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WEEKEND May 28, 2005 Volume 135, Number 361 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest Inside TODAY "a* I I jk ... iM g **3 " Gardeners don't let the heat stop them Lifestyle, page 9A Happy BIRTHDAY! May 28 AI Stewart Barbara Walker May 29 George Neal May 30 Michael Buck Caleb Weaver Happy ANNIVERSARY! May 28 Robert and Shirley Minter May 29 Belinda and Clyde Crowe (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 None were reported for this edition. INDEX CLASSIFIED 5B CLUB NEWS 6B COMICS 4B CROSSWORD ... ,4B LIFESTYLE 9A OPINION 4A POLICE BEAT ... .2A SCHOOL NEWS .. .7A SPORTS 1B TV LISTINGS 4B WEATHER 2A PERIODICAL v 1 >, c s P 01 sr □d? £ g *;~ Orn E- to 2is if r *B»*f £ * Q -d £sj -| r! x 3? F U VJj ta «•» 8 ■lO u vat* »*»■ M M m Serving Houston County Since 1870 i dplxmjstcm ptmraif vlLhe JJrmrroti LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY \ city of Perry ; city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville Countywide fireworks ban sought Houston, city fire chiefs concerned about new state law permitting ‘sparklers’ By TIMOTHY GRAHAM HHJ Staff Writer WARNER ROBINS - Vision 2020 endorsed a ban on all fire works in Houston County at the request of all four fire chiefs in the county. Perry Fire Chief Freddy Howell told the committee that he had been informed by a For the love of Ruth administrator honored at Lindsey Elementary By TERESA D. SOUTHERN HHJ Staff Writer WARNER ROBINS - Thursday was Ruth O’Dell Day in the city of Warner Robins, by proclamation of Mayor Donald Walker. And to celebrate her day, students and staff from Lindsey Elementary School, where she will be vacating the position as principal for the position as Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, sang and danced in her honor. “We thank God for the gift of Dr. See O’DELL, page 12A Locals to honor war dead on Monday Perry veterans groups plan morning ceremony By MIKE GEORGE HHJ Staff Writer PERRY - A group of reli gious and civic leaders plans to honor Memorial Day with a service Monday at a local cemetery. The Perry chapters of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars King Laffette Small businessman took long road to success By TERESA D. SOUTHERN HHJ Staff Writer WARNER ROBINS - Upon walking into the Royal Waffle King on Ga. 96 you’ll see the owner on the grill and “smell what the King is cooking.” That’s the way Laffette Thomas believes it should be. Thomas is the owner and operator of the only Royal Waffle King in Houston County. Management isn’t new to Thomas, though - he’s held the position in i variety of businesses over the past 12 years, fVom fast-food restau rants to retail. Thomas and his wife Pagie Thomas moved to Middle Georgia from Utica, N.Y., for a change of pace. He says was led into the restaurant business because he has always enjoyed cooking, and the opportunity to purchase the Royal Waffle King location fell into his lap. “I can’t complain, the business here is actu ally pretty good,” Thomas said. See KING, page 6A www.hhjnews.com group called TNT Fireworks out of Florence, Ala., that they will be selling fireworks out of a tent in the parking lot of the Periy Wal-Mart in association with a local non-profit organization. Howell said that the company said they would be selling devices, which are classified as sparklers under a recent law T lip' -i- 4Pi 1 v . ■ wM ; Sre r Hhjß .fe HEM ■ p £ . | •jMPJ’^IWBr v§ jpR • , Jr js* 11 i ‘' j i •;: jfie ,*»l§| * , HHJ/Teresa D. Southern Principal Ruth O’Dell speaks to some of her students at Lindsey Elementary School during a celebration held for her as she leaves the school for her new position as assistant superintendent for Student Services at the Houston County Board of Education. plan to host a Memorial Day service beginning at 11 a.m. Monday at Perry Memorial Gardens on Main Street. “This is something we’ve been doing since 1992,” said Don Norris, commander of the Perry American Legion post. The service will begin ~ z • . ****». -• _ mu mgMVTH ’TWBMB ■■■,:>• - ~ rtffT ft*' v | ■ W*" a, HHJ Teresa D. Southern Laffette Thomas is the owner and operator of the Royal Waffle King in Warner Robins. He believes customer service will make his business stand against local competition. passed by the Georgia legisla ture that allowed the sale of such fireworks. “We all have a deep concern over the sparkler law passed in the state legislature,” said Howell. “These are not small sparklers this company is plan ning on selling. They are huge. We are concerned over the with a posting of flags by the Perry High School Air Force Junior ROTC. Hayley Greene is scheduled to sing the national anthem, with Ben Steele performing “Taps” and Angela Ford singing “God Bless America. ” See MEMORIAL, page 12A potential injury to children. “Forty-five percent of people injured by fireworks are chil dren,” Howell said. Howell asked the committee to ask the local governing bodies to adopt an ordinance making it illegal to sell any kind of fire works in the county. See FIREWORKS, page 6A WR ceremony set for 11 a.m. WARNER ROBINS - The two Warner Robins American Legion posts will be hosting ceremonies on Memorial Day. At 11 a.m. Post 594 will host a ceremony at Magnolia Park Cemetery. There will be a flag ceremo- an Evans Family Newspaper Mini TWO SECTIONS • 20 PAGES ny, the ceremonial placing of the wreath, and a speech by Mayor Donald Walker. At noon Post 172 will host a flag ceremony at their post followed by a fish fry. Special guests will be disabled veterans from the area. - Timothy Graham Homeless person arrested for arson Authorities: He may have set other fires By RAY LIGHTNER HHJ Staff Writer PERRY - Daniel Thomas Sylvester, 41, has been arrested for a Monday fire at the Horton Homes Supercenter and a fire at a church in Cordele. Sylvester is facing several charges. “He was a very bad boy,” said Perry Police Chief George Potter. Perry Police Investigations Capt. William Phelps said See ARSON, page 6A HOWELL