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TUESDAY June 28, 2005 Volume 135, Number 382 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest Inside TODAY jf f -> f ‘ 'd * -1 - i i Summer 'school' For two weeks, 500 Houston County students have had their summer vacation enhanced. See page 3A Happy BIRTHDAY! Beth Bailey Happy ANNIVERSARY! Tiffinie and Mike Bailey (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 Effie Hendrix Addison Larry G. Hanson Roy Hooks Ginette Martinez Perkins Perry Jahn Soli Obits, page SA INDEX BUSINESS 7A CLASSIFIED 10A COMICS 6A CROSSWORD ... .6A OBITUARIES 5A OPINION 4A SCHOOL NEWS .. .2A SPORTS 12A TV LISTINGS 6A WEATHER 2A PERIODICAL 6 * Georgia Newspaper Projed Main Library UNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 3-DIGIT 306 Serving Houston County Since 1870 EDIMGIAFAD Every Day In Middle Georgia Is Armed Forces Appreciation Day dine 9 LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville WR's Kozak places in Miss Ga. Pageant X 'jit- * *, • m •* I J|| gU ■ : P ' raPo*.. J r;- "" '4^ V I Miss Warner Robins Amanda Kozak models eveningwear during the Miss Georgia Pageant in Columbus Saturday night. Kozak went on to place as the first runner up in Saturday’s pageant Four Houston women compote in statewide event Aphotos by Mike George COLUMBUS - One of Houston County’s own landed one step away from the Miss America Pageant. Miss Warner Robins Amanda Kozak was the first runner-up in this year’s Miss Georgia Pageant at the River Center for the Performing Arts in Columbus Saturday. Kozak was one of four contestants from Houston County who competed in this year’s competition, won by Miss Lake Lanier Monica Pang. Along with Kozak, Houston County’s contestants included Miss Tifton Erin Atcheson, Miss Historic North Georgia Kasey Minyard and Miss Columbus Catheryn Shaw. “We call them ‘our girls,”’ said Barbara Asbell, contact liaison for the Miss Warner Robins Pageant. “They have all competed in our pageants before and they’re all friends. We are so proud of all of our girls.” Kozak won preliminary evening wear and swimsuit competitions on Wednesday and Thursday before plac ing in the top tier among the 53 con testants who competed Saturday. “She is such a dear person,” Asbell said. “She has such a wonderful sense of humor, and it shows.” Asbell said Kozak was closer to the crown than any Houston County com petitor since Bobbie Eakes won the Miss Georgia Pageant as Miss UGA in 1982. According to Asbell, the last Miss Warner Robins to win the Miss Georgia Pageant was Burma Davis Posey in 1968. “She has a saying,” said Jolene Kozak, Amanda’s mother. “What you See PAGEANT, page 5A No smoking at bingo Local organizations adapting to new state law By TIMOTHY GRAHAM HHJ Staff Writer There I was. Waiting on the two last bits of information that would bring me the biggest journalistic scoop in the his tory of Houston County. Woodward and Bernstein would be crying like little babies. www.hhjnews.com Jr / " i V m.; ft mrW \ $!? \ r • 1 , ir t- % . F t ' 4,,, . * .t-vS3 'JJSL f MM - fl I .. '* jf m \ f- • - A. • • k 7 jmm Four contestants in this year’s Miss Georgia Pageant were from Houston County. Pictured are (from left), Miss Columbus Catheryn Shaw, Miss Historic North Georgia Kasey Minyard, Miss Warner Robins Amanda Kozak, and Miss Tifton Erin Atcheson. Kozak went on to place first run ner-up in the pageant Saturday in Columbus. But then I heard the word I had been dreading from the back of the room ... BINGO! Rats! Well, I guess I need to get back to reality and concen trate on the issue of the soon-to-be-implemented Georgia ban on smoking in public places, and its possi ble impact on local service clubs’ lucrative bingo efforts. Towards that purpose I spent a pleasant Saturday evening at the Warner Robins Elks Lodge talking to players and losing my proverbial shirt. Now, poker is more my game. When it See BINGO, page 11A fe'i * wlk Pp_ Mt HHJ/Timothy Graham John Planchon calls out the numbers for the Elks Lodge bingo games on Saturday. an Evans Family Newspaper 50* PM 8 ”*55 108*0 00 01*'4 ONE SECTION • 14 PAGES Date set for special election Polling will be Sept. 20 to fill unexpired term By TIMOTHY GRAHAM HHJ Staff Writer The special election to fill Warner Robins City Councilman Thomas Simms’ seat has been set for Sept. 20. Simms died last week as a result of injuries he received in a March traffic accident. The person elected to fill Simms’ seat will serve a total of two years and three months. Simms served Warner Robins District 6, which is located north of Watson Boulevard. The voting precinct for the district is located at Northside High School. The qualifying period for the special election will be Aug. 1-5. The qualify ing fee is $252. If there is a runoff elec tion it will take place on Oct. 11. Anyone wishing to qualify for the special election needs to go to the office of Warner Robins City Clerk Carolyn Robbins between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and pick up a qualifying petition. The deadline to register to vote in the special election is Aug. 22. You can also regis ter to vote at the city clerk’s office. The cost for the special election is hard to estimate since it will just cover one district, but the last city wide election in Warner Robins in 2003 cost just over $20,000 for the city to hold. The municipal elections will be held in November. Up for grabs will be the office of mayor along with three council seats: Matt Stone’s at *arge seat, Terry Horton’s District 3, and Grady Clemonts’ District 5 seats. SIMMS