The walls that have gone up in recent years between communities and local news that serves a vital function for them is the primary reason we started this venture, back in the summer of 2017.
We’ve found that when all citizens of a community—regardless of age, race, socioeconomic background or political views—have access to the same supply of local news, that community stands to benefit.
That’s why we founded East Cobb News without a paywall, and invited readers to contribute their news items.
It’s been a big undertaking, not just to scale those walls, but ideally to knock them down.
But since we launched, our hunch has paid off. Readers appreciate getting their local news as it happens, and how they like it—directly from our website, or social media channels, or newsletter. Or a combination.
They also love sending us news to share with the community. Earlier this week, we announced an even easier way to do that. It’s called Partyline, and with just a few clicks you can send us your photos, videos and news, and we’ll publish them for all to enjoy.
We also appreciate the financial support we get from readers, so we can keep this community news and information resource free to all who read it.
But East Cobb News also is a local small business, and we have bills to pay that are increasing. We don’t have any plans to put up a paywall, but we do ask readers that if they value what they get from East Cobb News, to consider making a voluntary donation.
We’re suggesting $6 a month on a recurring basis, but you can donate what you like, when you like—monthly, annual or on a one-time basis.
$6/month or $60/year
$12/month or $125/year
$30/month or $300/year
$50/month or $500/year
Custom amount
One-time donation
Your donation—continued or new—will help keep East Cobb News strong, free and independent for years to come.
We have been publishing non-stop since we got this thing going more than nine years ago, more than 7,000 posts in all,
We intend on keeping it that way, and to keep publishing indefinitely into the future.
For just a few dollars a month, your support will help sustain local journalism—right here in East Cobb.
Click the box below to indicate your donation amount today.
Thank you for your support! And long live local news!
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb Police said that a man was killed early Saturday morning in a crash at Interstate 75 and Interstate 575.
Sgt. Eric Smith said that Casey Price, 26, of Cartersville, was pronounced dead on the scene after his vehicle slammed into a parked tractor-trailer at around 3:23 a.m.
Smith said that Price’s gray 2024 Mazda CX-30 was traveling northbound in the right lane of I-75 when it left that lane and headed into the gore separating I-75 and I-575.
The Mazda then crashed into a red 2022 Freightliner tractor belonging to Lee Roy Morris (60, Killeen, Texas) that was parked in the gore, according to police.
Police said that Morris was not injured in the crash, and that Price’s next of kin has been notified.
Smith said the crash investigation continues, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department STEP Unit at (770) 499-3987.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The 40th anniversary of Pope High School echoed back to the time of the school’s founding in the mid-1980s but trotted out a contemporary level of energy.
At Matt Hobby Field last weekend, “Popefest” featured more than six hours of live music, food, an artisan market, family activities and fireworks.
The bands featured local talent from around the Cobb area, and one was made up of teachers, according to the Cobb County School District.
In a district release, Pope social media coordinator Hayden Fraker said that “I have worked here for 10 years, and this is the first thing we’ve ever done like this to this large of a scale. We have different theme nights and invite people back for different sporting events, but nothing to this extent of having just the huge stage and just really incorporating every aspect of the community and what we’re doing.”
The event also benefitted one of the Cobb County School District’s key partners, the American Heart Association. A portion of the proceeds from Popefest were donated to the AHA, which last month was the recipient of a $1 million donation from the Kids Heart Challenge, an initiative of the Cobb school district.
At the end of the night, Popefest attendees were treated to a fireworks show from Pyrotechnics, which recently staged fireworks in Washington for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Click the middle button below to view more photos.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Chris Ragsdale said at a back-to school rally for teachers and staff that there are those “who think that we are doing the wrong thing by removing inappropriate sexually explicit materials who have chosen to run for the Board of Education.”
Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale has repeatedly defended decisions to remove sexually explicit books and other materials for the last few years, without reservation.
He tied the introduction of sexually explicit materials to young people with sex trafficking, and pushed back against critics who have accused the district of imposing book bans.
“What’s even more disturbing is that the environment that I just described—there are some of those very people who think that we are doing the wrong thing by removing these inappropriate sexually explicit materials who have chosen to run for the Board of Education,” Ragsdale said at the kickoff, which took place at Harrison High School.
“Make no mistake about it. It’s about the protection and safety of kids. Nothing having to do with politics. There is no room for disagreeing with what we’re doing. Somebody that disagrees with it has no business in education or anywhere around education, where there is responsibility of kids.”
Ragsdale didn’t mention anyone by name, but the Post 4 challenger Micheal Garza, a Democrat, came out swinging in response earlier this week.
He called Ragsdale’s speech a “tirade” that “was not only appalling in its content, but even more so in that he felt like this is what teachers needed to hear days before their first day of classes. Our teachers deserve a leader who doesn’t question their integrity because they don’t agree with the decisions he makes.”
Garza—who is trying to unseat Post 4 three-term Republican incumbent David Chastain—didn’t get much support when he posted those comments last weekend on his campaign’s Facebook page.
“Was his speech long winded? Yes. Should he have brought up politics? No. Is he perfect? No,” wrote a commenter who has been a Cobb teacher for 15 years. “But he has done an amazing job as superintendent. I feel supported with staff, supplies, trainings as well as the the money I am making.”
Another said that “I thank the good Lord for Ragsdale, who has the courage to stand against the forces that are eager to corrupt other people’s children. We must re-elect David Chastain. Sorry Garza, you are so wrong on this issue.”
After a contentious meeting in July in which some citizens complained of President Trump’s rally at Wheeler High School, tensions rose even higher Thursday during public comment at the Cobb Board of Education.
Ragsdale’s critics came out in strong force. Some read from social media comments from anonymous staff and teachers, or spoke on behalf of them “because they don’t feel safe speaking up for themselves.”
One of them is Katie Hearn, the mother of Hillgrove High School graduates, who told the board that “teachers are disheartened, and stunned by their superintendent’s lack of professionalism and leadership.”
She read from a comment from an unidentified teacher/staffer who claimed that Ragsdale’s “condescending remarks about a school board candidate” were “a conflict of interest in a speech meant to be inspirational.”
Laura Judge of East Cobb, who ran as a Democrat in 2024 for Post 5, told the board that “when taxpayer-funded events leave staff questioning the person leading them, our board should pay attention.”
At a Thursday night school board meeting, Ragsdale didn’t back down, repeating his comments about the need to purge sexually explicit materials.
He also said that “contrary to what it is now being suggested by some political campaigns, we do not fire educators simply because they read books to children.”
That was a swipe at Garza, who has been critical of the district’s decision to terminate former Due West Elementary School teacher Katie Rinderle in 2023.
She was the subject of a parental complaint for reading a book to her fifth-grade class about gender identity.
Ragsdale said she was fired “for making a decision for parents and intentionally elementary-age students to content with which which some families might disgree,” among other reasons.
He would up his comments by insisting that “I shall not be moved” and that “sexually explicit materials in schools is not a political issue, it is a student safety and protection issue.”
The district highlighted that comment in a release distributed after the meeting, as well as a statement from Chastain, the current school board vice chairman, that “we choose what’s best to nurture a young mind and to nurture a young heart.
“So yes, certain books are not permitted in the Cobb County School District, and that is because we’re thinking about protecting children.”
Chastain made similar remarks on Monday at a campaign fundraiser that included U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller, who told an audience at the Governor’s Gun Club that the school board race in Post 4 was “a fight of good vs. evil.”
At that event, Chastain touted Cobb as the “the largest conservative school district” on the country. “Family values and conservative principles are what guide us. This election is about maintaining that stability . . . that is how we ensure that students have a learning environment that is free from distraction.”
But on Thursday Garza noted that Ragsdale spoke about sexually explicit materials for 14 minutes during the school board meeting and only a few seconds about an incident at Campbell Middle School in which a student was found with a gun.
(Ragsdale said he couldn’t say much because of an ongoing “multi-state investigation” and that the student in question is in custody “and will face the full consequences.”)
Garza countered that “our students don’t need to be protected from books. They need to be protected from the growing epidemic of gun violence in our schools and communities. Our families are worried about it. Our teachers are worried about it.
“Those are the conversations that we should be having. But we’re not having them because of this board—a board that fails to hold our Superintendent and district accountable. We can change that with one single race in November.”
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb County Tax Commissioner Carla Jackson announced Tuesday that 2026 property tax bills have been issued following the review and approval of the county’s tax digest by the Georgia Department of Revenue. Payments are due October 15, 2026, and must be received by the Tax Commissioner’s Office or USPS postmarked by the due date to be considered on time.
“Our goal is to make sure taxpayers have the information and resources they need to understand their bills and convenient payment options,” said Tax Commissioner Carla Jackson. “We are grateful for the collaboration among the Cobb County Tax Assessors, Information Technology Services, Finance, Clerk, and Tax Commissioner offices.”
A total of 270,574 tax bills representing $1,363,609,369 were calculated for 2026. This includes 256,894 real property bills totaling $1,268,654,750 and 13,680 personal property bills totaling $94,954,619. For 2026, Cobb County property owners should be aware of two important tax-related updates. First, the State of Georgia has applied the Homeowner Tax Relief Grant (HTRG), providing property tax relief to qualifying homeowners. This is separate from other homestead exemptions and is reflected as a reduction on eligible property tax bills. Second, property owners who receive a homestead exemption for which they are no longer eligible are required to notify the Tax Commissioner’s Office. Individuals who fail to report their ineligibility may be subject to a penalty. You may check your exemptions on your tax bills at cobbtax.gov.
The Tax Commissioner’s Office bills and collects property taxes for the Cobb County Board of Commissioners and the Cobb County School District. The seven cities of Cobb bill and collect their own property taxes. The chart below details the 2026 property taxes for Cobb County’s billing and collection authorities
Payments
Payments are accepted online, by phone, mail, or in person, and processing fees may apply. Make checks or money orders payable to Cobb County Tax Commissioner’s Office. The following payment options are available for your convenience:
Online at cobbtax.gov via e-Check, debit/credit card, or digital wallet
Phone automated system at 1-866-535-COBB (1-866-535-2622)
Mail to Cobb County Tax Commissioner, PO Box 100127, Marietta, GA 30061
Visit any one of our locations to make payments in person or in drop boxes:
Taxpayers enrolled in e-alerts will receive official communication from the Cobb County Tax Commissioner’s Office from [email protected] for emails and 678-244-0361 for text messages.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Nationally, their ratings were No. 375 and No. 436, respectively, among more than 27,000 public high schools that were evaluated.
Walton also was ranked No. 77 nationlly among charter schools and Wheeler High School was ranked No. 46 across the country in a listing of top STEM high schools.
“The 2026-2027 Best High Schools national rankings identify top public schools based on six key performance indicators, including student achievement on state-required assessments, strong graduation rates and college readiness measures. Schools are evaluated on how effectively they serve all students, including underserved populations, with college readiness specifically measured through student participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams. The rankings consider curriculum breadth and overall student outcomes as well.”
The Georgia rankings include 522 schools and are led by the Gwinnett school of Mathematics, Science and Technology, which is at No. 7 nationally. Most of the state Top 10 are specialty magnet or charter schools in metro Atlanta.
Among the other East Cobb high schools, Pope is ranked No. 25 in Georgia and No. 823 across the country, followed by Wheeler at No. 54 and No. 1,859 respectively, Sprayberry (89 and 2,991) and Kell (92, 3,197).
In the Cobb County School District, Kennesaw Mountain, Hillgrove and Harrison followed Walton, Lassiter and Pope, and Wheeler came in at No. 7.
We’ve posted links to the rankings by creating a required free account; if you cannot access those links on this post let us know and we’ll try to get the information you’re looking for.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
What’s buzzing in Cobb County? On August 21 and 22, you can help find out!
The Great Southeast Pollinator Census, a University of Georgia citizen-science project, invites people of all ages to spend just 15 minutes counting pollinators. You don’t need to be a scientist or an insect expert. With a simple identification guide, you’ll count the insects visiting a flowering plant and record what you see. Your observations become part of a growing regional database that helps researchers and communities better understand and protect our pollinators.
And you can participate with Master Gardeners right here in Cobb County!
Last year, Georgians submitted more than 13,000 pollinator counts, contributing to one of the largest regional citizen-science projects focused on pollinators.
So grab your family, bring a friend, and spend 15 minutes discovering the fascinating world of bees, butterflies, flies, wasps, and other garden visitors. Every count matters—and every person who participates helps Cobb grow together!
Grab your family, friends, or fellow gardeners and come count with us! Every observation helps Cobb grow together.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Keep Cobb Beautiful and the Cobb County Public Library are launching a new sustainability initiative to keep hazardous household waste out of landfills. Residents can drop off used alkaline batteries for recycling at seven designated library branches across the county:
East Cobb: 4880 Lower Roswell Rd Ste 510-B, Marietta
West Cobb Regional: 1750 Dennis Kemp Ln NW, Kennesaw
Through a partnership with recycling innovator TerraCycle, specialized battery collection buckets will be stationed behind service desks of select high-traffic library locations. This initiative addresses a critical gap in local waste management, as alkaline batteries are frequently discarded in regular household trash.
Batteries thrown away in household trash pose a fire hazard, putting residents and sanitation workers at risk. While there are other free recycling drop-off options for other battery types like lithium-ion and lead-acid, finding places to take alkaline batteries is a challenge in our area. This program gives residents a convenient, free way to safely dispose of batteries and support Cobb’s long-term environmental sustainability and safety goals.
The program accepts standard household alkaline batteries, including AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V at the circulation desks of participating library branches. Library staff will ensure safety by making sure all terminals of batteries are taped before placing them in collection buckets.
The battery recycling program began August 17, 2026.
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Waffle House is mixing up its menu in a novel way, and one of its restaurants in East Cobb is part of the experiment.
The Atlanta-based Southern 24/7 chain announced Wednesday that it’s offering seven kinds of breakfast, lunch-dinner tacos at 45 select locations in metro Atlanta.
One of them is the Waffle House at 621 Johnson Ferry Road, across from Parkaire Landing Shopping Center.
According to the location’s menu, the breakfast taco options are bacon, egg and cheese; chicken sausage, egg and cheese; sausage, egg and cheese; and ham, egg and cheese.
Customers can order chicken melt; patty melt; and cheesesteak melt tacos on the lunch-dinner menu, all served with onions.
Like everything else on the Waffle House menu, all varieties of the tacos—served in flour tortillas—can be ordered at anytime of the day.
Waffle House has over the years tried or added items to its traditional menu, including protein bowls that are standard at most locations.
Waffle House hasn’t indicated how long the taco test run will last.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
There is a resource on Bells Ferry Road that a lot of East Cobb families still drive right past. OS1 Orthopedic & Sports Injury Clinic is a walk-in orthopedic clinic, about fifteen minutes from most of East Cobb, and it fills a gap this side of the county has lived with for years: somewhere to take a hurt knee that is not a three-week wait for an orthopedic office or an afternoon in the emergency room.
There are two kinds of orthopedic patients around here. The one who rolled an ankle Friday night, and the one who has been saying the shoulder is fine since March. OS1 treats both, and you do not need an appointment to be either one.
What comes through the door
Sprains and strains. Broken bones. Knee, shoulder, hip and back pain. Foot and ankle injuries. Wrist and hand injuries. Sports injuries. Arthritis. Tendon problems like tennis elbow. And the everyday wear and tear that shows up somewhere around the fortieth birthday and never quite leaves. Patients age two and up. Sports physicals are $25.
You can just walk in
No appointment, ever. No referral needed on most insurance plans. Walk in hurting, see an orthopedic provider the same day, and leave with a diagnosis and a plan, not a triage note and a phone number for somebody else. Doors are open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Pain that has been hanging around
The injuries are the obvious cases. The bigger group is quieter. The knee that complains on the stairs. The hip that has stopped tolerating a walk. The elbow that has outlasted two tennis seasons. Arthritis slowly shrinking the list of things you are willing to do on a Saturday.
That is treatable, and it does not start with surgery. OS1 does joint injections, ultrasound-guided injections placed exactly where the problem is, PRP and regenerative options for the right candidates, bracing, casting, fracture care, and a real return-to-activity plan. Ultrasound-guided injections and non-surgical treatment are Dr. Andrew Alexander’s specialty. He trained in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic, completed a sports medicine fellowship at Emory, and has covered professional and high school teams. PRP and regenerative treatments are cash-pay, and you get the price before anything is done.
X-ray and an open MRI, same building
Most people get sent somewhere else for imaging. Different building, another appointment, another week, then a second visit to hear what the pictures showed. At OS1 the X-ray room and the MRI suite are down the hall, and the provider who examined you is the one who orders the scan and goes over it with you.
The MRI is open design, not a tunnel. No sliding into a narrow tube, no long stretch of trying not to panic, which matters to anyone claustrophobic, anyone larger framed, and any parent who has tried to get a nervous fourteen year old to hold still. For anyone paying cash it is a flat published rate of $475, a number most places will not say out loud.
On the sideline in Cobb
OS1 is a partner of North Cobb Warriors football, sponsors the Injury Timeout on the Warrior Radio Network at every game home and away, and runs K-8 physical days for local teams. It is also the preferred orthopedic and injury clinic for USA Prime Atlanta, the travel baseball program running more than thirty teams out of Titan Sports Academy. When a coach or an athletic trainer needs a kid looked at fast, this is the number they call.
And the bill
Most major insurance is accepted, and an orthopedic visit generally lands in the usual specialist copay range. Self-pay patients get flat published cash rates for the visit, the X-ray and the MRI, so nobody learns the price three weeks later in an envelope.
Walk in. Get answers. Get back to it. The clinic puts it in two words: Better. Sooner.
OS1 Orthopedic & Sports Injury Clinic
4300 Bells Ferry Road NW
Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Last patient accepted at 5:15 p.m.
(470) 790-0725 bettersooner.com/kennesaw
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The following letter was submitted by Wes Jackson, a Cobb County School District parent, to the Cobb Board of Education and Superintendent, and also was sent to East Cobb News and other media outlets. Jackson has children attending Dodgen Middle School and Mt. Bethel Elementary School in East Cobb.
The firm also made contributions to Republican members of the Cobb school board in 2024 elections via three political action committees it controlled that the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission determined exceeded contribution limits.
Those board members—John Cristadoro, Randy Scamihorn and Brad Wheeler—returned some of those contributions after the commission determined that the PACs were bundled together from the same source. One of those entities, Business Supporting Schools Inc., was fined $5,000 for campaign finance violations.
Jackson told East Cobb News he “sent this letter solely as a concerned parent with several children in Cobb County schools. My law firm had no role in or knowledge of my letter as I was speaking only in my personal capacity. I do not do any legal work with the Cobb County School District.”
We have added a photo of the book that is the subject of the letter and related links for the public’s reference:
Dear Board Members and Superintendent Ragsdale:
I am a Cobb County resident and parent of four current Cobb County public school students. (We have one more who will start kindergarten at Mt. Bethel ES soon.)
My eldest has participated twice in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl. She enjoyed it very much, and I think it is so important that we teach our children to love reading.
That being said, I recently learned that one of HRRB’s selected books for middle schoolers for the 2027 competition is “The Queen Bees of Tybee County,” by Kyle Casey Chu. Mr. Chu is a self-avowed “drag queen” and “founding member” of Drag Queen Story Hour [author’s website].
I have read his book, and it is exactly what you would expect: a narrative designed to introduce children to “drag culture.”
Respectfully, I do not believe this type of literature should be promoted through Cobb County’s extracurricular reading programs.
I invited the HRRB president to discuss my concerns, but was unable to connect with her. I hope that each of you will give serious consideration to whether “Drag Queen Story Hour” has a place in Cobb County Schools.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my concerns with each of you further.
Thank you for your time and consideration. More importantly, thank you for the challenging task of maintaining such an excellent school system for our children. I am continually impressed with your work as a Board and our local schools.
Go Panthers and Buccaneers!
Regards,
Wes Jackson
Editor’s Note: Members of the public are welcome to send Letters to the Editor to East Cobb News on topics of interest to the community. Please e-mail [email protected]. We recommend keeping letters to around 500 words maximum. Contributions may be lightly edited for accuracy and style and to include related links.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday will get an annual demographic update to be presented during its August work session.
The work session takes place starting at 3 p.m., and will be followed by an executive session and a voting session at 7 p.m.
All meetings take place in the board room of the Cobb County School District Central Office, at 514 Glover St. in Marietta. The combined agenda for the public meetings can be found at this link.
The public meetings will be streamed live and you can watch on Comcast Cable or on a livestream on the district’s Boxcast Channel.
The Cobb County School District contracts with Education Planners, a private Marietta company run by a former Cobb school superintendent, and that provides demographic updates on an annual basis.
Education Planners takes data from the Atlanta Regional Commission, Cobb building permits, live birth numbers and other sources to project long-term enrollment to help Cobb school district officials plan for school construction needs.
Last May, Education Planners founder James Wilson provided a demographic update that projected selected growth “in pockets” of the county.
Those include most school attendance zones in South Cobb, in Smyrna-Cumberland-Vinings and the Town Center-KSU area as well around Wheeler High in East Cobb, where apartments abound and many schools are well over capacity.
A figure in that presentation showing that more apartment units have been approved in Cobb County since 2006 than any other jurisdiction in metro Atlanta prompted a lengthy, sharp response from Cobb superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who called the numbers “more than disturbing . . . that is alarming.”
He said that an increase in this trend will “continue to have a detrimental impact on schools’ performance, whether they’re perceived or real.”
Ragsdale went on for a good while about high-density zoning and mentioned how such growth has led to split sessions. Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid invited the district to a “stakeholders” meeting during the week of high school graduations.
Last week, the Atlanta Regional Commission said that the area added more than 53,000 new residents in the last year, with only 3,600 coming to Cobb County.
At the Thursday night board meeting, a number of recognitions will involve students at schools in East Cobb.
They include the state championship baseball team from Kell, the girls state track and field champions from Pope and the girls state tennis champions from Walton, as well as individual athletes winning state championships in the spring.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
After being cancelled last year due to storage issues, the Cobb County Public Library System announced Tuesday that its fall book sale is coming back this year.
The dates are Oct. 16-18 at the familiar venue, the Cobb Civic Center, with items ranging from 10 cents to $4. The proceeds support library branches and bookmobile.
Here’s what the library system issued on Tuesday:
Shoppers can explore an extensive selection of hardcover and paperback books for all ages, DVDs, audiobooks on CD, magazines, puzzles, graphic novels, and vinyl LPs.
Note that new Opening Day Guidelines will be implemented in order to speed checkout lines, shorten wait times, and ensure fair access to high-demand items. Guidelines will be in effect Friday, Oct 16, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
20-Item Checkout Limit: Shoppers may check out up to 20 items per transaction. Families shopping together may each check out 20 items, provided each individual can carry their own selections (children must be able to hold their own items to qualify). Excess items will be sent to Return Tables and will not be held.
Re-entry Permitted: Shoppers are welcome to return to the sales floor and check out 20 items as many times as they like.
No Stashing or Holding Items: Storing/saving boxed items on the floor for purchase at a later time is strictly prohibited on ALL sale days. Staff will not accept holds nor take responsibility for watching shoppers’ belongings.
Scanning: Electronic scanning devices are not permitted until after 1:00 PM on Friday.
Popular Item Limits (Per Person):
Puzzles: 1
Graphic Novels: 1
Manga: 1
Comic Books: 2
Vinyl LPs: 2
Event Schedule & Deals:
Friday, Oct. 16 & Saturday, Oct. 17 (9:00 AM – 5:00 PM): Open shopping across all levels.
Sunday, Oct. 18 (1:00 PM – 5:00 PM) – Bring Your Own Box (BYOB) Day: Fill any box you can physically carry to your vehicle for a flat rate ($10 upper level only; $20 lower level only; $20 mixed levels).
Address: Cobb Civic Center, 548 South Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30060 (Free parking available).
Accepted Payment: Cash, check, debit, and credit (Visa and MasterCard only).
For full event details, please visit cobbcounty.gov/library or contact your local branch.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Two Democrats seeking to unseat long-standing Republican incumbents in East Cobb will be holding a joint community kickoff event on Thursday.
Kevin Redmon, a candidate for District 3 on the Cobb Board of Commissioners, and Michelle Schreiner, who is vying for State House Seat 45 in the Georgia General Assembly, will meet with voters Thursday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Chimney Lakes subdivision clubhouse (4350 Lake Chimney Court).
According to a release sent by Redmon’s campaign, attendees “will have the opportunity to meet both candidates, hear about their campaigns and learn about upcoming volunteer and canvassing opportunities. The campaigns will also collect school supplies for distribution in the community.”
Kevin Redmon
Redmon is on the November ballot against four-term Republican commissioner JoAnn Birell in Disrict 3, which includes most of East Cobb.
Schreiner is facing State Rep. Sharon Coooper, a Republican who has been in office since 1997 and is chairwoman of the House Health Committee.
Democrats are challenging Republican incumbents throughout East Cobb, which has long been a GOP stronghold.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The most common Election Day surprise in Georgia isn’t long lines — it’s discovering that a move, a marriage, or a simple typo left your registration out of date. This week, the League of Women Voters of Georgia’s “How Georgia Votes” series shows voters how to head that off with a two-minute check, well ahead of the October 5 registration deadline.
Every registered Georgian has a personal record on the state’s My Voter Page (mvp.sos.ga.gov), maintained by the Secretary of State’s office. Log in with your name, county, and date of birth, and you can see your registration status, your assigned polling place, a sample of the exact ballot you’ll receive, and, once voting begins, the status of any absentee ballot you request. Vote411.org, the League’s own nonpartisan voter information site, offers the same starting point, along with candidate information as it becomes available.
The check matters most for anyone whose life has changed since the last election. Moved across town or across the state, even within the same county? Your registration address needs to match where you live. Married or changed your name? The name on your registration should match the name on your photo ID. Each of these updates can be made through the same online portal or at your county registrar’s office, and each takes only minutes, provided it happens by October 5.
“I tell people to check their registration the way they’d check the batteries in a smoke detector. It takes two minutes, and you want to find out now, not the morning it matters,” said Jackie Killings, President of the League of Women Voters of Georgia. “Whether you vote in Floyd County or Fulton County, the My Voter Page shows you your own record, your own polling place, and your own ballot. It is your election, and the state has built you a window into it.”
Next week in the series: the people who run Georgia’s elections — county election directors, trained poll workers, and the neighbors who make voting work in all 159 counties.
About the League of Women Voters of Georgia
The League of Women Voters of Georgia is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. The League never supports or opposes candidates or political parties. Through roughly fifteen local Leagues across the state, volunteers register voters, host candidate forums, and provide trusted election information through Vote411.org.
Learn more about the League of Women Voters of Georgia at lwvga.org.To see information about activities of the local League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb County, along with Cobb-specific voting and elections information, visit lwvmariettacobbga.com.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
A Powder Springs man spent the night Monday in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center after being arrested as an impaired driver near Sprayberry High School.
Cobb Police Sgt. Eric Smith said that officers responded to reports of a driver who “appeared to be unresponsive in a black Honda Ridgeline” at the intersection of Sandy Plains Road and East Piedmont Road Monday afternoon.
School traffic was lighter than usual because Monday was a “digital learning day” in the Cobb County School District.
But “out of an abundance of caution, officers positioned their patrol vehicles such that the vehicle was boxed-in to prevent the driver from accelerating and becoming a danger to the motoring public once the officers awoke him” said Smith, who added that the man was taken into custody.
He didn’t say how long the truck had been parked in the intersection.
According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, the man was identified as Michael Eddington, who was charged with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of multiple substances and impeding the flow of traffic.
His booking report said Eddington was released Tuesday morning after posting a $1,620 bond.
The information was released to the media via the Cobb Police press distribution list after a media member passing the scene inquired with the department’s public information office about what was going on, and hit the “reply all” button.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
A Northeast Cobb man was arrested on Monday after violating a court order barring him from contacting or going near a woman he used to live with, according to Cobb Police.
According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office Records, Robert Steven Read, 55, of a Worley Road address, was still being booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Monday afternoon.
He’s charged with a single misdemeanor count of stalking after being taken into custody at a shopping center on Canton Road Monday morning, according to a booking report.
An arrest warrant for Read was issued on Aug. 13 after the victim filed a complaint that he had been following and contacting her over the summer, in violation of a protective order issued in Cobb Superior Court in April.
That order forbade Read from coming within 500 yards of the woman or anyone in her family, as well as her residence or place of employment or school.
He was further restricted from having any contact with her or immediate family members by phone, text, e-mail voice mail “or any other type of contact,” according to the order.
The order said Read could be subject to being charged and prosecuted for aggravated stalking, a felony that comes with a sentence of 1-10 years.
Read’s arrest warrant said that he and the woman had lived together in the past, but that she received a protective order against him on April 28.
The warrant states that Read came to the woman’s home, also in Northeast Cobb, between May 3 and June 29, “for the purpose of harassing and intimidating” her.
The warrant also said that on the last weekend in June, Read followed her to a restaurant in Roswell, where her favorite band was playing.
According to the warrant, he sat behind her and a friend at the restaurant as the live music was playing, and that the woman “became frightened and did not know what to do.” Her friend told security and Read was escorted off the premises, the warrant states.
The warrant also states that Read is accused of contacting the woman 20 times between May 6-30, and that she has accused him of “multiple posts” on social media platforms he has published about her and that others have told her about.
According to his booking report, Read’s bond is $5,720.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
A reader-submitted drone photo of a winter storm in East Cobb that we hope will help cool you off in the August heat.
We get a lot of contributions at East Cobb News from citizens, volunteers, public relations people and others who want to shine a light on what’s going on in the community—good, not so good and otherwise.
Sometimes it’s about their kids getting a recognition, a roadside cleanup project, a new business ribbon-cutting or a fundraiser for a good cause.
Other times it’s about a crime or a fire or a traffic accident, a blighted property or something you want to see get corrected.
Let us know about when your kids accomplish something!
And there are occasions that are kind of funky or unusual—someone’s pet that’s gone missing, or a purple recycling bin set up for donations. Or really cool photos when we have a weather event.
We’ve been asking you to e-mail us your text, photos and videos and we’ll put everything together and publish it as soon as we can.
But we don’t always do that as quickly as we’d like, and we aren’t always able to get to everything we get.
Now we’ve got a great tool that makes it easy for readers to submit their news—and a snap to get it published on East Cobb News.
Join the Partyline—it’s free and easy!
It’s called Partyline (remember those from the old landline telephone days?), and it’s a new-fangled way of helping us give you the community news you love.
A distraught parakeet owner sent us a photo of “Woody” after he flew the coop.
How about snapping that photo of your child’s sports celebration, or a sunset at East Cobb Park or a nifty vintage car you see in a parking lot and use it to boost a sense of community and appreciation of place, and help local journalism in the process?
The idea here is to keep local news truly local, and at East Cobb News, we have been priding ourselves on that proviso for more than nine years.
Nobody does what we do in this community every day, and a big part of the reason why is because of what our readers to do help us keep you informed.
A reader sent us a photo of a house fire where her son lived.
Today we are introducing to our readers that new tool we mentioned above.
Partyline is a service that lets you to take photos from your phone (or any other camera), write up some text to go with it and submit it automatically into the East Cobb News content system.
We’ll edit it as necessary and publish it to our site, where it will show up just like all of our other stories. We’ll even let our readers know who submitted it!
It’s easier—and more effective—than posting to social media and its fragmented siloes.
You’ll be getting your story out to the broader East Cobb community, in just a couple of miutes!
Get your photos and text published in a snap on East Cobb News with Partyline!
We invite anyone with an interest in what’s happening in East Cobb to submit news to us via Partyline—its absolutely free to use, and very easy.
This isn’t a social media, fact free, free-for-all. We’ll need to know who you are, and all your submissions will be checked before being posted.
Partyline is the sweet spot between the unfettered and sometimes toxic world of social media and having a busy newsroom full of roaming photographers (those were the days, back in our old newspaper days!).
But like any other aspect of community, it’s only as good as the contributors who participate.
How to Submit to Partyline
There’s a link for that, and it’s here. Just hit the black bar where it says “Start a Partyline” and upload your information. We’ll take it from there, and get it into publication quickly.
Don’t delay—please sign up and join the Partyline party today!
When a reader sent us a photo of a glass recycling bin at Whole Foods, the whole community took note.
Do you value the news coverage provided byEast Cobb News? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
LiveSafe Resources hosted one of Atlanta’s premier fashion events, AFashion Affair, on Tuesday evening at The Foxglove in Marietta. Cobb County Solicitor General Makia Metzger, a dedicated advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, chaired this signature fundraiser supporting “Good Looks for a Good Cause.”
The night featured a captivating runway fashion show curated and styled by Shaye Strager of Strager Style and A Stylist’s Closet. Guests enjoyed a fun-filled evening with elegant hors d’oeuvres, drinks, exciting raffle prizes, and a variety of pop-up boutiques for an unforgettable night of fashion, fun, and philanthropy.
Event sponsors include:
CoutureSponsor: S.A. White Oil Company, Inc.
Trendsetter Sponsors: Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd andCobb County Solicitor General Makia Metzger
RunwaySponsors:Cobb EMC, Johnson & Alday, LLC, and Proda Technology
StyleSponsors: A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds, CROFT & Associates, Inc., Cumberland Diamond Exchange, GGG Partners, LLC, Nora and Richard Guadet, The Pauley Family, Kaiser Permanente, and SouthState Bank
Runway Retail Sponsor: A Stylist’s Closet
Catering Sponsor: Carriage House Catering
Audio Visual Sponsor: AERO Productions
Supporting Sponsor: The Foxglove
Featured Boutiques: A Bag Concept, Expressive Fire Arts Coalition, Fused Forever Permanent Jewelry, Kendra Scott, Park Lane Jewelry, The Wig Dr. (Marietta), and Hide and Go Seek Jewelry
This annual fundraiser benefits LiveSafe Resources, a nonprofit that works every day to mitigate the devastating impact of domestic violence and sexual assault on victims and their families. The organization provides safety, dignity, and respect as clients heal, rebuild their lives, and create safer futures for themselves and their children. With 1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 men experiencing abuse or assault during their lifetime, LiveSafe Resources supports all victims, including men, children, LGBTQ+ individuals, disabled persons, and survivors from all backgrounds and socio-economic statuses.
“Fashion Affair reminds us that when a community comes together, we can make a difference,” said Lisa Mello, CEO of LiveSafe Resources. “We are deeply grateful to every sponsor, designer, attendee, and supporter who helped make this event possible. Your generosity and commitment help create a path toward safety, healing, and hope for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and strengthen our ability to serve our community throughout the year.”
About LiveSafe Resources
LiveSafe Resources is dedicated to building a community free from domestic violence and sexual assault where we all live safely. For details on LiveSafe Resources’ programs and services for victims, or how to be part of the solution, visit www.livesaferesources.org. For the 24-hour crisis line, call 770-427-3390.
Click the middle button below to see more photos.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Send Us Your News!
Let East Cobb News know what’s going on with your organization, or about any recognitions, to share with the community. We love to get photos and stories about what’s happening, as well as calendar event listings and more.
We want to be the go-to source for all the many ways people in East Cobb are involved in the community.
It’s what we call The Power of Local, and we’d love for you to take part!
Sign Up for Partyline!
The easiest and quickest way is to use our direct reader submission service, Partyline. Take a photo or a few and send us some text straight to our content system. We’ll edit it and publish in a snap! It’s free to sign up!
The Old-Fashioned Way
If you prefer to e-mail us, pass along your details/photos/videos/information to: [email protected], and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.
Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.
We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file, but d0 send them as attachments to your email.
Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.
It might take us a bit longer to publish your news than it would if you send it via Partyline, so we suggest that option if it’s really timely!
Thanks for your cooperation and we look forward to hearing from you!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
On the sideline in Cobb
