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SPRINGFIELD - Onetime Springfield Housing Authority contractor Frank Ware Jr. yesterday told jurors in a federal corruption trial he gave cash bribes to a former authority executive at the official's office, the Greek Cultural Center, the Holiday Inn and in the men's room at a local bar. "It was the cost of doing business at the Springfield Housing Authority," said Ware, a prosecution witness in the trial of another former contractor in U.S. District Court. Ware is the third private contractor to testify he paid nearly $500,000 in bribes to ousted Executive Director Raymond B. Asselin and his former assistant, Arthur G. Sotirion. Defendant Peter Davis, 72, of Newburyport, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, bribery conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
WINFIELD - A Poca couple blames the owner of a construction company after a host of problems that resulted from contracting him to build an addition to their home.
Douglas and Rebecca Spaulding filed their lawsuit against Jennings W. Briles Jr. on Sept. 19 in Putnam Circuit Court.
According to their complaint, the Spauldings contacted Briles, who owns Briles Construction, about building the addition. They told him the work had to be done by the end of May or early June because they had a number of family members coming to their home in early July.
Briles promised the work would be done by then, according to the complaint, and the contract cost would not exceed $85,000. Work began on March 20 and was to be finished in 60 days, and changes resulted in the contract price being dropped to $60,570.07.
FORT VALLEY - The Peach County Board of Education approved laying the groundwork for the future sale of $9.5 million in bonds backed by the special purpose local option sales tax approved by voters in September 2005. School Superintendent Tommy Daniel said Friday he will come back to the board in the near future with the final price and terms of the sale for board approval. The bonds will finance construction of two new elementary schools, improvements at Peach County High and other projects, Daniel said. The bond sales had been held up by a lawsuit earlier this year challenging the validation of such an action. The lawsuit was dropped in August. Bill Camp of Knox Wall, which is handling the bonds for the school board, made a presentation at Thursday's meeting outlining the projected monthly income over five years from the additional penny sales tax.
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