County by county news for Tuesday

Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the tax hike after the hearing.

If approved, the increase would raise the county’s rate from 9.60 mills to 11.21 mills. The increase would mean an extra $111 on a tax bill for a home worth about $200,000.

Cobb’s millage rate has remained the same for five years. Janel Davis

Cobb school board meets Thursday

The Cobb school board will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the district’s headquarters, 514 Glover St., Marietta. It will be the first meeting for new Superintendent Michael Hinojosa , who took over earlier this month. An agenda will be posted this week at www.cobbk12.org. Jaime Sarrio

North Cobb to debut new addition

North Cobb High School will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new ninth-grade academy at 9 a.m. Aug. 11. The 40 classroom, $13.4 million addition and renovation features a separate facility for incoming freshman and updates to the main campus. Freshman orientation will be held the same day from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Information: www.cobbk12.org/NorthCobb Jaime Sarrio

Osborne holds AYP info meetings

Cobb’s Osborne High will hold two informational meetings regarding school choice related to this year’s state standardized test results. The meetings will be held at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Martha Bigham Auditorium. At the meeting, Osborne’s Adequate Yearly Progress data will be discussed. Parent letters regarding school choice will be mailed by July 26. Information: www.cobbk12.org/Osborne Jaime Sarrio

KSU hosts career training expo

Kennesaw State University’s College of Continuing and Professional Education is hosting a career training expo Thursday highlighting its professional certificate programs.

The event will also include a live remote with Kevin and Taylor from 104.7 The Fish, and a drawing for a an iPad2.

Participants will receive a 5 percent discount towards their class registration.

The expo runs from 6 p.m. t 8:30 p.m. at the KSU Center, 3333 Busbee Dr. in Kennesaw.

Information: 770-423-6765 or http://ccpe.kennesaw.edu/trainingexpo Janel Davis

Business association donates to church

The Vinings Business Association will present a donation to Vinings Church at its monthly luncheon Aug. 2 at Social Vinings restaurant.

Cobb Chamber President David Connell is featured speaker. Register online at www.viningsbusiness.com in advance. The program is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is $15 for members and $20 for guests.

Vinings Church launched last year and has since initiated several worthwhile community projects including Backpacks for Kids, ServeCobb and Movies at the Galleria. Andria Simmons

GWINNETT

County officials to use e-ticket technology

Gwinnett County police, code enforcement and animal control officers, as well as fire marshals, will soon be using new technology to issue tickets.

Commissioners have approved a $1.02 million contract to buy equipment from Thinkstream Inc., that allows officers to enter an offender’s driver’s license number into a handheld computer. The device fills in the rest of the information about the driver, eliminating time-consuming copying and ensuring accuracy. The officer can then print copies and upload citation data to central servers over a cellular modem.

Andria simmons

Gwinnett Schools to hold parent meetings

Gwinnett County Schools will hold parent information for families whose campuses have fallen on the state’s Needs Improvement list.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. tonight on the campuses of Alford Elementary and Dacula Middle; Mountainview High on Wednesday .

McKendree Elementary and Twin Rivers Middle on Thursday. D. Aileen Dodd

Lawrenceville fire under investigation

Gwinnett County firefighters are still trying to determine the cause of a blaze that occurred Sunday afternoon at a modified double wide mobile home in the 1400 block of Leach Road in Lawrenceville.

Fire crews arrived 10 minutes after being dispatched to find the home engulfed in flames. The structure was uninhabited, but the quick actions of firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to neighboring homes. The building was a total loss. Andria Simmons

Crist to run for Lilburn mayor

City of Lilburn councilmen Johnny Crist announced late Friday afternoon that he plans to run for mayor of Lilburn in the November election. Crist’s entry to the race brings the total to three candidates, including current mayor, Diana Preston. The official qualifying period for candidates is from Aug.29-Sept.2. Crist is the senior pastor at Atlanta Vineyard Church in Atlanta and has served as a councilmen since 2008. Alaya Boykin

Staffing firm adds jobs to Norcross facility

I-TECH Staffing Services will add 53 new jobs and 45,000 square feet to its Steve Reynolds Boulevard facility in Norcross.

Established in 1997, the firm specializes in placing electronics assembly and soldering employees for the computer and electronics manufacturing and repair industry. I-TECH staffing director Lila Brennan said the new facility, dedicated last Thursday, gives the company room to grow. David Wickert

Dacula Middle accepts AYP transfers

Dacula Middle has been declared a district designated school to accept students from Gwinnett County Schools who have not met Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Berkmar High, Phoenix High, Sweetwater Middle and Hopkins Elementary have not met AYP for two or more years, and students are now eligible to transfer. Alaya Boykin

NORTHSIDE

Traffic delays on Ga. 400 through November

Travelers should expect delays on Holcomb Bridge Road at Ga. 400 now through November as Roswell begins adding sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian signals. Work will be performed between 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. or at night.

The project will relocate the eastbound MARTA bus stop between Old Dogwood Road and the Ga. 400 southbound on-ramp. It will also reconstruct the median to extend the eastbound left-turn lane onto Ga. 400.

Total project cost is $336,170 and is funded through the MARTA Offset Funds. Patrick Fox

Forsyth looks at alcohol law changes

The Forsyth County Commission will consider today a change in the alcohol code to allow the use of “growlers” to distribute alcohol. A growler is a half-gallon jug that can be filled with purchased beer and taken home. The jug is rinsed out and cleaned and can be reused. Under current Forsyth alcohol code growlers are illegal.

Jeffry Scott

Construction to close part of greenway

Alpharetta will close part of Big Creek Greenway at Kimball Bridge Road near Rock Mill Park to construct a new vehicle bridge. Work will run through the end of September to develope a passageway beneath the bridge Road for greenway use.

The greenway will be accessible from Rock Mill Park north to the end of the trail at Marconi Drive, and from just south of Rock Mill Park to the Roswell trail connection. Patrick Fox

Forsyth students place in international bowl

Three rising juniors at South Forsyth High, Sean Dai, Ethan Kim and Vijeth Mudalegundi, won individual medals and a school trophy at the Mu Alpha Theta math competition in Dallas, Texas. The students placed 10th in the School Bowl Alpha division, competing against 51 other U.S. teams and one from South Korea. The team won a Chapter Grant enabling the school to send a team to the national competition. Patrick Fox

Sandy Springs man guilty of illegal touching

A Sandy Springs man pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact for sticking his hand under the pants of a 20-year-old woman after she fell asleep on a Sept. 28 flight from Dallas to Atlanta.

Ranchhodbhai Lakha, 62, is to be sentenced Sept. 13. He faces six to 12 months in prison and must register as a sex offender. Federal prosecutors said that when the woman passenger woke up, she removed Lakha’s hand and told him to stop, but he reached down and touched her again. Bill Rankin

Court upholds drug-deal murder conviction

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld murder convictions against a man who was shot in the stomach when two other men were killed during a 2009 drug deal.

Delman Higuera-Hernandez is serving a life in prison for the killings of Antonio Clark and Santo Palacio-Vasquez at a Sandy Springs apartment. Prosecutors said Higuera-Hernandez and another man went to the apartment to sell two kilograms of cocaine and, after receiving cash, fatally shot Clark and Palacio-Vasquez. Police later found Higuera-Hernandez at Northside Hospital. Bill Rankin

ATLANTA

Illustrator offers drawing class to kids

Michael White, artist and illustrator of “The Library Dragon” and “Harriet’s Horrible Hair Day,” will lead an hour-long, interactive story-drawing class today for children ages 3-12. “The World of Illustrating Books” starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Buckhead branch library, 269 Buckhead Ave., N.E., Atlanta. Information: 404-814-3500. Johnny Edwards

Atlanta among top cities in vitality, creativity

Atlanta ranks sixth among 35 U.S. cities in vitality and creativity, according to the latest Vitality Index, released by Creative Cities International. The top 5 cities are Chicago, New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Boston. Atlanta placed ahead of Minneapolis, Columbus, Los Angeles and New Orleans.

The Vitality Index looks at what makes exciting cities work, weighting cultural data with trends, costs and demographic data. Cultural and athletic attractions, night life, street life, educational opportunities, cafe society and general creative dynamism were also weighed. Ernie Suggs

King & Spalding ranked top Atlanta law firm

King & Spalding has been rated the top Atlanta law firm for 2012 by Vault.com, which ranks firms for students and lawyers.

The web site culled its rankings from comments provided by more than 15,000 lawyers nationwide. Rounding out Atlanta’s top ten: Alston & Bird; Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; Sutherland Asbill & Brennan; Troutman Sanders; Jones Day; McKenna Long & Aldridge; Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker; Hunton & Williams; and Bryan Cave. Bill Rankin

Rivera chairs ABA health care panel

Nestor Rivera has been reappointed to serve a third term as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Health Law Litigation Committee.

Rivera, who obtained his law degree from Emory University in 2000, is a lawyer for the firm Carlton Fields and was appointed to the ABA’s Special Committee on Bioethics and the Law. Bill Rankin

DEKALB

Vandals cause sewage spill in Dunwoody

A plastic garbage can lid clogged a sewer main Friday on Amberly Drive in Dunwoody, creating a large spill.

About 15,700 gallons of raw sewage dumped into West Nancy Creek before county crews dislodged and retrieved the lid.

The spill is blamed on vandalism.

April Hunt

Contest for $10,000 green makeover

Decatur and Atlanta are teaming up to offer at least one homeowner in each city a home energy makeover.

The cities will pay for up to $10,000 in energy efficiency improvements to get people talking about going green.

The deadline for homeowners to apply for the contest is Aug. 19. Sign ups are at www.homeenergymakeovers.net.

More information: 678-553-6577 in Decatur and 404-954-8500 in Atlanta. April Hunt

Two parent resource centers close

Two of DeKalb County School’s eleven District level Parent Resource Centers have been closed. The center formerly housed at Avondale Middle School has been relocated to McLendon Elementary School, 3169 Hollywood Dr., Decatur. The phone number is 678-676-5937.

The center formerly housed at Atherton Elementary School is now at Towers High School, 3919 Brookcrest Circle, Decatur. The phone number is 678-874-2288. Rich McKay

County sued over gasification plant

A group of DeKalb County citizens have filed a lawsuit against the county over its recent approval of a $60 million biomass gasification plant in south DeKalb.

Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment, or CHASE, filed the suit in DeKalb Superior Court to appeal the county’s approval of a special land use permit to Green Energy Partners. The facility plans to turn wood chips into energy to sell to Georgia Power Co.

More than 100 residents objected to building the plant near Lithonia over emissions fears. Green Energy is waiting for a state air quality permit before beginning construction later this year. April Hunt

Stone Mountain church seeks school supply donations

Mountain West Church, 4818 Hugh Howell Road, Stone Mountain, will hold its annual “Back 2 School Blessing” during worship services at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon on Aug. 7. In conjunction it is seeking donations of school supplies to help teachers and students to be better prepared for the new school year. Information: www.mountainwestchurch.org or call 770-491-0228.

Rich McCay

Georgia Perimeter professor wins garden award

The chief executive officer of Georgia Perimeter College’s Botanical Garden received an award of excellence from National Garden Clubs. George Sanko, a biology professor, created the Decatur garden from what was once an overgrown tract of 3 acres. The garden’s highlights include “Ferns of the World” which has more species of ferns than any other garden in the country.

Laura Diamond

SOUTHSIDE

South Fulton property tax increase approved

Most Fulton residents won’t have their property tax rates increased this year by the county government, though they will pay extra for library projects. Unincorporated south Fulton residents will see an increase, which should be absorbed by falling property values and a higher homestead exemption.

The commission voted Thursday to keep the current countywide millage rate at 10.281 and boost the South Fulton Special Services District rate to 8.969, a 0.810 increase, to avoid a shortfall. The library bond rate will be 0.270 -- $21.60 on a $200,000 home. Johnny Edwards

Officials picked to attend ARC meeting

Four southside officials will take part in a weeklong meeting in September in St. Simons to examine trends impacting metro Atlanta. Clayton County Commissioner Sonna Singleton, Morrow Police Chief Jeff Baker, Hampton city manager Andy Pippin and Stockbridge city councilman Mark Alarcon were chosen by The Atlanta Regional Commission to participate in the 22nd annual Regional Leadership Institute Sept. 11-16. They are among 60 metro Atlanta leaders who will study the 10-county region during the weeklong meeting. Tammy Joyner

Peachtree City looks for more budget cuts

Peachtree City is asking the city’s administrative staff to reexamine the proposed $27.7 million budget for 2012.

After several budget workshops and a major staff reorganization, Council members offered varying suggestions for additional spending cuts at its July 21 meeting. Councilman Eric Imker submitted a 12-point list that met with varying degrees of support from other members.

A final version of the budget will be presented for a vote on Aug. 4.

Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Peachtree City regulates collection boxes

Businesses or charities collecting used goods in Peachtree City will have to comply with new regulations.

After getting complaints about the appearance and location of some donation boxes, the City Council approved a measure on July 21 to amend a related ordinance.

Donation boxes will be subject to an annual $25 permit fee and size and color guidelines. Boxes must display contact information for the collection group and receive permission from property owners before placement.

The ordinance does not apply to containers used to collect recycled materials. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Peachtree city community garden in works

The organizers of the Peachtree City Farmers Market have another project taking root.

Fresh South, Inc. was given permission by the City Council of Peachtree City to begin fundraising and site plans for a seven-acre community garden off Kelly Drive near the McIntosh Recreation Area.

The site will include up to 80 small plots that will be rented to families or businesses to grow their own fruits and vegetables. It will also have a picnic area and pavilion for use by community groups to encourage horticultural education. Jill Howard Church for the AJC