Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY
February 24, 2005
Volume 135, Number 294
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Belter New spaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
Hospital authority
appeals decision
The Hospital Authority
of Houston County
recently filed a motion for
reconsideration with the
Court of Appeals of
Georgia, asking the court
to take a second look at
the court’s Feb. 11 deci
sion.
Local, page 5 A
Readers react to
column on Leebern
Dick Yarbrough writes:
“Sometimes, this col
umn just writes itself. Or,
more accurately, readers
write it for me. That is
the advantage of having
smart, articulate and pas
sionate readers with
strong opinions. Eat your
heart out, Molly Ivins.”
Opinion, page 4A
In BRIEF
WRFD to check
fire hydrants
The Warner Robins
Fire Department will
begin conducting its
annual check of all fire
hydrants within the city
limits on March 1, accord
ing to Fire Chief Robert
Singletary.
- From staff reports
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Ronnie Brand
Chad Wicker
(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
Gwendolyn Hackney
Helen Williams Kidd
Obits, page 2A
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 5B
COMICS 4B
CROSSWORD ... .4B
ENTERTAINMENT ,6A
LEGALS 1C
OBITUARIES 2A
OPINION 4A
POLICE BEAT ... .5A
SCHOOL NEWS .. ,6B
TV LISTINGS 4B
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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city of Perry ; city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
House
map vole
postponed
Redistricting
proposal would
place Marshall,
Westmoreland,
in same district
By DOUG GROSS
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - A House
committee considering a
new map for Georgia’s con
gressional districts on
Wednesday postponed a vote
on the plan for at least sev
eral days, while rolling out
changes to its existing pro
posal.
Rep. Bobby Franklin, R-
Marietta, the House redis
tricting committee’s chair
man, said he wanted to give
people more time to' com
ment on the map.
“We wanted to public to
have another chance to take
a look at the map,” Franklin
said. “As soon as we feel it’s
ready, and the committee is
ready, we’ll be able to bring
it forward.”
Republicans, who gained
majorities in both the House
and Senate this year, have
complained that maps creat
ed in 2001, when Democrats
controlled the Legislature,
were badly drawn and
unfairly partisan. Federal
judges threw out, and even
tually redrew, state House
and Senate maps, but the
map for Congress was
allowed to stand.
Leaders in the Senate and
House have crafted dramat
ically different map plans
See MAP, page 3A
Old courthouse won't be done until summer
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - The comple
tion date on the renovation of the
old courthouse in Perry, now called
the Houston County Governmental
WR may amend
animal ordinance
ByRAYUGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS -
The city will not be taking
any action on the Unified
Animal Control Ordinance,
but may amend its existing
ordinance to allow for vari
ances.
“The other two (Perry
and the county) already
sent it back to Vision
2020,” said Mayor Donald
Walker. “We’re not going to
take any action.”
Walker, who serves on
Vision 2020 with the may
ors of the Perry and
Centerville and chairmen
of the County Commission
and Board of Education,
said there is no timeline on
the ordinance with Vision
2020.
“It could never happen,”
he said.
The council heard from
two Houston Countians
concerned about the pro
posed and existing ordi
nances.
Barbara Cunningham,
www.hhjnews.com
HHJ/Teresa D. Southern
Perry firefighters check Perry High School Wednesday morning after a series of bomb threats were made against
local schools.
Bomb threats clear buildings
All four public
high schools
evacuated after
midmorning call
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS -
The four county high
schools were evacuated
Wednesday following a 10
a.m. phone call to the
Central Office of the
Houston County Board of
Education in Perry.
“The caller said the
bomb threat was for all
four high schools,” said
Sharon Riley, administra
tive assistant to
Superintendent Danny
See THREATS, page 3A
Building, is now sometime this sum
mer.
The County Commission recently
approved about $55,000 in change
orders for 11 items for the renova
tion, bringing the project’s total cost
president of Animal Rescue
and Kindness (ARK),
asked that there be an
exclusion for licensed pri
vate home care animal fos
ter homes, or that there be
no species restriction and
the total number of ani
mals be raised to seven or
eight. She asked for the
changes so her organiza
tion’s animal foster homes
would not be breaking the
law.
She explained that ARK
provides spay and neuter
ing for all the animals it
adopts out and for about
800 others so far, all fund
ed through donations.
Councilman Dean
Cowart asked if the group
could pool that money to
buy land for a shelter.
Cunningham explained
they are licensed by the
state Department of
Agriculture as a private
home care foster home, not
a kennel.
Cindy Hendricks, an
advocate for animal
See WR COUNCIL, page 3A
HHJTeresa D. Southern
Students and teachers stand outside Perry High School Wednesday morning after a
series of bomb threats. The school was evacuated while emergency personnel checked
the building for any dangerous devices.
over $2.4 million. When the commis
sion renamed the building in
October the building was expected
to be done and ready for move-in by
the first of this year.
The building will house the
Rotarians visit residents on centennial
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HHJ Timothy Graham
As part of its Centennial Project to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Rotary
International, members of the Rotary Club of Warner Robins spent the day Wednesday
visiting residents at Victoria’s Garden Assisted Living Center. From left are Rotation
Terry Johnson; Stacey Svoboda, activity director at Victoria’s Garden; resident Martha
Silas; and Rotarian Catie Carchedi, executive director of the Houston-Middle Georgia
Chapter of the American Red Cross. Carchedi was accompanied by her dog Ronnie,
which she adopted after being abandoned.
THREE SECTIONS • 22 PAGES
Houston County Extension Service,
the Board of Elections, the National
Soil Conservation Agency, the Farm
Service Agency and the Houston Art
Alliance.
See COURTHOUSE, page 3A
an Evans Family Newspaper
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