Gun drawn, deputy nearly run over during chase through PTC, Fayette

One car run off road, another struck during pursuit

Citing "an ongoing criminal investigation," a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has declined to provide details of a police chase that happened more than two days ago through Peachtree City and unincorporated Fayette County.

The spokesperson said ICE anticipates releasing details later this week but did confirm the pursuit was part of an ICE investigation.

A Peachtree City man was arrested Sunday in north Georgia after traveling there to meet with a person he thought was a minor child.

Fayette County got two touchdown catches from Eric Lauderdale, one from Ben Carley and a rushing touchdown from Kendall Palmore to defeat Stockbridge 26-20 in the first game of the season. The Tigers (1-0) will play at Houston County (1-0) on Friday. The Bears beat Groves 34-12 in their season opener.

The Fayetteville City Council at the Sept. 3 meeting will hear the first reading of a proposed amendment to the Alcohol Permit Ordinance. The principal changes relate to the rejection of an alcohol handling permit and the appeals process if a permit is rejected.

Thursday night the Peachtree City Council is set to significantly increase residential impact fees.

The same action would also require impact fees from non-residential development, a first for the city. Impact fees are one-time only and are collected from developers once a parcel is under construction.

Qualifying for two town council begins Aug. 31 and ends Sept. 4. Those interested should visit town hall on Senoia Road during the hours of 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Tyrone will soon be losing Town Manager Chris Venice and Town Clerk Nancy Goedker. Venice will be leaving at the end of the year while Goedker’s resignation will take effect at the end of September.

Another Peachtree City resident has announced plans to run for the City Council.

Beth Pullias is planning to run for the Post 1 seat currently held by Don Haddix, who has said he will resign from the unexpired term to run for mayor in November.

Mayor, 2 council seats up for election

Qualifying begins Monday at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall for those interested in running for mayor or either of the two city council posts in Peachtree City.

Electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) across Georgia, including Coweta-Fayette EMC, are warning consumers to be wary of imposters who have manufactured another telephone scam in order to obtain personal information.

The effort to remove Fayette County Commissioner Robert Horgan from office was dealt a legal death blow in LaGrange this morning.

The Lunch on the Lawn event in Fayetteville scheduled for today has been cancelled due to rain and rescheduled for next Friday, Sept. 4.

On a 3-2 vote, the Peachtree City Council Thursday night avoided a proposed property tax increase.

Instead the city will pull an estimated $451,000 from its cash reserves to balance the $26.53 million budget for the upcoming 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Senoia Historic Preservation Commission’s newest member is Boston native and history buff Mary Swinchatt. Preserving the physical past is crucial to getting to the future, Swinchatt explained.

The $1.5 million renovation of the Carnegie Building in downtown Newnan is coming to an end. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand re-opening for the historic building will be held Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m.

Senoia Councilman Jeffrey Fisher on Wednesday went on the record with his response to a ethics complaint filed by Heritage Pointe resident Don Rehman. The ethics hearing will be conducted Sept. 3 by the committee established by the City Council last week.

It has been along time coming, but Coweta County’s unemployment rate declined half a point in July to 10.7 percent, while unemployment across the 10-county Three Rivers Region increased slightly to 13.2 percent.

Some flu-like symptoms are being seen in Coweta County schools, but those numbers are minor compared to some other southwest metro area school systems. As of Tuesday, only 107 students had manifested flu-like symptoms out of a student population of approximately 23,500.

A McIntosh graduate is convalescing at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after he was seriously injured in Afghanistan last week.

Daniel Berschinski, a 1st lieutenant in the Army, lost both his legs in an explosion when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while his unit secured a village in Afghanistan Aug. 17, a family friend told The Citizen.

Coweta County school students have outscored their predecessors on the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), with 2009 scores coming in at the highest ever. The average 2009 SAT score increased to 1,516, a one-point increase over last year’s county-wide average. That score puts Coweta County’s average score 7 points over the national average on the college admissions test.

A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted early this morning on the cart path next to Lake Kedron and the cul-de-sac of Samuel Point and Larkins Landing, police said.

The American Red Cross blood drive, sponsored by the Optimist Club of Senoia and held at the Senoia United Methodist Church on August 3rd, was the most successful drive yet held by the Senoia Optimists.  A total of 49 pints of blood was collected versus a goal of 33.  Fifty four people actually attempted to donate, but some could not due to various reasons. 

Members of the Senoia Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Tuesday voted unanimously to split the rent and utilities at the city’s Welcome Center with the city until 2011. The DDA Coordinator recently vacated by Stephanie Savage will not be filled.

Sick students still coming to Fayette schools, increasing potential spread of flu

With the numbers of ill students increasing in Fayette’s public schools in recent days, parents may be a little more worried about the affects of the novel H1N1 strain of flu.

A Superior Court Judge from the Coweta circuit will hear arguments Friday on a recall review petition filed by Fayette County Commissioner Robert Horgan.

Increasing numbers of Fayette County children are coming down with flu-like symptoms and are being sent home from schools, education officials confirmed Tuesday.

A Fayetteville couple was attacked and robbed outside their home Aug. 21 near The Villages Amphitheater and downtown Fayetteville. Police have no current suspects in the robbery.

The Fayetteville City Council at a called meeting Monday agreed to work out details to have a November referendum for voters to have their say on establishing a city redevelopment agency to initiate and oversee redevelopment projects called Tax Allocation Districts (TAD). The issue will require a board resolution to be signed by mid-September.

Last call!

That is, if you want to have a say on the proposed .244 millage rate increase proposed by the Peachtree City Council. Council will meet Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. to hold the final of three public hearings on the property tax increase.

A Hampton man died Monday morning after his car struck a tractor trailer on Ga. Highway 279 near Imperial Way shortly after midnight.

Vance R. Johnson, 44, was driving south on Hwy. 279 when his vehicle crossed into the northbound lanes and the path of a tractor trailer driven by Victor Soto, 46, of Bogart, according to sheriff’s deputies.