SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2013
NEWNAN, GA • COWETA COUNTY’S NEWS SOURCE • ISSUE 177 • 3 Sections, 26 Pages • $1.25
N’Gate student spends summer in China
Ogletree continues link from Coweta to pros
see page 1C
see page 6A
Historical Concepts wins award for best makeover see page 1B
Groundbreaking Monday for UWG Newnan campus By Celia Shortt celia@newnan.com
Formal groundbreaking will be held Monday at the old Newnan Hospital on Jackson Street where renovation and construction work will transform the facilities for a University of West Georgia satellite campus.
O n Mond ay, t he c it y of Ne w n a n a n d t h e Un i ve rsity of West Georgia will officially break ground on the new UWG Newnan campus near downtown. The new campus will be located at the site of the former Newnan Hospital at 80 Jackson St., just north of the downtown business district. The public is invited to attend the celebratory event at 11:30 a.m. along with Newnan city leaders and officials with other groups involved in the proj-
ect. Representatives of UWG, Mayor Keith Brady, and members of the Newnan City Council will be participating. "This is one of the most exciting projects we've ever undertaken," said Brady earlier this year. "It will have a huge impact on the economy." The Newnan Hospital Redevelopment Project is a partnership between the city of Newnan, the Newnan Hospital board, Coweta County, UWG, and the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. The project will move and expand the current Newnan
campus housed at the Shenandoa h I ndust ria l Pa rk . T he redevelopment will increase instructional space from 15,000 square feet to 51,000 square feet in the first phase of construction. The second phase will bring the total instructional space to 87,000 square feet. Included in the plans is a new lecture hall. In addition to the expansion, the selection of course offerings will also broaden. In terms of economic impact for the community, according to the UWG’s Center for Business and Economic Research,
this project will bring $21 million to Newnan during the constructional phase and create 176 jobs. Long-term, it is expected to generate between $1.4 million and $3.4 million in the community each year. Work on the new campus has already begun. The asbestos abatement and demolition on the old hospital property began at the end of August, with some of the buildings scheduled to come down in the middle of September. Even though work started in
campus, page 2A
Newnan Times-Herald marks 148th birthday
Paper’s new manager Pulitzer nominee
“Given the global nature of business, easy access to the airport is
By W. Winston Skinner
one of the major selling points of our economic development efforts,” said Greg Wright, Coweta Development Authority president.
John Winters, the new general manager at The Newnan TimesHerald, has a long journalistic resume that includes investigations of a nuclear materials production plant, a story that led to a tax reduction for senior citizens and stints running publications in Alaska and Nebraska. Winters, 51, who grew up in Tulsa, Okla., assumed his duties earlier this year. His journalism career started while he was studying at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, where he took some introductory journalism courses. He was a U.S. history major. When his father sat him down for “the talk” about how his college degree might lead to a job, Winters shared his interest in journalism. Soon, he had a summer internship writing the Action Line column for the Tulsa World. The job involved responding to reader calls — from finding a clown for a child’s birthday party to getting a neglected pothole repaired. “I just loved it,” Winters recalled. Back at W&L, Winters was challenged by professors, including Clark Mollenhoff, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter who had briefly served as ombudsman to President
Hartsfield-Jackson remains the world’s busiest airport
winston@newnan.com
manager, page 2A
By W. Winston Skinner
“Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport estimates its Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson economic impact at more than $32. 5 billion for the International Airport metro Atlanta econremains the world’s omy, and it certainly busiest airport and plays an important role has a positive impact in our economic sucon t he economy i n cess,” he said. C o w e t a C o u n t y, “Given the globa l located just 30 minnat u re of busi ness , utes south on Intereasy access to the airstate 85. port is one of the major A report from Wright selling points of our Globa l At la nta t h i s e conom ic develop week showed Hartsment efforts. It resof ield-Jack son has nates with company retained its position officials to know they with regard to airport can leave their Coweta traffic. The Atlanta airCounty facility, drive port has remained stato the airport, park ble as the growth rate of its closest competitheir vehicle, check Boothby tor, Beijing, slowed contheir bags, get through siderably, according to Global security and be at their gate in Atlanta. an hour,” Wright explained. Greg Wright, president of “From there, companies are the Coweta County Development Authority, ref lected on the airport’s impact on Coweta. airport, page 2A winston@newnan.com
Photo by Winston Skinner
John Winters, general manager of The Newnan Times-Herald, confers with Jonathan Melville,
the newspaper’s IT coordinator.
More inside • New faces, changes at Times-Herald — page 9A • Newspaper’s origin dates to end of Civil War — page 10A • Times-Herald marks milestones through years — page 7B • Newspaper building got start as farm supply store — page 7B • Metered paywall part of website changes — page 4A
‘We are the recorder of life’ said people like different things — sports, food, movies, local news, entertainment features. The newspaper needs to have a range of features to attract as many people as possible. “I want to be able to offer a variety of things,” Winters said. C om mu n it y n e w s pap er s write about people’s births, de at h s a nd t he i mpor t a nt moments between, he points out. “The Newnan Times-Herald
By W. Winston Skinner
winston@newnan.com
“Com mun it y newspapers are still viable,” John Winters said. “I believe we’re very important.” Winters, the general manager of The Newnan Times-Herald since April, said he wants to make the Times-Herald appealing to as many potential readers as possible — and to make the newspaper the best possible option for local advertisers. “I want there to be something for everyone,” he said. Winters
vision, page 9A
Annual senior community reunion and picnic scheduled Sept. 21 By Sarah Fay Campbell sarah@newnan.com
Photo by Sarah Campbell
Willie Pritchett, center, and Clarence
“C-Bo” Bohannon share a laugh with a friend at last year’s United We Stand picnic.
The third Saturday in September mea ns United We Stand's Youth Appreciating Senior Citizens community and family reunion and picnic. The annual event, held at the Newnan Housing Authority's Boone Drive playground, features lots of food a nd
INSIDE Obituaries..................... 8A Community Up Close....3B Community Forum...... 4A Focus on Education...... 1C Sports........................... 6A Classifieds......................6C
fellowship. It's hosted by United We Stand for Positive Results, The Housing Authority, the Newnan Classic Car Club, Girls on the Move and the Dream Starter Association, with support from Newnan Utilities and Cargill. The event will run from 3 to 6 p.m. and all are welcome to TODAY
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What's the best part about supporting Coweta County students? Seeing their smiling faces. (If they ever look up that is!)
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attend, said Willie Pritchett of United We Stand. This year's event will be a special one, as it will be the last one primarily sponsored by United We Stand. Pritchett and Clarence “C-Bo” Bohannon, the founding fathers of United We Stand, are passing the torch to the Dream Starter Association, a group of young MONDAY
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men, many of whom went through United We Stand as teens themselves, who have formed a new organization to help youth. "We're glad the young men want to step in and become part" of serving the youth, Pritchett said. "We're old. I feel like the young people will listen to other young people a TUESDAY
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little better than they will old folks," he said. "We're not going away," he said. "We're just letting the young men continue the tradition … we'll be sitting on the porch." The event was founded as a way to bring the community
reunion, page 2A
WEDNESDAY
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Rainfall (in inches)
Yesterday (as of 7 p.m.) 0.00 Monthly total 2.86 Year-to-date 45.46
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