County by county news for Thursday

Serdula faces a possible life sentence and up to $1.8 million in fines after being convicted in April in Cobb County of molesting female patients after he drugged them.

The delay is necessary to allow Serdula’s attorney, Jimmy Berry, to handle a death penalty case, court representatives said.

Serdula was found guilty of 34 charges. Most of his 19 victims were unconscious at the time of the incidents, and several were less than 16 years old. Janel Davis

Powder Springs restricts pain clinics

Pain clinics will have a tougher time flourishing in Powder Springs. City Council members voted unanimously Monday to license them in response to a Cobb County Drug Task Force study. Among the many restrictions are that a Georgia-licensed manager must be present “at all times” when the pain clinic is open. City officials will have as long as 45 days before having to make a decision.Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Students awarded Alger scholarships

Three metro Atlanta high school students have been awarded 2011 Horatio Alger State Scholarships.

The three are among four recipients in Georgia who will receive $5,000 toward college: Megan Koehler, Harrison High School in Acworth; Yane Galeno, South Cobb High School in Austell; Freedom Murphy, Chamblee High School in Atlanta; and Audrey Baechle, Savannah Arts Academy in Savannah.

The Horatio Alger Association gave over 850 scholarships of $2,500 to $20,000 this year. The Georgia scholarships were made possible by the Ronald C. Waranch Foundation. Ty Tagami

Damaged vacant homes worry Austell

Some Austell Business Association members voiced concerns to city officials on Tuesday about the city’s appearance -- mainly the vacated houses that were flooded in September 2009.

Austell Public Works Director Randy Bowens said the city’s efforts to contact these homeowners have been “to no avail.”

Of the 702 flooded houses, 500 applications were submitted with only 23 meeting the criteria of being both in a floodplain and substantially damaged, he said. Then of those 23, the city purchased 19 houses that will be demolished possibly next month. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Allatoona High hold back-to-school bash

Allatoona High in Cobb County will hold a back-to-school “bash” on Aug. 11. Students will be able to pick up their schedule, tour the school, meet teachers, buy yearbooks and parking decals and join clubs among other things. Check the school’s website at www.cobbk12.org/Allatoona/ to see what time each grade level is supposed to attend. Jaime Sarrio

Campbell Road to close for bridge work

Campbell Road in Smyrna will close Aug. 1 for work on a bridge, according to city officials. Workers have been awaiting the completion of utility work there so they can get started on the project. The road is expected to remain closed until early next year. Ty Tagami

GWINNETT

Commissioners opt not to close county prison

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Tuesday formally accepted a staff recommendation not to close the county prison.

The commission accepted the findings of a staff report that concluded Gwinnett would not save money by closing the prison. It would have to expand the county jail, pay to house some prisoners elsewhere and give up inmate labor used for a variety of work.

The report said Gwinnett should expand the use of inmate labor to save money. Inmates provided 110,640 hours of labor worth an estimated $1.3 million in 2010. David Wickert

School board to have workshop meeting

The Gwinnett Board of Education will gather today for its monthly workshop and business meetings. The board workshop will be at 2:30 p.m. in the executive board room at the district’s headquarters, 437 Old Peachtree Road N.W. in Suwanee. The business meeting will follow at 7 p.m. in the school board meeting room.

Visit www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us for information. D. Aileen Dodd

Suwanee’s Burnette to run for mayor

Longtime Suwanee City Council member Jimmy Burnette announced Tuesday that he will enter the mayoral race this fall. He will try to succeed Mayor Dave Williams, who has decided not to run for reelection after one term.

Burnette, a native of Suwanee, has served on the council since 1996, making him the city’s most-tenured member. Qualifying for the race will start Aug. 29. The election will be Nov. 8. Joel Anderson

County to replace aging sewer lines

Gwinnett County will replace 12 miles of aging water mains under contracts approved by the Board of Commissioners Tuesday. The work will be done in 15 subdivisions and along residential roads in and around Snellville, Lilburn, Norcross, Hoschton and Sugar Hill. In addition, more than a mile of frequently clogged sewer lines in Lawrenceville will be replaced. Commissioners approved contracts totaling $5.6 million for the work. David Wickert

Aurora to open season with ‘A Chorus Line’

The Aurora Theatre will open its 16th season Aug. 4 with a production of the Tony Award-winning “A Chorus Line.”

Billed as the largest musical in theater history, “A Chorus Line” will boast 26 actors and a live band. It is scheduled run at the Aurora through Sept. 4.

Information: 678-226-6222 or www.auroratheatre.com. Joel Anderson

Asian celebration set for weekend

The 2011 Asian Cultural Experience is set for Saturday and Sunday at the Gwinnett Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. This is the 18th year, and planners expect more than 1,500 volunteer participants, representing 15 Asian countries. Activities include: fashion shows, exhibits of rare cultural artifacts, and a variety of demonstrations, including calligraphy, woodwork, pottery, fruits and vegetables carving; and origami, the Japanese art of paper-folding. Admission: $8 per day for students; $12 a day for adults. Nancy Badertscher

NORTHSIDE

Cherokee millage rate increase may be less

The millage rate in Cherokee County may be hiked from 8.29 mills to 9.28 millions to make up for a budget shortfall of $3.3 million in the proposed 2012 budget, county commissioners were told Tuesday during a public hearing. That’s not as high as first expected. Originally the county though it would hike the millage rate to 9.533 to make up for declining property values in the county. The third of four public hearings on the budget is 6 p.m., July 28, at 1130 Bluffs Parkway, Canton. Jeffry Scott

Forsyth town hall meeting today

The Forsyth County Commission will hold a town hall meeting at 4:30 p.m. today to discuss its draft intergovernmental agreement with the City of Cumming for the proposed Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax VII program. The meeting will be in Suite 220 of the County Administration Building, 110 E. Main Street in Cumming.

The public will have an opportunity to comment. Patrick Fox

Council honors Sandy Springs Society

The Sandy Springs Society was recently honored for its community service by the Sandy Springs City Council. Mayor Eva Galambos presented the Society with a proclamation that listed many of the group’s contributions, including giving more than $2.2 million in grants to local non-profits. Michelle E. Shaw

Johns Creek adds new canine officer

The Johns Creek Police Department welcomed a new officer recently. “Leo,” a two-year-old German Shepherd from The Netherlands was sworn in July 11 and joins two other German Shepherds, Nico and Dano, in the JCPD’s K-9 Unit.

“Leo is a full-service patrol dog. He is trained and certified in narcotics detection, tracking and apprehension,” said his handler, Officer Will Goins. Patrick Fox

Alpharetta presents movie at the pool

Alpharetta’s Parks and Recreation Department will present the movie “Rio” at 9 p.m. Friday at the city pool in Wills Park, 11925 Wills Road. Pool admission is $3 per person, $1 for adults 50 and older. Information: 678-297-6100. Patrick Fox

Martial arts exhibition Friday in Johns Creek

A group of martial arts experts from China will hold an exhibition at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Perimeter Church, 9500 Medlock Bridge Road in Johns Creek.

The tour, “Peace, Friendship and Health,” is swinging through several U.S. cities and will showcase traditional and modern martial arts.

Tickets are $20. For information go to www.perimeter.org/communityoutreach. Shelia Poole

Cookie contest judging Saturday

Judging for the Sandy Springs branch library cookie contest will begin Saturday, at 2 p.m. Entries will be judged based on taste, appearance and content. First prize is a $75 gift certificate from Rumi’s Kitchen and second prize is a $ 25.00 gift certificate from Little Thai Cuisine. Michelle E. Shaw

ATLANTA

Atlanta Medical Center CEO honored

Atlanta Medical Center’s CEO William T. Moore won the Chairman’s Award from the Georgia Hospital Association, the association announced Wednesday. Moore assumed leadership of the former Georgia Baptist Hospital in 2001, when the facility was showing signs of age and neglect. The association said he turned the hospital around and established the facility as a “beacon of stellar health care, innovation and stewardship.” Carrie Teegardin

Georgia Power suesover tax bill

Count Georgia Power among those frustrated with Fulton’s tax collection practices. The company has filed suit against Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand and Vesta Holdings, among others, claiming the county illegally generated a 2007 Atlanta tax bill for a property on Jefferson Street, then sold a lien to Vesta.

The company had already paid up on the property as part of $5.6 million in utility taxes. Unless it pays more than $134,000 to settle the lien, the property will be sold, according to the lawsuit, which seeks attorneys’ fees. JOHNNY EDWARDS

Saint Philip run to help stroke association

Saint Philip AME Church is planning a 5K run and walk and a wellness festival to benefit the National Stroke Association on Aug. 6. The run-walk begins at 8 a.m. The wellness festival also begins at 8 a.m. on that Saturday at the Saint Philip Family Life Center’s Marcia Moss Fellowship Hall at 240 Candler Road SE in Atlanta. Registration is $15 before July 31 and $20 after Aug. 1 at www.active.com or by calling 404-371-0749. Rhonda Cook

Atlanta woman accepted into Peace Corps

Marguerite Emily Fenwood, 25, of Atlanta, has been accepted into the Peace Corps. Fenwood left for Honduras on July 6 and will be living with a host family as she trains to be a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer. Once she has finished her training, she will serve for two years in Honduras. Elise Hitchcock

DEKALB

Pittman wins Doraville runoff for mayor

Former Doraville city councilwoman Donna Pittman claimed victory in this week’s runoff for mayor.

Pittman garnered 52.79 percent of the vote Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the DeKalb County election office. Her opponent, Carol Gilman, had led a three-way special election in June but did not collect a majority, triggering Tuesday’s vote.

Pittman, who led Tuesday by 31 votes, will fill out the remainder of the term for former mayor Ray Jenkins. He was 80 when he died of pulmonary complications in February. The term runs through this year.

Ty Tagami

Alumna leaves Agnes Scott $2.1 million

An Agnes Scott College alumna who was one of the first women to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court left the college $2.1 million to support the Agnes Advantage Award program, which provides students with $3,000 awards to help them afford internships, study abroad programs and research projects. The donation was a gift from the estate of Patricia Butler, who died in 2009 at age 101. Laura Diamond

School withdraws charter application

Peachtree Hope charter school officials were slated to make a last minute bid to renew the school’s charter Tuesday night at a DeKalb Board of Education meeting. But instead, Deputy Chief Superintendent Robert Moseley read a letter to the board, announcing Peachtree’s withdrawal of its application. No explanation was offered. Peachtree Charter founder Lonnie King declined requests for comment to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All of the affected students, about 600, will get letters informing them of which DeKalb school they should enroll in. Rich McKay

Decatur woman a lottery double winner

A Decatur woman who already had won $52,000 a year for life can add more than $300,000 to those winnings.

Norma Chavez, 60, came forward this week to claim $317,529 in Sunday’s Fantasy 5 drawing. She used the same combination of “lucky numbers” in October 2007 to win $52,000 a year for life playing Win for Life.

Chavez, a retired dry cleaning staffer, used her birthday and the birthdays of two friends to come up with this week’s winning numbers – 3-5-9-10-28.

Chavez plans to use the money to buy a dishwasher. “I’ve been careful with my money,” she told lottery officials. Chris Seward

SEC bars Tucker man from trading stocks

A Tucker man is barred from trading stocks after settling with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission which had accused him of defrauding nine investors of $2.85 million.

According to the settlement made public Monday, Kadar Josey was an unregistered broker-dealer who told investors they could draw on bank-issued guarantees that did not exist. In one case, Josey promised a 40,000 percent return on investment.

The settlement with the SEC said Josey, 36, provided fictitious guarantee certificates from Barclay’s Bank when investors asked for their money. Rhonda Cook

SOUTHSIDE

Property owners have until Tuesday to appeal

Tuesday is the last day for most Fulton property owners to appeal if they don’t like their county-appraised values. After the tax assessors office sent out a new batch of tax notices in June, correcting erroneous and omitted information, the appeals deadline was pushed back five weeks for about 70 percent of the county.

The new notices went to Atlanta and nine other cities. Only Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Chattahoochee Hills, Mountain Park and unincorporated south Fulton kept the old deadline of June 21. Information: 404-612-6440. Johnny Edwards

Fayette cities almost done with budgets

Budget talks for 2012 are nearing the end in Fayette County’s primary municipalities.

The City Councils in both Fayetteville and Peachtree City will meet today at 7 p.m. at their respective City Halls.

Fayetteville will vote to adopt its proposed $9.4 million budget, which is available online at http://fayetteville.govoffice.com. Peachtree City will hold the last of its budget workshops as part of the regular Council meeting. Copies are available at www.peachtree-city.org; the final vote is Aug. 4. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Hapeville to decide on Sunday alcohol

Mayor Alan Hallman announced Tuesday that Sunday sales of alcohol at retail establishments will be on the ballot Nov.8. “We’ll let the residents decide what they want,” Hallman said. Other issues on the ballot will be the mayor’s position and Alderman Ann Ray’s seat. John Thompson for the AJC

Hapeville OKs acting city clerk

Jennifer Elkins was approved Tuesday as the acting city clerk in Hapeville. Elkins replaces long-time city clerk Alice Shepard who retired. Elkins had been serving as the city’s deputy city clerk. The city also approved Fulton County to conduct the city’s municipal elections this fall.

John Thompson for the AJC

Henry receives $5,000 wellness grant

Henry County has received a $5,000 health promotion and wellness grant from the Association County Commissioners of Georgia. The county is receiving one of 40 grants awarded statewide by the group. Henry will use a portion of the grant to creating a countywide health fair for all county employees. The rest of the money will be used in either hosting a wellness activity or a couple of health-related lunch and learns. For details about the grant, log onto www.accg.org. Tammy Joyner

Henry changes rules for day care centers

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved at its July 19 meeting an amended ordinance that will require adult and child day care facilities to be located in freestanding buildings. This requirement applies to any day care facility whether it operates in conjunction with a church, school, or as a stand-alone business. The move was made in response to inquiries regarding the possible location of a day care within a commercial strip center, which county officials deemed potentially unsafe. Monroe Roark for the AJC