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.

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

The Fayette County Youth Softball Association will hold registration for fall ball at McCurry Park Saturday, Aug. 9 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 10 from 1-4 p.m. You can also register during the week at the Recreation Department on Redwine Road. For more information, visit www.eteamz.com/fcysa

Final results from this week's runoff election are complete, with just a few potential extra ballots coming in from military absentee ballots remaining.

Smola pushes for 1-cent sales tax for schools; Todd charges ‘hurry-up’

It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Fayette County School Board members Monday night would adopt a resolution to put a 1-percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) on the November ballot. And that is what happened.

Higher taxes are on the minds of the Fayette County Board of Education. Three of the five members voted Aug. 4 to put a 1-percent sales tax hike on the ballot in November. Next week, on Aug. 11, they are scheduled to set the ad valorem property tax millage rates. Both items will bring tax increases for Fayette taxpayers.

Back in the 1980s, Fayette County was looked upon as shining beacon in the Atlanta region and New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen topped the charts with “Glory Days.”

But fast forward two decades, and some people are beginning to wonder if the county’s glory days can be seen only in the rear view mirror.

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.

An existing shopping center on the city’s east border and owners of 35 acres in the West Village area want to come into Peachtree City.

As in many cities, costs for providing police, fire and emergency medical services takes up nearly half of Peachtree City’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2009. The new $27.48 million budget is expected to be approved by the City Council Thursday night.

A Fayetteville man arrested for cocaine possession Saturday morning managed to briefly escape from a patrol car after he kicked out the rear windshield while the vehicle was moving.

For Jan Grogan it was an idea that made sense. The north Fayette resident just completed the installation of 54 solar panels on the roof of her barn.

Fayetteville Police are investigating two purse snatchings that occurred within hours of each other Thursday, one at the Fayette Pavilion and the other at the nearby Uptown Square shopping center.

Sewer rate increases, stiffer penalties for loitering and new residential and retail development proposals: Each of these were reviewed July 17 by Fayetteville City Council and all should be up for a vote at the Aug. 7 meeting.

Nearly pristine Aberdeen Parkway is about to become a little less pristine.

Peachtree City has approved only the second curb cut ever allowed onto thickly wooded Aberdeen Parkway for an 11,000-square-foot office building planned for the southwest corner of the eastbound parkway’s intersection with Northlake Drive.

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

Residents should prepare for a long evening at Thursday night's Town Council meeting. Included on the agenda is discussion of a community sewer ordinance along with the elimination of impact fees for public safety, library and recreation projects.

The office of Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle will hold a listening session for Fayette County residents on Thursday, Aug. 7 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the council chambers at Fayetteville City Hall, located at 240 S. Glynn Street.

Things got a bit testy Monday night as Fayette County School Board members discussed putting a one-percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) on the November ballot. The subsequent vote in favor of the initiative was no surprise.

A storm passing through Fayetteville Sunday damaged one of the buildings at Lafayette Educational Center (LEC) on Lafayette Avenue in Fayetteville. School system staff have been temporarily relocated to other on-campus areas.

A woman abducted by two men in Decatur in the early morning hours Aug. 2 was driven to a secluded location on Trickum Creek Road in Tyrone where she was raped. The woman later escaped and made her way to a residence from which police were notified.

Despite team injuries of some of its elite athletes such as Johnathan Ross (Sandy Creek), Brandon Collins (Whitewater), Jared Cooper (Our Lady of Mercy), and  Hughston Taylor, recent Mcintosh HS grad headed to Mars Hill College, the SouthSide Pioneers Track and Field finished a challenging season at the 2008 Georgia Games( Marietta HS) , the USATF National Junior Olympics (Omaha, Nebraska), and the AAU National Junior Olympics Championships (Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI).

An existing shopping center on the city’s east border and owners of 35 acres in the West Village area want to come into Peachtree City.

Culture and Recreation comes in 2nd at 18.4%; recreation fees pay only 15% of rec programs’ costs

As in many cities, costs for providing police, fire and emergency medical services takes up nearly half of Peachtree City’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2009. The new $27.48 million budget is expected to be approved by the City Council this Thursday night.

What might be surprising is what comes in second: “Culture and recreation” at $5 million, about 18.4 percent of the total city budget.

Nearly pristine Aberdeen Parkway is about to become a little less pristine.

Peachtree City has approved only the second curb cut ever allowed onto thickly wooded Aberdeen Parkway for an 11,000-square-foot office building planned for the southwest corner of the eastbound parkway’s intersection with Northlake Drive.