County by county news for Friday

The seventh annual event will include a professionally catered after-show reception and presentations of instrumental music, visual arts and theater performances by the students, said Dr. Fredrick B. Harris, the school’s principal.

Sold in advance, tickets are $5 for the 7 p.m. program and reception or $20 for a 5:45 p.m. VIP reception at the school, 5235 Austell-Powder Springs Road.

Information: 770-819-2466. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Meeting for prospective foster parents Feb. 9

Cobb County will hold a meeting for prospective foster parents on Feb. 9 in Marietta.

Georgia has more than 7,000 children in foster care at any give time. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Cobb Department of Family and Children Services, 325 S. Fairground St. in Marietta.

Information: Cindy Teate, 770-319-3712 Janel Davis

Cobb retired educators to meet Feb. 9

The Cobb Marietta Retired Educators Association will meet for its monthly meeting on Feb. 9 with a special discussion on Native American Elders. Kate Finch, president of the state retired educators group, was the speaker for the January meeting, and Jane Wierengo will lead February’s discussion. The meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. in the Freeman Poole Multipurpose Center, 4025 South Hurt Road in Smyrna. Lunch: $9. RSVP: Debbie Overstreet, debbybob@comcast.net; Information: www.cmrea.org Janel Davis

Powder Springs work session to be Monday

Powder Springs Mayor Patricia Vaughn and the City Council will meet at 5 p.m. Monday instead of Wednesday for their work session.They will convene in the second floor conference room of City Hall, 4484 Marietta St., Powder Springs.

Then they will move next door to the Council Chambers, 4488 Pineview Drive for their 7 p.m. voting meeting.

Information: 770-943-1666. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Fundraiser for heart patient Feb. 18

Volunteers are hosting a Monica’s Heart Beats Gala fundraiser Feb. 18 from 7 to 11 p.m. at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, 3431 Trickum Rd. in Marietta, to pay for medical costs for Marietta heart patient Monica McFarlan. Admission is $75 a person or $125 a couple and includes dinner, dancing, and more. Sponsors include Mrs. Delton Nyman, Joy A. Maxey, M.D., J.D. and Deanna McFarlan, Three-13 Salon and Spa and Flynn Marketing Group, Inc. Information: 404-310-4380 Jeffry Scott

Step show teams to perform at academy

Lindley 6th Grade Academy will host a competition of all-male step show teams in the metro Atlanta area and one visiting team from South Carolina as part of festivities for Black History Month. The Feb. 10 event will cap several shows -- including an oratorical contest and poetry slam -- intended to explore the social, academic and historical aspects of black history. The step show is 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the gym of the school, 1550 Pebblebrook Circle, Mableton. Ty Tagami

GWINNETT

TV news photo leads to robbery suspect

A tipster who watched TV news led Gwinnett County authorities to a woman who allegedly robbed a SunTrust Bank in unincorporated Duluth, police said Thursday. Johnette Denise Pinkerton, 58, is charged with the Tuesday robbery of the SunTrust at 2171 Pleasant Hill Road. A woman walked into the bank about 1:30 p.m. and presented a teller a note demanding money, police said. The woman was given about $3,000 cash. She was seen leaving in a light-colored passenger car. The woman was arrested without incident at her home on Country Court in Lawrenceville and is being held without bond. David Ibata

Evermore CID selects landscaper

The Evermore Community Improvement District has selected Russell Landscape Group to provide landscape maintenance along the Highway 78 corridor for 2012.

Russell’s crews will start providing service in February and continue four times a month from March through October. They will reduce service from November through February.

The crews will also collect litter and illegal signage and keep the curbs edged and weeded throughout the year. Joel Anderson

Gwinnett ballet hires artistic director

The Board of Directors of Gwinnett Ballet Theatre, a pre-professional non-profit dance organization, announced the hiring of Wade Walthall as the Artistic Director. Walthall is a former principal dancer whose experience extends to the world of pre-professional ballet companies.

Walthall will be premiering his first production Cinderella on March 3 at the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center.

Information: www.gwinnettballet.org or 770-978-0188. Kenneth Musisi

County spelling bee to be Saturday

The Gwinnett County Spelling Bee will be held tomorrow Saturday in Lawrenceville.

The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Central Gwinnett High School, 564 W. Crogan Street.

Ninety-two students will participate. Registration begins at 7:15 a.m.

The top 12 spellers will move on to represent the system in the District 3 Bee on Feb. 25. D. Aileen Dodd

Blood drive in Snellville Feb. 10

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Centerville Community Center, 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville. Participants must bring photo identification. To make an appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org. Information: 770-985-4713. David Wickert

County to host basketball tournament

Gwinnett County will host a three-on-three basketball tournament at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Best Friend Park Gym, 6224 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross.

Four-member middle school, high school and adult teams will compete for prizes. The cost is $35 per team for Gwinnett residents and $50 per team for non-residents. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 770-417-2212. David Wickert

NORTHSIDE

Fulton ask legislature to adjust fiscal year

The Fulton commission is formally asking the state legislature to repeal a law forcing the county’s fiscal year to run from January to December. The county sets its budget, projecting revenues, in January, but property taxes usually aren’t due until the fall.

Starting the year in October, as the commission wants to do, would create a clearer financial picture, likely ending the pattern where deficits get plugged with massive dips into reserves. Chairman John Eaves said the anomaly makes Fulton appear to be struggling, unfairly making it a media target. Johnny Edwards

Alpharetta man killed in wreck

Alpharetta Police on Thursday identified Jason Dapice, 36, of Alpharetta, as the driver killed on Wednesday in a single-vehicle crash on Cumming Street.

Dapice was driving eastbound on Cumming Street near Clairmont Avenue at around 11:41 p.m. when his Toyota Corolla left the roadway and struck a telephone pole. The car caught fire. Dapice was pulled from the wreckage and transported to North Fulton Hospital, where he later died. The crash investigation is continuing, said Alpharetta Police spokesman George Gordon. Andria Simmons

Firefighter arrested on drug charges

A Cherokee County firefighter was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing and selling painkillers from an ambulance.

Cherokee County fire officials found tampered medicine vials on a county ambulance and reported the discovery to police. Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (CMANS) agents conducted an undercover operation and arrested firefighter Johnathan Wayne Thomas, 34, of Canton. He is being held without bond at the Cherokee jail on charges of selling hydrocodone, felony possession of marijuana and possession of controlled substances. Andria Simmons

Panel recommends changes in elections

A Cherokee County Blue Ribbon committee recommended that the county’s legislative delegation change the way school board members are elected. The delegation may take action over the next few days on the proposal that has to be approved by the legislature.

Under the new plan board members will be elected only by voters in their district and the board chairman will be elected countywide.

Now voters in the eastern district elect Posts 1 and 2, and voters in the western district elect posts 3 and 4. The board picks the chairman. Jeffry Scott

Woodstock looks for new CFO

Woodstock Chief Financial Officer Henry Bucci resigned last week and the city has begun a search for a new CFO. Bucci worked for Woodstock for about four years.

The decision was made by the city council in executive session after its regular meeting Jan. 23. Bucci’s last day was three days later, Jan. 26.

During the regular public meeting that night Mayor Donnie Henriques delivered his State of the City address, telling the audience last year Woodstock received it’s 18th Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Jeffry Scott

ATLANTA

Woman, boyfriend get life for killing man

A woman and her boyfriend were given life sentences Wednesday for fatally gunning down a neighbor over a dog, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors said Renita Collins, 33, confronted Keith Jacobs, 29, in his Addison Place front yard the night of March 2, claiming his dog had chased her around the neighborhood off Hollywood Road in Atlanta.

Prosecutors said both Collins and her boyfriend Michael Stallworth, 34, approached Jacobs’ home firing their weapons, striking Jacobs in the head.

Jurors returned guilty verdicts against Collins and Stallworth on Wednesday morning. Christopher Seward

Commission honors Westlake girls’ team

The Fulton commission honored the Westlake High School girls basketball team, declaring Wednesday team appreciation day, for playing in four final four state playoff games and being region champs four times since 1995.

The proclamation also honored team member Aisha Turner for being named to the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association South All-Star Team and winning a scholarship to Clemson University, among other achievements.

Coach Hilda Hankerson was cited for seeing 50 players win basketball scholarships and being Region Coach of the Year four times. Johnny Edwards

Children’s Healthcare wins safety award

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta recently won a quality and patient safety award for a project that has reduced central line associated blood stream infections.

The Partnership for Health and Accountability, a subsidiary of the Georgia Hospital Association, awarded the health care system second place in the infection prevention and control category.

The Children’s program showed a 72.6 percent reduction in infection during the six years it has been in place. The annual awards recognize providers for reducing medical errors and improving patient safety. Misty Williams

DEKALB

Kudzu, weeds expensive for county

Weeds and kudzu around DeKalb County detention ponds will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next year and a half.

The county recently agreed to pay Charity Lawn and Turf Care of Decatur up to $275,000 to spray herbicides along the ponds the county controls. The contract is good through May 2013 and covers all county road and drainage properties. April Hunt

Decatur schools begin registration

Registration began this week for new students planning to attend Decatur schools. Assistant Superintendent Thomas van Soelen encourages parents to register children early because “the earlier you register, the greater probability of your child attending the school closest to your home.” The school system’s Enrollment and Facilities Use Committee has predicted a 12 percent enrollment increase for 2012-13. Registration’s at the Central Office at Westchester, 758 Scott Boulevard, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 404-370-4400. Bill Banks for the AJC

Emory program to bring Chinese prosecutors

A new master’s degree program designed to teach the evidentiary and advocacy standards of the American criminal law system will bring Chinese prosecutors to Emory University in spring 2013.

The master’s of comparative law degree is a partnership between Emory University School of Law and Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s KoGuan Law School. It is designed for Chinese criminal prosecutors, as well as a pool of experienced criminal lawyers and KoGuan graduate students who have passed China’s national judicial examination. Andria Simmons

Outsourcing medical tests saves money

DeKalb County recently approved outsourcing its medical tests for would-be employees, a move that will save the county about $200,000 a year.

The county had paid about $400,000 to conduct physicals and drug/alcohol screenings on job candidates.

The county recently agreed to pay Caduceus Occupational Medicine of Hapeville $241,100 annually for the same work. The contract expires next January but can be renewed for up to three years. April Hunt

Lincoln Day Dinner features Sen. Isakson

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson will be the guest speaker at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner Feb. 18 at Druid Hills Golf Club.

The event is sponsored by the North DeKalb Breakfast Forum. The club is at 740 Clifton Road N.E., Atlanta. Tickets are $50 per person. Reservations must be made by Feb. 14.

For information: 770-934-1365. Laurie Hoffman

Watson to hold monthly breakfast

Stan Watson, an at-large county commissioner in DeKalb, will host his monthly legislative breakfast this weekend with an address from Gwen Keyes Fleming, the former county district attorney who now serves as the regional director of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The breakfast is from 9-11 a.m. Saturday at Chapel Hill Middle School on Dogwood Farms Road in South DeKalb. Registration is not required. April Hunt

SOUTHSIDE

Six Fayette math students earn math awards

Students from all six Fayette County middle schools earned eight of 12 awards at the recent Griffin RESA Middle School Regional Math Contest.

Bennett’s Mill and Fayette County middle schools earned first and second place, respectively, in Division I; Flat Rock and Whitewater placed second and third in Division II; and J.C. Booth and Rising Starr won first and second place in Division III.

Jihon Shin and Shiori Ito, both from Booth, placed second and third in the individual competition. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Father charged with murder of son

Charges have been upgraded to murder for the father of a 13-month-old Clayton County boy who was taken off life support Monday after suffering severe injuries.

Ryan Edwards, 34, remained in the Clayton County Jail without bond Thursday, charged with murder, child cruelty and aggravated battery.

Mikkah Brown was found unresponsive by his mother, Toni Brown, when she returned home from work Friday. The toddler had been left in his father’s care, Channel 2 Action News said. Angel K. Brooks

Voter registration deadline is March 6

Monday is the registration deadline for Fayette County voters who want to vote in the presidential preference primary on March 6, Early voting for that election runs Feb. 13 -- March 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, at the elections office at the Fayette County Administrative Complex, 140 Stonewall Ave. West, Suite 209A, Fayetteville. Saturday voting will be Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the complex. Advance voting will be at the Peachtree City Library and Tyrone Town Hall. Feb. 27-March 2.. Details for voting locations: www.sos.ga.gov/mvp. Tammy Joyner

Clayton offers citizens police academy

The Clayton County Police Department is looking for people interested in its Citizen Police Academy, which will start a new 10-week-long training session on Feb. 23. Classes will meet 6:30-8:30 p.m. every Thursday through May 3 at the Clayton County Police Department.Call 770-472-8028 or 770-477-3539 or email community.affairs@co.clayton.ga.us to register. Rhonda Cook

Boy Scouts launch food drive

Boy Scouts in Peachtree City will be “Scouting for Food” starting Saturday. .

Local troops will be dropping off bags to be filled with nonperishable food donations, which will be picked up on Feb. 11. Donations will be given to the Real Life Center food bank in Tyrone. Call 770-631-9334 for information. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Holmes to host town hall meeting

Henry County District 5 Commissioner Bruce Holmes is hosting a town hall meeting Feb. 18, at 9 a.m. at the Fairview Recreation Center, 35 Austin Road in Stockbridge. State Sen. Emanuel Jones and State Reps. Rahn Mayo and Sandra Scott will provide a legislative update. County elections director Janet Shellnutt will talk about this year’s local elections. Monroe Roark for the AJC