Traffic down to previous levels; some have been stolen

Speed bumps in the Planterra Ridge subdivision will stay, for now, as more data is sought to determine if they should stay ... or be replaced with the less-intrusive speed cushions.

A county-wide ceremony for Memorial Day will be held Monday at the Fayetteville city cemetery starting sharply at 11 a.m., organizers said.

A man was injured early Sunday evening when he was accosted by two teenagers at a Fayetteville gas station, police said.

Suspect poses as customer before pulling gun

The Dollar General store at the Banks Station shopping center in Fayetteville was robbed at gunpoint early Friday evening, police said.

The following arrests were reported by local law enforcement agencies for the past week:

Fayette County Sheriff’s Department

The Law Enforcement Torch Run for the annual Georgia Special Olympics games will be coming through downtown Fayetteville Thursday around 8 a.m.

Devoted coach of Junior Tennis Players

The public is invited to the Memorial Dedication to honor and remember Beth Choate Wortmann (1971-2006) to be held on Wednesday, May 23, at the Peachtree City Tennis Center at 6:30 p.m. Based upon Wortmann’s years of service to the local community, the City of Peachtree City has chosen to recognize her. The Southern Crescent Tennis Association has donated a memorial plaque which will be located at the tennis center and dedicated at this event.

The Science Olympiad team at J.C. Booth Middle is one of the best in the nation and they proved it again this weekend with their top three finish at the national competition.

One student at Rising Starr Middle showed how one act of kindness had a rippling effect on an entire school.

Smoke from the south Georgia wildfires has reached Fayette County Tuesday morning, and already fire officials are seeing a spike in 911 calls from persons who see the smoke and worry a fire is nearby, officials said.

Despite about a dozen or so false alarms as of mid-morning, officials are still dispatching units to all smoke calls as a precaution, said Interim Public Safety Director Allen McCullough. Units are also responding to a higher number of respiratory distress calls, he added.

A man was injured early Sunday evening when he was accosted by two teenagers at a Fayetteville gas station, police said.

The victim was stabbed by one of the teens, but he didn’t see a weapon, police said.

Suspect poses as customer before pulling gun

The Dollar General store at the Banks Station shopping center in Fayetteville was robbed at gunpoint early Friday evening, police said.

The suspect posed as a customer buying a drink, and when the cashier opened the register to make change he produced a silver handgun, police said.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run for the annual Georgia Special Olympics games will be coming through downtown Fayetteville Thursday around 8 a.m.

[Editor’s note: Known to many as Sambo, Dr. Ferrol Sams Jr. has written a roman á clef, a novel in which real people appear with made-up names. The Fayetteville physician’s first novel — 1982’s “Run with the Horsemen,” published when he was 60 — was a regional bestseller and won several awards. Below is a section of his newest work — “Down Town” — in which the origin of Peachtree City, thinly disguised as Magnoliadale, is described.]

Fayette Sheriff’s Drug Task Force made seven arrests and seized street-level quantities of marijuana and methamphetamine after executing four search warrants at two locations Thursday.

Deputy said he punched defendant 4 times to get him to stop tugging at weapon

A north Fayette man accused of attempting to wrestle a deputy’s gun from its holster while he was being handcuffed Aug. 25 has been acquitted by the jury in the case.

Wayne Marshall Williams, 52, was found not guilty Tuesday of the only charge lodged against him: attempted removal of a peace officer's weapon. This was his second trial on the same charge as a jury in March couldn't come to a unanimous decision, resulting in a mistrial.

Williams testified that he did nothing wrong and complied with the orders of two deputies ... a different story from that given by the deputies earlier in the trial during their testimony. Dep. James Pitts testified that he and his supervisor went to Williams’s home on a report from a 911 call that he had tried to run over his wife.

No victims found, but shell casings recovered

Fayetteville Police are investigating a shooting that occurred at Weatherly Walk Apartments early Tuesday night.

No one was apparently injured, but when police arrived on the scene they could not find any of the reported four young black males who took part in the incident, police said. The incident occurred near the 1600 and 1700 buildings at the apartment complex, police said.

With gasoline prices for regular unleaded hovering just under $3 a gallon, it’s hard to believe that we all were filling up for a dollar a gallon less just four months ago.

Fayette County’s plan to outlaw firearms in the county’s recreation areas is losing steam quickly.

Last week, the county pulled it from the Thursday night agenda. Commission Chairman Jack Smith said it was a “staff error” and should have instead appeared on a Wednesday workshop agenda. The issue came to the board after a recommendation from the Recreation Committee.

What you don’t want to hear in a dark movie theater

For Griffin resident Kathy Peaden it was one of those occasions where you are not sure you heard what you heard. And it all came as the movie at Fayetteville‘s Tinseltown Theater had ended and the credits began to roll.

[Editor’s note: Dr. Ferrol Sams Jr. has written a roman á clef, a novel in which real people appear with made-up names. Fayette County historian Carolyn Cary knows many of the characters by their real names, but judiciously avoids revealing the secrets in her review of Sams’ book below. The Fayetteville physician’s first novel — 1982’s “Run with the Horsemen,” published when he was 60 — was a regional bestseller and won several awards.]

The recent annexation by Peachtree City of unincorporated land on the county’s west border that could bring 1,100 homes to the area has drawn only silence from the Fayette County Commission.

Peachtree City staff is proposing to replace the nine speed bumps in the Planterra Ridge subdivision with less intrusive “speed cushions.”

Fayetteville City Council on May 17 will hear the first reading of an ordinance aimed at penalizing those leaving minors under age 6 unattended in vehicles and public places unless the child is in plain view.

It was a rezoning request that may fly. Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission May 8 work session heard a proposal to rezone Hudson Plaza from C-2 to C-3. Commissioners also got a look at revised development plans for a 4,200 square-foot Sears Dealer store at 539 Glynn St.

The trial of a Powder Springs woman accused of killing her ex-husband at a Peachtree City business Oct. 26 has been postponed.

A Peachtree City woman and two children were seriously injured when their golf cart crashed on St. Albans Way near MacDuff Parkway Friday night, police said.

Several students and a teacher at Rising Starr Middle are generating state and national attention for their essays, articles, poetry and prose.

The Fayette County Democratic Committee will gather for a brunch meeting May 19. The meeting is at Onyxx restaurant in Fayetteville. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. and brunch is for $7/person.