Newspaper Page Text
TUESDAY
March 8, 2005
Volume 135, Number 302
Award-Winning
Better Newspaper w*rn nU
Contest
Inside TODAY
Officer honored
by Centerville
Police Officer Jason
Speilman was presented a
plaque of appreciation
recently from Centerville
Police Chief Ernie Pardo.
Speilman is a special
resource officer at
Thompson Middle School.
Local, page 7A
Hat trick leads
Bear to victory
Ashley Toussaint
scored a hat trick to lead
Houston County to a 5-3
win over visiting Colquitt
County at Tanner Friday
night in its first 1-AAAAA
game of the season.
Sports, page 1B
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Fred Baker
Brian Frazier
Joyce Griffin
Pat Meyer
Rebecca Michelle Walker
(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
Juanita “Nita” Browning
Lewis S. Cosby
Emory Millard
Williamson
Mildred Wasko
Obits, page 2A
INDEX
BUSINESS 6A
CLASSIFIED 5B
COMICS 4B
CROSSWORD ... .4B
OBITUARIES 2A
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS . . .6B
TV LISTINGS 4B
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
7*
Georqia Newspaper Project
Main LiDrarv
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
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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
Woman accused of murder
By TIMOTHY GRAHAM
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - Warner Robins
suffered its first homicide of the year,
as Carl McKenzie, 22, of 740 Cornelia
Drive, died Saturday from stab wounds
suffered in a domestic dispute at his
residence.
The Warner Robins Police
Department reported that they
responded to an assault call from the
How to improve Ga. high schools?
Perdue, Cox
open school
improvement
conference
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
PERRY - Educators from
across the state gathered in
Perry Monday to attend the
Georgia Conference on High
School Improvement.
Also in attendance were
Gov. Sonny Perdue and
Kathy Cox, state superin
tendent of schools.
The purpose of the confer
ence is to develop ways to
improve secondary educa
tion in Georgia involving
local school boards, superin
tendents, principals and
teachers.
Perdue and Cox began the
morning with an inspiring
charge to educators to effect
high school improvement.
“You can do it,” Perdue
said. “We cannot afford to
lose. Refuse to lose. What
you are doing today will
reflect in the -state for years
to come and for generations
ahead. Nothing is more
important as what you do in
the classroom every day.
“We must have the resolve
to make this state the
See IMPROVE, page 5A
Goddard re-elected GOP chair
O’Neal, Tolleson,
Staton speak to
party members
By TIMOTHY GRAHAM
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - The
Houston County
Republican Party held its
annual County Convention
on Saturday at Middle
Georgia Technical College.
Party members heard
speeches, elected officers,
and chose delegates for the
district and state conven
tions.
The current slate of coun
ty officers were re-elected
by acclamation. They are
County Chair Judy
Goddard and vice chairs
Bob Wilbanks, Bill Fowler,
Laura Harrison, Pam
Wingate and Bill
Merryman.
Delegates were selected
for the District One and
District Three conventions
to be held in April, as well
as the State Convention to
be held in May.
The convention respond
ed to a request by state Rep.
Larry O’Neal and passed a
resolution opposing efforts
by the Republican majority
in the state legislature to
redraw Georgia’s current
congressional districts.
www.hhjnews.com
Cornelia Drive residence and found
McKenzie bleeding from stab wounds
to his upper torso. McKenzie was
transported to the Houston County
Medical Center where he later died as
a result of his injuries.
McKenzie’s wife Sherronica
McKenzie, 27, was taken into custody
and charged with murder.
Warner Robins Police Sergeant Chris
Rooks told the Home Journal “we are
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Gov. Sonny Perdue spoke to an audience of educators at the Georgia Conference on High School Improvement on
Monday at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter.
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State Rep. Larry O’Neal, center, was joined at Saturday’s county convention by (from
left) Warner Robins City Councilman Steve Smith, Houston County Republican Party
vice-chair Bob Wilbanks, Party Chair Judy Goddard, and County Commissioner Tom
McMichael.
“We should wait for the
2010 census before under
taking a redistricting,”
O’Neal said. “If we do this
now, we are no better than
the ones who did it to us.”
O’Neal also said that
Houston County would be
hurt by any potential redis
tricting.
“I am worried that the
way they are planning to
redraw the district would
take Houston Count, out of
the district represented by
Jack Kingston,” O’Neal
said. “Kingston is a power
ful force in Congress and a
strong supporter of the mil
itary in general and Robins
still working on the case, but I can con
firm that is was a case of family vio
lence.”
Rooks said that Sherronica
McKenzie has been charged with
felony murder and the case is being
prepared for filing with the district
attorney’s office.
“Mr. McKenzie suffered two stab
wounds to the upper body area,” said
See MURDER, page 3A
Air Force Base in particular.
“I don’t think we can
afford losing such a strong
voice in Congress. Under
the proposed plan Houston
County would be represent
ed solely by one-term
Democratic Congressman
Jim Marshall and I do not
See GOP, page 3A
TWO SECTIONS • 14 PAGES
Vs I
1 —22521111— it
SHERRONICA McKENZIE
Board
outlines
SPLOST
proposal
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - The
Houston County Board of
Education met Saturday to
discuss its goals for the
2005-2006 school year, and
to hammer out plans for a
proposed sales tax to fund
new and expanded facilities.
Superintendent Danny
Carpenter recommended
the board proceed with
plans for a special purposed
local option sales tax
(SPLOST) referendum on
Sept. 20.
The proposed sales tax
would take effect in 2007
after the current 1 percent
tax expires and last through
2012.
An exact date will be
decided in the school
board’s meeting today. By
state law, the board is not
allowed to spend taxpayers’
money to support voting in
favor of a SPLOST, but it
See BOARD, page 3A
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