The Honorary Commanders Association, a cooperative effort involving the Cobb Chamber, Dobbins Air Reserve Base (ARB), General Lucius D. Clay National Guard Center, Georgia National Guard, Coast Guard, National Defense Force, and the Navy and Marine Corps, is seeking nominations for members of its 2025 class.
The Honorary Commanders Association annually selects community and business leaders and pairs them with military personnel in a yearlong program designed to give leaders an opportunity to learn about military activities, their impact on the economy and the various aspects of the national defense system.
Created by the Cobb Chamber in 1983, the association has grown over the years to include units of our nation’s Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Georgia National Guard, Coast Guard and National Defense Force. Each program covers a branch of service and includes a behind-the-scenes tour of local and regional military assets.
The deadline for nominations is July 8. Fill out the nomination form at www.cobbchamber.org/hca. The Honorary Commanders Association is sponsored by Atlanta Marriott NW at Galleria, Capital City Bank, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and The Veterinary Clinic.
For more information about Honorary Commanders Association, contact Joel Blockton at 770-859-2348 or jblockton@cobbchamber.org.
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Richard Tischler, who has been the principal at Walton High School the last two years, has been named an assistant principal at Hightower Trail Middle School in East Cobb.
That appointment was one of several confirmed by the Cobb Board of Education in May. A number of those changes were made public during the May board meeting, including the appointment of Walton assistant principal Dr. Stephanie Santoro to succeed Tischler.
At Hightower Trail, Tischler will succeed Eric Gray, who was named assistant principal at Awtrey Middle School.
As previously noted, Simpson Middle School, Bells Ferry Elementary School and Murdock Elementary School also will be getting new principals for the 2024-25 academic year.
Classes begin Aug. 1, and the 2024-25 fiscal year begins on July 1.
Cobb school board minutes from May include the following appointments below principal level involving East Cobb schools, and all are effective July 9:
Elementary School
Michael Cappucci, reassignment to Assistant Principal, Brumby Elementary School from Assistant Principal, Clarkdale Elementary School
Middle School
Brittny Jones, reassignment to Assistant Principal, Smitha Middle School from Assistant Principal, Wheeler High School
High School
Dr. Amanda Shaw, reassignment to Assistant Principal, Wheeler High School from Assistant Principal, Smitha Middle School.
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 Senior Citizen Council of Cobb County is thrilled to share an upcoming opportunity that could greatly benefit seniors in our community—the “TRANSPORTATION SPLOST BRIEFING” presented by the Cobb Department of Transportation. This event is designed to provide valuable insights, resources, and networking opportunities specifically tailored to individuals over 55 in Cobb County.
This discussion will be regarding the upcoming MOBILITY SPLOST which will be voted on November 5, 2024, to fund many transit projects and improvements.
We encourage you to join us and other seniors to ensure that your voice is heard, and your needs are met in the realm of transportation. Let’s come together to advocate for better transportation services for seniors in Cobb County.
Come and learn what is in the Dept. of Transportation proposal and more importantly how the proposal will benefit Cobb senior citizens. We need as many Cobb seniors as possible to be part of this conversation.
Here is your chance to directly ask questions and share your concerns to County officials.
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!
Outgoing Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson said “we’ve found as many compromises as possible” for the long-planned Lower Roswell Road traffic project.
Despite community pleas in opposition and a local district commissioner saying it’s not needed, the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted along party lines Tuesday to start on the long-planned Lower Roswell Road traffic project.
The 3-2 vote for a $7 million contract also was matched by similar votes to begin condemnation proceedings with two property owners and to begin preliminary utility relocation work.
Nearly $11 million has been budgeted in 2011 Cobb SPLOST funds for the project, which would add turn lanes, install a multi-use trail and make other changes along Lower Roswell between Woodlawn Drive and Davidson Road.
It’s been delayed for more than a decade, including in February, when a first vote was tabled by commissioners following community opposition.
The project would take two years to complete, and business owners told commissioners in February the median remains “a bad idea.”
Cobb commissioners approved a conceptual plan in 2022. Further public feedback prompted DOT later in 2022 to redesign the project, including removal of a planned bike path and expanding a multi-use trail.
DOT officials said the project is necessary primarily to reduce crashes in the area.
The board’s three Democrats, including Jerica Richardson of District 2 in East Cobb, voted in favor on all three matters, while the two Republicans voted against.
One of them, JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb, said there’s a reason one of her former colleagues—now-retired District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott—never brought the Lower Roswell Road project to a vote.
She said feedback she’s received against the project is “overwhelming,” estimating that to be 10-1 from messages, open houses and at meetings.
“I can’t support this,” Birrell said, “especially putting businesses out. It’s taken 14 years to come back.”
There have been numerous delays and redesigns, and objections from business owners to a median on Lower Roswell between Johnson Ferry and Davidson.
Keli Gambrill, a Republican from District 1 in North Cobb, said she doubted there’s enough funding left from a SPLOST 13 years ago to complete the Lower Roswell Road project.
She held up the proposed Cobb Mobility SPLOST project list, noting that the estimated costs totaled on that list exceed the estimated $11.2 billion that would be collected if the referendum passes in November.
Among the bus routes that would be added would be one along Johnson Ferry Road between Merchants Walk and the Dunwoody MARTA Station.
“This whole project flies in the face of promises made‚yes by a previous board to the business owners in that area,” Gambrill said. “I don’t think the county is being honest with the citizens . . . not knowing what the M-SPLOST is also planning to do with this area.”
Richardson said the two issues are not related, and that “we’ve found as many compromises as possible” to accommodate business owners.
A citizen opposed to the project, Leroy Emkin, said there have been 27 crashes along that area of Lower Roswell in the last decade, according to DOT figures, suggesting that roughly six crashes a year shouldn’t justify a median.
But Cobb DOT Director Drew Raessler has repeated previous statements that there were 40 crashes from 2009 and 2016 that could have been prevented with a median.
Pamela Reardon, an East Cobb resident running to succeed Richardson, blasted the vote afterward, saying that the 30 businesses that will be affected “have not had a voice, even though this board says they have.
“This is a useless project. It’s a waste of time. It’s a waste of money.”
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“Let’s give the voters the opportunity to decide,” Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said.
Cobb commissioners voted along party lines Tuesday to place a long-term transit sales tax referendum on the November general election ballot.
It will be up to voters to decide if they want to tax themselves for 30 years and collect nearly $11 billion to build out a comprehensive bus-centered system, including restoration of previous routes in East Cobb that were eliminated more than a decade ago.
The commission’s three Democrats voted in favor of putting the Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax on the ballot, while the two Republicans voted against.
If approved, the one-percent tax would increase the amount of sales taxes paid in Cobb from six to seven percent. Cobb DOT would build out a countywide bus transit system, including high-capacity routes and transfer stations, adding 108 miles.
Here’s how the referendum will be worded on the November ballot:
The Atlanta Regional Commission estimates that Cobb’s population in 2025 will approach one million.
Those in favor of the tax say that relieving congestion and providing transportation for those without vehicles is necessary for economic and quality of life, especially seniors and those who are financially challenged.
Among the priorities is re-establishing a bus route through the heart of East Cobb, from Marietta and along Roswell Road to the Johnson Ferry Road area, where a transit center would be built.
Bus routes to Roswell and the MARTA Dunwoody Station would link with the East Cobb transit center in the Merchants Walk area, according to the project list (you can read it here).
Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, in calling the opportunity to expand public transportation in Cobb “transformational,” implored her colleagues to let citizens decide their future.
“What it comes down to is do we perceive that the future is worth it?” Cupid said. “That the opportunity is worth it? Yes, the details do matter, but the opportunity and the vision also matter.”
But Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb repeated her objection to the duration of the tax, compared to other Cobb SPLOST collections ranging from four to six years.
“I can’t support binding not just future boards for 30 years but citizens, kids and grandchildren,” she said. “They’ll be paying that.”
Cobb DOT Director Drew Raessler explained that the 30-year length of the cost is due to the substantial operational costs that will be involved, and that the longer collection period would qualify for federal matching funds.
In order to provide “sustainable funding,” he said, a transit program needs “to have that consistent resource,” Raessler said.
If the tax is approved, Cobb would take out revenue bonds totalling $11 billion to get the program started. Once the collections roll in, the major routes would be built out and the bonds be repaid. With federal funds, Cobb could spend nearly $15 billion overall for the transit expansion.
Raessler estimated that most of that work would be finished within the first decade. Cobb would be able to fund all transit operations with the sales tax, instead of paying for the Cobb Community Transit system costs as it does now, through the county’s general fund.
Earlier this year, the MDJ reported that ridership across the overall Cobb bus system has plummeted from 3.7 million annual trips in 2014 to just under 1 million trips in 2022, and that the decline began well before COVID-19.
The county estimates that average daily ridership on the transit system could surpass 40,000 by 2025, near the end of the sales tax period. Currently, that figure is only around 3,000 riders a day.
Citizens spoke in public comment periods on both sides of the issue, but most of the supporters addressed the board before the vote, and opponents against (commissioners hold two separate public comment periods, and speakers speak in order of when they sign up).
Jim Kerr of East Cobb, who has lived in a home near Wheeler High School for 52 years, said “it’s time to think long-term about transportation in Cobb County.”
He said that while he will benefit little from a decision to approve a sales tax for transit, “I know that Cobb is becoming older and more diverse and that’s not going to change . . . Not in my backyard fails to recognize that we are all in this together. ”
Kennesaw resident Alicia Adams said a 30-year tax poses too much uncertainty, especially for people struggling to pay their bills now.
Alicia Adams of Kennesaw, who is legally challenging her disqualification for the District 2 commission race, said wasn’t speaking for or against the tax, but sympathized with citizens who are struggling with those making ends meet.
“Right now, there are a lot of families that can barely make their rent and pay for groceries,” she said. “And you’re asking them to pay additional money.
“Do I care about those who can’t get around? The seniors? Yes, I care,” she said. “But we’ve got to do it in a way that’s not invasive.
“Are we willing to put our children, our future at stake for 30 years of uncertainty?”
Cobb DOT officials will soon roll out public information and “education” sessions before the referendum. It also must provide a ridership survey ahead of the vote, as directed by the ATL, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority.
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On Saturday, the Cobb Interfaith Habitat Coalition (CIHC) and future homeowner Sandra hammered the first nails and raised the walls on the Coalition’s 24th house located in the City of Marietta.
Sandra serves as an Administrative Assistant in Development Services at the City of Marietta where she has worked since 2014. Her job helps to make the public’s experience with the City go smoothly. Sandra lives in an apartment complex in Kennesaw but is seeking a greater sense of community and financial stability through homeownership. An affordable mortgage did not seem attainable until she was selected through the City of Marietta Public Service Housing Program to build with Habitat. She will now benefit from affordable monthly mortgage payments that are not subject to major increases – which will enable her to retire comfortably in the future. Sandra most looks forward to cooking in a sunny kitchen, hosting holiday gatherings, and hopes to get a dog.
This year’s faith groups include 15 religious organizations and eight corporate partners. Religious partners include Smyrna First United Methodist Church, Bethany United Methodist Church, East Cobb Islamic Center, West Cobb Islamic Center, Temple Kol Emeth, Temple Sinai, Ahavath Achim Synagogue, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Log Cabin Church, Covenant Church, Unity North of Atlanta Church, Macland Community Church, McEachern Memorial United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Marietta, and Due West Methodist Church.
Non-Faith Based Sponsors include Pinkerton & Laws Construction of Atlanta, Atlanta West Carpets, Moore Colson, Fortune-Johnson, Foresite Group, Nissan, Burke-Moore and Sentinel Lake Neighborhood.
“The CIHC motto ‘We Build to Coexist; We Coexist to Build’ says it all about this dedicated group of partner religious and corporate organizations,” says Jessica Gill, CEO, Habitat for Humanity of NW Metro Atlanta. “The Coalition remains true to its mission to better the community through homeownership.”
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Advance in-person voting starts today, Monday, June 10, for the General and Nonpartisan runoff election. Three voting locations will be open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday -Friday, June 10-14:
Elections Main Headquarters, 995 Roswell Street NE, Marietta
East Cobb Government Center, 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta
Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive, Kennesaw
The May election resulted in two runoffs in the Democratic contest:
Cobb Commission District 2 (Includes East Cobb, Smyrna and Vinings. See the District 2 map here: https://bit.ly/3z1qsDt)
The runoff date is Tuesday, June 18.< Only those who voted using the Democratic ballot in the May 21 race, voted nonpartisan, or did not cast a ballot in the May 21 election are eligible to vote in this runoff.
Last week East Cobb News profiled Taniesha Whorton, one of the Commission District 2 Democratic runoff candidates. Shortly we’ll be posting our interview with her opponent, Jaha Howard.
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Connecting Cobb Veterans will be holding its Q2 Meeting at VFW Post 2681 at 140 Powers Ferry Rd SE, Marietta, GA 30067.
Doors open at 8:30 AM on June 12th for sign-in, breakfast pastries and coffee as well as an opportunity to network with other advocates/supporters of the Veteran community. Our meeting starts at 9 AM and ends promptly at 11.
This quarter’s topic is the services that the Georgia Department of Veterans Services (GDVS) provides to Veterans. Our guest speaker will be Kareem Reddick, a GDVS certified Veteran Service Officer (VSO) who will share what GDVS can do for Georgia Veterans. He is also quite knowledgeable about VA benefits. I can promise that you will come away from this meeting with information you did not have before the meeting.
There will also be an opportunity for all attendees to give a 30-45 second introduction of themselves, want they do and if you have an upcoming event you would like to share. Also, feel free to bring a one-page literature sheet
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The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports and county property records. They include the street address, subdivision name, high school attendance zone and sales price:
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 Cobb Transit Tax Advisory Board has endorsed putting a referendum on the November ballot for a 30-year transit tax in Cobb County.
Cobb commissioners on Tuesday are expected to take action on an agenda item to ask voters for approval of what’s being called the Cobb Mobility SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax).
The advisory board’s endorsement, plus a recommendation from the ATL, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority this week, were the final requirements before commissioners can formally consider putting a referendum to the public.
Another prerequisite was releasing a project list for the proposed 30-year, one-percent sales tax, which would collect an estimated $11 billion to build out a countywide bus transit system, including high-capacity routes and transfer stations.
Among the priorities is re-establishing a bus route through the heart of East Cobb, from Marietta and along Roswell Road to the Johnson Ferry Road area, where a transit center would be built.
Bus routes to Roswell and the MARTA Dunwoody Station would link with the East Cobb transit center, according to the project list (you can read it here).
There hasn’t been a public bus route in East Cobb since a previous Roswell Road route, and another linking to Dunwoody, were discontinued in the early 2010s when commissioners made recession-related budget cuts.
If the referendum is approved, it would restore bus service to East Cobb that was eliminated in county government budget cuts during the recession.
At the time, that route, bus line No. 65, had one of the lowest ridership figures in the Cobb Community Transit system.
The only CobbLinc route in the East Cobb area for now is along Powers Ferry Road.
Cobb DOT officials haven’t estimated any ridership numbers for the proposed routes.
But last month, commissioners approved the spending of $23,000 for a consultant to provide ridership projections. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. also is being paid $287,000 by the county to develop an education program for the public ahead of the referendum.
Earlier this year, the MDJ reported that ridership across the overall Cobb bus system has plummeted from 3.7 million annual trips in 2014 to just under 1 million trips in 2022, and that the decline began well before COVID-19.
But commissioners are likely to approve placing the referendum on the Nov. 5. Democrats hold a 3-2 majority, and the two Republicans have said a 30-year tax is too long.
ATL required Cobb to conduct a ridership survey, and at this week’s meeting projected an average ridership of more than 40,000 a week, a substantial increase from current figures.
In remarks this week at the ATL meeting, Lamberton said that “sadly, without that requirement, there is no doubt in my mind that the County would not provide those projections—which I regard as bizarre given the scope and length of the proposed tax increase. I say this because I and other concerned citizens have repeatedly been asking for that information and have been completely stonewalled by the County.”
He wanted a different firm from Kimley-Horn to do the projections, citing a conflict of interest.
“My concern is that data can be manipulated to produce ridership forecasts designed to support specific agendas such as persuading the public to endorse an increased sales tax over the next 30 years,” he said.
Cobb has cited Atlanta Regional Commission estimates that the county will have a population of more than one million people by 2050, compared to more than 766,000 in the 2020 census.
As Brad Humphry, a a mobility member of Commissioner Jerica Richardson’s citizen “cabinet” said last fall at a town hall meeting in East Cobb, “We’re in the transit environment that was envisioned 30 years ago.
“The opportunity is now to envision the transit system of the future.”
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Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr. is proud to announce that Kim McCoy, former director of the Victim Witness Unit, has been named as the executive director for the newly established Cobb Family Advocacy Center. This significant milestone comes after McCoy’s unwavering dedication and advocacy to bring a justice center to Cobb for the past 25 years.
The journey to establish a family justice center in Cobb County began in 1999 when McCoy, alongside Jason Saliba, now deputy chief assistant district attorney, toured San Diego’s center for victims. Inspired by what they saw, McCoy and Saliba were determined to bring a similar resource to the Cobb community.
Through persistent effort and overcoming numerous challenges, the vision has finally become a reality. “It took us years to get here, obviously, through struggles, through challenges, through a lot of different things,” said McCoy at the Cobb Family Advocacy Center grand opening on Dec. 15, 2023.
The FAC, located at 277 Fairground St. SE in Marietta, serves as a comprehensive hub for victims and survivors of abuse, providing essential help and resources under one roof. Navigators at the FAC will coordinate services for victims and collaborate with local victim service providers to offer trauma-informed, holistic, and comprehensive services in one central location, alleviating the need for victims to travel to multiple agencies to receive help.
The establishment of the FAC was made possible in part by a $400,000 grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, marking it as the first of its kind to officially open in Georgia. District Attorney Flynn Broady highlighted the center’s anticipated positive outcomes, stating, “Family advocacy centers in communities lead to significant reductions in domestic violence homicides and childhood trauma, resulting in better outcomes for families overall.”
In addition to county and grant-funded staff, the center partners with several well-established nonprofits, including LiveSAFE Resources, the Center for Family Resources, SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, and Legal Aid of Cobb County. These organizations, along with public safety and prosecutorial partners, will have representatives on-site to provide comprehensive support to those in need.
Reflecting on the long journey to this achievement, McCoy remarked, “The FAC represents not only a promise kept to the victims and survivors in our community but also ensures a future commitment to building stronger collaborations among our partners to provide comprehensive services to victims. I am honored to lead the FAC and to continue advocating for the safety and well-being of our community.”
For immediate dangerous situations, the public is urged to call 911. Any victim is encouraged to contact their local police department to file a report. Additional resources for child abuse victims are available through SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center at 770-801-3465. Victims of domestic violence and adult sexual assault can receive additional services through LiveSAFE Resources at 770-427-3390.
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For the 10th time in school history, Walton High School has won the Directors’ Cup trophy from the Georgia Athletic Directors Association.
That honor goes to high schools that finish with the most points in their respective competitive classifications in the Georgia High School Association during an academic year.
Walton’s 1,289 points led Class 7A, which consists of the largest high schools in the state according to enrollment.
The Raiders won just one state championship during the 2023-24 school year—boys swimming—but finished runners-up in five other sports.
Buford and Lambert followed Walton in Class 7A, which also includes Wheeler, which came in 30th with 412 points.
Walton has won the Class 7A Directors’ Cup for the third time since 2019, and previously won 6A crowns in 2017 and 2017, Class 5A honors from 2007-2009 and the Class 4A title in 199-2000.
That was the first year of the Directors’ Cup.
Pope, the only other high school from East Cobb to win the Directors’ Cup (Class 6A in 2017, Class 5A in 2014), also had another strong season in 2023-2024, placing third in Class 6A behind Marist and Blessed Trinity.
The Greyhounds, who compiled 1,146 points, won a state championship in girls flag football and were second in five other sports. Lassiter had 948 points for 7th place and Sprayberry was 32nd with 302 points.
In Class 5A, Kell was 15th, tallying 641 points, including a second consecutive state championship in boys basketball.
In Class 1A Division 1, Mt. Bethel Christian Academy was 25th with 173 points.
Every two years, the GHSA conducts reclassification based on enrollment. The organization consolidated classifications for the 2024-25 period by eliminating Class 7A.
Starting in August, Walton and Wheeler will still be paired together, but in Region 5 of Class 6A, along with Cherokee, Etowah, Marietta, North Cobb and North Paulding.
In Class 5A, Lassiter, Pope and Sprayberry will be in Region 6, with Creekview, River Ridge, Riverwood, Sequoyah and Woodstock.
Kell is in Class 4A, Region 6, with Blessed Trinity, Cambridge, Centennial and Westminster.
Fall sports include football, girls volleyball and girls and boys cross country.
The Corky Kell Classic, which features top football teams, will once again include Walton and Kell.
Kell is the host of a doubleheader on Aug. 14 and the Longhorns will be playing North Atlanta to start their season.
Walton, which finished state runner-up in 7A, will kick off the season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta against Brookwood on Aug. 17 at 10 a.m.
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 DOT is seeking condemnation authority for right-of-way needs in front of a retail center at 4811 Lower Roswell Road.
After years of delays, revised changes, negotiations with property owners and other issues, the Cobb Department of Transportation on Tuesday is coming back to Cobb commissioners to approve a contract to make sweeping improvements to the Lower Roswell Road corridor in the Johnson Ferry Road area.
Several agenda items for Tuesday’s Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting include the recommendation of a low bidder, condemnation proceedings with two parcels at that intersection and preliminary utility relocation work.
Cobb DOT is recommending that a low bid of $7 million from Baldwin Paving Co. Inc. be approved. Five other bidders were involved, with the highest coming in at $10.1 million.
It’s not the first time Cobb DOT has sought to get started with a project that’s been more than a decade in the making.
Transportation officials say the Lower Roswell-Johnson Ferry intersection has a high number of crashes.
The project, with funding from the Cobb 2011 SPLOST, would add turn lanes, install a multi-use trail and make other changes along Lower Roswell between Woodlawn Drive and Davidson Road.
Cobb commissioners approved a conceptual plan in 2022. Further public feedback prompted DOT later in 2022 to redesign the project, including removal of a planned bike path and expanding a multi-use trail.
According to a project update issued in March, the median remains one of the key components, along with intersection changes at Lower Roswell Road and Woodlawn Drive.
There is a proposed shared-use path extension of between 8 and 10 feet added on Lower Roswell between Davidson Road and Woodlawn Drive, for pedestrians and cyclists.
A proposed median along Lower Roswell from Johnson Ferry to Davidson Road has been the big stumbling block.
The project would add turn lanes from Lower Roswell into Parkaire Landing Shopping Center and the McDonald’s across the street.
In February, some business owners told commissioners the median remains “a bad idea.”
Joel Gilmer of the Barista’s Coffee Shop said traffic already threatens his employees in the Parkaire Triangle retail center at Lower Roswell and Davidson because it’s what he calls “the bypass.”
He predicted that motorists aren’t going to use the traffic light at that intersection as they are coming out of Parkaire Landing.
At that time, Cobb DOT officials said they were still negotiating with several business owners for right-of-way acquisition.
According to an agenda item for Tuesday, Cobb DOT is asking for condemnation authority for right-of-way at 4811 Lower Roswell Road.
That’s at the Johnson Ferry intersection and has three businesses—a dentist, a pizza place and a bagel shop. Another condemnation seeks right-of-way and temporary easements at the adjacent McDonald’s at 4819 Lower Roswell Road.
Cobb DOT said discussions are continuing with the property owners, but “additional rights-of-way and easements are needed to construct this project” and funding is also available in the 2011 SPLOST.
The commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), and the full agenda can be found by clicking here.
You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
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!
Jackson Frangos, a rising senior at Wheeler High School, is among 100 students across the country chosen for a virtual internship this summer with the NASA Student Enhancement in Earth and Space Science (SEES) program.
The internships are sponsored by NASA and the Center for Space Research at the University of Texas at Austin. According to a Cobb County School District release, the interns “will work with scientists and engineers to conduct authentic research using data received from NASA’s earth-observing satellites to study air quality, landforms, mosquito-borne diseases, and astronomy.”
More than 2,000 students applied for the internships, which focus on aerospace or space science themes.
“Students work remotely with their project scientist to conduct hands-on activities, field investigations, collaborate with NASA scientists and engineers through science presentations, and work on various NASA missions,” the release said,
The interns will meet virtually in late July for a NASA SEES symposium to present their research findings to NASA engineers, researchers, scientists and others.
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East Cobb’s Seed Kitchen & Barrecently completed a remodeling of its outdoor patio that has been weatherproofed for the summer season.
The 74-seat space includes a louvered roof and vinyl panels, fans, and built-in heaters for year-round outdoor dining. It also can acccommodate special celebrations.
Seed owner Doug Turbush said in a release this week that the re-opening will kick off on Saturday, June 8. Every Saturday during the summer, the menu will feature a “Lobster Camp” menu with Connecticut- and Maine-style lobster rolls, served on a brioche roll with chips and a pickle spear, along with white sangria.
Seed opened in 2011 at Merchants Walk and two years later, opened the Stem Wine Bar next door. His seafood restaurant, Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar, closed at Avenue East Cobb at the end of 2023.
ICYMI:East Cobb News interview in 2020 with Seed owner Doug Turbush: Click here.
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A van that was unloading supplies for the Georgia Celebrates Quilt Show at the Cobb Civic Center accidentally crashed into glass windows near the main entrance on Wednesday.
That’s prompted county and show organizers to set up an alternate entry for those attending when the event begins Thursday morning.
Cobb government said an exhibitor lost control of her van as she was trying to drop off the supplies. The woman was unhurt, and the building’s structural engineer said the crash didn’t impact the safety of the building.
The vehicle was removed from the scene and doors were boarded up by the main lobby as repairs got underway.
The show is presented by the East Cobb Quilters’ Club and continues through Saturday, featuring more than 300 quilts, bed coverings and other homemade quilted works.
Handmade ribbons and over $4,000 in cash prizes will be awarded by nationally certified judges.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days, and admission is $10 daily.
The Cobb Civic Center is located at 548 South Marietta Parkway.
Cobb government screen grab
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Eight recent high school graduates from the East Cobb area were named recipients of National Merit Scholarships this week.
Jay Natu, Pope High School
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced a nationwide list of scholarships provided by the colleges and universities where the recipients will be attending in the fall.
The scholarship amounts range from $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.
The recent recipients include Jay Natu, the salutatorian at Pope High School, who intends to study biochemistry at the University of Georgia.
Two of his Pope classmates also will be receiving National Merit Scholarships, and also are bound for UGA. They are Simon O’Connor (mathematics) and Michael Soule (business).
Two Wheeler recipients also will be headed to UGA in the fall: Diya A. Garrepally (pharmaceutical science) and Katherine Carter (health care).
Receiving a National Merit Auburn University Scholarship is Sarah Clark of Walton, who is interested in studying environmental engineering.
Zara Khan of East Cobb, who recently graduated from Campbell High School, has received a National Merit Scholarship to attend the University of Southern California, with a probable career field of linguistics.
Claire Petersen of East Cobb, who graduated from Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, will be attending Vanderbilt University, where she plans to study applied mathematics.
Applicants had to reach the National Merit Scholarship finalist stage, were required to submit essays and detail extracurricular activities, awards and leadership positions.
Their academic records included threshold scores on the SAT or SAT and students had to be recommended by a high school official.
The NMSC awarded scholarships to more than 6,870 high school seniors in 2024 totaling nearly $26 million.
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From a Cobb County government release Tuesday afternoon:
A contractor replacing a sewer line along East Piedmont Road will close some travel lanes during this week The project will take place between Mainsail Drive and Piedmont Forest Court, which is just east of Sandy Plains Road.
The project has started and is expected to run through Tuesday, June 12. Weather could impact the length of the project as well as the times when lanes are closed off.
No detours are necessary, but some delays are expected.
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Taniesha Whorton said she’s focusing her campaign efforts on the East Cobb area of District 2 in the June 18 runoff.
There were only a few upsets in Cobb results in the May 21 primary elections, and Taniesha Whorton’s finish in a five-way race for an open seat on the Cobb Board of Commissioners was among them.
A former administrative assistant in the Cobb County Police Department, the Smyrna-area resident finished second in the Democratic race for District 2 in her first-ever political campaign.
She outpolled former State Rep. Erick Allen and will face former Cobb school board member Jaha Howard in the runoff, which culminates on June 18.
The District 2 boundaries that are being observed by the Cobb Board of Elections include some of East Cobb, and are those adopted by Cobb’s Democratic commissioners in a home-rule dispute that continues in the courts.
Here’s Whorton’s campaign website; East Cobb News also has arranged an interview with Howard through his campaign and will be publishing that next week.
Advance runoff voting begins next week, and Whorton was out campaigning on Sunday at East Cobb Park, handing out fliers and meeting with potential voters during a concert.
In the primary, she won several East Cobb precincts, including Roswell 1, Hightower 1, Sewell Mill 1, Sewell Mill 3, Sope Creek 1, Sope Creek 2, Fullers Park 1, Mt. Bethel 4, Powers Ferry 1, Terrell Mill 1 and Chattahoochee 1.
A precinct map shows polling stations won by Howard in Green, Whorton in brown, Allen in blue and Kevin Redmon in turquoise. Click here to see precinct details.
Whorton said she worked on political campaigns in her native Michigan. An ordained minister, she moved to Georgia in 2016 to work with the Faith Christian Center Church in Austell, and also got involved in the Cobb Police Athletic League.
Now a senior executive with Bader Scott Injury Lawyers, Whorton—who holds an economics degree as well as an MBA and a master’s in government affairs—said she decided to get out from a behind-the-scenes role in a campaign and offer up herself as a candidate.
“People have told me that I have a lot to offer the county,” Whorton said. “I wanted to step out of the shadows.”
Whorton ran a bare-bones campaign in the primary, raising less than $3,000 (with nearly half of that sum a loan from herself).
Fewer than 12,00 votes were cast in District 2. Howard got 33 percent of the vote, and Whorton edged Allen with 25 percent, to his 23 percent.
She didn’t have the name recognition of Howard and Allen (who drew the disputed District 2 maps that are being used).
But low turnout may have helped some of the other candidates who upset incumbents, including Cobb legislative delegation chairwoman Teri Anulewicz, who was defeated in a Smyrna State House race.
Whorton said that based on some interactions with voters, “I think people related to me. I get up and got to work every day, and I know how to stretch my resources.”
What she said she’s hearing from voters are frustrations over stormwater issues (a proposed fee was delayed by commissioners until August after citizen opposition) and transit issues.
As for the former, Whorton said she favors “a sustainable plan where residents are not bearing all the burden.”
Whorton has lived in Detroit, Dallas and Chicago, and said she appreciates that mobility concerns are important in some parts of Cobb.
She didn’t offer an opinion on the proposed Cobb Mobility Transit Tax referendum that could be on the November ballot.
Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid favors a 30-year, one-percent sales tax that would generate an estimated $11 billion.
Whorton said she “hasn’t dug into the issue to see if it could be shorter” and admitted that a 30-year tax might be regarded as being too long.
She said she’s focusing on reaching out to voters in East Cobb, mindful that the boundaries could still be in limbo.
Current District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson was drawn out during reapportionment and decided to run for Congress (losing to U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath in the 6th District Democratic primary).
The only Republican candidate to qualify is Pam Reardon, but she resides in the District 3 that was redistricted by the legislature. Another GOP hopeful, Alicia Adams, is challenging her disqualification by the Cobb Elections Board, also based on the disputed maps.
Whorton—who like Howard resides in District 2 either way—said she hopes the matter will be resolved by November.
“It will be good for the voters” to have some clarity when they go to the polls, she said.
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!
