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INSIDE THIS WEEK
Georgia
Scholars
Recognized
Eight Houston County se
niors with outstanding aca
demic and community accom
plishments were recognized
on May 22 at the annual Geor
gia Scholars Reception. The
Georgia scholar recipient
must be a graduating high
school senior who exhibits ex
cellence in all phases of school
life, community activities and
the home. This year’s recipi
ents were from Houston
County High School, Perry
High School, Warner Robins
High School and Westfield
School. .Page 3A
Home suffers
damage
following
lightning
strike
A home located on Juniper
Road suffered damage follow
ing an apparent lightning
strike May 22, according to
Houston County Fire Chief
Jimmy Williams.
Williams said volunteers
from Stations 1 and 6 and Air
One responded to the scene
about 2:30 a.m ..Page 10A
PHS soccer
star
continues
career
Eric Bassler, who has let
tered in three sports in three
years at Perry High School,
chose to continue into the col
lege arena with soccer as he
signed papers with Andrew
College May 18.
Bassler also lettered in cross
country and tennis at Perry-
High School after moving
here his sophomore
year Page IB
Memorial
Day
Reflections
As we approach Memorial
Day weekend, we should
step back from the usual fes
tivities associated with the
kick-off of the summer sea
son and reflect on the service
that many Americans have
given our nation to make
and keep us free.
Freedom does not come
without a price. We some
times take for granted the
many liberties we enjoy in
America, liberties that have
all been earned through the
ultimate sacrifice of so many
members of our armed
forces .Page SB
Index
OPINION PAGE4A
CLASSIFIED.... PAGE 7C
LIFESTYLES....PAGE 6A
SPORTS PAGEIB
LEGALS PAGE 1C
NEWS BRIEFS..PAGE 2A
100th
See Page 7A
Legal Organ For Houston County, City of Perry and the State of Georgia
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Photo by Emily Johnstonr
Perry Mayor Jim Worrall lights the flame for the Special Olympic Torch as it travels through town
May 24. The Torch was brought into town by runners who are law enforement personnel from
Pulaski State Prison. It was corned to Warner Robins by Perry officers. Its final destination will be
the Special Olympic games held in Atlanta this weekend. Holding the Torch is Monica Lazeres.
Work underway on
city FYOI budget
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
A slight increase in city ad va
lorem tax and a $4 per month
increase in sanitation bills are a
possibility for Perry residents if
council OKs certain measures
included in the City’s FY2OOI
budget. Overall preliminary
budget figures come in at about
sls million.
According to City Manager Lee
Gilmour, monies required for the
General Fund budget should be
near the present 14.29 mills col
lected.
However, per a State mandate,
Perry will begin collecting mon
ies for capital projects through
a special district tax on all non
vacant parcels within the city
limits.
These monies will be used for
improvements such as street re
surfacing and recreation needs,
said Gilmour.
One project that could be
funded through such monies is
an extension for Jemigan Street,
he added. That would provide an
alternate route for truck traffic
from the southern end of
Jernigan Street to Larry Walker
“Survivors Never Quit”
I s
i—
Photo by Emily Johnston*
Members of a special county fire department rescue team pull
Joe Stinson to safety during a session held in Warner Robins
May 20. The session was part of a course used by New York city
firefighters to train in rescue of victims and of trapped fellow
firefighters conducted by Houston County Assistant Fire Chief
Ronnie Register. Fourteen people completed the course, said
Register, that was held at the former Ashley Arms Apartments.
Special emphasis was placed on rescue from multiple-story
structures. Motto for the training session was "Survivors Never
Quit."
Thursday, May 25, 2000
Parkway. Estimated cost for
that project is set at about $2
million.
An increase in sanitation bills
is a probability, said Gilmour,
because of the rising costs of pro
viding the service.
Perry is currently contracted
with Sullivan Environmental
Services for that company to
provide household garbage
pickup. Projected dollar amount
for the upcoming fiscal year con
tract with that company is about
$396,000.
One way to lower that four
dollar amount increase by a
couple of dollars would be for
residents to have their house
hold trash picked up once a week
instead of the current twice per
week pickup, said the city man
ager.
Meanwhile, the city police de
partment comes in with the
highest projected budget for the
upcoming year, with a request
of $2,450,548. Recommendation
from the city manager is set at
$2,106,400. That includes some
cuts to requests for additional
vehicles and surveillance equip
ment, among other items.
T-Ball
See Page 1B
The department presently is
set to receive at least five new
vehicles and a full time code en
forcement officer.
Some new budgeted items in
clude $42,400 for the Downtown
Development Authority and
$5,800 for the 21st Century Part
nership.
The Perry-Houston County
Airport is recommended to re
ceive $49,200.
Perry city council members
will be discussing the proposed
budget during a work session set
for June 6 at city hall. That meet
ing is open to the public.
Copies of the proposed budget
are available at city hall for pub
lic inspection.
For more information, call 988-
2736.
Honoring
the Vets
From Staff Reports
Local Memorial Day ceremony
organizers are looking for a large
turnout at the May 29 service set
to be held at Perry Memorial
Gardens.
The program, scheduled to be
gin at 11 a.m., will include a
number of items to honor those
who gave their lives in the ser
vice of their country.
A large tent will be set up to
accommodate the expected
crowd.
The program will be hosted by
emcee Johnny Barton, CMSGT
Retired, with Perry High School
JROTC students posting colors.
Hayley Greene will sing the
Star Spangled Banner.
Dr. David Carter is on the
agenda to open the service with
prayer.
Guest speaker for the program
will be Rachel Coggins, chaplain
with the Army Reserves.
She is founder of “Rachel’s
Well”, a speaking/writing minis
try for women.
Taps will be played by Justin
Waters of the Perry High School
band.
Horace Woodruff will close the
service in prayer and Christie
Drawdy will sing America the
Beautiful.
Perry Memorial Gardens is lo
cated on 41 North near Thomp
son Road.
Thomson, Sanders
in the race
for county chair
By Charlotte Perkins
Staff Writer
At press time, with only two
hours left until the deadline to
sign up for the race, there were
two candidates for Houston
County’s top elected position.
Larry Thomson of Perry and
Ned Sanders of Warner Robins,
both Republicans, will be on the
July 18 ballot to fill the unex
pired term of the late County
Commission Chairman Sherrill
Stafford, who died on May 9.
“I feel like I can do the job,”
Thomson said in an interview on
Tuesday. “I see the county’s
needs and I would carry on in the
tradition of Sherrill Stafford, in
a peacemaking role. I think that
together we can build a better
Houston County - and that in
cludes all of the cities, too.”
Sanders cited the adverse im
pact of county’s rapid growth and
the necessity of keeping up with
infrastructure needs such as
highway building as a key issue
for his campaign.
“The extension of Russell
Parkway is critical,” he said,
“and we need accelerated help
with the four laning of South
Houston Lake Road, Highway 96
Bit k W:«H3Bys9i
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Valedictorians and salutatorians from Perry High and Westfield
senior classes are: Back Row: Brad Barfield and Daniel Davis of
Westfield. Front: LaShonda Watts and Karen Lord of Perry High
School.
Its Graduation Time
By Lanorria Fleming
Staff Writer
Commencement exercises for
Perry’s two senior high schools
will take place on the evening of
May 26. The end of the school
year is only days away. The se
niors have already said their
goodbyes to their lockers and
desks, paid any commitments
and are now ready for that last
parade of school spirit.
Parents, friends and other
loved ones will be be very atten
tive as that little girl or boy they
watched grow into a woman or
man accepts the ticket into a
bright future, the high school
diploma.
The first graduation ceremony
will be held on the campus of The
Westfield Schools in the recently
built gymnatorium. Westfield’s
class of 2000 has 36 graduating
seniors, 23 of whom will be
graduating with honors. Speak
ers for the evening will be class
Cat in hat
See Page 11A
Three Sections, 30 Pages
and Hwv. 127.”
Thomson, who has vacated his
post on the Board of Commis
sioners to seek the chairman
ship, is a developer and contrac
tor who served on the county
Planning and Zoning Board and
Board of Elections before win
ning his first term on the County
Commission in 1998. As a Com
missioner he has chaired the
transportation, planning and
zoning, library and water de
partment committees.
Like Sanders, Thomson sees
transportation as the county’s
biggest challenge, but notes that
such long-awaited projects as the
extension of Russell Parkway
and the widening of Houston
Lake Road are now getting un
derway.
“It’s just a slow process,” he
noted.
Both candidates are avowed
fiscal conservatives who believe
that Houston County’s budget
should stay within the limita
tions set by the legally-estab
lished tax cap.
Sanders, a retired Air Force
veteran and civil engineer, was
Continued on Page SA
valedictorian Daniel Davis and
salutatorian Brad Barfield. The
ceremony will begin at 6 p.m.
“This has been a wonderful
class to work with ,” said Head
master Dr. Michael Drake,
“They are great athletes and
very involved in extra curricular
activities but most importantly,
they work very hard at doing
things the right way. These at
tributes will take them far in the
future and make them suc
cesses.”
The second of the two events,
Perry High School’s commence
ment exercise, will take place at
8 p.m in the Georgia Agricenter
with a graduating class of 235.
Thirty-five of these students are
honor graduates. This year’s
graduation address will be deliv
ered by the Perry High School
class of 2000’s valedictorian
LaShonda Watts. Special
speaker will be salutatorian
Continued on Page SA
500