Staff shrinks use of cash reserve

Peachtree City’s proposed budget now has three new police officers and three new firefighting positions after the latest budget workshop Wednesday night.

China’s first manufacturing plant in Georgia could open in Newnan by the end of the year.

Coweta County officials were jubilant this week when China-based Lehui Enterprises, a manufacturer of food and beverage processing equipment, and W.Y. Industries, a leading U.S. manufacturer of food and beverage packing products, to enter into a joint venture agreement that will create 200 jobs within two years in the Newnan, Ga. area. The new company, named Kingwasong LLC, will manufacture, process and package a variety of condiments, including soy sauce, in an existing facility in Newnan. The facility is expected to attract $12 million to $15 million in new investment to the area, read a press release announcing the action.

Just when you thought it was safe to drive Ga. Highway 34 into Coweta County, another shopping center has been approved for the busy road.

A Sharpsburg teen accused of murdering his friend at an early morning party Tuesday in Peachtree City will remain in jail without bond, and the Peachtree City teen who hosted the party has been charged with several misdemeanors, police said.

Tinseltown theaters had its day in court June 20. That court date resulted in a guilty plea by Manager Brian Ortega and $2,000 in fines. City court Judge Mike Martin fined the theater $1,000 for each of the two recent health and sanitation violations handed out by county health inspectors.

A youth pastor for a Tyrone church has been arrested in the ongoing undercover Internet sting, Peachtree City police said.

Does Fayette County Board of Education member Greg Powers have the right to continue to serve on the school board?

That’s the question Republican candidate for school board Frank Oakley put before the school system’s leaders at their regular meeting Monday night.

Facing voter heat over out-of-county students attending Fayette County schools, the local school board has decided to beef up enforcement.

It was down to the wire, but Tinseltown scored big. A June 15 health and sanitation inspection by Fayette County Health Department resulted in a score of 98 out of a possible 100 for the theater.

A developer wanting to annex 400 acres into Peachtree City for an “active adult” gated community was given a cautious go-ahead by the City Council last week, allowing city staff to work on the proposal.

When would you like your child to start school in 2007?

That’s the question the Fayette County School Board is pondering after four school calendars were presented at Monday night’s meeting. The four options include start dates of Aug. 6, Aug. 9 and Aug. 13. Three of the calendars would end school on May 23, while one of the Aug. 13 start dates would see the school year end May 30.

Balloon artist Angelique David hands out balloons after a demonstration at the Fayette County Library Monday.

The largest budget in the history of the Fayette County School System got a unanimous “thumbs up” Monday night.

Fayette property owners will pay more school taxes this year as a result.

As in past years, The Citizen is again opening its opinion pages to candidates for contested local and locally-decided political offices.

The good news is that Fayetteville property owners can expect no tax millage rate increase when the Fiscal Year 2007 budget is adopted later this summer.

A request to consider rezoning a 7-plus acre parcel from general commercial to multi-family has been denied by the Peachtree City Council.

The Metro Fayette Kiwanis is holding a political forum on Thursday, June 29. The forum is open to qualified candidates for the county commission seats and will be at the Sams Auditorium, Fayetteville, at 7 p.m. The format will be governed by a moderator and timekeeper and Comcast will be recording the event.

Linda Wells, vice chairman, Fayette County Commission, brought a “state of the county” address to the Metro Fayette Kiwanis.

The Peachtree City Rotary Club wants to give voters a chance to meet candidates who are seeking local offices. The club is hosting a “Meet and Greet” event Tuesday June 27 from 7-9 p.m. at the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center.

An “Extreme Ground Breaking” is tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. for the Chick-fil-A at Wilshire Pavilion in Peachtree City. Chick-fil-A will have event tents set up on the site where the new store is to be located off Ga. Highway 74 at Wilshire, adjacent to Publix plaza. The company will have lots of fun activities, games, giveaways, and of course the cow will be there to host it all. Chick-fil-A will be giving FREE food to the first 500 people.

The Fayette County School System’s first ever Air Force Junior ROTC (AFJROTC) program has graduated its first four-year cadets.

The Board of Regents, the 18-member governing body for the University System of Georgia, elected Regent M. Allan Vigil to a one-year term as the board’s chair.

A Peachtree City teen who was shot at a party early this morning has died from his injuries, police said. And the Sharpsburg teen who pulled the trigger will be brought up on murder charges, police said.

The Tyrone Town Council passed a record $5.7 million budget Thursday night, but once again, Mayor Sheryl Lee had to break the tie and help end a contentious debate.

Magician Ken Scott entertained the kids this week at storytime at the Tyrone Library.

Margaret Vail was a long-time contributor to her community, until her death last October. She was active in the Metro Fayette Kiwanis, in the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, and the Fayette County Republican Party.

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizen.com
and JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizen.com

The Fayette County Board of Elections plans to notify the county board of education that BOE member Greg Powers is no longer eligible to serve on the board.

Council spends $303K to add turn lanes; store to open July 23

A traffic light will help handle the onslaught of vehicles on Ga. Highway 74 north that will flock to the new Target shopping center in Peachtree City.

Accused murderer Richard Nelson Brown has pleaded not guilty in the Sept. 30 murder of Senoia businessman Ken Crook. No trial date was set at the June 13 arraignment in Coweta Superior Court in Newnan.

Crime usually increases in a community as the population increases. But that is not what is currently happening in Fairburn. The most recent weekly crime reports tracking both criminal and law enforcement activity by the week, month and year-to-date show that the more serious Part 1 crimes have increased less than one-half percent since January compared to the same period in 2005, even though the city’s population has increased more than 9 percent in the past year.