County by county news for Wednesday

Its emergency department of three trauma rooms and 63 exam rooms is on the busiest in the state. Level 2 trauma centers are required to have 24 hour-a-day access to certain medical specialists. The hospital, at 667 Church St. in Marietta, already has an accredited chest pain and stroke center. WellStar Health System primarily serves Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties. - Misty Williams

Woman convicted in telemarketing scam

A federal jury has convicted a Marietta woman for her role in a $25 million telemarketing scam, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Kara Singleton Adams, 40, was found guilty of wire fraud, illegally structuring financial transactions and conspiracy after a two-week trial. She is to be sentenced Jan. 5. U.S. Attorney Sally Yates said the fraud scheme, which included three co-defendants -- including Adams’ husband -- who were previously convicted, began with automated calls to consumers nationwide and escalated into high-pressure telemarketing sales pitches. - Bill Rankin

Judge considers motion to dismiss chicken case

Cobb County Judge Juanita Stedman is considering a county motion to dismiss the appeal of an East Cobb man who was cited last summer for violating a county ordinance against raising chickens on less than 2 acres of land. Joseph Pond, the chicken owner who has about a dozen hens in a backyard coop, took his case to superior court after he was denied a zoning variance to allow him to keep the chickens. - Jeffry Scott

Powder Springs Legion to hold two events

Powder Springs American Legion Post 294 is planning two Veterans Day events on Friday and Saturday.

The Veterans Day ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the city’s Veterans Memorial in front of the library, 4181 Atlanta St. The post will hold an open house from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at 3282 Florence Road off U.S. 278, Powder Springs.

Information: 770-439-0956, online, or email. - Carolyn Cunningham for the AJC

Recycling day at Jim Miller Park Saturday

Keep Cobb Beautiful will host an electronics recycling day on Saturday at Jim Miller Park.

Most electronics will be recycled at no charge. Televisions will be accepted for a $10 fee. Large household appliances will not be accepted. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the park, 2245 Callaway Road in Marietta. Information: Keep Cobb Beautiful website - Janel Davis

Diplomas through Literary Council rise

The number of people who obtained a diploma through the Cobb Literacy Council rose this year. About 65 obtained a general equivalency diploma, or GED, said Nicole Carsten, a spokeswoman with CobbWorks, Inc., the group’s parent organization. That is up from about 48 last year, she said. The literacy council will hold a graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. on Nov. 29. - Ty Tagami

GWINNETT

Duluth honored for pedestrian safety

Duluth was recently awarded a Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Award for its efforts to make the city more walkable.

The award was given to Duluth because of the Davenport Road Project, which was completed in July on a one-half mile section along Davenport from Buford Highway to the city limits at Bromley Rowe.

The project added a curb, gutter, drainage, repaving and new sidewalks.

The City Council will be presented with the award on Monday. - Joel Anderson

Georgia Meth Project launches new campaign

The Georgia Meth Project on Tuesday launched a new large-scale, integrated campaign and allowed students at Louise Radloff Middle School in Duluth to be the first in the nation to experience it. Central to the campaign is AskMethProject.org, a definitive source for information about methamphetamine for teens. The campaign challenges teens to consider what they know about meth and equips them with resources to understand the risks.

Seventh-graders at Louise Radloff were able to test it out after the website went live Tuesday. - Andria Simmons

Cat in Lawrenceville test positive for rabies

Gwinnett County has issued a rabies alert after a cat found in the Lawrenceville area tested positive for the disease.

The cat was found Oct. 25 on Melody Lane. The county advises anyone who has been bitten or scratched by a stray animal to contact the Gwinnett County Animal Welfare Enforcement Office at 770-339-3200, ext. 5576. - David Wickert

Ashworth College conducts food drive

Ashworth College is sponsoring a Thanksgiving Food Drive through Nov. 18.

Administrators and staff members for the Norcross-based online college and high school will donate nonperishable food items to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

The food bank will then distribute the items to more than 800 nonprofit partner agencies throughout metro Atlanta and North Georgia.

Information: Ashworth College online. - Joel Anderson

School, city team up for job fair Saturday

Lawrenceville Elementary School has teamed up with the Lawrenceville City Council to form the Stepping Stones Career Assistance Program. The program will assist job seekers from the Lawrenceville area with interview skills, resume building, financial planning, college and technical program applications and interview clothing. Information: 770-963-1813. - Nancy Badertscher

College fair for disabled students on Saturday

Gwinnett County Schools will host a college fair Saturday for students with disabilities.

The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Instructional Support Center in Suwanee. For information, call Allison Vernon or Keysha Robinson at the school district’s Department of Special Education and Psychological Services at 678-301-7121. - D. Aileen Dodd

NORTHSIDE

Two Woodstock residents treated for rabies

Two Woodstock residents are being treated for rabies after being bitten by animals, according to the Cherokee County Environmental Health Department. One person was feeding geese bread at Dupree Park when two stray dogs started fighting over the bread and the person was bitten by a dog while breaking up the fight. Both dogs ran off. Another person was taking care of a Chihuahua when a raccoon attacked the dog. The person beat the raccoon to death with a shoe and was bitten by either the dog or the raccoon. Lab results show the raccoon had rabies. - Jeffry Scott

Man convicted in meth case out of prison again

The saga of Charles Steven Stringer, a Lumpkin County man convicted in 2006 in Forsyth County for methamphetamine trafficking and sentenced to 10 years in prison, has taken another twist. Stringer served two years in prison in Lumpkin County on charges stemming from the Forsyth arrest. When he was released in 2008 he never served his Forsyth sentence until he was found out. Last April he was sent him to prison to finish his 10 years. In September Stringer was released after five months and is on parole, according to the Department of Corrections. - Jeffry Scott

Milton to get public safety facility designed

Milton moved one step closer Monday to constructing its first municipal building. The City Council unanimously approved a contract with Precision Planning of Lawrenceville to draw up designs for a public safety facility to be built on a 5-acre tract along Ga. 9. City officials said the design phase of the project should take from 6-8 weeks, and construction could begin from 12-18 months later.

The design contract is for $325,000. - Patrick Fox

Sandy Springs to present new flood maps

Sandy Springs will hold two public presentations to review new flood risk maps. The maps include flood insurance rate maps used to help establish flood insurance premiums.

The presentations, to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. today and Dec. 7. The meetings are at Sandy Springs City Hall Council Chambers, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500. Information: Sandy Springs website, or 770-730-5600. - Patrick Fox

Albers lauds kids who collected canned goods

State Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, recently met with kids from the Horseshoe Bend subdivision in Roswell to applaud their efforts to collect canned goods for needy families.

North Fulton Charities was the recipient of more than five tons of food collected by the students of Horseshoe Bend. This year’s drive will provide food for families in Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park and Roswell. - Andria Simmons

Holcomb Bridge school to host 5K run

Holcomb Bridge Middle School’s PTA will launch the first Holcomb Bridge Hustle 5K on Saturday.

The race kicks off at 8 a.m. at the middle school, at 2700 Holcomb Bridge Road, Alpharetta.

Information: Register, or Holcom Bridge Middle School online . - Laurie Hoffman

ATLANTA

Council members push film commission

In the wake of heated debate over whether Mayor Kasim Reed’s plan to create a small agency to oversee Atlanta’s film industry would kill jobs, two City Council members have a new plan. Joyce M. Sheperd and Michael Julian Bond introduced legislation Nov. 7 to create a 15-member commission to study issues surrounding film and television production in the city. The commission make recommendations within 120 days. - Jeremiah McWilliams

Ex-officer convicted in child sex case

A former Atlanta police investigator has been convicted of child molestation and other charges stemming from his sexual assaults against a 12-year-old girl in 2007 while he was a member of the police force, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said.

Wilson Carstaffin was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the assaults.

Carstaffin met the girl while he worked part-time as a school resource officer at Crawford Long Middle School, prosecutors said. - Bill Rankin

Hearing Nov. 15 on housing code changes

The community development and human resources committee of Atlanta’s City Council has scheduled a public hearing to consider amendments to the city’s housing code. The changes would require the registration of certain vacant property and the payment of annual registration or renewal fees. The hearing will be at 12:30 onNov. 15 in committee room 2. City Hall is located at 55 Trinity Avenue SW. - Jeremiah McWilliams

Artist head for a Sharpie showdown today

Digital Atlanta will host “Sharpie Slam: A Live Art Battle” today from 6:30-9 p.m. at The Sound Table, 485 Edgewood Ave N.E. The event is a live art competition between two teams of Atlanta artists, who will use interior 6-foot by 8-foot walls at The Sound Table as their canvass. The teams will have 90 minutes to cover a backdrop using only Sharpie permanent markers. - Jeremiah McWilliams

DEKALB

Conviction upheld in 2006 murder

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction against a DeKalb County man for the murder of well-known liquor store owner Shamsher “Rocky” Tucker during an attempted robbery.

Rodney Ennis Battles, whose first trial ended in a hung jury, was convicted during a second trial in 2007. Battles and another man stopped Tucker, 34, and his wife, who was pregnant at the time, when they returned to their Stone Mountain home on July 2, 2006, after closing Rocky’s Package Store on Briarcliff Road. Gunfire broke out and Tucker was killed. - Bill Rankin

School board hires firm to audit district

The DeKalb Board of Education hired a Washington D.C.-area consulting firm at its meeting Monday night, with the goal of eliminating inefficiencies and saving tax money. The firm, Management Advisory Group Inc., was awarded a contract worth up to $175,420. It will examine jobs and salaries of all 15,000 school employees, starting with the central office. Superintendent Cheryl H.L. Atkinson said the first phase of the work will be done in January and the second phase will be completed in March. - Rich McKay

Chamber to hold open house Thursday

The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce will host an open house in its new Decatur offices on Thursday.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the chamber, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235. It features a tour and remarks about the group and its work.

More information or to register: DeKalb Chamber of Commerce online. - April Hunt

Legislator hold public meeting Thursday

The state legislators from DeKalb County will hold a public hearing Thursday to get input on state and local issues.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Chamblee Middle School, 3601 Sexton Woods Dr. All county residents are invited. April Hunt

Decatur rec center renovation set

Decatur’s deputy city manager Hugh Saxon said the city has reached an agreement with Ward General Contractors of Kennesaw to renovate the city’s 53-year-old Recreation Center. Construction will begin next month and is expected to take one year, Saxon said. The $6,910,000 project will include a new gym, an elevated running track, a climbing wall, individual restrooms and showers, a catering kitchen and computer lab for after-school programs. - Bill Banks for the AJC

Decatur turns down planned development

Decatur’s City Commission denied a planned development of Clairemont Avenue property that’s been vacant for seven years. Plans included a three-acre subdivision with seven new homes plus renovation of a circa-1920s home fronting the site. During a long public debate, residents advocating development complained the vacant home attracts trash, vermin and vagrants. But mayor Pro Tem Jim Baskett said, “I don’t ever want to see a development there. I want to see the [old home] renovated and returned to a single-family dwelling, with [the remaining property] left as green space.” - Bill Banks for the AJC

SOUTHSIDE

Magazine: Fayette the next Silicon Valley?

The Business Insider website has named Fayette County among 20 “micropolitan” areas ripe for becoming “the next Silicon Valley.”

The site evaluated cities or counties with 10,000-50,000 residents and “a high level of broadband accessibility, a sizeable workforce..., a vibrant local economy and the presence of a small college or university.” Such factors were considered ideal for technology business development. Fayette was the only Georgia location to make the list. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

Commission signs off on new library

The Fulton commission has approved county-owned property off Enon Road, near the Wolf Creek Amphitheater, as the site of south Fulton’s new Wolf Creek Library. The 25,000-square-foot facility will be one of eight new libraries built as part of the $275 million countywide construction program approved by voters three years ago.

The commission also signed off on a $633,818 architectural and engineering contract with Atlanta-based Leo A. Daly Co., which will provide the library’s design and construction administration services. - Johnny Edwards

Medical center to host tree-lighting Dec. 6

Southern Regional Medical Center will host its annual tree-lighting ceremony Dec. 6. The event will be at the hospital’s Women’s Life Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event will include cookies and punch and $10 picture with Santa. Gift baskets, poinsettias and fresh pecans will be on sale. Clayton County Schools’ performing arts groups will be providing entertainment. - Tammy Joyner

Trash pickup campaign needs volunteers

Clayton County Commissioners are hosting a Pick Up Paper campaign on Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon. Register individually or in teams. A prize will be awarded to the team that collects the most trash. Trashbags and disposable gloves will be provided. To register, go online. - Tammy Joyner

Henry County offers Thanksgiving day camp

The Henry County Parks and Recreation Department will offer a Thanksgiving Break Day Camp for students Nov. 21-23 at Heritage Park in McDonough, J.P. Moseley Recreation Center in Stockbridge and Fairview Recreation Center in Stockbridge. Register online at www.hcrpd.org or in person at the above locations as well as the Locust Grove Recreation Center. Space is limited. Contact the Heritage Park office (770-288-7300) or J.P. Moseley Recreation Center (770-288-7311). - Monroe Roark for the AJC

Independent film screening Saturday

The Hapeville Association of Tourism and Trade is presenting Hapeville “Reel to Real” arts, an independent film and arts event series, featuring South Arts Films. The 2011 fall series first show is Saturday with a screening of “Ahead of Time.” The event starts with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by the screening at 7 p.m. in the Historic Christ Church in downtown Hapeville.- John Thompson for the AJC