County by county briefs for Saturday

An on-site assessment is scheduled for mid-April, and Cobb’s bureau must satisfy standards in policy and procedures, administration, operations ad support services. The public comments are a part of the assessment.

Residents can call 770-590-5581 between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on April 18 and leave comments.

Information: call, 770-528-3829 janel davis

KSU choir concert on Saturday

The Kennesaw State University Community and Alumni Choir presents “O.M.G.: Oratorios, Madrigals and Gospel” today featuring Debra D. Crampton at 8 p.m. at the Dr. Bobbie Bailey & Family Performance Center, 1000 Chastain Road, on the KSU campus.

The concert will feature works by Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn and other composers.

Tickets are $10; $5 for students. Call 770-423-6650 Janel Davis

Shredding event at SPSU

Southern Polytechnic State University and CINTAS document management company host a shredding event today.

Drop off unwanted paper, CDs and DVDs for shredding. A truck built to handle more than a ton of material will be set up in the parking lot of SPSU’s Recreation and Wellness Center, 1100 South Marietta Parkway in Marietta from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Information: call, 678-915-7351 Janel Davis

Powder Springs hosts town hall meeting

Powder Springs Mayor Patricia Vaughn and the City Council will hold their annual town hall meeting Thursday .

Vaughn said the 7 p.m. meeting will be held at the Ford Center behind the Powder Springs Library on Atlanta Street. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Marietta gets money for trails, Welcome Center

The Georgia Department of Transportation announced plans Friday to give Marietta $912,000 for two multi-use trails that will be part of the Kennesaw Mountain to Chattahoochee River Trail and $538,000 for a new roof and plumbing work at the Marietta Welcome Center and Visitors Bureau. Atherton Square, the area outside the 1898 building, will be repaved as part of the project. The 10-foot wide trails trails will be on Cemetery Street from Powder Springs Street to West Atlanta Street and from West Atlanta Street at West Dixie Avenue to South Marietta Parkway at Fairground Street. TUDKER MCQUEEN FOR THE AJC

Painting competition at Smith-Gilbert Gardens

An outdoor painting competition will be held at Kennesaw’s Smith-Gilbert Gardens at 2382 Pine Mountain Road, on Thursday and Friday, May 5 and 6. Visitors are welcomed to watch as painters capture garden vistas in various mediums.

More than 35 local artists are expected to participate. Each artist will be encouraged to submit up to three paintings made during the two day contest. A reception and judging is scheduled Friday at 5:30 pm and is open to the public.

Admission: $7. Information: www.smithgilbertgardens.com. RICH MCKAY

GWINNETT

Gwinnett school board to adopt tentative budget

The Gwinnett County Board of Education is scheduled to tentatively adopt the proposed 2012 fiscal year budget this week. The school board will meet at 6 p.m. for a budget workshop at Grayson High School to vote on the budget. The District I area school board meeting at Grayson High will follow the workshop. A reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the commons area.

The community meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the theater of the school at 50 Hope Hollow Road.

District I board member Carole Boyce will preside over the meeting. d. AILEEN DOOD

Duluth Civitan Club to meet Tuesday

The Duluth Civitan Club will hold a lunch and informational meeting from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at Kurt’s restaurant, 3305 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Suite 100, Duluth.

The club sponsors the mayor’s state of the city address, participates in the Duluth Fall Festival and supports other community and charitable activities. For reservations, contact Terry Crouch at 678-242-0445 or ltcrouc@attglobal.net. DAVID WICKERT

Food bank founder helps abused cat

A fundraiser for “Little Bitsy” -- an abused cat found last weekend at Lilburn Park -- will be held this weekend at SOS Club family thrift store in Lawrenceville.

Tom Wargo, founder of Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen, saw someone in an SUV toss the cat into some bushes. He took the cat to a veterinarian and learned she had a broken tail, leg and pelvis. Funds from the sale will pay for the cat’s treatment. Store hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 2160 Oakland Industrial Court, Suite 101. Info: 678-725-4992. ANDRIA SIMMONS

Teen driving classes offered

Gwinnett County Police are hosting several free teen driving classes.

P.R.I.D.E. (Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Error) will teach new drivers and their parents what to do while obtaining 40 hours of supervised practice driving time required by law.

The classes are all at 6:30 p.m. The times and locations are April 19 at the East Precinct in Dacula (770-338-7430 ext. 5696); April 25 at West Precinct in Norcross (770-417-2376 ext. 5720), and May 18 at North Precinct in Buford (770-932-4830 ext. 5631). Call to register. ANDRIA SIMMONS

Gwinnett school board to hold monthly business meeting

The Gwinnett County Board of Education will meet Thursday for public workshop and business meetings.

The workshop will be at 3 p.m. and the business meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Instructional Support Center, 437 Old Peachtree Road N.W. in Suwanee.

The agenda will soon be available on the district’s website.

Information: www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us

D. AILEEN DODD

Auburn appoints interim police chief

The Auburn City Council approved a motion this week to appoint longtime officer Paul Nadeau as interim police chief.

Nadeau will replace Police Chief Fred Brown, who resigned on April 8. It wasn’t immediately clear why Brown offered his resignation.

JOEL ANDERSON

NORTHSIDE

Forsyth County Commission hears reservoir proposal

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners heard a proposal from the Georgia Reservoir Company this week, laying out the process of permitting, buying land and building a reservoir that would be owned and operated by the county and take probably 8-10 years to complete, at an estimated cost: $105-$156 million. The 590 acre Calhoun Creek reservoir would be built near the Dawson County-Lumpkin County line and could provide about 47.5 million gallon a day of water for the county. JEFFRY SCOTT

Ex revenue official sentenced for theft

A former state Revenue Department employee has pleaded guilty to theft by taking and forgery.

Lawanda Harkness entered her plea this week in Fulton County Superior Court and was sentenced to five years on probation under the First Offender Act. She also was ordered to pay a $500 fine and $3,550 in restitution, the state Attorney General’s Office said. Harkness altered eight stolen money orders that had been sent by taxpayers to the state and then deposited them into her personal bank account. BILL RANKIN

Sandy Springs offers kid ettiquette classes

Certified etiquette teacher Glory Dixon will instruct children ages 7-12 on proper manners at 3 p.m. today at the Sandy Springs Branch library, 395 Mt. Vernon Hwy. Dixon will talk about how to behave for social occasions and at school settings. Information: 404-303-6130. JOHNNY EDWARDS

Easter egg hunt in Sandy Springs garden

The Sandy Springs Branch library will have an Easter egg hunt 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the reading garden behind the back parking lot. Children ages 2-6 should bring a basket or bag to hold treats and candy. Outside story time follows the hunt. JOHNNY EDWARDS

Roswell plans second drug drop-off

The Roswell Police Department is partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration to offer another drug drop-off collection from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 30. Officials will collect potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction at the Roswell Police Department, 39 Hill Street. Information: 770-640-4100. PATRICK FOX

Roswell to perform waterline maintenance

The City of Roswell will perform maintenance on waterline valves along Ga. 9 Sunday through April 29. to ensure that waterline valves are accessible, in proper working order and located correctly.

Work will be done at night to minimize the effect to commuters. If you notice changes in water color, flush your cold water line, preferably at the front hose spigot for about 10 minutes or until the water clears up. Information: 770-641-3707. PATRICK FOX

Forsyth funds senior center renovation

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners moved to release $322,000 from its fund for the renovation of Sexton Hall Enrichment Center, a planned a senior center at Lakeland Southern Baptist Church. The center is scheduled to open in September, with the county having set aside $2 million for the project. JEFFRY SCOTT

ATLANTA

APS pre-k registration starts today

Atlanta Public Schools will hold the first of three registrations for its lottery to determine who receives designated state-funded pre-k classroom slots 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at Maynard Jackson High School, 801 Glenwood Ave. SE. Registration must be done in person.

Registration will also be held from 6-9 p.m. Thursday at the Instructional Services Center, 433 Peeples St. SW and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 23 at Inman Middle School, 774 Virginia Ave. NE. The lottery drawing will be held April 29. Information: 404-802-3640. KRISTINA TORRES

College essay help on hand in Mechanicsville

The Mechanicsville Branch library offers help for teens struggling to write college application essays. A session starts at 12:30 p.m. today with tips on selecting essay topics, conveying personality, explaining circumstances and illustrating unique qualities about one’s self. The library is at 400 Formwalt St., SW, Atlanta. Information: 404-730-4779. JOHNNY EDWARDS

Children’s health featured at Emory forum

A forum 1:30 Monday at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health explores the links between pollution and children’s health problems. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and local doctors will discuss how toxins in the air and water can cause mental and physical developmental problems for children, along with other health problems. MEGAN MATTEUCCI

EPA to launch neighborhood program in Atlanta

The head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency will be in Atlanta Monday to announce a new plan to get residents more involved with environmental initiatives.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson will unveil the Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Initiative at the Carter Center at 10 a.m. The program focuses on involving community groups and churches in environmental education.

The event is open to the public. MEGAN MATTEUCCI

DEKALB

Superintendent candidate withdraws

Gloria Davis is no longer in the running to be DeKalb’s next school superintendent.

Currently the superintendent of Decatur Public Schools in Illinois, she announced Friday she was no longer in consideration.

DeKalb school board chairman Tom Bowen said he found out Friday when the board met for updates on negotiations with remaining finalists: Arthur R. Culver of Champaign Community Unit School District No. 4 in Illinois and Lillie M. Cox of Hickory Public Schools ,in North Carolina. JAIME SARRIO

Hairston Crossing Library set to reopen

DeKalb County will celebrate National Library Week with the re-opening of the Hairston Crossing Library.

The library will host a dedication ceremony at 11 a.m.today and will open to regular business on Monday Megan Matteucci

Autism researcher accused of theft

A federal grand jury in Atlanta has indicted a Danish man who helped steer more than $11 million in grants from the Centers for Disease Control to Denmark for the study of autism, cerebral palsy and childhood development.

Poul Thorsen, 49, was charged with wire fraud and money laundering and stole more than $1 million in grant money from the CDC from 2004 through June 2008, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Thorsen allegedly submitted fraudulent invoices to buy a home in Atlanta, cashier’s checks, a motorcycle and cars. BILL RANKIN

Public safety director gets new job

William “Wiz” Miller, public safety director for DeKalb County, has been named director of the county 911 center, officials say.

Miller, who most recently was embroiled in funding tug-of-war between the county board of commissioners and the chief executive, will continue his duties as public safety director in addition to taking on new responsibilities, county officials said Friday. Miller will continue to earn his previous salary of $150,000 in the new position.

Michelle Shaw

Decatur High Career Academy ready to open

Decatur High School’s new Career Academy wing opens Monday, though director Duane Sprull said it won’t be fully operational until the fall. The Academy is housed in a renovated 24,000 square foot building that costs roughly $3 million and was almost entirely funded by a Georgia Career Academy Grant. The building will serve as home to, among others, the school’s culinary arts program, early childhood learning center, architecture and engineering programs. Eventually it will also host continuing education evening classes. bill banks for the ajc

Bike even postponed due to weather

The DeKalb CEO’s Hike and Bike Greenspace Tour has been rescheduled for 9 a.m. May 14. County officials decided to postpone the event because of weather forecasts.

“In an abundance of caution, for the safety of everyone, and to ensure everyone has the best time, we felt it prudent to move the date because of questionable, if not dangerous weather conditions,” said Burke Brennan, county spokesman.

The event will still begin at Arabia Mountain High School, 6610 Browns Mill Road in Lithonia, he said.

Pre-registration is still available online at www.dekalbcountyga.gov. MICHELLE SHAW

SOUTHSIDE

Foster care in Fulton no longer needs federal oversight

U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob ruled Thursday that Fulton County has vastly improved it’s legal protection of foster children in abuse and neglect cases and no longer needs federal oversight.

The county, which agreed to court oversight to settle a 2002 lawsuit, now has an Office of Child Attorney with 16 lawyers. Fulton had only four lawyers for 2,000 foster children when the lawsuit was filed. STEVE VISSER

Path repair alters access to Peachtree City Library

The golf cart path in front of Peachtree City’s Library and City Hall is being repaired starting Monday, which will temporarily alter access at various times.

Work will be limited to daytime hours, allowing for access in the morning before school and in the evening. Alternate routes will include the Library and City Hall parking lot, the paths at the southern end of Lake Peachtree and the path along Flat Creek Road going north.

Information: www.peachtree-city.org. JIll Howard Church

Wild Azalea Festival in Morrow Saturday

The Wild Azalea Festival will be this Saturday . at Reynolds Nature Preserve, 5665 Reynolds Rd., Morrow. The free event is opened to the public and features guided hikes, animal shows, nature center exhibits, face painting, azalea showcases and plant sales. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Shuttle service will be provided from Babb Middle School. Tammy Joyner

Home & Garden expo at Peachtree City

Peachtree City will host its first Home & Garden Expo on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kedron Fieldhouse.

Exhibitors will include designers, landscapers, contractors, furnishings and related goods and services. A silent auction will be held for a playhouse built by the McIntosh High School construction class.

Admission is free; see www.peachtree-city.org for information.

Jill Howard Church, for the AJC

Rex Village group sponsors cleanup

The Historic Rex Village Association is sponsoring the Keep America Beautiful annual Great American Cleanup 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Flowers will be planted and trash and debris will be collected. The association is seeking to clean the historic city. Meet at the one-lane bridge spanning Big Cotton Indian Creek adjacent to Rex Mill, 3686 Rex Rd. in Rex. Details: call Yvonne Abraham at 404 826-2503 or email at info@hrva.org. Tammy Joyner