Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY
June 7,2006
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 111
OUR
FRONT
PORCH
INSIDE
Rodeo time
■ The Georgia High School Rodeo
was held Friday and Saturday at
the Ag Center in Perry. See pictures
from the event.
- Page 5A
SHOUT OUT
Thank you!
■ To the couple that stopped
and offered to help me at
the comer of U S. 41 and
Sandefeur Road (May 27),
then followed me to my drive
way: You turned left, not giv
ing me the opportunity to let
you know how much I appre
ciate your concern for me
Thank you. Thank you. You
were my guardian angels,
sent by our Lord God. Bless
you both. You were so
thoughtful and kind. Nothing
bad was wrong with my car...
a belt came off.
Velma Batchelor, Perry
IN BRIEF
In addition
■ The Perry Beautification
Commission added one more
Yard of the Month to its list for
June. It goes out to William
Watson of 204 Windemere.
It's an honor
■ Lisa Gregory of Warner
Robins was among 28 stu
dents at Georgia Southern
University honored at the
university's annual Student
Leadership Awards and
Recognition Banquet recently.
Gregory received the Catch a
Rising Star Award. The award
was presented to a student
leader with less than two
years of dedicated involve
ment in student life who has
exemplified a commitment to
enhancing campus life.
BIRTHDAYS
Wednesday
■ Carrie Soderman
■ Sharon Persons
■ Kaleb Kushinka
DEATHS
■ Jessie R. Hamilton
INDEX
LOCAL 2 A
WEATHER 3 A
OPINION 4 A
BUSINESS 6 A
SPORTS 1 B
COMICS 4 B
CLASSIFIEDS 5 B
PERIODICAL
Award-Winning
Sewspaper
2004
Better Sewspaper
Contest
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* LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
cm* of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Police investigating possible kidnapping
ByRAYUGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Perry Police were looking for
Russell “Rusty” Horton, 37, and a
2-month-old child Tuesday.
He was accused of taking the child,
Jaylynn Nevay Blount, without pier
mission. Perry piolice chief George
Potter said Horton picked up the
child from the babysitter, Deborah
Dunn, on Park Avenue in Perry
Tuesday about 8:30 a.m.
Potter said Dunn was watching the
child for the father as the mother is
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The Whitestone Bluegrass Band played at the opening of the Perry Farmers’ Market on Saturday. The band is
made up of Tommy New (guitar), Bobby Rhodes (banjo), Dwight Strickland (guitar), Milton Culpepper (bass), Lew
Glover (mandolin) and Steve Collins.
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HHJ' Charlotte Perkins
Noting that growth in Houston County
“is not about growth anymore, but about
greed,” Dee Allison of Langston Road told
the commissioners: “I'd like to see you
guys preserve some of this county for
the farmers. Let’s try to grow something
besides houses in Houston County."
County building
fees set to rise
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Staff Writer
The cost of building in Houston County
just went up a little bit.
The Houston County Board of
Commissioners voted on Tuesday morning
to increase building permit costs across the
board.
A permit for a 2000 sq. ft. dwelling will
go up from $412.50 to $545. A permit for a
250 sq. ft. dwelling will go up from $456.25
to $650. With mobile homes, singlewide
See FEES, page 6 A
currently incarcerated. Dunn report
edly told police the child was too
much to handle since she has three of
her own and called someone to come
get the baby.
The father of the child told police
he did not give Horton a fam
ily friend permission to take the
child. “He had no reason to pick up
the child,” Potter said.
Potter said Tuesday police were in
the beginning stages of the investiga
tion. “We’ll do an Amber Alert.”
Perry Police also issued the alert by
Play me some good ole music
www.hhjnews.com
Warner Robins council faces
choice concerning millage
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
The Warner Robins City
Council faces a tough decision on
taxes in the coming weeks.
Warner Robins’ tax digest, the
total value of all property in the
city, has jumped to over $1.24
billion this year, spurred by con
tinuing growth and recent prop
erty tax reevaluations.
The city uses the tax digest to
help set their millage rate, which
in turn, determines how much
each homeowner pays in prop
erty taxes.
But Georgia Senate Bill
177, approved by the General
Assembly in 1999, established
the “Taxpayer Bill of Rights,”
designed to protect property
owners from indirect tax increas
es through reassessments, and
calls for cities and local govern
ments to rollback millage rates
in response.
The city currently has a millage
rate of 9.8 mills, which according
to city records, generated more
than 10 million in revenue this
fiscal year.
Mayor Donald Walker’s new
budget, based on a rolled back
millage rate of 9.228 mills, is
expected to generate more
than 11.4 million in revenue.
But the state law could allow
Warner Robins to keep its exist
ing millage rate, which Walker
said during Monday’s council
work session would give the city
an extra $690,000 to work with.
The law does require the city to
hold three separate public hear
ings if they plan to set the mill-
recording to area home and business
telephones, including the Houston
Home Journal.
“It doesn’t seem to be foul play,”
Potter said, “but we’re not taking
any chances.”
The white child, 2-foot-1 with
brown hair and brown eyes, was last
seen wearing a blue and white onesie
with a picture of a giraffe on it.
Horton, a white male, is 6-foot,
200 pounds, with short red hair and
blue eyes. He was last seen wearing
a white T-shirt, khaki shorts and
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HHJ Mlke George
Warner Robins mayor Donald Walker, right, reads from a procla
mation recognizing Foster Care Month during the Warner Robins
City Council’s regular meeting Monday. Walker also took time dur
ing Monday’s meeting to recognize Joyce Handy and the Houston
County Department of Family and Children Services for their work
with foster children.
age at the same rate as this
year.
Councilman Terry Horton said
that the property tax rollback
won’t be much of a break for
homeowners who have seen their
property values go up under the
recent reassessment late last
month. But Councilman Dean
Cowart expressed his concerns
that continuing to lower the mill
age rate may hurt the city in the
THREE SECTIONS • 18 PAGES
was driving a baby blue 2004 Dodge
Intrepid, tag number AKQ 7600.
Houston County Sheriffs depu
ties assisted in a search of possible
locations where Horton was known
to hang out, including residences on
Klondike Road and Chisom Court.
According to police, Horton may be
headed to Sarasota, Fla., where the
child’s aunt Kim Rice lives.
Capt. Heath Dykes is heading the
case and anyone with information
is asked to contact the Perry Police
Department at 988-2800.
Wreck
caused by
careless
driving
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
A Perry man was critically
injured Monday after sheriffs
deputies say a tractor-trailer
slammed into the back of his
truck at the intersection of
Bear Branch Road and Ga.
247. According to police, the
truck ran onto the shoulder,
flipped twice before landing
upright on a set of railroad
tracks.
Sean Alexander, a traffic
supervisor with the Houston
County Sheriffs Office, said
Duane Rothe, an employee
of Perry Volunteer Outreach,
remains in critical, yet sta
ble condition, at the Macon
Medical Center.
Rothe was partially ejected
from the truck but slid back
into his seat when the truck
settled. Alexander said inves
tigators have not determined
if Rothe was wearing his seat
belt.
According to Alexander, the
driver of the tractor-trailer,
James Rountree of Claxton,
has been charged with reck
less driving, following too close
and serious injury by vehicle.
long run, forcing the council to
make the unpopular decision to
raise the millage rate if the city
doesn’t have enough money to
operate.
Keeping a campaign promise to
lower the millage rate to 10 mills,
Walker’s administration has con
sistently lowered property taxes
in the city in recent years. After
the millage rate reached 10.04
See MILLS, page 6A
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