Fayette County government leaders seek input regarding Starr’s Mill

Post author:Danny Harrison
Post published:November 20, 2016
Post category:Community / Fayette County / News / Top Stories

inside-starrs-mill — The interior of the historic Starr’s Mill building. (File photo)

Should the historic and iconic Starr’s Mill be turned into public meeting space, perhaps hosting art exhibits and more frequent history tours, or should it be left completely alone as it is now and opened only on rare occasions for Fayette County Historical Society events?

Or perhaps you have other ideas. Now is the time to share those with Fayette County government officials, as they say they are certainly looking to make at least small improvements to the mill- and waterfall-centered property, while they say they want to be sensitive (more…)

Pinewood Atlanta Studios names first president

Post author:Fayette News
Post published:November 17, 2016
Post category:Community / Fayette County / Fayetteville / News / Top Stories

frank-patterson-pinewood-atlanta — Frank Patterson has been named president of Pinewood Atlanta Studios. (Photo courtesy of Pinewood Atlanta Studios)

[The following press released was delivered to the media Thursday morning.]

ATLANTA (November 17, 2016) — Pinewood Atlanta Studios, the third-largest film studio in the United States, and the largest purpose-built film studio outside of Hollywood, has appointed Frank Patterson as its first president. Patterson will assume the newly created role on Jan. 1, 2017. He will report to the Pinewood Atlanta Studios board of directors.

Patterson will provide strategic leadership and oversee the planned expansion of Pinewood Atlanta Studios, ensuring its continued success with film, television, music, video games, digital and other production. He (more…)

German grocer and Southern chicken fryer looking to expand into Fayetteville

Post author:Danny Harrison
Post published:October 19, 2016
Post category:Community / Fayetteville / News / Top Stories

German discount grocery chain Lidl (pronounced “LI-dull”), which is one of Aldi’s top competitors in Europe, is finally taking steps to break into the U.S. market, and Fayetteville is one of the first cities on its list of proposed store locations.

Basing its U.S. operations in McLean, Virginia just outside Washington, D.C., Lidl has not yet opened any of its stores on this side of the Atlantic, but it has already begun building a few in East Coast states. In Fayetteville, the company is eyeing the J&R Clothing location on the east side of Hwy. 85 directly across from (more…)

‘Major’ Pinewood announcement coming July 1

Post author:Danny Harrison
Post published:May 16, 2016
Post category:News / Top Stories

Dan-Cathy-pic — Chick-fil-A President and CEO Dan Cathy, who is also an owner of Pinewood Studios Atlanta in Fayetteville, spoke at the April 26 Georgia Film Academy sound stage ribbon cutting ceremony. During that speech, he teased a July 1 “major announcement.” Pictured with Cathy are (l-r) Georgia Film Academy Executive Director Jeff Stepakoff, Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Gretchen Corbin and University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby. (Staff photo by Danny Harrison)

Four television and film celebrities were on hand to help celebrate the opening of the Georgia Film Academy Fayetteville soundstage. Pictured are (l-r) Daniel May, Christine Horn, (more…)

Will Disney leave Fayetteville over HB 757?

Post author:Danny Harrison
Post published:March 25, 2016
Post category:Fayette County / Fayetteville / News / Top Stories

pinewood-forrest-lake — Pinewood Studios Atlanta (Staff photo by Danny Harrison)

Fayetteville, Georgia is making international news again thanks to its links to the film and television industry, and this time in particular thanks to reports that heavy-hitters like Disney may bail out of Fayette and out of Georgia entirely if Governor Nathan Deal signs the recently passed Georgia House Bill 757 into law.

Officially called the “Free Exercise Protection Act,” HB 757 reacts to the nation-wide legalization of homosexual marriage by protecting religious organizations from being forced to participate in those marriages. For example, a minister would not be held liable for (more…)

Pinewood Atlanta Studios developer Jim Pace is shown here at the groundbreaking of Georgia Military College's Fayetteville campus, which opened late last summer. Pace announced Wednesday he is running for congress to fill the vacancy being left by Third District Congressman Lynn Westmoreland. (Staff photo by Danny Harrison)

Jim Pace to run for congress

Post author:Danny Harrison
Post published:January 28, 2016
Post category:Fayette County / News / Top Stories

Pinewood Atlanta Studios developer Jim Pace is shown here at the groundbreaking of Georgia Military College's Fayetteville campus, which opened late last summer. Pace announced Wednesday he is running for congress to fill the vacancy being left by Third District Congressman Lynn Westmoreland. (Staff photo by Danny Harrison) — Pinewood Atlanta Studios developer Jim Pace is shown here at the groundbreaking of Georgia Military College’s Fayetteville campus, which opened late last summer. Pace announced Wednesday he is running for congress to fill the vacancy being left by Third District Congressman Lynn Westmoreland. (Staff photo by Danny Harrison)

Fayette developer Jim Pace has announced he will join the contest to replace Lynn Westmoreland as Third District congressman.

Westmoreland announced earlier this month he will not seek reelection this year, saying he wants to open the seat to someone else while he considers what he will do next in service to (more…)

Drew Ferguson

West Point mayor enters Third District congressional race

Post author:Danny Harrison
Post published:January 26, 2016
Post category:News / Top Stories

Less than a month after Third District U.S. Congressman Lynn Westmoreland announced he would not seek reelection after his current term, West Point Mayor Drew Ferguson has announced he will contend for the open seat.

“Washington is broken and as a small businessman I know that what our communities need from Congress is that they get out of the way and let us create jobs and economic opportunity for our citizens,” Ferguson said. “We are a conservative place, and I want to put conservative principles to work for the whole district like we have in West Point where (more…)

2015 Toyota RAV4 review: ‘A suburbanite’s dream come true’

Post author:Fayette News
Post published:March 10, 2015
Post category:auto / cars

RAV4-1 — The 2015 Toyota RAV4 at Starr’s Mill in southern Fayette County. (Photo / Danny Harrison)

Don’t you love it when someone you met last year at an air show media event e-mails you and asks if you’d like to borrow a brand-new, trimmed-out Toyota RAV4 for a week to see how you like it?

Yeah, me, too.

It was all part of the “Toyota Road Trips” campaign, and the regional Toyota folks were kind enough to drop a dark-gray RAV4 off at my doorstep one recent Wednesday morning. Eight days later, I felt genuinely sad to say “goodbye” to that (more…)