Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY
July 22,2004
Volume 135, Number 144
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
WRIT presents
"Jar the Floor"
The Warner Robins
Little Theatre is current
ly presenting “Jar the
Floor,” a comedy with
serious overtones that
features five women.
Entertainment, page 8A
■Mte. . *4 |
Mm iKlill
A first look at
the Lady Bears
Sports, page 1B
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Cynthia Godfrey
Skip Holmes
Billy Hughes
Larry Stephens
Happy ANNIVERSARY!
H. Vance Watson and
Inez E. Watson
(Surprise your friends! Let us
know when their birthday or
anniversary is, and we'll put their
names in the paper that day. Just
send the name and date at least
a week in advance, and we'll do
the rest. E-mail to
hhj@evansnewspapers.com, or
mail them to us at the address
inside. No phone calls, please.
Many happy returns!)
Area DEATHS
None were reported for
today’s edition
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 4B
COMICS 4B
CROSSWORD ... .4B
ENTERTAINMENT .8A
LEGALS 1C
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS .. .5A
TV LISTINGS 4B
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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Georgia Newspaper Project
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ATHENS GA 30602-002
3-DIGfT 308
Serving Houston County Since 1870
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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
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HHJ/Ed Bania
Among those present at Tuesday night’s Republican Victory Party in Warner Robins
were (from left) Ga. House Dist. 145 Representative-elect Willie Talton, Houston County
Board of Education Post 7 candidate Burl Jimmerson, Ga. Senate Dist. 20 candidate
(and incumbent) Ross Tolleson and Ga. House Dist. 146 Representative-elect Larry
O’Neal.
Republicans party in WR
Houston GOP holds Victory Party at Ramada
By Ed Bania
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS -
Almost 200 Republicans and
several county and state
candidates attended the
Houston County GOP
Victory Party at the Ramada
Inn Tuesday night.
Ga. Senate Dist. 18 candi
date Cecil Staton said he
decided not to spend money
on polling voters. He noted
that his staff talked to GOP
leaders and officials in each
of the five counties in the
new district to get their
impressions.
“The feedback we received
was very positive,” Staton
said. “We feel good about
our campaign and the execu
tion of the plan.”
Staton had a part-time
consultant, Eric Ericson
based in Macon, and dozens
of volunteers and several
hundred people in the five
counties on an e-mail chain.
“It’s a huge undertaking
with five counties,” Staton
said.
Related photos,
page 3A
McMicliael
trounces
Mortens
Incumbent
gets over
76% of vote
By Charlotte Perkins
HHJ Staff Writer
PERRY- TomMcMichael
swept to a third full term on
the Houston County Board
of Commissioners Tuesd&y
night winning by 6,701
votes over challenger Karen
Mertens’ 2,064 in the
Republican primary elec
tion, and leading Mertens in
every precinct.
Because there is no
Democratic challenger,
McMichael will face no
opposition in the November
general election, and will
begin his new four-year
term in January 2005.
Commissioners Gail C.
Robinson and Larry
See McMICHAEL, page 10A
www.hhjnews.com
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HHJ/Ed Bania
GOP event coordinator Bob Wilbanks, Houston County
Solicitor General Robert Tawse and Houston County Tax
Commissioner candidate Mark Kushinka.
Staton expressed an over
whelming sense of gratitude
for the people that made an
investment of their time and
money in his campaign.
He said he took all five
counties seriously, but gave
Houston County more
emphasis in the campaign.
Houston County has a
higher percentage of the
population and the
Republican vote in District
18. The populations of Bibb,
Jones, Monroe and
Crawford counties follow
Houston in that order.
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HHJ/Ch*rlotte Perkin*
County Commissioner Tom McMichael (right) keeps a
close eye on the numbers as precinct reports are posted
at the Board of Elections Tuesday night. Cheering him on
is school board member Jim Boswell.
“Houston County was
critical,” he said, “because
of the significant growth of
Republicans in this county.”
Staton said he took away a
“very positive feeling” about
the Middle Georgia area,
particularly Houston
County.
“For a Republican, there’s
not a better place in the
state to run from and carry
out a campaign,” he said.
Staton edged fellow
Republican candidate Meg
Nichols in Tuesday’s
See GOP, page 6A
Houston
turnout
was light
By Rex Gambill
HHJ Managing Editor
PERRY - Over 25 per
cent of Houston County
registered voters cast bal
lots Tuesday.
Of Houston’s 52,008 reg
istered voters, 13,362
voted.
Mark Kushinka was the
top vote-getter in
Tuesday’s balloting for
Houston County tax com
missioner, but he didn’t
gamer enough to win the
three-way race outright.
Now, he and second-place
finisher Judy Kluge will
square off for an Aug. 10
run-off to decide who will
succeed retiring Tax
Commissioner Juanita
Mason.
With all precincts report
ing, unofficial returns show
Kushinka got 3,864 votes
or 43.5 percent of the vote,
while Kluge drew 2,964
votes or 33.37 percent.
Their fellow opponent Judy
Golden garnered 2,055
votes or 23.13 percent.
For a victory, a candidate
must hsro plus
1 vote. Otherwise a run-off
is required with the sec
ond-highest candidate.
Incumbent Houston
County Coroner Danny
Galpin defeated challenger
Cam Bryant, with 5,985
votes or 68.86 percent to
Bryant’s 2,707 votes or
Hill wins BOE
post; Walmen
re-elected
By Teresa D. Southern
HHJ Staff Writer
PERRY - One would
have thought there was a
party at the Board of
Elections office on
Tuesday night, as candi
dates gathered there to
see the votes come in
precinct by precinct.
Two in attendance were
school board candidates -
and ultimate victors -
Thomas Walmer and
Charles M. “Toby” Hill,
who stood and watched as
they passed their oppo
nents precinct hy
precinct.
Hill, who won the coun
tywide Post 7 race, took
68 percent of the vote,
with 8,205 votes. His
opponent,
Jimmerson came in with a
total of 3,865 votes earn
ing 32 percent of the vote.
Thomas Walmer won
with 63 percent of the
vote, with 1,704 votes.
Frank Cherney followed
with 1,000 votes, or 37
percent.
Walmer will continue to
serve Post 1, which
includes Eagle Springs,
Centerville, Northside,
Parkwood, and Westside
See BOARD, page 10A
an Evans Family Newspaper
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THREE SECTIONS • 20 PAGES
ELECTION
ROUNDUP
Votes by precinct,
page 7A
31.14 percent.
State races
For Georgia public serv
ice commissioner, incum
bent Republican Robert
Baker Jr. earned his party’s
nomination with 74.8 per
cent of the vote statewide.
In Houston County, Baker
got 6,441 votes or 78.14
percent.
His GOP opponents
Roger Dozier and Terry
Taschwer trailed with 17.1
percent and 8.1 percent of
the statewide vote, respec
tively. Dozier garnered
1,191 votes or 14.45 per
cent of the Houston vote,
and Taschwer picked up
611 votes or 7.41 percent.
In the Democratic pri
mary for public service
commissioner, Mac Barber
received 71.5 percent of the
vote from Georgia voters,
and his opponent Michael
R. Berlon got 28.5 percent.
Houston balloting in this
race resulted in 2,447 votes
or 72.94 percent for Barber
See ROUNDUP, page 10A
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TOBY HILL
TOM WALMER