Fayette County

Police reports Apr. 15-19

The following arrests were reported by local law enforcement agencies for the past week. All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty.

Fayette County Sheriff’s Office
Tuesday, April 13 - Monday, April 19
Davion Furshun Bell, 21, of Robin Hood Drive, Elgin, Ill., for suspended license.
Michelle Ines Rodriguez, 27, of St. Ives Court, Stockbridge, for DUI less safe and duty to stop upon striking a fixed object.
Marcus James Williams, 38, of Chantilly Terrace, College Park, for probation violation. Read More»

E-collar exactly wrong answer for dog leash

Yesterday when I opened the paper, I read the front-page article about leash laws in Peachtree City and the issue of unleashed dogs on the paths and streets. What caught my attention first and foremost was what I consider a downright dangerously wrong statement regarding electronic training collars.

A man was quoted as saying: “I guarantee you, you crank these up and you can get a dog to stop whatever he’s doing, the bad behavior, 100 percent of the time.” That is a very startling, and very wrong statement. Read More»

Making a difference one life at a time

Children born in the United States with a cleft lip or palette have surgery available to correct the condition. But this is not the case in much of the developing world where such a condition means the child will be a virtual outcast.

And that is where Dr. Vincent Perciaccante and Healing the Children Northeast come in. Perciaccante and a team of surgeons will be returning to Nicaragua in May to provide a much-needed service to children who would likely never receive help. Read More»

Some simple changes would improve traffic without new roads

The West Fayette Bypass will consume over $24 million. At our recent “Fayette Forward” forum, I offered more cost effective alternatives to facilitating traffic flow through our county:

1. Reprogram traffic lights. The most effective method of improving traffic flow and mitigating expensive road projects is to facilitate the flow of through-traffic. Read More»

Fayette, Coweta say goodbye to fallen warrior, Lt. Collins

Army 1st Lt. Robert Collins of Tyrone was laid to rest Saturday as friends continued to share stories of his sense of humor that carried with him from his high school days into his role as a leader of men. Read More»

Fayetteville balloon proposal nearly deflated

It will not go down in the history of the Fayetteville City Council as the Great Balloon Debate, but the discussion April 15 on the use of balloons to complement outdoor advertising in the Main Street district finally led to an approval after two motions and a tie-breaking vote.

At its essence, the amendment to the sign ordinance allows the temporary use of balloons in certain types of outdoor advertising. Main Street Director Brian Wismer said the intent of the proposal was to respond to a number of requests by Main Street merchants that they be allowed to embellish their display signs. Read More»

An ongoing delicate dance: Death in life

Open caskets at funerals are a dance with death. The waxen look of a dead loved one or friend presents a strange sensation. We may wonder, What happened? The animation of life is gone from them. We are sure of that. There can be no conversation, only our tears and memories.

Our adjustment to that phase of the death experience is helped by family and friends who gather around us. We talk, comfort, reminisce, cry, and laugh while we dance with death. But is that all there is? Is that the only time we sit alongside death? It is not. Read More»

Fayette plans to take recreation department payments online

In the near future, Fayette County residents will have the option of going online to make payments to the recreation department.

County commissioners recently voted for a contract to extend the online payment service that is currently used by the county water system. The vendor is Paymentus, and as part of the arrangement, each user is charged a $2.95 service fee per transaction.

That way the county can offer the service without paying extra for it, officials said. Read More»

$1.4M extra pay for coaches, others scrutinized by BoE

School system salary supplements received some spotlight scrutiny at the April 13 Fayette County Board of Education meeting, leading up to budget discussions in coming weeks. Read More»

McIntosh grad opens recording studio with bandmate

Scott Carroll, a McIntosh graduate in 2001 and former Peachtree City resident, recently opened Applause Music Productions in Norcross with Adrian Lawrence, his bandmate from the group Asher & Quick. Carroll describes Applause Music Productions as kind of a one stop shop for all of a band’s needs. Read More»