The East Cobb-based Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team once again held an appreciation barbecue lunch to honor local police, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and military veterans.
Wednesday’s lunch included the Capital City Home Loans grilling from a food truck and serving burgers and hotdogs with a variety of sides sponsored by Arrow Exterminators.
Additional sponsors for the event included American Home Shield Warranty, Amerispec Home Inspection, and Chick-Fil-A East Lake.
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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!
Cobb is challenging a legislative-approved map at right and wants to replace it with the one on the left that would allow District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson to keep her seat (in pink).
An unprecedented legal ploy by Cobb County to invoke home rule provisions for reapportioning commission district lines will be considered for a vote Tuesday.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will be asked to pass a resolution to redraw the four commission districts according to a map drawn earlier this year by State Rep. Erick Allen, the Cobb legislative delegation chairman, that would preserve the District 2 seat for commissioner Jerica Richardson.
But Cobb Republican lawmakers ignored Allen’s map and pushed through the GOP-dominated Georgia legislature that took most of East Cobb, where Richardson lives, out of District 2.
Under state law, Richardson, a first-term Democrat who was elected 2020, would have to move out of her home off Johnson Ferry Road and into the new District 2 if she wants to remain in office.
She has claimed it’s the first time in state history a sitting elected official has been drawn out of a district, and that the legislature ignored longstanding courtesy by not accepting the local delegation map.
The resolution is on the commission’s regular agenda (agenda item here), and will be followed by a second consideration and vote on Oct. 25.
The Cobb challenge will have no bearing on the upcoming Nov. 8 general election. Voters in East Cobb will have the District 3 commission race on their ballot (in yellow on the maps above).
That seat is currently held by Republican JoAnn Birrell, who is seeking a fourth term and is being challenged by Democrat Christine Triebsch.
Cobb’s resolution, should it pass, is likely to be challenged in court by the state. Birrell has previously said that she didn’t think it was fair for Richrdson to be drawn out of her seat.
But she is against changing the maps approved by the legislature, saying it’s confusing to voters and “isn’t even legal.”
The full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting can be found by clicking here. It will take place starting at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
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Cobb Police said a woman from Mableton was.killed early Friday when the car she was driving in the wrong direction at I-285 and I-75 in Cobb County collided with another vehicle.
Officer Joseph Wilson said in a release that Chassity Hogan, 30, was was behind the wheel of a white 2014 Hyundai Elantra around 2:50 a.m. Friday, heading southbound on I-75 in the northbound lanes just below Windy Hill Road.
Police said the Hyundai veered into another northbound line while traveling South when it collided with a blue 2017 Volvo tractor-trailer driven by Jose Henriquez, 38, of Orlando, Fla.
According to police, the impact of the collision forced the Hyundai into a guardrail after the vehicle spun around. Police said Hogan was pronounced dead on the scene by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office and that her next of kin has been notified; Henriquez was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.
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The following food scores for the week of Oct. 3 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:
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A former amateur golfer paralyzed in a traffic accident, tees off not far from the Shepherd Spinal Center on a special golf cart funded through the Georgia State Golf Association. Photo: GSGA
To say that Jim Ingram is a golf enthusiast is putting it mildly.
The East Cobb resident is a longtime avid golfer, and has served as a volunteer and executive board member of the Georgia State Golf Association for 30 years.
The president of Evans and James, an executive search firm serving the plastics and packaging industry, Ingram remains involved in GSGA events and activities, including a relatively new charity fundraiser.
He’s played a lot of golf at a lot of local courses, including Indian Hills Country Club and Brookstone Country Club in Cobb County.
He makes fun of his “lousy golf swing” (see below) but has a 9 handicap, and often is accompanied by his dog Rover.
Ingram also has played plenty of times at the nine-hole Bobby Jones Golf Course in Buckhead, where the formerly East Cobb-based GSGA now has its headquarters.
But on Oct. 21, Ingram will play Bobby Jones like he never has before—as in over and over and over again, set to make the turn many times.
Rover is Jim Ingram’s frequent companion on the golf course.
That’s because he’s taking part in the GSGA’s charity marathon fundraiser to benefit the organization’s adaptive and junior golf programs.
(You can pledge per round or make a one-time donation to Ingram’s marathon by clicking here.)
In last year’s event, he played 81 holes in one day at the Druid Hills Country Club. In a couple of weeks, he’ll likely play just as many, if not more, on the storied public course named for a Georgia golf legend.
“You just golf until you drop,” Ingram said of the marathon, which raised more than $50,000 overall. The GSGA is aiming to surpass that figure this year with around 20-30 participants having signed up.
The proceeds enable youths 16 and under from economically challenged backgrounds to play for $5 a round, and for the GSGA to purchase special equipment and provide instruction for the physically handicapped.
Among them is Chance, a former amateur golfer and a police officer who was paralyzed from the chest down in a 2018 traffic accident.
As he rehabilitated at the Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta, his visitors included some who introduced him to adaptive golf.
He plays golf once again, thanks to a solorider cart provided by the GSGA with funds from last year’s marathon.
It’s a story the GSGA is encouraging its marathon participants to share as they collect pledges. The GSGA has raised nearly $100,000 in subsidies for the youth program (the GSGA makes up the greens fees to the golf courses) and is close to having enough money to purchase another adaptive cart.
“We’re trying to set good examples,” Ingram said of the GSGA’s initiatives to expand golf access.
More than 2,000 people have gotten involved in the adaptive program, and it’s something that “changes people’s lives,” Ingram said.
Like Chance and others at the Shepherd Center, “we’re trying to get them involved.”
Ingram played 81 holes in a single day at the 2021 GSGA marathon fundraiser.
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Community members opposed to a liquor store that plans to open in the same location vacated by another bottle shop on Johnson Ferry Road have appealed to the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
WellSpun Investments Inc. applied in March for a liquor, beer, wine and Sunday sales license for Habits Bottle Shop at 2940 Johnson Ferry Road, near the intersection of Freeman Road.
It would replace Jackie’s Fine Wine and Spirits, which relocated nearby to 3140 Johnson Ferry Road, and would be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Opponents, who have hired an attorney, Christina Moore of Taylor English Duma LLP, have said the new store is located close to two pre-schools and religious space and isn’t suitable for an area with young people. Some also expressed traffic concerns at that intersection.
The store is less than 600 feet from the Princeton Montessori School and the Primrose School of Lassiter and is less than 400 feet from Sacred Tapestry, a Methodist-affiliated entity that holds worship services at an adjacent strip mall.
The License Review Board typically grants waivers for distance requirements if there’s not opposition.
(Also on Tuesday’s agenda is a consent item to grant a liquor license for a new Canton Road sports bar on Canto Road, whose owner has appealed a denial of a liquor license due to its proximity to a church.The review board is recommending commissioners approve the license for Bar 44, and there has been no known opposition.)
Since Jackie’s moved, the landlord has been advertising the 2940 Johnson Ferry Road space as suitable for a liquor store or retail use.
But letters from community members initially filed in March, and included in Tuesday’s agenda item for the hearing (you can read through them here) say that there are plenty of establishments in the vicinity that sell alcohol in addition to Jackies: Walmart, gas station convenience stores and restaurants.
“There are currently 10 stores selling distilled spirits within a 5 mile radius with many more selling wine and beer,” wrote one citizen. “The proximity to schools and impact on traffic are two very important additional reasons why we object to this application.”
Another resident said “we don’t need one more establishment for the teenagers at Pope and Walton High School to buy from, and inevitably pay a legal adult to buy alcohol for them. I know this due to the fact that I went to Walton High School and my daughters went to Pope High School.”
In response to a questionnaire from the review board, Salim Rajan of WellSpun said he would require employees to card “if a customer appears to be under the age of 40” and that employees will be terminated if they have been found to have made an underage sale.
The Tuesday hearing will take place at the end of the meeting, and will be conducted like a formal court proceeding, with witnesses sworn in, evidence introduced and cross-examination allowed.
The full agenda for Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting can be found by clicking here. It will take place in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
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Four high schools in East Cobb reported graduation rates of 90 percent or higher in the Class of 2022.
The Georgia Department of Education released district- and school-level figures on Thursday, with Harrison High School leading the Cobb County School District with a 97.2 percent graduation rate.
Lassiter High School in East Cobb was second at 97 percent, followed by Walton at 96.5 percent and Pope at 96.2 percent. Kell graduated 91.3 percent of its seniors this year.
Sprayberry had a graduation rate of 88.2 percent and Wheeler’s is 86.8 percent.
Federal law requires that graduation rates must be calculated by including all students expected to graduate in 2022, including those enrolled for a single day.
The Cobb County School District reported an overall graduation rate of 87.4 percent, second in the metro Atlanta area to Fulton County schools (89.3 percent), according to a district release.
The state average of 84.1 percent is an all-time high.
The Kell graduation rate of 91.3 percent is 2.4 percent better than 2021, and Sprayberry’s rate rose 1.9 percent from last year, according to the Cobb school district.
The district said that its graduation rate would be 92.6 percent if calculated to include students who were enrolled for at least two years, 95.2 percent for three years and 96.5 percent for students in the 16 traditional high schools enrolled all four years.
The Georgia Department of Education has full scores that you can read through by clicking here.
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As the calendar turned to October the weather started to feel like fall, and this weekend will be perfect for taking in the festivities of the new season.
The earliest of the many community arts and craft shows leading up to the holidays starts on Friday. It’s the St. Andrew United Methodist Women’s 20th annual “Fall Into Crafts Marketplace,” which takes place in the Keheley Center building at St. Andrew UMC (3455 Canton Road) from 11-6 Friday and 10-4 Sunday.
Several dozen vendors will be displaying their products, along with a variety of other homemade items, and there’s food available for purchase and a silent auction.
The proceeds benefit the mission work of St. Andrew’s women’s ministry. The church also has a pumpkin patch that’s open from 10-8 seven days a week through Oct. 31. Info: Call 770-926-3488.
Holland Botanical, a local produce service, is having not one but two fall farm and pumpkin patch events this weekend (they’ve been featured here previously).
The first is Saturday from 9-3 at Sewell Mill Baptist Church (2550 Sewell Mill Road). In addition to sales of fresh fruits and vegetables, a 75-pound pumpkin will be raffled off, with the proceeds to benefit the church-run Richards Christian Academy.
On Sunday, the Congregation Etz Chaim Sukkahfest takes place from 11-3 at the synagogue (1190 Indian Hills Parkway).
The Good Mews Outdoor Market takes place Saturday from 10-2 at the shelter (3805 Robinson Road), books for all ages, delicious baked goods, plus new and gently used pet merchandise. There’s also a group walk starting at 9 a.m. at Good Mews that proceeds to East Cobb Park and back to the shelter.
Gardeners can prepare for the season with a Fall Planting Workshop Saturday from 11-12 at the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road). It’s offered by the UGA Cobb Extension, and covers planting, lawn care and ornamentals.
At the end of what’s expected to be a beautiful weather weekend, take some picnic food, blankets/chairs to East Cobb Park for the second of three Music in the Park concerts this fall. The entertainment is provided by the popular local Loose Shoes duo, as they play crowd favorites from across the decades and genres.
You can find 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.
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The Cobb Department of Transportation will be holding a ribbon-cutting event next Thursday, Oct. 13 for the newly completed Windy Hill-Terrell Mill Connector.
The event takes place at 11 a.m., and you’re asked to do two things—park at1950 Spectrum Circle and take a shuttle to the venue, and wear comfortable shoes.
Construction has been underway for the last three years on the $45.7 million, 0.7-mile project, which was built with 2016 Cobb SPLOST funds as an alternate route from Windy Hill Road to access the I-75 Northwest Corridor Express Lanes.
The four-lane connector stretches from the intersection of Windy Hill Road and Spectrum Circle, and continues north to the intersection of Terrell Mill Road and Bentley Road. The connector also has a raised center median that includes a sidewalk and multi-use trail.
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A second East Cobb location of Crumbl Cookies will be opening soon in the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center.
The Utah-based chain, which opened its first shop in 2017, will be moving into the former Cold Stone Creamery space at 640 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 110, next to Ted’s Montana Grill.
Cold Stone Creamery’s signage disappeared last week, and although Parkaire Landing hasn’t removed the store from its directory the store’s website said it’s “temporarily closed.”
A response from Crumbl to an inquiry from East Cobb News said that “this store is still in the early stages. . . we are at the very beginning and months away from opening. . . permits, buildout and staffing still ahead.”
Crumbl Cookies makes fresh-baked cookies on premises, allowing customers to watch. After starting with a single product—chocolate chip cookies—Crumbl has grown its product line to include a rotating menu, and with ubiquitous pink carry-out and curbside pickup boxes.
Aggressive social media campaigns, especially on TikTok, also have helped Crumbl Cookies’ rapid expansion to nearly 600 locations nationwide.
Locally, Crumbl Cookies has opened at Sandy Plains MarketPlace, as well as Kennesaw and Marietta.
East Cobb News also has left a message with Cold Stone Creamery.
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From L-R: (l-r) Courtney Green of the Cobb Schools Foundation; Brenda Reid of Publix; Cobb School Superintendent Chris Ragsdale; Cobb Schools Foundation Executive Director Felicia Wagner. Photo Courtesy Cobb County School District
Publix Super Markets has awarded a $175,000 donation to the Cobb Schools Foundation as part of its “Tools for Back to School” campaign.
The foundation is a non-profit organization that supports students, teachers and educational needs in the Cobb County School District.
“Tools for Schools” includes participation from Publix patrons during the month of July, resulting in a donation to Cobb schools that was the largest in the state of Georgia.
The donation of gift cards will be used to purchase basic learning materials like pens, markers, crayons, and notebooks, particularly for students who are economically disadvantaged.
A district release said an estimated 50,000 of its 107,000 students fit that description, and their teachers often have had to buy those materials for them.
“Cobb Schools Foundation received the largest donation in the state of Georgia for this campaign,” Brenda Reid, the Publix community relations manager for the Atlanta region, said in the release. “We appreciate the generosity of our customers in donating to the school systems and foundations in our 7-state service area. Thank you for the partnership and all the great work Cobb School District does year-round.”
Said Felicia Wagner, the Cobb Schools Foundation executive director, said of Publix: “They can know that their support at the register is appreciated and is helping students in their own community. This donation will be distributed throughout our schools to serve students in need as well as teachers who are doing all that they can to create the best learning experience for students.”
For more about the Cobb Schools Foundation, click here.
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The Moxie Restaurant Group opened its fourth Moxie Burger location last month in the Kennesaw area.
On Tuesday, the East Cobb-based company announced it has sold its Moxie Taco restaurant at Paper Mill Village.
In a Facebook message Tuesday morning, the Moxie Restaurant Group said that the new owners are those who operate Camps Kitchen and Bar next door.
The new name of the restaurant will be the Green Coyote Cantina, and it will have a similar menu.
“We’ve truly loved building Moxie Taco into a favorite neighborhood restaurant within the East Cobb community and are so thankful for everyone who supported Moxie Taco with their visits, parties, and catering,” the Moxie Restaurant Group message said. “We ultimately made the difficult decision to sell, so that we can focus our efforts on putting Moxie Burger locations into more local community neighborhoods.
“The decision was made easier by knowing it will be handed over to seasoned, successful owners, who are passionate about the concept,” the Moxie message said. “We know our loyal MT customers will be in the best of hands.”
Robert Caswick, a co-owner of Camps, told East Cobb News that his ownership team, the MooCoo Group, took over operations of Moxie Taco last week and has begun a gradual transition to the Green Coyote Cantina.
The restaurant is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and Caswick said hours will expand “once we are staffed up.”
He said the menu (see below) will feature scratch Tex-Mex entrees and specialty margaritas.
“We’re smoking meats in-house and have a margarita menu like no one else” he said. “We love East Cobb and are excited to serve the community we’ve met through Camp’s Kitchen & Bar.”
He said the interior of the Green Coyote will be updated gradually over the coming months during off-hours to make it resemble “a Far West Texas cantina.”
There also will be an expansion of the back patio overlooking the Paper Mill pond.
Moxie Taco opened in 2017 as La Novia Taqueria, then changed the name to reflect the Moxie brand.
Moxie Burger was started by Pope High School graduate Chas D’Huyvetter, who opened his first gourmet hamburger restaurant at Paper Mill Village in 2011.
The newest Moxie Burger is located at 1600 Kennesaw Due West Road, joining other locations on Shallowford Road near Lassiter High School and in Roswell.
The Moxie Restaurant Group message Tuesday said that there are “more to follow soon.”
East Cobb News has left a message with Moxie Burger.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
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East Cobb resident Anna Hunt has been named an associate at terra alma, a commercial real estate advisory based in Alpharetta that specializes in emerging retail and restaurant brands.
She had previously worked at Van Michael Salons as a hair stylist and in a management capacity and has a decade of experience in customer relations and in building relationships.
“I’ll have a hand in transactions from the beginning and the opportunity to work with unique, exciting clients,” Hunt said in a release. “Best of all, I’m not just a number and not doing landlord work like I would have been doing at a bigger firm. I get the opportunity to work all over Atlanta with cool developments.”
Edie Weintraub, terra firma’s founder and Chief Community Builder, said Hunt’s “enthusiasm and eagerness are contagious.”
Hunt attended Valdosta State University and Georgia Perimeter College. She holds a cosmetology license from Aveda and is a former member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors.
She and her husband have two dogs and a cat and they enjoy hiking in North Georgia, taking the dogs on long walks, hiking, camping, exploring the great outdoors and traveling around the country.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
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Cobb Police Det. Zachary Stannard. Photo: Karl L. Moore/Mooreshots LLC, courtesy Cobb Chamber of Commerce
A Cobb Police detective who linked a double murder to the stabbing of a police officer, leading to the apprehension of the suspect, was named the 2022 public safety employee of the year Monday by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
The award, according to a Cobb Chamber release, “is given to an employee who has performed his or her job with exceptional skill, exhibited leadership and critical incident management and a devotion to their responsibilities.
Det. Zachary Stannard was called to investigate the double murder of a Cherokee firefighter and his wife in November in a north Cobb home, the day before a Sandy Springs police officer was stabbed in the face and neck.
Initially the cases were not connected, but Matthew Lanz, 22, of Acworth was taken into custody two days later and charged in both incidents.
He was indicted on 13 counts by a Cobb grand jury in April, including malice murder in the slayings of Timothy and Amber Hicks.
Lanz also has been indicted on 35 counts in Fulton County, including attempted murder.
“Detective Stannard worked for days without rest to deliver justice for the family of the deceased,” the Cobb Chamber release states, including keeping “the family updated throughout his investigation and even attended the funeral of the victims.
Earlier last year, Stannard responded to the murder of a father who was shot while driving with his daughter in their car. The detective eventually identified the vehicles of the suspects and tracked them several hundred miles away.
“Detective Stannard maintains a fierce devotion to aid the citizens of Cobb County. Long hours and stressful cases can certainly demoralize many in the law enforcement profession. However, he has shown his ongoing desire to serve as the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves, and he provides closure for the families of his victims. Detective Stannard’s dedication, exceptional skill and expertise are what make him the incredible public servant he is to Cobb.”
The Award of Merit was given to the Cobb Fire and Emergency Service’s Squad 7 and Rescue 23 for their lifesaving actions during a house fire.
Cobb Emergency Communications Officer Theresa Carcioppolo was named the recipient of the Outstanding Community Contribution Award for her work educating children and adults about the 911 industry.
The Cobb Chamber luncheon on Monday included a tribute to the two Cobb Sheriff’s deputies who were killed last month in the line of duty. You can see that presentation below.
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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!
A woman was arrested and charged with murder Friday in the strangulation death of an elderly woman at a home in the Loch Highland subdivision of Northeast Cobb.
A warrant taken out by Cobb Police against Gretchen Fortney, 52, of a Loch Highland Pass address, indicates she has been charged with murder in the commission of a felony and two felony counts of aggravated assault, including one involving strangulation.
She is being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office booking reports.
The arrest warrant said that Martha Fortney, 78, was assaulted with “an unknown object or objects” by Gretchen Fortney shortly after 5 a.m. Friday at the residence, resulting in multiple injuries to the older woman’s torso and head.
The warrant states that the victim “was observed with what appeared to be the belt from her robe tied or looped around her neck” and there was a “visable ligature mark which resulted in her death.”
The warrant doesn’t indicate the relationship between the two women. Cobb property records show that Martha Fortney was the homeowner of the Loch Highland Pass residence.
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Outdoor burning is allowed in Cobb County from Oct. 1 to April 30, enabling citizens to burn limited yard debris such as leaves, pine straw, and small limbs from growth on their property.
However, there are some restrictions, as explained by the Cobb Fire and Emergency Services Department:
Burning is allowed between the hours of 10 a.m. and one hour before sunset (no smoldering or hot coals remaining). Yard waste fires must be completely extinguished one hour prior to sunset.
No burning is allowed on windy days (10 mph or higher) or on days when the atmospheric conditions (cloudy, overcast, or raining) would cause the smoke to remain low to the ground.
Burning must be attended by an adult who must be watching the fire at all times. Never leave a fire unattended.
A water hose long enough to reach the fire must be on hand and ready for use.
Fires may not be started with petroleum-based products.
Only clean wood may be burned. Clean wood means natural wood which has not been painted, varnished, or coated with a similar material; has not been pressure treated with preservatives; and does not contain resins or glues as in plywood or other composite wood products.
Yard waste (small) fire must be at least 50 feet from all structures, including fences of combustible material, limbs no larger than 6” diameter, pile no greater than 6’ x 6’, at least 25’ from roads with speed limits greater than 35 mph.
Yard waste fires larger than 6’x6’ require a Yard Waste (large) permit.
Burning in a barrel is prohibited.
Burning of garbage is prohibited. Garbage is any waste material that includes but is not limited to plastic products, Styrofoam, fiberglass, recycling wire (burned to access metal), tires, clothing, furniture, mattresses, boxes, papers, stumps, root balls, and kudzu vines.
Any yard debris that is moved from one property to another cannot be burned. For information regarding alternative methods to dispose of yard waste, contact the Georgia Environmental Protection Division at (404) 362-2537.
Even if all guidelines for burning are followed, you may be required to extinguish the fire if it adversely interferes with another’s enjoyment of life, use of property, or if someone with a health problem is affected.
The Cobb Fire Marshal’s Office has prepared a complete guide to outdoor burning that can be found by clicking here and here.
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State Rep. John Carson, a Republican who represents part of East Cobb, has been appointed to the board of directors for MUST Ministries, which serves the needs of homeless people and others in need in metro Atlanta.
“I look forward to joining the MUST Ministries leadership team and serving my constituents in this new capacity,” Carson said in a release. “For half a century, this organization has effectively changed the lives of Cobb and Cherokee County residents with compassion and without judgement, and I am honored to become a part of their mission.”
MUST has been serving Cobb, Cherokee and surrounding counties for 50 years, providing emergency shelters for unhoused individuals and families and provides food to those in need. MUST also has workforce development programs and a health clinic.
According to the organization’s website, MUST encompasses more than 17,000 volunteers and typically serves 33,000 people in a year. Since March 2020, MUST has fed almost 173,000 people two million pounds of food.
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