Newspaper Page Text
| INSIDE
Volume 126, No. 22
2 Sections, 20 Pages
Wednesday
May 22, 1996
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
this week
Seeking donations
Volunteers for the
Houston County Fire and
Rescue Department will be
contacting residents for the
next few weeks on behalf of
the department. They will be
going throughout the district
asking for donations to the
department and will have a
letter and name tags signed
by department officials.
Persons with questions
can contact the Houston
County Fire Department at
542-2040 or the Houston
County Sheriffs Department
at 542-2080.
Five of 11 inspected
kitchens have safety
problems repaired
Five of the 11 public
kitchens inspected by
Houston County
Environmental Health
Department officials last
week ran into trouble with
the regulations.
All of the reported prob
lems were corrected while
the inspectors were present.
At the Church Home for
the Aged, 2470 U.S. 41
North, Perry, inspectors
found problems with equip
ment which were corrected.
The score was 87.
At the Dowdy Personal
Care Home, 127 S. Sixth St.
in Warner Robins, problems
were reported with tempera
ture control of foods, equip
ment and storage of cleaning
products. The score was 55.
At the Holiday Inn
Restaurant, 2024 Watson
Blvd., Warner Robins, the
inspector found a problem
with temperature control of
foods. The score was 79.
At the Perry Hospital
cafeteria, 1120 Momingside
Drive, Perry, the inspector
found a problem with equi
pment. The score was 84.
At the Publix Super
Market Deli at 215 Russell
Parkway, Warner Robins,
the inspector found a prob
lem with storage of cleaning
products. The score was 81.
Other scores included:
Christian Life School,
620 Wellborn Road, Warner
Robins, 90.
Hampton Inn mini
kitchen, 102 Hampton
Court, Perry, 99.
Holiday Inn Fizz Lounge,
2024 Watson Blvd., Warner
Robins, 99.
McDonald’s, 123 Russell
Parkway, Warner Robins,
93.
New Perry Nursing
Home, 500 Stanley St.,
Perry, 98.
Pizza Hut, 1406 Watson
Blvd., Warner Robins, 86.
Tell Us 1
The Houston Times-
Journal wants to hear from
you. Call (912) 987-1823
during business hours, 8:30
a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday. Fax us any
time at (912) 988-1181.
Visit our office at 807
Carroll Street in historic
downtown Perry. Reach us
on the internet or through E
mail services at
jjedit@hom.net.
Macon what?
Whoopee returns
Hockey team opens, page 8A
Houston Times-Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Pre-dawn blaze destroys 41 Grocery
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
"Right now we are just going to direct all
of our attention to cleaning up this mess and
getting back to business just as quickly as
possible," said businessman John Lamberth,
owner of the 41 Grocery located on
Courtney Hodges Boulevard after an early
morning fire ripped through his store May
19.
Man jogs
into assault
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
A 24-year-old man has told
Perry police he was the victim of a
robbery by force and aggravated
assault after being beaten by eight
to ten males with metal pipes.
According to reports, the inci
dent allegedly occurred in the
Gaines Drive and John Clerkley
Drive area around 11:35 p.m. May
20.
The report states that the man,
who has been staying at a local
motel, was robbed of a small
amount of cash and that he said he
was jogging in the area at the
time.
Chief George Potter said the
case is still under investigation
with "very suspicious circum
stances" surfacing.
"For example we wonder what
a jogger is doing jogging on
asphalt without jogging shoes and
in an area known for drug prob
lems. And, so late at night," he
commented.
Another man was taken to the
Perry Hospital and treated for a
gunshot wound around the same
time that night.
According to Detective Leyon
Roberts, a domestic situation led
to the shooting of a male at 1304
Houston St.
The victim was treated and
released from Perry Hospital after
being shot in the buttocks, Roberts
said.
Another male was also taken to
the hospital with what at first was
though to be an injury to the foot
caused by a gunshot.
Roberts said the injury was
determined not to have been
caused by a bullet.
At press time, reports were
coming in of the arrest of two
local men, Damien Taylor and
Michael Josephs, in that case.
And, ACE Hardware has been
the target of a rose thief once
again.
Detective Drew Dodson said
approximately 41 rose bushes
were reported taken from that
business the night of May 20.
Several hundred dollars worth
of roses had been taken from the
store a few weeks ago.
Both of those thefts are still
under investigation.
Howard returns to
building department
Brings 10 years of
experience back to job
From Staff Reports
Steve Howard has been hired
to replace Bill Chambless as
building official for the City of
Perry.
Chambless left that position
recently to take a position with
the City of Macon.
Howard previously served as
building official from 1980 until
1990 when he left to become
plant manager of Tolleson
Lumber Co.
He held that job until
December 1995.
The building official is respon
sible for inspecting and enforcing
code regulations for the city.
D.A.R.E. to be drug-free
a w aHi
Times-Journal Photo by Eric Zellars
REUNION TIME Former Drug Abuse Resistance Education students of the Perry Police
Department gathered at the Georgia National Fairgrounds for a reunion May 17. With some
of the students returning for the event are Perry Mayor Jim Worrall, D.A.R.E. instructor Bill
Hafley and Police Chief George Potter. The group is standing around one of the new Perry
police cars which feature a new paint theme of basic white with red and blue trim.
Experience big plus for Perry
Officer Willie B. Johnson
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
ruising the streets of Perry. Knowing
those streets like the back of his hand.
i ~ Knowing the town's citizenry like a
next door neighbor.
Sgt. Willie Johnson has been on the Perry Police
force for the past 20 years.
He has had three chiefs B.E. Dennard, Frank
Simons and now George Potter.
He has seen Perry grow from a very small Georgia
town to a bustling tourist stopover with a nearby
interstate which funnels some 60,000 vehicles a day
by the city’s three exits.
Johnson talked about his career and family recent
ly during a tour of duty on the graveyard shift.
"I started in June of 1976 as a K-9 officer," he
remembered as he wheeled the patrol vehicle along
Sam Nunn Boulevard. "I was promoted to the rank of
sergeant in 1982 and have held that rank ever since."
While he has always been interested in law
enforcement, his first love was aircraft.
"I really wanted to be an airplane pilot," Johnson
said. "But rheumatic heart fever prevented me from
doing that. Law enforcement was also one of my
childhood dreams."
After graduating from high school and attending
Fort Valley State College, he went into construction
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Times-Joumal Photo by Emily Johnstone
KEEPING AN EYE ON PERRY-Sgt. Willie Johnson keeps an eye on what is going on at
area businesses during his shift. Johnson has been patrolling the streets of Perry for 20
years.
Serving Houston County for more than 125 years
Fire Ants, Part II
Perry Fire Chief Gary Hamlin said when
his department arrived on the scene the
building was about one-third involved.
"There was so much heat in that building
it was supercharged," said Hamlin.
Perry firefighters were helped by
Houston County Fire Station 800, added
Chief Jimmy Williams. The county Air and
Light Truck was brought in to refill air bot
tles and provide extra light at the scene.
Get rid of 'em
Extension plans, page 4A
Lamberth has been in the grocery busi
ness at that location since 1963 when he
first began operating from a smaller adja
cent store to the one that burned May 19.
"I'm really proud of all of our cus
tomers," he said May 20 as he surveyed the
damage. "We have been here a long time
and been successful."
A small table with a pad and pen were
placed in front of the burned building for
work.
It wasn't long, though, before he was pursuing a
career in law enforcement.
And, right by his side was his wife, Bonnie, who
stood by his decision.
"I think it took awhile but she understands it is not
one of these jobs you can work eight until five," said
the Perry native.
His wife keeps him and their three children "in
line", according to Johnson.
Two of his three are teen-agers, so he knows the
trials and tribulations other parents face raising kids.
"They are good kids," he said with a smile on his
face.
His advice to other parents is to "spend as much
time as you can with them. Give them everything
they need, but not necessarily everything they want.
Just give as much of timers you can and, a
child needs discipline^"
During the ride, Johnson thought he saw someone
run under the bridge near the water works plant on
Courtney Hodges Boulevard. At the same time a van
puiled out of a nearby cemetery.
He drove the car onto a dirt road and began to
wind around toward the underside of the bridge. His
lights picked up the form of a child sitting there with
(See OFFICER, Page SA)
Classified 108
Church 8B
Editorials A 4
Legal Ads 5B
Home of the Georgia National
Fair and Agricenter
friends and customers who wished to leave
a message for the Lamberths.
"If our customers will bear with us about
.two months we hope to be back," Lamberth
said.
Hamlin said the store suffered a total loss
in merchandise.
The cause of the fire is believed to have
come from an electrical short in a junction
box in the rear of the building, he said.
Perry Olympic
torch shirts to
go on sale
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Downtown merchants are
teaming up with the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce to put a
shirt on your back commemorat
ing the Olympic torch coming to
town July 12 during the relay to
Atlanta.
Chamber members agreed to
help fund part of the cost toward
the purchase of Olympic Torch T
shirts during their regular meet
ing May 23. The shirts should be
available for purchase sometime
in mid-June.
The shirts will have not only
the Olympic logo but also the
date of the torch stop in Perry and
the town name imprinted on
them.
Chamber president Hayley
Godbee said the shirts will sell
for sls a piece. She noted that
while downtown merchants will
be able to sell the shirts before
and after the torch passes through
Perry, they will not be able to sell
them the day of the torch arrival
in town.
"Only the exclusive merchan
diser will be able to sell them that
day," she said. "However, those
shirts will not be personalized."
The chamber head hopes to
pre-sell most of the 12 dozen
shirts that will be ordered.
Some SSOO from the chamber
will go toward the purchase of
the shirts. Another SI,OOO will be
coming from the Downtown
Merchants Association.
The Downtown Merchants
wiTl use the sa'le ot the shifts as
a fund-raiser for their organiza
tion. They will reimburse the
chamber for their portion of the
proceeds.
For more information, call
Elizabeth Flowers, president of
the Downtown Merchants
Association at 987-2255.
Youths get new
playground
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Young adults now have a new
place to go for fun.
The JC Zone has opened at
Andrew United Methodist Church
located along Ga. 127 in
Kathleen.
The brainchild of Hank Lowry,
the church youth minister, the JC
Zone offers kids a few hours a
week of games and refreshments
with adult supervision.
"I know from my own profes
sion how much young people
need something like this to do to
stay out of trouble," said Lowry.
The youth minister works as an
investigator with the Houston
County Sheriffs Department
Lowry said many kids either sit
at home on Saturday nights or are
"dumped off at bowling alleys or
movie theaters.
He said at least three adults
supervise the activities at the JC
Zone and kids are not allowed to
leave with anyone other than their
(See ZONE, Page SA)
Obituaries A 2
Potpourri B 1
Scores A 6
Sports. A 6
-JL
