County by county news for Saturday

The plan would carry the college through 2017 and set it on a path to “become a nationally recognized university,” Papp said.

The college is the fourth-largest in the University System of Georgia and enrolls more than 24,000 students.

The school is in varying stages of development with several buildings including a new dorm, a second dining hall, a $35 million student recreation center and a $20.3 million education building. Laura Diamond

Tax office to swear in new chief clerk

Carla Jackson will be sworn in Monday as the new chief clerk of Cobb County’s Tax Commissioner’s office.

She was appointed by Tax Commissioner Gail Downing to replace Tori Steele, who recently retired. Jackson joined the Cobb office in 2003, and has served as business services manager. The public swearing-in ceremony beings at 11 a.m. in Courtroom 2000 in the Cobb Superior Court building, 70 Haynes St. in Marietta. Janel Davis

YMCA to hold Healthy Kids Day

The McCleskey-East Cobb YMCA will hold Healthy Kids Day on Sunday, with a free community event for Cobb families.

Health Kids Day is a national initiative of the Y to improve the health and well-being of kids, and help parents improve their kids’ lifestyles.

The event will feature the Atlanta Braves Bat Team and Kids Zumba.

It runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the center, 1055 E. Piedmont Road in Marietta. Information: 770-977-5991; www.ymcaatlanta.org Janel Davis

Austell hearing on redistricting Monday

The first of two public hearings to better balance Austell’s population among the four City Council wards will be Monday during the City Council meeting. The 7 p.m. meeting will be at City Hall, 2716 Broad St. SW. The first plan from private consultant Linda Meggers was voted down unanimously on July 11 by the council.

Instead the current ward lines for the Nov. 8 city elections were maintained.

This second plan also is from Meggers. Information: clerk@austell.org or 770-944-4326. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Food trucks head for Kennesaw

Kennesaw’s Downtown Development Authority will bring more dining out options to the city’s downtown on Mondays through the fall at Depot Park on Cherokee Street. Kennesaw is partnering with several food trucks that will locate at the park starting 5 to 8 p.m. Monday. Selections include cheese steaks, barbecue, Puerto Rican and Cajun food and gelato. Tucker McQueen for the AJC

Powder Springs auction begins Monday

Powder Springs will bid several items online Monday through April 9.

They include an electric generator, safety vests and 12 categories of parts from police department equipment, according to the city’s website at cityofpowdersprings.org.

Those interested may register to bid for free at GovDeals.com. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

GWINNETT

Motorcyclist dead for days before he was found

A motorcyclist discovered dead Thursday evening along a Gwinnett County roadway was apparently killed in a crash that occurred days earlier, police said. Gwinnett police Cpl. Edwin Ritter said James Etheridge was riding a motorcycle east on Mount Moriah Road near Auburn when he “was unable to negotiate a left curve in the road and struck a guardrail.” Ritter said Etheridge, 39, of Duluth, then continued down an embankment and struck several small trees. “It is believed that the driver had been deceased for at least a couple of days before being discovered,” Ritter said. Mike Morris

Grayson Tech offers camp for students

All rising 7th, 8th and 9th graders in Gwinnett County Public Schools can explore career options with Grayson Technical Education teachers at a four-day camp that runs June 11-14. Students will complete hands-on projects related to a career field and have opportunities to have fun and be creative. The robotics program is offered from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Transportation and meals are not provided. For more info, go to the Grayson Technical Education Program’s website. Nancy Badertscher

Schools host 5K race for Relay for Life

Gwinnett County Public Schools is hosting a 5K race to benefit Relay for Life. The race is set for 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on April 14 at the Instructional Support Center, Building 200 in Suwanee. Participants who register by April 2 will receive a race t-shirt. Prizes will be awarded to age group winners. Info: 678-301-6076. Nancy Badertscher

Deal to throw first pitch at Norcross High

Gov. Nathan Deal is soon to be pitching, rather than politicking. He’s scheduled to throw out the first ball at the Norcross High School baseball game on April 16. He’ll do that in recognition of the school’s scholar athlete baseball player, Chris Raasch. Nancy Badertscher

School board to meet at Collins Hill school

Members of the Gwinnett County school board hold the third in a series of area board meetings on April 10 at Collins Hill High School in board member Dan Seckinger’s district. The series of meetings kicked off March 27 at South Gwinnett High School. The last two meetings are: April 12 at Meadowcreek High in board member Louise Radloff’s district and April 17 at Duluth High in Dr. Mary Kay Murphy’s district. All meetings start at 7 p.m. Nancy Badertscher

Aurora serves Spanish language comedy

Aurora Theatre will continue its Harvel Lab Series with a Spanish language production of El Insólito Caso de Miss Piña Colada (The Preposterous Case of Miss Piña Colada). The show, a comedy about a widow “trying to keep up appearances in the midst of diminishing fortunes,” will run from April 12 through April 29. Tickets are $15.The Harvel Lab Series includes three shows produced as a part of Teatro Del Sol, the Aurora’s Spanish language theatre initiative. Information: 678-226-6222 or www.auroratheatre.com. Joel Anderson

NORTHSIDE

Two more arrests in beating, kidnapping

Two more arrests have been made in the beating and kidnapping of Lyndon Baines Smith from the Bridgemill subdivision of Canton on March 4. A Cleburn County, Ala., deputy found Smith, 46, in the trunk of his own car after a traffic stop. The driver, Melvin Floyd, 22, was arrested and released from the Cherokee jail on March 17 on $88,800 bond. U.S. Marshals on Thursday arrested Will Cortez Robinson, 24, and Robert Silva Jr., 22, both of Atlanta. They are being held without bond on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery and kidnapping. Andria Simmons

Canton breaks ground on streetscape

Canton city officials broke ground this week on a project aimed at providing a more esthetically pleasing entrance to the city’s downtown. The project will begin on West Main Street at Academy Street and continue on Waleska Street to Marietta Highway, featuring sidewalk improvements as well as enhanced street lighting, landscaping and curbing and guttering. City Engineer Joby West says completion is set for late summer or early fall. Mark Woolsey for the AJC

Man arrested in gas station shooting

Roswell police have arrested a suspect in a Thursday afternoon shooting at a gas station that left a man wounded.

A man and woman at a Chevron station at Holcomb Bridge and Old Dogwood roads told police a man approached them just before 3:30 p.m. holding what they thought was a toy gun, Officer Lisa Holland with Roswell police said. But it was a real gun, and the suspect shot and wounded James Landingham before running off into nearby woods, police said.

Landingham’s gunshot wound was not life-threatening, police said.

Police arrested Lorenzo James Leftenant, 23, of Alpharetta, and charged him with aggravated assault. Mike Morris

Forsyth unveils drug take back box

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office this week unveiled its Prescription Drug Take Back Box . The boxes are designed as a place to drop off of unwanted prescription drugs from households, no questions asked. The drugs are then incinerated. The box is located inside the department’s South Precinct, 2985 Ronald Reagan Blvd., and is accessible from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The program was made possible by a grant from Georgia’s National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, and is in addition to several other drug dropoff points previously set up in the county. Mark Woolsey for the AJC

Reinhardt honors distinguished alumni

Reinhardt University in Waleska honored several graduates at its recent Talon Awards ceremony. Dr. Franklin R. Croker of Marietta, a 1954 product of the school, was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year for his more than 30 years as a Cobb County Schools teacher and administrator, and for his volunteer service on behalf of Reinhardt. A 1994 graduate, Chanda Aebersold Bell, was honored as Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year. Bell, of Snellville, is a writer, business co-owner, and public speaker. Mark Woolsey for the AJC

ATLANTA

Latino leaders rally for Chavez holiday

Latino elected officials gathered in the South Atrium of the state Capitol at midday Friday for their fifth annual rally in support of making the birthday of farm worker leader Cesar E. Chavez a national holiday.

Members of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) Leadership Council attended along with many prominent Georgians, including state Rep. Pedro Marin, Georgia AFL-CIO President Charlie Flemming and GALEO Executive Director Jerry Gonzalez.

Also on hand were winners of the 2012 Cesar Chavez Essay Contest sponsored by GALEO. Andria Simmons

Good Friday Pilgrimage starts at Capitol

The 32nd annual Good Friday Pilgrimage begins at 9 a.m. April 6 at the state Capitol and follows a new shorter route. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory will be leading the event.

The pilgrimage ends on Auburn Avenue at the grave sites of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King. Bus rides will be available back to the Capitol. Nancy Badertscher

Downtown cleanup challenge April 24

Roll-up your sleeves and join Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and others for the first Downtown Atlanta Earth Day Cleanup Challenge from 9 a.m. to noon on April 24. The EPA, city of Atlanta, Sustainable Atlanta and Central Atlanta Progress are hosts. Gwen Keyes Fleming, EPA Region 4 administrator, said this event will demonstrate that “we can all make a difference and, together, we can make a really big difference.” Nancy Badertscher

Garden Hills open up pool membership

The Garden Hills Pool & Park Association in Buckhead has opened its membership to any city of Atlanta resident. Members do not pay the usual daily admission fee and enjoy extended seasonal and daily pool hours, as well as special pool events. Purchase online at www.gardenhillspool.com. Info: 404-848-7220. H.M. Cauley for the AJC

DEKALB

Schools appoint new chief financial officer

A new chief financial officer has arrived just in time to help craft next year’s budget for the DeKalb County School District.

The school board voted Thursday to appoint Michael Perrone to the job, based on the recommendation of Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson.

Atkinson issued a statement saying Perrone, who was CFO for the Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Fla., will help implement a better budgeting processes. Atkinson sidelined former CFO Marcus Turk around the New Year, assigning him to special projects. Ty Tagami

Settlement may free Avondale Estates land

Avondale Estates mayor Ed Rieker said this week court action may soon affect the Century Retail property that’s been tied up in bankruptcy for nearly two years. The protracted litigation has removed the Century-owned 5.29 downtown acres from any new development possibilities. But Rieker said, “Many of us believe that we are within weeks of hearing of the resolution of this process and which commercial developer might be the new owner of this previously encumbered property.” Totaled, the city has 18.43 acres, or 37 percent of its total property sitting empty or undeveloped. Bill Banks for the AJC

Business leaders shadow principals

Fifty business leaders learned what it’s like to run a school when they “shadowed” principals for a morning.

The event on Thursday was arranged by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and the DeKalb County School District, with the purpose of educating the community about school goals and performance measures. Each business person was paired with a principal, and followed them through the school. Ty Tagami

Festival at Stone Mountain Village today

Stone Mountain Village will host a Blue Grassroots Music & Arts Festival along Main Street today. Self-taught artists will display their wares and dozens of bluegrass musicians and country dance teams will perform, including the Bruce Weeks Family Band, Grass Backwards, Pool Mountain, The Apostles of Bluegrass, Culliton, Dean and Hall with Jared Lanham, Cedar Hill and Facing South. Info: www.stonemountainvillage.com Andria Simmons

Community garden workshop today

DeKalb County Commissioner Kathie Gannon and CEO are hosting a community gardening workshop today.The session will include training on how to get permits for such gardens and basic vegetable gardening.

The free event runs from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today at Georgia Perimeter College’s Decatur campus, 3251 Panthersville Road. Lunch will be provided. Information: 404-371-2881. April Hunt

NAACP membership breakfast today

The DeKalb County branch of the NAACP is hosting its annual membership breakfast this morning near Decatur. Tickets are $30 for the breakfast, which includes a presentation by Charmine Ward, president of the National Black MBA Association. The breakfast begins at 9 a.m. at the Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church, 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway. Information: 404-241-8006. April Hunt

SOUTHSIDE

Fulton may get vote on Sunday alcohol sales

Fulton County voters may see the Sunday sales question on ballots this summer, asking whether stores in the unincorporated area south of Atlanta should have the right to sell alcohol seven days per week. South Fulton Commissioner Bill Edwards said he will seek to add a referendum to July 31 primary ballots, which will require a commission vote. Under state law, entire counties must decide the issue for unincorporated areas. More than 90 percent of Fulton’s population lives in cities. Only Fairburn and Mountain Park haven’t voted, and Palmetto voters said no. Johnny Edwards

Attorneys to explain copyright issues

Attorney’s David Moore and John Nelson will be sharing a wealth of legal knowledge on the thorny issue of copyrights with local artists and guests at the Fine Arts and Crafts Entrepreneurs meeting.

The meeting will be 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church, 316 Peachtree Parkway North, Peachtree City.

Information: Janet McGregor Dunn at 404-290-3638 or visit www.FAACE.org. Kenneth Musisi

College Park court offers amnesty period

An estimated 1,200 delinquent citation in the College Park court system may be eligible for fee waivers during a 60-day amnesty period.

College Park announced a 60-day amnesty program April 1 through May 31. Individuals who received citations in College Park and have failed to appear in court qualify for the program.

The amnesty program applies to any and all outstanding tickets regardless of date. Offenders will be required to pay the ticket in full to have the $134 arrest warrant fees waived and the failure to appear charges dismissed.

Felony infractions do not qualify for the amnesty program. John Thompson for the AJC

Booth students head for science competition

For the 13th consecutive year, the Science Olympiad team from J.C. Booth Middle School is heading to the national championship.

Booth is one of two teams that will represent Georgia on May 18-19 at the University of Central Florida.

The 15-member group won the state championship this year after a close 23-event competition in projects involving technology, engineering, chemistry, and earth, space, physical, social and life science.

The Booth team placed third in the nation last year. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Henry student art goes on display

Artwork from 47 Henry County students is on display in the county’s Administration Building, thanks to an arts initiative launched two years ago by the Board of Commissioners, Board of Education and a local arts coalition.

The pieces were selected by various art teachers in the county’s public schools. The students were recognized March 20 at the commission’s regular meeting, where they were each presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for their creativity and artistic talent, and for sharing their work with the community. Monroe Roark for the AJC