Wally Marchant has made gang investigations his life’s work.

So at a seminar Friday in Fayette County, local officials were all ears when he spoke about how to recognize the signs of gang activity.

Special to The Citizen

After more than three decades of service to Fayette County, Sheriff Randall Johnson will officially retire at the end of this year. Sheriff Johnson’s distinguished career will be recognized with a public celebration in his honor on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kiwanis Fair Complex, 939 Goza Rd. in Fayetteville.

A lot of Fayette residents decided not to wait until next Tuesday to go to the polls. A whopping 36 percent of the county’s eligible voters had cast their ballots by noon Tuesday.

Special to The Citizen

The portion of Ga. Highway 314 from the Fulton County line to its junction with Ga. Highway 85 in Fayetteville has been designated the “General William Livsey Highway” in honor of the four-star general who has resided in Fayetteville since his retirement from active duty in 1987.

Some Fayette County employees in all county departments will be able to swipe their way toward minor purchases instead of filling out tedious purchase orders.

With incomplete information from John Wieland Homes, the Peachtree City Planning Commission voted Monday night to postpone a vote on a proposed residential rezoning.

Victim robbed at PTC Kedron Wachovia while making night deposit

Two men suspected of robbing a local store employee making a night deposit at the Kedron Wachovia Saturday night were arrested soon after by police in College Park, police said Monday afternoon.

Voter turnout in Fayette County is impressive, with approximately 34 percent of the county’s eligible voters having cast their ballots by 1:20 p.m. Monday.

Starting at 8 a.m. this morning, Fayette voters will have more places to vote in the general election.

Today through Friday, running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. four locations will be open to accept voters, in hopes of relieving a potential crush of electors on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

The latest version of a plan to build a 175,000 square foot shopping center off Ga. Highway 54 West near Planterra Way will be dissected by the Peachtree City Planning Commission Monday night.

Atlanta Christian College is preparing to slow down its timeline for selling its East Point campus and locating to either Peachtree City or Newnan.

What began two years ago for Nancy Goedker as a move from Strafford, New Hampshire to work with the ministries of Operation Mobilization in Tyrone ended in mid-October with former U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant being hired as the new town clerk.

The town of Tyrone says it is set to eliminate the mold found in the basement of the Police Department. Cracks in the outer wall on the building’s south side allowed moisture to enter and mold to form.

The portion of Georgia highway 314 from the Fulton County line to its junction with Georgia highway 85 in Fayetteville has been designated the “General William Livsey Highway” in honor of the four-star general who has resided in Fayetteville since his retirement from active duty in 1987.

Sany donation

Sany Corporation, a company based in China that will locate its U.S. headquarters in Peachtree City, has donated $2,000 towards the city’s 50th anniversary celebration next year.

Senoia selects architect for new police station

While news that Senoia was getting a new library was fantastic to many, it has turned into a headache for some.

Neighbors cited the need for a home for for abused and mistreated girls, but in the end, Coweta County commissioners Oct. 21 sided with several Roscoe residents in denying a request by Edify Teens Ministries for a six-person group home for girls on the five-acre property owned by Elise and Oliver Dunn. The Board of Zoning Appeals had previously recommended denial of the conditional use permit request.

It was a glimpse into the past and the future Oct. 22 as long-time economist and former small town mayor Bill Fruth was the featured speaker at the Coweta Economic Summit held at the Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts in Newnan.

Candidate forum Oct. 30

Local residents are being invited to a candidate forum Thursday, Oct. 30 at the Freeman/Sasser Building in Senoia’s Seavy Street Park.

The intersection of Raymond Hill Road and Fischer Road will be closed the weekend of October 25 and 26.  The closure will begin Saturday morning and end by Sunday evening, pending inclement weather.

School still dedicated to move, announces record enrollment

Atlanta Christian College is slowing down its timeline for selling its East Point campus and locating to either Peachtree City or Newnan.

A man who ran away from a Fayetteville police officer during a traffic stop this afternoon didn't get away for long.

The suspect eluded apprehension briefly by disappearing into a kudzu-covered area near Sweet Returns Recycling off Ga. Highway 85 and Georgia Avenue. But officers responding to the scene got solid information on the suspect's whereabouts immediately that lead to his capture, police reported.

Implement a four-day school week. Raise student-teacher ratios to the state limit. Reduce pay for high school sports programs. Keep a new elementary school empty. Stop buying new computers and school buses for a year.

These were among the cost-cutting suggestions given Monday night to the Fayette County Board of Education by its Cost Cutting Committee. Facing a shortfall in state funding, a squeeze on local tax revenue and an uncertain outcome on a Nov. 4 education sales tax vote, the board approved only two small measures immediately.

Position cuts by Fayette County School Board that began toward the end of the 2007-2008 school year continued Monday night with the approval of further reductions by attrition.

A review of the most recent financial disclosure statement filed by Fayette County Board of Education Chairman Terri Smith in January raised questions on her fiduciary responsibility in one company and a company owned by her husband that was not noted in her report.

Candidates for several local races in the Nov. 4 election were grilled Sunday afternoon by citizens at The Gathering Place in a forum hosted by the Senior Adult Council of Peachtree City.

A Cartersville man died Monday after his motorcycle struck a sport utility vehicle on Sandy Creek Road near Eastin Road, sheriff’s deputies said.

Honor Flight Fayette is preparing to embark on its third trip to send veterans of World War II to the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.

It always pays to check. That was the position taken by Fayetteville City Council Oct. 16 when they imposed a $1,000 fine and a 30-day license suspension on alcohol sales to the Pit Stop located at 438 South Glynn Street for selling to underage customers.

Fayetteville Police responding Oct. 19 to a call about a loud party at a Monte Ridge Way residence ended the night’s festivities after arresting nine people, including five for underage drinking and two of the homes’ occupants for furnishing the alcohol.