Newsmakers

Isaac’s rain likely to disappoint

The local impact of Hurricane Isaac is expected to be “minimal” according to forecasters at the National Weather Service’s Atlanta office in Peachtree City Tuesday afternoon.

The storm will bring 1-3 inches of rain through early Thursday, but no high winds or other side effects are expected in north and central Georgia, according to NWS forecasters. Read More»

Isaac’s local effect: A little rain, some gusty winds

With Isaac’s tropical winds and rain mainly affecting the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama today, forecast rainfall amounts for Fayette and Coweta counties have been scaled back.

Expect showers today, with possible thunderstorms, and gusty east winds up to 25 miles per hour, according to the Peachtree City forecast office of the National Weather Service.

The forecast is for a 70 percent chance of rain today, with amounts up to a half inch possible. “Severe thunderstorms are not expected at this time,” the NWS said.

A tropical airmass will persist over Georgia into the weekend, and rainfall chances are 60 percent or higher through Thursday, the NWS said Tuesday morning. Read More»

Did Judge English go easy on burglar due to ongoing affair with public defender?

For the first time, there has been an indication that former Fayette County Superior Court Judge Paschal A. English may have given a lighter than normal sentence to a criminal defendant represented by his then-paramour, defense attorney Kimberly Cornwell. Read More»

August 21 runoff election results, final but unofficial

Aug. 21, 11:03 p.m. FINAL but UNOFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS — All 36 Fayette precincts have now been counted. Here are the results:

Fayette Commission Post 2 Republican — David Barlow 5,382 (61.78%), Sheila Huddleston 3,330 (38.22%).

Fayette Commission Post 3 Republican — Randy Ognio 6,263 (71.55%), incumbent Lee Hearn 2,490 (28.45%).

Democrat Primary (no GOP opposition in Nov.) Ga. House District 63, 10 of 10 Fayette precincts reporting:

Ronnie Mabra 693 (70.71%), T.J. Copeland 287 (29.29%).

Counting the remainder of the district's 25 precincts, Mabra rolled to a victory over Copeland 1,667 votes (65%) to 907 votes (35%). Mabra will be District 63's next state representative. Read More»

F’ville’s Heaton elected VP of Ga. Association of Police Chiefs

Fayetteville Police Chief Steve Heaton has a new role. He was sworn in recently as the 4th Vice President of the Ga. Association of Police Chiefs. Photo/Ben Nelms.

Fayetteville Police Chief Steve Heaton has worked with and been an member of the Georgia Police Chiefs Association (GAPC) for years. He was recently elected as the GAPC 4th Vice President and was sworn in last month.

“I was glad to be elected to the position, but it comes with a lot of work,” Heaton said recently.

Heaton said he became interested in being on the board because he has been actively involved with some of its functions since he held the rank of major. Read More»

PTC Council recognizes Bookmark design winners

PTC Council recognizes Bookmark design winners

These young ladies were feted Thursday night by the Peachtree City Council for their efforts in the One PTC Bookmark Contest sponsored at the Peachtree City Library. From left are gold winner Carrie Grimes, silver and honorable mention winner Helen Hu, Raaga Bramhadevi, Kylie Dickinson, Caelyn Grimes, Lynnann Koh, Delaney Loftis, Katie Grace Rowland, Caroline Smith and Jacqui van Zyl. Not pictured is honorable mention winner Rylee Campbell. The winners received gift certificates to Omega Books and also coloring books from Gallopade Publishing along with ceremonial certificates from the city. Read More»

PTC police seek citizen comments

Agency going through accreditation review

The Peachtree City Police Department is working toward re-accreditation again, and the agency is again seeking comments from the public on the agency’s services and performance.

This year, the department is aiming to meet higher expectations via the “Gold Standard” accreditation process, which involves an assessment of not just policing standards, but also how they are put into everyday practice, officials said. Read More»

Fayetteville Council ponders city reorganization

A fundamental reorganization of city government in Fayetteville is underway.

Proposed changes that would make organizational changes while eliminating a number of unused positions and consolidating others will be considered at the City Council meeting on Thursday night.

The reorganization is due in part to the more than a dozen long-time city staff set to retire and to the volume of work in some departments that has decreased due to the recession.

Some positions will be unaffected, some will be consolidated and others not being utilized will be eliminated. Read More»

No ‘Chance’ for transit bill involving Fayette

Legislation that would have created a regional transit authority for metro Atlanta is officially dead, according to state Sen. Ronnie Chance of Tyrone. Read More»

Toxic leak may affect N. Fayette well water safety

Additional testing performed at the Philips Services Corporation plant just across the Fayette-Fulton County line has shown that chemicals leaked from a now-closed solidification pit into the ground and also the groundwater. Read More»