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WEDNESDAY June 21,2006 VOLUME 136 , NUMBER 121 OUR FRONT PORCH INSIDE Tims for tomato sandwiches ■ The Houston Home Journal’s weekly food section discusses the way to make a proper sandwich, debating the mayo vs. Miracle Whip dressing. Page 1C IN BRIEF Board of Ed meets ■ The Houston County Board of Education has called a special meeting for the pur pose of final approval of the Houston County Board of Education 2006-07 Budget and to set the millage rate for FY2007. This meeting will be held at the Houston County Career & Technology Center, 1311 Corder Road, Warner Robins, June 28 at 12:30 p.m. BIRTHDAYS Tuesday ■ Barbara Jean Cumbess ■ Scott McSwain ■ LaWanna Welch ■ Peggy King Today ■ Jacob Hair ■ Sammy Beckham ■ Sharon Johnson ■ Dorothy Flynn ANNIVERSARIES Tuesday ■ Lisa and Chad Wicker Today ■ Janet and Larry Sayre ■ Sharon and Chip Shelton Having a birthday or anniver sary? Call Charlotte Perkins at 987-1823, ext. 234, ore-mail her at cperkms@evansnewspapers com. DEATHS ■ Luther A. Reeves Sr. INDEX LOCAL 2 A WEATHER 3 A OPINION 4 A LIFESTYLE 9 A SPORTS 1 B COMICS 4 B CLASSIFIEDS .... 5 B PERIODICAL Award-Winning \rwspaper /csjHsv*\ ®§® Contest COOI 0 GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 ALL FOR ADC 301 Senvisti Hoi >r. \ Corxn Sim i ISTO 3) LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and cm’ of Centerville WR adopts $55 million budget General fund budget based on lower millage rate By RAY UGHTNER HHJ Staff Writer Warner Robins adopted its fiscal year 2007 budget of $55,875,049 on Monday. “A lot of hours were put into this,” said Mayor Donald Walker. “It’s one of the toughest I’ve had to do. “I know I say that every year. And I don’t know why, we’re making more money than ever.” The more money also comes from a lower millage am lßjfe' tgliiKlt* ,3 • JPtiiSw . IMpr w ■ ' il ■ I Getting help \ * ]1 To learn more about getting help with paying for your prescriptions: Know the names of the medicines you take; Call, toll-free, (888) 4PPA-NOW (477-2669) to leam if you are eligible; or visit www.pparx.org. W A - wL. '' ENI Gary Harmon The Warner Robins Aquanauts hosted a swim meet this past weekend in the pool on Robins Air Force Base. For complete results, see 2-38. rate. “This budget is based on 9.228 mills,” Walker said. The current city millage rate is 9.8 mills. If the city council votes to lower the millage, it will be the 11th straight year the rate has been lowered, Walker noted. For the owner of a SIOO,OOO home, the reduction would be a prop erty tax savings of $22.88. “In November, we’ll have See BUDGET, page 6A Head above watqr www.hhjnews.com « * ljL V w ■*** ■Ldl wr W' -w . j jm m W Lmtam 'tfiXraN I g w MU JT" - ,1 V HMum HHJ Ray Ughtner Mayor Donald Walker presents the 15-year service pin to Inspector Danny Williamson of the Warner Robins Fire Department as Williamson’s wife, June, and assistant chief Mike Davis look on. Williamson was one of the city firefighters to volunteer to go to St. Bernard Parish, La., following Hurricane Katrina Pharmaceutical companies team up to offer financial help to those who can’t afford prescription drugs By CHARLOTTE PERKINS HHJ Lifestyle Editor In case you saw the big orange bus head ing into Perry on Monday, it’s got a story behind it. It was originally coun try singer Patty Loveless’ tour bus, and still has some fancy ceiling lights inside, but it’s been re-fitted on the inside and re painted on the outside. Inside, it features computer stations with laptops, ready to use. Outside, it’s painted orange and serves as a rolling billboard for an organiza tion called partnership for Prescription Assistance. It’s one of two “Help is Here Express” buses crisscrossing the country from big cities to small towns, getting out a message from America’s pharmaceutical companies. The message? If you can’t afford the medicines your doctor has prescribed, there are a host of pharmaceutical companies and other agen- Ml W«f> gfylee acfoss'jAmejricaJ |fl 1 888-4PPA-NOW " infill - w W".PParx.or 0 ,B« • ” ? * * ’ The; big orange bus means 11l Ba 3 'lillt s fell jK -i ilit '<• -re'" The team from the “Help is Here Express” bus made a brief stop in Perry on Monday to get the word out about getting help with prescription drug.costs. From left, Dwight Shelton, Adina Glover, Abby Horn end Jeff Warner Robins OKs seven annexations, nine rezonings By RAY UGHTNER HHJ Staff Writer Warner Robins eliminated two islands in the city dur ing Monday night’s seven annexations. “If council desires,” said Mayor Donald Walker, “we can annex any island just by notifying the owner,” That was not the case Monday, as the owner’s requested annexation for the two islands. Joy Land asked the city to annex three par cels on Tallulah Trail total- THREE SECTIONS • 18 PAGES cies ready to help you with the costs. On Monday, the big bus was all over the middle of Houston County getting lost before finally making it to Perry, but the team coming with it was still enthusiastic about the message they’re taking on the road. Jeff Trewhitt, who is director of commu nications and public affairs for the PhRMA, the nationwide alliance of pharmaceutical companies, said that over 475 public and private organizations were involved in the effort to get the word out to America’s low income people and the “working poor” that there are many different programs to help with prescription drug costs. Trewhitt said that the program, which has television talk show host Montel Williams as its honorary chairman, had helped over 2 million people nationally and that the majority of those getting help were under retirement age. See BUS, page 6A tv £ vivv FamilySiW'iPiPKß 500 Hill 8 "5 5100*00001**4 ing 11.84 acres and asked that the land be rezoned from C-2 (general commer cial) in the county to R-3 (single family residential) in the city. Walker told the coun cil he doesn’t “recommend we annex any of the other parcels over there until the drainage problem is fixed.” The other island annexed in also came with a reduction in zoning. Vasile Properties asked for nine lots totaling See OK, page 6A