogs don’t necessar ily have to take them home as the Cordele Livestock Company has one another and gearing up for sev eral months of working and learn ing together. Class members and several pro gram facilitators departed for the annual Leadership Perry retreat Fri day morning. They are scheduled to return around 3 p.m. today. Leadership Perry members for agreed to purchase all the hogs at a floor price when the show and auc tion is over. “Remember, this is for the kids. Anyone who purchases a hog at the auction, but who doesn’t want to take it home, will just pay the dif ference between their bid and the market or floor price,” Lewis explained. “However, if you want to buy the hog for yourself, that’s great too. You’ll be getting a great animal.” The auction is expected to get under way at around 4:30 p.m. For more information, call Lewis at 988-6312. 1994 include: Tira Craine, Beth Jones, Debbie Koenig, Hal Bran nen, Dana Dickson, Lee Duke, Kyle Mathis, Trey Moody, Ty Sturgeon, Janet McElmurray, Wanda Sullivan, Harold Deal, Greg Griner, Tim Martin and Ellen Burgess. Houston Publications, 1nc.—©1994 Locally owned and operated Perry teen has been charged with murder By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK Managing Editor Perry police have charged a 17 year old Perry male with murder in connection with a Thursday after noon shooting that claimed the life of Arthur Green, a 42 year old Perry resident. According to Perry Police Captain Steve Heaton, Allen Barrow, of 1007 Third St., was taken into cus tody Thursday, Feb. 10 and charged with Green's murder approximately four minutes after the 5:56 p.m. shooting which occurred on BOE questioned on the legality of closed session By VETO F. ROLEY Staff Writer The legality, or the lack thereof, of a closed session of the Houston County Board of Education Feb. 8 has been questioned by the local news media. "It (the executive session) was il legal as it could be," said David Hud son, attorney for the Georgia Press Association. "They ought to be ashamed for trying to conduct that matter without letting the public know about iL" Zell Blackmon, chairman of the school board, said the board was al lowed to go into executive session to discuss naming anew school near Warner Robns under the personnel exceptions of Georgia sunshine laws. Sunshine laws are laws that require public bodies to conduct their proceedings and hearings in a public forum. Sunshine laws allow closed or executive sessions when the body is conducting an inspection of physical facilities under its jurisdiction, dis cussing future acquisition of real es tate, consulting with an attorney re garding pending or potential legal ac tion or discussing the employment, periodic evaluations or disciplinary actions regarding a public officer or employee. "The only potential honorees (in having a school, building or other Anti-violence program to be taught in local schools By VETO F. ROLEY Staff Writer The Houston Board of Eduction is on the verge on announcing an anti violence program to help combat teenage violence. Before Christmas, Perry Police Chief Frank Simons presented the board with an anti-violence program based on the D.A.R.E. program. "Hopefully," said Blackmon, "we will have (the program) fine tuned by the next meeting." "I think it can be tremendous," said Hinnant, who said the program would also have the support of the Warner Robins Police Department and the Houston County Sheriffs Department. "We will go county wide in the middle schools and prob ably up to the high schools." "Young people don't understand the seriousness of guns," continued Hinnant. He said that it would help to have a role model in front of the students, educating the students on the proper use and place of guns. He also said that the course would show the "seriousness of death." County schools will also receive just over $204,000 in Gov. Zell Miller's Safe School Plan. Perry Middle School will receive $15,000, and Perry High School will receive $44,011. Most of the funds will be used to purchase radio equipment, lights, camera equipment and install call-back buttons on the intercom 124TH YEAR-VOLUME 13 Whipple Street. Heaton said that, according to witnesses' reports, an argument be tween Barrow and Green escalated to the point where Barrow shot Green. Reports indicate Barrow fired a gun only once, striking Green in the left side, just below the armpit. Heaton said an autopsy is not complete, and the exact cause of death is not yet known. Green was still alive when officers arrived at the crime scene, but died after being Please see TEEN, page 10A educational facility named after someone) are people who contributed significantly to education in Hous ton County," said Blackmon. "The only people we consider are people who have been employed by the Houston County Board of Education. "We evaluate whether or not we can honor them based on their em ployment record. We think it's a per sonnel matter." •‘Nonsense," said Hudson. He added that it did not matter that the school board named educational facilities only after former employees. "It (the personnel exception) has nothing to do with naming a school. "We think we are right," said Blackmon. "Our attorney thinks we are righL We would never know ingly break the law. I think we are abiding by the law and the spirit (of the law)." "I can see why you would ques tion (the executive session)," said Hubert Hutcherson, school board member from Post 5, which includes Perry. However, he added the meet ing was closed since people would be discussed in the naming of the school. ”1 think it was proper." Blackmon also said the board was concerned about potential liability in opening the meeting to the public. Please see BOE, page 10A system giving teachers a direct link with the office. "The money will allow us to do some things with the buildings that the board has not had money to do," said HinnanL BOE approves new harassment policy at meeting By VETO F. ROLEY Staff Writer The Houston County Board of Education has a sexual harassment policy ready for approval. Even though the board tabled the policy at their meeting Feb. 8, Zell Blackmon, board chairman, said the policy was in effect "We can't get young people from committing offenses," said Black mon. However, he said the policy would let students and teachers know the board did not tolerate sexual ha rassment, what the board considered sexual harassment and provide a framework for dealing with sexual harassment "This is a serious as anything we've ever done," sdid Blackmon. "We will enforce it vigorously." "I've read it very carefully," said Hubert Hutcherson, Board of Educa tion Post 5 member from Perry. "It Please see POLICY, page 10A