Below is another clip from a concert last Saturday at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church featuring Coro Vocati, an Atlanta-based choral ensemble (previous videos here).
Here at East Cobb News, we’d like to wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Unless there’s major breaking news, we’ll publish again on Tuesday, the day after Christmas.
All of the past week’s news, calendar listings and more can be found on our newsletter, the East Cobb News Digest, which is published on Sunday.
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!
On Saturday, Dec. 9, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) spread extra joy by distributing toys to chosen underserved communities in Cobb County through its annual program, Santa on Wheels, also known as Santa Sobre Ruedas. This initiative, a collaboration between the Sheriff’s Office and the Foundation, aims to provide free toys to households facing financial challenges during the holidays. Thanks to the collective efforts of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, Cobb Sheriff’s Foundation, and the generous contributions from Cobb County residents, thousands of toys were collected and passed out this holiday season.
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!
It’s hard to believe 2023 has come and is almost gone—it’s really flown by for me—and I wanted to leave you with a final message as we celebrate the holidays.
First of all, thanks to East Cobb News readers for your readership and your financial support.
This has been the best year for our 6-1/2-year-old site in terms of traffic and readership growth, and it’s very gratifying.
As I write this, we are approaching 1.7 million page views and more than 875,000 unique visitors.
That last figure is important, because it averages out to around 75,000 individual accounts that visit this site at least once a month. That’s around a third our coverage area of 200,000.
Our newsletter growth also has been very solid this year, as we recently surpassed 8,700 subscribers.
Our previous annual best for traffic was 2020, which was the year of the start of COVID-19 and an election year.
In 2023, we had none of those things, and readers have been coming to East Cobb News for a variety of reasons, and that’s what’s been so heartening.
Whether it’s coverage of local government and politics, schools news, crime, traffic, zoning, or new businesses and restaurants, readers have told us repeatedly how much they value what they get in one place—whether it’s daily on our site, via social media postings or through the newsletter.
There are more details in the video below, but I also wanted to thank those of you who have contributed to our “6 for 6” readership campaign this year.
We really appreciate the financial support as we strive to serve you with more news that’s relevant to you, and as we continue this experiment in redefining what local news can mean for the East Cobb community.
As I have said previously in this column, the local news landscape looks bleak and barren in many places, as legacy media—traditional newspapers, radio and television—have struggled to adapt to the digital age.
East Cobb News is all-online, publishing every day, with timely, professionally reported news and useful community information that makes a difference for the people who live here.
That’s who we do this for, and if you like what you see here and you haven’t donated before, consider making a contribution at whatever amount you like.
Simply put, East Cobb News readers are at the center of what this is all about. Unlike many other media outlets, we don’t charge to read our coverage, and we never will. No paywalls here.
We offer this news resource as a public service to the community, but we’re also a small business. We want to continue telling the stories of the people that make East Cobb a special place to call home for many years to come.
We also believe that local news and local business go hand-in-hand, and our advertisers are much like our readers—they tell us how much they like how deeply local we are. They want to reach local audiences, and there’s not a better-engaged readership in East Cobb than those who are part of East Cobb News.
But there’s so much more we want to do!
In the coming year, we want to go more in-depth with the news and features that our readers come to expect, especially with an election year coming.
I want to hear from you about what you value in East Cobb News, and ask how we can make this site better. I will be sending a reader survey out in early January, and I would appreciate the feedback.
In the meantime, I’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We’ll be on a lighter posting schedule for the rest of the year, but stay tuned for our roundup of top stories of the year and other features as we approach New Year’s.
Seasons Greetings East Cobb and thanks for your readership!
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In 2018, officers from the Community Affairs Unit started the Cobb County Police Department SWAT Santa Project. This now annual project takes place leading up to Christmas each year. It is a chance to give deserving families an opportunity to have an enjoyable and blessed Christmas. The SWAT Santa Project is a huge undertaking by Cobb County Police Department employees and volunteers that begins each October with the Cool Cars and Cops car show. The drawing for the SWAT Santa Raffle is held at the car show and the funds raised from the raffle are used to purchase gifts for the children at Christmas time. Over the years, raffle prizes and gifts have been donated by many generous businesses and individuals that help support this worthy cause.
Children are identified with the help of local school counselors. Each child creates a wish list that is compiled by the department’s Community Affairs Unit. Officers, non-sworn volunteers, and of course “SWAT Santa” himself, went shopping on December 14 at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 6520 Ernest Barrett Parkway in Marietta. Oftentimes, the gifts the children put on their list are not for themselves, but for parents and siblings so that they can experience the joy of giving. This daylong shopping spree always brings joy to those involved.
All the gifts purchased at Wal-Mart will be transported to Due West United Methodist Church located at 3956 Due West Road in Marietta, where volunteers from the congregation, the community, and department, will wrap the gifts. On Thursday, December 21, and Friday, December 22, the gifts were delivered to the homes of the children taking part in the SWAT Santa Project
SWAT Santa will be adorned in a blue Santa suit with Cobb County Police patches to demonstrate the partnership with the police department and the community. Instead of a sleigh pulled by reindeer, SWAT Santa will be making his rounds in one of the department’s armored SWAT response vehicles, known as Bearcats. Santa cheerfully visits houses, apartment complexes, and hotels, bringing his helpers and an endless supply of ice cream with him.
Anyone seeking further information about the SWAT Santa Project can reach out to Lt. McCloskey or Sgt. Grimstead at (770) 499-3984.
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Fullers Park in East Cobb will once again be a location for Keep Cobb Beautiful’s “Bring One for the Chipper” Christmas tree recycling drive.
Citizens can drop off their trees starting Christmas Day through Jan. 6, 2024 for conversion into mulch, beautification projects, wildlife habitats and other useful materials.
The locations include two Home Depot stores in East Cobb: at Providence Square Shopping Center (4101 Roswell Road) and Highland Plaza Shopping Center (3605 Sandy Plains Road)
There will be a limited supply of samplings at those Home Depot stores from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day.
Trees must be dropped off in the designated areas of the locations only and all lights, ornaments and tree stands must be removed.
Flocked trees will not be accepted because they are harmful to wildlife. No other items will be accepted.
For more details about locations and addresses, click here.
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Portland Trail Blazers Rookie Point Guard Scoot Henderson and his fourth annual O.D.D Holiday, hosted by the Henderson family and Next Play 360 was a magical and festive-filled event for more than 100 families across Marietta, Georgia and Portland, Oregon on Monday December 18.
O.D.D Holiday stems from Scoot Henderson’s personal mantra, O.D.D (Overly Determined to Dominate). In an effort to be the best version of himself and impact others throughout his communities to do the same, Scoot and Next Play 360 started the first O.D.D Holiday in 2019. O.D.D Holiday operates under the idea that every family deserves the warmth of the holiday spirit, and the ability to create cherished memories.
“As someone who is a passionate advocate for community engagement, I’m excited to host Portland’s inaugural annual O.D.D Holiday event, and see my family continue the tradition back home in Marietta, GA at Next Play 360,” said Scoot Henderson. “My dedication to community service in the two places that I call home go hand-in-hand with my commitment to making a lasting impact beyond the court. This initiative represents love, unity and our family mission to help build up our communities, not just during the holiday season, but always.”, said Scoot Henderson about the event.
To prepare for the holiday celebration, on December 16, TedX Portland hosted a O.D.D Holiday wrapping event, where eight of the Scoot’s Suits participants were invited for a community giveback event, private tour and professional development workshop. Earlier this year, Scoot’s Suits was created in partnership with INDOCHINO, which provides custom suits to young professionals in Marietta and Portland. The participants wrote holiday cards and wrapped presents for the O.D.D Holiday event, and had the opportunity to hear from a TedX Portland speaker, take professional headshots, undergo a professional development workshop, and attend a NBA game.
On December 18, children and families were able to pick-up their holiday gifts. Scoot and Next Play 360 partnered with PUMA, Footlocker, and Ayesha Curry’s brand Sweet July to provide donations for more than 100 families. Donated items included coats, PUMA t-shirts, sweatshirts, winter hats, cookware and more.
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After years of planning and building, there is now a safe place for people to go to get the care they need when leaving destructive and abusive situations. Last week, officials and supporters cut the ribbon on the Cobb County Family Advocacy Center—a central location for crime victims to get assistance. The FAC is designed to address barriers faced by victims, by locating critical service providers under one roof with a coordinated intake process.
The FAC will meet the wide and varied needs of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, stalking, and human trafficking. Read more about the Cobb Family Advocacy Center at CobbFAC.org.
Some more background information about the center, which operates out of the Cobb District Attorney’s Office, and is the first such center in the state of Georgia providing coordinated services:
The office was awarded a four-year grant worth up to $400,000 to create the advocacy center, which is partnering with LiveSAFE Resources, SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc., the Cobb Sheriff’s Office and Police Department, the Solicitor General’s Office, Legal Aid of Cobb County and other law enforcement and non-profit organizations.
“Make no mistake—there’s a problem with domestic violence in this county,” Cobb Chief Magisrate Court Judge Brendan Murphy said at the Dec. 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We came together to do something about it.”
Instead of having to go from government offices and courts “telling their story over and over,” Murphy said the center is designed as a single point of navigation for victims.
Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady, who said he grew up in a home with domestic violence, said when he began to go public with his family’s story, others told him he was telling their story too.
“We knew we had to find a way to get people help,” he said. “Our vision is that we will provide a safe place for our community, especially for those who are most vulnerable.”
The facility is located at 277 Fairground Street, location of Cobb’s Department of Family and Children Services.
The hours are Monday-Friday from 9.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: 770-528-8121.
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East Cobb Quilters’ Guild is proud of its long history of community service. Its members freely give their time and energy to create quilts, placemats,
Beads of Courage bags, and pillowcases for donation to area charities. This year it was decided that some of the placemats with a patriotic theme would be used by Cobb County Senior Services as gifts at their annual Veteran’s Christmas Luncheon.
“Our Veterans were so touched with having placemats that were especially made for them and loved being able to take them home as a keepsake. A heartfelt thanks from our Veterans and everyone at Cobb County Senior Services to the East Cobb Quilters’ Guild for their generous gift,” commented Andrea Rapowitz, Cobb County Senior Services Volunteer Services Manager.
In 2023, the Guild donated a total of 2,430 items to local organizations, an almost 100% increase compared to 2022. Donated items included: 344 quilts for Cobb County DFCS, for children who have been taken into foster care; 737 pillowcases for Ryan’s Case for Smiles, for children in hospitals in the Atlanta area and around the state of Georgia; and 524 placemats for Cobb County Meals on Wheels program, for older adults and disabled individuals who receive home meal delivery. A new recipient this year was Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The Guild donated 825 Beads of Courage bags to give to their patients who are coping with serious illnesses.
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Despite concerns from a local civic group about traffic issues, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a rezoning request for a drive-through chicken fast food restaurant at the Lower Roswell-Johnson Ferry intersection.
By a 5-0 vote, commissioners voted to rezone a 3.17-acre parcel from planned shopping center (PSC) to neighborhood retail commercial (NRC) for a Guthrie’s Chicken location.
East Cobb Guthries LLC wants to convert an empty medical building for a two-lane drive-through-only restaurant and purchased the property last year.
The Cobb Planning Commission recommended approval earlier this month on the consent agenda.
But the matter was placed on the commissioners’ regular agenda after the East Cobb Civic Association expressed concern about traffic near a busy intersection and was unsure about the restaurant’s opening hours in a revised stipulation letter.
At Tuesday’s hearing, ECCA president Richard Grome asked if Cobb DOT had seen a new traffic study, which determined that traffic-stacking wouldn’t be an issue.
The revised site plan calls for right-in, right-out access only on Lower Roswell Road.
That’s also where Cobb DOT is planning a major improvement project.
Grome also wanted to know why the operating hours—initially specified as between 10 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.—weren’t mentioned in the new stipulation letter.
Kevin Moore, attorney for East Cobb Guthries, didn’t specify, but said “it’s not a 24-hour operation.”
The 1,500-square-foot building would have 10 parking spaces, and there will be no inside dining.
During a brief discussion, it was noted that there are several restaurants in the Lower Roswell-Johnson Ferry Road that have widely differing opening hours.
A Zaxby’s at the same intersection is open from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily, and there’s a Waffle Hours that’s open 24 hours and sit-down restaurants with shorter opening hours.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners voted to hold an application for a gas station and convenience store in Northeast Cobb yet again.
A request by Quiktrip to convert a former pharmacy at Canton Road and Jamerson Road from general commercial to neighborhood retail will be scheduled for February (Commissioners do not hear zoning cases in January.).
The applicant revised a site plan to reduce the proposed number of pumps from 16 to 12 and is working through a shared parking agreement with business owners at an adjacent retail center.
But commissioner JoAnn Birrell asked for the delay to locate the pumps closer to Jamerson Road, among other issues.
The Canton Road Neighbors civic group opposed the request, saying there are traffic dangers in that area and that it has a glut of similar gas-convenience stores.
“Gas stations on every corner—that’s America,” Birrell said, acknowledging that “the traffic still has some concerns” and suggested right-in, right-out access only along Canton Road.
Commissioners also voted to delay a major mixed-use proposal along I-575 near Chastain Road.
SDP Acquisitions wants to develop 57 acres for warehouses, townhouses and apartments in a case that’s drawn significant community opposition.
Birrell said she couldn’t support any warehouses (365,000 square feet have been proposed) and wants the developer to revise a site plan with the only planned village community (PVC) category.
Her motion also calls for the applicant to conduct a traffic study, provide landscaping and tree buffers and prohibits any variances.
More than 30 people turned out in opposition, including the Bells Ferry Civic Association, which also expressed concerns about the density of the proposed housing (135 townhomes, 200 senior apartments) and 30,000 square feet of retail space.
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Last Saturday the Atlanta-based professional choral ensemble Coro Vocati performed a Christmas concert at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church.
The nearly 90-minute performance was entitled “The Christmas Story,” and included sacred and secular selections as well as those involving the congregation.
Nearly 300 people turned out for the concert. Coro Vocati was begun 14 years ago by choral conductor and educator Dr. John Dickson, who announced that he would be retiring from the post.
The concert was the first of the 2023-24 season of the St. Catherine’s Concert Series, which offers free concerts to the East Cobb community.
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The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports. They include the subdivision name and high school attendance zone in parenthesis:
Nov. 27
4141 Riverlook Parkway Unit 207, 30067 (Willows by the River, Walton): $307,000
3012 Manning Drive, 30062 (Pope): $545,000
521 Pine Valley Road, 30067 (Atlanta Country Club, Walton): $1.025 million
3736 Baccurate Way, 30062 (Covington Ridge, Pope): $1 million
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Jay Cunningham and Cobb Community Foundation director Shari Martin.
Cobb Community Foundation (CCF) presented Superior Plumbing’s Jay Cunningham with the 2023 James L. Rhoden, Jr. Award for Visionary Philanthropy at the Marquee Monday event hosted by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 11.
The James L. Rhoden, Jr. Award for Visionary Philanthropy was created by the Board of Cobb Community Foundation in conjunction with its 10th anniversary in December 2003, to honor founder, Jim Rhoden. The award is voted on annually by the Board to recognize and honor a Cobb business and community leader who makes significant contributions to our community through gifts of time, talent, and treasure. Nominees are recognized in Cobb County for their commitment to improving the quality of life for Cobb residents and meeting critical needs of the community as demonstrated by their leadership and/or service work.
CCF Board President Kim Gresh was the presenting speaker and praised Cunningham for the many ways that he makes Cobb County better. The father of seven children and a grandfather, it is understood that family is in the forefront of everything he does. Said Gresh, “His business’s logo is hard to miss and can be found all over this county in football stadiums, at the North GA State Fair, the Big Shanty Festival, the Taste of Kennesaw. He serves on the board of trustees for the Wellstar Health System, The Strand Theatre, Must Ministries and many others. He is a Tommy Nobis Center Community Champion and serves on way too many Cobb civic organizations to name.”
Here are just a few examples of ways he invests in Cobb County:
The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Cunningham Family building in Kennesaw
The Superior Plumbing VECTR Center, an academic transition support center for veteran students and their dependents
Superior Pets, an initiative pairing sheltered animals with deserving veterans
Furthermore, he actively urges local businesses to contribute both financially and physically to their communities. In essence, Jay’s dedication to advancing with purpose, challenging conventional thinking, and uplifting those facing obstacles around him is truly praiseworthy. His inclination to participate in discussions that test the boundaries of established thought often leads to rewarding results for many within our community.
We are proud to name Jay Cunningham as this year’s recipient of the James L. Rhoden Visionary Philanthropist award.
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Cobb Board of Education electoral maps before 2021 reapportionment (left) and after (right), with the latter maps having been thrown out in federal court.
The Georgia legislature was ordered on Thursday to draw up new electoral maps for the Cobb Board of Education by mid-January.
A federal judge in Atlanta threw out maps lawmakers approved in 2021 that were submitted by Cobb Republican lawmakers and drawn by a law firm hired by the Cobb County School District.
Those maps pushed Post 6, which had included the Walton and Wheeler high school clusters, out of East Cobb and into the Cumberland-Smyrna-Vinings area.
A group of parents and progressive advocacy groups filed a lawsuit, claiming that the new maps were racially gerrymandered and violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act.
In her ruling granting an injunction to the plaintiffs (you can read the ruling here), U.S. District Court Judge Eleanor Ross concluded that it was “substantially likely” that the 2021 maps would be declared unconstitutional.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by the Southern Poverty Law Center, claims that the redrawn posts 2, 3 and 6—all held by the current Democrats on the school board—diluted minority voting strength.
Posts, 1, 4, 5 and 7—occupied by the Republican majority—had their minority voting percentages reduced curing reapportionment, with all four posts having at least 58 percent white constituencies.
The two posts in East Cobb have the highest percentage of white populations. While Post 5 didn’t change much (going from 66.97 percent to 67.24 percent), the Post 4 difference also was noticeable, rising from 57.24 percent white to 65.56.
David Chastain, one of the four GOP members of the school board, was re-elected to a third term in Post 4 last year.
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs said that the 2021 map “bleaches the population of the northern districts,” a charge the Cobb school district has heatedly denied.
Ross gave the legislature until Jan. 10—two days after the 2024 General Assembly session begins—to draw new maps, which are considered temporary for use in the 2024 elections. The Cobb school district intends to appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking a stay of the judge’s order.
The Cobb school district was denied by Ross to join the lawsuit as a defendant, a decision that also is being appealed.
Ross also gave the plaintiffs and the defendant—the Cobb Board of Elections, which is not defending the current maps—until Jan. 12 to object to the redrawn maps, and Jan. 17 for the parties to respond to the other.
The 2024 Georgia primaries are May 21, with qualifying set for March.
Four of the seven Cobb school board posts are on the ballot in 2024, and three of them currently occupied by Republicans, including David Banks of Post 5 in East Cobb.
He hasn’t said whether he will seek a fifth term next year, but two first-time candidates announced earlier this year: Republican John Cristadoro and Democrat Laura Judge. Both are parents in the Walton cluster.
Post 5 was redrawn in 2021 to include the Walton, Wheeler and Pope clusters, while Post 4 includes the Kell, Sprayberry and Lassiter clusters.
In October, Ben Mathis, the lead attorney for the Cobb school district, accused the elections board of “a total surrender” to what he called “leftist political activists” who wanted to usurp the power of the legislature to redraw the Cobb school board maps.
That and another related message were posted on the Cobb school district website, including a charge from Mathis that the SPLC was trying “to impose their will over the Legislature, the Governor, and the voters of Cobb County.”
In a statement issued Friday through the SPLC, Sofia Fernandez Gold, associate counsel at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under the law, said the order by Ross to redraw the maps “affirms the fundamental right of Black and Latinx voters of Cobb County to fully and fairly participate in the democratic process by having an equal opportunity to elect members of their choice to the Cobb County School Board.”
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A month after the redevelopment of the former Harry’s Farmers Market was vetoed by Marietta Mayor Thunder Tumlin, the City Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a revised version of the plan.
By a 7-0 vote, the council voted to approve a mixed-use plan for nearly 20 acres on Powers Ferry Road at Roswell Road that features apartments, townhomes and retail space on the ground floors of those buildings.
The council voted 6-1 in November to approve plans for 28 townhomes and 236 apartments. But Tumlin—who has vetoed other apartment projects in the city recently, including at the former Kroger site on Delk Road—mixed the measure, saying the balance wasn’t right.
The developer, Westplan Investors of Atlanta, came back with a revised plan to increase the number of townhomes to 39 and keep the same number of apartment units, as well as increase the retail space to nearly 29,000 square feet from around 15,000 square feet
There was little discussion before the vote, and Tumlin didn’t pull out the veto pen.
Westplan touted the mixed-use project as a transformational one for a portion of East Marietta that has not been revitalized in more than 30 years.
Harry’s closed in the fall of 2017, just as Movie Studio Grill was set to open in the same retail center.
Brian Schultz, the theater owner, said at the November council meeting that “this property needs a spark.” He addressed also Tumlin’s reluctance.
“I’m literally imploring you to let us bring this community together. Please don’t stand in the way of progress.”
Westplan originally proposed 300 apartments, but changed those plans after several delays in public hearings.
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Three years after being formed, the Pope High School flag football team has won a state championship.
The Greyhounds scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter Wednesday to take the lead against Allatoona, then held off their Cobb County rivals thanks to a missed extra-point to prevail 14-13 in the Georgia High School Association’s Division 3 title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The margin of difference for Pope (26-2) was a defensive play by Pope’s Sarah Gentry, who broke up an extra-point pass with 20 seconds left to preserve the win.
Riley Bensman, a senior quarterback, threw three touchdown passes for Pope, which defeated Allatoona 40-7 earlier in the season.
The Greyhounds, who are coached by Kevin Fraser, lost only to Milton and Blessed Trinity during the season. Pope avenged the loss to Blessed Trinity with a 7-6 victory the state semifinals.
This is the fourth year the GHSA has had a state championship for girls flag football, and this was the first year the finals were played in conjunction with the boys football title games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Kell and Walton also qualified for the Division 3 state playoffs this season, as did Marietta, Pebblebrook and McEachern.
Other team members for Pope this year included Meryl Palazzo; Abbey Bensman, Kourtney Kalman, Mac Wiley, Kate Davenport, Faith Stokes, Carly Oubs, Alysa Cabrera, Syra Patel, Laila Nixon, Cora Davis, Olivia O’Connor, Julia Acker, Danielle Morgan, Elizabeth Kelly, Giselle Aitken and Lucy Cantando.
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The Walton football team’s dream season ended in heartbreak Wednesday as the Raiders suffered their only loss.
Milton took advantage of four turnovers by Walton in the second half to win the Georgia High School Association’s Class 7A championship game 31-21 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Raiders entered the game at 14-0 and were trying to win their first state title in school history, featuring an offense that averaged nearly 50 points a game during the season.
Walton was held well below its offensive average across the board as star quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski was harassed all evening by an active Milton defensive pash rush.
Walton led 14-7 at halftime, but disaster struck right after the third quarter began.
The Eagles converted a fumble into a field goal and two interceptions into touchdowns on Walton’s first three possessions of the second half.
On the second interception, Ty Redmond returned a Hecklinski pass 58 yards, setting up a touchdown by Milton quarterback Luke Nickel that widened Walton’s deficit to 24-14.
Hecklinski struck back right away, throwing a 43-yard touchdown pass to Cameran Loyd with 7:28 to play in the game.
In the final minute, Raiders defender Oliver Skeean intercepted a pass as Walton set up on its own 1-yard-line. But Milton’s Jacorey Stewart stepped in front of a Walton receiver at the 5-yard-line and picked off Hecklinski again, scoring the final touchdown of the game.
The title was the second for Milton since 2018. Walton, which reached the finals in 2011 before losing to Grayson, is a state runner-up for the second time.
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The Atlanta-based professional singing company Coro Vocati will be performing Saturday at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church.
There are still a few holiday-related events taking place in East Cobb this weekend, largely of the performing arts variety.
On Friday, the East Cobb-based MDE Vocational Academy will be holding its annual Winterfest Market. Students from the special-needs school will be selling their homemade hot chocolate bombs, ornaments, Mason Jar cookie kits, pot holders, and other gift items, and Santa and Mrs. Claus are rumored to be making an appearance.
The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the school (1523 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 200) and admission is free.
On Saturday is the 4th annual Dance Stop Company Holiday Spectacular, featuring performers from the East Cobb-based dance school. Two shows will take place at the Lassiter Concert Hall (2601 Shallowford Road)—at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $15, and Dance Stop students get a free ticket with every single ticket purchase.
On Saturday night, St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church (571 Holt Road) will be the venue for “Christmas with Coro Vocati,” with carols and songs to celebrate the season.
Coro Vocati is an ensemble of professional singers based in Atlanta, and the program includes traditional carols, arrangements by modern composers, and Christmas-themed standards.
The concert begins at 7 p.m. and the public is invited to the free event, a presentation in the 12th Annual Friends of Music series at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church. A reception follows with opportunity to meet the artists.
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!
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“I can’t support a 30-year tax, but it will be up to voters to decide,” commissioner JoAnn Birrell said.
In a partisan vote, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved adding a referendum to the November 2024 general election ballot on whether to collect a 30-year sales tax for a major development of the county’s transit system.
Commissioners also approved a project list for the referendum that in East Cobb would include the reinstatements of bus routes running along Roswell Road and connecting to the Dunwoody MARTA station, and a new transit station in the Roswell-Johnson Ferry area.
The Cobb Mobility Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax, if approved by voters, would collect a one-percent tax for an estimated $10.8 billion, financing the creation of several high-occupancy bus routes, the construction of transit centers and expanding microtransit, paratransit and other transit options around the county.
Cobb collects a SPLOST for overall county projects, and the Cobb County School District also has its own SPLOST for school construction, maintenance and technology projects.
But Cobb DOT officials have been planning for a possible transit referendum for several years, with Atlanta Regional Commission projections that the county’s population will near a million people by 2050.
The board’s three Democrats voted in favor of having the referendum, while Republican commissioners were opposed.
The items on the project list would add 106 miles of bus and transit routes to the existing CobbLinc service, which has only one route in the East Cobb area, along Powers Ferry Road.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb said the length of the proposed tax is far too long, and consists only of transit projects.
“In the past I’ve always supported our county SPLOST going to a referendum, but the maximum they were was six years,” she said. “But they had not only transportation, but libraries, parks, public safety and other departments.
“I can’t support a 30-year tax but it will be up to voters to decide and that’s the bottom line.”
Commissioner Monique Sheffield of South Cobb, who grew up in Brooklyn, said she might not have had the educational opportunities she had without being able to ride the subway in New York City, and that many young Cobb citizens are facing similar obstacles.
“The generations are getting younger, things are changing,” she said. “I look forward to see how this plays out in the community.”
Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said that “we have moment of transformation before us today.”
She compared the chance to vastly expand transit options to the 2013 vote by commissioners to enter into a 30-year memorandum of understanding with the Atlanta Braves to build a baseball stadium, and the county’s buildout of sewer systems in the 1980s.
“I’m sure there were reasonable voices of concern about those times, but there are reasonable considerations of why now,” said Cupid, who was the only commissioner to vote against the Braves stadium deal.
“This is a board of action, this is a board that wants to get this done,” she said. “I’ve seen moments of opportunity come and go.”
Cobb voters rejected a referendum in 1971 to join the then-now Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. In 1989 the county created Cobb Community Transit (now called CobbLinc) to provide a limited amount of transit services, including express buses serving commuters in downtown Atlanta.
She said Cobb has had “consideration of a robust investment in transit for almost 50 years now. . . . and we’re at a key time to offer commensurate options for our community.”
Commissioners voted along the same 3-2 split to approve spending $187,000 for an education campaign to take place in 2024 ahead of the referendum.
That effort, which includes a combined donation of $100,000 from the Town Center and Cumberland Community Improvement Districts, will include town hall meetings and other information presented to citizens.
After the vote, citizens spoke on the issue in public comment sessions.
Kevin Cutliff of East Cobb, a 21-year-old who supports the transit tax, said many in his generation are struggling to afford cars to get around.
He uses a combination of an electric bike and CobbLinc, but said he doesn’t feel safe with the former and feels “disconnected” with the latter, saying the current system has very limited access to the rest of metro Atlanta.
“This transit referendum hopefully will change that going forward,” Cutcliff said. “When voters use transit, this affects all of us, when all of it is connected.”
But Cobb resident Tracy Stevenson said the overall cost of the Mobility SPLOST—nearly $11 billion—”is a buttload of money.
“Do we need to overhaul the system? Probably? Do we need to have compassion for people? Absolutely. Are there are better ways to do it that use a 30-year technology to move forward. We put rosy new names on things, but it’s still a bus system.
“If we can manage the system better than we have now then why don’t we?”
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