A bill sponsored by an East Cobb legislator to increase protections for residents of senior care homes and require stronger training measures for employees at those facilities easily passed the Georgia House on Friday.
State Rep. Sharon Cooper
HB 987, introduced last week by State Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-East Cobb), passed by a vote of 160-1 and will now go to the Senate.
You can read the bill here. Cooper, a retired nurse, is the chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee.
Her bill increases safety regulations for nursing homes and other senior care facilities, and raises maximum penalties for abuse and neglect cases.
Under HB 987, senior care facilities with memory care services must be certified. They also must make more detailed financial reports and provide more training for caregiving staff and administrators.
The bill was heavily pressed by senior advocates, including the Alzheimer’s Association of Georgia, following an investigative series by the AJC about injuries and deaths of senior-care residents due to abuse and neglect.
One of those deaths took place August 2017, when Adam Bennett, a 91-year-old resident at the Sunrise at East Cobb facility on Johnson Ferry Road, was found badly injured in his room. He later died at WellStar Kennestone Hospital due to what the Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office concluded was blunt force trauma.
Landon Terrel, a caregiver at Sunrise, was charged with elder abuse and also was tried for murder. A mistrial was declared on the murder charge, but he was sentenced to serve five years in prison and five on probation for elder neglect.
During the trial, some of Terrel’s coworkers testified he had been the subject of complaints from other residents and the court heard he had been fired from other caregiving jobs for neglecting patients.
Bennett’s family has sued Sunrise Senior Living, which operates more than 300 senior facilities in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.
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It’s going to be a bit chilly Saturday morning—just above freezing, according to the local weather forecast—and as a result the East Marietta Little League has postponed its opening day festivities.
They were supposed to take place at 9 a.m. Saturday at Sewell Park, but the event has been pushed back to the same time, the same place, next Saturday, March 7.
Saturday’s first slate of games is still scheduled to go on. By later Saturday morning, we’re expecting sunshine with high temperatures nearing 50.
The Little League season starts Friday and Saturday for East Side Baseball at Fullers Park and on Saturday for Sandy Plains Baseball at Carl Harrison Park and Sweat Mountain Park.
East Marietta’s Opening Day event includes special guests, team introductions and a ceremonial first pitch.
Next Saturday is projected to be warmer, in the high 50s.
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Candidates for federal state and local elected offices in Georgia will be qualifying next week as early voting in the state’s presidential primary also gets underway.
Qualifying will be Monday-Friday of next week. To be more specific, the process begins on Monday, March 2, at 9 a.m. and concludes next Friday, March 6, at 12 p.m.
Cobb Elections has more information here about qualifying for offices in Cobb County, with a link to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office for state-level qualifying.
For next week, those locations will be the Cobb Elections Office (736 Whitlock Ave.) and the Cobb Senior Wellness Center (1150 Powder Springs St.).
The East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) will have early voting on Saturday, March 14 and March 16-20 for the presidential primary.
Presidential primary early voting in East Cobb also will take place March 16-20 at Noonday Baptist Church (4120 Canton Road) and Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).
Voters in the presidential primary will choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot. In the latter, only incumbent President Donald Trump’s name is listed, per a decision by the Georgia GOP (sample ballots shown below).
All existing Cobb precincts will be open on primary day, March 24, and some polling places have changed, including several in East Cobb.
The Georgia general primary is May 19, and the ballots will be Democratic, Republican and non-partisan.
Among the local races in East Cobb that figure to be highly contested are the 6th Congressional District, Cobb Commission District 2, Cobb Board of Education Post 5 and State House District 43.
Cobb Commission Chairman, all legislative seats, all U.S. House seats and both of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats will be up for grabs.
The deadline to register to vote in the general primary is April 20.
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Wheeler shut down Berkmar defensively in a scrappy, physical game at Wildcat Arena. (East Cobb News photos and slideshow by Wendy Parker)
The high school basketball season will extend into the weekend for three East Cobb teams when they play in the Georgia High School Association Final Four.
The Wheeler boys led the whole game Wednesday, then fought off a late challenge from Berkmar, to advance with a 53-43 win at Wildcat Arena in the Class 7A tournament.
At the same time, the Kell boys went on the road and downed Buford 57-45 in Class 5A. On Tuesday, the Kell girls remained undefeated with a 64-54 win over Jones County.
On Saturday, all three teams will compete in the semifinal rounds on neutral sites. The Wheeler boys face Milton in Buford at 4 p.m.
Also at 4 p.m. Saturday, the Kell boys will play Dutchtown in Fort Valley, followed by the Kell girls against Eagle’s Landing at the same venue.
For the Wheeler boys, it’s their first trip to the Final Four under third-year coach Larry Thompson.
“It feels great; this is a place that’s rich with tradition,” he said. “This is what people expect here.”
Thompson succeeded the legendary Doug Lipscomb, who guided Wheeler to six state championships between 1994 and 2015. The last was when the Wildcats’ star was Jaylen Brown, now playing for the Boston Celtics in the NBA.
These Wildcats are built around defense. In the playoffs so far, they held Etowah to under 50 points, scraped by Shiloh with a 65-64 overtime win and also wanted to hold Berkmar under 50.
“That was our game plan,” Thompson said, and for the first half Wheeler didn’t give the Patriots too many good shots.
Wheeler got some key 3-point shooting to build a 31-18 lead, but Berkmar fought back in the third quarter. An alley oop slam dunk cut the Wildcats’ lead to 39-34, and Wheeler led 41-36 going into the fourth quarter.
“We knew they’d make a run,” Thompson said. “I just told our players to persevere. Play tough.”
He had to call a couple of timeouts early in the fourth quarter before Wheeler regained a double-digit lead with 4:20 to play when Prince Davies fed Ja’Heim Hudson for a dunk.
That brought the Wheeler students to their feet, and they remained standing and jumping for joy with the players, as the clock expired.
The Wildcats will be facing Milton for a second time this season, after losing to the North Fulton school 64-62 in late January.
The Final Four experience will be new for both Kell teams, which will be making their semifinal debuts.
The Lady Longhorns are 31-0 and have been rolling for most of the season, with only two close calls since region play began. The Kell boys are 26-5 on the season.
The state championship games will be played next weekend in Macon.
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The following East Cobb food scores from Feb. 24-28 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for details of the inspection:
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Jackie McMorris was named the new Cobb County Manager Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners, after serving as the second-in-command since 2017.
Jackie McMorris
McMorris was confirmed by a vote of 4-1 after being nominated by Chairman Mike Boyce.
Lisa Cupid, the South Cobb Commissioner, was the only vote against. She said while she supported McMorris, she wanted a more thorough hiring process.
Reading from a lengthy prepared statement, Cupid said “I think the world” of McMorris, who “will make a fine county manager.”
But since the position is the highest-ranking in county government, Cupid said she was troubled there was no discussion among the board or typical interviewing steps taken.
She said that processes—which includes meeting with board members and the county manager and being recommended by a hiring committee—are being followed to fill another high-level position, Director of Support Services.
Cupid has been critical of what she says were expedited processes recently to hire new County Attorney William Rowling and Police Chief Tim Cox.
“My commitment to an open hiring process has not changed,” said Cupid, who complained that commissioners discussed McMorris’ appointment in executive session only on Monday.
“I think this process was unfair to the candidate, to the board, to other possible candidates and to the public. She has become part of an unnecessary and unfair political problem.”
Cupid, who’s running for chairman, acknowledged that Boyce has the authority to do what he did, “but the full implementation does not necessarily make it right.”
East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott responded that he didn’t think the hiring process was unfair.
“What is unfair is to drag Dr. McMorris through the mud on what is a procedural issue,” he said, also reading from written remarks.
“She doesn’t need to be protected from anything. Her record, her education, her job performance speak for themselves.”
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, also of East Cobb, said McMorris “is the only choice for this position. . . I have no reservations at all about the process or the appointment.”
McMorris came to Cobb in 2013 as public services director, after serving in executive positions with Cherokee County government and the Fulton District Attorney’s office. She holds a doctorate in adult education and will succeed retiring County Manager Rob Hosack on April 5.
After the vote, McMorris thanked the board, and emotionally talked about its support for her after her husband died six weeks ago.
“I truly believe I was chosen for this job because this board because I was the most qualified,” she said.
“I am here for you. All I have to give you is my service.”
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East Cobb News photos and slideshow by Wendy Parker
The Publix supermarket chain will soon open its first GreenWise organic products store in Georgia at the new Sandy Plains MarketPlace, but an opening date has not been determined.
The store received a business license from the Cobb Community Development Agency earlier this month, but other steps need to take place before the opening process can be finalized, according Brenda Reid, a spokeswoman at the Publix Atlanta regional office.
She told East Cobb News that “we don’t set the opening date” until receiving a certificate of occupancy from the county. But she did say that “we’re pushing forward to be ready” for a tentative target date of April 15.
Reid said she could not confirm a report that the Florida-based grocer is opening another Publix at the intersection of Roswell Road and Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb.
The Atlanta retail news site ToNeToreported last week that a traditional Publix store is coming to the East Cobb Crossing Shopping Center, next to Dick’s Sporting Goods, in space formerly occupied by K-Mart.
Within the radius of that intersection is a Whole Foods Market as well as Sprouts and Trader Joe’s. The nearby Target store also has a grocery section.
Reid said that location “is not on my confirmed list,” meaning property that either has a signed lease or has been purchased. “I don’t have any more information.”
Publix operates stores in the Johnson Ferry corridor at the Woodlawn Point Shopping Center only 1.2 miles away, and at the Shallowford Corners Shopping Center, 3.5 miles away.
That corridor also includes two Kroger stores and a Wal-Mart store with a full grocery section. Lidl, a discount grocery retailer, is planning to occupy space at Woodlawn Square after The Fresh Market closed last fall.
Another Publix, at East Piedmont Road and Roswell Road, is 4.4 miles west of the new store, and a Walmart Grocery at Roswell Road and Old Canton Road is four miles away.
Other Publix locations in East Cobb include 2900 Delk Road (at Powers Ferry Road), 1860 Sandy Plains Road (at Scufflegrit Road) and 4750 Alabama Road (at Old Mountain Park Road).
GreenWise is a new concept for Publix, which has six such stores already in operation in Florida, South Carolina and Alabama. The East Cobb store is among the six being planned or under construction.
Reid said that’s the oldest Publix in metro Atlanta, having opened in November 1992, and it’s “one of the more high-volume stores” among the 150 in the area (25 stores are in Cobb County alone).
GreenWise offers organic and natural products, including personal care items, as well as what Reid said will be a “large” area for prepared foods, including grab-and-go items.
There will be a selection of fresh meat cuts, including varieties of bacon cured on the premises.
The personal care items will include hair care, bath and beauty items, vitamins and supplements, aromatherapy and homeopathic products and first aid items.
Other things to note about the GreenWise concept, Reid said, is that the store will have a contemporary layout, and even the employees’ uniforms will look different from those who work at Publix.
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Most of Sandy Plains MarketPlace (3460 Sandy Plains Road), located on the former site of Mountain View Elementary School, is still under construction. Jim ‘N Nicks Bar-B-Q has opened, as has a Synovus Bank branch. A Clean Juice store is slated to open in mid-March.
Other businesses include Hollywood Feed, an organic pet food store; First Watch, a breakfast-brunch-lunch eatery; MOD Pizza; Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar; Dogtopia; Banfield Pet Hospital; Diesel Barbershop; and Sandy Plains Dental Group.
Fuqua Development, which has been building the 73,000-square-foot shopping center, recently sold it for $43.8 million to Orkin & Company, an Atlanta-based real estate investment firm, according to the business publication BisNow Atlanta.
The report said the acquisition does not include a self-storage facility under construction that’s located next to the Mountain View Community Center.
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Like several other locations in Cobb County, the Georgia Department of Revenue has opened a third self-service car tag renewal kiosk in East Cobb.
The kiosk is located at the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Roswell Road), near the Cobb tag office located there.
It’s open from 6 a.m. to midnight daily, and motorists who need to renew their tags can do so quickly, with the following requirements:
A vehicle must be registered in a county with self-service availability;
A motorist must have a valid Georgia State driver’s license;
A motorist’s address must be correct on the renewal notice;
A motorist must have proof of liability insurance on file;
A motorist must have a vehicle emission inspection form.
Georgia DOR has installed similar kiosks in Cobb at the Cobb tag office (2932 Canton Road), which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and at the Shallowford Falls Kroger (3162 Johnson Ferry Road), which is open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.
After a customer’s renewal is approved, the machine prints new tags.
For more on the self-service kiosk centers, click here.
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Road work on Sandy Plains Road funded in the current Cobb SPLOST was recently completed, after several months of delays (ECN file).
The current Cobb government SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) runs through the end of 2021, but on this year’s ballot a referendum may be included to extend the one-cent tax for six more years starting in 2022.
No project list has been made public yet, but Cobb government will be holding open houses starting next week through early May to get feedback from citizens.
The first meeting, in fact, will be held next Tuesday, March 3, at the Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road) in northeast Cobb.
The SPLOST pays for transportation projects, maintenance and technology upgrades for county government facilities (including parks, libraries and senior centers), public safety equipment and maintenance (here’s the January update for the current 2016 SPLOST) and related expenses.
The other meetings in East Cobb will be at East Cobb Library (April 1), the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (formerly the East Cobb Senior Center, April 14) and the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (May 5).
The full schedule is listed below; all sessions run from 6-8 p.m. and times, dates and locations are subject to change (you can track them here).
The open houses will include potential projects to be considered (by county staff and commissioners) and will allow citizens to ask questions of department leaders and offer feedback and suggestions.
Cobb commissioners would have to pass a resolution to place a referendum on the November election ballot.
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The East Cobb Rotary Dog Days Run is the primary fundraiser for the organization, which handed out more than $80K to community groups in 2019. (ECN file)
The Rotary Club of East Cobb announced this week it surpassed its 2019 fundraising goals for nearly two dozen local charitable organizations and is having a special “Giveback Celebration” event Tuesday evening at the Piedmont Church.
The club raised more than $82,000 (the goal was $80,000), mostly through the Dog Days Run 5K race each August at the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA.
The Rotary started the race in 2005, mostly by members who are running enthusiasts, and it’s grown to more than 900 runners last year.
Among the local beneficiaries and projects are:
Boy Scouts of America
Camp Kudzu
Camp Trach Me Away
Center for Family Resources
Cobb Library Foundation
Davis Direction Foundation
East Cobb Robotics
Family Promise
FODAC – Friends of Disabled Adults & Children
Georgia Care Connection Office
Good Samaritan Clinic of Cobb
Kidz 2 Leaders
Lekotek
Loving Arms Cancer Outreach
MDE School
Project Mail Call
Public Safety Celebration—Cobb Co. Public Safety
Rally Foundation
REAP (Reading Is Essential for All People)
Revved up kids
WellStar Community Hospice
McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA
AVID Wheeler High School
“Although it’s always satisfying to exceed expectations, what’s exciting is the impact this will have on the receiving organizations,” said Tammy Palmgren, East Cobb Rotary president-election and chairwoman of the Dog Day Run and the Giveback Celebration. “Seeing these connections made in real time always makes the Give Back Celebration quite an emotional experience.”
The East Cobb Rotary distributes funding after receiving applications from local organizations, and evaluation by a grant committee.
The club decided to hold its Giveback Celebration in the evening, instead of during its usual 7 a.m. Wednesday breakfast meetings at Indian Hills Country Club, due to larger crowds and to have more time to spend with the organizations it works with.
“I am hopeful everyone at the celebration will come away from the evening with a feeling of being one hundred percent appreciated and acknowledged,” Palmgren said.
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The long-awaited return of Mellow Mushroom to the Johnson Ferry Road corridor is here.
The pizza restaurant opened its doors at 11 a.m. Monday in the Woodlawn Square Shopping Center, in the former Muss & Turner’s/Common Quarter Space.
Opening hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. seven days a week, and here’s the menu.
It’s been almost a year since the Atlanta-based chain announced it was returning to this part of East Cobb, when the Fountains of Olde Towne gave way to the Northside medical center on Johnson Ferry.
Mellow Mushroom got an alcohol license last fall, then renewed it over the winter, due to unspecified delays.
The restaurant is continuing its hiring process, and anyone interested in applying should e-mail johnsonferry_ga@mellowmushroominfo.com or talk to a manager in person.
East Cobb resident recognized by Forbes
For the second year in a row, Atlanta-based Merrill Wealth Management Financial Advisor Benny Varzi, an East Cobb resident, has been recognized on the Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list.
Varzi joined Merrill Lynch in 2009 and is Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager with the Atlanta-based Varzi Group.
His area of emphasis has been portfolio management. Varzi holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Kennesaw State University and has Certifications of Portfolio Management from The Babson School of Executive Education in Boston, DePaul University in Chicago and The University of Chicago Booths School of Business.
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Cobb Police said a 91-year-old man died Sunday after his car crashed with another on Sandy Plains Road, near the entrance of Mountain View Elementary School.
John A. Spadafora, of Marietta, was pronounced dead at WellStar Kennestone Hospital, according to a release from Cobb Police Monday.
Police said Spadafora was driving a black Mazda truck south on Sandy Plains Road at 5:38 p.m. Sunday, attempting to make a left turn onto Davis Road, when it collided with a gray Infiniti.
Sgt. Wayne Delk, a Cobb Police spokesman, said Spadafora was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, but that his condition worsened and he died Sunday night.
The driver of the Infiniti, John Hamm, 42, of Roswell, also was hospitalized at Kennestone but does not have life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Cobb Police said the crash remains under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call 770-499-3987.
The incident was the third fatal crash of the weekend in East Cobb.
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Cobb Police said an 18-year-old motorcyclist was killed Saturday after he was hit by a car on Alabama Road near the Fulton County line in Northeast Cobb.
Sgt. Wayne Delk of Cobb Police said in a release Sunday that Cameron S. Clason, of Woodstock, was pronounced dead after being taken to North Fulton Hospital.
Clason was heading westbound on Alabama Road at 4:25 p.m. Saturday when his black 2009 Suzuki SV650 motorcycle collided with a gray 2001 Nissan Altima making a left turn from eastbound Alabama Road to Old Mountain Park Road, according to police.
Police said Genesis L. Lugo, 21, of Woodstock, the driver of the Nissan, not did not require medical attention at the scene.
Delk said the crash remains under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call 770-499-3987.
The incident was the second fatal crash of the weekend in East Cobb. On Friday night, a 61-year-old man, Robert Higginbotham, was killed when his car was struck by another at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Powers Road (click link below).
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An East Cobb man was killed after a late Friday car crash at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Powers Road that also injured another person.
Cobb Police said Rob Higginbotham, 61, of a nearby East Cobb address, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The collision took place at 11:19 p.m. on Friday and involved two white Mercedes Benz cars, police said.
A Mercedes SL550 driven by Higginbotham was attempting a left turn onto Powers from a northbound Johnson Ferry lane, when it was struck by a Mercedes C300, traveling south on Johnson Ferry, police said.
Police said Higginbotham was ejected from his car and that Colin W. Outz, 19, of Marietta, the driver of the other car, was taken to WellStone Kennestone Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The accident was first reported by WSB-TV, which talked to eyewitnesses who said that stretch of Johnson Ferry—between Lower Roswell Road and Paper Mill Road—has had numerous high-speed crashes.
Cobb Police said the crash remains under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call 770-499-3987.
The incident was the second fatal crash of the weekend in East Cobb. On Saturday afternoon, an 18-year-old motorcyclist died after he was hit by a car at the intersection of Alabama Road and Old Mountain Park Road, near the Cobb-Fulton line (see link below).
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A good number of youngsters were loosening up for the upcoming baseball season at Sandy Plains Park on Saturday with parents and coaches.
There also were other kids enjoying the playground.
After a rainy and cold week in East Cobb, the sun and warm was out for only a day. Sunday will be just as warm, with highs in the mid-50s, but it will be overcast.
That’s foreshadowing more wet weather to come at the start of the week, as Cobb students head back to school after winter break.
Monday will be wet and cold, with highs around 50, and Tuesday and Wednesday will be warmer, with highs in the 50s and 60s, but rain will remain in the forecast.
Thursday through the following Monday will feature sun, but high temperatures may not get out of the 40s as the calendar flips over into March.
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Got a news tip? Photos/write-ups of past events? An announcement? See something interesting our amusing you’d like to share? E-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com or phone/text: 404-219-4278. Details here.
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Coming up this week is the start of Lent, and several East Cobb churches will be having Ash Wednesday services and other special events.
We’ve compiled those listings and you can find them here, in similar fashion to what we do for the Advent and Christmas season.
The individual church links have more information about meals and other special events surrounding Ash Wednesday.
We’ll be adding more Lenten and Easter events and services at the link above. If you’d like to add what your church is doing, and don’t see it here, or need to correct or update information that we have listed, please let us know.
Send all information to: editor@eastcobbbnews.com.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
From the office of Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell:
Recently, there have been changes to voting precincts around the county. Those changes are the result of population shifts, the need to move polling places out of schools, etc.
Cobb Elections staff is finalizing polling changes for the March primary. More than 35 polling places have changed locations since the last election, and Cobb County Elections Director Janine Eveler urges voters to act to make sure they know where to vote in the upcoming primary election.
Other changes were made to split larger precincts in half to avoid long lines at polling places. Several other precincts were changed because the polling locations were no longer available.
Janine Eveler, the Cobb Elections Director, would like to explain the changes, voter access, voting systems, how this affects voters and answer any concerns you have around the changes. You are cordially invited to a joint town hall with me and Commissioner Gambrill featuring Director Eveler. The town hall will be held on Feb. 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the North Cobb Regional Library at 3535 Old 41 Hwy, NW, Kennesaw. If there are any questions, please contact Inger.Eberhart@cobbcounty.org or call 770-528-3317.
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McMorris, who was named Cobb’s first deputy county manager in October 2017, had been designated as the interim county manager effective April 1, when current county manager Rob Hosack retires.
Hosack, of East Cobb, had been county manager since longtime county manager David Hankerson retired in 2017, and announced last month he would be stepping down.
The resolution to be voted on Tuesday calls for a contract for McMorris through the end of 2023.
The county manager directs the day-to-day governance of county government departments and a workforce of 5,000.
McMorris came to Cobb in 2013 as the director of the Cobb Public Services Agency, following jobs as the chief of staff for the Fulton District Attorney’s Office, and for Cherokee County government as community services director and special assistant to the county manager.
In her job as Cobb deputy county manager, McMorris’ duties included serving as the county’s official lobbyist to the Georgia General Assembly, as well as working with the Board of Commissioners and business and community leaders.
She holds a doctorate degree in adult education, training and development from the University of Arkansas.
Tuesday’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the second-floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
On Monday, commissioners will meet there at 1:30 a.m. for a work session, which includes annual updates about the Cumberland Community Improvement District and Truist Park (formerly SunTrust Park) and The Battery.
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The Wheeler and Kell boys needed some late dramatics in their second-round games of the Georgia High School Association basketball playoffs this week.
The Kell girls moved on with no problem.
They’re all headed for the Elite 8 next week, with the Wheeler boys and Kell girls playing at home in the quarterfinals.
In the Class 7A boys tournament, Wheeler came into its game Wednesday ranked No. 6, playing host to second-ranked Shiloh, and it lived up to the billing.
The Wildcats topped Shiloh 65-64 in overtime, as Sam Hines made all six free throws in the extra session, to lead Wheeler with 23 points.
Wheeler, which is 21-7 under third-year coach Larry Thompson, gets to stay at home for one more game. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Wildcats will play host to Berkmar, which advanced over Kennesaw Mountain.
In Class 5A, the Kell boys had to travel to Warner Robins, and held on for a 60-53 win on Wednesday that sets them up for a quarterfinal road game on Wednesday against Buford at 6:30 p.m. The Longhorns, who 25-5 on the season, have lost only once since late December.
The Kell girls, ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, crushed Lithonia 58-26, running their record to a perfect 30-0. The Lady Longhorns will play at home at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Jones County.
The Sprayberry girls got to play at home in the second round of the Class 6A tournament on Thursday, but fell to Forest Park 66-55. The Lady Jackets ended their season, which included a region championship, with a 19-10 record.
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The Cobb County School District doesn’t have classes this week due to the winter break, but extracurricular activities have been cancelled Friday until noon due to the possibility of icy weather overnight.
CCSD employees who are not on winter break do not have to report to work until noon Friday.
Activities taking place this week involve athletics, winter camps and clubs at some schools. Events scheduled after noon on Friday will be held.
Johnson Ferry Christian Academy announced late Thursday afternoon that all Friday classes and after-school activities are cancelled.
The Thursday night forecast called for continuing rain and low temperatures around or below freezing.
Cobb is included in a special advisory issued by the National Weather Service in Atlanta that warns about the possibility of black ice on the roads overnight.
Cobb County government issued the following message about 3:45 p.m. Thursday:
With wet roads, soaked soil, and diving temperatures, the National Weather Service is warning of a “higher than normal” chance of black ice overnight and during the Friday AM rush hour. Cobb DOT has crews on standby and trucks loaded to handle any calls that come in. Report dangerous situations to 911, and use extreme caution especially when driving in the dark.
The county also announced that MUST Ministries in Marietta will open its Loaves & Fishes kitchen (55 Elizabeth Church Road, Marietta) at 8 p.m. Thursday for women and children seeking shelter. Men will be referred to the nearby Extension.
Icy and snowy advisories were issued earlier for the mountains of North Georgia.
Heavy rains have poured all day on Thursday in Cobb and metro Atlanta. By mid-afternoon, the temperature reached 40, and the rain is forecast to end by Thursday night.
But there’s a 50 percent chance of rain by early evening Thursday, and overnight lows Thursday and into Friday could dip down to 30 or lower.
The sun is forecast to arrive by mid-morning Friday, but it will be cold all day, with highs only in the mid-40s.
Friday night lows will be even colder, in the mid-20s, before a sunny Saturday, with highs expected in the mid 50s.
Sunday also will be in the mid-50s and partly cloudy, before the rain returns Monday and Tuesday to greet students and teachers as they return to school.
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