Newspaper Page Text
FRIDAY
July 15, 2005
Volume 135, Number 395
Award-Winning
Better Newspaper u|K/
Contest
Inside TODAY
“ fj|
Pastor's vision
becomes reality
A year and a half later,
Billy Thomas, lead pastor
of The Refuge, is follow
ing through on his vision.
The Refuge, a church of
the Assemblies of God
denomination, is located
on the corner of Todd
Road and U.S. 41 north of
Perry.
Since its first meeting
in January 2004, it has
grown from eight mem
bers to over 75, with even
more attending every
Sunday.
To Thomas, it a prom
ise fulfilled.
Family&Faith, page 64
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Jeanette Arrington
Brittani Hawk
Denny Horton
Carl L. Shaw
Jean Vance
(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
today’s edition.
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 5B
COMICS 4B
CROSSWORD ... .4B
LIFESTYLE 6A
OBITUARIES ..NONE
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS .. .6B
SPORTS 1B
TV LISTINGS 4B
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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Georgia Newspaper Project
Main Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 306G2-GGG2
ALL FOR ADC 301
july 15, 2005
Serving Houston County Since 1870
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" LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry ; cm of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Hotel may be coming to agricenter
Hilton Garden Inn under consideration; local hoteliers say it will hurt business
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
The Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter may
soon add lodging to its facilities that
host a variety of professional and
agricultural events.
At its monthly meeting, the
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WR businessman renames restaurant, * a year after daughter s death
By TIMOTHY GRAHAM
HHJ Staff Writer
Mike’s Hot Dogs and
Hamburgers on Russell
Parkway is changing its
name, but not its great food.
Owner Mike Wellons has
decided to rename his
restaurant in honor of his
daughter Natalie, who died
in a traffic accident a year
ago.
“The corporate name will
still be Mike’s because that
would be too expensive to
change, but all of the
menus, T-shirts, and the
sign will be changed to
Natalie’s,” Wellons said.
Natalie was a 16-year-old
freshman at Perry High
School. She had just started
living with Mike and his
wife Rita three months ear
lier when she accepted an
offer from cook Matt Sapp
to give her a ride home from
the restaurant. Rita had just
gotten Natalie a car a few
days before, but the head
lights did not work. Matt
lost control of his car in a
curve and hit an oncoming
vehicle. Both he and Natalie
died in the wreck. It was
April 19, 2004.
Now, more than a year
later, Wellons thinks it is
See NATALIE'S, page 8A
MGTC earns accreditation
Four-year process ends in success for local technical college
Special to the HHJ
Middle Georgia Technical College
(MGTC) was granted accreditation to
award associate degrees, by the
Commission on Colleges (COC) of the
Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools (SACS) on June 23. The date
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Gov. Sonny Perdue helps Jim Perdue, chairman and CEO of Perdue Farms, open a gift
at the Perdue Farms Food Plant outside Perry Thursday. Perdue Farms, the nation’s
third largest poultry company, is planning a $155 million expansion of its Georgia pro
cessing operations in Houston and Monroe counties, and its Perry plant is slated to
become the company’s main distribution center in the southeast.
www.hhjnews.com
Georgia Agricultural Exposition
Authority heard information from
Construction Management Services
about the possibility of a Hilton
Garden Inn and Conference Center
on the grounds of the agricenter.
Almost two years ago, this was an
issue of disagreement with local
hoteliers who felt a competitor at
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Mike Wellons and his wife Rita pose with a picture of his daughter Natalie, who died in a traffic accident just a little
more than a year ago. Wellons is renaming his business, Mike’s Hot Dogs and Hamburgers, in Natalie’s memory.
of accreditation is retroactive to Jan.
1.
MGTC first applied for membership
with SACS/COC in January 2001,
under the leadership of then-
President Billy G. Edenfield. The
commission granted candidacy status
the GNFA would take business away
from them.
Today the opinion is the pretty
much the same.
Ron Evans, general manager of
the Perry Quality Inn, said he feels
the agricenter is a wonderful facility,
but that it was brought to bring
business to the local community and
Perdue Farms
makes it official
Plant to be main distribution center
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
Jim Perdue, chairman and
CEO of Perdue Farms, one
of the nation’s largest poul
try companies, formally
announced Thursday that
his company is planning a
$155 million expansion that
will make the Perry process
ing plant the company’s
main distribution center for
the Southeast.
The expansion is slated to
bring close to 1,000 new jobs
to Houston County.
The company estimates
that it will spend $146
See PERDUE, page SA
feels only the agricenter will prosper
if it continues in this endeavor.
“We would be against it,” he said.
“(GNFA Executive Director
Michael) Froehlich does a wonderful
job out there and in bringing busi
ness to Perry, but this would hurt
our community.
See HOTEL, page 54
to MGTC in 2003.
MGTC conducted an extensive self
study during 2003 and 2004 and host
ed a visiting accreditation committee
this past January. During the self
study process and subsequent
See MGTC, page 8A
an Evans Family Newspaper
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TWO SECTIONS *l4 PAGES
JIM PERDUE
HHJ Timothy Graham
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