Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

WS ■MI'C'S ■ iivvtS Page 3A 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 Rack Rates Will Be $52/yr Buy a Subscription For $25 + tax & Save $25.75 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 jjf ? ' yt JBt r |Jlr IM t 'f 7 ■' ■*** , |b;j/ ■* t n • i,,#i * tsKIKk 1 1111 l ) i v ,* gilfilr m < BP- • v-- ;> Bpt S n«/* ’l 9 <- , spi , f* y i - : | a| . v-,, gplfl < II ;; L I I . /fe-a j I ■•w i 1 ii | i " p O*l 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