Month: October 2022

Suspect arrested at Roswell Road apartment after standoff with police

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Suspect barricaded Roswell Road apartment complex

Updated, 1:15 p.m. Friday:

The suspect has been identified as Durrell Harris, 34 or 35, of Green Bay, Wis., whom Marietta Police said has numerous outstanding warrants in Wisconsin.

Marietta Police Public Information Officer Chuck McPhilamy said he did not know what the warrants for Harris are in Wisconsin.

Harris has been booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on felony charges of false imprisonment, possession of cocaine and possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor charges of willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer and marijuana possession.

Harris is being held without bond, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office booking reports.

McPhilamy said police received text messages Thursday afternoon from someone asking for help from a unit at The Falls at Sope Creek apartments, saying the suspect had threatened the individual and children and that there were weapons in the unit.

An arrest warrant states that police were dispatched to the complex at 1950 Roswell Road at at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, giving “multiple verbal commands . . . . loudly,” including from a patrol car’s public address system for the suspect to come out the apartment.

Another texter also said that the man in the apartment had multiple weapons and had his seven-year-old daughter with him, and had installed several surveillance cameras in the apartment, according to McPhilamy.

McPhilamy said that texter told police the man, later identified as Harris and a resident of the unit, has “multiple warrants from two other states.”

The arrest warrant states that the suspect refused to let a female inside the apartment leave, and he ordered her to barricade the door. According to the warrant, she was told to sit on the couch and not to get up and was not able to leave until police rammed open the door.

McPhilamy said a search warrant was executed by the Marietta Police Crime Interdiction Unit at 8:20 p.m. and two females—a seven-year-old girl and a 19-year-old woman—escaped.

Police said the girl is the suspect’s daughter and the woman, Anayaa Tate, from Ohio, “is a recent acquaintance of the suspect and has cooperated with investigators.”

The standoff continued for nearly four more hours, and McPhilamy said nearby residents were evacuated. He said once police gained entry to the apartment, they found the suspect in a “safe room” he had constructed inside a closet in the apartment (see below), but he would not come out and was tazed.

The warrant states that Harris was taken into custody at 12:45 a.m. and that no weapons were found in the apartment.

McPhilamy said that after Harris faces charges in Georgia, he will be extradited to Wisconsin.

Suspect arrested Roswell Road apartment standoff
Marietta Police said they found Durrell Harris inside a “safe space” he constructed inside the closet of his apartment on Roswell Road.

 

Updated, 12:45 a.m. Friday:

Police said the suspect was taken into custody without injuries, and more information will be released later Friday.

Original Report:

Marietta Police said a suspect was barricaded in a Roswell Road apartment complex Thursday night, prompting a heavy law enforcement response.

Numerous police vehicles surrounded a building at The Falls at Sope Creek (1950 Roswell Road), and a SWAT response also has been called, according to Marietta Police.

Social media postings did not indicate the reason the suspect has been barricaded. There was a police officer on the stairwell apparently speaking to the suspect.

At 10:18 p.m., Marietta Police said two females were released from the apartment “but the suspect remains inside. Please pray for a peaceful resolution!”

Among the vehicles lined up in front of the building in question is a van from Cobb County Animal Control.

This story will be updated.

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Windy Hill-Terrell Mill connector opens to traffic on Friday

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Windy Hill-Terrell Mill connector opens
Starting Friday morning, commuters can begin using the Windy Hill-Terrell Mill connector.

It’s less than a mile, but is expected to alleviate traffic in a busy corridor of East Cobb along Interstate 75 and the Northwest Express Lanes.

Local dignitaries, including elected officials, county transportation and development leaders and civic participants took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon.

The four-lane connector costs $45.8 million, with nearly $30 million coming from the 2016 Cobb SPLOST (special local-option sales tax) and the rest from Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority.

The connector is accessible on Windy Hill Road by the Spectrum Circle/Interstate North Parkway and moves northbound to Terrell Mill, ending at the intersection of Bentley Road.

The road also features a multi-use trail on the west shoulder that connects to the Bob Callan Trail system, which ultimately hooks up with the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area trails.

Among those on hand for the ribbon cutting were Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, former Commissioner Bob Ott, Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris, Cobb DOT director Drew Raessler, Cumberland Community Improvement District executive director Kim Menefee and Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance president Patti Rice.

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The Coder School East Cobb to celebrate 5th anniversary

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The Coder School East Cobb 5th anniversary

The 5th anniversary of The Coder School in East Cobb will be observed this month with a special Halloween costume event.

The franchised afterschool coding program, is inviting students from its locations in East Cobb at the Shallowford Falls Shopping Center (3142 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 430) as well as Johns Creek and Suwanee on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 4-7 p.m. in their costumes.

Once at the event, costume contest participants will get their pictures made to be posted online for a virtual vote.

“The parties will be going simultaneously and the vote will take place online,” said Jerry Massey, The Coder School franchisee at all three locations. “We will tally up the votes from all three centers to choose one final winner.”

The winners at each location will receive a portable video game console.

“This is just a fun event we wanted to do for our kids to celebrate our anniversary,” he said. “Not only will there be cake, goodies and games, but we will also award the winner of the best costume contest with a new Nintendo Switch Lite.”

Massey and his wife Kim started the East Cobb location in 2017. The Coder School, which is based in Silicon Valley, teaches coding to children ages 8-16 and has more than 50 locations in 15 states.

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Cobb stormwater work session postponed; Richardson to hold virtual session

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Cobb stormwater work session postponed
Stormwater damage to a residential property off Robinson Road near East Cobb Park in Sept. 2021.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners’ scheduled work session on stormwater issues was postponed Tuesday due to the length of a regular meeting earlier in the day.

The county public information office said it would be rescheduled.

Commissioners were to hear a presentation and an analysis by the Cobb Water Department of stormwater management issues and the possibility of assessing an impact fee.

District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson will hold a virtual community meeting Saturday focusing on the stormwater issue. The session starts at 11 a.m. and you can register by clicking here.

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Contested East Cobb liquor store license upheld by commissioners

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East Cobb bottle shop appeals liquor license denial

Cobb commissioners voted Tuesday to uphold a decision by the Cobb License Review Board to grant a liquor license for a new bottle shop on Johnson Ferry Road.

By a 4-1 vote, commissioners confirmed the decision to grant a beer, wine, liquor and Sunday pouring license to WellSpun Investments Inc., which plans to open the Habits Bottle Shop on 2940 Johnson Ferry Road.

That’s in the former location of Jackie’s Wine and Spirits, which has moved close by, to 3140 Johnson Ferry Road.

Jackie’s hired attorneys from the prominent Cumberland law firm of Taylor English Duma LLP to fight the new shop’s application.

Nearby residents also expressed opposition during the initial phase of the request, as the Cobb Business License Division denied the application. WellSpun appealed to the License Review Board, which granted the license in August.

But during a special public hearing Tuesday, the Jackie’s store attorney, Scott Jones, said the WellSpun request should be denied due to its proximity to two day cares and a church.

WellSpun hired a noted attorney as well, Parks Huff, known for his work in zoning cases, who said that Jackie’s doesn’t “want to have any competition.”

He showed a map of liquor stores in the East Cobb area (see below), showing that Jackie’s has a significant portion of the area to itself.

“They’re asking you to overturn a decision, not a recommendation,” he said of the License Review Board’s application.

The 2940 Johnson Ferry Road address is in a strip mall located close to the Sacred Tapestry church, which meets in another retail center.

One of the day care centers Jones referenced, the Princeton Montessori School ,has since closed. Commissioner Jerica Richardson asked Ellisia Webb, the Cobb Business License Division manager, if the distance between the store space and that day care played a role in the initial denial of the license.

“It could have,” Webb said.

Sam Hensley, an attorney represented the Business License Division and the License Review Board, admitted this was “a bit of an unusual situation” because state regulations are involved in liquor store licensing, as opposed to alcohol licenses for restaurants and convenience and grocery stories.

Jackie’s contended that the distance between the two liquor stores would be less than the minimum of 1,500 feet. Hensley said the measurements need to be made in as straight a line as possible, literally from front door to front door.

Huff claimed during the hearing that the distance was 1,560 feet by his calculations.

Another bone of contention was whether the Montessori school could be classified as an educational institution subject to the distance requirements. Huff said the now-closed facility is a day care center (as is the nearby Primrose School of Lassiter).

Richardson moved to uphold the liquor license. Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of East Cobb was the only vote against, and there was no discussion among the commissioners beforehand.

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Mt. Bethel ES roof replacement contract on Cobb school board agenda

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Mt. Bethel ES, Cobb CCRPI scores

The Cobb Board of Education will be asked Thursday to spend $2.836 million to replace the roof at Mt. Bethel Elementary School in East Cobb.

That request is coupled with a $1.14 million roof replacement request for Kennesaw Mountain High School that will be presented during a work session Thursday afternoon and is expected to be acted on during a voting session Thursday night.

The work session begins at 3 p.m. and the voting session starts at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Cobb County School District central office, 514 Glover St., Marietta.

The full agendas for the public meetings can be found by clicking here. An executive session follows the work session.

The open meetings will be live-streamed on the Cobb County School District’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24. There will be in-person public comment sessions for both; information can be found by clicking here.

Funding for the Mt. Bethel and Kennesaw Mountain roof projects comes from the Cobb Education SPLOST V sales tax collections. According to an agenda items, both projects are expected to be finished by July 2023.

Also on the school board’s agenda is the request for a $419,518 contract to purchase 11 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicles from Hardy Chevrolet, Inc. for use by the Cobb County School District’s police department.

The funding for that also comes from SPLOST V, which continues through the end of 2023.

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New Paper Mill Village flower studio to hold grand opening

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New Paper Mill Village flower decor studio opening

What’s new at Paper Mill Village:

We noted that plans for a two-story Starbucks have been delayed until the November zoning calendar and that the owners of Camps Kitchen & Bar have purchased Moxie Taco from the Moxie Restaurant Group and will be renaming it the Green Coyote Cantina.

In another part of the retail center, a new shop is holding its grand opening this week. It’s the second location of the Rose Jasmine Flower and Decor Studio, and two days of events are taking place Friday and Saturday from 12-4.

It’s located at 255 Village Parkway, Suite 740, next to Fit for Life Personal Training, and offers what it calls “chic, elegant and modern arrangements.” Rose Jasmine claims to be the first “24/7 availability flower shop in Atlanta.”

The grand opening festivities include music, appetizers, champagne, raffle prizes, gift cards to use at the store and a wrapped arrangement master class by founder and owner Anastasia Sudarikova.

Visitors also can go to a DIY floral station to prepare their own signature wrapped arrangements for a discounted price.

Sudarikova opened the first Rose Jasmine store in Owings Mills, Md. in 2017. Rose Jasmine specializes in fresh boxed arrangements for same-day delivery by couriers wearing white gloves. The store also sells floral complements like balloons and rose petals, preserved and dried florals and a variety of boxes and arrangements.

Online orders and curbside pickup service are available.

The store hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and couriers can deliver 24/7.

Phone: (404) 494-6473.

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Cobb commissioners OK redistricting resolution in split vote

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Cobb redistricting resolution approved
Commissioner Jerica Richardson said the home rule resolution is an option to address the legislature’s “unprecedented” redistricting against the wishes of the Cobb delegation majority.

In a strict partisan vote, the Cobb Board of Commissioners approved the first of two votes Tuesday to take an unprecedented step at invoking home rule powers over redistricting.

The board’s three-member Democratic majority voted to approve a resolution that would redraw the four commission districts according to a map accepted by the Cobb legislative delegation.

That map, which was not voted on by the Georgia legislature this year, would have kept current District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson in her district, which includes some of East Cobb as well as the Cumberland-Vinings area.

The two Republican commissioners voted against the resolution, saying it’s a violation of the Georgia Constitution for local governments to conduct reapportionment, which is a task of the legislature.

Another vote has been scheduled for Oct. 25 before the resolution would be sent to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, but a lawsuit by the state is expected in response and the matter will likely be resolved in the courts.

“We begin to make history with this vote,” Richardson said.

A map approved by the Republican-dominated legislature redrew Richardson, a Democrat in her first term, out of the East Cobb home off Post Oak Tritt Road that she moved into last year.

She would have to move into the newly redrawn District 2 by Dec. 31 in order to keep her seat. Her term expires at the end of 2024, but she has said since the legislative session that she will “not step down.”

Before Tuesday’s vote, she reiterated previous public remarks that the legislature’s action to draw a sitting commissioner out of office during a term is unprecedented, and needs to be challenged.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell

She said it’s the opinion of the county’s legal counsel that the Georgia Constitution allows for local governments to claim home rule powers.

That has not occurred with regards to redistricting. “That it has not been used in this manner does not mean it cannot be used in this manner,” Richardson said before the vote.

District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, a Republican whose new district includes most of East Cobb, said of the resolution that “this action is illegal” and goes against the state constitution.

She said she twice asked Cobb County Attorney William Rowling for a second opinion but noted that “this was not done,” then read from a letter by the state Office of Legislative Counsel questioning the constitutionality of the resolution.

Rowling responded that several times the language in that letter stated “it appears” and took issue with referenced federal redistricting cases.

“Federal cases do not speak to Georgia law,” he said. When Birrell asked him if home rule could apply to local redistricting in Cobb’s case, he said “Yes ma’am. I do think it’s undecided.”

Keli Gambrill of North Cobb, the other GOP commissioner, accused her Democratic colleagues of “playing politics over enforcing policy” in advancing the resolution in executive session.

Judy Boyce

She also said the “local courtesy” tradition of the legislature honoring county delegation maps isn’t law, and Cobb “has no legal authority to enact redistricting.”

Monique Sheffield, a first-term Democrat who represents South Cobb, said Richardson was elected for four years “and she should have the opportunity to do so.”

That was the sentiment of public speakers in support of the resolution. They included Jackie Bettadapur of East Cobb, who is the head of the Cobb Democratic Party. She didn’t identify herself as such, but said that Cobb’s Republican lawmakers who presented their own maps “went rogue” in getting them approved.

“This is voter nullification,” she said, adding that the GOP “is overturning 2020 election results.”

“State overreach into local government matters has got to stop,” Bettadapur said. “Give voice to our votes and honor the 2020 election results” that resulted in the first Democratic majority on the commission since the 1980s.

Pam Reardon of East Cobb, a Cobb Republican activist who also didn’t mention her party ties, countered by saying that the approved maps are the law and that “this lawsuit is going be a colossal waste of taxpayer funds.”

She said Richardson, who narrowly was elected in 2020 by roughly 1,200 votes over Republican Fitz Johnson, knew redistricting would occur and moved “all the way across District 2” into her new home.

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid tried to move the vote up on the agenda to allow public speakers to have their say beforehand.

But she couldn’t get a majority, and after the vote, speakers on either side of the issue had their say.

They included East Cobb resident Judy Boyce, whose late husband, Mike Boyce, was the Republican chairman from 2017-2020.

She said she voted in the May primary with the new lines in effect, including District 3, in which Birrell is seeking a fourth term against Democrat Christine Triebsch.

The resolution doesn’t affect 2022 elections, but it could create chaos if it ultimately prevails, and Boyce urged commissioners not to vote for home rule.

“What happens to my vote?” she said, getting emotional. “What you did today nullifies my vote. I deserve to have my vote honored. How does this work now?

“I don’t think what you’ve done today is legal. It’s politically motivated.”

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Mt. Zion UMW Holly Jolly Craft Show slated for mid-November

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Mt Zion UMC Craft Show

The United Methodist Women’s ministry at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in East Cobb will be holding its Holly Jolly Craft Show in November.

The show will take place on Friday, Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the church (1770 Johnson Ferry Road).

The show features more than 50 arts and crafts vendors, a silent auction, door prizes, a bake sale and frozen meal sales, as well as a quilt drawing and a gift basket drawing.

There also will be photo opportunities with Santa Clause and baked good made during the show.

Admission is free to the public; all proceeds from the sale benefit the Mt. Zion UMW’s work with charities helping women and children.

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Cobb Public Library fall book sale returns to Cobb Civic Center

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Weekend events, Cobb Library Book Sale

Submitted information:

The Fall Book Sale will be held at Cobb Civic Center October 14-16, 2022.

Materials for sale include books for all ages in both hardcover and paperback, DVDs, Books on CD and audiocassette, and magazines. Prices range from 10 cents to $4.00. Find a price list here.

Cobb Civic Center is at 548 South Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30060. Hours for the sale are Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm. There is plenty of free parking.

Acceptable forms of payment are debit, credit, cash, and checks. On Friday until 1 pm electronic devices are not permitted. While we hope you will buy lots of materials, we are only able to sell up to 2 boxes of items at a time on Friday until 1 pm. Please plan to pay and take items to your vehicle before coming in to shop some more. On Sunday we will be working to sell out the Civic Center so please come to buy, buy, buy!

All profits from this book sale go directly to buying more items for Cobb County Public Library’s 15 branches and bookmobile. For more information, please visit cobbcounty.org/library.

 

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, Sept. 19-23, 2022

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Edgemere Estates, East Cobb real estate sales
Edgemere Estates

The following deeds for residential East Cobb real estate sales were filed Sept. 19-23, 2022 with the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office Real Estate Department

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

Sept. 19

4880 Hawk Trail, 30066 (Falcon Crest, Lassiter): Simply Sold Atlanta LLC to Open House Atlanta Realty & Investments; $340,000

4477 Old Mabry Place, 30075 (Old Mabry, Lassiter): Andrea Paige Jones to Cesar Rozo and Nelly Blanco; $450,000

2745 Morgan Road, 30066 (Sprayberry): Lot One Homes of Georgia to Ishtiaq Farooqui; $646,907

2189 Deep Woods Way, 30062 (Piedmont Forest, Sprayberry): Hari Ghorat to Ashley and Sean Harris; $498,000

4500 Edgemere Trace, 30062 (Edgemere Estates, Pope): Xiaogan Li to Adeyemi and Afwandi Karunwi; $960,000

2635 Indian Lake Drive, 30062 (Indian Springs, Walton): Kimberly Robinson to Darione and Yoseph Tekleyes; $1.4 million

2629 Meadowlawn Drive, 30067 (Sandpiper, Wheeler): Fernando Madrid to Thiago Castro; $300,000

614 Wynnes Ridge Circle, 30067 (Wynnes Ridge, Wheeler): Allison Michael to Michele Burling; $205,000

Sept. 20

3900 Clairington Drive, 30066 (Overlook at Chastain, Sprayberry): SDH Atlanta LLC to Jesu Darison Gerard Fernando; $416,275

3680 Wesley Chapel Road, 30062 (Lassiter): Oskar Juarez to Lot One Homes of Georgia; $278,000

303 Paxton Circle, 30066 (Sumter Ridge, Sprayberry): Phillip Hunt to OP SPE TPAI1 LLC; $344,000

2615 Watercrest Court, 30062 (Autumn Lake, Sprayberry): Fred Dozier to Steven Spencer; $440,000

2215 Snug Harbor, 30066 (St. Charles Square, Sprayberry): Vincent Tomincasa to Adam and Stacey Kowalski; $500,000

3195 Sweetbay Magnolia Drive, 30062 (Arbor Cove, Pope): Laila Naushin to Chike Rapu and Kehinde Coker-Rapu; $959,000

1050 Hershey Drive, 30062 (Hershey Woods, Walton): Guild Dream Homes LLC to Srikanth Kondapally and Snigdba Cherukupalli; $480,000

3202 Lakeridge Drive, 30067 (Millridge, Wheeler): Stephen Krawczyk to Marion Davidson; $555,000

Sept. 21

5170 Rebel Road, 30068 (Chattahoochee Heights, Walton): Jacqueline Seyfried to Alexandra Dogariu and Emily Mae Langdon; $535,000

5276 Beechwood Court, 30068 (Tally Green, Walton): Diane Kanter to Donald Kanter; $400,000

5368 West Bank Drive, 30068 (Jacksons Creek, Walton): Zachary and Kristina Cooke to Jonathan and Sarah Cagle; $855,000

3190 Randall Drive, 30066 (Russell Plantation Estates, Sprayberry): Kay Shirk to Michelle Pike; $360,000

301 Pathview Lane, 30062 (Wendwood, Pope): Lisa Ames to B & R Investments and Construction; $300,000

303 Nibblewill Place, 30066 (Barrett Creek Townhomes, Sprayberry): Karen Rubenfield to Taliaferro McIlhany; $355,500

1864 Glynda Drive, 30062 (Plantation Pines, Pope): Linda Ogletree to DGS Residential Properties; $378,000

4166 Lakeshore Way, 30067 (Kings Cove, Walton): Alice Lomax to Derek Mendez; $430,000

2305 Gardengate Way, 30067 (Gardenside at Powers Ferry, Wheeler): Jordan Lublin, trustee to Gibson Garner and Jessica Eason; $380,000

3001 Greyfield Terrace, 30067 (Greyfield, Wheeler): Thomas Mallon to Culin and Robin Swarts; $400,000

774 Old Paper Mill Road, 30067 (Old Paper Mill, Wheeler): Patricia Coleman to Rosario and Elayne Scarcella; $695,000

544 Pine Valley Road, 30067 (Atlanta Country Club, Walton): Charles O’Brien to Anthony and Kelly Talal; $1.8 million

Sept. 22

4919 Post Oak Tritt Road, 30062 (Sturbridge Village, Pope): Opendoor Property Trust to AFR Acquisitions 3; $550,000

4524 Reva Court, 30066 (Stockton Place, Lassiter): Michael and Patricia Adams to Opendoor Property; $483,4000

4231 Keheley Lake Drive, 30062 (Lakewood Colony, Kell): Jimmy Kell to Christopher Musson; $460,000

3501 Shaw Road, 30066 (Noonday Hills, Sprayberry): Judith Wagner to Max and Mino Bronson; $355,000

1417 Castlebrooke Way, 30066 (Castlebrooke, Sprayberry): Antonia Carter-Wright to Karthik and Shirley Pyata; $925,000

51 Highoak Drive, 30066 (Ashford Oaks, Sprayberry): Lowell Langelland to Navid Mahallati; $245,000

1249 Ronnie Drive, 30062 (Sylvan Heights, Walton): Patricia O’Kelley to Julie and Glen Uranis; $20,000

3980 Cliffmont Circle, 30068 (Fairvue at Indian Hills, Walton): Will and Susan Lummus to Robert Schilling; $750,000

2377 Emory Lane, 30068 (Spring Creek, Wheeler): My Wonder Home LLC to Judson Haley; $595,000

Sept. 23

4704 Arberlour Way, 30067 (Woodlawn Walk, Walton): James Robinson to Ryan Alexander Ely; $1.35 million

4496 Quarter Horse Drive, 30075 (Plantation North, Pope): Jeannie Freeman to Lucas and Melissa Mashburn; $610,000

1877 Falcon Wood Drive, 30066 (Falcon Wood, Kell): Donovan Bennett to Nataleigh Verrengia; $390,000

4929 Olde Mill Drive, 30066 (Olde Mill Ford, Kell): Flitch Properties LLC to Daryn Sinclair and Brendan Flatt; $400,000

2440 Stockton Drive, 30066 (Stocktons Ford, Lassiter): Isabel Hurtubise, trustee to Richard and Mylene Hughsam; $450,000

2315 Wickingham Drive, 30066 (Cambridge Crossing, Lassiter): Christopher Crocker to Devendra Kumar to Rakhee Moolchanandi; $561,900

3478 Cochran Shore Cove, 30062 (Cochran Lake Shores, Lassiter): Bercher Homes LLC to Meredith and Gregory Hodge; $1.262 million

1190 Blackwell Road, 30066 (Autumn Ridge, Sprayberry): Kayne LeBlanc to BMF & Associates; $300,000

790 Weybourne Court, 30066 (Chastain Commons, Sprayberry): Charlotte Welch, trustee to Meridian Trust Real Estate Investments; $280,000

2272 Rosemoore Walk 30062 (Rosemoore at Harper Woods, Sprayberry): Steven Clover to Bikal and Andreia Dhakal; $491,500

2737 Vintage Reserve Unit 15, 30066 (Vintage Club, Sprayberry): Bradley Coleman, executor to Salli Jane Parker, Kelci Emily Kimbro and Kassidi Kole Kimbro; $277,610

500 Piedmont Road, 30066 (Sprayberry): Duncan Land Investments to Angelene Bisnott; $395,000

2378 Wilderness Way, 30066 (Wilderness Ridge, Sprayberry): Garrett Tucker to William and Allison Bates; $460,000

3927 Vinyard Trace, 30062 (Arthurs Vinyard, Pope): David Frykman JHB Homes LLC; $410,000

1550 Blackjack Drive, 30062 (Blackjack Hills, Sprayberry): Susan Abballe to Xiang Ying Zuo and Xue Zhang Gao; $450,000

2870 Cobb Street, 30068 (Cobb Estates, Wheeler): Bradley and Mackenzie Deal to Amber and Andrew Alley; $426,000

3554 Clubland Drive, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): Beatriz Montalvo to John and Vianna Kovalsky; $685,000

465 Salem Woods Drive, 30068 (Salem Woods, Wheeler): Opendoor Property Trust to Carlos Otero and Anthony Buccellato; $280,000

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Scene in East Cobb: Getting into the swing of Halloween

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A makeshift “photo booth” was set up at the Sewell Mill Baptist Church Saturday for a pumpkin patch and fall produce sale held by Holland Botanical (previous story here).

Visitors could get their pictures taken (many were taking snaps of their kids sitting on the bales of hay) as they shopped for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Some of the proceeds benefitted the church’s Richards Christian Academy, including raffle tickets sold for the large 75-pound pumpkin in the front.

On Sunday Holland Botanical will be taking its produce and pumpkin patch setup to the Sukkahfest at Congregation Etz Chaim (1190 Indian Hills Parkway), from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Send Your Halloween Photos!

If you’ve got shots of the season you’d like to share with the community, pass them along to us at  editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post them here.

Sent them as separate files (JPG or PNG formats preferably) and include any descriptive information you’d like.

If you have a Halloween-themed event coming up that’s open to the public, we’ll be glad to post that on our calendar listings. E-mail calendar@eastcobbnews.com.

 

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Cobb stormwater analysis, impact fee options to be presented

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Cobb storm damage town hall
Damage to a yard in Terrell Mill Estates after September 2021 flooding.

Nearly a year after Cobb commissioners asked the county water department to examine the possibility of imposing a stormwater impact fee, they will hear a preliminary analysis on Tuesday.

A work session has been called for Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. “to present information on stormwater management services and the preliminary analysis of a stormwater fee based on impervious surface,” according to the agenda item.

Since 1994, stormwater management has been handled by the Cobb water system, and is funded by water and sewer revenues. A consultant recommended the county impose a stormwater fee in a 2005 report, but no action was taken.

The county has admitted it lacks staffing and resources to adequately handle demands on the system.

The agenda item for Tuesday’s work session states that “there is a significant backlog of stormwater maintenance projects” including the maintenance of more than 400 detention ponds.

There have been numerous sinkholes resulting from pipe failures

Following floods last fall that damaged the homes and yards of residents in East Cobb and other areas of the county, the subject has taken greater precedence.

Commissioner Jerica Richardson held several virtual meetings. Since a December 2021 meeting the water system has been looking at how other other metro Atlanta jurisdictions manage stormwater utilities and how they charge for them.

A potential impact fee based on impervious surface of a property, instead of water and sewer usage, was raised at the time.

But commissioners were divided along partisan lines, with the board’s two Republicans opposed.

One of them, JoAnn Birrell of East Cobb, said she wasn’t in favor of adding another utility fee with water rates going up in Cobb.

When East Cobb News asked Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt about what specifically will be recommended by the water department Tuesday, he said that “they are still working on final details before presenting it to the board.”

Since it’s a work session, there won’t be a vote. The meeting will take place in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

You also can watch on the county’s website, Facebook Live and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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First responders treated to appreciation lunch in East Cobb

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East Cobb first responders appreciation lunch

The East Cobb-based Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team once again held an appreciation barbecue lunch to honor local police, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and military veterans.

Wednesday’s lunch included the Capital City Home Loans grilling from a food truck and serving burgers and hotdogs with a variety of sides sponsored by Arrow Exterminators.

Additional sponsors for the event included American Home Shield Warranty, Amerispec Home Inspection, and Chick-Fil-A East Lake.

East Cobb first responders appreciation lunch

East Cobb first responders appreciation lunch

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Cobb resolution to redraw commission seats to be considered

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Cobb commissioners redistricting resolution
Cobb is challenging a legislative-approved map at right and wants to replace it with the one on the left that would allow District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson to keep her seat (in pink).

An unprecedented legal ploy by Cobb County to invoke home rule provisions for reapportioning commission district lines will be considered for a vote Tuesday.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will be asked to pass a resolution to redraw the four commission districts according to a map drawn earlier this year by State Rep. Erick Allen, the Cobb legislative delegation chairman, that would preserve the District 2 seat for commissioner Jerica Richardson.

But Cobb Republican lawmakers ignored Allen’s map and pushed through the GOP-dominated Georgia legislature that took most of East Cobb, where Richardson lives, out of District 2.

Under state law, Richardson, a first-term Democrat who was elected 2020, would have to move out of her home off Johnson Ferry Road and into the new District 2 if she wants to remain in office. 

Last month, she announced she would be challenging the legislatively adopted maps, after saying in March that “I will not step down.” 

She has claimed it’s the first time in state history a sitting elected official has been drawn out of a district, and that the legislature ignored longstanding courtesy by not accepting the local delegation map.

The resolution is on the commission’s regular agenda (agenda item here), and will be followed by a second consideration and vote on Oct. 25. 

You can read the proposed resolution by clicking here; and more background information can be found by clicking here.

The Cobb challenge will have no bearing on the upcoming Nov. 8 general election. Voters in East Cobb will have the District 3 commission race on their ballot (in yellow on the maps above).

That seat is currently held by Republican JoAnn Birrell, who is seeking a fourth term and is being challenged by Democrat Christine Triebsch.

Cobb’s resolution, should it pass, is likely to be challenged in court by the state. Birrell has previously said that she didn’t think it was fair for Richrdson to be drawn out of her seat.

But she is against changing the maps approved by the legislature, saying it’s confusing to voters and “isn’t even legal.”

The full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting can be found by clicking here. It will take place starting at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

You also can watch on the county’s website, Facebook Live and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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Woman killed in wrong-way crash at I-285/I-75 interchange in Cobb

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Cobb Police said a woman from Mableton was.killed early Friday when the car she was driving in the wrong direction at I-285 and I-75 in Cobb County collided with another vehicle.Cobb Police, Holly Springs Road suspicious person, East Cobb crime forum

Officer Joseph Wilson said in a release that Chassity Hogan, 30, was was behind the wheel of a white 2014 Hyundai Elantra around 2:50 a.m. Friday, heading southbound on I-75 in the northbound lanes just below Windy Hill Road.

Police said the Hyundai veered into another northbound line while traveling South when it collided with a blue 2017 Volvo tractor-trailer driven by Jose Henriquez, 38, of Orlando, Fla.

According to police, the impact of the collision forced the Hyundai into a guardrail after the vehicle spun around. Police said Hogan was pronounced dead on the scene by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office and that her next of kin has been notified; Henriquez was not injured.

The crash remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

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Cobb Food Scores: Pappasito’s; Douceur de France Bakery; more

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Pappasito's Cantina, East Cobb food scores

The following food scores for the week of Oct. 3 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Checker’s 
41 Cobb Parkway South
October 5, 2022 Score: 90, Grade: A

Cools Beans Coffee Roasters Mobile
32 Waddell Street
October 3, 2022 Score: 97, Grade: A

Daily Bread Cafe
531 Roselane St., Suite 520
October 4, 2022 Score: 93, Grade: A

Dickerson Middle School
855 Woodlawn Drive
October 5, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Douceur de France Bakery
277 S. Marietta Parkway
October 6, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

East Side Elementary School
3850 Roswell Road
October 6, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Hightower Trail Middle School
3905 Post Oak Tritt Road
October 6, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Mt. Bethel Elementary School
1210 Johnson Ferry Road
October 5, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Pappasito’s Cantina
2788 Windy Hill Road
October 3, 2022 Score: 89, Grade: B

Zaxby’s
2981 Delk Road
October 6, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

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East Cobb resident preps for ‘golf until you drop’ charity event

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East Cobb resident golf marathon
A former amateur golfer paralyzed in a traffic accident, tees off not far from the Shepherd Spinal Center on a special golf cart funded through the Georgia State Golf Association. Photo: GSGA

To say that Jim Ingram is a golf enthusiast is putting it mildly.

The East Cobb resident is a longtime avid golfer, and has served as a volunteer and executive board member of the Georgia State Golf Association for 30 years.

The president of Evans and James, an executive search firm serving the plastics and packaging industry, Ingram remains involved in GSGA events and activities, including a relatively new charity fundraiser.

He’s played a lot of golf at a lot of local courses, including Indian Hills Country Club and Brookstone Country Club in Cobb County.

He makes fun of his “lousy golf swing” (see below) but has a 9 handicap, and often is accompanied by his dog Rover.

Ingram also has played plenty of times at the nine-hole Bobby Jones Golf Course in Buckhead, where the formerly East Cobb-based GSGA now has its headquarters.

But on Oct. 21, Ingram will play Bobby Jones like he never has before—as in over and over and over again, set to make the turn many times.

East Cobb resident charity golf marathon
Rover is Jim Ingram’s frequent companion on the golf course.

That’s because he’s taking part in the GSGA’s charity marathon fundraiser to benefit the organization’s adaptive and junior golf programs.

(You can pledge per round or make a one-time donation to Ingram’s marathon by clicking here.)

In last year’s event, he played 81 holes in one day at the Druid Hills Country Club. In a couple of weeks, he’ll likely play just as many, if not more, on the storied public course named for a Georgia golf legend.

“You just golf until you drop,” Ingram said of the marathon, which raised more than $50,000 overall. The GSGA is aiming to surpass that figure this year with around 20-30 participants having signed up.

The proceeds enable youths 16 and under from economically challenged backgrounds to play for $5 a round, and for the GSGA to purchase special equipment and provide instruction for the physically handicapped.

Among them is Chance, a former amateur golfer and a police officer who was paralyzed from the chest down in a 2018 traffic accident.

As he rehabilitated at the Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta, his visitors included some who introduced him to adaptive golf.

He plays golf once again, thanks to a solorider cart provided by the GSGA with funds from last year’s marathon.

It’s a story the GSGA is encouraging its marathon participants to share as they collect pledges. The GSGA has raised nearly $100,000 in subsidies for the youth program (the GSGA makes up the greens fees to the golf courses) and is close to having enough money to purchase another adaptive cart.

“We’re trying to set good examples,” Ingram said of the GSGA’s initiatives to expand golf access.

More than 2,000 people have gotten involved in the adaptive program, and it’s something that “changes people’s lives,” Ingram said.

Like Chance and others at the Shepherd Center, “we’re trying to get them involved.”

East Cobb resident golf marathon
Ingram played 81 holes in a single day at the 2021 GSGA marathon fundraiser.

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East Cobb bottle shop opponents appeal liquor license approval

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East Cobb bottle shop opponents appeal liquor license

Community members opposed to a liquor store that plans to open in the same location vacated by another bottle shop on Johnson Ferry Road have appealed to the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners will conduct a public hearing Tuesday to hear the appeal of residents and nearby business owners, who say the area doesn’t need another liquor store.

WellSpun Investments Inc. applied in March for a liquor, beer, wine and Sunday sales license for Habits Bottle Shop at 2940 Johnson Ferry Road, near the intersection of Freeman Road.

It would replace Jackie’s Fine Wine and Spirits, which relocated nearby to 3140 Johnson Ferry Road, and would be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

WellSpun was initially denied a liquor license in June by the Cobb Business License Division, then appealed to the Cobb License Review Board, which granted approval in August.

Opponents, who have hired an attorney, Christina Moore of Taylor English Duma LLP, have said the new store is located close to two pre-schools and religious space and isn’t suitable for an area with young people. Some also expressed traffic concerns at that intersection.

The store is less than 600 feet from the Princeton Montessori School and the Primrose School of Lassiter and is less than 400 feet from Sacred Tapestry, a Methodist-affiliated entity that holds worship services at an adjacent strip mall.

The License Review Board typically grants waivers for distance requirements if there’s not opposition.

(Also on Tuesday’s agenda is a consent item to grant a liquor license for a new Canton Road sports bar on Canto Road, whose owner has appealed a denial of a liquor license due to its proximity to a church.The review board is recommending commissioners approve the license for Bar 44, and there has been no known opposition.)

Since Jackie’s moved, the landlord has been advertising the 2940 Johnson Ferry Road space as suitable for a liquor store or retail use.

But letters from community members initially filed in March, and included in Tuesday’s agenda item for the hearing (you can read through them here) say that there are plenty of establishments in the vicinity that sell alcohol in addition to Jackies: Walmart, gas station convenience stores and restaurants.

“There are currently 10 stores selling distilled spirits within a 5 mile radius with many more selling wine and beer,” wrote one citizen. “The proximity to schools and impact on traffic are two very important additional reasons why we object to this application.”

Another resident said “we don’t need one more establishment for the teenagers at Pope and Walton High School to buy from, and inevitably pay a legal adult to buy alcohol for them. I know this due to the fact that I went to Walton High School and my daughters went to Pope High School.”

In response to a questionnaire from the review board, Salim Rajan of WellSpun said he would require employees to card “if a customer appears to be under the age of 40” and that employees will be terminated if they have been found to have made an underage sale.

The Tuesday hearing will take place at the end of the meeting, and will be conducted like a formal court proceeding, with witnesses sworn in, evidence introduced and cross-examination allowed.

The full agenda for Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting can be found by clicking here. It will take place in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

You also can watch on the county’s website, Facebook Live and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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4 East Cobb high schools surpass 90 percent graduation rates

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Lassiter High School graduation rate

Four high schools in East Cobb reported graduation rates of 90 percent or higher in the Class of 2022.

The Georgia Department of Education released district- and school-level figures on Thursday, with Harrison High School leading the Cobb County School District with a 97.2 percent graduation rate.

Lassiter High School in East Cobb was second at 97 percent, followed by Walton at 96.5 percent and Pope at 96.2 percent. Kell graduated 91.3 percent of its seniors this year.

Sprayberry had a graduation rate of 88.2 percent and Wheeler’s is 86.8 percent.

Federal law requires that graduation rates must be calculated by including all students expected to graduate in 2022, including those enrolled for a single day.

The Cobb County School District reported an overall graduation rate of 87.4 percent, second in the metro Atlanta area to Fulton County schools (89.3 percent), according to a district release.

The state average of 84.1 percent is an all-time high.

The Kell graduation rate of 91.3 percent is 2.4 percent better than 2021, and Sprayberry’s rate rose 1.9 percent from last year, according to the Cobb school district.

The district said that its graduation rate would be 92.6 percent if calculated to include students who were enrolled for at least two years, 95.2 percent for three years and 96.5 percent for students in the 16 traditional high schools enrolled all four years.

The Georgia Department of Education has full scores that you can read through by clicking here.

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