Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY
June 14,2006
volume 136, no. 116
OUR
FRONT
PORCH
Got the blues?
■ We've got the recipes. Our
weekly food section outlines
the best dishes for blueber
ries. and blackberries, too.
- Page 1C
IN BRIEF
Reporting for duty
■ Air Force Airman Ist Class
Alexandria D. Blackmon has
arrived for duty at Ramstein
Air Base, Kaiserslautern,
Germany. Blackmon is the
granddaughter of Ernes R.
Childs of Belmont St., and
niece of Elizabeth R. Thomas
of Elm St., both of Bonaire.
She is a 2005 graduate of
Warner Robins High School.
SHOUT OUT
Thank you
■ "Perry Country Club would
like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone who helped,
participated, or made a dona
tion to our second annual .
‘Making Miracles Happen A
for Kids' Golf Classic.
"We exceeded our goal
for last year and the money
we raised goes directly to the
Children’s Hospital.
“Your names will be dis
played on a sign at PCC to
show your support of this
tournament. We could not
have done it without your
donations and help.
“It is so gratifying to have
special people who are willing
to contribute to such a worthy
cause.
“Thanks again for your sup
port."
- Perry Country Club
staff
BIRTHDAYS
■ Doug Brock
■ Evelyn King
■ Jessica Kozak
ANNIVERSARIES
■ Malcolm and Linda Davis
DEATHS
■ Jennie Goodwin Robuck
INDEX
LOCAL 2 A
WEATHER 3 A
OPINION 4 A
LIFESTYLE 9 A
SPORTS 1 B
COMICS 4 B
CLASSIFIEDS .... 5 B
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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
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Langston Road
annexation
sparks debate
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
Local homeowners con
tinue to rail against annex
ation along Langston Road.
Discussion of the annex
ation of roughly 44 acres
along Langston Road turned
contentious at the Perry
Planning Commission’s
regular meeting Monday
evening.
Dee Allison and her neigh
bors along Langston Road
have been fighting annexa
tion in the area for nearly
a year. According to city
planners, more than 1,000
homes are already on the
slate for the area.Concems
over traffic, stormwater
runoff and the changing
nature of the area have
been unsuccessful in con
vincing city leaders to deny
several recent annexation
requests.
But their comments
Monday convinced
Commissioner J fm Mehserle
to vote against the commis
sion in their recommenda
tion supporting the annexa
tion request. A final deci
sion on the annexation will
be made by the Perry City
Council.
Allison said that develop
ment in the area will create
a “mess” of traffic, flooding
and other problems.
Although Perry
Community Planner Mike
Beecham said in his report
to the commission Monday
that the area is experiencing
growth, with new subdivi
sions south of the property,
M.L. Dukes, who lives along
www.hhjnews.com
A dog’s
best friend
k Soldier honored for
p saving dog in Iraq
By Brian Shreve
HHJ Intern
To Staff Sgt. Christopher McCleskey, Katja is not a dog,
but another soldier he would never leave behind.
McCleskey, a member of the 78th Security Forces
| Squadron, was honored this past Friday at Robins Air Force
B Base for risking his own life to save his military canine part-
H| ner while stationed in Iraq.
The Vietnam K-9 Handlers Association presented an award
Eg to the 29-year-old McCleskey, an Alabama native who has
|H served in the Air Force for eight years.
When his living quarters caught fire, McCleskey hurriedly
■ crawled through the burning building, pulling the dog to
«■ safety.
Langston, said the area is
not developed, and does not
have the infrastructure in
place to handle growth.
Dr. E.R. McDannald,
who owns roughly 6 acres
directly southwest of the
property, said he’s filed
roughly a dozen formal
complaints with the Georgia
Environmental Protection
Division over flooding on
his property. Although
McDannald has lived on his
property since 1994, he said
that flooding on his prop
erty has been spurred by
the recent development of
the Notting Hill subdivision
nearby.
Lindsay Bailey, an annex
ation and zoning specialist
with Ocmulgee, an engi
neering firm in Perry, said
the 44-acre property will
be developed into 120 lots,
with a 40 foot wooded buf
fer around the property.
More than 40 percent of the
property will be set aside
for greenspace, with mini
mum 14,000 square foot
homes. The firm developing
the property, The Knight
Group, Inc., is based in
Jonesboro. Bailey said the
group plans to begin con
struction in March 2007,
with a completion date
set for 2010. Jay Knight,
president of the group, said
they have every intention
of building, despite the
contention, of being good
neighbors.
The Perry City Council
could hold a public hearing
on the annexation July 18.
See ANNEX, page 6A
A Blackhawk helicopter then flew him and the unrespon
sive Katja to the Baghdad Airport, where the dog received
treatment before completing a successful rehabilitation
period.
Receiving the award from the Vietnam veterans was
something McCleskey said left him “lost for words.”
l “It’s a tremendous honor,” he said, “Not only to
have my base commander here, but to have men who
pounded the ground long before I did. They set
the standard for K-9 handlers
throughout the service.”
McCleskey became partnered
with Katja a month before being
deployed to Iraq. While there, the
See DOG, page 6A
Staff Sgt. Christopher McCleskey is
congratulated by his canine partner,
Katja, during an award ceremony
last week. McCleskey rescued Katja
ENi/Gary urmon\ from a burnin 9 building in Iraq.
Primary deadline approaching
By Charlotte Perkins
HHJ staff writer
Have you changed your
address since the last elec
tion? Have you never got
ten around to registering to
vote?
If you want to vote in
the July 18 primary elec
tion and aren’t registered
yet, now’s the time to get
moving. You must regis
ter on or before Monday to
vote in the primary. Name
or address changes must be
made before Monday, too.
In the primary election,
candidates will be cho
A ‘Head’ of the game
' JS- jk t 4’ j
HHJ Don Moncrtef
Tyler Head delivers a pitch to the plate for the Mariners on Monday at Whitaker
Field in Warner Robins. The game was part of the Warner Robins Recreation
Department’s postseason play. For more see 18.
THREE SECTIONS • 18 PAGES
sen to run as Democrats
or Republicans in the gen
eral election in November.
Voters may choose the ballot
of either party, regardless
of past choice, but may only
vote in one.
Key races in this pri
mary are for governor, Lt.
governor, the U.S. House of
Representatives, a number of
top state posts such as super
intendent of schools and
secretary of state, and two
county commission posts.
If a runoff is necessary,
it will be held on August
8. Only those registered by
tv h v.t ms f \ un\ A n m
Is there a
gun where
your child
plays?
June 21 is National
Asking Saves Kids Day
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
“Is there a gun where my child
plays?”
Safe Kids of Houston County joins
gun safety advocates across the coun
try in urging parents to ask whether
firearms are present in the homes
where their children play. National
ASK Day, on Wednesday, is pro
claimed by the Asking Saves Kids
campaign to remind parents to ask
that question: “Is there a gun where
my child plays?”
Approximately one out of three U.S.
households with children contains at
least one gun, and according to Safe
Kids, each year, in the United States,
approximately 60 children ages 14
and under are killed by accidental
gunshots and more than 730 go to the
emergency room with injuries from
gun-related accidents - not counting
approximately 6,600 injured in acci
dents involving BB guns and other
air-powered arms.
“Children should not have access
to guns,” says Patsy Zoumberis, Safe
Kids Houston County coordinator.
“More than half of the parents sur
veyed who own guns and have chil
dren ages 4-12 said they keep a load
ed or unlocked gun in the home.”
—* According to a 2002 survey commis
sioned by the ASK campaign, 97 per
cent of parents who own guns “would
feel comfortable if another parent
See GUNS, page 6A
Monday will be eligible to
vote in the run-off.
Registration forms are avail
able at Centerville, Perry and
Warner Robins city halls, all
public libraries, the Houston
County Annex Building in
Warner Robins and the Board
of Elections office in the
Houston County Government
Building in Perry.
For further information
call the Houston Board of
Elections at 987-1973 or
visit wwww.houstoncoun
tyga.org and click on the
Board of Elections link on
the left side of the page.
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