Archive for Wednesday, February 3, 1999

Wednesday, February 3, 1999

News

County adopts stricter ethics rules: Fayette County commissioners can no longer cast votes on agenda items involving those who have given more than $500 to their campaigns.
Barnes & Noble's Pine Trail plan delayed again: Residents of Pine Trail Road and developers who want to put a Barnes & Noble shopping center on the road must wait one more month to find out their mutual fates.
Home for unwed moms?: During 1995 in Fayette County, 38 unwed teen girls gave birth and 55 more had abortions, according to Department of Health statistics.
Bost pledges businesslike approach to county gov't.: County government is much like a big business and should be run that way, says County Commissioner Harold Bost.
SCHS girl athlete, 16, found dead at home: Amanda Lambert, 16, a starting guard for the Sandy Creek Lady Patriots, was found dead at her parents' home last Friday morning, according to Tyrone Police Chief Roger Spencer.
Business Person of '98 award goes to Leslie: Business has been good for the 1998 Business Person of the Year, commercial contractor Wayne Leslie of Fayetteville.
Attorney: Tyrone's need for extra meetings may be over soon: Tyrone Town Attorney John Mrosek believes the furor over the town's recent spate of special called meetings will soon die down.
Lowe's center construction to begin soon: Developers hope to start construction on Fayetteville's Lowe's superstore within a month or so, now that plans for the store have been approved.
Adams subdivision on hold until April: Density is the problem with Bob Adams Homes' plan to put 100 homes on 20 acres at Beauregard Boulevard and Grady Avenue, Fayetteville City Council members told company president Bob Adams Monday night.
Hotel planned on 85 north: A three-story, 63-unit hotel, 6,000 square feet of shops and a 6,500-sq. ft. restaurant are planned across from New Hope Road on Ga. Highway 85 north.
Officials: negotiated gas rate no final answer for consumers: Fayette governments have given local residents a little help in choosing their natural gas providers, but officials caution that a special rate negotiated with Peachtree Natural Gas should not be construed as an endorsement.
Daylight burglars come a'calling in west Fayette: Fayette County Sheriff's deputies are again urging local residents to be alert for burglars who first try an innocent approach.
BOE hires firm to aid in superintendent search: In a brief called session Monday night, the Fayette County Board of Education agreed to hire the consulting firm of Rogers Hight and Associates of Atlanta to assist with their search for a new district superintendent.
Lift apartment halt, PTC to be asked: A request to lift the city's moratorium on rezoning for multifamily uses will be heard Thursday by the Peachtree City Council.
Volunteers needed for Sams: Representatives of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia will be among the volunteers participating in the old fashioned "barn raising" Saturday, Feb. 6, at the new facility for the Joseph Sams School.
Two more restaurants set for Fayetteville: JDN Development Corp. hopes to start construction on an Applebee's Restaurant across from Banks Crossing shopping center within a month, now that plans have been approved.

Opinion

Conservatives take too much for granted DAVE HAMRICK Editor-at-large: Conservatives, we have a lot of work to do if we want to get our message out to the masses.
Plane tales from an insomniac BILLY MURPHY Laugh Lines: I hate sleep. I don't see what the big deal is about. Like Sam Elliot once said, "I'll get plenty of sleep when I'm dead."
Barnes' new metro transport agency just another layer of unneeded gov't.
State Rep. Lynn Westmoreland: On the whole, I must say Gov. Roy Barnes' conservative approach to state policy is commendable, but I am a little concerned that he may be trying to increase the size of government when doing so is unnecessary.

Letters From Our Readers

Is it time for county to hire in-house attorney?: Aren't we curious about why our Fayette County Government worked so hard to take a whole seven-tenths of an acre of my property based on their 104-year-old deed?
Paper handled Watson vigil story poorly, sister says: I do not appreciate the way you have handled the publication of the candlelight vigil held in honor of Beverley Watson.
The Mews is dead; now please bury it: Regarding the Mews: The Peachtree City zoning board and city council have effectively done the job they are supposed to do. All legal protocol was followed.
Can't we all just please stop?: I have a great idea for the area of Ga. Highway 54 and Walt Banks Road. Why not just leave it alone?
F'ville council should properly fix Beauregard: Those of us who live in the county, and especially within the city, can tell you that if you take a drive down Beauregard Boulevard, it will take you to the fair...but we never dreamed we'd have to take a roller coaster ride down Beauregard to get there!
Hmmmm, is there a connection here?: Has anyone noticed that now that County Commissioners Robert Sprayberry and Scott Burrell are no longer in office, State Representative Lynn Westmoreland, himself a builder/developer, is now suggesting that our county commissioners are overpaid?
Stocking up in advance of Y2K is simply insurance: In response to the letter recently submitted by Pepper Adams with regard to Y2K:
Sams was Fayette's sheriff in late '30s: In your artcle, "Shine," you have noted that Williams Ballard was sheriff of Fayette County in the late 1930s.
Folks here show old-fashioned respect: My husband and I would like to tell you how impressed we are with you city and county.
Maybe school rules exist to help, protect: I would like to express my thoughts in response to Kurt Peters's letter, "Why teach teens about freedom when they have so little?"
Fayette juvenile court staffed by good people: I'm responding to a letter in your newspaper from a Peachtree City parent who accused the Peachtree City police of targeting teens, and the Fayette County Juvenile Court system of being complacent and acquiescent to this policy.
McIntosh has needs as pressing as Starr's Mill: I am writing in response to Doug Sebastian's statements that there were errors in my last letter.
Thanks to volunteers for planting 1,000 nature preserve trees: On behalf of the Peachtree City Beautification Committee and Southern Conservation Trust, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the volunteers who helped to plant approximately 1,000 trees in the Line Creek Nature Area on Saturday, Jan. 16.

Business

Consumers urged to monitor credit rating to prevent abuse: The Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Atlanta has joined the Federal Trade Commission and other agencies to launch the first National Consumer Protection Week this week.
More than 360 members blast off at annual Chamber meeting: The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce brought a little bit of NASA to its annual meeting Saturday night. The guest speaker was Capt. Jon A. McBride, USN (Ret), a former space shuttle pilot, a fighter pilot and a Navy test pilot.
Business Brief

Prime

GEORGIA SOCIETY OF CPAs: THE INS AND OUTS OF 401(K) PLANS
GEORGIA SOCIETY OF CPAs: MINIMIZING TAXES ON YOUR RETIREMENT NEST EGG
Alzheimer's education series set for Feb. 25: Ashley Glen Assisted Living and Alzheimer's Care will host an ongoing Alzheimer's Education Series beginning February 25.
Jim and Ellen Steinbach's house: Walking into Jim and Ellen Steinbach's house, a first time visitor might picture them as a retired couple who has built a cozy and welcoming home.
Country Concert Comes to Town: The list of groups featured in the annual country music concert series is a long one! Southern Steel, "The Band of the South," will be the featured artist.

Religion

Are today's supermarket churches all that effective?: A fabulous supermarket just opened within a stone's throw of our church. Now it won't be a chore to stop by the store for a gallon of milk on the way home. This new store has everything.
Men can learn how to be Great Dads: Most men have received far more training in algebra than they have in effective fathering.
Jesus video update corner: A message from Bill Laycock, director of Jesus Video Project Georgia:
Passion Play tickets on sale: Tickets are now on sale for the annual Easter "Atlanta Passion Play," to be performed at the Atlanta Civic Center in March.
Many churches, individuals involved in Providence Methodist's beginning: Pianos, plants, hymnals, china, nursery workers all donated by area churches
Religion Briefs
Forum to address if there is meaning in evil and suffering: "Is There Meaning in Evil and Suffering?" will be the topic of discussion during a free, live interactive forum Monday at 6:45 p.m. at Braelinn Baptist Church.

Sports

Panther freshmen undefeated late in season: The Starr's Mill freshman basketball team is undefeated. Their current record is 9-0 and their wins have come against local rivals Fayette County, McIntosh and Sandy Creek as well as several other regional teams.
Challenger registration has begun: The Challenger Division of the Peachtree City Little League returns for the 1999 season!
Chiefs beat Griffin, ladies fall: The McIntosh Chiefs boys and girls basketball team hosted Griffin on Friday night in the most important match of the season before the upcoming regional tournament.
Sports Calendar
Rec Department offers new activities in 1999: The Fayette County Recreation Department is offering registration at the Kiwanis Recreation Center on Redwine Road.
GymXpress and Club Peachtree now worth their weight in Gold: Both Club Peachtree and GymXpress have become members of the Gold's Gym family. Owners J.D. and Varner Holmes had been considering the switch for a while and in January of this year, after extensive research, the Holmes' acquired Gold's Gym franchise licenses for both clubs.
Lakers lose to Lander: Clayton State hosted Lander University on Saturday and, despite some amazing performances, lost both games.
Sandy Creek loses teammate: Amanda Lambert, a junior guard on the Sandy Creek girls basketball team, died unexpectedly Friday morning.
Paddlers plan trip to Florida for President's Day weekend: Join the Peachtree City Paddlers Feb. 13, 14 and 15, President's Day weekend, for a trip down two scenic Florida rivers near Gainesville: The Santa Fe and the Ichetucknee.
Norman goes undefeated at South Metro: On Saturday, Jan. 16, South Cobb High School hosted the South Cobb Invitational Junior Varsity Wrestling Tournament.
Panthers swimming strong as county championship nears: The Starr's Mill Panther swim team traveled to Rockdale this past Saturday to take on Rockdale and Holy Innocents. They would have won both the boys and girls matches if the boys relay team was able to participate.
Wrestlers tackle final weekend before area meets on Saturday: The McIntosh Chiefs wrestling team, ranked seventh in the state, participated in the Marietta duals this past weekend.
Wrestle Box

Weekend

A cold day in Virginia: When a friend's daughter got married in December, I watched closely to see how the mother of the bride is supposed to act.
Digging in the county's history
Valentine Ball & Auction benefits local Arts programs: Area residents are invited to "Endow the arts the fun way!". The annual Valentine Ball & Auction, sponsored by the Endowment Committee for Cultural Arts of Fayette County, will be Feb. 13 at the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center in Peachtree City.
Young actress 'fervently hopes' for more roles: Nine-year-old Amy Overton has at least two personalities she can use to help her become successful in acting.
Donation targets Hollingsworth House: A recent $1,000 donation from McNally, Fox & Cameron, Attorneys-at-Law, will be used by Main Street Fayetteville to help with the restoration project of the Hollingsworth House.
Efforts bring reward to St. Paul Lutheran: St. Paul Lutheran School in Peachtree City has been participating in the Aid Association for Lutherans' "Have a Ball Volunteer!" program.
Military Briefs
Acting techniques focus of workshop: "Making the Most of Subtext and Inner Monologue," an acting workshop for adults and teens, deals with several of the most vital techniques actors need to master.
Internet 'Chat Night' scheduled for Feb. 16: The Georgia Student Finance Commission will host a telephone and Internet "Chat Night" on college financial aid for Georgia parents and students Tuesday, Feb. 16 from 7-9 p.m.
Teacher of the Year: Linda Furey: Linda Furey, Fayette County's Teacher of the Year 2000, is described by her colleagues as a very creative woman who wants to see every one of her students succeed, not only in the classroom, but in life.
FCT's 'Voices from the Titanic' opens Feb. 12: Fayette Community Theatre Inc. is inviting the community to experience one of the most tragic, yet memorable, disasters in our history as they present the haunting, adult drama, "Voices from the Titanic."