COBB
Traffic delays expected around park
Signs are up on roads around Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park warning drivers to expect delays this weekend. Park officials think about 60,000 will attend sesquicentennial events at the park Friday through Sunday. Traffic may be heavy on Old Highway 41, Stilesboro Road, Burnt Hickory Road, Whitlock Avenue and Dallas Highway. Outlying streets, Barrett Parkway and Cobb Parkway, may also be affected.
Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Powder Springs ZIP code changes Tuesday
Nearly 700 Cobb County residents with a Hiram ZIP code of 30141 in Paulding County will have their ZIP code changed back to the 30127 of Powder Springs.
The change was delayed by a year because of sequestration, which affected the consolidation of certain post offices.
Powder Springs resident and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official Johnnie Purify was the community leader behind the ZIP code appeal since April 2011.
Information: about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2014/pb22390/pdf/pb22390.pdf, page 11.
Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC
Free health tests offered Saturday
Cobb/Douglas Community Services Board, through its LifeLine Project, will offer free health screenings 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at the Cobb Recovery Center, 331 North Marietta Parkway, Marietta.
No reservations are required for diabetes, hypertension and HIV tests. HIV testing is also available at the center weekdays.
LifeLine services: 770-499-2422.
Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Austell offers memorial park pavers
Orders are being accepted for memorial brick pavers to be installed at Austell’s new Veterans Memorial Park, 2633 Veterans Memorial Highway.
Cost is $50 for each paver that may be ordered at the City of Austell Threadmill Complex, 5000 Austell-Powder Springs Road, Suite 101 or online through austellga.gov/veterans.
Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC
Summer food program needs donations
MUST Ministries needs donations for a summer lunch program for children who get free and reduced lunches during the school year. The faith-based program delivers 6,000 meals daily in eight metro counties during summer months. MUST needs prepared lunch bags, financial donations and lunch and snack items.
Information: www.mustministries.org or e-mail to summerlunch@mustministries.org.
Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Austell open to garden renters
Austell city officials are accepting applications for garden plot rentals at their I.T. and Lodemia Terrell Community Garden, Educational Center and Nature Trail, 2836 Windy Lane.
Cost is $48 for each 4-foot by 8-foot raised garden bed with planting soil, compost and water provided.
Information: austellga.gov/garden, email info@austellga.gov or call 770-944-4325.
Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC
GWINNETT
Suwanee 2015 millage rate unchanged
Suwanee City Council has approved a $13.6 million fiscal year 2015 citywide operating budget. The balanced budget anticipates a 2 percent decrease in revenues.
Suwanee’s millage rate will remain 4.93 mills, and no resources from the city’s fund balance will be required.
The general fund represents $11.2 million, with Suwanee’s debt payment accounting for another $1.6 million in expenses. Council also approved a $31.4 million Capital Improvements Program for 2015-19 and a $1.7 million fourth-quarter transfer from the 2014 general fund to the CIP.
Information: www.suwanee.com.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Grayson public hearings on millage
Grayson will hold two public hearings to discuss the city’s millage rate at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. June 30 at City Hall, 475 Grayson Highway. The City Council will vote to adopt the new millage rate at 6 p.m. July 7.
Information: 770-963-8017 or www.cityofgrayson.org.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Snellville looking for unreal ghost stories
Beginning June 30, the Snellville Arts Commission will accept submissions for the Snellville Ghost Tours Ghost Writing Contest. Contestants should tell the history and death of a fictional Snellville ghost in 500 words or less. Winning entries will be published in the Snellville Scene city newsletter and will come to life during the inaugural Snellville Ghost Tour in October. Submissions deadline: July 30.
Rules and information: www.snellvillearts.com.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Library offering digital news service
Gwinnett County Public Library, in partnership with RBdigital from Recorded Books, is now offering Zinio for Libraries. Awarded Best New Database of 2012 by Library Journal, Zinio is the world’s largest newsstand, offering multi-user access to popular publications. Library members can access this free service beginning July 7.
Information: www.gwinnettpl.org.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Open house for new middle school
Students, parents and others will get their first peek at a Gwinnett County middle school scheduled to open for the start of the 2014-15 school year.
Northbrook Middle School will have an open house on Sunday, June 29, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The school is located at 1221 Northbrook Parkway in Suwanee.
Northbrook Middle School will relieve the school district’s largest middle school, Hull Middle, by approximately 900 students. Students in the Jackson Elementary attendance zone will feed into Northbrook Middle and then into Peachtree Ridge High.
Eric Stirgus
Berkeley Lake seeks residents’ input on plan
Berkeley Lake will host an open house to discuss the city’s comprehensive plan process from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 4040 S. Berkeley Lake Road. Residents are invited to provide input at this meeting.
Questions: Jared Lombard at jlombard@atlantaregional.com.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
NORTHSIDE
Applications to be taken for housing rehab funds
Fulton County will accept pre-applications starting on Monday from homeowners seeking housing rehabilitation assistance. Low- and moderate-income homeowners can apply for deferred payment loans to bring substandard, single-family, owner-occupied properties into compliance with federal regulations and county codes. The program funds are made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The pre-applications will be accepted until July 31.
Information. www.fultoncountyga.gov or 404-613-7944.
Kent A. Miles for the AJC
Sandy Springs to hold tax hearings
Sandy Springs officials will hold the first of three public hearings on the city’s proposed fiscal 2015 millage rate 6 p.m. July 15 at the City Hall council chambers, 7840 Roswell Road. The city’s $200 million 2015 budget requires an unchanged millage rate of 4.73, but officials say the rate will reflect as slightly more than 1 percent higher than the rollback, or revenue-neutral tax rate, because of a jump in property values. Hearings are set for 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Aug. 5.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Citizenship test prep classes at library
The Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library’s Northeast/Spruill Oaks branch, 9560 Spruill Road in Johns Creek, hosts free prep classes for the U.S. citizenship test at 1:30 p.m. most Sundays and Tuesdays beginning July 13.
Registration for the sessions is required, and participants must bring proof of permanent legal residency, or green card, to the class. The sessions end Oct. 26.
Information: karen.swenson@fultoncountyga.gov or 770-360-8820.
Kent A. Miles for the AJC
Construction underway on Holly Springs Park
Construction has started on the J.B. Owens Park project in Holly Springs, with brush clearing underway and two homes on the 33-acre property demolished. The project was approved last month by the Holly Springs City Council and the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, with the $1.2 million needed coming from the Cherokee County Parks bond issue. The park on Hickory Road will include walking and jogging trails, bridges and a playground when completed next spring.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Cherokee school wins statewide honor
The Canton Elementary School STEM academy has won the 2014 School Bell Award presented by the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals. The award recognizes 10 Georgia schools that demonstrate outstanding programs and organizational leadership.
School officials will be honored at the July 23 board of education meeting.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Black Republican group swears in officers
The Cherokee County Black Republican Council will swear in its first-ever slate of officers elected last month at 7 p.m. Thursday at Williamson Brothers Barbecue, 1600 Marietta Highway, Canton. Officers: Corey Branning, chair; Ernest Jones, first vice chair; Yvette Pegues, treasurer; and Eric Johnson; secretary.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
ATLANTA
Perry gives CAU conference keynote
Educator Steve Perry will deliver the keynote address Thursday at Clark Atlanta University’s Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work annual conference, 223 James P. Brawley Drive.
Register: www.steveperry.eventbrite.com.
Perry is the founder and principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Conn. The school has sent 100 percent of its predominantly low-income, minority, first-generation high school graduates to four-year colleges every year. The conference includes workshops on ethics, human trafficking, agency leadership and child welfare policies.
Nancy Badertscher
Widow of city worker killed in crash files suit
The widow of Atlanta Public works employee Derryl Simmons has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.
Simmons, 54, was thrown from a trash truck and killed last November after his co-worker, Melvin Callahan, lost control of the vehicle, according to authorities.
Police said alcohol was a factor in the crash. Callahan was charged with first-degree homicide by vehicle. Callahan, who has since also died, was found to have previous driving under the influence incidents.
Attorneys for Louise Simmons, also a longtime Department of Public Works employee, said the city should be held responsible for failing to maintain a safe work environment.
They are seeking damages for her husband’s death. The suit also names Callahan’s estate as a defendant.
Katie Leslie
Here’s how to register for school
Parents or guardians of students new to Atlanta Public Schools can register for the coming school year from July 7-10 at the Center for Learning and Leadership, 130 Trinity Ave.
Appointments are not required but can be scheduled online at summercenteraps.appointy.com or by calling (404) 802-2202.
Required documents include proof of residency, the adult’s photo ID and an affidavit of residency. For a list of documents required, visit www.atlanta.k12.ga.us/Page/41496.
Molly Bloom
DEKALB
Bond denied for mom accused of killing girl, 3
Meriel Bemis, charged with murder in the February death of her 3-year-old daughter, was denied bond Tuesday. The judge set a September trial date for the 22-year-old Stone Mountain woman.
Police said Bemis got into an argument with her boyfriend on Feb. 23, prompting him to leave the woman’s apartment.
Bemis later called her boyfriend for help, and he returned home to find the girl, Lela Bemis, lifeless, police said. Lela was pronounced dead on arrival at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
The boyfriend was not charged.
Mike Morris
County to conduct South River cleanup
The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management will conduct a trash and debris removal operation at 10 a.m. today at the Moreland Avenue Bridge at South River, 2700 Moreland Avenue, Atlanta.
The stream cleanup is part of a settlement of a 2010 federal lawsuit against the county for alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act and the Georgia Water Quality Control Act.
The county agreed to make major improvements to its sewer system in an effort to eliminate unauthorized overflows of untreated sewage and conduct targeted cleanups of streams. As part of the settlement, the county will spend an estimated $600,000 on the removal of trash and debris from segments of the South River, South Fork, Peachtree Creek and Snapfinger Creek.
The watershed management department’s Capital Improvement Projects division is conducting the cleanup in collaboration with Site Engineering Inc.
Kent A. Miles for the AJC
Chamblee, Doraville MARTA back running
Rail service has been restored between MARTA’s Chamblee and Doraville stations after a train broke down between the two stations Wednesday morning.
MARTA posted a notice on its website warning of a “major disruption” of train service between the stations.
Lyle Harris, a spokesman for MARTA, said at 9 a.m. that service had been restored.
A “bus bridge” was used to shuttle passengers between those two stations.
Mike Morris
DeKalb students can get free software
Students in DeKalb County schools can download Microsoft Office 365 Pro Plus on up to five devices, including mobile devices, for free.
The Microsoft Student Advantage Program provides free access to Office 365 Pro Plus to students in school districts that purchase the appropriate license.
Visit https://login.microsoftonline.com and enter the student’s email and password.
Information: studentlogin@dekalbschoolsga.org.
Emily Farlow
Outdoor Shabbat event at Marcus center
“Dive Into Shabbat,” an outdoor Shabbat celebration and pool party, will be at 5 p.m. Friday at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Free. Bring picnic dishes or buy kosher food on site. In case of inclement weather, call 678-812-4011. Information: rabbi.glusman@atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4161.
Kent A. Miles for the AJC
SOUTHSIDE
Authorities seek driver in Fayette wreck
Fayette County police are looking for the man suspected of driving a car that wrecked at about 9:45 p.m. Monday on Pine Knott Road east of Tyrone, injuring several young people. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found three injured passengers aged 16 to 20 years old. The suspected driver, Hunter Ross Cooper, 19, of Fayetteville fled the scene with an injured female passenger. Deputies later found the injured passenger on Buckeye Road and she was transported to the hospital for treatment. Police believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.
Mike Morris
5-year-old critical after nearly drowning
A 5-year-old boy was in critical condition just before 8 p.m. Tuesday after nearly drowning at an apartment complex in the 6500 block of Mount Zion Road.
The first officer on the scene assisted a man who was performing CPR on the boy.
Emergency responders transported the boy to a hospital in critical condition.
Angel K. Brooks
Henry to lower insurance premium
Henry County has received a dividend in the amount of $103,021 from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia — Interlocal Risk Management Association. The dividend will be used as a credit toward Henry County’s property and liability insurance premium.
Information: www.henrycounty-ga.org.
Monroe Roark for the AJC
Firecracker Road Race set for July 4
The annual Firecracker 5K/10K to benefit Henry County Parks and Recreation’s Special Olympics program is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. July 4 at Nash Farm Park in Hampton. The event features a 5K and 10K race as well as a 1-mile walk and Tot Trot. Registration cost varies depending on the race, and prizes will be awarded. Register at www.getsetgrow.com or at the HCPRD office in McDonough’s Heritage Park.
Information: www.henrycounty-ga.org.
Monroe Roark for the AJC
Holmes honored by business league
Henry County Commissioner Bruce Holmes has been named one of the Atlanta Business League’s 2014 Men of Influence and will be honored July 1 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta during the 8th annual Reception and Induction Ceremony. The Atlanta Business League selects notable black men “who have been a driving force in making a difference in the community,” according to a statement. Honorees in previous years include politicians, judges, doctors, business leaders, professional athletes and educators.
Information: www.henrycounty-ga.org.
Monroe Roark for the AJC
Library sponsors summer art contest
A summer art contest sponsored by Friends of the Peachtree City Library is open for entries. The theme is “Ride the Wind,” and works must be two-dimensional and in any medium except photography. Three age categories range from first grade through adult. Artwork must be received by July 18.
Details and entry forms: www.peachtree-city.org.
Jill Howard Church for the AJC
