County by county news for Wednesday

Powder Springs Mayor Patricia Vaughn said several state and county officials have been invited to attend the 11 a.m. ceremony.

Croy Engineering designed the bridge to provide safer travel for cyclists and walkers who had a congested intersection to cross.

Opened since Christmas, the nearly $500,000 bridge goes over Old Lost Mountain Road at Richard Sailors Parkway and received funding from the special purpose local option sales tax, or SPLOST. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Three museums hold Civil War events

Three Cobb County museums will host a family day event Saturday about life in Cobb during the Civil War.

“The Yankees are Coming: Life in Marietta During the Civil War” event will feature cooking and dance demonstrations, period music and war re-enactors at the Root Museum, The Marietta Museum of History and the Marietta Gone with the Wind Museum. Activities at the museums run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Information: www.cobblandmarks.com. Janel Davis

KSU symposium on Civil Rights movement

Kennesaw State University is scheduled to hold a symposium on the Civil Rights movement, following the struggle of African Americans from the Civil War to today. The 2-day event starts Friday at 6 p.m. at the Old Zion Baptist Church at 165 Lemon St., Marietta. It continues at 8:30 a.m. at the Bursusr Building, Room 151 at the KSU campus, 1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw, and again at 1 p.m. at the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive. Rich McKay

Seminar helps churches save energy

Georgia Interfaith Power and Light will host a seminar Wednesday to help Cobb County congregations save energy.

The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. at Turner Chapel AME, 492 North Marietta Pkwy. in Marietta. Information: 404-588-9978, or visit www.gipl.org. Janel Davis

School bus drivers to test driving skills

Marietta City Schools bus drivers will test their driving skills at a bus “roadeo” starting 9 a.m. March 31. Drivers will use Lockheed Martin’s parking lot on South Cobb Drive for a series of road exercises that include driving two serpentine courses or driving around barriers, parallel parking and driving between parallel barriers. Drivers will lose points if they hit a cone or barrier or take more than one try to turn or back up. Tucker McQueen for the AJC

County’s website wins national award

Cobb County’s website was recognized this month for exceeding transparency standards. The county won a 2011 Sunny Award from Sunshine Review, a national government transparency advocate. Cobb was one of 112 winners this year.

Last year 41 websites earned “A” transparency grades from the organization. The grades are based on disclosure information about budgets, meetings, officials, audits, contracts and the ease of use of the available information. Janel Davis

GWINNETT

Commission chairwoman to be sworn in Monday

Charlotte Nash will be sworn in as chairwoman of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners at 4 p.m. Monday at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center auditorium.

Nash won a special election for the job March 15, defeating three other candidates. A Dacula resident, Nash, 58, is Gwinnett’s former county administrator.

She will serve the remaining two years left on the unexpired term of former Chairman Charles Bannister, who resigned in October. David Wickert

Student’s award-winning art on display

Five Gwinnett Schools’ students received regional recognition for their art, which will be on display at the Atlanta High School Art Exhibition Dogwood Festival in April.

The work of award winners will travel to Atlanta colleges in a “Meet the Artists” exhibit. More than 540 entries were submitted.

The winners: Norcross High students Abbagail Holtz, who won 8th place, and Julio Garcia, who placed 9th; North Gwinnett High student Angela Hood, who won 10th place; and Mill Creek High students Yana Nikolaeva, 11th place winner, and Kim Hokyum, honorable mention. D. Aileen Dodd

Time to sign up for Lilburn Idol contest

Registration is now open for the 2011 Lilburn Idol competition.

Auditions are set for 5:30 p.m. May 16, May 19 and June 9. Performance dates are 7 p.m. June 24, July 8 and (in case of rain out) July 29, with the finale scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 5.

To register for the competition and for more information, visit www.cityoflilburn.com. David Wickert

Library to hold teen summit April 16

The Gwinnett County Public Library will host a teen summit April 16 at the Aurora Theatre, 128 Pike Street, Lawrenceville.

The summit will bring teens, their parents and community groups together to explore personal development, social awareness and healthy living. Participants can choose from more than a dozen workshops and discussions on such topics as living green, cyber privacy and gang awareness.

For more information on the free event, visit www.gwinnettpl.org/teensummit. David Wickert

8th graders improve on writing test

Gwinnett County Schools’ eighth graders continue to improve their performance on the state’s writing test.

Of the 12,000 students who took the Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment in 2011, 93 percent passed. That number is up from 91 percent in 2010.

About 14 percent of Gwinnett students exceeded standards on the exam compared to 5 percent statewide.

English language learners had the highest overall gains, improving pass rates by 9 percentage points. In 2011, 66 percent of students still learning English passed the exam compared to 57 percent in 2010. D. Aileen Dodd

NORTHSIDE

Milton signs pact with schools for park space

Milton continues to expand its park space. City officials signed a 10-year agreement Monday with Fulton County Schools to share a 2-acre plot along Birmingham Highway between Crabapple Crossing Elementary and Northwestern Middle School as a community park. Under the terms the city must make about $110,000-worth of improvements, including a fitness trail, a basketball court, a pavilion and a playing field.

The district would have to pay the city $20,000 if it cancels in the first two years. Patrick Fox

Ridgeview school gets new principal

Webb Bridge Middle School’s Lisa Hastey has been named principal of Ridgeview Charter School, the Fulton County School System has announced. Hastey succeeds principal Karen Cox, who joined the district’s central office. Hastey has been part of Webb Bridge’s administrative team since 2006. Previously, she was the administrative assistant at North Springs Charter High School and was a social studies teacher at Milton High School and at schools in Cobb County and Fairfax, Va. Nancy Badertscher

Forsyth seeks input on green space plans

Forsyth County is inviting public opinion on the county’s proposed master planning of several green space properties. At a 7 p.m. March 31 meeting, in the cafeteria of Lambert High School, 805 Nichols Road in Suwanee, the county will present plans for the Harrison, McClure, Buice and Echols Road properties. At a 7 p.m., April 19 meeting in the Coal Mountain Park Community Building, at 3560 Settingdown Road in Cumming, the county will discuss green space plans for the Sawnee Mountain Preserve Phase III, Eagle’s Beak and Lanierland properties. Jeffry Scott

Alpharetta starts new pedestrian signal

Alpharetta will activate a new pedestrian crossing signal this month designed to increase traffic compliance. To be installed at Wills Park on Old Milton Parkway, it allows pedestrians to activate a signal, much like a traffic light, that will notify drivers to stop.

When activated, the signal will first turn yellow to warn drivers before turning to red to indicate that traffic should stop. After a few moments the red signal will begin to flash, indicating that drivers can proceed if no pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Patrick Fox

Tweens, teens ballet performance Saturday

The Atlanta Ballet Centre Ensemble, made up of tweens and young teens, will perform classical and contemporary dances Saturday at the Sandy Springs Branch library, 395 Mt. Vernon Highway.

The program starts at 4:30 p.m. and is for children ages 5 and up. Information: 404-303-6130. John Edwards

Senior Services presents Chef’s Extravaganza

Senior Services North Fulton is teaming up with Kimberly-Clark to present a Chef’s Extravaganza April 30 to honor volunteers who have served the organization for 20 years.

The event is at 7 p.m. on the Kimberly-Clark campus in Roswell, 1400 Holcomb Bridge Road. Patrick Fox

ATLANTA

New COO at Grady on the job April 4

With more than 25 years of experience in health care administration, Mark Chastang will join Grady Health System April 4, as chief operating officer, the hospital announced Tuesday.

Chastang most recently served as vice president of operations and transplant services at the University of Chicago Medical Center and, at one time, was assistant director at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Misty Williams

Taxpayers group not with Reed on pension

The Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation fears Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is listening to the wrong lawyers. The group contends Reed’s proposals to “sweep aside existing pension laws” to reform the pension system are based on an outside legal opinion at odds with the city law department. Foundation lawyers also contend Reed’s proposal wouldn’t survive a legal challenge. Instead, foundation head John Sherman suggests the city stop opposing a foundation lawsuit challenging the pension law because if it is successful Reed’s proposals could be enacted. Steve Visser

Homeless mission starts urban garden

The Atlanta Mission, Skanska USA Building and Long Engineering have teamed up to establish an urban garden in Atlanta to benefit the homeless. The partners will launch the project, set for a 2.36-acre vacant lot at the corner of Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard and Spring Street, today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Clients of the Mission will tend the garden as part of vocational training and an effort to prepare them to return to the workforce. Leon Stafford

SAT/ACT help at Mechanicsville branch

Teens prepping for SATs and ACTs can spend Saturday afternoon learning test-taking strategies at a Kaplan workshop at the Mechanicsville Branch library, 400 Formwalt Street, SW, Atlanta. The class starts at 12:30 p.m.; reservations are required. Information: 404-730-4779. Johnny Edwards

DEKALB

Chief, commission face off on academy

DeKalb County politicians are using a June police academy to debate the 2011 budget.

The County Commission cut $33.6 million from the budget, including $4.8 million from the police department. In response, Police Chief William O’Brien postponed the June police academy, which included 40 recruits. Last week, County Commissioners said the June academy is back on and no officers or recruits will be cut.

On Tuesday, O’Brien said he has not received any additional funding for the academy, which costs about $2.7 million. With no money, there’s no class, he said. Megan Matteucci

Commission endorses transportation projects

The DeKalb County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday in support of a $2.7 billion list of transportation projects for the 2012 penny sales regional referendum.

The list features 39 major road projects, including improvements at the interchanges at Panola and I-20 and Bouldercrest at I-285. The list also includes upgrades to MARTA and sidewalks.

The state Department of Transportation will now review the projects. Megan Matteucci

Decatur approves 2020 Strategic Plan

The Decatur City Commission on Monday approved the 2020 Strategic Plan, which had been in the making for 14 months. The Plan’s preparation included input from about 1,200 residents, who made approximately 8,000 comments, many of which were assimilated into the final 80-page document. City manager Peggy Merriss said the first step in carrying out the plan begins immediately, in clarifying or modifying zoning on property where specific projects are planned. Bill Banks for the AJC

Dunwoody seeks input on street improvements

Dunwoody will hold an open house meeting 6 -- 8 p.m. March 31 at the Dunwoody Baptist Church, Building G, Room 200, 1445 Mount Vernon Road.

Public input is sought for pedestrian and cycling improvements for Dunwoody Village Parkway funded by a Transportation Enhancement Grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation.

For information, contact Michael Smith, Public Works Director, at michael.smith@dunwoodyga.gov or (678) 382-6852.

Staff reports

Summer day camp registration Saturday

DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will hold Camp Superstars summer camp registration on 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at all 12 recreation centers.

The camp for ages 5-15 and begins May 31 to July 29. The camp will be 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday for $55 per week. The registration application is available at http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parks. Information: 404-371-3643. Staff reports

Job fair in Decatur March 31

DeKalb Workforce Development will host the “2011 Employment Readiness Fair” on March 31 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Decatur Conference Plaza, 130 Clairemont Ave. in Decatur.

Information: www.dekalbworkforce.org or 404-687-3469.

Joel Anderson

SOUTHSIDE

Ex-customs officer guilty of conpiracy charges

An ex-U.S. customs officer ensnared in a sting recently pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder drug money and smuggle guns.

Devon Samuels, 45, of Stockbridge, is to be sentenced June 2. In November, officers posing as money launderers gave Samuels $25,000 and $50,000, which he smuggled through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and gave to an officer posing as a drug trafficker in Jamaica, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Later, an undercover officer gave Samuels five firearms and $20,000, which he smuggled into Hartsfield, the office said. Bill Rankin

Peachtree City’s new city manager on the job

Dr. Jim Pennington has begun his tenure as Peachtree City’s new city manager, overseeing the daily operation of seven departments.

Pennington has more than 30 years of municipal experience, most recently in Hartsville, S.C. He earned a doctorate in organizational leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a master’s degree in public administration from Xavier University. Pennington was chosen for the post earlier this year following the retirement of Bernie McMullen. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Fayette considers refinancing bonds

The Fayette County Public Facilities Authority will meet Thursday to consider refinancing outstanding revenue bonds.

The bonds were issued for the expansion of the Fayette Criminal Justice Center and county jail. The board will consider a re-issuance of new bonds in the aggregate amount of $40 million to take advantage of lower interest rates.

The meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. at the Fayette Administrative Complex at 140 Stonewall Ave., Fayetteville. Kathy Jefcoats for the AJC

SCV launches Civil War website

The Georgia division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has launched a website to mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. The site, www.GeorgiaSCV.org , tells of Georgia’s role in the confederacy and the war and provides information on upcoming events around the state. The Georgia division has an educational curriculum related to the war on CD that is available through the website. Events being held over the next four years will be on the site. Tammy Joyner

Saint Leo launches Morrow facility

Saint Leo University now has a teaching location in Morrow. The Catholic University will have an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 7 at the new location at 1590 Adamson Parkway, Suite 120. More than 1,000 students are already enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs at Saint Leo locations in Gwinnett and Marietta. Tammy Joyner

East Point council OKs retreat concept

The East Point City Council approved in concept Monday night holding its retreat later this spring. The council instructed city staff to find a facilitator and location for the retreat and schedule it within the next 45 days. Mayor Earnestine Pittman is adamant the City Council creates the agenda for the event, instead of City Manager Crandall Jones. John Thompson for the AJC