Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY
August 31, 2005
Volume 135, Number 178
Award-Winning
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
"'HOk* * t* j" '
1 "''
Kersey throws
out first pitch
Leighton Kersey was
recognized for his efforts
in the renovation of
Westfield’s softball field.
Sports, page 13A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Melissa Bourke
Chris Causey
Kim Crouch
Charlene Melendez
Nancy Sanders
Sam Satterfield
Mike and Melissa Bourke
Joe and Terry Di Diego
(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 DEATH
Michael “Mike” Meeks
Obit, page 2A
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 10A
COMICS 9A
CROSSWORD ... ,9A
HEARTH&HOME .14A
OBITUARY 2A
OPINION 4A
POLICE BEAT ... .5A
SCHOOL NEWS .. .8A
SPORTS 11A
TV LISTINGS 9A
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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5
Georgia Heaspape Preyed
Mam Library
UNfV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
ALL FOR ADC 301
August 31,2005
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
RAY CARLOS SMITH
Locals pitch in
after tornado
Houston emergency workers pitch
in with Peach County cleaivup
By TIMOTHY GRAHAM
HHJ Staff Writer
FORT VALLEY
Although Georgia is not
known as The Volunteer
State, Houston Countians
certainly showed the neces
sary spirit when disaster
struck a neighboring county
Monday night.
At least one tornado
touched down in Peach
County MaudajOiyening and
as soon as the call went out,
emergency personnel from
all parts of Houston County
were on the way to lend
whatever assistance was
needed.
Gov. Sonny Perdue was
planning to visit Peach and
Carroll counties Tuesday to
tour the devastated areas.
The governor was to stop by
the Peach County Hospital
CVB looks to revamp walking, driving tour
Perry agency considering changing signs, redesigning brochure
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
A local visitors’ bureau is
considering revamping a
popular downtown walking
tour, adding more informa
tion for tourists on the his
tory and significance of well
known sights in Perry.
The Perry Area
Convention and Visitors
Bureau is considering work
ing with the Perry
Downtown Development
Authority and the city to
revamp the self-guided
walking/driving tour of
Perry.
The current trail has been
in place for decades, and
starts and ends at the New
Perry Hotel. The trail fea
tures stops at the Houston
County Board of Education
SEN. CECIL STATON
www.hhjnews.com
DA seeks death penalty for murder
Ray Carlos Smith accused of beating his mother to death in October 2004
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Houston Judicial Circuit District
Attorney Kelly Burke announced
Tuesday his intention to seek the
death penalty for Ray Carlos Smith.
Smith, 44, was indicted Tuesday on
multiple counts in the murder of his
mother, Geneva Smith, 78, on Oct. 15,
2004, at her home at 104 Vinson Drive,
as well as the theft of a pickup and a
utility trailer from Gwinnett County.
Before noon on Oct. 16, 2004 - while
Related photos,
page 3A
at 1:30 p.m. and then go on
to the Carroll County Fire
Station at 3:15 p.m.
“We got the call between 7
and 7:30 p.m.,” said
Houston County Emergency
Management Director
Jimmy Williams “We sent
approximately 55 people
over right then, but we had
tons of stuff in standby
mode in case it was
required.”
Williams said that there
were six chainsaw crews
from Warner Robins, Perry,
and Houston County fire
departments. Each crew has
five members. There were
See TORNADO, page 3A
building on Main Street, the
new Houston County
Government Building, and
the Perry Players
Community Theatre, among
others. Spots along the trail
are marked by small num
bered signs, but many of
these signs are worn with
age.
Gloria Brannen, an
administrative assistant
with the Perry Welcome
Center, said that the center
hands out at least 25 pam
phlets for the self-guided
tour every month, and local
merchants and hotels have
also asked for the brochures
to hand out to tourists.
“It’s very popular,”
Brannen told the CVB board
during a recent meeting.
“We do have people who are
Staton announces town hall meetings
From staff reports
State Sen. Cecil Staton (R-
Macon) has announced a
series of town hall meetings
to take place in Houston,
Bibb, Crawford, Jones, and
Monroe counties over the
next several weeks.
The Houston County town
hall meeting will be at 7
p.m. Sept. 12 in the commis
sioners’ boardroom at the
Houston County
Courthouse Annex. Staton
investigators were examining evidence
and patrol officers were securing the
scene - Smith reportedly came to the
residence and spoke to a family mem
ber. A patrol officer securing the crime
scene questioned him.
Investigators reportedly discovered
later that the name Smith gave to the
officer was phony. After further inves
tigation that afternoon, officers found
out that Smith was staying in a hotel
on Watson Boulevard arrested Smith
Friday at the hotel around 8:30 p.m.
For the kids
HH.J Mik.- (i.orii,'
Perry Fire Chief Freddy Howell twists a balloon bicycle during Kids’ Day at the Perry
Chiropractic Health Center on Monday. Dr. Brian Gillis and Dr. Stacey Carter offered
free scoliosis screenings for children at the event, which featured balloon animals,
face painting, and a visit from the Perry Fire Pup.
More photos on page 15A
interested in learning more
about the city.”
During the meeting, Perry
City Manager Lee Gilmour
came to the board with
plans for a whole new walk
ing tour, based on a histori
cal study of the area com
piled by the Middle Georgia
Regional Development
Center in Macon more than
a year ago. But board mem
bers thought it might be a
better idea to use the RDC’s
findings to update informa
tion on the current tour.
Megan Smith, president and
CEO of the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce, sug
gested adding walking dis
tances to the brochure and
separating the walking tour
from the larger driving tour.
“You could walk both,”
said invitations have been
extended to Rep. Larry
O’Neal, Rep. Willie Talton,
Sen. Ross Tolleson and Rep.
Alan Freeman.
The town hall meeting
will include legislative
reports by those lawmakers
in attendance on the 2005
session, as well as an outline
of each’s legislative agenda
for 2006. The meeting will
close with a question-and
answer session.
she said, “but you don’t
even know the distances
here.
“You could add distances
at the bottom and even use
different colors to separate
the two.” Board members
say the revamped brochures
could be used as a primer on
Perry’s history for people
moving into the area and
can be tied to events at the
Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter,
especially dog shows.
Board member Brian
Bowen said that the project
has merit, but said that the
cost should be considered.
Bowen suggested waiting
until the current brochures
run out before revamping
the tour, making the
changes on the next printing
Staton serves as a member
of the Appropriations,
Transportation, Higher
Education, Veteran’s and
Military Affairs, and Science
and Technology committees.
“My desire is to give the
people of Middle Georgia a
complete report on what
took place in Atlanta this
past session, and to hear
from them on what they feel
to be important issues for
the upcoming year,” said
an Evans Family Newspaper
ONE SECTION *l6 PAGES
He was booked for murder, theft by
receiving and giving a false name to
law enforcement officers. Smith also
has an arrest record in Houston
County and in other cities in Georgia,
police said.
At the appropriate time prior to
arraignment for this indictment,
Burke said, the state, defense and
court will meet pursuant to Rule II of
the Unified Appeal Procedure, at
which time the state will formally
See SMITH, page 16A
pa
SHEILA JONES
cycle. Sheila Jones, the
CVB’s executive director,
said she will work with
Perry Downtown Manager
See TOUR, page 16A
Staton. “There are numer
ous issues that impact the
families of Middle Georgia
on a very personal level, and
my desire is to serve them in
those areas as much as pos
sible. We spent plenty of
time in Atlanta listening to
the special interest groups:
now it’s time to hear from
the people.”
More information may be
obtained from Staton’s
office at (478) 757-0983.
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