Newspaper Page Text
I s this your baby’s
first Christmas? If so,
be sure your precious
one is included in the
Reporter’s full-color
Christmas tree in our Dec.
16 issue featuring local
babies celebrating their
first Christmas.
Babies will be pictured
inside ornaments on the
tree with their name, birth
day and parents’ names.
The cost is just $15.
Deadline is 5 p.m. on
Wednesday, Dec. 9. Email ^
your photos to
business@mymcr.net or
bring them by the Reporter
at 50 N. Jackson Street.
Inside
Get on
board the
soul train
at Motown
Tribute this
weekend
See Page 9A
Sports
Lady Dogs
crush Lady
Trojans
See Page 1B
Deaths
Lewis Neal Waldrop
CO “O .—
^ 03
O CO
S* o> 2 §
S a. « 1
0> *S .* Jr °
> O in 00
R £ n N n
tf) O !.
V (■ 4
Tree lighters enjoyed early Christmas
Ivey Weldon, left, and Christina Legeikis had the responsibility of flipping the switch to light
up the Forsyth Christmas tree Monday night on the square. Both local girls have made amaz
ing recoveries from auto accidents this year. The annual tree lighting celebration was spon
sored by the City of Forsyth and Forsyth Better Hometown, included local entertainment, and
was capped by a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. The festivities continue later this week with
the Hometown Holidays parade in downtown Forsyth on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. The Bol-
ingbroke Christmas parade is Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. (Photo/ Gina Herring)
Macon’s
musical:
Made in
Monroe
Monroe County
residents who go see
the Nutcracker of
Middle Georgia in
Macon starting next
week may spot some
familiar faces
amongst the toy sol
diers and the
jesters.
That's because six
Monroe Countians Monroe Countians, from left, Caroline Rose Tane, Hannah-Marie
See NUTCRACKER Blessett, John Sink (rat), Cayton Sink, Payton Bullington and Re
page 7A gan Oliver will play in “Nutcracker”. (Photo courtesy Conni Tane)
Murder
charges
after Sat
shooting
BY WILL DAVIS
Two Forsyth men have
been charged with
ambushing and killing a
Moreland Road resident in
his back yard on Saturday
morning in what investi
gators are calling the first
"whodunit" murder in the
county in years.
Robert "Wolf 1 Gresham,
51, of 175 Moreland Road
was shot and killed at
around 8 a.m. on
Saturday.
Anthony "Ant" Threatt,
26, of Frontage Road,
Forsyth and Douglas
“Trey” Davis III, 28, of
Martin Luther King Drive,
Forsyth were arrested on
Saturday and charged
with the murder. Both
have criminal histories
and have served time in
prison, according to the
Department of Corrections
website.
Inv. Allen Henderson of
the Monroe County
DAVIS
Sheriffs Office said the
two men had someone
drop them off at
Gresham's house where
they planned to rob him.
The two men waited in the
backyard for Gresham to
emerge and ambushed
him near a tree line at
around 8 a.m., said
Henderson. Sources close
to the investigation said
the suspects shot Gresham
after he called one of their
names and they realized
he knew their identity.
Gresham was shot multi
ple times, probably with a
small caliber handgun,
said Henderson. Gresham
was taken to the Medical
Center in Macon where he
died, according to a press
release.
When the driver who
dropped the men off at
Gresham's house found
out what had happened,
she called authorities, said
See MURDER page 7A
THREATT
River Forest bird lady on a mission
BY HILARY HOGG
T rying to repair a problem “of epic
proportions”, Michael and Joanne
Alexander house 120 exotic birds in
the lower level of their River Forest
home. A privately funded operation,
Joanne works six to eight hours a day caring
for birds that range from small finches to a
Hyacinth Macaw, the world’s largest macaw
species.
Joanne, originally from London, and
Michael Alexander moved to Monroe County
two years ago after leaving Detroit, where
Joanne worked with various animal
humane societies. She said being exposed to
the tragedies of bird smuggling and breed
ing 14 years ago led her to devote her life to
caring for abused birds.
“Every bird has a story,” she says as she
explains that many of the birds were beaten
or locked in closets. Joanne rescues and
receives birds from seized property auctions,
shelters and vets and says many of them
are in poor condition physically and mental
ly due to the stressful environments they
tainance
* ■ crea-
tures
f and
See J
ROTS £
page 7aJF
have been in.
Joanne says their privately funded shelter
costs roughly $3,500 a month to operate due
to vet bills, food, employees and travel to
purchase and rescue birds. Immense effort
goes into creating a realistic retreat for the
birds who are, at most, two gen
erations from the wild. The
rather elaborate lower level
of their home, situated just
off the No. 1 green at River
Forest, features four rooms
where the birds can be
separated according to
age and size, a screened
outdoor aviary and a
kitchen equipped to satis
fy specific dietary needs.
Each room has cages for
the birds to eat and rest,
but they rarely spend
time there. High ceil
ings and endless natu
ral perches allow the
birds to fly freely and
enjoy each other’s compa
ny. Coco, a blue and gold
Macaw, is blind and is
always accompanied by
his “seeing eye bird”, a
Hahns Macaw named
Zazu. Other birds have
similarly complex rela
tionships.
Parrots are
high-main-
Sam was constantly kept in a cage by his owners and was never allowed inter
action time. Now he, along with 120 other exotic birds, are able to fly freely.
