Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY
June 22, 2006
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VOLUME 136, NUMBER 122
OUR
FRONT
PORCH
IN BRIEF
For a good cause
■ A yard sale to benefit Capt.
Jeff Hinson of the Georgia
State Patrol, who lost every
thing in a house fire June 9
will be held Saturday from 8
a.m.-2 p.m. at the Georgia
State Patrol Post across from
the Ag Center.
All proceeds will go toward
Hinson and donations of
items to be sold are welcome
and appreciated (yard sale
officials ask all donations be
made prior to June 23).
Contact GSP trooper Crystal
Folds at 988-6740 for more
information.
Where's the beef
■ Beef cattle producers who
want to better market their
cattle could attend one of
four Southeast Beef Cattle
Marketing Schools set for this
summer.
Dates and locations for the
workshops are:
July 13-14: Newberry County
Farm Bureau, Newberry, S.C.
July 19-20: North Georgia
Research and Educational
Center, Calhoun
Aug. 8-9: Columbia County
Extension Office, Lake City,
Fla.
Sept. 14-15: Auburn
University Beef Teaching
Unit, Auburn, Ala.
Specialists from Southeastern
universities and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture will
combine hands-on learning
and live animal evaluation
with classroom examples
to help cattlemen reduce
their risks and improve their
profits. Participants will
learn about cattle cycles,
how to anticipate prices and
use futures and options to
increase profits.
There will also be a ses
sion on using the Livestock
Risk Protection insurance
program. Finally, alternative
marketing methods, such as
video board sales, tele-auc
tions and marketing cattle,
will be discussed in a pro
ducer panel.
Registration is $35 per work
shop and includes materials,
meals, breaks and refresh
ments. Registration can be
completed online at www.
ugatiftonconference.org or by
calling (229) 386-3416.
- Special to the HHJ
BIRTHDAYS
■ Brooke Bozeman
Tonisha Law
ANNIVERSARIES
■ Dawn and Bert Weaks
Having a birthday or anniver
sary? Call Charlotte Perkins at
987-1823, ext. 234, ore-mail her
at cperkms(3>e vansnewspapers
com.
DEATHS
■ Brady Foster
■ Cindy Posey Hollman
■ Elvin Lunsford
PERIODICAL
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2004
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Contest
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GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
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Sf.h\i\(, Hnrsjos Cor.sn Si\a; IX7O
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
County may foot murder re-trial bill
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
The defense of a man who
pled guilty 22 years ago to a
murder may fall to the taxpay
ers of Houston County.
Timothy Johnson pled guilty
to the Sept. 14, 1984, shooting
death of Taressa J. Stanley.
“He agreed to a life sentence
and gave up the opportunity to
appeal so as not face a possible
cpf] fit' if H'' ''Ji
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Lt. Col. Chris Overman, center, Deputy Director of the 580th Sustainment Group, accepts the award from Col.
Theresa Carter, the 78th ABW Wing commander, and Frank Feild, Warner Robins Red Coat Chamber president.
The award, sponsored by the Military Affairs Committee of the Warner Robins Chamber of Commerce, recognizes
the organization that has done the most to preserve and enhance the positive relationship between the civilian
community of Warner Robins and Robins AFB. INSET: A close-up of the trophy.
Centerville passes
budget for 2007
By KIMBERLY CASSEL
PRITCHETT
HHJ Contributing Writer
Centerville City Council
voted on and approved a
budget resolution adopt
ing the $5.8 million bud
get for fiscal year 2007 in
the council work session
Tuesday evening.
The budget, which con
tains only a $l7B increase
over last year’s budget,
included a 3 percent cost
of living adjustment as
well as a 2 percent merit
increase based on satis
factory employee evalu-
Finn hired to manage wastewater
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Staff Writer
With a major upgrade
under way, rainwater prob
lems to contend with, and
an expansion to be built,
the Perry City Council voted
on Tuesday to hire some
experts.
ESG Operations, Inc. won
an initial one-year contract
with the city for $531,000.
The vote followed the rec
ommendation of the Public
Works Oversight committee,
which heard proposals from
several different firms.
Engineers Clay Sykes and
Dan Groselle, who repre
sented ESG at the meeting,
said that they would contin
ue employing those already
on the city’s payroll and will
hold an employee introduc
death penalty,” said Houston
District Attorney Kelly Burke.
“Then he changed his mind and
finally won an appeal at the
state Supreme Court,” which
overturned the case and ordered
a new trial.
Now, “It’s gonna be a lot of
money the county will have to
pay,” Burke said. “We’re not
just talking about this trail but
the years of appeals too.”
Award winning performance
ations.
According to City
Administrator Patrick
Eidson who responded via
e-mail, “All city employ
ees on the city pay scale
are eligible for the COLA
and the Merit increase.”
In addition, the bud
get also included a
$5,000 increase in the
gasoline budget for the
police department, which
depleted its funds in
2006.
The police and fire
department, according to
See BUDGET, page 6A
tion dinner at the outset to
explain benefits and train
ing opportunities.
Under the new arrange
ment, ESG will func
tion very much like a city
department, but will offer
improved technology and
engineering expertise for
preventive maintenance and
cost control. Sykes said that
he and Groselle have man
aged more than 150 util
ity systems over the last 20
years.
Among those served
by ESG are the cities of
Waycross and Vidala, and,
most recently, Rockdale
County.
City Manager Lee Gilmour
said that construction of
expansion of the plant is in
the preliminary design stage
www.hhjnews.com
Council agrees to
settlement with SOA
By KIMBERLY CASSEL
PRITCHETT
HHJ Contributing Writer
Nearly three years
after the Centerville
City Council entered
into a contract with SOA
Construction Services for
the construction of a new
fire station, council voted
Tuesday during its work
session to adopt a settle
ment agreement providing
for a lump sum settlement
in the amount of $66,000.
According to official
documents from the City
of Centerville regard
ing demands and media
now.
At the meeting the council
also voted to:
■ Adopt the city’s $7.86
million budget for FY 2007;
■Enteras2so,ooocontract
with the Georgia Department
of Transportation for side
walk improvements and a
pedestrian bridge over Big
Indian Creek;
■ To seek a federal grant
which will enable the city to
add four firefighter positions
over a three-year period;
■ To consider, following a
first reading, a plan to change
the zoning map so that an
area between Morningside
Drive and Keith Road is
designated “institutional”
and can be used primarily
for healthcare facilities and
doctor’s offices.
That bill could be around
$500,000, Burke said, after
talking with local attorney Jeff
Grubbe who has been appointed
as defense attorney. Grubbe was
appointed because the Public
Defenders Office had to excuse
itself, as its lead investigator was
an investigator for the Warner
Robins Police Department at
the time of the crime.
“We could frankly hire two
attorneys to represent him for
cheaper than the ‘by-the-hour’
cost, required by the state,”
Burke said.
Burke also noted Grubbe is
one of the few attorneys in the
county with the qualifications
for a death penalty case.
Burke said the state-funded
capitol defenders, which is sup
posed to take indigent capital
See BILL, page 6A
«
tion between Centerville
and SOA, a demand let
ter dated April 6, 2005,
from Gambrell and Stolz
LLP, attorneys for SOA,
the architect named on
the contract was Hayes
Michael & Associates,
with James Michael being
the individual architect
selected by the city to
the handle the project. It
also alleges that “numer
ous change orders were
required because the plans
provided by Mr. Michael
were deficient and inac
curate.”
See MONEY, page 6A
By'"' $$ 1;
jam ' B . B
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HHJ Chariot(<• Perkin*
A highlight of Tuesday night’s Perry City Council meet
ing was the honoring of the city’s building official, Steve
Howard for 30 years of service. City Manager Lee Gilmour,
who presented Howard with a service pin, said, “You’ve
had a major hand in shaping Perry to the way it is."
.tNLc.vNsft.mr’iV.-Hs^
Police Beat
See what local
criminals have
up to
TWO SECTIONS • 20 PAGES
Two men
jailed in
robbery,
assualt
From staff reports
Two men are in jail and
a 64-year-old woman is in
the hospital after the men
reportedly ran over the
woman trying to steal her
purse in the Wal-Mart park
ing lot.
Approximately 1:15 p.m.,
Tuesday,
Boulevard
Wal-Mart CRAIG
concern- - > - -i
later identi- L
fied as Ryan DIXON
Neal Craig,
approached her and asked
for directions. Craig then
grabbed her purse, which
was secured to her arm.
According to police and
witnesses, Craig then
entered the passenger side
of a truck driven by a black
male, later identified as
Anthony Bernard Dixon
who sped away pulling the
victim who was caught on
the strap of the purse into
the vehicle.
The woman struck the
vehicle, fell to the ground
and one of her legs was run
over. A witness observed the
incident, obtained a partial
liceqse plate number and a
description of the truck and
called 911.
A description of the truck
was issued to all local law
enforcement agencies and
See JAIL, page 6A
JOHNSON