Coweta News & Notes with a touch of Zen
By JOHN A. WINTERS, Publisher
Notes from here, there and the Internet.
• Jamar Joiner was recently named the new executive director of Bridging the Gap. The organization works to help underserved families in the area, creating educational programs and organizing meal distribution. Joiner started with BTG by helping with the group’s Summer Lunch Program. Welcome!
• There is a chance you could have used the same utensil twice at a restaurant at different times.
• Kentucky Fried Chicken is about to become Texas-based Kentucky Fried Chicken. The restaurant chain is moving its headquarters from Kentucky to Texas, a state with low corporate taxes, the Guardian reports.
• Water is really what a rainbow tastes like.
• WalletHub today released its report on 2025’s Most Sinful States, comparing the states based on seven sinful behaviors: anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vices, greed, lust, vanity and laziness. Georgia ranked 10th in “most sinful.” Top three were Nevada, California and Florida. Least sinful were Vermont, New Hampshire and Idaho.
• Graveyards are probably the least likely place to be haunted because, realistically, none of the people buried died there.
• The Coweta Sports Hall of Fame inducted three new members at its 22nd Annual Banquet on Saturday, March 8 at the Coweta County Fairgrounds and Conference Center. The 2025 Coweta Sports Hall of Fame class included Derrick Steagall, Corey Bridges and Tim VanEgmond. Steagall is a former four-sport standout at Newnan High and played at Georgia Tech and briefly in the NFL. Bridges played four sports at Newnan High before starring at South Carolina in football and track and later had a short stint in the NFL. And VanEgmond was a standout in baseball at East Coweta High, played collegiately at Jacksonville State and later in the Major Leagues with Boston and Milwaukee.
• There might be a future where schools might stop teaching how to write without a keyboard (pen and paper).
• Newnan Utilities’ Caring Customers program has supported more than 40 local nonprofits, providing assistance in areas such as basic needs, environmental and music education, foster care, mental health, and more. Recent grant recipients were CORRAL and Swing Chic Foundation. CORRAL received A $2,400 grant to cover the cost of routine care for one horse for a year, Swing Chic received a $2,600 grant to help equip adults with special needs with golf clubs, training materials, and travel support as they prepare for the 2025 Special Olympics Golf Tournament.
• Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC) and its strategic partners recently completed a major project to provide bicycles to 10 of the 13 Title I schools in Coweta County. The total contribution for this program amounted to $76,000 made possible through the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (OAI).
• The advent of gift cards simultaneously saved and ruined gift giving.
• Keep Newnan Beautiful recently received the Governor’s Circle Award for its outstanding achievements in community beautification and environmental sustainability. The Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation (KGBF) presented the award to Keep Newnan Beautiful Director Page Beckwith in recognition of exemplary performance in litter reduction, waste minimization, and community greening.
• Christie Barnes of Lee Middle School has been named the 2025 Coweta County School System Counselor of the Year. The recognition honors exemplary school counseling professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates for students, helping them achieve success in school and in life.
• Peer pressure as an adult is seeing your neighbor mow their lawn.
