County by county news for Wednesday

Officers were called to a home in 3500 block of Paul Samuel Road, near Kennesaw, around 7:45 a.m., according to Sgt. Dana Pierce with Cobb police. When they arrived, officers found the body of the 60-year-old homeowner lying in the carport, according to police. The victim, identified by police as Frank William Davidson, died “under circumstances that indicate foul play,” Pierce said. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. -- Alexis Stevens

‘Choice Bus’ visits Cobb

The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation’s Choice Bus, a half-classroom, half-prison cell bus designed to show students the power of their choices – choosing to stay in school and pursue their education or choosing to drop out and risk their future, will be at Campbell High School, 5265 Ward St. Smyrna 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Wednesday and South Cobb High School, 1920 Clay Road, Austell 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

Information: www.mattiecstewart.org. -- Sandra Marshall Murray

Cumberland CID Board to meet Thursday

The Cumberland Community Improvement District Board of Directors will meet at 7:30 a.m. Thursday at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, 240 Interstate North Parkway. Information: Melissa Crook at 770-859-2357. -- Veronica Fields Johnson

Spring Jonquil Fest in Smyrna

Smyrna’s annual Spring Jonquil Festival will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday on the Village Green, 200 Village Green Circle.

The free event will feature 175 arts and crafts booth, a puppet show, music and an artists market including watercolor, folk art, pottery, jewelry and metal sculpture. The 5K Jonquil Jog starts at 8 a.m.

Information: www.smyrnacity.com. -- Tucker McQueen for the AJC

‘Keep Austell Beautiful Day’ is Saturday

Austell Public Works will hold a “Keep Austell Beautiful Day” in celebration of Earth Day and the Great American Cleanup event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at George E. Beavers Park, corner of Joe Jerkins Boulevard and Broad Street.

A free lunch and drinks will be given to registered participants.

Registration: austellga.gov/gac. -- Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Spring garden party set for next month

Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society, Inc. will host the Oakton Spring Garden Party 4 to 8 p.m. May 4 at 581 Kennesaw Ave NW in Marietta.

Enjoy a Victorian carriage photo opportunity, Maypole dance by the Root House junior docents, Civil War reenactors, a tour of Oakton’s gardens, and, for the first time ever, a tour of Oakton’s 1890 carriage house, and scrumptious food and drink.

This event marks the 175th anniversary of historic Oakton.

Information: www.showclix.com/event/OaktonSpringGardenParty2013. -- Meghan de St. Aubin

GWINNETT

Duo accused of robbery, shooting at cops

Around 6:50 a.m. Saturday Tavares Douglas Harris, 25, robbed the Waffle House on Goshen Springs Road in Norcross at gunpoint, according to police. Officers chased the suspect and a driver, Tamari Curtis Adams, 24, in a black 1994 Honda Accord. The suspects fired at officers and were caught in the parking lot of Home Depot at 4112 Jimmy Carter Boulevard. None of the officers were hit. The duo — both previously convicted felons — remain behind bars, according to police. Adams spent a year in Rogers State Prison for burglary and Harris spent nine months in prison after a false imprisonment conviction, records show. -- Alexis Stevens

Lilburn hosts farmers market

The Lilburn Farmers' Market will open for the 2013 season on June 7 from 4 to 8 p.m. The market is located in the Greenway Trail parking lot across from City Hall. Applications are currently being accepted for vendors and not for profit organizations interested in participating in the market. All items must be made and grown by the applicant. No reselling permitted. For more information please visit www.lilburnfarmersmarket.org or call 678-667-2592. -- Sandra Marshall Murray

Prescription drug take back initiative

The Snellville Police in partnership with the DEA will be accepting unwanted or expired prescription pills and over the counter medications to be destroyed 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Snellville Police building, 2315 Wisteria Drive. By participating residents can help make sure potentially harmful drugs do not land in the hands of people abusing prescription narcotics or medication not prescribed for them. Email Lt. Sullivan at asullivan@snellville.org with questions. -- Karen Huppertz for the AJC

Lilburn sponsoring day of disposal, recycling

Secure document shredding, scrap metal, bulk trash disposal and tire and electronics recycling highlight Lilburn’s annual Great American Clean Up 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at City Hall’s overflow parking lot, 76 Main St. Information: 770-921-2210. -- Michael Alpert for the AJC

Peachtree Corners plans meetings

Peachtree Corners’ leaders will meet at 7 p.m. today at Norcross High School, 5300 Spalding Drive and 7 p.m. April 30, at Winters Chapel United Methodist Church, 5105 Winters Chapel Road to provide community feedback on the city’s comprehensive plan.

Information: peachtreecornersplan.blogspot.com.

Residents unable to attend a meeting may complete a survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/PeachtreeCornersCompPlan. -- Karen Huppertz for the AJC

GGC expanding tutor program

A $10,000 grant from the Primerica Foundation will be used to add a tutor to Georgia Gwinnett College’s Tutors Around the Campus program, which assists students in settings outside the traditional lab environment. Cisco Systems Foundation previously granted $74,950 to the program that aids students in familiar, comfortable places, such as dining areas, the student center and residence halls. Information: 678-407-5000. -- Michael Alpert for the AJC

NORTHSIDE

Canton woman accused of stealing from PTA

Kim Turman, 40, the treasurer of the Indian Knoll Elementary School PTA and the Sequoyah High School Girls Booster Club was arrested Monday and charged with stealing from the organizations according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. She’s accused of stealing $12, 448 from the PTA over a two-year period ending in 2012. That same year she’s alleged to have pilfered $5,882 from the booster club. Turman is charged with two counts of felony theft by taking, Baker said. She was released Monday night on a $52,000 bond. -- Christian Boone

Work begins on Alpharetta City Center

Contractors will begin demolition work this week along 25 acres of Alpharetta’s Main Street as construction starts on the city’s $31 million City Center project. The revitalization, funded chiefly though a $29 million bond approved by voters, will include a new 50,000 square foot city hall, town plaza, 5-acre park, 450-space parking deck and connecting avenues and sidewalks. Scheduled completion is August 2014. -- Patrick Fox

Johns Creek schedules drug disposal event

Johns Creek will host a program to safely dispose of pharmaceutical drugs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the Target parking lot, 5950 State Bridge Road. Since the first event in 2011, the DEA and its local partners have removed 2 million pounds of expired or unused prescription medications from circulation. Information: 678-474-1606. -- Patrick Fox

Rosewell hosts spring plant sale

The Roswell Garden Club will be sponsoring a Spring Plant Sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 4 at the Historic Smith Plantation, 935 Alpharetta St. Perennials, annuals, herbs and heirlooms will be available. Specific growing conditions and instructions will be provided. Visitors are requested to park at Roswell's City Hall, 38 Hill Street. All proceeds benefit Roswell Garden Club community projects. Information: www.roswellgardenclub.com. -- Sandra Marshall Murray

Dunwoody creating internet videos

Dunwoody is debuting a series of informational internet videos showcasing individual city departments on the city’s YouTube channel,

Planned are videos on Public Works, Community Development, Municipal Court, Finance and Administration, Police and Office of the City Manager, with each introducing the department’s head, discussion of responsibilities, projects and how to reach the department. Information: 678-382-6700. -- Michael Alpert for the AJC

Gardening workshop in Alpharetta

The City of Alpharetta, its Garden Club and the Alpharetta Natural Resources Commission are holding a workshop on growing perennials from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. April 24 at the city's Engineering/Public Works Department, 1790 Hembree Road. Focuses include soil preparation, plant selection, watering, mulching and weed control. To register, call 678-297-6200. Information: Terry Porter, 678-297-6213, tporter@alpharetta.ga.us. -- Michael Alpert for the AJC

ATLANTA

Monday warehouse fire still burning

Firefighters continued to work Tuesday to douse a warehouse fire that broke out more than 24 hours earlier in northwest Atlanta.

Fire crews responded to the 4 a.m. Monday fire in two large recycling warehouses in the 700 block of James P. Brawley Drive.

Fire officials said it could be several days before the fire is out. -- Mike Morris and John Spink

Man killed in Monday wreck identified

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office on Tuesday identified the motorist killed in a single-vehicle wreck on Monroe Drive as Michael Burton, 53, of Atlanta.

According to the preliminary investigation, Burton lost control of the vehicle and hit a utility pole while traveling south on Monroe Drive, police said. He died at the scene.

No one else was in the vehicle. -- Angel K. Brooks

APD training more SWAT officers

The Atlanta Police Department is more than doubling the number of SWAT officers on its force by training 30 officers who can be called in to help the team that is assigned to the duty full-time.

The 30 newly-trained SWAT officers will have other duties, according to APD spokesman Carlos Campos, and will be activated only in emergencies to supplement the two dozen full-time SWAT officers.

Training of the new SWAT officers is expected to be completed by July 4. -- Rhonda Cook

Church sponsors town hall meeting

Cascade United Methodist Church will host a Town Hall Meeting 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the church, 3144 Cascade Road, SW. The meeting, which is open to the public, will feature Georgia State Senator Horacena Tate, and Georgia State Representatives Virgil Fludd and Roger Bruce.

The democratic lawmakers, will discuss important legislation and answer questions.

Information: 404 691-5770 or www.cascadeumc.org. -- Gracie Bonds Staples

DEKALB

DeKalb schools to hold budget hearings

Taxpayers and parents in DeKalb County can attend any of three upcoming hearings to learn what’s in store for next year’s school district budget, projected at $728 million.

Only two of the three hearings are scheduled so far with the third date to be announced soon. Both are at 6 p.m., the first Monday and the second on May 8. Both are at school district headquarters, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain. The hearings will be televised on PDS-TV24 and streamed on the district website, www.dekalb.k12.ga.us. The district is taking comments by email: budget-feedback@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us. -- Ty Tagami

Beacon Hill groundbreaking set

A groundbreaking for the Beacon Municipal Complex is 8:30 a.m. May 7. The West Trinity Place development, featuring a new police department, new gym and new central office for City Schools Decatur should be finished in a year with a priority on the central office. CSD must vacate its current office at Westchester by next May so that building can be reconfigured into a school. Total cost is $5.9 million which will be paid over 20 years. -- Bill Banks for the AJC

Donations requested for college students

Donations for college-bound students are being sought. They can include gift cards, household items and toiletries and will be distributed to 100 needy students who begin college this fall. Government drop-off spots are the Maloof building, 1300 Commerce Dr.; the DeKalb Superior Court Clerk’s office in the county courthouse on McDonough Street ; and the Porter Sanford performing arts center, 3181 Rainbow Dr.

Donations also will be accepted at the 1st Class Barber Shop inside Stonecrest Mall and Nick’s Barber Shop, 4830 Redan Road. Information: 404-964-4936. -- April Hunt

Hospice to host volunteer session

Crossroads Hospice will celebrate National Volunteer Month by hosting an information session about its volunteer program from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 at the facility, 1957 Lakeside Parkway, Tucker. Potential volunteers must be at least 16, complete an application, TB skin test and a training session. Volunteers must wait a minimum of one year after the death of an immediate family member or loved one before applying. Information: 770-270-9898 or www.crossroadshospice.com. -- Veronica Fields Johnson

Residents prefer higher trash fees

DeKalb County residents would rather lose a second day of trash pick-up every week than pay another $40 a year.

That’s according to separate studies – informal ones conducted online and at public meetings and a more formal survey from the Kennesaw Research Center – that found more than 60 percent favored reduced service.

DeKalb stands to lose $5 million this year on sanitation service, due to rising expenses. To offset the loss, the county has studied an increase to the $265 annual fee or cutting back on service.

The county already combined recycling and yard waste collection to one day to save money. The county commission expects a decision on eliminating a day of trash pick-up by summer. -- April Hunt

SOUTHSIDE

Three shot near Clayton County gas station

One person was killed and two others injured in a triple shooting shortly after 8 p.m. Monday behind the Texaco on Ga. 42 in Rex, Clayton County police said. Keith Andre Davis of Rex was seriously injured and airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center, and a second victim, Shelon Derrell Thomas of Atlanta, was taken to Atlanta Medical Center by ambulance. The third victim, a man whose name was being withheld Tuesday until relatives could be notified, died at the scene. Anyone with information on the shooting should contact investigators at 678-610-4711. -- Ben Gray

Hazardous waste drop-off set in College Park

College Park will hold a household hazardous waste drop off event in conjunction with the city’s April Cleanup Month 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the John Calvin Avenue Recycling Center and Jamestown Plaza located behind Charles E. Phillips Park.

Information: 404-669-3778. -- Lisa Gibson for the AJC

Felon sentenced to 16 years for weapons

Keith Wade, a 43-year-old College Park man who has averaged about one felony conviction for every 2-1/2 years of his life will spend the next 16 years in prison on weapons charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

The sentence, handed down Monday, was mandated by the state’s mandatory minimum guidelines that require at least 15 years of confinement for defendants with three or more violent felony convictions. According to the U.S. attorney, Wade’s 17 prior convictions included several violent offenses.

Wade’s latest arrest, in December 2010, came after his parole officer received a tip from an anonymous caller claiming the defendant had threatened him and his girlfriend, who used to date Wade.

A search of Wade’s home came away with two fully loaded assault rifle magazines containing 60 rounds of ammunition and a box containing 24 additional rounds — a violation of his parole. -- Christian Boone

Primary premieres anti-bullying film

Kemp Primary School is screening “Stop Bullying,” a 15-minute anti-bullying video starring students from Kemp Primary, Arnold Elementary and M.D. Roberts Middle School 4 p.m. today at the school, 1090 McDonough Road, Hampton.

The film is the third in a series produced by the District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson’s Office in Collaboration with Clayton County Public Schools.

The first two films dealt with armed robbery and domestic violence among teens and was done by high school students. Scripts for the three films were written by high school students. The screening is open to the public. -- Tammy Joyner

Poetry workshop at Peachtree City Library

The Friends of the Peachtree City Library will host a Poetry Workshop 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday at the library. Students in grades 11-12 and adults will be led by Alexa Selph.

Space is limited; advance registration (including lunch) is $10. Contact ptc.library.friends@gmail.com or www.peachtree-city.org/library. -- Jill Howard Church for the AJC