Wednesday, August 27, 2003

News

Black group rejects letter's 'blame' for low test scores

What was billed as a "Town Hall Meeting" at Holly Grove AME Church to discuss education concerns in Fayette County turned into a verbal ambush against the school district on Saturday, with Superintendent John DeCotis and his administration in the crosshairs again.

Fayette's SAT scores surpass '02 by 13 points

Fayette County Schools welcomed a bit of good news Monday after days of negative publicity.

BOE to hear bus route task force report Tues.

Exactly two weeks and a day after putting out the call for volunteers to serve on its Transportation Task Force, the Fayette County School Board will gather for its first report on the committee's work in a called meeting next Tuesday night.

Sheriff, commission face off in dispute about marshals' powers

Fayette County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn insists that the Fayette County Marshal's Office is legally empowered to make arrests, despite a contrary opinion from county Sheriff Randall Johnson.

Commissioners agree with Dunn, want to discuss dispute with sheriff

"I wish Randall had called somebody. This is just ridiculous."

PTC hikes taxes, OKs vote on $4.9 million library bond

Peachtree City voters will be asked to approve a $4.9 million bond referendum to expand and renovate the city library in the Nov. 4 municipal election.

Tyrone voters to decide on liquor by the drink

Tyrone residents should get their voting hands ready. When they go to the polls this November they will have an extra issue to weigh in on: Should Tyrone allow liquor by the drink?

Woman at Fville ATM foils gunman by speeding away

Charges have been filed against two Riverdale men for attempting to rob a woman at gunpoint at a Fayetteville ATM last week, according to police.

Feds consider lifting restrictions on eliminating troublesome geese

Geese, your goose is cooked.

Dog Park's new location approved by Recreation Commission

The Peachtree City Council has already approved a dog park and $5,000 in seed money for the project. The dog park committee has raised another $5,000 since then, but until Monday night's Peachtree City Recreation Commission meeting one question remained: Where will the dog park be located?

Fund set up in memory of PTC authority member

A fund has been established in memory of former Peachtree City Development Authority member Brian Palmitessa.

PTC police make burglary arrest

A Peachtree City man was arrested last week for the burglary of a business on Auburn Court, police said.

Fville woman arrested for hurting boyfriend with knife to the neck

A Fayetteville woman was arrested for assaulting her boyfriend last week with a knife, police said.

PTC teen charged after wiping out to avoid school bus

A 16-year-old driver was cited for wrecking his car after swerving to avoid hitting an oncoming school bus head-on at the end of the first week of school, police said.

Hood Avenue joins N. Fayette in after-school accreditation

Hood Avenue Primary's after-school program is the second school-based program in the state to receive accreditation from the National School-Age Care Alliance.

Family violence shelter gets makeover from volunteers

The Fayette County Council on Domestic Violence held an open house Sunday to exhibit the complete renovation of its transitional housing program. The house is called the Lighthouse.

Neighborhood watch program touted by county sheriff's office

The Fayette County Sheriff's Department is offering a neighborhood watch program for homeowners associations to help citizens combat crime in their neighborhood.

Fville pub, restaurant plans scrapped after residents' outcry

Developers have withdrawn plans to build a restaurant and pub on Ga. Highway 314 in Fayetteville that drew the ire of residents in nearby subdivisions.

Local forestry ranger helps with wildfires in western United States

A ranger with the local unit of the Georgia Forestry Commission is in Idaho to assist with halting wildfires that have broken out there.

Tyrone approves time change for council meetings

For residents of Tyrone who stayed until the very end of Thursday night's epic town council meeting, there is consolation. Should another meeting last four hours, the meeting will end at 11 p.m. now instead of 11:30 p.m.

Rising Starr band needs help getting to prestigious event

When most people think of composers, they think of Beethoven or Bach men who wore white wigs and had funny names and who died a long time ago.

Library commission holds workshop tonight

The Peachtree City Library Commission will have a workshop meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the bond promotion process for the library expansion. The meeting will be in the Floy Farr Room at Peachtree City Library, 201 Willowbend Road.

High-impact dance teacher sought

The Peachtree City Parks and Recreation Department is looking for an instructor with experience in high impact dance workout instruction or related high impact workout instruction, or kickboxing workout instruction.

Vigil appointed to Board of Regents

Allan Vigil, long-time trustee of the Clayton College & State University Foundation and one of the Southern Crescent's prominent businessmen and civic leaders, has been appointed to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Water safety encouraged for Labor Day weekend

The Labor Day Holiday signals the unofficial end of summer to thousands of boaters and many will take this into account as they head to Georgia's lakes and rivers to celebrate one last time before fall arrives.This year in Georgia there have been more than 114 boating incidents, 11 boating incident related fatalities and 33 drownings, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division.

Q&A with Ga. Insurance Comm. Oxendine

Obituaries

Birth Announcements

Wedding Announcements

Health Wise

Listen to yourself
By GREGORY K. MOFFATT, PH. D
Child's Play

Even though I work with children all the time and I try always to measure my words carefully, I sometimes forget how I sound to them. Even adults misinterpret our meaning by listening to our tone. People I work with have misunderstood my animated tone as anger when it was actually frustration, disappointment, or excitement. More than once my own children have believed that I was angry with them, not because of my words, but because they misunderstood how I said those words.

Bringing Chiropractic Care to the Crow and Fayette County

In the last few weeks the Crow Nation Pow-wow brought crowds to the reservation. They came for food, for native dancing and for chiropractic care. Local chiropractor, Dr. Elliott Segal and his wife Linda Segal, a nurse, were part of a mission team from the Christian Chiropractor's Association.

Want to help fight disease? Just wash your hands

One of the most effective methods for preventing the spread of disease-causing bacteria and other germs is a simple act most of us perform everyday: washing our hands. What we don't do is perform this act properly or often enough. In this age of SARS and other serious diseases that are spread by human contact, practicing good hand washing habits can provide an effective extra line of defense for you and everyone around you.

Healthy lunchbox makeovers

Students' most important sense: Sight

Petting the classroom rabbit, tasting an afternoon snack, listening to a story, smelling a budding flower, and seeing words on the chalkboard children use all five senses to learn in the classroom. But if the words on the chalkboard are blurry and hard to read, much of a student's efforts will be spent making sense of a blurry world not on the lesson or task at hand.

Are generic drugs really safe?

Has your pharmacist ever asked you about substituting a generic drug for your regular prescription? Here's what you should know before you answer that question: Pill coatings, colorings or shapes may vary, but the active ingredient in a generic drug is chemically identical to the brand-name drug and all generic drugs undergo rigorous testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Georgia pediatricians target obesity

Georgia pediatricians are banding together to focus on the enormous task of preventing obesity and treating its consequences. The Committee on Nutrition for the state's chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics drafted a bold, comprehensive approach for doctors, families and communities to put into effect immediately.

Fact sheet: Preventing childhood drowning

The problem

Plastic surgeon opens office in Fayette

A well-respected plastic surgeon from southern California has opened his practice at Fayette Community Hospital.

Get fit: A prescription for good health

What does exercise mean to you?Some folks think of exercise as walking down the driveway for the paper while others regard exercise as using the Stair Master for 45 minutes at high intensity.There are many perceptions of exercise.Recreation and leisure activities, sports performance, maintaining fitness are but a few of these perceptions.However, today let's examine how exercise can play an important role in helping treat certain health issues.

Scoliosis:Dangerous curves, for juniors and seniors

In conjunction with the upcoming Sept. 8­10 open house celebrating the anniversary of the opening of the Durden Chiropractic Clinic, scoliosis screenings and school bag safety screenings will be performed at no charge.

HMO negotiations break down

PROMINA Health System announced last week that its HMO negotiations with WellPoint-owned Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia had collapsed over WellPoint's refusal to allow PROMINA physicians in its network.

Leaving a child in the car can be deadly

A young child's core body temperature can increase three to five times faster than that of an adult, making a car and heat a dangerous combination. As temperatures increase this summer, parents should be aware of the dangers of leaving their children in cars, according to Carol Ball, executive director of SAFE KIDS of Georgia for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Business

Natural gas prices a concern

During the 1990s, natural gas customers enjoyed relatively stable prices for clean, efficient natural gas. With a colder-than-average winter in 2002-2003, consumers saw significant increases in their heating bills. With tightened supply, there has been concern that pricing will remain high for the 2003-2004 winter.

Peachtree City goes Vegas this weekend

A big slice of Las Vegas comes to Peachtree City this weekend when Wayne Newton, known as Mr. Las Vegas, performs at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater Friday and Saturday.

Getting to know Robert Burch

Though the world of children's books is still on its ear because of a boy wizard and the rags-to-riches story of the author of said books, citizens of Fayette County have their own author of books for children and young adults living among them.

No lie: FCFT presents "Pinochio" this weekend

One of the most important lessons a young person can learn is to always tell the truth. It is important to remember that if one lies, there are consequences, such as your nose growing with each untruth spoken and the loss of the chance to become a real boy.

A full weekend of festivals and events in Coweta County

One could make an argument that this weekend is the most exciting weekend of the year in Coweta County.

How Labor Day got its start

Labor Day will be celebrated this weekend with the official holiday being marked Monday, Sept. 1. Though it started as a celebration of labor unions, it is now more commonly known as a three-day weekend marking the end of summer.

Author Magdalene Breaux shares experiences with Fayette Writers

On Aug. 9, the Fayette Writers Group was honored by the presence of Magdalene Breaux, author of "Imaginary Playmate" and "The Family Curse." She is currently negotiating the film rights to the latter. Breaux is a native of New Orleans and grew up hearing tales of witchcraft in the Bayou area. The intriguing heritage of that area sets the stage for her stories.

Religion

It's not about you ... it's about the children
By JOHN HATCHER
Religion Columnist

The last several weeks I have been seeking to champion the state of marriage. Indeed, it is an honorable estate of life. So many blessings come from marriage too numerous to mention in this continuing column. Just think, if a siege of loneliness were to hit me, all I have to do is walk downstairs and strike up a dialogue with my wife. Or, perhaps some state of nausea were to come over me, I could call out to her and she would be there to doctor the ailment. Or, perhaps I needed her to read over this column to give me a thumb up or down, she would be more than willing being ever sensitive to my tender ego.

PTC's Holy Trinity Catholic Church dedicates new educational building

Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Peachtree City, dedicated its new educational building Aug. 18, with the assistance of the Most Reverend John F. Donoghue, Archbishop of Atlanta. The dedication followed a Mass of Thanksgiving for the parish.

Outreach Center to offer grief recovery group in September

Outreach International Center will offer a community-wide Grief Recovery Group beginning Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. The group will continue to meet the second Tuesday of each month at the facilities of Outreach International Center (OIC), 1091 South Jeff Davis Drive, Fayetteville (one block north of the intersections of Inman, County Line, Northbridge, and Jeff Davis Roads.

Religion Briefs

Opinion

Secret police? County unwraps a 20-year-old stealth whopper
By CAL BEVERLY
editor@thecitizennews.com

Did you know that Fayette County has its own police force? A stealth force that has been operating under another name for 20 years?

Commission vs. Sheriff on county marshals' police powers: 3 positions

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

BOE's bad bus decision compounded by delay

I attended the recent school board meeting and it was obvious to me that, considering the number of concerned citizens in attendance, a bad decision had been made regarding the bus route changes.

How about middle school students and their safety?

This is my comment on the news articles being published in the county in reference to the school bus stop locations. The issues seem to concentrate on restoring the transportation to all of the district's elementary school students even though the middle school children are affected equally.

School board fixes squeaky wheel; other areas ignored

Thank you to J. Frank Lynch. Your suggestion that 15 taxpayers (five each for elementary, middle and high school spending needs) be charged with reading the school board budget and looking for funding versus citizen needs is brilliant in its simplicity.

BOE communicated poorly

In response to the "Bus route fiasco" column, I agree. When I called [school system Transportation Director] Pam Holt and asked how these changes came about, she stated, "At the school board meeting." I further asked why the parents were not notified of the need to make the budget cut in transportation. She states, "Read the paper, the information was there."

Bus routes and school finances: BOE must get better advisors

The Fayette Board of Education has screwed up once again, with its school bus pickup plan, and the blame rightfully ought to be laid at the feet of the school superintendent, whose job it is to provide wise leadership to that board. The forming of yet another task force to deflect the parents' ire is, quite simply, more of the phony baloney bureaucrats employ to buy time, muddle the issues, and pass the buck.

Justify that Wynnmeade bridge to nowhere, Mayor

Mayor Steve Browns' letter to The Citizen last week was an incredible, and largely incomprehensible, pastiche of obfuscation, out of context quotes, unrelated factoids, half-truths and untruths. I don't believe I've ever seen anyone expend so much effort on some simple questions without providing even a hint of an actual answer.

Justify that $106,000 salary for assistant city manager

There are some facts that are so well known that everyone recognizes them. One is that our country is suffering with money problems. Local governments have fewer funds for operating and are faced with the choice of either raising taxes or reducing services.

F'ville concert price too high

I would like to publicly apologize to my dear friends who attended the Glen Campbell concert at The Villages Amphitheater in Fayetteville recently. My friends came to town with their 7-month-old son who I had not had the privilege to meet and to see the amphitheater which I had bragged so much about after attending several events.

No class at Fred concerts

You'd think that, with all the lovely homes in this area, citizens would demonstrate good manners. But we all know money can't buy class.