Simpson Middle School has become the first middle school in the Cobb County School District to be designated a STEAM school.
STEAM is STEM-based learning (science, technology, engineering and math) with an arts and language-based component.
“Students at Simpson are using the arts to demonstrate what they’ve learned in math, English and even science classes. Their teachers have worked hard to help students see how the concepts that they are learning are integrated from one class to the next. This approach to learning mirrors the real world,” Dr. Sally Creel, Cobb Schools Supervisor of STEM and Innovation, said in a statement.
Simpson is one of 25 Cobb schools to have STEM or STEAM designation. Last year, Kerri Waller, an art teacher at Simpson, was the recipient of a Cobb STEM Distinguished Educator Award.
The other East Cobb schools certified for STEM by the district include Brumby, East Side, Shallowford Falls, Sope Creek and Tritt elementary schools; Hightower Trail, Mabry and McCleskey middle schools and Lassiter, Pope, Walton and Wheeler high schools.
Lassiter, Tritt and Wheeler are also STEM-certified by the state.
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Cobb commissioners on Monday heard an overview of a fiscal year 2020 budget proposal that comes in at $474.8 million and includes a seven-percent salary increase for certified and sworn public safety employees.
Other county employees would receive a pay hike of four percent, according to the briefing that took place at an afternoon work session.
Those raises would cost more than $12 million. Also included in the outline is a proposal for the county to contribute to a supplemental public safety pension plan, which will be an item on Tuesday night’s commissioners’ regular meeting agenda for approval (Meeting agenda can be found here).
Another part of the “retention and recruitment” plan to address public safety concerns includes offering a $5,000 bonus for certified officers (those who have been trained and are experienced elsewhere).
The $474.8 million proposal represents a 4.8 percent increase from the current fiscal year 2019 budget of $454 million, Cobb finance chief Bill Volckmann told commissioners.
The budget proposal would not include a millage rate increase for the general fund, and assumes tax digest growth of 3.4 percent. Last year, commissioners approved a millage rate increase of 1.7 mills to 8.46 mills for the general fund.
Personnel expenses would increase by $6 million from the current fiscal year (see chart below presented at the work session), with operating costs up $11 million. The contingency projection of $18.5 million reflects an increase of nearly $4 million in the reallocation Cobb receives from the state in title ad valorem tax (TAVT) revenues, following a formula change.
The revised budget draft would also reduce by one percent ($2.2 million) the amount of funding the county borrows from water system revenues for the general fund budget. Currently Cobb borrows around 10 percent (or $22 million) each year, but plans are to gradually reduce that amount by one percent a year.
Also missing from the budget proposal is $850,000 in non-profit funding, which is slated to be eliminated completely.
In addition, the county will eliminate fees for use of senior centers that were imposed last year.
During the commissioners’ discussion, some expressed a desire to approve the seven-percent raise for public safety employees this year, and then take initial steps to implement a step-and-grade plan for fiscal 2021.
That’s a sentiment expressed by new Cobb public safety director Mike Register. But commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb, who’s said often that a pay-and-class system is “broken,” wants to start with step-and-grade first.
Commission Chairman Mike Boyce is expected to unveil a formal, more detailed budget on July 8. Commissioners will hold three public hearings on the budget starting July 9.
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Duck Donuts, a specialty chain that’s moving into the Atlanta area, will be opening soon in East Cobb at Merchant’s Walk.
Company spokeswoman Kristen Kellum told East Cobb News there’s not a definite grand opening date yet, although a media preview event is slated for early July.
All she’s saying for now is that the shop will open this summer.
It’s going to be located in the former Gigi’s Cupcakes space at 1281 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 116, between Mirko Pasta and Bar Method.
Here’s what Duck Donuts, which has two other franchises in Atlanta, is about:
Duck Donuts specializes in warm, delicious and made-to-order donuts. Customers can create their own donut combination by choosing from a variety of coatings, toppings and drizzles, including traditional favorites such as chocolate icing with sprinkles and more adventurous creations such as maple icing with bacon.
The family-friendly stores offer a viewing area where children and adults alike can watch their donuts being made from scratch to finish. Duck Donuts also sells coffee, tea, donut breakfast sandwiches and more.
For grand opening details, specials and donut topping updates, customers are encouraged to visit the Duck Donuts Marietta Facebook page or connect on the web at www.duckdonuts.com.
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They did it again!ArtsBridge Foundation and Georgia Public Broadcasting earned their second-straight Emmy Award for their production of the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as The Shuler Awards.
The two nonprofit partners picked up their latest Emmy Award hardware at a ceremony held June 15.
Presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Southeast Chapter, the regional Emmy Award for Special Event Live Coverage went to ArtsBridge Foundation and GPB for the live broadcast and production of The 2018 Shuler Awards held in April of last year.
The team previously won an Emmy Award in the same category for The 2017 Shuler Awards, and in both years, the live broadcast earned back-to-back Emmy Awards for GPB’s Anthony Marshall in the category of Director–Live or Recorded Live broadcast.
Presented as the Shuler Hensley Awards—also known as the “Shuler Awards” or “The Shulers” and named for the Atlanta-born star of the stage and screen—during the event, Georgia high school student recipients are recognized as the best of the state’s musical theatre students and schools for grades nine through 12. Two students are currently in New York preparing for the national 2019 Jimmy Awards taking place June 24 on Broadway after winning in the most recent competitions for best actress and best actor at The 2019 Shuler Awards.
“The back-to-back Southeast Emmy Awards for The Shulers are indicative of the superb quality and high production value Georgia students bring at show time,” said Jennifer Dobbs, executive director of ArtsBridge Foundation. “Producing this live event takes a team of dedicated staff and volunteers at ArtsBridge Foundation, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, many sponsors and our partners at GPB, and it is so rewarding to share this honor with so many contributors.”
Fashioned after Broadway’s Tony Awards, the Shuler Awards competition includes 17 categories with entrants from nearly 60 public and private schools from across the Peach State.
In photo above: Sarah Clay Lindvall of ArtsBridge Foundation.
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The Mount Vernon Chapter presented a Certificate of Commendation to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in recognition of exemplary patriotism in the display of The Flag of the United States of America. The flags are raised and lowered each day by the security team since they are not lit during the night.
Secretary David Wellons was present and coordinated the ceremony. Other chapter members present were President Bill Floyd, past President Shep Hammack, David Wiley and Chuck Rann. The ceremony was held in the church lobby due to inclement weather.
Members of the church participating in the ceremony were Joe Shadden, JFBC Business Administrator, Amber Hudson, EKG Security Officer, Greg Hebert, JFBC Director of Facilities and Ricky Lewis, EKG Site Supervisor Security Officer. Not in the photo and also present for the ceremony were Mark Shelton, EKG Manager, and Fred Godbee, EKG Owner.
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To share news tips and photos with East Cobb News at anytime, as well as to inquire about news events, here’s how to get in touch:
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U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) applauds the House passage of $50 million in funding she requested for important firearm injury and mortality prevention research at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, including critical projects at the Centers for Disease Control National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in Chamblee that would improve understanding of the solutions to prevent gun deaths.
“I was proud to lead my colleagues in asking for this funding because I believe I have the responsibility as a survivor of gun violence to stand up to stop these tragedies,” McBath said. “The CDC and NIH need this funding to better understand how to prevent gun deaths. When I visited the Injury Center in my district, I was heartbroken to hear about the severe lack of funding for gun-related injury research. This critical funding will save lives.”
These federal dollars will provide for the first gun violence prevention funding in more than twenty years and allocates $25 million each to the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health to study firearm injury and mortality prevention. The funding passed as part of the Labor-Health & Human Services-Education Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2020.
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East Cobb cityhood opponent Bill Simon (L) talks with cityhood committee leader David Birdwell at a Walton High School town hall meeting in April. (ECN file photo)
An independent panel has been poring over a financial feasibility study for the proposed City of East Cobb this summer as it also fashions a working budget from those numbers.
Rob Eble, a spokesman for the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood, told East Cobb News the group’s results are expected to be made public later this summer, with another town hall meeting tentatively scheduled for August.
“They are taking this very seriously,” Eble said. “All of their findings will be made public—good or bad.”
He said the group—which is not part of the cityhood committee—is being led by Bill Green, a former financial executive with Coca-Cola and Delta.
The other financial experts, whom Eble did not identify, included those with experience with a company on the Fortune 1000 list, as well as a CPA, an auditor and someone with a background in public budgeting.
Also involved in the process, Eble said, is a public finance attorney.
Eble said the group has been given two mandates: Conduct a complete audit of the feasibility study, and propose a realistic budget.
The study was commissioned by the cityhood committee last fall for $35,000, and was done by The Center for State and Local Finance at Georgia State University.
The main conclusion of the study is that a City of East Cobb, with a proposed population of 96,000, is financially feasible with a millage rate of 2.96, what’s currently levied for fire services in unincorporated Cobb.
The study asserts that the City of East Cobb would not have to impose a millage rate higher than what those currently in unincorporated pay in property taxes.
That’s providing police, fire and community development services, the mandated minimum of three services required by Georgia law for new cities.
The study figured an annual budget of $45.6 million, and estimated revenues of $49.8 million.
One of the revenue lines is nearly $7.3 million in franchise fees. Those are additional monies collected by municipalities for things like electric, natural gas, telephone and cable television services.
Questioning budget assumptions
That figure is being questioned by a vocal opponent of cityhood. Bill Simon said he checked with officials from Cobb EMC, who told him the electrical provider doesn’t collect franchise fees in unincorporated Cobb.
If East Cobb should become a city, it would have the power to charge all residential and commercial customers a four-percent surcharge on their monthly Cobb EMC bills.
If the city elects not to impose this charge, Simon said, there would be a deficit of $3.1 million.
That also amounts to what Simon considers another tax, which is among the reasons he is against a new city. He provided East Cobb Newsa copy of a June 3 letter sent to him by Kevin Moore, the general counsel for Cobb EMC.
Eble said “I appreciate people questioning” the franchise fee matter, because “it’s very complex” and that’s one of the reasons why the cityhood committee is having the feasibility study examined.
He maintained the cityhood committee’s pledge to “not raise taxes and not raise fees. That is the goal, and it’s all being reviewed.”
The existing six cities in Cobb all have higher overall millage rates than unincorporated Cobb, which has spurred some of the skepticism about cityhood proponents’ claims.
Eble said that the study is required by state law in order for a cityhood bill to be introduced, and was meant only to be an outline.
“We want to bring it to life,” he said, “validate what’s in it and build a budget.”
Mapping a new city
The audit of the feasibility study, and any budget formulated by the finance group, may have to be amended if the proposed city boundaries (view map here) are altered. At an April town hall meeting at Walton High School, cityhood leaders said they’ve been lobbied by citizens, especially in the Pope and Lassiter areas, for possible inclusion.
The area around Shallowford and Trickum roads in northeast Cobb was mentioned by a cityhood leader as a possible new northern boundary.
As drawn up for the study and in the legislation, the proposed city encompasses all of unincorporated Cobb Commission District 2 east of I-75 and excluding the Cumberland Community Improvement District.
Eble told East Cobb News Thursday that the cityhood group met recently with officials in the state reapportionment office, at which “we have discussed an expanded map. I would say it has not been formally opposed.”
He added that “there has definitely been talk and we would like to see the borders expanded,” and that he was hopeful “we would get it done” well before the legislative session begins in January.
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A few weeks into his tenure as the Cobb public safety director, Mike Register was blunt about one of the biggest obstacles his department faces, perhaps as much as the salary and retention concerns that have been expressed in recent months.
Perceptions do matter, and they matter a lot, Register said in remarks earlier this week to the East Cobb Business Association.
“Somehow, we have got to make public safety cool again to our young people,” he said.
Part of the reference was to salaries and benefits, as Cobb salaries lag other jurisdictions in metro Atlanta and the county struggles to fill openings.
But he also mentioned a social media environment rife with critical comments about those in law enforcement, in particular after police shootings.
“The whole is being vilified for the sake of the few,” Register said. “Those in uniform are committed. Somehow we have to communicate that.”
He was drawn to a law enforcement career after being kidnapped as a teenager in Macon. The police officers who worked to free him kept in touch after his release.
“They checked on me, they worried about me,” Register said. “Today is a different time,” a reference to trends he’s seeing that “less and less of our young people want to be in law enforcement.”
Formerly the Cobb Police Chief, Register has taken on an expanded role overseeing police, fire, emergency management, 911 and animal services in a department with around 2,000 employees.
Much of that time has been spent hearing out those who have been vocal in urging Cobb commissioners to pay and support them better.
Last month, commissioners approved a one-time bonus of $1,475 for selected police, fire and sheriff’s employees with good performance evaluations.
The move was considered a first step toward a more comprehensive approach to hiring, keeping and encouraging public safety employees.
Steven Gaynor, head of the Cobb Fraternal Order of Police, said he’s glad Register is “fighting for us” and especially since he now has a direct line to commissioners.
Chairman Mike Boyce has proposed a seven-percent pay raise for public safety employees, but Gaynor said he’ll feel better when he “sees a plan” for a step-and-grade hiring and pay raise program—similar to what teachers get in Cobb County schools—that he thinks will go a long way toward solving lingering problems.
Register said “it’s no secret in Cobb that we’ve been struggling” to bring up salaries and address retention and benefits concerns. He said he’s hopeful commissioners will address the salary boost this year, and then the step-and-grade program for the 2021 fiscal year budget.
Gaynor said it’s “made a big difference” for citizens to speak out on issues that he and others have been raising for years.
One of them is Susan Hampton, who coordinates Cobb public safety appreciation dinners put on by the East Cobb Business Association. In comments before commissioners this spring, she had been asking for a 10-percent pay raise and step-and-grade in the upcoming 2020 budget.
She acknowledges the seven-percent raise this year and step-and-grade for next year is a more realistic scenario.
Hampton also said after Tuesday’s ECBA luncheon she was encouraged by Register’s appointment, as he is a “common voice” for public safety employees. “He’s got their backs.”
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Cobb County has been included in a severe thunderstorm watch issued this afternoon by the National Weather Service in Atlanta.
The watch will last until 10 p.m. and includes all of South Carolina and parts of North Carolina.
Here’s what the NWS said in issuing the watch:
Scattered severe thunderstorms remain possible across the area this afternoon and into tonight. The primary hazards with any severe storms that occur will be damaging winds and large hail.
Frequent lightning and heavy rainfall are also possible with stronger storms. The possibility of a brief, isolated tornado cannot be ruled out.
Friday is expected to be sunny with a high of 90, with a slight chance of thunderstorms moving in on Friday night, with storm possibilities lingering all weekend and into early next week.
The chance of rain is forecast to be around 50 percent on Saturday and 40 percent on Sunday.
Similar conditions are expected through Wednesday of next Wednesday, with highs around 90 and lows in the low 70s.
Isolated to scattered thunderstorms can be expected Friday through Wednesday, primarily in the afternoon and evening hours.
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Thanks to Melissa White, the adult services librarian at the Sewell Mill Library (2051 Lower Roswell Road), for the details on two Saturday events this weekend and another on Monday of interest, as well as the 2nd Mini-Con coming up in July:
Sewell Mill Book Reads Beach Party
When: Saturday, June 22 @ 1-4 p.m.
The Book Reads Beach Party is back and better than ever! It’s the first official Saturday of summer and time to hit the beach! But before you go, be sure to stop by the Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center and grab some books at our summer beach party! Dance to some surf tunes and be sure to stay for our Beach Reads Book Talk, showcasing summer reads for adults. Whether it’s mystery, suspense, romance, or biography, the Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center Beach Party will offer the best in vacation reads!
Cake Off
When: Saturday, June 22 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
During Sewell Mill’s Beach Party, make waves with your baking skills! During the duration of the party, patrons will taste and vote on Cake Off entries. The winner will be announced at the end of the party.
Tasting plates and forks will be provided.
Entrants MUST bring a copy of recipe with ALL ingredients to display during the competition.
Warning–do not participate in this program if you or your children have food allergies. Cakes are baked by participants in their homes and we cannot guarantee an allergy free environment.
Arts Databases in GALILEO
When: Monday, June 24 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Join Sewell Mill Library branch manager Bruce Thompson and enjoy this overview of two art databases that come free with your library card: Arts of The United States and Europeana, provided through GALILEO.
No registration necessary. Held in the Community Room.
MINICON 2019
Saturday, July 20 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Bring the whole family to celebrate comics and pop culture at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center’s 2nd Annual MINICON!
You’ll find something for everyone in the family, including: Workshops, Panels, Gaming, Vendors, Cosplay Contest, Children’s Costume Parade, Food, Face Painting, Crafts and MORE!
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For a couple of hours this morning, a few dozen police officers (some posing undercover as road workers) cracked down on distracted drivers around the Big Chicken, the intersection of Roswell Road and Cobb Parkway, and gave out between 100 and 150 citations.
That area includes the Roswell Road access point for the Northwest Corridor managed lanes, and the number of citations is an estimate that is expected to rise.
Marietta Police said the undertook the planned enforcement detail because in recent months they’ve seen an increase in the number of accidents caused by distracted drivers.
Officers from Marietta and Cobb Police and the Georgia State Patrol worked in 40 marked vehicles, and the “goal was to re-educate drivers about the importance of safe driving, specifically seat belt use” as well as the Georgia hands free law (the do’s and don’ts are here) that went into effect a year ago.
Here’s more from Officer Chuck McPhilamy, the Marietta PD’s public information officer, and sent out on social media this afternoon, including information on how the court process works if you get a citation:
1. Driving is a PRIVILEGE not a RIGHT. When we sign for our driver’s license we agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the road as established by our elected government officials.
2. The tickets for distracted driving, according to the law, can ALL be waived the first time if you appear in court and show evidence that you have a blue tooth device in your vehicle now, after that the first fine is $50 and (1) point, then it climbs in increments of $50 and one point for each additional violation.
3. The goal is to make the roads safe, these tickets are the government’s way of trying to get people to obey the law.
4. EVERYONE can simply pull over into a parking space and use their phone any way they like. The law only prohibits the use of an electronic device while also operating a vehicle.
5. If we had even more marked vehicles available, even more violators would have been issued citations – this is clearly a law being violated.
Regardless of your stance, know that we all went out this morning with the goal of making your ability to drive in Marietta as safe as possible.
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Marietta’s Big Chicken Chorus is producing a major Tribute Show on June 22 at 3:00 p.m. in the Byers Theatre at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. The “Celebrating the Gentlemen” Show will pay homage to an iconic barbershop quartet, Gentlemen’s Agreement, the 1971 Barbershop Harmony Society international gold medal winner. The performance also will honor the group’s sole surviving member, Drayton Justus, a former member of the Big Chicken Chorus who has served in a variety of leader and mentor roles in the Society for 60 years and who will be a treasured guest at the Show.
Three local barbershop choruses — the Big Chicken Chorus, the Atlanta Vocal Project and the Stone Mountain Chorus — will be joined by four outstanding quartets in presenting a wide variety of selections from the Gentlemen’s Agreement repertoire. Be ready for a “big finish” when all of the singers combine for a familiar finale.
A gala “Afterglow” will be held following the show with a catered meal and more singing. Tickets for the Show and Afterglow are available at wwww.bigchickenchorus.org or www.citysprings.com.
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The following East Cobb restaurant scores from June 10-20 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:
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When Carwash USA temporarily closed in 2017, the California-style hand car wash business that had been at Roswell Road and Old Canton Road since 2002 indicated it would be relocating elsewhere in East Cobb at a time to be announced.
That’s because the property was bought by RaceTrac, which opened last summer.
It’s been revealed that Carwash USA will be reopening at the former Wells Fargo bank branch at 1454 Johnson Ferry Road, near Dick’s Sporting Goods in the East Cobb Crossing Shopping Center.
Hiring is underway and a specific opening date is still to come, but when we went by there Monday we saw that there’s already an emissions operation underway.
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A proposed mixed-use development in the transforming Powers Ferry corridor that has been delayed for nearly a year comes before the Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday.
The revised Chance Powers Ferry project is similar in scope— 20,000 square feet of office space, 299 luxury apartments and a parking deck with nearly 500 spaces—to what the developer proposed last year.
UPDATE: The rezoning request was approved unanimously Tuesday on the board’s consent agenda.
It’s around 531,000 square feet, on nearly four acres at Powers Ferry Road, Windy Ridge Parkway and Shadowood Parkway, where the aging Powers Ferry Woods office complex sits now.
The rezoning would convert the land from office-industrial to regional retail commercial.
Last year there were issues with variances, including setback distances, that held up the application.
Earlier this month the Cobb Planning Commission recommended approval with several stipulations that were submitted on May 29 by Kevin Moore, the developers’ attorney.
The biggest change recommended by the planning board is that office space, contained in a three-story building, would be reduced from 30,000 to 20,000 and limited to office use only.
The stipulations include a number of uses that would be prohibited, including automotive businesses and nightclubs or adult entertainment entities.
The apartment building is proposed for five stories, with most of them two bedrooms or fewer, and only a maximum of six units with three bedrooms.
The parking spaces also have been increased in the revised application to 493 in the deck, up from 468, and 22 surface spaces. Another stipulation would create space for ridesharing deliveries (Uber, Lyft, etc.).
Access to the development would be on Windy Ridge and Shadowood.
Moore is also the attorney for David Pearson Communities, Inc., a developer who has sued the commissioners for a zoning decision in 2015 and that is coming before the board again on Tuesday.
Commissioners in November 2015 voted to rezone nearly seven acres at Sandy Plains Road and Ross Road to RA-5 for 34 single-family senior homes (ages 55 and up). That’s right across from the Sandy Plains intersection with Scufflegrit Road, in an area with some surrounding high-density development.
David Pearson Communities sought RM-5 for 54 units, and filed suit in Cobb Superior Court right after the vote (read it here), saying the commissioners’ “decision to restrict the intensity of the proposed development stands in direct conflict with the intensity of uses reflected by adjoining and surrounding properties.”
In April Moore sent a letter to the Cobb Zoning Office seeking the RA-6 category, which would allow for 41 homes, as well a proposed settlement of litigation.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
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Caroline Solomon, an East Cobb resident who recently graduated from high school, will be having a busy summer before she begins classes at the University of Georgia this fall.
She let us know that she’s the recipient of a National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship through the U.S. State Department, and will be studying Russian in Estonia.
Caroline says she’s been home-schooled for her entire K-12 education, and at UGA she plans to double major in international affairs and art with a focus in textiles and design.
She also plans to minor in Russian and participate in UGA’s Russian Flagship Program after studying Russian during her high school years.
Here’s more about the summer program she’s participating in from the American Councils for International Education:
Caroline, competitively selected out of over 3,300 applications from across the United States, is one of approximately 660 students who will study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish overseas this coming year. While in Estonia, Caroline will receive formal language instruction, live with a host family, and experience the local culture as part of an immersion environment.
NSLI-Y is part of a multi-agency U.S. Government initiative launched in 2006 to improve Americans’ ability to communicate in select critical languages, to advance international dialogue, and increase American economic global competitiveness.
Many NSLI-Y alumni go on to pursue education and careers vital to U.S. national security and credit the program experience with helping them improve their academic, leadership, and cross-cultural communication skills.
NSLI-Y is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS-USA, American Cultural Exchange Service, AMIDEAST, iEARN-USA, the Russian American Foundation, Stony Brook University, the University of Delaware, and the University of Wisconsin.
Applications for 2020-21 NSLI-Y programs are expected to be available at www.nsliforyouth.org in the late summer. The U.S. Department of State conducts study abroad programs for over 1,000 American high school students and approximately 3,000 foreign high school students each year. Visit https://exchanges.state.gov/highschool for details.
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To share news tips and photos with East Cobb News at anytime, as well as to inquire about news events, here’s how to get in touch:
Phone/text: 404-219-4278;
E-mail: editor@eastcobbnews.com; please give a general description of your e-mail in the subject field.
If you’re leaving a news tip (especially about a crime, fire, accident, emergency or severe weather event) please provide contact information so we can confirm and follow up. Messages sent via phone, text and e-mail are preferred; please limit social media messages to breaking news only.
To submit calendar items, e-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com; to send an announcement, e-mail: announcements@eastcobbnews.com.
East Cobb News understands the need for confidentiality in some cases but we cannot publish information from totally anonymous sources.
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A former stockbroker and investment adviser who touted his East Cobb community ties to clients has been sentenced to serve five years in prison for defrauding them of $1.4 million.
Sean Kelly, 50, pleaded guilty in January to federal charges of wire fraud and securities fraud. According to his sentence, which was announced Friday by Byung J. Pak, U.S. Attorney in Atlanta, Kelly also will be ordered to pay back the $1.4 million in restitution and will be on three years of supervised release when he leaves prison.
Kelly operated several businesses with the “Lions Share” name in office space on Roswell Road that offered brokerage, investment, tax and insurance services.
In a civil complaint filed by by the Securities and Exchange Commission last October, Kelly was the sole proprietor of Lion’s Share & Associates, Inc., Lion’s Share Tax Services, LLC, and Lion’s Share Financial of East Cobb, Inc.
Kelly also was associated with Capital Financial Services in a Marietta branch office from 2012-17, and with Marietta-based Center Street Securities in 2017-18.
After the SEC filing, the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a warrant and arrested Kelly.
Federal prosecutors allege that from January 2014 to October 2018, Kelly fraudulently accrued more than $1 million from 12 investors.
Instead of investing those funds as they directed, Kelly deposited investor’s checks in bank accounts he controlled, and spent the money on himself: For mortgage payments, Super Bowl tickets, vacations, and major cash withdrawals.
Prosecutors said those investors included elderly people, veterans and the disabled, and the SEC filing alleged that Kelly “treats Lion’s Share as his personal piggy bank.”
On a website aimed at Baby Boom-age investors, Kelly’s page asserted that his company and “the Kelly family support several community initiatives” that included being a coach for East Side Baseball and a past member of the parish council at Holy Family Catholic Church.
“Kelly never intended to fulfill his fiduciary responsibility to his clients, which included elderly citizens and veterans,” Pak said in a statement.
Said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta: The FBI is hopeful that Kelly’s sentence will send a strong message to anyone who would try to take advantage of unsuspecting clients for their own personal greed.”
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The image you see above is actually a photo of a quilt of the late pop star Prince that was designed by Devon Pfeif, a member of the East Cobb Quilters’ Guild.
She was recently named the winner of a competition, the Prince Cherrywood Challenge, that will culminate with an exhibit sponsored by the East Cobb Quilters’ Guild next month at the Mable House.
The challenge is sponsored by the Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics and requires artists to create a unique quilt, with a specific theme, measuring 20 by 20 inches, utilizing only the few fabrics selected by the company.
Some background on Devon before explaining her prize-winning entry:
She grew up in New Jersey, surrounding by artistry, not just via nearby New York City, but also having an artistic grandfather. Her background in graphic arts included regular work with fabric as a medium, in designing, batiking, quilting, or sewing.
After moving to the Marietta area, she got a recommendation to join East Cobb Quilters’ Guild from a friend and found an active community that shared her love of fabrics.
Here’s what happened after Devon heard about the challenge a couple of years ago at an art show, according to information submitted by the guild:
On her 2016 & 2017 entries, she received special recognitions. On this 2018 Challenge, Devon triumphed over the competition, placing first out of 380 entries, with her beautiful design detailing Prince’s face and signature “Love Symbol” dangling from his necklace.
Her design continued to evolve throughout its creation. “It’s a process. I never know what the final piece is going to look like,” she said. With the small quilt size and limited fabrics to incorporate into the design, the contests are very challenging. But, for Devon the challenge is what intrigues her.
Devon said, “to me, the process of figuring it out, the puzzling and solving, is the most exciting part.”
Devon’s prize-winning art quilt, “New Beginnings,” is part of the 75-piece traveling Cherrywood Tribute Tour. Here’s more about that, from the Cobb Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs:
The Prince Cherrywood Challenge Tribute Tour exhibit featuring 75 quilts is presented by East Cobb Quilters’ Guild in collaboration with Cobb County Parks and will be held at the Mable House Arts Center, Friday, July 5 through Thursday, July 11.
The most recent competition in 2018 challenged participants to create a design with the theme of Prince, calling for the use of rich purple hues to embody the sensational artist and his work.
The Prince challenge received 380 entries, and 75 of the most noteworthy designs will be featured at the exhibit at Mable House Arts Center, including two from additional East Cobb Quilters’ Guild members, Ben Hollingsworth and Gail Oliver.
On Friday, July 5, 2019 experience a night entirely dedicated to Prince with the opening reception at the Mable House Arts Center taking place from 5 p.m.-8 p.m., featuring the 75 fabric art designs from finalists of the international competition, each honoring the musical legend.
The event at the Mable House Amphitheater beginning at 7 p.m., also includes a Prince Tribute, with a free live concert headlined by Hero The Band, followed by a screening of “Purple Rain” at 8:30 p.m.
The Prince Cherrywood Challenge Tribute Tour exhibit admission is free and will be held at the Mable House Arts Center, 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton.
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Cobb Police say a motorcyclist stopped at the Bells Ferry Road and Shallowford Road intersection Thursday night was hit by two vehicles, including one in a hit-and-run fashion, and was hospitalized with critical injuries.
Officer Neil Penirelli said in a release that Dylan J. Threewitt, 25, of Canton, pulled over in a left northbound lane of Bells Ferry around 9:30 p.m. Thursday when his red 1999 Harley Davidson XL1200 became disabled.
Threewit was struck from behind by a silver 2005 Toyota Sienna, police said. and the collision ejected Threewit from his bike.
Another vehicle heading northbound on Bells Ferry then hit Threewit, causing serious injuries, according to police.
Police said the second vehicle stopped momentarily and left the scene.
Threewit was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with critical injuries. Kayli G. McGaha, 25, of Marietta, a motorcycle passenger, was also taken there for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, Penirelli said.
He said the driver of the Toyota, Rye Pak, 58, of Acworth, was not injured.
Police said witnesses said the SUV is a small model and has a dark color, but had no other description. Anyone with information is asked to call the Cobb Police S.T.E.P. Unit at 770-499-3987.
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After Cobb commissioners approved taking out $64 million in short-term loans, chairman Mike Boyce announced this week that the county government has maintained its AAA bond rating for a 23rd consecutive year.
That’s the highest financial rating possible issued by Moody’s Investor’s Service and Fitch Ratings. According to a county release, Moody’s upgraded its financial outlook for Cobb from “negative” to “stable,” citing last year’s budget vote for its change:
Mike Boyce
“Following a tax rate increase in fiscal 2018, the county reported a sizable surplus, strengthening reserves to a sound level,” the report states. “The county’s debt and pension burdens are manageable and fixed costs are low.”
The ratings allow the county to save money when borrowing, such as it has just done. The Cobb government fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, but property taxes are not collected until later in the fall.
In the meantime, the county borrows against property tax collections with the short-term loans, called TANs (tax anticipation notes) to fund government operations. The loans are repaid with those tax revenues.
Boyce said in a statement that “I’m especially grateful for [the rating agencies’] patience as we worked to address various fiscal issues last year and the ratings reflected that work.”
He also thanked Cobb taxpayers who supported his millage increase in 2018 (opposed by East Cobb commissioners Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrell), saying that “it has provided a sound foundation for the county to continue to provide the high quality of services people in Cobb County have come to expect from their government.”
Boyce will formally present his fiscal year 2020 budget next month.
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