LAZ Parking hiring at Truist Park for 2021 Atlanta Braves season

Submitted information:LAZ Parking hiring Truist Park

LAZ Parking is holding hiring events for the 2021 Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball season at Truist Park in Cobb County. The remaining events will be held at the park:

  • 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday, March 24
  • 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday, March 25
  • 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, March 26
  • 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, March 27

Masks are required at all times and social distancing rules apply. Temperature checks at check-in. Truist Park is located at 2605 Circle 75 Parkway, Atlanta. For more information, contact Scott Fielder at sfielder@lazparking.com or Michael Craig at mcraig@lazparking.com. More information about the company can be found at lazparking.com.

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Chattahoochee River trails management plan seeks public input

Chattahoochee River trails management plan

Submitted information:

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (Chattahoochee River NRA) launched public commenting on a preliminary strategy for improving the park’s trail system.

Initial public commenting on the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Preliminary Trails Management Plan will open from March 15 to April 15, 2021, and include opportunities to submit written comments and participate in public meetings.

“We are pleased to offer this opportunity for the public to provide early input on the future of the park’s trail system,” said Acting Superintendent Elisa Kunz. “We’ve used what we have heard from our trail users in the past and designed a system that should be both more sustainable and more enjoyable, but we now need feedback from the public and our stakeholders on our effort. This feedback helps us know if we are on the right track, and where improvements might be needed.”

Two virtual public meetings to discuss the trails plan and answer questions about the project will take place on Thursday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. (ET), and on Friday, March 26 at 1:30 p.m. (ET). Links to join the virtual meetings may be accessed on the project website at parkplanning.nps.gov/CRNRA_Trails. During the virtual meetings, National Park Service staff will explain the plan process, showcase methods for public comment, and answer participants’ questions. The meeting presentations will be identical and interested parties are encouraged to attend the time most convenient.

Chattahoochee River NRA has developed two methods for submitting plan comments online. Written comments may be submitted by visiting parkplanning.nps.gov/CRNRA_Trails and selecting “Open for Comment” on the left menu bar and selecting “Preliminary Trails Management Plan.” There is also a second online platform that provides an interactive option for viewing trail proposals and an opportunity for the public to up

Written comments may also be submitted by mail to:

  • National Park Service Denver Service Center
  • Attn: CRNRA Trails Plan / Charles Lawson 1
  • 2795 West Alameda Pkwy Denver, CO 80228

Written comments on the initial phase of the plan must be submitted online or postmarked by April 15, 2021 to be considered. Additional opportunities for commenting and public engagement will be offered throughout the project.

About the Trails Plan Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Preliminary Trails Management Plan

Within the park’s boundary are approximately 65 miles of pedestrian and mixed-use trails. Most of the existing trail system consists of legacy social trails, relict roadbeds, and utility corridors predating the park’s establishment in 1978. These legacy trails were never intentionally designed for a positive trail experience. They lack connectivity to neighboring trail systems while potentially degrading water quality through erosion runoff and impacting plant habitat. Many of the existing trails are also difficult and costly to maintain.

To help address the issues, the National Park Service is developing a plan for design and maintenance of an improved pedestrian and multi-use trail system for the entirety of the Chattahoochee River NRA. After working with trail users and professional trail designers, the park has developed a set of preliminary trail design proposals for each of the park’s 15 land units.

The preliminary designs aim to improve the visitor experience on trails, improve the sustainability of the park’s trail system, and improve its connectivity to planned and existing regional trail systems – including the proposed Chattahoochee RiverLands Greenway (chattahoocheeriverlands.com).

The preliminary management strategies include programmatic actions, which would apply parkwide, and specific trail designs for each unit of the park. The unit-specific trail designs are best understood by reading the descriptions and viewing the maps in the Preliminary Comprehensive Trails Plan available for download on the project website (parkplanning.nps.gov/CRNRA_Trails).

After public comments are received, park staff will adjust the proposed strategies, as necessary, before developing the complete Trails Management Plan. There will be another opportunity to comment on the plan once it is in full draft.

 

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Cobb schools detail learning options for 2021-22 school year

Cobb schools learning options 2021-22

A mixed system of in-person and virtual learning options for the 2021-22 Cobb County School District’s academic year includes an “exclusive” virtual program and a five-days-a-week instructional calendar for both.

The Cobb Board of Education heard more details Thursday from district officials, including Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who said “virtual is here to stay” and not just in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has prompted online instruction for the last year.

More details will be provided Monday at the district’s Cobb Learning Everywhere vertical. Also starting Monday, registration for grades 6-12 will get underway and lasts through April 1.

Ragsdale and Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Lawson presented grade-level plans that include an “exclusive” online learning environment for grades 6-12.

For students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, there will be local school-based online learning. Ragsdale said many of those options will be “school by school specific,” with no singular district-wide program.

The plans also call for some online elementary learners from several schools in a geographic cluster to be taught by a singular teacher. That model is designed for semester and year-long enrollment.

Registration for PreK-5 starts April 19 and continues through May 1.

High school learners will have a block schedule and supplemental classes. Those high school and middle school students in the virtual option will be enrolled through the Cobb Online Learning Academy.

Most online learners will be taught by full-time teachers certified in online teaching. For online high school students who wish to be enrolled through their home high school, they can learn independently through the district’s Cobb Virtual Academy.

The district is in the process of filling more than 750 teaching positions for the next school year, and is conducting a virtual job fair later this month.

“This is good stuff, this is cutting edge stuff,” Cobb school board chairman Randy Scamihorn said at Thursday’s learning options presentation.

“We have a fantastic staff that can make this happen.”

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East Cobb food scores: Brazilian Bakery; Roll On In Sushi; more

Brazilian Bakery, East Cobb food scores

The following East Cobb food scores for the week of March 15 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Brazilian Bakery Cafe
1260 Powers Ferry Road, Suite A
March 15, 2021 Score: 91, Grade: A

Jameric
3349 Canton Road, Suite 201
March 17, 2021 Score: 81, Grade: B

Marco’s Pizza
2986 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 100
March 19, 2021 Score: 100, Grade: A

Roll On In Sushi & Burrito Bowls
1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 365
March 19, 2021 Score: 98, Grade: A

Starbuck’s Coffee
3629 Sandy Plains Road
March 19, 2021 Score: 92, Grade: A

Taco Bell
2971 Shallowford Road
March 19, 2021 Score: 96, Grade: A

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Cobb school board hires Atlanta law firm on interim basis

Clem Doyle, Cobb schools legal counsel
Clem Doyle

UPDATED, SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1:40 P.M.

The school board voted Saturday to hire the Atlanta law firm of Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough to represent the Cobb County School District on an interim basis.

The vote was 6-1 with board member Jaha Howard against, saying he wanted more time to process the recommendation from Supertintendent Chris Ragsdale.

Howard made a motion to delay the decision, but it failed 1-6.

Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough provides legal services to the Atlanta and Fulton school systems and will start work with Cobb immediately.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

After voting to terminate its association with its longtime law firm, the Cobb Board of Education on Thursday announced it would hold a special called meeting on Saturday to consider recommendations for interim legal counsel.

By a 4-3 party line vote, the board voted to end its association with Gregory, Doyle, Calhoun & Rogers of Marietta, but did not explain why.

During its Thursday work session, board member Jaha Howard asked whether the matter could be discussed publicly, but was told it would be done in executive session.

After that executive session, the board held a voting session, with Howard, Charisse Davis and Tre’ Hutchins, the board’s Democratic minority, opposing the measure to seek new legal counsel.

There was no further discussion during that meeting.

A late addition to the board’s meeting agenda indicated only that “the Cobb County School District requires legal counsel with resources allowing it to consistently, reliably, and timely respond to the District’s complex legal needs. The increasingly complex legal environment requires solutions incorporating policy guidance, governance training, intergovernmental cooperation, and external accreditation services.”

On Saturday at 10 a.m., the board will hold a special called meeting, for which Superintendent Chris Ragsdale “is directed to identify law firms possessing the expertise, size, experience, and capacity to immediately and competently serve as interim general counsel for the Cobb County School District.”

That meeting can be seen by the public on the district’s website.

The agenda item also states that the board has a year to identify a permanent legal counsel, and that Gregory, Doyle, Calhoun & Rogers will provide assistance during the transition.

Partner Clem Doyle is present at board meetings and executive sessions, serving as a parliamentarian and conducting public comment sessions.

He also did not speak about the decision to change legal services on Thursday.

The decision comes as the Cobb school district is the subject of a preliminary investigation by the Cobb District Attorney’s office into school equipment and technology purchases, and as a citizens’ financial watchdog group has been scrutinizing and publicly critical of some of that spending, including for COVID-19-related safety supplies.

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East Cobb parent wants Cobb schools to drop mask mandate

East Cobb parent drop mask mandate
Amy Henry was a leader pushing for in-person learning in Cobb schools last fall.

An East Cobb woman who has four children in public schools said the Cobb County School District’s student mask mandate should be dropped after teachers get vaccinated.

Amy Henry, who has two children at Walton High School and two others in grade school, said at a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday that “we’re putting on a show and denying our children in the process” by requiring students who attend classes in person to wear masks at all times.

“They need to have a normal childhood,” Henry said. “We’re teaching them that they’re dirty. We’re creating a fearful environment that for these kids cannot be normal.”

While several school districts in metro Atlanta make masks optional for students, Cobb is among those that requires mask-wearing for students, teachers and staff on campuses.

Henry said “there’s no data that says kids are spreading” the COVID-19 virus.

COVID-19 case rates in the Cobb school district have been steadily dropping in recent weeks, but the district does not break down those figures between students and staff.

Teachers in the Cobb school district are eligible to get vaccinated through Cobb and Douglas Public Health. Optional vaccinations took place on Wednesday and more are scheduled for next week and two dates in April.

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale initially planned to “encourage” but not require mask use at the start of the school year. But after ordering schools to start all-online, Ragsdale said masks would be required when students returned to campus in October.

They have been mandatory ever since, although efforts by Cobb school board members Charisse Davis and Jaha Howard to make them part of the student dress code were unsuccessful.

Henry was a leader of a group called “Let Parents Choose” that advocated for in-person schooling. After the all-virtual decision was made, she enrolled her younger children in private schools, and they now attend Sope Creek Elementary School.

She told East Cobb News in an August interview that she initially supported measures such as mask-wearing, “but at some point we have to ask what kind of damage we’re doing to kids in the long run.”

On Thursday, Henry told board members she still hasn’t been able to visit her kindergartener’s classroom due to COVID-19 restrictions.

This is a virus, she said, “with a 99.97 percent survival rate.” She suggested that those parents and students who have concerns over the virus can choose the virtual option.

Board members don’t respond to public commenters. Later in the work session, Ragsdale said no decision had been made about whether masks will be required for next year.

He was asked by Davis during a discussion about virtual learning options. Ragsdale said the Cobb school district will “continue to follow the guidance” of Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

“At this point in time, we’re not able to say either way,” he said.

For the spring semester, around 66 percent of the Cobb County School District’s 107,000 students chose in-person learning.

In January, after the deaths of three teachers due to COVID-19, several teachers and parents pleaded with the Cobb school district to return to all-virtual. They also scolded Ragsdale and board members David Banks and David Chastain of East Cobb for not wearing masks.

Another parent who spoke at Thursday’s work session, John Hanson, told board members that students “should have a choice to wear a mask just like everyone in this room has a choice.”

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Cobb schools go remote Thursday due to severe weather threat

The Cobb County School District said late Wednesday afternoon that Thursday classes will be remote due to impending severe weather.CCSD logo, Cobb 2018-19 school calendar

The district said in a release at 6:20 p.m. that the decision was made “to protect students and staff who would be traveling to school during the worst weather conditions.”

The National Weather Service in Atlanta issued an advisory Wednesday afternoon indicated that a severe thunderstorm system making its way through Mississippi and Alabama was expected to reach Georgia overnight, and in metro Atlanta in particular between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Thursday.

“We often talk about the safety of Cobb students and staff being our highest priority. Avoiding the dangers associated with severe weather when students are riding buses and staff are driving to work is an example of that priority,” the district statement said.

The severe weather advisory includes the possibility of tornadoes, high winds and hail as well as flooding.

There have been tornado warnings in most of Alabama and Mississippi on Wednesday, and reports of hail.

A tornado warning was in effect late Wednesday afternoon in Birmingham and central Alabama, and a confirmed tornado in Chilton County, Ala., near Montgomery.

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Severe weather threat for Cobb includes overnight storms

Updating yesterday’s story about stormy weather moving in:

The National Weather Service Wednesday afternoon issued a hazardous weather outlook that includes severe thunderstorms overnight, including the possibility of tornado weather.

The outlook, issued shortly before noon, calls for heavy rains across much of north and western Georgia, starting Wednesday night and overnight into Thursday morning.

That threat includes Cobb and metro Atlanta, generally from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday.

The NWS Atlanta office said that “the primary risk will likely be with an area of storms pushing eastward late tonight into Thursday morning. The main threats will be tornadoes (some of which could be significant or longer tracked), damaging winds over the primary risk will likely be with an area of storms pushing eastward late tonight into Thursday morning.

“The main threats will be tornadoes (some of which could be significant or longer tracked), damaging winds over 60 mph, large hail, and flash flooding. mph, large hail, and flash flooding.”

Georgians are being asked to prepare to move to safety, including signing up for alerts, finding a safe place in their homes

A tornado watch was issued for much of Mississippi and Alabama Wednesday afternoon, and there are some portions of Alabama under a tornado warning.

That storm front is expected to move into Georgia and metro Atlanta later this evening. Here’s the NWS briefing.

Cobb County government issued the following information shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday:

“Cobb EMA will be monitoring the system, and we do have a robust network of tornado sirens in the county. However, you should not rely on these sirens as a warning device in your home because in tree-laden Cobb County these sirens can often be hard to hear inside a house.

“Cobb DOT has crews on standby tonight to respond to any reported storm damage or road closures and to deal with isolated road flooding that could occur.

“If conditions are dangerous before sunrise, please avoid venturing out on the roads.”

Wednesday’s low is expected to be in the high 50s, with the chance of storms dropping to 50 percent by Thursday afternoon and highs in the high 60s. Lows will be in the mid 40s as the storms clear through.

 

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Cobb school board agenda includes virtual learning options

Cobb school board

The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday will hear a presentation by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale about virtual learning options for the 2021-22 school year.

He’s also expected to provide an update on the district’s purchase of aqueous ozone hand sanitizing machines as a COVID-19 safety measure.

Those items are included on the agenda for the school board work session that starts at 1 p.m. Thursday. An executive session is to follow, and voting meeting starts at 7 p.m.

You can view the agendas by clicking here.

Last month Ragsdale said there would be virtual learning options as there are for the current school year, and “that is emphatic and definite.”

What had to be worked out, among other things, is how teachers would teach. This year they’ve been required to teach students in-person and remote simultaneously.

Ragsdale said at the time that “we are learning from mistakes” and “seeing the impacts” a dual learning system has had on students and teachers.

“We recognize the extreme level of difficulty for all team members this school year,” Ragsdale said then.

For the spring semester, around 66 percent of the Cobb County School District’s 107,000 students chose in-person learning.

An Indiana company called 30e is the manufacturer of the hand sanitizing machines that are being installed in elementary schools, after a proof-of-concept at three schools in the fall semester.

Those were part of a $12 million purchase of COVID-19 safety products that included special UV lights at elementary schools.

But earlier this month the district announced it was cancelling that contract, with Kennesaw-based ProTek Life, after a malfunction at a school.

The safety spending was opposed to two school board members and a parents’ watchdog group, Watching the Funds Cobb, called it into question.

Board members have brought agenda items about a recovery plan for academic gaps caused by COVID-related changes and updates from the Georgia legislature, which will soon finalize its state budget.

The Cobb school district gets nearly half of its $1.2 billion annual budget from the state.

Among the action items on the school board’s agenda Thursday is a request for $2.389 million for HVAC modifications at Addison Elementary School in East Cobb.

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Cobb approves rezoning for subdivision on Childers Road

Childers Road rezoning

A 2.24-acre infill lot on Childers Road that’s the site of an older ranch home will soon contain five single-family homes.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved by a unanimous 5-0 vote a delayed request by Galaxy Childers Land to redevelop the property at a higher density level for single-family use (revised site plan here).

Childers Road is located off Shallowford Road, near the Johnson Ferry Road intersection in northeast Cobb.

The request had been continued since December after some neighborhood opposition surfaced over density and stormwater issues.

Harry Joseph, the Galaxy Childers Land applicant, said the five homes are necessary to make the project feasible.

He said the R-15 category he was seeking (from R-30) would come close to the density of the nearby Coventry Green subdivision and is the same as that and other neighborhoods.

Among the stipulations presented by commissioner Jerica Richardson require the developer to maintain what would be a private road in the subdivision.

Other stipulations cover stormwater detention, tree replacement, landscape buffers and the creation of a homeowners association.

This was one of the few zoning cases in East Cobb that came before commissioners Tuesday.

The county continued the “JOSH” redevelopment plans for a church, townhomes and retail until April. Earlier this month, the Cobb Planning Commission voted to continue the Sprayberry Crossing rezoning case, also to April.

Both have been continued several times already. In moving to table Sprayberry Crossing, new planning commission member Deborah Dance said it was with the understanding this would be the final delay.

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Cobb’s St. Patrick’s Day will be soggy as temperatures drop

Cobb St. Patrick's Day weather

The warm sunny weather we enjoyed over the weekend will come back later in the week, but the next few days in Cobb County will be wetter and colder, including through St. Patrick’s Day on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta is projecting between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain for the Cobb area by Wednesday morning, as rainy weather moves into metro Atlanta Tuesday.

The chance of rain in the area is 100 percent by mid-afternoon Tuesday, tapering off to around 30 percent overnight.

The high Tuesday is expected to be only in the high 50s, after overnight temperatures fell into the mid 40s. 

Lows Tuesday will reach into the low 50s, and Wednesday’s highs will be in the mid 60s. There is an 80 percent chance of rain during the day Wednesday and severe thunderstorms are in the forecast from Wednesday night through Thursday morning.

Thursday’s lows are expected to be in the mid 40s.

By Friday, the sun will return with highs near 60 and lows in the low 40s. Saturday’s weather is expected to be the same, with warmer weather returning by the weekend and into next week.

 

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Cobb school district opens registration for virtual hiring fair

The Cobb County School District announced Monday it’s holding a virtual job fair in late March to fill more than 750 new certified teaching positions.Campbell High School lockdown

The hiring fair takes place from March 23-25, and registration is underway now through March 21.

The district said in a release that the fair “puts teachers face to face with school administrators in a relaxed and personal setting.”

Amanda Shaw, the district’s assistant director of employment, said that “all schools will be attending the Hiring Fair, so, it’s an ideal time for potential teachers to
make a great first impression on principals.”

Nearly 98 percent of current teachers with contracts have chosen to re-up for the 2021-22 school year.

More information can be found by clicking here.

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East Cobb resident appointed to Cobb Board of Ethics

Winter Wheeler, Cobb Board of Ethics

Submitted information and photo:

Chief Magistrate Judge Brendan F. Murphy has appointed Winter Wheeler, Esq. to the Cobb County Board of Ethics.  The vacancy was created by the appointment of Alyssa Blanchard, Esq. to the Magistrate Court bench. 
 
“With her deep knowledge, extensive experience, and ethical reputation beyond reproach, I know Ms. Wheeler will serve with distinction,” said Judge Murphy.
 
Wheeler is a talented attorney and mediator and active member of the legal community. After graduating from Georgetown University and Tulane Law School, she built a career as a top civil litigator at prominent midtown Atlanta law firm. Finding her niche as a problem solver, Wheeler currently serves as a Mediator and Arbitrator at a highly-regarded Atlanta firm.
 
She is passionately engaged in the legal community. She provides leadership on the boards of the Women Lawyer Division of the National Bar Association, the Women in Dispute Resolution Committee of the American Bar Association, and the Georgetown Club of Metro Atlanta. A member of the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, Ms. Wheeler serves as the Co-Chair of its Membership Committee and as a member of the Long Term Planning Committee. She is also a member of the National Bar Association, American Bar Association, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, Gate City Bar Association, and Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association. 
 
Wheeler has been previously recognized by the National Black Lawyers as a Top 40/Under 40 and as a Top 100 for 2020.  She resides in east Cobb with her family.

 

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COVID update: Cobb schools report 132 confirmed new cases

Cobb COVID cases
Cobb COVID cases by date of onset. To view more data, click here.

The Cobb County School District said Friday there were 132 confirmed new cases of COVID-19, a little higher than last week but still reflecting a steep decline in recent weeks.

The district’s weekly update showed a total of 4,132 cumulative cases since last July 1. Last week’s 106 cases among students and staff were the fewest since November.

For the second week in a row all schools reporting cases had 10 or less. The most this week were 8 each at Wheeler High School and Still Elementary School.

Of the 11 schools in the district, 51 did not report any new cases this week.

The district’s data does not break down numbers of cases between students and staff, nor does it indicate how many other people may be out due to quarantine for possible exposure to the virus.

The falling numbers in the Cobb school district are in line with similar trends in Cobb County and much of Georgia.

There were 120 new cases reported in Cobb Friday in the date of report category, with a 7-day rolling average of 81.1. That’s the lowest since late October.

In the date of onset category (in the chart above), Cobb’s 7-day moving average as of Feb. 26—the last day before a current 14-day window—was 98.6 cases, the lowest that figure has been since late October.

Cobb’s community spread metric also is dropping close to what it had been in the late fall, after last summer’s surge and before a winter surge.

As of Friday, the 14-day average of cases per 100,000 in Cobb was 179 for PCR tests, the first time it’s been under 200 since October.

Combined with Antigen tests, Cobb’s overall community spread is now in the 300-350 range, according to Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

In a message sent out Friday, she said that “we continue to have a growing problem with the UK and the South African variants in Georgia. If these variants take hold before we have enough people vaccinated, we may suffer another tremendous surge and more loss of life. Continued preventive measures like wearing masks, physical distancing and washing hands still need to be taken during this time.”

She also referenced remarks made by President Joe Biden of having a goal of Americans returning to “normalcy” by July 4.

“How beautifully fitting would it be for our country to celebrate its independence in this way? To meet that goal, we all need to work together,” Memark said. “Please get vaccinated with whatever vaccine that you can and protect each other by not gathering without masks or socially distancing if you aren’t vaccinated. We look forward to the day when we can all be together again.”

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EAST COBBER Parade and Festival cancelled for 2021

East Cobber parade cancelled
The annual East Cobber parade and festival features dozens of community participants.

For the second year in a row, the EAST COBBER Parade and Festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19 issues.

Publisher Cynthia Rozzo said in a message in the current March-April issue of the magazine that public health compliance concerns prompted the cancellation of the event, which had been slated for Sept. 18.

Although initially hopeful due to the arrival of vaccines, she said that “under current CDC guidelines for community events and large gatherings we could not figure out how to keep participants and guests safe.”

The logistics include several months of planning and involve many community groups and organizations. “Those planning steps have been hampered by the outbreak and the uncertainty about it,” Rozzo said.

This was to have been the 25th anniversary of the parade, which travels down Johnson Ferry Road from Mt. Bethel Elementary School to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, where a community festival follows.

Rozzo started the free community magazine in 1993, publishing 11 times a year. But after the COVID-related business closings last year, she has reduced publication of the EAST COBBER, which is mailed to more than 22,000 subscribers, to six times a year.

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Georgia COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expanding to 55+, others

Georgia COVID vaccine eligibility expanding
To look through the Georgia DPH vaccine dashboard, click here.

Georgians aged 55 and older and those with certain health issues will be able to sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced the expansion on Wednesday, citing figures showing that 92 percent of Georgians who’ve died from the virus have met those thresholds.

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities also will be eligible for the vaccine, although the Pfizer vaccine is the only one that’s been approved for them.

Parents of children with complex medical conditions who are at high-risk for COVID-19 also can sign up to receive the vaccine.

Those with the following medical conditions and who are over the age of 16 also will become eligible on Monday:

  • Asthma
  • Cancer
  • Cerebrovascular Disease
  • Chronic Kidney Disease
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • Heart Conditions
  • Immunocompromised State
  • Liver Disease
  • Neurologic Conditions
  • Overweight and Obesity
  • Pregnancy
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis
  • Sickle Cell Disease
  • Thalassemia

Cobb and Douglas Public Health has set up an online booking appointment link for those and the others who’ve already been eligible for the vaccine: Health care workers, first responders, people age 65 and older and school teachers and staff.

You’ll be asked to fill out a questionnaire, as others in higher tiers have had to do. Appointments are necessary to receive a vaccine.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health vaccine dashboard, more than 2.5 million vaccines have been administered in the state, 1.5 million of them first doses.

In Cobb County, there have been more than 150,000 vaccines distributed, with 87,000 of those being first doses.

Georgia DPH also has a COVID vaccine locator list of private providers, including grocery stores and pharmacies.

Citizens do not have to get a vaccine in their county of residence but they must be a Georgia resident.

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Children’s Unicorn Book Series comes to Mountain View ES

Emily Isabel, Unicorn Children's Book Series
Emily Isabel

Children’s author Lisa Caprelli and 12-year-old students Sofia Swade and Emily Isabel connected with Mountain View Elementary School students Wednesday as part of Caprelli’s Reading Across America tour.

Caprelli is the author of the Children’s Unicorn Book Series, Unicorn Jazz, which celebrates diversity, belonging and believing in others.

Swade and Isabel are young actresses who’ve been taking part in efforts to encourage reading and literacy.

Here’s more from the girls’ publicists:

“They are part of the Unicorn Jazz kid’s club, a musically-inspired brand dedicated to creating and sharing happiness for kids through stories and digital media. It is through this wonderful educational platform that Sofia and Emily have the opportunity to encourage boys and girls their age to dream big, dance, sing and read! Sofia and Emily even regularly donate their allowances to charity initiatives to get more books in the hands of students and pediatric patients at local children’s hospitals!”

Sofia Swade
Sofia Swade
Lisa Caprelli
Lisa Caprelli

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East Cobb food scores: Longhorn Steakhouse; Vatica; more

Longhorn East Cobb, East Cobb food scores

The following East Cobb food scores for the week of March 8 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Harry’s Pizza & Subs
2150 Powers Ferry Road, Suite C
March 10, 2021 Score: 99, Grade: A

Heritage of Sandy Plains
3039 Sandy Plains Road
March 10, 2021 Score: 88, Grade: B

Longhorn Steakhouse
4721 Lower Roswell Road
March 8, 2021 Score: 90, Grade: A

Vatica Indian Cuisine
1475 Terrell Mill Road, Suite 105
March 9, 2021 Score: 86, Grade: B

Waffle House
1811 Williams Drive
March 9, 2021 Score: 100, Grade: A

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Marietta City Council tables Powers Ferry rezoning requests

Powers Ferry rezoning cases

Just a few hours before its meeting Wednesday, the Marietta City Council tabled two rezoning requests in the Powers Ferry Road area that have drawn substantial opposition.

They’re for a mixed-use project and a townhome development by Macauley Investments, and the main property owner for the assemblages is real estate investor Ruben McMullan.

Kevin Moore, an attorney for the applicants, sought a delay before last Tuesday’s Marietta Planning Commission, after filing a revised traffic analysis with the city hours before.

But the planning board voted against tabling both, then voted to recommend denial of the requests in 7-0 votes in both cases.

Moore said he would seek another delay before Wednesday’s meeting, and the agenda was revised late in the afternoon to reflect that both requests were being tabled to the council’s April 14.

Residential opponents in both the city and unincorporated Cobb said the proposed developments are too intense and would have singular access via narrow streets in their neighborhoods.

Nexus Gardens would have apartments, senior living and restaurants on nearly 17 acres, mostly undeveloped and facing Interstate 75. Some of those parcels include 19 single-family homes.

The density of the project calls for two five-story apartment buildings totalling 280 units served by a three-story parking deck, a five-story senior-living building with 160 units, 39 townhomes and restaurants and retail space.

Laurel Park, with 204 townhomes, would be accessible via four residential streets in Cloverdale Heights, which residents said would be a traffic nightmare in their community.

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Town Center at Cobb to hold Easter Bunny photo sessions

Town Center Easter Bunny Photos

Submitted information:

The Easter Bunny is making a triumphant return! Town Center at Cobb will welcome the Easter Bunny for an egg-cellent holiday experience from March 17-April 3. Local families are encouraged to celebrate the season with memorable Easter Bunny photos. Prioritizing the well-being of its guests, Town Center at Cobb has put in place increased health and safety precautions for the photo experience, including social distancing from both the Easter Bunny and guests, face-covering requirements, contactless payment options and enhanced sanitization following CDC recommendations.

WHAT:
Photos with the Easter Bunny

Celebratory professional photos with beloved Easter Bunny

WHEN:
March 17-April 3
Monday-Saturday, 12-7 p.m. / Sunday, 12-6 p.m.

WHERE: 
Town Center at Cobb in Center Court
400 Ernest Barrett Parkway
Kennesaw, GA 30144

HOW:
Reservations can be booked by visiting bit.ly/TCCEaster2021. Appointments are recommended but not required. Walk-in visits are available as space allows. Families should review the COVID-19 guidelines prior to their photo session.

For more information, visit towncenteratcobb.com.

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