Being founded by educators from Cobb County and Marietta City, the Credit Union loves to give back to local schools every year. After years of numerous sponsorships with Kell High School and their Athletics Program, the Credit Union of Georgia donated over $1,100 as a Featured Supporter of Kell High School this year. The donation will benefit students, faculty and the community through various Kell High School programs throughout the year. Some of these programs include a student awards/recognition program for good citizenship and academic performance, Academic Bootcamp Department Meal, Kell Teacher of the Month, providing free or discounted services for staff and much more.
Credit Union of Georgia was excited to partner with Kell High School and allow the school to create a better experience for students and staff alike. “Partnering with the Credit Union of Georgia was a natural fit for Kell High School. Both organizations have, at their core, a desire to serve their communities. I have had the opportunity to work with the Credit Union as a member over the past 10 years and being able to bring that same love for the community to Kell will be fantastic for both communities. The love they have for their employees is something that we try to model as well and we look forward to supporting each other.,” said Ben Needle, Kell High School Assistant Principal.
To learn more about the Kell High School’s upcoming programs visit www.Cobbk12.org/Kell.
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To help explain Cobb’s latest $22.8 million COVID-19 rent/utility assistance effort and the end of the eviction moratorium, we held a virtual town hall this week. Guest speakers included Chief Magistrate Judge Brendan Murphy explaining the eviction process, Sheriff Craig Owens sharing his office’s response and representatives from five nonprofits explaining the new rent/utility assistance program. Residents also had their submitted questions answered.
These emergency federal rental assistance grants are designed to help those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic stay in their homes while struggling to recover. Assistance can be provided for rent, rental arrears, utilities and home energy costs, utilities and home energy costs arrears and other expenses related to housing.
Applications will open on April 1. Please do not contact providers to apply until then. We are compiling and updating information on the Emergency Rental Assistance program at cobbcounty.org/era.
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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The following East Cobb food scores for the week of March 22 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:
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!
On Thursday, March 25th, The Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team held an appreciation barbeque lunch to honor local police, firemen, EMT’s and military personnel. The Capital City Home Loans grilling food truck grilled up burgers and hotdogs with a variety of sides sponsored by other local partners.
Attendees were welcome to use the “social distancing patio” to enjoy their meal or take it on the road. Event sponsors and members of the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team were able to socialize and meet all of the local first responder and military attendees and thank them for what they do day-to-day. There were also puppies available for adoption at the event.
Additional sponsors for the event included: Arrow Exterminators, Amerispec Home Inspection, Straight Line Roofing and Restoration, JG Artisan Painting, Aroma Ridge Coffee, The Hathaway Agency Insurance, 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty, Chick-fil-A East Lake, Panera Bread and Perrie & Associates.
Local Cobb County and surrounding area first responders, police, fire, detective units and military were all invited. Lunch was also packed up and delivered to Cobb County 911 dispatch by The Hathaway Agency Insurance. For more information on community events at the Janice Overbeck Team office, visit: www.JaniceOverbeck.com.
David Perrie of Perrie and Associates Law Firm, Nathalie Jegg of Cobb County Police, and Janice Overbeck of the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team.Kristen, an agent of the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team, along with Bryan of Arrow Exterminators (a sponsor of the event).Jermaine and Janay of JG Artisan Painting (sponsors of the event) along with Imarii, Veterans Outreach Coordinator at Emory Healthcare Veterans Program.A local police officer spending time with one of the puppies up for adoption.
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!
This week’s COVID-19 case count in the Cobb County School District is a slight drop from the week of March 19, as the rate of new infections continues to fall.
The district announced in its weekly update on Friday that there were 147 new confirmed cases, nine fewer than a week ago.
It’s the fourth straight week the case totals have been less than 200. The district does not break down the numbers for students and staff.
The district lists the number of active cases by school as well as cumulative totals since July 1, 2020.
Overall, there have been 4,501 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Cobb school district since that date.
This week there were fewer than 10 cases reported at schools with new active cases. They include the following at East Cobb schools:
Bells Ferry ES: 1
East Side ES: 1
Eastvalley ES: 1
Keheley ES: 1
Mt. Bethel ES: 6
Murdock ES: 1
Powers Ferry ES: 2
Sope Creek ES: 2
Timber Ridge ES: 1
Tritt ES: 1
Dickerson MS: 3
Dodgen MS: 1
East Cobb MS: 1
Hightower Trail MS: 1
McCleskey MS: 1
Lassiter HS: 1
Pope HS: 4
Walton HS: 5
In the nearly nine months the district has been compiling COVID data, Walton has the most cumulative cases with 130. Pope has 104, Lassiter 102 and Kell 101.
Dickerson has the most overall cases at the middle school level with 74, and McCleskey has 68.
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The 2021 Georgia Mock Trial State Finals Tournament was held last weekend and Walton High School’s team made it to the final four, ultimately placing third in the state out of 99 teams. Co-led by Superior Court Judge Jason Marbutt and local attorney Bill Atkins, along with Chris Sprague, an administrative judge with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board and attorney Petal Walker, Walton’s team finished with a 9-1 record, only losing in its final round to the eventual champion.
“Mock trial is a great way for kids to learn about our court system,” Judge Marbutt said. “More importantly, it’s a great way for kids to learn about themselves. They have to stand their ground in legal disputes, control their emotions amidst disagreement and remain calm even when things don’t go how they expect. Being able to be in an actual courtroom enhances the experience for the kids, and I was happy I could offer a safe space for them.”
Teams are six-12 competing students who present one side of the case each round, being assigned to either the plaintiff or defense. Students on the Walton High School team are Jenny Krakowski, Elise Johnson, Grace Hardy, Piran Terlesky, Andrew Lee, Mika Dennerline, Sanya Kaushal, Gryffin Crowder-White, Collin Marbutt, Sarah Hardy and Omar Inan.
The 2021 mock trial season operated differently this year due to the pandemic. Instead of a single Saturday of competition, teams used Zoom to compete virtually in rounds held throughout the week and weekend over the course of seven weeks. Instead of competing the traditional way by regions, all teams competed in a statewide competition. Prelim rounds began the weekend of Jan. 30, followed by mid-level rounds in early March. The top 32 teams from the mid-level round then moved on to compete in the state finals tournament last weekend.
During the 10 rounds of competition, Jenny Krakowski won six Best Attorney awards, Elise Johnson won three Best Attorney awards, Gryffin Crowder-White won three Best Witness awards, Sarah Hardy won a Best Witness award and Omar Inan won a Best Witness award. Only one attorney and one witness can win an award each round.
This tournament is hosted by the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar.
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If you’ve got recyclables you want to get rid of, Saturday’s the day.
The location has been changed from the Pope High School parking lot due to COVID-19 restrictions and will take place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Northeast Cobb YMCA (3010 Johnson Ferry Road).
The hotlink can be found here, along with a complete list of what you can bring by—and what they’re not accepting. The per-car donation is $10, and there are additional fees for paint.
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Another effort to create a city out of East Cobb is being revived by the state lawmaker who introduced a bill in 2019.
But a group called the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood is proposing what it calls a “city lite” set of services.
State Rep. Matt Dollar will be proposing legislation to create a city of East Cobb not only with different services, but some new boundaries.
That bill has not yet been introduced, but Cindy Cooperman, a volunteer for the cityhood committee, told East Cobb News that Dollar will be doing so before the Georgia legislative session ends next week.
In the previous legislation in 2019, the proposed services were police, fire and community development.
For this legislation, the proposed services are zoning, code enforcement and parks and recreation.
Cooperman said the group includes some of the same individuals as the previous cityhood effort, including David Birdwell, Joe Gavalis, Owen Brown and Jerry Quan. Newcomers include former Cobb Board of Education member Scott Sweeney and Mitch Rhoden, CEO of Futren Hospitality, a real estate developer that oversees Indian Hills Country Club.
The group has a new website and will be conducting a new feasibility study, which is required for cityhood legislation.
The previous map included most of Cobb Commission District 2 in unincorporated areas of East Cobb, and was being expanded to include more than 100,000 people.
The proposed new map would include areas south of Shallowford Road and east of Old Canton Road and encompasses a population of 55,000.
The new bill, map and services reflect public feedback during the 2019 cityhood effort, which included several town halls and a debate, she said.
“East Cobb is a thriving suburban area. It is at risk of over-development as we have seen in neighboring communities,” states a message on the cityhood group’s homepage. “We want to preserve all the great parts of East Cobb and grow the community engagement and people, not grow the tax base.”
The touted benefits of cityhood are community control over land-use planning, preventing forced annexation and increasing home values.
East Cobb cityhood, the committee said in a release, “has the benefit of addressing residents’ primary concerns to preserve the positive attributes of East Cobb while protecting it from over-development, encroachment from urban sprawl, and the containment of unmanageable increases in traffic congestion. East Cobb residents are largely satisfied with Cobb County’s other core services.”
The renewed East Cobb effort comes on the heels of legislation proposed to form a city of Lost Mountain in West Cobb, also with “city lite” services focused around land use and development.
But Cooperman said the West Cobb movement wasn’t what prompted another attempt to incorporate East Cobb. There’s “a lot of the same rationale” as the 2019 effort, but said the reconstituted cityhood committee will be seeking more public feedback and engagement.
“East Cobb residents can expect to be engaged in the process. Their feedback from 2019 is incorporated into the refreshed plans,” Sweeney was quoted as saying in the release. “We are committed to community engagement and transparency in the process to explore the merits and feasibility of forming a city.”
The initial cityhood leaders did not divulge the names of some of those involved and didn’t face the public before Dollar’s bill had been filed. They raised money to hire legislative lobbyists, but never revealed the funding sources.
After holding two contentious town hall meetings in the spring and fall of 2019 and a debate with a group in opposition, the cityhood group announced at the end of that year it would not pursue legislation.
Cityhood bills in Georgia must be introduced in the first year of a two-year legislative cycle before being considered in the second. The bills call for referendum to be voted on by voters within a proposed city boundary.
That legislation also needs a Senate sponsor. In 2019, State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick said she received plenty of negative feedback from citizens about cityhood, and other state and county elected officials also expressed opposition.
Cooperman said the engagement process this time around will involve contacting homeowners associations and other community groups.
“There’s going to be community engagement every step of the way,” she said.
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The Georgia Senate approved SB 202 in a 34-20 party line vote. Republican State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick voted in favor, and the bill has been signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The four Republicans representing East Cobb in the Georgia House voted in favor of a bill on Thursday that would make sweeping changes to state elections laws.
It’s one of two omnibus elections bills that were up for votes in the Georgia General Assembly, with the 2021 legislative session drawing to a close.
Both bills, written by Republican lawmakers, would add identification requirements for mailed ballots, restrict the use of absentee ballot drop boxes, require more advanced voting across the state and shorten runoff elections.
The legislature also has oversight of proposed changes to election rules by the Secretary of State and state elections board.
Provisions in initial bills to scrap no-excuse absentee voting and Sunday voting were taken out of the omnibus bills, called the Election Integrity Act of 2021.
The House vote on SB 202 Thursday (you can read it here) was 100-75, along mostly partisan lines. GOP Reps. John Carson, Sharon Cooper, Matt Dollar and Don Parsons, who represent East Cobb districts, voted with the majority.
The only Democrat with an East Cobb constituency, Mary Frances Williams, voted against.
In Cobb County, 16 drop boxes were located around the county for absentee ballots. But the legislation would limit those drop boxes to early voting locations only while the polls are open.
Also, anyone requesting an absentee ballot would have to do so no later than 11 days before an election, and the Secretary of State would not be able to send out unsolicited absentee ballot applications, as was done in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another provision of the bill would forbid anyone from providing food and water for people standing in line to vote.
The Senate was scheduled to take up SB 202 as well as the other omnibus elections bill, HB 531 (you can read it here). There are two legislative days left, with the session set to end March 31.
In a vote on an earlier elections bill, SB 241, Republican State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb was excused. She was only one of three GOP senators who did not co-sponsor the legislation, which was opposed by Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.
After last year’s elections prompted major wins for Democrats—including the presidential race and both of Georgia’s U.S. Senate races—the Republican-led legislative session has been dominated by elections bills.
In many races, absentee votes went overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates, while Republicans did better with advanced and election-day in-person voting.
Some Republicans charged election fraud, especially in the presidential race, which Democrat Joe Biden won by less than 12,000 votes.
Democrats and voting-rights groups have blasted the omnibus bills as examples of voter suppression.
But Republicans say overhauls are necessary to restore integrity and trust in elections.
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Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will open its sanctuary for Good Friday, April 2, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the community to drop in. COVID-19 precautions will be followed, including requiring masks and spacing the chairs in the sanctuary. The sanctuary will be open for a quiet and reflective time of prayer. The church will provide individual reflections on Bible stories during Jesus’ last week, focusing on who is speaking and who is staying silent.
There will also be space for a community response to the question “What breaks God’s heart?” Let’s take time to listen to each other and to sit with sorrow.
Chestnut Ridge is an Open and Affirming congregation that celebrates the spirital gifts and human dignity of all God’s children. You can see more details about the Good Friday event at chestnutridgechristianchurch.com/good-friday-2021.
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The Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, Inc. (MGVOCC) are holding their 18th Annual Garden Tour on Saturday, May 22, 2021 from 10 am – 5 pm in the East and Central Marietta area. Tickets are $15.00 in advance and $20.00 on the day of the tour. Children 17 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cobbmastergardeners.com beginning April 1. Masks required.
Learn and be inspired. The Tour features five (5) gardens, including four private gardens and one community garden. All the private gardens have been painstakingly managed by their owners, four of whom are Master Gardeners. They range in size from a small lot “Urban Oasis” to a nine-acre “Estate.” The Reconnecting Our Roots Community Garden is maintained and supported as a volunteer project by MGVOCC volunteers.
“Unlike other garden tours, our tour focuses on education as much as “stopping to smell the roses,” explains this year’s Chair, Bill Lovelace. “Our docents, most of whom are Master Gardeners, are there to point out the features and challenges of each garden and to answer your gardening questions. We not only showcase the beauty of nature in both shade and sun but give you ideas and information you can apply to your own yard. Free UGA publications will be available. We hope you join us on May 22.”
The Tour is held rain or shine, and tickets are non-refundable. Masks are required. Social distancing will be maintained. For more information, garden descriptions and maps, please visit: https://www.cobbmastergardeners.com
Established in Cobb County in 1980, the Cobb Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who help homeowners, businesses and organizations engage in research-based horticultural practices. They do this through the Cobb County Cooperative Extension Service and University of Georgia. Cobb County has more than 200 active Master Gardener volunteers who donated 15,396 hours in 2020 and 22,472 hours in 2019.
For gardening questions, contact the Master Gardener Help Desk at 770-528-4070.
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Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell is inviting the public to hear a virtual presentation about the Sprayberry Crossing rezoning case that’s scheduled to be heard in April.
Her event is next Wednesday, March 31, from 6-7 p.m., and anyone interested in attending must register by clicking here.
“This will be a presentation by staff to answer questions and address analysis and recommendations,” she said during remarks at Tuesday’s commissioners meeting.
“This will not be a public interaction meeting,” said Birrell, adding that persons wishing to have questions answered should e-mail her at [email protected]. Questions will be sent to “appropriate staff for response. . . Please put ROD-1 virtual meeting 3.31.21 in the subject line when submitting questions.”
That’s the case number assigned to the repeatedly delayed redevelopment of a blighted shopping center at Sandy Plains Road and East Piedmont Road (The agenda item overview can be found here; here is the staff analysis.).
The latest continuance was issued earlier this month by the Cobb Planning Commission. The developer, Atlantic Realty, continues to make changes to its site plan.
Whiile many area residents have wanted the blighted shopping center redeveloped for years, others have opposed the proposed 125 apartments. Sprayberry Crossing also would include 125 senior living apartments, 44 townhomes, 36,000 square feet of retail (mostly for a Lidl grocery store) and 8,000 square feet of office space.
Joe Glancy of the Sprayberry Crossing Action Group, which has pushed for redevelopment, said Wednesday he and fellow group leader Shane Spink have put together what they’re calling the Sprayberry Crossing Design Review Committee that met with the developer last week.
The committee includes nearby residents with experience in site plan design. Among its objectives are to improve community green space features and regard a family cemetery included on the property “as a cherished community and historic site.”
Glancy said the committee “is not advocating for county zoning approval of this project” but would advocate the “very best possible development IF the development is approved.”
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A former home site on Pine Road will be the new home for Walton HS softball and tennis teams. (ECN file)
We’ve been getting occasional questions from readers in recent weeks about the status of upcoming projects for a new Eastvalley Elementary School campus and a new softball and tennis complex at Walton High School.
We checked with the Cobb County School District, whose spokeswoman told us this week that “we do not have projected timelines for either of those projects.”
They’re both slated to be built with funding from the current Cobb Education V SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax). That’s a projected $797 million that’s being collected through the end of 2023.
Some of the initial projects underway with SPLOST V revenues are replacement projects for Harmony Leland Elementary School and King Springs Elementary School in Mableton and the new Susan Todd Pearson Middle School in Smyrna.
Eastvalley Elementary School will be relocated to the former campus of East Cobb Middle School on Holt Road, across from Wheeler High School.
An architect for the Eastvalley project was approved by the Cobb Board of Education last February, right before the COVID-19 pandemic, at a cost of $1.6 million. The project is expected to cost $31.6 million.
At the same time, the school board approved spending $5.6 million to acquire property near the Walton High School campus for new facilities for the Raiders’ softball and tennis teams.
The land acquisitions come to more than 18 acres on Bill Murdock Road, Pine Road and Providence Road, and don’t include the cost of construction.
Walton’s softball and tennis teams were displaced in 2014 for the school’s new main campus building, and they have been playing home competitions since then at Terrell Mill Park.
The school board threatened a taking by eminent domain of 15 acres on Pine Road in November 2019 after gender equity issues arose under the federal Title IX law. While the Walton baseball team has been playing on campus, the softball team was not.
A district spokeswoman said this week that “all details about the ED-SPLOST VI referendum will be available once the District has listened to the community and staff to determine needs in each of our schools.”
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At last week’s Cobb Board of Education meeting the retirement of three principals at East Cobb schools was announced, effective at the end of the current school year.
They are Susan Hallmark of Addison Elementary School, Lynn Hamblett of Murdock Elementary School and Laura Montgomery of Hightower Trail Middle School.
The retirements of Hallmark and Hamblett are effective June 1; Montgomery’s retirement begins on July 1.
They’re the among the first principals in the district to announce their retirements.
Their replacements have not yet been determined; when there are staffing changes at the principal level or above, the school board makes final decisions on those moves.
The district said last week that 98 percent of employees have renewed their contracts for the 2021-22 school year. A virtual hiring fair is ongoing now as the district seeks to fill more than 750 teaching slots in a hybrid learning program that will include expanded online options.
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To read the latest Cobb and Douglas Public Health COVID briefing, click here.
Starting on Thursday all Georgians ages 16 years and older will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the state Department of Public Health.
Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement Wednesday.
More than 3.2 million vaccines have been distributed in Georgia since January, including more than 182,000 in Cobb County.
Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, said Tuesday that some vaccine appointments will be opened on Wednesday at her agency’s website for those in the current eligible groups, including people 55 and over, health care workers and first responders.
In a briefing to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, Memark said vaccine supplies would be coming to the state by the end of the week, and urged adults to get vaccinated.
“If we had flu vaccines that are this good, that would be awesome,” she said, mentioning the hesitancy of some people to get the vaccine.
She said even if people aren’t feeling symptoms, getting vaccinated can help slow the spread of asymptomatic transmission.
“This is what’s getting us to herd immunity,” Memark said. “We all have to do this together as a community to make this work.
Citizens do not have to get vaccinated in their county of residents. Memark said Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has become an increasingly popular place to get vaccinated (you can book an appointment online here), and has been administering more than 6,000 tests daily.
While Cobb’s COVID-19 metrics continue to fall, she said the rate of community spread remains high. The current 14-day average of 244 cases per 100,000 people is the lowest it’s been since the fall, but 100 cases per 100,000 is considered high community spread.
Cobb has had more than 72,000 cases since March 2021 and 891 confirmed deaths.
Cobb and Douglas Public Health is continuing to provide free COVID testing at various locations in the county, including Eastwood Baptist Church (1150 Allgood Road). More dates, times, location and sign-up information can be found here.
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Home contractor Jake Horne died after being shot on a job at an East Cobb home in March 2019.
The attorney for an East Cobb man charged with murdering a home contractor in March 2019 and badly wounding another worker is seeking a continuance in his upcoming trial.
Larry Epstein, now 71, has been ordered to go on trial in Cobb Superior Court in April, when jury trials are allowed to resume following lengthy COVID-19 delays.
But David Willingham, Epstein’s lawyer, filed a motion on Thursday seeking to delay the trial until August so his client can be vaccinated for COVID-19.
Judge Ann Harris issued an order on March 12 for Epstein to appear in person for his trial. Last week she also called for a psychiatric evaluation. In December, Willingham filed a motion seeking a plea of mental incompetence.
Willingham said in his motion last week that Epstein has not been offered an opportunity to be vaccinated at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, where he has been in custody for more than two years. During his incarceration, Willingham said, Epstein has faced several health issues and has been hospitalized twice.
Epstein is “in a high-risk category for complications should he contract COVID-19,” Willingham said in his motion. He said his client is “ready, willing, able and eager” to be vaccinated and develop antibodies “before he is physically compelled to be present in a public court room with a jury of his peers—strangers from the community whose exposure to COVID-19 and overall health, including the health of others, the Court has no way to properly vet.”
Judges and court staff have been eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine since last Wednesday.
Epstein was indicted in May 2019 for murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm while committing a felony in the death of Jake Horne, 21 of Kennesaw, and the shooting of Gordon Montcalm, then 37, of Buchanan, Ga.
They were finishing up their job as electrical contractors at Epstein’s home in the Wellington neighborhood off Johnson Ferry Road on March 6, 2019 when Cobb Police said Epstein shot them with a .220-caliber handgun, according to his indictment.
Police sealed off the neighborhood on Wellington Lane after getting a call for a possible active shooter, deploying SWAT units and its mobile command center to the scene.
Epstein surrendered peacefully a short time later, after Horne and Montcalm were rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, police said at the time.
Horne was pronounced dead the following day from a gunshot wound to the head. Montcalm was shot five times and faced a long recovery.
During a court hearing in March 2019, police said video surveillance camera footage indicated Epstein was enraged about his pets being harmed, although they said couldn’t find any evidence of that.
In his December motion, Willingham said Epstein has a history of mental illness and suffers from paranoid delusions, including telling family members he tried to commit suicide in jail “when in fact he had not.”
Harris’ order calls for the psychiatric evaluation to indicate “whether or not the accused had the mental capacity to distinguish right from wrong” and “whether or not the presence of a delusional compulsion overmastered the accuser’s will to resist committing the alleged act.”
On Monday, Cobb deputy chief assistant district attorney Jesse Evans filed a motion to prevent the defense from introducing expert psychiatric witness testimony, saying it hasn’t received an expert report in timely fashion. Evans asked the court to impose an April 5 deadline for that report.
Willingham didn’t reference Epstein’s mental health matters in his motion for a continuance last week. He said that given the chance for further COVID-19 and other delays, his client “understands this case may not occur until well after August 2021.”
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The organizers of the Taste of East Cobb announced recently that the event is being cancelled for the second year in a row due to continuing COVID-19 safety protocols.
The fundraising event for the Walton High School band programs is now slated for May 2022.
Last year the Taste of East Cobb was initially delayed to last fall, then to May 2021.
This year’s the Taste of Marietta, which was scheduled for late April, is being rescheduled to Oct. 24, according to the Marietta Visitors Bureau, which organizes the event.
In a release issued Monday the MVB said that “the safety and health of the community, vendors, artists, guests, and staff is the festival’s top priority. The Marietta Visitors Bureau will be monitoring and following recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Governor Kemp’s Executive Orders.”
Another major event in East Cobb already has been canceled for September. For the second year in a row, there will not be an EAST COBBER Parade and Festival for the same reasons.
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LAZ Parking is holding hiring events for the 2021 Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball season at Truist Park in Cobb County. The remaining events will be held at the park:
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday, March 24
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday, March 25
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, March 26
9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, March 27
Masks are required at all times and social distancing rules apply. Temperature checks at check-in. Truist Park is located at 2605 Circle 75 Parkway, Atlanta. For more information, contact Scott Fielder at [email protected] or Michael Craig at [email protected]. More information about the company can be found at lazparking.com.
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The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (Chattahoochee River NRA) launched public commenting on a preliminary strategy for improving the park’s trail system.
Initial public commenting on the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Preliminary Trails Management Plan will open from March 15 to April 15, 2021, and include opportunities to submit written comments and participate in public meetings.
“We are pleased to offer this opportunity for the public to provide early input on the future of the park’s trail system,” said Acting Superintendent Elisa Kunz. “We’ve used what we have heard from our trail users in the past and designed a system that should be both more sustainable and more enjoyable, but we now need feedback from the public and our stakeholders on our effort. This feedback helps us know if we are on the right track, and where improvements might be needed.”
Two virtual public meetings to discuss the trails plan and answer questions about the project will take place on Thursday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. (ET), and on Friday, March 26 at 1:30 p.m. (ET). Links to join the virtual meetings may be accessed on the project website at parkplanning.nps.gov/CRNRA_Trails. During the virtual meetings, National Park Service staff will explain the plan process, showcase methods for public comment, and answer participants’ questions. The meeting presentations will be identical and interested parties are encouraged to attend the time most convenient.
Chattahoochee River NRA has developed two methods for submitting plan comments online. Written comments may be submitted by visiting parkplanning.nps.gov/CRNRA_Trails and selecting “Open for Comment” on the left menu bar and selecting “Preliminary Trails Management Plan.” There is also a second online platform that provides an interactive option for viewing trail proposals and an opportunity for the public to up
Written comments may also be submitted by mail to:
National Park Service Denver Service Center
Attn: CRNRA Trails Plan / Charles Lawson 1
2795 West Alameda Pkwy Denver, CO 80228
Written comments on the initial phase of the plan must be submitted online or postmarked by April 15, 2021 to be considered. Additional opportunities for commenting and public engagement will be offered throughout the project.
About the Trails Plan Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Preliminary Trails Management Plan
Within the park’s boundary are approximately 65 miles of pedestrian and mixed-use trails. Most of the existing trail system consists of legacy social trails, relict roadbeds, and utility corridors predating the park’s establishment in 1978. These legacy trails were never intentionally designed for a positive trail experience. They lack connectivity to neighboring trail systems while potentially degrading water quality through erosion runoff and impacting plant habitat. Many of the existing trails are also difficult and costly to maintain.
To help address the issues, the National Park Service is developing a plan for design and maintenance of an improved pedestrian and multi-use trail system for the entirety of the Chattahoochee River NRA. After working with trail users and professional trail designers, the park has developed a set of preliminary trail design proposals for each of the park’s 15 land units.
The preliminary designs aim to improve the visitor experience on trails, improve the sustainability of the park’s trail system, and improve its connectivity to planned and existing regional trail systems – including the proposed Chattahoochee RiverLands Greenway (chattahoocheeriverlands.com).
The preliminary management strategies include programmatic actions, which would apply parkwide, and specific trail designs for each unit of the park. The unit-specific trail designs are best understood by reading the descriptions and viewing the maps in the Preliminary Comprehensive Trails Plan available for download on the project website (parkplanning.nps.gov/CRNRA_Trails).
After public comments are received, park staff will adjust the proposed strategies, as necessary, before developing the complete Trails Management Plan. There will be another opportunity to comment on the plan once it is in full draft.
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A mixed system of in-person and virtual learning options for the 2021-22 Cobb County School District’s academic year includes an “exclusive” virtual program and a five-days-a-week instructional calendar for both.
The Cobb Board of Education heard more details Thursday from district officials, including Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who said “virtual is here to stay” and not just in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has prompted online instruction for the last year.
More details will be provided Monday at the district’s Cobb Learning Everywhere vertical. Also starting Monday, registration for grades 6-12 will get underway and lasts through April 1.
Ragsdale and Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Lawson presented grade-level plans that include an “exclusive” online learning environment for grades 6-12.
For students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, there will be local school-based online learning. Ragsdale said many of those options will be “school by school specific,” with no singular district-wide program.
The plans also call for some online elementary learners from several schools in a geographic cluster to be taught by a singular teacher. That model is designed for semester and year-long enrollment.
Registration for PreK-5 starts April 19 and continues through May 1.
High school learners will have a block schedule and supplemental classes. Those high school and middle school students in the virtual option will be enrolled through the Cobb Online Learning Academy.
Most online learners will be taught by full-time teachers certified in online teaching. For online high school students who wish to be enrolled through their home high school, they can learn independently through the district’s Cobb Virtual Academy.
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!
