Wednesday, July 23, 2003

News

Property values up 8%; taxes to follow

By Aug. 5, Ellen Mills should be breathing a lot easier.

How to appeal your property tax reassessment

You've arrived home from a long day at work and are opening the mail when an envelope from the Fayette County Tax Assessor's office catches your eye.

Crabapple 'miracle' hailed by Bd. of Ed.

Describing it as "a miracle," the Fayette County school board heard the news Monday that the new Crabapple Lane Elementary in Peachtree City will be ready for students on the first day of classes, Aug. 11. That's at least four months ahead of schedule, and despite the wettest spring ever.

F'ville OKs $25.1M budget, as PTC eyes 1-mill tax increase

The Fayetteville City Council has approved a $25.188 million budget for the coming fiscal year with plans to roll back the millage rate to avoid a property tax increase if possible, depending on the county's final tax digest.

PTC seeking tax hike to make up for lower LOST funds

Peachtree City homeowners are facing a 1 mill increase in property taxes for the 2004 fiscal year to make up for revenue lost primarily due to redistribution of the Local Option Sales Tax.

Doctor's 'inappropriate' exam of woman is on trial

A Fayette woman testified Tuesday that she was scared after what she called an inappropriate exam by her gynecologist in January of last year.

County looks at annexation requests

Three annexation requests highlight tomorrow's meeting of the Fayette County Commission.

Hospital annexed into Fayetteville for sewer

Construction on the expansion of Fayette Community Hospital is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year, according to hospital officials.

Tyrone says no to liquor

If you're looking to get a martini with your dinner, you'll still need to head to Peachtree City or Fayetteville, since Tyrone officials rejected a liquor by the drink proposal last week.

Local resident recognized for service in Iraq

Fayette County resident Byers Coleman was recently recognized for his service in Kuwait during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Fville council dumps road requirement for path plan

The Fayetteville City Council acquiesced to a local homeowners association by rescinding its requirement of a road to connect two subdivisions.

^{Buckle's back, for good}

Popular McIntosh High teacher and Army reservist looking forward to year in the classroom

Lake reopens

One of south Fayette's favorite fishing holes is back open for business. Owner T.W. Padgett said he's restocked the lake with over 50 pounds of channel catfish and is ready for fishermen to catch them.

CCSU sets Oct. 25 homecoming

Clayton College & State University is formulating plans for the big 2003 Homecoming celebration. This year's theme, "Feel It, Hear It, Laker Spirit", will permeate the campus with weeklong activities that will culminate Saturday, Oct. 25.

Police Blotter

Obituaries

Birth Announcements

Wedding Announcements

Business

Shopping tips for sales tax holidays

Preparing for back-to-school means more than a new pair of shoes.

Tips to make work more fun

Here are a few new tips you can adapt to help you create a more productive and motivating work environment.

Villages Amphitheater to present 'Grease' on big screen

"Grease" began as a popular off-Broadway musical. It grew into a popular Broadway show and an even more popular film. Released by Paramount Pictures in 1978, "Grease" grossed over $340 million worldwide and over 20 million double-soundtrack albums have been sold.

Don't wait to see STG's 'Heaven Can Wait'

It has been said that God doesn't make mistakes. The same can not be said for angels, though. At least the one in "Heaven Can Wait," Southside Theatre Guild's latest production.

Starr's Mill student directs 'The Emperor's New Clothes' for Fayette Players

Matt Drake, a rising senior at Starr's Mill High School, had a featured cameo in the film "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry met Lloyd." It did not take him long to decide that what he really wanted to do is direct.

Fayette across America, Part 1

This article is the first in the "Virtual Road Trip" series. There are 11 Fayette Counties in the United States and readers will be able to learn about each of the 11 counties through these articles.

Writers group meeting cancelled

The Fayette Writers Group will not meet this Saturday, July 26. Participants are invited to return the following Saturday, Aug. 2, and share their work. The group meets at the Fayette County Library in Fayetteville.

NCTC readies Murder Mystery

Newnan Community Theatre Company is holding its Spring Murder Mystery Aug. 15-16. This year will be Murder at the 4077. Join the troops for fun, mayhem and maybe even murder.

Notable

CCSU Theater offers $1,000 playwriting prize

Send us your unpublished script, and you could win $1,000 in the Clayton State Theater's playwriting competition.

'The Sound of Music' comes to the Fox

Fans of musicals often cite "The Sound of Music" as one of the greats. Not only does it have a wonderful and true story, but the songs are so famous that some people don't even know that they know them, until they are sitting in the theater and singing along.

Hall of Fame awards show coming Sept. 13

The Friends of Georgia Music Festival Inc., has selected American icon and country music legend Kenny Rogers, internationally renowned contemporary pop folk musicians the Indigo Girls, Mike Curb, owner of Curb Records, the largest independent record label in the world, and longtime record producer Alan Walden as the 2003 Inductees for the prestigious Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Religion

Try letting hope rule your future
By JOHN HATCHER
Religion Columnist

This past Easter we hosted African children's choir called Watoto. Subsequently they sang for President and Mrs. Bush at the White House. Upon the President's recent visit to Uganda in East Africa, Watoto also sang.

Nativity to offer stroke care program

The Basket Bunch of The Episcopal Church of the Nativity will offer a program on stroke care on Friday, Aug. 1, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The speaker will be Rhonda Williams, RN, MSN, Cardiac and Neuroscience Education, Clinical Program Manager, Southern Regional Hospital. Williams and her group, paramedics, EMTs and RNs, will talk about the need for immediate hospital care in the event of a suspected stroke.

Hopewell UMC to host 'Service for Peace'

Hopewell United Methodist church in Tyrone will have a special "Service for Peace" Wednesday, July 30, with special guest speaker Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel of the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta and Atlanta Ministry with International Students, Inc.

Body of Christ Church plans campmeeting

The Body of Christ Church International, U.S.A., will have Campmeeting 2003 Monday, Aug. 4, through Friday, Aug. 8, with special speakers scheduled all week.

Religion Breifs

Opinion

 

 

 

 

Dear sheriff, chiefs: Enforce left-lane law
By CAL BEVERLY
editor@thecitizennews.com

First, a letter to local law enforcement leaders.

Fayette driving one of life's lesser charms
By JENNIFER GAYNOR

Nothing makes me descend into a murderous rage more quickly than driving around Fayette County. Between sitting at red lights when there is no car around for miles, passing a tortoise-like SUV to see a soccer mom chatting into her cell phone or turned around yelling at the kids, and keeping watch for the infamous PTC cops, nothing aggravates me more.

For NEA, there is only one 'right' position on diversity, gay rights
By DR. WARREN THROCKMORTON

Class, let's match wits with the NEA. Answer the following multiple-choice question:

With new touch screens, voting fraud is easy
By LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF GEORGIA

"A shocking new report puts Georgia in the spotlight for potential vote counting fraud," said Libertarian Party of Georgia Chairman Dr. Helmut Forren. "As a 28 year veteran computer engineer, I knew these new voting machines would be vulnerable to vote tampering, but it just floored me when I found out how terribly vulnerable they really are," he continued.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Assessors, how can you defend 30% increase?

To the Fayette County Board of Tax Assessors:

Judge's ride on elephant float: Attempt to deceive?

We celebrated our nation's birthday [July 4] and did it in a style that we citizens of Fayette County and Peachtree City have come to love and appreciate. The Peachtree City parade was very symbolic of our freedom to demonstrate our patriotism, and, yes, politicians. The politicians are OK, and we have come to expect them just as much as we have come to expect candy thrown from the floats. It was even special to have Governor "Sonny" pay us a visit.

Tyrone, take a look at how well restaurants behave now

Tyrone, before you chose to let the restaurants in your community serve liquor by the glass, look at the level of responsibility they are already showing you. Like the parent of a teen who insists they are old enough to drive a vehicle, the level of responsibility already shown by their actions should determine your decision, not simply your convenience.

Readers mostly say, Move to the right!

These lights have got to change

Finally, the truth about traffic woes

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Cal, for writing the truth. Finally, someone who will put the truth in black and white.

No left-lane laggards on Autobahn

To identify in your recent editorial one of my pet driving peeves as the driver who insists on driving in the left lane and thereby impedes the normal flow of traffic did my heart good.

Naming the left-lane offenders ...

Thank you for finally saying it. I have waited some three years for you to come to my defense when I wrote the "Left Lane Jane" letter and got scalded by some old ladies and others who are innocents.

How about the lane darters?

If everyone drove in the right lane so as not to block the speeders, then in effect, we would only have one lane to carry most of the traffic. I don't see anything wrong with two cars side by side at, say, 65-70 mph.

Father asks, Why subject family to yet more pain?

Your policy of publishing information on local arrests and guilty pleas is hurtful. Perhaps there are proud families who, seeing that their children have "made the newspaper," trim the arrest and guilty plea sections from your paper to be displayed on their refrigerators. Then again, perhaps not. Certainly not in one case.

Compromise? Depends on whose definition used

I am getting more technically proficient in my research, or just lazy, depending on how you look at it.

Thanks for Battle of Bands; teens need more such events

I just want to say thank you to Shelby Barker and the rest of the PTCYC group for organizing the Battle of the Bands last week. It was great having something different to do on a Saturday night. It would be great if there were more things like this for us to do. A building where we could hang out together and listen to music, watch a movie or play pool would be cool.

Pious: Let's use it correctly

In the Rev. Hatcher's admirable column on July 9, he lamented two trends in Christianity: the gospel of wealth and false piety. I would add ... a critique of the Prayer of Jabez. Bruce Wilkinson's publishing phenomenon advises Christians of the benefits of praying for an increase in personal wealth.

Owner absent, dog impounded

I've just read the Lopez's letter about the abandoned cats they've been caring for. Coincidentally, my 9-year-old is in tears right this minute, as the Fayette Animal Shelter just picked up a stray dog we've been caring for. I came across the dog while jogging in the Smokerise subdivision this week, along with some very nice folks living on Smokerise Trace who feared that the dog would be hit by a car (this is a whole other story, but people constantly speed up that road!).

Here's how to fix that chaos at 54-74 junction

I have noticed three unfavorable stoplights:

Moving right wouldn't have solved these jerks' problems

It is my belief that rules of the road are no more than rules of common courtesy. Not all drivers are courteous so laws must be enacted to make drivers courteous or suffer a penalty. Sometimes the innocent also suffer. I further believe that stopping road rage cannot be completely solved by moving to the right.