New figures released Thursday by the Georgia Dept. of Labor (DOL) show Coweta County’s unemployment rate up more than a percentage point in the past month. November’s 9.7 percent unemployment rate rose significantly to a rate of 10.8 percent in December.

Coweta County commissioners last week approved $5,355 for the purchase of sound equipment for the courtroom and second floor of the historic courthouse in downtown Newnan.

A request by All Souls Church to construct an 8,400 square-foot building on Buddy West Road was denied by Coweta County commissioners last week on a 3-2 vote.

The Coweta County Chamber of Commerce at its 62nd Anniversary event Tuesday recognized four companies and governmental entities for their significant economic contributions to the community. Those receiving an Economic Prosperity Award included the Coweta County School System, the City of Senoia, D & H Distributing and the USDA National Detector Dog Training Center.

A meeting on upcoming Congressional legislation that some say will have a greater impact on Americans than healthcare reform will be held Jan. 26 at the Gathering Place in Peachtree City.

A proposal by Fischer Crossings developer Scott Seymour to make what was called a minor change to a portion of the commercial center was denied Jan. 19 by Coweta County commissioners on a 2-3 vote. Commissioners at a subsequent meeting will review this and two previous proposals for the development.

A Jan. 18 fire involving two homes on Carlton Pointe Drive in Palmetto is under investigation after it was determined that the blaze was intentionally set. Both homes were unoccupied at the time.

An overview of upcoming transportation projects presented to Coweta County commissioners last week showed what should be a host of activity spanning the next three years. Some of the projects will be funded by 1-cent Special Purpose Location Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) dollars, with others funded by the county’s general fund budget and still others by the Georgia Dept. of Transportation (GDOT).

A lengthy discussion before Coweta County commissioners Jan. 19 led to a postponement of the decision on the fate of the Belair Estates transitional home in north Coweta. Commissioners will take up the issue next month.

A short presentation by the Senoia Downtown Development Authority at the Jan. 18 City Council meeting revealed a wealth of information of DDA’s current activities and future plans. Among those were plans for a monthly farmer’s market, the new DDA website and a cultural arts reception tonight at the Stone Lodge.

Photo Courtesy of The American Red Cross

UPDATED (Saturday evening) with March of Dimes information

As locals begin efforts to help Haiti residents recover from the recent earthquake, The Citizen wants to publicize as many of these works as possible as a free service to the community.

If your church, civic group, business or organization is embarking on such an endeavor, please send us an email at editor@TheCitizen.com. Please include details about the mission, including how/where/when others can help.

Newnan resident Juan Campos-Reyes was sentenced in federal court Jan. 11 to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges relating to his part in a multi-state cocaine trafficking organization based in Mexico. A Riverdale man and another from Lawrenceville were also sentenced.

Palmetto Fire Chief Henry Argo began his efforts as fire chief in Palmetto in early 2007 after 30 years of experience. This week it was announced by Mayor John Miller that Argo has been re-designated as Chief Fire Officer by the international Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC). Argo is one of only 663 designated chief fire officers worldwide.

State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) is introducing a bill in the 2010 General Assembly that he says will clarify and simplify current weapons law and uphold the right to bear arms. The Georgia Common Sense Lawful Carry Act is meant to amend current Georgia law.

Last night and all day today, Coweta County road crews have worked to address the remaining black ice and slick spots on Coweta roads.

January 5, 2010 6:00 p.m.
January 14, 2010 6:00 p.m. Work Session
January 19, 2010 6:00 p.m.

February 2, 2010 6:00 p.m.

The City of Newnan Fire Department honors its firefighters with their Annual Life Saver Award for 2009. The recipients of this award have saved a life while on duty in 2009. There were nine firefighters this year who accomplished this goal with three lives saved.

Triad Construction, Inc. has been awarded the contract to construct the new Coweta County Health Department building on Hospital Road. Coweta County commissioners approved the $1.7 million low bid at the Jan. 5 meeting.

Georgia is seeking input on the services provided to disabled people by the Vocational Rehabilitation and Independent Living programs operated by the Georgia Department of Labor.

Seventeen year-old Brooks resident Jeremy Ryan Richardson has been arrested on felony charges for aggravated cruelty to animals in the arrow attack on a horse at a Bankstown Road farm discovered Sunday morning.

It was a measure adopted to bolster home-based food preparation businesses. The Coweta County Commission Jan. 5 voted unanimously to amend a portion of the Zoning & Development Ordinance to allow at-home food preparation for retail distribution or catering as a home occupation.

The Coweta County School System at this time is monitoring forecasts from the National Weather Service that indicate precipitation will arrive sometime in the late afternoon. Therefore, schools will remain open and on their normal schedules on Thursday during normal operating hours (2:30 p.m. for elementary schools, 3:30 for middle and high schools).

The Georgia Dept. of Transportation (GDOT) has issued a travel alert for Thursday for large portions of the state. An incoming winter storm system has the potential for making travel on roadways hazardous.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting Sunday of a horse on property along Bankstown Road in Brooks. A veterinarian called to the scene removed three arrows. Officers said the horse survived the attack.

A proposal to amend the Coweta County Zoning Ordinance to allow for small neighborhood agribusiness operations was approved Dec. 15 by the County Commission. The approval came after a request by Scott and Nicole Tyson, who own approximately 10 acres in Sharpsburg and want to establish an agribusiness and agritourism operation centering on organically-grown foods.

It seems that the large Fischer Crossings retail development is back after all.

First came the announcement last month of Sam’s Club and NCG Cinemas. Now developer Scott Seymour says he would like to add to the 400,000 square feet already approved for the 44-acre northeast corner of Ga. Highway 34 and Fischer Road in east Coweta County, about a mile from Peachtree City.

There are several American Red Cross blood drives upcoming in the Fayette and Coweta area.

To schedule a donation appointment please visit www.RedCrossBlood.org.

While the jobs picture certainly isn’t rosy, it improved slightly last month for Fayette and Coweta counties, according to statistics published this week by the Georgia Department of Labor.

It was in early summer that representatives of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) met with government and business leaders from across Coweta County at Newnan City Hall to announce the city’s selection as the site of the company’s first hospital in the Southeastern United States. Earlier this week CTCA received a Georgia Dept. of Community Health Certificate of Need (CON) necessary to move ahead with the the 200,000 square-foot hospital in the Ashley Park commercial area.

Fischer Crossings to get 1st-run movie multiplex with 2,000 seats 1 mile west of PTC; free popcorn refills