COBB
Latest Silver Comet Trail closings announced
The Silver Comet Trail is closed at two places this month.
Contractors have closed the trail to replace pavement under the Ewing Road bridge from Anderson Farm Road to Sanders Road through April 20.
Lucille Creek Bridge (mile markers 10.5 to 11.2) in Powder Springs is closed to all trail traffic until April 30.
For the latest updates, go to cobbdot.org. Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC
CCT to hold hearings on bus route changes
Cobb Community Transit will hold public hearings on proposed route changes 6 p.m. -8 p.m. Wednesday, South Cobb Government Center, 4700 Austell Road, Austell and 3 p.m.-5 p.m.Thursday at the CCT Paratransit Facility, 431 Commerce Park Drive, Marietta. The changes will affect Route 20 which runs from Marietta Transfer Center to Cumberland and back and Route 30 to and from Marietta Transfer to MARTA Holmes Station.
Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Training to prepare for battle anniversary
Marietta’s fire department and national park rangers will hold a training and rescue exercises starting 6:30 p.m. today at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park off Old U.S. Highway 41. The training will help responders prepare for visitors expected at the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in June. The mountain road will close at 4 p.m. Wednesday and the main Visitor Center parking lot at 5:30 p.m.
Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Social Justice seminar Thursday
The Cobb Southern Christian Leadership Conference Chapter will host the Rev. Dwight Graves Social Justice Seminar at 7 p.m. Thursday at the South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lions Club Drive, Mableton.
This panel discussion and community forum will focus on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last book “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” and seven service areas of healing, feeding, housing, earning, learning, living and giving.
Reservations: Operations@SCLCcobb.org.
Information: prca.cobbcountyga.gov/communitycenters.htm.
Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC
Austell to close Grace Street on Saturday
Austell will close Grace Street from Sherwood Drive to Love Street for the 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday for Spring Fling of the First Baptist Church of Austell, 5991 Love St.
Information: fbcaustell.com.
Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC
Free play Saturday at Connection Church
The Connection International Arts Ministry will present “Precious Memories” at 7 p.m. Saturday at Connection International Ministries, 4331 Brownsville Road, Powder Springs at U.S. 278.
This free play has been written by Tinker Foster, and Tim Solomon will be the soloist.
Information: goconnectnow.com/2014/04/precious-memories-2 or 678-384-0200.
Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC
GWINNETT
Superintendent candidates at Thursday forum
The Gwinnett Republican Party is sponsoring a candidate forum for those seeking the GOP nomination for Georgia’s state school superintendent at 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 17 at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville. Candidates agreeing to attend include Mary Kay Bacallao, Ashley Bell, Mike Buck, Sharyl Dawes, Allen Fort, Nancy Jester, Fitz Johnson and Kira Willis. A straw poll will follow for participants to cast votes for candidates. Information: www.gwinnettrepublicans.com. Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Norcross playground building begins
Join the Gwinnett Community Alliance, the City of Norcross, nonprofit KaBOOM! and the CarMax Foundation to help build a playground on May 1 at 321 Price Place in Norcross. The day build will begin with a kickoff ceremony at 8:30 a.m. and the ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 2:30 p.m. You may join as a community volunteer for the entire day, or you may visit during any part of the day as an observer. This project is among 30 playgrounds the CarMax Foundation and KaBOOM! plans to build across the country by the end of 2015.
Molly Bloom
Wellness fair at Pinckneyville Park
Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation, View Point Health and the Department of Developmental Disabilities host the Spring into Wellness Fair 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Pinckneyville Park’s Medlock Pavilion, 4758 South Old Peachtree Road, Norcross. The fair includes free interactive demonstrations, health screenings, live demonstrations, bouncy house, fun run, and raffle prizes. Information: 678-209-2758.Karen Huppertz
Challenge to clean up neighborhoods
Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful challenges residents to observe Keep America Beautiful Month with Put Litter in its Place Day on April 26 by picking up trash in neighborhoods or favorite parks. Go one step further by gathering friends or co-workers to form a Put Litter in its Place party to remove cigarette butts, aluminum cans and other garbage along a stretch of road. Information: www.gwinnettcb.org. Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Volunteers needed for arts festival
Duluth is seeking volunteers for the 10th Annual Barefoot in the Park Festival to be held May 10 and 11. The two-day event includes an artist market, adult learning village, beer garden, children’s art park and student art exhibit. Registration: www.barefootinthepark.org.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Mobile food bank helping hungry
The Overcomers House and The Atlanta Community Food Bank are hosting the Truckload Food Giveaway Mobile Pantry for families in need at 9 a.m. Saturday at Healing Place Church, 781 U.S. Highway 78 in Loganville. The Overcomers House is a Snellville-based nonprofit that works to fight hunger in Gwinnett and surrounding areas.
Information: 678-575-6608. Karen Huppertz for the AJC
NORTHSIDE
GBI identifies suspect in Woodstock shooting
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has identified the man fatally shot by a Woodstock police officer Friday night-but are saying little else. GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said an officer responding to Wal-Mart, 12182 Ga. 92, shot Dennis Doty, 45, of Woodstock. He died later at WellStar Kennestone Hospital. Woodstock Police had said the officer was checking a suspicious person report in the parking lot. Lang said additional details won’t be released, and that the investigation results will be turned over to the district attorney. Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Benefit race set in Forsyth County
Signup is underway for the Boulder Dash 5k/10k Run/Walk and Corporate Challenger 9.a.m April 26 at Northside Hospital-Forsyth, 1200 Northside Forsyth Drive, Cumming. The Healthcare Association of Forsyth County event raises funds for Forsyth County Parks and Recreation and the “Envision a Fit Forsyth” program. Organizers say the race is one of only two in the nation run within a working hard-rock quarry, and that the 10K race is new this year. Information: www.RunBoulderDash.com.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Court advocates honor volunteers
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Forsyth County recently recognized a number of people and organizations as part of sixth annual Lights of Hope celebration at the Lambert High School Auditorium, It tied in withthe group’s observance of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Among other awards, Molly Hevia was recognized as volunteer of the year and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta-Forsyth was honored as the W. Everett Bennett Community Partner Award winner.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Forsyth band boosters plan yard sale
The South Forsyth High School Band Boosters will hold their second annual Mega Yard Sale from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturday at the campus, 585 Peachtree Parkway in Cumming. Boosters say furniture, sporting goods, appliances, books and toys will be among the offerings. There will also be a car show at the school from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. p.m. Saturday. Information: 770-475-2201 or 678-699-0-778.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Alpharetta to host food truck event
Alpharetta officials are inviting you to feast on the street with their weekly Alpharetta Food Truck Alley.
It kicks off 5-9 p.m. Thursday on Old Roswell Street downtown, and will continue each Thursday through Oct. 23. Six to eight rotating food trucks and live music will be featured each week. Information: awesomealpharetta.com
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Teen Republicans plan meeting in Cherokee
The Cherokee County Teen Republicans will hold their annual convention meeting at noon April 19 at the Holly Springs Train Depot Community Center, 164 Hickory Road. The meeting’s been called to elect new officers and delegates to the state convention, set for June 7 in Atlanta. The group is open to all ages 13 through 19. Mark Woolsey for the AJC
ATLANTA
APS budget approval delayed
The Atlanta Board of Education held off on voting on next year’s $658 million budget, which had been scheduled for final approval Monday. The school board must agree on class sizes, pay raises and other issues before the budget is voted on.
Several board members argued that they needed more time to evaluate the financial implications of hiring more teachers to shrink class sizes. The board had previously sought 3 percent pay raises for all staff, but now is considering a plan to give different levels of raises. Mark Niesse
APS middle school merger may be delayed
The proposed combination of Coan Middle School and King Middle School may be delayed for a year, said Superintendent Erroll Davis on Monday.
Davis said he needs to evaluate how soon construction could begin to remodel King, where the combined school would be located.
If construction can’t start quickly, middle school students could stay in their home schools for one more year, consolidate on the Coan campus in the 2015-2016 school year, and then move to a renovated King campus in the 2016-2017 school year.
Both schools are under-enrolled. Coan has 260 students for a facility designed to hold 1,025 students, and King has about 460 students in a building designed to hold 1,000 students. Mark Niesse
Student wins Joyner foundation scholarship
Radio host Tom Joyner announced Tuesday that his annual full-ride scholarship will go to Atlanta student Titus Zeigler, who tutors younger children, participates in Junior ROTC and volunteers at the city food bank.
Zeigler, a senior at Grady High School, will receive a scholarship to attend a historically black college covering full tuition, books for 10 semesters and room and board.
He plans to attend Florida A&M University as he works to become a trauma surgeon.
Mark Niesse
DEKALB
Mayor: fire station didn’t impact fire
Calling it the city’s worst tragedy in “at least two generations,” Avondale Estates Mayor Ed Rieker insisted that the city’s recently vacated fire station at Clarendon Avondale had no impact on the response time to Saturday night’s fire killing residents Tami and Jess Willadsen.
“There was a fire truck in the vicinity that got there in less than five minutes. The house went up unbelievably quick.” Rieker said Tuesday. Firefighters moved out of Avondale’s Fire Station No. 3 — set for a complete rebuilding — just two weeks ago and into the old DeKalb County Police Headquarters on Camp Circle. The current headquarters is 2.1 miles, or roughly six minutes away from the Willadsen house on Lakeshore Drive, while the old station is 0.8 miles, or two minutes away, according to Mapquest. Bill Banks for the AJC
Third UDO community meeting tonight
The third Unified Development Ordinance community meeting is 7:00-9:00 p.m. tonight at Decatur’s City Hall, 509 N. McDonough St., Decatur. Although the UDO largely includes collating and rewriting existing land, storm water, tree and zoning ordinances written at different time periods, it also focuses on issues like tonight’s topic, “Sustainability,” or incorporating “green standards” into buildings and sites. The final UDO community meeting is April 23 on new/amended zoning districts. Bill Banks for the AJC
CEO to speak to business group
DeKalb County Interim CEO Lee May is the guest speaker at the April luncheon of the Tucker Business Association, 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Aldo’s Cafe, 4450 Hugh Howell Road, Tucker.
The association serves as the voice of the people who form Tucker’s business foundation. Non-members of the association are welcome to attend.
Information: www.tuckerbiz.org or 404-593-9663. Kent A. Miles for the AJC
Former state senator to speak at luncheon
Former Georgia senator Sam Zamarripa will be the featured speaker at a luncheon sponsored by the DeKalb and Chamblee chambers of commerce, 11:30 a.m. today at the Chamblee Civic Center, 3540 Broad St.
Zamarripa will speak on the topic of immigration and the workforce. He is an Atlanta Democrat who became the first Latino legislator elected to the state Senate in 2002. He currently heads Zamarripa Capital Inc. and is co-founder and co-president of the Essential Economy Council, a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that conducts research and communications to educate elected officials and business leaders.
Information: www.dekalbchamber.org. or 404-378-8000. Kent A. Miles
Earth Day recycling this weekend
The Saint Philip Community Development Corp. will host its Community Green & Clean/Earth Day celebration 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at St. Philip AME Church, 240 Candler Road, SE.
Safe on-site disposal of sensitive documents, electronics recycling, household hazardous waste disposal, and a flea market will be offered.
Information: 404-371-0749.
Arlinda Smith Broady
SOUTHSIDE
Fayette schools may restructure salaries
At a work session Monday night, the Fayette County Board of Education heard recommendations about restructuring school employees’ pay scales.
Tom Gray, assistant superintendent of business and personnel management, said the current classifications have resulted in inequities and inconsistencies among positions at all levels. Details will be circulated to employees before a likely vote on April 28. Jill Howard Church for the AJC
All Children’s Playground reopens
Peachtree City’s All Children’s Playground, on Willowbend Road behind City Hall, will reopen at 3 p.m. Friday after several weeks of renovations.
The playground is designed to accommodate children with special needs, and has been updated with new features. Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Southern Conservation Trust seeks comments
As part of its effort to gain national accreditation with the Land Trust Alliance, the Southern Conservation Trust seeks public comments about its performance.
Information can be submitted at www.landtrustaccreditation.org or info@landtrustaccreditation.org by June 1.
Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Fayette services board seeks member
Fayette County’s Board of Family and Children Services is accepting applications to fill an open volunteer position. The board meets monthly and serves as a link between the community and the county administration.
The term runs May 15, 2014-June 30, 2016; applications due April 18.
Contact Floyd Jones at 770-305-5102 or fjones@fayettecountyga.gov. Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Clayton schools golf tourney April 25
Clayton County Public Schools will host its 5th Annual Golf Tournament on April 25 at Lake Spivey Country Club, 8255 Clubhouse Way, Jonesboro, starting with 11 a.m. registration.
Cost: $125 per player. Proceeds go to scholarships for Clayton County Public School students.
Information: Teri Rodgers at 770 473-2712. Tammy Joyner
College Park getting improved street signs
Public works crews in College Park have been installing new and improved street signs citywide. Officials say the signs feature upper- and lower-case lettering and improved reflectivity to enhance readability. The city is making the signs in-house as part of the $32,000 project.
The city’s public works director says installations are being done in the historic district first, and then will proceed by ward, with arterial streets getting the new signage upfront.
The project is expected to take up to 36 months. Mark Woolsey for the AJC
