A Cobb Superior Court grand jury has indicted an East Cobb woman who’s been charged with assaulting and strangling her mother to death with a robe belt.
An eight-count indictment was handed down Thursday against Gretchen Fortney, 52, who was arrested on Sept. 30 for murder and aggravated assault.
She was indicted on one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, three counts of family violence-related aggravated assault and another count of aggravated sexual battery.
An arrest warrant said that Martha Fortney, 78, was assaulted with “an unknown object or objects” by Gretchen Fortney on the morning of Sept. 30 at the residence they shared in the Loch Highland subdivision, resulting in multiple injuries to the older woman’s torso and head.
The warrant states that the victim “was observed with what appeared to be the belt from her robe tied or looped around her neck” and there was a “visable ligature mark which resulted in her death.”
The indictment states that Gretchen Fortney caused the death “by blunt force trauma and strangulation” first by striking her mother with a hard object, then by tying a cloth belt around her neck. The assault damaged Martha Fortney’s left eye, right elbow and ribs and sternum, according to the indictment.
Gretchen Fortney also is accused of penetrating her mother’s sex organ with an unknown object, prompting the count of aggravated sexual battery.
Martha Fortney, who was listed as the owner of the home on Loch Highland Pass, was involved in Bible studies at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church and the Daughters of the American Revolution, according to an obituary.
Gretchen Fortney remains in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center without bond.
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With fall (and even wintry!) weather this week comes a flurry of seasonal and Halloween-related events in East Cobb over the weekend.
One event that’s a very important exception is coming up Saturday morning. The Credit Union of Georgia (an East Cobb News sponsor) is holding a Community Shred Event from 9:30 a.m. to noon at its East Cobb branch (1020 Johnson Ferry Road). The objective is to reduce identity fraud, and members of the public can bring up to one carload of documents to be safely shredded.
Two local churches are inviting the public to their free fall festivals on Saturday. From 11-3, it’s the Unity North Church Fall Festival(4255 Sandy Plains Road), with games, inflatables, a bake sale, pumpkin carving and more.
Later on, Mt. Zion UMC (1770 Johnson Ferry Road) will be holding its annual Party in the Patch festival from 4:30-6:30. You can buy a pumpkin at their ongoing sale (which concludes on Halloween) and enjoy games, food, bouncy houses and more.
On Saturday night, what promises to be a new East Cobb Halloween tradition makes its debut. It’s the Mabry Middle Foundation’s Haunted House immersive Halloween experience featuring a professor being driven mad by his students, and promises payback. It takes place from 7-10 p.m. at Mabry Middle School (2700 Jims Road), and it’s a ticketed event to benefit the foundation’s work supporting the school’s academic programs and facilities improvements.
Other features include a pumpkin boutique where guests can purchase professionally decorated pumpkins, and a kids area designed specifically for younger guests.
On Sunday, Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson is holding another Family Fun Health Fair from 12-5 p.m. at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road).
You can find all of our calendar listings in one handy place on our site. If you have events to share with the public, please e-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we will post them here.
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The following food scores for the week of Oct. 17 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:
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Our inbox was hopping this morning with early November opening dates announced for the East Cobb locations of Marshalls and Chopt.
The former will be opening to the public on Thursday, Nov. 3, according to a release sent by the Massachusetts-based off-price retailer.
Marshalls is taking up some of the space formerly occupied by Stein Mart at Merchant’s Walk (1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 424). It’s a relocation of the Marshalls at East Lake (2203 Roswell Road) and will contain 24,727 square feet.
The store hours will be as follows:
9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays
“Our newest store in Marietta will offer an ever-changing selection of high-quality, on-trend, and brand-name merchandise at the amazing prices that Marshalls is known for. We’re excited to bring this experience and exceptional values from fashion and beauty to home and more to a new neighborhood,” Marshalls president Tim Miner said in the release. “With thousands of new items delivered to our stores every day, we strive to provide our shoppers with amazing brands every time they shop.”
A store closing announcement isn’t posted outside the East Lake Marshalls, which remains open for the time being, but there’s a storewide clearance sale sign at the entrance.
Just across Johnson Ferry at Pine Straw Plaza, finishing touches are being put on Chopt, a salad concept eatery which we noted last month is being renovated completely in the former space of California Pizza Kitchen.
Chopt sent word today that the first day of business at the new East Cobb location (4250 Roswell Road, Suite 630) will be Wednesday, Nov. 9.
It’s one of two Chopt openings in metro Atlanta—another is in Peachtree Corners next week—making it six in the area.
Chopt offers a variety of salad options with more than 18 “shockingly delicious dressings,” according to a company release, as well as wraps and sandwiches.
The East Cobb location includes 2,513 square feet, indoor seating for 46, a patio for 30, as well as curbside pickup and self-serve kiosks.
The day before an opening Chopt designates a community non-profit to receive 100 percent of proceeds for what it calls a “day of giving.” The East Cobb and Peachtree Corners locations are partnering with HOPE Atlanta, which helps people challenged by food and housing insecurity.
Patrons can contribute on Tuesday, Nov. 8 by dining in from 11:30 a.m.—2 p.m. or 5—7:30 p.m. or by ordering online or via the Chopt mobile app.
Chopt’s normal business hours will be Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.—9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.—8 p.m.
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As she nears the end of her third term in office, Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell is telling voters she’s a steady hand amid significant change in county government and the Northeast Cobb community she has represented for more than a decade.
She’s running for a fourth term in new District 3 boundaries in East Cobb that are more favorable for a Republican candidate. In 2018, she won with a little more than 51 percent in a redrawn district that included much of the city of Marietta.
Since then, however, the political dynamics have changed in Cobb, which is now governed by a majority of three Democrats on the all-female Board of Commissioners.
Birrell is one of two Republicans in the minority, and opposes a Democratic-led bid to invoke home rule provisions to keep District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson in office.
But the bigger issues facing the county, Birrell said in a recent interview with East Cobb News, center around how to fund a growing demand for providing and upgrading key services and solve major staffing shortages.
“Things are pretty critical,” she said. “We don’t know what the future holds.”
In the Nov. 8 general election, Birrell is facing Democrat Christine Triebsch, a former Georgia Senate candidate.
She said she did so because she wanted the county to fill existing positions before creating 148 new jobs across the government.
“I think right now we’re in pretty good shape [financially],” she said. “But I’m concerned that our budget next year is not going to be sustainable with the new positions.”
Some departments are experiencing 40 percent vacancies, including infrastructure functions such as transportation and water, sewer and stormwater management.
The budget also incorporates provisions of a pay and class study for county employees, as well as continuation of step and grade salary increases for public safety.
Those are measures supported by Birrell, who has said that public safety is her highest priority.
For a larger view of the new District 3 boundaries, click here.
Commissioners will soon be hearing a proposal for a stormwater impact fee that Cobb has never imposed; Birrell said she opposes it because it would be another tax burden for citizens who are paying higher water bills.
She also was vocally against a proposal for the county to designate single haulers for commission districts, a measure that was tabled earlier this fall.
Birrell said Cobb doesn’t need to get into the business of regulating private trash providers.
“We get a lot of the complaints but it may not need to come back,” she said. “They’re in that business and they have to work together to make sure our citizens get service.”
Birrell has raised nearly $52,000 in the current election cycle (through Sept. 30), prompting claims from Triebsch that her opponent is more vested in business interests than those of average citizens and homeowners.
In her most recent campaign disclosure form, Birrell reported receiving $2,500 contributions from John Tanner and Cynthia Reichard, the CEO and Executive Vice President, respectively, of Arlyessence, a fragrance company that recently received $27 million in bonds from the Development Authority of Cobb County (commissioners appoint some of the members but aren’t directly involved in that process).
Another $2,500 contribution to Birrell’s campaign is from Tom Phillips, a businessman whose 50-acre property on Ebenezer Road was rezoned by commissioners last year for a 99-home subdivision. Pulte, the applicant, has since pulled out of developing that land.
But Birrell said she prides herself on being accessible to anyone.
“You can ask any citizen that I hear from that I’m very responsive,” she said.
As for charges that Birrell has been more sympathetic to development interests, she said “go ask the East Cobb Civic Association and homeowners associations about the things I have stopped that were too dense and not appropriate for the area.
“I always listen to my constituents,” she said, noting her rejection of a large-scale multi-use development in the I-575-Bells Ferry area last year.
Commissioners are expected to vote a second time next week on the home rule vote that Birrell said will end up costing taxpayers money in a legal wrangle she thinks the county is likely to lose.
“It was not fair that Jerica was drawn out of her district in the middle of her term,” Birrell said. “But the legislature draws our lines. Reapportionment is not a home rule provision.”
But Birrell said she isn’t animated by partisan motives when it comes to most issues.
“A lot of our votes are along party lines,” she said. “I’m outnumbered on some things but I’ve tried to work with the full board.
“You have to look at the issue and do what you feel is right.”
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The Cobb-based non-profit The Center for Family Resourcesis accepting donations for its 36th annual Thanks for Giving Food Boxes drive.
The goal this year is to provide 1,000 boxes of food for families in need, and community members can participate by becoming a Smart Stuffer Packing Partner or by sponsoring or donating to this year’s“I’m Thankful For…”Giving Campaign.
The Thanks for Giving boxes provide food for family to “keep or create their own family traditions in ways that are meaningful to them.”
Families receiving the boxes are those who register through the CFR or who are supported by local schools and other non-profit partners, including Cobb Senior Services, Communities in Schools of Georgia in Marietta/Cobb and LiveSafe Resources.
“Our annual Thanks for Giving event has allowed us to feed Cobb families for more than 35 years,” said Melanie Kagan, CEO for the Center for Family Resources. “We are so grateful for the support we receive from this community and our supporters, including Genuine Parts Company, Lockheed Martin and Publix Super Markets Charities who are this year’s Presenting Sponsors.”
The food boxes are valued at between $65-$75 each using a suggested shopping list and can be delivered to the First Baptist Church Marietta (148 Church St.) until Nov. 10 or to the IAM Local Lodge #7091032 (1032 South Marietta Pkwy SE), from Nov. 14-17.
The boxes will be distributed to families the week before Thanksgiving.
For more information about how to take part in the the Thanks for Giving program, click here.
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A float and participants at Walton’s 2021 homecoming parade. Photo courtesy of Amanda Brown
Two high schools in East Cobb are having homecoming parades this week that will affect traffic in some areas.
On Wednesday, a portion of Holt Road will be closed from 6-7 p.m. for the Wheeler homecoming parade.
The route starts at Grace Marietta Church (675 Holt Road) and heads south to the school (375 Holt Road) and the student parking lot behind the football stadium.
That’s where a festival will be taking place until 8 p.m. There will be food, games and other activities that are open to the public.
On Friday, the Walton homecoming parade takes place, starting at the Target store at Merchants Festival at 2:15 p.m. The route continues westbound on Providence Road, then to Pine Road and Bill Murdock Road before arriving at the school (1590 Bill Murdock Road).
The class councils for each grade will compete for best float, and the Walton band will lead the athletic floats and homecoming court in the parade.
Both football teams are battling for playoff berths in the Georgia High School Association’s Class 7A Region 5.
Wheeler is 4-3 and will be playing Osborne, which is 5-2. Walton is 5-2 and will be playing host to Cherokee.
Kickoff times for both games are 7:30 p.m. Friday.
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When she first ran for the Georgia Senate in a special election in 2017, Christine Triebsch offered herself as a Democratic voice in a district in East Cobb that has been strongly Republican.
She’s running for similar reasons for the District 3 seat on the Cobb Board of Commissioners against Republican three-term incumbent JoAnn Birrell.
“I saw a race that was uncontested,” Triesbsch said, “and that was my main goal—to give voters a choice.”
Triebsch, who lost three times to Republican Kay Kirkpatrick for the District 32 Georgia Senate seat, describes herself as “a compassionate Democrat who doesn’t have a voice here.”
She’s chastened by redistricting maps approved by the Republican-dominated Georgia legislature that drew current District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson out of her East Cobb home.
Triebsch currently lives in District 2 and in a recent interview with East Cobb News said that “I voted for Jerica and my vote has been eliminated. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.
“What does this do to our voting rights? Was my vote meaningless? The gerrymandering has got to end.”
The new District 3 lines that will be in force for the Nov. 8 general election include most of East Cobb (see map below).
(The Democratic majority on the Cobb commission has voted to invoke home rule over reapportionment in a bid to keep Richardson in office in a move that is likely to be decided in the courts.)
Triebsch’s campaign website can be found here; Birrell will be profiled separately by East Cobb News.
Triebsch is a Marietta-based family law attorney whose husband Kevin is an assistant principal at East Cobb Middle School. They have a daughter and a son who graduated from the Cobb school district.
She said she’s trying to appeal to citizens and homeowners who feel as though they don’t have the same kind of clout with county leaders as more powerful business and development interests.
“Those who are left out and who are not being heard,” Triebsch said. “What I’m hearing is that people believe that businesses are more important to the current commissioner than the average homeowner.”
For a larger view of the new District 3 boundaries, click here.
She’s pointed to campaign contributions Birrell has received from major corporate leaders in claiming that her opponent is beholden to special interests.
(Birrell’s latest financial disclosure reports show she has raised nearly $35,000 in the current campaign; Triebsch’s filings show she has raised less than $10,000).
Triebsch referenced affordable housing several times as a priority that “is important to me,” and specifically addressing the topic of workforce housing, for teachers, law enforcement personnel and others on public salaries.
Enabling more of those public servants to live in the communities they serve should be a higher priority in Cobb County, Triebsch said.
“If we can get people into housing with strings attached, that would be fantastic,” she said. “How can a Cobb County educator buy a house in this area?”
She noted that Birrell voted against the Cobb fiscal year 2023 budget that took effect Oct. 1 and that included significant pay increases for county employees. Birrell said she did so because she was concerned that newly created positions might not be sustainable in future budgets.
“She wants four more years,” Triebsch said of Birrell. “That would be 16 years” in office. “In this area, it gets gerrymandered. If we had a competitive area, the voters would have a choice.”
When asked about how “red” or Republican-leaning she thought the new District 3 is, Triebsch didn’t elaborate.
Should she win, that would give Democrats a 4-1 majority (the other commission Republican, Keli Gambrill of North Cobb, is running unopposed).
But Triebsch said she wouldn’t govern with partisan objectives in mind.
“It’s what is best for the homeowners and residents in District 3,” she said. “What do they want? I’m not going to rubber-stamp what anybody on the board wants.”
Triebsch said she wasn’t in favor of a proposal to designate a sole trash provider to areas of Cobb County. That code amendment proposal was rejected by all five commissioners—Birrell was especially vocal against it—and has been tabled until next year.
“Competition is good,” Triebsch said. “We don’t need the board deciding who gets to haul the trash.”
Triebsch said she supports better pay for county employees, but didn’t offer any specifics on what a “living wage” for them might be, and how the county budget would be crafted to accommodate that.
She said following the zoning code is imperative to control growth, supports more initiatives for public transit and supports measures to enhance quality of life, including green space for parks and recreation.
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Ford Smith Fine Art, a fine art studio and gallery started by the Roswell-based husband-wife artist duo of Ford and Christi Smith, will operate a pop-up gallery at The Avenue East Cobb through the end of 2022.
North American Properties, the retail center’s management company, announced that a grand opening will take place Friday from 6-9 p.m. at the Ford Smith pop-up space located between the Sephora and Xfinity stores in the former Simply Mac space.
The event is free and open to the public.
Ford Smith will operate the 3,000-square-foot gallery at The Avenue through the end of December, selling original paintings and fine art limited editions. The hours are Wednesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
NAP said the grand opening will feature the following:
The unveiling of new and limited-edition works, including a brand-new collection of Small Wonders originals, and smaller-size, collaborative “In Concert” mixed media paintings created from an archival giclée of a Ford Smith painting sculpted in glass, dipped in resin, and embellished by Eddie Freeland
Complimentary wine/champagne and bites from local restaurants
Fine art prizes such as a Ford Smith limited-edition, full-size/hand-embellished canvas painting
Special pricing on select artwork (offer only valid during GO)
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The National Weather Service in Atlanta has issued a freeze warning for much of north and central Georgia, starting at midnight tonight until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Temperatures are expected to dip as low as the high 20s in some areas as fall weather is expected to sharpen into winter-type conditions this week during overnight hours.
For Cobb and metro Atlanta, overnight temperatures are expected at or below freezing after highs on Tuesday in the mid 50s.
Wednesday’s highs are expected into the low 60s with sunny skies, with evening temperatures also in the 30s.
Windy weather also is part of the forecast during the first part of this week, with gusts as high as 25 mph forecast for Tuesday.
Sunny weather continues all week, with temperatures warming to the mid-70s by Saturday and low temperatures in the 40s.
That warming trend is forecast to continue into early next week.
The winds also are expected to dissipate heading into the weekend.
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A conceptual rendering of the proposed Lidl store at the Canton-Piedmont intersection.
After trying twice in the last five years to open a store in Northeast Cobb, the German discount grocery chain Lidl has set its sights on a new location in the area.
Plans filed last month with the Cobb Zoning Office show Lidl is requesting rezoning of 3.47 acres at the southwest intersection of Canton Road and Piedmont Road for a 31,000-square-foot supermarket.
There’s a vacant building there now that formerly housed a Rite Aid pharmacy, which is across from Covenant Presbyterian Church.
The land, which includes an undeveloped parcel behind the former Rite Aid building, is zoned neighborhood shopping (NS) and Lidl is requesting community retail commercial (CRC) designation.
A hearing before the Cobb Planning Commission is scheduled for Dec. 6. The filing is preliminary and does not yet include a staff analysis or recommendation.
The store hours would be from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.
Lidl is also asking for a number of variances (you can read through the filings here), including a reduction of the minimum number of parking spaces and related to fire access and signage.
The CRC category calls for at least 158 spaces. Lidl is seeking a hardship waiver to cut that number to 120-135 spaces.
“Due to the odd shape of the site and the existing topography on the western portion of the site, we do not anticipate bring able to achieve the 158 required parking spaces,” said an architectural engineering letter sent to Lidl dated Sept. 6 and that is included in the filings.
The proposed site plan (see below) would call for a “full access driveway” at the back of the property onto Piedmont Road, and a right-out exit onto Piedmont Road southbound, right before the intersection.
Another entrance to the store would be on Canton Road between a Captain D’s restaurant and the new Bar 44 sports lounge.
Lidl also is requesting another hardship for fire access. The county requires that fire vehicles have access of no greater than 150 feet from all sides of a building.
Lidl said there’s only enough room for access around three sides, and is asking for an access distance minimum of 300 feet.
The engineering letter said the building will be fully sprinkled, and that state law allows for that limit to be relaxed when that is the case.
Lidl initially sought a Northeast Cobb location at the site of the former Park 12 Cobb movie theater, but that request was turned down by Cobb commissioners in 2017, citing traffic reasons.
Lidl was to have been the anchor tenant of the mixed-use redevelopment of the Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center, but pulled out late last year after the grocery chain couldn’t work out an agreement over traffic access on Sandy Plains Road.
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If you’re looking for information and a the wait-time map for the U.S. Senate runoff, click here.
ORIGINAL STORY, OCT. 17
As it has done previously, Cobb Elections and the county government’s GIS office are teaming up up to provide an estimated wait-time map for early voting during the 2022 general elections.
If you click the information icon in the upper-right corner you’ll find a color-coded legend explaining the wait times and other information.
Voting activity has been busy at several locations Monday morning, including the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road), where the wait times were estimated to be around 30 minutes.
That’s one of two locations in East Cobb that will be open for all three weeks of early voting, including the next two Saturdays, Oct. 22 and 29.
The East Cobb Government Service Center also has a drop box for absentee ballots that is available during early voting hours only.
Cobb Elections officials have begun mailing out absentee ballots. The deadline to apply to receive one is Friday, and you can apply online by clicking here.
Gabriel Sterling, the chief operations officer for the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, said this morning that Cobb voters have requested more absentee ballots thus far (23,136) than any other county, and that 216,754 applications for absentee ballots have been submitted statewide.
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A ribbon-cutting was held last week for the opening of Bar 44, a sports lounge on Canton Road in Northeast Cobb.
Among the dignitaries on hand were Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell and representatives from the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
The business gets its name from Alade Aminu, one of three partners in the venture who played basketball at Georgia Tech from 2005-2009.
Aminu wore No. 44 for the Yellow Jackets and later played professional basketball with the Miami Heat of the NBA, then Europe, Turkey, Israel and Lebanon.
He also helped Nigeria’s national team qualify for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Aminu said Bar 44 is an “upscale” sports lounge serving “elevated” bar food, cocktails, hookah and a weekend brunch.
The menu also includes wings, chicken dishes, salads and tacos.
Bar 44 features 15 large screen televisions for sports viewing and a lounge area “giving patrons a skybox feel.”
“I noticed that while living in Marietta, there wasn’t anywhere to go and watch the game with the elevated vibe I was looking for,” Aminu said in a release. “This is something that the neighborhood can be excited about, and I’m thrilled to bring a new sports lounge like this to the city. This will be the first of many Bar 44 locations.”
The other partners involved in Bar 44 are Abdul Olayiwola, and Gary Ellis.
Bar 44 is located at 2755 Canton Road. For more information visit its website: www.bar44atl.com.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to g
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From Oct. 17-Nov. 4, Georgia voters can cast their ballots in person in advance of the Nov. 8 general election.
The 2022 elections feature new boundaries for all elected offices due to redistricting, and voters in East Cobb will see very different maps for their elected representatives than the previous 10 years. More on that further down in this post.
When, where, how to vote
Early voting will take place at select locations around the county, including the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) and the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) as follows:
Oct. 17-21, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Oct. 22, Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Oct. 24-28, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Oct. 29, Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Oct. 31-Nov. 4, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more locations for early voting and drop boxes, click here. Cobb voters can cast early ballots at any location in the county regardless of where they live.
For the first time ever, Cobb County voters will be able to vote on Sunday, after the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration approved an early voting date for Oct. 30. That will take place from 12-4 p.m. at the new Cobb Elections office at 995 Roswell Street.
The Cobb Elections office and the Cobb government GIS office also are teaming up again with an estimated wait-time map for early voting, with updates provided at each location by the polling managers.
Voters also can request an absentee ballot for any reason, but the drop boxes available during the 2020 elections are more restricted this year.
There is a drop box at the East Cobb Government Service Center, but it is open only during early voting hours.
The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is Oct. 22, and ballots can now be mailed in through election day. You can get an application online from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office by clicking here.
But absentee ballots must be received at the Cobb Elections office or delivered to a designated drop box by 7 p.m. on Nov. 8, when the polls close for good.
The Secretary of State’s office also has launched BallotTrax, which enables absentee voters to securely follow their ballots, whether they were mailed in or dropped off in person.
Georgia voters will be deciding all statewide constitutional offices—governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, etc.—as well as a U.S. Senate seat
They also will choose all 14 members of the U.S. House and all members of the Georgia General Assembly, both the State Senate and State House.
The Cobb Solicitor’s race is the only countywide office up for election this year. Two seats on the Cobb Board of Commissioners and three seats on the Cobb Board of Education also will be determined.
The new Cobb Commission District 3 area includes most of East Cobb, and Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell will be seeking a fourth term against Democrat Christine Triebsch (District 3 map).
On the Cobb school board, Post 4 Republican incumbent David Chastain is being challenged by Democrat Catherine Pozniak (Post 4 map) in an area that includes the Kell, Sprayberry and some of the Lassiter attendance zones.
East Cobb News will be featuring candidate interviews in these races in the coming week.
U.S. House
District 6 will have a new representative, as Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath is seeking the 7th District seat. The new 6th includes East Cobb, some of North Fulton, Cherokee and Forsyth counties and all of Dawson County (East Cobb portion of 6th District map).
The candidates are Democrat Bob Christian of Forsyth, an Army veteran and small business owner, against Republican Rich McCormick, an emergency room physician who previously ran in the 7th district.
Reapportionment also placed some of East Cobb in the 11th District, which stretches from Bartow and Cherokee counties to include much of Cobb and northern areas of the city of Atlanta >(see Cobb portion of map).
Republican incumbent Barry Loudermilk of Cassville is seeking another term against Democrat Anthony Daza of Atlanta, who owns a ballroom dancing business in Buckhead.
Georgia Senate
Redistricting also carved up East Cobb into additional seats in the General Assembly.
In the State Senate, District 6 has been vacated by Attorney General candidate Jen Jordan, a Democrat. Her successor will be Republican Fred Glass, a financial advisor, or Democrat Jason Esteves, a former chairman of the Atlanta school board (East Cobb portion of District 6).
District 32 formerly covered most of East Cobb but now has only a portion (see Cobb area of map), stretching to areas of north Cobb, Woodstock and Cherokee. Republican incumbent Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb is seeking another term against Sylvia Bennett, a social worker.
Most of Northeast Cobb and a good bit of Johnson Ferry Road corridor is now located in District 56, which includes North Fulton (see East Cobb portion of map). The Republican incumbent, John Albers of Roswell, is on the ballot, and is facing Democrat Patrick Thompson, a clean energy entrepreneur, also from Roswell.
Georgia House
A sliver of District 37 remains in East Cobb (see map) in a Marietta-based seat held by Democrat Mary Frances Williams. She is seeking another term against Republican Tess Redding.
Three other East Cobb incumbent House members, also Republicans, are seeking re-election.
In District 44 (map), which has retained much of its Northeast Cobb boundaries, GOP Rep. Don Parsons is seeking another term against Democrat Willie May Oyogoa, a travel advisor.
Longtime State Rep. Sharon Cooper, a Republican, was drawn into District 45 (map) after two close calls in District 43. Her Democratic opponent is Dustin McCormick, who unsuccessfully ran for a special election in District 45 in April after the resignation of GOP Rep. Matt Dollar.
John Carson, a Republican, is running again in District 46 (map), which retains most of its Northeast Cobb base and goes into Cherokee County. His Democratic opponent is Micheal Garza, the owner of a web development business.
A new legislator from East Cobb will be chosen in District 43 (map). The Democratic candidate is Solomon Adesanya, a restaurant owner. Republican Anna Tillman is a geologist.
We’ll have more coverage of these races as early voting continues.
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!
A request to alter an existing site plan to allow for a King’s Hawaiian Bakery and Restuarant in Northeast Cobb is being delayed to November.
An attorney for Stein Investment Group, which is building a self-storage facility at the former GTC Cobb Park 12 Cinema, asked for the continuance in a letter to the Cobb Zoning Office Monday.
The case (you can read the filings here) was to have been considered Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners. Stein wants to amend the site plan approved by commissioners in 2021 at the northwest intersection of Shallowford Road and Gordy Parkway for a 3,200-square-foot restaurant with 29 parking spaces.
King’s Hawaiian is a fast-casual restaurant chain with nearby locations in Lithia Springs, Flowery Branch and Gainesville.
Garvis Sams asked for the delay for several reasons. His client is continuing meetings with area residential groups, and King’s Hawaiian is working on a landscape plan.
A revised agenda issued late Friday afternoon by the Cobb Zoning Office also notes that plans for a car wash and gas station at Shallowford Road and Trickum Road and that has been continued three times before is being pushed back to November by the zoning staff.
The full zoning hearing agenda can be found by clicking here. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
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 following food scores for the week of Oct. 10 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb County School District has modified a new crisis alert system after an employee accidentally triggered a Code Red signal in 11 schools this week.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale made brief, prepared comments at a Cobb Board of Education meeting Thursday night but didn’t give many specifics, including the names of the schools.
He said it was a “human error,” and not the new system itself, that led to the inadvertent Code Red alert at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, putting the affected schools on a short lockdown.
The Cobb school district recently switched to a new crisis alert system provider and said it would conduct Code Red drills on all 112 school campuses this school year.
The district spent $2.9 million to purchase the Centigex system, which was dropped by the Charlotte-Mecklenberg school district in North Carolina when parts of the system weren’t working properly.
That replaced AlertPoint, which cost the Cobb school district $5 million when it was implemented in 2017.
But that system malfunctioned in 2021 when all 16 Cobb high schools were put on lockdown due to what district officials said was a deliberate cyber attack.
Ragsdale also would not elaborate on what the changes were to the new system, called CrisisAlert System, saying that “training will be repeated to certain groups of employees.”
Nor would he saw how one employee could have triggered such an alert.
“The steps we have taken will reduce the chance of human error,” he said, adding that he couldn’t explain more because a personnel matter also is involved.
“I apologize that we have to engage in these kinds of drills,” Ragsdale said. “This is the world in which we live and we must take every step possible to ensure our students and our staff are safe.”
The Cobb school board voted Thursday night to approve a $2.8 million roofing contract for Mt. Bethel Elementary School in East Cob that is expected to be finished by July 2023.
The board also approved a contract to spend $419,518 co purchase 11 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicles for use by the Cobb County School District’s police department.
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The suspect has been identified as Durrell Harris, 34 or 35, of Green Bay, Wis., whom Marietta Police said has numerous outstanding warrants in Wisconsin.
Marietta Police Public Information Officer Chuck McPhilamy said he did not know what the warrants for Harris are in Wisconsin.
Harris has been booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on felony charges of false imprisonment, possession of cocaine and possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor charges of willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer and marijuana possession.
Harris is being held without bond, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office booking reports.
McPhilamy said police received text messages Thursday afternoon from someone asking for help from a unit at The Falls at Sope Creek apartments, saying the suspect had threatened the individual and children and that there were weapons in the unit.
An arrest warrant states that police were dispatched to the complex at 1950 Roswell Road at at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, giving “multiple verbal commands . . . . loudly,” including from a patrol car’s public address system for the suspect to come out the apartment.
Another texter also said that the man in the apartment had multiple weapons and had his seven-year-old daughter with him, and had installed several surveillance cameras in the apartment, according to McPhilamy.
McPhilamy said that texter told police the man, later identified as Harris and a resident of the unit, has “multiple warrants from two other states.”
The arrest warrant states that the suspect refused to let a female inside the apartment leave, and he ordered her to barricade the door. According to the warrant, she was told to sit on the couch and not to get up and was not able to leave until police rammed open the door.
McPhilamy said a search warrant was executed by the Marietta Police Crime Interdiction Unit at 8:20 p.m. and two females—a seven-year-old girl and a 19-year-old woman—escaped.
Police said the girl is the suspect’s daughter and the woman, Anayaa Tate, from Ohio, “is a recent acquaintance of the suspect and has cooperated with investigators.”
The standoff continued for nearly four more hours, and McPhilamy said nearby residents were evacuated. He said once police gained entry to the apartment, they found the suspect in a “safe room” he had constructed inside a closet in the apartment (see below), but he would not come out and was tazed.
The warrant states that Harris was taken into custody at 12:45 a.m. and that no weapons were found in the apartment.
McPhilamy said that after Harris faces charges in Georgia, he will be extradited to Wisconsin.
Marietta Police said they found Durrell Harris inside a “safe space” he constructed inside the closet of his apartment on Roswell Road.
Updated, 12:45 a.m. Friday:
Police said the suspect was taken into custody without injuries, and more information will be released later Friday.
Original Report:
Marietta Police said a suspect was barricaded in a Roswell Road apartment complex Thursday night, prompting a heavy law enforcement response.
Numerous police vehicles surrounded a building at The Falls at Sope Creek (1950 Roswell Road), and a SWAT response also has been called, according to Marietta Police.
Social media postings did not indicate the reason the suspect has been barricaded. There was a police officer on the stairwell apparently speaking to the suspect.
At 10:18 p.m., Marietta Police said two females were released from the apartment “but the suspect remains inside. Please pray for a peaceful resolution!”
Among the vehicles lined up in front of the building in question is a van from Cobb County Animal Control.
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!
Starting Friday morning, commuters can begin using the Windy Hill-Terrell Mill connector.
It’s less than a mile, but is expected to alleviate traffic in a busy corridor of East Cobb along Interstate 75 and the Northwest Express Lanes.
Local dignitaries, including elected officials, county transportation and development leaders and civic participants took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon.
The four-lane connector costs $45.8 million, with nearly $30 million coming from the 2016 Cobb SPLOST (special local-option sales tax) and the rest from Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority.
The connector is accessible on Windy Hill Road by the Spectrum Circle/Interstate North Parkway and moves northbound to Terrell Mill, ending at the intersection of Bentley Road.
The road also features a multi-use trail on the west shoulder that connects to the Bob Callan Trail system, which ultimately hooks up with the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area trails.
Among those on hand for the ribbon cutting were Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, former Commissioner Bob Ott, Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris, Cobb DOT director Drew Raessler, Cumberland Community Improvement District executive director Kim Menefee and Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance president Patti Rice.
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!
