For the first tine since the COVID-19 outbreak, the Friends for the East Cobb Park and WellStar Health System are putting on a “Sunday Funday” event this Sunday.
It’s from 4-6 p.m. at East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road), and the format is the same: Bring your own food/picnic fare, lawn chairs/blankets and enjoy the sounds of The Loose Shoes Band.
But you’re also asked to observe the following health protocols, as per what the Friends group, a volunteer organization, posted earlier Friday:
Attendees will be responsible for themselves to ensure they have a temperature of less than 100.4°, and/or other symptoms of COVID-19 before attending Sunday Funday.
Spacing between persons in the park should be at least six feet at all times.
Circles, placed 6 feet apart, will be painted on the lawn. This will indicate social distant sitting.
Attendees/Spectators are encouraged to bring their own chairs
Members of the same household will be allowed to sit within 6ft of each other, and inside the circles.
Face masks will be encouraged for attendees and performers, but aren’t mandatory
There will be no concessions.
Here’s an additional disclaimer to keep in mind:
“An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. When you visit or use the park and facilities at East Cobb Park, you voluntarily assume all risk related to exposure to COVID-19. If you have a fever or COVID-19 you are not allowed in the park.”
Typically there have been several Sunday Funday events in the spring and late summer/early fall, but nothing took place this spring.
Like other Cobb Parks, East Cobb Park was closed—literally locked down—from late March to early May following public health guidance. Pavilions reopened to the public on July 1.
Last month, Cobb Parks replaced the original roof on the concert stage with one based upon a similar design.
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The following East Cobb food scores from Aug. 12-Sept. 4 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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The Cobb County School District on Thursday announced the dates for students returning to classroom instruction, starting with K-5 and special education students on Oct. 5.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said in an announcement posted on the district’s website and social media channels that the tentative starting date for middle school students will be Oct. 19, and high school school students will return on Nov. 5.
Those are all tentative dates, based on any COVID-19 conditions in Cobb County. More details on the reopening plan can be found here.
Here’s more that was released by the district right before 11 a.m., and this story will be updated:
Today, we are pleased to announce that the three parameters of community spread, effective contact tracing protocol, and efficient testing timeliness impacting our decision to offer face-to-face instruction have all been trending in a positive direction. This news allows us to announce the start date for our phased plan to provide both face-to-face and remote learning environments. On the Monday following Fall break, October 5th, 2020, we plan to begin Phase One of our return to face-to-face instruction. We trust that everyone will continue to do everything we can to keep the numbers moving in the right direction.
As we previously indicated, you will be able to submit your choice for face-to-face or remote beginning at 8:00 AM on September 7th through the ParentVue portal. The choice portal will close at midnight on September 20th.
In a video portion of that presentation, Ragsdale also said the following:
“One critical aspect of our plan is that as parents choose either face-to-face or remote-learning classrooms, students will continue to be taught by their current teachers. Face-to-face and remote-learning students in the same class will receive the same instruction from the same teacher. This will prevent disruptions to existing relationships students have made with teachers and will protect teachers from being asked to do two jobs at the same time.”
Unlike Ragsdale’s original face-to-face learning plans that recommended but did not require mask-wearing, the district said today that masks will be mandatory for staff and students, in school buildings as well as on school buses.
Masks also will be required, “whenever possible, when teachers are teaching.”
Other safety protocols include social distancing when possible, hand sanitizing stations at multiple locations through school facilities, daily cleaning and limiting volunteers and visitors.
As for how breakfasts and lunches will be provided, the district is saying only for now that its food service staff “will will continue making sure our students have nutritious meals.”
The district said more details will be provided about reopening plans on Friday.
The Cobb school district was to have started the school year Aug. 1, but Ragsdale announced in June a delay to Aug. 17 as COVID-19 cases began spiking in the county and across Georgia.
The initial plan was to give parents a choice between classroom and virtual learning.
But in July, he told the Cobb Board of Education that the year would be starting online-only, due to continued high community spread of the virus.
Guidance from public health officials indicated that anything more than an average of 100 cases per 100,000 people is considered high community spread.
During mid-summer, that figure was well over 500 cases per 100,000. As of Wednesday, Cobb was averaging 235 cases per 100,000 over the last two weeks, within the range of what Ragsdale said he was targeting for a classroom return.
Those figures come from the Georgia Department of Public Health, which reported that Cobb County has 17,210 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 395 deaths, both among the highest figures in the state.
Ragsdale’s decision to switch to all-online learning angered some parents who staged rallies before the start of classes.
During the first two weeks of virtual learning, the district’s expanded online learning portal experienced several outages that further frustrated parents.
This week no seriously technology issues have been reported.
Parents will be able to select an online or classroom option starting Monday through Sept. 20.
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High school football season is starting two weeks later than first scheduled, but that’s not the only thing that’s different for the five East Cobb teams that will kick off their seasons Friday.
The Georgia High School Association instituted the delay this summer when a rash of COVID-19 cases broke out across the state.
Since then, some teams have cancelled games, and in a few cases, their entire seasons, while others are on hold because their school districts called off games.
The fluid, rapidly changing environment included a last-minute schedule change on Tuesday, when Wheeler announced it would be starting its season Friday at old rival Marietta.
That’s because the opening week opponents for the Wildcats and Marietta cancelled, due to COVID-19 issues.
Wheeler was to have played at home against North Atlanta. The school said in a message Tuesday that all tickets will be fully refunded.
Instead, Wheeler will play at Marietta, the defending state champion in Class 7A, at Northcutt Stadium at 7:30 p.m. You can purchase tickets for that game by clicking here.
In fact, online ticket-purchasing is the only way to go for most high school football teams in Georgia.
Due to physical distancing guidelines, a limited number of fans will be permitted inside stadiums. Fans will not be able to buy tickets on site, and at most places, everyone must wear masks.
That was mandated by the organizers of the Corky Kell Classic, which on Friday will include a slate of games that includes an all-East Cobb rivalry.
Kell will be playing at Walton at 5:30 p.m.—kickoff time was to have been at 8 p.m. but has been moved up.
The football seasons for Lassiter and Sprayberry varsity teams also start at home Friday, with the Trojans entertaining River Ridge and Yellow Jackets playing host to North Cobb.
Both games start at 7:30 p.m., and online ticketing and masks are also required.
Pope’s football season starts next Friday at Walton, and the Greyhounds play host to Kell Sept. 18 in their first home game.
Pope has announced that concessions will be limited and face masks also will be required. Pope is among the schools that also is selling masks with school logos.
The GHSA and the Cobb County School District is giving host schools the latitude to make such arrangements.
Cobb schools also have a mask requirement for entry to any of its facilities, including the classroom return starting in October. Those mandates also include other sports that have already gotten underway, volleyball and softball.
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After being closed for more than six months due to COVID-19, the Stem Wine Bar dining room is reopening on Friday and reservations are being “strongly recommended.”
Reservations are a new feature for the last of Doug Turbush’s three East Cobb restaurants to reopen, following Seed Kitchen and Bar next door at Merchant’s Walk and Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar at The Avenue East Cobb.
Dine-in options will be available on Friday and Saturday and ticketed tasting events Tuesday-Thursday.
The delivery and curbside pickup service also starts on Friday and will be available Tuesday-Saturday.
A temporary tastings and wine menus will be offered inside, and the hours and services are as follows:
Tuesday-Thursday takeout and delivery, 5-9 p.m.
Tuesday-Thursday dine-in Ticketed Tasting Events Only
Friday-Saturday takout, delivery and dine-in, 5-10 p.m.
One of the reasons Stem opened later was due to its small seating area, and a message announcing the reopening says that “we are adhering to social distancing guidelines and have implemented additional safety protocols.”
That includes reservations. Info: 678-214-6888. Address: 1311 Johnson Ferry Road.
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The brother of a Kell High School student who was killed last week in a bicycle crash has begun a college scholarship fund for an autistic student, and to fund autism research.
Robbie Schulz, 15, was a sophomore at Kell when he died last Wednesday after he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle on North Marietta Parkway near Interstate 75.
The boy, who also attended pre-kindergarten at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Timber Ridge Elementary School and Hightower Trail Middle School in East Cobb, was autistic.
Nicholas Schulz, in forming what he calls “Team Robby,” said his brother “was the smartest person I’ve ever known” and “was incredibly outgoing, sweet, and kind-hearted.” The fundraising campaign has raised nearly $25,000.
In his obituary, Robby Schulz was praised by his teachers. “He taught me compassion and that it was okay to be different,” said Andrea Cilluffo, his science and social studies teacher at Hightower Trail. “He taught me to teach from the heart because words were just words and sometimes words just didn’t explain what the heart could. Robby made me a better teacher and a better human.”
At Kell, he was a member of a Dungeon & Dragons club. “Robby was a kind soul and I will fondly remember his eruptions of delight when he cast just the right spell to save the day,” said Douglas LaVigne, the club’s faculty leader.
Robby belonged to Cub Scout Pack 795 at Mt. Zion UMC and Boy Scout Troop 713 at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church.
In addition to Nicholas Schulz, Robby’s survivors include his parents, Jim and Alex Schulz, brother Derek Schulz and twin sister Lizzy Schulz.
A visitation is scheduled for family and friends Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at Mayes-Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta, and a memorial service will be held there Thursday at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to Team Robby, Hillside or to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Marietta Police said the accident took place around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday when a 2010 Nissan Maxima driven by Desmond Sipplin, 25, of Marietta, and heading eastbound on North Marietta Parkway, struck the bicycle near the intersection of the I-75 northbound ramp.
Police are continuing to investigate the crash, and anyone with information is asked to call 770-794-5384.
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That’s also where Carolyn Meadows, a longtime conservative and Republican Party activist and the current president of the National Rifle Association, lives.
She’s supporting Republican Karen Handel in her bid to win back her 6th Congressional District seat. Brian Robinson, who’s working on Handel’s campaign, passed along these photos from Meadows’ property, including a sign in her yard.
At a Monday event at the Temple Kol Emeth synagogue in East Cobb, Commissioner Bob Ott said that what’s transpired is “not who we are.”
Robinson also sent the following statement from Handel:
“I join with Commissioner Ott and the entire East Cobb community in taking a zero-tolerance approach to this hate. Sadly, my campaign has been a victim of these bigoted vandals as well. These criminals recently defaced campaign signs with disgusting anti-Semitic symbols. Our community will not tolerate this kind of hate.”
The fence and signs on Meadows’ property are spray-painted with swastikas and “MAGA,” the “Make America Great Again” slogan of President Donald Trump and his supporters.
Robinson said the graffiti was spotted on Aug. 17. It’s similar to what was seen along fences and common areas of the Kings Farm neighborhood, just around the corner from the Meadows home, during the weekend of Aug. 22-23.
Cobb Police said similar graffiti was seen on road signs in the same area, and was quickly removed by Cobb DOT crews.
Spray-paint graffiti in the Kings Farm neighborhood. Source: Atlanta Anti-Defamation League
Police also said they think the half-dozen incidents they’re investigating began on Aug. 16, but they’re not sure when all the others took place, nor do they have any leads.
Cobb Police Chief Tim Cox said at the same event on Monday that anyone who has any information about these incidents should contact Detective Abbott of the Precinct 4 Criminal Investigations Unit at 770-499-4184.
Also speaking at the Kol Emeth event was U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a Democrat who defeated Handel in 2018. She told an interfaith audience at the synagogue:
“I am so grateful to leaders throughout our community who are standing tall in the face of violence and hatred. Together, we will continue to build a stronger, more inclusive community, and send a strong message to those who spread hate: there is no room for prejudice in our neighborhoods.”
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By a vote of 4-1 the planning board endorsed an R-15 rezoning request by Brooks Chadwick Capital, LLC for 49.5 acres on either side of Wesley Chapel between Garrison Mill Elementary School and Mabry Park.
A number of nearby residents and a representative of the Cobb County School District spoke against the application during a public hearing Tuesday.
The land is among the last undeveloped tracts in a fast-growing part of Northeast Cobb. North of that property, land formerly owned by the Mabry farming family and across from Mabry Park is being developed for upscale single-family homes.
Brooks Chadwick’s plans for what it’s calling Willis Woods include 81 homes of at least 3,000 square feet, with prices starting at $800,000 and surpassing $1 million, according to Kevin Moore, the developer’s attorney.
He said the R-15 category not only is consistent with surrounding subdivisions, but the density of the development, at 1.65 acres, “is on the low end” of both.
But those who spoke in opposition to the rezoning weren’t as concerned about density as they were other matters.
Residents in the nearby Highland at Wesley Chapel, Loch Highland and Beacon Hill subdivisions were concerned about traffic, school capacity and stormwater runoff issues.
A rendering of a home style planned for Willis Woods.
David Fortenberry, who also lives nearby on Wesley Chapel Road, said “at minimum,” the developer should provide impact assessments for traffic, flooding and stormwater, especially since the development contains Sweat Creek Run, which flows downstream into nearly Loch Highland.
Residents of that neighborhood said they have spent $1.5 million of their own money over the last decade fighting back runoff from streams in the area that are affected by development.
“It’s time we stop asking downstream homeowners to keep paying for upstream development,” said former planning commission member Andy Smith, who was speaking on behalf of Loch Highland and other residents.
Charles Sprayberry of the Cobb school district estimated that Garrison Mill, which is near capacity, would have an overflow of 40 students with the new development.
The two planning board members representing East Cobb spoke at length in favor of the rezoning.
Judy Williams of District 3, which includes the Willis land on the western side of Wesley Chapel, said Glennis Fricks Willis, the property owner, opposed the Highlands at Wesley Chapel rezoning when that took place in 2007.
She then placed her land in a conservation easement, but Williams pointed out the undeveloped land “was not their buffer.”
Tony Waybright of District 2, which includes the Willis land east of Wesley Chapel, said school projections for a decrease in Garrison Mill “look solid.”
He made the motion to recommend approval and Williams seconded it, subject to stipulation letters more sent on Aug. 26 and on Monday (you can read them hereand here.)
The Brooks Chadwick application also was supported with the stipulations by the Cobb zoning office and the East Cobb Civic Association.
The changes mostly pertain to setbacks, buffers and architectural styles. A revised site plan includes amenity and retention areas near the creek areas.
Voting against the board’s recommendation was Fred Beloin of North Cobb.
The planning commission’s board is non-binding and advisory. The Cobb Board of Commissioners will make a final decision on Sept. 15.
In another Northeast Cobb rezoning case, the owner of the Sandy Plains Village Shopping Center has withdrawn a rezoning request to convert part of the retail center into 41 townhomes and other retail.
Cobb Zoning Division manager John Pedersen said at the start of Tuesday’s meeting that Site Centers Corp. has withdrawn the application without prejudice, after two delays due to community and staff opposition.
The Sprayberry Crossing redevelopment plans were to have also been heard in September, but Atlantic Residential asked for its application to be heard in October.
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Cobb residents seeking weapons carry licenses will need to make appointments with the Probate Court at least through the end of September. Chief Judge Kelli Wolk said the decision came after consulting with public health officials who said continuing the appointments process would help slow the spread of the coronavirus. “The demand for these licenses is at an all-time high,” Judge Wolk said. “People tend to line up by the dozens to get into the office, and the space to do that is relatively small. The proximity of people in the courthouse put them, my staff and others who do business here in danger of spreading COVID-19.” Even with the appointment process, Judge Wolk says her office is processing weapons carry licenses at a record rate, completing more than 100 applications a day. Those who simply need to renew their licenses can do so by mail. Judge Wolk said using appointments also helps staff track visitors to their office in case an outbreak is reported. She will decide later this month whether they will continue taking appointments into October. To apply for an appointment and to get the latest information on the status of the Probate Court’s office, please visit cobbcounty.org/courts/probate-court/weapons-carry-permits
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Cobb COVID-19 cases have been going down steadily since mid-July. Source: Georgia Department of Public Health.
For the sixth time since the COVID-19 crisis began in March, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has extended the state’s public health emergency and safety measures that prevent large gatherings.
Both of those provisions were due to expire Monday. As he has in the past, Kemp extended them on the very last day. The public health emergency will continue to Oct. 10, while the other measures were renewed to Sept. 15.
The latter executive order “continues to require social distancing, bans gatherings of more than 50 people unless there is six feet between each person, outlines mandatory criteria for businesses, and requires sheltering in place for those living in long-term care facilities and the medically fragile, among other provisions.”
The public health emergency sets provisions to enhance coordinated response from government and the public sector for supplies, testing and health care capacity.
Kemp did not explain why these orders are being extended, but a release issued by his press office said COVID-related hospitalizations are at their lowest point in Georgia since early July and the statewide test positivity rate also has gone down over the last month.
On Monday, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported 1,523 new confirmed cases of the virus and 28 more deaths, but only 32 additional hospitalizations.
Overall, 270,471 COVID cases have been confirmed in the state, along with 5,632 deaths.
In Cobb County, a case spike in July has been followed by a steady descent, both in terms of date of report and “date of onset,” indicated in the graphic above, which indicates when a positive case is confirmed.
Cobb has a total of 16,966 cases, and 391 deaths. The latter is the second-highest total in Georgia, and among the victims was a one-year-old boy who is the youngest to die from the virus.
Cobb reported 90 new cases on Monday and no new deaths.
Another important metric is cases per 100,000. In Cobb on Monday, the 14-day average had dropped to 236 cases per 100,000. Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale has said he’d like that figure to get as close as possible to 100 cases per 100,000—which is considered high community spread—before reopening schools.
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Rabbi Larry Sernovitz of Temple Kol Emeth said “the strength of the community is how we respond” to recent incidents of anti-Semitic graffiti in East Cobb. (ECN photos and video)
A rash of anti-Semitic incidents in East Cobb in recent weeks has jarred an area with a sizable Jewish community.
In response, representatives of that Jewish community, along with other East Cobb faith leaders and local public officials, said Monday their message will be that such actions won’t be tolerated.
With the Southern Division of the Anti-Defamation League they announced the launching of an education campaign that will include bias training and a chance for the larger public to become allies with those unlike themselves.
The first of those sessions will take place virtually on Sept. 9 starting at 7:30 p.m. It’s free to attend but you must register and can do so by clicking here.
Most of all, their response is that love and understanding are the only ways to overcome hatred.
“I want to say ‘I love you,’ ” said Rabbi Larry Sernovitz of Temple Kol Emeth, one of three synagogues in East Cobb, and where Monday’s gathering was held.
Graffiti found in the Kings Farm neighborhood of East Cobb on Aug. 23. Source: ADL
“I don’t need to know you to love you.”
He said those who scrawled graffiti in East Cobb—there are at least a half-dozen known incidents since the middle of August—were educated that such expressions can be tolerated.
What’s needed again and again, Sernovitz said, is “a million acts of kindness,” and he referenced the Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who “believed that redemption can save the world.”
The gathering was prompted by swastika and other graffiti discovered in a neighborhood near Post Oak Tritt Road and Holly Springs Road. Residents there cleaned the spray-paint quickly.
On Sunday, Sernovitz told his congregation that at least five more similar incidents are being investigated.
Cobb Police Chief Tim Cox, who attended Monday’s event at Kol Emeth, said the first incident took place on Aug. 16, and investigators are not sure if the other incidents happened at once or on separate dates.
Lt. Bruce Danz, an investigator with Cobb Police Precinct 4, said all the incidents were in East Cobb. They included anti-Semitic graffiti being spray-painted on road signs on Post Oak Tritt Road that was removed by Cobb DOT.
He said in two-and-a-half years in Precinct 4, this is the first time he’s known of such incidents.
Danz said that “right now, we don’t have any leads,” but that police are “actively investigating.”
Cox said that anyone in the public who may have information about these or similar incidents should contact Lt. Abbott of the Precinct 4 Criminal Investigations Unit at 770-499-4184.
East Cobb faith leaders have pledged to send a message of love to combat hatred and intolerance.
Several clergy members of the East Cobb faith communities were invited to speak, including Congregation Etz Chaim, Emerson Universalist Unitarian Congregation, Unity North Church East Cobb Church, the Church of Latter-Day Saints and the East Cobb Islamic Center.
Also speaking were U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes and Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb.
Ott said Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris will be presenting a measure in September to reconstitute the county’s dormant Human Relations Commission.
Those plans had been in the works before the anti-Semitic attacks, but Ott said the timing of these events makes it more imperative to build bridges of understanding in the community.
“This is not who we are,” Ott said. “This is not what we are about.”
The human relations panel was created in the early 1990s, after county commissioners approved a controversial anti-gay resolution.
Among those leading the outcry against the resolution was Steven Lebow, the longtime Kol Emeth rabbi who retired this summer.
Sernovitz started in July as Lebow’s successor, and calls one of his first public actions in his new role “a teachable moment.”
“This can happen anywhere,” he said. “The strength of our community is how we respond.”
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The Cobb County Medical Examiner’s office has moved into a new $11 million building that’s a dramatic expansion of a 42-year-old facility that had been long outdated.
The new place is 19,000 square feet on County Services Parkway, among a cluster of Cobb government facilities.
Some of the funding came from the 2016 Cobb government SPLOST, but in 2018 Cobb commissioners voted to provide the lion’s share of the money––$8 million in general fund reserves––for what Medical Examiner Dr. Christopher Gulledge said would be needed to serve a county of more than 750,000 people.
In 2014 a critical audit of the medical examiner’s office suggested sweeping changes that prompted the resignation of the chief medical examiner. The audit was brought about by complaints by citizen Tom Cheek about the way his son’s autopsy was handled, and revealed wider organizational problems.
“The original Medical Examiner’s office was built in 1978 when Cobb County only had 200,000 people, and it has not significantly been expanded since then,” said Gulledge, who was appointed in 2015.
His office helps investigates criminal cases and works with law enforcement and the judicial system, but is an independent agency of county government.
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Sunday afternoon was actually quite pleasant and not too humid, and there were plenty living creatures—humans and animals—who enjoyed the relaxation at Azalea Park in Roswell.
This stretch of the river is just a little east of the Chattahoochee Nature Center, which straddles the Cobb/Fulton line close to the Timber Ridge/Lower Roswell roundabout.
Some rowers who were getting their paces were also heading northbound, navigating some recreational paddlers.
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The weather this week will be good for similar activities, although there’s a strong chance of rain on Monday. From Tuesday through Sunday sunny weather is in the forecast, with highs in the high 80s and low 90s.
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Swastika graffiti in an East Cobb neighborhood last weekend. Source: Anti-Defamation League
The leaders of the Temple Kol Emeth synagogue told their congregation Sunday that following the discovery of swastika graffiti in an East Cobb neighborhood last weekend, they’ve learned of other similar incidents.
Rabbi Larry Sernovitz and Rachel Barich, president of the congregation, said that “through our connections with local law enforcement, we are now aware of at least five similar incidents that have occurred over the past few weeks. This is a serious concern to us and to the Cobb County Police.”
They didn’t elaborate on the specifics of the incidents or when and where they took place, but said that “we know that the actions of a few do not represent East Cobb.”
Their message comes a day before Kol Emeth will be holding a gathering to announce a community response to acts of anti-Semitism.
That meeting will include representatives of the Anti-Defamation League of Atlanta, Atlanta Israeli Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon, Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott and Capt. James Fincher, commander of the Cobb Police Precinct 4 in East Cobb.
The initiative is to include bias training and other educational programs:
“Through a partnership with the ADL, we will present to the wider East Cobb community a comprehensive program of education which will include bias training and how to be ally. Our fellow Jewish congregations and the interfaith community support this initiative with a high amount of interest. This is the spirit of Cobb County!”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Monday’s gathering, which begins at 10 a.m., is not open to the general public. Sernovitz and Barich said an educational program to follow will be available to all via Zoom in the coming weeks.
“We also know that we cannot be silent, as silence does not make these things go away. Rather we are drawing on our friendships and ties with so many others in our community to provide a teachable moment, an opportunity for everyone to come together, speak together, and learn together.”
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Age breakdowns of Cobb COVID deaths before a 1-year-old boy’s death was reported Friday: Burnt Orange 70-79 119; Yellow 80-89 110; Yellow 90+ 61; Green 60-69 49; Beige 18-59 48. Source: Cobb GIS.
Before Friday, Cobb County had reported only one death of a person under the age of 20 due to COVID-19.
But a one-year-old boy with a pre-existing health condition was included in Friday’s reported deaths by the Georgia Department of Public Health, making him the youngest victim in the state of a virus that has now claimed 387 lives in Cobb.
The only other information about the boy was that he was African-American, according to Georgia Health News, which also reported that more than 4,000 children under age 4 in the state have been infected, and that Georgia has a COVID-19 case rate for children that’s higher than the national average.
Prior to the one-year-old’s death, the youngest Cobb COVID fatality had been a 19-year-old male whose race was unknown, according to figures compiled by Cobb County government’s GIS office.
Cobb GIS figures on COVID deaths by age, sex and race and ethnicity as of Friday, Aug. 29.
While Cobb has seen a spike, along with the rest of Georgia, in confirmed cases of the virus this summer, especially among younger age groups, the deaths are still occurring mostly among older and unhealthier populations.
GIS figures through Friday show that roughly 75 percent of the Cobb COVID deaths have been people 70 and older (as shown in the pie chart above).
At least 311 of Cobb’s 387 deaths have been people who had at least one underlying health issue, or a comorbidity, while 47 have not. The comorbidity status of 29 other victims is unknown.
A total of 48 people each in the 60-69 age range and the 18-59 age range have died in Cobb County, which has the second-highest death total in Georgia. Fulton County now has 503 reported deaths.
The age groups with the highest number of confirmed cases in Cobb continue to be between 20-60. A total of 1,846 cases have been reported for youths 20 and under, while the oldest age groups have the fewest number of cases.
Cobb GIS death totals at top show sex and comorbidity figures, and break down cases by age group at bottom.
The rising case figures over the summer prompted Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale to start the school year online. Cobb now has 16,630 positive cases, but he’s reluctant to give a date for students returning to school.
The key metric he’s looking at is a 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people, with anything over 100 cases considered high community spread. As of Friday, Cobb’s 14-day average is 227.
That figure had been well above 300 cases per 100,000, and Ragsdale said he was aiming for an average between 100-200 cases before deciding to allow a return to classroom learning.
Georgia has 265,372 confirmed COVID cases and 5,471 deaths. On Friday, Georgia DPH reported 2,383 more cases and 79 additional deaths.
But date-of-onset and date-of-death figures—as opposed to when cases and deaths are reported—have been on a downward trend in the state and Cobb since mid-July and early August, respectively.
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Cobb County Government is partnering with SelectCobb to offer the county’s not-for-profit organizations a $2M funding opportunity to help mitigate financial hardships created by the coronavirus pandemic. The SelectCobb Not-For-Profit Grant will provide up to $25,000 to eligible, Cobb-based 501c3 non-profits to use on rehiring and maintaining personnel and other COVID-related expenses.
The SelectCobb Not-For-Profit Grant application opened Thursday, Aug. 27 on www.selectcobb.com/nfpgrants. Applications close on Friday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m.
“Cobb County is home to a strong and robust non-profit community,” says Kevin Greiner, president and CEO of Gas South and Chairman of SelectCobb for the Cobb Chamber. “Our non-profits serve Cobb’s most vulnerable populations. And, while each organization has felt the impact of the pandemic through decreased revenue, each has been called to meet a higher demand of service. We are so grateful to be able to partner with Cobb County Government to provide the SelectCobb Not-For-Profit Grant as a financial lifeline to these organizations.”
To be considered for the SelectCobb Not-For-Profit Grant, non-profit organizations must meet the following requirements:
Not-for-profit organization must be a 501(c)(3) organization that files a 990, 990N or 990-EZ form with the IRS;
Not-for-profit organization must have 100 or fewer full-time, W-2 employees, i.e., employees working at least 30 hours per week or 120 hours per month;
Not-for-profit organization headquarters or primary location must be in Cobb County;
Not-for-profit organization may be home-based or located in commercial space;
Not-for-profit organization must have been in continuous operation for a minimum of 1 year as of July 28, 2020;
Not-for-profit organization must have a current registration with the Secretary of State’s office and be current on all required 990 filings, and;
Not-for-profit organization must certify if they have received PPP and/or CARES Act SBA loans funds as of time of application submittal.
“I’m grateful that the Cobb County Board of Commissioners in partnership with the Cobb Chamber has found another way to give hope to these significant partners in our county,” said Mike Boyce, Cobb County Chairman of the Board of Commissioners.
Once the application period closes, SelectCobb staff will review all applications to ensure eligibility. All eligible applications will be reviewed by an independent selection committee to recommend grant recipients and grant amounts, per the eligible tiers. A scoring matrix will be used to review each application so that it is a fair and equitable process. For a full list of eligibility requirements and more information about the application process, visit www.selectcobb.com/nfpgrants.
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UPDATED, Sunday Aug. 30.: Temple Kol Emeth leaders said they’ve learned of “at least five more” similar incidents in recent weeks.
Following Monday’s story about swastikas and other graffiti found in an East Cobb neighborhood comes word of an event next week that will launch a new community initiative a local Jewish leader said is designed “to build understanding and allyship.”
Allison Padilla-Goodman, vice president of the Southern division of the Anti-Defamation League, told East Cobb News that a gathering at 10 a.m. Monday at the Temple Kol Emeth synagogue in East Cobb will include a developing list of partners in the interfaith effort.
She said “we have several confirmed Cobb County officials and interfaith leaders in the area.” Larry Sernovitz, the new rabbi at Kol Emeth, said “it is a growing list and we are so blessed to know that so many organizations, including the Cobb County Government and Police Department, will be present.”
The event isn’t open to the general public due to physical distancing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the event will consist of plans to conduct anti-bias training events in the community over the coming weeks.
Sernovitz sent out a message to his congregation on Monday that “multiple swastikas” were found in a neighborhood in the area around Holly Springs Road and Post Oak Tritt Road, and that residents of that community worked to remove the graffiti.
Also spray-painted on a decorative slab was “MAGA 2020,” or “Make America Great Again,” a slogan for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.
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The Cobb Teaching and Learning System, the online learning portal the Cobb County School District expanded for a virtual start to the school year, experienced some more technical issues on Friday morning.
Around 1 p.m. Friday, the district sent out a message to parents saying that around 20 percent of CTLS users experienced intermittent issues due to a hardware failure involving Amazon Cloud Services.
The CTLS system was taken down entirely at 12:45 p.m. for technology repairs, according to the district, which said as of 1:40 p.m. the full CTLS system was functioning and that all users were able to log in.
The district also announced it was providing a real-time status update for CTLS. On the bottom of the CTLS homepage, users can click on the button (shown above) to see which parts of the CTLS system may be down.
They’ll be directed to a Status Monitor page that shows the status of the 23 components of CTLS. That page also indicates when one of those components may be scheduled for maintenance.
Friday’s issues were the third time this week that the district had to address what it continues to call “intermittent” problems with CTLS. The first week of school last week also was affected by numerous problems with logging in and other technology issues and crashes.
Some parents posting comments in response to the status update feature said they were trying to be patient and said they like CTLS when it works.
One parent commented on the district’s Facebook page about the status update: “Awesome—will this have intermittent problems as well?!”
The Cobb school district also said Friday it is overhauling its main website to make it “more user friendly and more responsive for users” and offered a preview of the new homepage that will be noticeable over the weekend.
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Earlier this week we told you about an online process that’s underway for requesting an absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 general election from the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration.
On Friday, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office launched an online portal for voters to request an absentee ballot.
Similar to the Cobb online portal, this one asks voters to fill out their name and date of birth, and they must also provide a driver’s license or state identification number, as well as their county of residence.
That information will be sent to a voter’s county elections office for processing and for mailing an absentee ballot.
Also this week, the Secretary of State’s Office announced it was delivering personal protective equipment to election workers in Cobb County.
Through the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, Cobb workers will be getting 1,600 masks, 850 face shields, 217 pairs of gloves, and 100 boxes of disinfectant wipes.
Here’s more from what the Secretary of State’s office sent out:
The PPE request comes on top of an order for 11,000 gallons of hand sanitizer that the Office of the Secretary of State placed earlier this year. The hand sanitizer will be distributed to the counties ahead of the November elections.
Earlier this year, GEMA/HS provided 84,000 masks, 290,000 gloves, and hand sanitizer for county elections officials ahead of the June 9 election. The Office of the Secretary of State coordinated the order and distributed it to county elections officials.
In addition, before the June 9 elections, the Secretary of State’s office purchased and distributed 35,000 masks, hundreds of thousands of gloves, 27,500 bottles of hand-sanitizer, and 60,000 stylus pens for voters to use when they voted. The Secretary of State’s office also provided $3,000 dollar grants to Georgia’s counties to purchase additional PPE on their own.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and record absentee ballot votes cast by mail, significant numbers of Georgia voters turned out in-person to vote. On June 9, 810,000 Georgia voters went to the polls to cast their ballot. An additional 325,000 cast their ballots early and in-person during the state’s three weeks of early voting.
Voter turnout in November is expected to be three times as high.
Cobb Elections is seeking poll workers for election day. More information can be found here.
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Submitted by the Cobb County Public Library System late Thursday afternoon:
The Fall 2020 Cobb Library Book Sale, originally scheduled for October 9-11, is cancelled.
The Spring and Fall Cobb Library Book Sales at the Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta are highlights of the year for many in the community drawn to the special events and attracts visitors to Cobb from nearby counties and states. A team of community youth and adult volunteers assists in staging the bi-annual events. The Fall sale is cancelled due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus.
For information on the Cobb County Public Library, visit www.cobbcat.org or call 770-528-2320.
The library system also cancelled its spring book sale, which was scheduled for the weekend of March 13-15. That’s when Cobb government and other entitities began shutting down due to COVID-19.
Proceeds from book sales provide financial support for library system.
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