Newspaper Page Text
6A
♦ THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2003
GEORGIA
BRIEFS
James Brown announces
marriage breakup
LOS ANGELES (AP) -
“Godfather of Soul” James
Brown has announced his
breakup from his wife, Tomi
Rea Brown, with a full-page ad
in the show-business trade
newspaper Variety.
In the July 21-27 weekly edi
tion of the paper, the ad fea
tures a photo of the couple and
their now 2-year-old son, James
Joseph Brown 11, smiling at
Walt Disney World while posing
with the costumed character
Goofy.
Above the photo, a statement
said that because of their
“heavy, demanding tour sched
ule, they have decided to go
their separate ways. There are
no hard feelings, just a mutual
show business decision made by
both parties.”
The couple, who married in
December 2001, added that
they decided to break up “with
love and affection.” Tomi Rea is
one of Brown’s background
singers.
In a short article Tuesday,
Variety reported: “A colleague
of Brown’s said the photo was
chosen to emphasize the happy
times of the relationship,
rather than the hard times of a
breakup.” Representatives for
the 70-year-old soul singer did
not immediately return calls for
comment.
The pair is touring together
in Europe, the newspaper
added, and may continue work
ing together despite the
breakup.
Brown’s previous wife,
Adrienne, died in 1996 after
undergoing plastic surgery.
Authorities search tor children,
husband of dead woman
DALLAS (AP) - Paulding
County authorities are looking
for the husband and three chil
dren of a woman found dead at
their home in Dallas.
Police said there was no sign
of foul play in the death of Nora
Fernandez, 33, who was found
Monday. An autopsy deter
mined she died of natural caus
es.
Authorities believe the
woman died July 15, the same
day her husband, Juan Carlos
Fernandez, disappeared, along
with the couple’s children
ages 10, 4 and 1.
Police said the couple had a
history of marital violence.
Fernandez was found dead on
the floor, next to the sofa in the
house, Sheriff Bruce Harris
said. He said someone had
placed a blanket over the
woman’s body.
A family car also was missing.
Longtime broadcast figure
Bobby Harper dies
ATLANTA (AP) - Radio per
sonality Bobby Harper, whose
on-air antics inspired a charac
ter on the TV show “WKRP in
Cincinnati,” died Tuesday of
lung cancer. He was 64.
Harper, of Smyrna, was the
basis for WKRP’s scruffy,
spacey Johnny Fever, said Hugh
Wilson of Charlottesville, Va.,
who created and produced the
sitcom that ran on CBS from
1978 to 1982.
“Bobby was more energetic
that Fever, but he was a great
starting off point for me,”
Wilson told The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution.
Harper, nicknamed “Skinny,”
ran radio shows at 15 radio sta
tions over a nomadic 31 years,
moving from Peoria, 111. to
Detroit to Atlanta. He was fired
several times, sometimes for
unseemly comments on the air.
“He was a star in his day, a
wild and crazy guy,” said Bob
Neal of Atlanta, who worked
with him in Detroit and Atlanta
in the 19605. “He’d speak first
and think later. He was always
getting in and out of trouble.
Some people said he had a dark
cloud. I say he had an angel on
his shoulders.”
Harper got drunk on the air
with 80-proof vodka to prove
that drinking and driving is
bad. In other stunts, he rode a
wild bull, ran in an ostrich race
and belly flopped into an ice
cream sundae. He posed nude
for a local magazine with a
vinyl record as a fig leaf.
Harper’s body will be cremat
ed. His memorial service will be
held Monday at Dave &
Buster’s.
Perdue blocks Peach Care
cuts, orders review
By Dick Pettys
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny
Perdue blocked a state agency’s
initial plan Tuesday for curbing
costs in the Peach Care health
program for children of the
working poor and ordered
agency executives to take
another look at their options.
The Department of
Community Health had pro
posed to implement several
cost-cutting measures in
October to avoid a potential $lB
million budget shortfall.
Under one of the proposals,
no health coverage would be
provided during the month in
which the parent applied.
Another would have imposed a
six-month waiting period for
individuals who voluntarily
dropped private insurance. A
third would have denied cover
age for three months for non
payment of premiums.
Perdue said in a statement
issued by his press office that he
ordered the agency to re-exam
ine the proposals and review all
available options.
Georgia House leaders
praised the action, saying it
likely prevents thousands of
children from being denied
health insurance. But they also
How do I protect my home
while I'm on a long vacation?
By John Oxendine
Insurance and Fire
Commissioner
Question: I’m planning to
take a long vacation this
year. Do I need any special
insurance to cover me while
I’m away from home? What
about protection for my
property while I’m gone?
Answer: One consideration
when you travel is medical
insurance. Your medical cover
age may be limited away from
home, or you may not be cov
ered at all. If you are traveling
outside your home state, you
should review your health cov
erage for any limitations.
Especially check for any provi
sion for medical providers in the
area(s) in which you are vaca
tioning. If your plans include
travel outside the United
States, you may need “special
health” coverage. This may be
available under some “Travel
Protection” policies.
While you’re away, most
homeowners policies will con
tinue to provide protection for
your personal property and for
your dwelling. However, you
may wish to check your policy
to be certain there are no spe
cial limitations in coverage for
personal property that you take
with you. Also, the policy exclu
sions should be reviewed.
All policies require that a loss
be reported promptly and that
immediate action be taken to
prevent additional damages
from occurring. If you are on an
extended vacation, there are
certain steps you should consid
er. You should have someone
you trust to check your home on
a regular basis, or possibly hire
a house sitter. If no one is occu
pying your home, you should
consider taking the following
Rylander Theatre may close doors
By The Associated Press
AMERICUS - The Rylander
Theatre canceled six shows
Tuesday and city officials say
the historic theater may have to
close, despite its reopening in
1999 with the help of $4 million
of state, city and private funds.
Poor ticket sales have caused
the site to lose money every
time it puts on a show, said Jim
Nelson, a member of the
Cultural Authority.
City officials announced last
week that the 1921 theater may
have to shut its doors, prompt
ing some officials to resign.
Jane Sullivan, chairwoman of
the Americus Theater and
Cultural Authority, turned in
her resignation to city officials
Monday. Norman Easterbrook,
general director of the theater,
and Cultural Authority member
Nancy Herron also turned in
their resignations Tuesday.
"The theater is not definitely
closed but it's very difficult to
solicit support for an institution
when leaders in the community
are announcing it will be
closed," Easterbrook said. "It
makes it very difficult for me to
do my job. There's an undercur
rent of skepticism about the
theater that's very difficult to
fight against."
The Rylander was built in
said the problem resulted from
Perdue’s failure to recommend
sufficient funds for the program
during budget talks several
months ago.
“I think he’s doing the right
thing, but it’s because our peo
ple brought it to their atten
tion,” said House Speaker Terry
Coleman, D-Eastman. Coleman
said a House subcommittee met
with agency leaders last week
“and showed what would hap
pen.”
Peach Care was begun in
Georgia in 1999. It provides
comprehensive health care to
children through 18 whose fam
ilies earn too much to qualify
for Medicaid but whose incomes
still are modest.
A family of three can earn up
to about $35,000 a year to qual
ify and a family of four can earn
up to around $42,000 a year.
Children under 5 are covered
free. Starting at age 6, premi
ums are $lO per child per
month, not to exceed S2O per
household.
Tim Burgess, the agency’s
new commissioner, said that at
the current enrollment of
183,000, the program stands to
be underfunded by $lB million
in the current budget year.
actions:
1. Stop delivery of all papers
and mail
2. Cut off the water supply to
your dwelling
3. Check your alarm system
to be certain it’s operative
4. Notify your alarm company
of your intended absence
5. Make sure that the person
checking the home and your
alarm company can reach you
in an emergency.
You should be aware of
restrictions in your policy and
situations which may limit or
eliminate protection from a
loss. You may have “limited”
theft coverage, but even “full”
coverage may impose limita
tions. For example, mysterious
disappearance, misplaced lug
gage at airports and contents in
unlocked vehicles may not be
covered.
Finally, if you’re planning an
expensive vacation, you may
want to consider travel protec
tion insurance. Policies are
available that cover various
unforeseen events, such as can
celing or interrupting a vaca
tion due to accident or illness,
delayed or cancelled air flights,
weather conditions, vehicle fail
ure, and lost baggage. If you are
considering purchasing such
insurance, you should be cer
tain what you buy. All travel
policies provide only limited
coverage. Many are more
restrictive than others. Some
may only reimburse you for the
cost of your “vacation package.”
Please send your insurance or
fire safety questions to: John
Oxendine, 716 West Tower, 2
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive,
Atlanta, GA 30334; or call (404)
656-2070 (toll free at (800) 656-
2298).
1921 in the grand style of movie
theaters of the day. It closed in
1951, after hosting movies,
plays and musical events. After
a $4 million overhaul, it
reopened in 1999 with its for
mer grandeur preserved.
Former President Jimmy
Carter, who remembers boy
hood visits to the theater, cele
brated his 75th birthday there
in a 1999 celebration.
City council members and
other officials said they don't
see any other option to closing
the theater, even if only tem
porarily.
The Authority had approved
contracts for a production of
"Our Town," concerts by coun
try performers Ricky Skaggs
and Route 66, a bluegrass show
by Winders Eve with bluegrass
fiddler Alison Brown, and other
performances by Jukebox
Saturday Night and the Tommy
Dorsey Orchestra. Those shows
will have to be held at another
venue or canceled entirely.
"Along with everybody else,
I'd hate to see the Rylander
close down on a full-time basis,"
said Sen. George Hooks, D-
Americus. "However, what we
need to do is get on a sound
financial footing and get a game
plan that works."
STATE
cA 10 ft
Cd ■
( Where The Best Things
In Life Are FREE
Connecting to Robins Federal keeps you in touch and in control of your money at all times.
Our free online services help make your life more convenient.
• Home Banking - Stay connected with your accounts; check balances;
make transfers; and more.
• Web Bill Pay - Pay your bills with a click. The fastest, easiest way to pay your bills.
• eStatements - Receive your monthly account statements online.
Open an account at Robins Federal. Discover how convenient life can he.
We're Closer Than You Think.
Robins Federal
EDIT UNION
— : —Great Rates, Better Service.
(478) 923-3773 or (800) 241-2405
809
KB
EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA!
Y rHmtstnit Hmnr {(
(Lite
“Bringing Houston County Home To You”
NOW DAILY!!!
Tuesday through Saturday!
Call our circulation department at (478) 987-1823 ext. 229
or mail in the form below!
! __ 3 Months - $16.59* _ 9 Months ■ $49.76*
! 6 Months - $33.17* 1 Year In Advance - $55.64*
*Prices include tax
| Name:
[ Address:
i City: Slate: Zip:
i Phone: ( ) -
! E ' mall: Ggl iggiWßl
i □ Check - Amount: ■“
| □ Credit Card - Amount: Card #:
Exp. date: / /
Mail to:
i The Houston Home Journal »P.O. Box 1910 • Perry, GA 31069 g
‘'jiF
Searching for more local news?
Subscribe today to The Houston Home Journal
Call 987-1823
NowAssEOOO*-
low As plus local sales tax
*Out of county rate $75.00 per year, plus local sales tax
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Home Banking
Web Bill Pay
eStatements
www.rohlnstcu.Brg