East Cobb News

East Cobb paraprofessionals honored by Cobb County School District

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Barbara Barrington, East Cobb paraprofessionals
Barbara Barrington of Rocky Mount Elementary School is greeted by Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale. (Photos submitted by CCSD)

The Cobb County School District honored its classified employees of the year earlier this week, and two East Cobb paraprofessionals were included as the grade level recipients.

Classified employees are those in non-teaching roles, including parapros, librarians, administrative assistants, cafeteria workers, police officers, social workers and others.

Lisa Hamill, Pope High School

Lisa Hamill of Pope was named Cobb’s high school level classified employee of the year, and not for the first time by her school Here’s what Pope principal Tom Flugum said about Hamill, in information supplied by CCSD:

“Lisa will do everything from helping with general supervision to working a lot with kids in small groups. She is really invested in our school. She is always looking for how she can help. It’s an honor to work with Lisa.” 

Barbara Barrington, a parapro at Rocky Mount, is Cobb’s elementary school level classified employee of the year, and principal Peggy Fleming describes what she does:

“She is the right hand of the kindergarten teacher, and does such a phenomenal job. Barbara is a kind, gentle, and wonderful person, who wants to do anything that she can to help anyone in the building.” 

Recipients of classified employee of the year honors for all Cobb schools were invited to a luncheon on Tuesday at Roswell Street Baptist Church, where school board members and top staff also attended. Said Superintendent Chris Ragsdale:

“Our Classified Employees of the Year represent the departments that make it possible for our teachers to do what they do in the classroom. I can’t thank them enough. There is no other industry that we can work in where we can impact the future of not just our community, but also our county, our state, and our nation. That is very important for us to remember. We are helping to shape the future.”

 

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Kennesaw State athletics director discusses ‘Flight Plan’ for post-college success

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Milton Overton, Kennesaw State athletics director
“Your purpose in life is where your passion is,” said Milton Overton, who became KSU athletics director in the fall of 2017. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

While Cobb County’s college football team continues to soar on the field, how those athletes prepare for what they do once they graduate is regarded as just as important.

Milton Overton, the Kennesaw State athletics director, pointed to himself as an example.

“I’m a guy who wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for being able to play football,” said Overton, the guest speaker at Tuesday’s East Cobb Business Association luncheon.

An offensive lineman for the powerhouse team at Oklahoma, he has also earned two master’s degrees and nearly completed his work on a doctorate.

“Education is the great equalizer, the vehicle for many Americans to have success.”

Overton, who arrived at KSU last fall, has enjoyed a 25-year career as a college sports administrator, and at some of the top programs in the country, including Alabama and Texas A & M.

Along the way, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of what it takes for athletes to succeed on the field, as well as away from it.

Like many college athletic departments, KSU has a special program to help with the latter. It’s called “Flight Path,” and Overton stressed how good work habits and discipline for athletes now will help when they’re ready to begin their non-sports work careers.

In the Flight Plan program, KSU student-athletes work with a “career coach” to help them assess post-college working opportunities. Those coaches are local professionals who share information about their fields.

Current student-athletes also hear from KSU graduates who played sports, and who offer practical advice on what it’s like in the adult world.

The highly-regimented schedules of college athletes, Overton said, offer them an opportunity to enter the work world with an advantage.

He said the graduation rate for athletes is often higher than non-athletes at many universities because of additional tutoring and academic services.

If a young person is accustomed to “12-hour days over four years,” he said, he or she is “more than likely with an employer to have a good shot” at securing a good job.

Now the third-largest university in Georgia with nearly 35,000 students, KSU has quickly succeeded since beginning varsity football in 2015.

The Owls, who are ranked fifth nationally in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), reached the national quarterfinals a year ago. Overton recently extended the contract of head coach Brian Bohannon through 2023, and KSU is trying to sell 30,000 tickets for a November game at SunTrust Park.

Overton was hired by then-KSU president Sam Olens after two years as athletics director at Florida A & M, which was undergoing financial struggles.

The FCS designation is just below the Football Bowl Subdivision, where Georgia and Georgia Tech play. Overton said that for now, there’s no desire for KSU to make a move up, as Georgia State has done.

“We want to be where we have a chance to complete,” he said. “If we keep doing what we’re doing, at some point” there may be some consideration. “This school is primed to do some good things,” he said, and not just in sports.

“KSU is a rocket ship,” Overton said. “I’m just trying to hold on.”

 

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Lassiter High School graduation rate tops Cobb schools for 2018

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Lassiter High School graduation rate

The Cobb County School District announced today its graduation rates for 2018, and Lassiter High School is tied for the best in the county.

Lassiter students graduated at 95.6 percent, the same at Harrison High School in West Cobb. Walton High School was right behind at 95.1, while Pope’s graduation rate was next, at 94.1.

Sprayberry’s graduation rate was 86.2, Kell was 83.8 and Wheeler was 77.3, according to the Georgia Department of Education, which released figures for all public high schools in the state (you can view the spreadsheet here).

Cobb schools said the overall cohort graduation rate for all 16 of its high schools is a district record of 85.18 percent, an increase of 1.7 percent from last year and above the statewide average of 81.6 percent.

In the metro Atlanta area, only Fulton County schools (86.8 percent) had a higher graduation rate than Cobb.

Sprayberry was one of several Cobb high schools that has had a significant increase in its graduation rate, up 5.3 percent since 2014.

In a release issued by Cobb schools, Sprayberry teachers Carlos Barrera and Amy Pothel said that staff recognizes the school’s diverse student body. “We provide additional support such as individualized tutoring, more opportunities to master the standards, and assistance with college applications and scholarships,” they said.

The method for calculating graduation rates is mandated by the U.S. Department of Education. It includes all students enrolled during a four-year period, even for a single day of classes.

Cobb schools said when only students enrolled in a county school were counted, the graduation figure is 90.5 percent. For those students who are enrolled in Cobb for all four years of high school, the rate rises to 97.1 percent.

The Georgia overall graduation rate of 81.6 percent is an all-time high.

Grad class size # Graduates 2018 rate 2017 rate
Kell 382 320 83.8 87.9
Lassiter 565 540 95.6 95.7
Pope 474 446 94.1 91.8
Sprayberry 435 375 86.2 85.5
Walton 675 642 95.1 94.5
Wheeler 520 402 77.3 81.1
Cobb 9,041 7,701 85.2 83.6

 

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Walton football jumps up to No. 2 in state poll; unbeaten Wheeler unranked

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The Walton football team’s big nationally-televised win over state champion North Gwinnett on Friday catapulted the Raiders to No. 2 in the latest high school football rankings.

The Raiders moved up from third in the Georgia Sports Writers Association Class 7A poll that was released Tuesday, getting 120 points and edging Grayson, which had been second, by two points. Colquitt County remains on top with 139 points. Two other Cobb schools, McEachern and Hillgrove, also are ranked in the Top 10 this week.

Wheeler, which like Walton is also 4-0, is not. In fact, the Wildcats, the only other unbeaten team from East Cobb, didn’t get any votes at all from the GWSA voters.

But they have a chance to make a statement on Friday at home against Roswell, which received 12 votes, just missing the rankings. Marietta got 13 votes.

Walton will also be at home Friday, against Newnan.

The only other ranked East Cobb team dropped out. Kell, which had been No. 10 in Class 5A, lost to East Paulding last week and still got eight votes, just out of the rankings.

 

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East Cobb students named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

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A total of 64 East Cobb students have been named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.National Merit Scholarships, East Cobb students

They come from Pope, Lassiter, Wheeler and Walton, which has a total of 31 semifinalists, the second-most for any school in the state, according to the Cobb County School District.

The CCSD said 80 students from seven of its schools have made the next round of the process, including Campbell, Kennesaw Mountain and North Cobb.

Below are the names of the East Cobb semifinalists, followed by more information about the program, and how the process works, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation:

Lassiter High School
Sophia D. Babish
Eric Chow
Dennis G. Goldenberg
Peter R. Jacobson
Carter B. Johnson
Carter H. Kubes
Peyton R. Lamb
Delia K. Pung
Audrey J. Safir
Dylan Walters

Pope High School
Jacob T. Evans
Griffin W. Haarbauer
Edward C. Kokan
Maya Nambiar
Olivia D. Popovich

Walton High School
Albert Chen
David Cornell
Alison Cumberledge
Thomas DeBoer
Ava Edmunds
William Ellsworth
Eashan Gandotra
Vineet Gangireddy
Nicholas Hong
Emma Hunt
Jeffrey Key
Darren Kosen
Varun Krishnaswamy
Grace Lee
Ryan Li
Jesse Liu
Arundhati Mahendrakar
Isha Palakurthy
Anika Park
Sara Patyi
David Phillips
Varsha Ramachandra
Alice Shen
Daniel Shu
Elizabeth Sims
Albert Ting
Illahi Virani
Jayson Wu
Kevin Wu
Grace Xu
Margare Zhang

Wheeler High School 
Saman A. Bhamani
Fianko Buckle
Mariah K. Butts
Caden M. Felton
Ayush Goyal
Adith Guna
Vanessa I. Leonardo
Andrew J. Mayne
Arya N. Mevada
Shivam A. Patel
Abhinav Piplani
Shraddha Sekhar
Keshav K. Shenoy
Rebecca G. Simonson
Hanna E. Waltz
David M. Weinberg
Zachary R. Yahn

Over 1.6 million juniors in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. More than 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to be named National Merit Scholar finalists in February.

To be finalists, semifinalists and their high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2019. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis.

About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 230 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, about 180 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

The 2019 National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join some 338,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.

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Panhandler still at-large after fleeing Sope Creek trails of Chattahoochee National Recreation Area

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UPDATED REPORT, WEDNESDAY, 10:10 A.M.:

We’ve just heard from Jeffrey Glossop, the chief ranger at the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, who said this morning the panhandler who fled from a pursuit at the Sope Creek trails by his rangers and Cobb Police on Tuesday is still at-largeSope Creek trails, panhandler photo

The park also has released some surveillance photos of the man, who may be homeless and living in the nearby woods.

He’s described as a black male in his early 40s, and is around 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 and weighs around 170 pounds, and has a droopy or lazy eye.

Glossop said the man was last seen wearing a dark t-shirt and spotted or plaid light-colored pants.

“We don’t have any reason to think he’s a threat to anyone,” but if you should see him do not approach him but call 911, Glossop said.

The saga actually began on Monday, when Glossop said his office got a call from a park visitor who said a man was sleeping in the woods in the Sope Creek unit.

He said park rangers responded and found him in a tent, but the man got away.

On Tuesday, he said, they got complaints from park visitors about panhandling by a man who matched the description of the individual they spotted on Monday.

Glossop said that man has an outstanding warrant in Rockdale County, but doesn’t know what for.

The Sope Creek trails are open to the public today; Glossop said only the Paper Mill Road parking lot for access to those trails was closed briefly while Cobb Police units were on the scene assisting with the search.

Glossop said visitors were asked during that time to park in the lot off Columns Drive to access the Sope Creek trails.

The park area is located near Sope Creek Elementary School, which was  “operating on a normal schedule” on Wednesday, according to a Cobb County School District spokesperson.

ORIGINAL REPORT POSTED 5 P.M. TUESDAY, SEPT. 18

The National Park Service was searching for a panhandler who slipped away on Tuesday in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area Cochran Shoals Unit in East Cobb, prompting a closure of the Sope Creek Trails.Chattahoochee River NRA

The Chattahoochee NRA released a public message about the closure around 11 a.m. Tuesday, but didn’t say why.

Sgt. Wayne Delk, a spokesman for Cobb Police, said Cobb Police were called to assist in the search.

He said the individual being sought also has an outstanding warrant in Rockdale County, but he did not know the reason for the warrant.

Delk said the panhandler isn’t considered a threat to the public, and that the NPS is continuing the search.

East Cobb News has left a message with the Chattahoochee NRA and will update with more information.

 

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East Cobb Restaurant Scores: Aurelio’s; Ming’s Asian Kitchen; Salata; Tijuana Joe’s; schools and more

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Ming's Asian Kitchen Opens, East Cobb restaurants, East Cobb restaurant scores

The following East Cobb restaurant scores from Sept. 4-14 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:

Aurelio’s Is Pizza
1255 Johnson Ferry Road Suite 22
September 6, 2018 Score: 88, Grade: B

East Valley Elementary School 
2570 Lower Roswell Road
September 14, 2018 Score: 91, Grade: A

La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe 
4101 Roswell Road Suite 812
September 14, 2018 Score: 86, Grade: B

Little Caesars Pizza 
2200 Roswell Road Suite 180
September 14, 2018 Score: 96, Grade: A

Mabry Middle School 
2700 Jims Road
September 10, 2018 Score: 100, Grade: A

Ming’s Asian Kitchen
4665 Lower Roswell Suite 101
September 14, 2018 Score: 91, Grade: A

Mount Bethel Elementary School 
1210 Johnson Ferry Road
September 6, 2018 Score: 100, Grade: A

PIzza Hut
2520 E. Piedmont Road Suite 124
September 7, 2018 Score: 100, Grade: A

Pizza Hut 
1386 Roswell Road
September 10, 2018 Score: 90, Grade: A

Salata 
4101 Roswell Road, Suite 1100
September 13, 2018 Score: 82, Grade: B

Shahi Naan and Curry
2100 Roswell Road, Suite 2104
September 6, 2018 Score: 91, Grade: A

Starbucks Coffee 
1207 Johnson Ferry Road
September 4, 2018 Score: 97, Grade: A

Subway
4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 115
September 14, 2018 Score: 96, Grade: A

Tijuana Joe’s Cantina 
690 Johnson Ferry Road
September 6, 2018 Score: 97, Grade: A

Wendy’s 
2238 Roswell Road
September 6, 2018 Score: 98, Grade: A

 

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Bells Ferry Road senior living development approved by Cobb commissioners

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Bells Ferry Road senior living development
OpenStreetMap

A Bells Ferry Road senior living development was approved Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners, on a chunk of green space that’s been eyed for a variety of uses over the years.

They voted to rezone 35.8 acres of low-density residential land on Bells Ferry Road and North Booth Road at I-575 for 155 single-family, detached homes for seniors 55 and older. Here’s the agenda item packet.

The vote was 4-0, with commissioner Bob Ott absent.

It was one of two major zoning cases on Tuesday’s agenda that asked for the Residential Senior Living (RSL) category, which is becoming a more frequent request from developers in Cobb.

There was no formal opposition to the application by Jim Chapman Communities Inc., which had initially proposed 178 units. The homes will range between 1,600 and 2,400 square feet and will have an attached two-car garage. The request was supported by the Bells Ferry Civic Association.

District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb wanted to have the case heard due to some e-mails she had received.

Before making a motion to approve the request, she noted that the land had drawn the interest of developers for other types of development, including commercial, which she opposed to due nearby residential communities.

The land is located across North Booth Road from Chalker Elementary School. She also said the property had been nominated to be purchased as county parkland, but that use was rejected.

“The applicant asked for what we wanted,” Birrell said of the Jim Chapman proposal. “RSL is the best fit for this area.”

Among the stipulations as part of the rezoning include a right turn lane to be built from Bells Ferry Road southbound onto North Booth Road, and for sidewalks to be constructed along the frontage for both roads.

Before that case, commissioners approved a similar rezoning near Powder Springs, for 123 senior homes on 53 acres on Old Lost Mountain Road, that drew opposition from nearby residents for traffic and density reasons.

 

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East Cobb Taqueria Tsunami restaurant gets to keep old sign

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East Cobb Taqueria Tsunami restaurant

One of the stipulations that was included in a revised site plan last year for the East Cobb Taqueria Tsunami restaurant was that an existing frontage sign had to go.

But the owners of the popular Asian-Latin fusion spot at 1275 Johnson Ferry Road have already attached their logo to the old round frame in front of what was the Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagel eatery.

UPDATED: Commissioners approved the request, which was on the consent agenda.

On Tuesday they’ll be asking Cobb commissioners to amend that stipulation (agenda item packet here). It’s included in the other business portion of a zoning hearing that begins at 9 a.m. on the 2nd floor of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

Taqueria Tsunami opened its doors in East Cobb in May, and the sign went up over the summer.

 

Related story

 

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Cobb non-profit funding delayed as groups explain service needs

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Lingering issues over Cobb non-profit funding have been put on hold by county commissioners, who want more time to go over proposals to spend $850,000 for grants to 15 local community service providers.

Cobb non-profit funding delayed
Rev. Ike Reighard

At last week’s commissioners meeting, they agreed to delay action, possibly to Sept. 25 when they meet again to conduct regular business.

The funding has been set aside in the fiscal year 2019 budget commissioners adopted in July, and would be distributed over the next two years.

Most of the organizations are part of the Cobb Collaborative, an umbrella organization that coordinates non-profit county grant funding.

Last year, commissioners changed the criteria for awarding grants to non-profits. The agencies must provide services related to homelessness, family stability and poverty, ex-offender re-entry and workforce development, and health and wellness.

According to Cobb deputy county manager Jackie McMorris, the Cobb Collaborative received 27 applications for grant funding, totaling $1.8 million, before making the recommendations contained in the chart below.

Several leaders of those non-profits on the recommended list spoke at Tuesday’s meeting about how they spend that money, and how it’s still needed.

Jeri Barr of the Center for Family Resources, which focuses on homelessness issues, said losing that funding “could be a death-knell for a number of non-profits.”

CFR would receive $141,339 under the current grant recommendation, the largest for any of the non-profit agencies on the list. Of that amount, $127,205 would be used directly for homeless-related programs, especially housing assistance.

“We help hundreds of families stay in their homes” with financial assistance that includes rent payments, she said, adding that that kind of stability keeps kids in schools.

Because of its Cobb grant funding, CFR also gets a federal match from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Barr said.

MUST Ministries, which is best known for operating a homeless shelter in Cobb, also provides housing and employment services for its clients.

The non-profit reported 2017 revenues of $10.6 million, and would receive $53,002 in Cobb grant funding under the proposal.

Rev. Ike Reighard, senior pastor at the Piedmont Church in East Cobb and the MUST president and CEO, told commissioners that of that $52,002, two-thirds of it, or around $35,000, goes for shelter services.

The remainder would be used for providing employment services for clients in the South Cobb area.

“You’ve been great partners to us over the years,” Reighard said.

Commissioners expressed some differences not only on how to spend the money, but whether to do it at all.

South Cobb commissioner Lisa Cupid was upset that other agencies weren’t included on the list that serve her community.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb said she’s concerned about spending taxpayer money involuntarily for such services and favors a voluntary process to fund non-profits.

Ott also has expressed similar sentiments, but his motion to table non-profit action was because he wasn’t at a work session on Monday in which the recommendations were outlined.

“It’s the first time I’m seeing this list,” he said.

Commission chairman Mike Boyce said without the services these agencies provide, the county would likely have to spend more money on incarceration and public health.

“What is the value of this county? Is this for the greater good of the county? My answer is, yes.”

The commissioners voted to table the matter right before approving a fee dispute settlement with the Atlanta Braves.

 

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PHOTOS: 23rd annual East Cobber parade on Johnson Ferry Road

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23rd annual East Cobber parade

Dozens of schools, churches, civic groups, political candidates, local businesses and community organizations marched down Johnson Ferry Road Saturday morning in the 23rd annual East Cobber parade.

For nearly three hours, a busy stretch of one of East Cobb’s busiest thoroughfares was cleared of vehicles in a community celebration.

After the parade, more groups and businesses, food vendors and entertainers filled the south parking lot at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church for a community festival.

The dignitaries included school teachers of the year and Miss Cobb County. Several high school bands tooted fight songs in a quick turn-around from Friday night football games.

And kids brought bags to fill with candy thrown by parade participants.

Below are selected videos from the parade as well as a photo slideshow. (All East Cobb News photos and videos by Wendy Parker.)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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Last-minute Walton football comeback stuns North Gwinnett

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Walton football comeback

Dominick Blaylock scored an 11-yard touchdown with 32 seconds left in the game Friday to cap a Walton football comeback in a 27-24 victory over defending state champion North Gwinnett before a national television audience.

Blaylock was already having another marvelous game before he took the snap and raced down the left sideline, bowling over two Bulldog defenders as he pushed his way into the end zone.

Walton football comeback, Dominick Blaylock

It was the last of Blaylock’s three touchdowns, and helped the Raiders, ranked No. 3 in Class 7A, stay unbeaten at 4-0 in their first home game of the season at Raider Valley.

Walton led 7-0 and 14-7 before No. 4 North Gwinnett (2-2) roared back in the second half. The Bulldogs kicked a field goal with 5:42 to go in the game to take a 24-21 lead, setting up a thrilling finish.

The Raiders also played for a time without starting quarterback Austin Kirksey, who went out limping near halftime and returned in the final period.

“These guys just fight and fight and fight for each other,” Walton coach Daniel Brunner said after the game, hugging Blaylock, his baby-faced star who’s bound for the University of Georgia next season.

“I’m so glad I’ve got this dude here, the best player in the state of Georgia,” Brunner said. “He may look sweet, but he sure doesn’t play like it.”

Dominick Blaylock gets Walton on the scoreboard first late in the first quarter. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

The game kicked off earlier than normal because it was part of a national TV high school football doubleheader on ESPN2.

Blaylock gave Walton a 7-0 lead with 2:15 left in the first quarter on a two-yard run. On its next drive, North Gwinnett answered, with Tyler Goodson finishing off with a short TD for a 7-7 score.

By the time dusk turned to dark, the dramatics heightened.

Walton regained the lead at 14-7 on an eight-yard TD run by Kirksey. But with 29 seconds to play before halftime, he went out of the game, walking gingerly off the field. He was replaced by freshman Zac Rozsman.

Midway in the third quarter, and on fourth down, the Bulldogs drew even at 14-14 on a 38-yard desperation heave from JR Martin to Garrison Minor.

The Walton defense holds on third down.

North Gwinnett, whose only loss last season was to Walton in the Corky Kell Classic, went ahead for the first time at 21-14 with a touchdown with 1:40 left in the third quarter.

At the same time, Kirksey began limbering up on the sideline, as Walton players and coaches tried to figure out how to come from behind. The answer, of course, was with a whole lot of Blaylock, but the Raiders had to climb out of some holes they created for themselves along the way.

Upon Kirksey’s return, he led a drive that resulted in Blaylock’s second touchdown, which made the score 21-21 with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter.

On their next drive, the Raiders were driving deep when a first-down run by KD Alford (below) was nullified because of a penalty. That could have spelled doom for Walton, as well as Kirksey being sacked on the North Gwinnett 45.

That set up a third-and-27 for Walton, and Kirksey hooked up with Blaylock for a first down to the 12. Blaylock finished off the comeback, and the defending state champions, two plays later.

Walton’s defense held off the last chance for the Bulldogs, forcing three incomplete passes, then sacked the quarterback on the last play of the game.

 

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Update: Publix Greenwise Market confirms East Cobb location

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After word got out in June about East Cobb being Publix GreenWise Market’s choice for its first Georgia location, the grocery chain has made it official. Publix GreenWise Market

The planned mixed-use center on the site of the former Mountain View Elementary School will be anchored by a 25,000-square foot GreenWise Market, which features organic and natural groceries and products.

It’s considered a competitor to Whole Foods and Sprouts, which have East Cobb locations in the Roswell-Johnson Ferry corridor.

The East Cobb store will be part of the first slate of GreenWise Market locations opening soon in the Southeast.

The first is coming next month in Tallahassee, with stores in the works and planned to open next year in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Lakeland, Fla. (where Publix is based) and Boca Raton.

Publix isn’t saying for now when the East Cobb store is opening, but it also could be sometime in 2019.

All that Publix Senior Vice President of Retail Operations Kevin Murphy said in today’s announcement is that “we admire the diverse cultural landscape and deep history of the Atlanta area. We look forward to creating a unique experience for our Atlanta-area customers.”

The new 100,000-square-foot project at Sandy Plains Road and Shallowford Road, which hasn’t been named, is being developed by Fuqua Development of Atlanta, which is the developer of The Battery Atlanta and the Kennesaw Marketplace, which includes a Whole Foods store.

Other plans for Fuqua’s East Cobb complex on the former school site include restaurants, retail shops, a bank and a self-storage facility.

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Walton-North Gwinnett football game to be shown on ESPN2

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Walton-North Gwinnett football game

Back in August we noted that tonight’s Walton-North Gwinnett football game was going to be nationally televised.

That’s still the case, but the outlet has changed, and it’s going to show the game to a bigger audience. Instead of being shown on ESPNU, Raider Valley’s going to be showcased on ESPN2.)

The battle between the No. 3 Raiders (3-0) and No. 4 North Gwinnett (2-1), last year’s Georgia Class 7A state champions, is part of ESPN’s Geico High School Football Showcase.

It’s also the first home game of the season for Walton, and please note that if you’re going, kickoff is at 7 p.m., and not the standard 7:30 p.m.

That’s for television reasons, since the Walton game is the part of a doubleheader.

Last year, Walton defeated North Gwinnett in the Corky Kell Classic in what would be the only defeat of the season for the Bulldogs.

All East Cobb high school football teams are in action after four, including Walton, had bye weeks. Tonight’s other games all start at 7:30 p.m.

Wheeler is also seeking to go 4-0 at Lassiter, which is 1-2. It’s also homecoming for the Trojans. A parade starts at 5:30 p.m. from the Wendy’s on Shallowford Road (near Sandy Plains) and will proceed to the school.

At Pope, it’s the Matt Hobby Game, which we posted here yesterday, and as the Greyhounds are seeking their first win of the season. Sprayberry (1-2), travels to play Harrison (4-0), ranked No. 3 in Class 6A.

Kell, the only other ranked team in East Cobb, is No. 10 in Class 5A and puts its 2-1 record on the line at East Paulding (0-2). Last week the Longhorns fell 35-6 at home to top-ranked Rome, the 2017 Class 5A state champion.

 

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New Lassiter High School gym to cost nearly $5M more than initial estimate

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The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday approved spending $15.66 million to build a new Lassiter High School gym, but it’s going to cost a good bit more than what was initially anticipated.New Lassiter High School gym

That’s because the original planning for the new gym was in 2012, including cost estimates, according to John Adams, deputy superintendent for the Cobb County School District.

He told school board members at a work session earlier Thursday afternoon that the original estimate was $10.8 million.

But since then, the Cobb school district has increased its seating specifications for new high school gyms, from 2,500 to 3,000. Annual construction inflation of six percent also was worked into the new figure.

The new gym criteria is being applied to the ongoing construction of a new gym and performing arts complex at Walton High School costing $31.7 million, as well as the new $24 million gym and theatre that opened at Pope High School in January.

The board later approved unanimously a bid to award the contract to R.K. Redding Construction Inc. of Bremen to build the new Lassiter gym, which will replace the original gym that opened with the school in 1980.

Adams said the cost could have exceeded $16 million, and “we think this is a good price for this gym.”

The project, which Adams said is expected to be completed by November 2019, is included in the Cobb Ed-SPLOST IV notebook.

 

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Police: East Cobb resident a victim of a moving company scam

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Lt. Nathan McCreary of the Cobb Police Precinct 4 criminal investigations unit has sent out an alert today about a moving company scam that has claimed an East Cobb resident as a victim: Cobb Police, Powers Ferry Road crash

A citizen hired a moving company to move his entire life’s possession to a different state. The moving company had a website and seemed reputable. Once they arrived at the home and packed the victim’s belongings, the truck left the location and never delivered the property.

The victim then received phone calls stating his property was being held ransom and he needed to pay a large sum of money in order to get his property back. Once this was reported to police, one of our amazing detectives, Det. S. Penirelli, began looking into the case.

She found that the FBI and DOT investigators are currently working similar cases involving a Russian Crime Group. She identified a suspect and found a storage company that had two units rented in the name of the suspect, who was of Russian descent. A search warrant was obtained and a portion of the victim’s property was located in a storage unit.

The same unit was scheduled to go up for auction for non-payment for the storage unit. The storage company was cooperative and allowed the property to remain at their secure location until the victim could arrange to have it removed.

Warrants were obtained for the suspect, but he is likely no longer in the state of Georgia. Detective Penirelli is currently working with the DOT investigators to find potential locations of the remaining property.

Police are also encouraging you to consult with the Better Business Bureau, which has moving scam resources. More also from the U.S. Justice Department about a recent case involving moving scammers.

 

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Pope football ‘Matt Hobby Game’ shirt sale to benefit cancer research

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If you’re going to the Pope football game on Friday night, this is a very special event for the Greyhounds community beyond the game. It’s also been designated the Matt Hobby Game, in honor of a former football player who died of childhood cancer.Matt Hobby Game

As has been the case with previous Matt Hobby Games, special T-shirts are being sold this week to raise money for the Rally Foundation, which conducts research into childhood cancer.

Online orders are no longer being accepted, but shirts will be sold at the Hound Pound. They cost $20 for children and adults, and a special Matt Hobby trucker hat also is being sold for $20.

You can also make an online donation in any amount, and it’s tax deductible.

Each year, the Pope football team designates a player to wear Hobby’s jersey No. 70 in his honor, and this year that’s long snapper Cody Olszewski, a senior who’s also featured in the video below along with previous Matt Hobby Award recipients.

Kickoff between Pope and Alpharetta is 7:30 p.m.

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Traffic alert: Part of Johnson Ferry Road closed Saturday for parade

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East Cobber parade, Pope HS, Johnson Ferry Road closed

Just a reminder that this Saturday is the EAST COBBER parade, which means that one of the busiest parts of Johnson Ferry Road will be closed for a few hours.

Johnson Ferry between Roswell Road and Lower Roswell Road will be closed to all traffic between 9:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

The parade route stretches southbound from Princeton Lakes Drive to the entrance to the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church ball fields parking lot (at Olde Towne Parkway).

The parade starts at 10 a.m., with the parade participants marching down the southbound lane.

The festival follows from around 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the ball fields parking lot.

Admission to both components of the event is free.

We’ll have more in a separate post about weekend events, but here’s a link to parade and festival activities.

East Cobber parade route
Key: Black stars are road closure points; red stars mark the parade route; blue star is festival site. Map source: OpenStreetMap

 

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Former Cobb Medical Examiner sentenced in county drug case

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A few weeks after he was sentenced to federal prison for exchanging opioid prescriptions for sexual favors, the former Cobb Medical Examiner has been sentenced on drug-related charges in Cobb County.Former Cobb medical examiner sentenced

Joe Burton, 73, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Wednesday by Cobb Chief Magistrate Court Judge Joyette Holmes. In July, he pleaded guilty to several counts of racketeering, fraud in obtaining controlled substances, and violations of Georgia’s controlled substances act.

“No one is above the law,” Cobb assistant district attorney Jason Saliba said in a statement. “We prosecute anyone who distributes narcotics in Cobb County.”

Burton was given an eight-year federal prison sentence on Aug. 29. According to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office, Burton will serve his sentences concurrently.

The Cobb medical examiner from the late 1970s to the late 1990s, Burton pleaded guilty in federal court in May to being part of a conspiracy to illegally distribute opioid painkillers in exchange for sexual favors.

He was one of several people indicted in February by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta. According to his federal indictment, Burton issued more than 1,100 opioid prescriptions over a two-year period beginning in July 2015, amounting to more than 108,000 individual doses, including over 66,000 oxycodone pills.

Federal prosecutors said Burton prescribed opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone without conducting a medical examination of patients or even meeting with them at all.

The street value of the oxycodone pills alone, prosecutors estimated, was more than $2 million.

Three female co-defendants in the federal case had sex with Burton in exchange for receiving the drugs for themselves and for others, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

 

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Georgia state of emergency declared ahead of Hurricane Florence

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Hurricane Florence, Georgia state of emergency

Early Wednesday afternoon Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for the entire state, including Cobb County, as Hurricane Florence nears landfall along the coast of the Carolinas.

Most of Georgia is included in a cone of possible impact from the powerful storm, which has been downgraded to Category 3 but that is expected to cause significant damage as it moves off the Atlantic Ocean.

Those threats include flooding from heavy rains, along with high winds, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

The storm, which is estimated to be 40 miles wide, with tropical winds extending for around 350 miles, is projected to strike somewhere the North Carolina-South Carolina border late Friday afternoon.

Florence could stall before that and may even move in a southerly direction before reaching the coast, possibly restrengthening to Category 4.

The threat to Cobb and metro Atlanta, if any, is expected to be minimal and would come by Sunday and Monday.

The emergency declaration enables the state to mobilize resources across Georgia to react where they may be needed.

Here’s what Gov. Deal said in issuing his emergency declaration:

“In light of the storm’s forecasted southward track after making landfall, I encourage Georgians to be prepared for the inland effects of the storm as well as the ensuing storm surge in coastal areas. GEMA/HS continues to lead our preparedness efforts as we coordinate with federal, state and local officials to provide public shelter and accommodate those evacuating from other states. Finally, I ask all Georgians to join me in praying for the safety of our people and all those in the path of Hurricane Florence.”

No evacuations have been ordered along the Georgia coast, but the effects of the storm could be felt there by Thursday evening.

According to the National Weather Service in Atlanta, the metro area will have clear skies for the rest of the work week, with a slight chance of thunderstorms on Saturday.

By Sunday night, the chance of rain is forecast to be 40 percent, and up to 50 percent Monday and Tuesday.

The NWS office in Atlanta adds that:

“After landfall, there is great uncertainty as to where Florence will go but there are increased indications that the remnants of Florence could affect at least portions of north and central Georgia late Saturday through Tuesday. The situation continues to be a watch and monitor, so please stay tuned to your local forecast.”

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