County by county news for Tuesday

Pierce has more than 20 years of public experience at the federal, county and city government levels, according to county information. Hankerson is expected to make the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners at its meeting on March 8. The county’s interim purchasing director Mark Kohntopp is a finalist for the position, along with three other candidates. The purchasing director is responsible for the department that acquires materials equipment and services for all county departments. -Janel Davis

Commissioner Goreham holds town hall meeting

District One Cobb County Commissioner Helen Goreham will host a town hall meeting for northwest Cobb residents on March 10. Residents will have an opportunity to interact with elected officials and hear about progress being made in the district and throughout the district. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the North Cobb Senior Center, 4100 Highway 293 in Acworth. Goreham began her third commission term in January. Information:770-528-3313 or www.cobbcounty.org/goreham. -Janel Davis

Wheelchair basketball jam in Smyrna March 19

The Dream Makers Youth Foundation in Smyrna hosts its 7th annual celebrity wheelchair basketball jam on March 19.

The game will feature celebrities, such as professional basketball athletes, playing against wheelchair athletes. The game begins at 7 p.m. at Campbell Middle School, 3295 South Atlanta Rd. in Smyrna Dream Makers provides educational, recreational and therapeutic services to preschool through high school-aged children with special needs. Information: www.dreammakersyouthfoundation.org. -Janel Davis

Time to enroll in Walk Georgia fitness program

Registration is being accepted for the Walk Georgia fitness program sponsored by the University of Georgia and Cobb County Cooperative Extension.

The program is designed as a fun way to increase physical activity. Participants my register as individuals or in teams of four, and log exercise activities on the program’s website. The program translates the exercise into “miles,” and participants can “walk” across Georgia and learn facts about the counties they visit. Online registration runs through March 9. The program runs March 6-April 30. Information: www.walkgeorgia.org. -Janel Davis

Read Across America in Powder Springs

A “Read Across America” event will take place this afternoon in Powder Springs. All ages are invited to this 4 p.m. activity at the Powder Springs Library, 4181 Atlanta St. Library staff members will be reading their favorite children’s books. Information: 770-439-3600 Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

School board to discuss 2012 budget today

The Cobb County school board will hold a meeting from 5-7 p.m. today to discuss the district’s 2012 budget. Early projections show a $20 to $35 million deficit due to declining property taxes and decreased state revenues. The district is also planning for five employee furlough days and delayed salary increases. -Jaime Sarrio

GWINNETT

Man dies in fire at Lawrenceville duplex

A Gwinnett County man who was killed in a house fire was identified Monday as 25-year-old Kevin Haynes.

Haynes was the only person inside the Lawrenceville duplex, located on Curtis Road off Hurricane Shoals Road, when crews arrived shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday, said Capt. Tommy Rutledge with the Gwinnett fire department.

The fire damage was not visible from outside the one-story duplex, Rutledge said. Firefighters were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to the adjacent unit. Fire officials have not released a cause for the fire. -Alexis Stevens

Suwanee student art on exhibit today

The artistic talent of Gwinnett County students will be on display at the district’s headquarters in Suwanee.

The “Tapestry Display” will feature hundreds of drawings, paintings, pottery, jewelry and other creations students made in fine arts classes. A reception celebrating the exhibit’s opening will be held today from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Instructional Support Center, 437 Old Peachtree Road. -D. Aileen Dodd

County sponsors breakfasts with veterans

Gwinnett County will sponsor breakfasts with veterans from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. March 12, 19 and 26 at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, 185 E. Crogan St., Lawrenceville.

The events will feature a continental breakfast with veterans, a film presentation, a question and answer session and a tour of the Veterans Museum. Pre-registration is required by the Thursday before each event. To register: 770-822-5450. -David Wickert

Library hold altered book workshop

The Gwinnett County Public Library will sponsor a free altered book art techniques workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 12 at The Hudgens Center for the Arts, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Building 300, Duluth. To reserve a seat at the workshop, RSVP by March 9 to info@thehudgens.org. David Wickert

Brookwood student, teacher honored

A Brookwood High School student and teacher recently won district honors for their commitment to academic excellence. Akshaya Suresh was named as Gwinnett County Schools’ STAR student for achieving a perfect SAT score of 2400. Suresh chose to share the award with Dana Kling, who was named STAR Teacher for influencing her successful path in education. Suresh was selected from a pool of seniors from Gwinnett public and private schools. -D. Aileen Dodd

TILT for teens to be March 11-12

Gwinnett County will host a Teens in Leadership Training (TILT) program from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 11 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 12 at George Pierce Park Community Recreation Center, 55 Buford Highway, Suwanee. The program is an opportunity for teenagers to learn gain experience before volunteering for the county’s summer counselor in training program.

The cost is $35 per person. Pre-registration is required by March 5. To register: 770-418-2331. -David Wickert

NORTHSIDE

Work to close Wright Road in Sandy Springs

The Georgia Department of Transportation will temporarily close Wright Road on the south side of Abernathy Road Wednesday morning to allow construction of the new intersection.

The closure will start after 9 a.m. and is scheduled for about 45 days. The actual opening of the road is weather dependent, city officials said. Officials said the north side of the intersection will remain open during the construction. For information or more a map of the project detour, visit www.sandyspringsga.org or call 770-730-5600. -Joel Anderson

Forsyth to narrow sites for animal shelter

The Forsyth County Animal Control and Shelter Advisory Committee tonight will try to shorten its list of ten pieces of property owned by the county as sites to build an animal shelter to replace the private facility that county now contracts out for $480,000 a year.

The meeting is at 6:45 p.m., Suite 210 in the Forsyth County Administration Building, 110 East Main Street, Cumming. -Jeffry Scott

Man, 64, drowns in Forsyth pond

A 64-year-old man drowned Sunday afternoon in a private pond in Forsyth County.

The man, whose name was not released, was alone in a boat on the 2-acre Gravitt Road pond, north of Cumming, Capt. Jason Shivers with the Forsyth County fire department said.

Divers pulled the man’s body from the water around 6:30 p.m. The victim did not live at the home, but was visiting family, Shivers said. -Alexis Stevens

Roswell robbery suspect nabbed at mall

A suspect in the robbery of a bank outlet in a Roswell grocery store was arrested early Saturday at Perimeter Mall.

Adam Christopher Meacham, 26, was arrested in connection with the Feb. 14 robbery of the Fifth Third Bank in the Kroger at 570 East Crossville Road, ac Roswell police said. Roswell detectives have also tied Meacham to a bank robbery in Alpharetta, police said. He was captured with the help of police in several jurisdictions, including Dunwoody. -Ty Tagami

3 Cherokee schools receive honor

Three Cherokee County School District elementary schools have been named “Title I Distinguished Schools” by the U.S. Department of Education. R.M Moore Middle school in Waleska, Boston Elementary School in Woodstock and Woodstock Elementary School were honored for making Adequate Yearly Progress in academics as determined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The Title I program provides assistance to campuses which serve students most at-risk. Mark Woolsey for the AJC

Workshop to help seniors with scams

The Fulton County Office of Housing and Community Development will hold a workshop in Alpharetta on Wednesday teaching seniors how to spot home repair scams. “Be Aware of the Tricks of the Trade: Guarding against Home Repair and Other Scams Targeting Senior Citizens” will be from 10 to 11 a.m. at Crabapple Neighborhood Senior Center, 12624 Broadwell Road. Information: 404-612-8043. -Johnny Edwards

ATLANTA

Firms vie to search for superintendent

Atlanta school board members heard pitches Monday from two firms interested in conducting a search to replace Superintendent Beverly Hall.

One firm, Iowa-based Ray and Associates Inc., is also conducting a superintendent’s search in neighboring DeKalb County.

The other firm is Illinois-based Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates.

System officials said three firms overall had been invited to make oral presentations to the board, but one declined. Board Chairman Khaatim Sherrer El has said the board will choose a firm by March 14. -Kristina Torres

City loses lawsuit in sidewalk injury

A Fulton County jury on Friday awarded $1.14 million in damages to a Norcross woman who suffered permanent foot damage after falling on an Atlanta sidewalk.

In May 2007, Miriam Nichole Hancock, 35, the manager of a social services agency, got her heel caught in loose concrete while crossing an intersection near Underground Atlanta, her lawyers, Don Edwards and Mary Carole Cooney, said.

She fell and severely injured her ankle, requiring surgeries. The verdict was against the city of Atlanta for failing to correct the sidewalk problem when it knew or should have known the problem existed before Hancock’s fall, the lawyers said. -Bill Rankin

Chase holds mortgage counseling event

JPMorgan Chase & Co. loan advisers will hold a five-day counseling event in Atlanta starting Thursday to help struggling homeowners facing potential foreclosure.

Chase advisers will set up at the Georgia World Congress Center from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Chase will offer counseling for mortgage modification applications, short sale assistance and for borrowers facing hardships but who are current on their loans.

The event is for Chase and EMC mortgage clients.

No appointment is necessary. -J. Scott Trubey

DEKALB

Emory’s Winship institute gets $5 million

The Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation has committed $5 million to Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute. The donation will create The Glenn Family Breast Program at Winship, establishing a fund to support patient care, research, education and community outreach. “We are truly grateful to the trustees of the Glenn Foundation for their confidence in our breast center and the work that is done here,” says Dr. Walter J. Curran, Jr., executive director of the Winship Cancer Institute. -Carrie Teegardin

Agnes Scott to offer computer science major

Students at Agnes Scott College will be able to major in computer science through a new dual-degree program that will be offered with Emory University, officials announced Monday.

The program, which will begin this spring, will allow Agnes Scott students to receive a degree from that college and a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in computer science from Emory. Previously students could only take introductory programming courses at Emory. -Laura Diamond

Sheriff swears in 17 new detention officers

Seventeen new detention officers are helping secure the DeKalb County jail. DeKalb Sheriff Thomas Brown swore the recruits in on Friday after they graduated from the 111th basic jailers’ academy.

During the five-week training, the officers learned defensive tactics, basic fire safety, fingerprint classification and inmate manipulation. -Megan Matteucci

Hearings today for school redistricting plan

The DeKalb County school board today will hold the first of two public hearings on the proposed school redistricting plan. The hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the district’s headquarters, 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard, Stone Mountain, 30083. Information: www.dekalb.k12.ga.us. J-aime Sarrio

Housing Authority to dedicate apartments

Today at 11 a.m. the Decatur Housing Authority hosts a ribbon cutting celebrating completion of the Allen Wilson Apartments first-phase construction. This initial phase includes two buildings and 40 rental units, scheduled for occupation by the end of March.

Housing Authority Executive Director Paul Pierce said that two more phases remain, the total project covering eight acres and including 190 to 192 rental units, which should be finished by late 2013. -Bill Banks for the AJC

DeKalb Medical cited for birthing center

DeKalb Medical has been recognized internationally for its birthing center.

The International Board of Lactation and Consultant Examiners and the International Lactation Consultant Association awarded the DeKalb hospital the “Care Award for Hospitals and Birthing Facilities,” the hospital announced recently.

DeKalb Medical is one of five hospitals in Georgia to be recognized for supporting women who choose to breastfeed, the hospital said. The international board cited the hospital’s for having a professional lactation consultant on staff and operating the program at least five days a week. -Megan Matteucci

SOUTHSIDE

Fayette approves speed limit on Parkway

Despite concerns by a member, the Fayette County Board of Commissioners approved posted speed limits on Veterans Parkway. Commissioner Steve Brown argued for lowering the posted 45 mph during approaches to two schools along the route. However, he failed to convince the majority of members and voted against the measure. The parkway, Phase 1 of a proposed West Fayetteville Bypass, opened for travel last year with posted speed limit signs. However, for legal purposes, the limits had to be approved by the county. -Kathy Jefcoats for the AJC

County engineer takes heat for letter

Fayette County’s engineer said it was his idea for a land appraiser to use county letterhead in communicating with residents along a controversial bypass.

Commissioner Allen McCarty brought the letterhead use to the board’s attention during a Feb. 10 meeting, saying he was “greatly” disturbed by it. He said the use of county stationery by a private third party for the purpose of land acquisition for the West Fayetteville Bypass was an intimidation tactic.

But County Engineer Phil Mallon told the board Feb. 24 it was his idea. “I’m responsible,” he said. “That clearly was the wrong decision.” Mallon said procedure now calls for a letter be sent from the county first to alert residents to expect a letter from a business representing the county. -Kathy Jefcoats for the AJC

Hearing tonight on South Fulton Parkway

The public can have its say today on possible changes to the South Fulton Parkway corridor, according to the state Department of Transportation.

DOT is studying whether to change median openings, parallel streets, computerized traffic signals or other elements of the corridor. The final meeting for public suggestions is from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Langston Hughes High School in Fairburn, at 7510 Hall Road. -Ariel Hart

Fayette pre-k lottery postponed

The pre-kindergarten lottery in Fayette County planned for March 4 has been postponed until the General Assembly decides whether to change the state program. Gov. Nathan Deal has proposed reducing the pre-k school day to a half-day schedule. Fayette has state-funded pre-k programs at eight elementary schools. Twenty students will be selected for each class. Applications are still being accepted through March 3 at 2 p.m.; call Clarice Howard at (770) 486-0149 or visit www.fcboe.org for information. -Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Fayette seniors can apply for scholarship

High school seniors in Fayette County have until March 28 to apply for a scholarship offered by the Association of Village PRIDE, Inc.

The $500 award for youth leadership is in memory of Audra Nicole Oliver, a school system employee who died in 2002. She was the daughter of Fred M. Oliver, deputy superintendent of the Fayette County Board of Education.

Applicants must submit an essay and two letters of recommendation. The award will be presented at the winner’s senior honors ceremony. Information: www.fcboe.org. -Jill Howard Church for the AJC