Newspaper Page Text
TUESDAY
August 16, 2005
Volume 135, Number 417
mm
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2005
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
Bu
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Mall-ed by runners
Northside assistant
basketball coach Scott
Wynn turns the first cor
ner of the race.
Sports, page 10A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Les Arent
Norma Wilson Cheek
Hunter S. Davis
Patty Harvard
Ted McGrath
Jushundra Rice
(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 returnsl)
Area DEATHS
Charlotte L. Baggett
Robert Henry Brown
James R. Dollar
Michael Neil King
Gwendolyn Blakely
Sullivan
Obits, page 2A
INDEX
BUSINESS 5A
CLASSIFIED 9A
COMICS 8A
CROSSWORD ... .8A
OBITUARIES 2A
OPINION 4A
POLICE BEAT ... .3A
SPORTS 10A
TV LISTINGS 8A
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
5
Georgia Newspaper Project
Mam Library
UN IV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30802-0002
ALL FOR ADC 301
August 16. 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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Mourners gather to remember,
and call for an end to violence
By WILLIAM JOHN HAGAN
HHJ Staff Writer
It was a picture-perfect
Saturday afternoon, but
tears of sorrow fell like a
steady rain upon the dry
earth of Magnolia Park
Cemetery as family, friends
and strangers remembered
the short but tragic life of
Christian Edward Martinez.
Christian, a 16-month-old
baby, was allegedly mur
dered last August by
Gregory Class, the boyfriend
of Christian’s mother,
Tammy Souliere of Warner
Robins. Class has been
charged with three counts of
murder and aggravated bat
tery stemming from an inci
dent on Aug. 7, 2004. Class
was babysitting Christian at
the time of his death.
Prior to the murder, Class
had allegedly brutalized the
child on at least two occa
sions. In March of that year,
Class is accused of breaking
Christian’s arm, and then in
June, injuring the baby by
kneeing him in the scrotum.
Minister to run for WR council post
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REV. JEFFERY WALKER
Night fliers enjoying safer landings in Perry
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HHJ/Mike George
Terry McConnell, manager of the Perry-Houston County Airport, pulls open a latch on
a 45-watt taxiway light Thursday. Work was just finished on replacing dozens of lights
on the old taxiway - lights that have been in place at least 15 years.
www.hhjnews.com
On Aug. 7, Class, who was
a senior airman at Robins
Air Force Base, called 911
and reported that the child
had choked. Forensic evi
dence soon led police to a
different conclusion. A
Houston County grand jury
has indicted Class, accusing
him of striking the child
numerous times with his
fists before using his hand
to cover the child’s mouth
and nose. The asphyxiation,
and the prior beatings,
resulted in brain injury.
Christian clung to life for 24
hours before dying at the
Medical Center of Central
Georgia’s Children Center.
This Saturday, however,
those gathered in memory of
Christian remembered the
happy times rather than the
tragedies that led up to his
death. A year after his mur
der, the child is laid to rest
in a private grotto under a
tombstone that bears a por
trait of the boy’s angelic
face. This day his grave was
See MEMORIAL, page 12A
Stone hasn’t announced whether he’ll seek re-election
By TIMOTHY GRAHAM
HHJ Staff Writer
The Rev. Jeffery Walker
has a passion to serve the
people of Warner Robins and
that passion has led him to
declare himself a candidate
for City Council Post 1.
Post 1 is a citywide post
that is currently held by
Matt Stone. Stone has yet to
make an announcement on
whether he intends to seek
re-election.
“I became intrigued with
the operation of government
and have always been
impressed with the honor
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HHJ 'William John Hagan
A white balloon symbolizing Christian Martinez floats into the heavens after being
released by his mother.
able Mayor Donald Walker
and how he has led the com
munity,” said Walker. “I
developed a passion to get
involved when I saw how he
works. I have concerns that
not all of the council works
together with him. There is
too much infighting and not
enough unity.
“I would love to bring my
heart and passion to the
council,” said Walker. “All of
the members of council
must realize that all of the
decisions they make have an
impact on the people. People
need to be made a part of
the process. The people I
talk to feel they are not a
part of the process. They
feel disenfranchised. There
are too many groups and
businesses that ... have too
much power and do not
include the little people at
the bottom of the economic
ladder. That hurts small
business.”
Walker is a native of
Helena in Telfair County. He
is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
James Ferris Walker. He
graduated from Telfair
County High School and
attended the University of
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
A nearly $5,000 project to
replace old and failing taxi
way lights at the Perry-
Houston County Airport is
complete.
The project to replace and
repair lights along the air
port’s small taxiway was
given the go-ahead by the
Georgia Department of
Transportation in late July
and work has now been
completed. The refurbished
lighting system will help
pilots land safely at night,
and gives the airport the
option to stay open after
dark.
TCA Electrical
Contractors Inc., an Omega
based company, replaced 11
45-watt transformers on
site, laid 335 feet of cable
and set dozens of lights in
place at the small airport.
In early June, the Perry-
Houston County Airport
Authority learned that
$150,000 in federal entitle
ment funds, thousands of
dollars sent to small air
ports, would be available
from the Federal Aviation
Administration through the
Georgia DOT.
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ONE SECTION • 12 PAGES
Georgia, where he played
football under Vince Dooley.
He joined the U.S. Army in
1983 and served in Panama
before receiving his honor
able discharge. He married
his wife Emily and moved to
Warner Robins in 1993
because she was employed
at Robins Air Force Base.
They have two children:
Katilee and Daniel.
“I have always been
blessed by God and I love
being a family man, and
there is no greater institu
tion than the family,” said
See WALKER, page 12A
Airport Manager Terry
McConnell said the taxiway
lights were in place for at
least 15 years. McConnell
said the remainder of the
$150,000 from the FAA is
being used for engineering
to install new instrumenta
tion equipment at the air
port, as well as a project to
build two new, 16,000-
square-foot hanger bays,
designed to give the growing
airport room to expand.
Airport officials are facing a
crunch as more and more
private and commercial
pilots want to house their
planes at the airport. At
least 26 pilots are waiting
for space at the airport.
Current long-term plans
also include lengthening the
runway an additional 1,000
feet, allowing for larger pri
vate aircraft, including jets.
“We are the front door to
Houston County, just like
the Macon Regional Airport
is the doorway to Macon,”
McConnell said.
According to McConnell,
the largest plane that land
ed at the Perry airport was a
Gulfstream GSOO, also
known as a GY a twin
engine jet that can climb as
Ste AIRPORT, page 12A