News

Imker bid to halt bridge project fails

Imker bid to halt bridge project fails

A bid to halt the design of the widening of the Lake Peachtree cart path bridge fell flat Thursday night. Read More»

Peachtree City's finest ...and free-est

New Peachtree City reserve police officers Phil Jones (L) and Eric Semon were sworn in Thursday night. Photo/John Munford.

Peachtree City’s police force has two new cops on the street at a deep discount. Read More»

Alleged cop killer arrested

Alleged cop killer arrested

There is a Thin Blue Line running through the city of Chattahoochee Hills today. That thin blue line stretches along Vernon Grove Road and is emblematic of the service of Lt. Mike Vogt, a longtime officer who gave his life in the line of duty Monday afternoon after being shot while in his patrol car by 44 year-old Robert Cook who was arrested Wednesday. Read More»

Body of East Coweta man found in lake

A search of the area near a residence on Kensington Drive off Reese Road in east Coweta over the weekend revealed the body of 36 year-old David Brightwell in a lake behind the home.

Coweta Assistant Fire Chief Todd Moore said his department was called by Coweta sheriff’s deputies on Feb. 13 at approximately 7:30 p.m. to provide lighting at the residence at 225 Kensington Drive near Sharpsburg. Moore said deputies had been at the scene since approximately 5 p.m. after a missing person’s report had been filed. Read More»

Locals seek food, water for Haiti

JohnMark Conklin (in the gray cap) and members of Scout Troop 118 from Brooks United Methodist Church load up donated supplies of rice, beans and water destined for earthquake victims in Haiti. Collections will continue Sunday afternoon at the Starr’s Mill Chick-fil-A on Ga. Highway 74 South.

Eagle Scout projects can take many forms. For Starr’s Mill High School senior JohnMark Conklin, the idea of collecting staple foods and water for earthquake victims in Haiti was just the thing to do. JohnMark is partnering with New Hope Church South and with Tyrone-based Operation Mobilization to collect rice, beans and water and to have it shipped to the Caribbean island. Read More»

Arson ruled out in Fairburn fire

The fire last week that destroyed several of Fairburn’s historic two- and three-story downtown businesses at Campbellton Street and U.S. Highway 29 is still under investigation, but fire Chief Jody Weller said Wednesday that arson has been ruled out as a cause.
Weller said that the determination of the cause of the fire is still being reviewed by investigators, though they have ruled that the fire was not of a suspicious nature and that arson was not the cause of the blaze that destroyed Casablanca Restaurant, the Fairburn antique mall, a hair salon and the second floor of Oz Pizza. Read More»

F’ville commercial vacancies: 1 in 4

Office space even worse: Nearly 1 out of every 3 F’ville offices are empty

Fayetteville, the commercial capital of the county, is suffering through a tenant drought, with one in every four commercial properties empty, and nearly one in every three office spaces vacant, the City Council was told last week. Read More»

Apartments for seniors sought for east PTC

An Atlanta company is asking Peachtree City to lift its moratorium on multi-family rezoning to make way for a 4.8-acre senior rental complex in the Lexington Circle retail center off Ga. Highway 54 East. Read More»

If cuts necessary, where will they be?

Fayette County School System Comptroller Laura Brock reported last week that additional proposed cuts by Gov. Sonny Perdue for the remainder of the fiscal year, if approved by the General Assembly, could mean a loss of $2.8 million in areas such as staff wages, transportation and nursing services.

Estimated potential cuts for January totaled $1,276,490 as a result of another proposed three-day furlough and $1,267,046 from a 1.5 percent budget cut, for a total of $2.544 million, Brock reported to the Board of Education. Read More»

Committee wants to add 20 minutes to high schools’ days

A few school systems around the state are shortening their school year to offset decreases in funding. So far, Fayette wants no part of an abbreviated instructional year.

Instead, Fayette County’s School Calendar/School Day Committee is recommending that the board maintain the 5-day-a-week, 180-day school year.

They are also recommending that high schools follow Sandy Creek’s example and include a 20-minute per day period to accommodate students’ instructional needs. Read More»