Newspaper Page Text
From
Award-Winning
Better Newspaper
Contests
Volume 131, Number 103
TUESDAY
Local Weather
Wed 53/29 , < i
12/25 “——
Morning clouds followed by lafe
day sun.
ThU 52/26 l. •.
12/26
Times of sun and clouds. Highs in
the low 50s and lows in the mid
20s.
49/26 Z
12/27 **
Partial sunshine. Highs in the up
per 40s and lows in the mid 20s.
nL 52,27
Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 50s
and lows in the upper 20s.
54/34
12/29
Times of sun and clouds. Highs in
the mid 50s and lows in the mid
30s.
New ste&t tor Santa?
I p if*
jgPyft- * v^jiH
Is Santa shopping for a new
sleigh? Mark Hamby seems to
be trying to interest Santa in a
new red Corvette convertible just
in time for his deliveries tonight!
Inside
OPINION PG.4A
CLASSIFIED ...PG.BC
LEGALS PG. 4B
COMICS PG. 7C
LIFESTYLE ... .PG. 1C
NEWS BRIEFS . .PG. 2A
mm
8 ™55108 l 'ooool* 4 .
3-T>ifnt 306
To Georgia Newsoaoer Proiect Main Library
Jeanrrie Ledford
O Main Librarv Uca
£
®k 1 mffl'-
Gambling scam
ends in robbery
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
A Michigan man was assault
ed and robbed in Warner
Robins after he apparently
wised up to a group trying to
scam him through a proposed
poker game.
According to Capt. Brett
Evans of the Warner Robins
Police Department, the man
was invited to join a game with
a group of others in the back
parking lot of the Pilot Station
located at 2965 Hwy. 247 Conn,
about 6 p.m. Friday evening.
Evans said five to six men
apparently organized the gam
bling scam and were carrying it
out in the parking lot.
The Michigan man was not
their first mark, but h»-j»aalißed
Fund started tor woman struck by car on 1-75
By Charlotte Perkins
Staff Writer
Caroline Parks has two chil
dren a teenaged daughter and
a six year old son but she has
n’t been able to do a thing to get
ready for Christmas.
Just out of intensive care, but
still hospitalized at the Medical
Center of Central Georgia, Parks
is fortunate to be alive after
being hit by a car on 1-75, and
also fortunate to have a boss and
Congressman-elect Marshall
visits Robins Air Force Base
By Judy Hall
Staff Writer
Jim Marshall, congressman-elect to
Georgia’s 3rd District
paid his first official
visit to Robins Air
Force Base on
Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Marshall met with
Base Commander Maj.
Gen. Donald Wetekam
as well as Brig.
General Larry
Stevenson, Vice
Commander of WR
ALC; Steve Davis,
Executive Director
WR-ALC; Maj.
General Wallace
Whaley, Director, Air
Force Reserve
Command Operations; |
Col. Bonnie
Cirrincione,
Commander 78th Air i
Base Wing and Col.
Mark Hall, Vice
Commander 116th Air Control Wing.
Marshall was given a briefing of the
mission and current issues at RAFB
before touring the manufacturing and
repair facilities. The tour also included
the C-5 production facility and the C-17
ACI before moving on to the Avionics and
Instrument Division.
At the conclusion of the tour, Marshall
told media present, “I was certainly
impressed with the avionics work per
formed at the base.” Marshall noted that
* “Houston County's Legal Organ Since 1870”
something was not quite right
and declined to play with the
group, said Evans.
That is when they assaulted
the victim and forcibly took an
undisclosed amount of money
from him, added the captain.
The victim did not require
medical attention for his
injuries, said Evans.
The suspects, who are
described as white males
between the ages of 20 and 45,
fled on foot in different direc
tions after the robbery.
Police are searching for the
suspects and ask anyone who
may have been in the area and
seen something or otherwise
have information to contact
Detective Jeff Kujawa at 929-
690 Q or 929-6911.
co-workers at Cracker Barrell in
Perry who are seeing about her
children’s Christmas.
Danny Robnett, manager of
Cracker Barrell in Perry, said on
Friday that an account for the
Parks family has been set up at
Security Bank on Washington
Street in Perry and that dona
tions are sorely'needed. Parks, a
cashier at the restaurant, had no
health insurance, and the family
is struggling to make ends meet.
'' '
r v V
i
Jim Marshall
Visit us on the well al www.lioustonhomeiournal.coin
December 24, 2002
Robins Air Force Base was certainly the
largest economic driver in Georgia.
Marshall further commented that he
believes the base is in the “best possible
Marshall.
Marshall is expected to be appointed to
the all-important Armed Services
Committee.
The Armed Services Committee over
sees the money distributed to the differ
ent military bases although the entire
Congress makes the final decision.
Marshall says he plans to seek and take
advice from those who have gone before
him and work closely with both the
Republicans and the Democrats.
fir fit**
1
jSHP.% .
Photo by Luci Joullian
Houston County Deputy W.G. Cooley inspects the wreckage of an accident that occured on GA
Highway 96 in front of Houston County High on Monday morning. The Geo Metro pictured above
apparently crossed over into the oppositg,Jape and was struck head-on by an oncoming truck.
Parks was injured about three
weeks ago, Robnett explained.
“She left work about 11 at
night,” he said. “She lives in
Unadilla, and she was heading
south about a half mile past Exit
134 (on 1-75) when her car broke
down. “
Parks apparently decided to
walk back and cross over to the
exit leading up to the Georgia
National Fairgrounds, because
there were more lights there,
condition to com
pete with other Air
Logistic Centers.”
“Things look
pretty good for
Robins,” Marshall
added.
Marshall said
that he would be
working hard to
keep things at their
best for RAFB.
“My first priority
on taking office will
be to develop a
I good staff. Next I
I want to create a
I good relationship
I with as many peo-
I pie as possible to be
I in the right posi-
I tion to get the right
committee assign
ment,” said
and she was struck by a car driv
en at full speed.
Robnett said that his under
standing was that the man
whose car struck Parks thought
he had hit a deer, but his wife,
who was following him in anoth
er car, argued over her cell phone
that she thought it was a person.
The couple got off the interstate
several miles south and called
911.
Parks was found lying near the
’95 BRAC commissioner
will visit Robins
By Emily Johnstone
News Editor
A commissioner of the 1995 Base
Realignment and Closure
Commission (BRAC) has said he
will bring his expertise to Robins
Air Force Base.
During a meeting of the 21st
Century Partnership last week, for
mer RAFB commander Ret. Maj.
Gen. Rondal Smith said he extend
ed an invitation for the visit to Al
Cornelia which has been accepted.
With another round of closings
possible in 2005 and local 21st
Century Partnership members
looking for ways to keep the depot
maintenance facility at Robins off
the list, advice from Cornelia will
be invaluable, according to Smith.
Cornelia’s visit most likely will
take place in March, he said.
Smith said that how the base
looks in 2003 will be as important
as how it comes across in 2005, the
year of the next BRAC decisions.
Smith, along with Partnership
members Bub Way, Billy Edenfield,
and George Falldine, attended a
briefing in Columbus recently that
included Cornelia’s presentation of
the 1995 process and how the
process worked, along with some
advice for communities preparing
for BRAC 2005.
Also during last week’s meeting,
members learned that an effort is
underway to bring Gov.-elect Sonny
Perdue to RAFB as the community
Three Sections • 32 Pa^es
interstate, bleeding from her
head, and had multiple frac
tures, including a broken leg, as
well as life-threatening internal
injuries. Robnett said that the
doctors at the Medical Center
are hoping to save her leg.
“It may be a year or two before
she can even walk,” he said.
For more information on the
needs of the Parks family,
please call Danny Robnett at
987-2242.
gets ready to work through the
upcoming BRAC evaluations.
There was some discussion of
looking at various state funds that
could be utilized by the 21st
Century Partnership.
Working with the commissioner
of the state’s Industry, Trade and
Tourism was one avenue talked
about.
21st Century Partnership
Chairman Eddie Wiggins likened
the group’s need for funding to an
“albatross”.
He said that the group is looking
to raise monies “to keep us viable.”
A memo from Secretary of the
Air Force James Roche was hand
ed out to members.
The memo saidßoche will select
a BRAC executive group to con
duct an analysis.
The Air Force process will be car
ried out in two phases, said
Roche.
This will include data collection,
analysis of projected force struc
ture, infrastructure, and overseas
basing considerations, according to
the memo.
Another concern voiced during
the meeting was what one member
called “significant union problems
we’ve got to deal with.”
Member Billy Edenfield said the
group needs to “convince the union
they are shooting themselves in the
foot” with some of the union’s
actions.