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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 Sii({i!liiiiiln!l Mil.nil.. .If ..ml. II...II COOI 0 GEORGS* PROJECT Man Library UNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 ALL FOR ADC 301 Ser\ isa HnvsTos Oh xn Sisci; 1870 ©re 1 !rurM * 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 ■-V ■. J ■ I tJB afiyrp; • /r« 4H#Bn. r< wetSMßElfflP*'- it'* H TKEefi ", \\ HU 11 yJKBmw _Jb . \ 11 iBB _ - 11 * -•A ''ll — Hubmltted 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. ji *► pp ;?;J' %li ... {fcjyjf&aMl a — sm —lOH 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 . ft ' A% "... . / 'l*-'; =£.»;. ; • . ip®®®* 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 tv £i;ivv Family tSwsruwft 500 llllllil B™s 5108*0 0001 11 4