Atlanta Braves president Mike Plant with Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, center.
Submitted information and photos:
The Cobb Chamber celebrated its many accomplishments of 2024 at the 83rd Annual Dinner celebration, presented by Wellstar, on Jan. 25 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Over 1,200 business and community leaders attended the black-tie optional dinner affair, including military leaders, economic development partners and elected officials. Chris Dimino of 680 The Fan served as the event’s master of ceremonies.
The evening included a robust program, including outgoing Chairman, Mike Plant of the Atlanta Braves, passing the leadership to 2025 Chairman Chris Britton of Brasfield & Gorrie. In his address, Plant celebrated the collective efforts of the Chamber and how it served as a champion for businesses and the community over the past year.
He highlighted:
A record year at The Battery Atlanta, with 78% of tourism coming from outside of Cobb.
18 project wins for SelectCobb, which included 7 recruitments and 11 retentions, bringing more than 46,000 high quality jobs.
Growth of the Chamber’s Government Relations department and advocacy efforts.
During the evening, Plant presented several awards to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to enhance the quality of the Chamber’s programming and the quality of life in Cobb.
The 2025Len Gilbert Award was given to Luci Hogue of Scotland Wright Associates and Andrew Cox of Wellstar Health System. This award is presented to an outstanding board member who, through his or her leadership, commitment and dedication, achieved new heights for a Chamber initiative, program or event.
As 2024 Chair of Cobb Young Professionals, Hogue helped the Chamber launch a new leadership offering for this year – CYP Cultivate, a seven-month leadership and mentoring program designed to empower young professionals to grow as impactful leaders, accelerate their careers, and forge meaningful connections within the community. Hogue has served on the Membership Campaign, on the Cobb Young Professionals Steering Committee, on the Cobb Youth Leadership Steering Committee, and she is a graduate of Leadership Cobb.
For many years, Cox has been a trusted voice for the Chamber, serving as an advisor on the Board of Directors and to Chamber staff, helping shape the Chamber’s workplace culture. Last year, Cox helped to launch a new program – the Chief of Staff Roundtable. Through this program, Chief of Staffs can connect to build a more effective network of trusted advisors. In addition, Cox has been a mentor to young professionals, a Chairman’s Circle Member and is a graduate of Leadership Cobb.
The 2025Chairman’s Award was presented to Chris Britton of Brasfield & Gorrie, a dedicated partner to the Chamber andan active member of the Board of Directors since 2015. The award is presented to an individual for outstanding leadership, dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment to the Cobb Chamber. Britton is a long-term investor in the Cobb Chamber, serving on the Board of Directors Executive Committee and the SelectCobb Board of Directors. He has chaired two of the most successful campaigns in the Chamber’s history, each time producing over $1 Million Dollars in memberships and sales production. Britton has served on the Government Affairs Committee and the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, and is a graduate and active alumni member of Leadership Cobb and Honorary Commanders.
The 2025Mack Henderson Public Service Award was presented to Dr. Jackie McMorris, County Manager for Cobb County Government. This award recognizes an individual who embodies the philanthropic legacy of Mack Henderson through outstanding commitment and dedication to building a better quality of life for the citizens of Cobb County.Throughout her tenure with Cobb County Government, Dr. McMorris has demonstrated a profound commitment to collaboration and progress. Her leadership has been instrumental in shaping numerous key initiatives in partnership with the Chamber, the Braves, and other valued stakeholders. From the development of Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta to ensuring the safety of the community during the 2021 World Series and championship parade, Dr. McMorris contributions have left an indelible mark on Cobb County.
The 2025 Senator Johnny H. Isakson Leadership Award,was presented to Michele Swann, former General Manager and CEO of the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority. Only awarded under extraordinary circumstances, this award honors an individual whose extraordinary leadership, vision and trailblazing efforts have significantly impacted the Cobb community. In 2020, this award was renamed in honor of Senator Johnny H. Isakson to recognize those in our community who, like Senator Isakson, carry forward the torch of visionary leadership.
Since joining the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority in 1995, Swann has overseen the growth and success of some of Cobb County’s most iconic assets, including the Cobb Galleria Centre, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Galleria Specialty Shops, and the ArtsBridge Foundation. Her leadership has elevated these facilities into economic and cultural powerhouses, driving $169 million in economic impact in 2023 alone. Her tenure has also been marked by successful partnerships, including the seamless integration of the Cobb Galleria campus with the Atlanta Braves development.
Plant’s final award of the evening, the 2025 Dr. Robert A. Lipson Award,was presented to Candice Saunders, President & CEO of Wellstar. The award is presented to someone who is a visionary, a friend, a mentor, and a leader. Under her leadership, Wellstar has built community partnerships, introduced innovative care models, and adopted advanced technologies to improve health outcomes and the patient experience, solidifying its role as a leading healthcare provider in Georgia. Saunders has been recognized by Modern Healthcare as a Top 25 Women Leader and one of the Top 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives. She has been named Atlanta’s Most People-Focused CEO, and one of Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians for the 9th year in a row.
The Marietta Daily Journal presented its prestigious 2024Cobb County Citizen of the Year Award to Ron Newcomb, former President ofChattahoochee Technical College. The Marietta Daily Journal has presented this award since 1963 at the Cobb Chamber Annual Dinner.
The 83rd Annual Dinner was presented by Wellstar. The invocation was offered by Deane Bonner, former President of the Cobb County NAACP. Mike Jones Entertainment provided music at the After Party, hosted by Live! at the Battery Atlanta, and JJA Project Management provided audiovisual and event production services.
Atlanta Braves mascot Blooper at the Cobb Chamber cocktail reception.
Ron Newcomb, former president of Chattahoochee Tech, accepting the Cobb County Citizen of the Year Award.
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!
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!
I took a little bit of time out on Saturday to enjoy the warmth and the sun at East Cobb Park, and couldn’t think of a better way to start the month of February.
We’re asking for 500 donors in February—will you be among them? Thanks for your support!
January was a terrific start to 2025 in terms of traffic, with more than 70,000 unique visitors coming to East Cobb News to find out what’s going on in the community.
That’s roughly one-third of a very big coverage area, and it was gratifying to see the response.
Sometimes the first month of the year is a little slow, but winter weather and other events made East Cobb News a must-visit for many of you, and we’re grateful for your readership.
We are a truly reader-focused independent news site devoted to covering what makes this community tick, and one of our revenue sources comes from you, our readers.
We ask because unlike other local news outlets we don’t have any paywalls and we want East Cobb News to be accessible to one and all.
This is becoming more common with sites like ours. Our friends at decaturish.com recently completed a successful fundraising effort, as readers there appreciate the value of that community news resource that covers not just Decatur, but a large portion of DeKalb County.
Similarly, last week East Cobb News unveiled a new reader fundraising drive called the 1500 Club that we’re asking all of you to consider supporting.
Into the spring, we want to get 1500 of our readers to become recurring monthly donors—for as little as $6 a month—to support the work of East Cobb News.
We thank those of you who have signed up in the last week, and as February gets underway, we’ve set a big goal to reach—500 new donors.
You can contribute whatever amount you’d like, but please consider giving on a monthly recurring basis. It’s the best way to support the work of East Cobb News to give you the local news that you love!
We have a secure online payment system, Press Patron, that works with local news publishers to solicit support from their readers.
Press Patron is safe, secure and easy to use, and your donation will go directly toward our efforts to cover the East Cobb community like no one else!
After some bitter cold for much of Januadry and a good bit of rain on Friday, East Cobb’s going to thaw out a little bit as February gets underway.
Sunny skies and temperatures around 60 drew out a good crowd Saturday at East Cobb Park, and the weather will be conducive all week to outdoor activities.
Sunday will be like Saturday, with sun and highs in the mid-60s and lows around 40.
More sun will be accompanied by high temperatures around 70 on Monday, and the mid-70s for the rest of the work week, with some overcast conditions.
Highs will drop into the 60s by next weekend, with more clouds into the following week.
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!
Kyle A. Huhtanen has been named as CEO & Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity of NW Metro Atlanta effective February 3, 2025. Huhtanen replaces Jessica Gill who will remain with the affiliate in a consulting role.
Kyle is the recent Executive Director of Decatur Church of Christ Senior Housing, Inc. where he managed two senior housing communities for nearly 400 residents. He has also served as Executive Administrator for Decatur Christian Towers and as the Program Manager for Third Lens Ministries. In addition, Kyle has a B.A. in Architecture and a degree in Environmental Design. He is also bi-lingual in English and Spanish.
“Kyle is an experienced CEO with 10 years of executive experience who has successfully worked with local governments,” says Bakari Brooks, Chairman of the Board. “His work leading nonprofits and background as an architect will help our affiliate in providing next-level affordable housing solutions in our community,”
“I am looking forward to working with the Habitat family and local stakeholders in providing desirable affordable housing in Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties,” says Kyle. “I find great purpose in pouring into the foundations that build true community.”
About Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Metro Atlanta In 1985, Chrys and John Street met Millard Fuller, who challenged them to start an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity in Cobb County. They distributed brochures to local churches and gathered 12 people to form a Board of Directors. On April 1, 1986, Cobb County Habitat for Humanity was officially incorporated as an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. In 2008, the organization expanded to include Douglas and Paulding counties and the name changed to Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Metro Atlanta. Since 1986, nearly 600 homes have been built, rehabilitated, or repaired as part of our pursuit to provide decent, affordable housing in Cobb, Douglas, and Paulding counties. To learn more about the local affiliate, visit habitatnwma.org.
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Cobb Police said Thursday that an elderly man in East Cobb has gone missing, and they’ve issued a Mattie’s Call.
Officer Aaron Wilson said John Eaton, 87, suffers from dementia and that his vehicle was detected by license plate readers in Lawrenceville and Social Circle.
Wilson said that police were called to an area along Sewell Mill Road around noon Thursday following a missing person report.
He said officers were told that Eaton was last seen leaving his home around 8 a.m. Thursday, and was to meet friends at a nearby McDonald’s.
But he never arrived at his destination, Wilson said, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
Police said that Eaton also has atrial fibrillation and left his medication at home.
Wilson said Eaton was seen wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt and navy blue work pants, and was driving a 2003 Silver Toyota 4Runner with theGeorgia tag 499WPR.
He’s described as being 5-foot-7 and around 195 pounds and has brown eyes.
Anyone who has seen Eaton or his vehicle is asked by police to call 911 or the Cobb Police Department at 770-499-3911.
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!
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!
Discover bedding and bath made different, so you can sleep better at night. Stop by and experience their quality products for yourself.
Boll & Branch is a leading designer and retailer of luxury home textiles, and the only bedding company fully managed from the source. Founded in January 2014 by Scott and Missy Tannen (now the CEO and Chief Designer, respectively), the company has become one of the largest luxury home brands ever, and counts millions of Americans, including U.S. Presidents and countless celebrities, as its customers.
All products are expertly crafted from the finest sustainable materials and are 100% traceable – guaranteeing a softer, more luxurious product. Stop in-store to schedule a complimentary consultation with a stylist.
Mark your calendar for their grand opening celebration on February 2nd from 10 AM – 3 PM for complimentary monogramming, hot chocolate, Valentine’s Day crafts for kids, and more.
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!
The 45th Annual Walton Raider Chase, a Peachtree Qualifier, will be held on Saturday, February 8th! Considered to be one of the long-standing 5K races in Marietta, the team’s only fundraiser is expected to generate fast times as the course is composed of few hills and starts and finishes at Walton High School. The Walton Raider Chase 5K will be a celebration of both running and Raider Pride. Enjoy an Olympic style track finish and age group prizes!
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!
Parents/guardians of a student zoned to attend a District school may apply for an HB 251 School Choice transfer in accordance with state law and District rule in order to pursue a transfer to a school other than the locally zoned school.
Available space at a school is based on permanent classroom space. In the event that the number of transfer requests exceeds the available capacity of a school, the District will conduct a random lottery.
The application window for the 2025-2026 school year is open from January 21, 2025 through February 14, 2025. No late applications will be accepted.
For more information about this program, including instructions on how to apply, please visit our School Choice Transfer page.
Here’s the following availability at schools in East Cobb:
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!
Johnson Ferry Road between East Cobb Drive and Bishop Lake Road will be subject to lane closures starting Wednesday for what’s being called “urgent repairs” by Atlanta Gas Light.
The office of Cobb District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell sent out a notice late Tuesday afternoon that “these daily closures will last for the next several weeks.”
The affected area includes the busy Johnson Ferry-Roswell intersection and includes access points to major shopping and commercial centers.
We asked the county for more details and this is what we were told:
“This is considered an emergency utility work situation where ATL Gas Light needs to do some exploration to find a potential problem in their lines.”
“So the location and time of the work remains fluid until if or when they find an issue.”
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Shoppers at the Town Center at Cobb mall on Tuesday were greeted by signs on locked doors saying that “due to unforeseen circumstances” most of the stores at the Kennesaw retail center were closed.
The announcements didn’t explain what those circumstances were, and the said the closures would be in effect “until further notice.”
Later Tuesday, Town Center announced on its website that the mall will reopen Wednesday.
“We appreciate your patience and look forward to seeing you soon,” according to the message, which did not provide further details.
Anchor stores Belk, JCPenney and Macy’s were open on Tuesday.
But Georgia Power said it had disconnected electricity in most of the mall due to “highly delinquent” bills.
And the MDJ reported that the Cobb Fire Marshall has issued a warning saying that due to the electrical disconnection, fire alarm and sprinkler systems aren’t working.
Georgia Power issued a statement saying that “we’ve tried to work with Town Center Mall for many months and have provided numerous solutions to assist them in avoiding disconnection.
“Unfortunately, any customer that is highly delinquent in paying their bills ultimately has a negative impact for all of our customers so, while we will continue to work with the customer and are hopeful a payment will be made, we can no longer continue to extend the grace period.”
Georgia Power said it provided advance notice to Kohan and the tenants with hand-delivered letters and signs, and “we also made key community leaders aware.”
The financially struggling Town Center at Cobb, located on Barrett Parkway near I-575, opened in 1986 and for a time was the largest indoor mall in Georgia.
It currently houses 144 stores and services in more that 1.2 million square feet.
But in recent years, as the retail industry has been transformed by online shopping, Town Center has been proposed for redevelopment, although no specific plans have emerged.
Last year, Gwinnett commissioners approved a mixed-use redevelopment plan for the Gwinnett Place Mall, which like Town Center opened during the peak of the shopping mall industry in the late 1980s.
And at Cumberland Mall, the space that formerly housed a Sear’s store was approved for redevelopment for apartments, offices and other non-retail uses by Cobb commissioners in 2022.
In 2023, Town Center was purchased at auction by Kohan Retail Investment Group after previous owners considering closing the center for good.
The Belk store announced last week that it would be closing in February.
Kohan, which purchases struggling malls, also has had retail properties in other states disconnected for failing to pay electric bills.
Last year, one of its malls in Michigan has been closed for more than a year for non-payment of electric bills, and now has a new owner.
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!
The Club is pleased to welcome Andy Robinson on January 30, 2025 at 10:00 AM to share the story that inspired the book TENACIOUS.
This is the story of legendary Georgia high school football coach Jeremy Williams who courageously battled ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) while leading his team to unparalleled success in the small town of Greenville, GA. Andy shares this inspiring story with professionalism and power.
Come and invite a guest:
January 30, 2025
10:00 AM
Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
2922 Sandy Plains Road
Marietta, GA 30066
Andy Robinson is a motivational who has shared this story with audiences across the state.
TENACIOUS tells Faith Based story of Coach Jeremy Williams (ALS) and The Williams Family. Coach Williams led Greenville Ga to thrilling undefeated regular season all while on the field courageously battling ALS. He was named National Coach Of The Year.
The Story was voted 2009 AJC Sports Story Of The Year.
The meeting, which starts at 10AM will be at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 2292 Sandy Plains Rd, Marietta, GA. (https://maps.app.goo.gl/A8zzymaWZK2WU9MR7) and the link provides the location.
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Chairwoman Lisa Cupid will host a series of community meetings in the next few weeks addressing items before the Board of Commissioners including House Bill 581 and the Unified Development Code, and also community involvement opportunities.
The meetings will also have representatives from Cobb departments to share information with you about upcoming initiatives, events and more.
Join us for these informative sessions:
Jan. 29 – Wednesday, 7 – 9 p.m., Smyrna Community Center (Magnolia Room) 1250 Powder Springs Street, Smyrna
Jan. 30 – Thursday, 7 – 9 p.m., Cobb Civic Center, 548 South Marietta Parkway SE, Marietta
Feb. 4 – Tuesday, 7 – 9 p.m., South Cobb Recreation Center, 875 Riverside Parkway, Austell
Feb. 8 – Saturday, 10 a.m. – noon, Ron Anderson Recreation Center, 3820 Macedonia Road, Powder Springs
Feb. 12 – Wednesday, 7 – 9 p.m., Northeast Cobb Community Center, 880 Shaw Park Rd., Marietta
Feb. 18 – Tuesday, 7 – 9 p.m., North Cobb Senior Center, 3900 S. Main Street, Acworth
To learn more about HB 581 in Cobb County, please visit our website here https://bit.ly/40u2JpJ
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!
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! The Spring Book Sale will be held at Cobb Civic Center March 7-9, 2025.
Materials for sale include books for all ages in both hardcover and paperback, DVDs, Books on CD and audiocassette, magazines, and puzzles. Prices range from 10 cents to $4.00.
Cobb Civic Center is at 548 South Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30060. Hours for the sale are Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm. There is plenty of free parking.
Acceptable forms of payment are debit, credit, cash, and checks — Visa and MasterCard only.
On Friday until 1 pm electronic (scanning) devices are not permitted. While we hope you will buy lots of materials, we are only able to sell up to 2 boxes of items at a time on Friday until 1 pm. Please plan to pay and take items to your vehicle before coming in to shop some more.
On Sunday we will be working to sell out the Civic Center so please come to buy, buy, buy!
Sunday is BYOB (Bring Your Own Box) Day: fill any size box (you can bodily get back to your car) for a flat rate — $10 upper level only; $20 lower level only; $20 mixed.
All profits from this book sale go directly to buying more items for Cobb County Public Library’s 15 branches and bookmobile. For more information, please visit cobbcat.org.
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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!
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!
I’m deeply honored to be your editor and publisher at East Cobb News! I greatly appreciate your readership as we turn the calendar to 2025.
As a new year unfolds, we are launching a renewed effort to ask readers for their financial support of this community news resource.
We’re calling it the 1500 Club and are asking 1500 of you to sign up to becoming recurring monthly donors of East Cobb News.
That’s a little more than 15 percent of the more than 9,300 newsletter subscribers who get the East Cobb News Digest every week.
East Cobb News content will always be free to readers—unlike other news outlets, we don’t have a paywall. We want this to be accessible for anybody, but we do ask for your support if you feel this of special value to you.
We’d like to suggest a monthly payment of $6—you can contribute more if you like, or at whatever amount of your choosing.
We have a safe, secure online payment system called Press Patron via Stripe that makes it easy to donate, and to keep track of your account.
Press Patron enables local news publishers like me to ask readers like you for support. Many local news outlets, from the more traditional to the likes of East Cobb News, generate revenues from multiple sources to build sustaining businesses.
Your donations will power our expanding coverage of news in East Cobb, the place we call home, and that’s a very busy place!
There’s so much more that we want to cover for you, and in the next couple of months we’d like to have at least 1500 of you sign up to become continuing supporters.
It’s similar to a pledge drive for public radio, but for East Cobb’s only daily, all-online news source.
I’ve explained more about the 1500 Club in the video, and will be sharing more details about this initiative in the coming weeks.
Will you be among the 1500? Consider starting your financial support today, so we can keep giving you the local news that you love! Thanks East Cobb!
Join the SagerStrong Foundation and The 6-4-3 Foundation for the second annual “Crushin’ for a Cause,”a fun, baseball-themed, family event February 1stin Marietta!Sports fans of all ages are invited to join us for Crushin’ for a Cause – a baseball-themed festival-style afternoon of good food, family fun and games, baseball opportunities, music, silent auction and more, all leading up to the Celebrity Home Run Derby, featuring 6-4-3, KSU, and Sprayberry Alum and Braves prospect Tyler Tolve along with players from the Astros, Cardinals, Dodgers, Reds, Rangers and Tigers Organizations!Last year’s winner was Michael Trautwein, with the Reds Organization!
Tickets are only $15 in advance, and all proceeds will benefit The 6-4-3Foundations Scholarship Program which benefits families in need in the Marietta area, and metro Atlanta,and the SagerStrong Foundations blood cancer research initiatives to support pediatric cancer patients and their families in their fight against blood cancer in metro Atlanta.
**There is also an opportunity to watch an amateur HR Derby, prior to the professionals, see the link below for more info!
“Last year’s event was such a great time – raising funds for The 6-4-3 Foundation and Sager Strong Foundation that we decided to make it an annual event!” said Tyler Tolve, 6-4-3 Alum, and Mississippi Braves Catcher. “I wanted to make a difference, and pay it forward, and raise funds for younger player that have aspirations to play baseball on a professional level one day, as well as help raise funds for families dealing with the reality of blood cancer.My great uncle had Leukemia, and my father had Multiple Myeloma, so I know the toll treatment can take on a family.My Father and my great uncle are my inspirations, as well as Carson Rozsman… we wanted to recreate the event and help raise funds for these charities through Crushin’ for a Cause! ”
Amateur Homerun Contest, sponsored by Prep Baseball Georgia–Players from Metro Atlanta Compete Prior to the Celebs!
Celebrity Homerun Derby – Come See the Professionals – MLB and MiLB Players Compete for Most Dingers!
Food trucks,DJ, games, music, autographs and more fun for the family and true baseball fans!
Silent Auction, filled with Sports Items, including signed memorabilia, tickets to Braves games, Hawks game, unique one of a kind offerings, baseball equipment, and even Prep Baseball Georgia Showcase Certificates, and more!
Don’t miss it – get your tickets today to support both charities and enjoy a great day at the ballpark!
About the SAGERSTRONG Foundation:
Craig Sager was a two-time Emmy-Award winner, and Hall of Fame Sportscaster, known for his colorful suits and ties, with a personality to match. Sager succumbed to cancer in 2016. Stacy and Craig Sager started the SAGERSTRONG Foundation in the hope that, one day, leukemia patients and their families will never have to go through the battle they have endured. The mission of the SAGERSTRONG Foundation is to give hope to those who need it most, through research to find a cure and programs to support families in their fight against blood cancer.For more information, please visit sagerstrongfoundation.org.
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Shortly after leading the Sprayberry High School football team to its winningest season ever, coach Brett Vavra announced he was taking another job.
Former Sprayberry head coach Brett Vavra at the East Cobb Pigskin Preview.
Earlier this month, Vavra began his tenure at Etowah High School at Cherokee County.
This week, he penned a farewell letter to the Sprayberry community (he’s a Sprayberry grad) where he taught and coached for eight years.
“There have been ups and downs, but it has been an incredible ride,” he said in a social media posting on Monday. “The positive relationships that I have established over the years with my players, coaching staff, parents, booster club, faculty an administration have been nothing short of amazing and it is the exact reason I wanted to become a coach 20+ years ago.”
Vavra added that “while this moment is extremely bittersweet for me, I know that I’m leaving Sprayberry in a good place. . . . Once a Jacket, always a Jacket.”
When he announced his decision in December, Vavra told the MDJ that he was returning to Etowah, where he previously was an assistant coach, for family reasons.
His family lives in Woodstock and his daughter is a student at Etowah, and he told the newspaper “it was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.”
Vavra was 41-45 in his eight seasons at Sprayberry and 11-2 in 2024, when the Yellow Jackets won Region 6AAAAA and reached the Georgia High School Association Class 5A semifinals.
Etowah was 2-8 last season and has struggled in recent years.
Vavra’s successor at Sprayberry has not been named.
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A jury in Pennsylvania last week acquitted a retired minister who had been living in East Cobb for the killing of a young girl nearly 50 years ago.
News reports in the Philadelphia area said George Zandstra, now 84, was acquitted by jurors in Delaware County, Pa., after a four-day trial.
He was arrested and extradited in 2023 and charged with the kidnapping and murder of Gretchen Harrington, who was 8 when she was found dead in 1975, after walking to a Bible school at a church where he was a pastor.
Zandstra, who had lived in a home in Northeast Cobb since 2005, following his retirement from the ministry, was accused by prosecutors in Delaware County in a longstanding cold case file.
He had confessed to the murder and abusing two other young girls, but during the trial his attorney said the confession had been coerced and persuaded a jury to find him not guilty.
The district attorney’s office brought the charges after being told by an individual who said she was best friends with Zandstra’s daughter, and who would stay at the minister’s home for sleepovers when she was a girl.
The witness said that when she was 10, she was awakened by Zandstra groping her, and another friend told her that he “did that sometimes,” according to the Delaware County DA.
That was right before Harrington went missing. The same witness also told authorities a child in her class was almost kidnapped twice, and noted in her diary that she thought Zandstra might have been behind those attempts, the DA’s office said at the time.
Her body was found two months after her disappearance by a jogger at a nearby state park, bludgeoned to death with a rock and covered with tree branches.
When Zandstra was charged in 2023, a law enforcement official at the time said that “justice does not have an expiration date.”
But Zandstra’s attorney, who argued that there was no physical evidence linking his client to the crime, said that Zandstra had been lied to and misled by police investigators during an interview they conducted at his home in East Cobb.
“He maintained his innocence for most of his interview, and he maintains his innocence to this day,” defense attorney Christopher Boggs said in a statement issued after the verdict.
“We are happy to have Mr. Zandstra returned to his family. Criminal trials in this country are amazing things and we thank the jury for their hard work this week. Our hearts along with all of Delaware County still break for the Harrington family who deserve an end to the nightmare of losing a family member.”
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