Kemp extends Georgia public health emergency to Aug. 11

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Georgia public health emergency extended
In a social media posting Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp said “Wear your mask, Georgia—and Go Dawgs!”

With a significant rise in COVID-19 cases in Georgia in recent weeks, Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday extended the state’s public health emergency for a third time.

The current declaration was to have expired on Tuesday, but in a new executive order Kemp on Monday said he was extending it to Aug. 11 (you can read it here).

In another executive order on Monday, Kemp banned public gatherings of 50 people or more unless they can keep at least six feet apart and imposed other social distancing restrictions. Those requirements include regular and in some cases increased sanitizing measures.

“As we continue our fight against COVID-19 in Georgia, it is vital that Georgians continue to heed public health guidance by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and practicing social distancing,” Kemp said in a statement. “We have made decisions throughout the pandemic to protect the lives —and livelihoods—of all Georgians by relying on data and the advice of public health officials.”

The social distancing order, which begins on Wednesday and continues through July 15 (you can read it here) outlines mandatory criteria for businesses and requires those living in long-term care facilities and the medically fragile to continue to shelter in place.

Georgia has had a record number of COVID-19 cases reported for three days running, with 2,207 positive tests on Monday, and a relatively high positivity rate (number of positive cases to the number of tests) of 13.4 percent.

(The Georgia Department of Public Health COVID Daily Status Report is updated every day at 3 p.m.)

On Sunday, the new positive cases statewide totaled 2,225, and the seven-day average of 2,207 over the last week is 60 percent higher than the previous week.

The number of COVID-related deaths in Georgia is 2,784, a mortality rate of 0.2 percent and that represents 3.5 percent of the 79,417 confirmed cases.

The death rate has flattened out in recent weeks, with six new deaths being reported since Sunday, and the hospitalization rate in Georgia also is holding steady, with 113 more reports of a cumulative total of 10,824.

In Cobb County, there have been 4,713 cases in all, and last week (June 22-28) a record 685 cases were reported.

On June 20, there were a reported 108 new cases in Cobb, a single-day high. Another 83 cases were reported last Monday. By Saturday there were 34 new cases, and Monday’s total is nine more than Sunday.

Cobb COVID cases are in yellow; Douglas County in blue. View a larger version by clicking here.

The test positivity rate in Cobb is 5.74 percent, according to Cobb and Douglas Public Health, which publishes its own daily tracking data.

Cobb has the second-highest death total in the state, with 242 fatalities, though none were reported on Monday.

Kemp also is embarking on a statewide tour to encourage people to wear masks in public, but unlike governors in other states, he is not mandating it.

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Marietta Campmeeting alters schedule for 183rd revival event

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Marietta Campmeeting

The Marietta Campmeeting has been cancelled only once since it began in 1837.

That was during the Civil War.

Organizers of the summer religious revival discussed the possibility of calling off this year’s event due to COVID-19. They heard from longtime attendees, some of whom said they would not be coming under any circumstances. Others said that if there was a campmeeting, they would definitely be there.

“We tried to reach a happy medium,” said Cheryl Lassiter, president of the Marietta Campmeeting Tentholders Association, explaining the decision to go on.

“We just hated to just not completely have it at all.”

Most large-gathering festivals and events in East Cobb have been either postponed or cancelled altogether since March and into the fall, including the EAST COBBER parade and festival.

Instead of the usual 10 days of worship, music and food and social activities at the 23-acre Marietta Campground on Roswell Road, this year’s campmeeting will be reduced to one weekend, July 17-19.

Lassiter said the schedule change also accommodates the Georgia public health emergency, which is set to expire July 12.

The public is still invited to attend the campmeeting, but there will be only four services: One on Friday night, two on Saturday and another on Sunday morning. There also will be a tentholders’ meeting for those occupying the nearly two dozen cabins on the campground property.

But there won’t be the usual opening night picnic, watermelon-cutting, ice cream social, ministry feeding events and the children’s church service.

Instead of full choirs, singing will be led by a handful of people under the arbor, a covered outdoor tabernacle that’s the focal point of the revival.

Reusable programs and hymnals will be replaced by throwaway songsheets with familiar tunes.

The arbor can hold up to 400 people, but Lassiter said in recent years that daytime worship services have averaged between 25-50 people, and 150-250 people at night.

The campmeeting will follow social distancing protocols, she said, allowing for families to be able to sit together. There also will be hand sanitizing stations on the property and masks and gloves will be available.

Despite all the rearrangements, Lassiter admitted there is a chance everything may have to be cancelled, given growing concerns over continuing rises in positive COVID cases in Georgia, especially in the metro Atlanta area.

“I don’t think anyone would doubt our reasons if we did,” she said.

Lassiter noted that during the Spanish Flu pandemic which hit the United States hard in the winter of 1919, the Marietta Campmeeting went on the following summer.

That was a stroke of good seasonal fortune.

However, like so many aspects of daily life today, and especially special events like a venerable religious revival, planning for the Marietta Campmeeting has been a very fluid thing.

“It’s still pretty iffy,” Lassiter said, “but we’re gonna try.”

 

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East Cobb small businesses honored by Cobb Chamber of Commerce

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MUST Ministries urgent call food supplies
East Cobb realtor Janice Overbeck with Tom Gonter of MUST Ministries.

Several small business in East Cobb are included in the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s top small business list for 2020.

They 25 businesses include the following from the East Cobb area:

  • Artisan Custom Closets, 600 Wylie Road (home renovation)
  • Deluxe Athletics, 800 Scott Drive (synthetic field turf and lawn manufacturer)
  • InPrime Legal, 1640 Powers Ferry Road (outsourced business legal provider)
  • Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team, 2250 Sewell Mill Road (residential real estate)
  • Southeastern Engineering, 2470 Sandy Plains Road (civil engineering firm)
  • Three-13 Salon, Spa and Boutique, 2663 Canton Road (hair care and spa)

They will be among those competing for the Chamber’s overall top small business of the year, to be announced in August.

In addition, the Chamber has named four small businesses to watch out for that include The Auto Accident Attorneys Group, 1454 Johnson Ferry Road. “These are businesses that have launched three years ago or less and have already achieved substantial progress,” the Chamber said in a statement.

Here’s more about the Chamber’s small business of the year program that includes a hall of fame and explains the selection criteria.

 

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Updated 6.27.20: More than 40 COVID-19 deaths in East Cobb

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Cobb COVID Zip Code Map
To use hover map, click here. Source: Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

Here’s the latest update in our somewhat-weekly look at COVID-19 cases in East Cobb, Cobb County and Georgia, as we’ve been getting more detailed breakdowns from local and state public health agencies.

There’s a significant new addition to daily reporting data posted and mapped by Cobb and Douglas Public Health to include where COVID-19 deaths are occurring in the county.

That’s also being done according to ZIP Code, just as we’ve noted in recent weeks for positive cases.

The figures below show the number of positive cases and deaths in East Cobb as of Friday. These are cumulative figures:

  • 30067: 248 cases, 7 deaths
  • 30062: 242 cases, 12 deaths
  • 30066: 200 cases, 9 deaths
  • 30068: 138 cases, 16 deaths
  • 30075: 21 cases, 0 deaths

Those totals are compiled by the Georgia Department of Public Health, State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (SENDSS).

What’s not known is if these mortality figures include deaths reported at senior, nursing and long-term care homes.

Every Friday the Georgia Department of Community Health updates those figures from around the state, and here’s the latest for care facilities in East Cobb:

  • A.G. Rhodes Home, 900 Wylie Road (30067): 6 deaths, 26 resident cases;
  • Alto Senior Living Marietta, 840 LeCroy Drive (30068): 8 deaths, 22 resident cases;
  • Arbor Terrace of East Cobb, 886 Johnson Ferry Road (30068): 3 deaths, 7 resident cases;
  • Manor Care Rehabilitation Center, 4360 Johnson Ferry Place (30068): 0 deaths, 9 cases;
  • The Solana East Cobb, 1032 Johnson Ferry Road (30068): 0 deaths, 1 resident case;
  • Sterling Estates, 4220 Lower Roswell Road (30068): 5 deaths, 10 resident cases;
  • Sunrise of East Cobb, 1551 Johnson Ferry Road (30062): 1 death, 4 resident cases.

As of Friday afternoon, Cobb County has 4,467  confirmed cases of COVID-19 overall, a jump from 3,751 a week ago. To date there have been 240 deaths (up from 224) and 845 cumulative hospitalizations (up from 790).

Those figures come from the Georgia Department of Public Health, which updates figures daily at 3 p.m.

As of Friday, there were 72,995 confirmed cases in Georgia and 2,770 deaths. There also have been 10,605 total hospitalizations and 2,244 intensive-care admissions.

For more data from Cobb and Douglas Public Health, click here.

As we noted last week, while more positive tests have been occurring within younger age groups, the vast majority of deaths have occurred among people ages 70 years and older.

There’s also a new independent tracker of Georgia DPH virus data that’s collected at covid-georgia.com and contains analysis, tracks trends and explains statistics and reporting data in accessible fashion.

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The Avenue East Cobb to hold custom car show on Sunday

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The Avenue East Cobb custom car show
A 1956 Chevy on display at the Bradley’s Bar & Grill Car Show in 2017. (ECN file).

While many festivals and community events continue to be scratched from the calendar in East Cobb into the fall, Sunday will provide a chance to get out and about (weather permitting) in an actual public gathering designed to follow ongoing health protocols.

The Avenue East Cobb is holding what it calls a “Cruise, Brunch, Shop” event from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday. The first part of that is a reference to a custom car show that will be on display, with restaurants and shops also open as retailers there start to drum up some regular business.

There’s no cost to come out and look around, and the organizers are estimating that more than 100 custom cars and trucks will be on hand for your perusal.

The retail center at 4475 Roswell Road was almost completely closed for several weeks, with the exception of a few non-essential-designated businesses, during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Around 40 retailers and restaurants will be open Sunday morning.

 

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Sprayberry Crossing redevelopment public town hall scheduled

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Sprayberry Crossing
To see a larger view, click here.

The potential redeveloper of the Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center has done another revision of its proposed mixed-use project and has scheduled a virtual public town hall meeting for next week to go over the plans.

What’s now being called the Sprayberry Neighborhood Center is still anchored by a 30,000-square foot national grocery space, rental units and townhomes.

Additional neighborhood retail space has been added, as have some affordable housing options.

Shane Spink of the Sprayberry Crossing Action Group said the public town hall will take place next Wednesday, July 1, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

The plans by Atlantic Residential, an Atlanta-based apartment developer, have more of a residential mixed than what it proposed back in April (below).

Sprayberry Crossing site plan

What’s scaled down are the townhomes, from 56 to 36, with the addition of a dozen or so “mews units” and a handful of micro homes.

An apartment building originally set for 195 units was cut to around 177, and there’s another building for 120 rental units for those age 55 and older.

The last site plan called for 8,200 square feet of retail space and 12,000 more square feet of co-working space. The new renderings total around 16,000 square feet for retail.

The revised plans also call for 707 parking spaces, residential amenities and a multi-use trail.

Atlantic Residential still needs to get rezoning for its final plan.

After the April site plan revision, Atlantic Residential took public feedback and responded to various questions, saying it intended to come back to the community for a public meeting.

Due to COVID-19, that will be taking place online. Here’s how participate in the public town hall on Zoom, by clicking here. The Meeting ID is 873 1849 1772.

Spink said more details about the call will be coming soon.

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Cobb school board adopts spending resolution for July

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The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday adopted a spending resolution to fund Cobb County School District operations during the month of July.Cobb County School District, Cobb schools dual enrollment summit

The resolution, passed on the board’s consent agenda at its voting meeting, was necessary since the board hasn’t been able to adopt a fiscal year 2021 budget.

The Cobb school district’s fiscal year begins in July, but the board was awaiting passage of the Georgia state budget, which was delayed when the legislative session was suspended in March due to COVID-19. Nearly half of Cobb’s school budget comes from state funding.

The Georgia Senate passed a budget resolution later on Thursday that included nearly $1 billion in public education spending cuts. The House was scheduled to vote on the budget on Friday, the last day of its resumed session.

The Cobb school district’s current fiscal year 2020 budget of $1.17 billion included $589 million from the state under the Quality Basic Education Act.

Under state law, public school districts that cannot adopt a budget must adopt a spending resolution in the interim.

A monthly spending resolution also cannot total more than one-twelfth of a district’s current adopted annual budget.

According to an agenda item from Thursday’s meeting, the Cobb school district is estimating revenues of $107,899 million for July, and expenses of $111,231 million.

The district will release a proposed budget once the state budget is finalized. The district also is awaiting word on the size of the Cobb tax digest, which is revealed in early July.

Initially state budget reductions were projected to be around 14 percent, which would have left Cobb schools with an $80 million deficit.

The district has received $16 million in federal CARES Act spending through the Georgia Department of Education.

The district also could receive CARES Act funding through the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which has around $80 million and is holding a special meeting on that topic July 13.

At the board’s work session Thursday morning, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said he would not be including any furlough days or pay cuts for full-time staff in his fiscal year 2021 budget proposal.

Cobb schools will be returning for a new academic year on Aug. 3, with a mix of classroom instruction and students learning from home whose parents choose a remote option.

Georgia law requires public school districts to hold public hearings on the proposed millage rate and budget.

Cobb schools have scheduled several “virtual” sessions in the month of July:

  • July 9, 11:30 a.m.: Virtual tax digest public hearing
  • July 9, 6:05 p.m.: Virtual budget public forum
  • July 16, 9 a.m.: Virtual budget public forum
  • July 16, 9:30 a.m.: Virtual tax digest hearing

The school board is scheduled to adopt a budget at its July 16 voting meeting.

More Cobb school budget information can be found here.

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Suspect killed, officer shot in Powers Ferry Road carjacking

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Powers Ferry Road carjacking

A Cobb police officer is recovering after being shot in the head in a carjacking incident on Powers Ferry Road Thursday night in which the suspect also was killed, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The GBI said Friday morning that the incident began around 7:30 p.m. Thursday when Cobb Police were asked by Atlanta Police to check the parking lot of the Publix at 2900 Delk Road, at Powers Ferry Road, for a stolen vehicle.

When Cobb Police arrived, they were told by a citizen that his car had just been carjacked, got a description and found the vehicle nearby, according to the GBI.

When officers tried to stop the vehicle, the vehicle fled and police pursued, the GBI said.

Police learned that the suspect inside the vehicle had a rifle and as the pursuit reached Powers Ferry Road and Riverbend Club Drive, the suspect jumped out of the vehicle and shot several times at police, hitting a police car, the GBI said.

The GBI said the suspect then fled on foot along the Chattahoochee River with the rifle and was found near a dumpster in the Cumberland Chase townhome complex. The GBI said the suspect was given multiple commands by police and did not respond, and the man then fired his rifle at officers, hitting one of them in the head.

The GBI said police returned fire and shot the suspect, who died at the scene.

The suspect was identified as Martin Humberto Sanchez Fregoso, 37, of Smyrna. The GBI said the officer who was shot was treated and released from a hospital.

The GBI is continuing to investigate, as it does in officer-involved shootings.

 

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Cobb school board delays action on anti-racism resolution

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Cobb school board anti-racism resolution delayed

After a lengthy discussion on Thursday, the Cobb Board of Education agreed to delay consideration of a proposed anti-racism resolution to work out a compromise.

During a work session, board members Randy Scamihorn and Jaha Howard jostled over their differing versions of the resolution (see previous ECN story here).

Ultimately, the board agreed the two of them should sit down and develop a measure ideally to garner a unanimous 7-0 vote.

“I’m excited about what the two of you are going to craft,” said board member David Morgan of South Cobb, who repeatedly pushed for a resolution that he said would get the Cobb County School District “to a greater good.”

He’s one of three black Democrats on a Cobb school board that has split along partisan lines on a number of matters in recent months, including racial diversity and equity issues.

Charisse Davis, Cobb Board of Edcucation
Charisse Davis

The two other black Democrats, Howard and Charisse Davis of the Walton and Wheeler clusters, were most resistant during the board’s discussion Thursday to support Scamihorn’s resolution.

They were upset they weren’t asked for their input in the drafting of the resolution, and said the language Scamihorn proposed didn’t go far enough to acknowledge, much less to address, what they said was “systemic racism” in Cobb schools.

Scamihorn touted Cobb schools as a “fantastic school system” that has made substantial racial progress over the decades. “We’re doing something right.”

When Howard pressed him about whether Cobb’s had a history of systemic racism in its school system, Scamihorn, one of four white male Republicans on the board, said “I see no evidence of that.”

Howard’s alternate resolution also named black citizens, including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, who’ve died recently at the hands of police, as well as Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Ga. Three white males have been indicted for shooting him to death while jogging in February.

Scamihorn didn’t name anybody by name, but led his resolution by saying that all associated with the Cobb school district “are saddened by the tragic events that have recently occurred across the country.”

Randy Scamihorn, Cobb school board member
Randy Scamihorn

Davis said that language was too vague. She also cited figures showing higher rates of serious levels of discipline for black students as evidence of lingering racial disparities in the Cobb school district, which has nearly 115,00 students, 30 percent of them white and 22 percent black.

“When you say there’s no evidence, you’re ignoring the evidence,” Davis told Scamihorn. “I can’t support a resolution that just checks a box but that doesn’t direct us how we can do better.”

She accused him of “making stuff up” about the level of communication between board members on such matters, and Scamihorn snapped that he didn’t appreciate being “called a liar. It’s outrageous and unprofessional.”

Scamihorn said his resolution was meant as a starting point for the board and district.

“We need a common spot to build from,” said board chairman Brad Wheeler, another Republican. The other Republicans on the board, David Chastain and David Banks of East Cobb, didn’t offer their thoughts during the work session.

During an earlier sequence in the work session, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale addressed the resolution and related issues, saying “we have to come together. We have to stop the hate.

Chris Ragsdale, Cobb school superintendent
Chris Ragsdale

When Howard asked him if he thinks black lives matter, Ragsdale reiterated a previous mention of The Golden Rule.

“When I say to treat people right, that’s how I try to live my life,” he said.

Davis said she’s heard from many parents and students who say the district hasn’t properly handled their concerns about racial mistreatment or inequities.

“We’re not going to golden rule our way out of this,” she said.

Ragsdale responded that when such issues “are brought to us, we’re going to address those situations as we have always addressed them.”

He said every issue is addressed in the same manner, following formal rules of procedure.

“We have a culture problem,” Davis said, “that are not just one-off issues” and said the current approach “doesn’t address what so many of us are feeling.”

The board agreed to table the resolution until its next meeting on July 16.

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East Cobb teen charged with vehicular homicide in Feb. crash

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East Cobb teen charged vehicular homicide

Cobb Police have charged a 19-year-old from East Cobb with vehicular homicide in a fatal car crash on Johnson Ferry Road in February that took the life of a 61-year-old man.

Cobb Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Colin William Outz, of an address in the Princeton Lakes subdivision, was booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday afternoon and was released a few hours later on a $22,000 bond.

He’s facing one felony count of vehicular homicide and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving, according to jail records.

Outz was identified by Cobb Police as the driver of a Mercedes C300 that struck another Mercedes, at Johnson Ferry Road and Powers Drive around 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 22.

The other Mercedes, driven by Robert Higginbotham of East Cobb, was attempting to turn left onto Powers Drive when it was hit by Outz’ car, which police said was heading southbound on Johnson Ferry in excess of 90 mph.

The posted speed limit in that part of Johnson Ferry Road is 40 mph.

Police said Higginbotham, who lived near the crash scene on Green Point Way, was ejected from his car and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Outz was treated at WellStar Kennestone Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

 

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Cobb schools to begin Aug. 3, offer remote instructional option

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Cobb school superintendent honored

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Thursday that the 2020-21 school year will start on time, on Aug. 3, on an in-person basis.

But those parents who don’t feel comfortable sending their children to school will be allowed to choose a remote instructional option.

At a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday, Ragsdale said while plans to return to school are still in the works and are always subject to change, “currently there is no calendar modification.”

He said there would be no “hybrid schedule,” where students would come to class for a week, do remote learning at home for a week, and then return to school after that.

“It’s not going to be the same as the last six to eight weeks” of the recently completed school year, referring to when the district began distance learning in March.

The remote option, which Ragsdale said would be detailed and released soon, will require a registration. That option also will have grades, tests and schedules.

Also, Ragsdale said, parents choosing a remote option will be required to commit to that plan for at least one semester.

Ragsdale said that “there are a lot of changes that could potentially be coming” to alter plans in progress to begin the school year, including extracurricular activities.

He said that for now, students will not be eating lunch in their classrooms. Wearing face masks will be “encouraged,” but not required.

Public health guidance “can change in the blink of an eye,” Ragsdale said.

“At the same time, we’ve got to have school.”

Here’s the Cobb schools calendar for 20-21.

What follows below is a message the district sent out Thursday to the “Cobb Schools Family:”

After months of planning and understanding how student and staff needs have changed as a result of COVID-19 closures, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced that Cobb Schools will open for face-to-face instruction with parents being able to choose a traditional classroom or a remote learning classroom.

This format represents the best solution which balances our two most important priorities: the health and safety of our students and staff and flexibility for each student and family.

In preparation for our “face-to-face plus choice” model, we will be asking you to choose the classroom environment which is best for you and your family. If your student is new to the District for the upcoming school year, they must first be registered as a CCSD student, which can be completed here. Once the school approves your registration, your ParentVUE account will automatically be activated.  If you already have a student enrolled in the District but do not have an active ParentVUE account, you will need to contact your student’s school for activation.

You will be able to submit your choice beginning on July 2nd but no later than July 10 through ParentVue. Both face-to-face and remote learning options will be available for all students, in all grades K-12. If you choose remote learning, you will be asked to certify that you have access to a device, the internet, and are committed to the remote learning environment for the semester. If you choose face-to-face learning, you will also be asked if you intend for your student(s) to ride the bus.

We also will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our staff and our students.

  • Social Distancing will be enforced whenever possible.
  • Hand sanitizer will be provided in multiple locations throughout schools.
  • Masks are encouraged on buses and in school buildings.
  • Daily and rigorous cleaning protocols will be followed.
  • Nutritious meals will continue to be served daily.

We will continue to be in regular discussion with state and public health officials as their guidance is updated. We look forward to your input and appreciate your support as we support learning for every student in Cobb County during these unpredictable times.

 

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Cobb schools to hold graduation ceremonies starting July 13

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Lassiter graduation, Cobb schools 2020 graduation schedule

Cobb County School District superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Thursday that individual graduation ceremonies for each of the district’s 16 high schools will take place starting the week of July 13.

All of the graduations will take place at the McEachern High School football stadium, and there will be two commencement exercises each day, at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. The schedule for East Cobb high schools is as follows:

  • Sprayberry: Wednesday, July 15, 7:30 p.m.
  • Kell: Friday, July 17, 7:30 p.m.
  • Walton: Monday, July 20, 7:30 p.m.
  • Pope: Tuesday, July 21, 7:30 p.m.
  • Lassiter: Thursday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.
  • Wheeler: Friday, July 24, 9 a.m.

Speaking at a Cobb Board of Education work session, Ragsdale said that each student will be allotted four tickets for family members to attend. The district also will be livestreaming each graduation.

Initial graduation plans announced earlier this month called for student-only graduations at Wheeler and Harrison high schools.

But in response to criticisms about excluding family members, the district said it would be working on a new plan to include families. The district also cited changing public health guidance in reworking its graduation planning.

Ragsdale said Thursday the decision to relocate all graduations to McEachern was because its stadium has the largest capacity in the school district.

More info can be found at the CCSD’s graduation page.

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Lassiter soccer star is Georgia Gatorade player of the year

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Submitted information:Vedad Kovac, Lassiter High School soccer player

In its 35th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, the Gatorade Company has announced Vedad Kovac of Lassiter High School as its 2019-20 Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Kovac is the fourth Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Lassiter High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Kovac as Georgia’s best high school boys soccer player. 

The 5-foot-8, 145-pound senior forward led the Trojans to a 7-1 record this spring before the season was cancelled. Kovac totaled 17 goals and 14 assists with three hat tricks in eight games. The 2019 4-AAAAAAA Region Player of the Year, Kovac is a member of the Under-19 Bosnian National Team. He concluded his prep soccer career with 47 goals and 25 assists.

An avid artist, Kovac has volunteered locally as part of community beautification projects and as a youth soccer coach. “Vedad is a natural finisher and a hard worker on the field,” said Samer Kaddah, head coach of Pope High. “He has some great vision on the field and provides many assists when he is not scoring himself.”

Kovac has maintained a weighted 3.65 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship at Michigan State University.

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WellStar East Cobb Health Park workers get parachute salute

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East Cobb Health Park workers parachute salute
U.S. Army Black Daggers parachuters get a salute from the crowd after their salute to WellStar East Cobb Health Park workers Wednesday. (ECN photos and videos).

A few hundred people filled the parking lot at WellStar East Cobb Health Park Wednesday afternoon and looked up to some forbidding clouds.

The rain held off long enough for parachuters from the U.S. Army’s Black Daggers special operations unit to jump from a plane, twist around in the skies and land on a narrow strip of grass between the health park building and a busy Roswell Road.

It was part of a salute to health care workers at the East Cobb facility and earlier Wednesday at WellStar Kennestone Hospital, which announced its new 166-bed emergency and trauma center would open on July 23.

Based in Fort Bragg, N.C., the Black Daggers stayed around for a while to have their pictures taken with medical workers and members of the public. You can read more about the Black Daggers here.

 

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Sandy Plains Village owners propose townhomes, new retail

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Sandy Plains Village townhomes
41 townhomes and 98 parking spaces—at left—would take up part of Sandy Plains Village.

An early look at Cobb zoning files for July shows some major changes afoot at the Sandy Plains Village Shopping Center in Northeast Cobb.

Last March the retail center’s owner got rezoning for an indoor entertainment center in a 67,000-square-foot space where a Wal-Mart grocery once stood.

But the Ignite Adventure Park will not be constructed there after all, according to a preliminary filing with the Cobb Zoning office (it’s the first application).

The Cobb Planning Commission will hear those cases on July 7.

Site Centers Corp. is applying to rezone a 15.95-acre portion of the shopping center on Woodstock Road from neighborhood retail center (NRC) to planned community village (PVC) to allow for the residential units.

The plans call for 41 two-story “upscale, traditionally designed” townhomes, between 1,800 and 2,200 square feet, with access on Mabry Road, according to a site plan filed with the original application.

The only other details filed for now are included in a “statement of intent” from Site Centers indicating that “the retail marketplace has seen a decrease in in-store sales over the last few years and the amount of physical retail space continues to decline.”

Given business closures in the wake of COVID-19, some retailers “will certainly see a lessened chance of survival,” according to the Site Centers statement, which was signed by prominent Cobb zoning attorney Garvis Sams.

Sandy Plains Village is anchored by a Movie Tavern, and also includes a Dollar Tree discount store, several restaurants and a Firestone store.

Those won’t be affected by the residential plans, which Site Centers said will provide a “pedestrian friendly atmosphere” to be designed to connect to adjacent retail.

There aren’t any townhomes in the vicinity. Right behind the vacant retail space is the Chatsworth subdivision, which is zoned R-15, a single-family residential category.

The additional retail plans weren’t detailed.

Since the filings are preliminary, there isn’t yet a staff analysis or recommendation on whether the application should be approved, modified or denied.

 

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Cobb schools student meal program extends through July

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The Cobb County School District announced Tuesday that it would continue providing student meals for those who need them through the month of July.Cobb schools student meal program

The CCSD has partnered with MUST Ministries since COVID-19 closed schools in March, and the program has been extended into the summer months.

Starting Monday, June 29, the schedule for picking up a five-days’ worth supply of food will change, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

East Cobb Middle School remains one of those pickup spots.

The district estimates it has provided 400,000 meals, funded by the federal school lunch program, with MUST volunteers manning the pickup sites. Cobb schools nutritional staff have been preparing the breakfasts and lunches.

Anyone 18 and under is eligible for the food, and the student must be present to receive it. Those students include pre-K students, rising kindergartners, recent graduates under 18, and those students new to Cobb County.

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Cobb school board to consider anti-racism resolution Thursday

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The Cobb Board of Education could approve an anti-racism resolution Thursday that some board members think doesn’t go far enough to address racial issues and inequalities in the Cobb County School District.

Jaha Howard, Cobb school board member
Jaha Howard

Board member Randy Scamihorn will propose a resolution (see below) to state that the district, board, superintendent and employees “are saddened by the tragic events that have recently occurred across the country.”

His resolution also states that “racism, prejudice and hate have no place in our county” and pledges that the district will “continue our commitment to stand up for racial justice and support civil rights for all.”

Scamihorn anti-racism resolution

But Jaha Howard, one of three black members of the seven-member school board, said Tuesday that wording “has some good portions but is critically insufficient.”

Instead, Howard posted on his board member’s Facebook page his own draft resolution that he says “is more precise in conveying our acknowledgement and commitment to action against systemic racism.”

Howard specifically mentions the recent deaths of black citizens George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshard Brooks—three of them by police—and said that “systemic racism and racial prejudice, especially against Black and Brown people, has a complicated history and devastating legacy in Georgia and Cobb County.”

Howard calls for the district to undertake “district-wide listening, district-wide learning, and targeted anti-racist programs and policy” and to “stand steadfast against systemic racism in all its forms and commit to racial justice, civil rights, inclusivity and equity for all.”

Scamihorn’s resolution will be discussed at the board’s work session that begins at 10 a.m. Thursday. Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale, under fire from Howard (of the Osborne and Campbell clusters) and board member Charisse Davis (who represents Walton and Wheeler) has said he will make his own statement on Thursday.

On June 12 Howard and Davis sent Ragsdale a letter requesting the Cobb school district undergo several actions to address racial concerns, including anti-bias training for employees and non-traditional methods to increase teacher diversity.

Davis and Howard have been pressing the district and other board members on diversity issues for several months, including asking for the designation of a chief equity officer.

They have openly clashed with board members on related matters, and last year claimed the Republican majority was censoring them by banishing board member comments during meetings.

The anti-racism resolution comes as online petitions have been started to rename Walton and Wheeler high schools in East Cobb, due to the racial backgrounds of their namesakes.

Davis has signed the petition regarding Wheeler, which is named after Joseph A. Wheeler, a general in the Confederate army during the Civil War.

After the work session on Thursday, the school board will go into executive session, and when it returns, will hold its regular voting meeting.

The meeting is virtual and no public comments will be accepted. You can view the work session and regular meeting online by clicking here.

The agendas for both meetings can be seen by clicking here.

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Pope football workouts continue after positive COVID-19 case

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Pope football, East Cobb football

Pope High School officials notified the school community on Monday that a person involved with the varsity football program has tested positive for COVID-19.

The message did not specify whether the individual was a player, coach or a staff member, and said that Cobb and Douglas Public Health “has classified this case as a low-risk exposure.”

The Pope message said that “the families that may have been potentially impacted have been notified” and that “this low-risk exposure does not require isolation or quarantine of asymptomatic individuals.”

Football workouts have resumed, the message said, and “we will continue to follow the recommended social distancing and sanitary protocols recommended by DPH, GHSA, and the CCSD.”

The MDJ reported that people involved with the Hillgrove and McEachern football teams also have tested positive for COVID-19, and workouts are continuing at those schools.

High school football teams in the Cobb County School District began workouts last week, along with other athletes in fall sports (softball and cross country), but they are limited to weight-training and conditioning activities.

Those workouts also are 100 percent voluntary, according to Cobb schools athletic director Don Baker.

The CCSD guidance for the workouts includes closed locker rooms and water fountains, and coaches and players are subject to regular temperature checks and must answer COVID-19 exposure questions.

A school district spokeswoman said Tuesday that “all protocols recommended by public health officials are being followed including deep cleaning and fogging of all weight rooms in Cobb County high schools.”

The Georgia High School Association regulations limit those workouts to a total of 20, and no more than 20 people at a time can be involved in an activity at one time in the same facility.

The high school football season is scheduled to begin in late August.

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Cobb fiscal year 2021 budget proposal to be presented July 13

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The Cobb Board of Commissioners will hold three required public hearings in July on the proposed fiscal year 2021 budget and millage rate.

Mike Boyce

The board will be presented the proposed budget at a work session on July 13, to be followed by the first public hearing the following day at a regular meeting.

Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce has said he will not be seeking a property tax rate increase from the current fiscal year 2020 general fund levy of 8.46 mills.

He’s advocating additional funding to continue implementing a step-and-grade salary structure for police officers, firefighters and other public safety personnel that got underway earlier this year.

That was before COVID-19 and expected drop in tax revenues due to a battered economy from business closures and job losses.

Boyce has said in the wake of those developments he would not be seeking merit increases for county employees, who got an across-the-board four-percent raise in the adopted FY 2020 budget of $475 million.

Here’s the full budget and millage rate public hearing schedule, and keep in mind there are three separate hearings each for the budget and millage rate:

  • Monday, July 13, 1:30 p.m.—Recommended FY 2021 budget presented to commissioners at work session
  • Tuesday, July 14, 9 a.m.—First public hearing
  • Tuesday, July 21, 6:30 p.m.—Second public hearing
  • Tuesday, July 28, 7 p.m.—Third public hearing and board adoption.

More Cobb budget information can be found here.

 

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Cobb small business relief grant application deadline is June 26

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Time’s running out for small businesses impacted by COVID-19 to apply for federal relief grants administered by SelectCobb, the economic development arm of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.Cobb small business grants

The deadline is this Friday, June 26, at 5 p.m., and you’re eligible if you are a Cobb-based business with 100 employees or less. Home-based businesses also are eligible.

A total of $50 million in grant funding comes through the federal CARES Act and was approved by the Cobb Board of Commissioners. Money can be used for payroll and other business expenses. A short video on the program can be seen here.

Here’s more from the county on how the grant program breaks down:

  • One to ten employees: up to $20,000
  • 11 to 50 employees: up to $30,000
  • 51 to 100 employees: up to $40,000

For information on this grant, qualifications, how to apply, documents needed and more, visit selectcobb.com/grants.

An independent panel appointed by Select Cobb will review all applications, and priority will not be given to Cobb Chamber members.

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