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i i INS Volume 125, No. 15 Wednesday April 12,1995 50 Cents At the Crossroads this week Shriners plan April 15 testing Members of the Al Sihah Shrine Temple in Macon (including Perry Shriners) will host an off-premises screening April 15 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The testing is to locate any children in need of Shriner burn institute or crip ple children’s hospital ser vices. For information call (912) 743-6386 or contact a mem ber of the Perry Shrine Club. Kitchens checked Officials from the Houston County Health Department inspected 18 temporary facil ities at the Perry Dogwood Festival in addition to several permanent kitchens in the county. Of the 11 public facilities inspected, all passed the inspection. Locations and scores include: Snellgrove Seafood, 632 N. Houston Lake Blvd., Centerville, 100. Sub Zero South, 1041 Russell Parkway, Warner Robins, 100. Summer Snow, 1850 Watson Blvd., Warner Robins, 100. Chen’s Wok/Gaiieria, 2922 Watson Blvd., Centerville, 89. Chick-fil-A, Galleria Mall, Centerville, 93. Domino’s Pizza, 1431 Watson Blvd., Warner Robins, 89. Hardee’s, 421 N. Davis Drive. Warner Robins, 97. Ice Cream Chum, Galleria Mall, Centerville, 98. Papa John’s Pizza, 810 Russell Parkway, Warner Robins, 100. Shipwreck, 100 A Ga. 247 South, Warner Robins, 97. Swiss Ice, 100 LN. Houston Lake Blvd., Centerville, 99. Last day to buy a ham for Easter This is the final day to order a ham for Saturday delivery by the Perry Rotary Club. The USDA grade A Boston butts, which are being sold for sls each, will be ready for pickup from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. April 15 at the Perry Shrine Club pit along Courtney Hodges Boulevard. Tickets for the hams are sls each for a 5-7 pound ham. Tickets will be available at the Times-Joumal office through 5:30 p.m. Today. Money raised by the pro ject will be used for club activities in the community and for scholarships. Tell Us The Houston Times- Joumal wants to hear from you. Call (912)987-1823 dur ing business hours, 8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Fax us anytime at (912) 988-1181. Visit our office at 807 Carroll Street in historic downtown Perry. icial visitors Indonesians Visit Rotarians Page 9A Houston Times -Journal Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia New panel studies community coordination, building vacancies By LARRY HITCHCOCK News Editor The lack of an executive director for the Perry Are? c and Visitors Bureau was dis cussed during the first meeting of the Downtown Development study committee Monday. The group was formed a month ago to review the major problems facing the down town area of Perry. Eleven of the 15 members gathered at the community room of CB&T Bank and were divided into two groups. One discussed downtown building vacancies and the other debated the coordination of the cham BOE to discuss rezoning later By LARRY HITCHCOCK News Editor Tne Houston County Board of Education lit the fires under two issues Thursday that may not flare up until September. .The hot issue of middle school redistricting will come up in September when the board holds three public hearings to decide where the district lines will be drawn for the two new middle schools due to open for the 1996-97 school year. The second issue is likely to draw some reaction from football, baseball, track and soccer fans who smoke. Supt. Tony Hinnant sug gested the board adopt a “No Smoking” policy for all stadiums at Houston County schools. The school redistricting question drew a large crowd of interested parents when a rumor that redis tricting would be discussed circu lated before a board work session at Bonaire school recently. At that time, several of the parents asked the board to prepare a list of guidelines it will follow in redrawing the district lines and many were unhappy with rumored middle school districts, especially those which would place students in high schools different from where the students now go after finishing middle school. The two new middle schools, Bonaire and Feagan Mill, will draw students from areas now served by existing middle schools, mostly north of Georgia 96. Many parents moved to those areas so their chil dren could attend the new Houston County High School. The board may use the meetings to discuss rezoning the high schools. The meeting dates are set for Sept. !9, Sept. 26 and Oct. 3. They will be held at Warner Robins High, Northside High and Houston County High. Which school will be tbA»*ite on which date has not been announced. The suggestion to ban smoking, which was not on the agenda or included in a list of additions to the agenda approved at the start of the meeting, was slipped in after the board returned from an executive session. The smoking ban will include the' 12,500 seating capacity McConnell-Talbert Stadium in Warner Robins and the 3,500 seat ing capacity stadium at Perry High School. Also covered will be any stadium with bleachers and a com mon area, Hinnant said. Georgia among worst in child abuse cases By Jj JOHNSON Times-Journal Editor Child abuse, in any of its forms, is more prevalent in society than most Americans think, Kathy Garnett, executive director of Rainbow House in Warner Robins, believes. “At least four of every 10 Americans has experienced some form of child abuse,” Garnett said Monday during a Child Abuse Awareness Month speech to the Perry Rotary Club. Garnett said while they might not be aware of it, every person in the room probably knew someone who had experienced abuse as a child. A« head of Rainbow House in Warner Robins, a facility for helping abused children deal with their problems, Garnett is among a Celebrating 125 years of Service to the citizens of Houston County ber of commerce, the CVB, the Agricenter and the Downtown Development Authority. Peggy Williams, president of the chamber, led the meeting. “We can spend a lot of time talking about the problems, but that won’t solve them,” Williams said. “We’ve got to have a starting point and I hope these committees are it.” The group discussing the coordination of efforts looked at the possibility of hiring someone to coordinate the efforts concerning downtown development. “We need to hire someone to work with the 1 ■' . i .. ... ...I i .... i i * % f s ’ . ' * * 4 ..» i miffvs 'ny, * so’ . «Jailiifpfß MWk iSffol jdf' jj 3" jELfI jfIMST n mV ' wfjf 'V^ i|: jp gy'f.-y » Times-Joumal Photo by Eric Zellars HUNTING AN EGG Yetavya Kelly helps Sydney Adams search for an Easter egg during the annual egg hunt sponsored by members of Eve Chapter 735. The hunt took place at Creekwood park April 7. Following the hunt, the youths were provided refreshments by the Eve Chapter members. Likely the hunt served as a good tuneup for this weekend when Easter will be observed. Teen charged in rape of 12-year-old By EMILY JOHNSTONE Special to the T-J A Houston County teen-ager has been charged with statutory rape of a 12-year-old girl. Authorities say Derrick Leon Johnson, age 17, of Warner Robins, will be tried as an adult in the case. Johnson had been released a few days earlier while awaiting an opening in a boot camp as part of his first offender sentence stemming from a burglary and arson that occurred Feb. 5. Houston County Investigator Gerald Dees said select group of individuals. There are only 125 child abuse centers in the United States and just 10 in Georgia, despite the fact the state ranks seventh in the country in the number of reported incidents of child abuse. Garnett said Rainbow House has come back from the brink of financial disaster a few years ago to provide new and very useful ser vices to youths who have suffered abuse. Two programs focus on special needs. One of the programs works with those youths who have been physically abused while the other helps victims of sexual abuse. “We have added a part time therapist who works with children and their parents to understand the abuse problem and effectively deal with it,” Garnett said. Responding to questions concerning abuse Holy Week Easter events Church plans page B 7 merchants and property owners on how best to get the buildings occupied; someone to help develop a downtown theme and promote it,” Rusty Wood said. The CVB’s lack of a director was also cited as part of the problem. “We need to expand our group to include a representative of the Agricenter and the CVB,” Kim Mullins said. “But until the CVB hires an executive director, there doesn’t seem to be anyone at the Visitors Center who can help.” There was mention that all the groups involved needed to share information and Johnson had vandalized, burglarized and attempted to burn a Centerville residence in that incident. Bond had originally been set at $25,000 for each count but was later lowered to $750 for each count. There was a condition that Johnson not go back around the home or its occupant. Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton said there have been a few cases recently that he didn’t agree with releasing the suspect on bond. (See RAPE, page SA) and discipline, Garnett drew the line between the two as “in control.” She said parents who are in control, who are attempting to help their children rarely abuse them. Garnett believes stress plays an important part in discipline becoming abuse. “What we encourage parents to do is to dis cipline the activity which was wrong, not the child. Take a deep breath and maintain control of the situation,” Garnett said. Rainbow House uses large numbers of vol unteers to become advocates for abuse vic tims. These advocates look out for the best interests of the child as the case works through service agencies and the court system. “We need more volunteers to help with this program,” Garnett said. The agency can also use more teddy bears. Index Classified 7B Church 7B Editorials A 4 Legals 3B Home of the Georgia National Fair and Agricenter work together rather than each one going off on its own. The city and downtown property owners should also be involved, one committee mem oer said. “We must have the cooperation of the city and property owners or it doesn’t matter if we’ve got the best coordinator in the world,” Williams said. The group looking into the downtown vacancies and how best to fill them will con (See PANEL, page SA) Council upset with CVB effort By LARRY HITCHCOCK News Editor The lack of action by the Perry Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority toward hiring an executive director may hit the CVB in the pocketbook. The Perry City Council is getting ready to study next year’s budget and if Councilman James Moore has his way, the CVB board will have to come up with some straight answers about the way it has handled the search for a director before the council considers its budget request. “Have any of you had any request for input on the CVB exec utive director’s job from anyone on their board?” Moore asked his fel low council members at the end of the April 4 meeting. “I was told they had about 35 applicants for the job and several have asked to have their applica tions withdrawn either because of they were not notified that their applications were received or because of the apparent lack of any action being taken toward filling the job,” Moore said. “It was my under standing that the CVB board would ask us for our input on filling the job and I haven’t had any contact. “With our budget planning ses sions coming up soon, maybe we ought to take a hard look at the CVB request,” he said. No councilman recalled any contact with the CVB on the matter. Councilman Buddy Roper said it was his understanding that one applicant had the inside track. “I’ve heard it has pretty much been decided who will get the job,” Roper said. “I know who it is and Hervia (Councilman Ingram) has been told, but I’m not going to say.” Ingram said it was his belief that a few of the CVB board members had decided who they wanted for the job. “I’ve been told two or three on the CVB board are putting pressure on the others to hire the person they want,” Ingram said. The council was told of one per- < son who recently moved to Perry with her company executive husband had to leave a convention bureau executive director’s job to make the move and had inquired about the Perry position. After checking into the status of the CVB search, she was reluctant to apply because she under stood a decision had been reached. Mayor Jim Worrall suggested the council call the CVB board to a joint meeting to discuss the situa tes CITY, page SA) Stuffed animals are furnished to law enforce ment officers to give to children who are found in a stressful situation such as an auto mobile accident. She said education programs focus on understanding abuse and identifying it. Students are taught about good and bad touch es and to not participate in any activity they don’t feel comfortable about. Garnett admitted it is difficult to determine how much good the Rainbow House programs are doing because it takes a long time for abuse victims to resolve the incidents and move forward. “Eliminating abuse will take a long time, it is not an overnight thing. It will take a gen eration or more to solve the problem,” she said. Obituaries A 2 Potpourri B 1 Sports A 8 Woods and Water... A 8 -jit