Residents of unincorporated South Fulton got an update Oct. 18 of the county’s finances at a budget hearing at the Stonewall Tell Annex. The current economic downturn may result in a $37.6 million difference in expenditures over revenues. The outlook for the new Special Service District (SSD) Fund, those monies generated and spent in the county’s only remaining unincorporated area, is projected at $913,943 in expenditures over revenues. The good news is that transferable Fund 300 monies total $27.5 million.

A 19 year-old Fairburn man came out about as fortunate as a person can get after being shot in the head. The man was treated and released from Grady Hospital after the Oct. 16 incident in Palmetto.

An Oct. 17 bank robbery at the Bank of America branch at Ga. Highway 138 and Old National Highway left one robber dead at the scene and Fulton County Police searching for two others in a get-away vehicle. Fayette County Sheriff’s deputies assisted in the search for the two suspects.

It was an informative update for nearly 100 residents of Chattahoochee Hill Country Oct. 9 as board members of Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance provided a look at the organization’s multi-faceted activities on behalf of the community at the group’s annual meeting.

Approximately 1.4 million personnel are currently on active duty in the military, with over 375,000 of those deployed outside the United States and it's territories. Let’s take the opportunity to say thank you to all of those deployed this Thanksgiving with personally written letters thanking them for a job well done. We need your help! Tyrone citizens, children, churches, and businesses can help make this dream a reality by writing a letter, a personal note, or getting your children to color a patriotic picture. There’s no need to mail it, just drop it off at the Tyrone Police Department by October 24 where they can make sure it arrives to the proper location to be mailed. For more information contact Jennifer or Lynda at 770-487-4694.

It is a fun time as usual for the Union City Fall Festival held Oct. 12 and 13. The festivites began with live music and activities Friday night at Union Station and continued Saturday with the annual parade, followed by a drum exhibition by Creekside High School Band, carnival rides, more live music and fireworks. Photo/Ben Nelms.

It will be a different kind of Trick or Treat in Fairburn this year. Fairburn Police will hold a “Trick or Trunk” Halloween celebration in Duncan Park Oct.

Candidates for the three city council seats in Fairburn will attend a meet the candidates forum Sunday, Oct. 21 beginning at 4 p.m.

Fairburn resident Kimberly Byrd was recognized earlier this week as one of the 18 child care providers in the United States. Byrd was also featured as a “Provider of the Week” on the award-winning PBS program A Place of Our Own. The daily television series, devoted to the needs of individuals who care for children, sponsored the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with BP and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The long-standing tradition in Fairburn continued Oct. 6 with the community’s annual Old Campbell County Homecoming.

Hector Leon of the American Red Cross prepares Sheilah Doyal of Tyrone to have her blood drawn Wednesday. The blood drive at Tyrone Christian Church will be repeated Wednesday, Dec. 5, which leaves enough time for those who donated this week to come back and donate again. Photo/John Munford.

It is being billed as the first of its kind in the world. And it is coming to south Fulton County. A sweeping project sponsored by the Africa Heritage Foundation, Inc. will feature a variety of economic, educational and nation-specific venues across portions south Fulton. The five-year project beginning in fall 2009 will contain multiple sites and venues constructed at a cost of $4-10 billion and provide a minimum of 10,000 jobs.

Fairburn City Council’s Aug. 27 denial of a request by Walker Brothers to establish a waste transfer station for construction debris and household trash on Bohannon Road is about to land the city in court. Walker filed a lawsuit Sept. 11 in Fulton County Superior Court, insisting that the site plan should have been approved because the property was already zoned for that use, according to city administrator Jim Williams at the council’s Oct. 8 meeting.

Reports last week of the significant presence of mold and the illness-causing fungus Scopulariopsis at the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Atlanta Center in Hampton led to a work stoppage by Peachtree Mechanical, Inc., the Fayetteville firm contracted to work on the center’s ventilation system. A majority of the hundreds of air traffic controllers and other employees at the facility have experienced unexplained illnesses they now believe is linked to exposure to Scopulariopsis, found in late September by an environmental contractor working at the site.

It was an informative update for nearly 100 residents of Chattahoochee Hill Country Oct. 9 as board members of Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance provided a look at the organization’s multi-faceted activities on behalf of the community at the group’s annual meeting.

Fairburn Police are looking for an armed robber that held up the Citgo convenience store at Ga. Highway 74 and Milam Road Oct. 9.

Bear Creek Middle School recently began the character education program C.H.O.I.C.E.S. (Children Heeding Opportunities in Educational Services). This program is open to all Bear Creek students interested in family, friends, kindness, trustworthiness, reliability, respectfulness, goal setting, honesty, and good old fashioned fun. The mission of the C.H.O.I.C.E.S program is to encourage involvement of multicultural groups with activities, both in school and after school, and to embrace social, cultural and daily life skills. The program will be built on principles of respect, tolerance, moral values, and civic responsibility.

The political season is underway across south Fulton with a total of 40 candidates vying for mayoral and city council seats in Palmetto, Union City, Chattahoochee Hill Country and Fairburn.

Construction of Tyrone’s new 9,009 square-foot library is well underway and on schedule to open in December. It will be the library’s fourth move in 15 years.

A Union City woman has been sentenced to more than two years in prison and ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution for providing fraudulent W-2 forms to file false tax returns.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) voted Sept. 26 to approve a $67 billion regional transportation plan to combat the worst traffic bottlenecks and provide new transit and pedestrian options for travel in metro Atlanta.

The city of Union City will host its 18th annual Fall Festival event on October 12 and 13. This year’s festival will be held at Union Station Mall in Union City and will feature two days of family oriented fun. The festival is designed to promote a sense of community between Union City residents, business owners and city government. The festival begins October 12 at Union Station Mall at 6 p.m. with a Country and Western theme featuring a country music concert featuring Jason Coley Byrd and Haley Hicks. Radio Disney will be on hand with a show for kids of all ages. There will also be a Piñata’ bash for children under the age of 12. A large carnival attraction will be on the property between October 10-14. The rides and attractions will be open daily for your enjoyment.

It is a learning experience and a time for fun at Norma’s Academy of Dance.

A Tyrone couple has been sentenced on bribery and fraud charges involving the federal “E-Rate” program in the Atlanta public school system.

It was far from an average decision by a City Council. Fairburn council members Sept. 24 agreed to initiate a $10 million project that will construct a downtown college campus designed to house Georgia Military College (GMC) and possibly other satellite campuses from area colleges and universities. Plans call for GMC into move to the Fairburn-owned facility in October 2008.

Anniston Reeves won the Tiny Miss Tyrone Sweetheart 2007 in the Tyrone beauty pageant that was featured at Tyrone Founders Day Parade.

Reflection Auto Detail Shop owner Ken Lawhorn discusses his sign variance request with Tyrone Planning Commission at the Thursday meeting.

It’s Christian City 1, Fulton County 0. A Sept. 14 letter sent to the Union City-based non-profit by Fulton County, accusing the organization of not fulfilling its obligations in connection with a $1 million federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) “forgivable loan’ and threatening legal action turned out to be more than inappropriate. The letter should have never been written.

Fairburn continued its discussion on the question of allowing waste transfer stations inside the city, with city council members Sept. 24 reviewing three options on the volatile public issue. The council made no decision, agreeing to continue the discussion after further review of the ordinance pertaining to that type facility.

It is that time of year again. And it is going to start early. Festivities for the annual Old Campbell County Homecoming is scheduled for Oct. 6, taking the theme “From the Old to the New,” the event will provide a little something for everyone in the family.