Fire crews, including some from Fayette County agencies, fought a large brush fire in Fairburn just north of Milam Road.

It was a great way to spend a part of a Sunday afternoon as Chattahoochee Hill Country Dist. 3 Councilman David Hanson held a “fireside chat” meeting with his constituents Jan. 27. A number of the nearly 80 in attendance at city hall were from other city voting districts who came to experience a more direct form of communication with elected officials, something many in Chatt Hills had requested since the city’s inception in December. Hanson’s question at meeting’s end on whether residents thought the venue useful was met with applause from across the room.

The time has come for Fairburn to take another step into its economic future. City council members Jan. 28 voted to amend the 2007-2008 budget and establish an economic development program.

What is poised to become a wetland mitigation bank on a 300-acre nature preserve site adjacent to Bohannon Road came a step closer to reality Jan. 28 as Fairburn City Council hired a consulting firm to determine the value of mitigation credits and form the bank.

Palmetto experienced a sea-change in elected leadership that began two years ago and continued in the November election. New Mayor John Miller recently shared his thoughts on city’s future, the immediate and long-term goals and the desire that the large number of residents who fostered that sea-change will continue their involvement on local government.

It was nothing short of a main event. And it was one that signaled a landmark statement about the need to protect Georgia’s injured wildlife. The Jan. 18 event was the Jack Hanna Gala Benefit fundraiser for the non-profit GROW (Georgia Rehabilitation of Wildlife) Center’s upcoming Wildlife Hospital and Clinical Research Center located at Cochran Mill Nature Preserve in Chattahoochee Hill Country. The fundraiser was held in the Oceans Ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium.

Fairburn City council met in closed session for more than an hour Thursday in a called meeting to discuss the reappointment of city clerk Nancy Faulkner, an appointment that was delayed at the council’s Jan. 14 meeting at the request of Councilman Mario Avery. The Thursday vote to reappoint was 4-2, with Avery and Councilwoman Elizabeth Hurst voting in opposition.

How green can you get? That was the question Jan. 12 as Fairburn City Administrator Jim Williams unveiled plans for environmentally responsible actions for consideration by the city council in coming months.

Officers Spratlin and Stripling responded to a call by the owner at approximately 3:30 a.m. and arriving at the station within a minute due to the Shell store’s close proximity to the police department across Carlton Road, said Det. John Cooper.

Fairburn Police Sgt. Aaron Baker has long worked behind the scenes to help under-privileged and needy residents. He does so without hesitation and is always quick to avoid any recognition. But that recognition came Jan. 14 as Mayor Betty Hannah presented Baker with a plaque signifying his contribution to the community and its residents.

The following arrests were made by Fairburn Police between Jan. 8-15.

Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Do you often wonder how government-spending priorities are set and how your property tax rates are determined? Then again, you may want to know about the challenges faced by police officers and firefighters as they protect lives and property.

Christian City President and CEO Robert Crutchfield announced Jan. 21 the appointment of Terry Thompkins as Executive Vice President for Senior Operations at Christian City.

They came to Fairburn from across south Fulton County Jan. 11 to make a decision on their future. Before the meeting ended, residents voted to positively impact their many communities by forming the South Fulton Civic Association (SFCA).

It all looked simple enough. But it wasn’t. Annual housekeeping duties by Fairburn City Council in its first meeting of the new year Jan. 14 included the customary appointments of various city positions. But when the appointment of city clerk Nancy Faulkner came up Councilman Mario Avery asked for a delay, followed by a request by newly sworn in Councilwoman Elizabeth Hurst that the appointment of assistant city clerk Abril Montano also be delayed. The resulting delay by the council was followed by Faulkner Jan. 15 with charges of racial motivation.

Union City Mayor Ralph Moore cracked a smiled Tuesday night as he announced that Newell Rubbermaid will be locating an 800,000 square-foot distribution center inside the city. The move to Union City will add 300 jobs to the growing area.

The council chambers in Union City were packed Jan. 15 and the occasion for the standing room-only audience was clear. The year’s first meeting saw new council members Brian Jones and Vince Williams take the oath of office after their November victory at the polls. Also at the meeting, citizens were informed about new, increasingly strict rules for the public comments portion of public meetings.

The Chattahoochee Hill Country Conservancy Board of Directors is pleased to announce its new leadership for 2008. The organization will be led by Chairman, Joseph G. Martin, Jr. of Civitas, Inc.; Vice Chairman, Thomas K. Farmer of The Nature Conservancy; Secretary, Robert D. Mowrey of Alston & Bird, LLP; and Treasurer, Benjamin H. Hill of Georgia Institute of Technology’s Venture Lab. Other board members include James H. Kaminer, Jr. of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP and Steven R. Cover, Planning Commissioner for the City of Atlanta. The Conservancy’s executive director is Christine W. McCauley.

It was an enthusiastic, packed house in the Palmetto council chambers Jan. 7 for the swearing-in of incoming Mayor John Miller, incoming Councilwomen Lorraine Allen and Natalie Beavers-McFadden and returning Councilman Leon Sumlin. Not incidental in the short meeting was an announcement by Miller that the council would establish a town hall meeting venue for residents to experience local government transparency and accountability.

Residents from around Fulton County came to the Coverdell government building Jan. 9 to make their positions known to nearly a dozen members of the county’s House and Senate delegation. South Fulton residents were clearly represented at the meeting, with concerns ranging from the potential restructuring of Fulton County Commission, calls for the formation of a township and keeping Grady Hospital intact to environmental concerns over the Red Oak rock quarry and the need to re-commission Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and Georgia Dept. of Public Health (DPH).

It has been a personal and spiritual mission for Minister Danita Jones for a dozen years. That mission began in the Lightning district in Fairburn and transformed into In His G.R.E.A.T. Name Ministry that opened seven years ago. The ministry’s continuing goal is to revitalize the community and the lives of individual’s who reside far beyond its geographical boundaries.

Quick action by Union City Police moments after a Jan. 4 armed robbery in downtown Fairburn landed the perpetrator in jail.

Many might think that Union City council members Helen Turner and Alisa King would be downhearted after coming up short in the November election. But the expressions on their faces tell a different story as residents and city employees throw a recent farewell party in their honor. Photo/Ben Nelms.

The bell rang early Jan. 1 at the Rico Road fire station in Chattahoochee Hill Country. And the call that came over the loudspeaker signaled a changing of the guard. That change signified the transition that puts fire services squarely in the hands of the new Chattahoochee Hill Country Fire Department.

It is a time of change in south Fulton, a political change that is. The turning of the calendar to the new year means it is a time to say goodbye to some holding elected office and hello to several newcomers.

There is an ongoing list of housekeeping issues involved with establishing a new city. Some of those issues were on the agenda for the Jan. 2 council meeting at Chattahoochee Hill Country. Yet there was another issue that surfaced during the public comments portion of the meeting. It involved questions about overall communication with citizens so that information can be disseminated and questions can be asked and answered in a timely fashion.

An early afternoon call to Palmetto Police Dec. 28 about possible prowlers near Carlton Road led to the arrest of two juveniles less than an hour later.

The kids from Fairburn’s International Learning Academy, ages 1-4, steal the day Dec. 14 as they put on a Christmas peformance for residents at Christian City. “We wanted to spead good cheer during the holidays,” said director Monica Peart. Photo/Ben Nelms.

Most everyone in south Fulton and across metro Atlanta today who pays attention to criminal activity is acutely aware that juvenile crime is skyrocketing. But if Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards has his way, the juvenile crime statistics for 2008 might show some needed improvement.

GBI seeks four suspects in shooting

It was a bizarre incident at Duncan Park in Fairburn that has many questions still unanswered. In its wake, a man who had been kidnapped was seriously injured and four others are being sought by Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).