The Friday night commute home will seem more like a NASCAR race to some local residents due to the race action starting at 7 p.m. at Atlanta Motor Speedway in nearby Hampton.

A Fayette County man accused of murdering his former business partner was formally notified of the prosecution’s intent to seek the death penalty Tuesday afternoon.

Fayetteville Council members March 10 were obviously pleased as shovels of dirt were flung into the air at the city’s wastewater treatment plant on First Manassas Mile, home to an $11.8 million system upgrade designed to meet Fayetteville’s needs for the next 20 years through the city’s build-out phase. The upgrade will effectively double the wastewater capacity to 5 million gallons per day (MGD).

The testiness of the County Commission was on display Thursday night as the board instructed the county’s attorney to draw up a resolution that would allow Fayette’s taxpayers to use a credit card and pay many of their taxes online.

Over the years, Fayette County residents have come to depend on a vital link in an emergency: dialing 911 to get help fast.

A complaint has been filed against one of the candidates running in Tuesday’s special election for a seat on the Fayette County Commission.

The Fayette County Branch of the NAACP held a candidate forum at the County Complex Sunday. There are five candidates in the running for Post 1, due to the death of A.G. VanLandingham last December.

Fayetteville Council members March 16 will take up the issue of increasing water and sewer rates by about 15 percent and revising the sewer proportionate share for new development.

The town of Tyrone and the Fayette County Board of Education have started talks that could eventually lead to the shutdown of the school system’s sewer plant on Jenkins Road.

The usually staid environment of the Fayette County Commission meeting room was filled with red eyes and tears Thursday night as the Fayette County Commission paid tribute to Commissioner A.G. VanLandingham, who died in December, early in his second term.

It was his first day on the job. And it was time for Steve Heaton to have his say. Taking the reins March 9 as Fayetteville’s police chief, Heaton quickly displayed the willingness to talk about law enforcement from a philosophical and an operational perspective, views that accentuate the merits of a participative approach to management.

Four Fayette educators are among 35 participants chosen for the 2006-2007 Educational Leadership Certification Cohort Group sponsored by Griffin Regional Education Services Agency and the University of West Georgia.

Plans are underway to get local churches involved in the movement to build an emergency shelter to serve the over 500 women who are victims of domestic violence in Fayette County each year. Currently, in an emergency, a woman and her children have no where to turn and must find help in other counties. Often, the shelters in surrounding counties are full and families have to travel hours to get to a safe place.

Kedron Elementary is the latest school to be added to Fayette’s list of Schools of Excellence.

St. Paul Lutheran School in Peachtree City invites parents of children in preschool through eighth grades to special weekday open houses hosted by Principal Dan Palisch. The open houses are designed to give parents the opportunity to tour the school, observe classes in session, and meet St. Paul faculty and staff.

Fifteen projects and their young scientists are heading to the State Science and Engineering Fair after receiving first place honors at the regional competition. One project received the grand prize award and automatically advanced to the international competition.

The City of Peachtree City has been getting this question a lot recently from residents who live near Huddleston Pond or frequent the park and walking trail at the facility. The water level in the pond has been steadily decreasing over the past several weeks.

Fayette’s students nearly swept the 2006 Middle and High School Math Contest sponsored by the Griffin Regional Educational Service Agency.

The following arrests were reported by local law enforcement agencies for the past week. All persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

An Arizona woman died Friday evening in a motor vehicle crash on Ga. Highway 314 near Kenwood Road, police said.

Helen Mumma, 86, of Youngstown, Ariz. was the passenger in a vehicle that was struck when the driver turned into the path of another vehicle, according to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.

It’s another step along the way. It is one that many said could not be done. Yet it sailed through the Georgia Senate on a 49-0 vote.

Play ball. Soccer, that is. If approved by the City Council, a March 7 recommendation by Fairburn Planning & Zoning commissioners will put a 48,000 square-foot indoor soccer complex on Oakley Industrial Boulevard near Ga. Highway 74.

Palmetto is set to go back in time to bring the past into the present. An unsuccessful 2003 attempt to secure a federal grant to restore the historic 1914 train depot turned to gold recently when Palmetto got official word that the city had been awarded a $1 million Transportation Enhancement Grant to make the project a reality.

Lisa Stone could not have been happier. As General Manager of the new Hampton Inn at Ga. Highway 74 and Oakley Industrial Boulevard, Stone told Fairburn Planning & Zoning commissioners she was ecstatic to be annexed into the city.

A man responsible for burglaries in Palmetto and Fairburn turned himself in to Palmetto Police Tuesday.

David Lacroix, 20, of Decatur, was charged with two counts of burglary and one count of criminal trespass in the incidents, according to Palmetto Det. John Cooper.

Back in 1982 Delta Airlines was going through a tough time, and the employees of Delta decided to raise money to buy the company a brand new 767 jet ($30 million), affectionately named the “Spirit of Delta”. The Home for Children at Christian City had a wonderful relationship with Delta and the children began to work odd jobs to also raise money to help Delta. One of the young boys at the Home for Children, Adam Pepper, who was 6 years old at the time, presented the President of Delta with the money raised by the Home for Children. When the President of Delta told Adam how grateful he was, Adam pulled a quarter out of his pocket, which he had been saving for a candy bar, and gave it to the President, saying you need this more than me.

The following arrests were made by Fairburn Police between Feb.22 and March 7:

Kelvin Henderson, 23, Union City, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute

Tyrone Town Council, Planning commissioners and Tyrone Focus Group members got their first look March 8 at the upcoming development of the town’s 20-Year Comprehensive Plan. Due for completion by February 2007, the plan will address Tyrone’s current and future needs through 2027.

Sandy Creek sophomore Steven Croteau worked on the long jump at a recent practice.

Will also remain assistant city manager

Instead of hiring a new developmental services director, Peachtree City officials have appointed Assistant City Manager Colin Halterman to the position, it was announced Friday morning.