Newspaper Page Text
SUI\IDA Y
November 21, 2004
Volume 135, Number 229
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
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Andrew (estival
draws a crowd
Cars and vans kept
pulling into the driveway
at Andrew United
Methodist Church for the
congregation’s annual
festival.
Lifestyle, page 1C
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Nov. 21
Mary Dickerson Bowman
Dee Hayes
Kelli Kushinka
Sherry Mcßeynolds
Sarah Wolfe
Nov. 22
Ann Huffman
Matt Lipford
Happy ANNIVERSARY!
Nov. 21
Curtis N. (Pete) Greer
and Billie H. Greer
Mark and Michelle Reid
Kathy and Daryl Yancey
(Surprise your friends! Let us
know when their birthday or
anniversary is, and we’!l 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
Annie Mae Ingram
Macy-Grace Johnson
Erika Outler
Obits, page 2A
INDEX
BUSINESS 3A
CLASSIFIED 1D
COMICS 5C
CROSSWORD 5C
HOMETOWN 1D
LIFESTYLE 1C
OBITUARIES 2A
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS . . .5B
SHELTER PETS .. .6C
TV LISTINGS 5C
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
7 *
Georgia Newspaper Project
Man Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 3G6G2-0002
3-DIGIT 306
Serving Houston County Since 1870
(Lite JJmmral
9 LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Walker looks
back on career
Veteran Perry lawmaker earned
accolades from colleagues, officials
Editor’s note: This is the
second part of a two-part
series about the life and
times of Rep. Larry Walker.
By ED BANIA
HHJ Staff Writer
PERRY - Retiring state
Rep. Larry Walker (D-
Perry) has advice for anyone
from _ Houston County
thinking about running for
office.
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The Museum of
Aviation marks
two decades
By JON SUGGS
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - Put
on a party hat, cut the cake
and blow one of those funny
little roll-out whistles - the
Museum of Aviation is 20.
A crowd of dignitaries
and local students gathered
in the Eagle Building
Friday morning as the
museum staff celebrated
the facility’s double-decade
birthday.
Museum Director Paul
Hibbitts said over those
years the place has come a
long way toward fulfilling
an ambitious dream.
“What started with one
plane and S2O has turned
into a superb showcase of
aviation history and the
history of Robins Air Force
Base,” Hibbitts said.
From humble beginnings,
the museum is now the
fourth-largest aviation
museum in the nation,
Hibbitts said.
All without federal fund
ing, he noted.
The museum has succeed
ed because it has been
embraced at home.
“We couldn’t do this with
out the men and women of
Robins Air Force Base and
the support of the Middle
Georgia community,” he
said.
They all own a small part
of the museum, Hibbitts
said.
Pat Bartness, president
and CEO of the Museum of
Aviation Foundation,
focused on the future in his
remarks.
The museum is on the
verge of breaking ground on
a new World War II Hangar.
The building will be
DA: Inmate's death at jail not criminal
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
PERRY - “The matter will be con
sidered closed at this time,” said
Houston County District Attorney
Kelly Burke.
The matter - the April 16 death of
Melvin Samuel, 28, Savannah, while
in custody at the Houston County
Jail - was reviewed by Burke’s
office, which has determined that no
cause exists to pursue the matter as
a criminal case.
Burke said Friday his office con
curs with the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation’s investigation, which
www.hhjnews.com
“Unless you’re an extraor
dinary candidate, you can
not get elected in this coun
ty unless you run as a
Republican,” he said.
“That’s number one.”
Walker said at least three
Democrats have switched
over to the GOP since the
Nov. 2 election that gave
Republicans a majority in
the House for the first time
See WALKER, page 9A
counting...
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Retired Maj. Gen. Dennis Haines and Brig. Gen. Tom Lynn applaud as the first lady of
Robins Air Force Base, Jan Collings, wife of Warner Robins Air Logistics Center com
mander Maj. Gen. Mike Collings, cuts the 20th birthday cake at the Museum of
Aviation during a Friday morning celebration.
60,000 square feet - the
same size as the Century of
Flight Hangar. There will
be more display space,
though, Bartness said,
because the plans include a
determined the death of Samuel was
accidental. The extensive GBI inves
tigation was conducted with the full
cooperation of the Houston County
Sheriffs Office.
The fact is, Burke said, Samuel’s
death, although entirely accidental,
was the result of his belligerence
and hostility to the deputies who
were booking him.
“The deputies did not instigate
any of the hostility,” Burke said,
“only Mr. Samuel did that.”
His conduct at the jail resulted in
his being subdued by the deputies,
who suffered injuries as a result of
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submitted
Larry Walker is looking forward to spending more time riding his tractor on his SoHo
Farm.
mezzanine level.
The Air Force and
Congress have approved the
plans, and most of the
funds are in place to begin,
Bartness said.
Samuel’s actions towards them.
As a result of the struggle, a Taser
was used on Samuel to subdue him.
The Taser had no bearing on his
death, Burke said. As a result of the
struggle, Samuel suffered positional
asphyxia, which was an uninten
tional consequence of his physical
condition and the struggle he put
the deputies through.
According to a GBI autopsy
report, the death was caused by
“positional asphyxia complicated by
obesity and sickle cell crisis. The
manner of death in this case is best
classified as accident.”
If not for rising construc
tion costs - such as the
price of steel - all would be
in place, he added.
As it stands, ground will
See MUSEUM, page 3A
an Evans Family Newspaper
50c
FOUR SECTIONS • 28 PAGES
Tuesday
election
to cost
usslsK
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - It
will cost Houston County
$15,051 for next Tuesday’s
statewide run-off election
for Court of Appeals judge.
The run-off election was
not budgeted, and the
$15,051 for poll workers,
advertising absentee ballots,
postage, testing the voting
machines and extra office
work will come from the
county’s contingency fund.
Commission Chairman
Ned Sanders encouraged
everyone to vote in the
Court of Appeals race and
noted early voting has
begun at the County Annex
building on Carl Vinson
Parkway in Warner Robins
and at the Board of
Elections office in Perry, at
732 Main St.
Sanders also noted that
“the Houston County court
house and jail complex is
now fiscally complete.”
On Tuesday, the commis
sion agreed to pay the final
$66,000 to Turner
Construction for the court
house on Perry Parkway.
Public Works Director
Tommy Stalnaker con
firmed the county is “out of
the warranty period on
items down there.”
The commission took no
action on a request from
Sheriff Cullen Talton for a
clothing allowance for 12
See ELECTION, page 3A
Burke said, “I
commend the
Houston County
Sheriffs Office in
this investigation. I
further commend
Agent Mike
Desmond, GBI-
Perry, for his inves
tigation.”
According to the
published report, Samuel’s family
had contacted a lawyer about crimi
nal charges against the jailers for
use of excessive force despite the
See DEATH, page 7A
I I
BURKE