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Volume 129 Number 21
Town Crier 1
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Special
Graduation
Section
Inside
By Lanorris Fleming
Staff Writer
May 26 marked the begin
ning for 244 graduates from
Perry’s two local high schools.
In ceremonies that commemo
rated their thirteen years of
education and wished for con
tinued education in both life
and academics, the Class of
2000 received their diplomas.
Whether honor graduates
headed off to Ivy League
schools or not these young
men and women from Perry
High School and Westfield
School have achieved a great
goal. These graduates have
passed the first real test of
their lives. Throughout their
years in school these students
have unlocked many myster
ies. How to diagram sen
tences, math equations and
science experiments are but a
few. With a diploma in hand
there is no door which should
remain locked. With speeches
from fellow classmates,
prayers from the faculty and
envious eyes from underclass
men this group, the class of
2000, are on the launch pad
to success.
As the students say goodbye
to long time friends and teach
ers who have shaped their
lives for the past four years it
should not be with sadness
but with joy. These people
have helped them to grow into
the promising individuals that
they are now.
Tearful hugs to parents and
friends ended ceremonies that
had only been dreamed of a
few years ago. As the super
intendent and the head mas
ter announced the class of
2000 officially graduated this
far away dream became a re
ality. For the parents of the
graduates they are saying
goodbye to their babies and
hello to young men and
women destined to control the
future. The class of 2000 wel
comes this challenge as they
go off in their different direc
tions to pursue academic as
pirations or other endeavors.
For a listing of future plans,
pictures, speeches and an
overview of both ceremonies
see inside graduation insert.
Congratulations to the Class
of2ooo M***M***M««*»»M Section D
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Index
OPINION PAGE4A
CLASSIFIED.... PAGE 7C
LIFESTYLES.... PAGE 6A
SPORTS PAGEIB
LEGALS PAGE 1C
NEWS BRIEFS..PAGE 2A
IN THE SWIM
See Page 11A
Legal Organ For Houston County, City of Perry and the State of Georgia
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Photos by Emily Johnstone
Perry High School JROTC members Jason Geissinger, Donna Hansen and Curt Fowler participate
in the Memorial Day program held at Perry Memorial Gardens May 29. In the background is band
student Justin Waters, who played Taps during the ceremony, which was sponsored by the City
and local veterans groups.
Police investigate motel homicide
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
The quiet of a spring night was
shattered when sleeping motel
guests were awakened to the
sounds of gunshots just after
midnight at the Best Western in
Perry May 30.
The rest of the night saw a
team of Georgia Bureau of Inves
tigation personnel processing a
homicide scene in a hallway of
the motel.
According to Perry Police Chief
George Potter, 44-year-old
Carlton E. Green Sr. of Unadilla,
a night auditor at Best Western,
died after being shot during a
hold-up just after midnight.
A coroner’s autopsy report
showed that the victim was shot
multiple times.
Commissioners to take action on Bear Branch rezoning request
By Charlotte Perkins
Staff writer
The three remaining Houston
County Commissioners - Jay
Walker, Tom McMichael and
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Three-year-old Will Brett sits quietly while Houston County
Sheriff’s Office Cpi. Tommy Spires, left, and Perry Police Lt. Bruce
Ham, right, checks his car seat during a multi-agency roadcheck
held May 27. The youngster’s grandfather received thank-yous
from both officers for having Will properly buckled. Agencies
participating in this session were Houston County Sheriff’s Office,
Perry Police Department and Houston County Probation Office.
For more photos and story of the week-long Operation Buckle
Up, see pageHA.
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Thursday, June I , 2000
Potter said guests called au
thorities after hearing gunshots
ring out in a motel hallway.
Green was apparently at
tempting to flee from the perpe
trator when he was shot in the
face.
Members of the Perry Police
Department searched the area
for suspects through the rest of
the night.
Dooly County authorities were
called to help locate Green’s
next-of-kin.
A search was conducted of the
surrounding neighborhood in an
attempt to find clues to where
the suspect may have fled fol
lowing the shooting.
According to Lt. Heath Dykes,
an undetermined amount of
cash was taken during the inci
Gail Robinson - will be moving
ahead with the county’s busi
ness on Tuesday, June 6.
“There’ll be a big agenda,” said
Walker, who as vice-chairman is
GOOD TOSS
See Page 11A
dent.
Potter said the Best Western
has been the target of at least
three robberies since it opened in
1998.
The Perry Police Department
is offering a reward for any in
formation leading to the arrest
and conviction of the suspect.
“We are asking anyone with
information to please come for
ward,” said the chief.
Persons can call Lt. Heath
Dykes at PPD at 988-2800.
Photo by Lanorri* Fleming
Officers from Bibb and Sumter
County correctional institutes
and Perry Police detectives
search for physical evidence in
a nearby neighborhood
following the Tuesday morning
murder of a motel night auditor.
now acting chairman, following
the death of Commission Chair
man Sherrill Stafford.
Post 2 has also been vacated,
with incumbent Commissioner
Larry Thomson leaving the po
sition to run for the chairman
ship.
Proposed E9ll budget
set at $2 million
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
WARNER ROBINS Pro
jected figures for the Houston
County E9ll system are in for
fiscal year 200-2001 with about
$2 million anticipated to be uti
lized for operation of the system.
That amount was given the OK
by members of the E9ll Commit
tee during a meeting held May
26 at the county annex.. The
committee consists of represen
tatives of the county and three
municipalities.
Expenditures include $240,000
for upgrade of the telephone
positron system that 911 officials
say is outdated and not adequate
to handle the current volume of
calls.
| i i
Memorial Day
services held at
Perry Memorial
Gardens
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
A large group of people, includ
ing veterans, their friends and
family, attended the annual Me
morial Day ceremonies held May
29 at Perry Memorial Gardens.
Guest speaker Rachel Coggins,
Chaplain with the Army Re
serves, spoke of the contribu
tions women have made to the
armed forces over the years.
One of those was an ancestor
of hers, Nancy Hart, who has a
state park and several other
places of note named after her.
Hart is known for her capture
of Tbries during the Revolution,
said Coggins.
Women made up about 7 per
cent of the force for Desert
Storm, she noted, with 16 killed
and two captured during that
conflict.
Coggins talked about the im-
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Walker said that he and the
other two commissioners have
had more work to do, but that
the necessary work is getting
done, and the budget-making
process is on schedule to be ap
proved before the end of June.
The commissioners are expect-
Eighty-six thousand nine hun
dred and seventy dollars is be
ing requested to complete imple
mentation of a system that al
lows for better mapping of the
county, according to Houston
County E9ll Director Ricky
Harlowe.
The first phase of the system
was installed last year. This sys
tem will help eliminate problems
that can arise with similarly
named streets and roads, said
Harlowe.
Other projected expenditures
include $1,023,621 for salaries,
$185,000 for employee insur
ance, $125,000 in telephone fees
and $52,000 for equipment
maintenance.
Projected revenues include $1
Four Sections, 38 Pages
portance of remembering those
who gave their lives for this
country.
“Memorial Day must be much
more than numbers and statis
tics,” she said. “We must remem
ber those who died so we can
enjoy the freedoms we have
whether or not we appreciate it.”
Also during the ceremony.
Perry Mayor Jim Worrall took
note of those in attendance who
fought in conflicts, including
World War 11, the Korean War,
Vietnam and Desert Storm.
The Star Spangled Banner
was sung by Hayley Greene and
America The Beautiful was pre
sented by Christie Drawdy.
Dr. David Carter of Cross
roads United Methodist Church
gave the opening prayer and
Horace Woodruff of First Bap
tist Church closed the ceremony
with prayer.
ing a crowd for Tuesday
morning’s meeting at Perry City
Hall because of the pending ac
tion on the Bear Branch rezon
ing request, which has previ
ously been bounced back and
Continued on Page 2A
million from surcharges paid by
residents to their telephone com
panies and collected by the
county for E9ll and $335, 000
paid by users of wireless tele
phone services.
Each year, all three munici
palities and the county place
funds into the system. Amounts
are figured by population num
bers.
This year, expected revenues
from local governments include
$466,506 from Houston County,
$16,743 from Centerville,
$49,466 from Perry and
$228,306 from Warner Robins.
The proposed budget will be
brought before Houston County
commissioners for final ap
proval.
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