County by county news for Friday
COBB
Kennesaw to host food trucks downtown
Local food trucks will set up 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Mondays through Sept. 29 at Depot Park, 2829 Cherokee St. Patrons can pick up food to go or picnic in the park. The Dinner at the Depot event is sponsored by Kennesaw’s Downtown Development Authority. Information: www.kennesaw-ga.gov. Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Marietta approves pedestrian bridge
The Marietta City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved an easement for a pedestrian bridge to connect WellStar Kennestone Hospital to a proposed emergency department across Church Street.
The council had tabled a decision twice after opposition from adjacent neighborhoods.
The hospital plans to build a two-story, 80,750 square-foot emergency center and parking deck between Church and Cherokee Streets.
Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Marietta seeking WWII veterans for parade
Marietta and the Georgia Military Vehicle Preservation Association are looking for World War II veterans to participate in the city’s Let Freedom Ring parade July 4.
A military vehicle will be provided for vets to ride in along the 1.5 mile parade route.
Applications for all participants will be accepted through 5 p.m. May 30.
Information: Maggi Moss at 770-794-5609. Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Kids to Parks Day in Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs will participate in the National Park Trust’s fourth annual Kids to Parks Day with activities at 10 a.m. Saturday at Hammond Park, 705 Hammond Drive.
There will be field day races and other child-friendly activities, the Sandy Springs Fire Rescue Safety House and more. It is part of the national initiative to encourage children to participate in active, healthy activities.
The event is free and open to the public.
Information: www.sandyspringsga.gov
Kent A. Miles for the AJC
Food truck Tuesdays ongoing in Smyrna
Food trucks will return to Smyrna this week 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sept. 30 at Taylor-Brawer Park, 3180 Atlanta Road. More than a dozen food trucks will set up each Tuesday in the park’s lower parking lot adjacent to the playground. The event will include live music. Information: www.smyrnacity.com.
Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Kennesaw farmers market open
The Kennesaw Farmers Market will open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Adams Park soccer field parking lot, 2753 Watts Drive. The market will sell local vegetables, fruit, herbs, plants, flowers and baked goods on Tuesdays, rain or shine, through Oct. 28. Information: www.kennesaw-ga.gov.
Tucker McQueen for the AJC
GWINNETT
Korea-based manufacturer to create 150 jobs
Dasan Machineries will locate its US headquarters and manufacturing facility, Dasan USA Inc., in Duluth bringing 150 new jobs and $30 million in investment over the next three years. Dasan Machineries manufactures precision steel parts and components for the defense, auto and avionic industries. The Georgia facility represents Dasan’s first manufacturing operations in the U.S. Hiring for the new facility has already begun; interested candidates: dasan@dasanusa.com. Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Career Center reopens after roof repairs
The Georgia Department of Labor’s Gwinnett Career Center reopens 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. todayat 2211 Beaver Ruin Road, Suite 160, Norcross. The facility has been closed since Feb. 24 due to water and roof damage.
Information: www.employgeorgia.com or 404-232-3685. Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Retired soccer star to appear at health event
The Claudio Reyna Foundation and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia are sponsoring a free community health event at 11 a.m. SaturdayMay 17 at Meadowcreek High School, 4455 Steve Reynolds Blvd., Norcross.
The Kick Start Your Health program promotes healthy lifestyles through exercise, healthy eating, knowledge of important health markers, and prevention and maintenance techniques for asthma and diabetes. Reyna will host a soccer clinic, and there will be health screenings and a community resource fair at the event.
Information: 888-485-4226
Kent A. Miles for the AJC
Senior citizen art on display in Snellville
Artwork created by members of the Snellville Senior Center is on display 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday in the City Hall Community Room, 2342 Oak Road. The artists, as old as 89 years, meet each Thursday at the Center to learn artistic direction and enjoy two hours of creativity and fellowship. Information: www.snellville.org.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Event celebrates Drug Court Awareness
Gwinnett Restoring Accountability through Compassion and Empowerment, or G.R.A.C.E. Works, is hosting a free event to celebrate 25 years of drug courts in America and the expansion of Gwinnett County’s drug courts 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Rhodes Jordan Park, 100 East Crogan Street in Lawrenceville. Kids’ activities, free food, and door prizes included at event to be held on the youth football field.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Last day to request absentee ballot
Registered voters have until todayto vote in advance or request an absentee ballot for the May 20 General Primary/Nonpartisan Election. Voters may cast their ballots 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gwinnett County Elections Office, 455 Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville. Contact Voter Registrations and Elections division at 678-226-7210 or www.gwinnettcounty.com for an absentee ballot application.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
NORTHSIDE
Forsyth county weighs e-cigarettes
Forsyth County is considering restricting use of e-cigarettes. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. June 5 at the county administration building, 110 E. Main St., Cumming on the proposed ordinance change which would extend smoking prohibitions in park and recreation areas to include the electronic devices. The proposal would also ban the use of e-cigarretes in county buildings. Violators could be subject to a fine up to $1,000 and up to 60 days in jail.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Cherokee schools seeking bus drivers
The Cherokee County School District is looking to hire bus drivers. Applicants are required to hold or be eligible for a Georgia Class B CDL Driver’s License with S & P endorsements. To apply: www.applitrack.com/cherokee/onlineapp and click on ‘transportation’ under ‘vacancies.’
Deadline: June 30. Information: 770-479-1871. Mark Woolsey
Event to mark National Foster Care Month
FaithBridge Foster Care will hold a prayer breakfast in recognition of National Foster Care Month 8 a.m. Tuesday at the Doubletree Hotel, 1075 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell.
Johnny Hunter, pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, will be the keynote speaker. Registration recommended.
Information: choward@faithbridgefostercare.org or 678-690-7106. Kent A. Miles for the AJC
New park debuts in downtown Canton
New green space has come to downtown Canton with a ribbon-cutting Wednesday of Fincher-Adkins Park, a terrace and landscaped pocket park. It sits on the site of the former Canton Drug Store building which burned down in 2009. The facility cost about $5,000.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Open house set on Ga. 9 project
The city of Milton Public Works Department and the Georgia Department of Transportation plan an open house 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. Wednesday at Milton City Hall, 13000 Deerfield Parkway, on the planned widening of Ga. 9 from Windward Parkway to the Forsyth County Line. City engineer Sara Leaders says the approximately three-mile project will widen the road from two to four lanes will also include improvements to the Ga. 9-Bethany Bend intersection. Leaders says residents will be able to learn more about, and give feedback, on proposed concepts. More information: sara.leaders@cityofmiltonga.us
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Johns Creek to hold bulky recycling event
The city of Johns Creek will hold a “Bulky Items Recycling Day” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the State Farm Operations Center, 11350 Johns Creek Parkway. Johns Creek residents only can recycle such items as furniture, appliances and electronics. Residents can also bring used clothing and medical equipment for donation to local charities. A commercial document-shredder will also be on hand for document disposal.
Information: johnscreekga.gov or 770-551-7766. Mark Woolsey for the AJC
ATLANTA
Grady High auditorium dedicated to principal
An auditorium at Grady High School in Midtown Atlanta will be dedicated Monday to outgoing Principal Vincent Murray.
The dedication of the Vincent D. Murray Auditorium will celebrate Murray’s 23 years as the school’s leader.
Atlanta Public Schools began accepting applications for principals at about 20 schools this spring, including Grady High.
Mark Niesse
All-girls school grads accepted to college
All of the 69 seniors in the first graduating class of Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy High School have been accepted into colleges from Georgia to Massachusetts to Hawaii.
The school is one of 16 in Georgia with an in-house rep from the National College Advising Corps whose job is to increase college attendance by helping first-generation, under-represented and low-income students enroll in post-secondary institutions. Mark Niesse
‘Bearing Witness’ series Sunday
Henry Gallant will tell how he survived the Holocaust 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Breman Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum, 1440 Spring St. NW.
As a part of the “Bearing Witness” series, Gallant will discuss his escape from Nazi Germany, with his parents and more than 900 Jewish passengers, aboard the ocean liner St. Louis.
Reservations: thebreman.org/events-n-programs/index.html or 678-222-3700. Carolyn Cunningham
Event to bring mothers, daughters together
TeenAngels Society Inc. will host an event for mothers and daughters at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Croc Corps Community Center, 967 Dewey Street SW.
The event is part of a global initiative called the Be MAD (Mothers and Daughters) Movement that encourages mothers to boost daughters’ confidence and elevate their self-esteem.
Information: www.madinga.eventbrite.com or www.teenangelsrock.org
Kent A. Miles for the AJC
DEKALB
Cops: DNA links parolee to rape
Allen Lee Garner, 30, released from state prison two months ago, has been charged with rape, burglary and theft in connection to the April 26 assault of a 79-year-old Chamblee woman. The GBI crime lab confirmed that DNA found at the crime scene belonged to Garner.
Garner is a two-time convicted felon, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. He most recently was released March 7 after serving about 10 months of a five-year sentence on theft and entering vehicle charges, records show.
He also served time for about nine months in 2010 on theft and various other charges.
Marcus Garner
Thurmond: ‘progress’ since desegregation
Sixty years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in schools violated the Constitution, and DeKalb County school Superintendent Michael Thurmond said “phenomenal progress” resulted, though poverty continues to contribute to educational inequality.
In an address at the Commerce Club in downtown Atlanta Wednesday, Thurmond, who is black and grew up in poverty with an illiterate father but attended a newly desegregated high school, said his life is evidence that the controversial decree in Brown v. Board of Education “transformed and rescued” the lives of millions of blacks. Ty Tagami
Police investigate man shot in car
DeKalb police are looking for suspects, after a man was found in a car suffering from a gunshot wound Thursday.
The man was discovered in a vehicle near the intersection of Snapfinger Woods Drive and Miller Road, according to Channel 2 Action News. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, police told the TV station. Michelle E. Shaw
Hepatitis C virus testing at event
Free testing for the Hepatitis C virus offered 10 a.m. Saturday at Walgreens, 2945 Panola Road, Lithonia.
Empowerment Resource Center’s Hepatitis Tattooing Risk Awareness and Prevention Outreach is taking place to increase awareness and encourage prevention as part of Hepatitis Awareness Month.
Information: www.erc-inc.org Kent A. Miles for the AJC
Dunwoody opens new park Saturday
Dunwoody will host a grand opening of the new Georgetown Park Saturday.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the park, 4000 Dunwoody Park Dr. and features games, food trucks, face painting, a bounce house, bocce and other activities. April Hunt
Nursing care group to host pageant
The Georgia Health Care Association will celebrate 21 women for their lifetime achievements at its annual pageant at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort, 4021 Lakeview Drive, Stone Mountain.
The contestants, ranging in age from 55 to 97, will vie for the crown of Miss Georgia Health Care Association 2014. The association represents long-term and post-acute care providers throughout the state. Information: www.ghca.info
Kent A. Miles for the AJC
SOUTHSIDE
Fayette County offers summer internships
The Fayette County government is again offering summer internships to rising high school juniors and seniors.
The program will run July 7-Aug. 4 and offers career-related work experience through supervised community-based projects.
Applications are at www.fayettecountyga.gov and must be submitted by June 2. Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Rose Show coming to Fayetteville
The South Metro Rose Society’s annual Rose Show will be open free to the public 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Fayetteville Church of Christ, 870 Redwine Road, Fayetteville.
Hundreds of flowers and arrangements will be displayed and judged, and experts will be available to answer questions.
The event also includes bouquet sales and a raffle.
Information: 770-631-3885. Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Fayette kindergarten enrollment ends today
Enrollment for Fayette County’s public kindergarten program is open through May 16. Children must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1 to be eligible.
Parents must complete the online registration form before bringing the required residency documents to the Welcome Center.
Information: “Student Registration” at www.fcboe.org. Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Fayetteville hosts food, art and history shows
Fayette Fine Art Show is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday in the downtown square. The Taste of Fayette food showcase is noon-5 p.m. Sunday. The nearby Holliday-Dorsey-Fife Museum will have costumed re-enactors and historic trade displays both days. Information: www.fayetteville-ga.gov. Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Southern Conservation Trust seeks comments
As part of its effort to gain national accreditation with the Land Trust Alliance, the Southern Conservation Trust is seeking public comments about its performance. Information pertaining to the SCT’s standards and operations can be submitted at www.landtrustaccreditation.org or info@landtrustaccreditation.org by June 1.
Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Henry seniors awarded scholarships
Four graduating seniors in the Henry County School System have been named National Achievement Scholarship winners. Briana Young and Eric Dyer, both of Dutchtown High School, and Ashlyn Oakes and Jacinta McDonald, both of Woodland High School, are among approximately 800 black students across the country - out of more than 160,000 applicants - to receive the $2,500 scholarship this year. Also, Austin Peete of Dutchtown is receiving the Gates Millennium Scholarship, one of only 1,000 given annually and which provides funding for a student’s undergraduate work until graduation. Information: www.henry.k12.ga.us.
Monroe Roark for the AJC
