County by county news for Saturday

The county moved the two operations into a renovated shopping center it purchased and renovated along Powder Springs Street in 2009. The plan was to sell the old county buildings to help offset the cost of renovations, but the down economy delayed the property sales.

If approved by Commissioners on Tuesday, the county will begin advertising the sale on April 15, with proposals to be opened May 3. Asking price for the properties is $3.5 million. Janel Davis

Chattahoochee Tech honors late teacher

Jane Matthews, a teacher at The Goddard School of Kennesaw who died March 21 after a battle with cancer, was honored by Chattahoochee Technical College for her commitment to early childhood education. The college awarded her an honorary degree and created a yearly scholarship in her name. The Goddard School owner Kay Erathara is also hosting a science fair and Easter egg hunt April 23 dedicated to her memory. The fair will be a fundraiser for cancer research. Jaime Sarrio

Shuler Hensley Awards to be April 26

The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation will present the third annual Shuler Hensley Awards for excellence in high school musical theater on April 26.

Nominations were announced this week for awards in 15 categories to be handed out to area high school students performing in musicals ranging from “Oklahoma!” to “The Wiz.” For a list of nominees: http://www.shulerawards.org/ Janel Davis

Parking spaces added to Marietta Square

Finding a place to park around the Marietta Square may be a little easier now after a restriping project added six regular parking spaces and a seventh handicapped parking space. The 2-hour, free parking spaces are at the northeast corners of East Park Square and Roswell Street and North Park Square and Church Street, and the northwest corner of West Park Square and Whitlock Avenue. Tucker McQueen

Kennesaw adds trash truck with robotic arm

Kennesaw has added a trash truck with a robotic arm that can grab and empty rubbish cans while the driver operates it with a video-game-like joy stick. The idea is that robotic arm can empty trash quicker than people and it should improve efficiency. But there’s a hitch. The city wants residents make sure that their trash cans are within 5-feet of the curb, at least 3-feet away from mailboxes and about 12 feet away from parked cars to avoid mishaps. Rich McKay

Austell approves sidewalk upgrades

Austell City Council members have approved $14,200 in sidewalk improvements.

The Eastside Drive project involves 650 linear feet from Veterans Memorial Highway to the dead end, according to Randy Bowens, public works director.

Classic Curb, Inc. was awarded the contract Monday night by the Austell City Council.

The project will be funded by SPLOST, the special purpose local option sales tax, Bowens added. Carolyn Cunningham

GWINNETT

Schools seek teachers in critical needs areas

The Gwinnett County school system is looking for teachers in the critical needs areas of math, science and special education. An invitation-only job fair will be held April 16 from 8 a.m. to noon at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee.

Teachers who hold certificates or will be certified by Fall 2011 will be eligible to attend.

The same holds for job seekers who have passed both GACE Basic Skills and GACE Content Assessment in these fields are also eligible to attend.

Nancy Badertscher

Sierra Club to hold tree planting event

The Greater Gwinnett Group of the Sierra Club will hold its second-annual Earth Day Tree Planting event on April 20.

The event will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at Camp Creek Elementary near Parkview High School in Lilburn.

The club will also have a picnic celebrating Earth Day on April 23 following its monthly stream monitoring event.

Information: Beth Remmes at bremmes@hotmail.com or Tom Morrissey at 404-513-4069 or thmorrissey@bellsouth.net. Joel Anderson

Adopt-a-Stream celebrates anniversary

The Greater Gwinnett Group of the Sierra Club will celebrate three years of the Suwanee Creek Adopt-a-Stream program on April 21.

The meeting will start at 7 p.m. at Berkmark High School.

The program will feature Brian Sterner, coordinator of the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center and Gwinnett County Adopt-a-Stream. Dr. Michael Beach will present data from the Suwanee Creek monitoring program and discuss the implications.

Information: Tom Morrissey at 404-513-4069 or thmorrissey@bellsouth.net.

Joel Anderson

Norcross farmers market starts May 17

The Whistle Stop Farmers Market in downtown Norcross will start up again May 17.

The market will be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Tuesday near Thrasher Park on Buchanan Street.

Organizers said the market will run through mid-October.

Information: www.whistlestopfarmersmarket.com. Joel Anderson

Spring break in Norcross a day at the beach

Spring Break in Norcross takes place April 16 at Lillian Webb Park. For the second year in a row, the park takes on a beach feel with fun activities for the whole family -- everything from volleyball to rock climbing to water fun and eating. This year, the city’s introducing a beach volleyball tournament. Live music and dancing follow. The fun starts at 1:30 p.m. Nancy Badertscher

Library needs Facebook friends to get free books

The Gwinnett County Public Library is seeking Facebook fans to help it win more than 1,600 “Dummies” books.

Publisher John Wiley & Sons has launched a national contest to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the “For Dummies” series. The library with the most Facebook fans on April 30 will win. The link: www.gwinnettpl.org. David Wickert

NORTHSIDE

SunTrust loses bid to keep Forsyth’s business

A SunTrust Bank representative Thursday night urged the Forsyth County Commission to follow the recommendation of county staff and give the county’s bank business to SunTrust, not United Community Bank, which commissioners voted 4-1 to approve (Jim Boff opposed) in their last work session. According to the proposals, United Community Bank will charge Forsyth County $30,000 to $50,000 a year for services SunTrust said it would provide for no charge. The commission voted 2-1 to give the business the United Community Bank. Jim Boff opposed. Jeffry Scott

Fulton Arts & Music Expo set for April 16

FAME, Fulton Arts & Music Expo is set for April 16 at Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs. Award-winning musicians will provide clinics on various instruments and elements of the music profession. A “super panel” of music professions will discuss career opportunities. Tickets are $5. The festival runs from noon to 6 p.m. The school is located at 5900 Raider Drive. Preregister for the clinics: www.fultonschools.org/FAME. Nancy Badertscher

Forsyth strikes ‘public reprimand’ of citizens

Many of the same people who opposed proposed amendments to Forsyth County’s ethics ordinance at a public hearing in March rose again Thursday night and won a concession from the three commissioners in attendance. They voted 2-1 (Jim Boff opposed) to adopt proposed amendments to the Ethics Ordinance and strike the “public reprimand” of citizens who filed “frivolous” complaints. Jeffry Scott

Motorcycle ride for charity today

The NobleHeroes Foundation, a nonprofit that helps severely injured and disabled public safety officers, will stage a police-escorted motorcycle ride for charity in Alpharetta today, starting at 11 a.m. at North Point Community Church, 4350 North Point Pkwy. Sign-in and late registration starts at 9 a.m. at the church. The cost is $25 per bike and $10 per extra rider. Johnny Edwards

Johns Creek dog park upgrade begins

Construction is under way on a $500,000 upgrade to the dog park at Newtown Park in Johns Creek. The improvements are courtesy of Beneful. In a nationwide competition, the dog food company selected a video by Johns Creek resident Pat McNeely about features in an ideal dog park. Many of McNeely’s ideas will be incorporated into the renovation. Patrick Fox

Charity groups get second chance at grants

Twenty-six charity groups whose applications for Fulton County’s FRESH grants were rejected because they submitted the wrong audit reports will get a second chance next week. The county commission, on a motion from Liz Hausmann, voted to give them 48 hours to submit the right documents.

Hausmann said that after two nonprofits from Sandy Springs and Roswell told her they were disqualified over paperwork errors, she discovered that the time frame for required audits had changed and that dozens of groups made similar mistakes. Johnny Edwards

ATLANTA

Police to swear in 26 new officers

Atlanta Police will swear in 26 recruits on Wednesday.

Recruit Class No. 217 will receive their badges at a ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Atlanta Police Training Academy on Southside Industrial Parkway.

The new officers will be sent to field training Wednesday night to begin their patrol duties with senior officers, police spokeswoman Officer Kim Jones said. Megan Matteucci

Rapist sentenced to life in prison

A man who raped a woman he picked up hitch-hiking in May 2010 has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said.

Eddie Reid, 29, sexually assaulted and attacked the woman after picking her up along Jonesboro Road and then threw her out of a window, prosecutors said. When she played dead, Reid drove away, but he returned and abducted her again. Ultimately, the woman, 26, got Reid to take her to the hospital, prosecutors said, adding Reid was later arrested and the victim identified him in a line-up. Bill Rankin

Winslow hosts Saturday cleanups in April

For the next four Saturdays in April, Atlanta City Councilwoman Cleta Winslow will host a series of clean-ups in the West End community. Today and April 23, at 9 a.m. volunteers will gather at the Wren’s Nest, 1040 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard. On April 16, volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. at the Kroger Citi Center, 590 Cascade Avenue, S.W. On April 30, 2011 at 9 a.m., volunteers will meet at the Oakland City Recreation Center, 1305 Oakland Dr. Information: 404-330-6047. Ernie Suggs

Lowery to speak at Lindsay Street church

The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery will speak and sign copies of his book Sunday at the 2011 Men’s Day Celebration at Lindsay Street Baptist Church.

Lowery will speak at a 10 a.m. service Sunday at the church, 550 Lindsay St. NW. He will also sign copies of his new book, “Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land”. Shelia Poole

DEKALB

Gov. Deal fills judge vacancies in DeKalb

Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday appointed a Fulton County prosecutor and an Atlanta lawyer to fill two vacancies on the DeKalb State Court bench.

The judgeships went to Eleanor Ross, of Lithonia, an executive assistant district attorney in the Fulton DA’s Office, and Stacey Hydrick, of Dunwoody, a partner of the firm Hedrick Law. Ross succeeds Barbara Mobley, who resigned in February amid being investigated for alleged misconduct. Hydrick takes the place of Antonio DelCampo, who resigned in February. Bill Rankin

Historian Goodwin to lecture at Emory

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, a frequent television commentator, will lecture at Emory University on the lessons of history as drawn from the American presidents. Goodwin won the 1995 Pulitzer for “No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.” The 2011 Goodrich C. White Lecture is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Glenn Memorial Auditorium, 1660 N. Decatur Road. Free. Directions: http://bit.ly/glennmemorial Steve Visser

Speech pathologist indicted in fraud

A speech pathologist who provided therapy services to DeKalb County students has been indicted for Medicaid fraud. A DeKalb grand jury this week charged Kenneth A. Thisdale for allegedly submitting false Medicaid claims for more speech therapy services than he actually provided and for services that he never provided, the state Attorney General’s Office said. The indictment also said that Thisdale falsified patient charts to conceal the fraudulent billing. Bill Rankin

Grand opening today for resource center

DeKalb County will celebrate the grand opening of its OneDeKalb Neighborhood Resource Center, at 12:30 p.m., today at Northlake Mall, 4800 Briarcliff Rd. in Atlanta. The mission of OneDeKalb is to “preserve and enhance neighborhoods, empower people to make positive contributions, and bring government closer to citizens,” according to the program website. Michelle Shaw

Mutombo, wife honored to service work

NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo and his wife, Rose, will receive the “Raising Our Voices” Award from Refugee Family Services for their international community service work.

The Mutombos will receive the award during RFS’s annual “Taste of the World Gala” this weekend. The Stone Mountain nonprofit helps refugee women and children achieve self-sufficiency through education and economic opportunities.

Taste of the World will be at 6 p.m. today at the Atlanta Zoo, Ford Pavilion. Shelia Poole

Decatur school board to meet on Tuesday

The Decatur City school board will meet 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss regular business and plans for the 2011-2012 budget. The district is anticipating a $750,000 to $1 million reduction, and is considering salary freezes for all employees, possible reduction of the board’s contributions to health benefits, reduction in positions, reduction in school allotments and reductions in technology. The meeting will be held at 758 Scott Blvd. Decatur, 30030. Jaime Sarrio

SOUTHSIDE

Georgia Power, IBM execs to speak at CSU

Executives from Georgia Power and IBM will serve as commencement speakers for Clayton State University’s dual ceremonies on May 7.

Ron Shipman, vice president of environmental affairs for Georgia Power, will speak at 9 a.m. to graduates from the business, health and information and mathematical sciences programs.

Ann Cramer, director for IBM Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs for the Americas, will speak at noon to graduates from the College of Arts & Sciences. Laura Diamond

Lobbyist promises to step up his pace

Fulton County’s lobbyist Mike Vaquer told commissioners he will start communicating their wishes earlier to members of the county’s state legislative delegation, after Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, complained he was left out of the loop on their desire to opt out of the state’s public defender system.

Commissioner Emma Darnell explained to Fort that the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council has been dispatching Fulton’s attorneys to other jurisdictions. Vaquer said on that issue, he has been talking the author of the bill proposing changes. Johnny Edwards

Kids can get a lesson with horses

Fulton County children can get up close to horses and learn about careers working with animals at a free event.

The Fulton Cooperative Extension and City of College Park will host Equine Education Day from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on April 30. The free event will be held Camp Fulton-Truitt 4-H Center, 4300 Herschel Road in College Park. The event will include a mini-rodeo, riding demonstrations and tips how to care for horses. Contact 404-332-2400 to register. Megan Matteucci

Fulton kindergarten registration May-5

The Fulton County School System will hold spring kindergarten registration on May 4 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and May 5 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. This will be for the school year that starts in August. The county also has space for 1,672 pre-kindergarten students at 40 elementary schools. Nancy Badertscher

Peachtree City to rent office space

Peachtree City’s Recreation Department is making two of its office spaces available for rent to small or home-based businesses needing meeting space.

A conference room equipped with a table and chairs to seat about 15 people and another room that can be configured as needed will each rent for $35 an hour Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Recreation Building is at 191 McIntosh Trail and is available to any Fayette businesses or individuals. Information: Joyce Williams or Becky Kimble at 770-631-2542. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Meals on Wheels to present Elvis show

Meals on Wheels presents “An Afternoon with the Dream King -- Elvis” on today at Motorheads Bar and Grill, 650 Macon St. in McDonough, across from the former Snapper Pro Lawns. Show starts at noon. Tickets: $10 in advance; $12 at the door. Tickets available at Motorheads. Proceeds go to Meals on Wheels. Tammy Joyner