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THURSDAY June 22, 2006 50< ini mint s^ssioFooooi'm 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 .\ward-Wnning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest COOI o GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UN IV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 3G6G2-GGG2 ALL FOR ADC 301 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 I > f iMT If I \Ht wmM- f | 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 $ 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