Newspaper Page Text
At long last
Hospital day
wr -JR. /n
Wing is open, page 4B
Volume 126, No. 46
2 Sections, 18 Pages
Wednesday
Nov. 13, 1996
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
this week
Convention closes at
Agricenter
The Georgia Baptist
Convention continues
through noon today at the
Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter.
Other activities today
include a groundbreaking
and dedication of new build
ings at the center at 11 a .m.,
followed by a 1 p.m. meet
ing of the Exposition
Authority.
Members of the Happy
campers RV Club will hold a
winter rally at the center
Nov. 14-18.
A Simmental cattle sale
will be held Nov. 16.
The Buckler’s Craft Fair
will be held Nov. 16-17 as
will the Magnolia Arabian
Horse Show.
Com Dogs, Nachos
on the menu
Menus for Houston
County public schools this
week include:
Nov. 13 Com dog or
spaghetti with toast, one hot
vegetable, one cold veg
etable, two fruits and cake.
Nov. 14 Nachos with
M
cheese and beef or barbecue
sandwich, one hot veg
etable, one cold vegetable,
two fruits, cookie.
Nov. 15 Steak nuggets
with roll or manager’s
choice, one hot vegetable,
one cold vegetable, two
fruits and manager’s choice
dessert.
Nov. 18 Chicken
nuggets with roll or hot ham
and cheese sandwich, one
hot vegetable, one cold veg
etable, two fruits.
Nov. 19 - Hot dog or
hamburger steak with gravy
and roll, french fries, rice,
one hot vegetable, two
fruits.
Nov. 20 Thanksgiving
dinner.
Nov. 21 Submarine
sandwich or southern chick
en with roll, lettuce, tomato,
pickle, two hot vegetables,
two fruits, banana pudding.
Nov. 22 Pizza or man
ager’s choice, one hot veg
etable, one cold vegetable,
two fruits, baked dessert.
No restaurant report
issued this week
Because of the Veterans’
day holiday Nov. 11, the
weekly environmental
health inspection of restau
rants will not be published
this week. Watch for those
inspection scores in the Nov.
20 issue of the Times-
Joumal.
Tell Us
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.
Houston Times -Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
School Board renews Hinnant s contract
By RICK JOHNSTONE
and EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Members of the Houston
County Board of Education have
decided, to rehire School
Superintendent Tony Hinnant for a
period of 18 months, offering him
a salary of $87,651 .
At their Nov. 12 meeting in
Perry the Board, without com
ment, unanimously approved the
contract.
Under terms of the agreement,
Hinnant will be in charge of imple
menting all policies of the Board,
having charge of the administra
tion of the school district under the
Board’s direction and assume
responsibility for the overall finan
cial planning for the district.
The Board will set aside a por
tion of the July meeting to evalu
ate the superintendent’s perfor-
Council gets
tour of library
Worrall lobbies for new
carpet for building
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Perry Mayor Jim Worrall took
city council members on a tour of
the library located on Washington
Street during a work session Nov.
5 so council SSUId Ss6'?irsthand
what he called the “embarrassing”
condition of the carpet at that
facility.
“You can see places where duct
tape is holding the carpet togeth
er,”he pointed out.
Worrall said a price to replace
the worn carpet was given about
three years ago. The cost at that
time to put down new carpet was
set at $13,000. The project was
never undertaken.
He also told council members
that a group of citizens who have
worked to purchase furniture for
the library have said they will not
allow the furniture to be put into
the facility until the carpet is
replaced.
In places, the age of the carpet
is 24 years. There are some
10,000 square feet that need new
carpet, the mayor said.
During regular session, council
OK’d fire chief Gary Hamlin
looking into a possible major pur
chase for his department.
Hamlin has suggested to coun
cil that Perry’s fire department
consider the purchase of a 75-foot
quint fire truck. That would
include a ladder extension to
enable firemen to fight fires in
multiple-story buildings by being
able to get above the blaze for
extinguishing purposes.
The purchase of the new equip
ment could, in turn, help bring the
department’s state fire rating
lower, which could result in lower
home fire insurance premiums for
Perry ans.
Costs of the new truck could
run as high as $500,000.
However, new equipment is
something the city will need as
growth continues, noted council
man James Moore.
Council would be able to con
sider “different options available
for financing” the project, added
councilman Charles Lewis.
Member Billy Jerles counseled
“we’ve got to bite the bullet” and
look at buying the fire truck. He
added that it is one item that is a
necessity for the city of Perry.
At the same time, council
nixed spending $16,000 for
repairs on 34-year-old Engine 23.
That fire truck has spent much
time in disrepair recently due to
its old age.
In other business council:
•Heard the first reading of a
(See CITY, Page SA)
wr
mance.
There was a good deal of evalu
ation of his performance during a
work session held at Perry
Elementary Nov. 11.
Several citizens voiced their
concerns over the way a school
superintendent is appointed by a
school board as opposed to the
former practice when the superin
tendent’s position was an elected
one.
One man said several issues,
including Hinnant’s appointment,
the recent firing of a Warner
Robins High School band director
and the “money situation” has “got
people in Houston County down.”
On the other hand, there was
also support voiced for Hinnant.
“We’re lucky in Houston
County to have a Tony Hinnant,”
said one parent. “We have to work
with what we have; let’s try to help
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Times-Journal Photo by Eric Zellars
NUMBER ONE ! Not only is she number one to her
family, but newborn baby Amber is the first baby to be
born at Perry Hospital's brand new maternity center Nov.
12. She is pictured here with mom, Amy, and dad, Clint.
The doctor who delivered Amber was Dr. Bonnie Brinson.
Paternal grandparents are Vann and Connie Maner and
maternal grandparents are Bernie and Glenda Valiely.
First births recorded
in new birthing room
Three babies arrive within three hours at Perry Hospital
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Three babies in three hours.
That is what nurses at the Perry
Hospital’s new maternity center
dealt with just hours after the cen
ter opened to admit expectant
moms.
According to Linda Easterly,
director of. nursing, the first baby
was bom at 7:21 a.m. Nov. 12 to
Amy Valiely.
The child is a daughter, Amber,
scaling in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces.
“This is pretty neat,” comment
ed dad Clint Payne as he posed
along with mom and daughter for
photos taken by Times-Journal
photographer Eric Zellars and a
couple of proud grandmothers.
The second baby was delivered
around 8:56 a.m. by caesarean
section and the third was bom
around 10:30 a.m.
And, around lunch nurses were
triaging two more patients.
“It’s busy! We haven’t had time
Serving Houston County for more than 125 years
Hornets win
Take region title, Page 6A
him.”
Others accused the Board of
practicing “double standards”,
saying that the recent firing of
Warner Robins High School band
director Charles Westman was
unfair and that other teachers who
were with Westman during the
time he allegedly imbibed alcohol
while chaperoning a school trip
did not receive the same treatment
as Westman.
A band teacher at Bonaire
Middle said she resigned follow
ing the incident, adding she was
allowed to remain on the job while
Westman was fired.
According to a Georgia public
education report card for 1994-95,
Houston County ranked as the
12th largest system in Georgia
with an enrollment of 18,319 stu
dents. School officials say for
1995-96 Houston has unofficially
Open house at the
expanded hospital, see
page 4B
to stop and eat,” said Easterly.
“But, it’s that way lots of times
with labor and delivery.”
Perry Hospital recently cele
brated the completion of a new
addition to the facility that houses
a new maternity center and
surgery center.
According to marketing direc
tor Mary Jane Kinnas, surgeons
began use of the new surgery cen
ter Nov. 11.
The maternity center offers
six birthing suites where moms
can stay from admission to dis
charge.
There are a number of special
items in the suites, including a
television and VCR, along with a
video recorder family members
can use to tape special moments.
moved up to number 10 in enroll
ment.
The same report card places
Houston as number 66 overall in
revenue per child, spending
$4,717.22 per student.
In one other category percent of
students receiving free school
lunches in Houston County came
in at number 143 with 30.16 per
cent receiving financial help.
In one other statistical report
released at the board meeting, the
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
published a 1996 Georgia High
School report card for parents. In
that one Perry High was listed
number 218 out of 303 high
schools in the state.
The survey included such areas
as SAT scores, percentage of col
lege prep graduates, the dropout
rate and weapons violations.
In that same ranking, Houston
City, businesses
preparing for 1996
Illumination Celebration
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
“Everybody’s polishing up
their lights!” That is the word
from “Illumination Celebration”
organizer Mike Jackson about
preparations for Perry’s annual
Christmas at the Crossroads.
Downtown merchants have
been readying their ornaments and
lighting for another display of
dazzling beauty this year.
The merchants are encouraged
to participate in the Open House
set for Dec. 1, he added.
The Perry Merchants’ Open
House is set from 2p.m. until 5
p.m. that day with businesses
offering entertainment, goodies
and Santa Claus, who will be vis
iting CB&T Bank.
That evening, a community
candlelight service will be held on
the courthouse square along
Carroll Street.
Thousands of lighted candles
will provide pathways leading
from area churches to the square
for the traditional march to the
Needed: new location
Local food bank organization seeks
donation of office, storage space
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Holiday cheer may be mixed
with fear for volunteers and recip
ients of the goodwill of the local
Loaves and Fishes group.
The fear is that at the end of the
year, Loaves and Fishes in Perry
may be no more.
No more food given out to
those in need in the south part of
the county? Why?
Not because of lack of dona
tions, not because of lack of
enthusiastic volunteers to keep the
program afloat, and, certainly not
because of a lack of people in need
of food.
Come the first of January,
Loaves and Fishes needs to be in
another location. The church they
operate from needs the space to
accommodate growth.
What they need is for someone
in Perry, preferably in the down
town area, to donate about 1,200
square feet of space so Loaves and
Fishes can continue to operate.
Representatives of the group
have appeared before city council
asking for help. They were given a
list of people to contact regarding
certain buildings which might be
available. But, they have not been
successful so far in finding that
one special place.
Loaves and Fishes has been in
Classified 9B Obituaries A 2
Church 6B Potpourri B 1
Editorials A 4 School Menus 1A
Legal Ads 7B Sports A 6
Home of the Georgia National
Fair and Agricenter
C ounty High placed 60 out of the
303 schools considered in the
state.
In other action, the Board
adopted several policies. Among
them drug-free schools and rules
for probation suspension and
expulsion.
“The Houston County Board of
Education believes that all stu
dents have a right to attend school
in an environment conducive to
learning,” states the policy.
It calls for clear and unambigu
ous guidelines for the drug policy.
Among other things there will
be drug abuse and prevention cur
riculum, teaching training and
other education activities.
In all cases, the principal of
each school is directed to notify
the appropriate law enforcement
agency in every incident involving
illegal drugs and alcohol.
service.
The Perry Ministerial
Association sponsors the yearly
candlelight service.
People will be lining the streets
of Perry to watch the 1996
Christmas Parade that will begin
at 2 p.m. Dec. 7. Anyone interest
ed in participating in that project
can call the Perry Area Chamber
of Commerce at 987-1234.
Several Christmas Eve commu
nion services are scheduled,
including one at Perry United
Methodist Church on Carroll
Street and the First Christian
Church located on Macon Road.
Meanwhile, Perryans are deter
mined to make the city a place of
beauty during the season, even
though the Agricenter will not be
having another year of
Wonderland in Lights as they did
last year.
Organizers are hoping that
heavy participation by area busi
ness people and residents will
(Sec LIGHTS, Page SA)
operation for the past three years.
During that time, the group has
helped feed almost 7,000 house
holds. The number of people in
need has been climbing.
Volunteer and organizer Ellen
Evans said she has been able to
see just how real that need is.
“Some of the public might
think that the food stamp program
might fill the need and it does to a
degree. But a lot of households do
not qualify for food stamps,” she
said.
Only 39 percent of the house
holds the group serves receive
food stamp assistance and that
may just be a small amount, she
said. More than 40 percent of
those served are over 60 years old.
Evans is hoping the group will
soon find a place to operate from
so Leaves and Fishes will not
have to close their doors to any
one.
A person can consider that
donating the space may come in
handy at tax time, she pointed out.
“I think we’re doing a good
thing and would like to continue,”
Evans said. “We won’t have any
alternative but to close it up. It’s a
very serious matter, a lot of time
has gone into setting this up.”
Loaves and Fishes distributes
(See LOAVES, Page SA)
A