When news came this weekend that war broke out between forces from the Republic of Georgia and Russia, one Fayette man in particular was taken aback by the fighting.

Topics like sewer rates and loitering might seem mundane to many people. But approval by Fayetteville City Council Aug. 7 of a rate increase for sewer use marked the end of a three-year process while an amendment to the city’s loitering ordinance was intended to address an issue of a more recent nature.

It was part of an emergency preparation for a different type of natural disaster that would make tornados, floods and hurricanes look mild in comparison.

The following arrests were reported by local law enforcement agencies for the past week. All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty:

The 89th Annual Georgia District Kiwanis Convention is in Peachtree City from August 15 – 17.   All activities will be in the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center at 2443 Highway 54 West, adjacent to Lake Peachtree. 

The 2008-09 school year is just beginning for Fayette County students but one group of students at Rising Starr Middle is already hard at work.

Thanks to grants awarded from The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Fayette Senior Services, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is able to continue its popular Voucher Transportation Program. The program is designed to benefit Fayette County residents age 60 and better as well as disabled adults age 18 to 59 who cannot drive through no fault of their own.

Company asked to provide options at next planning meeting

When the Kroger Company decided on a new exterior color scheme for its $3.2 million renovation of the Kedron Kroger in Peachtree City, they missed one little detail.

The possibility of enacting a trash franchise in Peachtree City, giving exclusive rights to one trash collection company, will be kicked around Tuesday night at City Hall.

It looks like an increase by Fayette County School Board of .754 mills will not be enough to offset recently announced state education cuts of $2.25 million and possible decreased revenues if the state Homeowners Tax Relief Credit is withheld. Board members Monday morning voted to advertise a new rate of 19.75 mills for the Maintenance & Operations millage that will bring the increase to 1.154 mills over the current rate of 18.596. The millage had been advertised at 19.35 mills.

The Peachtree City Police Department is encouraging residents to become better prepared for potential emergencies.

The department is publicizing a state program that includes a web site with emergency preparedness tips, www.ready.ga.gov. The department will distribute information at city facilities and in public schools in addition to having informationl booths at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater.

A project to spruce up the oldest part of the Kedron Village shopping center will be discussed by the Peachtree City Planning Commission tonight.

A shopping center just outside Peachtree City’s eastern boundary and an undeveloped 35-acre tract off Ga. Highway 74 north near Old Senoia Road have something in common.

Peachtree City has kicked in half of a requested $10,000 to kickoff a study that could lead to improvements of the crucial Interstate 85/Ga. Highway 74 interchange.

Tyrone police are still following up on leads stemming from the report of a Decatur woman last weekend that she had been abducted by two men in Decatur and driven to an isolated area in Tyrone where she was raped. The woman said she escaped and made her way to a nearby residence for help.

The Tyrone Town Council effectively decided Thursday night that a new police station would not be built anytime soon.

A Peachtree City business has made a huge contribution to the police department to help start up a K-9 program.

Panasonic donated $13,000 in a special presentation at Thursday night’s City Council meeting.

Though Peachtree City is keeping its millage rate the same this year, it will still result in a property tax increase, netting the city an additional $17,000 for the 2008-2009 budget.

School speed zone times in Peachtree City have been changed to make the process more consistent across all schools, police said.

Peachtree City officials have confirmed that Police Sgt. Odilia Bergh was the subject of an investigation into whether she conducted “private business while on duty,” according to a city letter on the matter authored by City Manager Bernie McMullen.

Tyrone resident and business owner Dick Shelley filed a written complaint with Tyrone Police July 22, asking for an investigation of “Tyrone’s administrative offices for malfeasance in misappropriating public funds and other unlawful acts.“ Mayor Don Rehwaldt confirmed that the investigation has begun.

Fayetteville City Council members Aug. 7 approved a revised rezoning request that decreased the anchor store, decreased parking and increased buffers on the proposed Villages at Lafayette retail/office/residential development along Ga. Highway 54.

Part of 50-foot landscape buffer to be cleared for driveway on scenic road

A new office building planned for the eastern tip of Aberdeen Parkway will get the second-ever curb cut along the picturesque route.

The economy may be in a downturn across the country, but that does not mean future plans cannot be put in place. That was the case Aug. 5 when Peachtree City-based Pathway Communities got the okay from Coweta County Commission to hold a public hearing Sept. 11 on a proposed rezoning for a 23.7-acre retail component of the Twelve Parks development in southeast Coweta.

The city of Senoia will stage a public hearing September 15 to consider switching the Mayor and City Council’s terms from two years to four years. The move comes in part due to the problems of conducting municipal elections during even years.

The Target store on Ga. Highway 34 was in the bulls-eye Aug. 5 as Newnan firefighters and police officers hosted family activities as part of the National Night Out event to offer safety tips to families, hand out goodies and play games and give children a close-up look at the tools public safety officers use to do their jobs.

The horrors of $4-a-gallon gasoline are bringing metro Atlanta employers to The Clean Air Campaign and its innovative commute option programs in record numbers.  Four Coweta County companies are among The Clean Air Campaign’s 79 new Partners.

It is going to be a different kind of 5K race, Halloween costumes and all. The Coweta County Commission Aug. 5 approved the Oct. 25 Halloween Classic 5K fundraiser to benefit CORRAL (Coweta Organization for Riding, Rehabilitation and Learning) in Roscoe and to help start up the Newnan Running Club. The event is a follow-up to last year’s Goblin Run.

Delta Community Credit Union, a not-for-profit, financial services institution and anchor in the communities it serves, announces today the grand opening of its 12th metro-Atlanta branch. The full-service branch is located in the Summit 1825 building on Highway 34 East. Residents of Coweta County are eligible to join Delta Community.

New lease will cost $3,200 more a month for three months; time needed to finish rehab of police headquarters