When PINES libraries open their doors - both physical and virtual - on Sept. 5, users will experience a new view of the PINES catalog and collections. A new, web-based PINES catalog will debut that day, featuring book covers, reviews, tables of contents and a variety of easy-to-use searches that will allow library users to locate materials quickly and efficiently throughout the system.

A Whitewater High School senior who brought two rifles and two handguns to campus in his car on the first day of school Monday had access to guns at his home with parental approval, according to Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.

An anonymous tipster is being credited for notifying officials that senior Robin Kittrell planned to take guns to Whitewater High School in middle Fayette County Monday morning.

A large number of residents alongside Lake Kedron have illegally cleared underbrush in buffer zones between their homes and the lake in a bid to improve their views of the lake, city officials said Monday evening.

Fayette County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn has taken his dispute with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Peachtree City Mayor Harold Logsdon will continue to oversee the police department through Oct. 1, the City Council unanimously decided Thursday night after a closed-door meeting.

A developer will be allowed to explore the possibility of annexing a 15-acre office and commercial development on the south end of Peachtree City.

Georgia Office of Public Health has stepped in as a persistent and growing group of sick and frustrated residents from north Fayette and south Fulton counties formed the South Fulton/Fayette Community Task Force.

Student arrested with several weapons, 150+ rounds of ammo in car

A possible attack on Whitewater High School was foiled Monday morning when a student was arrested after several loaded weapons were found in his vehicle, deputies said.

The Philip Services Corp. waste treatment plant on Ga. Highway 92 shut down Friday by Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is back open.

The source of a sickening onion odor is shut down, at least temporarily. And in a new development, nobody except plant officials has any idea what substances have been treated at the south Fulton plant for at least two years.

Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Carol Couch late Friday issued an administrative order temporarily suspending the Philip Services Corp. (PSC) waste treatment plant’s permit to treat solid waste.

They were not deterred by heat, humidity or pouring rain. A group of more than 130 residents of north and central Fayette and south Fulton counties participated in a day-long protest Saturday against the sickening onion-like smell of propyl mercaptan released from the Philip Services Corp. plant on Ga. Highway 92.

It’s going to be a little more crowded this year when school starts Monday.

According to school system public information officer Melinda Berry-Dreisbach, 23,093 students are expected for the first day of classes.

The Fayette County Board of Education stopped short of designating “official” bus stops Monday morning because of the legal morass a new law is causing school systems around the state.

A Fayette County man has pled guilty to murder in the shooting death of a local businessman a year ago.

In Superior Court Tuesday, Charles William Sangster, 46, admitted to killing Robert Groninger, 43, at Groninger’s business, Big Tree Tree Service on Ga. Highway 92 north July 6, 2005. The plea allows Sangster to escape a possible death penalty sentence.

Crews from the Fayetteville Fire Department spray down a tractor-trailer on fire at D&S Environmental off First Manassas Road in Fayetteville Monday afternoon.

Peachtree City’s cart paths are being used to transport and sell illegal drugs, according to Police Chief James Murray, who is asking citizens to be more alert and report suspicious activity on the paths to police.

Peachtree City residents will see the city’s portion of their annual property tax bill increase, as a .25 mill hike was approved by the City Council at a 7 a.m. Monday meeting.

In a possible about-face, the Peachtree City Council may vote Thursday to spend funds this year to help design an expansion for The Gathering Place senior citizen’s center.

Plans are unfolding for a new look at the triangle of land formed by the intersection of West Lanier and Stonewall avenues. A rezoning proposal to Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission would lead to the mixed use office and retail center on the 2.74-acre site.

The public is invited to the Fayetteville Outdoor Large Train Garden Railroad layout August 4 and August 5.

With hurricane season officially beginning June 1 and lasting until November 30, the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) recommends that Georgians begin preparing now.

Savvi Formalwear, previously Gingiss Formalwear, is proud to announce an exclusive partnership with Tyrone’s Etain Elite Formal Attire, a leader in the bridal boutique business. This new partnership allows Savvi Formalwear to provide convenient one-stop shopping for busy brides-to-be, offering both more choices in tuxedos for the groom and now dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids.

Local developer Brent Scarbrough has been named the new president of the board of directors for Fayette Youth Protection Homes.

Governor Sonny Perdue and State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox congratulated 98 school principals from all over the state yesterday at a reception at the Governor’s Mansion honoring Georgia’s High Performance Principals.

Governor Sonny Perdue announced that Georgia teachers will be able to use their $100 gift cards during the state’s tax free holiday. The 2006 tax-free holiday begins at 12:01 a.m., Thursday and continues until midnight August 6. It combines last year’s two tax-free shopping periods into one four-day period.

The Fayette County High School class of 1936 held its reunion recently and reminisced about that day long go, May 22,1936, when 38 young ladies and nine young men graduated. They each received their diploma from Charles Thornton.

Georgians have a new resource at their fingertips when they need information about a disaster or emergency, according to Governor Sonny Perdue. Developed at the Governor’s request, the newly launched Georgia911.org serves as a gateway to information regarding response and recovery activities, providing real-time information and a comprehensive list of available assistance during an emergency or disaster.

Community assistance is being sought for an initiative to provide school supplies to needy children.

Help is needed urgently as there are quite a few children whose needs haven’t been met yet with just one week before school starts.

“Our goal is to have no source of [onion] odor emanating from our facility. What’s left now is the vapor that is lingering,” said Morris Azose, an official with a waste treatment plant on the Fayette-Fulton border.