Would allow weeknight hours to be extended, other changes

Peachtree City’s library may end up closing one full day a week so its schedule can be adjusted to better meet patrons’ needs.

Economic students at Starr's Mill High are the statewide winners of the David Ricardo Division 2009 Council on Economic Education (CEE)/Goldman Sachs Foundation National Economics Challenge in Georgia.

Before unanimously approving an out-of-town business as the new concessionaire at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater, Peachtree City officials felt they had some explaining to do.

A proposal to move the Publix-anchored Peachtree East shopping center inside the Peachtree City limits could cost the county big-time.

Despite concerns about a reduction in building safety and service levels, the Peachtree City Council tonight approved eliminating four positions from the city’s building department.

The move, combined with the retirement of Assistant City Manager Colin Halterman, will save approximately $400,000, officials have said.

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For some people, it is just their cup of tea. Taxed Enough Already (TEA), that is. Taken from the idea of the Boston Tea Party, residents from Coweta and Fayette counties are making preparations to hold local tea parties in Newnan and Peachtree City at noon on April 15, prior to a similar event later that day on the steps of the Capitol. The rallies mirror those taking place across America on tax day.

By all accounts there is a recession sweeping the nation. But from the number of business projects currently in various stages of development across Coweta County, the recession locally could be a lot worse. In reality, Coweta is faring better than many of Georgia’s counties.

Barring unforeseen obstacles the widening of the remainder of Ga. Highway 74 South from Cooper Circle to Ga. Highway 85 is expected to be let in July. The nearly $41 million project will cover 3.3 miles and will align Rockaway Road with Holly Grove Road.

The City of Palmetto has been awarded a grant from Fulton County Arts Council for its upcoming cultural arts project, “Our Lives, Our Land, Our Legacy: A Photographic Expression of Life in Palmetto,” to be held May 2-June 13.

Main Street Newnan will host the Annual Spring Taste of Newnan on Thursday, April 16 from 5-8:30 p.m. This event gives people an opportunity to sample specialties of the best restaurants and caterers in the area. As usual, the premier event will likely attract thousands.

Mike and Chris McNeal, owners of McNeal Transit Group located in Newnan, established a non-profit organization in January, 2008 in order to be more strategic with their charitable giving. The McNeal Family Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to serving local families who have been affected by childhood cancer. The foundation was established in honor of their niece, Hannah, who was diagnosed with childhood leukemia at age four. In addition to serving families, the foundation supports several local organizations that fit within the McNeal Family Foundation’s mission and purpose.

This Saturday, Apr. 4, Lighting the Way Home will hold a free family event designed to draw attention to the plight of missing people all over the United States.

A Concord man was arrested Wednesday by Fayetteville Police after he forged a prescription for hydrocodone and returned to the pharmacy after receiving a placebo.

The Fayette County Commission is expected to vote next week to implement a defined benefit pension plan that would provide employees with up to 45 percent of their salary paid monthly upon retirement.

Did girl’s story alone convince jury, or did they convict based on prior offense of child molestation?

For communities like Fayetteville and Peachtree City, being nestled away in southwest metro Atlanta means nothing to a criminal industry that uses the Internet and the U.S. mail system with as much ease as most of us pick up a phone to call a friend.

Susan Voyles has been driving a school bus in Fayette County for over 20 years. That would be a story in itself, but there is one even more interesting.

It was a way for potential victims of a growing type of crime to fight back by being aware of the con. Fayetteville detectives Mike Whitlow and Marvin Vinson last week conducted a presentation on various scams to two groups at Fayette Seniors Center. In all, more than 80 attended the two sessions held March 25.

A Senoia man was charged March 27 with obstruction, cruelty to children and traffic offenses in an altercation with his wife that began at his mother’s home near Redwine Road in Fayetteville and ended on the side of the road a short distance away.

For Nature’s Landscaping owner Phil Jackson, two times is two too many. His Kathi Avenue business in Fayetteville was burglarized over the weekend for the second time in less than a year. Jackson hopes that with even more security features being installed, the second burglary will be the last.

A bill that its sponsor says will bring Georgia into the 21st century in terms of prosecuting child molestation cases is on its way to be signed by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

The various agencies and groups that serve children in Fayette County are joining together to combat the phenomenon of drug abuse and violence among youths here.

Emmy Award winning casting company Fincannon & Associates announced today that they are on a search for background talent for the upcoming television series "Drop Dead Diva," while being shot in and around Peachtree City, Ga. "We are looking for background extras of all ages and ethnicities to kick start our new series," said Mark Fincannon.

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

PTC finds $400K savings by cutting 5

Peachtree City officials are proposing to eliminate four staffers from the building department in a continuing effort to cut costs in advance of what was an estimated $3.5 million shortfall in next year’s budget.

It was the day before the prom at Sandy Creek High School and the gym was full of students watching a Ghost Out, an event designed to compel them to stay safe behind the wheel in the midst of the frivolity. Making the point, along with the presence of the Grim Reaper, were former coach Rick Francis whose son was killed on Sam’s Drive when his car smashed into tree and burned, and 11th grade student Stephanie Earle, who wandered the floor in ghostly sadness and regret after she was killed in an auto accident. No one in the gym failed to get the point of both messages. To view all the photos of Ghost Out 2009 at Sandy Creek click here.

Auto dealer ponies up $27K for program

With the click of a trigger and the crackling of electricity, Peachtree City police officers were introduced Wednesday to their Taser guns.

A Fayette man was acquitted this week of charges that he molested his daughter dating back to 2001 when she was 11 years old.

The following arrests were made by Tyrone Police between March 16-24. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty:

A program to retrofit city-owned buildings with energy-saving equipment has paid off for Peachtree City.

The first year of the program netted a $100,000 savings for the city in one year’s time, Mayor Harold Logsdon said last week.