If you happened to have heard a lot of “Avasts!” and “Shiver Me Timbers” type cries across Peachtree City a few days ago, fear not! It was coming from the offices of Gallopade International on Shakerag Hill where a Big Pencil PIRATE Writing Workshop was in progress. “Parents are crucially concerned about their children learning to write well,” says Captain Carole Marsh. “We had kids from Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Newnan, as well as Sandy Springs, Cummings, Gwinnett County, and beyond, all eager to learn to communicate powerfully through the written word. Marsh used her new Writing Tree curriculum during the workshop, which also included a pirate scavenger hunt, pirate Powerpoint presentations, pirate ship cookies, Blackbeard’s Gunpowder Punch, and good old hardtack for treats. Workshop participants went home with books they had written under Ms. Marsh’s guidance—now ready to tackle writing—and the walk-the-plank writing test later in the year.  “Avast, me hearties, it was fun!” said one student.  

The PTC Police Department will host a basic Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class beginning September 3.  The classes will be held each Thursday for 10 weeks from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.  

A Fayetteville man has cashed in on the Georgia lottery, claiming a $223,000 jackpot for winning the Aug. 4 Fantasy 5 drawing.

Newnan resident and Life Scout Marshall Williams leads the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance at the Aug. 4 meeting of the Coweta County Commission. Marshall is currently working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. He was thanked by commissioners for attending the meeting.

Sixteen year-old Eli Dean had a wish to meet his favorite author, Jonathan London. And with the help of the Kids Wish Network, the Newnan resident in late July traveled to San Francisco to meet the author of the “Froggy” children’s book series.

Eli at two years of age was diagnosed with Fraser syndrome, a condition which affects different systems of the body with various developmental defects.

The eventual construction of Coweta County’s new Fire Station #9 moved a step closer to reality Aug. 4 as county commissioners approved the warranty deed on the property at Corinth and Bohannon roads and authorized a list of pre-qualified bidders for the project.

The City of Newnan announces its annual Newnan Citizen Academy, a free six-week course provided to city residents, business owners, and property owners, over the age of 18, to educate and inform the citizens of Newnan about every aspect of city government in Newnan. The course will be an intensive, hands-on program on how city departments operate and how critical decisions are made that affect the quality of life in Newnan. 

Marietta-based Baldwin Paving Company has filed a conditional use permit request with Coweta County Board of Zoning Appeals to have a height variance considered in its bid to construct and operate an asphalt plant on the site of the Vulcan Madras Quarry off Ga. Highway 154 in northeast Coweta County. The meeting will be held Sept. 1.

When the Southern Crescent Tea Party Patriots (SCTPP) formed a few months ago its organizers said they were interested in more than just holding Tea Party rallies on April 15 and one on July 4. Holding to that premise, SCTPP will be sponsoring a healthcare reform educational town hall meeting Aug. 17 at the indoor facilities at Coweta County Fairgrounds on Pine Road in Newnan.

The Cultural Arts Committee of the Senoia Downtown Development Authority in partnership with Coweta Festivals, Inc. presents Fried Green Tomatoes Movie Night in Historic Downtown Senoia on Saturday, August 15.

Fayette County sheriff’s detectives are working to identify two men who robbed the gas station in Woolsey Wednesday night and then shot at a citizen who followed them from the scene.

Another Peachtree City resident today announced intention of running for the Post 3 seat on City Council currently occupied by Steve Boone.

Kim Learnard, a workforce training consultant, said she is entering the race in part because she has a preference against large “big box” retail stores.

Tax digest up only a fraction of previous years; county plans no property tax hike

As expected, the slowdown in new construction and the lowering of home values in Fayette County have led to a major hit on the county’s tax digest.

The Fayette County Commission is expected Thursday to approve putting a 1 percent sales tax on the Nov. 3 ballot for voter consideration.

The school year began this week in Fayette County with enrollment figures for the school system’s 30 schools down slightly from last year.

Peachtree City residents will have three public hearings at which they can make comments about the proposed .244 mill property tax increase under consideration by the Peachtree City Council.

Seattle-based biotech firm Dendreon Corp. announced plans Monday to open a $70 million manufacturing plant in nearby Union City. Gov. Sonny Perdue said the manufacturing plant could generate hundreds of new jobs in the Atlanta region.

The motions were as complicated as the discussion surrounding a proposal by Seattle-based TreatMed, Inc. to establish a biomedical waste treatment plant on Creekwood Road on Fairburn’s south side. But by the end of the Aug. 10 City Council meeting the conceptual site plan had been voted down. The only recourse remaining for the project is a potential court challenge.

A rezoning that would have allowed seven additional lots on a 9-acre tract in north Peachtree City’s Kedron Hills area got a thumbs-down vote from the city’s Planning Commission Monday night.

The Fayetteville City Council Aug. 6 voted unanimously to approve an intergovernmental agreement between Fayette County and its municipalities for the renewal of the 1-cent sales tax that will go before voters in November.

Built into the price of a brand-new home, Peachtree City’s impact fees are probably the closest thing to a “hidden tax” there is.

As the American Red Cross has issued an urgent call for blood donors in metro Atlanta, two more blood drives will be hosted in Fayette County.

By JOHN MUNFORD and BEN NELMS

It is nearing the time to put up or shut up, at least when it comes to running for elected office in Peachtree City, Fayetteville and Tyrone.

A note found in a restroom at Piedmont Fayette Hospital early Monday morning saying that a bomb was in the facility turned out to be a hoax.

More than 80 percent of security alarm calls in Fayetteville are false alarms. A measure to reduce those numbers was put on hold at the Aug. 6 City Council meeting at the request of Police Chief Steve Heaton to give the department time to amend the proposal.

Fayette County will consider conducting a study on the feasibility of implementing a stormwater utility to fund drainage improvements.

A Peachtree City man was arrested for DUI Saturday after drawing attention to himself, city police said.

A patrol officer saw Kevin M. Forkin, 41, urinating behind the Shell gas station at Ga. Highway 74 and Wisdom Road, police said.

A malfunctioning pump station along Landrum Road at Trickum Creek on Fairburn’s south side was responsible for the Aug. 5 release of nearly 128,000 gallons of raw sewage into the waterway that feeds into Line Creek. The spill was several miles from the Fayette County water intake site in south Peachtree City that was not in use at the time.

The Peachtree City Parks and Recreation Department again this year is offering an afterschool program for students at Booth Middle School.

The Knights of Columbus Holy Trinity Council 8081, Peachtree City is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Donald B.