Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY
March 15, 2006
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 51
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
Perry Junior
League
soccer opener
l|8p&
» * ' t'mKm
ENI Gary Harmon
Jake Carver, left, Jordan
Karchella and the rest
wax patriotic during the
national anthem.
See SPORTS page 7A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Danny Evans
Sarah Irby Padgett
Elly Rissman
(Surprise your friends 1 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!
Gene and Annette Griffin
(Surprise your friendsl 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
None listed today
INDEX
BUSINESS 6A
CLASSIFIED 9A
CLUB NEWS 6A
COMICS 8A
CROSSWORD 8A
SPORTS 7 A
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS . . 3A
TV LISTINGS 8A
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
!iillilliiiiiliiiliimltllliiilliii||iiiii|i||in|f
4
jcuui a riyjev-»
Vlam Library
JNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
ALL FOR ADC 301
March 15, 2006
'-VI 3j€cruatcm 3Bonte If
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Class gets life without parole for child's murder
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Gregory Class entered a plea of
guilty to the crime of felony murder
Monday for the Aug. 7, 2004, death
of Christian Edward Martinez, a 16-
month-old boy.
Class pleaded guilty to suffocat
ing the child and causing his death.
He was sentenced of life in prison
by Houston Superior Court Judge
George Nunn. Houston District
Attorney Kelly Burke said the State
agreed to drop its announced plan
“jj^ - t r> %*'- -^MjljMfflMKHMr^f 4 '- '£’»' , wjs
-Hr, ■• - . w ‘^. BBBBf
•' ,fc '>■ gjafiV-'.• ’•£,'■"{**'?
1 , , i*lv? 7 ? 7 •**:•;'?r&,lsfc: fQ£?,.y |yPHfapß|jffL s t s''*” ■. '*isF^L‘ ; * • T, "*ffa>
HHJ/Mike George
The Perry Volunteer Outreach broke ground on Grace Village, a women’s rehabilitation center along U.S. 41
South in Perry. The Ga. Department of Corrections has agreed to provide an inmate construction crew to build
the 12,000 square foot, 5-building complex, which will sit on 12 acres owned by the city. A $500,000 Community
Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will help the PVO buy
a majority of materials for the estimated $1.3 million project. Pictured left to right, PVO outreach director Larry
Wood; Perry Mayor Jim Worrall; Ned Sanders, chairman of the Houston County Board of Commissioner; and Ga.
Corrections Commissioner James Donald.
Perry planners endorse I-75 corridor
Plan would create commercial frontage roads along highway
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
The Perry Planning Commission
is supporting a city plan to even
tually develop a number of com
mercial corridors along 1-75,
designed to prevent commercial
development from concentrating
along Sam Nunn Boulevard, and
to ease traffic congestion in the
area.
The commission voted Monday
to support the 1-75 corridor plan,
still in its infancy, which initially
includes extending St. Patricks
Drive and Mason Terrace to the
Perry Parkway. The plan also
calls for establishing a corridor
House lawmakers OK
'mini city' proposals
By GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - House law
makers passed a pair of
proposals on Monday that
would encourage the devel
opment of “mini cities” with
taxing power.
State Rep. Larry O’Neal,
R-Warner Robins, said it
would spur development
throughout the state, par
ticularly in rural areas.
“There are those that
believe had we had these
laws 30 years ago, we’d
have Disney World in south
Georgia instead of Florida,”
O’Neal said.
The legislation, modeled
after Florida law, gives some
property owners the right to
create special districts that
could levy taxes on residen
tial areas. A constitutional
amendment asking voters
www.hhjnews.com
to seek the death |lH|
penalty in return
for Class’ entry of l|
his guilty plea.
“My prayers and U —*> isl
condolences go out Jf§>-
to Christian’s fam
ily,” Burke said.
“His death was
tragic and totally CLASS
unnecessary, but
the family appears strong and resil
ient. We wish them well as they can
now celebrate Christian’s life.
Shovels full of Grace
along Valley Drive to the Perry
Parkway; with another corridor
along Marketplace Drive, stretch
ing through to Smith Drive, W.F.
Ragin Drive and Courtney Hodges
Boulevard, before reaching the
Larry Walker Parkway.
Initial plans also call for a fifth
corridor connecting Gaines Drive
to Ga. 127.
City leaders, who also discussed
the concept during the Perry City
Council’s work session March 7,
hope to secure state and federal
funding for the project. Perry City
Manager Lee Gilmour said last
week that the city will push to
add these projects to the Warner
whether they support cre
ating the new districts also
was approved.
Only landowners would be
allowed to vote on whether
to create a district. A land
owner would get one vote
for each acre owned while
those who don’t own any
land don’t get a say.
Some activists, includ
ing the Sierra Club, have
claimed the bill gives private
groups the “unprecedented”
bid for public power. “Are
you ready to confer upon pri
vate individuals, real estate
developers, investors, the
right of government?” said
state Rep. Brian Thomas,
D-Lilburn.
The legislation was
opposed by the Georgia
Municipal Association as
well.
See HOUSE, page 10A
“The family of Christian believed
that the closure of this matter would
end the uncertainty of a long trial
and instead allow the family to move
on with a celebration of Christian’s
life,” Burke said, “which was cut
short by Class’ actions. The celebra
tion of Christian’s life (he would
have been 3 years old Tuesday) can
now focus on his life instead of his
death.”
Class was a senior airman, a com
munications electronic technician
with the Combat Communications
Robins Area Transportation
Study, which identifies new road
projects for such funding.
Perry Community Planner Mike
Beecham said the city would most
likely begin work on St. Patricks
Drive first. A new Home Depot is
planned along St. Patricks, and
the city has already committed
more than $96,000 to extend a
12-inch water main for the site;
and at least another $283,000
in road improvements along St.
Patricks, although Gilmour said
during the city council’s meeting
last week that Home Depot has
agreed to pick up a portion of
See PERRY P&Z, page 10A
Wild at Westfield for Grandparents Day
lH!. ~ y II f^p
submitted
The Pre-Kindergarten class roars with excitement as they perform-the song “Shere Khan, The
Tiger. ” See page 6A for more photos.
ONE SECTION • 10 PAGES
Group at Robins Air Force Base,
and was babysitting his girlfriend’s
child alone at her residence on Aug.
7, 2004. He reportedly called 911
claiming the child had choked on a
cracker, but authorities were suspi
cious.
The child died the following day
at the Medical Center of Central
Georgia Children’s Center. An
autopsy revealing trauma to the
head of the child, police said at the
time, and they began investigating
See CLASS, page 10A
County and
district STAR
students named
Special to the HHJ
Andrew Ross Boyd, a high school senior
at Houston County High School, has been
named 2006 District STAR Student for
Houston County. The announcement was
made Tuesday by the Warner Robins and
Perry Area Chambers of Commerce, local
sponsors of the Houston County STAR
program.
Boyd, the son of Peter and Laura Boyd of
Warner Robins, selected Anthony Richard
Jones, Advanced Placement European
History teacher at Houston County High
School, as his STAR teacher.
The Region 6 STAR Banquet will be held
at 6 p.m. Monday, March 27, at the Student
Life Center of Macon State College.
Samantha Lynn Ray, daughter of Connie
Ray of Warner Robins, has been named
the STAR Student for Northside High
School. Ray named Carmen C. Horton,
Honors Chemistry teacher at Northside
High School, as her STAR Teacher.
William Walter Gray, son of Walter and
Kelly Gray of Perry, has been named the
STAR Student for Perry High School. Gray
named Dr. Argene Claxton, Agriculture
teacher at Perry High School, as his STAR
teacher.
Vann Thomas Jarrell, son of Thomas
and Ann Jarrell of Warner Robins, has
been named the STAR Student for Warner
Robins High School. Jarrell named Barbara
G. Hilliard, Advanced Placement teacher,
as his STAR teacher.
Marylynn Brittany Cassell, daughter
of Jim and Jeanie Cassell of Perry, has
been named the STAR Student for The
Westfield Schools. Cassell named Sherri
Lee, Government/Economics teacher at
Westfield Schools, as her STAR teacher.
The Student Teacher Achievement
Recognition (STAR) program, in its 48th
year, is sponsored by the Professional
Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE)
Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of
Commerce and the Georgia Department of
Education. Since its inception, the STAR
program has honored more than 20,000
students and the teachers they have select
ed as having had the most influence on
their academic achievement. Students are
selected on the basis of their SAT scores,
class/scholastic averages.
STAR begins each year in participating
See STAR, page 10A
500
111(11
8 u *55108 b OOOOI" h 4