Newspaper Page Text
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©lie Mxmsfrm Moms Journal
Volume 129 Number 49
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Photo by Charlotte Perkins
Free Family fun. Friday and
Saturday nights through
Christmas. Stop by to see the
real live Santa and the
dazzling Christmas light
display at the home of Leroy
Bennett, 1316 Smoak
Avenue. Santa is shown here
with one of his helpers,
Brooke Roberts.
Prrltitag
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Holiday Homes: Are you
putting a special effort into
decorating your home this
year? Whether you’re plan
ning to turn on hundreds of
lights or to put your creativity
into beautiful traditional deco
rations, please let us know.
See the form inside this week’s
paper.
• • •
Ongoing events:
American Camellia Soci
ety Festival of Trees : Fes
tively decorated trees sur
round the Annabelle Lundy
Fetterman courtyard during
the month of December while
thousands of camellia blooms
bring nature’s holiday gift to
visitors to the gardens. Tues
days- Saturdays , 10:00 a.m. -
4:30 p.m. Sundays, 1:00 p.m. -
4:30 p.m. American Camellia
Society at Massee Lane Gar
dens, between Marshallville
and Fort Valley on GA Hwy.
49; $5.00. For more informa
tion call (478)967-2358
Friday, December 1
7 p.m. Opening perfor
mance of the Warner Robins
Children’s Theater’s holiday
double-header: “The Littlest
Angel” and “The Christmas
Corrall.”At the Warner Robins
Little Theater on South Pleas
ant Hill Drive. $6 for adults.
$5 for children. Make reser
vations by calling 218-2644 or
329.8805.
Saturday, December
2
7 a.m. - 10 a.m. Perry
Kiwanis Club Pancake Break
fast at Houston County Ex
tension Building - Carroll
Street . $3.00 . For more in
formation call 987-2411
10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Open
House at Impressions, Down
town Perry.
2 p.m. - Perry Area Cham
ber of Commerce Christmas
Parade, from Kellwood Drive
to Main Street. For more in
formation, call 987-1234.
3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Christmas at Hart: Refresh
ments, Drawing at 6:00 p.m.
for Christmas wreath, poinset
tia and a special gift from
Hart’s Nurseries Gift Shop,
1639 Houston Lake Road. For
more information, call 987-
4278
Continued on Page 11A
Index
OPINION PAGE 4A
CLASSIFIED...PAGE 138
LIFESTYLES....PAGE 1B
SPORTS PAGE 6B
LEGALS PAGE 8B
NEWS BRIEFS..PAGE 2A
Guard Lady
See Page 9A
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Seargent Bob Southerd demonstates to new recruits how to use the gas gun for
incapacitaion of dangerous individuals
Specializing in Danger
By Lanorris Askew
Staff Writer
Not very many people go to
work everyday thinking of the
possibility that they could be
involved in a hostage situation
where their only source of hope
for a safe return home would
be to be the one able to retrieve
a gun out of suicidal or homi
cidal hands. They say that the
training is rigorous, but the job
is also very rewarding...these
are the words and the lives of
the members of the Houston
County Sheriff’s Response
Team (SRT).
Sixteen men of varying age
and lifestyles gather together
periodically as a unit to make
sure that situations like the
one mentioned above are
handled correctly and without
unnecessary bloodshed.
A special breed
These men from different di
visions of the sheriffs office
train diligently in different sce
Morgan, Dorsett back on board
Pair decides to rescind resignations
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
Two members of the Perry-
Houston County Airport Author
ity have reversed a decision to re
sign from that body following dis
cussions with city and county of
ficials, including a work session
with city council and a luncheon
meeting at Applebee’s with City
Manager Lee Gilmour, Perry
Mayor Jim Worrall and County
Commission Chairman Ned Sand
ers.
Authority members David Mor
gan, who serves as chairman, and
Ralph Dorsett, announced their
resignations Nov. 7 after Perry
city council OK’d a request for
rezoning by property owners for
land near the airport. Council ap
proved an annexation request for
205 acres of land belonging to
Jimmy Paul and Toni Paul Smith
for use as a residential area. Au
thority members are appointed
jointly by the county and city.
Morgan and Dorsett are both City
of Perry appointees.
Morgan and Dorsett repre
sented the unanimous position of
the Authority in asking council to
deny residential zoning for 40
acres of the property that is adja
cent to the airport facility because
of problems they said could occur
in the future development of the
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Houston County’s Newspaper Since 1870
Thursday, November 30, 2000
narios, including spending time
at the shooting range fine tun
ing their skills in marksman
ship, team movement and physi
cal agility in order to serve the
public in case of an extreme
emergency.
According to Bob Southerd,
who is only one of two remain
ing members of the original SRT
unit started in 1982, training for
the unexpected is essential.
“The team has to be able to
move together as a unit and
shooting skills are paramount,”
he said.
Each month, members shoot
ing skills are tested.
In order to be a part of this
elite group, an officer must be a
member of the Sheriffs Depart
ment for one full year.
After this year, an interested
officer is allowed to undergo the
physical and weaponry testing
and training to become a part
of the team.
According to Southerd, a
airport and the surrounding area.
Morgan requested council con
sider classifying the site for indus
trial zoning instead of residential.
Now, the pair is happy that city
council has apparently decided to
purchase the property for the City
and has decided they will stay on
board as Authority members.
“City council is working on a
plan to acquire property between
the airport and Walden Road,”
said Morgan during a recent in
terview. This property could be
used as a buffer zone between the
facility and any future residential
development, he said.
Morgan said that he and
Dorsett are now convinced that
council will take action to “resolve
the threat of residential encroach
ment.”
He added that if the City can
acquire the property, that will “re
solve the problem created by the
rezoning mistake.”
“We have decided to stay on”,
echoed Dorsett.
Dorsett said he is not opposed
to the proposed residential devel
opment being brought into the
city limits, but he is opposed to
such a development being so near
the runway of the airport. He said
he is glad city council members
apparently are now able to see it
that way, also.
Heated
See Page 12A
score of 90 percent shooting?
accuracy must be obtained tq
be a part of the team.
Monthly training
During this month’s outing;
Nov. 28, the SRT made a tripi
to Robins Air Force Base
where a member of the base
conducted individual tests on
the team’s gas masks to check
for any inadequacies.
According to Southerd, in
the past the team had to go
through a gas chamber to
make such checks, but nev/
technology now allows alter
nate means to be used.
“This is a new experience for
all of us,” he said during the
exercise.
The procedure, though time!
consuming, is very important,
for the safety of the officers.
Though the use of the masks
is minimal, it is important that
they be in good working order.
Continued on Page 10A
“They didn’t seem to under
stand yo can’t just build houses
next to a runway,” said Dorsett.
“I think they do, now.”
Dorsett compared the City’s de
cision to acquire the property as
a “turning point,” saying either
the airport can continue to grow
or be killed by making it an air
park-like facility.
Meanwhile, Worrall said he be
lieves “everything is back on
track.”
“Things are looking good and
we have a renewed enthusiasm, ”
he commented. “Sometimes it
takes a little adversity to get the
train back on track.”
Worrall said the City is in the
process of attempting to obtain
federal grant monies to be used
toward the purchase of the 40
acres.
He said he is also pleased Mor
gan and Dorsett are back on the
airport team.
“I am real pleased they have ac
cepted our offer and are back on
board,” said Woirall. “We needed
their expertise.”
Sanders agrees. “I’m happy
that we’re going to continue to
have their services.”
Sanders said he looks forward
to promoting the airport to
stimulate future growth for the
facility.
Cagle’s is up
ana running
By Charlotte Perkins
Staff Writer
The Perry Cagle’s plant has
400 employees already processing
chickens, with plans to employ
400 more by January and to have
full employment of 1300 by next
summer.
Alan Habegger, plant manager,
told the Perry Rotary Club on
Monday, that the company inter
viewed over 2000 people from
Houston and surrounding coun
ties, and that newly-hired super
visors are learning on the job.
Commenting on the massive
renovations necessary to turned
the former Heileman Brewery
facility into a chicken processing
plant, Habegger quipped that “All
it took was a lot of money.”
He noted that the 1 million sq.
ft. facility, which Cagle’s bought
in 1998, had a lot to offer - in
cluding “an abundance of fresh
water and a huge waste water
system,” and said that the back
ing of the community and local
economic development efforts
also counted in the company’s
decision to purchase and remodel
the plant.
PHS seeks football
coach for next year
By Alline Kent
Sports Writer
Perry High School has begun
the process of searching for a
new athletic director and head
football coach.
A job announcement, detail
ing the position and require
ments, was sent out by the
Houston County school system
last week, inviting applications
and resumes to be returned by
a deadline of Dec. 31st.
After the applications are re
ceived, a committee will review
them and make recommenda
tions to a second committee, ac
cording to Bobby Griffin, prin
cipal at Perry High School.
Griffin said that the initial com
mittee would be formed within
a few days.
Griffin confirmed that there
is no existing short list of ap
plicants. “Right now, it’s wide
open,” he said. “Anyone who is
qualified for the position and
wants to fill out an application
will be considered.”
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DECK THE HALLS - Billie Sue Thomson and Franc!? Hargrove put
the finishing touches on Christmas decorations in the Thomas
home, which will he part of the Baivaunuca Club’s “Tour of Dining
Rooms” on Sunday afternoon. An annual event, this benefit tour
of five beautifully decorated Perry Homes will raise funds for the
Loaves and Fishes ministry. See Holiday Calendar for more details.
Two Sections, 32 Pages
Habegger said that the brew
ery had been “completely gut
ted”, and new interior walls
added.
“It’s a white, bright food com
pany,” he said.
The Perry Cagle’s is now pro
cessing 1.3 million chickens a
week, with five million pounds of
processed poultry resulting. This
includes cut parts for Kentucky
Fried Chicken, breast fillets and
“butterflies”, tenders, “Buffalo
Wings” and whole birds,
Habegger said.
“Americans are eating up to 80
pounds of chicken per capita per
year,” he said, “and future in
creases are projected.”
He commented that the ‘dark
meat’ leg and thigh of the chicken
is ‘the least desired food for the
American public, but not for
many nations around the world,
Russia particularly.”
Most of the chickens being pro
cessed at the Perry plant are
grown in near Forsythe, where
the company has a feed mill and
hatchery, he said, but the com
pany is expecting “some expand
ing in this area.”
After the second committee
makes a recommendation to
Griffin, the system’s person
nel department and the Board
of Education will have to ap
prove the choice also.
George Collins has served as
athletic director and head
coach of the Perry Panther’s
program for the last five years.
Under Coach Collins, the
Panthers only winning season
was 1998, when Perry went 7-3
and barely missed the playoffs.
During the 2000 season, the
Panthers had a record of 2-8.
According to Roberta Barr,
BOE personnel head, Collins
still holds the position of Ath
letic Director for Perry High
School.
That position will not be of
fered to him again once his
present contract is up, she
added.
It is not a part of his teach
ing contract which will con
tinue until May 2001, said
Barr.
B.W. Bozeman
passes away
Bertram Wallace “8.W.”
Bozeman , former owner of the
City Barber Shop in Perry, died
on Saturday, November 25, at the
age of 84. He had lived here for
over 64 years and was an active
member of First Baptist Church,
the VFW and the American Le
gion. Services were held on Mon
day. For further details, see his
obituary on page 11A.
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