Wednesday, February 12, 2003

F'ville OKs massive new Southside development

Fayetteville's Southside master plan is moving forward, but area residents will see some benefits from it before any of the actual site is occupied.

2 FCHS hazing suspects guilty; coach resigns

Two former Fayette County High School football players have pled guilty to reckless conduct for their role in a hazing incident involving another player.

Bill aims to give Fayette 2 judges, its own circuit?

Could Fayette soon have its own judicial circuit, despite a state judicial panel report last year recommending against such a move?

DTF busts meth lab at F'ville apartment

The Fayette County Sheriff's Department's Drug Task Force took out a drug operation at a Fayetteville apartment complex last week that could have had deadly consequences.

PTC ponies up money for TDK Boulevard extension

The money is there, the engineering is next for building a new east-west crossing over Line Creek that will link Fayette and Coweta counties.

Solicitor plans run for superior court judge

Fayette County's state court solicitor plans to run for a superior court judgeship in two years.

Sheriff's chopper pilots see at night with goggles

Fayette's criminals may be used to operating under cover of night, but they have that luxury no longer.

Recreation authority vote on hold again

Peachtree City's bid to create a recreation and entertainment authority has again hit a slight bump in the road.

Women's club meets next week

The ladies of the Jonesboro-Fayetteville Christian Women's Club will meet Thursday, Feb. 20, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at The Links Golf Club in Fayetteville.

PTC council to consider funds for police, fire presence at air show

A sudden storm forced the Great Georgia Air Show to evacuate spectators from Falcon Field last year.

Water payment drop box now at Tyrone Town Hall

Residents of Tyrone can save themselves 37 cents. The Fayette County Water Department has put a water payment drop box outside Town Hall. Town Manager Barry Amos stated that residents have already started using the drop box and it is certainly very convienient.

Fayette counselors recognize National School Counseling Week

The American School Counselor Association recently declared the week of Feb. 3-7 as National School Counseling Week to focus public attention on the unique contributions of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems. The week highlights the tremendous impact that counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

Girl Scouts seek school supplies for needy kids

A Fayette County Girl Scout troop is collecting various school supplies to donate to needy students at Tyrone Elementary, Burch Elementary and Flat Rock Middle School in Tyrone.

Colonial tea at Peeples

Students in the fourth grade at Peeples Elementary School in Fayetteville participated in week-long colonial activities as they completed a unit in social studies on colonial America. During the week, students created authentic early American crafts including dried apple wreaths, quilts, calligraphy invitations, placemats, paper quilling, and hand-dipped wax candles.

Fayetteville Optimists set oratorical contest

The Fayetteville Optimist Club's annual oratorical contest is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the public library in Fayetteville.

Model UN team makes a clean sweep

Fayette County's only Model UN (United Nations) team at Sandy Creek High has achieved something that none of its competitors can equal: winning a delegation award at every conference attended this year.

High school offers program for preschoolers

Imagine being three or four years old and attending high school. That is exactly what 16 preschoolers are doing three days a week at Starr's Mill High.

Keeping her promise

Fayette County Board of Education Chairman Terri Smith made good on her campaign promise to give back to the school system by donating $3,000 of her salary to the Fayette County Education Foundation.

Olympians bring home medals

For the first time ever Special Olympic athletes competed in Alpine skiing Feb. 2-5 in Boone, N.C., and several Fayette students were there to bring home the gold, silver and bronze.

New child support payment service from DHR

Hate dealing with the bureaucracy? Get frustrated trying to find out information when you need to know if your child's support check has been paid or not? E-government services make dealing with the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) much more convenient. The DHR's Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) has made information related to child support checks available through the Internet, making it easier to find out the status of the payments while preserving the privacy of personal information.

CCSU celebrates Black History Month with guest speakers

From first African American Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham to poet Hank Stewart, Clayton State's Black Cultural Awareness Association invites you to hear five guest speakers in honor of Black History Month.

CCSU to offer fee discount for online admissions

Clayton College & State University is changing its application fee policy.

CCSU Opera performs Haydn's 'The World on the Moon' Feb. 21-22 in Spivey Hall

The Clayton College & State University Opera program invites you to the Atlanta premiere of "The World on the Moon" ("Il Mondo Della Luna"), a composition by 18th-century virtuoso Franz Joseph Haydn. Performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, at 8:15 p.m. in Spivey Hall.

CCSU presents Drs. Otaki and Graves in concert at Spivey Hall

Saxophonist Dr. William Graves and pianist Dr. Michiko Otaki will present a duo recital in Spivey Hall on the campus of Clayton College & State University today at 7:30 p.m. The program will include works by J.S. Bach, William Bolcom, Roger Boutry and Karel Husa. The concert is free and open to the public.

Southern Crescent SHRM to discuss identity theft

The February meeting of the Southern Crescent Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) will include a panel discussion on identity theft, featuring the Stop Identity Theft Network.

Police Blotter

Obituaries

Birth Announcements

Wedding Announcements

Real Estate

Market-driven designs for today's lifestyles

The New American Home 2003 debuted Jan. 21-24 during the National Association of Home Builders' 2003 International Builders' Show in Las Vegas.

Investing in home improvement is a smart financial move

Add value to your home along with your lifestyle

Big year in 2002 for Avery Park

Just three short years ago, Pathway Communities' vision for Avery Park in Newnan was to create a pedestrian-friendly planned community that resembled the look and feel of turn-of-the-century Newnan.

Wieland unveils new model home at Centennial

John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods has opened its newest designer model, The Oxford, at Centennial, located off Ga. Highway 54 and MacDuff Parkway in the heart of Peachtree City just west of Ga. Highway 74.

Builders to meet Feb. 19

Just three short years ago, Pathway Communities' vision for Avery Park in Newnan was to create a pedestrian-friendly planned community that resembled the look and feel of turn-of-the-century Newnan.

Arbor Springs kicks off 2003 Ambassadors program

Arbor Springs Realty, Ltd. recently held a presentation at The Avenue/Peachtree City wrapping up its Ambassadors Program for 2002 and kicked off the program for the current year.

Three new GT Communities developments

GT Communities has announced three new developments in the south metro area, serving the wide-ranging needs of area homebuyers.

Making real estate really easy

Once again, in an effort to make the task simpler of finding good value in the resale home market, ERA Jo-Par Realty announces its "Imperial Homes" program. This program distinguishes those homes in the company's overall inventory, which meet or exceed criteria that are critical to active homebuyers.

Liberty Estates coming to Lamar

Plans have been announced for Liberty Estates, a 65-home community on McKneely Road in Lamar County near the Spalding County community of Orchard Hill.

New faces in new places in local real estate

Work underway at Patriots Point

Construction work is underway on the amenities area at Patriots Point in Locust Grove, the 200-homesite community being developed by John Christian Homes.

New Platinum Club member

Bill Frazier of The Bill Frazier Team, with Re/Max Results in Newnan attained Re/Max Platinum Club status in 2002 due in large part to his effective use of technology and keeping up with market changes.

PruGeorgia expands in Peachtree City

The Prudential Georgia Realty Peachtree City office at its new location in The Avenue shopping plaza at the corner of Ga. highways 54 and 74, continues to expand its agent roster. Debra Conover is the latest to join the office's team of real estate professionals.

Reinecke gets ABR designation

Frank Reinecke with ERA Jo-Par Realty has been awarded the Accredited Buyer Representation designation by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council, Inc. of the National Association of Realtors.

SummerGrove home sales exceed 1,000 in 2002

The year 2002 was a good one for Newnan's SummerGrove. The community was the site of the featured show home of the International Builders Show, opened a water park featuring Atlanta area's first lazy river ride, and had 264 home sales, giving the community more than 1,000 home sales since its inception in 1998.

Building Dept. recognized top builders

Each year, the Peachtree City Building Department recognizes local builders for outstanding achievement during the preceding year. The 2002 awards of recognition were presented to the following:

New SummerGrove neighborhood offers 'Sterling Lifestyle'

As SummerGrove at Newnan continues its quest to become Atlanta's best-selling master-planned community, one SummerGrove builder is providing a value-added benefit to home buyers right from the start.

Pathway unveils new Tyrone neighborhood

Tullamore to complement Tyrone and its Irish heritage

Villages at LaFayette Park Honored at Annual ARC Event

The Villages at LaFayette Park, Fayetteville Village LLC's multi-use community in Fayetteville, received the Exceptional Merit Award for Development Design in the Expansion of Town Center at the Atlanta Regional Commission's annual State of the Region Breakfast, held recently at the Atlanta Regional Commission's ballroom.

Vinings Park now in development

Tim Jones Communities has announced the opening of Vinings Park, a new community off Jonesboro Road in McDonough.

Fitzgerald recognized at Wieland luncheon

John Wieland, CEO of John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods, presented Susan Fitzgerald, a top-selling agent with the Home Source Realtors in Peachtree City, a Wieland Bonus Club check in the amount $8,700 in early January for selling five new John Wieland homes within the year 2002.

Business

Vigil takes reigns at Carolyn Ford

After 22 years of doing business in Clayton County, Allan Vigil has announced the addition of the Ford franchise in Fayetteville. Allan Vigil Ford, Fayetteville, will be located on Georgia 85, the site of the former Carolyn Ford. Vigil will be president and owner of the dealership and plans to divide his time between the Fayette County and the Clayton County locations.

Play It Again Sports offers variety of equipment

Play It Again Sports in Fayetteville carries sporting goods and fitness equipment. Over 80 percent of the inventory is new and between 10 and 20 percent is pre-owned equipment. The largest percent of sales is in fitness equipment.

Suggestions for a romantic and entertaining Valentine's Day

What are you doing for Valentine's Day? Dinner and a movie? Dancing 'til dawn? Cuddling up in front of the fire or going away for the weekend? If you're not sure, use this article to give you a few ideas.

The origins of Valentine's Day

Each year on Valentine's Day it is not uncommon to hear the sentiment that the holiday was created by the greeting card companies in order to sell more cards and make more money. Those people have a point, as Valentine's Day is the second-largest card-sending holiday (Christmas is first) and over one billion cards are sent or exchanged each year. But the origins of Valentine's Day date back to Ancient Rome, and the United States is not the only country to celebrate the day.

Local publishing company releases two children's books about perseverance

Gallopade International, an educational publishing company for children ages three and up, has recently released two new books from author Carole Marsh. "Meet Shirley Franklin - Mayor of Atlanta" introduces local readers to the first black female mayor of a major southern U.S. City, while "Orville and Wilbur Wright Step Out Into The Sky" teaches children about the first flight and how it changed history.

Religion

Make love, not excuses, this Valentine's Day
By JOHN HATCHER
Religion Columnist

There's a crisis in Fayette County. Not a water crisis. Not a leadership crisis. Not a traffic crisis. No, we have a crisis of legitimate sex. Husbands and wives are not getting enough.

Smith retiring as pastor of First Presbyterian

After 34 years of ministering to his congregation in Peachtree City, the Rev. Don Smith recently announced his plans to retire from the ministry. Smith's retirement will become effective Feb. 28.

Donna Lawrence will be guest speaker at Women's Aglow February meeting

Donna Lawrence, an experienced weight-loss counselor, will be the guest speaker at this month's meeting of Peachtree City Aglow, Lighthouse Community Chapter, Monday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m.

Brooks UMC youth return from ski slopes of Vail, Breckenridge, Colorado

Fourteen members of the youth group at Brooks United Methodist church recently returned from what was described as an "incredible spiritual ski trip" in Vail and Breckenridge, Colo. They were accompanied by Lisa Green, youth director at Brooks UMC.

Religion Briefs

Opinion

Teen sex and life in the suburbs: Lessons from a schoolbus . . .
By STEPHEN WALLACE

Disturbing, yes. But hardly surprising. Recent reports of a 14-year-old Massachusetts middle school girl engaging in oral sex with a 16-year-old high school boy differed only slightly from scores of similar tales told with increasing regularity in cities and towns across the country. The setting (a schoolbus) and the audience (classmates) make it especially unappealing but really not that different. After all, it was not too long ago that news broke of a senior class scavenger hunt proffering points for proof (videos and such) of masturbation, oral sex and public intercourse.

My big, fat Italian breakfast . . .
By BILLY MURPHY
Laugh Lines

Here I sit in real America. Because what could be more melting pot U.S.A. than a German boy ordering a good ol' Southern plate of eggs and sausage in an Italian diner from a Mexican waitress named Gabby? This is my breakfast at Johnny Romano's Diner on Huddleston Road and welcome to it.

Senate to act on health benefits plan
By MITCH SEABAUGH

The activity here at the Capitol has definitely picked up. Committees have begun work on legislation and [this] week we should see some significant bills come to the Senate floor for debate.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Tyrone's Cannon writes from new home in Minn.

Hello, friends in Fayette County. I am writing to you from Minnesota, as my employer shut down Atlanta operations and gave us the option to relocate. While I was happy to keep my job, I do miss our friends in Georgia.

Remembering The Citizen's first managing editor . . .

I'm deeply saddened to hear of [Managing Editor] Dave Hamrick's death [in March 2002], not just because he was a great guy and a great editor, but because of the loss to society of a man who didn't let his judgment be clouded as info-tainment profitably supplants journalism across the globe.

Thanks to all for successful Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast

On behalf of the Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the hard-working volunteers and local businesses for making our 11th Annual Pancake Saturday on Jan. 25 an outstanding success. New attendance records were set and profits exceeded $13,000, also a new record.

Mac not right on Soc. Sec.

Mac [Collins]'s remarks on Social Security, Medicare, etc., are just about enough to drive me to a third-party candidate. Only a fool or a politician would tell you he can protect old folks' benefits, give benefits to those who are about to retire, and give young people investment options without any new taxes or any new pain. How can people believe statements that are so farfetched?

Seabaugh's bill penalizes 40,000 working families

[State] Sen. [Mitch] Seabaugh is offering up legislation that he says will "help get more people health insurance." In reality, Sen. Seabaugh's legislation is designed to put money back in the hands of insurance companies and business owners at the expense of working families.

Forget appeasement, bring on the state flag referendum

In a recent, overlong letter to The Citizen concerning the state flag, the learned Mark D. Linville explains the history of the symbol now known as the swastika so that we who haven't spent as many years as he in the halls of academe (he is a college professor) will understand how the swastika and the Confederate battle flag have been similarly defiled and, thereby, gained a new meaning to himself and others.

Flag change another attempt at cultural genocide of South

Dr. Linville's article is another attempt at cultural genocide of Southern people of Confederate ancestry. It is an article that would make Engels, Stalin and Marx proud. Its style is straight from the Communist Manifesto. It reeks of extreme left-wing Northern socialism.

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