East Cobb is losing another locally owned, independent bookstore. Earlier this week, Casey Herron, owner of Once and Again Books on Shallowford Road, said the shop will be closing by the end of March, and possibly sooner.
The store is selling all books, except for special orders, at 15 percent off, and store credits can be used for half of a purchase. They’re also selling bookcases, bookstands and other items in the store.
Here’s part of the message Dillon shared with customers announcing the news of the Once and Again closing:
We will be making one last new book order on Feb. 3rd. We will special order books for purchase at list price (no discount) and you can apply store credit towards ONLY 25% of that price. We’re only offering this to help our loyal customers use some of the credit they have built up.
We are no longer buying books. You’re still welcome to donate good condition books. We’ll sell what we can and donate the rest.
No other discounts apply. All sales are final. It’s first come, first serve at this point. Other than special orders, we are not holding books.
We’re so thankful for the support through the years and will miss our wonderful customers.
Once and Again Books is located at 2421 Shallowford Road, Suite 116, at the intersection of Trickum Road. It’s in the Shallowford Crossing Shopping Center, where there’s a Mellow Mushroom and Moxie Burger.
The bookstore hours are 10-7 Monday-Friday, 10-6 Saturday and 12-6 Sunday.
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At 3:40 p.m. Friday Cobb DOT said Paper Mill Road between Woodlawn Drive and the Sope Creek Bridge will be closed to through traffic “for the next few hours” because of downed power lines.
What a difference a day makes: The day after the U.S. Senate failed to pass votes to end the partial U.S. government shutdown, Congressional leaders worked out a temporary spending bill with President Trump on Friday.
The three-week agreement to re-open and fund government operations goes through Feb, 15 and includes no border wall funding, as the president wanted, while negotations continue.
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson of East Cobb, one of six Republicans who voted Thursday for a Democratic bill that didn’t get a two-thirds majority of votes, hailed Friday’s actions. His office issued the following statement:
“I’m glad the leadership of the House and the president have come to an agreement and hope that we can now sit down and negotiate in earnest to secure our border and get the government back in operating order.”
Ga. Senator David Perdue, a Republican from Warner Robins, said the following:
President Trump just announced a bipartisan solution to reopen the government while border security negotiations continue. We still have a crisis at our southern border, and President Trump is exactly right to address it. I applaud the President for continuing his efforts to enter into good faith negotiations with Democrats in the House and Senate.
Many Democrats have previously supported border security. Unfortunately, throughout this process they’ve clearly demonstrated they want to keep immigration a political issue instead of finding a real solution. If Democrats refuse to come to the negotiating table to tackle this national priority over the next three weeks, President Trump will do what is necessary to protect America.
Ultimately, this situation underscores the total dysfunction of Washington’s funding process. These conversations should have been completed last year, not four months into this fiscal year.
Trump made an announcement about the temporary deal at the White House early Friday afternoon. That followed news from the Federal Aviation Administration that flights were being grounded at East Coast airports, including LaGuardia in New York, due to shortages of air traffic controllers, and causing delays elsewhere
They were among the many thousands of federal employees who have not been paid during the shutdown, the longest in U.S. history at 35 days.
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From dawn to dusk on Saturday, this weekend’s East Cobb leading events on Saturday offer something for everyone.
It’s to be cold all day and all evening, led off by the 31st annual Polar Bear Run at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road), which starts around 8 a.m. and raises funds for the church’s music mission trip. The race is one of the first local qualifiers for the Peachtree Road Race, but there are shorter races for kids, including a “Cub Run” for those ages 4-5;
Doing some winter reorganizing and cleaning out? Haul unwanted items over to Pope High School (3001 Hembree Road) between 9-4 for the Pope Band Recycling Day. The cost is $10 a car and additional charges apply for electronics and paint;
Professional organizer Linda Diamond offers tips on Decluttering Your Home from 11-12 Saturday at the East Cobb Library (4880 Lower Roswell Road);
The sun’s supposed to come out, warming things up enough for some youth sports activity. The Sandy Plains Softball Fun Day takes place from 12-2 at the organization’s fields at 2977 Gordy Parkway, and they’ll have food, fun, prizes and walk-up registration for the spring season.
Not far way, Sandy Plains Baseball is holding Instructional Clinics at Harrison Park (2653 Shallowford Road) from 11-1 for ages 9-12, and at Sweat Mountain Park (4346 Steinhauer Road) from 2:30 p.m. for ages 5-8. All participants should bring a glove, bat and helmet and arrive at least 20 minutes beforehand;
The arts take center stage Saturday night (and indoors too!). The Walton Chorus Fashion Show is themed “Reaching for the Stars,” and it’s a fundraiser that costs $18 at the door. Showtime Saturday is 6 p.m. at the Walton auditorium (1590 Bill Murdock Road);
The Georgia Symphony Orchestra will performs a “Musical Mirrors Concert” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Lassiter Concert Hall (2601 Shallowford Road, photo above). Works by Franz Schubert are featured, and the ticket prices range from $10-$25.
Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, make it a great one! Enjoy!
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As the longest shutdown in U.S. government history continues, Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson broke party ranks Thursday and voted for a Democratic spending bill without border wall funding demanded by President Donald Trump.
Isakson was one of six Republicans who supported a budget bill that would fund the government for three weeks and have Congress continue negotiating border security issues while providing back pay to furloughed government employees.
That bill passed 52-44, but it needed 60 votes to end a filibuster. The other Republicans voting for the measure were Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Susan Collins of Maine, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah.
Georgia’s junior Senator, Republican David Perdue, voted against that bill.
He and Isakson, an East Cobb resident. had previously voted for a bill that would have given Trump his $5.7 billion in border funding and provided some immigrants with certain legal protections.
“You know a lot of people think Congress’ job is to come to Washington and change things for the better. When it comes to immigration, all we ever change is the subject. We never end the debate, we never pass a result, and often times we would call each other names for the wrong reason.
“I’m here for one reason: To thank the colleagues that are on the floor here and all those others that are ready to do some business. I’m ready to do some business.
“It’s time we put the workers in our government back to work. It’s time we were doing what we promised the people of the United States of America we would do, and it’s time we went to work. Because when everybody’s out of work, it’s our fault. These are the people who carry the mail, empty the garbage, cook in the cafeteria, clean up the parks, and do everything they do without any complaint whatsoever. But they’re out there, many of them not even being paid right now, while we’re sitting here debating a subject that we can’t reach a solution on, period.
“We need to take our armor off, leave our weapons at the door, walk in the room, shake hands. . . . Let’s sit down, and let’s pass a bill we can both agree on that gets Americans back to work and restores the spirit of Ellis Island and the pride of the United States of America.”
Isakson said little good comes from shutdowns, and he cited the five shutdowns in his time in Washington.
“Idle hands are never good,” he said.
Here’s what Perdue, a strong Trump supporter, said after Thursday’s votes:
“Many of us fought to keep the Senate in session last August to avoid this funding situation in the first place. President Trump has tried to reopen negotiations with a reasonable proposal that not only fully funds the federal government, but also addresses critical border security and disaster relief. It is unacceptable that Senate Democrats continue to reject every opportunity to compromise in good faith. In the real world, both sides have to negotiate to find a solution. It’s time to work together to tackle these national priorities.”
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A former Kell High School teacher who pleaded guilty last week to sexually assaulting a student on campus will serve five years in prison.
That’s the sentence that was handed down to Spencer Herron by Cobb Superior Court Judge Robert Flournoy, who also gave the former video production instructor 15 years on probation.
Court records show that Herron, 49, who was arrested on June 1, 2018, pleaded guilty last Friday to five counts of sexual assault on a student on the Kell campus.
They involved multiple sexual encounters with a female student that started in 2016, and continued through the 2017-18 school year, according to his indictment in August.
According to his sentencing document, Herron was given sex offender status by Flournoy. As a first-time offender, Herron could have his criminal record cleared if he meets the terms of his probation.
After his release from prison, he is not allowed to have any contact with minors, take up a residence with minors or contact with the victim. He also must abide by other restrictions while on probation.
Herron was a teacher at Kell for 16 years and was the school’s teacher of the year in 2016. In what turned out to be his final year as a teacher, Herron was a member of the Cobb County School District’s Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council.
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On January 28 from 6:30-8:30 p.m., more than 40 businesses, and organizations will be on site at Palmer Middle School to share information about extracurricular opportunities available for students with disabilities.
Representatives from museums, performing arts centers, camps, sports organizations, and clubs are attending the Cobb County School District Community Connections Resource Fair to help Cobb parents learn more about the opportunities available for their students.
Parents will be able to gather information about the accessibility options, programs, and special events offered for families of students with disabilities. Some of the attendees include the Atlanta Braves Exceptional Fans, Zoo Atlanta, Acworth Horizon League, Autism Improvised, Tellus Science Museum, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Cobb Therapeutics/Special Olympics, Georgia Ballet, Art Station-Big Shanty, NCG & Studio Movie Grill, and more.
There will also be information about camps, classes, and sensory-friendly events.
Parents can reserve their spot for the program by calling the Special Education Parent Mentor Office at 770-529-0046 or by registering here.
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Online registration has closed for Saturday’s Polar Bear Run at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, but you can sign up in-person through Friday at Big Peach Running Co. (1062 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite C).
Other Big Peach Running stores in Kennesaw (1625 Ridenour Boulevard, Suite 304) and Brookhaven (705 Town Boulevard, Suite Q340, Atlanta) also are handling registration.
It’s the 31st annual Polar Bear Run that benefits the church’s high school music mission trip programs, and is one of the first Peachtree Road Race qualifiers of the year.
Conditions ought to be suit the name of the event perfectly—Saturday’s early-morning lows could be below freezing, with sunny skies and highs in the high 40s later in the day.
Big Peach is where you can also pick up race packets from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, as well as on-site at the race starting at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
Here are more details on the race courses, where to park and how to get a race t-shirt.
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After adopting several economic incentive policies last year to spur business growth and relocation, Cobb commissioners have put on hold their approval of several proposals stemming from those changes.
Four of the five proposals, totaling more than $400,000 in county incentives, were withdrawn at Tuesday’s Cobb of Commissioners meeting because they are in District 2 and commissioner Bob Ott was absent.
But after a sometimes pointed discussion, commissioners also agreed to withhold the other incentive package on the agenda, for a planned office building in District 3 in northeast Cobb.
Last February, 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 companies must be in the financial, insurance and professional services sectors (including legal and accounting), as well as transportation, manufacturing and emerging technologies industries.
They also must add at least 150 jobs, invest $30 million or more in the county and pay average salaries at least 1.25 times the county average, as determined by the Georgia Department of Labor.
Qualifying companies also must agree to invest in Cobb for a minimum of 10 years or the incentives are revoked.
District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell and Chairman Mike Boyce were strongly in favor of a county incentive package totaling nearly $125,000 for Edison Chastain Office, LLC, which wants to build a 152,000-square-foot office building on Chastain Meadows Parkway near Bells Ferry Road.
“I think this is a good fit for this program,” Birrell said.
The incentives for Edison Chastain would cap development permit fees (proposed incentive agreement here). According to the Cobb Community Development Agency, Edison Chastain would invest $35 million and create 150 jobs once the building opens.
But commissioner Lisa Cupid of South Cobb questioned the wisdom of allowing breaks on fees for companies when the county has had major budget problems in recent years.
Community development officials estimate the break-even point for the Chastain Meadows incentives would be in 2022.
“I have grave concerns that five [economic incentive proposals] are coming up at one time,” she said, “when it might take several years to recoup [the incentive amounts]. At the same time, we’re struggling year-to-year to provide core services.”
Birrell responded that the facility eyed by Chastain Meadows was initially slated to be a warehouse. “Now it’s an office building. It’s eligible and it meets the requirements,” she said.
Boyce said such incentives will help the county enrich its tax digest, which is the best way to meet increasing service needs.
“Getting the resources depends on getting those companies to come here,” he said. “The [tax] millage rate brings in a certain amount, but [a growing] tax digest brings in even more.”
Cupid asked if the county was “doing things in a healthy way,” then tried answering her own question by saying that “I don’t see it at all.”
Replied Birrell: “If [qualifying companies] are not here, we’re not going to get the revenue at all.”
She agreed to withdraw the Edison Chastain proposal and asked interim community development director Michael Hughes for background information on the incentive program.
Floor & Decor wants to relocate its HQ to a near-vacant building at Wildwood.
Two of the four incentive proposals previously withdrawn are in Windy Ridge Parkway area near East Cobb:
Bio IQ, a healthcare IT firm, is pledging to add 500 jobs over 10 years in relocating its national headquarters from California, and is seeking $85,830 in incentives with caps on business license and development fees (previous ECN story here).
Also seeking incentives are Home Depot ($213,750) for expansion in and around its headquarters in the Cumberland area, and construction firm Brasfield & Gorrie($90,798) for renovating its new headquarters near SunTrust Park.
The county incentives are unrelated to tax abatements that the companies have sought with the Development Authority of Cobb County.
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Thanks to Kathryn Ruff from the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team for the event about Friday’s art show coming up at the agency’s office from 6-9:
“Local landscape artist and teacher Katherine M. Knowles, will be hosting a benefit art show from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm at the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team office in Marietta.
About ten local artists, woodworkers, and potters will feature their art in the show with a portion of their sales going to Janice Overbeck’s non-profit, JO Gives, for the Emory ALS Research Center.
“After losing my uncle to ALS, raising awareness and supporting research has been near to my heart”, Knowles said. “My cousin, Janice Overbeck, has done so much in the way of fundraising for the Emory ALS Center and has the perfect event space to host this art show.”
This event will be open to the public and there is no charge for entry. Wine, premium cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres will be served, so please rsvp to (404) 585-8881.
The event will take place at 2249 Roswell Road. Visit the event page at www.JaniceOverbeck.com for more information.
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An East Cobb man initially suspected of human trafficking in a 2016 search of a home on Little Willeo Road has been sentenced on multiple drug convictions, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
Solomon Santana Noellin, 42, was convicted on Thursday by a Cobb Superior Court jury of possession of methamphetamines with intent to distribute, possession of methadone with intent to distribute, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, as well as possession of cocaine and Alprazolam, according to DA spokeswoman Kim Isaza.
She said Noellin was given a 30-year sentence by Superior Court Judge Joyette Holmes, with eight years to serve and the rest on probation.
According to Cobb prosecutors, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a rented home on Little Willeo Road in East Cobb on Aug. 9, 2016, based on allegations that sex trafficking activities were taking place there.
When they entered the home, police found cocaine, methamphetamines and other controlled substances and executed a second search warrant, Isaza said.
She said that agents from the Marietta-Cobb-Smyrna Organized Crime Unit confiscated 61 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamines; three grams of cocaine; 49 methadone pills; more than 350 grams of marijuana; and one bar of Alprazolam at the Little Willeo Road home.
Isaza said two women who were at the scene during the first search warrant denied they were there for trafficking purposes.
According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, Noellin’s home address is listed as being on Canton Road.
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Cobb Parks photo of Mabry Park taken right after Christmas.
Bad weather has prompted a delay in the completion of Mabry Park, which was initially slated to be done by early 2019.
There’s still not a specific date that has been announced for completion and opening. But at a Cobb Board of Commissioners work session Tuesday, Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affiairs director Jimmy Gisi said weather has been a major factor in the delay.
“If it would ever stop raining, we could get this thing done in a few weeks,” he said in outlining parks SPLOST projects.
Built on 26.5 acres of former Mabry family farmland on Wesley Chapel Road near Sandy Plains Road, Mabry Park got under construction last January. A 365-day contract with Integrated Construction and Nobility, Inc., of Whitesburg, Ga. was begun on Jan. 4, 2018.
However, the project reached the 361-day stage on Dec. 31. Cobb Parks estimates that 85 percent of the project is complete, including the entrance road from Wesley Chapel, picnic areas and the playground area. Completion of trails needs to be done, trees are continuing to be planted, and boardwalk deck work also is ongoing.
The playground construction took place during the fall, but steady rainfall at the end of last year has hampered efforts to complete work involving the rest of the park landscape.
On Monday the Friends of Mabry Park posted updated photos of the construction on its Facebook page.
The citizens organization has worked for years to create Mabry Park, whose build-out was delayed several years due to the recession.
The county spent $4.3 million to purchase the land in 2008 and a master plan was completed in 2011.
Mabry Park’s annual operating cost will be $104,992; of that $72,122 will go for staff salaries and benefits, and $31,800 is estimated for yearly supplies and utilities. A one-time cost of $22,230 for equipment and maintenance tools will be funded after construction is complete.
“We feel it’s going to be a super nice park for that part of the county,” Gisi said.
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Tonight’s the first of a monthly program of live music at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center called the Cafe Music Series.
It’s just an hour, from 7-8 p.m., and features the family-friendly music of Ken Jones, Jason Von Stein, R.A. Reinholtz and Reid Stevens.
The event is a tie-in with the library’s association with Cool Beans Coffee, which is serving on the premises.
Future events in the Cafe Music Series will be held on Feb. 19, March 19 and April 23, also at 7 p.m.
Interested performers should contact Ashley.Miller@cobbcounty.org.
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Thanks to Linda Harris of the Senior Citizen Council of Cobb County for the following information about the organization’s 2019 annual meeting Feb. 8:
The Senior Citizen Council of Cobb County will feature newly elected District 1 Commissioner Keli Gambrill as guest speaker at their annual meeting on Friday, February 8, 2019. The meeting which starts at 11:30 am and includes a light lunch will be held at the Cobb County Senior Wellness Center at 1150 Powder Springs Street, Marietta.
All interested persons are welcome to attend free of charge to become acquainted with the new commissioner and to learn what the Senior Citizen Council has planned for 2019.
The Senior Citizen Council of Cobb is a nonprofit organization that advocates for better public policy and promotes ways for Cobb senior citizens to stay connected and engaged in their community. Persons should RSVP before January 28 by calling 423.815.1790 or sending an email to
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With all kinds of maps abounding all around them—for land use, stormwater management, traffic and more—a few dozen citizens from the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford community turned out last week to continue efforts at developing a master plan.
After some input meetings last spring, Cobb County officials decided to come back this winter to solicit more feedback. At the first of those meetings, at the Chestnut Ridge Christian Church, commissioner Bob Ott explained how the “JOSH” master plan process—short for Johnson Ferry-Shallowford—is similar to those that have taken place previously and that have involved his constituents.
“Instead of consultants, we have community meetings and you help design the plan that you want,” he said.
The high-density and mixed-use development that’s accelerating along Powers Ferry, or in the case of the Johnson Ferry Urban Design plan, the use of language, have concerned some in the JOSH area about what may be in store for where they live.
Commissioner Bob Ott said a master plan “isn’t perfect but it’s better than not having a master plan.” (ECN photos by Wendy Parker)
It’s a community with overwhelmingly single family residential homes, a population that’s older and a higher median income average than the rest of Cobb County.
It’s also new territory for Ott, whose District 2 was redrawn in 2016 to include JOSH. He referenced another master plan in his district that is similar to what he’s seeing for JOSH.
The Vinings Vision MasterPlan was developed out of an interest in preserving the feel of an older community surrounded by high-scale commercial growth in the Cumberland area.
The Vinings plan, Ott said, was deemed a “protection plan” when it was finished.
“This also appears to be a protection plan instead of a redevelopment plan,” he said of JOSH.
In Vinings, citizens took an additional six months to finalize that plan. Two more meetings are scheduled over the next two months for the JOSH master plan. Cobb Community Development Agency staff will present a preliminary plan on Feb. 12, and a draft plan on March 12, and public comments also will be sought.
Both of those meetings also will be at Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (2663 Johnson Ferry Road), starting at 7 p.m.
The master plan will include future land use, infrastructure, stormwater, parks and recreation, building design and more (JOSH outline here).
Last spring, some citizens objected to an image preference survey that included photos of high-density development. Ott asked community development staff to rework the survey.
Jason Gaines, the community development agency’s planning division chief (above), broke down some of the JOSH demographics (boundary map here):
Phillip Westbrook of the planning division said 86 percent of the land in the JOSH map that’s included in the proposed master plan is residential (mostly low-density) and has only two major commercial areas: at the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection, and on Shallowford near Lassiter Road.
Much of the current future land use map for the JOSH area hasn’t changed much over the last 25 years. Perhaps the most closely-watched case is at the southwestern intersection of Johnson Ferry-Shallowford, where a proposed residential zoning application was withdrawn in 2017. In addition to high-density issues there also have been concerns over stormwater, since the 30-acre property includes a lake.
“What’s going on that property we don’t know,” Ott said. “But this map is going to change.”
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On Tuesday Charisse Davis, the new Cobb Board of Education member for Post 6, will hold what she’s calling an education discussion meeting with parents at Dickerson Middle School.
The informal meeting lasts from 7-8:30 p.m. and will take place in the auditorium at Dickerson (855 Woodlawn Drive).
Earlier this month, Davis was sworn in for a four-year term after she defeated incumbent Scott Sweeney to represent Post 6, which includes the Walton and Wheeler clusters.
Davis, who had never run for public office before, is a former teacher who is now a librarian in Fulton County. She also was nominated for chair and vice chair in last week’s school board officers’ elections.
Post 6 also includes part of the Campbell High School cluster, where she lives. Her two sons attend Cobb schools in that area.
She is one of two new board members in Cobb. The other is fellow Democrat Jaha Howard, who represents Campbell and Osborne. He also will be in attendance at the Dickerson meeting.
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Several youth baseball and softball organizations in East Cobb are conducting registration now, and over the next couple weeks will have clinics and other events to get ready for the spring season.
On Friday, the East Marietta National Little League will hold its 3rd annual Baseball Bashat D-BAT (1666 Roswell Road) from 6-8 p.m., with games, pizza and a visit from former Chicago Cub Corey Patterson. You can sign up your kids on-site as well.
Registration continues at the East Marietta spring evaluations Feb. 2 at Sewell Park (2055 Lower Roswell Road). It’s not being billed as a tryout but a way to provide for competitive play at all levels; more at the EMNLL website;
On Saturday is the Sandy Plains Softball Fun Day, with walk-up registration, from 12-2 at the organzation’s fields at 2977 Gordy Parkway. Food, games, raffle prizes and other activities will take place; visit the SPSA website for more;
Not far way, Sandy Plains Baseball Instructional Clinics will take place at two locations on Saturady. The first is for ages 9-12 from 11-1 at Harrison Park (2653 Shallowford Road), and the other is from 2-3:30 for ages 5-8 at Sweat Mountain Park (4346 Steinhauer Road). The SPB website has more information and online registration.
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Thanks to Carolyn Davenport for submitting the following information and photos from the Foxtrotters Ballroom Dance Club reunion Friday at the East Cobb Senior Center.
She said more than 100 people turned out in fancy attire in the first event since the group disbanded last summer after 21 years due to the imposition of a membership fee and increases of other fees at county senior centers.
In December, the head of the Cobb Senior Citizens Council asked county commissioners to reconsider the fees, saying the number of those participating in events at senior centers in Cobb fell by more than half—from around 6,500 to 3,000—because of the fees.
Those fees are now proposed to be eliminated in the upcoming Cobb fiscal year 2020 budget. In speaking to the East Cobb Business Association this week, Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce defended the senior fees, citing a $30 million budget deficit at the time.
Davenport said the Foxtrotters group wants to have more dances at the East Cobb Senior Center:
“It will, however, take the support and attendance of our dancers and others, who have not yet had the pleasure of experiencing a Foxtrotters’ evening, to bring back our glory days of ballroom dancing.
“Events like our dances are so very important to seniors in many ways. Ballroom dancing’s health benefits include improved muscle and bone strength, and better posture, balance and motor skills, which can help prevent falls. Researchers speculate that the increased mental activity of ballroom dancing, such as memorizing steps and working with a partner, may help prevent symptoms experienced from dementia, Parkinson’s disease and even chronic heart failure. The social activity is also an important factor in good mental health and positive attitudes of seniors.”
Davenport said anyone who is 55 or older, or knows someone who is, and may be interested in dancing, is invited to get on the Foxtrotters e-mail distribution list. The address is: foxtrottersdanceclub@outlook.com.
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Last week we mentioned a human trafficking discussion at Mt. Bethel UMC that featured Mary Frances Bowley, who leads a local organization fighting childhood sexual abuse and exploitation.
She’s going to be back in the community again next Thursday at a forum on the topic at the Catholic Church of St. Ann.
It’s called “Get the F.A.C.T.S.,” and the acronym stands for Fighting to Abolish Child Trafficking for Sex. The forum is from 6:30-8 in Nolan Hall at the church (4905 Roswell Road).
Bowley started Wellspring Living, which was started in Atlanta in 2011. She is a member of the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force, and will be joined at the St. Ann forum by representatives from the Cobb District Attorney’s Office and the Cobb County Police Department.
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On Monday Cobb County will hold its official service to honor Martin Luther King Jr. on his national holiday.
King, who was assassinated in 1968, would have turned 90 years old on Jan. 15. The service on Monday takes place at 10 a.m. at Turner AME Church, 492 North Marietta Parkway (at Fairground Street).
The emcee is Fred Blankenship of WSB-TV. The service includes entertainment performances with messages that convey Dr. King’s dedication to freedom, justice and equality for all.
The event will also feature the annual presentation of the “Living the Dream” award by the Cobb branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
This honor is given to community members who demonstrate leadership and commitment to making our county more diverse and inclusive.
This annual celebration is free to the public and hosted by Cobb County Government and the Cobb NAACP.
All Cobb government offices and services, including libraries, will be closed on Monday. Cobb schools also will be closed on Monday.
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The master plan will include future land use, infrastructure, stormwater, parks and recreation, building design and more (
