Archive for Wednesday, March 3, 1999

Wednesday, March 3, 1999

News

City OK's Barnes & Noble over angry protest: After more than a year of meetings and negotiations, a Barnes & Noble bookstore is coming to Ga. Highway 85 at Pine Trail Road.
'Black History Day is every day,' civil rights pioneer exhorts: Stop pointing fingers of blame and start working to train and educate our young people, famed civil rights leader and historic preservationist, W. W. Law, told the congregation of Holly Grove A.M.E. Church in Peachtree City Sunday.
Fortress mailboxes: move 'em or lose 'em: If you're one of thousands of Fayette residents with an illegal mailbox support, you may have to tear it down, or at least move it.
Council to view 300-home, 110-acre plan: Rick Flierl smiled as he looked over a map of his master plan for more than 300 homes, plus offices, retail shops, a park and a hotel, on 110 acres in Fayetteville.
Donor gives $100,000 for Holliday House work: Fayetteville downtown boosters got a boost of their own Monday night with the announcement of an anonymous $100,000 donation to the historic Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House restoration.
BOE votes $2 million: Starr's Mill stadium back on track again: Starr's Mill High School's football stadium should be "substantially complete by the end of August," Richard Burton, architect for the project, told the Fayette County Board of Education Monday night.
Starr's Mill store withdrawn in face of opposition: Developer Brent Scarbrough withdrew his request to put a convenience store across Ga. Highway 85 from Starr's Mill before the County Commission had a chance to act on it last week.
Sewer is big topic at Tyrone Council meeting Thursday: Tyrone residents could get a glimpse of their future Thursday night as the town council holds a discussion on a proposed sewer deal with the city of Fairburn, about two miles up Ga. Highway 74 from the town.
Flap develops over Photocircuits' expansion plans in PTC: Some Peachtree City residents, mostly in Planterra Ridge subdivision, apparently are mounting a campaign against a proposed parking lot expansion at Photocircuits Inc. in Peachtree City.
Two seek Fayette GOP chairmanship: Fayette County Republicans will be offered two different styles of leadership at their annual convention March 20.; Candidates to address local Republicans Saturday
Fayetteville gets DOT approval for road projects: Some relief is in store for traffic in Fayetteville.
Police News: Fayette County Sheriff's deputies arrested a suspected church burglar early Tuesday morning near Ga. Highway 85 and Bernard Road, reports show.
Rep. Westmoreland, a builder, pushes bills for builders: Fayette state Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Tyrone, has introduced a series of bills aimed at speeding up the inspection process for builders.
Collins outlines issues for '99: The U.S. Congress is not likely to do away with the so-called "death tax" anytime soon, Rep. Mac Collins told a group of Fayette business people recently.
Cox's first bill targets sexual phone predators: An obscene phone call to a child would become a felony under a bill introduced last week by freshman state Rep. Kathy Cox, R-Peachtree City.
Hecht's Elder Abuse Bill out of committee: State Sen. Greg Hecht's Elder Abuse Bill has passed the state Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation makes battery or assault of an elder a high and aggravated misdemeanor, and gives law enforcement officials access to records to investigate such abuse.
Chamber members visit state legislators, gov.: Fifteen members of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce visited with the county's legislators and came away with a better understanding of several pertinent issues.
Neighbors: road project will ruin their homes: A project to widen and repave a narrow, curvy, crumbling road is good for everyone, right?
New eatery features sports, games, steaks, seafood, music: A new steak restaurant/sports bar is taking the place of the defunct Lil Memphis Blues Cafe in Fayetteville.
Special development rules approved for Hwy. 85 north: New special standards for development along Ga. Highway 85 north are now the law.

Opinion

Tax cut issue won't take GOP very far DAVE HAMRICK Editor-at-large: With about a year to define the terms of the next election, Republicans in the Congress seem determined to return to the status of loyal opposition.
Spamming the globe . . . BILLY MURPHY Laugh Lines: So what is out there that needs to be covered these days? Besides the regular "Bill Clinton Victim of the Month Club," it is hard to find anything much funnier. But I'll try.
House bills require more openness in government
State Rep. Lynn Westmoreland: Passing through the House by overwhelming numbers, House Bills 278 and 279 are pieces of legislation that I believe will go a long way toward making government more open.

Letters From Our Readers

Pothole protestor draws rave reviews: Friday afternoon I observed a young lady holding up some signs about the condition of the road at the intersection of Beauregard and Grady and, boy, oh boy, is she right on the money.
Thumbs down to potholes: Thumbs up to the woman who had the "guts" to stand at the four-way stop on Grady Avenue and Beauregard Boulevard...
PTC Council to discuss toxic waste 'time bomb' Thursday: On Thursday, March 4, the Peachtree City Council will be discussing one of the largest hidden time bombs in Peachtree City history.
If PTC police lean on teens, they risk losing support of many PTC citizens: I have been reading the seemingly weekly stories about problems with the police department in Peachtree City, and know that whether or not the accusations being thrown out are true, it does paint a bad picture of our officers.
Computer glitch will affect thousands of new EMC gas clients: We need your help, and so do your readers. Gas deregulation has created new opportunities for all of us, but with the opportunity, some challenges and confusion have also been created.

Business

That's Not My Job!: My daughter recently turned 15. It was time to take her to get a learners permit so she could start driving. But first, we had to get a note from her high school verifying she was a real person and was officially enrolled as a student. We thought this would be a simple task, but we were wrong.
Home builders praised for efforts at raising Joseph Sams School: Dennis Floyd, president of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia, has extended praise to members of the association who participated in the recent old fashioned "barn raising" at the Joseph Sams School in Fayetteville.
Kroger Opening March 4th: Fayette county's newest entry in the grocery wars will be unveiled Thursday as the Kroger Towne Center in south Fayetteville opens its doors for business.
Southern Crescent Renovates Building: Southern Crescent Mortgage & Investment Corp. has announced that it has completed renovations at its nearly 40-year-old building located just off the historic Courthouse Square in Fayetteville.

Religion

A legendary pioneer visited Fayetteville last Saturday morning: A legendary pioneer visited Fayetteville last Saturday morning, training and encouraging more than 150 ministers and lay people in the area of small groups. His name is almost synonymous with "small group." He is Lyman Coleman. Many of you know him as producer of the Serendipity Bible Studies. Through his genius in the Lord, he gave new life and hope to the small group, home Bible study.
Men's conference gets 'to the point': "Men to Men: to the Point," a national men's spiritual leadership conference, is coming to Fayetteville May 7-8.
Evangelism was the focus of a conference of the Fairburn Baptist Association: Evangelism was the focus of a conference of the Fairburn Baptist Association held last Sunday at Braelinn Baptist Church in Peachtree City.
Jesus video update corner: Organizers of the Jesus Video Project Georgia are encouraging Christians to pray each day between now and March 28 for specific areas related to the direct mailing of the gospel video to every home in the state.
Religion Briefs

Sports

Tigers keep cool, hand Seminoles a loss: The Fayette County Tiger baseball team took on Creekside last week in a non-region match up.
Sports Calendar
Lady Panther J.V. wins Griffin Tourney: The Lady Panther J.V. soccer team added more hardware to the trophy case by winning the 6th annual Griffin J.V. Tournament.
Tigers and Panthers maul last week's opponents: The Fayette County Lady Tigers Soccer team is off to an impressive 3-0 start.
Sting are 12-and-Under hoop champs: The Fayette County Sting, a 12-and-Under girls basketball team won the 12-and -under championship on Feb. 22, defeating an outstanding Sparks team.
SCAT makes impact at state swim meet, places 13th overall: The Southern Crescent Aquatic Team (SCAT) sent 15 members of their team to the state meet recently and, for lack of a better pun, made a heck of a splash.
Starr's Mill gives good showing at High School Indoor Invitational: Last weekend the Georgia Dome hosted the USA Indoor Track and Field championships. The nations best athletes competed for chances to go to the world trials.

Weekend

Opera woes: The German opera company our daughter and her significant other work for, in Gelsenkirchen, merged with the one in Wuppertal, an austerity move by the cities' governments.
Seeking 4-H competitors: The Fayette County 4-H will sponsor a competition for all fifth grade students who wish to demonstrate a particular skill or interest Thursday, March 18, between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. at a location to be announced.
Free tax help through AARP: The AARP is currently offering free tax information at more than 200 counseling centers in the state.
Camp Ivy gearing up: Plans are under way for Camp Ivy's summer program for youngsters with Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes.
Booth Career Day an eye-opener: Preschoolers typically want to be fire fighters, pilots, teachers, artists or astronauts when the subject of careers is posed.
East Fayette Elementary Develops Reading Program: East Fayette Elementary School launched its "Master Reading Program" Thursday, a collaborative effort on the part of teachers, parents and businesses, to enhance reading experiences for students.
'In the Spirit of the Dance' showcases diverse talents: The Georgia Dance Theatre, the nonprofit performing company housed at the Georgia Academy of Dance in Peachtree City, will present "In the Spirit of Dance" this weekend.
Freight Room Concert Series draws 'delighted' sell-out crowd: The second concert in the 1998-99 Freight Room Music Studio Concert Series was presented recently to a sold-out audience in the restored Inman train station.
Library Brunch: The Fayette County Public Library and The Friends of The Fayette County Public Library recently sponsored a brunch as a way of thanking the library's staff and volunteers.
Lifekeeper Quilt: When the colorful "LifeKeeper quilts" unfurl in May in Washington, D.C., Kathy Bruce of Fayetteville hopes that as many Fayette Countians as possible will be remembered on National Suicide Awareness Day.
Miss Sandy Creek Pageant is Saturday: The annual Miss Sandy Creek Pageant will be Saturday, March 6, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the commons area of Sandy Creek High School. The pageant is a fund-raiser to benefit the Sandy Creek High School Chorus.
From Offshoot Productions:Acting workshop March 6: Children ages 8-14 are invited to participate in a special workshop in conjunction with Family Arts Week. "Working with the Play Script" will be offered by Offshoot Productions at the Peachtree City Library Saturday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fee is $10.
Volunteer Youth of the Year nominations being accepted: The Fayette County United Way is accepting nominations for Volunteer Youth of the Year until March 15.

PrimeTimers

Special Computer Classes for Senior Citizens: Although they are of a generational group that has seen more technological advancements in a lifetime than ever before, today's senior citizens often feel left behind, says Peachtree City's Jim Graser.
Seniors and Money: The American retirement dream is to trade the stress of the workday world for a new life of relaxation and leisure. But for seniors on a fixed income, the retirement reality can be a nightmare of constant worries about stretching limited dollars.
Azalea Estates Caters to Seniors: If you have driven out of Fayetteville toward Jonesboro on Ga. Highway 54, chances are you have noted the housing construction on the right as you leave the downtown area. You may have wondered if the stately building going up toward the front of the Autumn Glen subdivision was a country club, a new office building, or possibly the club room for the subdivision.
Southland proves you're never too old to be a beauty queen: Residents at Southland Nursing Home in Peachtree City are once again proving that you're never too old to have fun. Fourteen to 16 residents will be participating in the annual Southland Nursing Home Beauty Pageant on Saturday, March 20.