Wendy Parker

Editor/publisher, East Cobb News, hyperlocal site serving the East Cobb community of metro Atlanta with 24/7 news, events and information.

East Cobb faith communities help dedicate 25th Habitat home

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East Cobb faith communities help dedicate 25th Habitat home

Submitted information and photo:

On Sunday, the Cobb Interfaith Habitat Coalition (CIHC) dedicated their 25th Habitat house that will soon be a home for a Cobb County Public Servant. 

The future homeowner, D, is a Project Utility Manager at the Cobb County Department of Transportation, helping to ensure the county’s residents enjoy quality infrastructure. Despite a stable career and doing overtime work he enjoys, D and his wife Dreika can’t find decent, affordable housing in the county he serves. Instead, they rent a small townhome just outside of Cobb, where they battle with crowding and substandard conditions.

The couple are raising a unique blended family with children ranging in age from 26 to one-year-old, with four living at home and another one due soon. Dreika keeps an immaculate home, but her efforts can’t hide the poor maintenance of the unit – significant water damage, leaky plumbing, and a basement that is always flooded. With safety concerns in the neighborhood, the family is cramped in their small space.

D & Dreika say they felt like they won a prize when they were selected to build through Habitat and are looking forward to watching their kids have a safe yard in which to play. For their family, homeownership is more than walls and a roof, it’s the promise of stability, safety, and cherished memories.

This year’s faith groups include Smyrna First United Methodist Church, Bethany United Methodist Church, East Cobb Islamic Center, Islamic Center of Marietta, 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, First Presbyterian Church of Marietta and Due West Methodist Church.

Corporate partners include Pinkerton & Laws Construction of Atlanta, Atlanta West Carpets, Moore Colson, Fortune-Johnson, Dwell Design Studio, Nissan, Burke-Moore and Sentinel Lake Neighborhood.

Henry Hene, Coalition Chair, says, “Staying together as an extremely diverse coalition for 25 years has not always been easy, but we have remained steadfastly committed to our mission of: ‘We Build to Coexist; We Coexist to Build’. We build together for a larger purpose than our individual organizations.”

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Woman’s remains found along Chattahoochee in 1984 identified

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Cobb Police said Monday that the remains of a woman whose body was found along the Chattahoochee River 41 years ago have been finally identified.Woman's remains found along Chattahoochee in 1984 identified

Police said that the woman’s name was Veronica Jane Miller, and she would have been 61 years old. She was from Mableton, close to where her body was found near the river on May 10, 1984.

Miller was 20 years old at the time of her death, which was ruled to be a homicide, and her family has been notified of the identification, Cobb Police said Monday.

A combination of old-fashioned investigating techniques and more recent technology helped authorities identify Miller, whose case was recently reopened by the Cobb Police Crimes Against Persons Cold Case Unit.

According to DNASolves, a website that tracks such cases and that uses the testing platforms of Othram Labs, a private forensic genetic genealogy laboratory and technology company, this is the 24th Georgia “Jane Doe” identification, and is the second-oldest.

It’s also the second such cold-case identification of a murder victim in Cobb County in as many years.

Last year, Marietta Police identified the remains of a woman found dead in 1993 at a construction site off Scufflegrit Road as Patricia Howard, who had gone missing in 1980, shortly after moving from Los Angeles.

For years, Miller had been known to investigators only as Cobb County Jane Doe (1984), and in 2012 her case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database, after a traditional DNA profiling process turned up no matches.

Police said that Miller’s body was found in a wooded area near the Chattahoochee three months after her death, and it was transported to the Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office.

But the autopsy did not reveal an identification, nor the cause or manner of her death. DNA testing was submitted to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Miller’s DNA profile was entered into the CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), NDIS (National DNA Index System), as well as the NAMUS databases.

“For decades, no positive matches were found,” Cobb Police said in the release, which said that as the case was reopened, Othram Labs, which works with law enforcement agencies, was consulted to develop a more sophisticated profile that initially identified distant relatives of the deceased.

“However, these results were insufficient for conclusive identification,” police added.

Further police investigations yielded a DNA sample from Miller’s possible half-sister, and Othram Labs “confirmed a close maternal match between the sample and the decedent’s DNA establishing a strong familial link.”

Cobb Police said that Cobb Chief Medical Examiner Christopher Gulledge reviewed the available evidence—”including genetic genealogy results, DNA confirmation, and supporting testimony from family”—and confirmed Miller’s identity.

Police said the case remains under active investigation and anyone with information is asked to call the Cobb County Police Department Major Crimes Unit at (770) 499-3945.

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Sandy Plains Road Waffle House employees attacked by teens

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xSandy Plains Road Waffle House employees attacked by teens
Screengrab from a surveillance camera shows a Waffle House employee (in blue shirt) in a fight with a teen who jumped the counter, as other teens look on.

Videos posted on social media over the weekend show a group of teenagers physically attacking employees at a Waffle House in East Cobb.

The videos—both of which have since been deleted—showed several teens at a Waffle House at 2720 Sandy Plains Road threatening and then attacking employees.

Cobb Police said in a release Monday that the incident occurred early Sunday morning, near 2 a.m., but didn’t what prompted the attacks.

East Cobb News was sent links to the videos posted on Reddit and Nextdoor and viewed them before they were taken down.

A few seconds into one of the clips, one of the teens began throwing items at an employee behind the counter, then he and another teen jumped over the counter and began physically assaulting the employee in a prolonged fistfight.

Several other teens looked on from just inside the entrance, and police said that witnesses told them that that the teens had been asked to leave but refused.

The situation escalated when the teens “began arguing with staff, knocking plates from the counter, and jumping over the service area into the kitchen,” police said in the release.

“One victim was placed in a headlock and struck multiple times in the head. Several patrons attempted to intervene.”

One of the social media postings alleged that the teens had come to the Waffle House after attending nearby Sprayberry High School’s home football game on Friday.

But police said in the release that the incident was two days after that game, and “at this time, no direct connection that these suspects are current, or former Sprayberry High School students has been confirmed.”

Police did not indicate if anyone has been charged or arrested, but said that “detectives are working to identify all individuals involved.”

Anyone with information is asked Cobb County Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit at (770)499-4184.

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Editor’s Note: Dance with us into the fall–and support ECN!

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Editor’s Note: Dance with us into the fall–and support ECN!

Autumn is just around the horizon, even though it looks and feels quite a bit like summer.

The early fall calendar is taking on its usual shape here in East Cobb, with Music in the Park back for another concert series at East Cobb Park, and with our community parade on the horizon on Saturday.

At East Cobb News we’re dancing into the last few months of the year, moving right along as we get ready for cooler weather, a bevy of holidays and ramping up the coverage of all those wonderful overlapping seasons.

Unlike other news outlets in this area, we don’t hide our reporting behind a paywall.

We believe high-quality local journalism is the bedrock of a healthy community, and it should be available to everyone, regardless of a person’s current financial situation.

But to keep local news free, we need your help.

You rely on us to stay informed and we depend on you to make our work possible.

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If you value what you get from East Cobb News—what we post every day to our site, as well as our weekly newsletter, and our connections with readers and community on social media–please consider making a financial donation today.

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, Aug. 25-29, 2025

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Cherrytree Park, East Cobb real estate sales
Cherrytree Park

The following East Cobb residential real estate sales 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:

Kell

2123 Tigger Trace, 30066 (Christopher Robbins): $720,000

Lassiter

4940 Turtle Ridge, 30066 (Turtle Rock): $363,000

3000 Lassiter Road, 30062 (Cherrytree Park): $735,000

2759 Thomashire Trace, 30066 (Northampton): $979,860

3430 Lassiter Falls Drive, 30062 (Lassiter Falls): $950,000

Marietta

811 Soaring Drive, 30062 (Eagle Ridge): $495,000

1452 Evanston Lane, 30062 (Gables at East Worthington): $450,000

2079 Drogheda Lane, 30066 (Briarwood): $425,000

1236 Soaring Ridge, 30062 (Eagle Ridge): $500,000

1652 Lightfoot Circle, 30062 (Hamilton Corners): $685,000

Pope

1863 Wicks Valley Drive, 30062 (Wicks Creek): $610,000

1732 Paramore Place, 30062 (Orchard Grove): $790,000

2283 Edgemere Lake Circle, 30062 (Edgemere Estates): $1.1 million

2215 Woodfern Drive, 30062 (Cedar Forks) $540,000

3125 Waterfront Circle, 30062 (Waterfront) $535,000

2420 Murdock Road, 30062: $815,000

2628 Tritt Springs Trace, 30062 (Post Oak Springs): $575,000

Sprayberry

2730 Vintage Reserve Lane, 30066 (The Vintage Club): $395,000

2708 Vintage Reserve Lane, 30066 (The Vintage Club): $410,500

154 Bluffington Way, 30066 (Bluffs at Bells Ferry): $438,112

2568 Silver Star Drive, 30066 (East Cobb Walk): $623,000

1832 Tree Top Court, 30062 (Piedmont Bend): $330,000

2235 Wilmington Circle, 30062 (Rutherford): $475,000

2860 Rio Montana Drive, 30066 (Rio Montana): $385,000

3286 Crawford Circle, 30066 (Addison Heights): $423,500

Walton

964 Bridgegate Drive, 30068 (Bridge Gate): $560,000

1415 Hialeah Court, 30062 (Roswell Downs): $512,000

2120 River Heights Walk, 30067 (Overlook): $223,000

4964 North Ellipse Road, 30068 (Wimbledon Place): $368,000

194 Sentinel Place, 30067 (Sentinel Ridge): $1.11 million

4171 Blackland Drive, 30067 (Hidden Valley): $815,000

786 Mitsy Point, 30068 (Mitsy Forest): $555,000

4063 Penhurst Drive, 30062 (Penhurst): $670,000

2251 Rushmore Drive, 30062 (Plantation Place): $665,000

4638 Villa Chase Drive, 30068 (Villa Chase): $575,000

4140 Riverlook Parkway, Unit 209, 30067 (Willows by the River): $290,000

4422 Dunmore Road, 30068 (Hampton Woods): $750,000

2282 Pine Warbler Way, 30062 (Chestnut Springs): $749,000

Wheeler

2694 Greentree Drive, 30067 (Sandpiper): $258,000

39 Lott Avenue, 30067 (Cloverdale Heights): $380,000

3019 Haverford Lane, 30067 (Stratford): $515,000

1929 Hazelwood Drive, 30067 (Hamby Acres): $349,000

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Biographer of Leo Frank widow to speak at Switzer Library

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Biographer of Leo Frank widow to speak at Switzer Library

Submitted information and photos:

The book launch for the biography of Lucille Selig Frank, wife of Leo Frank, by local award-winning author Ann Hite is 6 p.m. Monday in the Switzer Library Community Room, 266 Roswell St. in Marietta. The program is presented by The Georgia Room, Cobb Library Foundation, and the Bookmiser bookshop.

The new book, “I Am a Georgia Girl: The Life of Lucille Selig Frank, 1888–1957” is about how she lived before and after the infamous 1915 lynching of her husband in Marietta. The lynching occurred near what’s now the west side of the I-75/Roswell Road overpass. It’s a story Hite says she has wanted to tell since she was nine years old after her grandmother told her of the horror of seeing Leo Frank’s body hanging from a tree.

Hite, the celebrated writer of the Black Mountain fiction series, will be interviewed in the program by author Carolyn Curry, a historian and founder of Women Alone Together, a non-profit formed in 2002 “to provide confidence, kinship and education to women who are ‘alone.’”

Copies of I Am a Georgia Girl will be available for purchase and signing at the author talk event.

The book and Hite’s extensive decades-long research for the book has won praise from her peers.

“I Am a Georgia Girl, Hite’s nonfiction feat, gleams with precision, humanity, and expert story-telling,” said Robert Gwaltney, award-winning author of The Cicada Tree. “This tautly rendered, compelling account of the courageous life of Lucille Selig Frank and events surrounding the 1915 lynching of her husband, Leo Max Frank, weaves the timely and momentous story of gross injustice, anti-Semitism, and the suppression of women’s voices. Lucille Selig Frank would be proud.”

John Pruitt, the retired WSB-TV news anchor and author of Tell It True, a novel based on real events surrounding the case of the 1964 murder of an African American serviceman, said Hite has created “a remarkable portrait” of a courageous woman.

“The roles of Lucille Frank and other women swept up in the Leo Frank saga have often been underreported,” Pruitt said. “Thanks to Ann Hite for so vividly bringing their stories to life against the backdrop of one of Georgia’s most infamous episodes.”

For information on the programs and resources of The Georgia Room, visit cobbcounty.gov/library or call 770-528-2333.

Biographer of Leo Frank widow to speak at Switzer Library

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Non-profits meet in Cobb to navigate funding uncertainty

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Non-profits meet in Cobb to navigate funding uncertainty
Rev. Dr. Dwight “Ike” Reighard, President & CEO of MUST Ministries.

Submitted information and photo:

On August 26, 73 nonprofit executives and board members came together for a special session of the Ignite Nonprofit Learning Series, hosted by Cobb Community Foundation (CCF) in partnership with United Way of Greater Atlanta, Mauldin & Jenkins, and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN).

Titled Strategic Options for Sustaining Nonprofit Impact, the session addressed the growing uncertainty many nonprofits face in today’s funding landscape—driven by potential federal budget cuts and increased competition for philanthropic dollars.

Held at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, the event provided timely context on today’s challenges and equipped attendees with tools to assess their organization’s sustainability—and explore meaningful paths forward, from partnerships to internal pivots and beyond.

“In the face of shrinking funding and growing uncertainty, nonprofits must ask tough questions about sustainability and impact. Our program empowers leaders to make mission-driven decisions and preserve their impact on the community in the face of these challenges,” said Karen Beavor, CEO of Georgia Center for Nonprofits.

What’s next?

Participating nonprofits will now dive deeper with follow-up engagements, including:

  • A personalized Rapid Sustainability Assessment (RSA) – a practical tool developed by GCN to help nonprofits evaluate their operational and financial health
  • Customized insights into each organization’s sustainability profile
  • Cohort-based advisory sessions, led by GCN, for those seeking additional support—featuring expert guidance, peer learning, and practical strategies to strengthen partnerships, navigate internal pivots, and more.

“This program is about more than assessing challenges—it’s about planning for impact in the long term,” said GCN Director of Consulting Jim Williams-Neal. “We’re proud to support nonprofits as they explore what sustainability means for them.”

Investing in Nonprofit Impact

Both the session and follow-up support are being provided at no cost to participating organizations, as part of a broader investment by Cobb Community Foundation and United Way to strengthen the missions and long-term impact of nonprofits serving Cobb County.

“This is the kind of collaborative investment that is critically needed right now,” said Shari Martin, President & CEO of Cobb Community Foundation. “Just because funding is reduced doesn’t mean the needs have gone away. People who need help with housing, healthcare and food are still going to need help, and they are going to turn to our nonprofits. It is in all of our best interests for them to be able to meet these critical needs, but that is going to require some serious outside-the-box thinking.  GCN is the expert.”

About CCF’s Ignite Nonprofit Learning Series

Hosted by Cobb Community Foundation, the Ignite Series convenes nonprofit CEOs, Executive Directors, and board members throughout the year to explore timely challenges, learn from expert facilitators, and strengthen relationships across the sector.

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East Cobb author of ‘A Reindear Tale’ has book launch party

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East Cobb author of 'A Reindeer Tale' has book launch event
Author Rosemarie Perry, left, and her illustrator for ‘A Reindear Tale,’ Helen Davis, a Wheeler HS student. Photos courtesy Rosemarie Perry

Longtime East Cobb resident Rosemarie Perry—she tells us she’s lived the same home for 41 years—invited friends, neighbors, Rotarians and others to the Elegance Events special events facility on Lower Roswell Road recently to celebrate the publication of her new Christmas-themed book, “A Reindear Tale.”

Yes, that’s spelled that way, as we’ll explain in a moment, but it’s a story inspired by Perry’s visit to Lapland many years ago, and is aimed for holiday enjoyment.

“A Reindear Tale” is about an all-female Santa Claus team, “led by a royal reindeer wearing a ruby that reflects starlight [and] is a festive, imaginative journey that reimagines a beloved Christmas tradition as they overcome major delivery issues.”

So why this story? Perry explains that “after learning that male reindeer shed their antlers in winter, while females retain theirs until spring, I realized there was a story there.”

She said she sold all 75 copies of “A Reindear Tale” she brought with her to the book launch party (more photos below).

Perry, a former school guidance counselor, brought on a current local student—Wheeler High School senior Helen Davis—to do the illustrations for the 67-page book, which is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and at local independent bookstores.

Perry has two other books, one a novel, and is working on another book of fiction (her website is here).

In addition to her artistic endeavors—including her own budding photography business—Davis is the captain of the Wheeler girls varsity lacrosse team.

Perry traveled to Finland to do research for the book, which includes some “fun facts” about the animals, and is involved with the Roswell Writers Group and the Atlanta Writers Club.

The author visits a reindeer on a research trip to Finland.

Click the middle button below to view the slideshow.

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Crime Watch: Three Northeast Cobb restaurants burglarized

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East Cobb Crime Watch: Fat Lady Baker, other businesses robbed

Nancy McKinney, owner of the Fat Lady Baker cafe in Northeast Cobb, tells us that she was among the restaurantEast Cobb Crime Watch: Fat Lady Baker, other businesses robbed victims of what’s apparently a burglary spree earlier this week.

She sent us the surveillance photo of who she said is the suspect, and who “used a crowbar to get through the back doors and stole cash” and was hopeful of someone being able to identify him.

Another nearby business was robbed as well, the Aapka Food Adda Indian restaurant that’s adjacent in the same shopping center, she said. McKinney mentioned that a Mexican restaurant in the Shallowford-Trickum area also was robbed, “but the police were not sure if that is related yet.”

Sgt. Eric Smith, public information officer with Cobb Police, told East Cobb News that detectives are investigating to see if the three restaurant burglaries are related, and that a suspect has not been identified.

He said the other robbery was at El Serranto Taqueria, at 2520 Shallowford Road.

Fat Lady Baker sells bakery products and prepared meals to the public, and is open during daytime hours Tuesday-Saturday.

It’s in the same retail center with other small businesses, including Montana’s Bar and Grill and the Mzizi coffee shop.

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Mountain View Regional Library to close for three days

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Mountain View Regional Library to close for three days

The Cobb County Public Library System announced that for three days next week, the Mountain View Regional Library will be closed for “a large entrance door replacement project.”

The library system said in a release Thursday that the branch at 3320 Sandy Plains Road will be closed from Thursday, Sept. 11, through Saturday, Sept. 13, and is scheduled to reopen the following day, Sunday, Sept. 14.

As a regional library, Mountain View is one of the few Cobb branches that is open on Sundays.

During the closure, curbside pickup services for reserved items will be available from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Mountain View book drops will remain open throughout the closure period.

Patrons can request pickup times for materials online via a Curbside Request Form that’s available at www.cobbcounty.gov/library/locations/mountain-view-regional-library.

The closest branch is the Gritters Library at 880 Shaw Park Road, which will be open during the Mountain View closure Thursday-Friday are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

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Cobb Foodie Week Update: Details on East Cobb participants

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Biscuits and More, East Cobb food scores

Last month we noted that a number of East Cobb restaurants and eateries will be taking part in Cobb Foodie Week, a promotion of Cobb Travel and Tourism, and that’s slated to run starting Saturday through next Saturday, Sept. 13.

A number of the local restaurants are at Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road), which released the following details about what each place there will be promoting:

  • Peach State Pizza: 10% off all food items
  • Press Waffle Co.: Buy One Waffle, Get One Waffle 50% Off
  • Round Trip Brewing: 15% Off Any Adult Entrée
  • Smallcakes 20% Off A Six Pack Of Cupcakes
  • Tin Lizzy’s Cantina: Buy 2 Tacos, Get 1 Free
  • Tin Pin: Free $5 Game Card With Purchase

And here are the others:

  • Biscuits and More (3162 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 140), 20 percent off any order of $20 or more.
  • Camps Kitchen and Bar (Paper Mill Village), free garlic knots with purchase
  • Cuban Diner (1484 Roswell Road), 10 percent off one entree
  • Green Coyote Cantina (Paper Mill Village), free queso with purchase
  • Marlow’s Tavern (Merchants Walk), $10 Off Order Totaling $30 Or More
  • Marlow’s Tavern (Sandy Plains Shopping Center), $10 Off Order Totaling $30 Or More
  • Mezza Luna Italian Restaurant (Pavilions at East Lake), $5 off any house wines
  • Pho Hoa & Jazen Tea (Market Plaza), Free 16oz Milk Tea With The Purchase Of Any Large Pho
  • Seed Kitchen & Bar (Merchants Walk), Three-Course Meal For $45

You can sign up for a digital pass to redeem at any participating restaurant throughout the county.

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Update: Fundraiser started for owner of Chin Chin restaurant

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Update: Fundraiser started for owner of Chin Chin restaurant
Inside the burned-out remains of the Chin Chin restaurant, which is considered a total loss. Photos by Sabrina Gao.

Following Tuesday’s devastating fire that destroyed the longstanding Chin Chin restaurant in East Cobb, the daughter of the restaurant’s owner has started a fundraiser.

Sabrina Gao set up a GoFundMe page and said of her mother, Jasmine Chen, that “I would really like to surprise her and try to help her rebuild everything.”

Chen has owned Chin Chin for the last 15 years, and was called to the scene in the early morning hours Tuesday as the standalone restaurant on 617 Johnson Ferry Road burned to ground.

Cobb Fire said 911 calls came shortly after 1 a.m. In her GoFundMe message, Gao said that she woke up to her mother on a phone call telling her about the fire, and she soon followed.

“I took my sister with me and drove to her restaurant at 2 in the morning. . . . My family is devastated.”

Gao, who attended Walton High School, said the restaurant became something of a second home for her and her siblings, who grew up without their father around.

“It makes me sad to think about how my mom feels. . . . My mom would always take me and my siblings to ChinChin to watch after us since she didn’t want us to be home alone.”

Gao has set a fundraising goal of $15,000, and has raised nearly $2,000 in the first day.

Cobb Fire said the restaurant’s roof collapsed and the fire spread quickly, and with more than 30 firefighters on the scene the blaze took nearly five hours to put out. The cause is still being investigated, according to district chief Justin Green.

“She is lost right now without a clue on what to do,” Gao said of her mother. “Lots of people lost their jobs today, but my family and I lost our homes today.”

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East Cobb Zoning Update: RaceTrac proposal gets 30-day delay

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East Cobb Zoning Update: RaceTrac proposal gets 30-day delay
A color rendering of RaceTrac’s proposed gas station and convenience store fronting Barrett Parkway.

The Cobb Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to continue a proposal by RaceTrac Inc. for a 24/7 gas station on the former site of an historic home.

Planning Commission member David Anderson moved for a 30-day delay with a 5-0 vote to further study traffic data and to gauge the impact to schools and nearby neighborhoods.

The vote came after concerted opposition to a request to rezone 2.009 acres at 2595 Bells Ferry Road where the McAfee House once stood.

The applicant wants to rezone the land from planned shopping center (PSC) to neighborhood retail center (NRC) for a 24/7 fueling facility with a convenience store.

The McAffee House was a home built in the 1840s and was a Union general’s command post during the Civil War, and has been relocated to Cherokee County.

But more contemporary concerns brought out citizens who spoke against RaceTrac’s proposal.

They included Max Ramsey, a fourth-grader at Bells Ferry Elementary School, who spoke about the pollution coming from a gas station open all hours.

“This will not be good for our health,” he said, adding fears of crime that could stem from the new facility as a result.

A Bells Ferry ES parent, Erin Quackenbush, raised some of the same issues, and added traffic and school capacity concerns.

The school is undergoing a replacement renovation to address overcrowding, and new development in the area that will add more traffic in a congested area.

She also alleged that Cobb Commissioner Erick Allen, whose district includes the area, may have a conflict of interest because he’s received an endorsement from RaceTrac in the past.

The Cobb County School District also objected to the RaceTrac proposal, and Cobb DOT officials said in response to questions from Anderson they weren’t aware of additional capacity produced by the Bells Ferry ES construction that might affect traffic flow.

Cobb DOT had estimated that 5,000 trips a day could pass by the RaceTrac business, mostly vehicles passing through a busy intersection.

Kevin Moore, the attorney for RaceTrac, reiterated several times that the land owned by Medford Family LP was strictly commercial, and wanting to use it for a gas station and convenience store “is not inherently evil.”

In 2023, a car wash was proposed for the land, and the Planning Commission recommended approval. But the request was withdrawn by the applicant due to what it said were other business obligations.

Planning Commission member Nadia Faucette asked Moore if RaceTrac was looking at “any other options” to service the area aside from the Bells Ferry Road property “if this does not go through.”

There was a smattering of applause, and then Moore replied by saying that “I’m not aware of any other options that they have in particular. I am aware of this option which they consider ideal.”

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Lawmaker files Title IX athletics complaint against Pope HS

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State Rep. John Carson of East Cobb said he has filed a Title IX sex discrimination complaint against Pope High School’s athletics department for a policy regarding female sports eligibility.Pope softball

Carson said in a release he filed a complaint with the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, which enforces Title IX.

That’s a federal education law that bans sex discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funding.

In his complaint, Carson said that female varsity and junior varsity basketball players were told they could not participate in other sports at the same time, but that male basketball players were not subject to the same policy.

Carson, a Republican who represents District 46 that includes Northeast Cobb, said the policy was implemented in the spring, and that he sent a written complaint to the Cobb County School District in April after hearing from parents.

“This restriction does not apply to their male counterparts, many of whom are allowed to play multiple sports simultaneously and openly without consequence,” Carson said in the release, announcing the complaint, which stems from some of the girls also wanting to play flag football (a sport in which Pope is a current state champion).

“As I said in my letter to the Cobb County School Board, please let the girls play.”

East Cobb News has left a message with the Cobb school district seeking more information, and received this vague response, which didn’t answer any of the issues raised by Carson in his complaint:

“As the school shared with families last year, athletic practices apply to all of our students, both boys and girls.

Schools across the county and metro follow a clear athletic practice: students should finish one sports season before starting another, unless both head coaches and the principal agree to an exception.

This helps protect the health of student athletes by limiting fatigue and preventing injury, especially when sports seasons overlap. Our goal is to support the health, safety, and success of every student-athlete in Cobb.”

Updated: The conservative Cobb Voice website suggested that Carson “may have cried wolf” with his complaint, and included an excerpt from an April message from Pope principal Matthew Bradford saying that female athletes can play basketball and flag football:

 “In the same way, both boys and girls have the same opportunity, schedule permitting, to try out and/or play in two sports simultaneously when seasons overlap.”

The Cobb Voice—whose contributors are not identified, opined that:

“Some are asking whether Rep. Carson is truly defending fairness or simply meddling in matters best left to educators. Local athletic policies are developed by coaches, principals, and administrators who work directly with students. By injecting politics into a process governed by local control, Carson risks overstepping his role as a state legislator.

But Cobb Board of Education member John Cristadoro, whose Post 5 in East Cobb includes the Pope cluster, posted on his Facebook page Tuesday that “Given the seriousness of such an allegation, I hope a thorough review was conducted prior to its filing. If any concerns are found to be valid, I trust the district will take the necessary steps to address and resolve them.”

He also said that “From my experience, I also believe our coaches and athletic directors across Cobb County and across Georgia, recognize the unique challenges faced by multi-sport athletes and strive to make roster decisions with student safety in mind. Pope High School has made clear to families that this commitment applies equally to all students—boys and girls alike.”

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East Cobb’s Chin Chin Chinese restaurant destroyed by fire

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UPDATED:

The daughter of the restaurant’s owner has started a fundraiser: “I would really like to surprise her and try to help her rebuild everything.”

ORIGINAL REPORT:

A fire has destroyed most of the standalone building that has been the home of the Chin Chin Chinese restaurant in East Cobb for nearly three decades.

The early Tuesday morning blaze consumed most the restaurant’s facility at 617 Johnson Ferry Road.

It’s located just south of Lower Roswell Road and across from the entrance to Parkaire Landing Shopping Center, in between a Waffle House and Dunkin Donuts.

Cobb District Fire Chief Justin Green told East Cobb News that a 911 call was received around 1 a.m. Tuesday, and firefighters arrived on the scene a few minutes later to find smoke and fire coming through the roof of the building.

Crews were inside when the roof collapsed, and the fire took five hours to contain, with more than 300,000 gallons of water needed to put it out.

Green said around 35 firefighters and other personnel were on the scene—five engines, three ladder trucks, a rescue vehicle and two battalion chiefs—and that no one was injured.

Two lanes of Johnson Ferry Road southbound were closed while fire crews were on the scene early Tuesday morning.

Green said the cause of the fire is still being investigated, and that it might take longer than is usual due to the roof collapse.

 

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Editor’s Note: Help support the future—and now—of local news!

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As I was leaving church on Sunday one of the ladies from the altar guild was handing out roses from the bouquets that adorned the worship space.

They were as aromatic as they were lovely, and they certainly brought a smile and a warm glow. You could say I was feeling a little rosy, with some extra leisure time looming due to the Labor Day holiday.

As much as I enjoy bringing you East Cobb News every day of the week—including our popular newsletter on Sundays—I’ve really been looking forward to this respite. A little recharging goes a long way to continue the mission I set out when I began East Cobb News eight years ago.

It’s been the dream of mine to serve the place where I grew up with local news and useful community information. It’s what I started doing at the beginning of my career, and did so again during nearly two decades at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In case you missed the news, the AJC announced this week that at the end of the year they’ll discontinue a print edition and will be switching to all-digital publishing.

After 157 years, Atlanta won’t have a daily newspaper, and for many of us who worked there, it’s a nostalgic and bittersweet feeling.

But 17 years ago this week, as I closed out my tenure there in an online editing position, I sensed that what I was doing then was the future of local news.

That understanding has guided my work ever since, including a stint editing East Cobb Patch, formerly part of AOL’s hyperlocal news network.

And it fueled the desire to bring independent, homegrown local news—every day, timely and relevant—to East Cobb with what you’re reading now at East Cobb News.

Please donate today!

While what the AJC is doing is considered something of a risk, I think it’s inevitable, and I wish my old place well.

There are naysayers about the value of online media, but I firmly believe this where the future of local news and local business advertising will be best realized.

And at East Cobb News—where nobody else does what we do, every day—that future is now and has been for a while. I remain bullish about this because I know what kind of audience we’ve built here, and that comes to rely on what we do every day.

We’ve been at this since 2017, and we intend on staying at it for a long time to come—giving you the local news that you love, and that makes a difference in this community.

East Cobb News promotes local businesses with dynamic digital advertising—and we’ve been busy as well signing up new advertisers that we’re excited to share with you soon.

Donating is secure and easy!

But we’ve also been asking for reader support to help us defray some of our business costs.

With our growth has come some additional costs, and while we’re thrifty, we have bills that come due every month.

Our donation amounts are voluntary, and what you pay is up to you. We are suggesting $6 a month on a recurring basis.

Put a better way, here’s how to think about what you can do to help us out:

For less than the price of a lunch entree, your support will help keep free, real local journalism alive.

You rely on us to stay informed and we depend on you to make our work possible.

We appreciate whatever you are able to donate. Please click the box below to show your support for the only daily news source serving East Cobb. Our Press Patron payment platform is safe, secure and easy. 

Please consider making a donation today! Thank you!

 

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, Aug. 18-22, 2025

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Arbor Bridge, East Cobb real estate sales
Arbor Bridge

The following East Cobb residential real estate sales 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:

Kell

1515 Barrier Road, 30066 (Lamplighter): $350,000

4766 Jamerson Forest Circle, 30066 (Jamerson Forest): $392,000

4252 Keheley Lake Drive, 30066 (Lakewood Colony): $441,000

Lassiter

4249 Arbor Club Drive, 30066 (Arbor Bridge): $787,500

3920 Cash Landing, 30066 (Oaks at Mill Pond): $1.15 million

Marietta

1456 Rosewood Creek Drive, 30066 (Briarwood): $415,000

904 Ivy Green Lane, 30067 (Powers Ferry Green): $394,500

174 Bluffington Way, 30066 (Bluffs at Bells Ferry): $439,489

Pope

2717 Hearthstone Circle, 30062 (Chimney Springs): $685,000

2681 Tritt Springs Trace, 30062 (Post Oak Springs): $495,000

3640 Shelby Lane, 30062 (Rolling Acres): $687,000

Sprayberry

2560 Silver Star Drive, 30066 (East Cobb Walk): $593,995

2538 Morgan Lake Drive, 30066 (Morgan Farms): $392,000

3335 Ranch Road, 30066 (North Forty): $405,000

1031 Lakewood Drive, 30066 (Lakewood Estates): $252,500

2990 Piedmont Drive, 30066 (Piedmont Heights): $339,000

1655 Oak Crest Court, 30066 (Oak Creek Estates): $530,000

3139 Hilltop Drive, 30066 (Addison Heights): $692,250

1691 Holcomb Lake Road, 30062 (Holcomb Lake): $650,000

1552 Hillhaven Drive, 30066 (Blackjack Hills): $630,000

2688 Lee Ann Drive, 30066 (Piedmont Hills): $450,000

3320 Bryant Lane, 30066: $599,000

3624 Autumn Ridge Parkway, 30066 (Blackwell Chase): $404,000

Walton

4622 Traywick Drive, 30062 (East Hampton): $1.255 million

3961 Riverlook Parkway, Unit 209, 30067 (Willows by the River): $269,000

1140 Promontory Drive, 30062: (Waltons Reserve): $925,000

1386 Heritage Glen Drive, 30062 (Heritage Glen): $475,000

4378 Heritage Glen Court, 30062 (Heritage Glen): $555,000

4629 Kempton Place, 30067 (Whitehall): $770,000

912 Sunny Meadows Lane, 30062 (Walton Creek Estates): $1.12 million

521 Pine Valley Road, 30067 (Atlanta Country Club): $5.39 million

5238 Timber Ridge Road, 30068 (Willow Point): $2.05 million

1401 Parkaire Crossing, 30068 (Parkaire Crossing): $293,600

Wheeler

3300 Windy Ridge Parkway, Unit 1121, 30339 (Horizon at Wildwood): $430,000

452 Brushstroke Court, 30067 (Giverny): $1.27 million

1059 Dunhill Drive, 30067 (Millridge): $740,110

2357 Clearwater Drive, 30067 (Red Oak Park): $480,000

2185 Sun Valley Drive, 30067 (Sunvalley Estates): $318,000

2567 Willow Field Crossing, Unit 22, 30068 (Oaks at Powers Ferry): $500,000

679 Forest Ridge Drive, 30067 (Forest Ridge): $370,000

109 Cedar Court, 30067 (Chimney Trace): $219,000

3244 Beechwood Drive, 30067 (Terrell Mill Estates): $787,500

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RaceTrac rezoning plans on historic NE Cobb site to be heard

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NE Cobb rezoning historic preservation efforts

The Bells Ferry Civic Association is opposing plans for a RaceTrac gas station on a busy intersection in Northeast Cobb where an 1840s-era historic home was recently relocated.

The BFCA sent a written letter to Cobb zoning staff last month, before an attorney for the applicant asked for a continuance and submitted a new site plan and additional stipulations.

A request by RaceTrac, Inc. to rezone 2.009 acres at 2595 Bells Ferry Road and across from Bells Ferry Elementary School is on the Cobb Planning Commission agenda for Tuesday.

The applicant wants to rezone the land from planned shopping center (PSC) to neighborhood retail center (NRC) for a 24/7 fueling facility with a convenience store.

What was called the McAfee House was the headquarters for Union Gen. Kenner Garrard, whose cavalry troops guarded the Noonday Creek valley after Northern troops seized Big Shanty in June 1864, in the run-up to the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.

Earlier this year the house was relocated by preservationists to Cherokee County. In 2023, a car wash was proposed for the land, owned by the Medford Family LP, and the Cobb Planning Commission recommended approval. But the request was withdrawn by the applicant due to what it said were other business obligations.

In its letter (you can read it here) the BFCA referenced a glut of gas stations in the area—it counted 10 within two miles—as well as alcohol sales and gasoline fumes near the school and an adjacent KinderCare child care facility.

The civic group also referenced the historical nature of the property, asking that “prior to any development on this property, it is essential that a thorough search be conducted for Indian and Civil War artifacts, trenches, gravesites, and other items of historical significance. Furthermore, a memorial plaque needs to be erected at the corner of Bells Ferry and Barrett Pkwy to identify and commemorate an important part of our county’s history.”

In its analysis, the Cobb Zoning Staff offered brief historic preservation comments, saying that it recommending “an archaeological survey and report before any development occurs. Any artifacts discovered during the survey should be donated to an appropriate museum.”

The staff is approving recommendation (full analysis here) with none of the variances requested by RaceTrac.

Last week, RaceTrac attorney Kevin Moore submitted a stipulation letter (you can read it here) that includes an eight-foot landscape buffer around the property, and agrees with the historic preservation comments about doing an archaeological survey and report if rezoning is approved.

The Cobb Planning Commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the county office building at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta. You can view the full agenda by clicking here.

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

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Dodgen MS chamber orchestra to perform at The Midwest Clinic

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Dodgen MS chamber orchestra to perform at The Midwest Clinic

Submitted information and photo:

The Dodgen Middle School Chamber Orchestra recently received one of the highest honors possible—the opportunity to perform at the 2025 Midwest Clinic! The junior high musicians and their chaperones will head to Chicago during December’s Holiday Break.

“An invitation to perform at the Midwest Clinic is the highest honor any orchestra or band can receive in the nation. It is the equivalent of winning the Super Bowl,” said Dodgen Orchestra Director Ashley Culley. “We applied by audition with a recording and a video. A panel of judges chose us from hundreds of applicants based on our performance.”

The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference offers workshops, exhibits, and performances. Over 18,000 attendees come from all 50 states and more than 40 countries to participate, listen, and learn. The Midwest Clinic offers educators and students a memorable opportunity to network and enjoy all things music.

The Dodgen MS Chamber Orchestra is one of only two middle school orchestras invited to perform at the 2025 Midwest Clinic. They are the only ensemble (band or orchestra) selected from the state of Georgia this year. The Dodgen Chamber Orchestra includes 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students.

“Directors Ashley Culley and Evelyn Champion have led their orchestra programs for many years and have earned many performance honors and accolades, but this is a dream come true for these directors and their students,” said Dodgen Principal Dr. Patricia Alford. “Performing at The Midwest Clinic is a rare privilege, and I am so proud of these teachers and their students! I know they will represent Dodgen and Cobb very well.”

The students have been preparing for this since they held an orchestra minicamp in July. This allowed the students to get to know each other and their music. The entire Midwest Clinic performance has already been planned and approved, and includes a wide variety of styles and difficulty levels. The students rehearse four mornings a week before school with additional after-school rehearsals to prepare for this major performance.  

“They are very excited about their performance in Chicago. They talk about it every day in class. They know what a tremendous honor it is to be selected to perform at the Midwest Clinic. We hope they learn that perseverance and hard work really do pay off,” said Director Culley.

“We are sincerely grateful to all of the families that continually support their young musicians throughout this journey to the Midwest Clinic. We would also like to thank Principal Alford and the Dodgen administration and faculty. We couldn’t accomplish this without the full support of the entire Dodgen community,” Director Culley concluded.

A Midwest Clinic “Preview Concert” will be held on Thursday, December 4, at 7:00 pm in the Walton High School Theater. All are invited to attend.

For more information, visit the Dodgen MS Orchestra website.

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Gov. Kemp suspends Cobb Superior Court Clerk from office

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday issued an executive order suspending Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor while she faces charges of destroying government records and violating her oath of office.Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor

Kemp issued the executive order after a three-member review commission he appointed determined that Taylor’s indictment by a Cobb grand jury “does relate to and adversely affect the administration of the office of Clerk of the Superior Court.”

If she is convicted, Taylor could be removed from office. Earlier this week, she pleaded not guilty to two counts of destroying government records and two counts of violating her oath of office.

Taylor, a Democrat first elected in 2020, was indicted July 31 after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted a probe into the matter following allegations that Taylor tried to direct an employee to delete government e-mails and financial records in response to an open records request in late 2022.

Taylor had come under fire for personally pocketing $425,000 in passport fees, on top of her $170,000 annual salary.

Under state law, court clerks are allowed to personally keep such funds. But Rebecca Keaton, Taylor’s predecessor, forwarded some of those monies to the county’s general fund.

Maya Curry, who worked in the clerk’s office, said Taylor ordered her to destroy records about the passport application fees when The Atlanta Journal-Constitution filed an open records request seeking that information.

According to Curry, Taylor said that “we’re just going to Donald Trump this thing,” a reference to deleting any files or records that would be germane to an open records request.

The Attorney General’s Office is leading the legal proceedings after Cobb officials, including judges, recused themselves from the case.

Taylor’s attorney, former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, hasn’t commented on the case.

After Friday’s announcement of Taylor’s suspension, Cobb County government issued a statement saying “we respect the Governor’s order. Since the Clerk of Superior Court is a constitutional officer and not under the authority of the Board of Commissioners, we will not be commenting further. Our focus remains on ensuring that county services continue without interruption.”

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