Year In Review 2014

c1 Year in Review (PC)

JAN

FEB

MA

R

AP

R

MA

Y

Th

E

JULY

AUG

OC

T

NO

V

DE

C

Year in Review

•

Th

e Newnan Times-H

erald • T

he Newnan Tim

es-H

eral

d 2014

Teenager’s sentence includes recording Public Service Video

• One year after a tragic accident that occurred when a young driver drove through a red light, resulting in the untimely death of a young girl, Taylor Long, now 19, has been charged with misdemeanor vehicular man-slaughter. The teen’s 12-month sentence for the death of 9-year-old Abby Bacho includes working with the Bacho family to create a Public Service Video.

• Second-grader Megan Winters falls 50 feet to the bottom of a well at the home of her grandparents. Brooks Elementary students and parents rally around the injured child, donating money and gifts.

• The 27th annual MLK Parade is delayed for a short time by rain. The parade was orga-nized by Newnan Chapter 483, Order of the Eastern Star, with the year’s theme being “Illuminating the Star through Rededication, Reclamation and Education for the Growth of the Future.” The grand marshal is Coun-cilwoman Cynthia Jenkins, who is the first African-American woman to be elected to the council.

• A man suspected of beating his 79-year-old mother was arrested after investigators respond to a family violence call. The suspect, Joseph Allan Buchanan, 39, broke the elderly woman’s wrists before ripping the phone from the wall and leaving the home.

• A train rams into a tractor-trailer stuck at an intersection in Moreland, sending hay fly-ing and sparking a threat of dangerous mate-rials exposure. The driver was able to exit the truck and the accident resulted in no injuries.

• The first exhibit at the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society ’s McRitchie-Holl is Museum offers “Victory at All Costs,” inter-preting life on the Coweta home front during World War II.

• Four men are indicted in New York City for hundreds of counts of iden-tity fraud, including more than 70 people in Coweta County. The men installed a skim-ming device inside gas sta-tion pumps that recorded credit card and other per-sonal information.

• Former chairman and CEO donate $400,000 to the Piedmont Healthcare Founda-tion, which results in the creation of a facility for Cancer Wellness.

• Katie McBride is sworn in as a new member of the Newnan Convention Center Authority.

• Business Women of the Year 2013 present a $12,500 check to the community Welcome House.

• $70,000 in guns are stolen during a rob-bery of the AR Bunker gun store, which included smashing in the store’s large front window,

• Yvonne C. Nash, 60, is killed in a car acci-dent in Senoia, due to icy roads. Nash was travelling down a hill, lost control of the vehi-cle, which then skidded off the road and over-turned in a nearby ditch.

19-year-old Taylor Long is charged with vehicular manslaughter. His sentence includes recording a Public Service Video with the family of victim, Abby Bacho.

Or-Rin Stinson and Marquel Jould lead the parade carrying the banner, followed by Terry Allen Jr. post 910, carrying the flags (Alvin White, Michael Hall and Connie Reese).

Thursday, January 1, 2015 | The Newnan Times-Herald — 1C

Jan.

• Local wrecker services reported a surge in calls the first week of January, as residents coped with sud-denly dropping temperatures and ice that sent some cars into a tailspin and left others stranded – some-times on the interstate.

• Six people are nominated for the 2014 Coweta Citizen of the Year – Frank Barron, Candace Boothby, Ruby E. Hines, Earlene Strickland Scott, Walter Thompson and Alison Wallace.

• Monica Lovett, a mother and special education teacher at Northside Elementary School, runs in a 5/10K as she battles breast cancer.

• Central Educational Center awards Rebecca Crocker with the Hammer Award. She’s the first female to win this carpentry award.

• “Pasta for Megan” is held on Feb. 9 as a fund raiser for Megan Winters and her family. Megan fell down a 50-foot well and underwent several surgeries to repair broken bones in her leg, hip and face.

• Rodolfo Reyes is charged with involuntary man-slaughter of his girlfriend and concealment of the corpse. He’s sentenced to 20 years.

• Mother of two children, Rebecca Lynn Shelton, passes out while driving after taking non-prescribed

Xanax pills. Her 6-year-old and 13-year-old were both in the vehicle when the incident occurs.

• Assistant Chief Jimmy Gantt is named fire inspector of the year by the Georgia Fire Inspec-tors Association.

• The Coweta County Sports Hall of Fame wel-comes four new members – Louis Brown, Jerome Coleman, Tim Cash and Scott Camp.

• Kristen Moore, 26, shares highlights of her mis-sion trip to Uganda.

• School principals from Hangzhou, China, visit Coweta County and tour schools and classrooms.

• Four years after The Factory closes, Steven Por-rello begins a group and organizes a petition to open a new skatepark in Coweta County.

• University of West Georgia Pres. Kyle Marrero pledges to make tuition more affordable for students.

Newnan, East Coweta, and Northgate high schools are all recognized as 2014 AP Honor Schools.

A car that skidded of f the road in Coweta County is spotted by a wrecker crew. Angie McCullough of Stephens Wrecker sa id her company answered 20-30 calls a day during the cold weather.

Wrecker crews restore order on roads

Feb.

PHoTo By SARAH CAMPBell

Burn survivor Laura Bates hopes to become a firefighter some day.

From burn survivor to firefighter

At the age of 3, Laura Bates was rescued from a fire in her Newnan home. Suffering burns span-ning 45 percent of her body, little Bates was given a 20 percent chance of survival. Bates not only survived, but thrived. Now 16, Bates is an inspi-rational young woman with hopes to become a firefighter.

2C — The Newnan Times-Herald | Thursday, January 1, 2015

c2 YIR (PC)

W

hose L

ife Will Your Donation Change?

FAMILY STORE SERVICE CENTER &DONATION CENTER

When you donate your gently used goods,you provide food, clothing & Emergency Assistance

Doingthe most

goodsm

670 Jefferson Street(across from Ashley Park near Post Office & Dalton West)

770•251•8181Stephanie May

[email protected]

NEWNAN

Clothing • Appliances • Shoes • Furniture Accessories • Household Goods • Jewelry Toys • Books • Baby Items • Collectibles

DONATE& SHOP!

Located in Historic Downtown Newnan

5 Greenville Street • 770-253-4713

www.rdubosejewelers.com

Mon. & Tues. 10˜5:30 • Wed. 10˜5 • Thurs. & Fri. 10˜5:30 • Sat. 10˜4

R DuBose Jewelers

Mon. & Tues. 10~5:30 • Wed. 10~5 • Thurs. & Fri. 10~5:30 • Sat. 10~5

R DuBose Jewelers


R DuBose Jewelers


JUST IN TIME FOR THE JANUARY CLEARANCE SALE!

OFFRETAIL PRICE

UNBELIEVABLE SAVINGS ON OUR ENTIRE MULTI MILLION DOLLAR INVENTORY!

SAVE UP TO

60%

R. DuBose Jewelers

• Max Lyles, a fifth-grader who was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome, raises $462 to donate to Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Cardiol-ogy, which is

the facility that Max and his family visited when he was diagnosed with the condition.

• Willis Road Elementary school dedicates a memorial to Madeline McTier, a student at East Coweta High School who lost her battle with

cancer in September 2013.

• G e o r -g i a s t a t e legislators approved a b i l l fo r the use of medical marijuana.

• Sharon Szymanski takes the gavel as the 2014 chairman of the board for the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce on March 5, 2014.

• The Affordable Care Act is argued against by Tom Yearian, who says that the act is causing serious problems for people who need it the most.

• A 6-year-old boy is struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Pin-son Street and Calhoun Street. The child was sent to Egleston Child-rens Hospital and his condition is not available.

• Land is purchased for the open-ing of a new middle school due to Coweta’s growing population.

• Local Starship store in Coweta wins a court battle and remains open.

• Coweta approves the Joint Com-prehensive Transportation Plan to complete road and bridge projects over the next 30 years.

• Newnan City Council explores rewriting its zoning ordinance.

• The Coweta School System’s Centre for Performing and Visual

Arts celebrates its 10th anniversary. One of the Centre’s greatest attri-butes is Centre Strings, an orchestra geared toward students and adults in the community.

• The Newnan Junior Service League hosts its eighth annual run, in downtown Newnan, as a fund-raiser for local charities.

• Northgate High School’s band marches in the 2014 St. Patrick’s Day Parade held in New York City.

• A bill is passed expanding the places that weapons can be carried by those who have a Georgia Weap-ons Carry License.

• Cowet a County’s Centre for Performing and Visual Arts cel-ebrates its first 10 years.

• Two men are killed in a shooting on Tuesday, March 25, 2014.

• Yehong Zhu, a student at East Coweta, is named STAR student in the region.

• Construction begins for a Health-South Rehabilitation center to be located at the Newnan Crossing Blvd.

• Vantorious Dixon is injured in a shooting on Saturday, March 29.

• Plant Yates converts from burn-ing coal to burning natural gas.

Th

e Year in Review2014

PhoTo by bradley harTsell

Newnan’s Eliza Lyles and her son, Max, live with Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting the body’s connective tissue.

Allison Vessell is 13 years old. she’s been playing with Centre strings since she was 8 years old and is in the seventh grade at arnall Middle school.

March

• Mike Burgess saves Timothy

Williams a n d h i s daughter

from a car fire caused by a wreck.

• Reginald Sinkfield is killed in a shooting on Wednesday, April 2.

• Two men are arrested for being involved with a high-speed chase with two children in the back seat.

• A new ordinance is passed that

requires all pools more than two feet deep to be fenced with a height min-imum of 48 inches.

• It is announced that any Coweta County residents, in need of food or clothing, may visit the Salvation Army twice a week for assistance.

• Duaine Hathaway is named to the state’s new Child Welfare Reform Council.

• The Chattahoochee River floods the Chattahoochee Bend State Park.

• Dr. Lyn Schenbeck, who teaches at CEC, is announced a finalist for Georgia’s 2014 Teacher of the Year

award.

• The Colonial Bread store closes on April 19, 2014.

• Only 56 foreclosures are listed for April making it the second low-est number since 2005.

• The Coweta County 4-H BB gun team ranks eighth in state competition.

• Newnan resident JoAnn Ray donates $50,000 to the University of West Georgia Foundation for the campus in Newnan.

April

Stephanie May, director of the Newnan service Center of the salvation army, prepares a box of food in the ministry’s pantry. Food and clothing are available to needy Cowetans two days a week – with no appointment.ApriL, page 3C

Fifth-grader raises awareness for rare syndrome

Local artist weaving tartans for exchange trip


c3 YIR (PC)

Announcing a PRIME HELOC designed for PRIME customers

*APR of 1.00%. The interest rate is variable and is based upon an index plus a margin. the index used is the Prime Rate as published in the Wall Street Journal. As of October 10, 2014, the variable rate would have been 3.25%, with a cor-responding APR of 3.25%. Higher rates may apply based upon a lower credit score. In any case the rate will not vary above 16.00% APR, or applicable state law. Closing costs are estimated to be $400 - $800, plus intangible taxes of $1.50 per $500 of loan amount. The customer must pay the appraisal fee prior to closing ($350 - $500). The bank will pay other third party closing costs on your behalf; however, reimbursement will be required if the account is closed within 24 months of consummation. Offer is subject to normal credit qualifi cations and is available for new lines of credit only. Not all loan programs are available for all loan amounts. Interest rates and program terms are subject to change without notice. Property insurance is required. Other restrictions may apply.

Are you

PRIME?www.bankofgeorgia.com • 770-631-9488

WITH 7 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOUNewnan • Sharpsburg • Peachtree City • Fayetteville • Tyrone • Fairburn

12 month introductory rate of 1.00%*

� e rate will then be equal to the Prime Rate published in the Wall Street Journal,

which is currently 3.25%

• The Newnan Times-Herald partners with Coweta County Schools to raise funds for media and literacy needs.

• Dr. Francys Johnson, president of Georgia’s state branch of the NAACP, visits Coweta County on Sunday, April 13, 2014.

• U.S. farm bill is passed that renews funding for agricul-tural program. The program pays the landowners for improv-ing and conserving their land.

• Coweta County Teacher of the Year finalists include Craig Owens, Matt Nash, Chris Sewell, JoEllen Gorden, Lau-ren Scheu, Rebecca Lewis, Jenny Walker, Shelene Long and Ellen Thomas.

• The Coweta’s Dancing Stars fundraiser garners $81,000 for the Welcome House through their performances on April 15, 2014.

• “Term Life” wraps up filming in downtown Grantville. More than 100 local citizens play roles as extras.

• A 17-year-old man is injured due to a shooting on Wel-come Road on April 17, 2014.

• Coweta schools score higher than state average on college career readiness.

• Two tractor-trailers collide on I-85 southbound. The colli-sion resulted in a fire and one injured man.

• Congressman Lynn Westmoreland hosts a workshop at the Asa Powell Sr. Expo Center in Newnan on April 24.

• A vigil is held by Prevent Child Abuse Coweta to remem-ber the many children who have been a victim of abuse.

• Newnan is a candidate to receive faster service by AT&T.

• Grantville fires its city manager, Johnny Williams.

Th


PhoTo by Clay Neely

AnnLynn Whiteside meticulously threads her loom. Threading a loom is also called “warping the loom” and takes patience and care.

May

• Newnan High School history exhibit revitalizes the Male Academy Museum.

• Gina Weathersby returns to Coweta County to lead the Communities in Schools of Coweta program.

• Kenley Cole-man, a student

at Arnall Mid-d l e S c h o o l , i s a w a r d e d t h e N o r a h McGraw Out-standing

Achievement Award.

• A benefit bull rid-ing event is held at the fairgrounds. The event is held to raise money for Cody Brook, who sustained serious injuries to his face at a rodeo.

• Ruth Hill Elementary School teacher Ami Patel is named the Coweta County School System’s 2014 Teacher of the Year.

• RACE (raising awareness, compas-sion, education) holds a fundraising run to fund local adoptions.

• Newnan passes a new ordinance that

allows microbreweries inside city limits.

• Dr. Kay Crosby is honored for her work with Samaritan Clinic.

• A man is rescued from the Chatta-hoochee River by Coweta County fire-fighter on May 7.

• Coweta County Board of Commis-sioners approve plans for three retire-ment communities.

• The annual Spring Garden Tour is held at Oak Grove Gardens on May 10.

• UGA football player Tray Matthews opens the 2014 Special Olympics Bowl-ing Championship at Junction Lanes in Newnan.

• Chattahoochee Bend State Park begins to build trails for mountain bikes.

• Cokes Chapel supports and shares blessings with the Welcome House on Mother’s Day.

• The Coweta County Drug Court holds its fifth annual 5K “Race for a Drug Free Community.”

• A huge “N” is painted on the Newnan Utilities water tower Bullsboro Drive – honoring Newnan High School.

• The Newnan Convention Center

Authority mirrors the city’s rules on gun laws.

• Law Enforcement Torch Run is held to raise funds for the 2014 Special Olympics.

• John Winters is named the Newnan Times-Herald’s new publisher.

• Newnan Police Department under-goes training to learn how to effectively respond to an active shooter situation.

• Dr. Julie Raschen, principal of Brooks Elementary, is named Georgia’s 2014 National Distinguished Principal.

• More than 30 volunteers build bike trails at the Chattahoochee Bend State Park.

• Grantville holds the grand opening for the city’s splash park on May 24.

• Memorial Day ceremonies are held at Veterans Memorial Plaza.

• Michael Naber is killed in a two-car wreck on Fischer Road on May 28.

• Georgia Transportation Infrastruc-ture Bank funds Newnan $1.7 million, which was used to complete the McIn-tosh Parkway project.

NHS history exhibit restores museumMembers of the NHS history club have been working since January to bring the Male academy Museum exhibit to fruition. april

Continued from page 2C


c4 YIR (PC)

• Three meals daily plus snacks• Housekeeping services• Laundry services• 24-hour access to trained friendly staff• Assistance with medications and

personalized resident service plans• Fun and meaningful activities• Specialized Services for those with

Alzheimer’s disease or related memory impairment

www.SavannahCourtNewnan.comPermit Number 038-03-002-1

27 Belt Road | Newnan, GA 30263 | 770.251.6639Signature Community of Senior Living Management Corporation

For more information contact Brenda Mitchell, Executive Director

JANUARY CALENDER OF EVENTS FOR SAVANNAH COURT

Jan. 1 Good Luck LuncheonNoon Join our residents for lunch and enjoy some black-eyed peas for luck and turnip greens for fi nancial fortune in the coming new year.

Jan. 7 Old Rocks and Fossils Day 2:00 p.m. View rocks from all over the world and learn how fossils are created.

Jan. 9 Come celebrate Elvis’ Birthday with a concert by our very own2:00 p.m. Brian McKenzie. Come Young and Come Old and see if we can’t convince you that the King of Rock and Roll still lives in our hearts. Jan. 19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day2:00 p.m. Learn about the man’s life and death, and fi nd out how he has made an impact on the world today. Jan. 21 Alzheimer’s Support Group2:00 p.m. Ellie Farrington hosts a meeting with a group of caregivers who discuss the diffi culties in giving care and sometimes living with a person who has Alzheimers.

Make a New Year’s Resolutionthis year to visit more withyour loved ones and be a

part of their lives!

Just ask Rodney Riggs. He is Treasurer on

the Board of Directors and has been volunteering

on the Board for over 34 years!

770.253.2273WWW.CCCEFCU.ORG

53-A JEFFERSON PARKWAYP.O. BOX 71063

NEWNAN, GA 30271-1063

OR are an immediate family member of someone who is

We make personal loans, car loans, and other types of loans!

YOU CAN JOIN!Decisions are made

locally!

You can start a Christmas Club Savings for next year!

MEMBERSHIP may be EASIER than you think! If you work for any of our groups:

Coweta CountyCoweta County Board of EducationCities of Newnan and GrantvilleNewnan Utilities

NuLink RESAVital CareNewnan Nursing & Rehab

Start the New Year off with a payroll deducted

savings account!

• Newnan High School student Zach-ary Harrison dies Friday, May 30 from injuries caused by a car accident that occurred eight days earlier.

• Newnan July 4th parade undergoes changes that allow for a shorter route and a morning start time.

• Wells Fargo Bank on Bullsboro is robbed June 4.

• Gander Mountain announces plans to open off the Newnan Crossing Bypass.

• Bill Curry opens the Coweta County School System’s 2014 administrative workshop with a motivational speech about teamwork.

• Coweta County Schools adopt a new state test referred to as the Milestones Assessment Sys-tem which will replace CRCTs and EOCTs.

• Coweta County Sheriff’s Office offi-cers begin to wear AXON Flex on-body cameras while on duty.

• Foreclosures for the month of June are at their lowest since 2005.

• Jessica Williams creates a new look for The Leaf and Bean after its front win-dow is shattered by a car incident.

• Twenty-six bicyclists head to Savan-nah for the fourth annual Pedal for Pets Charity Ride.

• Mary Ann Sullivan is honored before leaving her post on the Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority.

• FEAR THIS Inc., a non-profit organi-zation, provides a hands-on teen drivers training course in Coweta County.

• A CEC construction class partners with Newnan-Coweta Historical Society to create replicas of medical sheds and

cots to be displayed at the Newnan Town Hospital Exhibit as part of the sesquicen-tennial of the Civil War.

• Nissan of Newnan opens on I-85 Bullsboro Drive.

• A contract is awarded for Coweta County’s south Newnan Bypass exten-sion project.

• Henry Dixon acts as a mentor for young Javeion Walden, whose mother died in 2009.

• Christian Cullen starts Souls for Cole 5K for his friend Cole Croteau, who has been battling cystic fibrosis.

• Three homes are severely damaged by fires, and one of the fires is considered to be suspicious.

• 19-year-old Trevor Lowery dies after an accident outside of the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

• Donations from the Newnan-Coweta Public Safety Foundation allow the Coweta County Fire Department to pur-chase new drysuits for water rescue.

• Downtown Newnan is in the spotlight of the annual Paddle Georgia event held at the state park.

• The Southern Ground Senoia Social returns and is held on July 5 in downtown Senoia.

• A 40-year-old man is transported to Piedmont Newnan Hospital after a motor-cycle collision on Highway 29.

• Sean O’Connor is struck by lightning and lives to tell about the traumatic event.

• Chattahoochee Bend River Fest is held in downtown Newnan.

• Coweta residents Justin Wasil and Forrest Bolton win a total of five medals at the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games.

phoTo By Jeffrey Leo

Coweta County firefighters were able to get the fire under control within 15 minutes, but both the home’s garage and two

vehicles were a total loss.

Th

e Year in Review2014Senoia home damaged by garage fire

June phoTo By Maggie Bowers

July

Newnan celebrates Fourth on grand scale

• Annual Independence Day parade is held, and Newnan Rotary Club hosts the Newnan/Coweta Fourth of July Cele-bration at Drake Stadium.

• Hannah Hobbs, 20, dies six days after a car accident in Coweta County.

• Kazou Sunaga, consul general of Japan in Atlanta, makes his first visit into Coweta County.

• Georgia students’ EOCT scores are improving in more than half of the 2014 tests and are showing a significant improvement over previous years’ results.

• A new law is passed that requires anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1998, to take an approved boating education course before they can operate any motorized vessels on Georgia waters.

• Longtime Newnan residents Steve and Marie Swope donate to the enhancements of the University of West Geor-gia campus.

• Central Baptist Church participates in Stop Hunger Now

july, page 5C


c5 YIR (PC)

DO YOU HAVE

ACNE?

MedaPhase, Inc. was founded by Dr. Mark Ling to research new treatments for skin disease. Dr. Ling is former Director of Dermatology Clinical Research at Emory University. He trained at Harvard and Duke and is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Dermatology. MedaPhase is in Newnan and serves the southern Atlanta region.

Dr. Mark Ling is conducting a research study testing a topical, investigational gel for acne. If you or your child are between the ages of 12-40 and have acne on the face, you or your child may qualify for this 12 week long study.

All offi ce visits and study medication or placebo are provided at no charge and participants may be eligible for reimbursement for time and travel.

Please contact my research stafffor more information at:770-252-6900 or visit

www.healthyskinresearch.com.

MedaPhase

710 Newnan Crossing Bypass Newnan, GA 30263

outreach by packaging food during Vacation Bible School.

• Coweta County students excel the state of Georgia in all areas of the 2014 CRCT.

• Moore’s Bridge Park at Whites-burg – site of two Civil War events – is dedicated on July 12.

• The road leading to Newnan’s Cancer Treatment Center is changed from Parkway North to Celebrate Life Parkway.

• Newnan High School alumnus Alec Ogletree donates thousands of dollars to the school to help enhance the campus and update the weight room facilities.

• Two adults and two children are injured in an accident on I-85.

• Coweta School Superintendent Steve Barker responds to HB 60 by not allowing employees at schools to carry weapons on campus.

• Ambulance trips begin to get more expensive for Coweta County patients.

• Coweta County students score higher than the state average for 2014 EOCTs in seven out the of eight test-ing areas.

• The U.S. Department of Agricul-ture funds money for donating free, freshly cooked meals to anyone 18 or under.

• A tractor-trailer is split in half by a train in downtown Grantville.

• A tour is held on Millard Farmer Road at the park on the site of the Bat-tle of Brown’s Mill.

• The Senoia Optimist Club is awarded with Outstanding Organiza-tion Award by Special Olympics Geor-gia for its work with the Coweta Spe-cial Olympics.

• AAMCO, the world’s largest chain of transmission specialists, plans to open its new AAMCO University in Coweta County in Shenandoah Indus-trial Park.

julyContinued from page 4C

Th


• P a rent s a nd f a m -ily members likely to be charged after small child is found in briars, 2,000 yards from home.

• Newnan Realtor Chip Barron says that the home listings on the market for 2014 are 10 percent higher than the same time last year.

• St. George Catholic Church continues to spon-sor fundraisers to benefit the Haiti Project.

• Barbra Tornow and her two children, Kelli and Brett, donate to the Uni-versity of West Georgia to name a confer-e n c e r o om in the main bui lding in memory of Robin Tor-now as well as provid-ing a schol-arship for stu-dents attending t h e N e w n a n campus.

• Local public safety d e p a r t m e n t s h o l d a National Night Out to give Newnan residents a peek at what it’s like working in their career field.

• A photo exhibit titled “Remembering Our Fallen” o p e n s i n N e w n a n t o remember those who have lost their lives in the War on Terror.

• Changes to Coweta County’s health insurance for employees and retir-ees are approved by the Coweta County Board of Commissioners.

• Jo s eph i ne R u s h –

described as “ the god-mother of the Civil Rights m ove m e nt i n C owe t a County” – dies at the age of 94 at her home in Newnan.

• East Coweta Middle School’s nurse R honda Smits is named Georgia’s 2014 School Nurse of the Year.

• Andrew Wilkin cre-ates a Homeless Help Card, which is a discount card for purchase, with proceeds going to local charities.

• Jason Carter, Demo-cratic candidate for gover-nor, speaks at the annual Atkinson Arnall Dinner.

• University of West Georgia’s

opening date is delayed until August 2015.

• T h e Common

L a w G r a n d Jury group is cited as part

of a n ex t remist movement.

• A report shows Coweta County is behind the state average for mental health resources.

• GNC Newnan is recog-nized as Coweta County’s Small Business of the Year.

• Georgia first lady San-dra Deal visits Newnan C r o s s i n g E l e m e n t a r y School and reads them the book “Who I’d Like to Be.”

• The American Red Cross holds a disaster shel-ter dri l l at the Coweta C o u n t y R e c r e a t i o n a l center.

• Coweta County’s Bridg-ing the Gap and Meals on

Wheels join together to fight the concern of hunger among Coweta citizens.

• Construction on Newn-an’s Centre’s new entrance and roundabout on Lower Fayettevi l le Road is to

begin in September.

• The traditional Mike Fitzpatrick Ford Sunrise on the Square Road Race is held on Labor Day weekend.

• East Coweta and North-

gate are recognized as two of “America’s Most Chal-lenging High Schools.”

• Newnan receives the Government Finance Offi-cers Association award for the 25th consecutive year.

Two charged after child wanders from home

Inv. Taylor Helton and Deput y Betty Wheat tend to the child inside the command post set up on scene.

Inv. Taylor Helton was able to find the missing child in some briars about 2,000 yards from the home south of Turin.

Authorities locate missing child under briar patch

Coweta County authorities found a missing child in an overgrown area with a few scratches but otherwise unharmed Thursday morning, a few hours after the child had been reported missing from a home south of Turin.

Two people whose actions likely led to the child wandering away were later charged with reckless conduct.

Aug.


c6 YIR (PC)

new year new friends

new fun!

w w w . b e n t o n h o u s e . c o m

2 5 N e w n a n L a k e s B o u l e v a r d • N e w n a nCall for info: (770) 253-8444

Call today to learn if Benton House can be of benefit to you or a loved one.

Senior living with a framework of support.

Th


The 2014 Coweta County Fair opens Sept. 18-27.

Sept. Happy BirtHday NtH!

Origin of NTH dates back to Civil War• Around 50 Coweta County residents

receive their GED diplomas at a ceremony held at the Newnan Center for Performing and Visual Arts.

• Newnan High School juniors and seniors attend a ceremony honoring those missing in action from the Vietnam War.

• Coweta Homecoming queens are announced: Maggie Darracott from NHS, Brittany Whelan from ECHS, Jessica Mar-tindale from Northgate, and Ruthie Powell from The Heritage School.

• Operation Christmas Child project begins filling boxes with toys, school sup-plies and other items a child would enjoy.

• “Your State Parks Day” is held on Sept. 27 throughout the state, including at the local Chattahoochee Bend State Park.

• Coweta Community Foundation donates $2,000 to the Newnan/Coweta Boys and Girls Club to help fund new tab-lets to the facility.

• The Coweta County Fair returns and presents nights of family fun.

• Beth and her daughter, Maggie Cal-laway, make a journey to Colorado to see

if the use of medical marijuana will help Maggie with her seizures.

• Development company Pattillo clears 90 acres as an expansion to the Coweta Industrial Park.

• Dr. Kyle Marrero is inaugurated as University of West Georgia president.

• Elm Street Elementary School is recog-nized as 2014 Reward School.

• United We Stand hosts its 20th annual Youth Appreciating Senior Citizens Com-munity picnic.

• Newnan Carnegie Library celebrates its five-year anniversary with a presenta-tion, “Walk Down Memory Lane.”

• Main Street Newnan holds its annual Fall Art Walk to bring in the new season.

• “The Walking Dead” returns to Newnan to film season five.

• Boy Scouts of America host a 9/11 cer-emony at Newnan’s Veterans Memorial Plaza to honor America’s fallen.

• A historic church building, constructed more than 70 years ago in the Powers Crossroads area, is torn down. Bethel

Heard Baptist built a new church in 2009.

• Newnan and Coweta public safety departments unite on West Court Square for their annual community 9/11 memorial service.

• The University of West Georgia announces Dr. Robert Heaberlin as senior director and chief administrative officer of Off-Campus Programs.

• Brittany Cheatham loses her life in a swimming incident at Lake Wedowee. Ser-vices are held at Crossroads Church.

A masquerade ball is held at Toyota of Newnan to benefit the Community Wel-come House.

• Jeff Bishop’s book on Newnan in the Images of America series is pubished.

• First-grader Maddox Tomlinson wins a $1,529 check for college. He was one of four regional winners in the Path2Col-lege 529 Plan’s Summer Reading Program Sweepstakes.

• The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and Newnan High School team to bring the traveling exhibit “Witness to the Holocaust” to Coweta County.

PhoToS by Clay Neely

Hundreds of supporters prayed for peace during a candlelight vigil to honor the memory of allen Cantrell and Wes Watson. both men were victims of a double homicide.

• The Taste of Newnan is held by Main Street Newnan on Oct. 2.

• The first mountain bike trails open at Chattahoochee Bend State Park.

• Brad Quinlin speaks to the Sons of Con-federate Veterans on his research on hospitals during the Civil War era.

• Bob and Millie Coggin make a dona-tion to help fund enhancements at the new UWG campus.

• Coweta County high schools outscore the state on the SAT with a score at 1496 while Georgia’s average score is 1445.

• Ne w n a n C i t y C o u n c i l approves a bid for nearly $343,000 for renovations to Ray Park.

• Federal and state officials sign paperwork to authorize expansion of the Savannah port. The harbor plays an impor-tant role in Coweta business and industry.

• In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Brown’s Mill, reenactors gather at the fairgrounds to recreate the famed battle.

• Newnan High School’s history depart-ment brings civil rights to life by hosting an evening of testimonies from Freedom Riders.

• The Senoia Area Historical Society hon-ors the late Jimmy Hutchinson with the 2014

legacy award.

• One Roof Outreach and the Coweta Com-munity Food Pantry announce plans to move to a site located next to Food Outlet.

• Ruth Hill Elementary School is selected as one of 10 schools in Georgia to implement Academic Parent Teacher Teams.

• Hundreds of friends, neigh-bors, and family members gather for a candlelight vigil

to remember homicide vic-tims Allen Cantrell and Wes Watson.

• Keep Newnan Beauti-ful hosts its biannual elec-

tronics recycling and docu-ment shredding event.

• Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle visits Central Education Center

to witness the benefits and success of the col-lege career academy.

• Main Street Newnan’s Munchkin Mas-querade and trick-or-treat events are held on Halloween.

• A report shows the Newnan facility of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) generates a total economic impact of $659 million in Coweta County.

• A dedication ceremony is held for the newly renovated Ray Park on October 30.

Hundreds attend vigil for victims of double homicide

Oct.

• I nc u mbent G o v . N a t h a n Deal brings his bu s tou r i n to Coweta County to campaign and visits Sprayber-ry’s Barbecue to meet with local o f f i c i a l s a n d supporters.

• T h e U . S . Environmen-t a l P rotec t ion Agency extends the public comment period for a proposed wide-ranging expan-sion of the Clean Water Act.

• Doug Jewell is elected the new mayor of Grantville.

• State Sen. Mike Crane wins the Senate race with 29,906 votes.

• Vietnam veteran Timothy Cole Jr. is named to the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame.

• With only 46 foreclosures in November, Coweta has the lowest foreclosure number since at least 2005.

• Coweta-Fayette EMC CEO Tony Sinclair resigns.

• Nathan Thompson and Newnan Deputy Police Chief Rodney Riggs organize Newn-an’s first Veterans Day parade.

• U.S. Air Force retired Colonel Kevin Cheney shares his experience as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War with Arnall

M idd le S c h o ol students.

• World War II veteran Capt. Rob-

ert Taylor leads Newnan’s first Veterans Day parade.

• Newnan Deputy Police Chief Rodney Riggs is named Veteran of the Year.

• University of West Georgia project is on pace for early 2015 completion.

• Coweta County ’s graduation rate increases by 3 percent from 2013 to 2014.

• 55 immigrants from 34 different countries take the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens on Nov. 14.

• Dr. and Mrs. Joseph William Parks III made a donation for the chemistry science laboratory at UWG campus in Newnan. The lab will be named after Parks’ father, Dr. Joseph William Parks Jr.

• Coweta County’s oldest veteran, Henry

Grantville hosts MEAG/ECG tour

Nov.

november, page 7C


c7 YIR (PC)

Mathnasium of Newnan770-683-MATH (6284) mathnasium.com/newnan

1111 Lower Fayetteville Rd. (Next to Publix)Newnan, GA 30265

FREE TRIALExp. 2/15/2015

We make mathmake sense.Enroll now and build your math skills like never before!

MathHelp

Math Enrichment

TestPrep

HomeworkHelp

Newnan South Industrial Park

developed by

CRAIN-HEADLEY, INC.P.O. Box 719

Newnan, Georgia 30264(770) 253-8027(770) 253-5622

NORFORK

R.R.

NEWNAN

SOUTHERNCSX TRANSPORTATION

16

851629 34

29

16

27ALT

14

16

SITE

LOCATION MAP

Wilkerson, dies at age 102 on Nov. 5.

• The 31st Annual Coweta Ca n-A-T hon ret u r n s to donate to the Coweta Com-munity Food Pantry.

• E a s t C o w e t a M i d -dle School is named one of the three Georgia “Distin-guished” Breakout schools by the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals.

• The Newnan Kiwanis Club donates $25,000 to the UWG campus in Newnan.

• The open enrollment period for health insurance through Affordable Care Act begins on Nov. 15 and ends on Feb. 15.

• A family-run grocery, Shelnutt Grocery, closes in Arnco.

• Gasoline prices drop for 62 days straight until they reach their lowest point since 2010.

• State Sen. Curt Thompson makes an attempt to expand the debate over legalizing marijuana.

• Joe Jarrard, whose father was a Newnan native, is tapped to become the adju-tant general of the Georgia Department of Defense in January.

• The Newnan Kiwanis Club donates $180K to 31 local nonprofit organizations.

• NFL pro Alec Ogletree provides 350 free thanks-giving dinners to Newnan residents.

• Kristin Skelly is named interim head of school at The Heritage School.

novemberContinued from page 6C

Th


• A man was taken into custody on December 3 after admitting to setting a vacant home on fire north of Newnan. No injuries were reported from the fire.

• Benny Edward McLeod is arrested after allegedly exposing himself to two men and pointing a rifle at them.

• The Coweta County EMS unit will merge to become part of the Coweta County Fire Department.

• Canned goods and monetary donations begin to arrive at the Coweta Community Food Pantry as part of the Newnan Junior Service League’s annual Can-A-Thon

• Grantville mayor Jim Sells is ordered to pay $1,200 in penalties after filing his campaign finan- cial reports late.

• The Newnan high School history and Social Studies Department held its first Vet-Connect of the school year to give students an opportunity to interact with history.

• A West Georgia Technical College adjunct instructor is placed on unpaid suspension after being arrested and charged with trafficking crack cocaine.

• The new Marriott TownePlace Suites hotel opens for business in Ashley Park December 5, 2014.

• The new Niagra water bottling plant in Coweta is set to begin production on December 15, 2014.

• A Coweta man is confined in the Troup County Jail for over a month for refusing to take tuberculosis

medication.

• The first checks for the Fill the Stocking cam-paign for 2014 are presented to charities, helping to meet the needs of families and children during the holidays.

• 2014 “Walking Dead” bus and walking tours, which have become popular since filming of the television series began, are responsible for nearly $100,000 in revenue in Senoia.

• The Bentons, who live at 155 Hannah Road, esti-mate they have close to 100,000 lights in their front yard.

• Three years after the loss of 17-year-old Blake Tyler Chappell, the homicide remains a mystery.

• A new roundabout is planned for The Newnan Centre on Lower Fayetteville Road in Newnan.

• A century-old cemetery, which includes at least 49 graves, is discovered by crews clearing land for the Newnan Bypass extension.

• The Redneck Gourmet will close after six suc-cessful years of business in Senoia.

• Wreaths across America honors Coweta County veterans at its annual memorial on December 13, 2014.

• Funding for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Proj-ect (SHEP) is approved. Officials believe the expan-sion will create a positive impact on Coweta busi-nesses and industries.

Clydesdales help kick off 2014 holiday season in Coweta

Dec.Crowds gather to get a glimpse of the majestic Budweiser Clydesdales. The team of horses and riders did not join the holiday parade, but braved the inclement weather for a stroll through beautiful downtown Senoia.

The Bentons have all sorts of Christmas light decorations set up in their front yard at 155 Hannah Road.


c8 YIR (PC)

Year In Review 2014

Documents

Transcript of Year In Review 2014