As you have enjoyed your Cobb parks and activities, take a few minutes to go through your favorite photos and submit your best to the Fun in the Park photo contest. You can enter photos of sports, nature, wildlife and anything else that shows why you enjoy spending time in Cobb’s parks, facilities and at events. Enter up to 10 of your best shots in the 20th annual contest. The competition is open to all photographers, amateur and pro. The entry deadline is Nov. 4. See the rules and download the entry form on the photo contest web page.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Following a surge of last-minute absentee ballot applications, Cobb Elections is collaborating with postal and delivery companies to expedite sending ballots to voters and ensure their timely return.
As of Wednesday, more than 3,000 absentee ballots requested by last Friday’s deadline had not been mailed. Elections workers will send most of them via USPS Express Mail or UPS Overnight Delivery by Friday morning. These ballots will include prepaid express return envelopes to ensure voters can return them by Tuesday’s deadline.
“We want to maintain voter trust by being transparent about the situation,” said Board of Elections Chairwoman Tori Silas. “We are taking every possible step to get these ballots to the voters who requested them. Unfortunately, we were unprepared for the surge in requests and lacked the necessary equipment to process the ballots quickly.”
Voters who have not received their ballots can still vote in person on Friday, the final day of Advance Voting, or at their polling place on Election Day, Nov. 5. More than 1,000 absentee ballots are being sent out of state, and Elections officials are working with UPS to expedite their delivery.
Cobb Elections had contracted with a state-approved vendor to print and ship absentee ballots.
“After our vendor’s final run on Friday, we needed to utilize our in-house equipment for the final shipment of ballots, but the equipment was not working properly,” said Elections Director Tate Fall. “By the time we got the equipment online, the deadline for mailing the ballots had passed, prompting us to work with the US Postal Service and UPS to take extraordinary measures. Our team has been working around the clock to get the ballots out.”
Absentee ballot requests had been averaging around 440 per day, but in the last week, that number surged to 750 per day, with 985 requests submitted on Friday’s deadline.
Cobb Elections will extend the hours for absentee ballot returns at the Elections Headquarters this weekend. Voters can return their ballots to 995 Roswell Street, Marietta, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday.
Anyone with questions about their absentee ballot request can contact the Cobb Elections Department at 770-528-2581.
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A rendering of the new Gritters Library-Northeast Cobb Community Center.
It’s been a little more than a year since the Gritters Library branch was demolished (our story on its temporary closing here) to make way for a new, expanded library and Northeast Cobb Community Center in Shaw Park.
The Cobb Library System announced Thursday that the new facility will be opening less than a week from now, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m.
And there will be a ribbon-cutting on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Cobb Library Foundation and hosted by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, Cobb County Manager, Cobb County Public Library Board of Trustees, Cobb County Workforce Development and Cobb PARKS.
The 15,000-square-foot Gritters Library (880 Shaw Park Road), built at a cost of $9.8 million, will include county workforce development programs and the Northeast Cobb Community Center, which is being relocated from another part of Shaw Park.
Other outreach that will stem from Gritters includes civic engagement and health and wellness matters.
Gritters, which opened in Shaw Park in 1973, serves a community of around 65,000 people within a three-mile radius.
The small building had outgrown all of those uses years ago, but securing funding was challenging.
The Gritters replacement project was included in the 2016 Cobb SPLOST, with $6.8 million originally budgeted for the library and $1.2 million for the community center.
There was a ground-breaking ceremony in 2021, but a $2.5 million shortfall emerged due to rising construction costs. Cobb commissioners approved some creative financing in 2023 to set the project in motion.
In addition to CobbWorks, Gritters has partnerships with the Northeast Cobb Business Association, SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and nearby higher educational institutions.
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Cobb Police said Thursday that one person died and another was injured in a single-car crash on Powers Ferry Road in East Cobb.
Officer Aaron Wilson said in a release that the incident happened at 5:46 Wednesday on Powers Ferry Road, near the intersection of Bonnie Glen Court.
The two persons, from Marietta, were occupants in a a silver 2010 Toyota Camry that was heading eastbound on Powers Ferry when it veered out of its lane, crossed in the westbound lane and went down an embankment before crashing into a tree.
Wilson said both persons were taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, with one later being pronounced dead. They were not identified, and the status of the other person was not disclosed.
He said the crash is still being investigated and that anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department’s S.T.E.P. Unit at 770-499-3987.
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Just after the turn into November is the start of a number of holiday-related events in the East Cobb area: the Lassiter Craft Fair.
The fundraiser of the Lassiter PTSA takes place Saturday and Sunday at the school (2601 Shallowford Road), featuring dozens of vendors and the work of local artists, concessions, raffle prizes and a bake sale.
Clothing, jewelry, wreathes, ornaments, custom gifts, wood decor, handbags and wallets, knitwear, quilling and clay pots, food items and candles and bath oils are among the items that will be on display and for sale.
Admission is free and the hours are 10-5 Saturday and 11-4 Sunday.
The organizers are updating activities and feating artists who’ll be there for holiday and other shopping items on its Facebook page.
As we’ve noted previously, we’d love to tell the community about holiday events that are open to the public, for our calendar listings and even for coverage of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s.
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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!
The outdoor public plaza that’s the centerpiece of major changes at Avenue East Cobb. (ECN file photo)
Back in August we noted the pending sale of the Atlanta office of North American Properties, which has managed the overhaul of Avenue East Cobb.
On Wednesday NAP officially sent out word that the acquisition by Jamestown, a commercial real estate investment and management firm, which also operates Parkaire Landing Shopping Center in East Cobb and Ponce City Market in Atlanta, has closed.
A sale price was not disclosed but the acquisition includes other metro Atlanta properties in Avalon, Atlantic Station and Colony Square. Jamestown’s assets now total $13.7 billion, according to a release sent out Wednesday.
“This acquisition gives us the ability to accelerate our expansion in secondary and tertiary markets throughout the Sun Belt where the population is growing,” Jamestown CEO Matt Bronfman said in the release.
“The additional experience in these markets and product types reinforces and enhances our differential capabilities as a vertically integrated, mixed-use operator, providing additional bench strength in these fast-growing markets.”
NAP took over management of Avenue East Cobb in 2021 and installed an outdoor public plaza and other amenities, and increased public events.
With those changes have come a number of new tenants, especially restaurants. Most recently, NAP announced an Italian restaurant and patisserie and a Japanese restaurant will be opening in early 2025.
Britni Johnson, a company spokeswoman, told East Cobb News that “no further changes are planned at this time; we’re just continuing to move forward on new tenant buildouts. Guests should not notice any differences in the team or property operations.”
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A company spokeswoman said
No further changes are planned at this time; we’re just continuing to move forward on new tenant buildouts. Guests should not notice any differences in the team or property operations.
Cobb Elections said it mailed incorrect location information to voters in two precincts, including one in East Cobb.
A county mailer that went out to voters in the Roswell 02 and Acworth 1C precincts had the wrong locations for those two precincts.
In Roswell 02 (see map below), the correct precinct is Mt. Zion United Methodist Church (1770 Johnson Ferry Road).
Mt. Zion has been the precinct location for Roswell 02 for a number of years but was unavailable for the June 2022 runoffs due to scheduling conflicts, according to Cobb Elections precinct information.
The polling station was temporarily relocated across the street, to the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, but was moved back to Mt. Zion for the 2024 elections.
“We regret this error and are working to distribute the correct information via social media, our website, and the media,” Cobb Elections Director Tate Fall said in a county statement.
“Additionally, poll workers at the incorrectly listed locations will be ready to direct voters to the correct locations on Nov. 5. We encourage all voters to double-check their My Voter Page (mvp.sos.ga.gov) before heading out to vote on Election Day.”
The county said the mailers were “not part of a state mandate but an educational initiative approved earlier this year in a contingency package for the general election. They were a component of the county’s Strategic Plan to ‘enhance voter education to inform citizens about early voting, referenda, sample ballots, and registration.’ ”
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Georgia Schools Superintendent Richard Woods recently visited Mountain View Elementary School to recognize 25 Cobb County School District schools as Literacy Leaders.
“Literacy is the foundation of success, and it’s clear Cobb students have a strong foundation. Our schools are recognized as leaders because our teachers are able to focus on what matters and use Georgia standards as their guide,” said Board member Brad Wheeler.
Recognizing the success of their students, each honored school received ribbons to add to the school’s Literacy Leader Banner. For seven elementary schools, this was the second year in a row as a Georgia literacy leader. This was the first year the state recognized middle and high schools for literacy achievement, and eight Cobb middle and high schools earned the inaugural honor.
Instructional coaches, teachers instrumental in this reading achievement, and school administrators were honored at the event.
Superintendent Ragsdale praised the work of Cobb educators in keeping the spotlight on literacy.
According to the state school superintendent, Cobb’s literacy success “doesn’t happen just by chance, but it is intentionality.”
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The Cobb Schools Foundation (CSF) is proud to announce the successful completion of a $25K matching gift challenge, raising a total of nearly $100,000 to support families facing crises in our community. Thanks to the generosity of individual donors, local businesses, and organizations, the Foundation exceeded its original goal, raising $63,000, which was then matched by Superior Plumbing presents North Georgia State Fair, bringing the total to $88,000 for the Family Stabilization Fund.
The Family Stabilization Fund provides crucial assistance to families experiencing unexpected hardships, helping to ensure that every student in the Cobb County School District can thrive. These funds will be used to provide emergency resources—such as food, housing assistance, and other essential support—directly to families in need.
This achievement would not have been possible without the incredible support from our matching gift partner, Superior Plumbing presents North Georgia State Fair, and the contributions from several other key supporters, including:
C & S Paving
LGE Community Outreach Foundation
Papa John’s Foundation’s 2024 Building Community Fund Grant
Keylan and Erika Mitchell
North Cobb Rotary
John Thombley
And many other generous donors
“The overwhelming response to this matching gift challenge demonstrates the strength and compassion of our community,” said Felicia Wagner, Executive Director of the Cobb Schools Foundation. “Times are tough right now, and these funds will make a significant impact for families who are struggling, helping to alleviate some of the burdens that may disrupt a child’s education and well-being. Our social workers are dedicated to maximizingthe impact of these gifts and work so well with many other local agencies that we are equally grateful for.”
The Cobb Schools Foundation extends its heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this campaign, helping us far exceed our original goal. With nearly $100,000 raised, we can continue to provide critical support to those who need it most.
The Cobb Schools Foundation is the nonprofit arm of the Cobb County School District, dedicated to supporting the district’s mission of student success. Through programs and initiatives that address students’ immediate needs and enhance their educational experience, the Foundation works to ensure that every student can succeed.
For more information about the Family Stabilization Fund and the Cobb Schools Foundation, please visit www.cobbschoolsfoundation.org or contact cobbschoolsfoundation@cobbk12.org.
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Celebrate the highly anticipated grand opening of Pause Studio at Avenue East Cobb on Saturday, November 2, 2024. From 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Pause East Cobb will officially open its doors to wellness enthusiasts with an all-day event featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony, studio tours, wellness consultations, exclusive discounts, an exciting raffle, and goodie bags for the first 50 guests. Attendees can meet local owners Lisa and Evan Benson while sipping beverages from The Georgia Hemp Company, enjoying treats from Sugar Shane’s, getting permanent jewelry courtesy of Sparx, or creating custom trucker hats with Boho Trace. The event also includes exclusive discounts including Founding Discovery Packages at 50% off, along with 20% off other packages and founding Memberships at www.pausestudio.com/eastcobb.
WHAT: Pause East Cobb Grand Opening Celebration
WHEN: Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
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The long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for East Cobb Church took place Oct. 14, four years after Northpoint Ministries purchased more than 33 acres at the southwest corner of Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads.
Local officials, church members and others in the community were on-hand for the event, which is the official start of the construction process for the 125,000-square-foot worship center (rendering below),
The church will occupy 13 of those acres; Northpoint sold the remaining 20 acres after rezoning to Ashwood Atlanta, a residential developer.
East Cobb Church began worship services in 2020 at Eastside Church, but earlier this year began holding services at Blessed Trinity Church in Roswell while it awaits its new campus.
You can watch a video of the groundbreaking event by clicking here.
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The Georgia Symphony Orchestra opens the concert hall to all through sensory-friendly and family concerts, continuing a tradition begun nine years ago. These specially tailored performances will take place November 9, 2024 at Wheeler High School in Marietta, GA.
GSO Music Director and Conductor Timothy Verville will lead the orchestra in a forty-five minute program as they perform music from some of the greatest heroes of cinema, including the epic sounds of Captain Jack Sparrow, the Dark Knight, the Man of Steel, and many more. Up to 30 minutes before or after each concert, children and families are invited to touch and experience a myriad of instruments first-hand as part of a musical petting zoo.
As a KultureCity Sensory InclusiveCertified organization, the GSO is proud to offer a sensory-friendly performance for individuals with sensory sensitivities and their families, where audience members can experience orchestra music without any of the constraints of a standard performance. Individuals are free to move about, dance, speak, sing, or vocalize, and have access to a quiet room for sensory breaks.
GSO patron Sarah Arrington shares, “As a mother of a child with special needs, the Sensory Friendly concerts really spoke to me. In that environment, [my son] can experience the music without limitations. To see the smile on his face when he gets to put his hands on the instruments in the Instrument Petting Zoo…where else can kids put their hands all over real instruments?! My son put his cheek on the cello to feel the vibrations. It was a magical experience for him.”
People of all ages and abilities will delight in the discovery of an orchestral experience that invites and welcomes all to the world of classical music.
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The Cobb Elections Office said Tuesday that voters with absentee ballots can drop them off this weekend at its headquarters.
The times are 8-5 Saturday and 12-5 Sunday at the Cobb Elections Office, 995 Roswell St., Marietta. It’s located just west of Cobb Parkway and the Big Chicken.
There’s no early voting this weekend, and the only absentee ballot dropoff options have been at selected locations during early voting hours.
As we noted in our early voting story Monday, the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) has an absentee ballot dropbox.
You can drop off an absentee ballot there from 7-7 daily through Friday.
The Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) is also open for early voting but does not have a dropbox.
The Cobb Elections Office must receive all absentee ballots on Election Day by 7 p.m., when the polls close, either by mail or hand-delivered.
Once a ballot has been received, it can no longer be canceled.
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!
Seven Cobb County Public Library locations will be closed on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, to be used as polling sites. Libraries that will close include:
Switzer Library
Mountain View Regional Library
South Cobb Regional Library
West Cobb Regional Library
Sewell Mill Library
Vinings Library
Gritters Library (which continues to be closed for construction)
All other branches will remain open throughout this time.
For official Advance Voting, absentee ballot information, and polling locations, visit cobbcounty.org/elections. For library details, visit cobbcat.org or call 770-528-2326.
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!
This year, the Cobb County Police Department has been blessed with a remarkable “baby boom,” with over 30 officers welcoming new additions to their families so far in 2024.
Among these joyful new parents, some officers even met their significant others within the department, building their careers and families together.
In the spirit of Halloween, this group photo captures about a third of these proud officers holding their newborns, each dressed in adorable Halloween costumes.
The Cobb County Police Department is honored to share this joyous time and celebrates the officers who work tirelessly to protect and serve. Congratulations to all the new parents!
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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!
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!
Last week The Playroom East Cobb, a “children’s gym” catering to youngsters with developmental differences, opened to the public and held a grand opening.
The Playroom is located at 1344 East Cobb Drive, Suite 200. Among the features of the 3,600-square-foot space are a climate-controlled space with play structures, activities, toys and therapy facilities for children with autism, sensory challenges and ADHD.
Owner and founder Stephanie Fisher, an East Cobb resident, said she was inspired to create the space in response to challenges she faced in finding play spaces for her own children that weren’t overstimulating.
She and her husband Nate are the parents of two boys, Jackson and Greyson.
“We designed The Playroom for kids, but as a mom, parents were always on the top of my mind,” Fisher said. “So, we made it easy to watch your kids. We wanted a place where parents could play with their kids, but also be able to drop them off when they needed a break. And it needed to be affordable enough that they could bring their children regularly. We knew that having the therapists on site will be incredibly valuable for the families that need them.”
The Playroom also has a therapy suite and gym for professionals such as speech therapists, counselors, and occupational therapists, who will provide care and classes for children and parents.
Fisher said the age range for children are infants through elementary school, and The Playroom is available for open play, private birthday parties, special classes programs and related activities.
Play sessions last up to 90 minutes and there are various individual and family membership rates. For more information, click here.
The Downtown Pooch opens at PMV
A pet boutique shop, The Downtown Pooch, has opened at Paper Mill Village (255 Village Parkway, Suite 134), across from Hot Dogs Cool Cats.
The doors opened officially on Monday, and it’s the second location of the Roswell-based pet retailer, which provides a range of products and services, including “wholistic pet cuisine,”
A grand opening is set for Saturday, Nov. 2. For information, contact hello@thedowntownpooch.com.
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It’s starting to feel a little like the fall, with some windy weather over the weekend.
But the week of Halloween in the East Cobb area will continue to be unseasonably warm, according to the National Weather Service.
The local forecast calls for more sunny and partly sunny days with high temperatures in the mid- to high 70s, and lows around 60 most nights.
Wednesday and Thursday (Halloween) will be the warmest, with highs reaching 80 degrees during the day.
Conditions will be more cloudy toward the end of the week and through the weekend, with highs remaining in the 70s as Daylight Saving Time ends on Saturday.
According to the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, metro Atlanta has gone without rain for 29 consecutive days.
If the rain holds off through Halloween, the area will experience the first completely dry month on record, dating back to 1878.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb residents can vote ahead of the Nov. 5 general this week during weekday hours at 12 locations in the county.
They include the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road, above) and the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road), which have been two of the most popular early polling stations in the county over the past two weeks.
The early voting hours are from 7-7 Monday-Friday; unlike the last two weeks, there will be no weekend early voting.
In addition, there will be an absentee drop box available at the East Cobb Government Service Center that’s open during early voting hours.
To check the estimated wait-times at each of the 12 locations, click here. You can vote at any location in Cobb regardless of where you live in the county.
Here are the other locations, with dropbox availability noted by an asterisk:
Ben Robertson Community Center (2753 Watts Drive, Kennesaw)
* Boots Ward Recreation Center (4845 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs)
Collar Park Community Center (2625 Joe Jerkins Blvd., Austell)
Fair Oaks Recreation Center (1465 West Booth Road Extention, Marietta)
* North Cobb Senior Center (3900 Main St., Acworth)
Ron Anderson Recreation Center (3820 Macedonia Road, Powder Springs)
* Smyrna Community Center (1290 Powder Springs St., Smyrna)
* South Cobb Community Center (620 Lions Club Drive, Mableton)
West Cobb Regional Library (1750 Dennis Kemp Lane, Kennesaw)
Voters must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls (click here for details). For more early voting information in Cobb, click here.
More than 200,000 votes have been cast in Cobb, most of them in-person, nearly 40 percent of the registered voters, as early voting continues to set records across the state.
UPDATED, 3 p.m. Monday: The Secretary of State’s office said Monday that 2.73 million early votes have been cast, 40 percent of all registered voters in Georgia.
Voters who will be voting on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, will go to their assigned precincts. To check your voter registration status, and to get a customized sample ballot, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.
All absentee ballots must be received by mail at the Cobb Elections Office or at a designated dropbox by 7 p.m. on Nov. 5.
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!
