Georgia DOT camera photo, shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Shortly before 4 p.m. today, Marietta Police said that multiple Interstate 75 accidents just south of the South Marietta Parkway have caused the closing of all five southbound lanes of traffic.
One northbound lane is also blocked in the same area.
Police said there have been four individual accidents involving five vehicles and a tractor-trailer, which jacknifed.
There is no word on injuries as of now.
The Georgia State Patrol is working the scene with Marietta and Cobb police officers, and the estimated time of clearing all lanes is around 6 p.m.
A heavy rain shower passed through Marietta and East Cobb around 3:30 p.m. as most of metro Atlanta and much of north Georgia remains under a flash flood watch until 8 a.m. Wednesday.
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Max Kaplan, who’s 11 years old and plays in the East Cobb-based North Atlanta Tophat Soccer Association, is planning a trip to Kenya early next year to help build a soccer field there for other children.
His mother Amy Kaplan tells us he’s raising money through GoFundMe for the both of them to travel to the East African nation to participate in the field-building project through Crooked Trails, which is organizing the effort in a remote Kenyan village.
Max is a rising sixth grader at Hightower Trail Middle School. The Kaplans want to collect $8,000 in donations for the trip and began the fundraising page last week.
Here’s more about the project’s objectives from Crooked Trails, which describes itself as “travel with a purpose:”
To immerse participants in the social, spiritual, cultural and economic life of a native community;
To share in a remarkable travel experience with fellow participants who hold a desire to make the world a better place;
To complete a meaningful volunteer service project with community support
To return to home with a measurable appreciation and greater understanding of the Maasai people and the incredible wildlife of Kenya;
To gain valuable soccer skills and game ethics by spending close time with great soccer coaches.
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Shortly before noon today, the East Cobb Taqueria Tsunami (1275 Johnson Ferry Road) announced on its Facebook page it’s holding its grand opening today and Wednesday with dinner service from 5-9 p.m.
Regular hours commence Thursday with lunch service beginning at 11 a.m., followed by the same dinner hours.
That’s all we have for now, but here’s what we’ve been posting since Fork U Concepts began the process of converting the former Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagel space last fall, with a new site plan that includes a reconfigured parking lot to accommodate 42 spaces.
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The National Weather Service has included Cobb County in a flash flood watch until Wednesday morning due to rains stemming from Subtropical Storm Alberto.
The watch was to begin at 2 p.m. Monday and covers most of north and central Georgia. The heavy rains could cause flooding in rivers, lakes, streams and other low-lying areas.
Alberto was making landfall on the northwest Florida Gulf Coast early Monday afternoon, according to the NWS, which also included this information in its watch alert:
Subtropical storm Alberto will continue northward into eastern Alabama through this evening bringing abundant moisture and rainfall along and east of its track. This will allow for increased rainfall potential across the area. Although average rainfall totals will average 2 to 3 inches, some areas could see as much as 4 to 5 inches through Tuesday night. Creek and river levels are already above average and will not take much additional rainfall to cause levels to rise above bankfull.
Several creeks and rivers will rise out of their banks closing roads and impacting homes, businesses and farms. High water may not recede until well after the rain has ended.
The chance of rain in Cobb and metro Atlanta is expected to increase later on Monday afternoon and overnight and through Tuesday, possibly up to a 90 percent chance. We could get up to three-quarters of an inch of rain Tuesday night.
In addition to the rain and possible flash floods, foggy conditions may also be present.
The watch period ends at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
On Wednesday, thunderstorms are likely, especially on Wednesday evening, with the chance of storms tapering off as the week continues.
High temperatures Monday and Tuesday will be in the high 70s and lows in the high 60s. From Wednesday through Thursdays, highs could reach into the mid-to-high 80s with lows in the low 70s.
Sunny skies are not expected to return until Saturday.
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There’s one major Memorial Day event in East Cobb on Monday, a 5K/10K run at the LA Fitness Center on Piedmont Road at Sandy Plains Road that’s free for veterans to enter. There are several official Memorial Day observances nearby, including the Marietta National Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony.
That service starts at noon and the cemetery is located at 500 Washington Ave. It’s staged by the National Memorial Day Association of Georgia.
The event will be led by Georgia Army National Guard Brig. Thomas H. Blackstock, Jr., commander of the 78th Troop Command. Keynote speaker will be retired Army Maj. Gen. Charles M. Hood Jr. The reflections speaker will be Col. Edward “Rusty” Hightower, Georgia State Defense Force chief of staff at the Marietta cemetery.
The honoree organization is the Georgia World War I Centennial Commission, which will hold events around the state through November, the 100th anniversary of the end of the war.
Here are some other official Memorial Day events in Cobb and elsewhere:
At 9:30 a.m., Smyrna will hold its ceremony at the Twentieth Century Veterans Memorial, 2800 Bank Street (between Smyrna City Hall and the Smyrna Library). The event and parking are free and open to all. Scheduled speakers are retired Army Lt. Gen. Steve Arnold and retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Victoria Turney. The ceremony will feature the Georgia Army National Guard Band, Campbell High School JROTC, and the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard;
At the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield (900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw), also at noon, artillerists explain the steps of firing a cannon by detailing the role of each person working the cannon. Afterwards, the process is performed in real time and the cannon is fired. The program is free and open to the public;
At 11 a.m. at Roswell City Hall (38 Hill Street, Roswell) is Roswell Remembers, which says it’s the largest Memorial Day ceremony in Georgia and includes a 21-gun salute. Live music and BBQ will be available after the ceremony.
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The American Lung Association and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presents staff at Murdock Elementary School with the Platinum Award for asthma-friendly schools. (Pictured from Left to Right): Heidi LeSane, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency representative; Virginia Armour, student support administrator; David Banks, Cobb County School District (CCSD) Board Member for Post 5; Robin Lattizori, CCSD Assistant Superintendent; Susan Murphy, Murdock registered nurse (RN); Principal Lynn Hamblett; and Ateya Harbin Wilson, a representative of the American Lung Association of Georgia.
Press release:
The American Lung Association and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently presented the Platinum Award to Murdock Elementary School for making asthma-friendly school strides during the 2017-2018 school year.
Murdock is the only school in Georgia to earn the highest recognition given to schools that implement a comprehensive approach to asthma management. The award also included $1,500 for Murdock to continue efforts to plan and execute other asthma-friendly efforts.
“I would like to thank the American Lung Association in Georgia (ALAG) for selecting Murdock Elementary School to receive the Platinum Recognition award. The proposal submitted was very close to my heart as it impacts so many asthmatic children in our school community and their families,” said Susan Murphy, Murdock’s registered nurse (RN). “This award will help facilitate our future endeavor to establish asthma education and awareness as a number one priority.”
More information about the American Lung Association’s Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative is available here.
The Georgia Department of Public Health designated the Cobb County School District as Georgia’s first Asthma-Friendly School District in 2016.
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Intermittent rainshowers are expected throughout the Memorial Day weekend, and to start it off Cobb and much of Georgia have been placed under a flash flood watch until 8 a.m. Saturday.
The National Weather Service said this afternoon the greatest chance for flash flooding is in central Georgia, along with portions of north Georgia.
Between an inch and two inches of rain could fall in those areas until Saturday morning. Localized flash flooding of creeks and streams is possible in places where heavy rainfall occurs.
This is from the NWS watch issued at 3 p.m. Friday:
“Additional rounds of very heavy rainfall are likely as a trough of low pressure to the west feeds very high amounts of moisture into the area. Widespread rainfall amounts of one to two inches are likely. Locally higher amounts of 3 inches or more are possible where storms repeatedly move.
“Much of this heavy rain could fall in a short amount of time. With the heavy rain that has already fallen in the last 2 days, it will only take a relatively small amount of rainfall to cause significant flash flooding.
“Creeks and rivers will rise out of their banks closing roads or impacting homes, businesses and farms. Roads may become closed for extended periods of time. High water will not recede until well after the rain has ended.”
The extended hazardous weather outlook for Cobb continues through Memorial Day and Tuesday, with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms possible every day. Heavy rainfall could occur stemming from Tropical Storm Alberto, which is projected to hit the northwest Florida Gulf Coast on Monday.
That is the first named storm of the year, although the 2018 hurricane season doesn’t officially begin until next week.
High temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are expected to reach or exceed 80 degrees every day over the holiday weekend, with expected lows in the mid-to-high 60s.
After Friday’s 50 percent chance of rain, the chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday is forecast to be 60 percent, and around 50 percent on Monday.
Rain also is in the forecast for all of next week.
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The East Cobb Senior Center community health fair returns from 10-2 Saturday, and it’s for all ages and is being held by Cobb Senior Services.
The fair is free, and includes health screenings, music and antique cars, games for kids and health and community vendors. Here’s a full list of vendors, including Aloha to Aging, Inc., East Cobb Garden Club, Marietta Golden Kiwanis, Sterling Estates East Cobb, YMCA-East Cobb, East Cobb Woodcarvers and the East Cobb Lions Club
Other activities include a Medicare presentation at 10:30 a.m. and a film screening at 1 p.m.
There’s also going to be a bake sale and a hot dog lunch will also be available.
The East Cobb Senior Center is located at 3332 Sandy Plains Road.
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In two months, the 6th Congressional District Democratic runoff will summon East Cobb voters to go back to the polls.
If Tuesday’s primary vote is any indication, gun-control advocate Lucy McBath should have an advantage on her home turf.
McBath got 36 percent of the vote across the district, which includes North Fulton and North and Central DeKalb.
She will be going up against businessman Kevin Abel, who got 30 percent of the vote. The winner of the July 24 runoff will face current U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, a Roswell Republican, in the November general election.
Neither McBath nor Abel have run for public office before.
The total vote tallies were close following the four-candidate primary, which included former CBS46 news anchor Bobby Kaple (26 percent of the vote) and Lassiter High School graduate Steven Knight Griffin (7 percent).
In the 49 precincts that are in the East Cobb area, McBath won all but 10 of them. She received 4,220 votes in East Cobb, or 39 percent of the vote. Abel got 3,014 votes, or 28 percent.
Abel also won some of the more crucial precincts in the heart of the community, including near Eastside Elementary School and Dickerson Middle School, two Mt. Bethel polling stations, Timber Ridge and Hightower Trail Middle School.
McBath, a former airline flight attendant, got 37 percent of the vote in North Fulton, to 28 percent for Abel, who lives in Alpharetta and is the founder of Abel Solutions, a technology consulting company.
In DeKalb, the margins were virtually a toss-up, with McBath getting 33 percent and Abel 32 percent.
Lucy Bath won the East Cobb precincts in purple, and Kevin Abel in green. (Georgia Secretary of State Office map)
Before her candidacy, McBath earned national attention for her gun-control advocacy after her son was shot and killed by a motorist at a Florida gas station. She had filed to run for Georgia House District 37, which includes some of the Northeast Cobb area, and switched after the Parkland, Fla., school shootings in February.
Abel, who emigrated from South Africa as a teenager, has run on reforming immigration and healthcare policy, as well as Social Security and climate change issues. He’s been especially critical of President Donald Trump over his decision to end DACA, which would allow the children of undocumented immigrants a route to legal U.S. citizenship.
The 6th Congressional District Democratic runoff will come just about a year after last year’s special election, in which Handel held off Democrat Jon Ossoff in a high-profile race that earned national attention and was rated the most expensive U.S. House race ever.
Republicans have held the seat since 1978, when Newt Gingrich was first elected to Congress, and East Cobb turned out strongly in favor of Handel in the runoff.
Last year’s close vote has encouraged Democrats to try again, even after Ossoff declined to run.
In East Cobb, where all state and local office holders are Republicans, Democrats have been especially energized.
There are Democrats running for every one of those offices up for election this year, including Cobb Commission District 3, State Senate District 32, all five State House seats in East Cobb and two Cobb Board of Education seats.
All of those Democrats are also women, with four of the legislative candidates being from minority groups.
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The Pope baseball team has won a second consecutive Georgia High School Association Class 6A championship, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen after a doubleheader in Rome on Tuesday.
The Greyhounds lost the first game to Allatoona 11-9 and trailed 4-2 with two outs their final at-bat in the nightcap.
Pope tied up the series 1-1 with an 8-4 win in 11 innings to force a decisive third game on Wednesday.
In the top of the seventh inning, Pope was holding on to a tight 3-2 lead when the Greyhounds erupted again, scoring seven runs and claiming the title with a 10-2 win.
Pope, which finished the season with a 34-8 record, also has won state championships in 2009 and 2013 under coach Jeff Rowland, and was state runner-up in 2016.
The team members are:
Andrew Bowman, Jackson Brown, Jordan Butler, Grayson Caldwell, Sammy Cohen, Harris East, Noah Estroff, Andrew Feld, Buddy Floyd, Connor Frost, Ian Hancock, Andrew Herlitz, Tommy Hutchins, Antonio Jareno, Will Lantis, Scotty LeSieur, Max Pralgo, Ethan Rezendes, Reid Robertson, Luke Schnurr, Nate Shipley, Caden Smith and James Tibbs.
A celebratory video was shot by Pope softball coach Chris Turco:
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Following up something we posted back in March, about the $1.2 million Casteel Road bridge replacement project over Piney Grove Creek:
Cobb DOT said today that traffic on Casteel Road where it meets Bill Murdock Road and Oak Lane at the creek and bridge will be closed starting Thursday, May 24, and will reopen on July 31.
The dates are timed for today’s end to the 2017-18 school year and the start of the 2018-19 school year on Aug. 1.
The 55-year-old bridge over Piney Grove Creek, what used to be called Sewell Creek, is being completely replaced, and the new construction will be wider, with shoulders, sidewalks and barriers on either side.
The three-way intersection also will be reconfigured, but for now, motorists will be able to travel between Oak and Bill Murdock, as indicated by the Cobb DOT map below showing suggested detours. More information is at cobbcommute.org.
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As graduations continue this week, Cobb schools valedictorians and salutatorians have been named. The district also has released some college-bound information for the class of 2018.
About 76 percent of the graduates across the Cobb County School District are headed for college, according to information made public Tuesday. A total of 6,078 of the more than 8,000 graduates are heading for college.
Topping the list are Walton and Lassiter in East Cobb, with each school having more than 500 college-bound seniors.
In addition, more than $115 million in scholarship aid has been awarded to Cobb graduates, with students from Walton leading the way with $18.9 million.
Here are the East Cobb high school valedictorians and salutatorians, including their grade-point averages, where they’re headed to college and what they’ll be studying:
Kell High School
Valedictorian: Brian Tyler Buckley (4.5, Georgia Tech, industrial engineering)
Salutatorian: Veronica May Achinger (4.403, UGA, middle grades education)
Salutatorian: Neal Michael Ostrowski (4.680, UNC-Chapel Hill, biomedical engineering)
Pope High School
Valedictorian: Caleigh Ann Cullinan (4.768, UGA, biology and psychology)
Salutatorian: Hisham Kashif (4.741, Augusta University, cell and molecular biology)
Sprayberry High School
Valedictorian: Mark Andrew Giles, Jr. (4.726, Mercer University, neuroscience and pre-medicine)
Salutatorian: Payton Grace Wade (4.636, College of Charleston, biology)
Walton High School
Valedictorian: Andrew Hoon Chyong (4.8, Georgia Tech, biomedical engineering)
Salutatorian: Melody Mei Wang (4.759, Harvard University, economics)
Wheeler High School
Valedictorian: Shawn Michael Doss (4.735, Johns Hopkins University, neuroscience)
Salutatorian: Grace Kathryn Whittington (4.727, Yale University, global affairs).
More fun facts about some East Cobb students from the Class of 2018, via the CCSD:
Lassiter High School:
A student is attending Cambridge University in United Kingdom, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world.
About 28 students will be NCAA athletes.
Pope High School:
Pope graduates will attend MIT, Emory, Georgetown, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Williams College, Northeastern, Loyola Chicago, and American.
Pope students were accepted to Furman, Howard, George Washington, UNC Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Washington & Lee, Cleveland Institute of Music, Rose-Holman Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Duke, Davidson, Johns Hopkins, The Peabody Institute, Carlton, and Rice.
Walton High School:
Melody Wang was a U.S. Presidential Scholar semifinalist.
Walton graduates include three STAR Students, Robert Morgan, Grace Zhou and Daniel Hudadoff
Five Georgia Scholars attended Walton: Ekta Deshmukh, Daniel Hudadoff, Madelyn Johnson, Laura Key, Adarshini Raja
Two of the Military Academy appointments come from Walton: Wesley Nourachi to U.S. Naval Academy and Blaine McDonough to U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Wheeler High School:
Foundation Fellow at University of Georgia, Tate Hunda
Offered the STAMPS Scholarship at Georgia Tech, Grace Whittington
Accepted ROTC Scholarship to Auburn, Mitchell Landrum
Georgia Scholar, MJ Locke.
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The voting precinct at Eastside Baptist Church. The final hours of primary voting Tuesday were soggy, as a late afternoon rain storm swept through East Cobb. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
UPDATED, 11:30 P.M.:
Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell has fended off a challenge from Tom Cheek to win the Republican primary in District 3.
Birrell received 5,422 votes, or 58.48 percent, to 3,850 votes for Cheek, or 41.52 percent.
That’s with 98 percent of the vote, as tabulated by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office at 11:09 p.m.
In November, Birrell will face Caroline Holko, a first-time candidate, who easily won the Democratic primary. Holko received 5,643 votes, or 80.69 percent, to 1,350 votes for Jim Smith, or 19.31 percent.
Birrell, first elected in 2010, ran on a platform of opposing tax increases, helping spur redevelopment of the Canton Road corridor and working to establish Mabry Park.
Cheek, a critic of former commission chairman Tim Lee for his handling of the Atlanta Braves stadium deal, campaigned for SPLOST reform, reduced county spending and limiting high-density development.
Holko is a home-schooling mother and liberal political advocate who supports greater transit options in Cobb. She also is opposed to cuts for Cobb libraries and senior services. Smith is a retired Cobb-Marietta water system employee who pushed for greater salary increases for county employees.
Disrict 3 includes some of Northeast Cobb, as well as the Town Center and Kennesaw areas and much of the city of Marietta.
Final results in two contested East Cobb-area legislative races are incomplete as of 11:30 p.m., as is the Democratic primary for the 6th Congressional District race, which may be going to a runoff.
In the Democratic primary for the 6th Congressional District, Lucy McBath has 37 percent of the vote, Kevin Abel 33 percent, Bobby Kaple 24 percent and Steven Knight Griffin 5 percent.
But that’s only the advance voting totals and a few precincts reporting in a district that includes East Cobb, North Fulton and North DeKalb. The winner will face U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, a Republican, in November.
There also are only very early results in House District 44, where State Rep. Don Parsons, a Republican, was being challenged by Homer Crothers in GOP balloting.
Parsons had 2,835 votes, or 79.36 percent, to 742 for Crothers, or 20.74 percent. The winner faces Democrat Chinita Allen in November.
In State House District 37, Marietta activist Mary Frances Williams had 1,938 votes, or 70.27 percent, in the Democratic primary. Trailing were Ragin Edwards with 501 votes, or 18.17 percent, and Bill Bolton with 319 votes, or 11.57 percent.
The winner faces Republican incumbent Sam Teasley in November.
More coverage is coming on Wednesday, once the final results are in, as is a detailed look at the District 3 voting.
In Cobb commission District 1 in north and west Cobb, Republican incumbent Bob Weatherford is headed for a runoff against Kelli Gambrill.
In the governor’s race, former Georgia House Minority leader Stacey Abrams easily won the Democratic nomination over Cobb former State Rep. Stacey Evans, by a 76-24 percent margin.
Abrams becomes the first woman to become a major party nominee for Georgia governor, and the first African-American woman nationwide to win a major party nomination for governor.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp appear headed for a runoff in the Republican primary on July 24.
Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell has pulled away from challenger Tom Cheek in the Republican Party primary for District 3, which includes some of Northeast Cobb.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting, she has received 4,909 votes, or 58.61 percent of the vote. Cheek has 3,466 votes, or 41.39 percent.
Caroline Holko is easily winning the Democratic primary with 4,981 votes, or 80.52 percent, to 1,205 votes for Jim Smith, for 19.48 percent.
UPDATED, 9:56 P.M.
Nearly half the vote has been counted in the Cobb Commission District 3 elections.
With 44 percent of precincts reporting, incumbent JoAnn Birrell’s lead in the GOP primary has shrunk only slightly. She has 3,077 votes, or 58.76 percent, to 2,160 votes for Tom Cheek, or 41.24 percent.
Caroline Holko continues to lead easily in the Democratic primary. She has 3,002 votes, or 79.97 percent, to 752 votes for Jim Smith, or 20.03 percent.
UPDATED, 8:53 P.M.
The first results from local Cobb races are being reported. In Cobb Commission District 3, incumbent JoAnn Birrell leads Tom Cheek 60 percent-40 percent in the Republican primary.
Birrell has 761 votes to 496 for Cheek in advance voting totals.
On the Democratic side, Caroline Holko leads James Smith 80-20 percent, or 686 to 168 votes.
UPDATED, 7:36 P.M.
Some advance and absentee voting results are rolling in for statewide offices. Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp are the early leaders in the Republican primary for governor, while Stacey Abrams is leading Stacey Evans on the Democratic side.
ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED AT 7:01 P.M.:
East Cobb voters went to the polls today to choose party nominees for a variety of offices, including Cobb Commission District 3, the 6th Congressional District, several legislative races and as well as governor and other statewide offices.
The most closely watched race in East Cobb is District 3 on the Cobb Commission, where Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell is being challenged by Tom Cheek in the GOP primary. The winner will face the winner of the Democratic primary between Jim Smith and Caroline Holko.
A Democratic runoff for the 6th Congressional District seat is possible, with Kevin Abel, Steven Knight Griffin, Bobby Kaple and Lucy McBath vying to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Karen Handel in November.
State Rep. Sharon Cooper, a Republican, was being challenged in the primary by Kevin James, but he was disqualified on Friday.
Voters also chose from a number of non-partisan candidates for various state and local judgeships.
A Republican runoff in the governor’s race is likely, with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp leading in some late polls. On the Democratic side, former state House minority leader Stacey Abrams of Atlanta was leading former State Rep. Stacey Evans of Cobb.
Other races included lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and state labor, insurance, agriculture and public service commissioners, as well as state school superintendent.
Democrats were also voting on straw poll questions on gun bump stock sales, Medicaid expansion, transit funding and an independent redistricting commission.
Turnout was projected to be less than 20 percent across Cobb County.
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Former Walton baseball star Spencer Kieboom is back in Major League Baseball, and is staying longer than his first call-up.
Kieboom got his first major league hit over the weekend for the Washington Nationals, and he’s already played in two games.
He made his big-league debut in 2016 for Washington, but played in only one game and drew a walk. Kieboom, who played with his highly regarded brothers at Walton and later at Clemson, was called up earlier this month when catcher Matt Wieters went on the injured list.
Kieboom was batting .250 at Syracuse, the Nationals’ top farm team, and where he played part of the 2017 season.
Now 27, Kieboom was drafted by the Nationals in 2012, and a year later suffered a major injury to his throwing elbow that required “Tommy John” surgery that’s typically endured by pitchers (examples: former Braves Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy and Jonny Venters).
His younger brother Carter Kieboom also was drafted by the Nationals in 2016, and is currently playing for the Potomoc Nationals, hitting .275 with six homeruns. That’s in Class A, an entry level professional league. He’s considered one of the top minor league prospects in all of baseball.
Another brother, Trevor Kieboom, also played at Walton and Clemson and finished at UGA. He’s 24 and is a sports agent at Vanguard Sports Group in Atlanta.
Spencer Kieboom could be in a Washington uniform when the Nationals come to play the Atlanta Braves next weekend. Wieters had hamstring surgery and is expected to be out for at least eight weeks.
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This past Saturday, the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team and a group of local businesses joined together to host a free appreciation BBQ lunch for our armed forces at the Janice Overbeck Real Estate office.
All active duty or retired members were invited to enjoy live music by Vietnam Veterans, The Tunnel Rats, while satisfying their bellies with a full catered barbeque lunch and custom ice cream dessert bar.
The Marietta Local provided pulled pork sliders and other contributions to the lunch spread came from local sponsors: Chick-fil-A, Wells Fargo, Atlanta Peach Movers, Arrow Exterminators, Perrie & Associates and Janice Overbeck.
Although the forecast showed nothing but storms, thankfully the weather held up which allowed for a great turn out!
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The end of the school year means the end of prep sports in Georgia, and several East Cobb high school teams are still in action with quite a bit at stake
The Walton girls and boys golf teams are competing Monday and Tuesday in the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state championships in Tifton, and Moultrie, respectively. The Lassiter boys also are in the hunt.
On Tuesday, the Pope baseball team will try to defend its Class 6A GHSA state title in Rome in a finals series against fellow Cobb County school Allatoona.
For the Greyhounds and Buccaneers, there’s also something else that could be riding on the outcome of their best-of-three series: the overall championship in all-sports standings for Class 6A, compiled by the Georgia Athletic Directors Association.
The competition is called the Directors’ Cup, and the awards go to schools receiving the most points in overall, boys and girls competitions.
In the current Class 6A standings, Allatoona is third with 955 points, and Pope is fourth with 940 points. The winner of the baseball title will get 100 points, and the runner-up will receive 90.
Pope’s Region 7 rival Alpharetta (1007 points) and Harrison (992) hold down first and second places, respectively. The Harrison girls and the Allatoona boys both have teams competing in the golf championships.
Pope earned the 2017 Directors’ Cup for Class 6A.
The Walton girls, led by their dominating volleyball and tennis teams that repeated as state champions, currently lead the Directors’ Cup standings in Class 7A with 669 points. But Lambert High School of Forsyth County, which downed Lassiter Saturday to win the girls Class 7A state lacrosse championship, is right behind with 601 points, and is vying for its sixth straight state title in girls golf.
Walton is 5th overall in Directors’ Cup standings in Class 7A, and Lassiter is 9th. On the boys’ side, Lassiter is 9th and Walton is 12th. The Lassiter girls are 13th.
In the 6A boys standings, Pope is 8th, and the Greyhounds’ girls are 5th.
In Class 5A, Kell finished its sports season in 11th place overall, while the boys were 15th and the girls were 9th.
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Tuesday is election day in Cobb and Georgia, and in East Cobb there are several contested races at the state and local level. In this East Cobb Primary Election Guide, we’ll round up stories we’ve posted previously about those races and about who’s on the ballot and where to vote.
There is one precinct change in East Cobb that we haven’t noted before. If you’re a registered voter in the Elizabeth 03 precinct, your polling station has changed. It was at Marietta Alliance Church, but on Tuesday you’ll need to go the Piedmont Road Church of Christ (1630 Piedmont Road).
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at all precincts; if you are in line by 7 p.m. you will be allowed to vote. Voters will be asked to choose one ballot: Democratic, Republican or non-partisan (which will not list candidates of either party).
Also something from the weekend in case you missed it: An East Cobb legislative candidate has been disqualified due to a tax issue. Kevin James is a Republican and was running against incumbent State Rep. Sharon Cooper in House District 43.
His name will still be on the ballot, but votes for him will not be counted.
Here are our previous posts, Candidates on the Issues, for those races in East Cobb in which there are contested primaries.
One race we did not post about, due to some technical site issues we were having over the weekend, is the 6th Congressional District primary, where there is a possibility of a runoff on the Democratic side.
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel is unopposed in the Republican primary, but several Democratic candidates have lined up after Jon Ossoff declined to run again after last year’s special election.
They include former CBS46 news anchor Bobby Kaple, businessman Kevin Abel, gun-control advocate Lucy McBath and former CDC policy coordinator Steven Knight Griffin, a graduate of Lassiter High School who lives in Brookhaven.
McBath initially qualified to run in State House District 37 that includes some of East Cobb but switched after the February school shootings in Parkland, Fla. Abel and Kaple both live in North Fulton.
The District includes most of East Cobb, as well as parts of North Fulton and north and central DeKalb.
Should there be a runoff, that would take place on July 24.
Georgians also will decide their party nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and other statewide offices. The Democratic ballot will include questions about gun bump stock sales, state Medicaid expansion, an independent redistricting commission and mass transit funding.
Cobb Elections said that 12,994 people took part in advance voting in person, and another 1,735 through the mail.
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The six East Cobb high school graduation events will take place Tuesday through Saturday as the Cobb County School District’s 2018-19 school year comes to an end.
There will be early release times at all levels Tuesday and Wednesday, as follows:
High school, 11:30 a.m.;
Elementary school, 12:30 p.m.;
Middle school, 1:30 pm.
Five of the six East Cobb high schools will have graduation ceremonies at the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center (590 Cobb Ave., Kennesaw).
Wheeler High School will have commencement exercises on its campus (375 Holt Road), in the arena.
Here’s the schedule for the East Cobb schools:
Walton: Tuesday, May 22, 7 p.m. (KSU);
Sprayberry: Wednesday, May 23, 3:30 p.m. (KSU);
Wheeler: Wednesday, May 23, 6:30 p.m. (Wheeler Gym);
Kell: Thursday, May 24, 2:30 p.m. (KSU);
Lassiter: Saturday, May 26, 2:30 p.m. (KSU);
Pope: Saturday, May 26, 7 p.m. (KSU).
If you want to purchase a graduation DVD, you can order here from the CCSD. The cost is $30 each.
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Just days before the primaries, an East Cobb legislative candidate has been disqualified by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp for owing more than $20,000 in federal taxes.
Kevin James
Kevin James is listed on the ballot in the Republican primary against longtime State Rep. Sharon Cooper in House District 43, which covers much of East Cobb. No other Republican candidates qualified.
On Friday, Kemp’s office issued the decision (here’s the full ruling). James’ name will remain on the ballot in Tuesday’s primary, but any votes cast for him (as well any cast during advance voting, which ended Friday) will not count.
The challenge was filed on March 21 by Greg Clark, who was identified only as being “qualified” to make such a challenge.
The Georgia Constitution states that anyone who is in default for taxes and hasn’t paid them back or agreed on a payment plan is ineligible to run for or hold public office.
Kemp’s office’s findings included several instances of delinquent federal and state taxes owed by James going back to 2006, including liens filed against him.
According to the ruling, last year James provided to the Secretary of State’s office a letter acknowledging he owed state taxes, and asked to have that obligation forgiven due to hardship.
The Georgia Department of Revenue declined that request, according to the ruling, and James accepted a counteroffer to pay $4,862 over 60 months, or $80.87 a month, for state taxes. He initially owed $5,825 to the state for the years 2012 and 2016.
State Rep. Sharon Cooper
James asked the Internal Revenue Service for the save forgiveness for $20,995 owed in federal taxes in seven years combined, according to the ruling, but James did not provide any information that the debt had been paid or that he had agreed to a payment plan.
Kemp’s office ruled that while James’ ineligibility was removed over state taxes, he remains ineligible “since the Internal Revenue Service has not agreed to an Offer of Compromise at this time.”
James is a self-described businessman who was making his first run for office. On his campaign website, he said his prime motivation for running was legal reform, with “RICO running rampant in our Family Law Judiciary.”
Cooper will face Democrat Luisa Wakeman, a Delta flight attendant, in the Nov. 6 general election.
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Pictured left to right: Judy McNeill (Walton High School Principal), Laura Key (Walton student and LGE scholarship recipient), Linda Coyle (Business Development Officer), Vicki Aghajanian (LGE Director of Business Development and Community Relations), Scott Brooks (LGE VP of Marketing and Business Development)
Thanks to Becca Duvall at LGE Community Credit Union for the submitted photo above and the information below about Walton student Laura Key:
On Monday, May 7, 2018, LGE Community Credit Union team members, along with principal Judy McNeill, were able to surprise Walton High School senior Laura Key with the $5,000 LGE Community Service Scholarship in a classroom full of her peers. . She was also later recognized at the May 17 Cobb County School District Board Meeting.
Key, like many Cobb students, boasts a long list of academic achievements, but her genuine commitment to serving others is what stood out to LGE. Throughout her high school career, Key spent hundreds of hours identifying needs in the community and filling in the gaps, even using what she learned during her time in Walton’s International Spanish Academy to help others. To name just one example, Key assisted with the development and facilitation of a weekly Spanish class for residents of a local senior living community.
High school seniors in Cobb County submitted applications for the LGE Community Service Scholarship to their respective principals. Each of the 16 high school principals in Cobb County then hand-selected one nominee from their school. The quality of high school seniors in Cobb County made the selection process for the award competitive.
When asked about picking just one winner from Cobb County’s best students, LGE’s Vice President of Business Development and Marketing said, “Every single nomination was impressive and made our job very challenging. However, it is clear each of these students have made a deep impact on their community through dedication, hard work and servant leadership.”
The LGE Community Service Scholarship was established in 2018 specifically for CCSD. In 2017, LGE expanded its partnership with CCSD from school-level partnerships to a county-wide relationship which included contributing more than $50,000 in scholarships and programs specific to Cobb, offering financial services to all CCSD employees/families, and meeting individually with staff members on-site at all 112 Cobb County schools.
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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Pope earned the 2017 Directors’ Cup for Class 6A.
