Newspaper Page Text
SUNDAY
April 24, 2005
Volume 135, Number 336
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
In BRIEF
Clean-Up set for
this week in Perry
PERRY - The city of
Perry Sanitation
Department will go
throughout the city from
Monday, April 25,
through Saturday, April
30, and pick up garbage
left beside the edge of the
road, such as limbs, bulk
waste (furniture, items
from spring cleaning,
etc.), paint cans, etc., as
part of Great American
Clean-Up Week.
- From staff reports
Inside TODAY
Gunn wins award at
international show
Laura
Ingalls
Guhn of
Bonaire
recently
was hon
ored at an
interna
tional inte-
rior design conference in
Seattle, Wash.
Gunn, who is a weekly
columnist and feature
writer for The Houston
Home Journal, received
second place in both the
living room nd dining
room before-and-after
categories.
Lifestyles, page 1C
[[^3J^2GESB
April 24
Anne Belflowers
Mary Hodges
Tonya McClure
Steve Williams
April 25
Hattie Haslam
Megan Lynn
Todd Minter
Trudie Warren
Jay Wiggins
Adam H. Greene
Richard E. Kelly Sr.
Earl B. Litchfield
Frances Willis
Marvin L. Wright
Obits, page 6A
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 5B
COMICS 5C
CROSSWORD ...,5C
LIFESTYLE 1C
OBITUARIES 6A
OPINION 4A
SPORTS 1B
TV LISTINGS 5C
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Talton on session: A learning experience
Freshman state representative from Warner Robins plans to seek re-election
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By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - Rep.
Willie Talton has been settling
back into his home life after his
first session as a member of the
Georgia General Assembly - a
TALTON
The few,
the proud,
the adventurous
submitted
Vickie Eckman, a “mild-mannered
elections board worker” by day,
and mother of two, gets a chance
to try out her rappelling skills,
coming down from a 135-foot
water tower.
Houston included in state burn ban
From staff reports
ATLANTA - The state
Environmental Protection
Division (EPD) ban on open
burning resumes May 1, and
this year Houston County
Author speaks at women’s health luncheon
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HHJ/Teresa D. Southern
Ronda Rich, best-selling author of “What Southern Know (That Every Woman Should),”
was the keynote speaker at Women’s Health Day, given by Houston Healthcare’s
Women's Health Watch. About 40 women enjoyed lunch at Henderson Village, listened
to Rich, talked about women’s health issues, and had mini-massages. Rich is also a
Sunday columnist in The Houston Home Journal.
www.hhjnews.com
First group
completes Perry’s
Citizens Fire
Academy
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Lifestyle Editor
PERRY - There’ll be more gradu
ates of the Perry Citizens’ Fire
Academy in the future - and bigger
classes, too - but as Fire Chief
Freddy Howell put it Thursday
night, there’ll never a graduating
class quite like the first one.
There was Kathy Persinger, who
admits with a laugh that she signed
up for the ten-week course to “meet
single guys” and then got “reeled
in” to a program that included dous
ing fires, donning bunker and haz
mat gear, climbing the 75-foot lad
der on the ladder truck, and even
getting certified for CPR.
The class visited the 911 center
and, as a high point for Persinger,
had the opportunity to tear open a
car with the extricating equipment.
“I’m sorry it’s over,” Persinger
said at the graduation ceremony.
There was Vickie Eckman, a
young mom like Kathy Persinger,
who said she got interested when
has been added to the list of
45 counties already subject
to the annual ban.
The burning ban is an
important part of the state’s
plan to improve air quality
session he described as “a learn
ing and humbling experience.” •
The lawmaking process,
Talton said, “is what I’d
thought it would be and more.”
“I have a great deal of respect
of the state officials,” he said.
during smog season, which
runs from May 1 through
September 30.
The new counties are
Bibb, Crawford, Houston,
Peach, Twiggs, Richmond,
The way the bills are intro
duced, he explained, “you hear
the pros and cons before you get
to vote on them.
“Citizens call and give input
and ask me to vote for or
against a bill,” Talton said. “It
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HHJ/ Charlotte Perkins
The graduates and their teacher, from left: Vickie Eckman, firefighter
and teacher Kirk Crumpton; Councilman Joe Kusar, Kathy Persinger,
“Doc” and Marie Henzler.
she read the notice of the course
soon after witnessing a house fire
across the street.
Eckman has a quiet office job
working for the Houston County
Board of Elections, but she liked the
Columbia, Walker and
Catoosa counties. The coun
ties are located in or near
the Macon, Augusta and
Chattanooga metropolitan
areas.
Perdue signs
voter ID bill
By KRISTEN WYATT
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - A controver
sial voter identification bill
that prompted most of
Georgia’s black lawmakers
to walk out at the state
Capitol is now law.
Gov. Sonny Perdue
signed into law Friday a
bill narrowing the accepted
forms of voter identifica
tion so that only photo IDs
can be used. Currently, vot
ers without a photo ID can
use a Social Security card,
birth certificate or utility
bill at the polls.
“This is a common sense
ballot safeguard,” Perdue
said after signing the bill.
The changes will not take
THREE SECTIONS • 26 PAGES
is very important to get their
input on a bill, and listen to the
concerns of the citizens. They
are the ones who sent me up
there.”
Talton said that as a
See TALTON, page 10A
physical challenges, like rappelling
from the water tower, and gained a
healthy respect for the dedication of
Perry’s firefighters in the process.
“Doc” and Marie Henzler,
See ACADEMY, page 3A
The EPD has developed a
regional approach to
improving air quality, which
takes into account actions in
surrounding areas.
effect until the U.S.
Department of Justice
signs off on the new law.
Georgia, like other states
with a history of suppress
ing minority votes, must
get federal permission for
changes in voting require
ments.
Less than an hour after
the bill was signed, black
lawmakers vowed a lawsuit
if the requirement is
approved by the Justice
Department.
“We think this a terrible,
terrible precedent for the
nation,” said state Rep.
Tyrone Brooks, D-Atlanta
and chairman of the
Georgia Association of
See BILL, page 10A
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See BURN, page 10A