Wednesday, September 17, 2003

News

Fayette-izing Ga.'s schools

When seniors at both Fayette County and Sandy Creek high schools posted historic jumps on their average SAT scores last spring, it didn't go unnoticed at the Georgia Department of Education.

Fayette folks who work for state Supt. Kathy Cox

Metro Area SAT Scores

Pavilion dealt for $172M

Call it the ultimate sale at Fayette's largest shopping center.

Convicted murderer proclaims innocence, predicts run for sheriff

In a prison cell all to himself, serving life in prison for murdering his wife, Jim Watson has had plenty of time to plot how he'll clear his name.

Fayette Board of Education borrows $8.5 million to meet September payroll

Fayette County school personnel got some good news and some better news from the Board of Education Monday night.

Sandy Creek student, 16, struck by car, critically hurt

A 16-year-old student from Sandy Creek High School remained in critical condition Tuesday after he was struck by an automobile while walking on Jenkins Road after school Monday afternoon.

Grand jurors hear testimony on double murder, but return no indictment in case

Detectives are still focusing on the possible role of a Jonesboro man in the double murder of David O. Mangham and Francis Michael Fowler at Mangham's home back in May.

Ideas offered by citizen's panel on buses turned over to BOE

For a brief few minutes Monday, the 10 citizen members of the Fayette County School Board's Transportation Task Force thought they were off the hook.

Vehicular homicide charges dropped

Misdemeanor vehicular homicide charges against a Peachtree City man were dropped Monday afternoon, several hours into the trial against him in Fayette County State Court.

Fire engulfs tractor trailer on Tyrone Rd.

No one was injured when a tractor trailer hauling sand caught fire Tuesday afternoon on Tyrone Road near Flat Creek Trail, coincidentally near a Fayette County Fire Station

County fire department re-accredited by agency

The annual accreditation compliance report of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services has been approved by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International.

Fayette's school safety plan approved by state regulators

The Fayette County School System's school safety plan has been re-approved by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

Local student spends some of summer in Russia

Fayetteville resident and Fayette County High School graduate Christopher Thornburg had an excellent summer vacation, although it wasn't spent at the beach or an amusement park.

Sandy Creek High ambassadors back from Australia trip

Four Sandy Creek High School students proudly represented Fayette County, the state of Georgia and the United States this summer as they traveled to Australia as Student Ambassadors with the People to People Student Ambassadors program.

Wieland buys a pig

John Wieland, famous for building homes in the Southeast, including numerous neighborhoods in Fayette County, has gone into the livestock business.

Merrill Lynch gets national award for supporting Guard, Reserves

Merrill Lynch received the national "My Boss is a Patriot" award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves at a luncheon ceremony at Ft. McPherson, Army Forces Command, hosted by the Greater Atlanta Reserve Officers Association. The award includes a plaque signed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and honors the company for supporting its employee reservists.

Gordon enrollment includes large Fayette contingent

More than 300 Fayette Countians are amond the 3,431 students enrolled this fall at Gordon College in Barnesville, as the school experiences a 10 percent enrollment increase over last fall.

Obituaries

Wedding Announcements

Dining Guide

Fall's dining options are heating up
By F.C. FOODIE
Food Critic

 

Waking up in late September makes me almost giddy. The warm, moist air we've been used to for three months is starting to give way to cooler breezes.

Fitting a Fayette family to a 'tea'

Breakfast at the Light house guarantees a few things. You will smell tempting wafts of fresh baked goods, probably from an innovative adaptation. You will be served tea. And not just any tea, but fresh-brewed, gourmet, imported tea that comes in lovely little gift boxes.

Virtual Takeout delivers to Fayette

What does a secretary tasked with ordering lunch for 40 staff members, a working mother too tired to cook, a family spending their first night in a new home and a fast paced executive have in common?

It's a secret

When Ina Pinkney was developing a recipe for gingerbread pancakes for her popular Chicago restaurant, Ina’s, she knew she wanted more than ginger to come across in the flavor.

Get green this winter

As the weather cools and the flu and cold season kicks into high gear, many Americans will turn to green tea as a natural method of relief. The popularity of this beverage has reached an all-time high due to the recent findings regarding its health benefits.

Campaign helps boost women's calcium intake

It’s a major disconnect: Nearly nine in 10 women believe calcium is important to their health, yet the same number of women over age 30 consume only about half the amount of calcium recommended per day.

Entertaining gets 'saucy' with new fondue recipe

Entertaining gets ‘saucy’ with new fondue recipe

Business

New consignment store is so much more

Children are a gift from heaven, or so we've always been told. But they are not always a gift for the wallet. Before you know it, they've outgrown their clothes and need new set of everything, right down from their socks to their cribs.

Bank of Georgia promotes Parker, Enriquez

Pat Shepherd, president of The Bank of Georgia, announced today that the bank's Board of Directors has promoted Jacki Parker to vice president and Ramona Enriquez to loan operations officer.

'Sisters: United' meet at New Hope

In a world of reality television, how does a woman know what it means to be a "real" woman?

Festivals galore this weekend

While the days may still be warm, there is a hint of fall in the air. Another indicator of the impending autumn is the return of all the beloved area festivals. Citizens and visitors to the area come out in droves to peruse arts and crafts, eat their favorite festival foods, be entertained by local singers, dancers and assorted performers, and have a generally good time with their family and friends in the community.

Kelley to jazz up library

There are lots of ways you might know Collin Kelley. Chief among them is the time he spent at the Fayette Neighbor.

The war for music

I know there are too many wars going on right now War on Drugs, War on Terrorism, War in Iraq, War on Unemployment but there is another war looming and this one is big. It is the War for Music.

National Air Tour to visit Falcon Field

It is hard to imagine a time when airplanes and airports were a rare occurrence, but in the late 1920s and 1930s air travel was just starting to be used for mail delivery and most cities and towns did not have airports but rather open fields or fairgrounds with a large enough area for airplanes to land. This changed and one of the things that prompted the changes was the National Air Tour.

Religion

Getting honest with your spouse
By JOHN HATCHER
Religion Columnist

Since my wife and I are a one checking account type of couple, we want to know what's happening in each other's purse (or wallet for the men folk). Although I pay the bills, it's my wife who's the conservative one about spending. One of my weaknesses happens around lunch. I like to take people to lunch and pay the bill.

Unity Christian Church moves to Wyndham in Peachtree City

Unity Christian Church, which for the past two years has met and held Sunday afternoon services at the Abundant Life Worship Center on Ga. Hwy. 74 North, has moved its worship location to the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center on Ga. Hwy. 54 in Peachtree City.

St. Andrew's sets plans for annual art auction, reception

Members of St. Andrew's in-the-Pines Episcopal Church in Peachtree City are making plans for their 13th annual art auction to benefit the church's building and community outreach programs. The art auction committee met recently at the home of committee chair, R.C. Rover, to finalize arrangements.

St. Mary's Mission changes location of Saturday Vigil Mass

St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Mission has moved the location of its Saturday evening Vigil Mass from Cokes Chapel United Methodist Church to East Coweta High School on Ga. Hwy. 154 in Sharpsburg. The move was effective earlier this month.

Bethany UMC to hold revival Sept. 28-Oct. 1

Bethany United Methodist Church will feature the Rev. Herb Flanders as the special guest speaker during a revival set for Sunday morning, Sept. 28, through Wednesday evening, Oct. 1. Flanders will speak at the Monday evening service.

Body of Christ Church to host family events

The Body of Christ Church International, U.S.A., in College Park, will host three "family events" during the month of October.

Religion Briefs

Opinion

The fan-friendly side of professional sports
By MONROE ROARK
mroark@TheCitizenNews.com

Professional sports buzzed in and out of Fayette County last week, albeit under the radar.

See all those trees? Ever wonder whom all that belongs to?
By JEFF KENNERLY
Georgia Forestry Commission

Ever wonder who owns the forestland in Georgia? Is it national forests? Does it belong to the state? Of the 37 million acres in Georgia 24.4 acres is in forestland. That's two-thirds of the state. Would you believe that 72 percent of the forestland in Georgia is privately owned?

Bills help church schools, buying American and 10 Commandments
Mac Collins
Congressman

This past week, I had the opportunity to meet with a representative from the Georgia Association of Christian Schools. During our meeting, the representative expressed support for the Equity in Education Act of 2003 (H.R. 872). H.R. 872 would ensure that employees of a church, which sponsors a religious school, can continue to use the qualified tuition reduction on their federal tax return.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Central office pay goes up, while schools suffer

I am writing this letter anonymously for the obvious reason that I am employed as a teacher in the Fayette County School System. I have just read the Sunday edition of your paper and I am livid after reading the article about the decision of the Board of Education to increase the millage rate.

Restaurant's passing leaves dark shadow

For many years I was a regular customer at Shadows, the quintessential American restaurant in Peachtree City. Here, one could find savory pancakes and hash-browns that surpassed the quality of any competing restaurant in this locale. The serving size was definitely generous. I used to get a half order of hash-browns that were surely a bountiful culinary delight.

Helicopter peeping? Maybe the problem lies elsewhere

As much as I sympathize with Ashley Watson's loss of her beautiful mother Beverley, and the fact that her father is the one convicted of her mother's murder and is sitting in prison, for the life of me I can make no sense of her complaint other than pure animosity toward the Fayette County Sheriff's Department for their role in the investigation of her mother's murder.

Youth Challenge Academy excels at helping teenagers

I believe the National Guard Youth Challenge Academy is a great program. Our son is graduating this weekend in Macon as well. We have seen a tremendous change in our son, Joseph, in regards to focusing and working towards the goals he has outlined for his life.

Bible has been used and misused through millennia

Bravo to Mr. Keith Turner ["In rights debate, definitions have changed," The Citizen, Sept. 3] for his fascinating journey to a land of slanted impressions posing as definition. It must be nice to live in a place where you get to set the reality, pose the premise, and pre-load the conclusion. As minister for propaganda at his own little bastion of prejudice, I don't suppose he gets many opposing viewpoints. Well, here's one for you, Herr Turner!

Confusion reigns on issue of Jesus and his 'tolerance'

Ms. Dixie Eska-Thedra [Letters, The Citizen, Aug. 20] is laboring under some serious misconceptions about Christianity and Jesus Christ Himself.

Is God really OK with sexual sin? I think not

This letter is in response to the letter by Jeff Ellis [The Citizen, Aug. 14]. Jeff stated that just as white people finally started to accept black people for who they were instead of rejecting them for the color of their skin, that we should also accept gays in the same manner. Jeff stated that God is a loving God who loves all of us just as we are.

Need to do less quoting, more living the Word

Good grief! After reading some of the articles and letters concerning the recent vote to confirm Gene Robinson as an Episcopal bishop, I daresay we are in for a shortage of millstones.

Restaurants, public refuse to address smoking health issue

In response to the letter asking why I question the level of responsibility already shown by some of our area's restaurants, it is from painful personal experience and observation.

PTC home to too many irresponsible dog owners

September is here, and although we did have a very mild summer compared to years past I am pleased to feel the mild chill of a fall morning. With the kids back at school, joggers, walkers, bikers and runners have come out in full force in the surrounding neighborhoods. The freedom of being able to move at our own pace in whatever direction we choose on endless paths and neighborhood streets all around our community is a great privilege.

Helicopter deliveries scare animals, upset rural residents

Several years ago we tried to rezone our land from five acres to two-and-a-half acres and from agricultural so someone could build on the lot. People came out of the woodwork to complain, even though the lot next to us was two-and-a-half acres.