Newsmakers

PTC police toy drive to start Nov. 26-28 at Walmart

Peachtree City police will again conduct its annual “Light Up the Night” toy drive this year in an effort to make Christmas brighter for needy families.

To help draw attention to the toy drive, police will be located in the parking lot of local shopping centers with their lights flashing on three different weekends. Officers are seeking donations of unwrapped, new toys and cash donations which have been used in the past to help families pay utility bills for example. Read More»

Herobox needs packers for Dec. 8 event in Tyrone

Office help, donations also sought to send 5,000 care packages to troops

If you’re looking for a way to give back to our troops stationed overseas, Herobox wants your help.

On Saturday, Dec. 8 Herobox will host its third annual Holiday HeroDay to help pack boxes of specialized care packages to send to Afghanistan in advance of the holiday season. The event will be held at the Tyrone Depot in downtown Tyrone from 6-8 p.m. with dinner served for volunteers. Read More»

Horgan: Warning sounded before open meetings violation

Brown admits committee failed to provide notice of county manager interviews

Fayette County Commissioner Robert Horgan has filed an open meetings complaint with the state attorney general, accusing two of his fellow commissioners and the three newly-elected (but unsworn) commissioners, of failing to provide advance notice of their meeting as required by a newly amended state Open Meetings law. Read More»

Coweta group breaks ground to commemorate Civil War battlefield

Brown’s Mill Battlefield Association members were joined by local and state elected officials Nov. 3 for the groundbreaking of what will become Phase 1 of the site of the Civil War battle fought on July 30, 1864. Photo/Ben Nelms.

A groundbreaking ceremony held along Millard Farmer Road Nov. 3 marked the continuation of longtime efforts to protect a Civil War battle site and the beginning of the effort to make the 105 acres on which the Battle of Brown’s Mill was fought a place that eventually be open to the public.

Speaking at the ceremony were Coweta County Commissioner Tim Lassetter, former Commissioners James McGuffey, state Rep. Lynn Smith and Ga. Transportation Board District 3 representative Sam Wellborn. Read More»

Senoia ready to celebrate the holidays

Get into the holiday season with two special December events in Historic Senoia. “Light Up Senoia” kicks off the celebration on Saturday, Dec. 1 with a festive parade through downtown. The festivities begin at 4 p.m. “Light Up Senoia” will include decorated floats, live music and entertainment. Charlie Filkins and Scott Sargeant, “The Car Guys,” will emcee the event.

For the kids, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there, along with pony rides, Santa’s Workshop, and the lighting of the big tree at Main Street Square near the gazebo. The parade steps off at 5:30 p.m. Read More»

NAACP raps Fayette for lawsuit defense

The Fayette County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is hoping that public pressure might convince the Fayette County Commission to settle the district voting lawsuit the NAACP filed last year against the commission and the Fayette County Board of Education.

NAACP officials allege that the county has paid more than $227,000 to an Atlanta law firm defending the county in the case. Read More»

Who (and what) did we vote for in Fayette?

Somebody along Robinson Road in Peachtree City displayed this political sentiment on Election Day that may have carried Fayette County and Georgia, but those sentiments were not shared by slightly more than 50 percent of the electorate nationwide Nov. 6. Photo/Special.

Which races most interested Fayette voters? The vote totals tell the tale: With a nearly 79 percent turnout, Fayette voters chose the presidential race as the most important, followed by the renewal of the education local option sales tax (E-SPLOST).

Following those two were the charter school amendment, the statewide Public Service Commission race involving Chuck Eaton and then the Post 2 Board of Education race between Mary Kay Bacallao and Terri Smith. Read More»

E-SPLOST wins in Fayette, Bacallao wins BoE seat

With all precincts reporting, E-SPLOST wins renewal in Fayette 54% to 46%. Post 2 Republican Mary Kay Bacallao defeated Democrat and incumbent Terri Smith 65% to 35%.

Historic Palmetto train depot opens

The transformation of the 1914 train depot in downtown Palmetto is complete. The celebration and ribbon cutting marking the completion of the restoration was held Oct. 20. Pictured, from left, are Councilman Gregory Rusch, Mayor J. Clark Boddie, Coweta County Commissioner Bob Blackburn, Councilwoman Patty Willey and Councilwoman Laura Mullis. Photo/Special.

It took a while but the effort was worth the wait. What began with a resolution by the Palmetto City Council in 2005 came to fruition Oct. 20 with the grand opening of the historic train depot in downtown Palmetto. Built nearly a century ago, the renovated depot has been turned into a downtown showplace that features a local history museum and a large banquet hall. Read More»

Fayette imposes stricter schedules for outdoor water use

With Fayette County’s southernmost reservoir at an historic low due to the drought, county water system customers are being required to switch to the odd-even outdoor watering system to help conserve drinking water. Read More»