Newspaper Page Text
TUESDAY
June 21, 2005
Volume 135, Number 377
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
inside TODAY
J^H
American
arm-istice
Members of the Warner
Robins American Little
League T-ball All-Stars
huddle up Saturday at
Flint Energies Sports
Complex in Warner
Robins.
Sports, page 11A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Nick Campbell
Dorothy Flynn
Kelton Lee Morgan (Kel)
Kathryn Peters
(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
Richard “Ricky” Taylor
Bone Sr.
Earnest “Ernie” Frye
Clarence V Hayes
J. Howard Rodgers
Jerry Thompson
Obits, page 2A
INDEX
BUSINESS 5A
CLASSIFIED 9A
COMICS 8A
CROSSWORD ... .8A
OBITUARIES 2A
OPINION 4A
SPORTS 10A
TV LISTINGS 8A
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
6*
Georgia Newspaper Project
Mam Library
UNJV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-DfGIT 306
June 21,2005
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
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Mackenzie Persinger poses at an April horse show.
Mackenzie's
memory
4'H horse club makes special tribute to Perry
By TIM HOSKINS
HHJ Student Writer
Last week the 2005
Georgia State 4-H Horse
Show came to the Georgia
National Fairgrounds and
Agricenter. Almost 500
children with horses com
peted in numerous riding,
racing and roping events.
When not competing, the
horses stayed in the horse
barn south of Reaves
Arena.
Locals turn out fop Saxby
Reception held
at agricenter for
senator
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
In the South there’s noth
ing that shows thanks like a
fried chicken dinner - and
this is what was done for
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss
on Friday at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds and
Agricenter.
Bill Stembridge, regional
representative for
Chambliss, said farmers and
agribusiness leaders from all
over Georgia including
Houston County, Moultrie
and Ocilla, held the dinner
to show appreciation for the
senator.
Chambliss currently
serves as chairman of the
Senate Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition and
Forestry.
Duke Lane of Lane
Packing Company intro
duced Chambliss saying,
“This dinner is in honor of a
guy whose deserving of the
job he’s done for agriculture
in the state.
“He has so much leader
ship for our industry and
he’s working hard to help
Georgia in Base
Realignment and Closure,”
Lane said.
Houston County schools announce Teachers of the Year
Special to HHJ
At the end of the school
year, each Houston County
school announced its 2005-
2006 Teacher of the Year.
The honorees will be rec
ognized at the system wide
opening session on August
1, 2005, at the Miller,
Murphy, Howard building at
the Agricenter in Perry. The
Houston County Teacher of
the Year and finalists will be
www.hhjnews.com
The bam is a huge build
ing filled with long rows of
wooden stalls. Last week,
each row housed a different
county’s 4-H contingent.
No two rows were alike;
one done up like a county
general store, and another
was adorned with stars and
rocket ships and the exhor
tation: “Reach for the
Stars.”
In contrast to the flash
and glitz of the other rows,
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HllJTeresa D. Southern
Senator Saxby Chambliss talks to Al Pearson of Pearson
Farms at the 2005 Agricultural Appreciation dinner held
at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in
Perry on Friday.
Chambliss discussed trade
issues and immigration with
guests who were farmers,
individuals involved in
agribusiness, and other agri
cultural aspects.
Speaking on trade issues
announced at that same
meeting.
Listed are county schools
and their winning teacher.
Matt Arthur Elementary,
Susan Potts; Bonaire
Elementary, Lee Ann
Cladin; Bonaire Middle, Bill
McCarthy; Centerville
Elementary, Marcie Shaw;
Eagle Springs Elementary,
Susan Mazzarella; Feagin
Mill Middle, Rose Powell;
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A saddle and riding boots belonging to Mackenzie
Persinger, who was killed in a car accident on May 28,
sit in the center of a stall decorated in her honor.
the stalls housing the
Middle Georgia 4-H Horse
Club (made up of 4-H’ers
from Houston and Peach
Chambliss said,
“We have the finest prod
uct of agriculture anywhere
within 10 miles of here,”
Chambliss said. “ We can
survive by exporting our
products at a descent price.”
Houston County Career &
Technology Center, Susie
Jarrett; Houston County
Crossroads Center, Kristen
Honaker; Houston County
High, Ronnie Thomas;
Kings Chapel Elementary,
Tammy Morrow; Lake Joy
Elementary, Susan
Hambrick; Lindsey
Elementary, Nadine Davis;
Linwood Elementary,
Catherine Bridges; Miller
counties) were dressed in
black.
On Saturday, May 28, 11-
See MACKENZIE, page 3A
On the issue of immigra
tion he said, “We have to be
realistic with the issue, that
there’s nothing being done
without migrant labor. We
need to deal with that.
There are about 8 to 13 mil
lion immigrant workers in
the country and a 5 million
gap we don’t know about.
“We need to identify who
they are and be sure they
are here for the right rea
son, which is for a better
quality of life, also that they
are law-abiding citizens and
not misplacing American
workers.
“We need to seal borders.
We will never accomplish
anything respective to that
issue if we don’t come up
with plans for a bill on the
floor for this. Immigration
relief is just as important for
our children as the fight
against terrorism,”
Chambliss said.
At the dinner, music was
performed by Playin
Possum, a band composed of
Bill and Sue Davis of Macon.
Chambliss and others
danced to music by the band
and enjoyed dinner and a
reception.
Some locals in attendance
were Bob Ray, Rick and
Judy Goddard, Billy and
Ginger Edenfield, Ralph and
Joan Dorsett, Billy Jerles
and A 1 Pearson.
Elementary, Madonna
Birdsell; Morningside
Elementary, Karen Turner;
Northside Elementary,
Janet Kirchoff; Northside
High, Susan Murchison;
Northside Middle, Shana
Arline; Parkwood
Elementary, Betty Barnes;
David Perdue Elementary,
Doris Peavy; David Perdue
Primary, Denise Duke;
Perry High, Deonna Pudder;
an Evans Family Newspaper
50c
mm.
ONE SECTION • 12 PAGES
Sparklers
spark
debate
Opinions vary
on legality of
fireworks bans
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
With Independence
Day less than two weeks
away, local governments
in Houston County are
taking careful steps to
restrict the sale of fire
works.
The municipalities are
considering an ordinance
based on one passed in
May in Covington with a
3-2 vote from the city
council.
But at least one
Georgia community has
rejected a similar meas
ure, citing concerns that
an outright ban of the
sale of fireworks made
legal by the Georgia
General Assembly might
leave the city open to a
lawsuit.
The City Council in
Peachtree City rejected
an ordinance Thursday
that would have banned
the sale of all fireworks
within city limits.
Peachtree City Attorney
Ted Meeker said he felt
that such an ordinance
would have pre-empted
state law.
“We were concerned
that the law would not
survive a legal chal
lenge,” he said.
Meeker said the ordi
nance would have violat
ed the general constitu
tional concept of pre
emption, which he said
prevents local laws from
superceding state and
federal law.
“It’s my understanding
that no special law can be
enacted that conflicts
with general laws,” he
said.
The Peachtree City
council members voted
down the proposed ordi
nance 4-0, with one coun
cil member absent,
according to Peachtree
City Public Information
Officer Betsy Tyler. The
fireworks ban was sup
ported by local fire safety
officials and at |east one
council member, Murray
Weed, said he will push
for changes at the state
level, adding a specific
provision that allows
local government to make
their own restrictions.
Covington City
Attorney Ed Crudup said
there is nothing specifi
cally in the state law that
allows municipalities to
ban fireworks outright,
but said he found nothing
specific that would stop a
city ban, either.
“The fireworks law
See FIREWORKS, page 3A
Perry Middle, Tim
Simmons; Perry Primary,
Kayleen Mims; Quail Run
Elementary, Paula Oxyer;
Bert Rumble Middle,
Tammy Love; Russell
Elementary, Sheila
Boutselis; Shirley Hills
Elementary, Robyn Rogers;
Pearl Stephens Elementary,
Yolanda Felder; Thomson
Middle, Deena Hoch; Tucker
See HCBOE, page 3A