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THURSDAY June 15, 2006 50< Willi 8"55108*00001 w, 4 VOLUME 136, NUMBER 117 OUR FRONT PORCH INSIDE In the beginning ■ The International City Warriors football team gears up for the start of the season. - Page 1B IN BRIEF Girl delivers baby in dugout ■ A teenage girl delivered her own baby in the dugout at Whitaker Field, behind the Recreation Department and City Hall in Warner Robins, on Wednesday around noon. The girl reportedly did not know she was pregnant. Both mother and baby are doing fine, according to EMS. - Ray Lightner Big birthday party ■ A celebration for a new Christian church in the com munity is being held at the Georgia National Fairgrounds on Sunday. Christ Lutheran Church of Perry will hold a celebration service from 2-3 p.m. in the Roquemore Conference Center. The service will be followed by activities for the whole family from 3-5 p.m. in Heritage Hall. For more information, call the church at 213-8937. Democratic women to meet ■ The Middle Georgia Democratic Women’s Club will have its regular meet ing at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Chef Audrey's Bistro, Margie Drive, Warner Robins. Arrive early for breakfast. $5 cov ers breakfast and gratuity. Visitors are welcome. RSVP to Beth Perera by phone 953-1933 or by e-mail to beth@chefbeth.com no later than Thursday. Homecoming concert ■ The His Witness Youth Choir will hold a homecom ing concert at Warner Robins Central Baptist Church, 1120 Lake Joy Road, at the inter section with Russell Parkway, on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The choir will present “Amazing God American Idols.” There is no admission charge. Dean's list ■ Kristina Elizabeth Clemons of Warner Robins was named to the spring 2006 dean’s list at Clayton State University for maintaining a grade point average of 3.6 or higher for the semester. BIRTHDAYS ■ Tina Lowe ■ Bill White ■ Dustin Pearce DEATHS ■ Larry G. Andrews INDEX LOCAL 2 A WEATHER 3 A OPINION 4 A COMICS 7 A SPORTS 1 B LEGALS 4 B CLASSIFIEDS ... 108 PERIODICAL .Award-Winning Xewspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest illilllllllllllllf IMl'll ill. i. II .■•11.....1i11..i1l COOI 0 GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UN IV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 ALL FOR ADC 301 Si r\i\q lit H'sros C<n xn Sim t; IS7O (7TT If f Mcmsttm Monte if (LLlje LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville Suspect sought in Family Dollar robbery By RAY LIGHTNER HHJ Staff Writer Perry Police are look ing for the black male that robbed the Family Dollar on Tuesday night. The suspect hid in the store after closing and herd ed the two employees into They call her... Chillywillie || : V: i HHJ Charlotte Perkin* Perry Hospital certified nursing assistant Willa Blige, known affectionately as Chilly Willie to most everyone in the facility, checks on Geraldine O’Ban non on Wednesday. £ 4was brought up to do right by people, to be nice. My parents taught us that honesty and trust will take you a long way that money can’t. Perry Hospital CNA keeps patients smiling By CHARLOTTE PERKINS HHJ Lifestyle Editor Most people who’ve spent some time at Perry Hospital already know Willie Blige, CNA. She’s the slim and trim one, usually in pink. She’s the one with the infectious smile. They call her “Chillywillie,” or sometimes just “Chilly.” That got started years ago by one of her patients, and now it’s the name that’s written on the sign that goes in each room, and changes with each shift. Perry Hospital is big on keeping things personal, and if you’re a patient www.hhjnews.com the office and tied them up, according to Det. Ken Ezell. “They were in the process of counting up the days till,” Ezell said, “when the black male approached them.” The suspect left through the back door with an undis closed amount of cash. there, you’ll jS |gggggg|^ know the first name of the cer- I? tifiled nursing assistant, the LPN and the RN who are respon- ' , |§ sible for your \ J||pp care. /jR&r Blige likes to BLIGE keep her patients happy and her co-workers laughing, but she’s got a serious side, too. Born in Savannah, she got interested in nursing when she worked as a Candy Striper at Memorial Hospital there. She got her training as a Ezell said the suspect threatened to kill the employees if they did not cooperate. The employees were not injured during the incident. The suspect is described as a black male, slim build, about 5-foot-9 to 6-foot tall, CNA later, and hopes to go back to school again and become a Magnetic Resonance Imaging technician. She’s already qualified to take blood sugar tests and blood pres sure in addition to managing the daily care, bathing and dressing, that keeps her patients comfort able. “I like to read to them,” she says. “I’ll read the paper to them if they want me to, and with the older people I’ll turn their televi sion sets on to Channel 11, the Christian channel.” When she’s not working with patients who are hospitalized, . See CNA, page 6A about 150 pounds with short hair, between 35 and 45 years old. He was dressed in all black with a jacket, pants and boots, Ezell said. “The employees got loose and called 911,” Ezell said. “Police arrived within a i\ Ew v.v / t \un Police Beat See what your local crimi nals TWO SECTIONS • 20 PAGES minute from the time we got the call.” Ezell was processing evidence from the scene Wednesday morning. “I hope we have something to work on.” Anyone with information See THEFT, page 6 A Houston Healthcare opposed to Peach move By RAY LIGHTNER HHJ Staff Writer While Houston Healthcare has filed its own certificates of need for expansion plans, it has also filed objections to the certificate of need filed by Peach County to move its hospital. Peach Regional Hospital in Fort Valley has plans to move to a site in Byron, “seven miles west of our hospital on Watson Boulevard, one mile west of 1-75,” said Houston Healthcare CEO Frank Aaron. Houston Healthcare filed its opposi tion to the Peach Regional request on Friday, Aaron said. “I don’t want to look like the bad guy, I just want the state to look at it.” Aaron noted there are no big objec tions in Peach County to the move, “unlike when we considered the move out on U.S. 41.” There are several reasons for the objec tion, he said. “First,” Aaron said, “is the population they serve is basically around Fort Valley and areas south and west. “If they move, they are seven miles from our door and 7.3 miles from their present location.” Both hospitals are designated for criti cal access, but Peach would be See MOVE, page 6A School board tentatively approves 2007 budget By MIKE GEORGE HHJ Staff Writer The Houston County Board of Education tentatively approved their fis cal year 2007 budget Tuesday, with a final vote expected June 28. According to a memorandum filed by Steve Thublin, the board of education’s assistant superintendent for finance and business operations, the school system expects to generate more than $192.87 million in revenues for their general fund, some 7 percent more than last year. But the school system is expected to spend nearly the same amount in the general fund, leaving roughly $15.2 mil lion for contingencies. Nearly 70 percent of the general fund is set aside for classroom instruction, with nearly 69 percent of expenditures taken up by salaries and another nearly 20 percent for employer-paid benefits. After recent property tax assessments, the school board expects property taxes to fall from the current y tax rate of 13.48 mills this year. According to Thublin’s report, the drop could be substantial this year. The board’s budget anticipates 5 per cent growth in the tax digest, another $1.89 million in additional revenues. The school board is anticipating that the county’s student population will con tinue to grow next year, following a typi cal growth pattern of 600 new students next year. The board’s budget includes a 4 per cent cost-of-living increase for employ ees, expected to cost more than $4.6 million for certified employees like teachers and counselors, and more than $870,000 for classified employees like See BUDGET, page 6 A