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FRIDAY June 9, 2006 VOLUME 136, NUMBER 113 OUR FRONT PORCH IN BRIEF Authority finds hits on Internet ■ The Houston County Development Authority is mak ing a splash on the Internet. The development board's new Web site, www.houston countyga.net, has seen over 32,000 hits since the new site debuted online early last month. HCDA Executive Director Morgan Law said during the board’s monthly meeting Wednesday that online visi tors stay on the site an aver age of five to six minutes, with some browsing for up to 20 minutes. According to Law, more people are visiting the site on weekends, with an average of 153 hits on weekend days, compared to an average of 95 hits for weekdays. The site was designed by Cox Business Services, a division of Atlanta-based Cox Communications, Inc. Maria Garnto, project manager for the development authority, spent nearly four months working with the company on the Web site. The site offers a variety of information for business and industry, but may quickly become a valuable resource for new homeowners, entre preneurs and even travelers. The site also includes infor mation on the county's labor market, property tax rates, education, health care, tax incentives for business, and even climate figures. The Houston County Development Authority strives to be the primary point of contact for economic development activities in Centerville, Perry and Warner Robins, as well as unincorpo rated Houston County. Mike George BIRTHDAYS Friday ■ Elizabeth Soderman ■ Lucy Hicks ■ Stacy Minter ■ Andy Johnson ■ David Walker ANNIVERSARIES Friday ■ Wayne and Sheila Harris Having a birthday or anniver sary? Cali Charlotte Perkins at 987-1823, ext. 234, ore-mail her at cperkins<B>e vansnewspapers com. DEATHS ■ Almeda Harrison Carlisle ■ Marie L. Hayes INDEX LOCAL 2 A WEATHER 3 A OPINION 4 A SPORTS 1 B FAITH & FAMILY .. 3B COMICS 4 B CLASSIFIEDS .... 5 B PERIODICAL Award-Wuuung \rwspaper 2004 Better S'ewspaper Contest liiil>liiii l i| ll ll l( ,,,1,111, M || |( ,|| M||a | ( || |a '|| COOI o GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 ALL FOR ADC 301 SFKMMi Hni sm\ ( nr\n Sim t. IS7O (77T t irlansiiiTtt JMmiu' If (Ehe ,ij comral LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, cit\’ of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville New trial needed for 1984 murder Ga. Supreme Court sends case back By RAY UGHTNER HHJ Staff Writer The Houston County Grand Jury indicted Timothy Johnson on Tuesday for the offenses of murder, armed robbery and aggravated bat tery in the shooting death of Taressa J. Stanley on Sept. 14, 1984. Stanley was shot and killed during an armed robbery of the Kwickie Food Store on Wall Street at Wellborn Road in Warner Robins. Johnson was Good look around ■vV ' . m 4»§g V*. I:*.'/" Wm ■ ■ % ¥m Jpll * h iViSHrY M / ■ggyg| lIP - .tig Klip i ISs JBRD* -&s-. .fflaMBM jLy BB it*.: ■ - §m i ipium »i_ j - . ,jg, * la WBm My :Mi HllJ/Mike George Laura Loewen has seen Houston County grow in the years since she was a young girl in Centerville, and has watched Perry move through an unprecedented housing boom. Loewen has life-long perspective on growth By MIKE GEORGE HHJ Staff Writer Laura Loewen has lived within the same 20-mile radius of Houston County her entire life. She can remember when Russell Parkway wasn’t much more than a bypass, and the Rama Theatre was the only place around to see “Charlotte’s Web.” But Houston County has grown since she was a little girl living on Elizabeth Drive in Centerville in the late 19605, and Loewen has grown along with it. Pool talk fails to cool Perry council members’ tempers By MIKE GEORGE HHJ Staff Writer Tempers flared during the Perry City Council’s regular meeting Tuesday, when dis cussion turned to closing the city’s only public pool. Councilwoman Phyllis Bynum-Grace said she could remember swimming at Creekwood Park when she was a child. But after decades as a haven from the summer heat, Perry’s recre ation director, Rick Kilgore, said the Creekwood pool has fallen into disrepair. Kilgore said the pool is more than 40 years old, and told the council that health www.hhjnews.com subsequently charged and arrested for that murder, entered a guilty plea in Superior Court and spent 22 years in prison. On Feb. 13, the Georgia Supreme Court sent the case back to the Houston County Superior Court by for a new trial. Houston District Attorney Kelly Burke said the case was sent back because “Johnson pleaded guilty but later on com plained that nobody advised him of Mb a weekly series by Mike George “Centerville has really come into it’s own since then,” she said. “No one even knew what a galleria was then.” Since 1988, Loewen has worked for the city of Perry, and now serves as inspectors have recently raised concerns about the pool’s ability to stop bacte ria. Kilgore suggested that children who want to swim could be transported to Warner Robins or to the pool at Fort Valley State University, but Grace raised concerns over liabilty. Mary Lou Simon, who crit icized the council Tuesday, arguing they haven’t done enough to fix the pool, said outside Tuesday’s meeting that the city is focused more on fixing problems at Rozar Park, and is largely ignoring problems at Creekwood. his rights and the state Supreme Court agreed.” “I disagree with the Supreme Court,” Burke said, “but we will go ahead with this. They ordered a new trial so we’ll give him one.” “The Grand Jury’s indictment is the first step in the process of get ting justice for the family of Taressa Stanley,” said Burke. “Her family believed for years that justice had been done, but their hopes were dashed by the Supreme Court’s deci sion.” Johnson pleaded guilty in 1984 Councilman Riley Hunt questioned spending money to fix, or replace, the pool if few area children actually swim there. “It doesn’t make sense to spend $1 million on some thing if only 25 kids are using it,” he said. But when questioned about how many children actually use the pool, Simon argued that numbers aren’t impor tant. Outside Tuesday ! s meeting, Simon also argued that spending money on a new pool may actually bring more swimmers to the pool, even from outside of Perry. See POOL, page 6A an administrative assistant for the office of City Manager Lee Gilmour and Mayor Jim Worrall. You may have spotted her writing down notes dur ing the council’s regular meetings, or heard her voice when you called with a question. Born in Centerville in 1964, Loewen went to elementary school in Centerville and Warner Robins, but spent her middle and high school years in Perry. “People think that Warner Robins is busy now, but there’s always been See GROW, page 6A jgKf Iflpi \ * ill? Mk'Jk mwm,. i MMBMI IB _j ilii.f Mike George Perry mayor Jim Worrall, second from left, recognizes volunteers with the Great American Cleanup, the annual national effort to beautify the country, during the Perry City Council’s regular meeting Tuesday. From left, Mary Lou Simon, Willie Thornton, Kim Thomas and Joan Dorsett join the Mayor during the recognition. TWO SECTIONS • 12 PAGES to charges of murder and armed robbery and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences by then- Houston Superior Court Judge Willis Hunt. The prosecutor was Theron Finlayson, the district attor ney at the time. Johnson subsequently filed the instant habeas petition claiming that his pleas were not entered knowingly, intelligently and volun tarily because he was not advised of his constitutional rights. After a hearing at which Johnson’s original See TRIAL, page 6A iv hw v.v / \\ni\ V* n k 500 IIHI. Council accepts chief’s noticed By KIMBERLY CASSEL PRITCHETT HHJ Contributing Writer Centerville City Council voted to accept Centerville Fire Chief Larry Sharpless’ “vol untary and irrevocable notice of retirement” in its regular Tuesday night meeting. Sharpless had been on administrative leave with pay pending review of his employment status since May 5 when council held a special called meet ing to vote on changing Sharpless’ employment status. That vote was unani mous by council with the exception of Councilman Cameron Andrews who was not present. “When possible and when circumstances per mit, I would like to see the city offer administra tive leave with pay dur ing the time an employee is considering retire ment while they consider their options,” explained Centerville city attorney Rebecca Tydings late Wednesday afternoon. Sharpless signed a “Severance Agreement and Full and Final Release of All Claims” with the city May 26; however, “city employees who are department heads and higher require a vote by mayor and council to have their employment status changed,” Centerville city administrator Patrick Eidson explained last month. According to the sev erance agreement, Sharpless’ retirement becomes effective July 1. See CHIEF, page 6A