Newspaper Page Text
TUESDAY
February 15, 2005
Volume 135, Number 287
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
In BRIEF
Houston Lake Road
reduced to one lane
WARNER ROBINS -
Beginning at 9 a.m. today,
traffic on Houston Lake
Road will be reduced to
one lane from 600 feet
north of Feagin Mill Road
to Ashford Park Road
north of Ga. 96.
This section of Houston
Lake Road is a two-lane
highway and the closure
is necessary to place
material on the outside
lanes in both the north
bound and southbound
directions.
This work will require
three days, and the lane
closures should be
removed by 3 p.m. Friday.
Motorists are urged to
use alternate routes
whenever possible, and to
allow time for any
detours to their normal
commute.
- From staff reports
Inside TODAY
New Rotary club
receives charter
The new Centerville
Rotary Club received its
coveted charter last week
in a ceremony at the
Ramada Inn on Watson
Boulevard.
Watch later in the
month for more on local
Rotary activities.
Club news, page 7A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Ross Kothe
Gretta Long
Carson Richardson
Donquaveous Young
Area DEATHS
John Michael Conway
Bobby Lee Green
Sandra Howard
Frankie L. Mann
James “Jim” S. Mason
Carl B. “C. 8.” O’Reilly
Jim L. Peachey
Russell “Russ” Paul
Stalnaker
Charles R. Walters
Obits, page SA
INDEX
BUSINESS 6A
CLASSIFIED 5B
CLUB NEWS 7A
COMICS 4B
CROSSWORD ... .4B
OBITUARIES 5A
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS .. .6B
TV LISTINGS 4B
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
7*
Georgia Newspaper Project
Main Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-DIGIT 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
Police oppose Taser ban bill
State, local Fraternal Order of Police urge that
stun devices be regulated, rather than outlawed
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - The
state and local Fraternal
Order of Police lodges are
opposed to a proposed ban
on the use of Taser stun
guns.
Five state lawmakers have
proposed a ban with House
Bill 29. The bill has been
assigned to the House
Public Safety Committee
and was moved to second
reader status on Jan. 25.
The Georgia State Lodge
of the Fraternal Order of
Police is advocating Georgia
legislators to regulate rather
than outlaw law enforce
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Shawn Bainbridge goes over flashcards with Tyler Messer (front) and Justin Miller. Bainbridge is a member of
Northside High School math team that tutors students at Parkwood Elementary School each week.
NHS math club volunteers
to tutor Parkwood ES kids
Story and photos by
Teresa D. Southern
WARNER ROBINS - After
school on Wednesdays, the
Northside High Math Club does
n’t solve word problems for fun,
or discuss their love for the sub
ject. Rather, they walk down
Parkwood Drive to Parkwood
Elementary School to lend a
helping hand to students who
need it.
About seven to eight Northside
students are as many that are
able to assist Parkwood students
with help on math homework
and help them prepare for
Criterion Referenced Course
Testing (CRCT) - a test taken by
third-, fifth- and eighth-graders.
Jeremy Walker, a fifth-grader
at Parkwood, said this extra
tutoring helps him with his math
homework, and added it’s fun
being with the Northside stu
dents. He has been coming to the
tutoring sessions since they
See TUTOR, page 7A
www.hhjnews.com
ment officers’ use of Tasers.
“We’re all for extended
training, but we are totally
opposed to the ban,” said
FOP Local Lodge #9B
President Sgt. Guy Fussell.
A total ban on “stun gun”
equipment, according to
Georgia FOP President
Carlton Stallings, would
eliminate one of the safest
tools available to law
enforcement officers when
facing a violent or risky situ
ation.
Fussell said four local
agencies use the Tasers
Perry and Centerville police,
the Georgia State Patrol and
the Houston County
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Victoria Jones (left) shows Courtney Goiphin an example in her math book
as she tutors her at Parkwood Elementary School.
Sheriffs Office.
At the Sheriffs Office,
Fussell said, there are at
least two out on each patrol
shift and deputies take them
out when serving warrants
in potentially high-risk situ
ations. Fussell said deputies
have to be certified to carry
the Taser. Part of that
process includes being
struck with a Taser.
“I’ve been zapped,”
Fussell said. “It ain’t fun,
but it is a lot less traumatiz
ing than pepper spray.
“Like any other piece of
equipment, officers need
training on it,” Fussell
See TASER, page 8A
What is a Taser?
Taser devices use pro
prietary technology to
safely incapacitate dan
gerous, combative or high
risk subjects who pose a
risk to law enforcement
officers, innocent citizens
or themselves.
Taser devices use com
pressed nitrogen to project
two small probes up to 15,
21 or 25 feet (21- and 25-
foot cartridges are sold to
law enforcement, military
and aviation security agen
cies only) at a speed of
over 160 feet per second.
These probes are con
nected to the Taser device
by insulated wire. An elec
trical signal is transmitted
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through the wires to where
the probes make contact
with the body or clothing,
resulting in an immediate
loss of the person’s neuro
muscular control and the
ability to perform coordi
nated action for the dura
tion of the impulse.
SOURCE: Taser International
Out of
town
today
Commissioners
meeting with
lawmakers, take
ACCG training
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - It’s
not Camp Leo or spring
training, but the Houston
County Board of
Commissioners is in Atlanta
for training.
The Association County
Commissioners of Georgia
(ACCG) is hosting its annu
al legislative conference to
meet with lawmakers, and
for commissioner training
today. Because of this, the
commission’s regular
Tuesday meeting has been
rescheduled for Thursday.
The meeting will be at the
same place and same time -
the County Annex in
Warner Robins at 6 p.m.
Thursday. The board voted
for the change at its meeting
earlier this month.
Commission Chairman
Ned Sanders said the annu
al ACCG sessions “gives us a
chance to interact face-to
face with our legislators, for
some friendly, subtle lobby
ing and to learn what’s
going on.”
Sanders said Monday was
a training day. The training
sessions are taught by
experts from the University
of Georgia’s Carl Vinson
Institute of Government.
Today, they will be attend
ing meetings, Sanders said.
“Tom McMichael is on one
or two boards, Jay Walker is
on the employees retire
ment board and Larry
Thomson is on the ACCG
state advisory board.”
Sanders said there are one
or two pieces of legislation
he’s opposed to, including
“the one that would take
traffic fines from us and put
them in the state treasury.”
He said he will also be lob
bying state DOT officials for
funding for road projects.
Gov. Sonny Perdue will
give the keynote address for
the conference.
“He has a keen
See COUNTY, page 8A