Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY
February 10, 2005
Volume 135, Number 284
Award-Winning
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
JpJp' it >
Perryan to show
work in Macon
Donna Tabor of Perry
will be the featured artist
at the February presenta
tion of “Little Carnegie
of the South,” held in an
historic home on Forsyth
St. in Macon.
The event, is one of a
series which began in
October and will continue
through May.
Entertainment, page 6A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Willie Mae Barrett
Heather Fasciocco
Jim Floyd
Savannah Greene
Walter Haywood
Rhonda Lewis
Andrew Poboy
Hilda Wulker
Happy ANNIVERSARY!
Ed and Judy Findley
Trudie and James Warren
(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
Margaret Newell Anderson
Florence K. Barcia
Sammie Baker Rampy
Obits, page 2A
CLASSIFIED 5B
COMICS 4B
CROSSWORD ....4B
ENTERTAINMENT .6A
LEGALS 1C
OBITUARIES 2A
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS .. .6B
SPORTS 1B
TV LISTINGS 4B
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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Georgia Newspaper Project
Main Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-OIGIT 306
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
Money talks, Blue Bird walks
School board buys buses from competitor with lower bid despite officials’, workers’ pleas
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
PERRY - Employees of Blue Bird
Corporation stormed out of the
Houston County Board of Education
meeting after the board awarded a
contract to a competitor for school
buses.
The board voted to accept a bid
from Atlanta Freightliner, which
offered 15 Thomas Built school
buses to the system for a price of
$1,007,552 - $13,620 lower than
House
OK's tax
windfall
WR’s O’Neal
calls measure
‘long overdue’
The Associated Press
ATLANTA - Many
Georgia businesses would be
in line for a tax windfall
under a bill approved 169-2
in the House which phases
out the formula the state
now uses fi7r" assessing cor
porate taxes and replaces it
with a simpler one.
Republicans proposed it
but Democrats gave it over
whelming support. Rep.
Jeanette Jamieson, D-
Toccoa, called it one of the
strongest business incen
tives considered by the
Legislature
in more
than 20
years.
Under
current law,
Georgia cor
porations
are taxed on
a complex
formula
based on a
company’s
O’NEAL
sales, number of employees
and value of assets. The pro
posed change would simplify
all that and base the tax
only on a corporation’s
Georgia sales.
Rep. Larry O’Neal, R-
Warner Robins, chairman of
the tax-writing House Ways
and Means Committee,
argued that the measure “is
long overdue” in correcting
a system which forces corpo
rations to pay higher taxes
for creating more jobs and
investing in more assets.
That’s the wrong tax
See WINDFALL, page 3A
GC&SU programs on base fill local need
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
ROBINS AIR FORCE
BASE - While working at
Houston Medical Center,
Lora Davis, now administra
tor of Perry Hospital, decid
ed to further her education
at her alma mater, Georgia
College and State
University.
Fortunately when com
pleting her master’s degree
in public administration,
she was able to attend class
es on Robins Air Force Base.
The convenience of
Georgia College and State
University’s campus on base
www.hhjnews.com
Blue Bird’s bid.
Officials and employees of Blue
Bird, a Fort Valley bus manufactur
er, attended the school board’s work
session on Monday and voiced why
they believe the board should accept
their higher bid.
School board Comptroller Steve
Thublin, Purchasing Director Gary
Copa and Transportation Director
Frank Scott reported back to the
school board that they had com
pared features of both buses and
Courthouse construction coming along
Man!
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—————
HHJ/Ray Lightner
Work continues on the old courthouse on the square in Perry, which is being renovated and has been renamed the
Houston County Governmental Building.
Old courthouse work delayed
But Juvenile Court Building expected to be complete in March
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - As work nears
completion on the new Juvenile Court
Building completion of the old court
house in Perry is still months away.
Houston County Commission
Chairman Ned Sanders recently told
the Development Authority that the
Juvenile Court Building on Carl
Vinson Parkway should be finished
next month.
“We still have paving to do,”
Sanders said, “which will depend on
the weather.”
appeals to about 200 stu
dents every semester.
“It fit into the lifestyle of
someone in my career path,”
Davis said.
“I completed my master of
business administration at
Robins Air Force Base for
the same reason I completed
some of my undergraduate
classes there - because of
the convenience,” Davis
said.
Davis said she benefited
from the use of technology
as well as the diversity of
students in the program.
“I was exposed to other
students in a similar posi
affirmed their recommendation that
Atlanta Freightliner be awarded the
contract.
Thublin restated the Georgia
Department of Education rule that
requires a school system must
accept the lowest bid unless it is
determined that the lowest bid
should be rejected based on past
experience with bidding vendors
concerning delivery, maintenance
and/cost of delivery.
“Atlanta Freightliner delivers
The new building, he said, is
designed with the county’s growth in
mind.
“There are two courtrooms and
offices for two judges,” Sanders said.
The renovation of the old court
house in Perry, which was to be com
pleted by the end of the year with
move at the beginning of the year, has
been delayed.
“The contractor has had problems
with subcontractors,” Sanders said,
“and completion is still two to three
months away.”
The county renamed the old court-
tion in life who were work
ing individuals,” she said.
“They brought a unique
angle to the classroom.
Experienced students are
able to give life and work
experience.”
Glenn Easterly, director of
programs for GC&SU’s base
campus, agreed the campus
offers a diverse student
body.
“For example, in finance
classes there are students
who may have worked with
the city of Warner Robins,
local hospitals and Robins
Air Force Base,” Easterly
said.
The Robins Center was
established in 1970 by an
agreement between Robins
Air Force Base and the
University System of
Georgia Board of Regents,
to provide educational
opportunities to military
and civilian employees of
Robins AFB.
The university offers
three graduate-level pro
grams that are serving mili
tary on the base as well as
civilians in the local commu
nity.
Recently the university
terminated its
See COLLEGE, page 3A
an Evans Family Newspaper
THREE SECTIONS • 22 PAGES
their buses to us,” Thublin said. “In
the past, Blue Bird has called and
asked us to come and pick up buses.
This costs the board extra money
because drivers must be paid.”
Thublin also said Blue Bird parts
for buses aren’t as readily available,
while Atlanta Freightliner has deliv
ered parts for their buses on the
same day.
Thublin said Blue Bird contracts
with a parts distributor located in
See BUSES, page 3A
house the Houston County
Governmental Building in October. At
that time, completion of the $2.3 mil
lion renovation, which included a new
pitched roof, was slated for the end of
November.
Built in 1948, the structure will
eventually house the Houston County
Extension Office, the Board of
Elections, the National Soil
Conservation Agency, the Farm
Service Agency and the Houston Art
Alliance.
Perry Mayor Jim Worrall said the
See COURTHOUSE, page 3A
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