After hearings lasting nearly three hours, the Fayette County Commission Thursday night, Jan. 11, approved the four A-R rezoning requests that will start the soccer ball rolling.
All four commissioners present voted for the zoning change from mostly residential to Agricultural-Residential, which allows recreational uses. The change will allow the U.S. Soccer Federation to move its headquarters and national training...
After successfully stealing a car in December, a man returned to the same Fayetteville dealership to try again and ended up in jail along with an accomplice.
Fouad Kemal, 24, of Silver Springs, Md., faces five felony charges — 2 counts each of financial identity fraud and forgery in the first degree, and one count of theft by taking –...
Patricia Jo Forlines, a dedicated homemaker, peacefully passed away on January 4, 2024, in Fayetteville, Georgia.
She was born on August 26, 1940, in Huntington, West Virginia. Patricia was 83 years old at the time of her passing.
Born to Mildred King, Patricia grew up in Miami, Florida before marrying Mike Forlines then embarking on a journey of love, family, and...
By STEPHEN J. OWENS, Ph.D.
In a recent Fayette Citizen News Analysis, Fayette Citizens for Children Chairman Neil Sullivan took me to task for supposed crimes of neglect and omission in an op-ed I authored for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the need for equitable education funding.
It’s important to revisit his claims so that we can resolve to spend the new...
For about 40 years, I have been fascinated by what people do for a living. It all started when I asked a man at the church I then served, “What do you do?”
Rather than answer me, he invited me to visit his business of which he was the CEO. He said, “You probably touch our product up to a...
This is a different kind of story. Usually, ones that appear in this column have a beginning, middle and end, but this story is missing one of those important components.
Yes, it has a beginning — during the only vacation that I had alone with my mom on a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee over fifty-three years ago. And yes, this...
Cristina Marie Anunciacion made the holidays brighter for a whole lot of people. Continuing a personal holiday tradition, Anunciacion, a junior at Sandy Creek High, delivered handmade Christmas cards to Fayette Senior Services.
Over Christmas break, she worked on the cards and had 150 ready for delivery on December 19 where they helped bring a bit of Christmas cheer to...
Emotions can be hard to understand, and Robert J. Burch Elementary kindergarteners use color monsters to discuss their feelings.
School counselor Jessica Mull often works with students on identifying their own feelings and emotions, especially at an early age. This gives them tools to more clearly communicate how they are feeling and work through those 'tough' emotions with appropriate coping strategies.
For...
A mentoring program is bringing together Oak Grove Elementary students with alums and community members to build up the Braves.
The program started last year with student volunteers from Starr’s Mill High visiting Oak Grove. It has expanded this year, with community members joining in. The mentors visit with the Braves in the mornings one or two times a week...
Deputies pursued a female burglar through the woods in the south end of Fayette County before apprehending her in the wee hours of Jan. 4.
According to a Fayette County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, officers were dispatched around 1:17 a.m. to a residence on Huckaby Road and, upon making contact with the suspect, determined that there were likely some mental issues...
An alert Uber driver’s call to law enforcement led to the arrest of four people who had been passengers in her vehicle and then decided to rob her.
Deputies from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched Jan. 5 around 8:20 p.m. to a location on Hwy. 279 after the driver reported that the passengers left her vehicle after taking...
Archbishop Craig Bates will minister at the Cathedral of Christ the King on Sunday morning, January 14 at 10:00 a.m. Bates is the global Patriarch of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, a communion started in 1992 with about 1,000 churches world-wide. Bates was born in Watertown, New York, where most of his family still lives. Archbishop Bates was raised in...
Four elementary schools have earned a spot on the 2023 Leader in Me Lighthouse Academic Honor Roll.
Braelinn Elementary, Fayetteville Elementary, Peeples Elementary, and Sara Harp Minter Elementary again received the recognition bestowed by Franklin Covey Education.
Honor roll schools had to meet both the rigorous requirements necessary to achieve and maintain Lighthouse School Certification and show academic growth or proficiency...
Whitewater High DECA went to the region competition and racked up wins.
Students finishing in the top two in their respective competitions qualify for the state competition. A total of 7 Wildcats qualified for state.
Garrison Rider won for Quick Serve Restaurant Management, Lincoln Lane won for Principles of Marketing, Naomi Martin won for Food Marketing, Zac Golubeff won for Personal...
Let me start out this article by getting to the main point — 2024 is going to be a year of change and adjustment for businesses of all sizes, but particularly small, local businesses.
We all had to adjust to the changes brought on by COVID a few years ago. I think most of us thought things would go back...
Lt. Colonel Mal Ferrell, USAF (Retired), passed peacefully into the presence of his Savior on Christmas evening, 2023, in Peachtree City, Georgia. He was 88. His devoted wife, Gloria, kept vigil at his bedside for weeks before his passing.
During his long and productive life, Mal was many things — a decorated Air Force fighter pilot who flew more than...
Bea Blanton Andrews entered into the presence of Jesus on January 5, 2024.
She had many titles — daughter, wife, mom, sister, mother-in-law, and friend. However, the title she most cherished was Mimi and BeaBea as she was known by her grandchildren — Morgan, Ryan, Kathryn, and Rhett and great grandchildren — Cash, Emersyn, Anders Tate, Reagan, and Collins.
She was born in Canton, Georgia...
OPINION — Metropolitan Atlanta is losing ground on providing locations not subject to the class-identity ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) charades.
This is not only grave news for attracting lucrative businesses to Georgia, but it also impacts the ideological upbringing of future generations.
Billionaire businessman Bill Ackman decided to research DEI and its impact on business. He concluded, “DEI...
The Senoia Area Historical Society will host a ribbon cutting on Saturday, January 13th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Senoia Historical Museum. The event will celebrate the completion of a major remodeling project known as the Carmichael Initiative.
Senoia Area Historical Society’s (SAHS) offices and museum are housed in the 1870s era Carmichael house located at 6...
Article VIII of the Georgia State Constitution states that “the provision of adequate public education of the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia....” This, however, while our Fayette property taxes pay for 51.8% of our school’s cost, while the average Georgia system pays 41.8%.
However, our excellent and quality Fayette County Public schools continue to...
A few people enjoying the New Year’s holiday weekend in Peachtree City had their celebrations dampened by would-be car thieves.
According to reports, no less than ten complaints were received by Peachtree City police Dec. 31 relating to attempted automobile break-ins. All were along the Hwy. 54 corridor, at least three of them at the hotel and conference center. Various...
The New Year’s holiday weekend included an array of incidents of various types for local law enforcement officials to deal with.
According to reports, an intoxicated driver was spotted in the wee hours of Dec. 31 by Fayette County Sheriff’s Office deputies and forced them to pursue him until he crashed his car near the front entrance of Piedmont Fayette...
The culture is declining.
Religious belief and practice are waning.
Families are being fractured.
Borders are not safe.
There is no economic stability.
It’s not safe in the streets.
It’s hard to find hope anywhere.
Problems after problems after problems.
No, I’m not talking about our present times. Not yet.
These were all the negative circumstances among God’s people in what we call the Old Testament, about 755...
By John Tinker (sitting in for Ronda Rich)
For some unknown reason, the other day, I began adding up the number of funerals I’ve attended since moving to the South. I stopped at eight since I quickly realized what a morbid, mental exercise I was undertaking.
Tallying funerals wasn’t what got me thinking in the first place, anyway. It was the...
Kathryn Harper Weaver of Greensboro, GA, formerly of Fayetteville, GA, passed away Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at the age of 78 at The Glen at Lake Oconee Village.
Born in Atlanta, GA on April 3, 1945, she was the daughter of the late Joseph Jenkins Harper and Kathryn Baggett Harper. Kathy graduated from Brown High School and attended West Georgia...
The Whitewater High PALS Club made some new friends from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.
The PALS (Peer are Linking Students) Club focuses on building bonds between regular education students and special needs students, and they recently got to bond with important members of their community.
School Resource Officer David Schrepfer hosted "Show and Tell" for the PALS Club, inviting fellow...
The Chiefs helped make the holidays brighter for families in need. The McIntosh High Athletic Advisory Committee partnered with The i58 Mission to collect 853 pounds.
Athletic director Leon Hammond picked the partnership as a service effort where students can see the direct impact they could make on their community with all of the items in front of them.
“Our goal...
A graveside service for Randy Erie Matthews was held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 3, 2023 at Sunnyside Cemetery in Cordele with Rev. J.T. Smith officiating. The family met with friends prior to the service at Rainey Family Funeral Services.
Randy, 73, passed away in Griffin on December 31, 2023 at Brightmoor Hospice.
He was born in Camden, South Carolina and...
Mobility has always been part of the human experience. Whether one holds to the evolutionary idea of “Lucy” who originated in Africa or the Old Testament account of Adam and Eve in Eden, the fact is that humanity began someplace and has spread to the far-flung habitats of the Earth. Humanity has always been on the move.
While it is...
A new year welcomes a new life.
Holding her granddaughter on this first Christmas, she looks down into clear blue eyes of endless possibilities and can’t help but smile. After all, this is her first grandbaby.
The baby gazes up, smiles, and grasps one of her fingers with an entire hand. In an instant, the burden of self-doubt and questioning if...
When Andy Smith had a hole in his cup, he met a group of students who helped fill him back up and give him a new direction. Smith, an adaptive PE teacher and Mindset trainer with Exceptional Children’s Services, sets his kids up for small victories and lifelong success.
Smith graduated from Starr’s Mill High, parlaying his football talent into...
It’s slime time on The Blox. Camille Manuel, an 8th grader at JC Booth Middle, will appear on the TV show for startups with her very own line of slime.
Camille owns her own business, Blue Blossom Slimez, and she will compete on The Blox with other entrepreneurs to be the best. Blue Blossom Slimez was Camille's idea starting at...
I am concerned about the increased drug activity among teenagers and young adults within Fayette and Coweta counties.
Unfortunately, I learned far more than I ever wanted to about drugs this past year as I watched my 22-year-old son battle addiction.
His experimentation with drugs started while in high school and then progressed much more as he became a young adult....
The councils of Peachtree City and Tyrone meet this coming Thursday night and one of the first orders of business will be to swear in newly elected members.
In Peachtree City, new Post 1 Council member Laura Johnson and new Post 2 member Suzanne Brown are scheduled to takes their oaths of office at the 6:30 p.m. meeting.
Following that, Mayor...
