Newspaper Page Text
WEEKEND
June 25, 2005
Volume 135, Number 381
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2005
Better Newspaper
Contest
in BRIEF
Are you being
SBIVed?
This week the Warner
Robins Police
Department kicked off
Operation SERV
(Stopping Every Redlight
Violation) to combat the
increasing number of
accident that occur at or
near intersections.
The increasing number
of red-light violations in
general prompted the
operation. Maj. John
Wagner said officers will
be monitoring various
intersections through the
city for red-light viola
tions and will conduct
traffic stops for the viola
tions as well as for seat
belt and child restraint
violations. While loca
tions will vary through
out the city, focus will pri
marily be on the most
See SERV, page 3A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
June 25
Joe Hogues
Dick Kistler
Shirley Rowan
Sandy Williams
June 26
Debra Cralley
June 27
Barbara Flynt
Vickie Malone
Lisa Wicker
Happy ANNIVERSARY: ■
June 27
Johnny and Susan
Sammons
Area DEATHS
Marie F. Barrett
Katie Green
Catherine A. Lupton
Thomas L. Simms Sr.
Obits, page 3A
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 7B
COMICS 4B
CROSSWORD ... .4B
HOMETOWN 5B
HONOR ROLLS . .11A
LIFESTYLE 8A
OBITUARIES 3A
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS . .11A
TV LISTINGS 4B
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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ATHENS GA 30602-0002
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Serving Houston County Since 1870
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Every Day In Middle Georgia Is Armed Forces Appreciation Day
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9 LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY \
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Committee denies full refund to Perry couple
Residents with septic tank erroneously charged for 17 years of sewer service
By TIM HOSKINS
HHJ Student Writer
Dell and Joyce Emerson of Cedar
Ridge Drive in Perry have faithfully
paid their sewer bills to the city for
17 years.
Last fall, their pipes backed up
and a plumber came out to investi
gate.
The plumber found a clog in the
pipes and chased it all the way to ...
Perdue
event
set for
Monday
From staff reports
A fund-raising reception
honoring Gov. Sonny Perdue
is planned for Monday at
the home of Dawne and
Draper Watson, 2009
Tucker Road, Perry.
The event is designed to
raise funds for the gover
nor’s re-election campaign.
Giving levels are “co-chair”
(give or raise $10,000) and
“host” ($5,000).
There will be a reception
for co-chairs and hosts at
6:30 p.m., which includes a
photo opportunity.
A general reception for
those contributing SI,OOO
per couple will follow at 7
p.m.
Organizers ask that
checks be made payable to:
Perdue for a New Georgia
PO. Box 12369
Atlanta, GA 30355-2369
Contributions are not
See PERDUE, page 3A
Leadership to
change at WR
Salvation Army
Corbitts accept assignment
to Evangeline Booth College
By TIM HOSKINS
HHJ Student Writer
Maj. Barry Corbitt’s
office is almost empty.
The shelves of the book
cases are bare, the walls
are free of pictures,
plaques and certificates,
and his desk is now an
expanse of dark wood with
only a single manila folder
on it.
“Welcome to my packed
up office,” said Corbitt, the
Salvation Army local com
mander for Warner Robins.
Corbitt’s office is sand
wiched between the famil
iar Salvation Army Thrift
Store on Green St. and the
vast warehouse and load
ing bay where all manner
of donate items and food
are sorted, weighed and
stored.
www.hhjnews.com
the septic tank.
“We had no indication that we
weren’t on city sewer,” Joyce
Emerson told the Public Works
Oversight Committee at its regular
meeting Thursday night.
The couple’s home is now connect
ed to the city sewer, but now they
want to be refunded for almost two
decades of payments.
“We feel that a refund is due to us
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HHJ Teresa D. Southern
Holly Brooks and Emily Toliver watch their robot perform a task as Starbase Robins instructor Andrew Dennis
records their time. Students attended a robotics academy this week in which they designed and built robots with
gears, sensors and motors using Lego Mindstorm activity sets.
See page 6A
Along with his wife, Maj.
Cindy Corbitt, he has been
leading the Warner Robins
mission of the Christian
service group for three
years. The couple was
transferred to the area in
June 2002 from Athens,
where they held the same
position.
The Corbitts are being
transferred to Atlanta - to
Evangeline Booth College,
the Salvation Army’s
southern training center.
The Salvation Army
divides the U.S. into four
administrative territories -
North, South, Central and
West. Each one of these has
a headquarters and a col
lege that trains its cadets -
the term used for those
who are training to enter
the Salvation Army’s lead-
for these fees paid in error,” said the
couple in a May 12 letter to the
mayor.
The Emersons, who have sewer
payment records back to 1991, esti
mate that they have paid $3,780.87
to the city since they moved into
their home in 1987. Georgia law
requires that the city repay the fees,
but sets the statute of limitations at
four years, far less than the 17 years
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Maj. BARRY CORBITT
ership - which is organized
along military lines.
Evangeline Booth is the
southern region’s training
center and is named for the
United States’ first national
commander, the daughter of
the movement’s founder,
William Booth.
The college offers associ
ate’s, bachelor’s and mas
ter’s degrees in subjects
such as Practical Ministry,
See CORBITTS, page 14A
an Evans Family Newspaper
50c
mm.
TWO SECTIONS • 22 PAGES
the Emersons have been paying.
Because of this, the city is only legal
ly required to pay $1,141.49 to the
couple.
The City of Perry Code also estab
lishes a monthly fee for anyone
within the city limits who chooses
not to connect to the city sewer. The
Emersons were charged this fee
retroactively for the past four years,
See DISPUTE, page 34
HHJ
wins 9
awards
From staff reports
ATLANTA - The Houston
Home Journal received nine
awards in the 2005 Georgia
Press Association Better
Newspaper Contest.
“I am extremely proud of
these awards but even more
proud of the editorial staff
that made them possible,”
said Billy Lacey, editor and
general manager of The
HHJ. “I feel it shows that
our goal of producing the
best local newspaper possi
ble for all of Houston
County is being met.”
Two of the awards were
for first place: Lifestyle
Writer Joan Dorsett won
first place in the Feature
Photograph category, and
Columnist Steve Tesseniar
won first place (the Joe
Parham Trophy) in the
Humorous Column catego
ry-
See AWARDS, page 14A