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TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2005
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Participants at the Warner Robins Recreation Department’s Holly Days Christmas
Camp welcome in the new year early with a countdown to noon instead of midnight at
the camp New Year’s party. The kids celebrated in their pajamas at the scoreboard
clock in the gym counted down to noon.
Holly Days camp going on
Sy WAV LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - The
Recreation Department’s
Holly Days Christmas Camp
lets kids have fun.
Camp Director Jamie
Ambler said the kids play
different games and do
crafts inside and “we take
them out to the park.”
There was a Christmas
M W * £
M
- I r JyT'l
HIM Kay Lightner
Children enjoy dancing and running around in the gym during the Holly Days Christmas
Camp put on by the Warner Robins Recreation Department.
Perdue accepts Honorary FFA Degree
Special to the HHJ
ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny
Perdue received the
Honorary FFA Degree,
which recognizes his signifi
cant contributions to agri
culture. Representatives of
Future Farmers of America
presented the prestigious
award to the Governor at
the Mansion.
“Future Farmers of
America is the nation’s pre
mier organization for young
people interested in agricul
ture, and I am deeply hon
ored to receive the Honorary
FFA Degree,” Perdue said.
“Growing up on a farm, my
father taught me the value
of the land and the princi
Elks Memorial Service held for departed members
Special to the HHJ
WARNER ROBINS -
Every year on the first
Sunday in December, Elks
all over the United States
gather in their Lodges to cel
ebrate and pay tribute to the
lives of their deceased mem
bers.
The Warner Robins Elks
KINNAS —
From page 6 A
make as you enter retirem
ent.
Start the Year Off
Right
Get 2005 off to a good
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party and a New Year’s
countdown party. They used
the scoreboard clock in the
gym and count down to
noon instead of midnight.
The camp, which contin
ues while school is out
through Thursday, is still
taking applications, Ambler
said. There are about 25
kids, ages 7-12, participat
ing.
ples of a strong work ethic. I
am committed to the agri
culture community, as I
know the more you give to
the land, the more it gives
back.”
The national FFA organi
zation has more than
475,000 members, and the
Georgia FFA association is
composed of more than
24,000 members. The
Georgia FFA recently
received top awards in sev
eral categories at the
National FFA Convention,
including the national win
ner in the Creed Speaking
Career Development Event
(Elizabeth Mulkey of
Bainbridge), AgriScience
held their annual memorial
service for departed Elks
and Auxiliary members Dec.
5 at the Lodge on Carl
Vinson Parkway. Elks and
Auxiliary Officers per
formed a special ritual in
honor of Christina Baggett,
Auxiliary member; Jerry
Hayward, Elk; and Charles
start by making sure your
financial plans fit your life.
It may be the most impor
tant New Year’s resolution
you make - and it’s one
you’ll want to keep.
The camp at the Claude
M. Lewis Recreation Center
on Watson Boulevard began
Dec. 20 and runs Monday
through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m., with a few excep
tions for the actual holidays.
Cost is S7O for city resi
dents, $lO6 for county resi
dents and $l4O for out-of
county.
Student of the Year (Paul
Ruddle 11, of Valdosta), eight
individual proficiency
national winners, and the
elevation of 31 members to
the organization’s top
degree.
“Your leadership and
vision has been an integral
part of our agricultural edu
cation success,” said
Rachael McCall, national
FFA vice president from the
Southern Region. “Your con
tinued support of the FFA
and agricultural education
means that students receive
the opportunity to grow in
our nation’s largest indus
try.”
Sprayberry, Elk.
Vance Rhodes, Georgia
State Elks Association
President-Elect was guest
speaker.
After the ceremony the
Elks served refreshments
and enjoyed social time
together.
Chris Kinnos is an invest
ment representative with
Edward Jones in Perry.
Chris Kinnas is an invest
ment representative with
Edward Jones in Perry.
LOCAL
PERDUE -
From page 1A
as needed, rather than trim
ming them to meet state
mandates.
“We’re going to have
another temporary flexibili
ty plan, and then the
accountability phase moves
in,” Perdue said. “We want
to look at the dollars and
numbers and see how our
school systems have utilized
the flexibility and whether
they’ve met the needs of
their students.”
He added, “We never said
flexibility without accounta
bility. And that’s what we’re
looking at: the data of how
school systems have man
aged their budgets. I come
from the school that does
not think we need to micro
manage from the top down,
but also we have expecta
tions that the money is
going into classrooms and
teachers and direct instruc
tion.”
Perdue spent parts of two
days last week in one-on-one
interviews with reporters in
advance of the new legisla
tive session that begins
Monday. Perdue’s own
Republicans will be in com
mand of both chambers for
the first time.
He revealed little new
about the legislative agenda
he plans to unveil after law
makers come to town, but
said he plans to watch from
the wings without playing
an active role as lawmakers
debate such topics as abor
tion and defending the Ten
Commandments.
“Often either side will ask
us our opinion and we’ll give
that to them,” he said.
“I’m on record as having
supported a bill that had to
do with informed consent.
The way I look at this med
ical procedure of abortion,
it’s similar to other medical
procedures and I think
women ought to have the
same access to information
as they have on other proce
RAY
From page 1A
Ray had been Georgia’s
assistant secretary of state
from 1999 to 2003. A native
of Fort Valley, Ray is the for
mer legislative director of
the Georgia Farm Bureau
Federation, where he served
from 1989 to 1995. Prior to
accepting a position as assis
tant secretary of state, Ray
managed a diversified
Crawford County family
farm operation and served
as president and owner of
Mitochondria Inc., a corpo
ration dedicated to various
agriculture-related endeav
ors. He also worked as a cor
porate lending officer with
NCNB National Bank (now
Bank of America) from 1987
to 1989.
Ray graduated magna
cum laude from the Teriy
College of Business at the
University of Georgia in
1987 with a BBA in finance,
and has been recognized by
the university as the Blue
Key Young Alumni of the
Year. He was a member of
O-asual Italian Otutnq (AJcth A Jouch of 'StoJq
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dures,” he said.
Conservatives already
have said they will propose
legislation requiring women
to be informed of the risks of
abortion before undergoing
the procedure. “If I had to
guess, I would think that it
would pass. There’s a lot of
pent-up demand for an up
or-down vote. I will trust the
Legislature to do the right
thing.”
Some lawmakers also
have said they will propose
legislation requiring the
attorney general to defend
local communities which
choose to display the Ten
Commandments.
“I couldn’t tell you what
the outcome there will be,”
he said. “I think people are
concerned about bully type
organizations bullying and
threatening local organiza
tions ... We’ll have to see
what they come up with.”
K-12 education was cut
$368.9 million over the last
three budget cycles as the
state experienced a severe
economic downturn.
Perdue’s plan would give
public schools $106.8 mil
lion in the coming months to
account for enrollment
growth. That is a budget
function known as the
midterm adjustment, in
which funds are given to
schools based on actual
enrollment rather than pro
jections. Last year’s
midterm adjustment was
$118.6 million.
For the year beginning
July 1, however, public
schools would get an addi
tional $139.5 million on the
enrollment formula, a sub
stantial increase over the
$95.6 million they got this
year.
“We spent the last two
years trying to climb out of
the mess we inherited when
we got here,” said Sen. Bill
Stephens, R-Canton, leader
of the Republican majority
the 1998 class of Leadership
Georgia and served on the
organization’s board
through 2002. Ray has also
served on the boards of the
Georgia Pecan Growers
Association and the
Crawford County Farm
Bureau. He is active in
numerous civic and industry
associations. Ray and his
wife Karen have two chil
dren, Caroline and Robert
111. They are members of
Perry United Methodist
Church.
A strong financial manag
er and communicator, Ray
has authored a number of
publications including Tax
Incentives for the Georgia
Landowner (1993),
Fundamentals of Appealing
Property Tax Assessments
(1993) and How
Agricultural and Forest
Property and Improvements
are Valued for County Ad
Valorem Taxes in Georgia
(1992). Ray also authored a
monthly column in the
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
in the Senate. “I think this
is the first bold step forward
the governor’s been able to
take.”
Rep. Dußose Porter, D-
Dublin, who will lead the
Democratic minority in the
House, said Perdue first rec
ommended a $350 million
education cut last year
before House Democrats
trimmed to just $l5O mil
lion. “What I can’t tell is
whether it’s a net gain, or
simply putting it back
even,” he said.
Joe Martin, head of a con
sortium of schools suing the
state over educational fund
ing, said the governor’s ini
tiative is a minimal one.
“Since fiscal year 2002,
which was the high-water
mark for education funding
in Georgia, the state has cut
... (public schools) almost
exactly S4OO million.” It will
take at least that much “just
to get back to where it was
in fiscal year 02,” he said.
Perdue’s plan also would
pump an additional $35 mil
lion into the funding formu
la which helps low-wealth
schools provide the same
educational programs as
schools in richer counties.
The university system will
get $lO3 million in new
money in the budget year
beginning next July to “fully
fund enrollment growth,”
Perdue aides said. But the
agency argues it has lost
$382 million since
November 2001, so the
increase may not be enough
to avert further budget-cut
ting strategies the board has
considered.
Last fall it debated an
unprecedented 10 percent
midyear tuition increase,
but abandoned the idea
under pressure from Perdue
and others.
Dick Pettys has covered
Georgia government and
politics since 1970
Georgia Farm Bureau News
from 1993 to 1995.
Cade’s retirement from
the rural electric coopera
tive program had been
planned for more than two
years. While he announced
earlier that he would retire
on March 31, 2005, Cade
asked the Board of Directors
to move up the transition
because Ray was ready and
prepared to step into the
CEO role.
Cade has served as CEO of
Flint for almost eight years.
As part of a long career in
the national rural electric
cooperative program, Joe
Cade joined Flint Energies
as president/CEO in April
1997, transferring from his
position as general manager
of Coosa Valley Electric
Cooperative in Talladega,
Ala. Cade began his 21-year
cooperative experience as
assistant general manager
at Four-County Electric
Power Association in
Columbus, Miss., in 1983.
DINNER
Mon. - Thurs.
5 tU 9:30
Fri.-Sat.
5 til 10
Closed Sunday
& Holidays
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