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Houston Times-Joumal
Volume 124 No. 57
1 Section, 10 Page*
Inside I
_^Today|
Church News 3A
Classifieds 8A
Death Notices 2A
Editorials 4A
Commissioner's Race 2B
Sports 6A
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Hotel gala
is today!
The New Perry Hotel will be the
location of a celebration today and
everyone is invited!
Nannette Green and family are cel
ebrating their 50th year of owner
ship at the hotel and invite anyone
who has ever enjoyed a meal at the
hotel to join in the party.
The hotel staff and friends of the
Green family have been busily
preparing for the event and pictures
of those preparations are included in
today’s edition of the Houston
Times-Journal. Please see page
3 A.
Farm Bureau to
defer payments
Georgia Farm Bureau is offering
an opportunity to defer payments
for our membership affected by the
flood conditions in all counties
which are declared Federal Disaster
areas.
Members who have membership
dues and/or insurance premiums due
within the time period of July 5,
1994 through July 20, 1994 will be
granted an additional 30 days from
the payment due date in which to
submit their payment. This
deterred payment option will apply
to: membership dues, as well as
renewals, installment bills,
premium finance payments, and
mid-term bills on policies issued in
the Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual
Insurance Company and the Georgia
Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance
Company.
Please contact your local Farm
Bureau insurance agent if you need
additional information concerning
the availability of this program.
IRS offers relief to
flooded taxpayers
in central Georgia
Georgia residents in areas
affected by the flooding caused by
Tropical Storm Alberto, will
receive relief from the Internal
Revenue Service. Affected
taxpayers who are unable to meet
their federal tax obligations may
receive consideration for relief from
penalties.
“We realize that the IRS and tax
obligations are the last things on
many Georgia taxpayer’s mind right
now,” said A 1 Brooke, IRS district
director in Georgia. “People are
concerned about putting their lives
back together. We will be sensitive
to the impact caused by the floods.”
Please see IRS, page 10A
Perry blood drives
set m July/August
Members of the Perry commu
nity will have the chance to donate
blood at the following local blood
drives:
•Tuesday, July 19 at KMait from
3-7 p.m.
•Wednesday, August 17 at
Crossroads United Methodist
Church from 1:30-7 p.m.
Election will be held on Tuesday
BY JIMMY SIMPSON
Staff Writer
Election officials have confirmed
that this year’s General Primary
Election remains on schedule, and
remain optimistic that voter
participation Tuesday will bring
increased numbers at the polls.
Speculation this week by some
voters was that the election may be
rescheduled due to ongoing road
problems created by recent floods.
But election officials said Thursday
that no problems have surfaced.
“Everybody should be able to get
to their respective voting precincts.
They may have to take an alternate
route, but they should be able to
get to where they’re going. They
(Department of Transportation) are
opening roads every day,” said Jo
Ann Shipes, elections supervisor
Helping
hands!
Red Cross
volunteers help
flood victims
By JIMMY SIMPSON
Staff Writer
Volunteers arrived by the
carloads here this week in ongoing
efforts to assist those persons
affected by one of the worst natural
disasters in Georgia’s history.
The latest task involves food
preparation for more than 3,500
people who remain homeless in the
aftermath of Tropical Storm
Alberto.
The savior this time around is
the Middle Georgia Chapter of the
American Red Cross and the
Rehoboth Baptist Association of
Houston County.
The two organizations continued
this week a food service distribution
service at Perry Elementary that is
manned by more than 50 volunteers
from 6 a.m. until late evening
hours.
The school was opened up to the
groups July 9 by the Houston
County Board of Education for the
sole purpose of aiding volunteers
with no kitchen in which to prepare
the groceries.
The chain of command goes
hand in hand, relying heavily on
members from both sides of the
coin to share in the success.
Truckloads of food arrive daily
through donations from local
businesses and outside suppliers.
Volunteers from the Rehoboth
group then prepare the goods, while
Red Cross volunteers drive to the
various locations where food is
needed.
More than 10 areas receive lunch
and dinner daily from Red Cross
vehicles journeying around hard-hit
areas. Hawkinsville, Unadilla,
Montezuma, Vienna, Byron,
Oglethorpe, Drayton, Hartford,
Warner Robins and Perry are
presently on the Middle Georgia list
for delivery.
An estimated 22,000 meals had
already been cooked as of Friday at
Kiwanis hear update on flood damage
By PAULINE LEWIS
Staff Writer
Houston County Commission
Chairman Sherrill Stafford, along
with a four-member team, gave
Perry Kiwanians an up-to-the-hour
report Tuesday of conditions in
Houston County following the
flood.
Federal Highway Administration
representative Lori Kennedy said her
team has been working with the
state DOT to secure federal funds
available to the county. Georgia
DOT representative Olney Meadows
said FEMA will come in shortly
Official Organ For Houston County, City of Perry & State of Georgia
A detailed look at the polls and the candidates
for Houston County Commission Post Two
appears on Page 5-A!
for Houston County.
One of the biggest changes this
year, according to Shipes, will be a
three-precinct setup that replaces the
lone customary voting site at the
local National Guard Armory.
The Armory will be absent from
the polling sites during this
election only. That decision stems
from the fact that guards are
scheduled to be activated during the
same time of the election.
Voters will be split among
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A Red Cross volunteer prepares a portion of lunch that
fellow co-workers were to take to various destinations
Friday afternoon. (HTJ Photo by Jimmy Simpson)
noon by the 12-member team of the
Rehoboth group.
Volunteer cooks working the
Friday shift won’t be subject to all
of the food preparations. Additional
volunteers arrive every five to seven
and inspect roads and bridges for
damage. She stated that road jobs
completed within 180 days will be
100 percent funded.
County Public Works Director
Tommy Stalnaker reported on the
local roads situation, stating it will
take $5 million to bring damaged
roads and bridges in the area up to
good condition.
He also said that Lake Joy Road is
the "number one priority job” for
the county to re-construct and up
grade, with a three weeks target date
for completion.
For Newt; And Subscriptions Call 91 2:987 1823
Sports
Page 6A
Saturday, July 16, 1994
polling sites during this primary.
While some persons will cast their
ballots in the gymnasium at Tucker
Elementary or in the lunchroom at
Morningside Elementary, others
will file their votes at the Georgia
Living Center at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds.
Only those voters who received
voter ID cards telling them to go to
the armory should journey to the
fairgrounds, according to Shipes.
“Everyone else should have a
days to relieve their co-workers.
An estimated number of meals
expected to be cooked throughout
the crisis was unavailable due to an
indefinite date that the center will
Please see Volunteers, page 10A
"We also hope to have Highway
41 open the latter part of this week
or by the first part of next week,"
Stalnaker said, adding that the
Highway 247 spur is closed again
divers found pilings were off the
earth so the area has been closed
since further repairs are needed.
Stafford reported that 17,500 calls
were received by the county's E-911
system over a two-day period last
week and that 170 families in the
county have suffered property dam
age due to the flood.
Classified
Page 8A
card that either designates them to
Tucker or Morningside,” said
Shipes.
Shirley Collins, deputy registrar
for the elections office, said the
change in venue is just temporary
and that the armory is expected to
be available again in November’s
General Election.
Voters are asked to refrain from
parking on Tucker Road when
casting their ballots at that location
due to no designated parking areas.
Instead, said Shipes, persons should
find parking along Linder St.,
adjacent to Tucker.
Of the 5,879 registered voters in
the last General Primary Election,
only 2,551 (43 percent) showed up
at the polls.
Both Collins and Shipes said
Here’s who voters
will choose from on
the ballots Tuesday
By JIMMY SIMPSON
Staff Writer
Voters going to the polls
Tuesday will see several contested
races on die official primary Billot
for both, the Republican and
Democratic parties.
Perhaps one of the most
interesting races, though, will be
the six-man battle to gain a Post 2
seat on the Houston County
Commission.
Republicans J.B. “Jim” Carter,
Nora Reese and John F. “Jack”
Wylam search for a win on one
side, while Democrats Billy Hunter,
Wayne Ragin and Randy E. Wynn
look for victory on the other.
Other races of local interest
include: Judge of State Court of
Houston County (Bob Richardson),
State Rep., 141st District (Larry
Walker), Solicitor of State Court
for Houston County (Bob Turner.
Other posts in the race include
Clerk of State Court for Houston
County (Sissi Gann) and Houston
County Commission Chairman,
Post 1 (J. Sherrill Stafford). All but
Richardson (Nonpartisan) are
Democrats, and are running
Definition of ‘lobbyist’ is
changed by new state law
* With the passage of HB 1298
and SB 657, the definition of
“lobbyist” under State law has been
expanded to include persons who
seek to promote or oppose city,
county and school board actions.
Effective July 1, 1994, the term
lobbyist now includes the
following persons:
•One who, for compensation,
either individually or as an
employee of another, undertakes to
promote or oppose the passage of
any ordinance or resolution by a
local public official or the approval
or veto of any ordinance or
resolution; >One who expends
more than $250 a year in
promoting or opposing passage of
any local ordinance or resolution;
or *Any employee of the executive
branch or judicial branch of local
government who undertakes to
promote or oppose any ordinance or
resolution.
Anyone in one of the above
categories will have to register as a
lobbyist with the State Ethics
Commission, pay the required fees,
and file the required lobbying
expense disclosure reports. County
or city officials who receive meals
or other things of value from a
local “lobbyist” will likewise have
to report their receipt to the State
Ethics Commission. Under a SB
Perry, Georgia • 50 Cents
they anticipate the normal turnout
for the primary this time around,
but added that figure could change
very easily.
“Voters will surprise you,”
Shipes said. “They’re hard to second
guess anymore. We’re hoping for
around 40 percent, but you never
know...”
Polls will open at 7 a.m. and
remain in operation until 7 p.m. at
all three city precincts.
Those persons who haven’t yet
registered to vote will have to wait
for the next upcoming election. The
deadline for registration to vote in
this Tuesday’s election was June
20.
Individuals unsure of their
voting status are asked to contact
the elections office at 987-1973.
unopposed.
The State Senate Seat, 18th
District (Sonny Perdue), State
Rep., 128th District (Robert Ray),
and State Rep., 139th District
(Sonny Watson), are also
unopposed.
In the Governor’s race,
Republicans Paul Heard, John
Knox, Nimrod McNair, Guy
Millner and Leonard Morris will
square off for the top spot
Democratic incumbent Zell
Miller, will face off against Jim
Boyd, Charles “Judy” Poag and
Mark Tate.
The Public Service
Commissioner race, to succeed
Bobby Pafford, is a toss up between
Republicans David N. Baker, Gus
J. Bennett, Robert Bums, Cora
Frantz and Eugene Roper. On the
Democratic side, John Barnes, Dean
Chronopoulos, Johnny Collins,
Tom Ramsey and Earleen
Sizemore.
The Public Service
Commissioner battle to succeed
Bobby Rowan will be between
Republicans Craig Schwall and
Please see Ballots, page 10A
657, introduced by Sen. Pete
Robinson, disclosure reports for
local lobbyists and local officials
will have to be filed three times a
year with both the State Ethics
Commission and the local election
superintendent.
Given that most, if not all,
official actions of cities, counties
and school boards are done.through
resolutions or ordinances, many
citizens could be subject to the new
law. Examples might include a
lawyer hired by a developer or a
neighborhood association to appose
or support a proposed project or a
consultant or staff member of an
environmental group opposing or
supporting a project pending before
a city. A businessman proposing
to contract for some service with a
county-like a jail food service
contract or provisions of insurance
coverage to the county-may also be
subject to the lobbyists law.
Unfortunately, the law will more
than likely require a great deal of
interpretation, ultimately by the
courts, before the actual application
will be fully understood.
It is ACCG’s interpretation of
the new law that a local
government has no role enforcing
its requirements. In other words,
the city, county or school board has
Pleas* see Lobbyist, page 10A
