Newspaper Page Text
TUESDAY
July 26, 2005
Volume 135, Number 402
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2005
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
$
'Bells’ will be
ringing as the
brother combo
make some noise!
Sports, page 10A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Charles Andrew
Jeff Beard
Beth Bennett
Carolyn Gesualdo
Laurie Sterner
Ray Trice
Happy ANNIVERSARY!
Cynthia and Ronnie
Harden
(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
Virginia Mae Denny
LF Hall
Gertrude Scarborough
James “Jimmy”
Sturdivant
Bessie Zoumberis
Obits, page 2A
INDEX
BUSINESS 5A
CLASSIFIED 9A
COMICS 8A
CROSSWORD ... .8A
OBITUARIES 2A
OPINION 4A
SPORTS 10A
TV LISTINGS 8A
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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Georgia Newspaper Projed
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July 26, 2005
Serving Houston County Since 1870
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9 LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
DA's video poker case in question
Personnel change at district attorney’s office may impact civil lawsuit against WR company
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
The prosecutor for the state’s case
in an alleged video poker scheme
has resigned.
Assistant Houston Circuit District
Attorney James Balli said in a phone
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Perry firefighter Brett Warmack accepts a donation at the Perry Wal-Mart during the
Perry Fire Department’s boot drive this past weekend “to collect as much as we can”
for the Georgia Firefighters Bum Foundation. About $1,400 was raised over the
weekend at collection sites in in Perry, as firefighters braved the heat for a good
cause.
More park
events planned
T-shirt contest, tea with Miss WR
to help raise money for playground
equipment at Memorial Park
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Last weekend there was a
yard sale and a children’s
Olympics. This weekend
there’s a T-shirt designing
contest and a tea party with
Miss Warner Robins.
All the events are to bene
fit the Warner Robins
Memorial Park Playground
Project. The city police and
recreation departments
have invited the community
to become involved with the
project. Through the proj
ect, community volunteers
will plan, organize, design
and build a new playground
at Memorial Park, located at
800 South First St.,
explained Capt. Lisa Angell.
“The goal of the project is
to renovate the existing
playground to make it a fun
www.hhjnews.com
interview that he is returning to pri
vate practice in Marietta. His last
day was Friday. He said his resigna
tion was not related to the state’s
case against video poker in Perry.
“It’s just that I got a job offer that
I could not turn down,” he said.
Hot as fire
and safe play space for the
children within the commu
nity,” Angell said.
Currently, the police and
recreation departments are
holding a T-shirt Design
Contest. The winner of the
contest will have his/her
design on the T-shirt given
to the volunteers on Build
Day. The contest is open for
all children ages 2-12. The
entry fee is $1 per entry and
entry forms can be picked
up at the Warner Robins
Police Department or the
Recreation Department.
Entry forms can also be
obtained through the
Warner Robins Police
Department Web page at
www.wrpohce.org (click on
Community Events at the
top of the page). The dead
line for all entries is
Balli was among a team of investi
gators who raided the OM Food
Mart on Sunset Avenue June 10.
Perry Police seized five video poker
machines owned by Greater Georgia
Amusements LLC, and found SBOO
rolled in bags underneath the front
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HHJ/Ray Lightner
Warner Robins Police Capt. Lisa Angell explains the
needs for the Memorial Park playground. She said
there are additional fund-raising events planned for
this weekend for the Memorial Park renovation.
Saturday.
A Tea Party with Miss
Warner Robins will be held
at 2 p.m. Saturday at the
Senior Activities Center on
Maple Street. Mothers and
Ford rumor
back again
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
So have you heard the
rumor that Ford is coming
to the old Vought building?
The rumor - the key word
here - of Ford moving its
Hapeville manufacturing
operation here “is an old
one,” said Houston County
Development Authority
Executive Director Morgan
GDOT, STIP and
WRATS, oh my
State reveals future transportation
improvement plans for Houston Co.
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
There were a lot of
acronyms in the center of
the Galleria Mall in
Centerville recently as the
state presented its future
transportation plans for the
region to the public.
The Georgia Department
of Transportation (GDOT)
presented the draft State
Transportation
Improvement Program
(STIP) that includes the
local plans, the Warner
Robins Area Transportation
Study (WRATS). The proj
ects emphasize the mainte
nance, safety and improve
ment of existing transporta-
daughters, grandmothers
and granddaughters are
invited to attend. Miss
Warner Robins Amanda
Kozak will speak to
See PARK, page 3A
an Evans Family Newspaper
50c
min.
ONE SECTION *l2 PAGES
counter of the store. The state has
filed a civil lawsuit against the
Warner Robins-based company to
keep what they seized, and GGA’s
owners could face prosecution for
their involvement.
See CASE, page 3A
Law. “That one has been
around for a while.”
Law said he’s spoken with
both state officials and the
property owner of the old
Vought site. “They cannot
confirm or deny it,” he said.
Law said he is unaware
whether Ford is looking and
he has not shown the facili
ty to the automaker.
See RUMOR, page 3A
tion facilities and public
transportation systems,
namely roads.
The projects presented in
STIP include only those
with funding available or
having a reasonable expec
tation of being funded in
some extent in the next
three years.
The projects include:
• Bridge widening and
reconstruction at the
Echeconnee Bridge on Ga.
247 at the Bibb County line.
Engineering began in 2000,
with funding starting in
2008.
• Bridge widening and
reconstruction at the Mossy
See PLANS, page 3A
Gunman
kills self
atRAFB
Incident causes
lockdown Friday
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Jimmy Sturdivant, 44, of
Warner Robins, took himself
hostage Friday around 2:30
p.m. in at the civilian per
sonnel director’s office at
the Warner Robins Air
Logistics Center headquar
ters building.
The base was locked down
with all the gates closed.
The standoff ended two
hours later, after shots were
heard.
Employees were finally
allowed to leave the base by
the Russell Parkway exit.
Access to the base was
resumed about 5 p.m. when
Gate 5 across from Martin
See SUICIDE, page 3A