Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY
April 6, 2005
Volume 135, Number 323
® Officials dream up scenic railway
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
' 1
• # imp
Going once
Going twice
WARNER ROBINS -
When the bidding begins
at the gala auction for the
Westfield Schools on
Saturday night, choices
will range from a trip to
Cancun to a quilt
designed by school chil
dren.
See HEARTH&HOME, page
6A
Brandon Gore
Brett Minter
Annie Patterson
Tony Reynolds
Joel Rich
(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
Dorothy “Dot” Bragg
Lamberth
Jerry Lyn Leverett
Obits, page 2A
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 5B
COMICS 4B
CROSSWORD ... .4B
HEARTH&HOME . .6A
OBITUARIES 2A
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS . . .6B
SPORTS 1B
TV LISTINGS 4B
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
llllllll■•l■lf!■|f■|||,|,||| lll f| ||| || ||||| | | || ||| ||
7*
Georgia Nevwspapef Project
Main Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-DIGIT 306
Serving Houston County Since 1870
( Y <Tf i Mmtstcm Mome |f
CLLte tymxvxml
* LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY \
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Proposed passenger rail line would connect cities of Perry and Fort Valley
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
PERRY - Local officials are con
sidering a plan to connect Fort
Valley to Perry with a scenic railway,
giving visitors a chance to see the
area’s peach orchards, farms and
In memory of Pope John Paul II
,>% .■ H i \ ||i/ i UStilmEWFyW^^A^mSm
:%[ % .- f J».jiiSsgilrf . •: •„s**. msa- f ft ■ |« #- Mm * .■».,*! * \JMtS iJU
| Hjjjj 4
jjfoj,* ~ I
- ~ I.' .. ‘ • /~■
y '" N , f ~ -&<y->v 1 %
8Lk.,.. .■**■ ; e . .*-*- ■^J^SS^BBSsSßSwf%i§^^.^^ -.t*
, ■ ~-’ JWC4 vaSSfeiS • *■ . *. ... ' '■'■£*'u^yE!*'*T .*■*<*'/••*■*&■* '-ifV^»« ? ,M
>%-V., ■ •■-•»■ lß3jjfe»*> ... v -,.. - . •'•**'••>
- ~
nWJ/MUwfcorge
Father Fred Nijem, pastor of Sacred Heart CaihoficTthurch in Warner Robins, walks in quiet reflecllUl J'fflWwe a
memorial mass for Pope John Paul II on Monday. Catholics around the world mourned the pope’s death Saturday
after a long illness.
jfi gans Bgp
I i *
. > ’lf ft '*
HHJ/Mike George
A painting memorializes Pope John Paul 11, who died
Saturday, rests near the altar of Sacred Heart Catholic
Church in Warner Robins Monday evening. Pope John
Paul led the Roman Catholic Church for 26 years.
Members of 78th
LRS welcomed home
Deployed for almost eight months,
12 airmen honored in ceremony
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
ROBINS AIR FORCE
BASE - The 78th Logistics
Readiness Squadron of the
78th Air Base Wing wel
comed home 12 of its mem
bers on Saturday, then made
it official Monday afternoon
with a ceremony held in
their honor.
Stacy Robinson waited
with her 2-and-a-half-year
old daughter, Sophie
Robinson, for her husband
Capt. Mark Robinson, who
has been deployed since July
2004.
www.hhjnews.com
countryside.
The concept is still just an idea,
but Jim Collins, director of the Fort
Valley Main Street and Downtown
Development Authority, said a sce
nic railway could run along existing
tracks that parallel U.S 341 North,
“We’ve been so excited to
have him home,” she said.
“Sophie has really started
talking since he left. They
are completely obsessed
with one another since he’s
been back.”
Capt. Mark Robinson said
he feels overjoyed to be
home.
“My daughter came run
ning to me when she saw
me,” he said. “We’ve been
attached since I arrived.”
Airmen are usually on
120-day rotations, but this
time they were deployed for
almost eight months.
See 7STH, page 3A
which connects the two cities.
Collins said he has already contact
ed the Heart of Georgia Railroad in
Americus, which he said operates on
the line.
“We don’t know if this project is
economically feasible at this point,”
Locals mourn
pope’s death
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS -
Parishioners gathered at
Sacred Heart Catholic
Church Monday night to
remember the life and lega
cy of Pope John Paul 11,
who died Saturday.
Pope John Paul led the
Roman Catholic Church for
26 years. In his lifetime, the
pope challenged commu
'He had the charisma of a rock star.'
- Father Fred Nijem, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church
HHJ Teresa D. Southern
Lt. Col. Tom Schneider shakes the hand of Senior Airman Timothy Williams. Williams
and 11 others of the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron are returning from a tour in
Iraq where they served as security personal for army and contractors equipment con
voys.
nism, fought for the rights
of the unborn, and rede
fined the papacy for many.
He succumbed Saturday
after a lengthy illness.
“He was a pope for such a
long time and he was such a
personality in the media,”
said Father Fred Nijem,
pastor of Sacred Heart. “I
think that people have
come to know him in such a
See MOURN, page 3A
an Evans Family Newspaper
50c
Pill.
TWO SECTIONS • 14 PAGES
Collins said. “But we see that this
may be an opportunity for adjoining
communities and counties to part
ner in a project the will promote
tourism and bring more people and
dollars to Middle Georgia.”
See RAILWAY, page 3A
Animal
proposal
discussed
-again
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS -
Houston County Commission
Chairman Ned Sanders was
absent, but the City Council
discussed the unified animal
control ordinance again.
Sanders was scheduled to
be at the council’s work ses
sion, but could not attend
when the meeting was post
poned from Thursday to
Monday before the regular
council meeting. Mayor
Donald Walker said the
city’s objections to ordi
nance, proposed by the
Vision 2020 Council of
Governments, stem from
there not being a variance.
County Animal Control
Director Ed Carroll said a
special exception applica
tion has been proposed,
based on the city’s home
occupation business license
application. As proposed, it
would provide for notifica
tion of four immediate adja
cent neighbors and the nine
homes in front of and
behind the applicant,
including posting of a sign
and a public hearing for
neighbors to voice support
or opposition.
“The county thinks this is
the way to go,” Carroll said.
“It fair to all.”
The exception must meet
certain criteria and not pro
duce excessive traffic, noise
or odors, Carroll said, “and
there would be no exclusion
of number of animals in the
special exception for kennel
clubs, show dogs and rescue
groups.”
Carroll said there would
See COUNCIL, page 8A