Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY
May 11, 2006
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 92
OUR
INSIDE
Congratulations!
B Westfield and Perry announce
academic winners
- Page 2A
State titles up for grabs
W After winning the Region 4-AAA
championship, Perry's track stars
have their sights set on gold in the
state meet this weekend. Plus, the
Panthers baseball team begins the
GHSA state tournament, facing
Benedictine in a doubleheader.
- Page 1B
Grand openings
B Several businesses celebrate
ribbon-cutting and groundbreaking
ceremonies.
- Page 4B
IN BRIEF
Great success
W The 2006 Battle of Byron
board of directors would like to
thank the City of Byron, the Byron
Police Department, Volunteer Fire
Department, sponsors, civic organi
zations, school and church groups,
volunteers and citizens of Byron for
their support.
The Battle was a tremendous suc
cess, the weather was perfect, the
mud was wet, the pies were sweet,
the lawnmowers were gassed, the
entertainment was fantastic, the
school band and chorus brought out
the crowds and the Battle raised
more than $9,000.
The directors are now collecting
pictures of this year's event to use
for advertising. If you have any to
share, you can e-mail them to byro
nbetterhometown@alitel.net or drop
them by the Byron Welcome Center
on Main Street.
Library hosts pet program
M Nola Brantley Memorial Library
plans to host a program for pre
schoolers Tuesday on choosing
a new pet. Capt. Brenda Parks-
Matherne, an animal control officer
with the Warner Robins Police
Department, will be on hand to
answer questions during that time.
The program is scheduled to begin
at 11 a.m. For more information,
contact children’s area assistant
Jamie Harvester at 923-0128.
-Mike George
BIRTHDAYS
Thursday
M Brittany Fluellen :
B Brandon Fluellen
B Brian McCullum
B Dawn Sayre
B Woodie Rush
Having a birthday or anniversary?
Call Chariotte Perkins at 987-
1823, ext. 234, or e-mail her at
cperkins@evansnewspapers.com.
DEATHS
B William Robert Heard I
INDEX
... e
YWEAIHMER ....... 3A
CINION .. ...... 4A
1RUNL5......... 10
SEEs... . ..... 18
S, . ..... 5B
CLASSIFIEDS ... 14C
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May 11, 2006
SERVING HOUSTON COUNTY.SINCE 1870
Che JJoiteisl
- LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
CITY OF PERRY, CITY OF WARNER ROBINS AND CITY OF CENTERVILLE
BOE makes an offer
on shopping center
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Assistant Editor
The strip shopping center on U.S.
41 in Perry was once bustling with
Piggly-Wiggly and Big B drugstore
customers, but that was more than
seven years ago.
Except for some tenants in the
smaller units, the 49,000 sq. ft. strip
building, now owned by Sunstate
Development Group in Augusta, has
been mostly empty since the grocery
store left and the drugstore followed
suit.
It could have a new owner soon.
On Tuesday, the Houston County
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A man known simply as Capt. Furat talks with the media during a visit to Robins AFB on Tuesday.
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VISIES RODINS AFB it cmesns o fricen bllt i the g
See FURAT, page 6A
Three county BOE posts up for re-election
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Assistant Editor
Houston County Board
of Education elections are
coming up in November,
with qualifying set for next
month under a new state
law that moves non-partisan
elections from the primary
to the general election. The
BOE seats for District 2,
District 4, and Post 6 will be
on the November ballot.
District 2
Jim Boswell, who holds the
District 2 seat, announced
last month that he will not
seek re-election.
District 2 includes a large
area in and contiguous to
the city of Warner Robins.
The district includes Lake
Joy Elementary School,
Quail Run Elementary
www.hhjnews.com
Board of Education voted to offer an
undisclosed sum for the purchase of
the shopping center building and six
acre lot. (The amount will be made
public if the offer is accepted and
the sale finalized, according to BOE
Chairman Pam Greenway)
Board member Griff Clements said
that at least one of the larger build
ings would be used for BOE records
storage if the sale goes through, but
the acquisition would also provide
future expansion space for Perry High
School if the need arises. The lot is
adjacent to the PHS campus.
See CENTER, page 6A
School, Shirley Hills
Elementary School, Feagin
Mill Middle School, Warner
Robins Middle School and
the Houston County Career
& Technology Center.
Kathy Brown, an Air
Force veteran currently
working toward a degree
from Macon State College,
said on Wednesday that she
plans to seek the District 2
seat.
Brown, who has been a
speakerat Boardof Education
meetings on a variety of
school issues, is the presi
dent of the Houston County
High School Parent Teacher
Student Association.
She said that as a board
member, she would encour
age more parental involve
ment.
“We parents are ultimate
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
The scar that runs between his thumb and index finger
serves as just one painful reminder of the costs of war in
Iraq.
But as he stretched out his scarred hand from his wheel
chair to greet a group of civilian workers at Robins Air
ly the ones who are respon
sible for our children,”
Brown said. “We’re either
going to be the one paying
the bail bondsman or the
college or the psychiatrist.
If we don’t get involved now,
we're going to pay in the
end.”
Another candidate for
District 2, according to
several sources, could be
Marianne Melnick, former
Principal of Warner Robins
High School, who retired
from the central office post
of Assistant Superintendent
for Student Services last
year. Ansel Peck, who is
active in community and
political circles in Houston
County, said on Tuesday
that he was supporting
Melnick, as well as Fred
Wilson. Melnick could not
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ENUGary Harmon
The Houston County Board of Education made an undisclosed offer
to buy the shopping center, left, from Sunstate Development Group.
If the purchase goes through, some of the building space would be
used for records storage. Perry High School (in the background) is
adjacent to the property, located on U.S. 41 across from the intersec
tion with Perimeter Road.
Force Base Tuesday, the man known as
Capt. Furat inspired more hope than
sympathy. by
Gripping one Hispanic worker’s hand
inside a cavernous C-17, the Iraqi Army
captain reached out with his left and
cupped the man’s hand in his.
“Thank you, brother,” he said.
Furat’s spinal cord was severed in a
| Christmas Day ambush. According to a
Washington Times report, Furat was vis
iting family at the time, and was riddled
with 12 bullets fired by gunmen dis-
be reached for comment on
her plans by press time.
District 4
Incumbent District 4
board member Fred Wilson
announced Tuesday that he
will seek a fourth term.
Wilson, who has served
before as chairman of the
board, said at Tuesday’s
board meeting that he
would continue to work
for “improvements in the
schools, for total equity
between schools, for closing
the achievement gap and
getting more businesses and
churches involved with the
schools.”
District 4, located entirely
in the urban area of Warner
Robins, includes Northside
Middle School, Lindsey
See BOE, page 6A
THREE SECTIONS * 26 PAGES
nine in
fight
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
On Tuesday at 1:48
p.m., officers of the
Warner Robins Police
Department responded
to D.L. Fountain Park on
Kimberly Road in refer
ence to a fight involving
15 to 30 suspects.
Calls to 911 reportedly
had up to 35 individu
als, some with baseball
bats, knives and at least
one gun, involved in the
incident.
According to a police
report, an emergency
response to the area by
the Police Department
quickly ended the alterca
tion. The responding offi
cers were able to locate
nine suspects in two cars
in the area of the inci
dent and took them into
custody for an array of
charges stemming from
the original call.
The following suspects
from Warner Robins were
arrested for affray: Justin
Lamar Jones, 23; Rashad
Tyrel Jones, 20; Anthony
Curtis Cromwell, 23; and
Gregorv King Glover, 19.
Cromwell also violated his
probation from Superior
Court on a felony enter
ing auto charge.
Broderick Lefure Davis
11, 21, of Warner Robins,
was charged with aggra
vated assault and point
ing a pistol at another.
Amaud Marquis McCants,
20, of Warner Robins was
charged with battery and
Irvin Leonard Mack, 30,
of Warner Robins, was
charged with aggravated
assault.
Two of those arrested
had open warrants and
face additional charges
for reportedly not telling
police their real names
when officers stopped
their vehicle. :
Emanuel Dwayne
Brown, 31, of Warner
Robins was charged with
giving false name and
date of birth, false state
ments/writings, affray
and the open warrant
with the Houston County
Sheriff’s Office.
Shedrick Donnell
Mitchell, 32, of Warner
Robins was arrested for
giving false name and
date of birth, false state
ments/writings, driving
on a suspended license
and an open warrant from
Bibb County Sheriff’s
Office.
ENU/Gary Harmon
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