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2 weeks ago | 
thecitizen.com | Rick Ryckeley
After almost twenty-five years of marriage, The Wife has once again surprised me, leaving me speechless. Now, some of you who know me may be wondering just how she did such a thing and whether she could tell you how to do it too. Well, you don’t have to ask her. I’ll tell you right now. Just give me a blank canvas, and I’ll be quiet for hours. And if you give me a ginormous blank canvas like The Wife did last weekend, I’ll be busy and quiet for months. Just how big is it?
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2 weeks ago | 
thecitizen.com | Neil Sullivan |Rick Ryckeley
Last Tuesday, the Coweta County School System (CCSS) presented their first of two budget workshops as part of the FY 2026 budget process, The Horton administration has presented a budget increase of approximately $19 million dollars or nearly 6%. A large portion of these increases are salaries, benefits, and pension costs. Many of these costs are mandated by the state. See the attached budget workshop documents nearby.
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3 weeks ago | 
thecitizen.com | Rick Ryckeley |Neil Sullivan
True or false? Right or wrong? Neither question is that complicated to understand. It’s either one or the other. At least that’s the way it was when I was going to school while growing up a long, long time ago on that old familiar street not so far away called Flamingo. Back then, testing in school was, dare I say, easy. If you have a child in a Georgia school, then you’re already aware they are currently undergoing academic testing.
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1 month ago | 
thecitizen.com | Rick Ryckeley
There are 1,251 words in the English language that have a total of only three letters and, due to the timing of this story, there is no doubt which is the most important. Mom. Now I know some will make a case for the all-powerful, the all-knowing, the never wrong entity, but Dad will just have to wait until next month for his day. Today we are writing about Mom.
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1 month ago | 
thecitizen.com | Neil Sullivan |Rick Ryckeley
Previously, I stated that Peachtree City Mayor Kim Learnard had proposed a LOST or Local Option sales tax. That was incorrect. I was remembering an article she submitted to The Citizen regarding a recent town hall regarding HB 581. In this article, the mayor did an excellent job of explaining the options and ramifications of HB 581. Unfortunately, I read too much into the article, the mayor has clarified and does not propose or support a flexible sales tax solution provided under HB581.
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1 month ago | 
thecitizen.com | Rick Ryckeley
‘Tis time once again to venture down to the dark, `basement, fight off the ever-growing horde of spider crickets, retrieve the soapbox, and stand upon it pontificating. And what’s got my shorts in a bunch this time, you may ask? Buckle-up, Dear Reader. This is gonna be one wild ride. “To bag or not to bag?” That used to be the question, but not anymore. Growing up on that old familiar street not so far away called Flamingo, we five kids joined Mom grocery shopping every Saturday morning.
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1 month ago | 
thecitizen.com | Rick Ryckeley
They say that nothing in this world is free, but I believe I have finally found something that is. Tucked away underneath the shading canopy of overhanging branches alongside a long stretch of country road, there is a special place where kids can go to just be kids. Tucked into the edge of a forest’s wood line, it’s an unassuming place, and all who visit hope to keep it that way. That’s why its exact location will not be disclosed in this column.
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1 month ago | 
thecitizen.com | Rick Ryckeley |Neil Sullivan
Want to get the undivided attention of both the principal and assistant principal of an elementary school? I know just the way to do it. Before the school day starts, walk into their office and announce, “Just to give y’all a heads up. My next column for the newspaper is gonna be all about this school’s response to the tornado last week – from my point of view, of course.” I did this recently, and the assistant principal immediately stopped typing on her computer and gave me an inquisitive look.
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2 months ago | 
dev.thecitizen.com | Rick Ryckeley
Come this July, The Wife and I will celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary, and many people ask me for the secret to such a long relationship. For all the menfolk out there, to have a happy marriage you need to follow three simple rules – two of which I broke last week. So, what could be so important, so dire, to cause me to break the happy marriage rules? Perhaps the two most dreaded “P” words ever to be placed in the same sentence – two words that should never be used together.
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2 months ago | 
thecitizen.com | Rick Ryckeley
Come this July, The Wife and I will celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary, and many people ask me for the secret to such a long relationship. For all the menfolk out there, to have a happy marriage you need to follow three simple rules – two of which I broke last week. So, what could be so important, so dire, to cause me to break the happy marriage rules? Perhaps the two most dreaded “P” words ever to be placed in the same sentence – two words that should never be used together.
