Every day, Lidiane Carmo heals a little more from her physical injuries. And nearly two weeks since the 15-year-old lost her immediate family in a massive interstate highway crash, her kind spirit remains, according to those who know her best. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Lidiane asked a pastor from her hospital bed, still unable to sit for long periods of time.

Atlanta's near-death experience of losing Lake Lanier as a water source may have ended last summer, but the threat is not over for nearly 5 million area residents who rely on the lake and its releases into the Chattahoochee River for their existence.

Student test scores won't be pivotal to how schools are rated now that Georgia has been allowed to opt out of federal No Child Left Behind requirements. A waiver granted Thursday by the Obama administration also means Georgia won't be bound by the law's mandate that all students be proficient in math and reading by 2014.

A Marietta woman was sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison Thursday for her role in a multimillion dollar telemarketing scam, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. Kara Singleton Adams, 40, was found guilty in November of nine counts of wire fraud, seven counts of structuring financial transactions and two counts of conspiracy.

Atlanta Parent Magazine will hold its Camp Expo 2012 on Sunday at Town Center Mall in Kennesaw. The expo will preview camp offerings in the metro area, including special interest camps like equestrian to drama, and water sports and Internet surfing. Representatives from the area camps will attend and provide additional information.

The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce received the 2012 Health Hero Award this week from the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. The Taskforce is an alliance of 227 individuals and 66 organizations working to reduce underage and youth binge drinking. The award recognizes agencies that have made significant positive impact on the community’s health.

Kennesaw State athletic director Vaughn Williams finds himself singing a new tune as he walks around his house. It's so catchy, his youngest daughter will chime in at the important part: "K-S-U, K-S-U." The Owls will unveil their first fight song before Friday's basketball game against Mercer.

A 10-year-old Cobb County boy reported missing Wednesday night was found safe overnight. Gyasi Francis had been missing from his family's Powers Ferry Road apartment since around 8 p.m. An employee at a nearby business found Gyasi about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, and the boy was reunited with his family, Cobb police spokesman Mike Bowman said.

Three members of a freight train crew were taken to a local hospital Monday after their train struck a truck hauling scrap metal in Marietta, Channel 2 Action News reported. The accident happened about 4 p.m. at the CSX Transportation crossing in an industrial area near Loudermilk Drive and Marble Mill Road.

Cobb County Schools have gotten an all-clear report from the the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the agency that accredits school systems. AdvancED, the association's parent company, looked into governance concerns with the Cobb Board of Education.

An ex-high school counselor and coach has been cleared of a sexual battery charge involving a former student. But Frank Robinson says the fight won't be over until he's allowed to return to the job he loves. Even though he was cleared of the criminal charge in a Cobb County courtroom, Robinson must now fight to get his teaching certificate reinstated.

A Cobb County woman on the run for two years after being charged with child molestation has been caught by police near Savannah. The Savannah Morning-News reports that authorities arrested 38-year-old Jennifer Segrest on Tuesday on charges of child molestation and enticement of a child.

Tripper Sharp, one of the plaintiffs who sued Cobb EMC in 2007, has decided to run for a seat on the co-op’s board of directors. Sharp plans to officially announce his candidacy on Monday. EMC members will vote March 31 on directors for six of the 10 board seats.

The Junior League of Cobb-Marietta will hold its third-annual Mardi Gras 5K fundraiser on Saturday benefiting local charities. The run is a certified Peachtree Road Race qualifier, and will include a Tot Trot for children. The 5K race starts at 8 a.m.

Cobb EMC and its natural gas affiliate, Gas South LLC, will separate from call center business, ProCore Solutions, LLC, and assume their own call center services beginning in May. ProCore was one of the businesses operated under Cobb EMC’s for-profit affiliate, Cobb Energy, that was the subject of a 2007 lawsuit.

Southeast Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott will be hosting a town hall meeting on Thursday at the Smyrna Community Room. A second meeting is set for Feb. 15 at the East Cobb Library. Chairman Tim Lee will hold the first of four community meetings on Feb. 13 at the West Cobb Senior Center.

Marietta police said Monday they have identified two men who posed as firefighters when they approached businesses in a local shopping center, saying they were collecting money for a nonexistent charity. After the incident was reported on TV news Friday afternoon, one of the men reported himself to police, and investigators now also have the name of his companion, said Officer David Baldwin, spokesman for the Marietta Police Department.

The words were meant to reassure the small congregation. Struggling for answers among tragedy, members of the International Church of the Restoration looked to senior pastor Aron Amazonas, who offered a simple but truthful message: “Life goes on,” he told the 50 people sitting in front of him, a slight tremble in his voice.

Cobb County Public Library System will hold its 2nd annual African American History Month Gala on Saturday in Marietta. The event will include performances by the South Cobb High School Steppers, saxophonist Ravan Durr and the A.L. Burruss Unity Drummers.

A Lassiter High School counselor who was accused of improperly touching a student  has been cleared of all charges by a Cobb County jury. It took a Cobb State Court jury only 45 minutes last week to acquit Frank Robinson, who had been accused of inappropriately touching a female student in his office in 2009.

A 58-year-old Cobb County man has been arrested and charged with practicing dentistry without a license, a felony, after he allegedly set up an illegal dental office in an apartment in Marietta, Channel 2 Action News reported. Nevio Morias was arrested on a warrant Thursday and later that day posted $5,000 cash bond and was released, according to the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office.

Kennesaw State University is seeking donations to help a communications professor whose Chattanooga, Tn. home was destroyed in a fire last week. The fire began in the basement of the home owned by Charles Mayo, director of KSU’s graduate program in Integrated Global Communication.

Cobb County Superior Court Judge J. Stephen Schuster has been designated to fill in for Georgia Supreme Court Justice P. Harris Hines on Monday to hear an appeal. The Fulton County case involves two companies that are appealing a Georgia Court of Appeals decision favoring the bank that sued them for more than $19 million in unpaid debt.

WellStar Health System physicians William Cooper and Barry Mangel will be the guest speakers on Monday at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce first Monday breakfast. The chamber will also present its Health Hero Award and recognize the 2012 honorary commanders class.

Ron Newcomb, who has served as the interim president of Chattahoochee Technical College since October, will immediately take over the job permanently under action the board over the Technical College System of Georgia took Thursday. Newcomb previously served as provost and executive vice president of the Marietta-based college.