Newspaper Page Text
Second season
Westfield, Perry open
region basketball tour
nament play this week
see sports, Page 8A
Volume 127
No. 6
2 Sections,
20 Pages
Wednesday,
leb. 11, 1998
!>() ( ents
At the
Crossroads
This Week
Perry wins
The Ttme\-Journal learned
just at press time that Pern
High School won both hoys
and girls games against
Bleckley Counts in the open
ing round ol the Subregion 3-
AA tournament at Dodge
County
See page HA lor other sports
news
Wild dame dinner is
Feb. 12, Agricenter
The Hth annual Wild Game
dinner will he held Feb 12 at 6
p m at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter in
Pern
Guest speaker will he Kay
Scott, who is known tor his
knowledge ot has* fishing
Hunting attire is appropri
ate A complete meal will he
provided Admission is $5
The event is sponsored by
the Kehohoth Baptist
Association
Cereal and toast on
school breakfast menu
Here are menus tor break
tast and lunch tor Houston
County public schools tor the
coming week
Feb 11 Breaktasi pi//a
or cereal and toast, trun or
truit juice Lunch Manager's
choice.
Feb. 12 Breakfast:
Sausage biscuit or cereal and
toast, (run or truit mice.
Lunch: Manager's choice
Feb. 13 Breakfast
Manager's choice or cereal
and toast, truit or truit |uicc
Lunch Manager's choice or
hamburger, oven baked trench
tries, tresh [rear, raisins, let
tuce. tomato and pickle
Feb. lb Holiday
Feb. IT Breakfast' Steak
biscuit or cereal and toast, truit
or truit juice Lunch Chicken
sandwich or spaghetti with
Texas toast, two vegetables, let
tuce and tomato, one fruit, cake.
Feb. IK Breakfast
Cheese croissant or cereal and
toast, fruit or Iruit juice.
Lunch: Chili or soup with
sandwich. macaroni and
cheese, one vegetable. Jcll-O
with whipped topping
Four deficiencies found
Here is the report for Feb.
2-5 from the Houston County
Environmental Health
Department Four restaurants
were found to have discrepan
cies which were repaired
immediately.
Domino's Pi//a. 100-H N
Houston Lake Blvd ,
Centerville. 93. problems with
storage of cleaning products
Mrs Winner’s Chicken.
K 25 Russell Parkway. Warner
Robins. X 3. problems with
temperature control ol foods
Pizza Hut. 140 b Watson
Blvd., Warner Robins. 71.
problems with food handling
techniques, problems with
temperature control of foods
Substation 11. 173 K Watson
Blvd., Warner Robins. 93.
problems with temperature
control of foods
No discrepancies were
reported at these locations:
Amici’s Italian Restaurant.
104 Weslcliff Blvd.. Warner
Robins. 95 •
Happy China 115-1 Russell
Parkway. Warner Robins. 91
Morrisons Fresh Cooking,
2745 Watson Blvd. Warner
Robins. 95
New Perry Hotel
Restaurant. XOO Main St..
Serving I touston ( ounh Sinn* Dei. 17, 1870
Houston Times-Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
Fairgrounds may get $7.7
million for new exhibit building
Ms CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Tisiks-Joi ksvi Sun
The $750 million supplemental
budget passed by the Georgia
House ol Representatives last
week included $9.7 million for a
new building and several other
improvement, ai the Georgia
National Fairgrounds and
Agriccnter. according to Rep
Larry Walker. D-Pcrrv
Walker said that the budget also
includes $750,000 tor the Perry
Houston County Airport
Swarzenhog
takes top
honors at
hog show
Bv CHARLOTTE PERKINS
TiMU-Jm Hsu Sun
Shad O'Neal of Kathleen
teamed up with Arnold
Swar/enhog to take top honors at
the Houston County Market Hog
Show and Auction Feb 7.
Arnold, a 270-pound black
and white Hampshire hog. was
saved from the auctioneer, at
least temporarily, in order to
complete in the state-wide hog
show later this month
Other winners among the 4-
H er and FFA members partici
pating were Dusty Denton.
Reserve Champion: Matthew
Denton. Junior Record book;
Justin Talton. Senior Record
book; Kyle Padgett. Junior
Herdsman, and DeWayne Heard.
Senior Herdsman
Winning for showmanship in
their age categories were
Matthew Denton. Gene Irby,
Madelyn Johnson. Ryan Talton
and Jennifer Reardon
In addition, a number ot chil
dren under the age of nine had
their first experience in showing
hogs, and each one received a
small trophy.
The show and auction, held in
the New South Arena at the
Georgia National Fairgrounds,
are sponsored and organized
annually by the Houston County
Young Farmers Association This
group holds money-making pro
jects throughout the year to raise
funds for the trophies given to
the youngsters
From Feb IK through Feb
21. the winners of the Houston
County competition will be back
at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds with their hogs to
participate in the state-wide hog
contest sponsored bv the 4-H and
FFA
Participants in this year's
show were Josh Abel. Josh
Adams. Justin Batchelor. Brent
(See SHOW, Page SAI
El Nino or not, local farmers are suffering this winter
Bv CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Times-Joi ksci Staee
“It's a mess!"
That's Houston County Extension
Service Agent Ricky Wheeler's three-word
summation of the damage done to local
crops by the late summer drought, the mas
sive rainfall during the harvest season, and
the recent stretch of cold and rainy days.
Soybeans have been the biggest calamity
in Houston County. Wheeler said with a 75
to HO percent production loss
"First the drv weather hurt them." he
mm
About $7 7 million of the the
funds approved lor the GN'F will
be used to build a new multi-pur
pose exhibit building, according to
fairgrounds Director Michael A
Froehlich
Froehlich said that the planned
building, to be located on the west
side ot the tuirgrounds near the
Georgia Living Center and
Heritage Hall, will include 60.000
square feel ot trade exhibit space
and I ti.OOO-20.000 square teel ol
office space This, tic said, will
IP’ * "it V v \ r
wm j
%4 n V. I
ly am Mm
9 mm mPI 1 II
WATCH OUT Two contestants in the Houston County
Market Hog Show at the Georgia National Fairgrounds
Feb. 7 have problems keeping their animals in place.
Jury agrees Walker guilty
in carjacking incident
I hum SUM Rinwtv
It took a six-man. six-woman
Houston Superior Court jury a
couple of hours Feb 9 to find the
sole remaining defendant guilty ol
the Sept 4. 1997. carjacking ol an
elderly woman in Perry
Sentencing will come lalei lor
37-year-old John Orlando Walker,
convicted ot armed robbery,
hijacking of a motor vehicle, and
kidnapping following a week ot
testimony He faces a possible life
sentence Irotn Houston Superior
Court Judge George Nunn
Prior to closing arguments,
another defendant in the trial.
Roderick Hope, entered a guilty
plea and received a l()-year prison
sentence.
Defendant Charles Brown Jr
entered a similar plea before the
trial and also received a 10-year
prison term
Prosecutors relied heavily on
Brown's testimony in presenting
explained, and then they couldn't be har
vested because of the rain Everybody s just
about given up on soybeans this year."
Peanut profits are down. also, with 25
percent of this year's crop graded very low
at Seg 3.
Cotton prices are oft 10 cents per pound
due to quality loss, hay profits are down 35
percent, and pecans have been hard hit with
a 50 percent loss. Wheeler said
Is it the work ol the massive Pacific
Coast weather pattern "El Nino’"
Wheeler's not so sure about that
eour winners
Perry wrestlers cap
ture four first place
titles In Area comped
tion, head to state.
See page 8A
make u possible to expand
exhibits during the annual Georgia
National f air, as well as to
increase year round 4-H and FFA
projects
The expansion has been made
necessary by an increase of IKO
percent in use ot the existing non
livestock exhibit facilities.
Froehlich said
Other funds in the supplemen
tal budget appropriation, it
(See FAIRGROUNDS, Page SA»
Timai-Jowmof Photo by Chorion* Muni
its case against Walker
in closing arguments. Houston
County Assistant District
Attorney Jim Rockefeller called
the evidence against Walker over
whelming
Rockefeller told the jury that cir
cumstances such as recovering
missing jewelry and injuries
received by Walker helped point
the linger to him as the guilty parly
In his closing argument, defense
attorney Mike Moore said the only
person in a long string of prosecu
tion witnesses who could tie
Walker to the crime was Brown
"He had life plus HO reasons
(the potential sentence) to lie."
Moore said of Brown.
The defense did not offer any
testimony in the case
The incident that occurred
Sept 4 involved the woman being
taken when she and her husband
stopped at a convenience store in
Perrv
County to offer flex
schedules at schools
Bv CHARLOTTE PERKINS
1 1 mes- Jen ai Sfs»»
Responding to (he scheduling
pressures created by new state
requirements for graduation, the
Houston County Board of
Education has approved a plan for
flexible scheduling to begin next
fall.
Board members also approved
a new approach which would
allow all students the option of
taking elective courses in summer
school
Currently, summer school is
for make-up work for students
who have failed courses, and
those students would still have
priority placement
The hoard's vote followed a
presentation Feb 10 by Warner
Robins High School Principal
Marianne Mclmck and Houston
County High School Principal
Mike Hall, who were representing
the principals of all four public
high schools.
While details remain to he
worked out. and each school's
plan may vary, the essential ele
ments of the plan are (Da "zero"
early morning period, from 6:45
a m to 7:40 a m . (2) a late after
noon 7th period from 2 45 p m to
3:40 pm , and (3) a policy of
offering certain courses Kith dur
ing the regular school day and one
of the new class periods. •
According to Hall, a mam con
cern has been to make sure that
students wanting to participate in
band, chorus and drama programs
he able to do so while still meet
ing all graduation requirements
The Board also voted to hire
Utilities Analysis. Inc., an
Atlanta-based firm which negoti
ates utilities rates
Stephen H. Yakots. represent
ing the company, explained that
the service involves a detailed
study of rates being paid for the
various utilities, and negotiation
with utilities companies for better
rates
Payment is on a performance
basts If the Board of Education
benefiß from lower rates. Utilities
Analysis. Inc. will receive 40 per
"This happens every four or five years
It s a cycle of nature and that's the way the
earth has been since God created it." he
•.aid "It was dry in August Then it started
raining during harvest time We had 40
inches of rain in October. November and
December (combined) which is the amount
we'd usually have tn a year It was more
normal in January, hut then the rains come
down again."
Excess ram makes it difficult and
sometimes impossible to get farm equip
ment onto the fields lor harvesting, which
valentine's Day
Special story about the
big day, advertisements
from area merchants for
last-minute gifts.
See pages 4-5 B
No-toll Macon calling coming
Ksow Srsn Ketobts
According to a highly reli
able source in Atlanta, tele
phone customers in Perry
recently voted 79 percent in
favor of having no-toll calls to
Macon Macon telephone cus
tomers voted 63 percent in
favor of the two-way long dis
tance cost break
The information on the vote
has not been officially released
by the Public Service
Commission. Sean Davis, a
spokesman for the P.S.C.. has
confirmed that the votes have
been counted by a private firm,
but said that no further infor
mation would be given out
until the commissioners have
met and reviewed the vote
count report
Once the vote is certified,
arrangements will he made tor
the extended local dialing ser
vice For Perry residential cus
tomers. the cost of local service
will increase about $2 95 per
month Macon customers will
see an increase of less than a
dollar per month
cent of the savings for 36 months
Hollowing the meeting. Board
Attorney William Jerles called the
proposal a “win-win" situation
In other business, the Board
• Delayed a vote the request of
a group of parents for all-girls
soccer teams at the middle school
level until the March 10 meeting
so that more information can be
obtained about scheduling and
available playing fields
A number of parents were pre
sent at the Feb 9 work session in
Warner Robins to ask that seventh
and eighth grade girls have a sep
arate team
Parents complained that fewer
girls were placed on the co-ed
teams and that girls were given
less opportunity to play. They
pointed out that soccer is growing
dramatically in popularity in (his
area and also that increasing num
bers of colleges are offering ath
letic scholarships for female soc
cer players.
• Voted for a change order
which will restore several items
which had been taken out of
expansion plans for Parkwood
Elementary School in Warner
Robins The reconsideration came
after parents complained about
having a computer lab and some
restrooms taken out of the con
struction plans
• Heard about initial plans for
the Board s taking over Lynwood
Elementary School, which is run
by Robins Air Force Base
Supt of Schools Tony Hinnant
said that officials at the base are
hoping that (he Board will hire a
number of the teachers currently
employed at the two base schools.
As part of the transition, teachers
with longevity will be given prior
ity for continuing to teach at
Robins Elementary.
• Voted to ask for additional
funding for next year's pre
kindergarten program, and to par
ticipate in a study which will tell
the State Dept of Education
whether children who could not
be placed in the pre-k program
(See SCHOOL, Page SAI
means crops can deteriorate from not being
harvested at the optimal time, as well as
Irom the effects of the excess water itself
Wheeler pointed out further that the
wheat crops are wet. w uh water standing in
the fields, and that there are pecan and
peach trees in standing water now. which
can kill a tree
"You want water." he said, "hut not too
much Too much water will lead to deple
tion of oxygen in the soil and keep the plant
Irom growing There's also a bigger chance
of disease "
-X
Home of the Georgia
National fair and
Agritenter