County by county news for Thursday

Schools plan to hire 30 bus drivers

The Cobb County School System is hiring 30 school bus drivers for Monday’s first day of school. Applicants must be at least 21 years old, have a high school diploma or GED and hold a valid Georgia commercial driver’s license with S and P endorsements. Apply online at http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/hr/employment. Nancy Badertscher

Applications accepted for Citizens’s Academy

The Marietta Police Department is accepting applications for its annual Citizens’ Police Academy in September.

Applications are due by Aug. 24. The free program provides residents an inside look at police work, including crime analysis, narcotics investigations, special weapons and tactics (SWAT), crime interdiction, traffic enforcement, community response, crime scene processing and more. Classes will be every Monday from 6 to 9 p.m. for nine weeks. Applicants must submit to a background check. Info: 770-794-2364 or email dsmith@mariettaga.gov. Andria Simmons

Vinings to get outdoor theater

A commercial complex in downtown Vinings is adding a covered, outdoor stage for community events. Work on a 100 square-foot stage near the clock tower at Vinings Jubilee is expected to finish this week at 4300 Paces Ferry Road. The Tower Stage will be used for family events, musical performances and entertainment and cooking demonstrations by tenants. Tucker McQueen for the AJC

Powder Springs mayor hold breakfast meeting

Over breakfast this Saturday, Powder Springs residents are invited to ask questions of their elected officials.

The 9 a.m. meetings are held on the second Saturdays at Off the Bone BBQ on Brownsville Road near U.S. 278 in the Kroger shopping center.

Mayor Patricia Vaughn and the City Council began holding the breakfast meetings in November. Information: City Hall, 770-943-1666. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Health fair in Austell on Saturday

A Community Festival and Health Fair will be sponsored Saturday by Destiny World Church in Austell.

The free event will last from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the church, 7400 Factory Shoals Road near I-20. Besides free hot dogs and popcorn, there will be games, free health screenings, safety checks, blood drives plus giveaways of school supplies, gift cards and car seats. Information: destinyworldchurch.org, Stephan Paul at security@destinyworldchurch.org or 770-739-4738. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

GWINNETT

Management association honors Suwanee

The International City/County Management Association has awarded Suwanee a Certificate of Distinction for “superior performance management efforts.”

Suwanee has been honored by the ICMA for the third-straight year.

Suwanee is one of 47 jurisdictions throughout the country to be recognized through the certificate program and one of 11 to receive the Certificate of Distinction, which represents the middle level in the certificate program. Joel Anderson

Beaudreau to meet constituents Saturday

Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau will meet with constituents from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Bay Creek Park Pavilion, 175 Ozora Road, Loganville. Beaudreau represents commission District 3, which covers eastern Gwinnett County from the U.S. 78 corridor north to I-85. David Wickert

Public Safety Fall festival to be Oct. 1

There will be fun for all ages at the Gwinnett County Public Safety Fall Festival, which will be held Oct. 1. The festival is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Coolray Field, home of the Gwinnett Braves, at 2500 Buford Drive in Lawrenceville. It will feature activities like a rock wall, moon walk and scavenger hunt. There will be displays from specialized police units like SWAT and motorcycles, as well as pet adoption, a car show, a blood donation drive, and a firefighters versus police softball game. Andria Simmons

Sierra Club to discuss farming practices

The Greater Gwinnett Group of the Sierra Club will host a discussion on farming practices on Aug. 18 at Berkmar High School in Lilburn. Leah Garcés, the USA Director for the non-profit organization Compassion in World Farming, will discuss the impact of animal factory farming practices in the state and why there should be reforms. The program starts at 7:30 p.m. Information: Dan Friedman at dan3688@aol.com. Veronica Fields Johnson

Town hall meeting on ‘soft skills’ Oct. 20

Gov. Nathan Deal’s Office of Workforce Development will host a town hall meeting from 6:30-8 p.m. on Oct. 20 at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville about plans to teach non-academic skills for the workplace.

House Bill 186 this year authorized the certification of “soft skills,” such as punctuality, learning ability, dressing appropriately and teamwork.

The panel, one of 31 around the state, will comprise state lawmakers, officials from state agencies and local school and government officials. Ty Tagami

Groups seek donations for back to school

Various Gwinnett County groups are seeking donations of school supplies for families that cannot afford them. The agencies are accepting donations of book bags, pens, pencils, rulers, scissors and other items. For a list of items and a list of agencies participating in the back-to-school drive, visit www.gwinnettcounty.com. David Wickert

NORTHSIDE

Queen of Angels principal wins honor

Kathy Wood, principal of Queen of Angels Catholic School in Roswell, has been named a 2011 National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

Wood, one of only five private school principals in the country to receive the honor, was nominated by Diane Starkovich, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Wood, a graduate of Georgia State University, has been principal at Queen of Angels since 2003. Nancy Badertscher

Woodstock buys land for amphitheater

The Woodstock City Council voted to buy .57 acres of land that would most likely become parking and restrooms for a proposed amphitheater.

The land, which has a vacant building on it, is located near the park at City Center.

City Manager, Jeff Moon, said the land will be purchased with funds from Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax and revenue from impact fees, the Cherokee Tribune reported. Elise Hitchcock

Oak Grove wins School Bell Award

Cherokee County’s Oak Grove Elementary school received the 2011 School Bell Award.

The award is given to 10 elementary schools in Georgia by the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals.

Oak Grove, lead by principal Jennifer Scrivner, received the honor for the “Making Math Count” program. The program exhibited positive results and significant improvement and was also chosen for the staff, student, parents and community involvement. Elise Hitchcock

Canton meeting today on water issues

The City of Canton will hold an open meeting regarding water and sewage issues.

The meeting will take place on today at 5:15 p.m at City Hall in downtown Canton.

Information: Canton City Clerk’s office at 770-704-1507 Elise Hitchcock

Milton disability group to hold forum

The Milton Disability Awareness Committee will host a “Community Link” forum at 7 p.m. Aug. 16 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.

Empish Thomas, public education and referral specialist for the Atlanta Center for the Visually Impaired, will discuss and present a video highlighting the group’s work.

Information: www.cityofmiltonga.us. Patrick Fox

Cherokee schools to have Curriculum Night

The Cherokee County Board of Education will begin Curriculum Night for parents starting the week of Aug. 22.

Elementary schools will start the information sessions the week of Aug. 22. Middle schools will start the sessions on Aug. 29, and high school on Sept. 5.

With more than 30 schools in Cherokee County, the school board is hosting these information sessions to inform parents about what the students will be learning in upcoming school year.

For specific times for individual school Curriculum Nights visit cherokee.k12.ga.us Elise Hitchcock

ATLANTA

APS expands tribunal for cheating hearings

The Atlanta school board Monday increased the pool of tribunal members in preparation for the employee hearings related to the state cheating investigation. Tribunal members hear employee disciplinary cases and submit recommendations to the school board. The new members are: Jeffrey L. Bramlett, George Caponigro, Sonia Doswell, Melvin Johnson, Delores Knight, Patricia Lake, Charles R. Mason, Frances Wilson Pinkston, Janis C. Reid, Patricia Stewart, Linda Schwamlein, Margaret B. Schick, Annette R. Waller, and JoAnn Williams-West. Jaime Sarrio

New chief of staff for Atlanta schools

A former business executive with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and Georgia Public Broadcasting was appointed Monday as the new deputy superintendent/chief of staff for Atlanta Public Schools. Steve Smith will have executive control over all district areas. Smith is a former principal with Fulton County Schools and replaces Sharron Pitts, who is the district’s interim general counsel. Jaime Sarrio

IRC receives grant to help refugees

The International Rescue Committee in Atlanta has received a $30,000 grant to fund its job training program for refugee women. The grant was made by the Atlanta Women’s Foundation and will help the IRC’s Women’s Instruction for Lifetime Empowerment program. The program is comprised of 35 hours a week of intense training in area such as English and financial and computer literacy. Shelia Poole

Groups hold workshop on redistricting

Georgia Women’s Action for New Directions, along with the ACLU, NAACP, League of Women Voters and Georgia Rural Urban Summit, have teamed up to sponsor a workshop on the redistricting process on Aug. 17 from 8:30-11 a.m. at Central Presbyterian Church. Information: Georgia WAND’s We Count! Outreach Director Carolyn Monden at carolyn@wand.org. Veronica Fields Johnson

DEKALB

Lithonia rail crossing to get new signals

Work has begun to install new crossing signals for the CSX rail line that cuts through downtown Lithonia.

Flashing warning signals at the intersection of Main and Swift streets have not proven enough to stop people from trying to cross the tracks, resulting in at least six deaths in previous years. The state Department of Transportation is footing the $184,000 bill for the new signals, which include crossing arms. April Hunt

Rape Crisis Center seeks volunteers

Volunteers are needed for the upcoming year at the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center.

The facility uses volunteers to answer calls on a 24-hour hotline and also to accompany people to the hospital as needed. The center saves $300 a day by using volunteers.

A seven-week training session for new volunteers begins on Sept. 15, with two three-hour sessions each week.

Information or to sign up: 404-377-1429 or jamalila@dekalbrapecrisiscenter.org. April Hunt

Career academy opens at Decatur High School

The Decatur Career Academy, which allows students to earn both high school and college credits, is now open at Decatur High School.

The state gave the school $3 million in 2009 to build the career-education facility. It offers students the chance to enroll in dual-credit programs through DeVry Advantage Academy or DeKalb Technical College.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who initiated the career academies statewide in 2007, was on hand for the July 28 opening. April Hunt

Clarkston tennis center caters to young players

Clarkston has become the first city in the country to convert its tennis center as a 10 and Under Junior facility according to the U.S. Tennis Association.

The association awarded the city a grant for the work, which transformed two courts at Milam Park into one court with multiple options for play.

The work allows more children to learn tennis and play on properly sized courts once they have learned the basics. April Hunt

Watson hosts health and wellness event

Stan Watson, an at-large DeKalb County Commissioner, is hosting a health and wellness event for all residents later this month.

The free Community Check-Up will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church, 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway near Decatur. In addition to health screenings, there will be door prizes and other giveaways.

More information: 404-371- 7031 or tcampbell@dekalbcountyga.gov. April Hunt

Crossing guards to be employed by schools

When school begins in DeKalb County, the crossing guards helping students will be employed by the school district, not the county.

The county will save $390,000 by shifting the cost to the district. Moving the part-time workers was among recommendations in a Georgia State study on staffing levels in DeKalb last year.

The guards became employees of the school district on Aug. 5. The district has hired 130 guards for the school year. April Hunt

SOUTHSIDE

Lovejoy residents will now pay property taxes

Lovejoy residents will now begin paying property taxes. City Council voted unanimously Monday to set a millage rate of 9, which will raise about $900,000 for the city, City Manager Sebastian Jackson said. “It’s necessary for the building of our police department and maintain public safety,” Jackson said. About 65 percent of the revenues raised from the new property tax will go to public safety, Jackson noted. The property tax goes into effect immediately. Lovejoy had been among the few Georgia towns where residents didn’t have to pay property taxes. Tammy Joyner

Woodruff honors teachers for use of art

Two Fulton County teachers are being recognized by the Woodruff Arts Center for their exemplary leadership in arts education. They are Kevin Cole, chairman of fine arts at Westlake High School, and Katrina Krass, art education teacher at Lake Forest Elementary. Cole uses collages to help students with anger management. Krass, Fulton’s Overall Elementary Teacher of the Year for 2009, uses art to break down language barriers and brings art into her local community on Saturdays. Nancy Badertscher

CSU names dean of graduate studies

Clayton State University selected an English professor to serve as the new dean of the School of Graduate Studies, officials announced Wednesday. Gwendolyn Harold has been with Clayton State for eight years and has been teaching since 1990. The university started the graduate program in 2006. It offers eight programs and plans to expand. Laura Diamond

Fayette schools honored by counselors

Two Fayette elementary schools earned the first-ever county awards from a national association of school counselors. Heather Sherwood of North Fayette Elementary and Kelly Hubbard of Robert J. Burch Elementary accepted plaques for their schools at the 2011 American School Counselor Association convention in Seattle. The schools are the first in Fayette to be designated as part of the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP), which certifies that a counseling program meets specific characteristics that facilitate student success. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

HMC blood donors can win iPod touch

Blood donors who participate in Henry Medical Center’s Aug. 24 blood drive will have a chance to win an iPod touch.

The Stockbridge hospital is partnering with LifeSouth for the event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The drive will take place at LifeSouth’s bloodmobile in front of Henry Medical’s South Tower, and in executive dining room on the tower’s ground floor. Misty Williams

Free health screenings in Jonesboro Saturday

The Health Mart Healthy Living Tour is offering free mobile screening services for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C tests. The unit will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mundy Mill High School Saturday at 9652 Fayetteville Road, Jonesboro. Information: http://www.healthmarthealthyliving.com. Sandra Marshall Murray