About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 2009)
www.fayettedailynews.com GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT • M«N LIBRARY - UGA ATHENS GA 3Q60?-nmi Sports; McIntosh splits REGION CLASH WITH WHITEWATI See Page IB Views; James Studdard: Home is where the heart is... See Page 4A THURSDAY April 2,,' Volume 133 < 50 CEr Check Us Out ONLINE S83S Tea(ed) Off Fayette tax activists join Atlanta and national protests against government spending and end of Bush tax cuts with PTC Tea Party April 15 Deputy Sheriff Robert Fuller, Patrol Dog Ranger, Sheriff Wayne Hannah, Patrol Dog Aaros and Investigator Cody Benslay. By Trey Alverson trey@fayettedailynews.com Conservative television personality Sean Hannity is heading to Atlanta to broad cast from the site of a planned tax day rally and several local Fayette and Coweta activists are helping to organize the April 15 “Tea Party” protest event. Borrowing from the famous Sons of Liberty of the original Boston Tea Party, conservatives across the country are hitting the streets with their own “Tea Parties” to rail against government spending and the expiration of President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy. Sharpsburgh’s Wendy Bloedt has arranged for motor coaches to take Fayette and Coweta residents to and from the planned April 15 protest in Atlanta. There will be a protest Tea Party in Peachtree City at city hall beginning at noon April 15. “I’m extremely upset with how much money this gov ernment has spent,” Bloedt explained. “We have a Congress that I feel is out of control. They are passing legislation that ignores the constitution. “For example, the 90-per cent ex-post facto tax on AIG bonuses is completely uncon stitutional. That’s just one of the things. The cap and trade system on emissions will effectively raise all of our taxes. My real purpose for protesting is to tell my gov ernment to stop the money train.” Bloedt is the Coweta and Fayette coordinator for the Atlanta Tea Party. Other local activists, including Peachtree City’s Cindy Fallon, are organizing simultaneous sister protests in Peachtree City and Newnan. Fallon declined an inter view request, but she did sub mit a letter to the editor. According to the Tea Party movement’s official website, the many 2009 Tea Party protests trace their roots back to a February 19 self- described rant by CNBC’s Rick Santelli. Standing on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, the financial executive turned cable correspondent called for a “Chicago Tea Party” after an impassioned tirade railing against federal mort gage relief plans. “Thi§ is America! How many of you people want to pay for your neighbors’ mort gage that has an extra bath room and can’t pay their (Continued on Page 2A) Sheriff taking more bite(s) out of crime The Fayette County Sheriffs office is plan ning on taking a bigger bite out of crime. Starting now... For more than 15 years the Fayette County Sheriffs Office has employed canines for use in law enforcement in Fayette County. Until now, those canines consisted of blood hounds used to locate people who are lost or attempting to evade arrest for committing crimes and Labrador Retrievers to locate narcotics. (Continued on Page 2A) Trial delayed of man charged in beating, raping wife Best Foot Forward (and backwards) Soccer is a game of feet, and legs. And there’s plenty to go around here as McIntosh’s Josh Ball(13) and Whitewater’s Troy Gainer (11) go for the ball during a showdown Monday. The state’s top-ranked Chiefs barely escaped the rival Wildcats. See story on Page 1B. (Staff Photo by Cindy Morley) Peachtree City could be cutting more jobs By Cindy Morley CINDY@FAYETTEDAILYNEWS.COM Peachtree City’s workforce could get smaller... The PTC Mayor and Council will consid er a recommendation tonight to eliminate four positions in the building department for an estimated annual savings of $404,000, according to a memo from City Manager Bemie McMullen. The four positions considered for elimi nation are: engineering assistant/project inspector, plans examiner, staff assistant to building department and one building inspector. The cuts would be effective April 17. According to the memo, these employees were notified of the possible change last Friday. If the council approves the recommenda tion, the four employees will be offered a severance package that includes six weeks; of pay (paid out bi-weekly), medical insur ance for six weeks with a COBRA option, and access to the Employees Assistance Program, according to the memo. In the memo, McMullen states the staff can be reduced “due to the reduced num bers” of building permits. The memo states that the city’s building department staff was last adjusted in FY 2003 when 258 new residential building permits were issued. Officials stated that in calendar year 2004, 194 residential building permits were issued in the city, and 42 commercial build ing permits issued. These numbers declined to 36 new resi dential permits and 20 new commercial per mits in calendar year 2008. And in the first two months of this year, there have been three new residential per mits issued and one commercial permit issued, according to city officials. City staff also plans to save money with the retirement of Assistant City Manager/Developmental Services Director Colin Halterman and the reclassification of the position to Developmental Services Director. City Planner David Rast will be appoint ed to the position on an interim basis for the rest of this fiscal year — effective Friday (Continued on Page 2A) By Cindy Morley CINDY@FAYETTEDAILYNEWS.COM The trial of a Peachtree City man charged with brutally beat ing and raping his wife initially set for April 13 in Fayette County Superior Court will be delayed two weeks. Following a meeting with prosecutors, defense attorneys and civil attorneys Tuesday afternoon, Fayette County Superior Court Judge Paschal English announced in court that the trial date for Michael Ellicott was being moved “because of several issues.”. It is now set for April 27. Ellicott has been indicted 15 different charges — ranging from aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, aggravated sodomy and rape. English, who will preside over the criminal trial, also asked all attorneys involved if they had any objections to his handling of the family violence issues involved, and the couple’s divorce case. Assistant District Attorney Warren Sellers said the state had no objections. Tom Cook and Michelle Lundy (who are han dling the Family Violence and divorce issues for Mrs. Ellicott) announced no objections, as did defense attorney Donald Samuel. According to English, all criminal charges will be resolved prior to the civil proceedings beginning. English said one of the matters that had to be resolved involved “records of the plaintiffs.” Ellicott remains in the Fayette County Jail following his January arrest after English denied bond. English also recently granted a request to extend a temporary protective order for 12 months against Ellicott. The protective order forbids Ellicott from contacting his wife or the couple’s two children in any way and also requires he keep a minimum distance of 500 yards from them. English granted the extension after hearing testimony from the victim for more than an hour. She sat on the stand and told her story to the court with both arms in a cast and unable to fight back the tears. Are you still fearful of him?” English asked her in that hear ing. “Yes,” she replied. “I don’t need to hear any more,” English said Ellicott, of 209 Portico Place, faces charges of: six counts (Continued on Page 2A) Your Local Weather “Thu Fri Sat 4/2 4/3 4/4 71/51 67/46 75/53 Partly cloudy, chance of Mix of sun and clouds. IVIix of sun and clouds. a thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 60s Highs in the mid 70s and and lows in the mid 40s. lows in the low 50s. Student Athlete of the Week Fayette Co. HS Jonathan Simmons Tennis Mike Fitzpatrick’s Newnan • 770-502-3673 Student Athlete of the Week M< InlirUi FIS Austin Barreras Mike Fitzpatrick’s Newnan • 770-502-3673
