Month: March 2019

Isakson blisters Trump for critical remarks about McCain

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U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson blasted President Donald Trump’s critical remarks about the late Sen. John McCain on a radio interview Wednesday afternoon.

Isakson, a Republican from East Cobb, was interviewed on the Georgia Public Broadcasting program “Political Rewind.”Isakson blisters Trump

(A recording of the interview can be accessed at the program’s website.)

Isakson said he was prompted to speak out not only because of his friendship with McCain, but because of what he thinks is the negative impact of Trump’s remarks, especially by those serving in the military.

McCain, a former Vietnam POW who preceded Isakson as the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, was a strong critic of Trump, and the enmity was mutual.

Over the weekend, Trump renewed accusations he’s made before that McCain forwarded to the FBI a dossier regarding possible compromising information about Trump before he was elected president in 2016.

“Spreading the fake and totally discredited Dossier ‘is unfortunately a very dark stain against John McCain,’ ” went one Tweet from Trump.

Another Tweet continued the criticism: “So it was indeed (just proven in court papers) ‘last in his class’ (Annapolis) John McCain that sent the Fake Dossier to the FBI and Media hoping to have it printed BEFORE the Election.”

“It’s deplorable what he said,” Isakson said, referring to Trump, during the interview conducted at the GPB studios in Atlanta. “It will be deplorable in seven months if he says it again, and I will continue to speak out. We should never reduce the service that people give to this country.”

The Bulwark, a new conservative political website, reported early Wednesday that Isakson, Georgia’s senior senator, was making good on a pledge he made from the Senate floor after McCain’s death that anyone who “tarnishes the reputation of John McCain deserves a whipping.”

On Tuesday, he said this in an interview with The Bulwark, which is highly critical of Trump:

“I just want to lay it on the line, that the country deserves better, the McCain family deserves better, I don’t care if he’s president of United States, owns all the real estate in New York, or is building the greatest immigration system in the world. Nothing is more important than the integrity of the country and those who fought and risked their lives for all of us.”

More recent information unsealed by a judge last week includes testimony that McCain passed along the dossier to the FBI in December 2016, after the election.

The dossier contents are part of an investigation by former FBI director Robert Mueller into alleged Russian political interference in U.S. elections. Trump’s former campaign manager and personal lawyer have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the probe.

When asked to clarify his comments on Tuesday, Trump said that “I was never a fan of John McCain’s and I never will be.”

Isakson is one of the few Republican senators who’s spoken publicly about Trump’s McCain comments. Thus far he is the only one who is directly challenging what his spokeswoman said is “the president’s continued disparagement” of McCain, who died last summer from brain cancer.

“I want to elevate John. John was better than I am, and I know it,” Isakson told The Bulwark. “John was the best of my generation. John McCain was and is a great human being.”

Last month Isakson was named the inaugural recipient of the John McCain Service to Country Award.

During the GPB interview, Isakson was asked if he was concerned about his legislative priorities being affected by his criticisms of Trump, and not for the first time.

“I never worry about what I’m doing politically or practically in the Senate as long as I think I’m doing what’s right,” Isakson said.

The Bulwark was launched in December and is co-founded by William Kristol, a former White House aide and conservative writer who has been highly critical of Trump, especially on social media.

 

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East Cobb indoor entertainment center gets approval from commissioners

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Sandy Plains Village Shopping Center, East Cobb indoor entertainment center

A proposed indoor recreation and entertainment center at Sandy Plains Village in East Cobb was passed by the Cobb Board of Commissioners at their Tuesday zoning hearing.

By a 5-0 vote on the consent agenda, the commissioners followed the Cobb Planning Commission’s recommendation to keep the existing neighborhood retail commercial (NRC) category, with use-specific conditions for the 67,000-square-foot space that will become Ignite Adventure Park.

(Read the case file here.)

DDR Sandy Plains LLC had sought community retail commercial zoning (CRC) for the entire shopping center it owns because the entertainment center uses didn’t fit the NRC category.

Ignite Adventure Park will include a variety of indoor activities, including go-karts, bumper cars, trampolines, mini-golf and rock-climbing, as well as a restaurant and cafe.

It’s slated to go in the former space of the Walmart Neighborhood Grocery, which closed in 2017.

Planning commissioner Andy Smith of East Cobb—who represents the area of the shopping center on Woodstock Road between Sandy Plains Road and Mabry Road—incorporated several special-use conditions to keep the shopping center NRC.

The commissioners also agreed to planning commission recommendations to mandate that the go-karts and bumper cars be operated on either battery power or electricity (no gasoline-driven engines).

Construction will be limited from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday construction is indoors only (no nights, Sundays or holidays).

Commissioner Bob Ott noted that the case “started as a contentious zoning” and was moved to the consent agenda by the collaborative efforts of the applicant, Smith (his appointment to the planning commission) and nearby residents who initially were opposed.

Also approved on the consent agenda was a residential rezoning for eight farms-style homes on seven acres on Shaw Road (case file here).

As reported late last week, Mt. Bethel Christian Academy withdrew its request to amend a special land use plan for an athletic field at its Upper Campus on Post Oak Tritt Road.

The case was to have been heard Tuesday, but generated strong opposition from some nearby residents.

 

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Cobb Forward transportation town halls include two locations in East Cobb

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Eric Meyer, Cobb Forward transportation town halls
Eric Meyer, Cobb DOT’s planning division manager, recently outlined the Comprehensive Transportation Plan process at the Sewell Mill Library. (ECN photos)

In April and May several town halls will take place for what’s known as Cobb Forward—the county’s comprehensive transportation plan (CTP) for 2050.

It’s a joint effort involving Cobb County government and its counterparts in the county’s six municipalities. A CTP was last done in 2015, but a number of developments since then have led to calls to create a new transportation vision for the county.

They include a referendum for expanding transit and the county government’s next SPLOST referendum in 2022.

Two of those CTP meetings will take place in East Cobb:

  • Thursday, April 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m., East Cobb Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Road;
  • Tuesday, May 7, 7-9 p.m., East Cobb Senior Center, 3332 Sandy Plains Road.

The purpose of the Cobb Forward meetings, per the county, is to develop a series of project lists, some of which would be funded with SPLOST sales tax revenues.

Transit recommendations also will come out of the countywide meetings this spring, some to be included in the new Atlanta Transit Link Authority (The ATL), which includes a 13-county area.

The Cobb meetings also will get underway in the aftermath of a referendum Tuesday in Gwinnett, where voters will decide on whether to join MARTA.

Cobb and Gwinnett were notable holdouts when the the MARTA system was created in the early 1970s and which serves Atlanta, Fulton and DeKalb counties.

At a recent Cobb budget town hall meeting at the Sewell Mill Library, Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce answered questions about some of transit and transportation issues.

He’s seeking legislation this year to allow Cobb to push back a transit referendum to 2022. That vote would decide whether a special transit district would be created out of a portion of the county (South Cobb) or all of it.

That referendum, if approved, would add a penny sales tax in Cobb earmarked for transit funding.

Mike Boyce
Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce

Cobb voters also will be deciding on SPLOST extension in 2020 for a new collection period beginning in 2022. The current SPLOST, which includes funding for transportation and other capital improvements, ends Dec. 31, 2021.

That’s a six-cent sales tax. Four cents go to the state, another is earmarked for Cobb and Marietta schools and the other for county government.

Boyce said an extension would be shorter.

“It won’t be six years,” he said. “I support four years, [Cobb] mayors like five years. This county is doing so well that in six years, we’re going to have a lot of money laying around. You don’t want to do that with politicians around.”

While the SPLOST process is relatively straightforward, hammering out potential transit options figures is more involved.

“It’s going to be long and complicated,” Boyce said.

A county transit survey that was released late last year indicated that a majority of Cobb voters would approve of an additional penny tax for transit expansion. That includes East Cobb, where the only CobbLinc bus line runs down Powers Ferry Road.

Like the SPLOST referendum, the transit referendum also will include a detailed project list and public hearings on what may constitute a future transit plan, said Eric Meyer, the Cobb DOT’s planning division manager.

“Tell us what you will support,” he said. “That’s why this is going to take three years.”

Among the transportation options for Cobb are bus rapid transit, rapid bus, heavy rail and light rail. The financing options could be joining MARTA, connecting with MARTA, expanding service with the sales tax mentioned above, or maintaining the status quo.

The other Cobb Forward town hall schedule this spring is as follows:

  • Wednesday, April 10, 7-9 p.m., West Cobb Senior Center, 4915 Dallas Highway;
  • Wednesday, April 17, 7-9 p.m., Smyrna Community Center, 200 Village Green Circle;
  • Monday, April 29, 7-9 p.m., Cobb Senior Wellness Center, 1150 Powder Springs St.;
  • Tuesday, April 30, 7-9 p.m., Threadmill Complex, 5000 Austell Powder Springs Road;
  • Thursday, May 2, 7-9 p.m.,  Acworth Community Center, 4361 Cherokee St.;
  • Wednesday, May 8, 7-9 p.m., Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive;
  • Thursday, May 9, 7-9 p.m., South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lions Club Drive.

 

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Wheeler Fresh Collaborative kicks off with April dinner theater

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Wheeler Fresh Collaborative
Pictured (L to R): Will Dezern (Horticulture), Stacy Regitsky (Magnet Advisor), Valerie Bolen (Drafting), Tiera Aguillon (Culinary Arts), Kelly Feddersen (Sports & Entertainment Marketing), Kelly Karr (Graphic Design); not pictured – Christian Barnes (Magnet Coordinator), Dayna Strickland (Theatre), Christopher Walstead & Jennifer Callison-Bliss (Environmental Science), Amanda Williams (Girls Who Code Club Sponsor)

Thanks to student Max Pacula for the submitted information and photo about the Wheeler Fresh Collaborative, described as a “cross-curricular collaboration by teachers and students whose goals are to increase community involvement and provide food essentials when and where needed.”

The project’s kickoff event takes place with a dinner theater event in April that’s detailed at the bottom of the post. Here’s what collaborative effort is all about:

This STEAM initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) was originally conceived as a “farm to table” type program but has since evolved to include a food pantry started by Wheeler students and eventually supplemented with contributions from the surrounding community. The Wheeler Fresh Collaborative will utilize expertise from Wheeler’s culinary, horticulture. environmental science, drafting, graphic design, and marketing classes to help ensure fellow Wildcats students have a reliable source of food when needed.

From concept to realization, many classes have helped develop the Wheeler Fresh Collaborative. Drafting students designed the layout of the grow beds for Horticulture. Environmental Science students are studying the soil and growing environment. Horticulture students are growing herbs and vegetables for Culinary. Culinary students are preparing, cooking, and serving the meal. Graphic Design students are creating logos and visuals. Marketing students are branding and promoting the event and the Wheeler Fresh Collaborative program. Wheeler’s Girls Who Code Club members are creating an online ordering system for the Food Pantry.

To officially kick off the Wheeler Fresh Collaborative, Wheeler is hosting a Dinner Theater event this Spring. On April 26th, Wheeler theater students will perform Annie following a limited seating dinner hosted, prepared, and served by Wheeler students. “Through this dinner theater event, we want to showcase the sense of community Wheeler offers which has enabled a program like the Wheeler Fresh Collaborative to exist,” boasts Kelly Feddersen, Sports and Entertainment Marketing teacher and one of the leaders of the Wheeler Fresh Collaborative. On this night, the Wheeler Fresh Collaborative hopes to spread their mission through a fun and entertaining evening.

 As the program grows, Wheeler Fresh Collaborative hopes to sustain a food pantry with both Wheeler grown food and other nonperishable items to aid the 41% of Wheeler students who benefit from free and reduced lunch. The hope is the Wheeler Fresh Collaborative helps ease this challenge through a program that demonstrates what can be accomplished when students work together, building a true sense of community.

If you would like to attend the Dinner Theater, tickets can be purchased at https://www.showtix4u.com/events/14519. The event is Friday, April 26th, beginning with the Dinner at 5:30pm, and Annie at 7:00pm. Tickets are $50 for the Dinner + Annie, while tickets for Annie alone are $10. If you would like to donate funds, nonperishable food items, or help in other ways, please email Kelly Feddersen at Kelly.Feddersen@cobbk12.org.

 

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Sunshine Week: Filing open records requests for Georgia, U.S. government

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Citizens of Georgia can request public records under the Georgia Open Records Act, which governs the distribution of state records, as well as those of local public agencies in Georgia. Georgia open records requests, Sunshine Week, Georgia First Amendment Foundation

In previous posts, we explained how to file open records requests for Cobb government and Cobb schools. As the final part of this Sunshine Week series, this post will focus on state open records requests and those covered by the federal Freedom of Information Act.

The Georgia Attorney General’s Office has published and periodically updated its Citizens Guide to Open Government, in conjunction with the Georgia First Amendment Foundation and the Georgia Press Association.

The guide was last updated in 2014, following the passage of updated Georgia sunshine laws that lowered the cost of records from 25 cents to 10 cents a page (when there are fees that are charged) and stiffened the fines for violating the Georgia Open Records Act.

The 2012 update also allows the Attorney General to bring criminal as well as civil charges. Recently AG Chris Carr filed a criminal citation for the first time in a GORA case, against a former press aide to ex-Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed.

Georgia state government agencies have three working days to respond to requests for open records, and it is preferred they be made in writing, whether it’s print or online.

(Here’s a link to the state open meetings laws.)

There also are several types of records that are exempt from the law, meaning that they can be withheld or redacted. Other exceptions beyond the scope of the law are included here.

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation encourages requesters to “be specific about exactly the information you want,” including citations of state laws, and includes that in a sample form letter.

The GFAF also monitors transparency legislation and holds a legislative breakfast each session.

The open-government organization MuckRock notes that if an open records request is denied, there is no appeals process except through state superior courts.

The U.S. Freedom of Information Act became law in 1966 and covers federal government records requests.

The main website, FOIA.gov., provides research links, FAQs and background information, including the federal statute. It also includes information on requests previously submitted and submits annual reports on FOIA requests.

The General Services Administration also has a produced a brochure, Your Right to Federal Records.

Like state open records laws, the federal FOIA has exemptions, nine to be exact, which are summarized here.

Numerous independent and non-profit watchdog organizations monitor federal FOIA developments and conduct legal and other advocacy (see the list at the bottom of this post).

There also are numerous organizations that provide assistance and sample forms for filing FOIA requests from the U.S. government. They include:

  • iFOIA.org, from the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press;
  • MuckRock, an open-government non-profit that allows users to file directly from its platform;
  • FIOAMapper, which tracks what it calls “hidden” public data.

More federal resources here from the FOI Center at the National Freedom on Information Coalition.

The National Freedom of Information Day wraps up Sunshine Week each year, and falls around the birthday of James Madison.

General resources

Sunshine Week

 

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East Cobb cityhood legislation expected to be filed before end of 2019 session

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A group pushing for East Cobb cityhood is eyeing the end of the current Georgia legislative session to have local legislation filed that would call for a referendum, probably by 2020.

A notice of intent to file local legislation was published Friday in The Marietta Daily Journal, Cobb’s legal organ.East Cobb cityhood legislation

The legislature has only eight days remaining in its 2019 session. For a referendum to take place next year, it would at least have to be introduced this year.

As of the close of business Friday, no such bill had been filed.

The group, known as the Committee for Cityhood for East Cobb Inc., hired a lobbyist before the General Assembly session but has been quiet since then.

Commissioner Bob Ott told East Cobb News that they’ve been invited to speak at his next town hall meeting, on March 28 at the Catholic Church of St. Ann.

Related coverage

The group has been reluctant to reveal much information about who’s behind the cityhood effort and has cited general “local control” and public safety concerns.

It did pay $36,000 for a financial feasibility study that made a favorable conclusion. The proposed city map would include only a portion of what’s considered East Cobb, all of it within Ott’s District 2. The population would be around 96,000.

(Here’s the cityhood group’s website.)

The MDJ reported Friday that David Birdwell, an East Cobb resident, is also involved in leading the group. Joe Gavalis, an appointee of Ott’s to the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission, is the president of the group, and real estate developer G. Owen Brown of Retail Planning Corp. is listed as having paid for most of the study.

No other individuals have been publicly named, and when the group asked an ad hoc citizens committee to look over a feasibility study, one of those citizens, Joe O’Connor, quit in protest, citing a lack of transparency.

Birdwell, like Gavalis, lives in the Atlanta Country Club area. According to the Cobb Chamber, he’s also in the real estate industry and has gone through the organization’s Leadership Cobb development program.

State Rep. Matt Dollar
State Rep. Matt Dollar (R-East Cobb)

Local incorporation legislation must be introduced by at least one Senator and one House member who represents at least a portion of the proposed city.

Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick and Reps. Sharon Cooper and Matt Dollar are the three lawmakers who could do that. They have been contacted for comment by East Cobb News.

UPDATE: Kirkpatrick told East Cobb News that “I haven’t taken a position on this but the bill will get the conversation started.”

The notice of intent to file the bill indicates the sponsor is Dollar; cityhood bills are initially filed in the House.

A cityhood bill for Mableton was filed last week by State Reps. Erica Thomas, Erick Allen and David Wilkerson of South Cobb. The South Cobb Alliance citizens group has been seeking incorporation but has not yet had a feasibility study done.

Unlike the East Cobb group, the Mableton group has gone to the public with a number of town halls and other events in the community over the last couple of years.

The earliest a Mableton referendum could take place also would be next year. That proposed city would have a population of more than 87,000.

Some of the reasons cited for cityhood there are similar to East Cobb, in particular more localized control of services.

Cobb hasn’t had a new city in more than a century. Mableton was briefly a municipality, from 1912-1916.

 

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Mt. Bethel Christian Academy withdraws sports stadium request

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The lawyer representing Mt. Bethel Christian Academy in its request to allow a sports stadium on its campus at 2509 Post Oak Tritt Road has withdrawn the application.

The letter sent to the county zoning office on Tuesday by attorney Jim Ney did not give a reason for the withdrawal (you can read it here), but it had been strongly opposed by nearby residents.

Cobb commissioners were scheduled to hear the Mt. Bethel application next Tuesday at their monthly zoning hearing. The case has been delayed since it was first scheduled to be heard in December.

The letter by Ney beat the deadline for having the application withdrawn without the commissioners having to vote on whether to do so. That deadline is the Wednesday before the following Tuesday.

Mt. Bethel operates grades 9-12 on what it calls its Upper Campus (with K-8 classes on the Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church grounds on Lower Roswell Road).

When Mt. Bethel purchased the Post Oak Tritt property from the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta in 2013, it said it had no intention of building out a stadium. Some neighbors were concerned then about noise and lighting, and those concerns were raised anew when Mt. Bethel applied for the land-use permit revision last fall.

(Here’s the full case file.)

In an e-mail letter sent to the county zoning office and commissioners the same day as Ney’s withdrawal letter, Becky Carlin, a resident of nearby Marneil Drive, complained that if a stadium is allowed, “I will be able to hear every single word announced at every game played there, as I already can hear noise from Sprayberry High School which is further away.

“This is was one of my concerns when it was first proposed that Mount Bethel purchase this property. The church essentially lied to us, saying they wanted to be part of the community and they would minimize the impact to the neighbors nearby.”

She said the area around the high school, which opened in 2014, has become a nuisance due to increased traffic. (Read her letter here.).

Another resident told East Cobb News she was upset that the stadium would include a 90-foot light tower and loudspeakers “less than 200 feet” from homes.

She was among several who said they intended to speak against the Mt. Bethel request on Tuesday.

 

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Sunshine Week: Filing open records requests for Cobb schools

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Obtaining public records from the Cobb County School District is similar to requesting them from Cobb County government, but there are some differences due to federal laws governing student privacy.

Anyone may request public records from the CCSD at following addresses below:Cobb schools open records requests

Dr. Darryl York
Open Records Officer
Cobb County School District
514 Glover Street, Marietta, GA 30060
770-514-3870
openrecords@cobbk12.org

Like Cobb government, Cobb schools are also subject to provisions of the Georgia Open Records Act, and the CCSD also must reply to open records requests in three working days.

If open records requests are denied, school officials must cite a specific provision in the law that exempts that information from being released.

The information that’s available to the public from Cobb schools includes general administrative and operations records, school board proceedings, contracts and purchasing, budget and finance, curriculum and instruction, some hiring and personnel records, campus public safety records, SPLOST records and more.

These records include those in printed and electronic form, including tapes, computer records and correspondence, maps and photographs.

The exemptions are significant and are complicated, due to the federal law mentioned above. It’s called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), first passed in 1974 (and also known as the Buckley Amendment), that governs the disclosure of student educational records.

The Georgia Attorney General’s Office produced this guide to the Georgia law and school records in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Press Associaiton and the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.

For students in K-12, the rights to educational records belongs primarily to their parents. They have the right to inspect educational records kept by school districts, and to request that information be revised for corrected if deemed inaccurate.

They also may request a formal hearing if those requests are denied. Likewise, K-12 parents must consent to any educational records of their children being released.

Certain non-educational information, such as a student’s name, address, date of birth and when they attended school, is generally considered public. So are records created after a student leaves a school.

After the age of 18, students have the rights to their educational records.

Test score information for individual schools and school districts is publicly available, but individual test scores of specific students are not.

Records produced by a school’s law enforcement department (Cobb schools has its own police force) are not protected from disclosure by the federal privacy law.

According to a revision of the law in the 1990s, “education records” subject to FERPA provisions do not include those “maintained by a law enforcement unit of the educational agency or institution that were created by that law enforcement unit for the purpose of law enforcement.”

However, FERPA does apply to records about internal student disciplinary matters.

Records that don’t need a parent or student’s consent to be released include “information necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals” and regarding a student whose “conduct poses a significant risk to the safety of that student, other students, and the school community.”

The Georgia Attorney General’s office notes, however, that in the case of the latter, another state law keeps most of that information confidential.

School employees, including teachers, may request that certain portions of their personnel records, such as Social Security number, date of birth, credit reports, financial data and insurance and medical information, be redacted.

The state guide to FERPA and schools includes more detailed appendices of what information is subject to open records laws and what may be exempted from disclosure.

There’s also a sample letter format. As with any other open records requests, the more specific, the better. There may be some fees that are charged for researching, retrieving and preparing documents for disclosure and for some copying expenses.

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation has published a guide to Georgia’s Sunshine Laws, which has further resources on open government.

Later this week East Cobb News will post similar information about obtaining public records from state and federal government agencies.

It’s all part of Sunshine Week, which is being observed March 10-16 by news organizations and open-government advocates.

Through Saturday, East Cobb News invites you to send your questions about how to get public information. E-mail: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll get some answers for you.

General resources

Sunshine Week

 

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Chick-fil-A Woodlawn Square now hiring; TBA reopening in mid-April

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Chick-fil-A Woodlawn Square

Another periodic update on the reopening of the Woodlawn Square Chick-fil-A, since we do get inquries: The store is now accepting job applications, but the tentative reopening has slid back into mid-April.

That’s the word from a Chick-fil-A spokeswoman, who said a grand reopening date hasn’t been scheduled.

If you’re interested in applying, here’s the link to the online application process.

Related story

 

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East Cobb Food Scores: Frankie’s; La Madeleine; Stockyard Burgers; public schools; and more

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The following East Cobb restaurant scores from March 4-15 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:

Arbor Terrace of East Cobb 
886 Johnson Ferry Road
March 7, 2019 Score: 86, Grade: B

Blackwell Elementary School
3470 Canton Road
March 7, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Brewster’s Neighborhood Grille
3595 Canton Road Suite 325
March 8, 2019 Score: 84, Grade: B

Buddha Delight
2731 Sandy Plains Road, Suite A
March 13, 2019 Score: 80, Grade: B

Dickerson Middle School 
855 Woodlawn Drive
March 14, 2019 Score: 91, Grade: A

Frankie’s Italian Restaurant
3125 Roswell Road
March 7, 2019 Score: 96, Grade: A

Garrison Mill Elementary School
4111 Wesley Chapel Road
March 15, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

House of Ming
3101 Roswell Road, Suite 116
March 12, 2019 Score: 99, Grade: A

Kell High School
4770 Lee Waters Road
March 4, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe 
4101 Roswell Road, Suite 812
March 6, 2019 Score: 89, Grade: B

Lassiter High School
2601 Shallowford Road
March 11, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

McCleskey Middle School
4080 Maybreeze Road
March 4, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Mountain View Elementary School
3151 Sandy Plains Road
March 4, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Nichsolson Elementary School
1599 Shallowford Road
March 4, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Pizza Hut
2520 E. Piedmont Road, Suite 124
March 14, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Sprayberry High School
2525 Sandy Plains Road
March 15, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Stockyard Burgers and Bones
4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1700
March 6, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A
February 6, 2019 Score: 76, Grade: C

Tritt Elementary School 
4435 Post Oak Tritt Road
March 7, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Waffle House
4797 Canton Road
March 7, 2019 Score: 95, Grade: A

The Walker School Main Dining Room
700 Cobb Parkway North
March 14, 2019 Score: 90, Grade: A

The Walker School Gatti Hall
700 Cobb Parkway North
March 14, 2019 Score: 99, Grade: A

 

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Brush fires close part of Paper Mill Road Tuesday evening

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Paper Mill Road brush fire

Reader Julia has these photos of Paper Mill Road being blocked off after 6 p.m. Tuesday due to brush fires near the Sibley Forest subdivision.

That’s located between Sope Creek Elementary School and the Cochran Shoals Unit of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.

James Kapish, public information officer for Cobb Fire, said Engine 3 was dispatched to the scene at 6:18 p.m.

He said the fire was controlled quickly and there were no injuries or evacuations and that roads were reopened to traffic at 7:17 p.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Paper Mill Road brush fire

Paper Mill Road brush fire

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• E-mail: editor@eastcobbnews.com

 

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Lyft driver sentenced to 35 years for raping female passenger in Cobb

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Jerome Booze, Lyft driver sentenced Cobb rape
Jerome Antonio Booze

A Cobb Superior Court Judge sentenced a Lyft driver to 35 years in prison Tuesday for raping a female passenger near her apartment in Cobb County in late 2016.

The Cobb District Attorney’s office said Jerome Antonio Booze, 40, of Decatur, was convicted by a Cobb Superior Court jury on Monday. Kim Isaza, a spokeswoman for the DA’s office, said the sentence was handed down by Judge Ann Harris.

Booze was charged in January 2917 after driving a female college student from a night of drinking at a bar in Atlanta to her Vinings apartment on Dec. 10, 2016. According to testimony at the trial, the woman’s friends called for a Lyft around 4 a.m. because she had become intoxicated and they didn’t want her driving home. They had been celebrating a friend’s 21st birthday.

According to prosecutors, the woman said she had flashbacks the next morning of having sex with someone, but said she had no memory of the Lyft ride or of getting home. She told her parents she had been raped and went to Grady Memorial Hospital for medical treatment before filing charges with Atlanta Police, who transferred the case to Cobb Police.

The attack occurred in the back seat of Booze’s car near her apartment building, according to prosecutors. Booze was indicted in February 2017.

Prosecutors said Booze initially told Cobb Police that he denied he had sex with the woman, then later said he did have sex with her but said she initiated it and that he didn’t know she was intoxicated.

During the trial, Booze testified that the woman held down his arm and climbed on him and reiterated that he didn’t know she was drunk.

That didn’t convince the jury, which convicted him on the sole charge of felony rape, Isaza said. Harris told Booze before sentencing that trial evidence showed the woman was incapable of giving consent.

“This predator exploited a position of trust and targeted a vulnerable, intoxicated female. This verdict demonstrates that those who prey on women who do not have the capacity to consent will be held accountable,” said Courtney Veal, Cobb assistant district attorney.

After his release from prison, Booze will serve the rest of his life on probation as a registered sex offender, Isaza said. 

 

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Sunshine Week: Filing open records requests for Cobb County government

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All citizens—and not just journalists—have the right to obtain public information about their federal, state and local governments. In Cobb, the county government has several designated custodians of public records to handle those requests. Cobb County Government logo

Local authorities in the state are subject to provisions of the Georgia Open Records Act.

The county has set up the Cobb Government Open Records Center as a portal to introduce the public about its process.

Open records cover most of the workings of government: commissioners’ decisions, including zoning; contracts; personnel records; public safety incidents; court records; voter registration and elections information; tax information; permits and licenses and more.

Most Cobb government public records requests are handled by the Cobb County Attorney’s Office, which is the custodian of public records for 22 county government agencies and offices:

  • Animal Control; Board of Commissioners; Communications; Community Development; County Attorney; County Clerk; County Manager; Department of Public Safety (including Internal Affairs); Economic Development; Emergency Management Agency; Finance; Human Resources; Information Services; Internal Audit; Libraries; Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs; Property Management; Purchasing; Senior Services; Storm Water Management; Department of Transportation; Water System.

The easiest way to obtain information is online, though you’ll be asked to establish an account the first time you use the electronic system.

To submit an open records request in writing for the offices above, contact:

Cobb County Attorney Deborah Dance
100 Cherokee Street
Marietta, GA 30090
770-528-4000

Several other departments and agencies have their own public records custodians, and they also respond to online requests at the above link. Here are the mailing and e-mail addresses for obtaining information in writing:

Cobb Voter Registration and Elections
Janine Eveler
736 Whitlock Ave, Suite 400
Marietta, GA 30064
770-528-2581
info@cobbelections.org

Cobb Emergency Communications (911)
Records Custodian
140 N. Marietta Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30060
770-499-4106
911openrecords@cobbcounty.org

Cobb Fire and EMS Records
Ellen Black
1595 County Services Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30008
770-528-8000
ellen.black@cobbcounty.org

Cobb Police Department 
(Incident and Accident Reports, Alcohol Permits, Dash and Body Cam Videos)
Lt. Leo Scherer
140 N Marietta Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30060
770-499-3900
policeopenrecordsofficer@cobbcounty.org
Also: Cobb County Crash Reports

Cobb County Sheriff
Robin Clements
Open Records Custodian
Administrative Division
770-499-4728
robin.clements@cobbcounty.org

Cobb Tax Assessor
Stephen White
736 Whitlock Ave
Marietta, GA 30064
770-528-3100
stephen.white@cobbcounty.org

Cobb Tax Commissioner
Carla Jackson
736 Whitlock Ave
Marietta, GA 30064
770-528-8600
tax@cobbtax.org

In addition, the Cobb State Court Clerk’s Office and Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office keep civil and criminal court records, as well as marriage certificates, deed information, real estate transactions and more.

Public records custodians in Georgia have three working days to reply to requests that are subject to the Georgia Open Records Act.

This means that they must notify you by that time of the status of your request, whether it’s approved or denied, and if it’s the former, how much time it may require to provide the information, and what the cost may be.

In many cases there is no charge for documents and records, but fees can be charged for requests that involve some time for custodians to retrieve, research and prepare records.

According to the Cobb Open Records Center, fees that are charged “are based on the hourly rate of the lowest paid employee, minus the first 15 minutes.”

The county also keeps a searchable archive of open records requests that have been made.

The Georgia Open Records Act is part of a broader set of statutes called “Sunshine Laws” that include the provisions for open meetings.

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation has published a guide to Georgia’s Sunshine Laws, which has further resources on open government.

Later in the week East Cobb News will post similar information about obtaining public records from public schools and state and federal government agencies.

It’s all part of Sunshine Week, which is being observed this week by news organizations and open-government advocates.

Through Saturday, East Cobb News invites you to send your questions about how to get public information. E-mail: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll get some answers for you.

General resources

Sunshine Week

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East Cobb shooting survivor recovering; homeowner charged with murder

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Gordon Montcalm, East Cobb shooting survivor

The electrical contractor who survived a shooting allegedly committed by an East Cobb homeowner last week is beginning what appears to be a long recovery, according to information posted with a fundraising appeal for medical and other expenses.

In a GoFundMe page, friends and family of Gordon Montcalm (center, above) said he was shot five times: Once in the face, once in the chest, twice in the arm and once in the back.

Montcalm, 37, of Buchanan, Ga., was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital after he and his apprentice, Jake Horne, 21, of Kennesaw, were shot at the end of their working day at a home on Wellington Lane on Wednesday.

Horne, who was shot in the head, was taken off life support and died on Thursday, according to his family members.

The homeowner, Larry Epstein, 69, of 1963 Wellington Lane, was initially charged with two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault.

After Horne died, Epstein also was charged with one count of felony murder, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office. He remains in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center without bond, and is scheduled to have a hearing March 26.

Police previously said Montcalm was in serious condition at Kennestone. The fundraising note said the man who’s known as “Donnie” will be out of work indefinitely, his wife is taking off work to care for him and the couple has a daughter in high school: “There is so much financial struggle going on right now. . . . and there are many expenses that go along with that they are not going to be able to afford.”

The fundraising goal is $4,000.

 

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Final Johnson Ferry-Shallowford master plan meeting is Tuesday

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Johnson Ferry-Shallowford master plan

After two open house-style meetings, Cobb community development leaders and commissioner Bob Ott will be unveiling a draft plan on Tuesday for the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford master plan.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (2663 Johnson Ferry Road).

Previous East Cobb News coverage here.

For more information visit the county’s community development project page.

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East Cobb Business News: Ribbon-cuttings, luncheons and more

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East Cobb Business Update, Explore Chiropractic Ribbon Cutting

The East Cobb Business Association is helping new businesses introduce themselves to the community by sponsoring ribbon-cutting events.

Saturday was the grand opening for Explore Chiropractic (above), which has opened its doors at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 20, next to Earthwise Pet Suppy).

The owner is Dr. Dan Ruitenbeck (holding scissors), a graduate of Life University. In addition to general chiropractic care, services also cater to pregnancy and pediatric needs. Explore Chiropractic serves the East Cobb, Roswell and Sandy Springs areas.

On Thursday from 12-3 the ECBA will hold a ribbon-cutting for Weddington Realty (3020 Roswell Road, Suite 200) with owner Sarah Weddington, who’s specialized in residential and commercial properties in Georgia, Florida and Texas.

This Saturday from 11-1 is another ECBA ribbon-cutting for the grand opening of a Farmers Insurance office at 3225 Shallowford Road, Suite 120. The proprietor is Pamela Johnson.

Next Tuesday, March 19, the guest speaker at the ECBA’s monthly luncheon is Michael J. Cole, an Atlanta business executive and entrepreneur, who was the founder of the Great American Cookie Co., former CEO of Caribou Coffee and was a Congressional candidate. The Kennesaw State University business school is named after him.

The ribbon-cuttings are free events; the luncheon is $20-$30. Visit the ECBA website to sign up and for information for other events.

Also, every Friday morning the ECBA sponsors the East Cobb Open Networking breakfast, which starts at 7:30 a.m. at Egg Harbor Cafe (4719 Lower Roswell Road). There’s no registration; you just pay for your own meal and network with other local business professionals.

Boyce to speak to NCBA

Cobb Commission chairman Mike Boyce is the guest speaker at the March 20 luncheon of the Northeast Cobb Business Association, which goes from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road).

The NCBA’s signature event is the 5K-9 Race on June 8, also at the Piedmont Church, and registration is underway. Sponsorships are also being sought for the event, which raises funds for ongoing K-9 assistance efforts in Cobb.

Last year the NCBA raised funds for K-9s for an autistic child and for the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.

This year’s 5K-9 proceeds will be used to purchase a specially-trained comfort dog for the Cobb County District Attorney’s office to assist victims of child and elderly abuse.

Recently the Cobb Board of Commissioners recognized the NCBA for its $2K contribution to purchase oxygen masks for cats and dogs rescued by the Cobb Fire Department.

Northeast Cobb Business Association, K-9 oxygen masks

East Cobb Area Council Breakfast

The Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s first community event of the year is the April 23 East Cobb Area Council breakfast April 23 at Indian Hills Country Club.

The guest speaker is Dana Johnson, new executive director of SelectCobb, the chamber’s economic development office, and the former director of the Cobb Community Development Agency.

For information and to register, visit the Chamber’s events page.

Tell us about your business

Do you have business news to share? We’ll post your openings and non-sales events here, including charitable activities. E-mail us at editor@eastcobbnews.com.

If you want to promote your business (including sales and specials other than grand openings), email us at advertising@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll be glad to send you a media kit.

 

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Sunshine Week: Cobb government information and your right to know

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The week of March 10-16 is Sunshine Week across the United States, and a number of news media and open-government organizations are encouraging the public to get educated and take part in demanding transparency from local, state and federal government bodies.Cobb government Sunshine Week

Much has been made of President Donald Trump’s combative relationship with the news media. In many respects, however, what’s more important to your everyday life is how open the government closest to you operates.

All this week, East Cobb News will be providing links to resources to help you—homeowner, taxpayer, citizen and voter—get the answers you’re looking for from county government agencies, law enforcement, courts, appointed boards, public schools, state and federal government and other public entities.

We’ll point you to where you can file open records requests, explain what’s exempt from those laws and show how to track policies, legislation, court rulings and other developments pertaining to the accessibility of public information.

We’ll also give you a chance to ask East Cobb News if there’s something we can find out for you from local government agencies.

If there’s information you’ve been trying to learn without success, because you’ve been stonewalled or just don’t know where to look, we want to help you get access to those public records.

Sifting through the layers of government even at the local level can be complicated and frustrating for journalists, so we understand how bewildered citizens may feel.

Through Saturday, East Cobb News invites you to send your questions about public information. E-mail: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll get some answers for you.

Public records laws are just that—laws that must be followed by public agencies. They’re not optional, as a city of Atlanta employee is finding out the hard way in a rare criminal charge filed against her for allegedly directing department heads to withhold public records.

Sunshine Week culminates on Saturday, March 16, the birthday of Founding Father James Madison, one of the stalwarts of a free press and open government.

While there’s much to celebrate, there’s also much to keep fighting for. Sunshine Week has been around for 14 years, but the battle for public information is year-round and timeless, as is the vigilance required to demand full and transparency from government agencies.

It’s your government, and you can help it make it more responsive by making it more transparent to you. Sunshine Week is one way to demand the accountability you’re entitled to as a citizen.

General resources

 

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Update: 2 teen pedestrians hit by car, seriously injured at Wheeler HS

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Holt Road at Monterrey Drive, 3.9.199ó

UPDATED, 12:55 P.M. SUNDAY:

Cobb Police said two teenage pedestrians were seriously injured Saturday night, one of them with life-threatening injuries, after being struck by a car in front of Wheeler High School on Holt Road.

Officer Neil Penirelli, a spokesman for Cobb Police, said they were hit at 7:01 p.m. Saturday in the crosswalk between Wheeler and the former East Cobb Middle School by a black 2007 Mercedes Benz SLK350 driven by Nancy Valentine, 73, of Marietta.

She was traveling northbound on Holt Road when the accident occurred, Penirelli said. He added that the teenagers, who were not identified, were taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

He said the accident is still being investigated and that anyone with information is asked to contact  Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 7:54 P.M SATURDAY:

Shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday a reader contacted us to say that several police cars were spotted heading up Holt Road northbound, from Eastvalley Elementary School and toward Wheeler High School, and that emergency sirens also could be heard.

We got over there around 7:30 p.m. and police had blocked off Holt at Monterey Drive and Beckwith Trail, which is just above the Wheeler campus.

Cobb Police said there is an accident investigation that’s underway.

If you head southbound on Holt from Robinson Road, you’ll be diverted onto Monterey or Beckwith.

 

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Sweat Mountain Dog Park closing temporarily for renovations

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Sweat Mountain Dog Park

On Wednesday the dog park at Sweat Mountain will be closed to undergo renovations that will take about 4-6 weeks to complete.

You can use a temporary dog area at Noonday Park (550 Shallowford Road, Kennesaw) while that work is ongoing, or visit two other county dog parks, in Acworth or Austell.

Sweat Mountain has the oldest off-the-leash dog park in Cobb, which opened in 2006. It has separate areas for large and smaller dogs.

The renovations will include improvements to the sidewalks, fencing, parking lot, pet foot washes and fountains and drainage areas.

For a larger view of the above map, click here. Cobb Parks said the estimated completion time for the renovations may change due to weather.

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Cobb Wind Symphony performs free concert Sunday at Lassiter HS

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This weekend’s going to be absolutely dreary, but the Cobb Wind Symphony is offering up an ideal get-out-the-house respite: a free concert for the public on Sunday afternoon at the Lassiter Concert Hall.Cobb Wind Symphony

The Season 20 Winter Concert features symphonic selections from George Gershwin, as well as excerpts from the Candide Suite.

No ticket is required, and the music begins at 3 p.m. Donations are accepted.

The Lassiter Concert Hall is located on the Lassiter HS campus, 2601 Shallowford Road.

Related story

 

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