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THE TRUTH SINCE 1886
FAYETTE COUNTY (1) NEWS
f ay ett e-news, net
Vol. 152, No. 22 Wednesday, May 29, 2024 $1.
Animal Advocates Continue to Crown Commission Meetings
County Implementing Biweekly Updates, Meeting with GA Power
Luke Haney
Editor
lhaney@upsonbeacon.com
Fayette County animal
advocates returned for the
third consecutive county
commission meeting on
May 23 to vent frustrations,
offer assistance, and provide
input regarding issues with
the new animal shelter and
staff.
More than 15 people
spoke on the topic during
public participation, the first
being Dr. Jennifer Alvarez.
Dr. Alvarez has spoken
at prior meetings and shared
pieces of the Association of
Shelter Veterinarians’ 2022
standards for animal hous
ing, and examples of how
the local shelter does not
meet those standards.
During the May 23 meet
ing, she shared an article
discussing issues with hous
ing that shelters often over
look and provides resources.
Alvarez specifically stressed
the importance of providing
animals with ample kennel
space, adding that the size
and configuration of the
county shelter’s kennels are
too narrow and can create
behavioral issues.
She also stressed the im
portance of consulting with
an animal housing expert,
like Dr. Stacy Cannon from
the University of Georgia.
Alvarez has recommended
Dr. Cannon in the past, who
has offered to help the
county free of charge.
She stated her disdain
that commissioners had not
contacted Dr. Cannon prior
to that time and apologized
for the “personal failure” of
not emphasizing that Dr.
Cannon was “the expert” on
shelter best practices, add
ing that Dr. Cannon is one of
the 19 authors of the ASV
2022 standards.
A majority of those
speaking on the shelter, and
several in the audience,
adorned shirts that read
See Commission, A5
One of various images circulating on social media shows a
puppy contained in a small kennel, stepping in his own excre
ment. Submitted
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► TV;
Peachtree Wind Ensemble performing for the dozens of attendees at Peachtree City's Memorial Day program. Dylan Shoemaker/Fayette News
Memorial Day: Honoring
Lives Lost in Service
Leah Banks
Senior Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
Memorial Day, a time to
honor and remember those
who lost their lives for the
freedom granted to all in the
country, was commem
orated on May 27 with mul
tiple events throughout
Fayette County.
In Peachtree City, com
munity members gathered
for a ceremony at the PTC
City Hall. The ceremony in
cluded performances
throughout the rec
ognitions. While a flyover
was originally planned, in
clement weather changed
plans.
In Fayetteville, Ameri
can Legion Post 50 and Vet
erans of Foreign Wars Post
3650 planned a county
wide event at Patriot Park,
although inclement weather
also canceled this event.
Local governmental offi
cials also closed for the na
tional holiday.
In addition to a day
where many visit cemeteries
or memorials and hold
family gatherings, the holi
day unofficially marks the
beginning of summer.
According to online
sources, Memorial Day was
originated in the years fol
lowing the Civil War and
first known as “Decoration
Day.”
Although it is unknown
when the tradition began,
some records indicate that
one of the earliest Memorial
Day commemorations was
held by a group of formerly
enslaved people in Charles
ton, S.C., less than a month
after the Confederacy sur
rendered in 1865.
It is said that Gen. John
A. Logan, leader of an or
ganization for northern
Civil War veterans, called
for a nationwide day of re
membrance in May of 1868,
“designated for the purpose
of strewing flowers, or
otherwise decorating the
graves of comrades who
died in defense of their
country during the late re
bellion, and whose bodies
now lie in almost every city,
village, and hamlet church
yard in the land.”
By the late 1860s, Amer
icans in various towns and
cities had begun holding
springtime tributes to these
countless fallen soldiers,
decorating their graves with
flowers and reciting prayers.
For decades, Memorial
Day continued to be ob
served on May 30, the date
Gen. Logan had selected for
the first Decoration Day.
See Memorial Day, A6
Fayetteville Holds 2nd
Town Hall for 38-Acre Tract
FCBOE Adopts
FY 2025 Budget
Board Approves Proposed
Student Code of Conduct
Leah Banks
Senior Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
During the May 20
meeting, Fayette County
Board of Education unani
mously approved and
adopted the Fiscal Year
2025 budget, as well as the
proposed student code of
conduct.
Chief Financial Officer
Tom Gray presented the
proposed budget. In the
overview, he explained that
general fund budget totaled
$278,058,000, with the
debt service at $6,843,551,
capital projects at
$60,438,840, special reve
nue funds totaled
$20,647,042, and internal
service funds totaled
$1,800,000.
Combined expenditures
and fund balance amounts
bring the general fund
budget to $305,818,420, the
debt service budget to
$7,525,000, the capital proj
ects budget to $102,818,736,
special revenue budget to
$38,870,095, and internal
See Budget, A6
Slaughter Convicted of
Rape, Aggravated Assault,
False Imprisonment
Sentenced to Life with Possible Parole
Plus 20 Years to Serve in Custody
On Wednesday, May 1 a
Fayette County jury con
victed Marques Slaughter of
rape, aggravated assault,
and false imprisonment of a
24-year-old female accord
ing to a release from District
Attorney Marie Broder’s of
fice.
The victim testified that
in October of 2022, she met
Slaughter through a mutual
friend on Instagram. They
began communicating via
social media and on the
phone.
In November 2022, they
began a relationship with
one another. The victim ex
pressed to Slaughter her
wish not to engage in sexual
intercourse until she was
married; and, at the time, he
respected those wishes, ac
cording to the release.
However, in February
2023, while at the Slaugh
ter’s home in Fayetteville, he
forced himself on the victim,
held her down by the neck,
restrained her hand, and
vaginally penetrated her
against her will.
Afterwards, he made her
take a shower. He then
stated, “That felt good, I
want to do it again,” and
again forced her to engage in
sexual intercourse with him.
Slaughter pushed her
See Slaughter, A5
Tyrone Conducting ISE
Stormwater Study
Preliminary rendering of the 38-acre tract.
Dylan Shoemaker
Staff Writer
dshoemaker@fayette-news.net
On May 20, citizens in
and around Fayetteville
congregated at Line Creek
Bus Barn for the second
town hall regarding the 38-
acre tract development
near downtown.
NELSON Worldwide
Planning Director Jeremy
Hull presented mock de
signs for public input. With
about 120 people in atten
dance, the consultant and
city officials were able to di
rectly address citizens’
questions and comments.
“The city is growing,
and the population is in
creasing tremendously, so
we have to make sure that
we plan for the future,” said
Mayor Ed Johnson.
Hull reiterated that
NELSON previously con
tributed to Trilith’s town
center development to give
a perspective of what at
mosphere this might bring
to the downtown area.
“What we are creating
here at the heart of this is a
village green space,” said
Hull. “This is a smaller,
more intimate space that
tends to be highly pro
grammed with not only
community events, but Fri-
See Town Hall, A6
Tyrone Town Manager
Brandon Perkins advised
citizens that one to two rep
resentatives from Integrated
Science and Engineering
will be conducting storm
water infrastructure assess
ment activities on behalf of
the town during normal
business hours between
May 8 and June 28.
The primary areas of
focus are Powers Court,
Millbrook Village Subdivi
sion, portions of the South
ampton Subdivision,
Shamrock Industrial Park,
and the River Oaks Subdivi
sion.
According to Perkins,
these inspections are sched
uled to ensure Tyrone's con
tinued compliance with the
State of Georgia's Municipal
Separate Storm Sewer Sys
tem permit requirements.
Additionally, the data col
lected will help town staff
better understand the con
dition of local stormwater
infrastructure and, by exten
sion, presumptively improve
associated asset planning
and management.
The stormwater infras
tructure asset inspections
will include stormwater
pipes and stormwater struc-
See Tyrone, A6
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