About The Monroe County reporter. (Forsyth, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2009)
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.
