Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, June 14,2023
Fayette County News A3
Judge Thompson at The People's Law School Class Courtes y °f Fayette County State Court
Month of May Closes in
Fayette County State Court
At the beginning of May,
Fayette County State Court
hosted its annual open
house. Attendees included
Peachtree City councilmen,
interns, law students, attor
neys, and judges.
During the event, Judge
Jason B. Thompson covered
what he had accomplished
in 2022, including several
elementary school visits, in
tern events, and various
community involvement
events.
Following were multiple
guest speakers who came to
share details about their
Fayette County-based or
ganizations. Finally, the
event closed with a discus
sion about available pro
grams offered by the state
court and a chance to meet
the judge.
During the month of
May, Judge Thompson also
hosted The People’s Law
School. This was a three-
week course that started on
May 16 and ended on May
30, covering various legal
topics such as criminal law,
civil law, immigration law,
juvenile law, and business
law. The course served as a
free introduction into the
field of law for adults and
teenagers interested in
learning more about the ju
dicial system.
“One of my goals as a
judge is to educate the com
munity on what we do at the
courthouse,” commented
Judge Thompson. “I am
very passionate about what
I do, and I love being able to
share my experiences with
others. I have partnered
with many incredible
speakers to cover a wide
range of topics for The
People’s Law School. To
gether, we produce a fun,
educational, and accessible
series available to the entire
Fayette County com
munity.”
To learn more about The
People’s Law School, con
tact Robby Klitten at
rklitten @fayettecountyga .g
ov.
May also marked the
start of the 2023 State Court
Summer Internship Pro
gram. The internship pro
gram has a lot to offer
students at every level of
education, according to
state court officials.
The undergraduate in
terns assist with everyday
court tasks while working
on special projects assigned
by the staff. The law school
interns have had the oppor
tunity to draft orders, write
case summaries, and per
form case research. Most
importantly, all the state
court interns have the op
portunity to observe impor
tant court cases.
When asking interns
about their favorite aspect
of the program so far, they
had a lot to say. Nathanael
Smith liked “learning more
about the inner workings
and administrative pro
cesses of state court.”
Charli Thompson stated
that “learning how to be
professional” was her favor
ite part; Caleb New appreci
ated “the professional
setting and learning about
the day-to-day processes of
the courthouse.”
Both Bassem Amercani
and Jocelyn Zhao enjoyed
“managing the courtroom,”
while Christina Cheri loved
“getting hands on experi
ence in a court office,”
Sydnni Adams valued
“working with Accountabil
ity Court Coordinator
Christa Grayson,” and
Robby Klitten enjoyed the
opportunity to “set up and
manage The People’s Law
School classes.”
Each of the interns will
be publically recognized on
June 22 at the Fayette
County Administrative
Complex. For more infor
mation or to attend, contact
Charli Thompson at
cthompson@fay-
ettecountyga.gov.
For more information
about the internship pro
gram, contact Sylvia Wilson
at sfwilson@fay-
ettecountyga.gov.
Judge Thompson with the State Court Interns.
lyrone Museum Organizers
Welcome New Additions
Children Attend Interactive Day of Learning
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
The Town of Tyrone is
known for taking pride in its
history and past, while also
establishing its footprint in
the present, and this
summer, the Friends of The
Tyrone Museum organiza
tion welcomes new artifacts
to its exhibit.
In a recent update, arti
facts from the “War Between
the States” are now slated to
be on display in the Tyrone
Museum through August.
According to the an
nouncement from the
Friends of The Tyrone Mu
seum, the Northern and
Southern artifacts that were
discovered in the Tyrone
and Fayette County area and
have been loaned to the Ty
rone Museum for visitors to
see during the museum’s
regular business hours.
Additionally, the mu
seum hosted “Tyrone Tales:
History for Kids” on June
14. During the morning
event, children ages five to
eight were able to take a
glimpse into the history of
Tyrone through a short, fun,
and interactive lesson.
AJGA Atlanta Classic to be Held
at New Planterra Club in PTC
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
After three successful
years at Whitewater Creek
Country Club in Fay
etteville, 2023 marks the
first year that the American
Junior Golf Association will
host its annual Atlanta
Classic tournament, set
Aug. 18-21, at the new Plan-
terra Club in Peachtree
City.
The AJGA Atlanta Clas
sic, presented by UHY CPA,
was first played in 2009 at
The Country Club of the
South in Johns Creek. Since
then, it has become one of
the top open events on the
AJGA tournament sched
ule.
Last year’s event had a
field size of 78 golfers in
stroke play competition
over 54 holes. The cham
pion of last year’s tourna
ment was Jon Ed Steed
from Enterprise, Ala.
The event raises money
for local charities and pairs
teams of three amateurs
with some of the game’s fu
ture stars for an unforgetta
ble round of golf in a fun
“shamble” format. Since its
founding, the AJGA Atlanta
Classic has raised more
than $600,000 to benefit
charities.
Proceeds from the 2023
tournament will support
AJGA’s Achieving Compet
itive Excellence (ACE)
grant and the Fayette Fire
Foundation.
Additionally, since
2020, the tournament has
brought an estimated
$542,346 in positive, local
economic impact to the
Fayette County community.
The 54-hole, World Am
ateur Golf ranked junior
tournament is preceded by
the Chick-fil-A Junior-Am
Fundraising Tournament
on Thursday, Aug. 17.
In this year’s tourna
ment, players will be re
quired to participate in one
of the two Junior-Am fund
raising events. The morn
ing fundraising tournament
will begin with an 8:30 a.m.
shotgun start and the after
noon will be a 1:30 p.m.
shotgun start on Thursday,
Aug. 17 at Planterra Club.
Once both Junior-Ams are
filled, there will not be any
other practice round spots
granted.
For more information
or to get involved, visit
www.ajga.org.
Shelter Pets
of the Week
Fayette Humane Society
Mitchell and Georgia
Mitchell and Georgia are sweet,
bonded, two-month-old kitties that
each had a rough start in life. While
Georgia was trapped in a feral col
ony, Mitchell was found at a recy
cling center, and it is a miracle he
survived.
This great pair will brighten any
home.
If you are interested in adopting
Mitchell and Georgia, please com
plete a no-obligation pre-adoption
form at fayettehumane.org. If you
have any questions, email Fayette
Humane Society at info@fayettehu-
mane.org or call 770-487-1073.
Historical Society Sponsors
Juneteenth Celebration
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
From 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. on June 19, Fayette
Historical Society will
sponsor this year’s
Juneteenth celebration
on the Fayette County
Courthouse square, with
a ceremony beginning at
noon on the courthouse
steps.
The event will be em
ceed by Donna Lowry,
an award-winning jour
nalist who currently
hosts GPB’s Lawmakers
and Lawmakers: Beyond
the Dome.
Fayetteville Mayor
Ed Johnson, an elected
official since 2012, will
be the keynote speaker.
In 2022, he received the
Mayor of The Year
Award at the Georgia
Minority Business
Awards.
Remarks will be of
fered by Bishop Leon
Stanley of Heaven
Bound PFC in Fayette
County, followed by the
closing remarks and
benediction by Dr.
Mamie Harris Smith,
founder and senior pas
tor of New Generation
CFC in Griffin.
Kyjah Marrero’s art
will be featured as part
of the Juneteenth cele
bration.
Attendees will have
the opportunity to visit
vendors and witness sto
rytelling from Adell
“Thunder Road” Penson,
while children will be
able have their faces
painted, embrace fun
arts and crafts, and play
lawn games in the
square.
The welcome center
and museum will be
open to the public dur
ing festivities. Historical
society officials encour
age attendees to bring
their own lawn chairs
for the event.
Rescue with Royal
Callie
Callie is seven years old, but
do not let her fool you - she is a
true puppy at heart! She would be
amazing with kids of any age, and
she is your ultimate couch potato.
Her perfect smile will win your
heart in an instant!
Callie is available for adoption
at Royal Animal Refuge, located
at 414 Jenkins Road in Tyrone.
For more information on adop
ting, visit www.royalanimalre-
fuge.org.
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