Members of The Citizen staff gather for a Christmas party at Whitewater Creek Country Club.

The Fayette County Commission Dec. 14 gave approval for the rezoning of 41.785 acres from A-R to R-50 along the west side of Ga. Highway 279 between Morning Springs Walk and Imperial Way.

A man accused of kidnapping and robbing his former girlfriend in her Fayetteville home will serve five years in prison after pleading guilty to reduced charges in the case.

Donor need urgent over holiday period

The American Red Cross is making an urgent plea for blood donors to cover the typical holiday shortage.

It was quite a party to remember. But not for the usual reasons. Fayetteville police responding to a loud music complaint Dec. 13 at Cobblestone Apartments came away with 12 people arrested on drug or alcohol charges.

Residents at Landmark Village mobile home park on Milam Road are far from content over the recent sewage spill that filled their homes with nauseating smells and triggered concerns for public health.

New students moving into Fayette County will soon have a one-stop center for registering for school and discovering pertinent information about the school system.

Approximately 100 pounds of chocolate has been sent to troops fighting in Iraq as a token of appreciation from Fayette’s school bus drivers and transportation staff.

The following arrests were reported by local law enforcement agencies for the past week. All persons are innocent until proven guilty.

Hwy. 74 at TDK to be slammed by new McIntosh Village with 3000+ homes; no money to widen roads in Coweta

A 3,000-home city-sized development proposed for unincorporated Coweta County will significantly affect peak-hour traffic on Ga. Highway 74 in Peachtree City, according to figures from the developer-funded traffic study of the development’s impact.

The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority Monday issued a conditional approval to the 3,000-home “McIntosh Village” proposed for eastern Coweta County, abutting Peachtree City on the west side of Line Creek, the border between the two counties.

It may be what the rest of the county is doing, but a proposal to limit the number of dogs and cats to a total of three per household did not sit well with two Fayetteville residents. The City Council will take up the issue on Jan. 4.

Jacob Andrew “Andy” Clifton graduated from Sandy Creek High School in 2003, and in the years since receiving his diploma, he has been a Marine and has spent time at Parris Island, 29 Palms, Camp Lejeune and Fallujah, Iraq. He is currently preparing for his second deployment to Iraq in March of 2007.

Fayette Holiday Helpers is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping DFACS families with toys and clothes for Christmas. They interview families sent with the proper paperwork from DFACS, Real Life Center, and the Fayette Samaritans, for instance.

Through his attorney, Sheriff Randall Johnson is defending his decision to demote former director of investigations Bruce Jordan three ranks and cut his pay by 35 percent.

When more than 30 uniformed Peachtree City police officers attended Thursday night’s City Council meeting, it was a show of force — union force.

The UPS delivery center in Peachtree City has adapted to its unique surroundings, using two golf carts for deliveries in nearby neighborhoods.

Serving alcohol to under age persons in Fayetteville comes with a penalty. That lesson was learned by license holders at Kiku and La Parilla restaurants and Marathon Food Mart when the City Council Dec. 7 added a $500 fine and warning letters on top of fines already imposed by city court.

Fayetteville City Council Dec. 7 voted to deny an amendment request from Summit Point subdivision builder Jeff Betsill that would allow the addition of vinyl siding as one of the exterior building materials allowed. The council voted instead to hold to the South Side Master Plan development agreement.

Cause believed to be accidental

A house off Adams Road in unincorporated Fayette County was heavily damaged by a Friday afternoon fire.

New Orleans cuisine is headed for Fayetteville in early 2007.

Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, a division of AFC Enterprises, Inc. is planning to open a new fast-casual hybrid concept, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

With the hurricane season behind us and winter looming, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) says now is the time to restock the disaster supplies kit.

Starting Friday, law enforcement agencies in Georgia will join together to combat drunk and impaired drivers over the holidays.

Parents and expectant parents are invited to attend several informative classes offered by the new Maternity Center at Piedmont Fayette Hospital (PFH). For more information on the Maternity Center at PFH, visit www.fayettehospital.org. Community members are invited to take part in the following classes:

The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has launched a new website, www.gateendrivereducation.com, for teens and parents to obtain information about the changes in Georgia’s driver education requirements. The website includes an online question and comment tool for specific inquiries.

Long, stringy white strands containing unique genetic codes are what students at Kedron Elementary saw as they participated in a DNA extraction experiment.

Cleveland Elementary recently held its annual spelling bee competition for fourth and fifth graders. This year’s contestants were (fourth grade) Sydney Ninneman, Hannah Thomason, Jada Williams, Rachel Haralson, (fifth grade) Lindsey Eckel, Catherine Delage and Faiz Aly. Although all of the students proved to be excellent spellers, Catherine Delage was declared the winner after a heated competition. From left, Principal Jean Miller with contestants Lindsey Eckel, Sydney Ninneman, Hannah Thomason, Rachel Haralson, Faiz Aly, Catherine Delage (school winner) and Jada Williams. Photo/Special.

As it embarks on the most growth-oriented period in the company’s history, Doug Mitchell, founder of Pathway Communities has promoted Peggy Sullivan from vice president of marketing to company president and Beth Thibo has been promoted to chief financial officer and general manager.

Employees of Dot Kite State Farm begin receiving items for its Toys for Tots campaign.

Students whose native tongue is not English will get some extra help learning the English language.