Walton softball parents petition school board for on-campus facility

Parents involved with the Walton High School softball booster club asked Cobb Board of Education members Wednesday when the district will come up with a plan to bring games back on campus.Walton fastpitch, Walton softball parents

It’s been nearly four years since the fastpitch field and fieldhouse, along with tennis courts, were demolished to make way for a new classroom building.

In a public comment session at the board’s monthly meeting Wednesday night, parents said they wanted to see a “replacement plan” in two weeks.

Parent Mary Littwin said that when plans were made in 2014 for what was described as a temporary move, “we were told that in 2-3 years” there would be a new outline for an on-campus home for Walton fastpitch. “Here we are, five years later, and what we would like to know is when a replacement plan will be put into action.”

Board members and school district officials did not respond to their concerns. Parents previously have brought the issue to new Post 6 school board member Charisse Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters.

The original Walton softball facility, including a fieldhouse was built in 1995, with private funding and donations that parent Kelly Landroche said cost around $160,000.

Since 2015, the Walton softball team and boys and girls tennis teams, also displaced during the construction, have played home competitions at Terrell Mill Park.

John Holland, whose daughter is a rising 8th grader with the Walton fastpitch program, said softball equipment in storage there has been vandalized.

More than anything, the parents said, they want their daughters to enjoy an on-campus environment.

Chris Andriano has had two daughters play softball at Walton. His youngest, he said, is a senior who will be part of the first class who won’t play a game on campus.

“She feels cheated by that,” he said. “Please help us to get these facilities back on campus as soon as possible.”

Financing the construction of new softball and tennis facilities for Walton teams is included on the new Cobb Education SPLOST V project list.

The main problem is a lack of space. Walton is situated on 43 acres on Bill Murdock Road, and most of that space is already being utilized.

The new classroom building opened in August 2017 and a new gym and peforming arts facility is expected to open before the 2019-20 school year.

One possible scenario would be to build a new softball facility on an athletic practice field that is used by several Walton teams.

Losing that field, fastpitch booster club president Amy Hecklinger said, “would put Walton in a less than equitable” situation compared to other high schools in Cobb County.

Another booster club parent, Suzanne Crosswhite, suggested that acquisition of nearby available land would be “proper and equitable,” and that the land “is right across the street.”

 

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Cobb schools rolling out parental bus-tracking app in March

Following other school districts in metro Atlanta, the Cobb County School District will soon offer a mobile application for parents to track school bus movement.Here Comes the Bus, Cobb school bus tracking app

At a Cobb Board of Education work session Wednesday, superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the app, which would be available through Apple, Android, Google Play other app stores, is expected to be available by March 1.

The name of the app is “Here Comes the Bus,” which Ragsdale said is one of more popular bus-tracking apps in the country. It provides real-time tracking of buses, shows schedules and issues alerts notifying parents when buses approach pick-up and drop-off points.

Most recently, Here Comes the Bus been implemented in Paulding County schools. Marietta City Schools have a bus-tracking app called Traversa.

Ragsdale said Cobb school buses already have GPS (Global Positioning Services) devices on them, and the on-board technology will be updated to provide parents with tracking information that will be secured with a login containing a school code number and a password.

Parents had been able to contact drivers on two-way radios, which had dead spots and operated on open lines.

“If you need private communication with a bus driver, you don’t want that on a speaker,” Ragsdale said.

Deputy Superintendent John Adams said Here Comes the Bus has been tried on a pilot basis with parents at some schools in West Cobb, and most of them were satisfied with the app.

Cobb schools operate 870 bus routes that cover more than 68,000 miles each day, making 38,000 stops and carrying more than 72,000 students.

For details on downloading Here Comes the Bus, visit the CCSD’s transportation page.

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East Cobb food scores: Johnny’s Pizza; IHOP; Stockyard Burgers; Montana’s Bar and Grill; and more

Johnny's Pizza, East Cobb food scores

The following East Cobb restaurant scores from Feb. 4-15 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:

Buddha Delight
2731 Sandy Plains Road, Suite A
February 13, 2019 Score: 78, Grade: C

Burger King
2716 Sandy Plains Road
February 15, 2019 Score: 91, Grade: A

House of Ming
3101 Roswell Road, Suite 116
February 8, 2019 Score: 74, Grade: C

International House of Pancakes
3130 Johnson Ferry Road
February 7, 2019 Score: 85, Grade: B

Johnny’s New York Style Pizza 
4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 155
February 7, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Judy’s Country Kitchen
2745 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 106
February 14, 2019 Score: 58, Grade: U

Laredos Mexican Bar & Grill 
1860 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 400
February 5, 2019 Score: 88, Grade: B

McDonald’s
3101 Roswell Road
February 11, 2019 Score: 90, Grade: A

McDonald’s
3011 Johnson Ferry Road
February 6, 2019 Score: 99, Grade: A

Mellow Mushroom Pizza
2000 Powers Ferry Road, Suite G-3
February 14, 2019 Score: 91, Grade: A

Montana’s Bar & Grill
2995 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 330
February 12, 2019 Score: 68, Grade: U

Mt. Bethel Elementary School 
1210 Johnson Ferry Road
February 13, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Panda Express
4275 Roswell Road
February 14, 2019 Score: 89, Grade: B

Stockyard Burgers and Bones
4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1700
February 6, 2019 Score: 76, Grade: C

Tofu Village
700 Sandy Plains Road, Suite B1
February 7, 2019 Score: 91, Grade: A

Waffle House
2720 Sandy Plains Road
February 14, 2019 Score: 91, Grade: A

Walton High School 
1590 Bill Murdock Road
February 11, 2019 Score: 90, Grade: A

 

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Police investigating ‘suspicious’ death of woman near Bells Ferry Road

Kelley Albertson, Marietta Police, Bells Ferry Road death

Marietta Police are suspecting foul play and asking for the public’s help as they investigate the death of a woman whose body was found near Bells Ferry Road Tuesday.

Police said they were called to the area of Bells Ferry and Cobb Parkway North for another reason early Tuesday morning when they found a dead woman in the woods near the intersection.

She has been identified as Kelley Albertson, 57, of Marietta. Police said the preliminary report from the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office “ruled this a suspicious death.”

Police did not say how or when she died.

But they are asking anyone who recognizes Albertson or who may have information on her whereabouts during the last week to contact Marietta Detective Mark Erion at (770) 794-5363.

 

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Applications being accepted for Cobb Youth Leadership 2019-20 class

Submitted information:

Cobb Youth Leadership (CYL), a development program sponsored by the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta that focuses on developing leadership skills through interactive participation, is seeking applications for members of its 2019-2020 class.Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Cobb Youth Leadership

Created in 1989, the program provides students a unique opportunity to learn about their community as well as meet and interact with students from other high schools. Students attending public or private high schools or home-school students in Cobb County must complete and submit an application for CYL in the spring of their sophomore year. Applications are reviewed by the CYL Steering Committee and approximately 50 students are chosen for the class. Students participate in the program during their junior year of high school.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2019-2020 class. Students may complete the online form at www.cobbchamber.org. All applications must be submitted by Friday, April 19, 2019.

For more information about Cobb Youth Leadership, contact Katie Guice at (770) 859-2334 or kguice@cobbchamber.org.

 

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Cobb economic development incentives approved after testy debate

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved economic development incentives totaling nearly $500,000 for several corporate relocations and expansions, but not without an acrimonious discussion. Bob Ott, East Cobb Restaurant Row

Last month, commissioners delayed acting on the measures, since four of them are located in District 2, and commissioner Bob Ott was absent.

They include the in-county relocation of Floor & Decor and Bio IQ, a California-based healthcare IT firm, to new corporate offices on Windy Ridge Parkway.

At a lengthy meeting Tuesday morning, Ott (in photo) outlined detailed figures showing how the county would benefit from capping building permit and business license fees for those moves.

This time last year, commissioners implemented the Special Economic Impact Program, which reduces or waives certain fees for companies that meet specific criteria for moving to or expanding in Cobb.

The county incentives are separate from tax abatements and other incentives issued by the Development Authority of Cobb County.

Floor & Decor, now based in Smyrna, wants to to add 420 jobs in its new office space. Ott’s projections said the county would net $396,640 after the incentives, which total $38,750. Those include a one-time $5,000 cap on the building permit fee.

Another business license cap incentive totalling $90,798 for construction firm Brasfield & Gorrie drew the ire of South Cobb Commissioner Lisa Cupid. She didn’t like waiving the business license fees for the proposal, which Ott said would result in a benefit of $576,000 to the county.

Brasfield & Gorrie is planning a renovation of its headquarters near SunTrust Park, adding a projected 462 new jobs.

Her objection was part of larger concerns she expressed during the meeting in trying to explain the economic benefits of the incentives to constituents at a time when the county has been struggling to adopt a budget, including a millage rate increase last year.

“It’s important we start talking dollars and cents,” she said.

View the incentive packages

When Cupid tried to link those subjects together before the Brasfield & Gorrie vote, Chairman Mike Boyce called the question on a motion to approve that was on the table, saying her comments were “outside the scope of the issue.”

When Cupid insisted they were relevant, he called the question again.

“I’m still going to ask my question,” she said.

When Cupid said she would abstain from voting, Boyce responded that “you cannot hold this board hostage.”

He asked County Attorney Deborah Dance if an abstention was allowed, and Dance replied only “if there’s a conflict.”

Cupid said she had a conflict. The Brasfield & Gorrie incentive passed 3-1, with Cupid abstaining and new commissioner Keli Gambrill voting against.

Cupid later voted for incentives for Floor & Decor and Home Depot ($733,742 benefit after $213,000 in building permit incentives, with the promise of 700 new jobs), which is seeking to expand to office space on Interstate North Parkway.

She opposed the Bio IQ package ($288,350 benefit after $55.830 in building permit caps, a projected 500 new jobs).

Commissioners also approved building permit fee caps worth $125,000 for Edison Chastain, LLC, which wants to convert warehouse property on Chastain Meadows Road, near Bells Ferry Road, for a 152,000-square-foot office building. That would bring around 500 jobs via multiple tenants, according to the Cobb Community Development Agency.

Cupid voted for that measure, which passed 4-1 (Gambrill opposing), but added that “we need to understand our numbers going forward.”

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said she’s received a lot of e-mail about Edison Chastain, both pro and con, but said she supported the incentives.

“We’re missing the whole point of what it’s going to bring in in the long run,” she said.

Near the end of the meeting, Cupid stressed that “it’s got to get back to how we’re providing services, how we’re serving citizens.”

Boyce said in reference to the incentives that “I think we did a good thing for the county.”

 

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East Cobb traffic alert: Lower Roswell Road reopened at Woodlawn Drive

Lower Roswell Road closes
Cobb Police photo

UPDATED 2:28 P.M.: The intersection has reopened and traffic lights are “operating normally,” Cobb Police said.

ORIGINAL STORY, 2:02 P.M.: 

This just in from Cobb Police: Traffic lights are out and power lines are down at Lower Roswell Road and Woodlawn Drive, and the intersection is closed for “at least 30 minutes” while repairs are made.

Cobb Fire and Cobb DOT are also on the scene.

Heavy rains swept through the East Cobb area after 1 p.m. Tuesday as a storm line was pulling through west and north Georgia for the rest of the afternoon.

Severe weather warnings have been posted for other parts of the state.

The rain is expected to continue into the evening in the Cobb area, with temperatures dipping into the mid 30s.

Wednesday will be sunny and colder, with highs in the low 50s. Rain will return on Thursday night.

 

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East Cobb man arrested for sexual assault in Johnson Ferry Road area

An East Cobb man is being held without bond after being arrested for aggravated sodomy, assault and other charges on Sunday.

Kendal Chaves, 34, of Lerose Court, was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on felony charges of aggravated sodomy, aggravated assault and first-degree burglary and a misdemeanor charge of battery, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

He also is charged with driving under the influence of drugs, a misdemeanor.

WSB-TV, which first reported the incident, said the charges stem from the sexual assault of a woman at her home on Colony Drive Friday morning.

That’s in the Lake Colony neighborhood just east of Johnson Ferry Road, and below Little Willeo Road. Chaves’ listed address on Lerose Court is located off Woodlawn Drive, near Dickerson Middle School.

 

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Hightower Trail music program honored by state educators group

Hightower Trail music program

Information and photo from Cobb County School District:

Out of all the middle school music programs across the state of Georgia, the top one calls Cobb County home. The Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) recently selected Hightower Trail Middle School as the Music Program of the Year. 

The award recognizes Hightower Trail for excellence in all facets of the school’s music program including band, chorus and orchestra.  

Hightower Trail’s five-member music faculty serves 942 students or 89 percent of the student body. The premier music program offers classes in band, chorus, orchestra, guitar, and music appreciation.

The band, chorus, and orchestra programs regularly earn Superior ratings during their large group performance evaluations, and their students consistently earn placements in District Honor and All-State ensembles. Instrumental students participate in solo and ensemble each fall. They also send two Jazz bands to the Jazz evaluation in the spring. The award-winning music department also collaborates with Hightower Trail’s art teacher to present an annual “Night of the Arts” that spotlights chamber ensembles. 

The Hightower Trail band is led by Andrew Cole, director, and Fred Norton, assistant director. 

Hightower Trail’s eighth-grade symphonic band has performed at the University of Alabama, University of Georgia MidFest three times, the Music for All-Southeastern Regional twice, the GMEA In-Service Conference three times including last year, and the Music for All National Festival. The band has also received the GMEA Exemplary Performance Award. 

Hightower Trail’s Choral Director Suzanne Logue is a 30-year member of GMEA, having served in many organizational capacities in the choral division, including State Choral Chair in 2010. She has presented at several In-Service Conferences and is an accompanist for All-State and Honor Choirs around the state.  

Directors Michael Tompkins and Paul O’Keefe oversee the orchestra program at Hightower Trail. The Chamber Orchestra has performed at the ASTA National Orchestra Festival and the 2019 GMEA In-Service Conference. The Orchestra has also received the GMEA Exemplary Performance Award. 

In addition to Hightower Trail’s recognition as the number one middle school music program in Georgia, GMEA recently recognized Christopher Ferrell as the Administrator of the Year for his work as the Cobb County School District Supervisor of Instrumental Music.

 

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Sports update: East Cobb schools reach state basketball playoffs

New Pope Gym

The Georgia High School Association state basketball playoff brackets have been released, and five East Cobb public schools will be competing starting this weekend.

Three of them will be playing at home—the Wheeler, Sprayberry and Kell boys.

The Wildcats will play host to Cobb rival Hillgrove in the 7A tournament, while the Yellow Jackets will face Chattahoochee in Class 6A.

Kell, ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, will be at home against Lithia Springs.

The Mt. Bethel Christian Academy boys, ranked No. 4 in Class A private schools, also will play in the GHSA tournament. They received a first-round bye and will play at home next week in the second round against Holy Innocents’ or Stratford Academy.

The Walker School boys also are competing in the Class A private tournament, and are ranked No. 6, and will play at home against Aquinas.

The Pope girls have a tall order in their opener, at No. 8 Creekview in Canton.

The Pope boys also have to go on the road to play a ranked opponent, as South Cobb is No. 3 in 6A.

Here’s the first-round rundown:

Class 7A Boys

  • Hillgrove (10-13) at Wheeler (17-11), 7:30 p.m. Friday
  • Walton (15-13) at Tift County (18-8), 7:30 p.m. Friday

Class 6A Boys

  • Chattahoochee (22-6) at Sprayberry (23-4), 7 p.m. Friday
  • Pope (15-12) at South Cobb (19-6), 6:30 p.m. Friday

Class 6A Girls

  • Pope (22-6) at Creekview (22-5), 6 p.m. Friday

Class 5A Boys

  • Lithia Springs (17-9) at Kell (23-5), 7 p.m. Friday

Class A Private Boys

  • Stratford/Holy Innocents’ at Mt. Bethel Christian (22-7), Feb. 20-21
  • Aquinas (10-15) at Walker (19-8), 7:30 p.m. Friday

Class A Private Girls

  • Walker (13-12) at Paideia (20-5), 5:30 p.m. Friday

The Wheeler and Walton boys could meet in the second round if they both win this weekend. They didn’t play each other during the regular season.

The state playoff game would be played at Wheeler since the Wildcats are the higher seed.

Wheeler is ranked No. 8 in Class 7A while Sprayberry, No. 4 in 6A, faces a ranked team in No. 8 Chattahoochee.

Second-round games will take place Feb. 20-21 and quarterfinals are slated for Feb. 26-27 on the floors of highest-seeded teams.

Semifinal games in 6A will be at Carrollton, and in 7A the games will be played at Buford on March 2.

Should any East Cobb teams reach the GSHA “Final Four,” games in 5A, 6A and 7A will be played in Macon on March 9. The Class A private school finals are in Macon on March 6.

Admission is $7 and season passes are not accepted in the playoffs.

View the brackets here:

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Car crash near Lassiter High School sends woman to hospital

A Roswell woman was hospitalized Saturday afternoon after her car crashed near Lassiter High School. Northeast Cobb car crash

Officer Neil Penirelli, public information officer for Cobb Police, said Cynthia Downing, 71, was driving her white 2007 Toyota Corolla eastbound on Shallowford Road around 5:05 p.m. Saturday when she lost control of her car, which ventured into the center median and hit two trees.

He said that a passerby started CPR on Downing after noticing she was unresponsive, and police think she may have had a medical emergency. Downing was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital and was being treated there, Penirelli said.

The accident is still being investigated. Anyone with information should call the Cobb County Police Department at 770-499-3987.

 

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Man dies in single-vehicle crash near Jamerson Road

Cobb Police are investigating the death of a motorist near Jamerson Road Sunday morning.Cobb Police, Holly Springs Road suspicious person, East Cobb crime forum

Officer Neil Penirelli of Cobb Police said that Darius J. Sanders, 33, of Marietta, was identified as the driver of a silver 2014 Chevrolet Malibu that was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Twisted Oak Lane.

Penirelli said the wreck occurred between 4 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. The Malibu was heading south on Twisted Oak when it struck a metal arm, which smashed into the passenger compartment.

That contact “caused fatal injuries to the driver,” he said.

He said the area around the crash scene is near a subdivision that’s under construction. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department at 770-499-3987.

 

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East Cobb swimmers fare well in state championships

No East Cobb teams won titles at the Georgia High School Association state meet over the weekend at Georgia Tech, but several individuals and and relay squad can call themselves state champions. GHSA logo, Walton and Pope volleyball, East Cobb swimmers

Among them is Mady Bragg of Pope, who won Class 6A titles in the 200-yard freestyle race with a time of 1:51.15, and in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 55.68.

The Lady Greyhounds were 8th in the team standings in Class 6A.

The Walton girls 200-yard freestyle relay team took the Class 7A crown. Elizabeth Isakson, Anna Heistenberg, Abby Belinski and Jasmin Hoffman completed the event in a time of 1:36.39.

The Lady Raiders were 4th in the team standings. That was the best team finish for an East Cobb team. The Lassiter girls were 9th in Class 7A.

Faith Newton of Sprayberry was 4th in the girls 1-meter diving event in Class 5A, and Walton’s Mary Simon was 6th in the Class 7A diving competition.

On the boys side, there were no individual winners from East Cobb, but Laston Weddington of Pope turned in a strong performance in several events, including finishing second in the Class 7A 100-yard breastroke. He also joined Lawson Weddington, Will Devine and Mitchell Hunt on the 200-yard medley relay team that finished 2nd in 6A.

The Greyhounds also were 4th in the 200-yard freestyle relay, with Laston Weddington, Hunt, Cameron Butler and Gabe Lacasella racing.

In Class 7A, the Lassiter boys 400-yard freestyle relay team finished fourth: Alex Bartik, Justin Yap, Brendan Hausdorf and Zach Franklin.

Franklin was third in the 100-yard backstroke race. The Trojans boys and girls teams both finished 3rd in the Class 7A 400-yard freestyle relay.

Check more results here.

 

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UPDATE: Woodlawn Square Chick-fil-A renovations wrapping up

Chick-fil-A Woodlawn Square

Woodlawn Square Chick-fil-A

Because we’ve gotten a few requests to find out, here’s the latest we have on the reopening of the Woodlawn Square Chick-fil-A after extensive renovations:

Spokeswoman Callie Bowers told us Friday that they’re aiming for the last week of March for a grand reopening date.

“Should know more in the next week or so, but the last week of March is what we have as of now,” she said.

As we’ve noted earlier, the original reopening was slated to be in November after the location closed in July.

Bowers didn’t explain the reasons for the delay, but there’s been a lot of rain since the fall, and that’s what’s been cited by county officials for the pushback in finishing Mabry Park.

Up until the last couple weeks, the parking area and drive through at the Chick-fil-A were still bogged in mud. Some of the pavement has been poured, but there’s still cleanup and setup indoors and striping and final touches outdoors to be done.

 

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Cobb Young Professionals to volunteer at McCleskey Middle School

Cobb Young Professionals

Calling all professionals under 40, and who have some financial skills to volunteer:

There’s an opportunity to work with Cobb Young Professionals and the Communities in Schools of Marietta/Cobb County at a financial literacy seminar they’re holding at McCleskey Middle School (4080 Maybreeze Road) next Friday, Feb. 15.

It’s part of the Communities in Schools’ “Reality U” program that teaches students about fiscal well-being and academic achievement.

The session is from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., and you can register to help them out until Tuesday. Here’s more about the program:

The one-day financial literacy and life skills event is designed to help students understand some of the “realities” involved in preparing for adulthood. Students are provided an adult scenario complete with family status, occupation and net monthly income—and will visit a variety of booths to “purchase” housing, transportation, child-care, food, utilities, etc.

Reality U helps students make a direct connection between academic success and financial stability.

Cobb Young Professionals is the professional development group of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, and is aimed at those 40 and under. Contact Rebecca Chadwick at rchadwick@cobbchamber.org or 770-859-2368, or visit www.cobbchamber.org/events for more information.

 

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ArtsBridge Foundation gala to benefit Georgia arts education programs

Kristen Chenoweth, ArtsBridge Foundation gala

Thanks to Nicholas Wolaver for the information and photo of Kristin Chenoweth (yes, that one!) about the ArtsBridge Foundation Overture Gala on March 29 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Tickets and sponsorships are on sale for the fundraiser, with proceeds going to arts programs for K-12 students in Georgia:

The benefit is an evening of philanthropy and fun including a cocktail reception, dinner created by the venue’s Executive Chef Nicholas Walker, a “Bid-to-Give” Auction, and live musical theater performances capped by a performance by Emmy- and Tony-Award winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth.

Co-chaired by Barbarella and René Diaz and Teena and Rob Garcia of Diaz Foods and Synovus, respectively, the gala also features performances by students of Milton High School, winner in the Overall Production category of the 2018 Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards. This prestigious program, also known as The Shuler Awards, recognized Georgia students as the state’s official entrants into the National High School Musical Theatre Awards—The Jimmy Nederlander Awards.

The Overture Gala’s honorary chair is local philanthropist Valery Voyles, CEO and chair of Ed Voyles Automotive Group and former board of directors of ArtsBridge Foundation.

ArtsBridge Foundation hosts the Overture Gala—the organization’s major annual fundraiser—to gather community support for the upcoming program season, which will serve more than 30,000 K-12 students from nearly 60 Georgia counties and five neighboring states.

Funds raised through the gala’s Bid-to-Give segment will go towards the ArtsBridge Adopt-A-School Program benefiting schools and students with specific financial assistance needs.

Individual gala tickets are $350 with sponsorship packages available in the $1,000 to $25,000 range. Sponsors include Presenting Sponsor Synovus, Georgia Power, Ed Voyles Automotive, Sylvia and Bruce Dick, Scicom Infrastructure Services, Terry Chandler, and Jimmy and Helen S. Carlos. For sponsorship opportunities or to purchase tickets, please visit www.ArtsBridgeGA.org/special-events or contact Lizzy Rhodes at 770-916-2817.

 

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Pedestrian killed on South Marietta Parkway near Powers Ferry Road

Marietta Police said a 61-year-old man was killed Friday morning when he was attempting to cross South Marietta Parkway near Powers Ferry Road and was hit by two vehicles. Marietta Police

Police said the man was walking across the loop outside of a designated crosswalk around 5:30 a.m. when he was struck by a car driven by James Stein, 45, of Marietta.

Police said a second motorist, Dustin Little of Roswell, could not avoid hitting the victim, who had been knocked to ground on the road and was unresponsive.

The victim, whose name has not released pending notification of family, died after being taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, according to police.

All but one westbound lane of the South Marietta Parkway was closed to traffic for a time, starting at 6 a.m., as police investigated the scene.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Marietta Police Sgt. B. Honea at 770-794-5344.

 

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Cobb schools begin issuing teacher contracts for 2019-20 school year

The Cobb County School District announced Friday it has begun sending out the first of 8,000 teacher contracts for the 2019-20 school year. Cobb schools closed

Cobb schools said in a release that all contracts will be distributed by the end of the day on Monday.

Deputy Superintendent John Adams said Cobb schools are offering contracts to nearly 98 percent of teachers and full-time certified employees. Those also include counselors, psychologists and food service directors.

“By offering early, we can identify areas of need, hire the very best, and allow our teachers to plan for the next school year as early possible,” Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said in a statement. “We are making commitments to our teachers and a promise to our students, parents, and community that Cobb will continue to be the best place to teach, lead, and learn.”

 

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Wheeler Celeritas Racing Team preps for F1 in Schools national competition

Wheeler Celeritas Racing Team
Wheeler Celeritas Racing Team members from L-R: Chase Waddington, Mateen Jangda, Sai Rajendrakumar and Davis Nilson. Submitted photo.

Last summer we told you about the Aeroflow Racing Team from the Wheeler Magnet School as they prepared for an international F1 competition.

Their successor is called the Celeritas Racing Team, and one of their team members, Shashaank Aiyer, got in touch to let us know that they’re prepping for the F1 in Schools National Competition in Austin, Texas from Feb. 20-23.

Shashaank tells us the Celeritas team is comprised of six juniors who’ll be taking part in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary challenge “in which teams design, analyze, manufacture, and test miniature F1 cars that are powered by compressed carbon dioxide and raced down a track.”

The Celeritas team members and their responsibilities are as follows:

  • Shashaank Aiyer, executive manager and graphic designer;
  • Chase Waddington, manufacturing engineer;
  • Jared Ryley, design engineer;
  • Sai Rajendrakumar, marketing director;
  • Mateen Jangda, financial manager;
  • Davis Nilson, resource director and web designer.

Last year’s Wheeler team won the U.S. competition and finished 15th in the global event in Singapore.

Here’s more about what’s coming up in Austin.

 

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Simple Needs Ga receives $7K grant from FHLBank Atlanta

Submitted information:Simple Needs GA

 Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta) has awarded Simple Needs GA (SNGA) a $7,000 grant for people in need in Cobb County.

The 2019 sponsorship represents a continuation of FHLBank Atlanta’s support of SNGA, said Brenda Rhodes, Founder and Executive Director of the Marietta-based nonprofit. “We’re so touched and grateful to receive this amazing gift from FHLBank Atlanta,” she said. “The Bank has helped our organization in so many ways over the past few years. This latest gift, the largest yet by the Bank, will allow us to help even more children and families in need this year.”

With FHLBank Atlanta’s support, Rhodes noted, SNGA continued to broaden its reach in 2018: Its My Birthday Matters program brought birthday presents and other useful items to 256 homeless schoolchildren, up from 217 in 2017. Its Simple Household Needs program brought furniture and household items to 126 clients, a major increase over the 77 it helped in the prior year. And its Spirit of Christmas program provided 159 children in 61 families with $100 in requested gifts along with extras like puzzles, board games, hats, gloves, scarves and, for parents, a $25 Walmart card.

“Major financial contributions such as those provided by FHLBank Atlanta are critical for us and make a real difference for our clients,” Rhodes said. “For example, we typically don’t receive enough in-kind donations of mattresses and box springs to meet the overwhelming demand in our community. Financial donations like this allow us to buy beds so that our furniture clients and their children don’t have to spend too many nights sleeping on a bare floor.”

For more information about SNGA, email brenda@simpleneedsga.org.

For more information about the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, please visit www.fhlbatl.com.

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