Campaign signs from the 2020 general elections at a precinct on Indian Hills Parkway. ECN file photo.
The Cobb Board of Elections on Monday approved an advance voting schedule for the general elections that includes two Saturday voting days and one on the Sunday before the Nov. 5 election day.
Advance voting will take place from Oct. 15-Nov. 1 at a number of locations, including the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) and the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).
The East Cobb Government Service Center also will have a drop box for absentee ballots that are available only during advance voting hours.
Voters can go to any of the advance voting locations, or drop off absentee ballots at any of the designated drop boxes during the advance voting period.
Here are the specific schedules for the two advance voting locations in East Cobb:
East Cobb Government Service Center
Tuesday-Saturday, Oct. 15-19: 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 20: 12-5 p.m.
Monday-Saturday, Oct. 21-26: 7 a.m.—7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 27: 12-5 p.m.
Monday-Friday, Oct. 28-Nov. 1: 7 a.m.—7 p.m.
Dropbox open during above dates and hours
Tim D. Lee Senior Center
Tuesday-Saturday, Oct. 15-19: 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
Monday-Saturday, Oct. 21-26: 7 a.m.—7 p.m.
Monday-Friday, Oct. 28-Nov. 1: 7 a.m.—7 p.m.
No Sunday voting
No dropbox availability
There will be no voting from Nov. 2-4.
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, voters will go to their assigned precincts to cast their ballots in person.
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The Cobb Board of Education will be asked on Thursday to approve spending $1.6 million for a new roof at Sope Creek Elementary School.
An agenda item states that the Cobb County School District will ask the board to award a contract to Roof Technology Partners of Woodstock to do the work, which is expected to be completed by August 2025.
It’s one of several renovation contracts on the board’s agenda that include Cobb Education SPLOST-VI projects at Ford Elementary School, Harrison High School and Kennesaw Mountain High School.
The board also will be asked to approve a contract for $4.535 to purchase 27 school buses and four van mail trucks.
Those items will be presented for discussion at a work session that begins at 2 p.m. Thursday in the board room of the CCSD Central Office, 514 Glover St., Marietta.
The items will be considered for a vote at a 7 p.m. business meeting at the same venue. An executive session will take place in between.
You can view the agenda for the work session and voting session by clicking here.
The executive session, which is limited to land, legal, personnel and student discipline matters, is closed to the public.
The work session agenda says there will be a video presentation of the first day of school and a presentation on student outcomes, but didn’t elaborate on the latter.
At the night meeting, recognitions include Walton High School’s athletics program receiving the Georgia Athletic Directors Association Director’s Cup for overall sports success in the 2023-24 school year.
Also to be recognized by the board will be Misa McFarlin, Tanushri Dhamotharan, and Edore Oseragbaje of Wheeler High School, who are the 2023-2024 SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference State Gold Award Winners for Career Pathway Showcase Business Management and Technology.
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Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said Tuesday “a great harm was done to Cobb County” with legislative-approved electoral maps.
The Cobb Board of Elections is moving ahead with special elections for commission races as a long-standing legal saga over redistricting continues elsewhere in county government.
The elections board on Monday approved two sets of special-election schedules for Cobb Commission races in Districts 2 and 4 for early 2025 after Cobb Superior Court Judge Kellie Hill vacated May primaries for those seats.
If there are December runoffs from the November general elections, those special commission elections would start on Jan. 20 and end on April 7.
If there are not runoffs, the two commission seats would be determined in voting from Feb. 12 through June 17.
The special-election dates coincide with previously scheduled municipal elections in Cobb County, but would come after the commission seats of current commissioners Jerica Richardson (District 2) and Monique Sheffield (District 4) expire on Dec. 31.
It’s not clear what might happen with two vacancies on the commission, which would go from a 3-2 Democratic majority to a 2-1 edge for Republicans.
On July 25, Hill ruled that May primaries using “home rule” maps approved by the Cobb Board of Commissioners’ Democratic majority for the two district commission elections were unconstitutional, because they weren’t adopted by the Georgia legislature.
Cobb commission District 2 boundaries (in pink) and District 3 (in yellow), as adopted by the county on the left, and the legislature on the right.
Hill was ruling on a petition by Alicia Adams, a Republican who was disqualified in District 2 because she lives in the boundaries set by the legislature.
She filed her complaint against the Cobb elections board, which was honoring the “home rule” maps. The board Democrats in October 2022 claimed the county had home rule powers under the Georgia Constitution to conduct redistricting, after the legislature ignored maps drawn up by the Cobb legislative delegation.
But Hill affirmed a January ruling by Cobb Superior Court Judge Ann Harris that the county had no authority to redraw its own political maps, saying it was solely the responsibility of the legislature.
Late last week, the Cobb County Attorney’s Office filed an emergency motion to intervene in the Adams case, even though the county was not named as a defendant (you can read the motion here).
On Tuesday morning, Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid defended the county’s decision to seek intervention, saying “a great harm was done to our county” when the Georgia legislature ignored the Cobb delegation maps.
Home rule powers were claimed by the three Democrats—Cupid, Richardson and Sheffield—in a bid to keep Richardson in office.
The first-term Democrat was drawn out of her East Cobb home in the legislative maps, which placed most of East Cobb in District 3, represented by Republican JoAnn Birrell.
“There has been no effort to circumvent the Constitution,” Cupid said in remarks at the commission’s regular meeting. “However, there has been an effort to circumvent the votes of many voters who voted for each one of us who are sitting here today.
“There has been an effort to circumvent on trusting what the local delegation in putting forward a map for the Board of Commissioners. That has been a process over the 12 years that I have been here. There has been very little objection or question about why that was circumvented.”
Her remarks followed continuing statements by Birrell and Gambrill, the board’s two Republicans, who were opposed to the decision to try to intervene in the Adams case.
The home rule challenge, Birrell said, has gone on nearly two years “at taxpayers’ expense and should never have been done to begin with. We all took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, of the State of Georgia, and of Cobb County. Follow the law.”
Cobb GOP Chair Salleigh Grubbs
Gambrill—an original plaintiff in a related Cobb home rule case that reached the Georgia Supreme Court but was not decided on the merits—called Cobb’s action “the path of anarchy.”
In its emergency motion, the Cobb County Attorney’s Office noted that in addition to the “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in expenses that would be needed for special elections, Hill’s injunction “could potentially deprive half of Cobb County from having any representation on the BOC until June of 2025 at the earliest.”
Cobb Republican Party Chairwoman Salleigh Grubbs said during a public comment period earlier in Tuesday’s meeting that the county has only itself to blame for that.
“With the chaos you people have created, you’re going to make the taxpayers pay for that,” Grubbs said, “when it’s your responsibility and it’s your quest for power over Cobb County that has caused this situation.
“You refuse to acknowledge the fact that you violated your oath and Ms. Richardson should not be sitting on the dais. You have protected her at all costs in that seat so that you can have the majority.”
Richardson, who declined to seek a second term and instead launched an unsuccessful bid for Congress has not publicly commented on the matter.
Former Cobb school board member Jaha Howard won the Democratic primary in District 2 and Sheffield cruised in the Democratic primary in District 4.
Later in the meeting Tuesday, commissioners voted 4-1 to approve $2.4 million in additional spending for the 2024 elections due to costs associated with the presidential election, as well as one-time costs for technology and equipment, security at polling stations and seasonal personnel (poll workers).
Cobb elections director Tate Fall said that funding includes more than $624,000 that is being earmarked for the commission special elections.
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The public plaza at Avenue East Cobb is the centerpiece of the retail center’s redevelopment project in 2023. ECN file photo.
The Atlanta-based subsidiary of a commercial real estate company that completed the redevelopment of Avenue East Cobb last year is being purchased by another major commercial developer and property manager.
North American Properties announced Tuesday that its Atlanta unit is being acquired by Jamestown Properties, which manages major office and retail properties that include Parkaire Landing Shopping Center in East Cobb.
NAP said in a release that a Jamestown affiliate will “make an investment” in the new portfolio of properties, which includes Colony Square and Atlantic Station in Atlanta, The Forum in Peachtree Corners and others in New York, North Carolina and Kentucky.
NAP also is the developer of Avalon in Alpharetta and counts nearly $2 billion in assets in its Atlanta unit. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024.
“Jamestown’s North Star is to create inspiring places that serve as the foundation of community life and reinforce a sense of place and belonging, while generating value for investors,” Jamestown president Michael Phillips said in a release.
“This acquisition will bolster our differential advantage in the market as a vertically integrated, mixed-use operator with a focus on placemaking. Their expertise around suburban placemaking is a great complement for our urban placemaking expertise, as well as our grocery-anchored shopping center business.”
The acquisition comes as Jamestown is making a major push into suburban areeas.
Jamestown owns 22 properties in 19 states, and at Parkaire, the anchor is a Kroger store. Avenue East Cobb doesn’t have retail grocery, but has opened a number of new retail stores and restaurants in wake of the redevelopment.
Those include a Barnes & Noble bookstore, Press Waffle Co., Peach State Pizza and Round Trip Brewing Co. There is a major vacancy at Avenue East Cobb after Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar closed at the end of last year, opting not to renew its lease.
One of the two “jewel box” spaces built in the redevelopment also remains vacant.
NAP said its 200 employees, including top executives, will come under the Jamestown umbrella after the deal closes.
Jamestown has more than $11.7 billion in assets in the U.S., Latin America and Europe. Its other properties in metro Atlanta include Ponce City Market.
NAP, based in Cincinnati, opened its Atlanta office in 1996.
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Cobb Solicitor General Makia Metzger is hosting town hall meetings for the public this month, so citizens have an opportunity to meet and greet their Solicitor General.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to engage with our residents and deliver the programs we are working on which benefit the public,” Solicitor General Metzger said. “Providing easier access to citizens helps increase a clarity of what we do.”
Solicitor General Metzger announced last month she was having four town halls in the month of August in various parts of Cobb County to provide community engagement opportunities up close and personal. The meetings are scheduled from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
The remaining town halls are as follows:
Wednesday, August 21, 2024, West Cobb Regional Library, 1750 Dennis Kemp Lane, Kennesaw
Wednesday, August 28, 2024, East Cobb Regional Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta
The town hall meetings will cover a range of initiatives and projects the Office of the Solicitor General is working on. Residents are encouraged to attend so they can learn how the Office of the Solicitor General operates and how it can be of service when it comes to public safety.
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Cobb District Attorney Flynn D. Broady, Jr. is warning metro Atlanta residents of an imposter scam targeting defendants and their attorneys in which fraudsters pose as prosecutors from the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
“Attorneys and their clients should be suspicious of emails asking for money to pay court costs and fines in exchange for closing a case and record expungement,” said Broady. “Please verify the authenticity of these emails before sending any payment, as these fraudsters claim to be from my office and claim they were acting with authority from Cobb Superior Court Judges.”
The Cobb County District Attorney’s Office does not solicit payments via email and will never ask for payment to close a case.
Please proceed with caution if you receive such a communication. Do not send any money or provide sensitive information. • If you have a current case, please get in touch with your attorney or the prosecuting agency to verify the information. • File a report with your local law enforcement agency.
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The Cobb Police Chief on Monday took the unusual step to speak publicly about an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a suspect at a Cobb Parkway pharmacy over the weekend.
Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer
Stuart VanHoozer urged the media at a press conference to “look for corroborating evidence” before reporting on details of an incident that led to officers killing Nathan Jenkins, 32, late Friday evening, at a Walgreen’s store in the Cumberland area.
He referenced media reports that included “speculation” that the suspect was shot 25 times, had his hands up when officers fired and was possessing a cell phone and not a gun.
“I did not see any evidence” of those allegations, VanHoozer said at the press conference at Cobb Police Headquarters on Fairground Street in Marietta, adding that they were part of the ongoing investigation.
He asked reporters “to patiently wait for solid evidence” and not “conjecture” as the investigation into the shooting continues.
VanHoozer said the officers involved in the shooting have been place on administrative leave in the meantime.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation, and typically local police departments do not comment until those probes are completed.
“There are some questions that have popped up in the media that have caused us some concern,” VanHoozer said.
Some of those reports included interviews with the suspect’s father, who said his son called him after the shooting and he went to the scene, as well as Jenkins’ brother, who called it “an unjustified shooting.”
Jenkins’ father told WSB-TV that his son had experienced addiction and psychological issues in his past.
Jenkins, of Valdosta, was wanted on a number of warrants, and VanHoozer said they included failure to appear on a charge of a felony possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance and fleeing and attempting to elude police in Fulton County, and probation violations in Fulton and Lowndes County.
He said officers went to the Walgreen’s at 2670 Cobb Parkway at Windy Ridge Parkway at around 11:30 p.m. based on the outstanding warrants.
Police said initially that they got into an altercation with Jenkins inside the store, and he was shot by officers when they made contact. According to police, Jenkins was pronounced dead after being taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
VanHoozer said an unspecified previous traffic stop in which a suspect got away—he said police didn’t pursue him due to the department’s chase policy—may be linked, that “possibly that pursuit and this individual.
“That’s what led to that area [the Walgreen’s on Friday] in a continuing investigation,” VanHoozer said. Jenkins was “a wanted individual that we knew about.”
VanHoozer took a few questions, and was asked about an initial GBI report saying it found a gun on the scene.
“That was not our weapon,” VanHoozer said, but he deferred other questions to “give the GBI a chance to get its ducks in a row.”
He said the Cobb Police Department was extending its condolences to Jenkins family.
“We don’t want to see incidents end like this one ended,” he said.
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Katelin Chesna leads a talented cast of Atlanta actors in “Final Audition, Last Chance for the Role of a Lifetime,” an inspirational new comedy written, directed and produced by Chicago novelist and playwright, John Ruane.
Chesna grew up on the southwest side of Chicago only a few miles from the playwright, although they had never met until they both worked on a television series in Atlanta in 2020. It was there Ruane immediately recognized Chesna’s great talent and comedic abilities. She also has the inherent Chicago accent and sarcastic sense of humor required for the role.
“When I saw her perform, I made a mental note, so when I began organizing a production of my play here, I contacted her immediately,” said Ruane, who initially wrote the play in 1993. “After she read the play, I spoke with her on the phone. She told me that she thought I had followed her around and knew her life’s story. That’s how common the acting struggle is for so many performers across the country.”
A very talented professional ensemble joins Chesna, including Justin Dilley, Ryan Siegel, Noel Olken, Nicolette Acosta, Destinee Monet, Joseph McNabb and Harry Wendorff. The cast was selected through auditions, recommendations and Ruane scouting plays for talented actors in the Atlanta area.
“When I first saw Justin Dilley perform, I was blown away!” said Ruane, who spotted him in an ACT3 production. “And when I watched Harry Wendorff and Ryan Siegel perform, their talent and abilities popped right from their first.line. For Destinee Monet, I knew within five seconds of her audition that she was special. And watching Nicolette Acosta and Joseph McNabb performing theircharacters, they were both so good! Great talent jumps out at you immediately! Plus, I really lucked out when I learned Noel Olken, who had starred in my last play in Chicago in 1991, was now in Atlanta. He was the icing on the cake. It’s so exciting to find such a talented group of actors, who are willing to commit the time it takes to rehearse and perform in a play. I’m so grateful!”
“Final Audition” is the story of actress Sally Cochrane, who has worked for 30 years to land one big break to launch her career, but is ready to give it all up and go back to Normal (Illinois), when she learns world famous director, Nick Michaels, is returning to his Chicago roots to cast his next Broadway show, literally giving every actor cast their big break. Sally must decide if she will do one Final Audition or just got back to Normal.
The play will premiere at The Art Place Theatre in Marietta (3330 Sandy Plains Road) on Friday, Sept. 6 and run through Sept. 14. A total of 10 shows will be performed, including a discounted preview on Sept. 5. Tickets can be purchased on the website, www.Finalaudition.net. More information about the playwright’s books is available at www.johnruane.net. FinalAudition is produced by Ruane’s 3rd ACT Productions.
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It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! The Fall Book Sale will be held at Cobb Civic Center October 4-6, 2024.
Materials for sale include books for all ages in both hardcover and paperback, DVDs, Books on CD and audiocassette, magazines, and puzzles. Prices range from 10 cents to $4.00.
Cobb Civic Center is at 548 South Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30060. Hours for the sale are Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm. There is plenty of free parking.
Acceptable forms of payment are debit, credit, cash, and checks — Visa and MasterCard only.
On Friday until 1 pm electronic (scanning) devices are not permitted. While we hope you will buy lots of materials, we are only able to sell up to 2 boxes of items at a time on Friday until 1 pm. Please plan to pay and take items to your vehicle before coming in to shop some more.
On Sunday we will be working to sell out the Civic Center so please come to buy, buy, buy!
Sunday is BYOB (Bring Your Own Box) Day: fill any size box (you can bodily get back to your car) for a flat rate — $10 upper level only; $20 lower level only; $20 mixed.
All profits from this book sale go directly to buying more items for Cobb County Public Library’s 15 branches and bookmobile. For more information, please visit cobbcat.org.
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The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports and Cobb County property records. They include the street address, subdivision name, high school attendance zone and sales price:
July 22
4489 Chattahoochee Plantation Drive, 30067 (Chattahoochee Plantation, Walton): $1 million
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Special events, from Avenue East Cobb’s new plaza garden party to church holiday concerts, are a staple of East Cobb News coverage.
Every couple years we like to survey our readership to find out how we can better serve all of you.
Two years ago, as the post-COVID era began, I thought it would be helpful to gauge our readers, and many of you provided very useful feedback.
East Cobb News continues to adapt coverage to make it relevant for you, as we expanded into some more featurized topics and issues, and as we undertake a new Power of Local campaign to drive home how local news, business and communtity-building go hand-in-hand.
While many of you come for the bread-and-butter issues of local government, schools, crime, public safety, development and transportation, others crave the latest restaurant and retail news, enjoy reading about festivals and accomplishments by people in our community, and how we’re offering a helping hand to neighbors in need.
Last year, East Cobb News had its best traffic year ever at nearly 1.7 million pageviews, without a pandemic or elections.
We’ve got election coverage still to come in the fall, but it’s very gratifying to know that East Cobb News readers come to our site, visit our social media channels and subscribe to our newsletter for all kinds of news—that’s what a general-interest news outlet strives to achieve.
So thanks to all of you for your visits! Now we’re asking you to tell us what you think of what you get from East Cobb News.
We love coming to ribbon-cuttings, ranging from the Barnes & Noble to the new Eastvalley ES campus!
All you have to do is click the link above, and respond to nine questions about this site, and the news and information we provide. The survey takes just a few minutes, and once you’re finished, hit the “submit” button.
What’s happening in East Cobb is why you come here, and we want to better serve your interests and understand what you value about this community resource.
Unlike corporate-owned media, East Cobb News answers above all to our readers, with the objective of meeting the news and information needs in our community. Your answers will help us tailor our product to make it really appeal to what’s important to you.
Don’t be bashful—tell us what we’re doing well, what we could do better or different or even not at all. We appreciate your readership and look forward to delivering more community news and information that’s relevant to you as we continue in 2024 and into the new year.
I’m always accessible to field your questions, hear complaints and try to explain why we do what we do at East Cobb News. E-mail me: wendy@eastcobbnews.com.
We’ll be collecting responses through September, so please feel free to complete the survey as you can. We’ll share the responses we head into the last quarter of the year.
Thanks so much for your readership of East Cobb News!
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Cobb Police said early Saturday that officers shot and killed “a wanted suspect” at a Walgreen’s pharmacy on Cobb Parkway, near Windy Ridge Parkway, late Friday night.
Officer Aaron Wilson said in a release that the unnamed suspect at the Walgreen’s at 2670 Cobb Parkway was fired upon as police tried to make contact around 11:27 p.m. Friday.
“During the ensuing altercation, the suspect, who was armed with a gun, was shot,” Wilson said, adding that the suspect was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Cobb Police didn’t provide more information and have turned the matter over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, as it does in officer-involved shootings.
The GBI identified the suspect at Nathan Jenkins, 32, of Valdosta, who had several outstanding warrants, but the agency didn’t specify what they were for.
The GBI said that agents at the scene recovered a handgun belonging to Jenkins and that the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy.
The GBI said that anyone with information about the incident can submit anonymous tips by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
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Top Massage is located in a small strip retail center on Roswell Road at Robinson Road West.
A month after revoking a business license for a health spa on Canton Road, the Cobb Board of Commissioners will be asked Tuesday to decide whether “due cause exists” to approve similar action for two other such businesses in the East Cobb area.
According to Tuesday’s meeting agenda, a public hearings has been scheduled for the V Massage (2800 Canton Road, Suite 1200), which was delayed from last month.
There’s also a hearing scheduled to consider revoking the license for Top Massage (2200 Roswell Road, Suite 150).
The hearings will take place near the end of Tuesday’s regular commission business meeting.
Like the health spas, Top Massage is accused by the Cobb Community Development Agency’s Business License Division of not having properly licensed therapists on staff or premises.
An agenda item said business license officials and Cobb Police visited the business on April 10 and found two employees working there—one of them performing a message—who had health spa permits but not the required state massage therapist license.
There also wasn’t a state licensed therapist at the business at the time, which also violates the county code, according to the agenda item.
At V Massage, a compliance check in February noted that an employee had neither the health spa permit or state massage license, and there were no records of treatment at the business, nor were the owners or licensees there at the time.
The business was issued citations for those and other violations of the county code, and V Massage was granted a delay last month.
In July, commissioners voted to revoke the license of Asian Wellness Massage (3372 Canton Road, Suite 110), for similar reasons, with “serious” violations going back to 2022.
Cobb officials said they were alerted by the Georgia Attorney General’s office that the business was advertising on adult websites.
Agency officials said that during a police compliance check in late 2022, an investigator noticed that people were living on the premises, with a bed in a hallway, as well as hot plates, suitcases, non-work clothing and several pairs of shoes.
The business owner denied the charges, even after its license renewal was denied in April. Asian Wellness also had no records of massage treatments provided, and the business did not post its operating hours.
At the July hearing before commissioners, Sam Hensley, attorney for the Cobb Business License Division, said that there’s concern in the community for the potential for illicit activities, “including trafficking and sexual conduct occurring at businesses providing massages.”
Asian Wellness, which was forced to close, can reapply for its license in 12 months.
Another health spa in East Cobb, Peace Spa at 4994 Lower Roswell Road, decided not to appeal a Cobb License Review Board’s decision to issue a two-week suspension earlier this year for similar issues.
Commissioners voted in June to impose a six-month moratorium on granting new licenses to health spas at the request of county officials, who have expressed concern that “illicit health spa establishments are evading code and law enforcement.”
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
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The 2024 season kicks off in mid-week for one East Cobb team as the Corky Kell +Dave Hunter Classic gets underway on Wednesday.
The Stockyard, Kell’s home stadium, will be playing host to a doubleheader on Wednesday, led by Douglass-Atlanta vs. LaGrange at 4:30 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. the Longhorns will be facing North Atlanta.
In 2023, Kell went 9-2 and reached the first round of the Class 5A Georgia High School Association playoffs.
Named after Corky Kell, the late Wheeler football coach, and former Brookwood coach Dave Hunter the event continues through the week at venues in Forsyth County, Dacula and Rome, culminating with four games on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Walton Raiders, who had one of their best seasons in school history last year, lead things off Saturday morning with a 10 a.m. game against Brookwood.
Last year, the Raiders reached the Class 7A state championship game before losing to Milton and finished with a 13-1 record.
An all-classification poll by MaxPrep Sports has Walton in at No. 12 in the state, the only school from Cobb in the Top 25, but the Raiders lost many of their top offensive players.
On Friday, the other East Cobb schools are in action in regular-season games as well, and they’re all playing at home.
Alexander is at Sprayberry (6-4), Cambridge is at Pope (2-8), Midtown is at Lassiter (1-9) and North Forsyth is at Wheeler (8-3), which also qualified for the Class 7A playoffs.
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The Senior Citizen Council of Cobb County is holding a seminar on Aug. 16 seminar on “Taking Charge of Your Own Health Care.”
The event takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Ron Anderson Recreation Center (3820 Macedonia Road, Powder Springs).
This seminar will be led by a Professional Patient Advocate who has developed an interactive presentation especially for our senior attendees which will include:
Being charged for services not received or requested
Dealing with doctors who do not really listen to you
Finding who to call when a hospital stay is not going well
There will be ample time for questions and probably some illustrative role-playing also.
This FREE event is for everyone who values their health care. Registration is required! Please click here to RSVP:
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The Music Studio Atlanta’s musicians ending their Sept 11, 2022 performance at the famous Fox Theater in Atlanta.
Submitted information and photo:
The Music Studio Atlanta is thrilled to announce that a select group of its talented students will be performing at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City on July 5, 2025. This extraordinary opportunity marks a significant milestone in the students’ musical journeys and showcases the exceptional quality of education and talent nurtured at The Music Studio Atlanta.
Since its grand opening in 1891, Carnegie Hall has been the epitome of musical excellence, hosting legendary artists from Tchaikovsky to The Beatles. Its hallowed halls have echoed with the performances of the finest musicians across all genres, making it a dream stage for any artist. The Music Studio Atlanta’s students are now set to join this illustrious list, adding their names to the roll call of history.
The Music Studio Atlanta’s young musicians have already wowed audiences at prestigious venues like Fox Theatre and The Strand in Atlanta, Graceland in Memphis, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Now, they will take their talent to the heart of New York City. To be considered for the Carnegie Hall performance, students must be enrolled with The Music Studio Atlanta through the performance date, have performed in at least one recital, and receive approval from their teacher.
Cecilia Rowe, the owner of The Music Studio Atlanta, shared her excitement, stating, “We are beyond thrilled to take our students and families to such a prestigious venue. This is not just a performance; it’s a weekend of memories that these students will cherish forever. Performing at Carnegie Hall is a dream come true and a testament to their hard work and dedication.”
Founded 12 years ago in Vinings, The Music Studio Atlanta has expanded to an East Cobb location, earning accolades along the way. Recently awarded Top 25 Cobb County 2024 Small Business of the Year for the second consecutive year, the studio has also been recognized in Best of Cobb and named National School of the Year by MASS, a nationwide organization of music studio owners.
The Music Studio opened in 2011 growing out of Courtnay & Rowe In-Home Music Academy and continuing a 30+ year tradition of offering quality music lessons to thousands of Atlanta students, of all ages and levels. With locations in Vinings and East Cobb, this multi-award winning studio offers lessons in piano, voice, guitar, drums, strings, woodwinds and preschool music, 7 days a week and employs a large roster of top-notch teachers and support staff.
tudents enjoy many opportunities to perform including Holiday/Winter Concerts, bi-monthly Open Mic Nights, Summer Recitals, St. Angelo’s Summer Series, and their Destination Performance Series where students perform on some of the most famous stages across the country.
The Music Studio Atlanta is especially proud of its proprietary, patent-pending reward curriculum, which encourages student progress through a series of rewards and recognition, as well as their involvement in their local community with their Café Jam program that goes into elementary schools and performs and educates students about music in the school cafeteria at lunchtime.
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The Georgia Symphony Orchestra has announced its 74th season schedule. Led by Music Director and Conductor Timothy Verville, the multifaceted arts organization continues to set itself apart by offering an array of innovative orchestral, choral, jazz, family and sensory-friendly programming.
Classics Series
The Symphony will begin its classics series on Oct. 12, 2024, with Rhapsody in Blue, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s famous composition. Robert Henry will be the featured pianist. The GSO Chorus will join the orchestra in honoring a ground-breaking era in musical history with a medley of popular songs from the 1920s.
The GSO’s mid-season Suite Treats performance on Feb. 1, 2025, will offer a thrilling musical experience with the instantly recognizable “Peer Gynt Suite” by Edvard Grieg, along with the Academy-award winning music of John Williams from the beloved classic “Star Wars.”
The May 17, 2025, season finale, We the People, will delve into various perspectives of American life. The repertoire includes Igor Stravinsky’s orchestration of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” by John Stafford Smith and Francis Scott Key and Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring Suite.” The GSO also will present the world premiere of Verville’s original composition, “Requiem Americano,” which uses American music to speak to our most pressing societal issues. To enhance this powerful performance, the Symphony will be joined by Atlanta’s favorite tenor, Timothy Miller, the Atlanta Boy Choir and the GSO Chorus.
Holiday Pops
The orchestra and GSO chorus will present the annual Holiday Pops! on Dec. 7 and 8, 2024. This beloved holiday tradition will include timeless favorites, new classics and a robust sing-along. A kindly gentleman in his famous red suit will make an appearance and stick around for cookies and pictures after the concert.
GSO JAZZ!
The music of one of the most innovative jazz composers and performers is featured in the season opening performance of the GSO Jazz! Led by saxophonist and Artistic Director Sam Skelton, the band will present Miles Ahead: the Magic of Miles Davis on Feb. 15, 2025, featuring inventive renditions of classics like “So What” and “All Blues.”
On March 28, 2025, Skelton will lead a GSO Jazz! Big-Band performance of West Coast Swing, an electrifying concert featuring the best of West Coast jazz and highlighting the legendary sounds of Stan Kenton, Bill Holman and Buddy Rich, to name a few.
GSO Chorus
On March 9, 2025, the 100-plus members of the GSO Chorus, led by JG Morgan GSO Chorus Director Bryan Black, will perform Lux Perpetua: Light of Hope. Musical selections will feature “Song for Athene” by John Tavener, “Gate, Gate” by Brian Tate, an arrangement of “My God is a Rock” by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw, and the original version of Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem” with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra.
GSO’s Family and Sensory-Friendly Concert Series
The GSO’s family and sensory-friendly concert series opens on Nov. 9, 2024, with Symphonic Superheroes: Music to Save the Day! The program will feature music connected with beloved film characters like Captain Jack Sparrow, Batman and many more.
On March 22, 2025, the Symphony will bring to life the tale of a young boy on an adventurous exploration, in a narrated version of Sergei Prokofiev’s classic “Peter and the Wolf.” Audience members also will enjoy Gustav Holst’s lively “St. Paul’s Suite,” a delightful piece originally composed for the students at the school where Holst taught.
Season subscription packages go on sale on Aug. 1, 2024. Single event tickets go on sale on Aug. 12, 2024. For more information, visit georgiasymphony.org.
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When Hampton Morris stood upon the Olympic weightlifting podium in Paris Thursday to accept a bronze medal, he was making a piece of history.
The Pope High School graduate, who tied an Olympic record in the 61-kilogram category (134 pounds) during the competition, became the first American male weightlifter to earn a medal since the Los Angeles Games of 1984.
The 20-year-0ld Morris, who trains in his garage with his father Tripp as his coach, had already qualified for a medal on Wednesday when he attempted what would have been a world record of 178 kilograms in the clean-and-jerk (392 pounds) but came up just short.
The winner was Li Fabin of China, who lifted 368 pounds in his final clean-and-jerk try to win the gold, followed by Theerapong Silachai of Thailand with the silver medal.
“Oh, it was amazing,” Morris said when asked to describe his experience on the medal podium, according to quotes provided by USA Wrestling.
“It was so much more than I imagined. I’m so happy.”
He said there was a wide range of emotions during the competition, especially since he was one of the younger competitors there.
“This whole time I’ve just been so excited to be here,” he said. “I was very happy when I made that first snatch and I felt very solid. I felt relieved that I made it. That second snatch, I was still confident and knew what I needed to correct. I did that on the third snatch. I was very solid and I’m very happy with what I put up.”
Morris, who graduated from Pope in 2022, began competing in weightlifting in 2016. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the world in the 61-kilogram category, where he holds two senior American records.
His latest, a 176-kilogram lift in April, qualified him for the Olympics.
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Weeks after a new online filing system was installed in Cobb Superior Court, a Cobb judge has declared a 30-day “judicial emergency,” saying that serious filing issues and delays are plaguing the new system and prompting many court proceedings to be ground to a halt.
In an order issued Wednesday, Gregory Poole, Chief Judge of the Cobb Judicial Circuit, said that much court business has been impacted by the changes, and issued a 30-day extension of deadlines for filing motions, setting court calendars and other proceedings.
The following items are covered under the order:
the time within which to file a writ of habeas corpus;
the time within which discovery or any aspect thereof to be completed;
the time within which to serve a party;
motions for new trial;
answers in civil cases;
the time within which to appeal or seek right to appeal any order, ruling, or other determination;
and such other legal proceedings as determined to be necessary by the authorized judicial official.
The order applies only to Cobb Superior Court, which handles felonies, major civil litigation, divorces, child support matters and more. State Court, Magistrate Court, Probate Court and Juvenile Court systems in Cobb are not affected by the order, which is effective starting Wednesday.
In late June, Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor installed a new court filing system, ICON CMS 360, replacing the old system, called CRIS. But the move was done without judges being informed, and with a bevy of errors and malfunctions that have been plaguing operations ever since, he said.
Poole’s order said that Taylor notified him on July 11 that e-filing would be unavailable for four days, then was extended to July 16.
On July 30, according to Poole’s order, the Clerk’s office notified him that the processing of some files would be delayed due to the CMS conversion, and some might not be visible in the system “for between 25 and 35 business days.”
In a release Wednesday, Cobb government said that “the issues most impactful to the administration of justice . . . include the inability of court staff and litigants to retrieve information about cases, inaccurate scheduling and notices, and inaccurate or incomplete documents.”
Poole conferred with the other 10 Superior Court judges before issuing the judicial emergency, which is allowed under Georgia law for an initial period of 30 days when serious problems arise to prevent the court from operating normally.
“The nature of the emergency is such that the Clerk of Superior Court’s CMS conversion has so disrupted the functioning of the court as to have substantially endangered or infringed upon the normal functioning of the judicial system,” Poole wrote in the order.
“The Chief Judge also believes that the CMS conversion has raised serious due process and other constitutional concerns.”
Among the problems cited by Poole in his order is the inability of law enforcement to locate bench warrants and protective orders, documents being filed with erroneous filing dates, legal parties being unable to to verify deadlines and access filings for their cases and lost documents, including criminal indictments and accusations.
“The Clerk’s Office has turned away litigants, attorneys, court reporters, and others from its front counter, refusing to accept documents presented for filing,” Poole wrote, adding that defense attorneys and their clients have not been getting the same access to the system as prosecutors.
In some cases, Poole said, indigent defendants were being charged to copy filed documents, and some criminal cases have been marked at closed, preventing staff, attorneys and litigants from gaining access.
“On several occasions, defendants in criminal cases called the Clerk’s Office to verify a court date and were told that no court date had been scheduled even though a court date had been set,” Poole continued. “This led to several defendants nearly missing or missing a court appearance and barely avoiding the issuance of a bench warrant.”
Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor
Taylor, a Democrat who is seeking a second term in November, has not commented publicly on the order of judicial emergency.
She is a state constitutional officer, and her term in office has been marked by controversy. She acknowledged personally pocketing $425,000 in passport fees—court clerks are allowed to do this—a sum that far exceeded her predecessors.
Taylor allegedly ordered one of her staffers to destroy documents related to the matter, telling her to “Donald Trump this thing.”
By end of last year, Taylor’s office was falling behind filing documents to the court systems, sometimes by several months.
In his order Wednesday, Poole said Taylor told him that many of the backlogs can be attributed to staff shortages.
Taylor—her annual salary is $170,000—drew three Democratic primary opponents in May, who all cited performance issues in the clerk’s office.
But she easily defeated them without a runoff.
Taylor’s general election opponent in November is Republican Deborah Dance, a former Cobb County Attorney and a former member of the Cobb Planning Commission.
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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