An East Cobb man charged in March with shooting two home contractors—one of them fatally—was indicted Thursday for murder and aggravated assault.
A Cobb Superior Court grand jury returned indictments of malice murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possessing a firearm while committing a felony against Larry Epstein, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
Epstein, 69, has been held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center since his March 6 arrest for the shootings. Jake Horne, 21, of Kennesaw (in photo) died from gunshot wounds sustained at the Epstein’s Wellington Lane home, according to Cobb Police.
Gordon Montcalm, 37, of Buchanan, Ga., also was shot at the home, police said, and he has been undergoing what family members have said is a long recovery.
Police said Horne and Montcalm were finishing up their workday on a contracting project at Epstein’s home, located in a quiet neighborhood off Johnson Ferry Road, when gunfire erupted.
Neighbors reported an active shooter situation to police, who urged them to go inside, as SWAT and other emergency units arrived and blocked off the street.
About a half-hour after the heavy law enforcement presence came to the scene, Epstein surrendered peacefully, according to police.
Horne died later that day after being rushed to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, after family members said he was taken off life support.
Epstein’s wife filed for divorce after separating from her husband of 48 years the day after the shootings, according to Cobb court documents.
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Cobb Police have released security camera photos of a man they said robbed a T-Mobile store on Delk Road earlier this month and they’re asking for the public’s help in identifying and finding him.
Sgt. Neil Penirelli, a Cobb Police spokesman, said a man came into the store at the Delk Road Spectrum Shopping Center (2900 Delk Road, at Powers Ferry Road) on May 18 at 10:21 a.m., armed with a gun.
Police said the man approached sales employees and demanded they take him to a safe, and ordered them to give them their phones and other accessories.
The employees then were told to remain in a backroom as the suspect left the store, police said, adding that he stepped into an awaiting car.
The car is described as a newer model black Nissan Virsa.
Penirelli said T-Mobile is offering a reward through Crime Stoppers, and anyone with information can submit it anonymously at 404-577-TIPS (8477).
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Two men convicted earlier this month of killing a man outside a Windy Hill Road restaurant and wounding his wife in 2016 were handed life sentences on Thursday.
The sentences issued by Cobb Superior Court Judge Ann Harris to Demarious Kevauh Greene, 23 (left), and Dylan Marquis Ledbetter, 25 (right).
On May 16, they were found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and firearms-possession charges stemming from a robbery and shootings of a Kennesaw couple outside the Pappadeaux restaurant Oct. 7, 2016.
Ledbetter, who also was found guilty of aggravated assault on a police officer, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, as well as another consecutive life sentence with a minimum of 10 years to serve. Greene got life with the possibility of parole for murder and three consecutive life sentences for the other charges.
Anthony Welch and his wife Cynthia were leaving the restaurant after having their birthday dinner when they were robbed by two men, police said.
According to trial testimony, the men took a necklace from Cynthia Welch (later revealed to be costume jewelry valued at only $5) after shooting both victims with a .38-caliber weapon.
Anthony Welch died from his wounds and Cynthia Welch survived.
The suspects were stopped on Oct. 15 at a gas station on Delk Road for a traffic violation. Greene and Ledbetter, who are both from Broward County, Fla., had been connected to another robbery in Woodstock for which they have received life sentences.
Ledbetter also is facing murder charges in Broward for shooting a man in the head. That victim, as well as the Woodstock victim, testified in the trial for the Pappadeaux shootings.
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James Rosich, an urban planner by training, calls the Traton Homes proposal a “stack-a-shack” development. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
For several months, residents of an older East Cobb community—proud of their long-standing roots, and embracing those who’ve come to live there more recently—have felt increasingly cut off.
Cut off by increasing congestion at a major intersection. Cut off by vacant commercial and residential properties fronting their neighborhood that have become eyesores.
And, most of all, cut off in a matter between Cobb County and the City of Marietta over a rezoning and annexation request they worry may be settled next week without their input.
UPDATE: The mediation has been called off, and Cobb commissioner Bob Ott will hold a town hall meeting on the matter on Monday. Click here to read more.
For residents of Sewell Manor, a proposed development by Traton Homes for townhomes and urban-style single-family homes is more than just incompatible with their homes.
It’s become what some believe could be a troubling bellwether for the kind of high-density development that they moved there to avoid.
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A small-town feel
Sewell Manor is “the closest thing to Mayberry that you can find in Cobb County now,” said Theresa Gernatt, who grew up in Sewell Manor and lives there again, as a caregiver for her mother.
The small brick ranch homes that line Indian Trail and Worthington Drive were built in the late 1950s, as what became known as East Marietta suburbanized.
Most of them are valued at less than $200,000 today, bargain prices in highly affluent East Cobb, where new homes are routinely sold for $700,000 and up.
She said she and her neighbors understand the empty lots next to their neighborhood will be redeveloped, and they’re not opposed.
“Change is good,” Gernatt said Wednesday at a meeting she and her neighbors called at the Sewell Mill Library, just down the street on Lower Roswell, and that drew around 50 people, many from nearby subdivisions.
However, she said, “real progress is not always change,” and especially what one of the most powerful residential developers in Cobb County has in mind for their community.
Sewell Manor residents William Warwick and Lindsay Field Penticuff.
The proposal by Traton would plop 37 townhomes and 15 single-family homes on less than eight acres at the northeast corner of Lower Roswell and the Loop.
The land includes three commercial parcels on Lower Roswell annexed by Marietta, as well as property on which six former homes stood in Sewell Manor.
The residential tracts are in unincorporated Cobb County—which Traton is proposing the city also annex—as is the rest of Sewell Manor.
Traton has come down from its initial proposal of 63 townhomes and one single-family home, dropping the density from around 12 units an acre to 6.95.
That’s still above the threshold of a state law that allows counties to object to annexations when rezonings include density of more than 4 units an acre.
When Traton submitted its plans earlier this year, Cobb officials did object. However, they didn’t formalize their opposition until it was almost too late.
Earlier this month, as the Marietta City Council was to vote on the Traton request, the county asked for a delay for mediation.
The city agreed, and they’re scheduled to meet next Wednesday with retired Cobb Superior Court Judge James Bodiford.
While the Sewell Manor residents are temporarily relieved, they don’t think their concerns are being taken seriously.
“This is a city creating a problem for us, after we bought into the county to enjoy,” said Robin Moody, a relative Sewell Manor newcomer, who’s lived there 15 years.
She’s urged her neighbors to lobby Bob Ott, their county commissioner (who’s meeting with them on Monday), and to turn out in force for the mediation hearing.
Sewell Manor resident Robin Moody.
Sewell Manor residents are asking Traton to reduce density down to four units an acre, which is still more than twice the density of their neighborhood.
But that’s hardly all of their objections to a proposal they say runs counter to city and county land use plans and basic rezoning standards.
Tration is asking for 15 variances. They include waiving landscape buffers along Lower Roswell and a waiver to build deceleration and acceleration lanes at the Indian Trail access point.
No traffic plan has been submitted by Traton, another requirement.
Some of the townhouses are only 900 square feet, well under the city’s minimum of 1,400 square feet for townhouses. No square footage sizes have been indicated for the single-family homes.
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At the intersection, there’s a massive billboard owned by Ray Boyd, the property owner, that Sewell Manor residents want taken down.
They also want minimum open space to be 25 percent, and a 60 percent maximum for impervious services.
“This is not a good site plan,” said James Rosich, who lives close to nearby Sedalia Park Elementary School. “It’s just not.”
Site plan markup
Rosich, who has an urban planning degree from Georgia Tech and governmental planning experience in Florida and North Carolina, dubbed the Traton plan “Stack-A-Shack.”
It’s lingo in his profession, he says, for high-density development jammed especially closely together. There’s not room for school buses to turn around in the new community, nor for residents to place trash for curbside pickup.
He annotated Traton’s plan to incorporate the community’s requests to get it to something they could accept.
Sewell Manor residents’ objections to and recommended changes for the Traton plan. For larger view click here.
Sewell Manor residents say Marietta City Council member Michelle Cooper-Kelly, who represents the potential annexed land, has told them she’s against the project.
So is the Marietta Planning Commission, which voted in March to recommend denial.
That’s the only vote that’s been taken on the yet-unnamed Traton proposal tabled twice by the council.
Setting a trend?
Ott, who will be the county representative at the mediation, has said that Marietta could eventually exercise home rule and rezone and annex as it pleases without Cobb’s blessing.
(East Cobb News has left a message with Ott’s office seeking comment.)
East Cobb residents in other communities said they’re concerned about a precedent, similar to what’s taking place in the Powers Ferry corridor, if the Traton project goes through.
“If we don’t push back now, that’s what’s going to come along Roswell Road and Johnson Ferry Road,” said Hill Wright, who lives in the Spring Creek neighborhood off Holt Road.
“It’s not just about this neighborhood. It’s the first battle in a war” to maintain a traditional suburban setting, he added.
The Indian Trail home of William Warwick, which has been in his wife’s family for more than 40 years. It’s surrounded by land proposed for upscale townhomes and single-family homes.
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It’s been an unstable couple of years at the top of the Cumberland Community Improvement District(CID), the first such entity in Georgia whose business owners tax themselves for infrastructure and other improvements to spur economic development.
In early 2018, executive director Malika Rivers resigned after nearly 22 years with the organization. Her successor, former Cumberland CID board chairman Tad Leithead, stepped down earlier this year, after only a few months on the job, when he was arrested for DUI in Forsyth County.
Last month the CID board named an East Cobb resident, Kim Menefee, a longtime executive with WellStar Health System, as its lone finalist, and today her hiring was made official.
Submitted information and photo:
The board of directors of the Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID) announced today that it voted unanimously to approve Kim Menefee as the organization’s new executive director.
Menefee brings impressive career credentials to the CID, having served Cobb-based WellStar Health System in senior marketing, communications and public/government affairs positions for more than 20 years. She led the team that created the WellStar brand in addition to developing the government relations role building strong relationships at the local, state and federal levels.
Most recently, Menefee served as WellStar’s senior vice president of strategic community development. In that position, she was responsible for developing the strategic direction and alignment of community engagement and sponsorship with philanthropy efforts, all of which were designed to secure and expand support for WellStar.
“We are elated that Kim has accepted our offer to lead the Cumberland CID,” said Board Chairman John Shern. “We had tremendous interest in this role by very highly qualified and talented individuals. We were impressed with Kim’s extensive professional experience and connections to the Cobb and greater Atlanta business communities.
“We’re looking forward to a new chapter in the CID’s success story and know that Kim is the right person to take us to the next level,” Shern added.
A longtime and current board member of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Menefee served as chair in 2015. She served as co-chair of Cobb’s Competitive Edge (now Select Cobb) that launched in 2013. She has held leadership positions on numerous not-for-profit boards in addition to serving on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, the Metro Atlanta Chamber Board of Advisors, and Kennesaw State University Community Advisory Board, the latter of which she served as a spring commencement speaker in 2016.
“Businesses are choosing the Cumberland area more than ever before,” Menefee stated. “Through the Cumberland CID’s leadership and investment over the last 31 years, the area has become a booming economic engine for Cobb County now representing more than five percent of Georgia’s total economy.
“I’m looking forward to working with the board, investors and stakeholders to build upon the successes and further cement Cumberland at the forefront of innovation and development. Together, we will continue to create a more dynamic urban center and vibrant regional gateway.”
Menefee holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Georgia’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The 6.5-square-mile Cumberland CID includes part of the Powers Ferry Road corridor, below Terrell Mill Road, as well as the area around what’s now SunTrust Park, the Galleria, Cobb Energy Centre, Cumberland Mall and portions of Vinings.
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The home is being built for the Arkoh family on Old Bankhead Highway, and the project is expected to be dedicated in mid-August.
Among the organizations taking part include Unity North Church, St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church, the East Cobb Islamic Center and Temple Kol Emeth.
The others are Bethany United Methodist Church, Covenant United Methodist Church, Log Cabin Community Church of Vinings, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, First Presbyterian Church of Marietta, Smyrna First United Methodist Church, McEachern United Methodist Church, and the Islamic Center of Marietta.
Also involved will be BB&T, Moore Colson and Pinkerton & Laws Construction of Atlanta. Here’s more from NW Metro Habitat about the family being helped with this new home:
The home is being built for future Habitat homeowner and recent widow, Belinda Enimil Arkoh. Belinda has been a United States resident since 2007, and proudly became a naturalized citizen in 2013. She lost her husband and father of her two children in 2018. Belinda is a single mother of two children: a 4-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl. After living in a single bedroom apartment with her two children, she will become a homeowner. Belinda is professional seamstress and a devoted Christian who loves working in her community work and her church.
“It is remarkable to see how the Cobb County faith community comes together to make our county a better place for all our residents,” said Jessica Gill, CEO, N.W. Metro Atlanta Habitat for Humanity. “These organizations are changing the lives and future of the next generation of this well-deserving family.”
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Thanks to Dana Wright, coach of the East Side Chargers 12 and Under baseball team, for letting us know about their special morning Wednesday meeting Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker (at right in photo above, wearing checked shirt) for their fundraising efforts for childhood cancer research.
The fundraising program, “Hits 4 Cancer,” kicked off in February (previous ECN post here), and it continues until July 1, as the team gets ready for a big tournament June 8-24 in Cooperstown, N.Y., near the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Before the event, Wright (pictured at left, in the back row) explained how his team undertook the novel fundraising effort to include donations tied to its performances on the field:
“Our team chose not to raise money for our trip, but to instead create a great cause event that would help teach these young men the importance of giving back.
“The program is very simple . . . . People can pledge a flat amount OR to help motivate for the boys on the field by pledging $ for EVERY TEAM HIT during the season.
“We will play 30+ games and estimate 4-5 hits per game – bringing the total to 120-150 hits. We ring a cowbell at every game for every hit . . . . This really motivates the kids and has generated new pledges.”
Thus far, Wright tells us, the Chargers have raised $5,000 for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer.
Here’s more from Wright about how the Chargers are continuing their effort, and inviting the public to take part, and how you can help, with links at the bottom of the post:
“We are also looking for other teams to join and set up their own program . . . . Rally will do all the work and make it turn key for any other coach or team families to participate.
“More viral we can make this – the more money is raised to fight childhood cancer.
“It has really motivated these young men on the field to work harder, given them a sense of pride knowing that they are helping other kids and giving them a better understanding of the disease.”
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New Cobb Police Chief Tim Cox served as commander of Precinct 4 in East Cobb. (Cobb Co. photo)
Selected sworn public safety employees in Cobb County will be getting a one-time bonus, but they’ll have to wait a couple of months to get it.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve the $1,475 bonuses, which have been promised as a “first step” by county officials to address concerns in recent months about salaries and retention.
The bonuses won’t take effect until Aug. 2, due to a 60-day pension public notification required by state law.
By a 4-1 vote, commissioners also appointed Tim Cox, currently interim chief, to be the new Cobb Police Chief. He succeeds Mike Register, who was recently named the Cobb Public Safety Director, and his appointment is effective immediately.
The bonuses will go to police officers, firefighters and sheriff’s deputies who received satisfactory or better job performance reviews in 2018.
“This is the very first step a multi-step approach” to recruiting, keeping and better-compensating sworn public safety personnel, Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said.
For several months some public safety employees and their representatives and private citizens have been lobbying commissioners, saying current staffing and salary levels are at a “crisis.”
Before the vote, some of those strong critics thanked the commissioners and urged them to work for long-term goals, including a step-and-grade compensation system.
Among them was East Cobb resident Lance LoRusso, a former county police officer who now represents police with the Cobb Fraternal Order of Police.
He said the bonuses are “a gesture of faith and not a commitment. . . . They’re looking for a commitment from you.” LoRusso asked commissioners to “fix it for years to come . . . now is the time to act,” with the ultimate goal to make Cobb “the best and most sought-after county to work in.”
Boyce has proposed pay raises for public safety employees totaling seven percent for the upcoming fiscal year 2020 budget.
“We will do something that we can be proud of,” he said after the vote.
In the item after the bonuses, the commissioners confirmed Cox as the new police chief. The vote wasn’t unanimous; South Cobb commissioner Lisa Cupid said she wasn’t opposed to Cox but an appointment process that “didn’t provide the public [the chance] to vet what is a significant role.”
Cox, who’s a county native, has been with Cobb Police for his entire 30-year career, and had been contemplating retirement.
His assignments have including serving as Precinct 4 commander on Lower Roswell Road, noted by East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott.
“I can think of no better person,” Ott said. “He is a stabilizing force. He is the go-to person no matter the position.”
That’s what Register cited in his recommendation of Cox, saying he provides “an air of stability” for a police department facing numerous challenges, including the salary and retention issues.
Cox has been deputy chief under Register, who’s implemented a number of community policing initiatives. Cox has said he will be willing to stay on three more years.
“This is the only police department I’ve ever wanted to work for,” he said after the vote. “But this is not about me. It’s about the department.
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This award was given to Chen for his efforts in both his professional and his personal life, advocating for the Asian community in Atlanta.
At Bank of America, Chen manages a chapter of an Asian-focused employee leadership network and was part of the network’s founding team that is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. This Asian leadership network group is one of the oldest employee network groups at the bank, started in 1999. Today, there are 20 chapters across the country with close to 10,000 members.
Outside of work, Chen serves as president and Chairman of the National Association of Asian American Professional (NAAAP) and has won the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for the past three years, averaging over 1,000 hours per year – exhibiting his passion for philanthropy and community service.
As a native of Georgia, Chen grew up a second-generation immigrant and earned his bachelor’s degree from Kennesaw State University. He currently resides and works in Kennesaw, lending his 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, working on the credit card product team where he manages one of the largest partnerships at Bank of America.
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Sandy Plains Road at Trickum Road Wednesday afternoon, after traffic reopened. (Ga. 511 camera photo)
UPDATED WEDNESDAY, 2:30 P.M.: Cobb DOT says Sandy Plains Road has reopened at Ebenezer Road this morning, after the completion of emergency repairs that closed the intersection overnight.
UPDATED TUESDAY, 5:20 P.M.: Cobb government has said just now that at water main break has closed Sandy Plains Road at Ebenezer Road, and that crews are headed there to make repairs.
The water main break, which an East Cobb News reader said was caused by a truck striking a hydrant, took place at an intersection that’s undergoing construction work along Sandy Plains.
DOT the water flow has caused Sandy Plains to be “undermined,” and that the closure “is expected to be a long-term event.”
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Residents living in the Sewell Manor neighborhood at Lower Roswell Road and the Loop have scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday to discuss a proposed annexation and rezoning case next to their community that’s going to mediation between Cobb County and the City of Marietta.
The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center, just down the road at 2051 Lower Roswell Road.
Citizens living in Sewell Manor have been opposed to a proposal before the Marietta City Council by Traton Homes to build 37 townhomes and 15 single-family detached homes on 7.48 acres at the northeast intersection of Lower Roswell and the Loop.
The rezoning request also requires annexation into the city, since some of that tract is in unincorporated Cobb.
Cobb officials initially objected to the request under a state law governing annexation involving high-density zoning matters.
Traton has come down on its proposal from nearly 12 units an acre to 6.5 an acre. The law’s threshold is 4 units an acre, but the county did not formalize its objection in writing.
The Marietta City Council could have voted anyway, but tabled that vote earlier this month and agreed to mediation with the county.
That process is set to start in June, and Sewell Manor residents want to brief their fellow neighbors on their concerns.
They include additional traffic at an already congested intersection, as well as other aspects of Traton’s site plan.
Sewell Manor homes were built in the 1950s and the neighborhood density is 1.75 units an acre. Some have said they’re not against new development but what Traton is proposing is incompatible with their community.
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UPDATED, 2:47 P.M.: Police said Elijah Jones was spotted in Smyrna, and is with Cobb County Police. Marietta Police will be reuniting him with his family.
ORIGINAL POST:
Marietta Police say a 12-year-old boy went missing on Sunday, and he was last seen in the Allgood Road area, near Morningside Road.
Elijah Jones is around 4-foot-11, weighs around 95 pounds and has a scar on his chin, according to police.
He is believed to be wearing gray sweatpants, gray and white shirt and yellow Nike shoes.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts, especially since Sunday afternoon, is asked to call 911.
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U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., cosponsored bipartisan legislation this week to combat illegal and intrusive robocalls.
Amid an ever-increasing number of robocall scams, the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, S.151, would give regulators more time to find scammers, increase penalties for those who are caught, promote call authentication technology, and bring relevant federal agencies and state attorneys general together to address delays in the criminal prosecution of robocallers.
“Beyond being a nuisance, robocalls can be dangerous when the callers are criminals trying to steal personal data and money. This legislation would help reduce the number of unsolicited calls and hold the perpetrators of these scams accountable,” said Isakson. “It is time for Congress to take action to provide relief for consumers.”
Specifically, the TRACED Act would:
Broaden the authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to levy civil penalties of up to $10,000 per call on people who intentionally flout telemarketing restrictions.
Extend the window for the FCC to catch and take civil enforcement action against intentional violations to three years after a robocall is placed. Under current law, the FCC has only one year to do so, and the FCC has told the committee that “even a one-year longer statute of limitations for enforcement” would improve enforcement against willful violators.
Bring together the Department of Justice, FCC, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Commerce, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and other relevant federal agencies as well as state attorneys general and other non-federal entities to identify and report to Congress on improving deterrence and criminal prosecution at the federal and state level of robocall scams.
Require voice service providers to adopt call authentication technologies, enabling a telephone carrier to verify that incoming calls are legitimate before they reach consumers’ phones.
Direct the FCC to initiate a rulemaking to help protect subscribers from receiving unwanted calls or texts from callers.
The TRACED Act is supported by all 50 state attorneys general, board members of the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission, and a number of other industry associations and consumer advocacy organizations.
U.S. Sens. John Thune, R-N.D., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., led the legislation in the Senate. Full text of the legislation is available here.
To block telemarketing calls, register your number on the Do Not Call List at www.donotcall.gov. Legitimate telemarketers consult the list to avoid calling both landline and wireless phone numbers on the list.
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A 2018 photo of flags in front of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church for Memorial Day. (ECN file)
Here’s a glimpse what’s going on in and around East Cobb for the Memorial Day holiday weekend:
Saturday The Marietta Pops Orchestra Spring Concert features movie themes, orchestrations, pop standards and sing-alongs, from 7:30 to 9:15 p.m. at the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, 117 N. Park Square, Marietta. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. For info contact: marietttapopsorchestra.org or 770-874-8525.
Sunday TheCheatham Hill Walk at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park includes a guided interactive tour by historian Brad Quinlin around Cheatham Hill, the Illinois Monument and the Dead Angle. Programs are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Parking is at the Illinois Monument parking lot, 947 Cheatham Hill Drive, Marietta.
Monday The Marietta Memorial Day 5K/10K Run takes place at the Sprayberry Square Shopping Center (2550 Sandy Plains Road) starting at 7:30 a.m. The entry fees range from $30-$40 and are free for veterans. Scenic course, finisher medals, tech shirts, awards for the top 3 overalls, top 3 masters overalls, grand master overall, senior master overall, and all the regular 5-year age groups. To sign up and for information, click here.
The Marietta Memorial Day Observance is a long-standing tradition, beginning at 12 noon at the Marietta National Cemetery (500 Washington Ave.). This year’s keynote speaker is Brig. Gen. Diana Holland of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Atlantic Division, and the honoree is the Georgia Vietnam Veterans Alliance. For more information, click here.
The Roswell Memorial Day Service begins at 11 a.m. at Roswell City Hall (38 Hill St.), and the guest speaker is Colonel (Ret) Patricia S. Blassie, Deputy Director, Directorate of Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), Robins Air Force Base. A picnic and concert follows, and BBQ will be available for purchase. For more, click here.
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Georgia 511 photo of I-75 near the Terrell Mill Road express lanes.
From the Georgia DOT:
The Georgia Department of Transportation will scale back road construction activities across metro Atlanta and suspend construction-related lane closures on all interstate and major state routes to ease Memorial Day weekend traffic congestion.
Starting at noon on Friday, May 24 and continuing to 5:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, 2019, there will be no construction-related scheduled lane closures on any Georgia interstate highway – including metro Atlanta Interstates 20, 75, 85, 285 and 675 or any primary state route that directly serves Georgia’s major tourist and recreation centers. The Department notes that some work may continue on lesser-traveled state and local system roads and that incident or emergency maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary on any route. If motor vehicle accidents occur on any roadway, temporary lane closures may be installed until the scenes are cleared.
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The Cobb library system’s summer reading program begins Saturday with a kickoff event on Saturday from 5-7 p.m. at the Cobb County Civic Center (548 S. Marietta Parkway). Here’s more on “A Universe of Stories,” the theme for this summer’s program:
Calling all Earthlings, astronauts, space adventurers and explorers, Jedi, Doctors, future Mission to Mars scientists, martians, and space robots –
Suit up in your favorite outer space gear and blast off on our Summer Space Jam dance floor. Explore official Cobb County Police vehicles and a Cobb County Fire truck. Meet and read to our favorite 4-legged friends from CAREing Paws. Get creative with out-of-this-world arts, crafts, and activities. Enjoy spaced-theme storytimes. We come in peace! Meet our community partners from Communities in Schools, Cobb County School District, Marietta City School, and Cobb PARKS. Be on the lookout for stellar special guests including the KSU iTeach Maker Bus and Fernbank Science Center and their portable planetarium!
This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Bring all your friends – from our galaxy and beyond!
Find more information about Summer Reading at cobbcat.org/srp.
Here are a couple of other events taking place on Saturday at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road):
World Lindy Hop Day Swing-Up Dance, from 1-5 p.m. in the art gallery:
We’ll be joined by the KSU Swing Dance Association who will teach a beginner lesson at 1:00 PM.
There is no dress code – wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. No partner nor prior experience are necessary. Everyone welcome!
And from 3-5 in the community room is a session about the Modern Quilt Movement:
Grandmothers might still be quilting, but their grandchildren have taken this art form in a whole new direction. Learn about how millennials connected online, established their own quilting aesthetic and organized an international movement that brings tens of thousands of quilters together annually for QuiltCon.
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We posted earlier this month about Cobb County School District retirees who were honored at a luncheon, especially those with 30-plus years of longevity. Here are all the retirees from East Cobb schools, including teachers, administrators, cafeteria workers, custodians, nurses and more, plus the number of years they were employed by the district:
Bells Ferry Elementary School
Robin Pullen, teacher, 21
Daniell Middle School
Carole Benavides, teacher, 23
Jacqueline Davies, food service assistant, 12
Mary Gates, teacher, 13
Sara Harris, media specialist, 19
Davis Elementary School
Lucia Brown, assistant principal, 30
Mary Ward, media specialist, 7
Dickerson Middle School
Lisa Larkin, paraprofessional, 22
Mary Scarbrough, teacher, 11
Nadiyah Shakoor-AbdurRahim, RN, nurse, 10
Kell High School
Charles Goddard, teacher, 16
Lauren Hines, teacher, 30
Steven Lattizori, teacher, 30
Willie Patton, paraprofessional, 14
Lassiter High School
Angela Carder, clerk, 31
Beverly Conley, clerk, 20
Cathy Zingler, teacher, 24
Deborah Poss, teacher, 36
Donald Slater, teacher, 38
Jeannie Ledbetter, food service assistant, 39
Micheline Fournier, clerk, 21
Mabry Middle School
Lisa Bowman, teacher, 31
McCleskey Middle School
Beth Decker, secretary, 25
Mt. Bethel Elementary School
Tracy Sikes, teacher, 20
Mountain View Elementary School
Christine Nielsen, paraprofessional, 17
Murdock Elementary School
Elizabeth Sheeley, speech/language pathologist, 9
Nicholson Elementary School
Mary Ann Kessler, paraprofessional, 25
Pamela Otto, teacher, 17
Sedalia Park Elementary School
Marsha Williams, food service assistant, 22
Mary Kienker, teacher, 13
Sharon Drake, teacher, 11
Shallowford Falls Elementary School
Amy Koenning, teacher, 32
Diane Marco, teacher, 16
Jean Allen, secretary, 20
Pamela Heath, RN, school nurse, 17
Simpson Middle School
Blanca Carmichael, secretary, 13
Sope Creek Elementary School
Cindy Dingess, teacher, 28
Susan Jenkins, teacher, 30
Sprayberry High School
Catherine Barry, teacher, 30
Edwige Brun, teacher, 18
Mary Barber, paraprofessional, 19
Maureen Gamble, teacher, 23
Teresa Fuller, teacher, 24
Tritt Elementary School
Amy Benson, teacher, 21
Walton High School
Lawrence Moon, head custodian, 36 years
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School’s out, and it’s already hot! The Sewell Park Pool (2055 Lower Roswell Road) begins its summer hours on Saturday as one of two outdoor pools in the Cobb County Parks and Recreation Department.
Here’s the lowdown on costs, and where to call for more information:
Admission for Cobb residents is $3.50 for children ages 2-17, $4.50 for adults and $3 for seniors. Non-resident admission fees are $5.25 for youth, $6.75 for adult and $4.50 for seniors. Group and pool rental packages are available. For information, call 770-528-8465.
And here are the hours, including Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day:
May: May 25-27: Open 1-5 p.m. May 28-30: Open 1-7:30 p.m. May 31: Open 1-5 p.m.
Summer: Saturday, May 25 through Wednesday, July 31:
Monday-Thursday: 1-7:30 p.m.
Friday – Sunday: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3 through Monday, Sept. 2:
Saturdays and Sundays only: 1-5 p.m.
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For the first time in five years, Walton is an all-sports champion in the state of Georgia.
The Raiders took home first place in the Georgia Athletic Directors Association Director’s Cup standings in Class 7A, the largest classification in the state.
Walton’s victory over Lambert in the Georgia High School Association’s Class 7A boys lacrosse championship game last weekend proved to be the clincher for the Director’s Cup.
Walton tallied 1,225 points for the season, and Lambert had 1,180 points. North Gwinnett was third with 1,154 points.
Lassiter ranked No. 13 in Class 7A with 798 points, and Wheeler was 40th with 361 points. Class 7A has 48 schools.
The Pope athletics program is guaranteed a third-place finish in Class 6A. The Greyhounds have 1,021 points, trailing only Cambridge (1,119) and Cobb rival Harrison (1,115).
Pope is meeting Heritage of Conyers in the 6A baseball finals, but would not move past Harrison with a title.
UPDATE: The Greyhounds fell in Game 3 on Thursday and are state baseball runner-up.
Also in 6A, Sprayberry was 47th, with 182 points, out of 57 schools.
In Class 5A, Kell finished 16th in the Director’s Cup, with 702 points. The top finishers were Starr’s Mill, Buford and McIntosh in a classification with 56 schools.
The Walker School came in 12th in Class A with 705 points. Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, which fields a handful of varsity sports, was 84th in a classification with 99 schools.
Four state title teams
The teams from East Cobb that took home state championships in the 2018-19 school year are the Pope and Walton volleyball teams, the Pope boys cross country team and the Walton boys lacrosse team.
For Walton, the Director’s Cup is the school’s third since 2013. The Raiders haven’t been out of the top five since, and last year were fourth.
Pope won the Director’s Cup in 2014 and 2017 and was fifth last year.
The Walton girls topped 7A, edging Lambert 650 to 641 points. The Lassiter girls were 16th and the Wheeler girls were 40th.
In 6A, the Pope girls were fifth, and Sprayberry was 42nd. The Kell girls were 14th in Class 5A, while the Walker girls were 6th in Class 1A.
In the boys’ standings, Walton was second to Cobb rival Hillgrove, 584 to 575, in Class 7A, with Lassiter in 13th place and Wheeler in 39th.
The Pope boys could have won the 6A standings with a state baseball title. The Greyhounds trailed Harrison 507 to 502 points. Ironically, it was the Harrison girls’ softball team that defeated Pope in the state championship series last fall.
The Sprayberry boys finished 42nd in Class 6A, and the Kell boys were 14th in Class 5A. The Walker boys were 32nd in Class A.
Mt. Bethel Christian, which began a high school on Post Oak Tritt Road in 2014, also is new to the GHSA. For a time this season the boys basketball team was ranked No. 1 in Class A, and qualified for the state tournament.
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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The following East Cobb restaurant scores from May 13-22 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Suit up in your favorite outer space gear and blast off on our Summer Space Jam dance floor.
Also in 6A, Sprayberry was 47th, with 182 points, out of 57 schools.
