Newspaper Page Text
FRIDAY
April 21, 2006
♦ 7
VOLUME 136 , NUMBER 73
OUR
FRONT
PORCH
WHERE NEIGHBORS MEET
INSIDE
Warner Robins hosts region
■ Warner Robins High School
began hosting the Region 3-AAAA
track and field meet for the girls
Wednesday at McConnell-Talbert
Stadium. The meet was slated to run
through Friday.
- Page 1A
■ What do a mule, a peanut and a
rocket have in common? Find out in
today's column by Larry Walker.
- Page 4A
IN BRIEF
Scott, wife to be buried
■ The ashes of World War II flying
ace, Brig. Gen. Robert L. Scott Jr.,
and his wife Katherine, will be buried
at Arlington
National
Cemetery
June 5.
The mili
tary service
will begin at
3 p.m. Scott
died Feb.
27. His wife
died in 1972.
A longtime
booster for
J
SCOTT
the Museum of Aviation in Warner
Robins, his exploits with the Flying
Tigers in China was chronicled in his
1943 book “God Is My Co-Pilot.”
- from staff reports
Department to hold open house
■ The Georgia Department of
Transportation will hold a Location
and Design Public Information Open
House May 9 at David Perdue
Elementary School, located at 115
Sutherlin Drive in Warner Robins.
The purpose for the meeting will
be to discuss Project STP-155-1 (21),
for Houston and Peach counties.
The project is a proposal to widen
SR 96 from two to four lanes from
Interstate 75 in Peach County to SR
247 in Houston. The open house
wilhbe conducted from 4-7 p.m.
Written statements will be accepted
until May 23. Send them to: Harvey
Keepler, state environmental/loca
tion engineer, Georgia Department of
Transportation, 3993 Aviation Circle,
Atlanta, GA 30336-1593. Call (706)
646-6317 for more information.
BIRTHDAYS
■ Christi Graham
■ Jerry Langston
Having a birthday or anni
versary? Call Charlotte
Perkins at 987-1823,
ext. 234, or e-mail her at
cperkins@evansnewspapers.
com.
DEATHS
■ None reported today
INDEX
WEATHER 2 A
LOCAL 3 A
OPINION 4 A
BIRTHS 5 A
FAITH 6 A
HEALTH 7 A
SPORTS 1 B
COMICS 4 B
CLASSIFIEDS .... 5 B
PERIODICAL
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
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Georgia Newspaper Project
Matn Library
UN IV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
ALL FOR ADC 301
April 21, 2006
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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
County feels impact of rising fuel costs
By Charlotte Perkins
HHJ Assistant Editor
When Commissioner Tom
McMichael proposed accept
ing the low bid for gasoline
and diesel fuel on Tuesday
night, he commented that
the costs were “absolutely
out of sight.”
For the average motorist
whose fuel pump costs are
getting close to $3 for “regu
lar,” the cost that county
officials were looking at
might not seem so bad.
According to Houston
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The Perry Arts League will open the “Georgia on my Mind” arts show at the Perry Arts
Center on Saturday, with an opening reception and refreshments from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The show features the work of local artists on a Georgia theme. Here, young visitors get
a sneak peek in advance.
HHJ/Mike George
Bob Irwin, director of sales and concessions for the
Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, stops
for a picture outside Reaves Arena.
County Purchasing Agent
Barry Holland, the most
recent cost was $2.25 per
gallon for mid-grade gaso
line and $2.21 per gallon for
diesel.
Still, when you’re buying
7,000 to 8,000 gallons at a
time, it starts adding up.
To keep the Sheriffs
Office (nearly 100 vehicles),
the Public Works trucks
and heavy equipment, and
the landfill earth mov
ing machinery rolling, the
county buys its fuel in bulk
'Georgia on my Mind'
www. hhjnews. com
2003: $1.07 for gasoline; SI.OB for diesel =*
2004: $1.17 for gasoline; $1.13 for diesel
2005: $1.48 for gasoline; $1.53 for diesel
2006 (averaged to date): $1.96 for gasoline;
$2.08 for diesel.
with bidding redone every of mid-grade gasoline and
six months, 225,878 gallons of diesel
In 2005, according to fuel.
Holland, Houston County As for the cost, it varies
purchased 206,288 gallons depending on the latest Oil
Irwin has seen fairgrounds grow
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
In its 16-year histo
ry, the Georgia National
Fairgrounds & Agricenter in
Perry has gained national
recognition, raising the bar
of success with each passing
year.
Bob Irwin, who can
remember the days when
the fairgrounds was nothing
more than a soybean field
along 1-75, has grown along
with it.
As the fairgrounds’ direc
tor of sales and conces
sions, Irwin is responsible
for searching out new and
exciting concerts, shows and
events that bring tax dol
lars to the state and crowds
to the fairgrounds. Irwin’s
department is also responsi
ble for negotiating contracts
and working to satisfy per
formers.
“Basically, we make sure
the drinks are cold and the
food is hot,” Irwin said. “We
make sure everything they
Here are the county's costs per gallon,
averaged for calendar years.
Police Investigating
newspaper rack thefts
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
Perry detectives are
investigating a recent rash
of newspaper rack thefts.
According to Capt. Heath
Dykes with the Perry Police
Department, five newspa
per racks have been stolen
and vandalized since the
beginning of the year, three
from The Houston Home
Journal and two from The
Macon Telegraph.
Dykes said his depart
ment is also investigating
a series of petty vending
machine thefts as well.
“You see these types of
thefts off and on,” Dykes
said. “You might see eight
months to a year without
something like this, then
a rash of these thefts pops
up.”
Dykes said there is no
specific pattern to where
the machines are vandal
ized or stolen, but that most
of the thefts have taken
place in the early morning
hours before*s a.m.
Sandra Arbuckle, circula
tion manager for the HHJ,
said she’s seen roughly 24
racks stolen in the four
years she has worked for
the newspaper.
“They’ll steal these things
just to take the change
out,” she said, “then they’ll
dump the racks anywhere
they can, like ditches.
“They even dumped one
in the middle of a creek.”
Dykes said most of the
racks are dumped in rural
areas outside Perry but still
in Houston County.
Arbuckle said replacing
the racks costs the paper
Mb
a weekly series by
Mike George
asked for contractually is
taken care of.”
In the months before the
annual Georgia National
Fair, Irwin is responsible for
creating a logistical plan,
placing vendors and setting
the layout of what attrac
tions will go where.
“It’s basically like put
ting together a giant jigsaw
puzzle that has to fit togeth
er just right, but it never
goes together the same way
twice,” he said.
Up from a soybean Held
Irwin’s history with the
fairgrounds stretches back
to the late 1980’s. After
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Price Information Service
figures, but it keeps mov
ing up.
In 2000, Holland said, gas
oline averaged 88 cents a
gallon and so did diesel.
The costs rose in 2001 and
then dipped down in 2002,
and after that the trouble
began.
Holland pointed out that
the cost of gasoline spiked
up to $3.05 in October, fol
lowing the Katrina disas
ter, and that all county
See FUELS, page 8A
'A Coca-Cola
representative
told me that police
In Atlanta often
find fingers inside
these vandalized
machines. It's
pretty gruesome,
but it happens.'
- Perry police captain Heath
Dykes
roughly S4OO, and esti
mates that the paper has
spent more than SIO,OOO
to replace racks since she
arrived.
“They’re tearing up these
racks from anywhere from
$5 to SSO in change,” she
said.
Dykes said that the vend
ing machines cost upwards
of S9OO to replace.
“They’ll take a crowbar
to it, a long screwdriver,
any tool they can,” he said.
“They’re tearing up a S9OO
machine for $5 worth of
change.”
Dykes said he has seen
an average of 10-15 of
these petty thefts every
year. Detectives are cur
rently working to identify
suspects in the recent rash
of newspaper rack thefts.
“When arrests are made,
the county tries to seek
restitution,” he said.
“Depending on the amount
of damage, SSOO or more,
See THEFTS, page 8A
the birth of his son, Irwin
moved back to Perry in
1988, but jobs in Houston
County were hard to come
by.
“At the time I was looking
for work, the fairgrounds
was still being built,” Irwin
said. “The only openings
were for laborers, so I took
what I could get.”
Irwin was able convince
the Alabama-based contrac
tor working on the project,
Carlson Construction, to
hire him.
“I brought a resume to
apply for a job as a laborer,”
he said. “But the man who
hired me said he would give
me a shot.”
Irwin was quickly promot
ed to equipment operator,
and by early 1990, was work
ing as assistant job superin
tendent on the project.
“I was actually the last
hourly employee paid to
work on the construction,”
he said.
See IRWIN, page 8A