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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.