Newspaper Page Text
Houston County rapist,
kidnapper denied parole
From staff reports
The Georgia State Board of Pardons and
Paroles has once again denied parole to Eddie J.
Johnson, 44, who is serving a life sentence for
multiple rapes he committed in the Perry area.
Johnson was first considered and denied parole
in July of 1994.
District Attorney Kelly Burke said that while
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Volume 131, Number 102
THURSDAY
Local Weather
70/53 / €.*?
12/19 *
Mostly cloudy skies. High near
7OF. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Fri /%»
7" 62/28
12/20
Mostly doudy with scattered thun
derstorms.
C-,*
56/30 m J
12/21
Sunny. Highs in the mid 50s and
lows in the low 30s.
f^2 2 57/33
Times erf sun and douds. Highs in
the upper 50s and lows in the low
30s.
Mon 57/33 / '^4
12/23 ®
Mix of sun and douds. Higiis in the
upper 50s and lows in the low 30s.
. .. A M *> Hi • ifll - tv>> I ..V ' IT •
I . I . . .
Traffic Delays
y and Friday, there
will probably be
traffic delays near the
intersection of Ga. 96
Sutherlin Road in
pWamer Robins, according
to the Georgia
Department of Transportation.
There will be no official detours
taking place during this time, accord
ing to DOT, who advises motorists to
use Cohen Walker Drive and
Houston Lake Road as access to Ga.
96.
The MJ offices dosed
The Houston Home Journal
offices will be closed Dec. 25-29 in
observance of Christmas.
Offices will also be closed Jan. 1 in
observance of New Year’s Day.
Inside
OPINION PG.4A
CLASSIFIED ...PG.BC
LEGALS PG. 6B
COMICS PG. 7C
LIFESTYLE ....PG. 1C
NEWS BRIEFS . .PG. 2A
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Georgia Newspaper Project Main Library
Jeannie Ledford
Main Library Uga
Athens Ga 30602
Hayneville? Hayneyville?
Op is it Haynesville?
Hayneville residents petition Georgia DOT
By Charlotte Perkins
Staff Writer
The Georgia Department of
Transportation has dodged the
issue, and the Houston County
Commissioners have delayed it,
but the question isn’t likely to
go away. With newsmakers like
Rep. Larry Walker and Sheriff
Cullen Talton in the battle, it’s
even possible that the sign by
the side of the road will be
changed from Hayneville
(sometimes pronounced
Hayneyville) back to the name
that many local residents
believe is the true name
Haynesville.
The question has been asked
for years already in the south
ern part of the county, but now
Commissioners approve
new radio system
By Charlotte Perkins
Staff Writer
After some haggling to bring
the price down, the Houston
County Commissioners have
approved a contract with
Motorala to install a Digital 800
MHz integrated voice and data
trunked radio system for public
safety purpose.
The communications net
work will be paid for with spe
cial purpose sales tax funds,
and was approved at a price of
$11,421,585 - substantially
lower than the anticipated
$12.5 million price tag.
However, Commissioner Gloria
Alday, in one of her last votes
on the commission, voted
against it.’ Alday said later that
she did not think that the bid
ding process had been suffi
ciently competitive.
The new system will include
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Johnson’s conviction took place years before he
took office, he was contacted regarding Johnson’s
parole hearing and had responded that he want
ed to see Johnson kept behind bars.
“I’m thrilled that the Pardons and Paroles
Board decided to deny the parole. I’m always
appreciative when violent criminals are not set
See RAPIST on Page 11A
®k Journal
Visit us on the web at www.houstonhomeiournai.com
* “Houston County's Legal Organ Since 1870 ”
a group of fifty Hayne(s)ville
residents have petitioned “the
powers to be” to “change the
name of our community in
South Houston County back to
Haynesville instead of the pres
ent name of Hayneville.”
The petition, signed by 50
residents, goes on to state that
“For many years the name was
Haynesville and somehow and
for some reason in the early
seventies the highway depart
ment replaced the signs during
some roadwork through
Haynesville and made them
Hayneville.”
The drive to change the road
signs apparently began when
Sheriff Cullen Talton attended
See HAYNEVILLE on page 11A
four transmission sites, a ten
position dispatch console sys
tem, necessary disptch furni
ture, improvements to the E9ll
switch, a six GHz digital loop
microwave tower and transport
network and a network man
agement system. The cost
approved by the commissioners
will also include installation,
training, engineering, project
management and maintenance
support.
Commission Chairman Ned
Sanders thanked
Commissioners Larry Thomson
and Tom McMichael for their
involvement in meetings with
Motorola, and their successful
efforts to pare the cost down.
Also, at Tuesday night’s
meeting, the Commissioners:
V Approved a $165,000 expen
diture for a new single channel
See RADIO on Page 11A
Perry hires new downtown manager
By Judy Hall
Staff Writer
The Perry Downtown Development Authority
working through the city of Perry hired a new
downtown manager who will begin work on
January 8, 2003.
Tish Mims, a native of Augusta, is leaving a
part-time position with the Main Street program
in Fort Valley to take this position. Mims has
also worked with the Augusta Metro Chamber of
Commerce , the Department of Economic
Community Development in North Augusta,
December 19, 2002
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Photos by Luci Joullian
Rotary Club members (left to right) Billy Edenfield, Carl Slocum and Jim Newton collected
donations last Saturday outside the Warner Robins Target.
Salvation Apmy meeting needs
By Luci Joullian
Staff Writer
The Salvation Army serves
an important function in any
community and Warner
Robins is no exception. The
Christmas season is a major
fundraising time for this non
profit organization. The
Salvation Army bell ringers,
which have become permanent
fixtures of the Christmas sea
son, are a huge part of this
fundraising effort. Barry
Corbitt, director of the Warner
Robins division of Salvation
Army, says that the bulk of the
ringers in the area are individ
ual volunteers on the week
days. RAFB employees, church
South Carolina and with Planning and
Development in Aiken, South Carolina.
Mims attended Augusta State University and is
married to Greg Mims, Regional Manager for
Title Max. The Mims have three daughter and
live in Houston County.
Mims’ interests, other than economic develop
ment, are in the fields of art and photography.
The mural at the Elko Post Office is one of her
paintings.
Mims is excited about beginning work with the
City of Perry’s downtown area.
groups, and the Optimist and
Exchange clubs supplement
these volunteers on weekends
HPjrT I
Director Barry Corbitt
SHU
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Three Sections • 34 Pages
at places like Target and the
Galleria mall.
The Salvation Army also
sponsors programs that direct
ly benefit the community dur
ing Christmas. The Warner
Robins division always spon
sors the angeltree program.
The process begins when fami
lies in need fill out applications
for Christmas assistance.
Paper angels are then usually
placed in businesses through
out the city. Corbitt says that
his office started taking appli
cations from families in
October and started distribut
ing the angels in mid-
November. This year, the
See SALVATION on Page 12A
Taking
The Tour
This 2nd grade class from
Westfield Schools take a tour
of The Houston Home
Journal Tuesday. They loved
seeing the big press.
Photo by Danny Evans