Month: June 2022

Cobb schools change crisis alert systems, plan Code Red drills

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Cobb schools changing alert system provider
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale responds to a question about safety issues from school board member Tre’ Hutchins.

Two weeks after a deadly school shooting in Texas, Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Thursday that the district has switched to a new crisis alert system provider.

During prepared remarks at a Cobb Board of Education work session, Ragsdale also said each of the district’s 114 school campuses will have at least one unannounced Code Red drill during the 2022-23 school year to test the new system.

He added that the Cobb district is considering recruiting and training retired military, law enforcement, and other agents to serve as armed guards of schools and wants to hire more school psychologists to help students with mental health issues.

AlertPoint, which has been Cobb’s alert system vendor for the last five years, will be replaced by Centigex, which provides alert system technology for the educational sector and other industries.

Installation of the new system began in April and will be in place in all schools by Aug. 1, when the new school year begins in the Cobb district, according to Ragsdale, but he didn’t say why the district was making the change.

In February 2021 all high schools in Cobb were put on a brief Code Red lockdown. After initially saying it was due to a false alarm, the district said the incident was a deliberate cyber attack on the AlertPoint system and called in the Cobb Police Department to help investigate.

Centigex offers something similar to AlertPoint, what is called the CrisisAlert System, which is in place in several other school districts in metro Atlanta for what Ragsdale said is a “first level of security.”

In the Centigex system, teachers and staffers are equipped with wearable badges to report emergencies electronically via the push of a button, and that “instantly” alerts administrators and responders and triggers a lockdown in seconds.

On May 24, an 18-year-old boy in Uvalde, Texas shot his grandmother, then entered Robb Elementary School and fatally shot 19 students and two teachers before he was killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer.

Ragsdale called the tragedy an “evil act,” and said that while “there’s no quick fix” and “you cannot ban evil,” the new alert system is part of the Cobb district’s enhanced objectives “to put in place all measures necessary to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Student safety has been, and continues to be, our number one priority.”

He said he could not publicly explain some of the procedures and protocols for security reasons, but told board members the matter could be discussed in executive session.

The district also has updated other safety information as part of its Cobb Shield safety and security program.

AlertPoint was installed in 2017 in several schools and then district-wide the following year. Cobb spent $5.3 million to purchase AlertPoint, and said all teachers and staff had been trained to use it.

But a survey conducted by Watching the Funds Cobb, a citizens group tracking Cobb school district spending, said more than 80 percent of respondents said they didn’t know how to use AlertPoint and hadn’t been trained on it.

When the subject came up at the work session, Ragsdale said that AlertPoint was “fully functioning” although not every staff member had a badge.

Board member Jaha Howard told Ragsdale he wanted to have trust in the new company, and Ragsdale directed him to the Centigex website.

The Centigex CrisisAlert Syterm also is installed in several hundred districts in Florida, which mandated such systems after the Parkland High School shootings left 17 people dead in 2018.

But Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools, the largest district in North Carolina, dropped Centigex in 2020 when some features of the system weren’t reliable or working at all.

Ragsdale said after each school’s Code Red drill, district officials will brief school administrators to improve crisis preparedness.

“That does not mean that we will show up and issue a code red without announcing it is a drill,” he said.

The idea of arming teachers, however, is something Ragsdale said he isn’t entertaining: “We’re asking teachers to do too much already.”

At the board’s Thursday night business meeting, several speakers demanding more security measures wore orange shirts saying “We Demand Safer Schools Now!”

Some were not satisfied with what Ragsdale had announced, and called for the district to resume the suspended “No Place for Hate” and other bias training programs, and to do more for students with mental health issues.

One of the speakers, parent Jenny Peterson, said “how can you fix what’s broken if you don’t identify it? Be leaders!”

The Cobb school district said it will be seeking to use money Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, passed by Congress in 2020, to help pay for some of the additional security measures.

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Federal lawsuit filed challenging Cobb school board redistricting

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Cobb school board redistricting town hall
New Cobb school board maps push Post 6 (in turquoise) completely out of East Cobb.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and other organizations and individuals have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the redistricting of Cobb Board of Education seats.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern Georgia in Atlanta, claims that legislators used race as “a predominant factor” in redrawing the seven school board posts, diluting black and Hispanic voting power in Cobb County.

The suit alleges that the board’s four white members “forged ahead with a secretive map-drawing process to maintain their tenuous majority over the Board’s three Black members.”

But the only defendants named are the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration and director Janine Eveler.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt told East Cobb News that Daniel White, the Cobb Elections attorney, was not aware of the lawsuit.

The suit (you can read it here) is asking the court to declare that the redrawn posts 2, 3, and 6 violate the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution and to order an interim redistricting plan for those three seats.

Late last year, the board’s Republican majority approved maps that were later introduced by Cobb Republican lawmakers and that were passed by a GOP-majority Georgia legislature in February.

Those new lines pushed three seats entirely into the South Cobb area, including Post 6, which currently includes the Walton and Wheeler attendance zones.

The new lines, which go into effect in January, cut out the East Cobb area of that post, which solely includes the Smyrna-Vinings-Cumberland area.

Post 2 and Post 4 also are in the South Cobb area, and along with Post 6 have are represented by three black Democrats.

One of them is Charisse Davis, who was elected in 2018 to serve Post 6. She is not seeking re-election this year.

Nor did Jaha Howard of Post 2, who ran in the Democratic primary for Georgia school superintendent last month.

The new maps split East Cobb into two districts: Post 4, held by two-term Republican chairman David Chastain and that includes the Kell, Lassiter and Sprayberry clusters; and Post 5, held by Republican vice chairman David Banks, which comprises the Pope, Walton and Wheeler clusters.

Chastain is up for re-election this year and in November will face Democrat Catherine Pozniak.

“Ultimately, the Board and General Assembly enacted a redistricting plan that whitewashed the northern, eastern, and western districts by packing Black and Latinx voters into the Challenged Districts, as a last-ditch effort to limit the power of their emerging political coalition,” read the lawsuit.

“The Plan is a product of the Board’s pattern and practice over the last several years to impose policies that disproportionately and negatively impact students of color and their families.”

SPLC Cobb BOE maps

The lawsuit also catalogues a number of conflicts on the Cobb school board along racial lines over the last three years, and concerns from black legislators about the redistricting proposals that they may violate the federal Voting Rights Act.

“As shown in the maps [above] which reflect Black and Latinx voting age population figures by voting district utilizing 2020 census data, the majority of Cobb County’s Black and Latinx communities live in the southern half of the County, while most of the County’s white population lives in the north,” according to the lawsuit.

Other plaintiffs include the Galeo Latino Community Development Fund, the New Georgia Project Fund, the League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb and some Cobb school parents in those three posts.

Other legal groups involved in filing the suit include the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, the ACLU Foundation of Georgia and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law.

This story will be updated.

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Mt. Bethel, North Ga. Conference file settlement documents

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A consent decree between Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church and the denomination’s North Georgia Conference has been filed in Cobb Superior Court, and reveals more details beyond last week’s general announcement.

Mt. Bethel UMC, Dr. Jody Ray
Rev. Dr. Jody Ray, Mt. Bethel UMC

We’re reading through the full 125-page settlement (you can read it here), but the main terms are what was divulged last week—Mt. Bethel gets to keep its property and most assets and has 120 days from Monday, when the agreement was signed, to pay $13.1 million to the North Georgia Conference.

Mt. Bethel also will return certain intellectual property, including items with UMC insignia, and will officially remain part of the denomination until its obligations under the settlement are met.

After that, Mt. Bethel’s use of its property on its main campus on Lower Roswell Road will come with some restrictions.

That includes not using any of the parcels comprising the main church buildings and the Mt. Bethel Christian Academy as a headquarters or office for any religious denomination for seven and a half years.

Mt. Bethel has been an organizing member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, which recently launched the Global Methodist Church, an international consortium of conservative congregations.

But Mt. Bethel officials say that once the congregation has left the UMC, it will become an independent church.

Mt. Bethel also is prevented from selling the Lower Roswell Road properties for seven and a half years without giving the UMC and the North Georgia Conference the right of first refusal to purchase them.

Once Mt. Bethel completes the real estate closing, the organization will become Mt. Bethel Church Inc. with a trade name of Mt. Bethel.

The settlement stipulates that other properties near the main campus—three homes on Fairfield Drive, an older adult center, a day care center and the Mt. Bethel church cemetery on Johnson Ferry Road—can be sold at any time.

However, those facilities also may not be used to house a denominational office.

Mt. Bethel’s North campus on Post Oak Tritt Road is not included in the settlement because church leadership last year placed the facility under the ownership of Mt. Bethel Christian Academy.

The North Georgia Conference objected to that action, since there wasn’t a vote taken by the congregation, which was required by the UMC’s Book of Discipline governing documents.

The settlement terms also include a provision that information collected through discovery will not be shared or discussed by any of the parties.

A preamble to the settlement notes that “both sides plan to look forward and honor the mission and ministry of each other as Christians. Accordingly, the Parties shall encourage their members to focus on the mission of Jesus Christ and not the past actions and alleged transgressions of each another, as referenced in the civil action now being mutually resolved.”

Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, North Georgia Conference UMC
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, North Georgia Conference UMC

In a letter to Mt. Bethel members on Monday, pastor Rev. Dr. Jody Ray, explained the terms, and concluded by saying that “we reiterate our great hope in the future of Mt. Bethel’s mission and ministry to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which we pray each and every one of you will be a part of.”

The Friends of Mt. Bethel, a group of church members opposed to the church’s actions against the North Georgia Conference, said that “while the settlement agreement may not be what we had hoped for, it does not change who we are. We are the beloved sons and daughters of the King. We will continue to pray for you as you prayerfully consider your steps forward. God has a place for all of us.”

They will be meeting next week with Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson of the North Georgia Conference at another Methodist church in East Cobb.

It was her reassignment of Ray to a non-ministerial post at the North Georgia Conference in May 2021 that set off a heated dispute lasting more than a year.

Mt. Bethel was among the conservative UMC congregations anticipating that the denomination would allow gay and lesbian clergy and same-sex marriages, which are currently forbidden.

After Ray turned in his UMC ministerial credentials, he delivered a sermon in which he said he would not “bow the knee, or kiss the ring, of progressive theology. . . . which is no theology.”

Mt. Bethel kept him as CEO and lay pastor, positions the North Georgia Conference said weren’t allowed under the Book of Discipline.

After Mt. Bethel refused to acknowledge his appointed successor, Rev. Dr. Stephen Usry, the Conference announced it would seize the church’s assets.

After mediation failed last summer, the Conference sued Mt. Bethel in September 2021, and Mt. Bethel filed a countersuit.

The United Methodist Church had scheduled a vote on protocols for separation in 2020, but its conferences have been delayed until 2024.

There won’t be a vote for Mt. Bethel to disaffiliate, as has happened with some churches in the North Georgia Conference recently.

Mt. Bethel’s attorneys said they wanted to have a vote of its membership, but the North Georgia Conference did not schedule one.

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East Cobb Food Scores: Los Bravos; Christos; Tijuana Joe’s; more

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Los Bravos Johnson Ferry Road

The following East Cobb food scores for the weeks of May 30 and June 6 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Dunkin Donuts
980 E. Piedmont Road
June 6, 2022 Score: 96, Grade: A

Goiano Restaurant and Catering
1475 Terrell Mill Road, Suite 103
June 1, 2022 Score: 88, Grade: B

Kouzina Christos
1255 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 22
June 10, 2022 Score: 82, Grade: B

Kumo Hibachi Sushi
2595 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 103
June 10, 2022 Score: 82, Grade: B

Los Bravos Mexican Restaurant
1255 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 42
June 6, 2022 Score: 72, Grade: C

Salata 
4101 Roswell Road, Suite 1100
June 7, 2022 Score: 96, Grade: A

Tijuana Joe’s Cantina
690 Johnson Ferry Road
June 7, 2022 Score: 86, Grade: B

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Georgia primary ballot questions deliver lopsided results

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Cobb absentee ballot drop boxes
Republican voters want absentee ballot dropboxes eliminated, while Demcorats want their availability expanded.

The biggest winners in the Georgia primary elections on May 24—at least in terms of percentage of the vote—weren’t individual candidates or those fighting against Cityhood referendums in Cobb County.

The respective Republican and Democratic questions that appeared on partisan ballots were overwhelmingly lopsided, which isn’t a new trend.

The state parties assembled questions on topics familiar to their voting bases.

The results are used by the parties to shape messaging and to collect information, but this year they touched on a number of cultural and other hot-button topics.

Republicans were asked about border security, education spending, absentee ballot access and Buckhead cityhood in relation to crime concerns.

Regarding the latter, a proposed Buckhead cityhood bill was scotched by outgoing GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and the bill had no local sponsors.

The ballot question that got the most one-sided response from Republican voters was transgender athletes, with 95 percent saying female-identified biological males should not be allowed to compete against girls in high school sports.

But the GOP-led Georgia legislature couldn’t pass a bill requiring high school athletes to compete with the sex of their birth.

Another bill passed this year gave that authority to the Georgia High School Association, the governing body for high school athletics. On May 4, the GHSA’s executive committee, by a 62-0 vote, changed its bylaws to bar transgender athletes from competing along gender identity lines.

Democratic voters were asked about student loan forgiveness, Medicare expansion, expanding voter registration access and parental leave.

Five of the nine questions had YES votes of 90 percent or more, including incentives for Georgia to promote the creation of renewable energy sources.

Only 80 percent said YES to a question if marijuana should be legalized and regulated, similar to alcohol, for consumers aged 21 and over, with tax revenues to fund education, health care and infrastructure.

You can view additional results by clicking here.

Republican Party Questions

1. The Biden administration has stopped building the border wall and illegal border crossings have dramatically increased. Should securing our border be a national priority?

  • YES: 93% statewide; 89% Cobb

2. Education is the largest line item in the state budget. Should education dollars follow the student to the school that best fits their need, whether it is public, private, magnet, charter, virtual or homeschool? 3. Florida has passed a law to stop social media platforms from influencing political campaigns by censoring candidates. Should Georgia pass such a law to protect free speech in political campaigns?

  • YES: 78% statewide and Cobb

3. Florida has passed a law to stop social media platforms from influencing political campaigns by censoring candidates. Should Georgia pass such a law to protect free speech in political campaigns?

  • YES: 83% statewide; 81% Cobb

4. Two of the three current federal work visa programs are lottery based. Should federal work visas instead be issued on job skill? 

  • YES: 86.6% statewide and Cobb; 

5. Biological males who identify as females have begun competing in female sports. Should schools in Georgia allow biological males to compete in female sports?

  • NO: 95% statewide; 95% Cobb; 

6. To prevent ballot tampering, state law prohibits political operatives from handling absentee ballots once they have been marked by the voter. To protect the integrity of our elections, should the enforcement of laws against ballot tampering be a priority?

  • YES: 95% statewide; 92.8% Cobb;

7. Absentee drop boxes are vulnerable to illegal ballot trafficking. Should absentee ballot drop boxes be eliminated?

  • YES: 85% statewide; 75% Cobb

8. Crime has dramatically increased throughout the country including in our capital city of Atlanta. Should the citizens of residential areas like the Buckhead community of Atlanta be allowed to vote to create their own city governments and police departments?

  • YES: 80% statewide; and Cobb

Democratic Party Questions

1. Should the United States remove obstacles to economic advancement by forgiving all student loan debt?

  • YES: 85% statwide; 81% Cobb;

2. Should all Georgians have access to paid parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child?

  • YES: 95%% statewide; 96% Cobb

3. Should every three- and four-year-old in Georgia be given the opportunity to attend a high-quality preschool free of charge?

  • YES 96% statewide; 95% Cobb

4. Should Georgia voters have the right to gather signed petitions to directly place questions on the ballot, whether to change the law or poll the public?

  • YES 87% statewide; 86% Cobb

5. Should families earning less than $150,000 per year receive an expanded tax credit to help cover the costs of raising children?

  • YES 88.8% statewide; 87.6% Cobb

6. Should the State of Georgia expand access to health care for over half a million Georgians by utilizing federal funds to expand Medicaid?

  • YES 96.9% statewide; 96.8% Cobb

7. Should the State of Georgia expand voter access by increasing early voting opportunities, allow same-day voter registration, removing obstacles to voting by mail, and installing secure ballot drop boxes, accessible at all times, through Election Day?

  • YES: 95% statewide; 97% Cobb

8. Should marijuana be legalized, taxed, and regulated in the same manner as alcohol for adults 21 years of age or older, with proceeds going towards education, infrastructure, and health care programs?

  • YES: 80% statewide; 84% Cobb

9. Should the State of Georgia incentivize the development of clean, renewable energy sources to support America’s energy independence?

  • YES: 96.9% statewide; 97.9% Cobb

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Some East Cobb precincts change for primary runoff elections

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The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration has announced some precinct venue changes for the June 21 primary runoff elections.

Among those contests headed to a runoff is the Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District, which includes some of East Cobb, and pits Jake Evans against Rich McCormick.

The changes were made after Cobb Elections was told that some regular polling places would not be available on the runoff election day.

The locations of three East Cobb precincts will be different but Cobb Elections said they are only temporary and for the runoff only. They include the following:

  • Fullers Park 1: From Fullers Park Recreation Center to Immanuel Korean United Methodist Church (945 Old Canton Road);
  • Murdock 1: From Atlanta Chinese Christian Church to Murdock Elementary School (2320 Murdock Road)
  • Roswell 2: From Mt. Zion United Methodist Church to Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (1795 Johnson Ferry Road).

Advance voting in the runoffs starts Wednesday and continues through June 17 at various locations. Some will have absentee ballot dropboxes, including the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road). For more information, click here.

You can check your registration status by clicking here.

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Cobb government accepting applications for ARPA funding

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Cobb County Government is accepting applications for organizations and individuals seeking grant funding under the American Rescue Plan Act.Cobb County Government logo

Cobb has been earmarked with $147 million in COVID-19 stimulus funding passed by Congress in the $1.9 trillion legislation in 2021.

Cobb commissioners approved investment guidance to allocate funding in the community health, support services, economic development, county infrastructure and public safety areas.

Those eligible for the grants must meet the following criteria:

  • Projects must serve Cobb County and its residents
  • Projects submitted must align with at least one of the five priority areas and at least one subtopic associated with the chosen priority area.
  • Project submissions from organizations outside of the Cobb County government must align with one or more Economic Development, Support Services, and Community Health subtopics, or Broadband & Digital Equity. Submissions from organizations outside of the Cobb County government will not be considered for Public Safety subtopics or County Facilities or Stormwater.
  • Projects must support communities impacted or disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please see question 3.3.
  • Projects must consider equity in their project plans.

More information and access to an application link can be found here; the deadline for applying is 5 p.m. on Sept. 9.

Applications will be screened in several areas, including equity, financial continuity, impact, project budget, risk mitigation and impact.

Final funding decisions will be made by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

Cobb officials will hold two information webinars about the application process on webinars on June 16 at 4:30 p.m. and June 27 at 6 p.m.

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Trash Taxi expands pickup, recycling services to East Cobb

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After serving north and west Cobb as well as Cherokee, Paulding and Bartow counties for the last 18 years, Trash Taxi has begun serving the East Cobb area.Trash Taxi expands East Cobb

Christi Rhyne of Trash Taxi said that weekly trash and recycling services available now for residents and businesses in ZIP codes 30062 and 30066 and starting in September, weekly recycling services will be offered.

She said one of the reasons for the reach into East Cobb is due to complaints about existing services.

“Since I live here too, I am really excited to be able to use the company I work for as my personal trash hauler,” she said.

For more information about Trash Taxi, click here or call 770-975-0926.

Trash Taxi is based in central Florida, and provides services there and in Alabama and will soon serve parts of Michigan and Ontario, Canada.

Locally, Trash Taxi of Georgia is based in Acworth, and belongs to the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, the Acworth Business Association and the Better Business Bureau.

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Cupid to deliver State of County address at Cobb Chamber event

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For the second time, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid will deliver a State of the County address next week.Cupid State of Cobb County address

She’s the featured speaker at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Marquee Monday breakfast on June 13.

The event takes place from 8-10 a.m. at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre at The Battery Atlanta (800 Battery Ave.) and will include the Cobb Chamber’s presentation of its Executive Woman of the Year Award (info and registration here).

Until this year, the address from the head of county government had been delivered exclusively to the Chamber audience.

But earlier this year, Cupid added a separate event to invite the larger public. After being unable to get commissioners to provide funding, her “All In” address in April was sponsored by Wellstar Health System and other private donors. 

She spoke al length about diversity and demographics and how Cobb can “retain our strength as an affluent suburban county” without leaving other types of communities behind.

That address was before three Cityhood referendums, including one in East Cobb, were rejected by voters last month.

The county government held town halls and launched a Cityhood information page that was criticized in particular by the East Cobb Cityhood group.

Last week, in her weekly e-mail newsletter, Cupid referenced the Cityhood votes by saying that “this should be the start of new dialogue. The town halls, forums, and conversations gave us a great opportunity to hear from residents. Now is the time to consider how we can strengthen county services, create communities with a better ‘sense of place,’ and capture the heightened level of engagement these votes encouraged.

“Residents made it clear they want a role in land use, zoning, and parks programs. Hopefully, this sparks increased community engagement with commissioners and staff when it comes to amendments to our Comprehensive Plan and participation in zoning meetings. In the weeks and months ahead you can also get involved in the county’s transition to a Unified Development Code among other matters like waste collection.”

Now in her second year in office, Cupid sounded some alarm bells with Chamber leaders and local elected officials in 2021 when Cobb commissioners approved a controversial residential rezoning near the Dobbins Air Base reserve accident potential zone.

That resulted in a land swap with the county to resolve the matter, commissioners later approved a code amendment to take away their discretionary power on rezonings around Dobbins.

 

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East Cobb real estate sales, May 16-20, 2022

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Arthurs Vineyard, East Cobb real estate sales
Arthurs Vineyard

The following deeds for residential East Cobb real estate sales were filed May 16-20 with the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office Real Estate Department.

The addresses include ZIP Codes and the subdivision names and high school districts are in parenthesis:

May 16

4843 Garrards Ridge, 30075 (Garrards Crossing, Pope): Joseph Moss, executor, estate of Margaret Ann Caudill to Op Gold LLC; $460,000

4223 North Mountain Road, 30066 (Highland Pointe, Lassiter): Mark Reynolds to Colleen Comerford and Tammy Showman; $710,000

3424 Chastain Glen Lane, 30066 (Chastain Glen, Sprayberry): Christian Berger to Tyler Woodrome and Morgan Harvey; $415,000

2843 Seagrave Way, 30066 (Heritage Manor, Sprayberry): Susie Caruto to Ken Nguyen; $555,000

3984 Vinyard Way, 30062 (Arthurs Vineyard, Pope): Patsy Rhodes to Zeni Dias and Philip Smith; $740,000

1310 Nantahala Trail, 30062 (Indian Ridge, Walton): A. Mee Kim to Rajesh Panneerselvam and Nithya Sundaram; $711,000

3611 Clubland Terrace, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): Michael Emanuel Properties LLC to Andrew Ackerman and Cindy Sukloff; $1.7 million

23 Elan Court, 30068 (Elan, Wheeler): Johann David Beyers to Kenneth Vereen Jr.; $765,000

May 17

86 Brookhaven Drive, 30066 (Brookhaven, Sprayberry): Principles REI Group LLC to Tbr Sfr Atl Owner 2 Lp; $288,600

1329 Eastbrooke Trace, 30066 (Eastbrooke, Sprayberry): Natalie Thompson to Janak Lal Patidar; $511,000

1959 Hamilton Place, 30067 (Hamilton Place, Wheeler): OP SPE TPA1, LLC to Jessita Brito and David Souza; $285,000

2955 Rivergreen Lane, 300339 (Riverwalk at Wildwood, Wheeler): Scott Patrick Singleton to Edward and Michelle Lambert; $567,000

May 18

3531 Winter Wood Drive, 30062 (Winter Chase, Pope): Joy Goode to Lin and Min Mingxiang; $415,500

2265 Rosemoore Walk, 30062 (Rosemoore at Harper Woods, Sprayberry): Johanna O’Leary to Lee Dean and Sarah Whatling; $515,000

1314 Nantahala Drive, 30062 (Indian Ridge, Walton): Ravi Bhatnagar to Santhappa Pijakala and Ramanna Ambekalu; $770,200

3434 Turtle Lake Club Drive, 30067 (Somerset, Wheeler): Terri Sabo to Arthur Lyness and Mary Doty; $755,000

884 Cedar Creek Court, 30067 (Cedar Canyon, Wheeler): David Gainey to James Raju; $245,000

May 19

4348 Alison Jane Drive, 30066 (Country Plantation; Sprayberry): Gerald Ayers to Opendoor Property Trust; $358,300

3302 Devaugn Drive, 30066 (Village North Crossing, Lassiter): Bryan, George and June Hayes to Jeffrey Hodges; $486,000

3744 Tulip Tree Drive, 30066 (North Ridge, Sprayberry): Richard Meador Jr. to Anna and Jacob Spoon; $430,000

4135 Brasher Drive, 30066 (Stocktons Chase, Kell): Robert Burns to Michael and Dana Jevince; $586,000

3911 Sentry Crossing, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): Clifton Withers to Capital Design Homes LLC; $550,000

191 Worthington Drive, 30068 (Sewell Manor, Wheeler): Carla Rose to Maria Myler; $359,000

May 20

3938 Cash Landing, 30066 (The Oaks at Mill Pond, Lassiter): Carlson Mill LLC to Daniel and Ann Allison; $1.049 million

704 Gardenside Circle, 30067 (Gardenside at Powers Ferry, Wheeler): Benjamin Reed to Opendoor Property Trust; $359,100

1627 Aldworth Place, 30339 (Reserve at Wildwood, Wheeler): Ashton Atlanta Residential LLC to Andrew Seymour; $568,479

1623 Aldworth Place, 30339 (Reserve at Wildwood, Wheeler): Ashton Atlanta Residential LLC to Arezou  Garmestani and Ario Babolian; $497,548

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Take the East Cobb News Reader Survey—tell us how we’re doing!

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Reader Survey
Signs from a pandemic: Black Lives Matter rally on Johnson Ferry Road; an expression of hope on Holly Springs Road.

As the year 2020 approached, I sent out what was the first reader survey for East Cobb News, eagerly anticipating a breakthrough year for this community news site after a couple of years of laying the groundwork.

As I began to look through the responses, a breakthrough event was in progress, and it changed everything for so many of us.

As COVID-19 and the responses to it dramatically altered our world, I set the survey aside. While many of my best-laid plans for this site also were put on hold, readers turned to East Cobb News like never before.

We thoroughly covered the COVID response and its effects on the community, schools and so much more. Along the way, we broke stories about the opening—and closure—of an adult retail store and a bitter controversy embroiling one of East Cobb’s biggest faith communities.

We continued to lead coverage of the now-defeated East Cobb Cityhood movement, and chronicled a momentous election year in 2020.

More than two years later, we’re hopeful the worst of the pandemic is behind us. We’ve grown our traffic and newsletter audiences with a sizable daily reach that is unmatched in this community.

Community life, and festivities, are springing back into action, and we’re eager to gauge your thoughts about East Cobb News as we get back to what is feeling like normal again.

Fill out the form

All you have to do is click the link above, and respond to 10 questions about this site, and the news and information we provide. The survey takes just a few minutes, and once you’re finished, hit the “submit” button.

What’s happening in East Cobb is why you come here, and we want to better serve your interests and understand what you value about this community resource.

Unlike corporate-owned media, East Cobb News answers above all to our readers, with the objective of meeting the news and information needs in our community. Your answers will help us tailor our product to make it really appeal to what’s important to you.

Don’t be bashful—tell us what we’re doing well, what we could do better or different. We appreciate your readership and look forward to delivering more community news and information that’s relevant to you as we continue in 2022.

I’m always accessible to field your questions, hear complaints and try to explain why we do what we do at East Cobb News. E-mail me: wendy@eastcobbnews.com.

We’ll be collecting responses through the end of July, so please feel free to complete the survey as you can. We’ll share the responses as the school year begins.

Thanks so much for your readership of East Cobb News! Have a great summer!

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Aloha to Aging to hold ‘Concert and Cornhole for a Cause’ event

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The East Cobb-based Aloha to Aging, a non-profit dedicated to services to senior citizens and their caregivers, is marking its 13th anniversary this month with a special fundraising event.Aloha to Aging Concert Cornhole Cause

It’s called Concert and Cornhole for a Cause, and takes place on June 26 at Red Hare Brewery and Distillery (1998 Delk Industrial Blvd.) from 2-6 p.m.

As the name suggests, there will be live music and a cornhole tournament. Participants will enjoy the sounds of Saints N Sinners and Northside Duo, specialty drinks and the competition.

Proceeds will benefit Aloha to Aging and its programs, including an aging sensitivity class for individuals, businesses and families dealing with those with age-related health or cognitive changes, family support groups and the Aloha Day Club, designed for those 50 and older who are no longer driving.

Sponsors and participants are needed for the event and more information can be found by clicking here.

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Cobb DA’s office taking part in World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

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From Cobb County government:

Cobb County is gathering donations of knitted and crocheted squares for the 2022 Yarn Storm project in recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The project is being coordinated by Cobb County Government, the Cobb District Attorney’s Office and LiveSafe Resources.The 6-inch and 10-inch squares can be in any color or design and will be used to install yarn storming displays on June 15.

Please bring your donation by Wednesday, June 8, to one of these locations: 

  • 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta. (There will be a collection box located inside the building for your donations.)
  • Cobb Senior Wellness Center, 1150 Powder Springs Street, Marietta 
  • Freeman Poole Senior Center, 4025 South Hurt Road, Smyrna 
  • N. Cobb Senior Center, 3900 South Main Street (inside Kennworth Park), Acworth 
  • Tim D. Lee Senior Center, 3332 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta 
  • W. Cobb Senior Center, 4915 Dallas Hwy, Powder Springs 

You may also mail your completed pieces to:
Cobb District Attorney’s Office, 70 Haynes St., Third Floor, Marietta GA 30090.
For additional information, please visit www.cobbcounty.org/WEAAD.

 

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Cobb Police to hold job fair for officers, other positions

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The Cobb Police Department is holding a job fair next weekend, June 10-11, for potential officer recruits for its police academy and other positions.Cobb Police job fair

The event takes place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at the Cobb Police Department headquarters, 545 S. Fairground St., Marietta.

In addition to job interviews, candidates will go through a physical agility test, as well as a polygraph test and a psychological questionnaire.

Candidates should bring a state-issued ID, proper clothing for the agility test and any necessary medications, food and snacks.

Candidates are also asked to apply online in advance at JoinCobbPolice.com; computers will be available on site for applications.

Cobb PD has prepared the following video about the job fair: https://youtu.be/emGMIFeXCxY.

For questions and more information call 770-528-3812.

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Walton earns all-sports championship; Lassiter, Pope finish strong

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Walton High School has been named the recipient of the Georgia Athletic Directors Association Directors’ Cup trophy for the school’s performances in high school athletics in the 2021-22 academic year.Walton High School logo

The honors are given in each of the eight classifications of the Georgia High School Association.

Walton is the overall and boys’ and girls’ winner in Class 7A, the largest of the classifications. The Raiders collected 1,281 points, winning state championships in four sports: girls volleyball; girls swimming, and boys and girls tennis.

Lambert was second with 1,143 points, followed by Mill Creek with 1,140.

In the girls division Walton had 599 points, while North Gwinnett had 552. On the boys side, Walton collected 682 points to 624 to Hillgrove.

(You can read through the standings here.)

The GADA totals points based on how teams finish in all sports for which the GHSA awards state championships.

Walton, the only high school in East Cobb in Class 7-A was second in the Directors’ Cup standings in 2021, and last won the all-sports trophy in 2019.

In Class 6A, Lassiter finished third with 1,082 points and Pope was fourth with 1,073 points, trailing Buford and Cambridge.

The Lassiter girls topped their division and the Trojans boys were 9th, and the Pope girls were 4th.

Lassiter teams won state Class 6-A championships in fast-pitch girls softball, girls swimming and boys and girls soccer.

The Pope baseball team won the state championship in late May at Truist Park.

Also in Class 6-A, Kell finished 32nd, and Sprayberry was 54th.

In the Class A private school division, Mt. Bethel Christian came in at No. 45.

 

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Mt. Zion UMC offering diversity scholarships for East Cobb students

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Mt Zion United Methodist Church

Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in East Cobb is offering diversity scholarships to students in the area as part of its Life Skills Outreach Ministry.

It’s an extension of the church’s racial unification (RU) team that was formed in 2021, “to raise awareness of the issues facing historically marginalized populations.”

This year, the ministry “wishes to demonstrate the compassion that will benefit deserving students from our community.”

The ministry’s mission statement is that “We truly love others, recognizing our differences. We will listen intently, learn what others need, lament when others suffer or struggle, and leverage our gifts to help everyone, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Five college scholarships of $1,000 each will be distributed for the upcoming school year, and applications will be received through June 15.

They are merit-based scholarships for students in the East Cobb area, including the Sprayberry, Wheeler, Lassiter, Pope, Kell and Walton high school attendance zones.

Students receiving the scholarships must be enrolled in an institution of higher education for the 2022-23 academic year.

The RU team will review the applications and announce the recipients by Aug. 15. The RU team also will provide one-on-one mentorship for the scholarship recipients for life skills, character development and spiritual growth.

For more information and to apply, click here.

 

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Mt. Bethel Church to keep property, pay $13.1M in settlement

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Mt. Bethel Church

Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church has finalized a legal settlement with the denomination’s North Georgia Conference that will allow the congregation to keep its property and assets at its two East Cobb campuses.

In return, Mt. Bethel will pay the Conference $13.1 million as it begins to leave the denomination following more than a year of highly charged rhetoric and legal action.

Robert Ingram, the lead attorney for Mt. Bethel, told East Cobb News on Thursday that the settlement has been agreed to by both parties, and awaits formal signatures.

He said once those signatures have been collected, he expects to file a motion in Cobb Superior Court early next week to finalize the agreement, and that it will take up to 120 days to become official.

Also next week, Ingram said, Mt. Bethel will be known only as Mt. Bethel Church, another significant step toward separating itself from the UMC, the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination.

Ingram said Mt. Bethel will have up to 120 days to submit the payment to the North Georgia Conference, and will be conducting a fundraising drive.

“They’re going to be out of the UMC,” Ingram said of Mt. Bethel, which has been seeking in its lawsuit a vote to disaffiliate.

Mt. Bethel was sending out word to its members and the public Thursday about the agreement, which was forged after several weeks of discussions facilitated by Cobb Superior Court Senior Judge Mary Staley.

The settlement announcement comes as the North Georgia Conference is holding its annual meeting in Athens, with more than 70 congregations requesting disaffiliation.

Mt. Bethel is not among them, due to the litigation. A tentative agreement was announced in early May, but no terms were disclosed.

Last September, the Conference sued Mt. Bethel after several months of contentious actions and public statements over the denomination’s reassignment of Mt. Bethel senior pastor Rev. Dr. Jody Ray.

When Ray refused, Mt. Bethel announced its intention to disaffiliate from the UMC. Mt. Bethel and Ray claimed they weren’t properly consulted by the North Georgia Conference, which each spring makes clergy assignments based on the UMC’s “itinerant ministry” tradition.

Mt. Bethel’s conservative leadership also has been at odds with the UMC over theological disputes that include the ordination of gay clergy and performing same-sex marriages. 

Currently, the UMC’s Book of Discipline governing documents forbid both, but the denomination is expected to change its policies.

Mt. Bethel has been a founding member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a consortium of conservative Methodist churches that have been planning to create a new denomination called the Global Methodist Church. 

After mediation failed last summer, the North Georgia Conference filed suit in Cobb Superior Court attempting to seize Mt. Bethel assets and property valued at $35 million.

The denomination also claimed that Mt. Bethel was not a church in good standing, including its refusal to accept Rev. Dr. Steven Usry, the Conference’s appointed successor to Ray, and was not eligible for disaffiliation.

The national UMC has been preparing for a split with more conservative congregations for several years. But international conferences to consider its Protocol for Separation and Reconciliation have been postponed due to COVID-19 measures.

When a conference scheduled for September was pushed back to 2024, the Global Methodist Church announced it was accelerating its launch to May.

On Wednesday, Wesleyan Covenant Association leader Keith Boyette—also a member of Mt. Bethel’s legal team—became the GMC’s senior executive and administrative officer, overseeing the denomination’s transition over the next 12-18 months.

Ingram told East Cobb News that because of the settlement, there won’t be a disaffiliation vote. He said Mt. Bethel wanted that to happen, especially because it would have cost “millions and million of dollars less” than what’s been settled.

“We wanted the court to allow a vote just on disaffiliation,” he said, explaining that only the North Georgia Conference superintendent could call for a such a vote.

“Despite our pleas, they never did that,” Ingram said. 

He said Mt. Bethel has not decided whether or not to pursue membership in the Global Methodist Conference.

Mt. Bethel, with nearly 10,000 members, is the largest congregation in the North Georgia Conference, which oversees nearly 900 churches.

Before the lawsuits, North Georgia Conference records indicated that Mt. Bethel was more than $2 million behind in making annual “apportionment” payments dating back a couple of decades.

A more recent update shows that Mt. Bethel paid only $24,037 of the $627,889 of assigned apportionments in 2021, the lowest dollar figure and percentage (3.8 percent) in records dating back to the early 1990s.

None of the churches seeking disaffiliation this week are in Cobb, and many are splitting over similar differences in theology as Mt. Bethel. Late Thursday, North Georgia Conference delegates voted to accept the disaffiliation requests, including Sardis UMC in Buckhead and Ebenezer UMC in Roswell.

A group of Mt. Bethel members opposed to the church’s handling of the controversy sent out a message Wednesday under the headline “What Now?” The group has been meeting with Usry, who gave the sermon at a special Easter service for them at Collins Memorial UMC in Atlanta.

“Many of us have big decisions to make, and those decisions should be made with a heart of discernment,” said the message of the Friends of Mt. Bethel group. “Under the direction of Pastor Steven we are working to help members of our faith family determine how to move forward, and to take care of each other during this time.”

As for Usry, the Friends of Mt. Bethel said that technically, he is assigned to Mt. Bethel through June 30, 2023. It’s not clear how the settlement will affect his status.

“He will be available to serve any church members, or former church members, during this transition,” the Friends of Mt. Bethel message stated. “He will be working with Friends of Mt. Bethel UMC members to try to discern how we can best support our community during this time.”

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Cobb school district to hold job fair for staff support positions

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The Cobb County School District is hiring for support staff positions for the 2022-23 school year and it holding a job fair next week for applicants.Campbell High School lockdown

The job fair will take place next Thursday, June 9. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Cobb Innovation and Technology Academy, 114 Windy Hill Road.

Positions to be filled include bus drivers, food and nutrition workers, school nurses, paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, custodians and and more. Hiring supervisors will be available to talk to candidates one-on-one.

Candidates may apply online by completing a Cobb Schools job application in advance. Cobb school district staffers will be at the fair to assist those who cannot apply before the hiring event.

Registration for the job fair can be completed by clicking here. Admission is free.

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National Merit Scholarship winners include Pope, Sprayberry students

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This spring we’ve noted that a number of Walton and Wheeler students have been named recipients of National Merit Scholarships.East Cobb National Merit Scholarship Program

They’re included in the latest batch of winners announced on Wednesday, recipients of scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,000 provided by the university of their choice.

Two others are from Pope and Sprayberry high schools, as part of a group of eight students from the Cobb County School District and 18 overall.

Nearly 7,500 high school seniors will receive National Merit Scholarships for undergraduate college worth nearly $28 million.

Applicants took the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as an initial screening, followed by the naming of more than 16,000 as semifinalists, chosen on a state-representational basis in numbers proportional to each state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors.

They were the highest-scoring program entrants in their state. Those reaching the finalist stage fulfilled additional requirements, including an essay and information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions.

They also had to display a superior academic record, be endorsed and recommendec by their high schools and earn an ACT or SAT score to confirm their qualifying test performance.

A final round of NMS recipients will be announced in July.

Madeleine M. Stewart, Pope High School
Probable career field: Wildlife Conservation
National Merit University of Tennessee Scholarship

Bradley Scott, Sprayberry High School
Probable career field: Real Estate Development
National Merit University of Georgia Scholarship

Fevin Felix, Walton High School
Probable career field: Computer Science
National Merit University of Georgia Scholarship

Ryann A. Jacobson, Walton High School
Probable career field: Theater
National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship

Sungwon Kim, Walton High School
Probable career field: Dentistry
National Merit University of Georgia Scholarship

Carson D. Felton, Wheeler High School
Probable career field: Chemical Engineering
National Merit Vanderbilt University Scholarship

William P. Jewel, Wheeler High School
Probable career field: Biology
National Merit University of Georgia Scholarship

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Rocky Mount, Tritt students receive Kiwanis ‘Silver Pen’ awards

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Kiwanis Golden K Silver Pen Awards 2022
L to R: Dr. Sage Doolittle, Assistant Principal, Rocky Mount ES; Dianna Simmons, Preston’s teacher; Pamela Lagason, mom; Preston Lagason, Silver Pen Award winner; Henry Raper, dad; Jim Perry, Past President Golden K Kiwanis; Peggy Fleming, principal.

Fourth grade students from Rocky Mount, Tritt and Acworth elementary schools have been named recipients of the Silver Pen Award of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K.

The students are Preston Lagason of Rocky Mount, Ainsley Rowe of Tritt and Olivia James of Acworth.

Students were asked to write about how COVID-19 affected them, their families, their school and their relationships.

“We were pleasantly surprised at the level of engagement and the quality of the writing the subject stimulated,” the Golden K noted.

“We heard over and over from faculty and administration how engaged the kids were and how much thought and effort they put into these writing assignments. Kiwanis got kudos for inviting the kids to work through some of their feelings and experiences. In one school, the paper was so good that the Assistant Principal copied it and distributed it to all teachers.

“The kids obviously went through far more than even we were hearing about on news broadcasts. And it changed who they were. But the surprise to us was that they came through COVID with hope and determination. They caught the light at the end of the tunnel, as we were all still complaining about how dark the tunnel was. Our kids are resilient, and they have shown it in our post-COVID interactions with them and the comments they incorporated in their Silver Pen assignments.”

Here are excerpts from some of the responses:

“Wearing a mask was a tremendous change for me, because when I wear a mask, I get sores on my nose and those really hurt.”

“The aggressive protests during COVID made me scared that things were really getting out of control. This added to my levels of concern with my mental health and increased my fear, anxiety, and depression.”

“I was not allowed to see friends or even family members that lived out of state. My Grandma got real sick and died and none of the family was allowed to be with her. I was so lonely being isolated from family and friends. I can’t imagine how lonely that was for her.”

“I had countless times of pain, suffering, struggles, trouble, and sorrow. I could not eat. It was hard to get through the day.”

“COVID ruined a lot of stuff for me, my family, my friends, and my school. COVID was an awful virus. No one liked it, and I hope it never returns.”

“The skills I learned in the middle of the pandemic were a much-needed boost to my outdated self. Tons of computer programs gave me the skills I have today.”

“I decided it was not the end, so I didn’t give up. I pressed on, even through times of mass pain. It was my only hope. I decided to make a comeback – to strike from the shadows, and to truly press on. I eventually came out victorious and was able to get back to living my life.”

“COVID 19 has made an enormous impact on my everyday life because I would not be who I am today, and would not know what it would feel like to have something crazy be going on like this. I am so glad that my family and I were okay.”

Noted the Golden K in summary:

“Our kids hurt deeply, but they bounced back, too, not to where they were but to a new way of doing life. From what we heard, most of them are doing that fairly well, perhaps better than we are.”

The Silver Pen presentations also were posted on YouTube and can be watched by clicking here.

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