Newspaper Page Text
WEEKEND
July 1, 2006
VOLUME 136 , NUMBER 73
OUR
FRONT
PORCH
INSIDE
Baseball diamonds
■ The Houston Home Journal
releases its All-Houston County
baseball team tor 2006.
Also. Staff Writer Matthew Brown
begins a four-part series resulting
from his attendance of the Pigskin
Preview media day Thursday at
the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Today's story focuses on Patrick
Nix, son of Northside head coach
Conrad Nix, and his role as Georgia
Tech's offensive coordinator,
- Page 1B
IN BRIEF
State honors local student
■ On May 1, Secretary of State
Cathy Cox honored Phillip
Edward Jones of Northside High
School with an Excellence in
Citizenship award. Jones received
a certificate signed by Secretary
Cox and a letter from her office.
For the ninth year, the Excellence in
Citizenship Awards recognize high
school seniors from across the state
who voluntarily give of their time
in the community, maintain a good
scholastic and attendance record
and, through their leadership, set an
example for their fellow peers.
Designed to distinguish outstand
ing young Georgians who reach
out to others and share their time
and talents, one graduating senior
from each Georgia high school was
nominated to receive the award.
Of Georgia's 386 public high schools
and 274 independent schools with
high school-level instruction, 345
schools participated in this year's
program.
Stay In school
■ A dropout prevention program
run by the Georgia Department of
Technical and Adult Education that
shows great promise for keeping
eighth, ninth and 10th grade students
focused on school and their future
career will be expanded thanks to
a $1 million grant from Gov, Sonny
Perdue.
“Middle school is the ideal time
to provide advice and counseling to
students on their career choices,” said
Governor Sonny Perdue. “DTAE's
Stay in School initiative works to
share information with these students
on the education needed for future
job opportunities. It's a smart way to
ensure that we keep students focused
on staying in school and earning their
high school diploma."
Reminder
■The Houston County Landfill will be
closed July 4.
INDEX
LOCAL 2 A
WEATHER 3 A
OPINION 4 A
LIFESTYLE 1C
SPORTS 1 B
COMICS 4 B
CLASSIFIEDS .. .6-7 B
PERIODICAL
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
COOI 0
GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
Main Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-00CE2
3-DIGIT 306
July 1, 2006
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LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Man pleads guilty to murder
Plea comes six days after he
shot girlfriend in the head
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Richard Ivanhoe Pannell
Jr. pleaded guilty Thursday
to the murder of his girl
friend last Friday.
Pannell, 25, who was
indicted for the crimes on
Tuesday, pleaded guilty
through his and his mother’s
tears in Houston Superior
Court to murder, aggravated
Who's in charge?
Houston Healthcare fires CEO but
there’s a question of legality
By RAY LIGHTNER and
CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Staff Writers
It comes as a shock consider
ing the fact about two months
ago he had been given a raise
and showered with high praise,
but Friday was Frank Aaron’s
last day as CEO for Houston
Healthcare.
The Hospital Authority of
Houston County announced
Friday its intention to make
a change in leadership in the
chief executive officer posi
tion at Houston Healthcare.
That position had been held by
Aaron since August 2000.
According to Authority
member Sonny Watson, the
vote to Fire Aaron was held
in executive (closed) session
Wednesday following the regu
lar meeting, which he said the
Authority is allowed to do.
But Hospital Authority
Attorney Mike Gray disagreed.
He said the Authority could
discuss personnel issues but
“cannot (legally) take a Final
binding vote in executive ses
sion.”
Gray notified the legal organ
- The Houston Home Journal
- at 12:40 p.m. Friday that an
“emergency called meeting” of
the Authority would be held
Friday at 4 p.m. to hold the
final, binding vote,
Watson said the meetings, in
the future will be more open
and he’s for open government.
Authority Chairman Ed Dyson
said at Wednesday’s meeting
that the executive session
and dinner would be held at
the beginning of the meeting,
instead of at the end.
He would not comment
on other personnel issues,
but said the Authority has
made no recommendations
regarding termination of
department heads. Watson
would not say if the vote
was unanimous, but said he
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assault and possession of a
firearm during a crime. He
answered “yes sir,” choking
up more each time, to* the
charges read by Superior
Court Judge George F.
Nunn, Jr.
Nunn sentenced Pannell
to life for the murder and
aggravated assault of and
for the murder of Selicia
Darlington; Pannell received
The Houston County Hospital Authority is exploring an offer for U.S. 41 land.
Hospital Authority looking
at offer for U. 5.41 property
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
The Houston County
Hospital Authority voted to
accept an officer on the 135
acres it owns on U.S 41.
The offer from Land
Shore Communities LLC, is
just that for now, however
- an offer, something the
board said they were con
sidering, and therefore was
not disclosed.
The Authority paid
$40,000 an acres or $5.4
million for the land with the
intention of eventually mov
ing the Houston Medical
Center from Watson Blvd.
Those plans were dropped,
however, after strong objec
tions from the city of Warner
Robins and residents about
moving the hospital in 2004,
when plans were made for
expansion of the Warner
Robins site instead.
The vote to review the
offer was not unanimous
as Authority members Dick
Bexten and Dr. Horatio
Cabasares voted against it.
Bexten asked if an apprais
al had been done.
Authority member Sonny
Watson answered saying,
an additional five years for
the gun charge.
Pannell’s attorneys
- Carolyn Hall and Shelese
Amos of the Public
Defender’s Office, said the
change in state law chang
ing the eligibility of parole
in a life sentence from 14 to
30 years, was not the only
reason for the quick plea.
“My client said he’s try-
'We don't wait to be embarrassed. WO
know what the tax assessor says it's
worth and what we paid for it.'
- Authority member Sonny Watson
“We don’t want to be embar
rassed. We know what the
tax assessor says it’s worth
and what we paid for it.”
Authority Vice Chairman
Dr. Robert Carter also
expressed concern about
policy. “If we take the first
offer, we’ll be open to criti
cism.”
Watson said another offer
“could bring more. It could
bring less.”
Carter also asked about
policy for selling assets. “Do
we have a policy? Should we
have a policy?”
Authority Chairman Ed
Dyson said there is no poli
cy. “We can make a decision
at our discretion.”
Authority member Jack
Ragland then pointed out
the Authority, “can’t own
real estate for speculation,”
implying that by its char
ter it can’t shop the land
ing to put this to rest,” Hall
said.
“He said he loved her
dearly and had planned to
marry her.”
District Attorney Kelly
Burke said, “it was unusu
al to move so quickly” and
noted the defense “asked for
quick discovery. We provided
all police reports, photos,
investigative reports, and
charges from other inci
dents. I don’t know what
else we would be able to
develop.”
Hall agreed there was
nothing the prosecution had
held back. “We’ve gone over
See PLEADS, page 7A
around.
The Authority also had
an update on,the expansion
project from Bob Farrow
from HKS. The 144,00
square-foot bed tower and
a central plant that will
be part of phase one. The
multi-floor building will be
needed for adding addition
al beds to the current 186 if
the state approves the cer
tificate of need request.
Farrow said there would
be “knuckle connections”
between some of the floors
and the new building will
have higher ceilings than
the current one, but said
those connections would be
in service and staff areas,
not in patient areas.
The bed tower will include
a 36-bed orthopedic and
neurological unit consisting
of two 18-bed pods on the
fourth floor; 20 critical care
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and three step-down beds
on the third floor and a link
to the Women’s Center on
the second floor, which will
also house 18 post partum
beds and a nursery.
In a related matter the
Authority voted to approve
staff requests for commu
nication information tech
nology professional ser
vices, to review and make
sure systems between the
existing and new portions
of the facility will work
together. “They will write
specs, diagrams and design
the system,” explained
Beth Benefield, director
of Technology & Imaging
Services.
She contacted two compa
nies, recommended by HKS
for the job and recommend
ed the low bid of $190,875
from EDI of Atlanta. “In the
future,” Authority member
Glynn Greenway said, “ the
board should know when
a bid goes up. The board
didn’t know the bid was
going out.”
He was also concerned
about end costs and set a
cap on the bid, with travel
expenses of $205,000.
ENI/Gary Harmon