Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY
January 5, 2006
Volume 136, Number 2
Award-Winning
Sewspaper
2004
Better \ewspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
Former Demon
sets bowl record
The Florida State
University Seminoles
scored two touchdowns
in 80 seconds - on an
Orange Bowl-record 87-
yard punt
return by
former
Warner
Robins
High
School
Demon
Willie
Reid
Tuesday
night.
k
REID
The Orange Bowl kept
Joe Paterno and Bobby
Bowden up late.
The coaches paced the
sidelines for 4 1/2 hours
Tuesday night, endur
ing one missed kick after
another in a three-over
time drama.
Kevin Kelly finally
made a 29-yard field goal
to give Paterno and Penn
State a 26-23 victory over
Bowden’s Florida State
Seminoles.
The game ended at 1
a.m.
Sports, page 13A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Dot Bass
Warren Johnson
Tony Outlaw
(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
mall to hhjeevansnewspapers.com,
or mail them to us at the address
inside No phone calls, please. Many
happy returns!)
Area DEATHS
Stephanie Gwen Schiek
Durden
Sara Miller Hayes
Heide M. Hubbard
Williams H. Krieger
Carmela LaPorta
Joseph E. “Joe” Williams
Obits, page SA
INDEX
BUSINESS 6A
CLASSIFIED 11A
COMICS 7 A
CROSSWORD.... 7A
LEGALS 9A
OBITUARIES SA
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS .. 8A
SPORTS 12A
TV LISTINGS 7A
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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7
January 5, 2005
Serving Houston County Since 1870
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city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Walken shares municipal vision
Four-time WR mayor,
council members sworn in
By TIMOTHY GRAHAM
HHJ Staff Writer
In a meeting that was part
Independence Day celebra
tion and part tent revival
meeting, the Warner Robins
City Council picked up two
new members and Mayor
Donald Walker was sworn in
for his fourth term of office.
Houston Superior Court
Judge George Nunn gave
the oath of office to new
councilmen Clifford Holmes
and John Havrilla. Holmes
is serving his first term on
council while Havrilla served
for more than 16 years on
council in the ’Bos and ’9os.
Terry Horton was also sworn
in for his fourth term of
office on council.
But the big draw was
Donald Walker taking his
fourth oath of office as
Edwards sworn in as C'ville mayor
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HHJ/Ray Lightner
Superior Court Judge Ed Lukemire administered the oath of office for new Centerville Mayor
Bubba Edwards, as wife Linda Edwards holds his Bible.
Vltorrall takes another oath of office
Incumbents Bynurri'Grace, Kusar sworn in to Perry council; residents decry annexation proposal
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
The Perry City Council
kicked off 2006 Tuesday
night.
Perry’s 17-year mayor,
Jim Worrall, was sworn in
for a sixth term during the
council’s regular meeting,
along with Councilman Joe
Kusar and Council Member
Phyllis Bynum-Grace, who
both ran unopposed for re
election in November. Perry
businessman Brian Bowen,
who was elected to fill Billy
Jerles’ seat on the council,
was scheduled to be sworn
in at his home Wednesday
afternoon.
After a quick swearing-in
ceremony devoid of speeches
and proclamations, the coun
cil sat down to begin another
year of city business.
Concerned homeowners
from the Langston Road
area once again packed
the city council meeting
Tuesday night as the council
nears a vote on several con
troversial annexations along
the roadway. Dee Allison
and a growing contingent
from the area continue to
protest plans to annex and
www.hhjnews.com
mayor. Walker took advan
tage of the occasion to give a
speech that was equal parts
sermon, stump speech, and
sales call. In a word, a typi
cally entertaining Donald
Walker effort.
“When I was first elected
and came to city hall my
first words were ‘Ain’t it
great!”’ said Walker. “And it
is still great!
“When I came here, the
city was in tough economic
condition, and with the help
of six men and women on
city council and those who
followed them we are now
standing here as Georgia’s
fastest-growing city,” Walker
said. “It has been a tre
mendous challenge to bal
ance the budget, give rais
es to city employees, and
See WR, page 3A
rezone several parcels total
ing around 300 acres along
the roadway. Allison and her
neighbors expressed several
concerns during Tuesday’s
meeting, including problems
with flooding and the effect
hundreds of homes will have
on the natural beauty and
rural character of the area.
Allison also told the coun
cil that new development
would create massive traffic
congestion in the area, and
also expressed concern that
fire and emergency crews
might have trouble reaching
the area.
Although the city has ear
marked part of the revenue
from its portion of the coun
ty’s proposed special pur
pose local option sales tax,
or SPLOST, to build two
new fire stations and pos
sibly a third, Allison point
ed out that voters haven’t
approved the SPLOST yet,
and said that developers will
be able to build before the
city has raised the money
to build the new stations.
The SPLOST is expected to
generate $l3O million for all
of Houston County, but that
See PERRY, page SA
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Donald Walker is sworn in as Warner Robins mayor by Superior Court Judge George Nunn.
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Jim Worrall, Perry’s 17-year mayor, is sworn into office for his sixth term by Perry City Attorney
David Walker during the Perry City Council’s regular meeting Tuesday night.
Brand departs after 16 years on council
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
“It certainly is a new day
for us,” said Centerville
Mayor Pro Tern Bob Smith.
New Mayor Bubba
Edwards was sworn in, as
were re-elected council-
men Cameron Andrews and
Randall Wright, and the city
said farewell to longtime
mayor and former council-
man Ronnie Brand with a
plaque and a reception fol-
lowing Tuesday’s meeting.
But before Brand could
pass the gavel, the city had
to take one final action. City
Attorney Becky Tydings said
Brand as presiding officer
over the executive session
at the end of the Dec. 13
council meeting had to sign
an affidavit and resolution
affirming no action was
taken during the 100-minute
session, and that is was held
according to state law to dis-
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cuss pending litigation.
Tydings said such action
is required by state law after
an executive session to indi
cate no vote was taken. She
said the affidavit and reso
lution is taking that to the
extreme,
After that, Brand took
down his nameplate, and
Smith and Councilman
Randall Wright presented
Brand with a plaque for his
16 years of service,
Wright said he and Brand
had not always agreed,
“It was a little rocky at
times, but in the end was
always what was best for
Centerville,” he said,
He also praised Brand for
his door-to-door campaign
ing.
“Ronnie set the precedent
to get elected in Centerville,”
Wright said,
Brand, holding back
See C'VILLE, page 3A
15