About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2023)
FAYETTE COUNTY (1) NEWS f ay ett e-news, net Vol. 151, No. 27 Wednesday, July 5, 2023 $1. BOE Talks Technology Refresh, Cellphone Policy Changes Leah Banks Investigative Reporter leah@fayette-news.net While school may be out for summer break, the Fay ette County Board of Educa tion met on June 26 to discuss early changes and advancements for schools within the county. Topics ranged from stu dent code of conduct and handbooks to technology advancements and ad ditions, leading to discus sions of cellphone policy changes in high schools. The technology en hancements and advance ments stem from the E-SPLOST budget, which will be used for the upcom ing school year. According to Jim Farmer, chief tech nology officer at Fayette County Public Schools, the budget items are seen as “infrastructure refreshes” that include Chromebooks and teacher laptops, as well as school and administra tion technology enhance ments like network technology and security. Technology advance ments include a communi cation solution between schools and parents to streamline and simplify communication between faculty, staff, and parents. This solution was rec ommended by the com munications tool evaluation committee, which is com posed of various members of the Fayette County com munity who are teachers, coaches, administrators, and parents with a goal of simplifying communication methods. The committee des- See BOE, A3 Adam Campbell, right, places the first book in the Little Free Library on the Fayette County Courthouse square with support from Scout Master Dan Bird, Fayette County Manager Steven Rapson, Fayette County Library Director Michelle Bennett-Copeland, Seth Manual, and Jake Harper. Brigitte Greer/Fayette News Eagle Scout Brings Little Free Library Back to Courthouse Square Brigitte Greer Staff Writer bgreer@fayette-news.net Years after the dis appearance of the Little Free Library on the Fayette County Courthouse square, an initiative led by Carmen Tuggle and Adam Campbell led to a collaborative effort to bring the structure back to the community. After numerous in quiries concerning the whereabouts of the “little free library” that once stood on the courthouse square, Tuggle knew she had to do what she could to replace the free book exchange box. Upon learning years of harsh weather conditions were responsible for the structure’s demise, she took to social media, looking to raise funds and find vol unteers to make this goal into a reality. “The old unit installed by the Girl Scouts many years ago was rotted. It was mysteriously removed by a resident as being unsafe,” Tuggle explained. “We were looking for someone to do nate time to build the unit.” Luck was not on See Library, A2 PTC Celebrates Reopening of Riley Track After months of reconstruction and revitalization, the track at Riley Field is completed. Peachtree City officials laced up their oivn trainers and held a grand reopening of the resurfaced track to the public on June 28. Light refresh ment ivere sewed as attendees ivere able to watch the final track meet that ivas hosted by Peachtree City Running Club for its 2023 Summer Track Series. Melaney Cooper Rydrickus Daniels 2 Arrested in Multi-State Fraud Case Leah Banks Investigative Reporter leah@fayette-news.net Transaction and identity fraud have lately been frequent offenses in Fayette County, and on June 20, the Fayette County Sheriff s Of fice arrested two suspects in connection to an alleged “fictitious” financial fraud case that involved theft of more than $80,000. According to the press release from FCSO, investi gators conducted a search warrant on June 20 at 500 Oak Street in Fayetteville, where suspects and Fay etteville residents Rydrickus Daniels, 33, and Melaney Cooper, 34, were arrested. “The investigation re vealed the residents at 500 Oak Street to be operating what law enforcement refers to as a ‘paper plant’ and otherwise known as the manufacturing of fictitious checks,” the report stated. “Fayette County Sheriffs Office Investigators uncov ered over $80,000 in ficti tious checks and numerous stolen identities being uti lized to defraud the U.S. fi nancial system during the See Fraud, A2 Tyrone Town Manager Provides Post Office Update After a fire that caused destruction to the post of fice in Tyrone earlier this year, Town Manager Bran don Perkins recently issued a statement providing an update regarding the statis of the facility. According to an update issued by Perkins on June 27, Tyrone Mayor Eric Dal spoke with the owner of the post office building on June 26 and received an update. In reference to this con versation, the United States Postal Service signed a five- year lease with the current owner last November, which became active in May, according to Perkins. As the landowner states he has not heard otherwise, the update stated that it was assumed the USPS intends to honor the lease and will re-open once the current fa cility is repaired and deemed fit for use upon completion of a facility ren ovation assessment check list. While this is noted as progress toward the reopen ing, residents of Tyrone have inquired about the possibility of a new location. “Some of our citizens have asked why the USPS has not considered other lo cations in town and the new lease is one explanation for that. Regardless, any avail able facility would require extensive modification to fit their needs and would take time,” Perkins said. Additionally, Perkins noted that the landowner discovered asbestos in the See Tyrone, A2 INSIDE: FAYETTE VIEWS SPORTS A4 LEGALS B4 B1 CLASSIFIEDS CONTACT US: support@fayette-news.net - (770) 461-6317 - fayette-news.net A4 We Look Forward To Seeing You Soon! Open for Lunch and Dinner • Seven Days A Week 180 Hwy 314, Fayette, GA • 770.703.7514 • fridasbarandgrill.com f * M
