Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY
June 8, 2006
VOLUME 136, NUMBER 112
OUR
FRONT
PORCH
COMING FRIDAY
Resignation accepted
■ Centerville City Council
voted to accept Centerville
Fire Chief Larry Sharpless’
“voluntary and irrevocable
notice of retirement” in its
regular meeting Tuesday
night. The council put
Sharpless on administrative
leave with pay in a special
called meeting on May 5.
IN BRIEF
Meeting called
■ A town hall meeting will
be held at Centerville City
Hall today at 10 a.m. The
purpose of the meeting is
for council members to hear
citizens' opinions about the
possible repeal of the senior
citizens tax law that allows
100 percent exemption on
property tax for seniors age
70 and older and the pos
sible change in law allowing
sale of alcohol by the drink
on Sundays in restaurants.
These two topics may even
tually be put to public vote in
the form of a referendum.
Masouras honored
■ Air Force Airman and per
sonnel apprentice Michael J.
Masouras. who is assigned
to Hurlburt Field, Fort Walton
Beach, Fla., has been named
the 17th Mission Support
Squadron's Airman of the
Quarter. Selection was based
on the his exemplary duty
performance, job knowledge,
leadership qualities, signifi
cant self-improvement, spe
cific achievements, notable
accomplishments, and com
munity service and support.
He is the son of Jimmy and
Shirley Masouras of Hazel
Drive, Warner Robins. His
wife, Jessica, is the daughter
of Alex and Charlotte Searcy
of Prower Place, Bonaire. He
is a 2001 graduate of Warner
Robins High School.
Jones re-ups
■ William L. Jones, who is
originally from Perry, and is
currently a sonar technician
second class and onboard
the USS Vicksburg (CG-69),
a Naval cruiser homeported
in Mayport, Fla., recently
reenlisted for six more years.
BIRTHDAYS
Thursday
■ Josh Ray
■ Johnny Evans
DEATHS
■ Doris Watson Gill
■ James J. Howard
■ Sanne’ Alexandria Pinkett
■ Wynelle Anderson Tucker
INDEX
LOCAL 2 A
WEATHER 3 A
OPINION 4 A
HONOR ROLL 5 A
SPORTS 1 B
comics. .: 11 B
CLASSIFIEDS ... 128
PERIODICAL
Award-Winning
Sewspaper
2004
Better Sewspaper
Contest
COOI 0
GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
Main Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
ALL FOR ADC 301
V/ am / \f, llnrs/os (’m \n \a: 1870
(/SJt If i Jinn start JMame if
dim
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, cm' of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Perry man dies after truck accident
Local charity worker described as a
faithful foot soldier by friends, family
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
Among friends and co
workers, Duane Rothes
quiet example will live on.
Critically injured in an
accident along Ga. 247 and
Bear Branch Road Monday
morning, Rothe died
It boggles the mind
■ inp **
IIH.I Charlotte Herkina
Above, Kathryn Lanier looks through the balsa wood structure that supported 775 lbs. at the Oddysey of the Mind
world competition in Ames, lowa., recently. Most of the team’s work was done at the home of their coach, James
Yawn. Their faculty advisor from Warner Robins High is Scott Daniel. Below, seated on the bottom step are Kyle
Yawn, Kathryn Lanier and Katie Causey; on the second step, Marc Kushinka; third step, Scott Daniel and James
Yawn. Team members not pictured here are Sophia Uddin and Garrett Pruett.
Local Odyssey group
places sth in world
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Lifestyle Editor
Remember balsa wood?
It’s the stuff that
inexpensive model
airplanes used to be made
of so light you could
break it with your bare
hand.
Can you imagine building
a structure of balsa wood
that would hold 755 lbs?
Well, that’s what six
local teenagers just accom
plished.
The Warner Robins High
School Houston County
High School Odyssey of the
Mind team went to world
finals in lowa on May 24-27
and placed sth in the world
in the Geometry Structure
problem, division 111. The
team’s structure held 775
pounds, carefully placed.—
one weight at a time. This
was 230 pounds more than
Governor, Mayor to
sign land swap deal
ByRAYUGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Governor Sonny Perdue is
coming to Warner Robins
Friday morning to finalize
a land swap between the
city and the state for land
adjacent to Robins Air Force
Base.
Perdue and Mayor Donald
Walker will sign and
exchange deeds for the land
swap at City Hall Friday
around 9:45 a.m.
♦ The city’s land - 330.746
acres east of the base along
the Ocmulgee River - was
acquired from the U.S. gov
ernment as surplus on July
Tuesday afternoon at the
Macon Medical Center.
One of three full-time
employees of the Perry
Volunteer Outreach, Rothe
had picked up a donated
baby bed, and was on his way
back to the PVO’s office on
it held at the state competi
tion.
They were the ninth
ranked team in terms of
weight (an Arizona school
held 980 pounds), but their
highly original and visually
arresting performance of
their solution enabled them
to “leapfrog several other
teams and place among the
top six teams,” according
to the faculty advisor Scott
Daniel.
Kathryn Lanier, the
extrovert of the group,
explains it her way.
“With imagination, any
thing is possible.”
Kathryn, Katie Causey,
and Sophia Uddin were
involved in giving an origi
nal skit at both the state
competition and the world
finals. Kyle Yawn, Marc
Kushinka and Garrett
See MIND, page 6A
10, 1973. Use of the land,
which is prone to flooding,
was and will remain restrict
ed to outdoor recreation pur
poses.
In exchange the state will
convey to the city a 544-acre
tract, a portion of which has
been designated as the loca
tion for base support facili
ties. It is adjacent to the
base along the Echeconnee
River.
Some of it is flood plain
and hardwoods, City
Development Director Jesse
Fountain said in December,
but some is useable. “What
See LAND, page 6A
www.hhjnews.com
Home
Office, Rothe
was turning onto Bear
•' - M -, ri ,■ '"At*!
$ v
M >■ |
MB w'iiKSv [ i . 'ff-.
Medical Center receives award
for excellence in improvement
Special to the HHJ
Houston Medical
Center has been awarded
the 2006 Insight Award
in recognition as one of
18 hospitals in the nation
honored for excellence
in operational perfor
mance improvement by
Solucient, an information
products company serving
the healthcare industry
by providing comparative
measurements of cost,
quality and market per
formance.
The award was pre
sented to Houston
Medical Center at the
2006 Solucient Insight
Conference in Phoenix,
Branch Road when a trac
tor-trailer following close
behind clipped the back of
his pickup truck, forcing
Rothe onto the shoulder.
Rothe’s pickup rolled over
several times before landing
on its tires on a set of rail
road tracks. Rothe was par
tially ejected from the cab of
the pickup, suffering severe
head trauma and internal
injuries. Investigators have
Commerce
Street when
the accident
occurred.
According
to Cpl. Sean
Alexander
with the
Houston
County
Sheriff’s
Ariz.
“Solucient measures
cost, quality and perfor
mance data for more than
1,800 hospitals across the
country, said Houston
Healthcare CEO Frank
Aaron, “using criteria
based purely on perfor
mance improvement from
one year to the next. We
are very pleased to receive
this award in recognizing
the efforts of our staff
and physicians in reduc
ing costs and improving
productivity in order to
achieve operational excel
lence.”
“Solucient is proud to
See AWARD, page 6 A
TWO SECTIONS • 18 PAGES
not determined if Rothe
was wearing his seatbelt at
the time, but the driver of
the tractor-trailer, James
Rountree of Claxton, has
already been charged with
reckless driving, following
too close and serious injury
by motor vehicle, a felony
that carries up to a 15-year
jail sentence, according to
Alexander. No additional
See ROTHE, page 6A
Child
found in
Sarasota
Family friend charged
with kidnapping
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
The search for a missing
child ended as well as could
be hoped Tuesday when
Jaylynn Blount was found in
Sarasota, Fla.
“The child is in protective
custody,” said Perry police
chief George Potter, “and the
perp is also in custody.”
The 2-month-old was
reportedly taken there by
Russell Horton on Tuesday
without the father’s knowl-
edge or per
mission.
“We knew
about an
hour ahead
of time
where he
was going,”
Potter said,
“and they
were there
waiting for
him.”
The capture was made at
the home of the child’s aunt
by the Sarasota Sheriffs
Office at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Potter said Horton picked
up the child from babysit
ter Deborah Dunn on Park
Avenue in Perry Tuesday
morning about 8:30 a.m.
Potter said Dunn was
watching the child for the
father as the mother, Shirley
Lord Patel, is currently incar
cerated. Her charges include
theft by deception, accord
ing to the Houston County
Sheriffs Office.
Dunn reportedly 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
child’s father, Jason Blount
told police he did not give
Horton, a family friend, per
mission to take the child.
“He had picked up the child
for the father before,” Potter
said, “so it was not unusual
for Dunn to give him the
child. He was allowed.”
There will be a hearing
in Florida since a minor is
involved, Potter said. “We’ve
asked Capt. Jerry Stewart of
the Houston County Sheriff s
Office Juvenile Division to
assist in the process to quick
ly bring the child back up
here.”
The custody of the child
will be determined by the
Department of Family and
Children Services, Potter
said, whether the child would
be returned to the father.
Horton has been charged
with kidnapping and endan
gering a child. Police have
filed for extradition to get
him back to Perry.
The Houston district attor
ney will decide on charges for
Dunn and if any others will
be charged. Potter said the
aunt in Florida and Dunn
will not be charged, but “we’ll
be seeking more charges (on
Horton), Potter said. “You
can count on that.”
i\ Ev :lvv V/:n smrift
500
unit
8" r S5108 , 00001 ,, "4
HORTON