Community News

ATLANTA

Streets to close for annual holiday parade

Several downtown streets will be closed Saturday morning for the annual Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Christmas Parade.

The parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. at Peachtree Street and Ralph McGill Boulevard and travels south on Peachtree to Five Points, then west on Marietta Street and south on Centennial Olympic Park Drive.

Atlanta police spokesman Otis Redmond said Peachtree Street will be closed from Pine Street to Marietta Street; West Peachtree Street will be shut down from Pine Street to Peachtree Street; Marietta Street will be closed from Peachtree Street to Jones Street; and Centennial Olympic Park Drive will be shut down from Harris Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Redmond also warned downtown motorists to expect heavy traffic around the Georgia Dome area, as the Southeastern Conference Championship football game begins at 4 p.m. Saturday. He suggested using MARTA if possible.

—- Mike Morris

Home intruders beat man, assault woman

Atlanta police say a man was beaten and a woman sexually assaulted in the home invasion of an apartment on Seminole Avenue.

The incident occurred Wednesday night, Atlanta police spokesman James Polite said, when three men entered the home with weapons and demanded money from the couple. The victims were tied up, and the man was struck several times in the head. The woman told investigators she was sexually assaulted during the attack.

Police said both victims required medical treatment, but had no information on their condition Thursday.

—- Mike Morris

2 men die in unrelated morning shootings

Unrelated fatal early-morning shootings Thursday left two people dead —- one of them a man shot at least seven times with an assult rifle while sitting in a car in southwest Atlanta.

That shooting happened about 3 a.m. in the 1100 block of Wilmington Avenue in southwest Atlanta, police Lt. Keith Meadows said. The victim, a man in his mid-40s, was sitting in a Nissan Maxima when someone approached and fired an assault rifle into the vehicle, Meadows said. The man, who police believe lived in the area, died at Grady Memorial Hospital.

About two hours earlier officers responding to reports of masked men shooting into a northwest Atlanta house found a man with a gunshot wound outside a home near the intersection of Neal and Lindsay streets. That man, who was in his 20s, also died later at Grady.

Police had not released a motive for either of the shootings Thursday.

—- Mike Morris

See Tut, aquarium with combo ticket

The Georgia Aquarium and “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs” are offering a combination ticket and a shuttle between the downtown tanks and the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlantic Civic Center, Tut’s home through May 9, 2009.

The tickets costs $39.99 (adult), $34.99 (seniors 55 and older) and $29.99 (child age 3-12). To purchase online, go to www.georgiaaquarium.org or www.kingtut.org. By phone: 404-581-4000.

Visitors select a date and time to visit Tut and may visit the Aquarium the same day or any time within 30 days of the King Tut visit. The free Shark Shuttle/Tut Trolley will run Thursdays-Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The shuttle departs the Civic Center at the top of the hour and the Aquarium at the bottom of the hour. Pick-up is at the front and back of the Aquarium, Civic Center and the Civic Center MARTA stop.

—- Catherine Fox

COBB COUNTY

Man arrested in knife and fork killing

A 21-year-old Marietta man accused of killing an acquaintance with a knife and fork last month has been arrested in College Park.

Richard Smith was arrested Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of Highland Brooke Apartments on Washington Road, Marietta police spokesman Mark Bishop said.

Smith had been on the run since police charged him with fatally stabbing 42-year-old George Nelson on Nov. 15. Nelson was attacked several times in the face, head and neck with a knife and a fork inside his apartment on Franklin Road in Marietta. Police say the suspect struck Nelson in the head and stomped on his body.

Authorities received several tips that led to Smith’s arrest, Bishop said.

Police believe the suspect and victim knew each other since there was no forced entry to the apartment. A motive has not been released.

—- Derrick Mahone

Cobb, Cherokee effort helps needy families

Needy families lined up at a faith-based program in Cobb and Cherokee counties this week for help during the holidays.

The Cobb program plans to help 600 families; the Cherokee program plans to help more than 500.

Both programs need volunteers, 18 and older, and donations of new, unwrapped toys and gifts for children, birth through 18. They will also help parents through a Secret Santa program.

MUST Ministries Toy Shop in Marietta is open for donations 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through Dec. 23 at 1407 Cobb Parkway —- a mile north of Bells Ferry Road. Information: Will Redmond at 404-536-3430 or mustsanta @mustministries.org.

Cherokee MUST, 141-B W. Marietta St., Canton, is open 9 a.m.-2 p.m., weekdays for donations. Its toy store opens Monday-Dec. 19, and Secret Santa Shop, Dec. 22-23. Clients can register through Dec. 18, and volunteers can sign up to help through Dec. 29. Information: Pat Whiting at 770-479-5379.

—- Tucker McQueen

Honors bestowed on several award winners

Special-needs children play sports on an Acworth ballfield made just for them, and the man who guided its development has been named the city’s 2008 citizen of the year.

James Albright, Acworth’s director of parks and recreation, was honored Wednesday by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce Northwest Cobb Area Council.

Other awards were presented to Mike Schroeder, Carrabbas general manager and Kennesaw’s citizen of the year, and Art Eyzaguirre of Thompson Technologies, the West Cobb citizen of the year.

Jimmy Durham, board chairman of NorthWest Bank & Trust, was presented a lifetime community service award.

—- Kay Powell

DEKALB COUNTY

Suspect surrenders in apartment standoff

DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies coaxed an armed suspect into surrendering after a standoff at a north DeKalb apartment complex Thursday.

Brandon Barabino, 27, was wanted by DeKalb police in the Nov. 13, robbery of a Wendy’s restaurant on Hugh Howell Road, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Mikki Jones.

Sheriff’s deputies learned he was at the Park at Briarcliff Apartments, off North Druid Hills Road. Barabino would not emerge, but when a woman answered the door, deputies pulled her outside, Jones said.

During a 2 1/2-hour standoff, a SWAT team was called to the apartment. But a hostage negotiator persuaded Barabino to surrender about 9:30 a.m, Jones said.

—- David Simpson

Free holiday concert tonight in Dunwoody

A longtime community music ensemble in DeKalb County will offer a free performance of “The Nutcracker” and other holiday-oriented pieces at 7 p.m. in Dunwoody.

The Callanwolde Concert Band will include “Rhapsody for Hanukkah,” “Candlelight Carol,” “A Christmas Festival” and “Sleigh Ride” in its playlist. The community band has been operating since 1972, and offers free and subscription concerts.

Today’s performance is sponsored by the county Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment, and will be at Brook Run Theatre in Liane Levetan Park, 4770 N. Peachtree Road. For more information, visit www.calcb.org or call 404-371-3649.

—-Ty Tagami

Arson suspect faces charge in second fire

A second arson charge has been filed against a Stone Mountain man as DeKalb County authorities continue to investigate a string of fires along Memorial Drive.

Jeffrey Tremaine Sprowl, 21, was jailed Nov. 25, and charged with torching an Enterprise Rent-a-Car lot. The DeKalb Fire Rescue Department said Thursday investigators had added a charge that Sprowl set fire to Motor Venture Auto Sales.

Sprowl remained in the DeKalb jail Thursday.

The fires were among 10 arsons in a two-mile corridor between I-285 and Stone Mountain on Nov. 23 and Nov. 24, fire officials have said.

—- David Simpson

Two officials cleared of ethics violations

The State Ethics Commission on Thursday dismissed campaign finance complaints filed against two DeKalb County officials.

Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones was accused of violating ethics rules when he raised $15,655 after his 2004 re-election even though he had no debt to retire and could not run for the office again. Jones, who leaves office this month, testified in his preliminary hearing that he had ongoing expenses, such as postage and the wages of people doing tasks like filling out his campaign finance reports. The case was dismissed “because the commission said even though an incumbent can’t run again, they incur expenses,” Rick Thompson, executive secretary of the commission, said.

The commission also dismissed a charge against County Commissioner Elaine Boyer that was lodged by her opponent in this year’s Republican primary. Boyer was accused of failing to divulge her husband’s connections to several business entities. Boyer, who won re-election, said she didn’t have to divulge the connections because the businesses were either sold or defunct. She also noted that one entity, which raised money for high school cheerleader outfits, was a nonprofit. “The commission did not find enough evidence to show reasonable grounds that the ethics act was violated,” Thompson said.

—-Ty Tagami

FULTON COUNTY

Work on Upper Hembree Road starts

Roswell plans to begin reconstruction and resurfacing of Upper Hembree Road next week.

The project, which should start Wednesday, will extend from Hembree Road to the city limits, and is expected to continue for about a month, weather permitting.

Upper Hembree Road will remain open for traffic, but the construction will limit flow to one lane at times. People should expect delays. A bridge replacement project on Hembree Road may begin in January. Once that begins, Upper Hembree will carry additional traffic. In preparation, the city is repaving Upper Hembree.

For more information on the construction details, visit the city Web site at www.roswellgov.com.

—- Mary MacDonald

GWINNETT COUNTY

Animal neglect case takes new turn

A Snellville woman’s fondness for collecting animals could make her a felon.

Sylvia Simmons, 59, was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail for the second time this week on Thursday morning on a felony probation violation charge.

The arrest was related to a dozen misdemeanor animal neglect charges that were leveled against Simmons on Tuesday, when Gwinnett County Animal Control impounded 12 cats, 16 dogs, two squirrels and a racoon that were living in her home on Hewatt Road near Snellville.

In 2006, Simmons pleaded guilty to four counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. One of the conditions of her probation was that she not care for or work with animals for five years, said Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. David Schiralli. Simmons’ latest arrest was for allegedly violating the conditions of that probation.

—- Andria Simmons

Waste companies appear within rights

Gwinnett County is conceding there may be nothing it can do to stop waste collection companies from charging customers a deactivation fee when service ends Dec. 31.

County Administrator Jock Connell said attorneys have determined the two companies who have notified customers of these fees are probably within their rights.

Late last month, the county announced it would take action against Waste Industries for allegedly violating the county’s solid waste ordinance. The action came after the company notified customers of a $23.50 fee for closing its operations when its hauling contract ends this year.

“We regret the citizens find themslevs in this situation,” Connell said, ” but the county’s position is it’s a private matter between the citizen and hauler.”

Beginning Jan. 2, the county’s solid waste and recycling program, serving about 180,000 residences, will be serviced by two new haulers.

—- Patrick Fox

Lilburn buys parcel for potential City Hall

Lilburn has purchased a one-acre parcel that could become home to its new city hall. The city bought the land at U.S. 29 and Main Street for $250,250. It joins 1.5 acres already owned by the city.

City Manager Bill Johnsa said the city has outgrown the approximately 16,000-square-foot Calvin Fitchett Municipal Complex. To free up space temporarily, the Planning Department is moving into another building.

The new City Hall, which falls under the city’s 15-year space program, would be about 33,000 square feet and house council chambers, city administration, the city clerk and the Planning Department.

—- Shane Blatt

Also …

> Tag office: The county’s Peachtree Parkway tag office will move to a new location in March, at Holcomb Bridge Road and Peachtree Parkway in the Market Place shopping center, 6135 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 201B.

GREATER ATLANTA

Woodstock, Cherokee have spirit of giving

Woodstock officials are still planning on putting a little something extra in city employee paychecks this month, City Manager Jeff Moon said.

The amount varies, depending on how long the employee has been with the city and whether he or she is a full-time or part-time employee.

The most any employee will receive is $300. The least is $62.50 for part-timers who were hired after Jan. 4, Moon said.

Meanwhile, Cherokee County officials are considering offering Shop Cherokee certificates to their employees, County Manager Jerry Cooper said. The county would give $50 certificates to full-time employees and $25 certificates to part-time workers.

—- Nancy Badertscher