Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb Board of Education electoral maps before 2022 reapportionment (left) and after (right).
Attorneys for plaintiffs seeking new electoral maps for the Cobb County Board of Education have filed a motion seeking a preliminary injunction.
The motion, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, seeks to prevent the Cobb Board of Elections from setting up 2024 elections with maps passed by the Georgia legislature in 2022 and asks for a ruling by December.
Four of the seven posts on the Cobb school board will be on the 2024 ballot, including Post 5 in East Cobb.
Attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center and other organizations claim those maps violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and want them thrown out and redrawn before 2024 primaries in May.
The plaintiffs have claimed in their lawsuit, filed last year, that the three school board posts in South Cobb presently held by Democrats have been racially gerrymandered to dilute black and Hispanic voting strength.
They include Post 6, which previously included the Walton and Wheeler clusters and which are now in Post 5.
Republicans hold a 4-3 majority on the board, and three GOP-held seats will be up for re-election next year.
In their motion (you can read it here), the plaintiffs allege that the maps passed by the legislature placed a majority of black and Hispanic voters in the three southern posts and “bleaches the population of the northern districts,” in which the white populations of three of them were increased.
The motion says that the white population shift was most crucial in Post 7 in West Cobb, where incumbent Republican member Brad Wheeler narrowly won re-election in 2020 over a black Democrat. (see chart below).
The white population in Post 7 at the time was 47.55 percent. The maps passed last year increased the white population to 58.17 percent. Wheeler’s seat is among those set to expire in 2024.
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.
The plaintiffs’ motion for an injunction comes as the Cobb elections board agreed to begin settlement talks. Ben Mathis, the lead attorney for the Cobb County School District, which had been released from the case, issued a charged statement last week accusing 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.
While Democrats control the Cobb Board of Commissioners and the county’s legislative delegation, Republicans currently control only the Cobb school board.
“After they discovered they could not change the direction of education in our county at the ballot box, they manufactured this unlawful court case,” Mathis said, referencing the plaintiffs.
Last week, the district’s attorneys filed a motion in federal court seeking a preliminary injunction to file an amicus brief and introduce rebuttal experts it says are necessary to respond to plaintiffs’ experts on racial discrimination in electoral maps who otherwise would have no opposition in court.
East Cobb News has left a message with the Cobb school district seeking comment on the motion for a preliminary injunction by the plaintiffs.
The school board majority hired Taylor English Decisions, a lobbying component of Cumberland-area law firm, Taylor English Duma LLP, to redraw the maps in 2021.
The Democratic-led Cobb delegation opted for maps that would keep the boundaries relatively unchanged. Republican State Rep. Ginny Ehrhart of West Cobb—whose husband, former legislator Earl Ehrhart, was CEO of Taylor English Decisions at the time—sponsored maps redrawn by the school board’s law firm.
Those maps were approved in the GOP-dominated legislature, while the Cobb delegation’s maps did not receive a vote. Earl Ehrhart is now managing director of Freeman Mathis Decisions, the lobbying arm of Freeman Mathis & Gary, which the board hired this year to fight the redistricting suit.
The plaintiffs’ motion concludes by asking their motion be granted by Dec. 15 “so that an interim remedial map be adopted by January 22, 2024, well in advance of the 2024 elections to avoid hardship to Cobb County’s election administration and to mitigate voter confusion.”
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The Cobb New Horizons Symphony Band, which is made up of senior adults, will hold a special concert Thursday to honor the memory of Wheeler High School band director Madison Argo.
The concert takes place at 12 p.m. at the school, and will include works from John Williams and John Philip Sousa.
Another featured piece is “The Mandalorian” by Ludwig Göransson and which will be conducted by Debbie Davies, Wheeler’s first female marching band drum major.
A Cobb County School District spokesperson said the concert is not open to the public and had been scheduled before Argo’s death.
Here’s what Dr. Charles Jackson, head of Cobb New Horizons, said:
“We planned this concert several weeks ago but a new required form was created in the Cobb County Schools requiring visiting groups to go through an additional extensive vetting process. During the delay is when the passing of Madison Argo occurred. When I realized that our concert was going to take place after such a sudden and unexpected loss, I thought it would be nice to dedicate the program to celebrating his life. All of the 98 senior adult members of my band were inspired during their youth by a band director like Madison Argo who instilled a love of making music that was so deep and profound, that it inspired these people to continue playing their band instrument over the course of their life. Some members have now been playing for 50, 60, and over 70 years! What a great legacy for a teacher to share with the world. I want his students to know that he dedicated his life to something that will add beauty and enjoyment over the rest of their life and they should never give up on this gift that he helped them to develop.“
Argo, 32, was in his second year as director of the Wheeler band programs when he died on Sept. 28. A cause of death has not been announced; his family has raised more than $18,000 for burial expenses.
He was a native of Alabama and graduated from Auburn University, where he was a drum major. Argo earned a master’s degree in fine arts from Ball State University and performed with the Cobb Wind Symphony, among other local musical organizations in the Atlanta area.
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A resolution submitted by East Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell pledging support for Israel will not be considered at Tuesday’s business meeting.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell
That’s because the proposed resolution was pulled after an agenda work session on Monday.
Birrell’s resolution referenced “brutally inhumane” attacks on Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,000 civilians, and that states that “the Cobb County Board of Commissioners offers full and unwavering support of Israel’s self-defense and offer our condolences to those families that have lost loved ones in this horrific war.”
But Chairwoman Lisa Cupid read an e-mail from a Cobb Muslim leader noting the fate of several thousand Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip who have been killed and injured in Israeli airstrikes in response, as well as a decades-long conflict with Israel, which was formed in 1948.
The Israeli government urged an estimated 2 million Gaza citizens to evacuate the northern part of the strip prior to its reprisals.
Amjad Taufique, the head of the West Cobb Islamic Center, said in an e-mail to Cupid that the county should consider a resolution acknowledging the “basic human rights and self-determination” of the Palestinian people.
Birrell said her resolution was specifically a response to Hamas, which she called a “terrorist organization.” But Commissioner Jerica Richardson of District 2 in East Cobb wanted a resolution to include more inclusive language reflecting other ethnicities and religions.
Chabad of Cobb, one of three East Cobb synagogues, held a special service two days after the Hamas attack.
Richardson noted a recent rise in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents in Cobb. After an anti-Semitic protest in front of Chabad in June, she was among the speakers at a special interfaith service at East Cobb United Methodist Church.
On Oct. 12, Cupid issued a standalone statement saying that “what is going on in Israel is utterly heinous”–in particular acts against children—and that “as a political leader, I would ask for the division overseas not to further entrench ours. Tragedy that brings us together as a county or country need not begin on our own soil.”
The resolution, which was to have been included on Tuesday’s consent agenda, is expected to be revised and brought back before the board.
The Cobb Muslim community also lashed out last week at the Cobb County School District for sending an alert message about an “international threat” from Hamas, saying the e-mail was needlessly fear-mongering. Some parents said they and their children were harassed and bullied as a result.
A parent told Cobb school board members on Thursday that the message reflects “the rampant ignorance prevalent with Americans equating Hamas with Muslims.”
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale denounced the mistreatment but defended sending the alert as a security measure.
Commissioners on Tuesday will hold their final public hearing on proposed code amendments as well as a proposal by Birrell to spend $1 million in discretionary capital contingency funding for the proposed Cobb Veterans Memorial.
Commissioners also will be asked to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Cobb school district to complete a pedestrian bridge between the Walton High School campus and a new sports complex.
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), and 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.
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!
We’ve set a challenging—but reachable—goal as we continue our fall fundraising drive at East Cobb News.
Between now and the week of Thanksgiving, we’d like to add 100 new subscribers who contribute $6 a month on a recurring basis.
That’s 25 new contributors a week as we ask for reader support to keep giving you the local news you love!
It’s part of the “6 for 6” campaign we launched this summer in honor of our 6th anniversary.
East Cobb News generates most of its revenue from local business advertisers, but we hear from readers all the time how much they value the news and community information they get from East Cobb News.
If that’s you, please consider donating $6 a month. That’s a couple of cups of drive-through coffee or less than a lunch entree.
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We’ve been at this since July 2017, after many years at a variety of local newspapers and local news outlets.
We cover the basics of local government and schools, politics and elections, crime and public safety, local business openings (especially restaurants!), arts and entertainment, recreation and quality of life issues in East Cobb.
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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
From JJ McKelvey, Taste of East Cobb event coordinator (and main fundraiser for the Walton Band programs), comes word of a free community show the Walton Raider Marching Band is performing Tuesday.
It starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Raider Valley football stadium (1591 Bill Murdock Road) and it’s the “Alice Underground” show that has won recent multiple awards, including first place at the Buford Marching Band Classic (outstanding music, outstanding visual, and outstanding effect).
Two weeks ago, the Walton band was named Grand Champion, Highest Music Award, Most Entertaining, and several 10 other awards at the Super Bowl of Sound Marching Band Competition at Central High School in Carrollton.
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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:
Oct. 2
1776 Millview Drive, 30062 (Barnes Mill Lake, Wheeler): $314,900
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!
Famed socialite Tracy Lord is planning a lavish wedding at her Oyster Bay estate, despite the meddling of her ex-husband and a couple of snooping reporters. Based on the 1939 play, “The Philadelphia Story,” with Katharine Hepburn and the 1956 musical film starring Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra, High Society sparkles with Porter standards such as “Ridin High,” “She’s Got That Thing,” “True Love,” “Let’s Misbehave, and “Well, Did You Evah?”
Join Wheeler Theatre for an elegant, ‘swellegant’ night of mayhem, moonlight, and gorgeous music! High Societyis presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Arthur Kopit, and additional lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. The production is directed by Atlanta theatre favorite Nick Morrett, with music direction by Thomas Chafin and choreography by Elizabeth Neidel Wexler. Rated PG (11 & up) for depiction of social drinking.
CCSD Faculty/Staff receive one free ticket with ID.Advance Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at: WHEELERHS.BOOKTIX.COM. Tickets at the door: $15.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has announced that the Cobb County Police Department is one of 21 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the Federal 2024 Fiscal Year. Referred to as a H.E.A.T. grant, the Cobb County Police Department’s award totals $37,895.04.
The goal of the H.E.A.T. program is to combat crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also increasing seatbelt use and educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of DUI.
The Cobb County Police Department’s H.E.A.T Unit will use the grant from GOHS to develop and implement strategies to reduce local traffic crashes due to aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors.
“With the increase in the number of persons killed in traffic crashes in Georgia and across the nation over the last year, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is working with partners like the Cobb County Police Department to implement programs designed to stop the risky driving behaviors that are contributing to a majority of our serious-injury and fatality crashes,” Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said.” “Many of the fatal traffic crashes on our roads are preventable, and we will continue to work with our educational and enforcement partners to develop programs and initiatives that are designed to get Georgia to our goal of zero traffic deaths.”
H.E.A.T. grants fund specialized traffic enforcement units in counties throughout the state. The program was designed to assist Georgia jurisdictions with the highest rates of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities with grants awarded based on impaired driving and speeding data.
As law enforcement partners in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over DUI campaign and the Click It Or Ticket seatbelt campaigns, the Cobb County Police Department will also conduct mobilizations throughout the year in coordination with GOHS’s year-round waves of high visibility patrols, multi-jurisdictional roadchecks, and sobriety checkpoints.
For more information about the H.E.A.T. program or any other GOHS campaign, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org or call 404-656-6996.
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The Center for Family Resources (CFR) is thrilled to announce its annual fundraising gala, set to take attendees on “A Tour of Italy.” This illustrious event will be held on April 20, 2024, at the Cobb Galleria Centre, promising an unforgettable night filled with enchantment, celebration and philanthropy.
The 2024 gala has the honor of being co-chaired by Al Martin, External Affairs Manager at Georgia Power Company, and Britt Fleck, Regional Director at Georgia Power Company. Their combined expertise and dedication will guide attendees through the picturesque landscapes of Italy while emphasizing the CFR’s essential services and its overarching goal to keep children housed one family at a time.
“We are honored to be part of a community that recognizes the importance of supporting organizations like the Center for Family Resources,” said the co-chairs. “We are committed to making the CFR annual gala a resounding success and to furthering the organization’s mission of creating lasting positive change in the lives of families in our community.”
Attendees can expect a curated Italian experience, from wine tastings to entertainment, all while strolling through scenes reminiscent of Italy’s most visited cities. Each detail of the evening aims to immerse guests in the cultural richness of Italy while shedding light on the impact of their contributions.
Proceeds from the gala will directly fund the CFR’s vital programs, supporting local families in need. These initiatives include but are not limited to emergency financial assistance, food pantries, housing solutions and employment resources.
“We’re incredibly honored to have the support of Al and Britt, two incredible community champions, as our chairs this year,” said Melanie Kagan, Chief Executive Officer for the CFR. “With their support and the captivating theme of Italy, we’re confident this will be our most memorable gala yet.”
Supporters unable to attend the gala can still make an impact. The CFR encourages donations of any size, and there will also be opportunities to bid in an online silent auction, featuring unique items and experiences.
The CFR remains grateful for the continued generosity and commitment of its community. Together, through events like the annual gala, we can continue to uplift families and strengthen our community.
About The Center for Family Resources
Since its inception, the Center for Family Resources (CFR) has been a beacon of hope for families in crisis. Through a holistic approach, CFR offers a range of programs and services aimed at empowering families to achieve stable and sustainable lives. Rooted in community collaboration and driven by a relentless commitment to service, CFR is a testament to what can be achieved when we come together for the greater good. For more information visit TheCFR.org.
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Cobb parent Nazia Khanzada urged the school board and district to “be more careful with the words they use.”
Several Muslim parents in the Cobb County School District denounced the district for sending out an electronic message last week about an “international threat” from the Hamas terrorist group in the Middle East that they said has led to fear and mistreatment in their own community.
Some addressed a work session of the Cobb Board of Education Thursday and said they and their children were subjected to Islamophobic treatment after the district sent out a message last Friday, as Hamas called for a global day of “anger” as its war with Israel continues.
The district message noted the threat, and said that “while there is no reason to believe this threat has anything to do with our schoools, parents can expect both law enforcement and school staff to take every step to keep your children safe.”
That incensed Nazia Khanzada, mother of a Cobb fifth-grader, who was among those who addressed the board.
“If it had nothing to do with our schools, I ask the question then, why was this message sent out?” she said. “It was not only irresponsible, since it wasn’t substantiated with any kind of specific evidence or threat to Cobb County, but it was also fear-mongering.
“I want the school board to know that this message mentioning Hamas has directly resulted in hate, harassment and bullying threats directed at Cobb’s Arabic and Muslim students and their families, including myself.”
Khanzada said Muslim parents were reluctant to send their children back to school as a result of “the rampant ignorance prevalent with Americans equating Hamas with Muslims, which is insulting and discriminatory.”
Saadia Memon, a Cobb resident, attorney and board member of the Georgia Chapter of the Council on Islamic-American Relations, said the reference to Hamas targets students for bullying and noted a six-year-old Palestinian Muslim boy in Chicago who was stabbed repeatedly to death by his family’s landlord.
“Schools should not be part of stoking these fears,” Memon said. “When schools exaggerate threats by Hamas or any other terrorist organization relating to the Middle East, they are participating in an environment of creating anti-Muslim sentiment, which puts Muslim and immigrant children in nature.
Parent Sana Salim said her son has been called a terrorist in the past. She said he asked her last Friday “is Hamas a new word for terrorist?”
She said she’s pleased with her son’s educators, but is “so disappointed” in the district “for making this statement and adding to Islamophobia.”
School board members did not respond to any of the commenters during the work session.
But at Thursday night’s voting meeting, Superintendent Chris Ragdale offered a brief reply to the comments.
He defended sending out the alert and said that Cobb was among many school districts “taking special steps to ensure the safety of students and staff” last Friday.
“The information we received required us to let the entire district and parents know we were taking the threats seriously.
“However, let me be very clear,” Ragsdale continued. “Bullying and hate of any type will not be tolerated in the Cobb County School District.”
He said that Hamas’ actions “should always be condemned” and issued “thoughts and prayers” to those who’ve been subjected to the violence, and especially to those families of American and Israeli hostages “who are being held by terrorists.”
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The public can get its first look at the new Walton High School baseball facility on Sunday.
The Walton Raider Dugout Club, a group of parent boosters, are holding a “Day at the Yard” event as part of a series of fundraising activities leading up to the 2024 baseball season.
The festivities take place from 1-5 at the baseball facility (1499 Pine Road). Admission is free, and activity tickets are $3-$5 each.
Those activities include a home run competition, dunk tank, pitching stations, bouncy houses, face painting and a hot dog bar.
There also will be a silent auction for a seven-day trip to Italy and two student parking spaces.
Since September, the booster club has conducting a brick campaign, selling personally customized laser-engraved bricks at The Yard, and that effort will conclude on Sunday.
The bricks cost $200 or $400 and will be delivered and installed at the field before the start of the season.
The baseball facility is part of a $6.78 million athletics complex at Walton that includes tennis courts.
For the last two years, the Walton baseball team played home games at East Cobb Baseball, near Kell High School, after its former facility on the Walton campus was reconfigured for the varsity softball team.
The softball and tennis teams relocated to Terrell Mill Park to make way for the Walton classroom building that opened in 2017.
While the Walton tennis teams competed last spring at their new facility, the baseball field wasn’t ready for the 2023 season.
The combined facility has 80 parking spaces, and the Cobb County School District will soon be building a sidewalk and a pedestrian bridge from the Walton campus to the new complex.
The Raiders will have tryouts and begin practice in January, with their first game at The Yard in February.
There also will be a youth baseball clinic on Nov. 7, when school is out due to local municipal elections.
Coach Shane Amos, who guided Walton to state titles in 2007 and 2016, will be starting his 21st season as the Raiders head coach.
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“We don’t need a committee to do the superintendent’s job,” school board member David Chastain said.
By a 5-2 vote, the Cobb Board of Education on Thursday rejected a proposal by one of its members to change school district policy on books and materials in school libraries.
That was in the wake of the district’s firing of a West Cobb elementary school teacher for reading a book to her class deemed to be in violation of the state’s divisive concepts in education law.
During a work session Thursday afternoon, Democrat Becky Sayler of Post 2 in South Cobb said she wanted to revise a policy last updated in 2012 that governs the evaluation of library books.
Her proposal would have created local media committees to provide feedback for library operations, with the district media committee having the final say.
She said content should be allowed that has won awards and is used in book fairs and other related competitions. Also to be permitted are materials related to major world religions, including the Bible, Torah and Koran.
If a book is recommended to be removed by a media committee, it could not be reconsidered (the agenda item did not include a copy of Sayler’s proposal; we will update it here when we get it).
Sayler said the changes are needed “to ensure that we take intellectual freedom seriously” and because “we don’t want to harm our students by denying their access to quality materials.”
One of the books removed from Cobb schools is “Flamer,” which won a Lambda Literary Award in 2021 in the young adult division. The district said that book was removed because it contains passages about sex acts and masturbation.
Sayler said existing policy, especially given what’s happened in Cobb schools recently, will continue to have a “chill effect” and “diversity in viewpoints would become limited.”
She wanted to have a discussion and a vote next month, but Republican member David Chastain of Post 4 in East Cobb quickly made a motion to reject her proposal.
He said he didn’t want unelected people making those decisions, and said the proposal amounted to “micromanaging the superintendent.”
When Sayler reminded him that Ragsdale is unelected, Chastain replied that “we don’t need a committee to do the superintendent’s job.”
Ragsdale reiterated parts of his lengthy remarks at the September board meeting defending his decision to remove the books, saying that “I have a duty to keep students safe.”
He said that materials deemed to be “vulgar, sexually explicit, lewd, obscene, or pornographic” will continue to be removed.
“If it is deemed to be inappropriate, as these three [books that were removed] are, it has no place in our schools at all.”
Democrat Nichelle Davis of Post 6 in Smyrna asked Ragsdale about the current process for reviewing books and he explained that there is a team of administrators that does the evaluation, with discussion in his executive cabinet.
He said he doesn’t make a decision without that but “the buck stops with me. It’s my decision.”
Davis later said she thought it was important for community stakeholders to have consistency and transparency in being informed about the process.
“It’s impossible to make everybody happy,” she said. “This will not be the last time that we will look at a policy update.”
Ragsdale mentioned that one of the books that was removed—“Me, Earl and the Dying Girl”—contained a depiction of oral sex.
“There is no middle ground,” he said, adding that Sayler’s proposal would not allow for the current review process to continue.
He said he would abide by whatever policy change the board would adopt, but not until then.
Sayler, who is in her first year on the board, said she’s not in favor of pornography, and said the board engaged in micromanagement when it banned the teaching of critical race theory in 2021.
Hutchins wanted to amend the motion to add that the final decision on removing a book should be up to the superintendent or a designee, but Ragsdale said that’s already in state law.
The amendment was withdrawn, and Hutchins voted with the board’s four Republican members against the proposal, with Sayler and Davis voting in favor.
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Barnes and Noble has set an official opening date for the store at Avenue East Cobb, and it’s less than two weeks away.
That date is Wednesday, Nov. 1, with a ribbon-cutting at 9 a.m. and store unveiling.
Lauren Ness of North American Properties, which manages Avenue East Cobb, said the event will include a meet-and-greet with local author Mary Kay Andrews, whose new novel is “Bright Lights, Big Christmas.”
Other book-signing events that day include Georgia-native authors Vanessa Riley (2023 Georgia Author of the Year), Delilah S. Dawson, and Krista & Becca Ritchie.
More author events in the first few days of the store opening can be found by clicking here.
The Barnes and Noble store posted Wednesday that books are starting to be shipped to the 15,000-square-foot space (formerly Bed Bath and Beyond) on what it calls “turnover day.”
“That’s the day the store is turned over from construction to the booksellers! Here we are inside! It’s beautiful, y’all!”
The store will include a cafe and is the first in Georgia in a new Barnes and Noble concept with a smaller store size that focuses on local and regional recommendations curated by store managers.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Chemotherapy patient Anne Parke enjoys her new look, courtesy of The Wig Dr.
Submitted information and photo:
“The Wig Dr., formerly located at the Parkaire Shopping Center in Marietta, has relocated to a larger space at Parkaire Medical Center, 4939 Lower Roswell Rd, Ste B-202, Marietta, GA 30068, to provide even more services for women who are undergoing chemotherapy or who have had a mastectomy. In addition to the custom fittings and beautiful wigs that Dr. Erica Gamble has previously provided for years to breast cancer survivors in East Cobb and throughout Atlanta, the new location will also offer specialized mastectomy prosthetic fittings, bras, swimwear, compression sleeves for lymphedema and hair rejuvenating scalp massage.
“Dr. Gamble saw the need for compassionate and knowledgeable care for breast cancer survivors. The Wig Dr is a place where a woman, losing a part of herself…her femininity…can come and feel whole again. ‘Some of my clients are still working and don’t want to be viewed with sympathetic smiles. And since each fitting is by appointment only, I take the time these brave women need to share their stories and help them find a look that’s unique to them. Since we have hundreds of styles and colors from which to choose, I can find them something similar to their previous look, or something completely different.’
“Joining Dr. Gamble at the new location, is Erica Driver, a stage IV breast cancer survivor and trained mastectomy bra fitter, and Patty Prifti, a wig fitter with The Wig Dr. for over two years. These three women look forward to working with clients who are going through the most difficult times in their lives and giving them an empowering experience where they can take back a part of themselves. The Wig Dr. client and breast cancer survivor Anne Parke says that she enjoyed the personalized attention in a relaxed atmosphere. ‘But more importantly, I now look like my partner’s contemporary…in age and appearance. I have bald spots and thinning hair due to my chemo, and the new wigs make me feel more like myself again.’ ”
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The day started out with dreary skies, but the weather did not dampen the mood for 18 enthusiastic volunteers who turned out on Saturday, October 14 for the Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance’s (PFCA) Fall Adopt-A-Mile Cleanup. The event was held in conjunction with Keep Cobb Beautiful at the Kroger Fuel Center parking lot at 1310 Powers Ferry Rd. The volunteers fanned out along a stretch of Powers Ferry at Terrell Mill Rd. to pick up trash, and In just 90 minutes, collected enough litter to fill 40 trash bags.
“This was our best turnout ever, and having Kroger and Keep Cobb Beautiful management people participate also made this day quite special,’ ” said Patti Rice, PFCA president. ‘Keep Cobb Beautiful even dedicated a truck, trailer and driver to shadow the various teams so that the bags got collected as each segment of work wrapped up.’
“Kroger also donated Starbucks coffee and other refreshments for the volunteers, and another local business, Custom Signs Today, donated directional signs for the event.
“ ‘We invested almost 40 million dollars in bringing the new Kroger to the community but along with that goes the commitment of time to help keep it clean,’ said Nigel Vereen, 1310 Powers Ferry Rd Kroger store leader. ‘Hopefully people can see us out in the community, and they’ll do their part in keeping our community clean as well.”
“The PFCA had almost doubled its adopted stretch of Powers Ferry Road since its last event in April and organizers were hoping that a sufficient group of volunteers would turn out to canvas the larger area. They were pleased that the number of participants and collections both exceeded expectations with nearly twice the number of volunteers and three times the amount of litter collected as compared to any previous Adopt-A-Mile event.
“ ‘Helping clean up our county allows us to give back to the community,’ said Sanjay Rane, a PFCA area homeowner. ‘It was fun and interesting.’
“While most of the 18 participants were local residents, there were several who represented local businesses while others traveled from areas beyond the PFCA to lend a hand.
“ ‘This is the first time I’ve ever participated in anything like this, so it was very exciting,’ said Daniel Withers of Sandy Springs. ‘One hundred percent I’ll be back.’
“ ‘This community project fits with our mission which is pro-environment, pro-sustainability and pro-community engagement,’ said Logan House, an arborist with Peachtree Arborists of Conyers. ‘We perform tree work here in this area, so we wanted to participate in this community project.’
“ ‘These cleanups really make a difference, and we’re already planning the next one for April 2024,’ said Kedrick Green, PFCA’s Adopt-A-Mile coordinator. ‘We encourage community associations and area businesses to get involved.’ “
ABOUT POWERS FERRY CORRIDOR ALLIANCE
The Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance is a non-partisan, non-profit community group composed of individuals, HOAs and businesspeople who are working together for the betterment of the general area of Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill in East Cobb County, Georgia. The PFCA’s purpose is to promote quality growth and revitalization, to support our local public schools, and to help the community’s overall economic vibrancy. For more information, visit online at powersferryca.com or email contact@powersferryca.com.
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The Cobb County School District issued a strongly-worded public statement Tuesday accusing the the Cobb Board of Elections of colluding with plaintiffs who are seeking new electoral maps for the Cobb Board of Education.
The elections board voted last week along partisan lines to begin settling with parties who filed a suit contending that the school board maps passed by the Georgia legislature in 2022 violated federal voting rights laws and diluted minority voting power.
The plaintiffs, who are represented by attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal advocacy group, are attempting to have either the Georgia legislature or a court redraw the maps.
In messages posted to the Cobb school district website (you can read them here and here) and released to the media, Ben Mathis, an attorney for the district, said the district wants to rejoin the lawsuit after a “hasty settlement” with the Cobb elections board “which they worked out in secrecy with their politically allied plaintiffs, [and that] is designed to avoid any legal effort to defend the current map.
“This is not a settlement but a total surrender by the Elections Board,” Mathis said. “This agreement is a complete usurpation of the legislative process.”
The seven-member Cobb school board has a 4-3 Republican majority. The seats of three of those Republicans, including David Banks of Post 5 in East Cobb, will be the 2024 ballot.
Democrats control the Cobb Board of Commissioners and the Cobb legislative delegation, and in his statement, Mathis accused the SPLC of trying “to impose their will over the Legislature, the Governor, and the voters of Cobb County.
“After they discovered they could not change the direction of education in our county at the ballot box, they manufactured this unlawful court case,” Mathis continued.
Cobb elections board chairwoman Tori Silas
“To justify what they have done, the Elections Board says it is cheaper to give up than to defend the map against the array of liberal activist groups affiliated with Stacy Abrams and the Democratic Party.”
The Cobb elections board has four Democrats and one Republican, and voted 4-1, with GOP member Debbie Fisher opposed, to begin settlement discussions.
The vote came after a lengthy executive session and there was no discussion by elections board members in open session.
Daniel White, the attorney for the Cobb Elections Board, refuted the collusion claim, and a Cobb government spokesman issued a statement Tuesday from Tori Silas, the board chairwoman, saying her body is “not the proper party to defend the challenged redistricting maps.
“As the only remaining defendant in the case after the School District was given the dismissal it sought, we were left to make the decision that best served the citizens of Cobb County, which is what we did. The settlement allowed our Board to maintain its position of neutrality in this political dispute and was the fiscally responsible thing to do.”
In September federal judge Eleanor Ross issued an oral order precluding the Cobb school district from continuing as an intervenor in the lawsuit.
In a motion filed Tuesday, the district asked for a preliminary injunction to file an amicus brief and introduce rebuttal experts it says are necessary to respond to plaintiffs’ experts on racial discrimination in electoral maps who otherwise would have no opposition in court.
“Plaintiffs must be held to their strict burden of proof, especially when asking the Court to invade the state legislative process,” the Cobb school district lawyers said in their motion Tuesday.
East Cobb News contacted the SPLC, asking why it sued the Cobb Elections Board over a map drawn by the legislature. This is all that we received from its communications department:
“Voting rights are nonpartisan and rooted in the belief that equal opportunities to vote must be available to all people, regardless of their political affiliations, racial, cultural, or religious background. It is fundamental that every voice is heard and that elections are conducted fairly, and that is what Plaintiffs have consistently sought in this case. Plaintiffs look forward to proving their claims to the Court, as the terms of the settlement require before any changes are made to the map.”
The maps were originally drawn by Mathis’ firm, Freeman Mathis and Gary of Cumberland, and were approved by the school board’s Republican majority.
Among the changes in the map was moving Post 6 (formerly the Walton and Wheeler clusters) entirely into the Cumberland-Vinings-Smyrna area, and leaving East Cobb with only two school board seats, Post 4 and Post 5.
The Democratic-led Cobb legislative delegation proposed maps that wouldn’t have shifted the lines as dramatically, but they were never voted on by the Republican-dominated legislature.
The SPLC and other legal groups, including the ACLU of Georgia, filed its lawsuit, Finn v. Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration, last summer.
The plaintiffs include parents and liberal activists and organizations, including the League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb.
The lawsuit seeks substantial redrawing of posts 2,3 and 6 in South Cobb, all of which are currently held by Democrats.
White said in response to the Cobb school district’s claims that “the Cobb County School District made a massive blunder in its litigation strategy that cost it the ability to defend the redistricting maps it created. Rather than owning up to its mistake, counsel for the School District has chosen to deflect attention by making outlandish accusations about the Cobb County Board of Elections that it knows to be false.”
White, whose comments were initially published Friday by The Marietta Daily Journal, said the Cobb Elections Board from the outset had sought to dismiss the suit “on jurisdictional grounds” and that his clients could have been held liable if the plaintiffs proved that the Cobb school board “adopted racially gerrymandered maps.
“The Board of Elections agrees that the District should have been allowed to continue its defense of its maps, and moved the Court to let them back in the case. Now that the Court has made it clear the District will not be given that opportunity, the Board of Elections made the decision it felt was in the best interest of the citizens of Cobb County.”
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Following up our story of last week’s shooting by Woodstock Police of a suspect who allegedly dodged a traffic stop:
The suspect, Emmanuel Millard, 20, of Marietta, has died, according to his mother, who is organizing a fundraiser for burial expenses and legal fees “in our pursuit of justice for Emmanuel.”
In a GoFundMe appeal posted on Tuesday, Lenette Millard said her son died on Saturday, two days after the incident with police that ended at an intersection in Northeast Cobb.
“What’s equally devastating is the fact that this information was kept hidden from the public—my son was shot in the head by the police,” she said.
“My family is struggling to come to terms with this profound loss, and the lack of transparency surrounding Emmanuel’s tragic death only adds to our pain. The police department is wrong, yet they have provided us with no information, no closure, and no justice.”
The fundraising appeal has raised more than $1,000 of a goal of $8,000.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation—which takes over officer-involved shootings—said Friday that Millard fled a Woodstock Police traffic stop at Highway 92 and Hames Road Thursday night, then took officers on a chase that ended at Alabama Road and Old Mountain Park Road in Northeast Cobb.
The GBI release said that during the case, Millard ran off the road several times, nearly struck other vehicles and tried to hit police vehicles.
After cornering Millard’s vehicle and causing it to crash, the GBI said Woodstock Police tried to remove the suspect from the car, then shot him once.
The GBI release didn’t say where Millard was shot, but that officers rendered aid until he was taken to North Fulton Hospital. WSB-TVreported that the incident was captured on policy body camera video.
A GBI spokeswoman confirmed Millard’s death and said the investigation is continuing. She previously had said that the agency’s findings into the shooting will be turned over to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office when the investigation is completed.
The Woodstock officer has been placed on administrative leave.
“The Woodstock Police Department understands the value of every human life and will work to maintain transparency throughout this investigation,” Woodstock Police said last Friday.
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The long-awaited reopening of Tasty China has taken place. Formerly located on Franklin Gateway, Tasty China has been serving up its popular Szechuan fare at 1808 Power Ferry Road since mid-September, after a brief soft opening.
A sign out front notes a “grand opening” after 18 years at its original location. Owner Dahe Yang also operates a Tasty China in Smyrna and at Ponce City Market in Atlanta and also had a Tasty China II restaurant in Sandy Springs that closed in 2014.
The new Tasty China is in a spacious, standalone building on the former site of the Frontera restaurant, which never reopened after a fire in 2015.
It’s the second major restaurant opening in the Powers Ferry Road area in recent weeks, following the reopening of the Rose and Crown Tavern (1935 Powers Ferry Road) after the redevelopment of the former Restaurant Row.
The extensive menu (click here) at Tasty China remains largely the same, featuring spicy Szechuan appetizers, soups and entrees as well as lunch specials.
Tasty China (website) is open Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Online ordering also is available. Phone: 770-627-2390.
Verandah opens at Olde Mill
There aren’t many Indian restaurants in the East Cobb area, but Verandah Indian Cuisine is aiming to fill the bill with a wide variety of dishes from the subcontinent.
Located at the Olde Mill Shopping Center (3101 Roswell Road, Suite 100, next to Los Arcos), Verandah held its grand opening on Oct. 7.
The menu (click here) features vegetarian and meat fare, from appetizers to tandoori platters, including vindaloo, curry, masala and korma specialties, Biryani entrees and a kids’ menu.
Online ordering and catering services are also available.
Verandah Indian Cuisine (website) is open Tuesday-Thursday from 11-3 and from 5-10 and Friday-Saturday from 11-3 and 5-10:30. Sunday hours are 11-3 and 5-10 and the restaurant is closed on Monday.
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!
“I want the school board to know that this message mentioning Hamas has directly resulted in hate, harassment and bullying threats directed at Cobb’s Arabic and Muslim students and their families, including myself.”
