The 2009 property tax bills for City of Newnan residents are due today and the city would like to remind citizens that anyone owning property in the City of Newnan should have received two separate tax bills, one from the City of Newnan and one from Coweta County, each payable to the appropriate party.

The “Ideas for Life” Senior-Boomer Expo 2009 will be held Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Conference Center Building at the Coweta County Fairgrounds on Pine Road.

The matter of property adjacent to the new 650-acre Lake McIntosh that might rest in a floodplain and require flood insurance appears to have been settled. Coweta County commissioners Tuesday were told that Fayette County had compensated Coweta and Fayette property owners years ago when Fayette purchased the lake property and easements.

The idea for creating a recreation advisory committee was initiated by Commissioner Randolph Collins at the Oct. 20 commission meeting. But the discussion ended as it began, with no conclusion reached.

Rain-filled skies Oct. 15 did not deter more than 160 people from Coweta, Fayette and surrounding counties from making their way to Christ’s Church at Whitewater outside Fayetteville for a town hall meeting on national healthcare reform and cap and trade efforts currently underway in Congress. The event sponsored by the Southern Crescent Tea Party Patriots included a panel that was far from shy in insisting that government control of healthcare, and the sale of carbon emission credits, would only exponentially worsen situation that exists today.

New preliminary unemployment figures for September show Coweta County’s rate at 10 percent, up from the 9.8 percent revised rate for August. Unemployment in the Three Rivers area remained steady at 12 percent.

City of Newnan property tax payments are due Oct. 30. If you own property in the City of Newnan and have not received a tax bill, please call the Finance Department at (770) 254-2351. City tax bills were mailed September 22. A penalty of 1 percent will be added to all accounts not paid by the end of business on Friday, October 30, 2009, and an additional 1 percent per month is added until the tax amount is paid in full. Postmarks are not acceptable due to the volume of payments being processed. The payment must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday by the City of Newnan. No exceptions will be allowed.

A brief discussion at the Coweta County Commission meeting Oct. 20 led to the approval of a committee to review upcoming submissions for a future county jail expansion project. The committee will include representatives from the sheriff’s office, the county finance department and the county commission.

Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) has been named Vice Chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ (NCSL) Budgets and Revenue Standing Committee. The appointment was made by NCSL President and Georgia Sen. Don Balfour. Seabaugh’s appointment now makes the sixth Georgia legislator in a national leadership role with NCSL.

Toyota of Newnan and Turner Network Sales (TNS) are partnering again this year to present truTV’s highly-regarded “Digital Fingerprinting for Kids” event, a service designed to help prevent crimes against children by offering parents and guardians practical tools that include digital fingerprints and safety tips. The Newnan event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Toyota of Newnan, 2 Herring Road. 

Two other streets switched to 1-way traffic only

Senoia residents will be facing a few minor traffic changes in town in an effort to improve safety and traffic flow.

A Senoia schoolbus driver was denied a variance to park her bus in the backyard of her Barnes Street home.

Instead, Mary Jane Story can meet the city’s ordinance by putting down a hard surface such as gravel and installing a carport to cover the bus, city officials said.

Charter Bank in Tyrone was robbed shortly after opening Wednesday morning. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.

Police Chief Brandon Perkins said a black male entered the Charter Bank branch in Tyrone on Carriage Oaks Drive at approximately 9:09 a.m. and brandished a silver semi-automatic handgun. The man forced employees into the vault after having the teller empty her drawer into a garbage bag.

Increased traffic in Senoia along Ga. Highway 16 at the intersection of Broad Street and Luther Bailey Road is about to undergo a transformation.

Young folks from 2 to 24 can now get the new flu vaccine.

The Georgia Division of Public Health (DPH) has expanded the priority groups able to receive the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine. Earmarked last week for toddlers, the vaccine is now available first come, first serve at county health departments for children and young adults ages 2-24 years, healthcare providers, emergency responders or caregivers of infants less than 6 months of age.

Chubby Checker brings ‘The Twist’ to historic Alamo Theater Nov. 22

Chubby Checker has chosen Historic Downtown Newnan as his Georgia location to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of the legendary song, “The Twist.”

Few communities have a downtown area that features historic structures like those found in Newnan. With the rehabilitation of the old 1906 courthouse well underway, the Courthouse Citizens Advisory Committee is looking for ways to help Coweta’s history come alive.

Coweta County firefighters will soon be better prepared to respond to situations involving hazardous materials. County commissioners Oct. 6 approved the purchase of nearly $23,000 of HazMat items paid for with 1-cent sales tax dollars.

The Carnegie Building in downtown Newnan re-opened with much fanfare just a month ago. Holding to its mission of providing a positive impact on the community the Carnegie has introduced the honor book system and is set to begin “Story Time” for children next week.

Southtowne Chevrolet of Newnan is partnering with Coweta County Parks and Recreation to provide the league’s players and coaches with equipment, a monetary donation, and a chance to raise up to $10,000.

Coweta County’s biggest and most influential business exposition will take place Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Summit Family YMCA.

United Way of Coweta County and student interns with the Teacher Pipeline program at the Central Education Center (CEC) in Newnan delivered 250 copies of Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to Coweta County elementary schools and daycare centers last week as part of the nationwide “Read for the Record” event.

The Upscale Resale Shoppe to benefit Southwest Christian Care has opened in Newnan. The shop will offer high quality merchandise at affordable prices specializing in new and gently used women’s, children’s and men’s clothing and housewares.

The Southern Crescent Tea Party Patriots will hold a Town Hall meeting Oct. 15 on Cap & Trade and Healthcare Town Hall meeting Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at Christ Church at Whitewater. Organizers said the emphasis will be on healthcare.

Along with all the tasty fare there was a great selection of designer pumpkins at the Fall 2009 Taste of Newnan held Oct. 1. The bi-annual event draws a large number of restaurants from across the area and thousands of willing taste-testers.

East Coweta High School received academic honors Tuesday as a Region 4AAAAA winner in the statewide effort to improve SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores. The announcement was made by Gov. Sonny Perdue and state School Superintendent Kathy Cox.

Coweta County, like the remainder of the United States, is in a recession. But three public hearings scheduled for Nov. 12 include rezoning requests that could to lead to commercial and residential proposals that look more like the good old days of a couple of years ago.

Cookie, a national monthly lifestyle magazine for the modern mother published by Conde Nast, has included the Inn at Serenbe in its “3rd Annual Best of Travel” feature in the October 2009 edition. The feature heralds “eight dreamy escapes”: The Inn at Serenbe, The St. Regis in Bora Bora, Ardoor Art Camp in The Netherlands, The Greenbrier in West Virginia, Planet Baobab in Botswana, Mohonk Mountain House in New York, Natura Cabana in Dominican Republic, and The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. Features editor Miranda Crowell dubs Serenbe the “best southern comfort” and says.

Low prices for residential and commercial natural gas customers will be featured at the Oct. 10 annual members meeting of Coweta-Fayette EMC.

Coweta County commissioners Tuesday night voted to authorize a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a needs assessment and space analysis for a future expansion of the county jail. The board also voted to appoint a five-person committee to review the submittals. The expansion would be funded by a future 1-cent sales tax initiative.