COBB
Cobb EMC’s Brown has court dates delayed
Court appearances scheduled this week for former Cobb EMC CEO Dwight Brown have been postponed until possibly sometime next month while the presiding judge handles a death penalty trial. Brown was to be arraigned Monday in Cobb Superior Court on charges of theft and racketeering of Cobb EMC assets. A Thursday motion hearing to dismiss the case is also postponed. Brown’s attorney, former Gov. Roy Barnes, wants the case thrown out because five EMC members were on the grand jury that indicted Brown.
No date has been set for the postponed court actions. Janel Davis
Police seek man who robbed Discount Store
Cobb County police are seeking the public’s help to identify an armed man who on Friday robbed the Discount Store at 371 Pat Mell Road in Marietta.
The man entered as employees were closing the business at 9:15 p.m. He ordered an employee to the floor and stole an undisclosed amount of money from the register. The thief is described as a black male in his 20s, about 6 feet tall with a heavy build wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black bandana over his face.
Anyone with information is asked to call Cobb police at 770-499-3945. Andria Simmons
KSU begin construction on new dorm
Kennesaw State University started construction on a $26 million dorm Friday.
It will open in August to mark the 10-year anniversary of students being able to live on campus. About 450 students will be able to live in the 207,500-square-foot building. Each apartment will have four bedrooms with private bathrooms, balconies, Wi-Fi and other perks. Laura Diamond
Library need book sale volunteers
The Friends of the Cobb County Public Library System needs volunteers to help sell donated books, magazines and movies at the semi-annual book sale Friday and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Jim R. Miller Park, 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta. Information: 770-528-2342, www.cobbcat.org/friends.html. Ty Tagami
Nominate now for Jack Vaughn award
The deadline to submit nominations for the 18th annual Jack Vaughan, Jr. human services award for those who helped the homeless, or nearly homeless, is next Friday.
The Cobb Community Collaborative says the awards luncheon will be Nov. 3 at the Mansour Center, 995 Roswell St NE , Marietta. Information and nomination packets: www.cobbcollaborative.org. Ty Tagami
Clarkdale school to hold fall festival
Clarkdale Elementary School, which was destroyed in the 2009 flood, will hold its Fall Festival Saturday in Austell.
This free event will be at Ewing Road Baptist Church, 4699 Ewing Road near Clay Road.
Carnival games, face painting, a gift basket drawing and a cake walk will be the 4-6 p.m. activities.
A Men’s Ministry Chili Cook-Off dinner will be 6-7:15 p.m. followed by a movie at 7:15 p.m.
Information: school at 770-819-2422 or church at jeff@ewingroad.com or 770-941-2467. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC
GWINNETT
Brookwood marching band wins tournament
The Brookwood High Marching Band was named as the grand champion of the Lake Lanier Tournament of Bands in Gainesville.
The band, directed by Laura Stanley and Rudy Wilson, earned the high score for musical performance and received the Ronald J. Evans Outstanding Musicianship Award. The band also was presented with the Gene Shadburn Salute to Marching Bands for Best Overall Score award.
Superior ratings also were given to the band’s drum majors, guard and percussion section. D. Aileen Dodd
GTC to hold fall plant sale
The Gwinnett Technical College environmental horticulture program will hold its fall plant sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 18-20 in the greenhouse near Building 600 on campus, 5150 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville. The college will sell perennials, fall annuals, vegetables, herbs and shrubs grown by students. David Wickert
Suwanee SculpTour wins honors
Suwanee’s public art tour SculpTour was honored last week at the Georgia Downtown Association’s annual conference in Rome.
SculpTour, which features 15 outdoor sculptures in a walkable exhibit in and around Town Center, won a Downtown Excellence Award for “Best Image-Building Campaign.”
The award, presented to Suwanee’s Public Arts Commission, honors a coordinated public campaign that promotes overall attention to downtown activities.
Information: www.suwanee.com. Joel Anderson
Snellville residents want community garden
A pair of Snellville residents is organizing a volunteer committee to develop a community garden.
Kurt and Gretchen Schulz said they anticipate placing the garden at Briscoe Park.
They said the garden will consist of raised beds that will be planted and maintained by individuals or small groups of residents.
Plots will be available for rental on an annual basis. A plot rental fee will cover expenses for garden maintenance. Joel Anderson
Want to be a Gwinnett columnist?
You can join eight other AJC community columnists from around metro Atlanta. Send us:
-- A short essay (400 words or less) pegged to a topic in Gwinnett County.
-- Additional paragraph (100 words or less) on yourself and why you should win.
-- A brief list of five topics that you might write about.
You must be a resident of Gwinnett.
Entries will be judged on the basis of writing style, intelligence and freshness of topic, but not on whether AJC editors agree or disagree with your point of view. The first column will appear in November. Send entries to newstips@ajc.com. Please put “Gwinnett Columnist” in the subject line and include your daytime contact information.
Only finalists will be contacted by the AJC. Deadline to submit your entry is Friday, Oct. 14.
NORTHSIDE
Canton panel to look into water billing issues
Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood named three city council members to a committee to deal with the city’s water billing problems that have plagued the water department since it went to a new billing system last summer. The committee, made up of Ward 3 council members John Beresford and Amelia Rose, and Ward 1 councilman Bob Rush, will evaluate the billing system -- under which some customer’s bills have doubled and tripled -- and may develop a standard leak adjustment policy for council enactment. Jeffry Scott
Vote registration deadline today
Today is the deadline for Cherokee County residents to register to vote in the Nov. 8 municipal elections. Four cities -- Ball Ground, Canton, Holly Springs and Woodstock -- will hold elections this year. Residents can download a voter registration application from the Cherokee Elections website (http://voter.cherokeega.com/) or pick one up at the elections office, 400 East Main Street, or the Woodstock Public Library, 7735 Main Street, Woodstock. Applications must be delivered in person by 5 p.m. Jeffry Scott
Harvest Balloon Festival this Saturday
The second annual Harvest Balloon Festival will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Sterling on the Lake, 7004 Lake Sterling Boulevard, Flowery Branch. The event will feature tethered balloon rides, a balloon glow and competitive races in the sky. Admission is free. Money raised through parking fees ($5 per vehicle) and purchases benefit the National Military Family Association and Challenged Child and Friends.
Information: www.harvestballoonfestival.com; 770 967-9777. Patrick Fox
Alpharetta adult center holds email workshop
The Alpharetta Adult Activity Center at North Park will host a computer workshop for people age 50 and up from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 19. The workshop, “Using your Email,” will cover how to process received email, create and send new email, maintain mailbox contents and more. Participants must have a current email account before registering for the class. The cost is $20 per person, and space is limited. The Adult Activity Center is at 13450 Cogburn Road. Information: 678-297-6140. Patrick Fox
School orchestra to hold fall concert
Johns Creek High School Orchestra will be performing its fall concert on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the School Auditorium located at 5575 State Bridge Road, Johns Creek. The event is free and open to the public. Information: Kathy Hogan at hogan90@bellsouth.net. Sandra Marshall Murray
Park service hosts campfire and night hike
The National Park Service is holding an Autumn Campfire and Night Hikes on Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Chattahoochee River Environmental Education Center at 8615 Barnwell Road, Johns Creek. Participants can enjoy a campfire, guided hikes and nocturnal sights and sounds of the Chattahoochee. The event is free to the public and reservations are required. To make a reservation call 678-538-1200. Sandra Marshall Murray
ATLANTA
APS gears up for third ‘Domecoming’
Atlanta Public Schools Saturday will present the third annual ‘Domecoming,’ where the district’s best football teams face off at the Georgia Dome. The middle school championship starts at 11 a.m., followed by high school games throughout the day. The Washington homecoming parade is at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Information: 404-802-5575 or www.atlanta.k12.ga.us. Jaime Sarrio
BeltLine run signup deadline near
Runners or walkers who want to participate in the final 2011 run sponsored by the Atlanta BeltLine should sign up by Wednesday if they want the cheapest rate of $30 to register. After Wednesday, the fee for the 10K run/walk jumps to $35. It will be $40 on Dec. 3, the date of the event.
The event starts and ends at Park Tavern on 10th Street. Organizers are encouraging all Atlanta based alumni association to compete for cash in its “Tailgate Challenge,” Go to www.beltline.org to register. Steve Visser
Health clinic to offer breast exams
Fulton County Health and Wellness will hold a breast cancer awareness event on Wednesday, offering free clinical breast exams, along with diabetes and HIV screenings. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Adamsville Recreation Center, 3201 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta.
Information: 404-730-1682 or www.fultoncountygahealth.org. Johnny Edwards
Paper shredding added to recycling dropoff
Keep Atlanta Beautiful is adding paper shredding to its monthly recycling drop-off this Saturday at the former Walden Middle School at 320 Irwin St. in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward.
Keep Atlanta Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc., is giving paper shredding a test-drive at the event. Organizers hope it will a permanent service at the recycling center, which is held every second Saturday of the month. Jeremiah McWilliams
DEKALB
Decatur school candidates see eye to eye
Decatur School Board candidates, Peg Bumgardner and Garrett Goebel, saw eye-to-eye on most issues discussed during an hour-long Sunday forum at The Church of Decatur Heights. Both expressed a strong desire, in Bumgardner’s words, to “retrofit Westchester [Elementary] and re-open it as some kind of school (Westchester closed in 2004).” Both agreed that an extension of SPLOST, which could bring an extra $12 million to the school system, needs voter approval on Nov. 8. “If we don’t pass SPLOST,” Goebel said, “then our property taxes will almost surely go up.” Bill Banks for the AJC
Green DeKalb group to meet Wednesday
The Green DeKalb advisory group will meet this week to get updates on efforts to add more parkland to the county.
The council meets at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Chapel Hill Park pavilion, 3985 LeHigh Boulevard, near Decatur.
The meeting also will discuss current county parks projects.
More information: 404-371-2082. April Hunt
Doraville offers dance fitness program
The recreation department in Doraville is partnering with Zumba Atlanta to offer the dance fitness program in the city. Classes begin Thursday at the Forest Fleming Arena, 3037 Pleasant Valley Dr. Sessions run from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each Thursday for 10 weeks.
Attendees can buy a class card at the first class, with 10 classes for $100, four classes for $48 and one class for $15.
The class cards are good for four months and can be used at any Zumba Atlanta class, with a full schedule online at www.ZumbaAtlanta.com.
More information: 404-664-4509. April Hunt
Stone Mountain CID hire security officers
The new Community Improvement District in Stone Mountain has hired private security officers to patrol the area during the evening and overnight. Off-duty DeKalb County Police officers also have been hired, to emphasize a strong public safety aspect in the area for both businesses and customers. Information: www.StoneMountainCID.com. April Hunt
Golf tourney to raise scholarship money
The DeKalb County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations will host a golf tournment to raise money for college scholarships. The 18-hole Men’s Initiative Scholarship Fundraiser will include putting and close-to-the-pin challenges, longest drive contests and a “chip’n” challenge. The $75 fee includes a cart and banquet, but sponsorships for more money are being accepted. The event is Oct. 29, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Heritage Golf Links, 4445 Britt Rd., Tucker. Information: 770-493-4653, dekalbcouncil.dojiggy.com. Ty Tagami
Clarkston to host kids tennis tourney
Clarkston will host a tennis tournament for children 8 years old and younger later this month at its new Milam Park courts. Registration for the Atlanta Jr. Premium 300 is $13 and includes a t-shirt and certificate of participation. The tournament will be held Saturdayat the park, 3867 Norman Road.
Information: 770-416-4333 or ceejai@ustaatlanta.com.
April Hunt
SOUTHSIDE
Fulton voter registration deadline today
Today is the statewide deadline to register to vote in time to cast ballots on Nov. 8. Fulton County voters will weigh in on municipal elections and school sales tax and Sunday alcohol sales referendums. Registration can be done at the Fulton County Government Center in downtown Atlanta, the South Fulton Service Center in College Park, the North Fulton Service Center in Sandy Springs, state Department of Motor Vehicle driver’s license offices, libraries, city halls and -- for students and staff -- colleges and universities. Information: 404-730-7072. Johnny Edwards
Firefighters fan out for fire prevention
This week is Fire Prevention Week for the Fulton County Fire Rescue Department, and firefighters will be offering safety tips at three locations before the week is up. On Wednesday, they will be at the Government Center in downtown Atlanta from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Friday, the department’s fire safety house and a fire truck will be at the Southwest Library, 3665 Cascade Road, in south Fulton, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Saturday, the fire safety house and a truck will be at Ponderosa subdivision’s Ponderosa Fest, off Flat Shoals and Red Oak roads, from 2 to 6 p.m. Johnny Edwards
Peachtree City keeps lid on pill mills
The City Council of Peachtree City voted unanimously Oct. 6 to extend a moratorium on letting so-called “pill mills” set up shop locally.
Last December, the Council first refused to issue Occupational Tax Certificates for pain management clinics – offices where doctors typically dispense large numbers of prescriptions for painkillers without necessarily conducting full medical exams. The renewed moratorium is in effect through December 2012.Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Henry sheriff on domestic violence panel
Henry County Sheriff Keith McBrayer has been appointed to the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
He will represent Georgia sheriffs. Members include attorney general, judges, prosecutors, battered women advocates, law enforcement, Men Stopping Violence, State Board of Pardons and Paroles, director of the Division of Family and Children Services, director of Women’s Health Services and others. Tammy Joyner
Hampton chili cook-off Saturday
City of Hampton announces the Hampton Chili Cook-off on Saturdayfrom 2-5 p.m. at the Hampton Depot Park. Entry fee is $25 and spoon tastings are $1. For the application and schedule, please visit www.mainstreethamptonga.com. Kenneth Musisi
McDonough hosts job fair Oct. 21
The city of McDonough will host its fourth annual job fair Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at McDonough Presbyterian Church, 427 McGarity Road. The Atlanta Regional Commission’s Mobile Career Resource Center will be on site with 13 stations to help visitors.
A roster of the companies that have registered to participate on McDonough Mayor Billy Copeland’s Facebook page. More than 200 positions are being advertised. Monroe Roark for the AJC
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