As the new year dawned we posted that several East Cobb youth baseball organizations were continuing spring registration, and that’s also the case on the softball front. The Sandy Plains Softball Association has announced that it will be holding several free fundamentals clinics later this month as the sign-up period continues.
The dates for those fundamental clinics are from 6-7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23 (Tuesday) and Jan. 25 (Thursday) at Sandy Plains Park, 2977 Gordy Parkway (our calendar listing has more).
After those clinics is a Fun Day on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 12- 2 p.m. at the same venue, and it includes walk-up registration. Evaluations are on Sat. Feb. 3, starting at 10 a.m.
Sandy Plains Softball also is accepting applications for the Allison Beasley Scholarship, which will be awarded to one recreation league (non-travel) team girl during the spring season. The scholarship is named for a former Sandy Plains Softball Player who died at the age of 12 in a car accident in 2015.
The above link has full information to apply, including a required letter from each applicant about “what softball means to me,” and where to send that and the forms. The deadline is March 10 and the winner will be announced shortly after that. The selected girl will wear jersey No. 10, the same number Beasley wore, in her honor during the season.
Opening Day is March 17.
Online registration for Terrell Mill Girls Softball starts on Saturday and continues through Feb. 25. We’ll post more information about that as we get it.
If you have youth sports news to share, we’ll be glad to post it. This can include photos, awards, registration information, as well as calendar and event listings. Please e-mail: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
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Thanks to a $50,000 grant, selected Cobb County residents will soon be able to recycle some plastic items that now get sent to landfills.
The Hefty EnergyBag program will allow Keep Cobb Beautiful, an agency of Cobb County government, to divert currently non-recyclable plastics—including a variety of basic household items—for recycling.
The grant, awarded by Keep America Beautiful and Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, was announced last week, and implementation details are still to come, including a timeline for the start of the program. Cobb County and Boise, Idaho were selected as local governments to receive the grant funding.
KCB will purchase orange Hefty EnergyBags that will be distributed to households participating in the pilot project. Plastics that are now commonly thrown out with general trash—such as chip bags, juice pouches, frozen vegetable bags, pet food bags, candy wrappers and utensils—will be collected in the bags and set aside for curbside pickup with regular trash bags.
Instead of being sent to a landfill, however, the orange bags will be delivered to a WestRock materials facility in Marietta, and recycled plastic items will be converted into renewable energy resources. Other participants in the Cobb program include the hauling company American Disposal and other local groups to be announced later.
The Hefty EnergyBag program was launched by Dow in 2014 and the first full-scale program got underway in Omaha in 2016.
“Keep Cobb Beautiful Inc. is excited about this innovative program and is looking forward to bringing plastic recovery options and technology to Cobb County residents,” Kimberly White, executive director for Keep Cobb Beautiful, said in a statement.
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A couple weeks ago we posted the notice that the East Cobb Senior Center is the first venue for several town hall meetings this month on proposed fee increases for senior services in Cobb County.
That first town hall is coming up Friday, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and will be hosted by Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce.
The East Cobb Senior Center is located at 3332 Sandy Plains Road, and the town hall meeting is free and open to the public.
Cobb commissioners have approved imposing an annual membership fee for seniors for the first time, at a charge of $60. The non-resident fee is $90, but at a commission meeting in November, a number of seniors, including some who regularly use the East Cobb Senior Center, strongly objected.
Boyce said he wants to collect further feedback before the fee changes, which also would cover spring classes and offerings, go into effect Feb. 1.
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The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced that the I-75 south ramp to South Marietta Parkway will be closed overnight, starting tonight, and for the next two nights, as part of the Northwest Corridor Project.
The closures will begin at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and the ramp will reopen on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 5 a.m.
The map above, provided by Georgia DOT, shows the detour while the ramp is closed. Here are more details from the agency’s release today:
I-75 southbound motorists traveling to South Marietta Parkway will be directed to remain on I-75 and take Exit 261 for Delk Road and turn right. Motorists will then turn right onto Cobb Parkway to resume travel.
ADVISORY:Dates may change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are advised to expect delays, exercise caution, and reduce their speed while traveling through work zones. Before heading out, get real-time information on work status and traffic conditions. Call 511, visit 511ga.org, or download the Georgia 511 app. Please visit the project website at http://www.dot.ga.gov/DS/GEL/NWC to stay informed, or email northwestcorridor@dot.ga.gov to subscribe to weekly traffic alerts.
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As we noted back in November, a new restaurant was preparing to occupy the space of the former Niecy’s Cafe on Lower Roswell Road, in front of the Stonewood Village Shopping Center. The family-run Ming’s Asian Kitchen has opened for business.
Monday was opening day, bad weather and all.
The owner is a former partner of Hunan Gourmet, which was open in Sandy Springs for 25 years until closing in late November.
Ming’s Asian Kitchen’s menu features Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian fare, and in addition to entrees serves soups, wraps, noodle dishes, ramen and fried rice items.
They’ve posted a menu on their Facebook page. There’s outdoor seating and a takeout menu. Dessert is limited to Greenwood’s Ice Cream and there is no alcoholic beverage service for now.
Ming’s is open for lunch Monday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday is dinner only, from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The address is 4665 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 101, and the phone number is 770-693-9452.
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It’s one of the main projects of the non-profit foundation, which raises private funds to assist the Cobb County School District.
Next Saturday, Jan. 20, the foundation is holding a major fundraiser at SunTrust Park with a “Casino Night” theme, and tickets are still available, as well as sponsorships.
The event lasts from 7-11 p.m., and the attire is black tie optional.
Individual tickets cost $150, and sponsorships run between $1,000 and $10,000. To sign up, click here.
For information call 770-426-3390 or email natalie.rutledge@cobbschoolsfoundation.org.
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From a winter weather advisory one day to mid-60-degree temperatures the next? That’s how this week started out in East Cobb and around metro Atlanta.
The warming trend is expected to continue through the rest of the week, with highs edging into the low 60s through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
But chilly weather will be back for the weekend, with highs Saturday and Sunday expected to be only in the high 30s.
Lows will dip into the 20s on those nights, and for next week, temperatures are not forecast to get higher than the low 40s. Low temperatures below freezing are also expected.
By next weekend, it may start to get warmer, into the 50s.
But it’s still winter, which means it can often feel a little like spring, fall and winter, sometimes in the span of one week.
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Elected officials, appointees and Cobb library and parks and recreation staff officially christen the new Sewell Mill facility. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center came a month after the multi-use facility opened on Lower Roswell Road, next to where its predecessor, the East Marietta Library, once stood for nearly 50 years.
Pieces of the old building were distributed to the dozens of guests and dignitaries who crowded the new facility’s black box theater for presentations, and the honorary ribbon-cutting that followed.
As the long history of the venerable East Marietta building was recounted by several speakers, the vision for what’s replacing it was spelled out in excited detail.
With more than 28,000 square feet, the Sewell Mill branch easily dwarfs East Marietta, which opened with 8,600 square feet in 1967.
But it’s the scope of the offerings at the new facility, and its joint association between the Cobb library and parks and recreation departments, that is novel, reflecting what Cobb commissioner Bob Ott described as the “phenomenal” vision of the staffers who saw the project through over several years.
“This truly is the library of the future,” said Julie Walker, the state librarian of Georgia.
In addition to traditional library space, the Sewell Mill branch includes the black box theater, an outdoor amphitheater and cultural “maker” space with digital audio and video recording equipment.
The theater offers regular film screenings and concerts will be a regular part of the schedule. There’s also a teen room and space for writers and filmmakers meet-ups, and classes in digital photography, podcasting, comics, art and music appreciation.
The entire Cobb Board of Commissioners, State Rep. Sharon Cooper, State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, former Cobb County Manager Dave Hankerson and appointees to the Cobb library and recreation boards were present for the event, which also included a special presentation to longtime Cobb Library Foundation board members Carol and Jim Ney.
For their financial support, the Neys were honored by having the Sewell Mill branch’s art gallery named after them, as well as an outdoor patio that adjoins the main reading room.
Jim and Carol Ney honored by Cobb commissioners before the ribbon-cutting.
Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce and his wife, Judy, also had a study room named in their honor. Boyce said they made a $5,000 donation, but to him, “it was self-evident” to support such a project.
“People are going to have to come see this to appreciate the benefits,” said Boyce. In his ribbon-cutting remarks, he said that “we have gone to great lengths to create a library that I am convinced is revolutionary.”
But its evolution has been a long one, primarily for financial reasons.
The Sewell Mill Library cost $10.6 million to build, with all but $2 million coming out of SPLOST funding (the rest came from state sources). Ott, who was first elected in 2008, said discussions about replacing the East Marietta Library predated his time on the commission.
He recalls hearing his District 2 predecessor, the late Joe Lee Thompson, say to him that a new library was inevitable. “Every year, he told me to be patient,” Ott said. “It’s coming. I don’t know if he thought it would be like this.”
Those plans were put on hold in the wake of the recession. Last fall, as commissioners were haggling over budget details, they temporarily delayed full funding of the Sewell Mill branch, which has additional staff positions.
Those positions were funded and the Sewell Mill library opened on Dec. 4. But as a new year beckons, commissioners are facing a projected $30 million shortfall for fiscal 2019. Soon, department heads will be asked to bring forth proposed budget cuts, and libraries and parks are certain to be among them.
What about those who may regard the Sewell Mill concept as an extravagance?
“Only if you consider your children and grandchildren as an extravagance,” said Boyce, who’s beginning his second year in office.
He noted that while those of an older generation may envision libraries in a more traditional, print-focused way, the multi-platform educational, intellectual and cultural options for younger people need to be accommodated.
“This is not the old library,” Boyce said.
The Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center has the same address (2051 Lower Roswell Road) and the same hours as the former East Marietta Library:
Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.;
Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.;
Saturday, 1-6 p.m.;
Closed Sunday.
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved spending $13,865 for preliminary engineering work and utility relocation in advance of the Post Oak Tritt-Hembree Road intersection project, which could feature the construction of a roundabout.
The $2.2 million project (here’s the brochure) is included in the Cobb Government 2016 SPLOST. Other aspects of the project include additional street lighting and sidewalk improvements.
The intersection has no traffic signals, and only a stop sign on Hembree and a left turn lane from Post Oak Tritt eastbound onto Hembree offer traffic control.
“This has been a long time coming,” Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell said, noting the intersection’s proximity to Pope High School, further north on Hembree Road, where a roundabout was completed just before the start of the current school year.
The Post Oak Tritt-Hembree Road intersection project is expected to get underway this spring, with an expected completion date in mid-2019.
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Coming soon to Woodlawn Square Shopping Center (1205 Johnson Ferry Road): Hollywood Feed, a natural pet food and supply store chain that’s growing in metro Atlanta.
They’re hiring for the East Cobb location, as well as several others in the region. Based in Memphis, Hollywood Feed operates in eight states in the South, and currently has eight stores in Georgia.
The new Hollywood Feed store at Woodlawn Square will take up suites 119 and 121, in space formerly occupied by the Sweet Spirit Christian bookstore.
Café 33 closes in Sprayberry area
In case you missed the story we posted over the weekend: Café 33, a family-homestyle restaurant operated near Sprayberry High School by former Yellow Jackets football player and Shane Clements, closed on New Year’s Eve.
The restaurant specialized in breakfast and lunch fare and also added a dinner menu, but cited a drop in foot traffic and landlord issues for shutting after more than six years.
New venue for ECBA luncheons
The East Cobb Business Association‘s monthly luncheons are moving to the Olde Towne Athletic Club (4950 Olde Towne Parkway) after several years at the Indian Hills Country Club.
The ECBA kicks off its 2018 luncheon slate next Tuesday, Jan. 16, with Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce as the featured speaker. The event lasts from 11-1, starting with networking and the luncheon session starting at 11:30 a.m.
On Jan. 30, Cobb Police Precinct 4 Major Jerry Quan is the guest at the ECBA’s quarterly breakfast at J. Christopher’s East Lake (2100 Roswell Road) from 7:30-8:30 a.m.
The Northeast Cobb Business Association holds its monthly luncheon next Wednesday, Jan. 17, at its usual spot, the Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road), from 11:30-1. The guest speaker is Ryan Blythe from the Georgia Trade School in Acworth.
Business women who lunch
The next East Cobb Business Women Networking Lunch is scheduled for next Wednesday, Jan. 17, at Paradise Grille, in the Highland Plaza Shopping Center (3605 Sandy Plains Road) from 11:30-1. The cost to attend is free, you just pay for your own food, bring business cards and network in a supportive environment.
The host is Resonate Marketing, a female-run agency. Luncheons are the third Wednesday of the month.
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As Cobb schools and many private schools are closed today, some businesses and local government are opening on a delayed basis.
Cobb government, including libraries, opened at 11 a.m. and will stay open through their normal opening hours. Here’s the latest on what we know about East Cobb businesses opening later than usual:
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church will “adhere to our regular schedule” on Monday;
Peace, Love and Pizza: Opening at 12;
Johnny’s Style New York Pizza: Tentatively opening at 1 p.m.;
LGE Community Credit Union is opening all branches at noon;
All paid YMCA programs at both the East Cobb and Northeast Cobb facilities today are cancelled;
Chicago’s Steak & Seafood: Facebook message says it’s closed all day, not for the weather but rather “in observance of” the Georgia-Alabama college football national championship game.
Light rain was still falling in the late morning in East Cobb, with temperatures in the mid 30s.
Shortly after 11 a.m. today, the National Weather Service in Atlanta extended the winter weather advisory issued for overnight and through this morning from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
According to the NWS, there is still “patchy light freezing rain” causing treacherous road conditions as temperatures push above freezing and into the low 40s in Cobb and metro Atlanta early this afternoon. Scattered showers are expected around the Atlanta area for the rest of the day and into the evening, when downtown will be taken over by those attending the Alabama-Georgia game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta and Fulton County governments were closing early for that reason as well, and the first day of the Georgia General Assembly adjourned late this morning in anticipation of weather and football-related traffic.
The NWS said freezing rain issues have been more serious in northwest Georgia. One media report indicated a 35-car pile-up in Catoosa County shut down Interstate 75 earlier this morning near Ringgold due to icy roads.
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Among the later cancellations and postponements due to the winter weather conditions was this morning’s education rights workshop at Art It Out at Paper Mill Village.
It covers topics related to students and disabilities with Tim Schwartz, an attorney who speciliazes in the subject area.
It has been postponed for two weeks exactly from today, Monday, Jan. 22, at the same time, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and at the same place. Art It Out is located at 255 Village Parkway, 580.
The workshop is free.
Here’s the calendar listing for that event, which also requires registration by calling 770-726-9589.
Around 7:20 p.m. Sunday, the Cobb County School District announced that the system will be completely closed on Monday, for students and staff, due to a forecast of freezing rain overnight and into the morning.
That follows a winter weather advisory from the Atlanta office of the National Weather Service issued earlier Sunday afternoon. It’s a tiered advisory, going into effect for Cobb and metro Atlanta and north central Georgia from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday.
The forecast calls for light freezing rain, with an accumulation of up to 1/10th of an inch possible. In its announcement, Cobb schools said the potential impact on roads and travel was enough to prompt a full closure.
UPDATED, 8:50 P.M.:
Here are the latest closings/delays we have for the East Cobb area. If you have closures to report, please e-mail us at editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll include it in future updates.
The Walker School will be closed on Monday, as will High Meadows School; Eastside Christian School; Eastminster Christian Preschool; St. Catherine’s Episcopal Preschool; St. Ann’s Catholic Preschool and Monday Masses; and Transfiguration Catholic Preschool, PREP classes and adult ed classes.
All campuses of Kennesaw State University and Chattahoochee Technical College also will be closed Monday.
Paid programming events (swimming lessons, etc.) at the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA and the Northeast Cobb Family YMCA are being cancelled on Monday.
The Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast scheduled for Monday morning also has been postponed.
Cobb County government announced that its offices would be open on a delayed basis, at 11 a.m. Monday. That includes all public library branches.
The LGE Community Credit Union is delaying opening all branches until noon Monday.
Returning to original post:
The NWS forecast indicated that the possible icy conditions were likely to be enough to affect the Monday morning commute.
Over the weekend, City of Atlanta and Fulton County government announced they would be closing early Monday, in part because of the weather but also due to the national college football championship game tomorrow night between Georgia and Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia and Cobb DOT trucks also were going out overnight to treat roads ahead of the freezing rain. Cobb trucks were slated to begin salt treatment of bridges and overpasses around 2 a.m. Monday.
Shortly after Cobb schools announced they would be closed the Marietta, Atlanta and Fulton school systems, and others around metro Atlanta, also said they would be closed Monday.
After a very cold first week of 2018, temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are expected to climb into the low 40s by Monday afternoon. Highs are forecast to be in the 50s during the week and even into the 60s by the weekend.
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The Pope girls basketball team attacks the rim in the first game played in the new gym, which opened to the public Saturday. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
After dignitaries, architects, construction engineers and school administrators were honored for their work making the new Pope High School gymnasium possible, the varsity girls basketball team made easy work of their opponent in the facility’s first event on Saturday.
The Lady Greyhounds trounced Chattahoochee 55-13, and the Greyhounds boys team also downed Chattahoochee 70-58, adding to the celebrations that brought out the Pope community.
From left, Pope principal Thomas Flugum, and Cobb County School District athletics directors Steve Jones and William Griggers.
The multi-level gym includes a running track on the top level, and peeking room at the floor down below.
Nick Parker, the executive director of the Cobb County School District SPLOST program, which oversees school construction, said the building of the new gym and adjoining theater (next to the existing gym) was one of the smoothest he’s experienced. He said the gym, which along with the theater cost nearly $24 million and took two years to build, will eventually have a capacity of 3,000, and will add 200 or so seats on the top level.
Representatives of the Pope PTSA were among those recognized at the gym opening.Pope parents and students applaud as the new court is ready for action.The Lady Greyhounds huddle up during pre-game warm-ups.
And it’s tipoff between Pope and Chattahoochee.Teya Holloman brings the ball up for Pope.The Lady Greyhounds’ defense didn’t allow a point in the first quarter.Cheyenne Holloman, who scored the first basket in the new gym, demonstrates her free throw form.Players on the Pope boys varsity team wait for their chance to play in the new gym.At halftime of the girls game, past Lady Greyhounds players took part in a 3-point shooting contest on Alumni Night.
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Late Friday night the Café 33 restaurant on East Piedmont Road announced it has closed, but gave no reason for the decision. The restaurant’s website also has been taken down, and the last day of business was New Year’s Eve.
On the restaurant’s Facebook page was the following message:
Cafe 33 would like to Thank all of our loyal customers who have supported us during the last 6 1/2 years.
We are very appreciative of your friendships and your business. We are sorry to say that we must close our doors at this time.
THANK YOU again and please continue to support the small family owned businesses in your community. We cannot survive without you.
UPDATED, 5:30 p.m. Saturday: We went by Café 33 after posting this, and noticed the same message posted in the windows and on the front door (and added the photo at the top and to the right).
All of the furniture had been cleared out of the lobby and dining area.
A further message from the restaurant about its closure was added to a comment thread earlier this afternoon:
Unfortunately, the foot traffic in the area has subsided so much that we were forced to shut the doors as well as not having support from our landlord on such issues as flooding coming in the front door, etc. We hope to maybe relocate but it wouldn’t be for a while. We will keep everyone posted…but for now Thank you from all of us.
Returning to original post:
Café 33 was started by Shane Clements, a Sprayberry High School graduate, in honor of his mother, and opened for breakfast and lunch at 2595 Sandy Plains Road, right across the street from his old school.
The restaurant moved to the Sprayberry Collection Shopping Center across the intersection at 2595 East Piedmont Road and added a dinner menu and a catering service.
Café 33 is the second Northeast Cobb restaurant in recent weeks to close. On Christmas Eve, The Rib Ranch closed after nearly 35 years on Canton Road.
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If you’re using Interstate 75 at all this weekend and into next week, there are some closures to note, via the Cobb Department of Transportation, that may affect your commute in and out of the East Cobb area.
The I-75 southbound exit ramp to Cobb Parkway will be closed from 9 p.m. tonight to 5 a.m. Saturday. Southbound motorists will merge onto I-285 westbound, then use Exit 18 to reach Paces Ferry Road. That will be followed by a left on Paces Ferry and another left to the entrance ramp for I-285 eastbound. After that, motorists will use Exit 19 for Cobb Parkway to resume their travel.
The I-75 southbound exit ramp to the South Marietta Parkway will be closed from Sunday through Thursday. The closures start at 11 p.m. and continue to 5 a.m. each day. Motorists coming off I-75 southbound to the South Marietta Parkway will stay on I-75 and use Delk Road (Exit 261). The detour includes taking a right on Cobb Parkway.
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Discarded Christmas trees at the Home Depot at Providence Square, 4101 Roswell Road, which will be accepting trees from 9-4 Saturday. (ECN photo)
Saturday is the last day to drop off Christmas Trees in Keep Cobb Beautiful’s “Bring One for the Chipper” recycling program, and several East Cobb locations are participating.
The dropoff hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fullers Park (3499 Robinson Road) and Noonday Creek Park (489 Hawkins Store Road) as well as Home Depot stores at Providence Square Shopping Center (4101 Roswell Road) and Highland Plaza (3605 Sandy Plains Road).
In exchange for your tree (any with decorations will not be accepted), you’ll get free mulch.
There’s a lot going on Saturday elsewhere throughout East Cobb, as we rounded up earlier this week, including a podcasting course from 2-5 and the start of a “Murderino” movie series from 11-1 at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road). There’s also a teen light painting workshop from 2-4 at the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road).
There’s some additional information to note here about the ribbon-cutting for the new gymnasium at Pope High School (3001 Hembree Road) Saturday afternoon, before the Greyhounds’ varsity basketball teams play Chattahoochee.
Spectators who arrive before 3:15 will be admitted for free; the ribbon-cutting ceremony and other festivities begin at 3:30 p.m. It’s Alumni Night for Pope basketball, with the girls playing at 4:30 and the boys tipping off at 6.
A major high school swimming meet, the Indian Invite, takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Mountain View Aquatic Center (2650 Gordy Parkway). The host is McEachern, but the other participants include swim teams from Lassiter.
At the Cobb Central Aquatic Center (520 Fairground St., Marietta), Walton is the host for a varsity swimming meet that includes Wheeler.
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A Nigerian immigrant whom Marietta Police say threatened to shoot up a Northeast Cobb church and kill people inside has been charged with making terroristic threats.
Police said Ken Ogbemudia, a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Heaven’s Gate on Pickens Industrial Drive, located off Allgood Road, has been admitted to WellStar Kennestone Hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
Once he is released, police said he will be held without bond. Marietta Police issued a statement Friday morning saying that Temitosan Abimbola, the pastor of the church, told authorities about Ogbemudia’s threats.
Police said Ogbemudia allegedly texted a threatening message to church members. According to police, the pastor also spoke with a woman identified as Karen James, whom he said told him that she had purchased two AK-47 rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition.
Ogbemudia was taken into custody on Thursday, according to police, who said they have located no weapons and added that James is cooperating with the investigation.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are checking into Ogbemudia’s immigration status.
Police said he arrived in the United States from Nigeria in 2011 and has told authorities he is in the country illegally.
The church is part of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a Pentecostal denomination based in Lagos, Nigeria, and that has branches in nearly 200 nations.
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We keep adding to the East Cobb Newscommunity events calendar all the time, so Monday’s post on things to do this week has a few more additions.
It’s going to be a big weekend at Pope High School on Saturday, as we noted earlier, with the community ribbon-cutting for the new gymnasium, as well as the “Bring One for the Chipper” tree recycling event and all kinds of activities at public libraries in the East Cobb area.
That’s just the start of a healthy variety of activities, events and courses for all ages, and for a lot of good causes to start the year. The following is a sample of (mostly) free events throughout the month.
On Monday, parents of students with disabilities can learn more about becoming advocates for their children at a free workshop starting at 10 a.m. at Art It Out (255 Village Parkway, Suite 580). Education Rights 101 is led by Tim Schwartz, an attorney who specializes in students’ rights. You’ll need to register by calling 770-726-9589.
There’s a free concert next Sunday, Jan. 14, at 4 p.m. at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church (571 Holt Road) as part of their continuing community concert series. The Summit Trio is made up of three Kennesaw State music faculty members, performing on the piano, cello and violin.
Quilting devotees can meet internally regarded quilter Elizabeth Barton on Saturday, Jan. 20 from 2-4 at the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road), who will talk about what inspires her as an artist, as well as a teacher of the craft, as well as design and fabric dyeing. Call 770-509-2725 to register.
Fitness activities always abound in January, and the best-known community run to start off the year is the Polar Bear Run, which now is a qualifier for the Peachtree Road Race. The 30th annual event takes place as usual at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road), with several start times, including the 5K at 8:30 a.m. Registration fees range from $25-$35 and signup can be done online here.
There’s so much more to do by checking our full events calendar for this week, this month and beyond. Send your calendar listings to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post them here!
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