Newspaper Page Text
Viewpoints
Writers offer thanks for program support, one seeks more results
Editor:
On behalf of the students and
staff of the Perry Taekwondo Stu
dio. 1 wish to thank you for your
newspaper's coverage of the 1999
Perry Regional Championships on
Dec. 4. This event drew over 500
competitors and judges from all
over the Southeast.
Please convey my thanks to Ms.
Perkins and Ms. Green for their
diligence in printing the articles,
let ores, and advertisements for
our tournament.
I'hanks again for your support.
David Feldman
Perry Taekwondo
Great support
Editor:
Christmas 1999: 450 boxes of
food and 390 sacks of toys for
1150 residents.
And you made it happen with
your generous gift to the PAL Food
i id Toy Drive.
We thank YOU for caring!
It’s an old. old saying but we
imply could not have accom-
Our
Views
* iood choice
Members of the Perry Area Cham
ber of Commerce made one of their
best choices ever for the Seabie Hick
son award this year when they
named Earl Cheek recipient.
Cheek, a long-time agriculture
instructor at Perry
High, has received so
many awards and
honors for his work,
we wonder if he has
room for one more.
This one, however, he
j 7
has certainly earned
with his efforts on
behalf of both Perry
High and the greater
Perry community.
The Hickson award
Ilk Jm
< HiF.K
is given each year to someone who
< Ncinplifies the legend Hickson left
>1 someone who has a servant atti
tude toward the community. Earl
Cheek embodies that attitude. He
has served, he continues to serve, he
will serve in the future. He is com
mitted to making Perry the best it
can be. He has focused on education
all these years as the way to improve
1 he community.
As a result, many Perryans have
iiol only excelled at high school sub
jects, tliey have* bettered themselves
with higher education paid for, in
part, by scholarships which Cheek
has helped set up and direct. During
his remarks to the Chamber Jan. 10.
cheek promised to continue to work
in this effort. He also challenged his
friends to support similar projects.
Earl Cheek is an example of a com
munity servant. Thanks, sir, for all
von do to make our community bet
ter
Big smile, big thanks
Several persons attending the Perry
Area C hamber of Commerce banquet
Jan. 10 kidded outgoing chairman
Stove Rodgers about
the huge smile he was
wearing.
Ile said it was
because he was leaving
the office to Doug Bar
net I. Likely he is glad to
get some' of his private
lile back and time to
work on his business.
Rodgers has done a
good job as chairman
and we thank him for the hours he
put in to do the job well.
Houston Home Journal
I O Drawer M • 807 Carroll St.
Perry. Ga. 31069
email homejrn®hom.net
1912) 987 1823 (voice)
1912) 988 1181 (lax)
Doli I rlbblr President
l| Johnson Editor and General Manager
Ellen I Green Advertising Director
Phil Clark Sports
Joan Din sett Lifestyles
LnNoiris Firming News
Alline Konl Sports
Letters to
the Editor
P.O. Drawer IV!
Perry, Ga.
plished the drive without your sup
port!
The PAL Committee
Perry
Discouraged alumni
Editor:
As a proud Perry High School
Alumni, I am extremely disap
pointed in the dismal football pro
gram over the recent years. I think
the educators at the school has
taken an one-dimensional
approach to education.
There is nothing that can com
pare to the “education" that 1
received on the track and field
7\
RODGERS
Pauline Lewis Lifestyles
Rob Mead News and Circulation
Charlotte Perkins.. News and Composition
Andy Stuckey Classified
Susan R Thomas Bookkeeping
Our Policies
Unsigned editorials appearing in larger
type on this page under the label Our Views
reilect the |K>sition of the Houston Home
Journal. Signed columns and letters on
this page (and elsewhere in this newspaper)
retted the opinions of the writers and not
necessarily those of this newspaper
Signed letters to the editor are wel
7\
~The Peanut Gallery
Are you My *<C**D~o
PSyCHOLOG/CAL EUALUAT/OU
Team?
\ RfGtcr! $/ / VeswtvA /
/W v> te //ctQ- p%r
Despite Rockers idea , NYC is a good place
John Rocker. Enough already.
I think the Braves' pitcher has
created sufficient punishment
for himself - now and for years to
come. For one thing, he has to
face his teammates, and for
another, he's going to face a lot
of boos from here on out, if he
manages to stay in the game.
Still, it’s time for the media to
let the subject rest, for crying
out loud. 1 love baseball, and I’m
a Braves fan. but I sure don't
look to ball players for moral
and social guidance, and I don’t
think that the racist and sexist
carryings-on of a 25-year-old
pitcher constitute earth-shaking
news.
• ••
New York City - Just as a side
issue, and speaking as an old
lady who's been there, I think
it’s very sad when a young per
son is so limited and provincial
that he can go to New York City
and NOT find things to like.
I spent about 15 years of my
life living about 12 miles from
that spectacular city, and I'd be
happy to go back for a visit any
time. Sure there are problems,
but there's so much, much more
outstanding museums and one
of the world’s great, dazzling,
skylines - not to mention every
imaginable kind of restaurant
and shop...and Broadway... and
Page 4
Wed., Jan. 12. 2000
under the direction of Coach Ron
nie Royston, and his staff.
1 had the honor of playing for
one of the few winning programs at
Perry High School. The lessons
that I learned on the field as a
“winner" under Coach Royston
program has played a direct role
on my success as an Officer in the
United States Army serving abroad
protecting the interest of our Great
Nation.
As a High School athlete, I
understood what it took to achieve
success, in our fast paced society.
Coach Royston used athletics as
means to teach us about leader
ship, discipline, resilience, service
and scholarship. Once you under
stand what it takes to achieve suc
cess, you have a reference point to
gauge all of your future successes
and failures.
I think it is embarrassing for
Perry High School to have the only
unsuccessful program in the coun
ty. in the terms of wins and schol
ar athletes produced. The same
players we defeated in middle
school and in our little leagues
Charlotte
Perkins
Home
Journal
Staff
Lincoln Center, and I could go
on and on. All kinds of people,
too. which is one reason it s •>
fascinating.
• ••
Take that test I hope that
many of you smart retirees are
going to take the Census
employment tests that are being
given this week This is a good
way to make some money and
help your community at the
same time. We have a news story
and listings in our calendar of
events (At the Crossroads, page
1) about these tests.
• ••
Tip of the week - We seem to
be having the legendary "Janu
ary Thaw" without having had
much weather cold enough to
thaw out of. Only those of us
who get up early have seen the
frost, and had to get it off our
windshields.
corned. Please limit letters to 300 words
and include addresses and a telephone
number for verification purposes Letters
are not published without verification Let
ters should be sent to P.O Drawer M
Perry. Ga.. 31069 or brought (o the news
paper office at 807 Carroll St.. Perry.
Our liability for an error will not exceed
the cost of space occupied bv the error
We cannot Ire responsible for the return ol
pictures or submitted materials unless a
stamped, return address envek>|x- is included
Our Goal
The Houston Home Journal is pub
enter into high school prog ams
that turn them into state con
tenders and college level athletes.
What set those programs apart
from Perry is simple - a commit
ment to winning.
Pern’ High can live up to its rep
utation as a school of champions if
tire administration takes the same
commitment to excellence on the
filed that it takes in the classroom.
By taking our athletic programs for
granted, we are denying many of
the potential scholar athletes the
opportunity to earn a free educa
tion and open new doors to a tech
nological societ y of which a college
education is the key.
Our community deserves a pro
gram with a commitment to win
ning. whose coaches promotes its
players, and molds them into pro
ductive citizens
( pt Rayfus J. Gary
Cpt. Rayfus J. Gary is a 1990
graduate qj Perry High School, and
a 1994 graduate oj Florida A and M
University. He is currently serving
in the U.S. Army as a Company
If you don't enjoy that task,
here's a lip. Pour a bottle of rub
bing alcohol into an ordinary
plastic spray container, and just
spray some on your frosty wind
shield It works like magic,
clearing the frost away.
O! course, it also leaves your
cat smelling like cheap whiskey,
but that will wear off before you
get to work
• ••
Horses! Hie Georgia Horse
Council will have its second big
Horse f ail at the Agricenter this
coming weekend. Note that we
have a special section of the
paper on that event. Any kind of
horse show is likely to attract a
big crowd around here, and this
one is likely to bring in as many
as 5.000. according to its plan
ners. See you there.
• ••
Congratulations to Earl
Cheek who was the 2000 recipi
ent of the Seabic Hickson Award
at Mondav night's Chamber of
Commerce Banquet, and also
got the best laugh of the evening
bv commenting on Perry's many
beautiful women and ugly men.
• ••
Congratulations also to Doug
Barnet I. the new chairman of
the board ol the Chamber, and
to Steve Rodgers, who has com
pleted his year as chairman.
lished proudly tor the citizens ol Houston
and adjoining counties bv Houston Publi
cations Inc Perry. Ga Om goal is to pro
duce quality, prolitahle. community-orient
ed newspapers that you out readers are
proud ol We will reach this goal through
hard work, teamwork, loyally and a strong
dedication toward printing the truth
Member ol Georgia Press Association
and National Newspaper Association
“Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment ol religion or prohibiting
the tree exert is< iherenl or abridging the
freedom ol speech i■>l t ! o press or oil he
right ol tie people pi a< > abh to assemble
Houston Home Journal
commander for a Communications
company in Southwest Asia.
(EDITOR S RESPONSE: I can
not speak for the years prior to
1989, since that was my first
year covering Perry High foot
ball.
(I have heard this question
debated many times since. Ron
nie Royston arrived at Perry
High during a period which pro
duced an unusually large number
of quality athletes at one time.
As a result, all of the male ath
letic programs were in an
upswing such as the baseball
team which won the state title a
couple of years later.
(Since then, two coaches,
John Stephens and George
Collins, have worked with the
high school students of southern
Houston County to produce a
winning football team. There
have been some successful sea
sons, and some less memorable.
(Note that during this time,
many of the Panther programs.
See LETTERS, Page 8
Bab
Tribble
Home
Journal
President:
Public has the
right to know
Last fall a member of Geor
gia's larger daily newspapers
participated in a statewide sur
vey in an effort to determine to
what extent government agen
cies were complying with the
states Open Records Act. Seven
ty-five reporters from these
newspapers visited three hnn
dred and sixteen governmental
agencies from sheriffs depart
ments to school boards across
the state.
State law mandates that law r
enforcement agencies release
incident reports to anyone who
ask. However, the statewide sur
vey showed that only 50 percent
of sheriffs offices and 63 percent
of police departments complied
with the law.
Some surveyors were ques
tioned about who they were,
why they wanted to see the
reports, where they worked,
were sent from one office to
another and even subjected to
background checks. Not very
impressive findings, especially
from the sheriff's departments.
On the other side of the spec
trum. Georgia cities fared much
better in the survey, which
showed they made public
records available 93 percent of
the time. Their score put them
well ahead ol the sheriffs
departments, police depart
ment’s, and school boards when
complying with the sunshine
laws. More cities are taking big
ger steps to ensure that public
records are public , and that is
good.
Some local school officials
across the state seem to be
unclear about what information
can be released, and are wary of
giving it to strangers, the survey
revealed. For instance, only 20
of 43 local school districts
across the state- allowed super
intendents' contracts to be
examined. Of the- 23 that
refused, some said they had
three days to produce the docu
ment. others said the superin
tendent would have to approve
the release and some were
unsure whether the contract
was a public- document.
One superintendent said he
would not release any informa
tion on a teac her in his system
who had been disciplined lor
See TRIBBLE. Page 8
and to petition the Government lor a
redress of grievances Your right to read
this newspaper is protet led by the First
Amendment to the United Stales Consign
tion
The Houston Home Journal (USPS
000471) is published weekly for $21.40
per year (including sales tax) by Houston
Publications Inc.. 807 Carroll St., Perry,
Ga.. 31069. Periodicals Class Postage
paid at Perry. Ga POSTMASTER : Send
address changes to the Houston Home
Journal. P.O. Drawer M. Perry. Ga
31069. ISSN: 1075 1874
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