U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) has cleared the way for the vote on the city of South Fulton, likely to be held in September. The clearance came in a July 10 letter to Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker.

It was a precautionary tale Tuesday night as Tyrone Police responded to a suspicious, but ultimately harmless, briefcase found behind Southhampton Village shopping center on Ga. Highway 74. Officers evacuated the few open businesses prior to members of the Clayton County bomb squad determining that the briefcase was empty and posed no threat.

Another of the Olde Towne Tyrone projects moved a step closer to reality June 28 as Tyrone Planning Commission heard and signed off on the conditions related to the approval of the final site plan for Lot #9. The issue was continued from May.

A Fairburn man died of multiple gunshot wounds in the early morning hours June 30 near the Union City residence of his former girlfriend. Twenty-three year-old Dontarious Shackleford was reportedly throwing items at the woman’s house when eight males exited the residence, chased and beat him before two of the males fired several shots into his upper body.

Fulton County Board of Commissioners June 20 announced a general fund millage rate decrease of 1.126 mills and a South Fulton Tax District reduction of .072 mills over last year’s rate. The new general fund rate will come within just over one-tenth mill of amounting to no net tax increase. Figures for the impact on the Special Service District are under review.

The hotel business continues to keep I-85 and Ga. Highway 74 in its crosshairs. That attention was evidenced Tuesday as Fairburn Planning Commission agreed to recommend a conceptual site plan for a 75-room, four-story Holiday Inn Express on the southside of the interchange.

A Fairburn man died of multiple gunshot wounds in the early morning hours June 30 near the Union City residence of his former girlfriend. Twenty-three year-old Dontarious Shackleford was reportedly throwing items at the woman’s house when eight males exited the residence, chased and beat him before two of the males fired several shots into his upper body, said Union City Police spokesman Sgt. George Louth.

Manoli and Alex Vlachakis enjoy a pretzel stick dipped in chocolate and sprinkles, courtesy of the Young Chefs Academy, at a recent screening of Ratatouille at the Georgian Cinemas 14 in Newnan.

Nearly four dozen Palmetto residents attend a June 26 meeting of the city’s recently formed Neighborhood Watch group.

Linda Sharko always has something delicious at Fairburn Farmers Market. The market is open Saturday mornings at the old depot and features an array of fresh fruit and vegetables, crafts and live plants provided by local growers and artisans. Photo/Ben Nelms.

Palmetto residents came together a few months ago to explore ways to address crime issues in their neighborhoods. Those meetings led to the formation of a Neighborhood Watch group. Today, they have begun daytime patrols in some neighborhoods and are looking to expand their presence into the nighttime hours.

For Alpharetta developer John Blankenship, it might be better to take his high density residential development somewhere in north Fulton instead of bringing it to south Fulton. A request to rezone 18.63 acres on Ga. Highway 138 and Jonesboro Road met with strong concerns by residents and unanimous defeat June 25 when Union City Planning commissioners turned down the request to build 60 homes separated only by storage sheds. Next stop for the request will be the City Council on July 17.

Owners of the Union City Comfort Inn during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have been indicted in federal court on charges of mail fraud related to a scheme to defraud the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of more than $20,000 allocated for hurricane victims.

A Fairburn man was arrested June 25 on first-degree arson and aggravated assault charges after striking his girlfriend and setting fire to their apartment.

The conceptual site plan for Tyrone Crossing commercial/office development on Tyrone-Palmetto Road near Ga. Highway 74 received unanimous approval by the Tyrone Planning Commission Thursday night after resolving a question that arose last month over a legal question relating to the zoning category of the two-acre site. Plans call for construction of seven buildings of 5,000-7,000 square feet.

The town of Tyrone staged a British soccer camp this week and kids of all ages participated in the summer festivities.

It’s a family affair. Making her mark on her husband Bob Justice’s promotion to Lieutenant with Fairburn Police, Betty Justice does the pinning honors outside Fairburn City Hall after the June 11 council meeting.

Touted as quickest, cheapest way to address backlog at 74/I-85

Fayette County Commission Chairman Jack Smith, speaking at Peachtree City’s Town Hall meeting Tuesday night, said transportation improvements are necessary to relieve increasing traffic waits for commuters.

History was made June 19 in south Fulton County as Chatt Hills residents gave overwhelming approval to form the new city of Chattahoochee Hill Country. A turn out of more than 47 percent of registered voters resulted in 83 percent approving the charter of the new city, set to begin operations in December.

What a difference a year makes. A plan last year to put rent-adjusted apartments on South Fulton Parkway when the area was in unincorporated Fulton County met with adamant opposition from area residents. But one year later, with the area now annexed into Union City, the plan gained approval on a 2-1 vote at the June 19 council meeting.

People by the thousands have been moving into south Fulton in the past few years. Now catching up with that growth is the construction of the first of several commercial developments that will serve the fast-growing area in coming years. The development is Parkway Village, located on the northeast corner of South Fulton Parkway and Ga. Highway 92.

Fairburn just refuses to budge. But so does Union City and Palmetto. At stake is a resolution on the next move for South Fulton Municipal Water & Sewer Authority’s plan to eventually build a reservoir in the new city of Chattahoochee Hill Country to serve the increasing water needs of Palmetto, Union City and Fairburn.

Fairburn’s newest business on Ga. Highway 74 is expected to open this weekend. Animal Medical Clinic of Fairburn is located just north of the Fayette County line near Black Jack Motorcycles.

On July 28, 16 high school senior girls from around the state will gather in Newnan to compete for the title of Georgia’s Junior Miss at the program’s 50th Annual State Finals. Georgia’s Junior Miss is part of a nationwide endeavor to honor and reward the country's outstanding young woman for their accomplishments and is an official preliminary of the America’s Junior Miss scholarship program. Junior Miss emphasizes excellence in five categories of competition: scholastics, talent, interview, fitness and self-expression.

It is a morning full of smiles and song and food Thursday as Fairburn Seniors Center celebrates Community Appreciation Day.

Larger View

The Tyrone Town Council will discuss this conceptual site plan for Shamrock Park at its July 5 meeting. This site plan was completed by resident Brian Hendry who donated his services to the town. Photo/Special.

Several Fayette residents spent an enjoyable Saturday night at the Black and Red Ball at the White Water Country Club.

Tyrone’s $6.1 million budget will have to wait until June 27 for its final approval.

The budget was set to be approved next Thursday, but Town Manager Barry Amos said the meeting had to be cancelled due to a lack of a quorum.

It was one of those back and forth things with everyone standing their ground. The South Fulton Municipal Regional Water & Sewer Authority hit another impasse Tuesday over the question of what to do with the funds that will come from refinancing the authority’s $41.7 million bond. The 2003 bond is to be used to construct a reservoir and provide drinking water to Union City, Fairburn and Palmetto.

It was an interesting display for a municipal landlord June 8 when representatives of Union City gave Kreative Kidz youth enrichment program less than a one-day notice to cease serving more than 140 youngsters in the organization’s summer program. Discussed at the city council’s June 11 work session, council members established six criteria that would potentially allow the program to operate at the city-owned facility on a temporary basis.