East Cobb News

Tritt ES staff member hospitalized after HVAC fire at school

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Tritt Elementary School in East Cobb was evacuated early Wednesday after a fire broke out in an HVAC unit, according to the Cobb County School District.Tritt ES fire

The district said that students weren’t in the school building (4355 Post Oak Tritt Road) and everyone is safe after Cobb Fire units responded.

Cobb Fire said the fire is considered minor but an adult inside the building was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and no firefighters were injured.

Chris Smith, the Cobb Fire public information officer, said a call reporting smoke at the school was received shortly after 7 a.m. and units arrived at 7:12 a.m. to find smoke coming from a wall HVAC unit at the front of the school building and in a hallway.

He said the fire was contained by 7:16 a.m. and crews then used pressurized ventilation fans to remove smoke from hallways.

Fire units left the scene by 8:15 a.m., Smith said.

“We are currently assessing the building and any necessary changes to the schedule,” the Cobb school district said in a statement.

School buses were diverted to Hightower Trail Middle School, where Tritt classes are being conducted Wednesday, according to a district spokeswoman.

She said classes are expected to resume at Tritt on Thursday.

The person taken to a hospital was identified as a staff member, not a teacher or a student, “and is recovering well without significant injuries,” the spokeswoman said.

Joe Ovbey, who has two children who attend Tritt, told East Cobb News he tried to drop them off at 7:15 a.m. but was turned away.

He said he brought his children home as buses were taking students to Hightower Trail.

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Cobb commissioners feud over resolving electoral map dispute

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Cobb commissioners feud over resolving electoral map dispute
Cobb commissioner Monique Sheffield—second from right—said that “we have become nothing more than political Bloods and Crips. . . . No offense to the Crips and Bloods.”

Instead of hammering out the beginning steps toward resolving a long, bitter dispute over electoral maps, Cobb commissioners on Monday launched into some of their harshest rhetoric yet on the matter.

During a work session to go over Tuesday’s meeting agenda, the partisan—and even racial—divides that have marked the saga boiled over more than they ever have.

The county opted last week to accept a Cobb Superior Court judge’s ruling that “home rule” maps adopted in late 2022 by the commission’s Democratic majority violated the Georgia Constitution.

As a result, the Cobb County Attorney’s Office proposed a resolution to adopt legislative-approved commission maps and give legal notice to vacate the District 2 seat—which had included some of East Cobb—due to residency issues.

That resolution is supposed to be on Tuesday night’s meeting agenda, but the work session Monday left that in doubt.

(You can watch the full discussion of the home rule issue in the video below.)

A notice to vacate, if approved, could mean that Democratic incumbent Jerica Richardson—who did not seek re-election—may have to leave office before her term expires at the end of December.

But Comissioner JoAnn Birrell of East Cobb—one of two Republicans on the board—wanted her colleagues to repeal the “home rule” maps before doing anything else.

They were approved by the Democrats, claiming “home rule” exceptions under state law, after Richardson was drawn out of her East Cobb home. The Republican-led legislature did not consider maps approved by the county’s Democratic-majority legislative delegation that kept Richardson in District 2.

But in late July, Judge Kellie Hill said the Cobb’s action was unconstitutional because only the legislature can conduct county reapportionment. She also ordered special elections for next year to redo the results of primaries in District 2 and District 4 that were conducted with the “home rule” maps.

Birrell’s request to repeal those maps was opposed by Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, who said that action was not on the agenda and hadn’t previously been discussed in work sessions.

“Until [the home rule maps are] repealed, we can’t move forward with any notice” regarding the vacancy, insisted Birrell, who reiterated a desire for outside counsel.

She and fellow Republican commissioner Keli Gambrill questioned the advice commissioners were getting from their in-house legal counsel.

Gambrill said she noticed that during an executive session on the issue, the county attorney’s staff kept separate sets of notes, with two in red (indicating the two Republican commissioners) and three others in blue (noting the Democrats).

“This is strictly political at this point,” Gambrill said. “Is our counsel going by the law or going by the majority?”

She and Cupid began raising their voices over one another, then Gambrill took aim at Richardson, who said she would recuse herself from a vote, saying “this item is being sent directly to me . . . I’m leaving my future up the four of you.”

Richardson said a vote to repeal the maps would be a home rule act that has been ruled unconstitutional and that “you can’t have it both ways.”

Monique Sheffield, a first-term Democrat from District 4 in South Cobb, blamed Republican lawmakers for bypassing local delegation courtesies during reapportionment in 2022.

“This is very political and it started at the statehouse when Commissioner Richardson was drawn out of her district,” Sheffield said.

“What’s happening in Cobb County is what’s happening nationally. People are dug in on their side, regardless of what is right.

“We have become nothing more than political Bloods and Crips,” she added, making a reference to criminal gang rivals. “No offense to the Crips and Bloods.”

That remark drew some chuckles, but the nearly 40-minute discussion was far from a laughing matter.

Sheffield took a bleaker turn, saying Richardson had received “nasty and disgusting” text messages that “takes me back to a time where people were not welcome in this country. People are still not welcome.

“When you have a young commissioner who decides to move in an area still within her district and she’s drawn out, but when she’s told she should move to an urban area, and that someone wants to ‘protect’ their community, that may not resonate to some of you but that resonates to me.”

When a spectator objected to that comment, Cupid said “you can get up and leave.”

Sheffield said that if Richardson were a Republican, “would we see all of this here? I don’t think we would.”

Richardson didn’t say anything in response to Sheffield’s comments.

The last two years, commissioners have heard “we want her out of her seat. We want blood, we want blood,” Sheffield continued, pounding her fists on the table.

At that point, Birrell interjected: “I didn’t say that.”

Sitting just a couple of feet away, Sheffield turned to her and said: “I didn’t say that you did. . . . This is an indictment on whoever feels that way.”

Later, Birrell said that her request to repeal the “home rule” maps isn’t about any of that.

“This is following the law and upholding the Constitution of the United States, the state of Georgia and Cobb County,” she said.

“The only way to settle this once and for all” is to publish public notices like were done with the “home rule” map approval process with two public meetings before voting to repeal them.

“We need to repeal it once and for all.”

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Cobb Chamber of Commerce names 2026 board chairwoman

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Submitted information and photo:

Cobb Chamber of Commerce names 2026 board chairwoman
Melissa Cantrell

The Cobb Chamber’s Board of Directors have named Melissa Cantrell, President and CEO of CDH Partners, as its 2026 Chairwoman of the Board.

Cantrell will succeed Chris Britton, Regional President of Brasfield & Gorrie, who begins his term as Chairman of the Board in 2025. Cantrell will start her term in January 2026 as Board Chairwoman and will serve as Board Chair Elect in 2025.

“It is an honor to be entrusted to serve as the 2026 Board Chairwoman. My passion for serving our business community and helping them achieve their goals has been fueled by the mission of the Chamber. By building the foundations of our community with a prioritization on the needs of our businesses, we’re laying the groundwork for a more vibrant and sustainable future,” said Melissa Cantrell. “I am proud to contribute to the Chamber’s vision to create a future for Cobb that makes Cobb County a dynamic place to live, work, and play!”

Cantrell is a long-time investor in the Cobb Chamber and its economic development strategy, SelectCobb. She has served on the Cobb Chamber Board of Directors and SelectCobb Board of Directors since 2015. Her most recent role has been the 2024 Member and Community Programs Chair on the Cobb Chamber’s Executive Committee. Cantrell also served as a judge for the Cobb Chamber’s 2024 Small Business of the Year award. Cantrell and her team at CDH Partners were named the 2023 Small Business of the Year.

Cantrell has also served on many Cobb Chamber committees, including the building transition taskforce, Leadership Cobb Selection Committee, Leadership Cobb Education/Workforce Day, Armed Services Program Day, and as a Marietta Area Council Director. She is a graduate of the 2014 Leadership Cobb class and an active member of the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association. She is a current class member of the Honorary Commanders program.

As President and CEO of CDH Partners, Cantrell leads the firm’s operations, plans and strategies, resourcing, employee growth, and budgets. She is also the principal of CDH Partners’ education studio, where she delivers innovative architectural design and master planning to public and private education clients.

Cantrell is a member of several industry organizations, including the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Learning Environments, the United States Green Building Council, the Georgia Association of Physical Plant Administrators, and the Georgia Board of Architects and Interior Designers. She shares her expertise with several community organizations, such as the Kennesaw State University College of Architecture Advisory Council, the Marietta High School Architecture Program Advisory Council, and the One Cumberland Board of Directors. Cantrell is also currently serving on the Cobb Chamber’s taskforce for the county’s Unified Development Code project.

“Melissa Cantrell is a remarkable leader with a proven track record of excellence and innovation. Her extensive experience as President and CEO of CDH Partners, coupled with her deep commitment to our community and chamber, makes her an ideal choice to chair the Cobb Chamber Board of Directors in 2026,” said Sharon Mason, President and CEO of the Cobb Chamber. “Melissa’s vision, strategic thinking, and ability to bring people together will be invaluable as we continue to advance our mission. I couldn’t be more excited to have her at the helm, and I look forward to the incredible impact she’ll make in this role.”

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, Aug. 5-9, 2024

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Oak Creek Estates, East Cobb real estate sales
Oak Creek Estates

The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports and Cobb County property records.

They include the street address, subdivision name and sales price listed under their respective high school attendance zones:

Kell

 None.

Lassiter

3960 Regas Drive, 30066 (Shaw Ridge): $845,000

4530 High Rock Terrace, 30066 (Highland Pointe): $655,000

3887 Timber Hollow Way, 30062 (The Glens): $510,500

4892 Raven Way, 30066 (Falcon Crest): $405,000

2240 Provence Court, 30066 (North Landing): $350,000

3573 Steinhauer Drive, 30066 (Shallowford-Trickum Crossroads): $417,000

4949 Hawk Court, 30066 (Falcon Crest): $450,000

Pope

1801 Wicks Valley Drive, 30062 (Wicks Lake): $555,000

2076 Wyeth Walk, 30062 (Chadds Walk): $955,000

3351 Winter Wood Court, 30062 (Country Crossing): $540,000

4806 Converse Court, 30062 (Chadds Walk): $680,000

3573 Davis Road, 30062 (Winter Chase): $950,000

Sprayberry

1467 Dylan Chase, 30066 (Dylans Glen): $735,000

3952 Fairington Drive, 30066 (Lo0kout Point): $325,o00

152 Kendrick Farm Lane, 30066 (Village at Kendrick Farm): $425,000

1968 Starlight Drive, 30062 (Sandy Plains Estates): $935,000

2563 Saddletree Way, 30062 (Vermilion): $550,000

3021 Tina Lane, 30066 (Russell Plantation Estates): $370,000

2559 Kingswood Drive, 30066 (Kings Wood Estates): $515,000

2431 Hidden Hills Drive, 30062 (Hidden Hills): $515,000

3142 Oak Springs C0urt, 30066 (Oak Creek Estates): $605,000

Walton

4415 Blackland Drive, 30067 (Sanders Field Estates): $2.9 million

1027 Dogwood Forest Drive, 30068 (Mitsy Forest): $585,000

294 Powers Place, 30067 (Powers Place): $795,000

5040 Lake Fjord Pass, 30068 (Lake Fjord): $545,000

4835 Mulberry Drive, 30068 (Wyngrove): $1.3 million

1236 Partridge Way, 30062 (Providence Corners): $658,000

1513 Waynesborough C0urt, 30062 (Penhurst): $980,000

4723 Ponte Vedra Drive, 30067 (The Columns): $1.5 million

Wheeler

3190 West Somerset Court, 30067 (Somerset): $728,000

2882 Pine Grove Court, 30067 (Grovemeade): $507,000

2615 Sunny Lane, 30067 (Red Oak Park): $412,500

199 Lamplighter Lane, 30067 (Fox Hills): $585,000

200 Lamplighter Lane, 30067 (Fox Hills): $615,000

12 Ancient Oak Court, 30067 (Ancient Oak Court): $639,000

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Friends for the East Cobb Park announces fall event schedule

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East Cobb first day of autumn

Concerts, garden activities and the annual lighting of the Christmas tree make up fall 2024 events at East Cobb Park.

The non-profit volunteer organization Friends for the East Cobb Park this week announced a variety of free activities that are open to the public, starting this coming Tuesday, Aug. 27.

That’s a workday for a new special garden planned by the East Cobb Garden Club, a part of the Friends organization.

Tuesday’s event begins bright and early at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, followed by a garden club meeting and workday on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 9 a.m. (see full fall schedule below).

What’s being called “Sunny’s Butterly Garden” is named in honor of the late Sunny Walker, a key figure in the creation of East Cobb Park (our story from April).

It will be an all-season garden featuring more than two dozen types of flowers, covering several hundred square feet. The garden is being designed by Lyn Cohen, head of the East Cobb Park Garden Club, who’s a professional landscape architect.

To be planted include redbuds, Black-Eyed Susans, daffodils, hydrangeas and other varietals.

The Music in the Park concert series returns with two dates in September and two more in October, along with a family movie screening in October.

As fall turns to winter, the park once again will stage the Holiday Lights tradition on Dec. 8, including a visit from Santa Claus, plenty of festive music of the season and refreshments.

For more about Friends for the East Cobb Park-sponsored events, click here.

Cobb PARKS handles reservations for picnic pavilions at East Cobb Park. You can do that by clicking here, or by contactingSheila Kracalaat (770) 591-3160 or email her directly Sheila.kracala@cobbcounty.org.

 

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Cobb teachers train on virtual STEM ‘Prisms’ tool at Wheeler

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Cobb teachers train on math-science 'PRISM' tool at Wheeler
CCSD photo

Some Cobb County School District teachers took part in a special training session at Wheeler High School on Monday on a staff development day to learn about a virtual reality tool for mathematics and science.

The Prism VR headsets were given to more than 300 teachers to illustrate their potential for solving real-world problems in the STEM fields (here are a few examples).

Prisms VR was founded in 2020, by Anurupa Ganguly, an MIT engineer turned educator, who recently briefed the Cobb Board of Education on the concept. She received a National Science Foundation grant to put together a concept geared toward middle- and high school algebra students in particular.

Ganguly found that traditional STEM instruction “over-indexed on abstract representations while neglecting the other ways through which we express our thinking beyond text and symbolic notation.”

Her goal, she pointed out, was to create a learning system in which “every individual, regardless of their past experiences, would have the tools and resources to change their circumstances, fall in love with great problems, and create lives of mind to solve them.”

The Cobb school district in April expanded the use of Prisms VR to 20 schools, including Daniell, Hightower Trail and Simpson middle schools and Pope and Sprayberry high schools.

Among the Cobb teachers taking the training is Ashley Kaplan of Hightower Trail Middle School.

“The kids are going to love this. The fact they do the VR now, at home all the time with their friends and incorporating this in the classroom, this is very, very cool to bring their interest into the classroom,” Kaplan said in a release issued by the Cobb school district.

“With mobile VR/AR, the math and science classroom is no longer a sterile, word problem on a screen, piece of paper, or a video with penguins and sharks,” Ganguly said.

“Our message to students: Your job in school is to fall in love with great problems and discover frameworks of thought to solve them. Not to memorize other’s creations, only.”

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Cobb may consider vacating District 2 commission seat

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Cobb County will no longer challenge commission electoral maps that have been at the heart of a nearly two-year-long legal dispute.

Richardson advocacy group to hold redistricting event
Jerica Richardson

But that doesn’t mean that the chaos and confusion that’s accompanied that saga is over.

Commissioners will be asked to consider on Tuesday an agenda item that “acknowledges a finding” that “home rule maps” approved by the commission’s three Democrats in 2022 be dropped in favor of legislative-approved maps that drew District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson out of her seat.

That’s after a Cobb Superior Court judge declared the “home rule” maps a violation of the Georgia Constitution, since only the Georgia legislature can conduct county reapportionment.

Judge Kellie Hill then ordered special elections for the District 2 and District 4 commission primaries in which the home rule maps were used.

Those elections may not be decided until June of 2025. The earliest they would be finalized would be next April, according to schedules approved last week by the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration.

According to a state law cited in an agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting, should the commissioners adopt the legislative maps, Richardson would no longer be a legal resident of District 2, and that office must be vacated.

The agenda item calls for approving “notice to the sitting District 2 Commissioner that the office is deemed vacant” and states that the county must give 10 days’ notice “before proceeding to fill the vacancy.”

The agenda item (you can read it here) doesn’t indicate how that vacancy might be filled, or even if it will.

In response to a request for clarification from East Cobb News, Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said that providing a notice to vacate the District 2 office came from the Cobb County Attorney’s Office, citing State Code of Georgia provisions for filling vacancies in local elected offices.

When asked what such a process might entail for vacating the District 2 seat, Cavitt said that “there will be more discussion on this Monday.”

That’s when commissioners will meet in a work session to go over Tuesday’s agenda items.

Richardson is a first-term Democrat who moved from the Delk Road area to a home off Post Oak Tritt Road shortly after her election in 2020. That’s when District 2 included a sizable portion of East Cobb.

In 2022, however, the Georgia legislature ignored maps drawn by the Cobb delegation that would have kept Richardson in District 2. Instead, lawmakers approved maps that put most of East Cobb, including her home, in District 3, represented by Republican JoAnn Birrell.

District 2 includes most of the Cumberland-Smyrna-Vinings area, as well as the I-75 corridor north to Marietta and the Town Center area.

Richardson, Chairwoman Lisa Cupid and District 4 Commissioner Monique Sheffield—the board’s Democratic majority—voted to approve the Cobb delegation maps, claiming home rule authority.

Richardson’s term was to expire at the end of this year, but as the dispute dragged on, she decided not to seek re-election, and instead ran unsuccessfully for Congress in May.

East Cobb News has left a message with Richardson seeking comment on the possibility of having to vacate her seat. If she is forced to do so, she could have that notice reviewed in Cobb Superior Court.

The county complained that Hill’s ruling to order special elections would be costly to county taxpayers and that the possibility existed of having a three-member board, instead of the full complement of five elected commissioners.

Hill said that nothing in her order calling for special elections implied that there would vacancies, indicating that Richardson and Sheffield could continue serving until the special elections are held.

Birrell and Republican Commissioner Keli Gambrill have said the same thing for several months.

In her July 25 decision, Hill ruled on an appeal by a Republican candidate, Alicia Adams, who had been disqualified for the District 2 primary under the home rule maps, which the Cobb elections board was following.

Adams lives within those boundaries under the legislative maps, but East Cobb resident Mindy Seger, a Democratic activist and ally of Richardson, challenged her qualification under the home rule maps.

The commission meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).

The full agenda can be found by clicking here.

You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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11th District, Cobb Democrats take in party convention

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11th District, Cobb Democrats take in party convention
From left, Cobb County Democratic Committee Treasurer Sharon Marshall and 11th District delegates Tim Bailey, CCDC Second Vice Chair Erika Bailey, Jim Evangelista and Katherine Underwood at a Sunday welcome party in Chicago. Photos courtesy CCDC.

Members of the Cobb County Democratic Committee, including representatives of the 11th Congressional District that covers East Cobb, are in attendance this week in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention.

They include second vice-chair Erika Bailey, who said in a CDCC release that “the energy is unbelievable” and that “I will never forget this experience.”

Marshall, who along with Vice President Kamala Harris is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, has made it a point to meet as many other delegates as possible.

Treasurer Sharon Marshall met with U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock at a Georgia delegation breakfast. “He told us, ‘Infrastructure is spiritual. We are the country that built the interstate highway. We have to work together.’ ”

On Tuesday, the Georgia delegation cast its votes for the ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, following a memorable introduction by Atlanta rapper Lil Jon.

Marshall is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the same sorority that Harris belonged to during her college days. On Thursday night, Harris will accept the Democratic nomination for president, following President Joe Biden’s decision last month not to seek re-electdion.

“Nominating Kamala Harris as the first black woman and first Asian American nominee for president is an honor I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” Marshall said. “Our state is showing up and showing out at the DNC. I have never been prouder to be from Georgia!”

Cobb Democrats and the Young Democrats of Cobb will be hosting a watch party Thursday from 7-11 p.m. Details and required pre-registration can be found at this link.

11th District, Cobb Democrats take in party convention
Sharon Marshall (right), CCDC treasurer, stands with media personality Star Jones (left) at the 2024 DNC. Both are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the same sorority as Vice President Kamala Harris.
11th District, Cobb Democrats take in party convention
From left to right, CCDC Second Vice Chair Erika Bailey stands with Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock and husband Tim Bailey at the Georgia Delegation breakfast.

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Cobb judge upholds decision to call for special elections

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In what appears to be the end of the road in a long, drawn-out dispute over Cobb Commission electoral maps, a Superior Court judge Tuesday denied the county government’s last-ditch attempt to intervene in a case that’s resulted in special elections for two of the four district commission seats.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said Wednesday that Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid “will propose an agenda item for commissioners at Tuesday’s BOC [meeting] to accept the ruling and move forward in good faith.”

Cobb judge upholds decision to call for special elections
Cobb Superior Court Judge Kellie Hill

Judge Kellie Hill affirmed her ruling from July that the “home rule” maps the county has been using since October 2022 are unconstitutional and that the May primary elections using them must be vacated.

That was after a Republican candidate for Cobb Commission District 2 was disqualified for not living within the map boundaries the county was observing.

In her order, Hill called for special elections using maps approved by the Georgia legislature in 2022, saying Adams lives within the District 2 boundaries in those maps.

The special elections would be scheduled for early next year, according to actions taken last week by the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration.

During a hearing Tuesday, the county argued that special elections would cost Cobb taxpayers—perhaps hundreds of thousand of dollars—and that the five-member commission could be reduced to three by January 2025.

That’s when the terms of current District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson and present District 4 Commissioner Monique Sheffield expire.

But in upholding her ruling—and a point the Cobb elections board also made in its brief—Hill said the commissioners—specifically, the three Democrats in the majority who voted for the home rule maps—acted to disenfranchise voters with an improper, unconstitutional map.

She said that nothing in her order calling for special elections implied that there would be a three-person board, clarifying that Richardson and Sheffield could continue serving until the special elections are held.

The Georgia Constitution mandates that the legislature conduct county reapportionment. The “home rule” challenge was a bid to keep Richardson in her seat, after the General Assembly drew her out of her East Cobb home.

Adams filed her complaint against the Cobb elections board, which was observing the “home rule” maps. The county was not a party to that complaint, and its emergency motion to intervene—four months after the fact—was denounced by the elections board and Adams’ attorney.

It’s also not clear when the legislative maps would start to be used by the county. The “home rule” maps included areas of East Cobb in District 2.

In the legislative maps, most of East Cobb is included in District 3, represented by Republican JoAnn Birrell, who was re-elected with those maps in 2022.

Richardson, a Democrat who barely won the District 2 race in 2020 to succeed retiring Republican Commissioner Bob Ott, is not seeking a second term.

She ran for 6th District Congress and was routed in the primary by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath.

The District 2 Democratic primary was won by former Cobb Board of Education member Jaha Howard in a runoff.

Sheffield easily won the Democratic primary in District 4 and was facing no Republican opposition in the general election.

The Cobb elections board last week set two sets of dates to re-do the primaries: from Feb. 11 to April 29 if there are general election runoffs in November; or from March 18-June 17 if there are not runoffs.

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East Cobb Whataburger plans, baseball fields approved

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East Cobb O'Charley's restaurant closes

After several months of delays, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved site plan changes at a vacated restaurant in East Cobb for a Whataburger location.

The board voted 4-0 to approve changes that would allow Whataburger to convert the former O’Charley’s site on Sandy Plains Road at Shallowford Road into a 7,000-square-foot fast-food restaurant with drive-through service.

Stipulations approved for the O’Charley’s rezoning in 1999 included restrictions against those uses.

“Since that time, the world has become a different place,” said Kevin Moore, an attorney for Whataburger, explaining a built-up corridor with several commercial and retail complexes.

O’Charley’s closed last year on former Gordy Family land that is subject to an architectural control committee, which has been working on landscaping details that will have to come back to commissioners.

“Instead of a dark O’Charley’s, we have a brand new Whataburger.”

On the consent agenda, the board also approved a special-land-use permit for a baseball complex on 12 vacant acres on Jamerson Road, between Lake Drive and Lee Waters Road near Kell High School.

It’s located adjacent to the East Cobb Baseball complex and will have a 5,000-square-foot barndominium, a 14,400-square-foot batting cage facility, a 600-square-foot concessions building, and two baseball fields (agenda item here).

The hours will be from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily for the baseball fields and concessions, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for the batting cage facility, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily for the barndominium. A total of 173 parking spaces would be built at the complex.

The land has been zoned residential and includes a small lake along Lake Drive. The applicant, Blake Bondurant, has been a coach at East Cobb Baseball, a youth travel baseball organization.

In a 3-1 vote, a two-acre low-density residential lot near Atlanta Country Club was rezoned to a medium-density zoning category to split the parcel into two for the construction of a home.

Murray Gray sought rezoning from R-80 to R-40 for another home adjacent to an existing residence on the east side of Atlanta Country Club Drive and the south side of Paper Mill Road (case filing here).

He’s the owner of the existing home at 101 Atlanta Country Club Drive; the second lot would front Paper Mill Road.

While Commissioner Jerica Richardson made a motion to approve the request, Commissioner JoAnn Birell was opposed due to a nearby resident in opposition.

Commissioners voted to continue another East Cobb application until September.

Naushad Ahmed is seeking reduction of of required public road frontage at the western end of Hembree Drive from 75 feet to 28 feet for a residential development.

Ahmed, who occupies a home there on 1.41 acres, wants to divide the parcel into two two lots to build another home zoned at R-30. The staff analysis states that the back lot has only 28 feet of frontage and needs the reduction in order to meet zoning requirements.

The continuance is needed due to insufficient public notice, and six people turned out in opposition Tuesday (case file here).

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2024 Cobb Foodie Week includes several East Cobb restaurants

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Several restaurants in East Cobb will be offering specials as part of Cobb Travel and Tourism’s Cobb Foodie Week promotion.East Cobb Taqueria Tsunami restaurant

The promos run from Sept. 7-14, and include discounts and free menu items as well as prix fixe tastings.

More than 50 restaurants are taking part, including the following in East Cobb:

  • Camps Kitchen & Bar
  • Green Coyote Cantina
  • IHOP Marietta
  • Marlow’s Tavern East Cobb
  • Marlow’s Tavern Sandy Plains
  • Seed Kitchen & Bar
  • Taqueria Tsunami East Cobb
  • Tin Lizzy’s Cantina Avenue East Cobb

For more information about each restaurant’s specials and to sign up for discounts online, click here.

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Absentee ballot request period for Cobb/Ga. voters underway

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Absentee ballot request period for Cobb/Ga. voters underway

Registered voters in Cobb County and Georgia who wish to vote absentee by mail for the Nov. 5 general election have until Oct. 25 to request their ballots.

According to Georgia law, you don’t have to have a reason for requesting an absentee ballot but can do so only between 78 and 11 calendar days before an election.

(You can download an application by clicking here.)

Applicants must sign a signature physically—not electronically—and provide their date of birth and other voter identification information on the ballot.

Friends, family members or other individuals assisting an individual with an absentee ballot request may do so, and are required to provide a signature on the application. The ballot will be mailed to the voter.

Applications can be sent via the following methods:

  • E-mail: Absentee@cobbcounty.org
  • Fax:  770-528-2458
  • Mail: Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration
    P.O. Box 649
    Marietta, GA 30061-0649
  • In-Person: Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration Office
    995 Roswell St. NE
    Marietta, GA 30060

All absentee ballot applications will be reviewed by the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration. Once you receive an absentee ballot, you must fill it out and return it before the polls close on election day.

Cobb Elections has more details on options around absentee voting.

Here’s more general information about absentee voting from the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, July 29-Aug. 2, 2024

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Old Paper Mill, East Cobb real estate sales
Old Paper Mill

The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports and Cobb County property records.

They include the street address, subdivision name and sales price listed under their respective high school attendance zones:

Kell

4375 South Landing Trail, 30066 (North Landing): $466,800

Lassiter

5041 Canopy Drive, 30066 (Tanglewood North): $1.15 million

3551 Woodshire Trail, 30066 (Northampton): $875,000

2139 Clementine Drive, 3o066 (Churchill Falls): $495,000

4399 Wood Creek Drive, 30062 (Raintree Forest): $700,000

3025 Oaktree Landing, 30066 (Windsor Oaks): $1.09 million

3241 Winterberry Circle, 30062 (Whitfield): $560,000

2361 Netherstone Drive, 30066 (Waterford): $632,000

4227 Arbor Club Drive, 30066 (Arbor Bridge): $540,000

4329 Dover Crossing Drive, 30066 (Dover Crossing): $675,000

4245 Highborne Drive, 30066 (Highland Pointe): $560,000

Pope

2311 Woods Field Lane, 30062 (Heatherleigh Woods): $953,200

2264 Brownlee Drive, 30062 (Brownstone): $600,000

2697 Tritt Springs Trace, 30062 (Post Oak Springs): $485,000

2991 Byrons Green Court, 30062 (Byrons Pond): $1.16 million

2562 Chimney Springs Drive, 30062 (Chimney Springs): $840,000

3290 Carriage Way, 30062 (Mar-Lanta): $490,000

3257 Hickory Bluff Drive, 30062 (Hickory Bluff): $502,500

2268 Fox Hound Parkway, 30062 (Fox Run): $595,000

2710 Twin Creek Court, 30062 (Post Oak Springs): $524,900

Sprayberry

2704 Stillwater Lake Lane, 30066 (Stillwater Lake): $567,000

1517 Wood Valley Drive, 30066 (Oak Creek Estates): $465,000

4099 Christacy Way, 30066 (Thornbrook): $495,000

1551 Blackjack Drive, 30062 (Blackjack Hills): $550,000

2527 Waterstone Way, 30062 (Autumn Lake): $413,000

2660 Shaw Road, 30066 (Pine Valley Farms): $377,000

2558 Cajun Drive, 30066 (Maner): $400,000

1603 Sprayberry Drive, 30066 (Sprayberry Heights): $505,000

142 Bluffington Way, 30066 (Old Bells Ferry, Sprayberry): $399,875

2974 Sloans Way, 30062 (Christophers Corner): $320,000

Walton

1210 Windsor Estates Drive, 30062 (Windsor Estates): $1.65 million

3010 Royal Oak Drive, 30068: $1.85 million

2117 Kinsmon Drive, 30062 (East Hampton): $1.14 million

4972 Kentwood Drive, 30068 (Cobblestone Manor): $1.415 million

4961 Secluded Pines Drive, 30068 (Rose Oak): $800,000

1280 Adams Oaks Landing, 30062 (Enclave at Adams Oaks): $1.28 million

4425 Cove Island Drive, 30067 (Kings Cove: $568,000

3651 Clubwood Trail, 30068 (Indian Hills): $675,000

895 Banford Court, 30068 (Hampton Woods): $1 million

3537 Princeton Corners Lane, 30062 (Princeton Corners): $785,000

817 Muirfield Trail, 30068 (Pinecrest): $785,000

1296 Hilton Drive, 30062 (Sewell Springs): $390,000

4679 Oberlin Way, 30068 (Princeton Lake): $775,000

Wheeler

3305 Sulky Circle, 30067 (Ward Meade Farm): $1.15 million

734 Huntington Place, 30067 (Stratford): $530,000

289 Grand Manor Drive, 30068 (Grand Manor): $600,000

2918 Gant Quarters Drive, 30068 (Gant Quarters): 4815,000

762 Old Paper Mill Drive, 30067 (Old Paper Mill): $680,000

748 Sharp Mountain Creek, 30067 (Sibley Forest): $1.215 million

644 Inglis Drive, 30067 (Dogwood Park): $530,000

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Here’s what you didn’t hear about Cobb school book removals

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Here's what you didn't hear about Cobb school book removals
JoEllen Smith

If you were watching the Cobb Board of Education meeting Thursday night, on two occasions the livestream was paused.

That’s because public commenters were reading from sexually explicit books the Cobb County School District has pulled from library shelves.

Earlier on Thursday, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced 13 more removals, following seven books that have been pulled in the last school year, due to graphic and obscene content he said are not age-appropriate for minors.

For the last year, some parents have blasted Ragsdale for “banning” books they allege have more to do with minority and LGBTQ students than adult content, and discourage students from embracing a culture of reading.

Recently, other parents and citizens have begun to respond to those charges, and in explicit fashion to match the content at hand.

One of them is East Cobb resident JoEllen Smith, who went up to the dais and handed out a copy of her remarks, topped by a photocopy of a graphic scene from one of the books, “Gender Queer,” depicting two boys engaging in oral sex.

She started her remarks by saying that “the Democratic candidates running for school board are saying the superintendent is banning books. Not true. The books they’re fighting for are kiddie porn, and probably illegal if owned by an adult.

“Here’s from a book that normalizes pedophilia and and incest. A 12-year-old girl has a baby by her father. Here’s the quote.”

At that point, Cobb school board attorney Suzann Wilcox said she could not let those sequences be aired due to federal regulations that “prohibit certain language and material from being broadcast.”

The district livestreams public meetings on its website, and they are shown on two cable systems—Comcast and Charter.

Wilcox said “we’re not going to stop you from reading, but . . . I’m going to give our technical team a moment to adjust and then you can resume.”

While those in attendance in the board meeting room heard the explicit language, here’s what viewers saw, with no audio, for a few moments:

Here's what you didn't hear about Cobb school book removals

East Cobb News has obtained a copy of the text and the graphic that Smith, a local Republican activist, gave to board members.

Smith’s verbal remarks are from other books that have been removed in Cobb.

While we are not subject to such regulations, we are not reproducing them fully in this post but linking to them here and here, so discretion is advised if you are interested in what was said.

When the livestream resumed, Smith concluded her remarks by saying that “there are hundreds of pro-LBGT books that don’t include kiddie porn. And it’s unfairly conflating homosexuality to pedophilia which is stigmatizing our gay youth.”

That was first instance of remarks not being aired in Cobb since the school book controversy first flared up last year.

Similar actions have taken place at other school board meetings around the country in recent months.

Sharon Hudson

In April, a pastor was reading from “Push”—one of the books recently removed in Cobb—during a Broward Board of Education meeting in Florida when his microphone was cut off. 

Last year, the Forsyth County School District was ordered to pay more than $100,000 in legal fees for trying to ban parents from reading from explicit books during school board meetings in 2022. 

Before Smith spoke on Thursday, parent Sharon Hudson—a frequent critic of the book removals—chastised Ragsdale for his latest action.

Wearing a “Read Banned Books” shirt, she described herself as a Christian conservative Republican, but said there hasn’t been porn in Cobb schools. 

“If he thinks it’s inappropriate, he’ll ban it and continue his reign of censorship,” she said. “No parent or student rights—just his decision of what they can and cannot read.”

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Cobb schools to hold ‘digital learning’ day on Monday

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The first of three “digital learning days” in the Cobb County School District for the current school year takes place Monday, so there won’t be the usual school and bus traffic out on the roads.Campbell High School lockdown

These school days are due to professional development for teachers at the schools. There won’t be live face-to-fact instruction; students will work from home with teacher-created assignments uploaded to the district’s online portal, CTLS.

The district said at the elementary level, teachers “will provide assignments designed to reinforce and extend previously taught standards and learning targets” and assignments will not be graded.

Students in middle school and high school will receive 30-minute assignment for each class “based on standards and learning targets.” Those materials “can include pre-recorded videos, shared articles, questions for reflection, etc.”

The other digital learning days in the 2024-25 school year are scheduled for Oct. 14, 2024, and March 3, 2025.

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Cobb Elections Board opposes county’s redistricting appeal

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Days after the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration set calendar dates for special commission elections, its attorneys filed a motion opposed to the county’s continuing efforts to litigate a redistricting saga that has dragged on for nearly two years.

Cobb Elections Board opposes county's redistricting appeal
Cobb elections board attorney Daniel White.

Elections board attorney Daniel White wrote in a filing in Cobb Superior Court on Friday that its opposition to continued legal action over county “home rule” maps is rooted in “the need for final resolution” in the dispute.

White said that the elections board didn’t have “a preferred outcome” in two legal cases over the county’s decisions to use commission electoral maps that differed from those the Georgia legislature approved in 2022.

“The only preference that Cobb BOER had regarding the Home Rule Map dispute was to see it resolved one way or the other,” the filing states (you can read it here).

“To the extent that Cobb County now seeks to undo that resolution or to drag this case into a prolonged appeal, Cobb BOER is opposed to that effort.”

The motion was filed in the court of Judge Kellie Hill, who ruled last month that the commission’s Democratic majority didn’t have authority under the Georgia Constitution to adopt their own maps.

She sided with another Cobb judge who ruled in January in another case that only the legislature can conduct county reapportionment.

Hill has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. to hear the county’s request for intervention, following an emergency motion filed last week.

The controversy began in October 2022, after legislative maps drew Democratic Commissioner Jerica Richardson out her District 2 residence in East Cobb.

Richardson, Cupid and District 4 Commissioner Monique Sheffield claimed the county had home rule authority to draw electoral maps and approved the use of maps drawn by the Cobb delegation.

Those maps were never voted upon by the legislature, which adopted maps proposed by Cobb Republican lawmakers.

The Cobb elections board followed the home rule maps in the May primary and disqualified a Republican candidate, Alicia Adams, who lived in District 2 in the legislative maps but not in the home rule maps.

Hill ruled in favor of Adams, throwing out the primary results, and ordered new elections in District 2 and District 4. Richardson did not seek re-election; Sheffield won the Democratic primary in District 4.

On Monday, the elections board set two sets of dates to re-do the primaries: from Feb. 11 to April 29 if there are general election runoffs in November; or from March 18-June 17 if there are not runoffs.

But on Tuesday, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid was adamant that the county intervene in the Adams case, to which it had not been a party.

In addition to extra funding needed for for special elections, she said “a great harm” was done to the county when the legislature ignored the delegation maps (the county’s filing is here).

In filing a motion to intervene, Assistant Cobb County Attorney Elizabeth Monyak said that Hill’s injunction “could potentially deprive half of Cobb County from having any representation on the BOC until June of 2025 at the earliest.”

In his motion, however, White said the county’s enabling legislation allows commissioners [in this case districts 2 and 4] to serve their terms until their successors are elected.

JoAnn Birrell and Keli Gambrill, the two Republican commissioners, have objected to the home rule maps since they were first put in use in January 2023, and reiterated their opposition on Tuesday.

“Follow the law,” said Birrell, whose District 3 includes most of East Cobb under the legislative maps.

The elections board, which received an additional $2.4 million from commissioners this week to conduct the November elections, is ready to move on as well.

“It is past time for the voters of Cobb County to have a final resolution regarding the Home Rule Map issue,” White wrote.

“The County chose not to intervene in this case for over four months . . . and has now moved to intervene only after it is not satisfied with the outcome.”

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“The case law is clear that

 

Dungeons and Democrats event set for East Cobb candidates

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Dungeons & Democrats: The Campaign Campaign is coming to East Cobb on Aug. 25 featuring local candidates in a unique way. Submitted info from the organizers:

At this event, four local candidates running in competitive Republican-held districts will take the stage for a lively dinner theater-style performance playing a custom tabletop roleplaying game.

The event began as a way for JD Jordan (Senate District 56) to combine a hobby with his desire to connect with voters in novel ways outside of a typical political setting. Jordan recruited Eric Castater (House District 45), Micheal Garza (House District 46), and Laura Judge (Cobb Board of Education Post 5) to join his adventuring party.

This event will take place from 4 – 7 pm on August 25th at Round Trip Brewing Company in East Cobb (4475 Roswell Rd Suite 1600, Marietta, GA 30062).This date was chosen as a nod to DragonCon, the massive fan convention that takes place annually in Atlanta during Labor Day weekend.

The host and designer of the game is Alex White, a local sci-fi and fiction author. White has written several novels, including entries to the Alien and Star Trek franchises. They are currently working on the newest Alien video game, Alien: Rogue Incursion.

The ticketed fundraising event will feature a three hour show, a costume contest, and giveaways.

The candidates featured are as follows:Dungeons and Democrats event set for East Cobb candidates

  • JD Jordan, who is running for Georgia Senate District 56. Senate District 56 includes western Roswell, East Cobb, as well as portions of Woodstock and Holly Springs. President Biden won 43% of the vote in this district in 2020.
  • Eric Castater, who is running for Georgia House District 45. House District 45 includes East Cobb. President Biden won 47.2% of the vote in HD45.
  • Micheal Garza, who is running for Georgia House District 46. House District 46 contains portions of East Cobb and Southeastern Cherokee County. Biden earned 44.1% of the vote in 2020.
  • Laura Judge, who is running for Cobb County Board of Education Post 5. Post 5 covers East Cobb running from Marietta to the Fulton County border. Biden earned 48.6% of the vote in this district.

Tickets are available for purchase at: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dungeonsanddems

Despite this being a ticketed event, we invite all members of the public to watch the event via a livestream broadcasted on Twitch. The broadcast will begin at 3:45 at https://www.twitch.tv/ftrstrategies

“When JD approached me with this concept, I leapt at the chance to put it together because I think that it accomplishes three very important things,” said Mo Pippin, co-owner of FTR Strategies, “Firstly, it lives up to our mission of finding creative and innovative ways to meet our community members wherever they are. Secondly we are creating an opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together over an interest that has persisted since the 80s as a beloved activity for generations of people. Thirdly and most importantly, this gives community members a space to see these candidates as who they truly are – fellow nerds, hobbyists, musicians, and storytellers.

“The campaign trail often shows one dimension of what it takes to be a candidate for office; we want to break the traditional perception that people have built regarding who can be a candidate and what a candidate is supposed to be like. These are our neighbors running grassroots campaigns while maintaining full-time jobs and personal lives. We hope this event serves as an opportunity for people to engage with us in a lighthearted and interactive environment.”

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Kell PTSA holding Krispy Kreme fundraiser through September

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Submitted information:Kell PTSA holding Krispy Kreme fundraiser through September

Kell High School PTSA has a special invitation to team up with Krispy Kreme to enjoy a simple and sweet fundraiser this August & September 2024.
A Krispy Kreme Digital Dozens fundraiser let’s Kell High School PTSA run a virtual campaign where your community purchases Original Glazed doughnuts online, to redeem for fresh-made dozens whenever they crave (no expiration), at their nearest Krispy Kreme store!
The best part, 50% or more of each sale is donated back to your cause. Learn more & get started below. 

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Cobb school district removes 13 more sexually explicit books

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Several months after pulling books from libraries due to sexually explicit content, the Cobb County School District announced Thursday it has removed 13 more from circulation.Cobb school district removes 13 more sexually explicit books

They include acclaimed “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said at a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday that the 13 books were removed after being found to contain sexually explicit and graphic content.

He said the removals were part of a continuing effort to review books and other materials in district libraries and curriculum offerings.

“We are declining to provide access to materials with sexually explicit content in the same way we decline to provide access to rated-R movies and—in compliance with federal law—use internet filters to prevent students from accessing websites with adult content on school district computers,” Ragsdale said, reading from prepared remarks.

“We make no judgment on whether these books have any literary merit or whether some parents do not object to their children being exposed to lewd, vulgar, or sexually graphic content. There are many rated R movies that are award-winning films; however, it would be inappropriate to provide children with unrestricted access to them in a public school.”

Rowling’s 2012 novel “Casual Vacancy” was among those removed in the latest review.

According to Compass Book Ratings, the book has “many sexual references” as well as mentions of pornography and mature discussions of sex, as well as descriptions of sexual activity and scenes of abuse, rape and incest.

The district has come under criticism by some parents and others for removing books with literary merit, but Ragsdale was adamant—as he has been in announcing previous removals—that exposure to such content is a matter best left for parents.

“Cobb parents can decide if and when their children are allowed to view content in their homes that is not appropriate for unrestricted access in our schools,” he said.

The other books removed include the following titles:

  • “Laid: Young People’s Experiences with Sex in an Easy-Access Culture,” edited by Shannon Boodram
  • “Crank,” by Ellen Hopkins
  • “Tricks,” by Ellen Hopkins
  • “Push,” by Sapphire
  • “Milk and Honey,” by Rupi Kaur
  • “It Starts with Us,” by Colleen Hoover
  • “The Infinite Moment of Us,” by Lauren Myracle
  • “Identical,” by Ellen Hopkins
  • “Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson
  • “Juliet Takes a Breath,” by Gabby Rivera
  • “Monday’s Not Coming,” by Tiffany Jackson
  • “City of Thieves,” by David Benioff

Those books were added to another seven that have been pulled in the last year, including in April and August 2023.

Those decisions have been criticized by parents and others claiming they’re book bans.

At a later school board meeting Thursday, parent Sharon Hudson—who calls herself a conservative Republican—blasted Ragsdale’s latest removals as another example of his “authoritarian rule” while wearing a shirt that said “Read Banned Books.”

She other accused him of removing some books because they have themes featuring minority and LGBTQ students.

Another parent read from a previously removed book, “Flamer,” calling it inappropriate. But as she did so, the district’s live-stream was paused due to what board attorney Suzann Wilcox said were federal regulations due to indecent content.

At the work session Thursday afternoon, Ragsdale defended the latest removals, saying they weren’t taken lightly.

“This is a very surgical process. These are twenty works out of the over one million books in the District’s media centers.

Our team’s mission—a mission it performs exceptionally well—is teaching, not parenting.”

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East Cobb Weekend Events: Brazil fair; Leo Frank service; more

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Leo Frank memorial
Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb will observe the 109th anniversary of the lynching of Leo Frank in a special service on  Sunday.

This weekend offers a variety of public events in East Cobb that culminates with the somber observance of one of the darkest chapters in local history.

The Marietta History Center is holding its annual Rummage and Book Sale Thursday-Saturday from 10-4, with free admission for that fundraiser, with proceeds benefitting the center.

Books, photography, militaria, children’s items, home décor, and more will be priced to sell; if you want to visit the rest of the museum (1 Depot Street), regular admission prices apply except on Saturday, when it’s free.

Saturday features a new community event, the Little Brazil Foundation Community Fair. The newly formed group will be featuring products, services and Brazilian culture and raising funds for its service projects from 12-8 p.m. at the East Gate Shopping Center (1802 Lower Roswell Road). Admission is free, and there will be food, music and other festivities.

Saturday also is the final day of a month-long exhibit at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road). More than 50 artworks in the Roswell Fine Arts Alliance’s Flower Stories exhibit can be seen for the final time from 10-5.

If you want to learn about what the Cobb Sheriff’s Office is all about, staffers will be on hand Sunday for a Coffee Connection session from 9-11 at Duck Donuts (1281 Johnson Ferry Road). Bring your questions about law enforcement and learn about the department’s community initiatives.

As the weekend draws to a close, those working to close a saga more than a century old will gather at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road) starting at 5 p.m. for the 109th Yahrzeit of Leo Frank.

Kol Emeth Rabbi Emeritus Steven Lebow has been leading efforts to get Frank exonerated for a 1913 murder of a Marietta girl; after his death sentence was commuted two years later, a Marietta mob dragged him out of a Georgia prison and lynched him from a tree near what is now Roswell Road and Frey’s Gin Road on Aug. 17, 1915.

It was the first known lynching of a Jew in American history; Frank was posthumously pardoned in 1986 but Lebow and former Gov. Roy Barnes have recently renewed efforts for exoneration.

The Atlanta Jewish Times updates the story; here’s our coverage from 2018 when a memorial was unveiled near the lynching site.

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