State and local governments are saying little, but the number of residents in Fayette and Fulton counties who say they have been physically affected after exposure to pesticide component Propyl mercaptan has increased to a total of 218 persons, according to information tallied by The Citizen.

They came to tell their story.

Several dozen residents from Fayette and Fulton County packed the Fayette County Commission chambers last Thursday to tell of a health concern that has gripped an area with fear and left many residents ill after the pesticide Propyl mercaptan was released into the environment at a waste treatment plant on Ga. Highway 92 in South Fulton County.

When would you like your child to start school — early August or a week later? You can vote, but start dates can’t be earlier than Aug. 6 or later than Aug. 13.

Motorists who travel the western leg of Ga. Highway 54 between Peachtree City and Coweta County may experience less traffic congestion Thursday morning.

Peachtree City residents hoping to avoid a property tax increase this year will be disappointed with the latest version of the city’s 2006-07 budget, which will be discussed at Thursday night’s City Council meeting.

By Friday, Peachtree City planning officials will close off accepting survey responses from more than 1,000 citizens randomly selected to help shape the city’s future for the next 20 years.

Let the shopping begin.

Peachtree City’s newest “big box” store, the Target in Kedron Village, opens today to the public. This kicks off the store’s soft opening period, which will be followed by a grand opening Sunday.

Jeremy Walker of Fayetteville takes time Tuesday afternoon to cast his primary vote at the south Fayetteville precinct in the county library.

Fayetteville Planning and Zoning commissioners July 11 heard a proposal to construct an amenity center on 3.12 acres along the Southside Connector, across the street from Clifton Lakes subdivision.

On June 19, , Peachtree City’s Tim Hannon and Group VI Corporation celebrated the groundbreaking of a 22,000 square foot building for Allspeed, a locally owned business, which specializes in automobile performance, DYNO tuning, repair and maintenance.

Local art student, Nicki Clark of McIntosh High School, received a $1,500 scholarship from award-winning actress Jane Seymour on behalf of The Creative Self-Expression Foundation June 26 at Seymour’s art gallery in Santa Monica, Calif. Clark’s artwork titled, “Austin,” was chosen among thousands of other works by a panel of judges. Her work was initially selected from the McIntosh High School juried artist exhibition at The Great Frame Up in Peachtree City.

On Monday, Gene Evans, dealer and Bill Miller, general manager were presented with the Triple Crown Award by Maria Fierros, District Manager of Ford's Customer Service Division and The President's Award by Roy Hernandez, Ford's District Manager Southeast Market.

The Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) announced today that Mike Smith, Assistant Principal at Sara Harp Minter Elementary, has been re-elected to a second term on the board of directors of the more than 65,000 member professional organization, the largest such group in Georgia. He will represent the group’s Sixth District.

Piedmont Healthcare, including Piedmont Hospital, Piedmont Fayette Hospital, and the 492-member Piedmont Clinic which includes the Piedmont Physicians Group, has signed an agreement with CIGNA HealthCare of Georgia to continue their participation in the CIGNA HealthCare provider network.

World Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of World Air Holdings, Inc., (OTC: WLDA.PK) has been selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars for a third consecutive year to provide air transportation for the 2006 National Football League season. World, a leading domestic and international charter airline, will utilize its MD-11 wide-body aircraft for two pre-season and eight regular season games for the team, carrying the players and staff to all of their road games.

Southern Conservation Trust invites farm and forest property owners to learn how they can maintain their land in a natural state and receive significant tax benefits. The free program “Conservation Easements and Land Donations- What’s in it for me?” is August 17 at the Wendell Coffee Golf Center on Ga.Highway 74 in Tyrone. The program is sponsored by Brent Scarbrough & Company and Scarbrough-Rolader Development.

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

By this morning, more than 2,100 votes had already been cast in tomorrow's election, local officials said.

That figure includes persons who voted absentee and those who voted during the early voting period all last week, when any Fayette voter could cast their ballot at the county's elections office in downtown Fayetteville.

They came to tell their story.

Residents from Fayette and Fulton County packed the Fayette County Commission chambers Thursday to tell of a health concern that has gripped an area with fear and left many residents ill after the pesticide Propyl mercaptan was released into the environment at a waste treatment plant on Ga. Highway 92 in South Fulton County.

There have been a number of confirmed symptoms and illnesses reported by some residents in Fayette and Fulton counties after exposure in recent weeks to the onion-like smell present in the air.

The first step in Tyrone’s comprehensive plan for the next 20 years lays out in bare-bones terminology some of the critical issues and problems the town’s leaders will be trying to solve.

Court upholds disqualification for BOE seat

Any remote chance Greg Powers had for getting re-elected to the Fayette County Board of Education has essentially evaporated.

The onion-like smell of pesticide component Propyl mercaptan coming from the Philip Services Corporation (PSC) waste treatment plant on Ga. Highway 92 just inside Fulton County is not dissipating. Present for weeks and still very evident in the air, the effects of the odor has sickened more than 100 residents in North Fayette and South Fulton counties. The smell has sporadically covered an estimated 200 square miles over a large area of Fayette and portions of south Fulton, Coweta and Clayton counties during the past few weeks. Though permitted by Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to handle such industrial waste, the 20 loads of chemical that arrived at the plant between June 21-29 has and is causing a problem, neighbors say. And residents close to the plant in both counties are tired of being ill. They want answers. They want the smell to stop. Yet results from follow-up tests conducted at the plant July 14 showed no detection of Propyl mercaptan at levels that would be considered a health risk.

Palmetto has a new budget that came in $2.7 million lower than last year. Adopted July 6, the $14.23 million budget reflects a substantial decrease over last year due to the nearly-completed sewer system upgrade. Also reflected were increases from water and sewer revenues, the renovation at the old depot, property reevaluations and anticipated tipping fees from Willow Oak Landfill once the facility is annexed. Perhaps as important as any provision in the budget was an increase in starting salary for police officers and the commitment to hire two new officers.

It’s not always easy sitting on the accountability hot seat. That is especially true when it comes to Fairburn’s accountability policing model. It is one that puts the concept of being accountable for the job as an up front requirement rather than an afterthought that exists in so many lines of work today in the American workplace.

Local artist Todd Hanson demonstrates watercolor techniques to a few of Rico Community’s other artists in residence.

Fairburn council members July 10 approved a 2.2 percent power cost adjustment increase in electric rates beginning in October, designed to offset the ongoing loss to the city due to fluctuating national energy costs. The city will write off the $400,000 loss already incurred.

The following arrests were made by Fairburn Police between June 28 and July 11:

juvenile, female, 12, Fairburn, affray

On June 29, 2006 Creekside High School Cheerleaders lead by the coaching staff of Marisa Wilson, Hilary Williams, Stephanie Brown, and Carmen Paul walked away with honors in the following categories:

The Fairburn business Association is sponsoring the first in a series of “Concerts at the Courthouse” July 29 at 7 p.m. on the Old Campbell Courthouse lawn. The initial concert will feature the Dappled Grays, who began in 2000 as a project dedicated to playing original new acoustic music. Their first album “In the Gait” was released to great reviews which included a feature article in “Flatpicking Guitar” magazine, airtime on MTV and being named best traditional bluegrass band by Creative Loafing Magazine. Original members Casey Cook and Michael Smith, along with new members Leah Calvert, Keith Morris and Greg Earnest, are currently working in the studio on a new project whose aim is to focus on vocals with interesting and original new material.