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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 Award-Winning Newspaper 2001 Better Newspaper Contests 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 viim 8 1,, 55108 11 00001 111 4 Periodical : * s * * * i * 11 j i» i f 11 irttrmmyvl i 3-Digit 306 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 I s I v : V ; ;u *\ i '>X4R .■ '- f F,t p ‘jQt.T '‘:'j Mr- Hfn It flP^ ‘ R «wmb, msmcM&tmm. m fiO TtmL^ | ■■- rl Ms- " J r >, \‘‘ \... , ■. ‘ iv/ 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 ITI r | . | v Hw • * .m. . $ ■ ' - r Jflmr 9H| /. j»- ■ ? HE B HE / E ■ flj 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 wm 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