2011 Year In Review

Page 1

2011 in Review

1D — Sunday, January 1, 2012

Photo by Jeffrey Leo

The snow/ice mix in January 2011 made for some good sliding fun. Here Jack Camp rides on his dad Stephen’s lap as they come to a stop after sliding down a hill in the parking lot of the West Broad Townhouses in Newnan.

Piedmont gets $5.1 million gift from Newnan Hospital, Inc. ■ Piedmont Newnan Hospital receives a $5.1 million dollar gift from Newnan Hospital Inc., the largest gift in Piedmont History. The donation was to be used to offer enhanced services in the areas of interventional radiology, surgery, emergency care and women’s and neonatal services. ■ Martin Luther King Jr. Newnan parade organizers announce that longtime educator Margaret Thompson will serve as grand marshal. ■ State Representative Lynn Smith of Newnan is named one of the Top 100 Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend magazine. ■ Three people are killed in two separate automobile accidents in Coweta in early January. ■ A $525,000 settlement is reached in the death of William Calvin Sutton Sr., who died while serving a DUI sentence in the Coweta County Jail. ■ Two young Grantville sisters, Ansley and Elizabeth Boynton, die in a Jan. 9 house fire. Seven other family members escape the fire, caused by a space heater.

January

■ Snow, sleet, ice and freezing rain come calling in Coweta Jan. 10 in the first winter storm of 2011. The freezing temperatures linger for days making road conditions hazardous. ■ The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office arrests six suspects, including five juveniles, in a weekend home invasion. ■ Georgia Power employees take part in a day of service in Coweta in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. ■ Coweta County seeks dismissal of a cell tower law suit filed by property owners on Parks Road over approval of a

See JAN, page 4D

Arnco family gets new home thanks to Tyler Perry ■ Natalie Caylor in February is named the 2011 champion speller for Coweta’s middle and elementary schools. ■ A murder warrant is sought in connection with the death of infant Austin Edwards. His father, Johnny Lee Edwards, is arrested. ■ The Occupational Health and Safety Administration fines Drive Power Inc. more than $79,000 for health and safety violations. ■ Robert Prince of Herron Consulting speaking at a specially called meeting of the Coweta County Development Authority shows Coweta some things needed to work on educationally in order to get better jobs. ■ The Coweta Board of Commissioners re-thinks witness pay for courts. ■ The Board of Commissioners approves spending an extra $60,000 on a justification report for a proposed I-85 interchange north of Newnan between Bullsboro Drive and Highway 154. ■ Coweta County Water and Sewage Authority’s rate is deemed unsuitable at current customer levels.

February

■ Atlanta Christian College selects West Point over Newnan as its new home and takes new name Point University. ■ The ninth annual Run for Angels and Chicken Q brings in $42,000 for Angel’s House, an emergency shelter for foster children. ■ Newnan Utilities hosts an invitation-only meeting of local leaders to discuss findings. A roundtable discussion follows. ■ The proposal of Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia goes to the state senate. ■ NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun speaks at the

See FEB, page 6D

Photo by Bob Fraley

Workers take a short break from paving the new lanes of the Hwy. 34 Bypass while waiting for their next load of asphalt in February 2011.

Charles Wadsworth, serving as host for the Wadsworth and Friends March 2011 concert, brings laughter from the audience as he switches to his reading glasses to accompany Bella Hristova and Andres Diaz.

Former federal judge Jack Camp sentenced to 30 days in prison ■ Former U.S. District Court Judge Jack Camp surrenders his license to practice law following a plea the previous November to drug and weaponsrelated charges. He is sentenced to 30 days in prison, fined $1,000, and ordered to complete 400 hours Camp of community service. ■ Cancer Treatment Centers of America’s site preparation work begins on Newnan Crossing Bypass following a number of delays. ■ The body of Rory Z. Hunt, 52, of Cincinnati, Ohio, is found near I-85 in Newnan. ■ Madras Middle School teacher Nancy Williams is named a Georgia Teacher of the Year finalist. ■ Copper thieves strike the booths at Powers’ Crossroads festival grounds in west Coweta, causing more than $4,500 worth of damage. ■ Piedmont Newnan Hospital decides to retain its

March

traditional name after concluding a community survey on suggestions. ■ A grant enables the Head Start program to expand its class offerings. ■ Smokey Road Middle School Principal Laurie Barron is named a finalist for the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals’ “Principal of the Year” distinction. ■ Three people are arrested in connection with a meth lab bust in Arnco. ■ The Moreland Town Council sets a three-month moratorium on cell tower

See MARCH, page 6D

Tornado strikes Troup, Heard and Coweta; Gourmet hits 20 Photo by Jeff Bishop

Among those breaking ground for the new West Georgia Technical College Coweta campus in late April 2011 are, from left, Mark Whitlock, CEO of Central Educational Center; Dr. Skip Sullivan, president of WGTC; Ron Jackson, commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia; Malcolm Jackson, WGTC Foundation Board president; and Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.

Ground broken for new WGTC Coweta campus ■ Corbette Jackson visits Madras Middle School just as his tribute to a local firefighter, “Heart of a Champion,” hits the radio in April 2011. ■ A failed air conditioning system causes problems for senior citizens at Grantville Senior Center. ■ Blake Bass, retiring superintendent of schools, is honored with the Richard Brooks Visionary Award. ■ Coweta County Genealogical Society discusses its dropping membership numbers. ■ An engineer reports that the Moreland Mill is in need of repair. ■ World Warriors Ministries withdraws its request to permit a church on property next to the historic Catalpa Plantation on Poplar Road. ■ The Tyrone Post Office is named for Lt. Robert Wilson Collins, a soldier killed in the Iraq War.

April

■ High winds and storms batter Coweta County, downing trees and power lines, but resulting in no injuries. ■ Allen Tenny Jr., 64, dies in a house fire on Crit Alley in Newnan. ■ Carmen Brown joins the Moreland Town Council. ■ Newnan-Coweta Historical Society identifies a Civil War soldier, S.J. Sanders, who had been an unknown at

See APRIL, page 8D

■ The Newnan TimesHerald publishes its “Coweta’s Greatest Generation” series on World War II veterans in hardback book format. ■ Town of Moreland holds Heritage Day events. ■ Coweta County Master Gardeners plan annual Garden Gate Tour. ■ Cowetans who were in NYC, DC on 9/11 reflect on news that Osama bin Laden is killed. ■ Work begins on armed metal poles for traffic signals at Jefferson/Clark/Jackson street intersection near downtown Newnan. ■ An EF1 tornado is confirmed in April storms in Troup, Heard and southwest Coweta counties. Wellspring Church in Senoia helps south Fayette’s Brooks community tornado victims. ■ Scott Swentor, 47, of Newnan is sentenced to 30 years in prison and life on probation after pleading guilty to child molestation. ■ Hannah Nichole Freeman, 27, of Newnan, is sentenced to five years in prison and 15 years probation after pleading guilty to striking 11-year-old Tracy Gaydoul with her vehicle on Welcome-to-Arnco Road. ■ Sue Jordan, Coweta schools first curriculum director, dies. ■ Fire started from a lightning strike destroys large home of Young Hammond Hatchett at 14 Robinson St. in Newnan’s Cole Town Historic District. ■ A 20-year-old man dies from injuries in what authori-

May

ties say was a pedestrian accident on Tommy Lee Cook Road. Georgia State Patrol tracks leads in case. ■ Cowetans mark National Day of Prayer. ■ Coweta’s 13th annual Public Safety Appreciation Luncheon is held at Coweta County Fairgrounds. ■ Zachary CampbellHovland, 21, pleads guilty in Coweta Superior Court to homicide by vehicle in the first degree, driving under the influence (alcohol and drugs) and reckless driving. He is sentenced to 15 years, to serve eight in prison, for charges stemming from an incident Sept. 18, 2010, on Ga. Hwy. 16 E. in which another driver, Sondra Lynn Reece, 62, died. ■ Former Grantville City Councilman and educator John Malcolm Jr. dies. ■ Redneck Gourmet marks 20 years in downtown Newnan. ■ New traffic signal operational at Hollz Parkway and Georgia Highway 34 E., location of Georgia Regional

See MAY, page 8D

Nursing Supervisor Denise Dasher weighs 3-month-old Madeline Brogan during a routine visit at the new Coweta County Health Department facilities that opened in June 2012 on Hospital Road.

Health Dept. moves into its new building ■ Newnan Police Department completes its probe into alleged financial misconduct at ACE, the nonprofit, Newnan-based Alliance For Children’s Enrichment. GBI investigation continues. ■ Severe storms cause power outages to over 3,500 customers of Newnan Utilities. ■ Coweta County Health Department moves into new headquarters on Hospital Road. ■ Newnan veteran organizes 6,000-mile motorcycle ride across America for fellow vets. ■ Bloomberg Business Week publication names Coweta “Best Affordable Place” in Georgia. ■ Georgia Aerospace Advisory Council meets with Coweta County Development Authority to investigate new ways to promote, utilize Newnan-Coweta Airport. ■ Georgia Department of Transportation releases list of 32 Coweta road projects to be considered for funding if new special purpose sales tax for transportation passes. ■ New murals unveiled at Central Educational Center.

June

■ Officials announce that Piedmont Newnan Hospital on target for February 2012 opening. ■ Suspect indicted on charges of arson and damage to property in connection with string of Pinson Street arsons. ■ Homeowners object to proposed cell phone tower on Lower Fayetteville Road. Coweta County approves tower. ■ Newnan City Council votes to construct conference center on Lower Fayetteville

See JUNE, page 9D


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