It is two types of history rolled into one.

Death and taxes may be two certainties in life, but they are not the only ones. When it comes to areas like metro Atlanta, another certainty is traffic. Southwest metro Atlanta is no exception, nor are the rapidly growing problems with the interchange at I-85 and Ga. Highway 74. Attempting to address those complex issues, the Fairburn City Council voted unanimously Dec. 10 to allocate up to one-quarter of the funds needed to finance a Georgia Dept. of Transportation (GDOT) Interchange Modification Report in conjunction with other area stakeholders.

Tyrone’s second annual Christmas Parade went off without a hitch Thursday afternoon.

Fairburn’s day in court is coming. The lawsuit over the city’s denial of a request by Walker Brothers to establish a waste transfer station for construction debris and household trash on Bohannon Road will be heard Dec. 19 at 9:30 a.m. in Fulton County Superior Court.

The summer of annexation in 2006 is far from over. One of the companies that could not make the cut in time last year was welcomed into Fairburn Dec. 10 when the council voted unanimously to annex Nestle Purina Petcare on Fayetteville Road.

It will be a much happier Christmas for eight youngsters in Tyrone this year thanks to the efforts of the men and women in blue. With an outpouring of support from businesses and citizens, Tyrone Police coordinated a Shop with a Cop program Dec. 8, clearly making the point that the only way to make a difference is to be the difference.

The Tyrone Christmas Parade Foundation announced this week that the city’s annual Christmas Parade is set for December 13 at 4:45 p.m.

It is finally a done deal. Voters in Chattahoochee Hill Country made their decision in Tuesday’s runoff election. And in its wake the new city has a mayor and five city council members in place to formally begin city operations next week.

One Oakley Township burglary suspect is dead and two others were injured early Tuesday afternoon when they fled police and their vehicle struck a power pole on Bethsaida Road. Residents of Oakley Township are determined to put a stop to recent burglaries in the community.

It may be the holiday season, but 3-2 votes are still the norm in Tyrone.

On Thursday night, Mayor Sheryl Lee broke a tie vote and voted to reduce the setback for O’Reilly Auto Parts on Tyrone Road.

Palmetto is expanding further into Coweta County. Council members Dec. 3 unanimously approved the annexation of 254.71 acres on the city’s south side. The annexation will extend the city limits to I-85.

This tree was donated to the town of Tyrone as the town’s official Christmas tree by Big John’s Christmas Trees.

Another annexation for Fairburn is in the works. The Nestle Purina PetCare plant off Oakley Industrial Boulevard received a unanimous vote from the city’s Planning Commission Dec. 4 on a request to be annexed into the city.

The Christmas tradition at the home of Michael, Kay and Meagan Plott on Rivertown Road continues this year with more than 300,000 lights and plenty of holiday cheer.

It was only a small deviation on residential density. Palmetto City Council Dec. 3 approved a rezoning request that increased townhouse density on an existing Carlton Road development to eight units per acre.

It’s another move to the Sunbelt. This time it is Hagerstown, Maryland-based Pangborn Corp. that will be relocating to Fairburn. The company is a manufacturer of surface preparation systems, equipment and services.

On Wednesday December 5, 2007 the Tyrone Police Department held its first annual awards dinner at the Tyrone Depot. The department honored its officers for their service achievements over the previous year and for accomplishments they have made in training throughout their careers.

When it comes to collectibles, everybody knows that “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” That especially holds true for some hard-working high school students in Fairburn, who hope to strike gold on December 15 with their first swap meet that is set to teach them much more than the importance of bargain hunting. Students in the Sankofa Africana Studies Club at Creekside High School have been selling candies and cakes, taking pledges, making phone calls to businesses, and are now hosting a Community Flea market in their gymnasium in effort to raise enough money to pay for their trip to Kenya, East Africa.

It was a busy week for copper theft, burglary and theft by receiving stolen property, resulting in the arrest of three Tyrone residents.

Fairburn’s historic district is blocked off just in time Monday night for Santa, Mrs.

The council chambers at Tyrone Town Hall were filled Thursday night as curious and upset residents wanted to weigh-in on two rezoning proposals by Olde Towne Tyrone that would land a total of 135 homes on 43 acres along both sides of Palmetto Road adjacent to Arrowood Road and Swanson Road. But the proposals did not make it to planning commissioners, being withdrawn earlier in the week.

At the end of the day Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards got what he wanted. A Nov. 29 hearing before the Georgia Ethics Commission resulted in the dismissal of a complaint over a flyer used in the Sept. 18 vote on the formation of the city of South Fulton. Commissioners did have concerns about Fulton County’s role in the matter. The complaint was filed by south Fulton resident Andre Walker.

History in Chattahoochee Hill Country will continue to be made Dec. 4 as runoff races are held for the new city’s mayor and three of the five council seats.

Tyrone officials this week countered a claim that the town is slow in processing occupational tax certificates.

Two weeks ago, Coweta County Solicitor Robert Stokely paid a visit to Tyrone to question the town’s procedures on issuing occupational tax certificates.

Union City’s Planning Commission said yes but the city council said no Nov. 20 to a rezoning proposal that would add 30 units to Wyndsor Forest Apartments on Ga. Highway 138.

A 17 year-old Fairburn resident was charged Thursday with vehicular homicide in relation to a traffic crash Nov. 16. A 14 year-old traveling in the car was ejected in the incident and died at the scene.

Presumably the change is a change in name only. Fulton County Community Zoning Board (CZB) Nov. 20 approved, with a caveat attached, a recommendation to have 7,000 acres of land currently in the Chattahoochee Hill Country Overlay District changed to put it in the Cedar Grove Agricultural Overlay District. The same change was included for the Chattahoochee Hill County Conservation Subdivision Ordinance. Fulton County’s Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program in Chatt Hills will also likely move to Cedar Grove.

It’s another move to the Sunbelt. This time it is Hagerstown, Maryland-based Pangborn Corp. that will be relocating to Fairburn. The company is a manufacturer of surface preparation systems, equipment and services.

Christmas comes to the Tyrone Library.

It is a first for southwest metro Atlanta. It is a first for Georgia. The move is underway to establish the state’s first wildlife hospital and clinical research center in the new city of Chattahoochee Hill Country. The non-profit Georgia Rehabilitation of Wildlife Center (GROW) is raising $3.5 million construct the 11,000 square-foot facility on the grounds of Cochran Mill Nature Preserve in Chatt Hills. Land for the new facility is being donated by Minerva Properties, developer of Friendship Village, a Chatt Hills community in the planning stages in south Fulton County that will feature more than 60 percent greenspace.