Zac Adkins, second from left, with Wheeler students on a “One Percent Harder” day at the school.
A Wheeler High School graduate who started a club at the school to address the health issues of his fellow teams is expanding his cause.
Zac Adkins played varsity football and soccer for the Wildcats and earned 3.944 grade-point honors.
Now a student at Berry College, Adkins last year launched One Percent Harder, a merchandise business that’s meant to encourage young people to fostering open communication about mental and physical health among teens.
He started wearing his merchandise to school and shared his story with students, athletes and his church youth group. On Wednesdays, some Wheeler students got into the habit of wearing One Percent Gear to school, and the school’s highly ranked boys basketball team donned the outfits while warming up during a state playoff game.
The club was suggested by Wheeler principal Paul Gillihan, and it’s an accountability group that discusses a specific topic and challenges participants to set goals and “work one percent harder each day to achieve them.”
Currently One Percent Harder is raising funds for a professional mental health counseling at Wheeler, with an initial goal of $50,000.
Adkins is donating 10 percent of his merchandise proceeds to the fund, which will go to providing counseling services to any Wheeler student who needs one.
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During the holiday season, East Cobb News contributor Tamar Levy has offered up some of her ideas for shopping small to support local businesses and family-oriented activities at home and out in the community.
In her final installment, she’s got some ideas to help parents as the holiday season turns into a new year. As the mother of two small children herself, she writes from experience as she engages them in early learning activities.
As we close out 2022 and look ahead to 2023, East Cobb News will be adding more freelancers to help us cover more of the news you’ve come to expect from our community’s only all-online news and business promotion outlet.
By Tamar Levy
As we approach 2023, parents begin to reflect on the past year and start to make goals for the upcoming year for their families. Maybe that’s to go on a family vacation, spend more quality time together, or even start to think about how they can support their child’s learning at home.
If you’re a parent and you’re thinking about the latter, I am here to give you some ideas. As a former teacher and reading specialist and a mom of two, I believe there are always ways (even small!) to support your child’s learning at home.
If you don’t have a library card already, now is the time to get one. The East Cobb Library has a wonderful children’s section and is the perfect place for your family to discover new titles. It is a way to encourage independent reading and to spark new interest for books at home. They also offer various story times and activities for your family to enjoy.
Connect your child’s interest with learning at home. For example, does your child like the TV show, Paw Patrol? Use your Paw Patrol toys at home to practice the beginning sounds of letters. Or hide the toys around the house and encourage your child to count them as he or she finds them. Learning and play can go hand in hand, and you can use what you have in your home to support that.
When purchasing alphabet materials, make sure they practice the letter sounds and not just the letters. There are several puzzles that have pictures of the letter sounds when matching the letters. These are a great fit for a child learning or practicing letter sounds.
Place books everywhere. Reading isn’t just for bedtime. It can be for the car ride to school, the bathroom, getting cozy on the couch, or you can even create a reading corner for your child at home.
Use educational experts as a resource. Ask your child’s teacher how you can support your child’s learning at home. There are also several experts online that share activity ideas to support your child’s development as well.
If you have Instagram, my own platform can support your family daily. Check out @that_peachmommy for more ways to support your young learner at home. Navigating parenthood is challenging and I am here to help you with that.
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A second location of Fire Stone Chinese Cuisine—which debuted to acclaim in the Town Center area in 2019—is set to open in East Cobb early 2023.
That’s the response we got after inquiring about the new restaurant’s timeline. Fire Stone will occupy the former Black Swan Tavern space—and for many years before that, Churchill’s Pub—at Merchants Festival (1401 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 128).
Last week Fire Stone received an alcohol pouring license from Cobb County government, but restaurant’s response didn’t provide any further details.
Fire Stone was started by Wen-Qiang Huang, a former associate of Peter Chang of Tasty China II fame, and specializes in Sichuan dishes (menu here).
The new Fire Stone space has been vacant since the Black Swan closed in February 2020. Another vacant restaurant space at Merchants Festival, formerly Jason’s Deli, still retains that restaurant’s outside signage.
The former Pier 1 store that also closed in 2020 at Merchants Festival is now occupied by Sea of Pearls Dentistry.
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!
The Credit Union of Georgia, which has a branch office in East Cobb, is collecting items for pet supply drive for the holidays to benefit Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue.
The drive lasts through Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. and items can be dropped off at any branch (there’s one at 1020 Johnson Ferry Road).
There are wish lists posted at MostlyMutts.org, Amazon.com, and Chewy.com, and needed items include dog blankets, cat litter, dog treats, cat scratchers and gift cards to Petco, PetSmart, and Amazon.
“We can’t forget about our four-legged friends during the holiday season. Help us help our local animal rescue. All the items that are collected will be dropped off at Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue for our friends at the animal shelter.” said Brian Albrecht, President/CEO of Credit Union of Georgia.
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!
The Cobb County Public Library System is marking down many of its items for sale for holiday shopping in December.
The sale prices range from 30-50 percent off at all 16 library branches.
They include 10 cents for magazines to 50 cents for children’s and pocket paperbacks, $1 for individual DVDs and music CDs and oversized and children’s hardbacks and $2 for audio books, DVD and music CD sets and fiction and non-fiction hardbacks.
All proceeds made benefit the libraries directly. Cash or check only. All sales final.
The sale takes place during library opening hours. For locations and hours click here.
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(Editor’s Note: Bill Hendrick and I worked at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution but did not know each other during the years we were there together—Wendy Parker)
An idea that was more 25 years in the making came to fruition this fall for East Cobb resident Bill Hendrick when he became a first-time book author.
A longtime journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Hendrick reported in 1994 about some artifacts that were discovered at a construction site in downtown Atlanta, including an unexploded shell fired by Union General William Sherman’s troops during the battle of Atlanta.
Hendrick’s curiosity also was piqued by something else: The discovery of Atlanta’s leading newspaper during the Civil War years.
A visit to that construction area with legendary Atlanta historian Franklin Garrett introduced Hendrick to the story of the Atlanta Daily Intelligencer.
Hendrick and his wife Laura raised two sons in East Cobb, and they graduated from Walton High School and the University of Georgia. Jordan is an attorney in Decatur and Stuart is a writer and teacher in Atlanta.
While Hendrick researched the newspaper issues, Davis, a former East Cobb resident and author of other Civil War-related books, supplied the larger historical backdrop.
They began their collaboration in 2017, and met nearly daily to discuss their work, often at Goldbergs Bagel on Johnson Ferry Road (where this interview was conducted).
The result is nearly 500 pages of text with extensive footnotes and bibliographical information.
“I wasn’t thinking about making any money when we started,” said Hendrick, who left the AJC in 2008 and also was a reporter for the Associated Press in Atlanta.
“I just thought it would be interesting to see how a newspaper covered a war.”
What’s left of the Atlanta Daily Intelligencer offices after the Battle of Atlanta.
By contemporary standards, the look, feel and reportage of the paper is dramatically different. The Daily Intelligencer published four broadsheet pages each day of pure text. There were no photos but plenty of front page ads and obituaries, and many of the bylines were pseudonyms.
A typical front page during the war (see below) included battle reports, dispatches first published in other newspapers and ads for land, “desired goods” and slaves.
Atlanta’s population during the Civil War was around 10,000 (a fifth of them enslaved), and the newspaper’s circulation was around 3,000, Hendrick said.
The publisher of the paper, Jared Whitaker, was prominent citizen and city council member when the war broke out, and a devout supporter of the Confederate cause.
Those views were frequently reflected in the newspages, which Hendrick said bluntly was a pro-Confederacy, anti-Lincoln propaganda organ (here’s an excerpt).
The Daily Intelligencer struggled to purchase newsprint after its supplier, the Marietta Paper Mill, was burned by Union troops as they approached Sope Creek in July 1864. The mill was targeted because it also printed Confederate currency.
Much of the war-related content in the Daily Intelligencer came from other newspapers that received battlefield reports from correspondents.
The newspaper exchange program that was a forerunner of the modern newspaper content syndicates included the Atlanta paper sending copies even to their Northern counterparts for a time.
But in the Daily Intelligencer, Hendrick noted, “there was hardly any coverage of the the Battle of Atlanta.”
That was due in part to the newspaper evacuating its operations to Macon as Sherman’s troops laid siege to Atlanta.
After the Daily Intelligencer staff returned to town, the building where its office was located—above a liquor wholesaler on Whitehall Street in what’s now Underground Atlanta—had been destroyed by the Union bombardments.
A correspondent filed a dispatch of that incident, writing of a shell fragment that “should I go to Macon soon, I will have it with me, as a moment of the love that is borne for us by our Northern brethren.”
John Steele, the newspaper’s editor, thundered from Macon about Sherman and his troops that “their success in battering to pieces the impenetrable fortress Atlanta, must have given them great satisfaction. The murder of women and children, by fragments of their barbarous shells, will be a gory blot on the savage and unsoldierlike campaign of Sherman the flanker.”
The front page of an 1863 edition of the Atlanta Daily Intelligencer. For a larger version click here. Digital Library of Georgia
“The news was always late,” Hendrick said of the Daily Intelligencer, including news of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln shortly after the war ended.
During the Battle of Gettysburg, he said, the paper “didn’t admit for days that the South had lost. Initially, they said it was a great victory. But you can only deny it for so long.”
What also foiled the Daily Intelligencer’s narrative were the letters written home by soldiers, as well as messages sent via telegram, from troops and others who witnessed the combat first-hand.
The book includes a telegram the newspaper printed from a Southern soldier writing home to his father that he lost an arm in Gettysburg. That soldier, Lt. William Nesbit, recovered from his wounds and lived to be an old man in Alpharetta and Cherokee County.
When civilians on the home front started getting a different story from what was in the press, Hendrick said, “they started asking questions.”
As to why correspondents didn’t want to use their own names, Hendrick said “I think they didn’t want to take crap from the people they interviewed.
“I’m sure the generals knew who they were talking to but they never saw their names in the paper.”
Hendrick maintains ownership rights to the trade name Atlanta Daily Intelligencer, which was the only newspaper in Atlanta to survive the war.
But it didn’t last long, ceasing publication in 1871, as Reconstruction continued and as Atlanta was becoming, in the words a decade later of Henry Grady, the publisher of The Atlanta Constitution, “the capital of The New South.”
Hendrick updates his registration for the Daily Intelligencer every year with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
“I own a newspaper that doesn’t exist,” Hendrick cracked.
The research for the book was grueling—he spent nearly six months combing through the microfilm copies of the Daily Intelligencer at the Atlanta History Center.
“I almost went blind,” he said with deadpan humor. “But it was fun. I was fascinated with how newspapers operated.”
At the age of 75, Hendrick is taking on a new book subject that he’s doing by himself, a history of American newspapers in the 19th century.
“If I live to finish it,” he joked.
Hendrick says the research is a lot easier due to the wealth of information available online. He said he was ecstatic, for example, to find a story about the Alamo on newspapers.com.
“If it takes another four years,” Hendrick said of his current project, “I may be dead.”
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A proposed raised median would prevent left-turn traffic coming out of Parkaire Landing to Lower Roswell Road in a high-accident area.
Back in October we reported on Cobb DOT’s plans to have parts of the Lower Roswell Road project redesigned after a good deal of community feedback, including at a robust town hall meeting.
At that town hall, organized by Commissioner Jerica Richarsdon, Cobb DOT director Drew Raessler said the bike lanes would be taken out in favor of a wider multi-use trail, among other things.
On Tuesday, he’ll be asking the Cobb Board of Commissioners for $192,810 for new engineering design work to reflect those changes.
The additional redesign work is expected to take 6-8 months. A major transportation program that has been nearly a decade in the works will be delayed yet again, with a tentative completion timeframe—barring any other setbacks—for 2026.
The agenda item can be found by clicking here; some of the other suggestions and complaints expressed at that town hall at the East Cobb Library aren’t included, including continuing concerns over a proposed median along Lower Roswell between Johnson Ferry Road and Davidson Road.
The commission meeting will take place in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
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Most of the flooring at Lassiter High School will be replaced following the approval of a construction contract Thursday by the Cobb Board of Education.
The board approved a contract bid to Mid Atlantic Renovation, Inc. of Norcross for $2.347 million to replace most of the flooring in classrooms, hallways and other common areas.
The new Lassiter gym and other areas of the school with specialty floors are not part of the project.
It’s an earmarked project in the current Cobb Education SPLOST IV. During a school board work session Thursday, Cobb school district officials said the renovation is scheduled to be completed in July.
The district will spend $1.2 million in SPLOST IV funds for a concession/restroom renovation and completion project. That’s also slated to be completed in July.
The Thursday meetings were the last for outgoing school board members Charisse Davis and Jaha Howard, who did not seek re-election.
Although board members are not permitted to make public comments at board meetings, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale thanked the both of them.
“I appreciate the sacrifice that both of you made,” he said.
They received plaques at their desks, as did chairman David Chastain, who presided over the last meeting of the 2022 year on Thursday.
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Members of the Pope Class 6A softball state championship team with Cobb school board members and Superintendent Chris Ragsdale. Photos courtesy Cobb County School District
The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday recognized the 2022 state champion softball and volleyball teams from Pope High School.
They were honored before a Cobb school board meeting and introduced to the audience.
The Pope softball team went 35-1 in capturing the Georgia High School Association Class 6A title, the third state championship in school history.
The Extra Innings softball information service named the Greyhounds their “national champion” in their final rankings.
The senior class of Natalie Klingler, Jadyn Laneaux and Emily Ricci ended their careers with their second state championship and an overall record of 126-17.
Laneaux and pitcher Kendall Scott earned region player of the year honors.
The Pope volleyball team claimed its fifth state championship in winning the Class 6A title, led by Cooper Abney. Coach Erica Miller was a regional honoree by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
After winning the Region 7 championship, the Greyhounds went 5-0 in the state playoffs. They trailed Sequoyah by two sets in the state championship match before rallying for a 3-2 victory.
“Our sports state champions are more examples of why Cobb is the place to be and where families want to raise their children. In Cobb, success extends beyond the classroom and long after graduation,” Cobb school board chairman David Chastain said in a statement issued by the Cobb school district.
The Pope volleyball team won the school’s 5th state championship in November.
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The following food scores for the week of Dec. 5 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:
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The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the Respect for Marriage Act, which ensures certain marriage rights for same-sex couples at the federal level.
Voting in favor of the bill, H.R. 8404, was U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a Marietta Democrat who represents the 6th Congressional District.
She was part of a 258-169-1 majority that included 39 Republicans. The bill was passed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 29, with Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff also voting in favor in a 61-36-3 vote.
One of the three not voting was U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who was elected to a full six-year term on Tuesday.
Voting against the bill Thursday was Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, whose 11th Congressional District will include part of East Cobb in January.
Thursday’s roll call vote will be posted at this link, which includes the full text and previous vote breakdowns.
The bill, which awaits the signature of President Joe Biden, repeals the Defense of Marriage Act passed in the 1990s, upholds the rights of same-sex couples for federal Social Security, tax and veterans’ benefits and prohibits states from denying an out-of-state marriage license on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.
The measure that passed Congress was amended to include some religious liberty provisions.
“The Respect for Marriage Act is a historic step forward as we protect those we are tasked with representing,” McBath said in a statement. “No American should ever face discrimination because of who they are or who they love.”
The bill was introduced by Democratic Congressional leaders after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas hinted at revisiting a 2015 court ruling that enshrined same-sex marriages across the country.
Georgia was one of the states that banned same-sex marriage via statute and a constitutional amendment.
The bill passed by Congress would not prevent states from banning same-sex marriage if that court ruling, Obergefell v. Hodges, were to be overturned, as federal abortion rights were this summer.
McBath, who is completing her third term, will be representing the 7th Congressional District, based in Gwinnett County, starting in January.
The new 6th District member of Congress will be Rich McCormick, a Republican who was elected in November.
The 6th will include some of East Cobb, Cherokee, North Fulton and Forsyth counties as well as Dawson County.
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Christopher Patrick Golden accepted a plea deal Thursday in Cobb Superior Court and was sentenced to two life terms plus 55 years, without the possibility of parole, by Judge Julie A. Jacobs.
According to Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady, that’s the maximum sentence possible in Georgia short of the death penalty.
His office declared it would be seeking the death penalty against Golden, whom Cobb Police said shot deputies Marshall Ervin and John Koleski with a rifle on Sept. 8.
The deputies were serving a warrant to Christopher Cook, a resident at a home in West Cobb, in the Cheatham Hill area, when gunfire broke out. Ervin, 38, and Koleski, 42, were pronounced dead on the scene.
After a standoff, Golden and Cook were arrested.
Golden was charged with two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Cook was charged with eight counts of theft by deception and theft by receiving stolen property.
Golden was to have had an arraignment hearing on Thursday. But at a press conference after the plea deal, Broady said Golden’s attorneys approached his office about considering life without parole in lieu of seeking capital punishment.
As part of his plea, Golden waived all post-conviction relief, including parole, clemency, or pardon, according to the Cobb DA’s office.
Broady said his office met with the families of Ervin and Koleski and that after lengthy discussions, “we made the mutual decision” to agree to the plea deal.
Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady
“Although nothing will ever replace the lives of Marshall and John, this plea today will allow their families to put the case behind them and focus on healing,” he said.
When asked about the reason Golden’s attorneys sought the plea deal, Broady deferred to his deputy chief assistant DA, Jason Sabila, who was assigned to prosecute the case.
Sabila said that based on a second interview with Cobb detectives, Golden “was very cognizant that this was a death penalty case. He referenced it repeatedly . . .
“We certainly don’t know for sure, but my assumption is that he knew where this was headed . . . and what this community was going to do.”
Broady declined to speculate on the motive for the shootings, since Cook still faces charges. Golden said nothing during the plea proceedings in court Thursday.
Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens read a prepared statement at the press conference.
“Today a man was brought to justice for the terror that he brought to our community,” Owens said. “He robbed two women of their loving husbands, and denied two beautiful daughters of having their father play catch, play softball after school.
“That evildoer has stood before God today and acknowledged what he did. Our hearts are still hurting, But tonight we will sleep a little softer knowing this case is behind us.”
Of the slain deputies, the first in Cobb to die in the line of duty in nearly 30 years, Owens said “their memories will be a blessing to us all. We will continue to honor them each and every day when we put on this uniform and serve the people of Cobb County.”
Deputies Jonathan Koleski, left, and Marshall Erwin Jr. were veterans of the Cobb Sheriff’s Office
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Enjoy Sweets with Santa on Saturday at Janice Overbeck Real Estate team.
Another action-packed holiday weekend continues the festive season in East Cobb, with all kinds of tasty treats, holiday music and cheer and opportunities to help others on tap.
It’s going to be a wet, soggy weekend as well, and most of these events are indoors. Bring an umbrella wherever you go.
The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road) has a back-to-back musical treat on Friday, with caroling led by Dickerson Middle School choruses from 6-7. The public is invited to invited to don festive holiday gear and join in the sing-along, featuring Christmas, Hannukah and other holiday songs.
That’s a warm-up to the Sounds of the Season Concert from 7-9, featuring live music from local artists. The event that’s done in conjunction with East Cobb Church includes photo opp with Santa, festive cocktails and roaming entertainment.
Both events are free. Because of construction work, however, parking is limited and carpooling is recommended.
Get your Sweet Tooth on Saturday at Sweets With Santa, taking place from 11-5 at Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team (2249 Roswell Road).
This is also a free event, including trackless train rides, balloon art, treats, photos with Santa, and a pet adoption.
A full day of holiday fun is in store Saturday at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road), including Cocoa and Concert from 11-1. You can shop at the holiday market from 10-6, and from 2-4 there will be a screening of “Home Alone” in the Black Box Theater.
We’re told that Santa Claus will be making an appearance between 10-12 at the Sewell Mill Library,
Several churches will be having Christmas concerts this weekend, including Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road). Concert times are at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and a second Sunday performance at 7 p.m., all featuring the church’s choir and orchestra ensembles.
Mt. Bethel Church (4385 Lower Roswell Road) is holding its Carols for Christmas Concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, followed by cookies, cocoa and Christmas cheer in the Fellowship Hall. You’re asked to register in advance.
Former Mt. Bethel members recently formed their own church, Grace Resurrection Methodist (1200 Indian Hills Parkway), and it’s having a Christmas Concert and Carols Sing-Along Sunday starting at 5:30 p.m.
Another community musical celebration takes place on Sunday, as the Cobb Wind Symphony Holiday Concert starts at 3 p.m. at the Lassiter Concert Hall (2601 Shallowford Road). Admission is free, but donations are accepted.
Also on Sunday, the Empty Bowl Brunch returns to The Art Place, benefitting MUST Ministries. Pick out soup bowls made by The Art Place students, enjoy tasty homemade soup and help one of Cobb’s leading charities assist those in need. Cost is $25 per person, hours are 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ongoing through the holidays is the Fox Family Christmas Lights Display, each evening rom 6-11 p.m. at 2994 Clary Hill Court. One of East Cobb’s biggest light shows is back to dazzle. you once again, as you drive by and listen on radio to a selected playlist and take in many interactive features.
Santa’s an occasional guest, and you can track his whereabouts and get other updates on the show at its Facebook page.
If you’re looking for some ideas for high-quality family time during the holidays, our contributor Tamar Levy has some suggestions for Christmas and Hanukkah.
You can find all of our calendar listings in one handy place on our site. If you have events to share with the public, please e-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we will post them here.
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!
Rabbi Albert Slomovitz (at right) hands Jewish faith materials to children at the Catholic Church of St. Ann with Father Ray Cadran. Photo courtesy Josh Azriel
What’s called J Star—a Jewish-Christian understanding project that’s been conducted during the holidays the last three years—is making its rounds in the Atlanta area.
The 4th annual J Star is underway, with clergy from both faiths making presentations at area churches and handing out materials, in particular to children.
He recently teamed up with Father Ray Cadran at the Catholic Church of St. Ann, and will be visiting Mt. Bethel Church on Dec. 18, the first day of Hanukkah.
“The goal of this program,” according to a J Star release, “is to highlight interfaith awareness and education.”
Practical and fun activities are designed to promote understanding across the two faiths. Each family associated with a JCDC-partnered church receives a holiday packet that includes a Jewish Star, dreidel (plastic spinning top), and some chocolates.
Children take home the stars, and play with them and use them as tree decorations, then learn to play the dreidel game, which was popular during the time of Jesus.
“Christians and Jews can come together and learn about the shared Jewish traditions we all have. Jesus grew up as a practicing Jew. That included celebrating Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays,” Slomovitz said.
“The message of the Hanukkah story itself is one that all can relate to, it was a fight for religious freedom. The Jewish community fought against their Greek rulers who were trying to suppress their religious practices.”
Given increasing concerns about anti-Semitism, Slomovitz stressed the need to continue interfaith dialogues. “I am blessed to have Christian friends across the metro area whose churches are our partners for the J Star Project,” Slomovitz said.
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Menorah lightings will take place in East Cobb on Dec. 18, the first day of Hanukkah.
East Cobb News contributor Tamar Levy follows up her post from last week about shopping small for the holidays with another seasonal-related post, her suggestions for quality family time together, both at home and out in the East Cobb community and nearby.
Levy will be contributing another holiday story soon, and we’ll also be adding more freelancers in the new year to help us cover more of the news you’ve come to expect from East Cobb News.
By Tamar Levy
December is here which means it is holiday season! At this time of year, it is wonderful to find ways to celebrate the winter holidays locally. There are several family-friendly options that will guarantee to bring joy to everyone.
Enchanted Woodland Wonders Sunday, December 11 Visit the Chattahoochee Nature Center and get into the holiday spirit with some family fun. This includes live reindeer from Petit Creek Farms, arts and crafts, holiday festivities, artist booth, games and more! (770) 992- 2055 9135 Willeo Road Roswell, GA 30075
World of Illumination November 16- January 1 Take a magical drive through Reindeer Road and enjoy the enchanting lights through the World of Illumination. Visit Santa’s workshop, snowmen, and reindeer all while touring the beautiful arctic. Six Flags White Water 250 Cobb Parkway N Marietta GA 30062
Menorah Lightings December 18
5-6:30 p.m.
Congregation Etz Chaim invites the East Cobb Jewish community to the Winter Wonderland festival from 2-4 at the synagogue (Indian Hills Parkway), followed by a Menorah lighting at East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road) starting at 5 p.m. 5:30-6:30 PM Join The Avenue East Cobb and Chabad of Cobb for a traditional Menorah light ceremony, treats, activities and an incredible gelt drop by the Cobb County Fire Department. (770) 971- 9945 4475 Roswell Road Marietta, GA 30062
Magical Christmas Snow Fall with Anna and Elsa December 24 5-7 PM Grab a slice of Carlo’s Pizza and watch Elsa use her powers to bring the snowfall to Georgia! (404) 647-0613 1100 Johnson Ferry Rd Suite 225 Marietta, GA 30068
Are you looking to start some new traditions with your family this holiday season? Here are some ideas for special theme nights to celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas at home!
Decorate sufganiyot (Hanukkah donuts) or Christmas tree ornaments
Dress in matching pajamas and have a movie night
Invite children to choose the toys they no longer play with so they can donate them to a new family
Put hot cocoa in to-go cups and drive around admiring the lights in your neighborhood
Play Dreidel or guess the Christmas smell game and the winner gets to choose the next themed night
Do a flashlight scavenger hunt—look for themed Hanukkah or Christmas items in the house
Have a dance party to a Hanukkah or Christmas playlist
Make something for someone else, a card for a friend, a craft for a loved one, etc.
Invite a family that celebrates a different holiday to learn about how yours is celebrated
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The final meetings for two members of the Cobb Board of Education take place on Thursday.
Charisse Davis
First-term Democrats Charisse Davis of Post 6 (Walton, Wheeler clusters) and Jaha Howard of Post 2 (Campbell, Osborne clusters) did not seek re-election this year.
Howard ran for Georgia School Superintendent but was defeated in the Democratic primary in May.
Davis has not publicly stated her reasons for not seeking re-election. East Cobb News has left a message with her seeking comment.
The Cobb school board will have a work session that begins at 2:30 p.m. and a voting session starts at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Cobb County School District central office, 514 Glover St., Marietta.
The full agendas for the public meetings can be found by clicking here. An executive session follows the work session.
Among the agenda items is a request for $100 million in short-term construction notes for 2023, which would be repaid with Cobb Ed-SPLOST revenues at the end of next year.
The board also will be asked to approve contracts for new flooring at Lassiter High School and for concession and restroom renovations and replacements at Pope High School.
Pope’s state champion softball and volleyball teams also will be recognized,
Proposed administrative rule modifications to be presented to the board cover such topics as employee transfer policies, animals in schools and a parents’ bill of rights.
In the 2018 elections, Davis, a Fulton County librarian and former school librarian, unseated Republican incumbent Scott Sweeney in Post 6, which stretches from East Cobb to the Cumberland-Vinings area.
Davis and Howard’s arrival on the school board tightened the Republican majority from 6-1 to 4-3.
During their tenure, the school board was deeply divided and at times contentious on a number of issues, including racial, diversity and equity topics and the Cobb County School District’s COVID-19 response.
In late 2019, the GOP majority approved a policy to ban school board member comments at public meetings, triggering a series of mostly partisan disputes over the following two years.
That culminated with the three Democratic board members going to Cognia, the school district’s accrediting agency, to conduct a special review of the district in 2021.
After giving the district a year to make certain improvements, Cognia reversed its findings earlier this year.
By then, Davis and Howard had been drawn into the same post in redistricting. Post 6 was shifted entirely into the Cumberland-Smyrna-Vinings area, with Post 4 and Post 5 covering East Cobb.
Davis will be succeeded in January by Nichelle Davis (no relation), a Democrat who was unopposed in the primary and general election. She is a former Teach for America teacher and is the operations manager for Achieve Atlanta, an education non-profit.
Howard’s successor is Democrat Becky Sayler, who has been an English as a Second Language teacher and preschool teacher.
Thursday’s meeting also is the last for Post 4 member David Chastain as chairman.
He was re-elected to a third term in November, as the Republican majority will remain at 4-3.
In 2024 the terms of four members will expire, including three Republicans, among them four-term member David Banks of Post 5 in East Cobb.
In January Post 5 will include the Pope, Walton and Wheeler clusters.
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Allie Heineman and Stephanie Whitaker of Engaged Atlanta; photo by ENewbern Photography
A concierge service that helps couples plan for weddings has opened at Paper Mill Village.
It’s called Engaged Wedding Library, and it’s the second such location opened by Stephanie Whitaker, whose original business is in Birmingham, England that she started in 2007.
She and her consultants work with vendor partners “based on a thorough vetting process and use that library of vendors to help couples build a wedding team that perfectly suits their style, location and budget,” according to a company release.
She said that the goal “is to match each bride and groom to the perfect team of wedding vendors . . . While the Internet is a great resource for finding hundreds of options, it’s easy to become overwhelmed trying to figure out which ones are professional and a good fit for their unique needs. We help them get a clear vision for their wedding, set up meetings with local vendors that match their style and budget criteria, teach them about the planning process and give them some fun goodies to celebrate this exciting time in their lives. Brides and grooms leave Engaged more informed and less stressed, with custom vendor connections and a plan for their next steps.”
There is a one-time fee of $99 to become a “Library Member” that includes up to four planning meetings to become educated on vendor costs, get an overview of the planning process and plug into a system to keep planning on track.
Members also get unlimited email correspondence with the Engaged experts, the Engaged Handbook with a listing of vendors, and access to the perks and discounts offered by Engaged vendor partners.
Whitaker said most discounts range from $50 to $150 off and range from wedding gowns to honeymoon suites. Members also receive tickets to local bridal shows that Engaged partners with and conducts on its own.
Engaged also offers wedding day management services.
Whitaker’s Birmingham business serves more than 100 local vendors and 300 couples annually.
Engaged Wedding Library is located at 255 Village Parkway, Suite 510.
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Severalnews organizations have declaredWarnock the winner with metro Atlanta counties still counting votes.
With 92 percent of counties reporting, he leads Walker by roughly 36,000 votes.
More than 3.4 million votes were cast, for a turnout of 48 percent.
In Cobb, Warnock hashad a60-40 percent lead most of the night.
Hehas been competitive in some East Cobb precincts but Walker has won a number of them.
More than 260,000 votes were cast by Cobb voters, for 51 percent turnout.
Warnock’s win would give Democrats a 51-49 Senate majority, after a 50-50 split since he and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff unseated Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, respectively, in January 2021 runoffs.
More updates coming Wednesday.
UPDATED, 9:37 P.M.:
With 79 percent of the counties in Georgia fully reporting, Warnock leads by roughly 16,000 votes, with 50.27 percent.
We’ll be updating this post Tuesday night and into Wednesday in the U.S. Senate runoff between Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker.
A total of 91 of Georgia’s 159 counties have fully reported results thus far, and as 9 p.m. approached the vote-counting is tightening.
Warnock built up a big early lead due largely to early and absentee voting.
Walker briefly went ahead by about 41,000 votes.
But with 49 percent of the vote in, Warnock has received 1,230,639 votes, or 50.83 percent, to 1,190,273 votes for Walker, or 49.17 percent.
Most of the counties that have fully reported are in rural and southern Georgia; metro Atlanta counties are not yet fully counted.
That includes Cobb County, where Warnock has a big lead. He has 100,539 votes, or 65.41 percent, to 53,170 votes for Walker, or 34.59 percent. But only 30 percent of the votes have been counted.
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