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9 FRIDAY December 30, 2005 Volume 135, Number 260 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest In BRIEF New Years hours In observance of the New year, the Houston Home Journal offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 2. Offices in Perry and Warner Robins will reopen with regualr hours on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006. Happy New Year from the Houston Home Journal. Happy BIRTHDAY! Allen Hawk Kristin Lee Terry Myers Jr. Ernie Oppizzi (Surprise your friends! Let us know when their birthday or anni versary 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!) Happy ANNIVERSARY! none reported (Surprise your friends! Let us know when their birthday or anni versary 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 Kenetha Ann "Nena" Barger Robert Dick INDEX CLASSIFIED 8A CLUB NEWS 3A COMICS 7 A CROSSWORD.... 7A LIFESTYLE 6A OBITUARIES 2A OPINION 4A SCHOOL NEWS .. 3A TV LISTINGS 7A WEATHER 2A PERIODICAL ll■lllll■■llllt•tlltl■■ltllli■■lllt I || (11ll | l || aaa || 4 3ec*gia Newspaper Project Mam Library iJNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 3G6G2-GOG2 ALL FOR ADC 3GI December 30, 2005 Serving Houston County Since 1870 ( V JSausttm plcime dim jjmmutl * LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville WR council annexes 858 acres Residents oppose high'density development of land near Moody Road By TIMOTHY GRAHAM HHJ Staff Writer The Warner Robins City Council approved the annex ation of 858.65 acres of land in a special called meeting on Wednesday, but they did throw a couple of bones to opponents. The annexations centered on the intersection of Moody Road and Ga. 96 in the Bonaire area. The Warner Robins Planning and Zoning Commission had endorsed the annexations in an ear lier meeting and opponents had objected specifically to two of the plots. One was to be zoned R-3 (which would allow high-density develop ment) and R-4 (which would allow apartments). The City Council approved the annexations but stipulat ed that the plot to be zoned R-4 would instead be zoned R-l while the other would be zoned R-2. The council did make it clear to the people that this was not the final determination of the two cases. Developers still have to present the site plans for their proposals and they can still be approved at the high er zoning. Annexation opponents left the prior Warner Robins Planning and Zoning Commission meeting left with a bad taste in their mouths as they felt they were not. allowed to get their message across. They were allowed only one speaker per annex ation not allowed to put WR water, sewer rates upped 10% By TIMOTHY GRAHAM HHJ Staff Writer The Warner Robins City Council approved an increase in the city’s water and sewer rates Wednesday night, as well as a bump in the sanita tion fees. Warner Robins has gone seven years without an increase in the water and sewer rates and stands in the lower 3 percent of Georgia cities in those rates. The time has come, however, to increase those rates, said Mayor Donald Walker. “Inflation is just eating us up,” Walker said. The council initially agreed to a 15 percent increase in the water and sewer rates while leaving the natural gas rates unchanged. The disagreement came, however, when the discus sion shifted to the sanitation T-storms bring rain, hail, unconfirmed tornadoes By MIKE GEORGE HHJ Staff Writer A massive storm system passed through Middle Georgia Wednesday afternoon, bringing rain, lightning, hail, and reported tornadoes. Houston County largely escaped the wrath of Wednesday’s storm front, according to county emer gency management director Jimmy Williams. Hail was reported in Warner Robins ranging in size from dimes to golf balls, reportedly smashing windshields in front of the Wal-Mart Shopping Center on Watson Boulevard. Police in Warner Robins were also warned to cover their vehicles to prevent any dam age from the storm. “Really, the thing about this storm was it moved on us so quickly,” Williams said. “We really didn’t have any predictions on this, and all of the www.hhjnews.com ' IS*:- \ ’ I PV Ii f I $ r . |y| v HHJ Timothy Graham James Yawn attempts to show the Warner Robins Planning and Zoning Commission why the soil in the area of Moody Road and Ga. 96 is not suitable for high-density development. some technical data into the record. Several people left the meeting say ing that the planners were just a “rubber stamp” for developers. One of the opponents to the annexation was James Yawn, who protested that the soil in the area was not suitable for high-density development. Yawn said the soil - called gumbo clay - shrinkS'when fee, which currently stands at $15.50 per month for resi dences. “$15.50 is too much to charge as it is when you consider how bad the service is,” said Councilman Dean Cowart. “We are losing money on it as it is,” said Councilman Terry Horton. “We can’t con tinue to charge $15.50 and lose money every month. If we have a problem with the service we can talk about that at another time.” “I think we can all agree that there are problems but people on fixed incomes have enough problems as it is and we shouldn’t be hitting them with this during the cold est month of the year,” said Councilman Matt Stone. “We have had three increases on their expenses See RATES, page 12A sudden at about 2:30 that afternoon we were under a tornado watch. “You don’t normally see this type of storm in December.” Quarter-sized hail was also report ed in Centerville, Kathleen and Perry. Around 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, storm sirens blared along Sam Nunn Boulevard in Perry. A tornado was reported west of the city limits along Toomer Road, though unconfirmed. The Perry Fire Department sent two trucks to search for any signs of the tornado, but found none. “It was a good test of the city’s sirens,” said Perry Fire Chief Freddy Howell, who rode in the second truck that set out to search for the tornado. “At least we’ll get a good warning next time.” At the same time firefighters were searching for a tornado that may have never been there, a vehicle dry and expands when wet to the extent that it caused home founda tions and roadways to crack. “I do not object to the annexa tions,” said Yawn. “But I do object to any rezoning at a higher density than R-l.” Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker was a surprise speaker in See ANNEXATIONS, fia^TZA Which way is up? !■ f i’?-JdEL'vSjHI i ; 7 I sy£ , • . tjaHKi' ;v.'. raljßsß •4aSh&.l' • U- ' i HHJ The Georgia flag was flying upside down at Perry City Hall on Washington Street Thursday morning. fire was reported along the Perry Parkway near Houston Lake Road. Firefighter Kirk Crumpton said that the engine compartment of the 1995 Dodge Intrepid was engulfed in flame when firefighters arrived on the scene around 3:30 p.m. The fire may have been caused by a faulty transmission. Although no one was injured in the incident, Crumpton said the car was not salvageable. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., cited more than 90 reports of hail from Georgia to Ohio on Wednesday, and the storm was already moving up the Atlantic seaboard by press time Thursday. The Georgia Forestry Commission reported quarter-size hail a quar ter mile northeast of Fort Valley, and sightings of a tornado head- 1 SECTION • 12 PAGES Hawkinsville man arrested after Perry stabbing By MIKE GEORGE HHJ Staff Writer A Hawkinsville man was arrest ed early Wednesday after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend’s nephew with a kitchen knife at a party on Logue Street in Perry. Stephen Tyler, 47, 0f306 Henson Road in Hawkinsville, has been charged with aggravated assault, driving under the influence, and possession of marijuana (less than an ounce) after a Houston County sheriffs deputy reportedly dis covered marijuana in the green 1997 GMC dual-tire pickup truck he was driving at the time of his arrest. Police were called to the scene around 1 a.m. Wednesday, and found 22-year-old Brendan Mimms of McLear, Miss., lying inside the house at 613 Logue Street with a 1-inch stab wound near his sternum. The kitchen knife was recovered at the scene, but police have not yet confirmed Tyler’s fingerprints on the weapon. Capt. Heath Dykes with the Perry PD said a watch was issued for Tyler’s arrest, and the Houston County Sheriffs Department stopped Tyler at U.S. 341 South and Henson Road shortly after ward. “There was some kind of party at the house, and apparently Tyler refused to leave,” Dykes said. Police believe he may have See STABBING, 12A ing northeast along Ga. 49 were reported Wednesday afternoon, although unconfirmed by the Storm Prediction Center. Softball-sized hail was reported five miles north of Americus on Ga. 19 and also in LaGrange. Six tornadoes reportedly touched down in Georgia, hitting Laurens, Mitchell, Pulaski, Wilcox and Worth counties. “We saw some rotation in the clouds on our radar, but nothing touched down,” Williams said. A second line of storms hit Houston County later Wednesday night, bringing more lightning and hail to the area, according to Williams. Williams categorized Wednesday’s storms as the worst to hit the area since Hurricane Katrina passed through Middle Georgia in late August, although damage was light. an Evans Family Newspaper 500 n inline 8 *5 5108*0 0001*" 4