John Cooper is accused of following a motorist into the Walmart parking lot after pursuing her on Johnson Ferry Road.
An East Cobb man is being held without bond for allegedly pointing his gun at drivers in the Johnson Ferry Road area in the early morning hours of last Sunday.
John B. Cooper, 51, is facing two felony counts of aggravated assault, another felony count of false imprisonment and a charge of cocaine possession, according to an arrest warrant.
The warrant states that while driving a 2021 GMC Sierra pickup truck, Cooper pursued two different drivers before 5 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23 within a few minutes of one another.
In the first instance, Cooper allegedly followed a delivery driver from Johnson Ferry onto Hidden Lake Court, pointing a small black handgun at the victim after cornering his vehicle at the end of a cul-de-sac, according to the warrant.
A short time later, Cooper followed another driver in the same vicinity, from Woodlawn Drive onto Johnson Ferry and pointed a gun at her vehicle, then pursued her northbound on Johnson Ferry, according to the warrant.
The warrant said that the woman pulled into the parking lot of the Walmart at 3100 Johnson Ferry Road, five miles from Woodlawn, to distance herself from her pursuer.
Police said that Cooper was arrested at his home on Audubon Drive later that same evening, and discovered the pickup truck, cocaine and a cocaine pipe.
Cooper was booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center shortly after that, according to his booking report.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb Planning Commission member Deborah Dance (right) speaks as Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell listens at a community meeting Thursday at the East Cobb Library. ECN photos.
After two months of delays, a proposal to rezone a portion of the Eastside Church property on Lower Roswell Road will go back before the Cobb Planning Commission next week.
An attorney for the church has filedan updated stipulation letter and a new site plan, as well as a rendering for what appears to be a reduced height for a 95-unit senior assisted living building (see both below).
But the reason for the most recent delay, the completion of a traffic study, has not yet been submitted, Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell told around 70 residents Thursday at a community meeting she held at the East Cobb Library.
Many of them showed up to express their continuing opposition to a 103-unit project called The Haven that they said is too dense for the area and will cause traffic and stormwater issues in their neighborhood. The complex would also include eight independent cottages, as well as amenities and supportive care services in the main building.
Birrell said that she and her Planning Commission appointee, Deborah Dance, who also attended Thursday’s meeting, can’t offer an opinion on a rezoning case before it’s heard. But they urged those in the audience to show up Tuesday.
“This is a proposal that’s not been decided,” Birrell said, adding that they should also send written comments that are received by decision-makers, as well as zoning staff members.
Red Oak Park resident Lyndsay Webb (in blue) has been leading the opposition to The Haven.
The Planning Commission first heard the case in June, then voted to hold it until July for a community meeting at the church. Eastside asked for a continuance in August to conduct a traffic study as the school year began.
Even if the traffic study had been presented Thursday, some citizens weren’t enamored with what’s being presented overall.
“I feel like I’ve seen this movie before,” said one resident near the end of an almost two-hour-long meeting. “They play the long game. They’re counting on our energy not being sustained.”
There was plenty of energy in the East Cobb Library community meeting room Thursday—much of it animated against a faith community some say has kept them in the dark about the senior-living plans.
The church property is rezoned for residential use, as religious facilities are; Eastside is asking for a residential senior-living category (RSL) and would manage operations of The Haven through a non-profit and operated by a vendor with expertise in providing senior care.
Before the meeting Thursday, a flyer was handed out by an independent citizen called “Stop the Eastside Church Conversion” that made reference to other church-related rezonings in recent years, including the East Cobb Church case at Shallowford and Johnson Ferry roads.
Suggesting a pattern of “religious use as a density Trojan horse,” the flyer also stated the political implications at hand.
Birrell, a Republican who represents District 3 in East Cobb, is seeking a fifth-term in November.
Kevin Redmon, her Democratic opponent, did some canvassing over the weekend in the Red Oak Park, the neighborhood adjacent to Eastside. (Mindy Seger, his campaign manager, attended the meeting at the East Cobb Library.)
The proposed main building of The Haven has been reduced from three to two stories in a rendering released this week.
‘How can we protect ourselves?’
Eastside Church—formerly known as Eastside Baptist Church—dates back to the early 1960s, about as old as Red Oak Park.
The neighborhood now features modest homes with a mix of age ranges. Some have been living there for decades, and others are younger families with school-age children who can afford the home prices there.
Many say there’s already a lot of traffic coming through their neighborhood that straddles Little Road, using it as a cut-through between Lower Roswell and Powers Ferry Road.
What Eastside is proposing would be 13 units an acre, much more dense than the East Cobb Church plans. The revised site plan would reduce the total acreage for The Haven from 10.10 acres to 8.65 acres.
The church properties removed in the new site plan are homes the church owns that are part of Red Oak Park.
Richard Grome of the East Cobb Civic Association.
Yet the main building still calls for 95 units with the amenities, including an open garden area, and would be served by a 150-vehicle parking lot.
Richard Grome, president of the East Cobb Civic Association, which is opposed to The Haven, primarily for density reasons, was skeptical of the new rendering.
“Nothing has really changed,” he said. “The technicality is how high is this building and where is this being measured from?”
(East Cobb News has left messages with Eastside Church officials seeking comment and further information.)
One woman was worried about a recent zoning case in West Cobb in which commissioners approved a daycare facility opposed by Keli Gambrill, the district commissioner.
“If this is true, what can we do?” the Red Oak Park resident asked. “How can we protect ourselves? How can we protect our county?”
Birrell noted that in her nearly 16 years in office, she’s been “railroaded” in a similar fashion.
“You’ve got to go up and speak out, flood us with e-mails,” she told the audience. “We need to hear from you.
“If 50 people are there—that means a lot. This is a big group, and you’ve made some valid points tonight.”
When another resident made an impassioned comment that “I want to be able to age in place” in Red Oak Park “because I love that neighborhood,” she drew wild applause.
Birrell asked her if she planned to attend the Planning Commission hearing Tuesday, but the woman said “no, ma’am.”
In discussing plans for The Haven in May, Eastside leaders told East Cobb News that the project is part of an expanded church mission to address a shortage of senior housing in the community.
The residential charges at The Haven would start from $6,000 a month, which some Red Oak Park residents wondered would truly solve the problem.
“When all they’re building is luxury, that’s not really serving the need,” said one.
Senior pastor Darrell Whipple said in that earlier interview that “we want to be good neighbors” and Eastside sent out nearly 200 invitations to an initial community meeting.
But some residents said they never got them, and didn’t know about the rezoning proposal except through their neighbors.
“At night, I feel like we’re at the end of an airport runway,” Red Oak Park resident Denise Merritt said of the lighting at the Eastside Church parking lot near her home.
Among them is Denise Merritt, who’s lived in the neighborhood for 23 years, very close to the church. She used to be a part of the Eastside congregation, but left when current leadership arrived.
She said Thursday that Eastside installed security lights in the parking lot that are extremely bright at night, and without tree cover in the winter, “I can go out in my front yard and read a book.”
Merritt said that The Haven “is all about revenue” for a church she said is proposing this for financial reasons, “and they’re able to do it under the guise that they don’t have to pay taxes. I’d like to be able to afford that place.”
Other citizens wondered if they’d see a traffic study—which wasn’t required—by Tuesday.
Both Birrell and Dance told them to let their traffic concerns be known in detailed terms anyway.
“Even if there’s not a study, provide your observations of the traffic,” Dance said.
Eastside is being represented by Kevin Moore, a noted zoning attorney, who handles many controversial cases in Cobb County. They included a rejected plan earlier this year by RaceTrac on Bells Ferry at Piedmont Road that went up against intense community opposition.
One of those citizens told Red Oak Park residents to “stand up” at the Planning Commission hearing Tuesday and put the “same grimace on Kevin Moore’s face” that she and her neighbors did in that case.
“Please be there.”
Unless the case is held again, the Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which has a zoning hearing on Sept. 15.
The Cobb Planning Commission zoning hearing Tuesday begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the county office building at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Senior offensive lineman Carson Baker will wear Matt Hobby’s jersey No. 70 for the 2026 season.
This year’s Pope High School football game to serve as a fundraiser in honor of former player Matt Hobby is Sept. 18.
That’s when the Greyhounds will play host to River Ridge at Matt Hobby Field, which has been renamed in honor of the player who died at the age of 17 from Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer.
The proceeds from the game will benefit the Rally Foundation, which raises awareness and funds to research pediatric cancer
Hobby died shortly after graduation in 2006 after a three-year battle, and the Pope football community became actively involved with the non-profit to continue his legacy.
When pre-season football practice began in July, Pope coaches select a player who will wear Hobby’s former jersey No. 70 for the season.
This year he is Carson Baker, a senior offensive lineman.
Carson Baker (holding jersey No. 70) and his teammates in July.
Reader Carrie, who sent us news about the this year’s Matt Hobby game, tells us that her son, a Pope graduate, is recovering after getting the same Ewing sarcoma diagnosis.
Now a student at Auburn University, he was treated while on medical leave last year but she reports that “thankfully, my son is currently NED” (no evidence of disease).
“But it is very sad that his treatment was the same as Matt’s was 20 years ago—it hasn’t changed in 30 years! Of course, medical advances have helped with side effects and duration, but it is disheartening that there haven’t been more advances in treatment—look how far technology has come in 30 years!”
You can learn more about Matt hereand the annual fundraiser here.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!
We received the information below and photos from East Cobb resident Elaine LaMontagne, a former president of The Circle for Children, an Atlanta-based charity that is marking its 100th anniversary.
She says that “the majority of the members are East Cobb residents,” which has been the case for a number of years, and that the centennial celebration will continue through May 2027, including a gala in February:
The Circle for Children (The Circle) proudly announces its Centennial Celebration year, marking 100 years of service to Georgia’s most vulnerable children. Since its founding in 1927, The Circle—one of Georgia’s oldest charitable women’s organizations—has remained steadfast in its mission to improve the lives of at-risk children through philanthropy, volunteerism, and advocacy.
A milestone reached by only a small percentage of nonprofit organizations, a 100th anniversary represents far more than longevity. It reflects a century of community, trust, visionary leadership, dedicated volunteers, generous supporters, and an unwavering commitment to helping generations of children build brighter futures.
As a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)(3) organization, The Circle has raised millions of dollars and contributed countless volunteer hours to benefit children who have experienced abuse, neglect, poverty, and other significant hardships throughout Georgia.
“Celebrating 100 years is both a tremendous honor and a reminder of the responsibility we have to continue serving Georgia’s children,” said Patricia Iaffaldano, President of The Circle for Children. “We proudly honor the generations of women whose compassion, leadership, and dedication built this remarkable organization.
As we celebrate this milestone, we remain committed to ensuring that our second century is just as impactful as our first.”
A YEAR OF CELEBRATION AND SERVICE
The Centennial Year will feature a variety of volunteer projects, benefiting the organization’s current charitable partner, City of Refuge, along with member gatherings, sponsor events, and commemorative activities across Atlanta.
The celebration will culminate with a spectacular black-tie Centennial Gala on Saturday, February 27, 2027, at Cherokee Town and Country Club. The evening will include live and silent auctions, entertainment by Platinum Band, reflections on The Circle’s remarkable history, and exciting announcements about its future impact.
President Patricia Iaffaldano and her leadership team selected the Centennial theme, “Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future,” to recognize the organization’s rich legacy while reaffirming its commitment to serving Georgia’s children for generations to come. The gala is chaired by Betts Fisher and Cindy Samples.
Click the middle button below to view more photos:
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Send Us Your News!
Let East Cobb News know what’s going on with your organization, or about any recognitions, to share with the community. We love to get photos and stories about what’s happening, as well as calendar event listings and more.
We want to be the go-to source for all the many ways people in East Cobb are involved in the community.
It’s what we call The Power of Local, and we’d love for you to take part!
Sign Up for Partyline!
The easiest and quickest way is to use our direct reader submission service, Partyline. Take a photo or a few and send us some text straight to our content system. We’ll edit it and publish in a snap! It’s free to sign up!
The Old-Fashioned Way
If you prefer to e-mail us, pass along your details/photos/videos/information to: [email protected], and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.
Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.
We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file, but d0 send them as attachments to your email.
Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.
It might take us a bit longer to publish your news than it would if you send it via Partyline, so we suggest that option if it’s really timely!
Thanks for your cooperation and we look forward to hearing from you!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
2013 production of Atlanta Ballet’s Significant Others program.
Submitted information:
Atlanta Ballet launches its 2026-27 season with Passion & Pride, a mixed-repertory program that pairs intimate collaboration with exuberant celebration. The trio of works features Significant Others by Remi Wörtmeyer, the world premiere of Plagued Houses by Melissa Hough and Stars and Stripes by George Balanchine, on stage Sept. 18–20, 2026, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
“Passion & Pride is a powerful way to begin our new season, bringing together three works that span the breadth of ballet, from a cherished classic by George Balanchine to a world premiere by Melissa Hough,” said Gennadi Nedvigin, artistic director of Atlanta Ballet. “The program highlights the remarkable artistry and versatility of our dancers. With all three works created in America, it also offers a timely celebration as we commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.”
Significant Others, choreographed by Remi Wörtmeyer, returns to the Atlanta stage after debuting with the company in 2023 as his first major commission in North America. Inspired by the music of Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel and the art of Sonia Delaunay, the work celebrates the transformative power of love, partnerships and connections of all kinds. In addition to developing the choreography, Wörtmeyer also designed the costumes and scenic elements, uniting movement, music and visual art in one captivating collaboration.
Also featured is Plagued Houses, a world premiere by acclaimed choreographer Melissa Hough, a principal dancer at Norwegian National Ballet. Known for strong technique, clean lines and precise musicality, Hough draws on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and sets her new work to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The piece combines neoclassical structure with contemporary fluidity, with costume and scenic design by Emma Kingsbury.
Rounding out the trio is “Father of American Ballet” George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes, a cheerful salute set to the marches of John Philip Sousa, including the beloved “Stars and Stripes Forever.” A celebratory tribute to the 250th anniversary of the nation’s independence, the ballet showcases Balanchine’s signature style and deep affection for his adopted country with staging by Balanchine Repetiteur Paul Boos, costumes by Barbara Karinska and scenic design by David Hays. Stars and Stripes is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust.
For more information about Atlanta Ballet’s production of Passion & Pride and to purchase tickets, please visit atlantaballet.com/performances/passion-and-pride. Tickets can be purchased online or in person at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre box office. For groups of 10 or more, please order tickets at [email protected].
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The festival is scheduled to take place Oct. 17–18 at Galleria on the Park (100 Galleria Parkway, Atlanta 30339).
Hosted by One Cumberland, the festival is expected to welcome between 15,000 and 25,000 visitors for a weekend featuring more than 125 artists, live entertainment, family activities, local food vendors, and interactive experiences.
Some of the artists who have committed have are regular vendors at a number of other art festivals in the Atlanta area.
Charles Boniface has been featured at the Marietta Art the Park (photo above) as well as the Piedmont Art Festival.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
After weeks and months of pleading, citizens living near the former Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center got a resolution following their complaints that something be done about the former SunTrust bank building.
It’s been sitting vacant for about a decade in front of the former dilapidated retail center, which has been redeveloped for senior apartments, townhomes and eventually some retail space.
In the old SunTrust lot, vegetation is overgrown and trash and debris have been also laying around.
But the 3,600-square-foot building will soon be coming down.
An excavation vehicle has been parked out in front in recent days, following visits from Cobb Code Enforcement and and upcoming court date after citations were issued against the property owner, CMG Marietta 2, LLC.
That’s a Florida-based commercial real estate leasing company, which according to Cobb property tax records bought the 0.85-acre property at 2674 Sandy Plains Road in February for $1.75 million.
Located across from the intersection of Sandy Plains and Kinjac Road, the bank building will give way to a Chipotle fast-casual restaurant.
Those plans have been in the works for some time, but the decrepit state of the empty building has gotten worse.
In recent weeks, the violations have included a junk removal truck parked there.
In a post on Aug. 11 on the Sandy Plains Area Residents Coalition (SPARC) Facebook page, Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell said the cleanup has taken longer than intended because initially the “rightful owner of the property was not served properly [and] we had to start the process over again.”
CMG Marietta 2, LLC purchased the land from Hong Tran and Hahn H. Tran, who acquired it from SunTrust in 2017.
Birrell said the Chipotle proposal—which doesn’t need rezoning—is in site plan review in the Cobb Zoning Division and that most departments have signed off on the project.
A Sept. 3 court date was set to hear the citations, but “hopefully all this will get approved and they can start with the demolition soon and begin construction,” Birrell wrote, adding that a land-disturbance permit also has been issued.
It’s been more than three years since redevelopment began on the site of the long-blighted Sprayberry Crossing. The EVOQ East Cobb senior apartment complex began leasing two years ago, and Toll Brothers is completing the East Cobb Walk townhomes.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Sandra Farris joined by friends and family after winning the 2026 Ms. Georgia Health Care Association crown.
Submitted information and photos:
A resident of A.G. Rhodes Cobb, a nonprofit nursing home in Marietta, is wearing a new crown after taking top honors in a statewide pageant celebrating the lives, experiences and contributions of Georgia’s elders.
Sandra Farris was crowned 2026 Ms. Georgia Health Care Association (GHCA) on Saturday, Aug. 22, at the annual Ms. GHCA Pageant at Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort in Stone Mountain. The event brought together residents representing long-term care communities from across Georgia.
Farris advanced to the statewide competition after being crowned Ms. A.G. Rhodes earlier this summer. At that time, she shared a message that captures what both experiences have meant to her:
“I would like for people to see us as active, giving members of society,” Farris said.
At the GHCA pageant, Farris reiterated that sentiment, “Nursing homes are where we live and thrive, not where we come to die.”
The remarks of Farris, a lifelong educator, reflect why A.G. Rhodes celebrates events like these. Beyond the crowns and festivities, the pageants provide an opportunity to celebrate the vibrancy of older adults and challenge stereotypes about aging by showcasing elders’ personalities, experiences, talents and continued contributions to their communities.
At the statewide pageant, contestants participated in interviews with judges before five finalists were selected. Farris ultimately received the 2026 Ms. GHCA crown.
The Ms. GHCA Pageant is an annual tradition of the Georgia Health Care Association and recognizes residents of GHCA member communities for their accomplishments, experiences and continued involvement in their communities.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Northeast Cobb Business Association will honor the volunteer leaders who support our local schools on Friday, Aug. 28 at its annual UPBEAT luncheon, a longstanding community event celebrating the people who dedicate their time and talents to East Cobb schools.
UPBEAT, which stands for United Partners Business & Education Advancing Together, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Piedmont Church. Cobb County Commissioner JoAnn Birrell and Cobb County School Board members David Chastain and John Cristadoro are expected to attend, joining representatives from schools throughout East Cobb.
UPBEAT recognizes those working behind the scenes to strengthen local schools. Principals are invited to join NCBA in honoring their volunteer leaders such as PTSA, foundation, and booster club leaders.
“Teachers, administrators, and students alike will tell you that their schools would not thrive without the dedication of the parents who get involved,” said Neeahtima Dowdy, president of the Northeast Cobb Business Association.
“UPBEAT is our opportunity as a business community to say thank you, but it is also about strengthening the relationship between our schools and the businesses that serve and invest here.”
Local businesses sponsor the luncheon, allowing invited school representatives to attend as guests. Business sponsors also showcase their companies during the event, giving school leaders an opportunity to learn more about the local businesses supporting their schools.
The relationship is intentionally reciprocal: local businesses invest in East Cobb schools and their students, while school leaders, families and community members are encouraged to support the businesses that invest in them.
About the Northeast Cobb Business Association
The Northeast Cobb Business Association (NCBA) is a community-based organization bringing together businesses and professionals, nonprofits, schools, and civic leaders. NCBA works to strengthen the local business community through relationship-building, professional development, and partnerships that support the broader Northeast Cobb community.
NCBA hosts monthly business luncheons, networking and educational opportunities, and special programs throughout the year. UPBEAT reflects NCBA’s commitment to connecting local businesses with the schools and communities they serve.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb Chief Superior Court Judge Ann B. Harris presided over Mental Health Court (MHC) graduation, where officials, community members, attorneys, family, and friends recognized two participants for successfully completing the program.
MHC serves individuals diagnosed with mental illness who become involved in the criminal justice system, providing structured accountability and comprehensive treatment. Graduates complete an intensive 18- to 24-month program focused on supervision, stability, and long-term recovery. The event highlighted their accomplishments and the optimism surrounding the next chapter of their lives.
Judge Harris reflected on the importance of the program and the progress graduates make throughout their time in MHC. “So much of a judge’s job is dealing with difficult situations, difficult people, and bad choices. Presiding over Mental Health Court is a joy,” said Judge Harris. “To see these folks come from places of despair to hope, from failure to success, from mental ‘unhealth’ to good and stable mental health, is so rewarding. When they complete this program, our participants are equipped with the tools to maintain good mental health for the rest of their lives, and be thriving members of their families, their circle of friends, and our community at large.”
The Cobb County Mental Health Court aims to improve mental health outcomes, promote self-sufficiency, reduce recidivism, and offer cost-effective alternatives to incarceration and hospitalization. The program enhances collaboration between the mental health and criminal justice systems while holding participants accountable and supporting their progress toward becoming successful, law-abiding community members.
Recognized as a Model Court by the Council of Accountability Court Judges, Cobb MHC also serves as a mentor to other courts statewide. The voluntary, judicially supervised program is available pre- or post-adjudication to individuals with documented mental health diagnoses. MHC partners with Highland Rivers Behavioral Health to provide comprehensive treatment services.
One of today’s graduates, Jace, shared how vital the program’s support has been throughout his journey. “Help along the way is the most important aspect and that’s what Mental Health Court is all about; it’s about recovery and growth,” he said, underscoring the program’s impact on participants striving toward stability and long-term success.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell has scheduled a community meeting for Thursday about a controversial rezoning case in East Cobb.
Birrell sent out word Monday that the meeting is Thursday from 6-7:30 p.m. at East Cobb Library (4880 Lower Roswell Road) and will be devoted to a proposed senior-living complex at Eastside Church (case Z-22-2026).
The complex would have 95 units in a three-story building with amenities and eight cottages, also on the church property at 2450 Lower Roswell Road.
Birrell told East Cobb News that “this a community meeting not a public hearing” designed for her and her Cobb Planning Commission appointee, Deborah Dance, “to hear neighbors concerns regarding Z-22.”
Birrell said that “as soon as the traffic study and a revised site plan is submitted I will forward out to the community.”
The Planning Commission voted to hold the case in June after a hearing that generated community opposition. On July 2, Eastside asked for a continuance to do a traffic study with the start of a new school year and to consider concerns from citizens at a community meeting in late June.
Citizens have complained that project is too dense and will cause traffic and stormwater issues and said the church didn’t adequately inform them about their plans.
Church leaders have said that they’re not planning revisions to their site plan that’s expected to go back before the Planning Commission next week.
Birrell, a Republican who represents District 3 in East Cobb, is seeking a fifth-term in November. Kevin Redmon, her Democratic opponent, did some canvassing over the weekend in Red Oak Park, the neighborhood that surrounds Eastside Church.
Eastside is seeking to rezone a portion of its property from R-20 (single-family residential, the standard category for houses of religious worship) to RSL (residential senior-living).
They’ve said that the project they’re calling The Haven at Eastside will address a housing shortage for seniors with independent living capability.
The complex would be run by the church non-profit and managed by a vendor with expertise in providing senior care.
The East Cobb Civic Association also is opposing The Haven, for density reasons and for what it said would cause a precedent in the area.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb County government will be holding several open houses in September and October to provide information about the November referendum question about extending the county’s Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
There will be six open houses in all, with one in East Cobb on Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).
County staff will be on hand to answer questions. The sessions will not be in a town hall format, according to information.
The other open houses are listed as follows:
Monday, Sept. 14, 6:30-8 p.m.
Cobb County Civic Center
548 S. Marietta Parkway SE, Marietta
The referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot is called the 2028 SPLOST because that’s when the extension period would begin. Cobb’s current one-percent sales tax expires Dec. 31, 2027, and collections are used for a variety of projects, including roads and transportation, public safety facilities, parks and libraries upgrades and maintenance and more.
The estimated collection for the 2028 SPLOST would be $1.15 billion, with $794 million going to Cobb government projects.
The project list was approved by commissioners in April, and includes a $20 million relocation of the East Cobb Library from Parkaire Landing Shopping Center to an unspecified site.
County officials said in January they would like to rebuild the East Cobb branch, the second-busiest in the Cobb system, on county-owned land.
Cobb has leased space for the East Cobb Library at Parkaire since 2010, after the branch previously was located at Merchants Walk Shopping Center.
The rental cost has been nearly $400,000 a year, and library officials say they need more space. The East Cobb Library has 17,000 square feet of space, and a request for the proposed new branch called for 28,000 square feet.
Another East Cobb project on the 2028 referendum list is an $8.2 million expansion of the Tim D. Lee Senior Center.
The 2028 SPLOST also would fund a new Cobb State Court building to cost $174 million; $130 million in road resurfacing projects; and $60 million for a new infirmary building at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
For a detailed list of the 2028 SPLOST referendum project list, click here.
For more on the 2028 SPLOST in general, click here.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Long before the first ballot is cast in November, elections in Georgia are already underway, in county offices where election directors and their staffs are checking voter rolls, planning polling places, and preparing to train the thousands of poll workers who will greet voters this fall. This week, the League of Women Voters of Georgia’s “How Georgia Votes” series introduces the people behind the process.
Each of Georgia’s 159 counties runs its own elections under state law, led by a county election director or board of elections and staffed by professionals who do this work year-round. The poll workers who check voters in, answer questions, and keep lines moving are hired from the community they serve. They are retired teachers, small business owners, college students, and church volunteers. They are your neighbors. Before they ever touch a poll pad, every one of them completes training required by state law and takes an oath to conduct the election honestly and impartially.
“The person who checks you in at your polling place probably shops at your grocery store,” said Jackie Killings, President of the League of Women Voters of Georgia. “Georgia’s elections aren’t run from some distant office. They are run at folding tables in school gyms and community centers in Augusta, Moultrie, Dahlonega, and every place in between, by trained and sworn members of your own community. Knowing who these people are is one of the best reasons to trust the process they run.”
Counties across Georgia are recruiting poll workers now for the November 3 general election. Poll workers are paid for training and for each day worked, and no prior experience is required — just eligibility to work in the county and a willingness to serve. Georgians interested in seeing an election from the inside can contact their county election office or visit the Secretary of State’s website to apply.
Next week in the series: the paper trail, how every Georgia ballot produces a paper record, and how voters can follow their own ballot through the process.
About the League of Women Voters of Georgia
The League of Women Voters of Georgia is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. The League never supports or opposes candidates or political parties. Through roughly fifteen local Leagues across the state, volunteers register voters, host candidate forums, and provide trusted election information through Vote411.org.
Learn more about the League of Women Voters of Georgia at lwvga.org.To see information about activities of the local League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb County, along with Cobb-specific voting and elections information, visit lwvmariettacobbga.com.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Jasmine Chen’s loyal customers “have given me the power” as she reopens her restaurant. ECN photos.
Exactly 364 days after her restaurant was destroyed in a fire, Jasmine Chen will finally get to serve her customers again.
Next Monday, she’ll do a “soft opening” of her renamed and relocated Chin Chin Chen Asian Fusion restaurant, before holding a grand reopening and ribbon-cutting on Sept. 5.
It’s been a difficult and challenging year for Chen, whose ownership of Chin Chin on Johnson Ferry Road next to the Waffle House spanned 16 years.
It was her abiding passion—and not just a business—and where her three children practically grew up. As a single mother, the restaurant was her family’s sole source of income.
The fire broke out after 1 a.m., hours after she had gone home. Chen said she raced back to Chin Chin in her pajamas only to see fire crews and billowing smoke, and the charred outlines of the standalone building.
The roof had collapsed and firefighters fought the blaze for hours, well into the daylight.
“I had a hard time sleeping, for a month after that,” Chen said.
“Every day, I go to work. I woke up the second day and said, what do I do now? There was nothing to do. What can I do?
But Chen vowed early on that she would start over, no matter what.
The remains of the Chin Chin restaurant after a Sept. 2, 2025 fire.
She just didn’t know how that would come about, or what it would take.
“All of our memories have been here,” Chen says of the East Cobb community she calls home.
“That’s why we want to stay here.”
Finding a suitable location for her new restaurant took some time. After looking at several locations, by January she was able to secure a lease at what was a Zaxby’s at 3030 Johnson Ferry Road.
After that, it was a time-consuming task to renovate the interior of the 3,200-square-foot former fast-food restaurant—the old Chin Chin space was 4,000 square feet—and to carefully reappoint everything.
While the dining space is smaller, there is more ample parking at Chin Chin Chen, which fronts the Northeast Cobb YMCA.
Chen ordered furnishings, wallpaper, lighting and kitchen equipment that were imported from China, including dinner plates.
The dining room seats 80, and she’s waiting for a few more tables to arrive before the reopening.
The last few weeks have been hectic, with final inspections and permitting, but Chen is taking a deep breath of relief that she can get back to going what she loves the most.
Her family, friends and many patrons have done more than keep her spirits up.
“They have taken good care of me,” Chen says of the emotional support she’s received in the last year.
“They have given me the power. Right now, I feel so much power.”
Updating the menu
The name change reflects Chen’s desire to keep her restaurant venture independent, and to acknowledge changing tastes with some of her customer base.
The menu retains the classic Chinese fare that Chin Chin has served up for three decades, predating Chen’s ownership. The “Asian Fusion” refers to the addition of dumplings and ramen on the menu, due in large part to younger customers.
The homemade dumplings in particular, she says, “are very popular” with younger people, as are varieties of bubble tea and other tea-based specialties that are on the new menu.
They include everything from Boba milk tea to passion fruit green tea, while there will be a pork soup dumpling dish, as well as fried pork buns.
“We want to serve to any people,” Chen said.
Over the last year, she discovered that her new location is closer to a portion of her customer base, and says that many of them have told her they live off of Post Oak Tritt Road and Sewell Mill Road.
She said she can’t wait to see so many of them, especially since they have kept her going during an arduous time.
“They just gave me all the power,” she said.
During the soft opening (Sept. 1-5), Chin Chin Chen is offering customers 20 percent off their orders—the hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The grand reopening will include special entertainment and public officials will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting.
“Our restaurant has truly risen from the ashes,” Chen says.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
An East Cobb resident is in custody after threatening a police officer while being treated at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, according to an arrest warrant.
The warrant for John Edward Sneed, 55, of Robinson Road, said that he told a police officer who was trying to move him on a hospital bed that “take these things off and I will beat you to death” and “I’ll shoot you dead. Next time I see you, you’re all dead, ” as well as “I’m not homicidal, except for you two.”
The warrant did not specify the medical attention Sneed was receiving, but the incident occurred last Wednesday, Aug. 19.
A few hours earlier, Sneed had threatened another man with “bodily harm with a liquor bottle” during a separate incident at a home off Davis Road in East Cobb, according to the warrant.
Sneed has been charged with felony counts of making terroristic threats and obstruction and a misdemeanor count of simple assault.
According to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, he was booked on Aug. 20 and remains at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on a $11,220 bond.
Drug arrest on Keheley Road
A man charged with five felony drug counts during an attempted narcotics transaction in Northeast Cobb is being held without bond at the Cobb County jail, according to his booking report.
Lydell McGee, 64, of a Trickum Road address, was arrested on Sunday after trying to sell several kinds of substances at a house on Keheley Road earlier last week.
He is facing charges of intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, levorphanal tartrate and hyrdocordone, according to an arrest warrant.
The warrant states that on Wednesday, Aug. 19, McGee was at a home in the 4000 block of Keheley Road and tried to sell six small bags on meth, two bags of cocaine, a bag with levorphanal tartrate, an opioid, and other pills and substances.
The warrant also states that $654.97 in small bills were found in one of the bags.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
(L-R): Sharon Mason, President & CEO of the Cobb Chamber, Pete Quinones, 2027 Cobb Chamber Chairman, Dr. Kat Schwaig, 2028 Cobb Chamber Chairwoman, and Melissa Cantrell, 2026 Cobb Chamber Chairwoman.
Submitted information and photo:
The Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors has named Kathy “Kat” S. Schwaig, President of Kennesaw State University, as its 2028 Chairwoman of the Board.
Schwaig will succeed Pete Quinones, CEO of MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service, Inc., who begins his term as Chairman of the Board in 2027. Schwaig will start her term as Board Chairwoman in January 2028 and will serve as Board Chair-Elect in 2027.
“The Cobb Chamber plays a vital role in bringing together business, education, and community leaders to strengthen our region,” Schwaig said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and look forward to working alongside the Chamber’s outstanding Board, leadership, members, and partners to build on its strong foundation and create even greater opportunities for Cobb County.”
Schwaig’s ties to Kennesaw State span more than two decades of service, with a career path that has carried her from dean to provost and now to president — a role she has held since 2022 after first serving as interim president in 2021. She previously served as dean of the Michael J. Coles College of Business from 2012-19 and as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs from 2019-2021, facilitating KSU’s transition to a Carnegie-designated R2 doctoral research institution and placing it among an elite group of U.S. colleges and universities.
Today, Schwaig leads one of Georgia’s largest public universities, serving more than 50,000 students. Under her leadership, KSU launched the Taking Flight strategic plan and the FLIGHT student success program, introduced more than 50 new academic offerings, and invested significantly in academic and research infrastructure, including the state-of-the-art Robin and Doug Shore Innovation Center. Since 2022, KSU has nearly tripled its research expenditures and, in 2026, became a member of the Georgia Research Alliance. In athletics, Schwaig led the Owls’ transition to Conference USA in 2024, with KSU earning five conference championships to date. She also guided Kennesaw State through the public phase of The Campaign for KSU, the university’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which surpassed its $200 million goal and secured the largest single gift in KSU history.
Schwaig is a longtime member and community partner of the Cobb Chamber and SelectCobb. She has served on the Chamber’s Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and SelectCobb Board since 2022. She chaired SelectCobb from 2024-25, served on the Cobb Chamber/SelectCobb Strategic Plan Task Force in 2022, participated in the Chamber’s Washington, D.C., Fly-In, and has been an active member of the Chairman’s Circle. She also led Kennesaw State’s relaunch of HatchBridge Incubator, in close partnership with the Cobb Chamber. HatchBridge has helped more than 290 startups raise over $37.4 million in follow on funding since 2023. Schwaig was a member of the 2013 Honorary Commanders class and previously served as a mentor in the Chamber’s mentoring program.
She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and previously served on boards for the Cobb Community Foundation, Mount Paran Christian School, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – Cobb County, Junior Achievement of Georgia, Engage Scholarship Consortium, and the Alliance for Children Everywhere.
Schwaig was named to Georgia Trend magazine’s 100 Most Influential Georgians list in 2025 and 2026 and was recognized among Atlanta magazine’s Atlanta 500 in 2026. Her honors also include the Town Center Community Citizen of the Year Award in 2025, the Cobb Chamber’s Mack Henderson Public Service Award in 2023, Atlanta magazine’s Women Making a Mark Award in 2015, the Oscar Burnett Award of Distinguished Achievement in Business from the Morris Brown College Foundation in 2013, and the Cobb Executive Women’s Glass Ceiling Award in 2013.
A native of central Texas, Schwaig holds a BBA in Accounting and an MBA in Information Systems from Baylor University, a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Biblical and Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of South Carolina.
“Kat has been an extraordinary partner to the Cobb Chamber and a respected leader in our community for decades,” said Sharon Mason, President and CEO of the Cobb Chamber. “Her vision, collaborative leadership, and deep commitment to workforce and economic development, innovation, partnerships and entrepreneurship make her exceptionally well suited to lead our Board. I look forward to working alongside her as we continue to strengthen our community together.”
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is excited to announce FIN FIT (Financially Fit) “Fearless Fundraising for Your Small Business” event, which will be held on Monday, September 14, from 8:30 am-12:30 pm at KSU Center-Room 400, Kennesaw, Georgia.
The Secretary of State’s Office is proud to partner with Kennesaw State University – Coles College of Business, Cobb Chamber, and UGA SBDC at Kennesaw State University for this small business event.
This event is free and open to all Georgians. A free continental breakfast and workbook are included with registration. This event is for educational purposes only; no products or services will be sold.
Starting a business and making it profitable is challenging. Secretary Raffensperger is dedicated to empowering Georgians to acquire the skills needed to start and grow their businesses.
Join us for a powerful event designed to equip participants with real-world insight and actionable tools.
Panel Discussion with insights and resources to grow and sustain a small business.
Hands-On Learning Lab to help sharpen participants’ strategy and move their business forward. Participants will learn about the Invest Georgia Exemption (IGE), a powerful tool for Georgians looking to raise capital to fund their new venture or grow their already thriving business.
Network with fellow entrepreneurs, community leaders, and growth-minded professionals.
“Starting and growing a small business takes more than a great idea; it takes knowledge, preparation, and access to the right resources,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “This event will give Georgia entrepreneurs the practical tools necessary to raise capital, grow their business, and turn their goals into a reality.”
The first part of the event will be a panel discussion moderated by Donna Lowry, award-winning journalist. Panelists will include Antonio Barrios, Senior Business Consultant, UGA SBDC at Kennesaw State University; Marguerite Pressley Davis, Growth-Stage CFO | Angel Investor, Founder, Finance Savvy CEO®; Nickolas (Nick) Downey, Founder and CEO of MerchLogix, Inc., Angel Investor; Jeanne’ Mack, Vice President, Small Business Banker, SouthState Bank; and Carrie Roeger, CEO, Rally Point Grille Franchising.
The second part of the event will be a hands-on learning lab, with a free workbook for each attendee, led by Marguerite Pressley Davis, Founder & CEO of Finance Savvy CEO®, Angel Investor & Small Business Advisor.
FIN FIT is a financial empowerment seminar series hosted by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as part of his multi-faceted financial literacy effort and is administered through the Securities and Charities divisions of the Office of the Secretary of State. These free programs feature industry leaders who discuss resources to help attendees increase their knowledge of money, their relationship to it, and financial issues and strategies for growing their wealth.
The office of the Secretary of State invites all Georgians to attend these free, informative events.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
This week’s featured real estate home sale is in the Forest Brook subdivision, in the Walton High School, Dickerson Middle School and Mt. Bethel Elementary School attendance zones.
It has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths and includes 2,587 square feet on 0.46 acres, and sold for $540,000 on Aug. 11, 2026.
Click on the middle button below to see more photos.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The following East Cobb residential real estate sales from Aug. 10-14, 2026 were compiled from agency reports and Cobb County property records.
They include the street address, subdivision name and sales price listed under their respective high school attendance zones:
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!
