Podcasts about georgia department

This year we're celebrating the 30th year of Georgia's Pre-K Program and the 10th year of Quality Rated.  Next year marks the 20th year for the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning and when the agency was created in 2004, the same legislation mandated that the new department have an advisory board to support our work. The board meets quarterly and is composed of 14 members appointed by the Governor, with one member from each of Georgia's 14 congressional districts. Joining us to talk about the Board of Early Care and Learning are board members Luann Purcell, a charter member since 2006; Susan Harper joined the board in 2009; and current board chair Phil Davis joined the board in 2009. Support the show

Ed is joined by Susan Sparks-Burns who is campaigning for better conditions inside the prisons in Georgia. Georgia has some of the most punitive prison conditions in the US resulting in a higher mortality and mental illness rate than almost anywhere else in the country.She talks about the They Have No Voice movement, which represents the families and prisoners campaigning for a humane and less brutal system. She details stories from inside the prisons which may alarm.They also focus on the sentencing and punishments dished out inside the prisons, which seem to be, at best, random.This is part one of a two part interview; From the Facebook GroupDue to the escalating incidents of violence within every prison across the state of Georgia, we pose this question; Who is held accountable as to why?Welcome to Inside Georgia Prisons commentary forum. Our intention is to enlighten and inform you as to the unreliable and reckless policies of the Georgia Department of Corrections. Inside Georgia Prisons invites your comments on, past experiences and involvement in some of these volatile incidents of brutality and neglect where the well being of prisoners and staff alike are at risk.Inside Georgia Prisons is open to families whose son (or daughter) have suffered inhumane treatment at the hands of another prisoner or department of Corrections (DOC) staff. We welcome comments from former and current employees and former inmates who can substantiate claims of unjust and aggressive treatment by the Georgia Department of Corrections administration.Our purpose is to address these subject matters that are imposing additional hardship on every family affected by incarceration within the State of Georgia. Prevalent and related news articles are posted and awaiting your opinion (viewpoint). Though the DOC is a dominant organization within the State, most of the information disseminated from them is one-sided. Inside Georgia Prisons will identify this bias data and provide an honest platform for counter arguments.We understand that society has regarded prisoners as offensive, yet they forever will remain human beings. During their incarceration many prisoners are focused upon self improvement of their past behavioral patterns. As prisoners, they still retain indisputable rights under the U.S. and State Constitution. As State taxpayers, one should ensure policy makers address important issues such as prison violence, prison overcrowding, and prison abuse.Inside Georgia Prisons was created by advocates of those who reside and work behind Georgia prison walls and their families.Facebook : Inside Georgia Prisons *** OPPERMAN EXCLUSIVE ***Recorded April 16, 2023Content some may find upsetting.

On Episode 54 of the Activist Files, Bertha Justice Fellow Zee Scout speaks with Ashley Diamond, a civil rights activist, who made a pivotal choice on the eve of her trial in January against the Georgia Department of Corrections for Eighth Amendment violations of inadequate healthcare and sexual assault due to officials placing her in a male prison: She voluntarily dismissed her case to focus on healing. Since then, however, Ashley has struggled to access healthcare, therapy, and housing, because all of these necessities are inherently more challenging to obtain as a Black trans woman in the Southeast. Though her lawsuit is done, Ashley needs more support than ever - as many queer, trans, intersex, and gender nonconforming people do while state legislatures and reactionary judiciaries accelerate their attacks on trans civil rights. In typical Ashley fashion, though, she sings through the pain (including by debuting a new song during the podcast!).Resources:Diamond v. Ward case page, client bio, resource page, and press releaseAshley's op-ed in themArticles in them, Xtra*, and Pink NewsTGI Justice ProjectAshley's fundraiser

On Location comes to you today from Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, California and Alaska.  Tim Lightner (CGI) hosts Ashley Dexter (Deloitte Consulting), John Hurst (Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Services), Robbie Endris (Conduent) and Laura Van Buskirk (Director, Placer County, California Department of Child Support Services).   Join them for a conversation of one of NCSEA's premier events, NCSEA U:  it's origins, it's purpose, and its significance.  Find out about the 2023 NCSEA-U at the Leadership Symposium – the dates, the curriculum and the instructors.  Learn how to apply, and when applications are due.  Listen as our guests share about their journey within the child support program and with NCSEA U, and even learn something personal about each!   Check out the NCSEA website for more information:  https://www.ncsea.org/ncsea-u/  

The Waleska City Council in Georgia has held a first reading of two proposed resolutions that would allow the citizens of the city to vote on whether they want to allow Sunday alcohol sales. The referendums would consider the sale of malt beverages, wine, and distilled spirits, as well as alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises on Sundays. The vote on the resolutions will likely take place during the general election scheduled for November 7, and if approved, it may take until January 2024 before the necessary amendments to the city code are made to permit Sunday alcohol sales Chick-fil-A Canton franchisee Kevin Williams has awarded scholarships to employees across three locations. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $2,500 and total over $200,000. In addition, the Alex Gomez Scholarship, which covers 100% of tuition, was awarded to 18 Chick-fil-A Canton team members. Williams started the Alex Gomez Scholarship in 2021, which now provides full tuition to Point University. Chick-fil-A Canton restaurants have awarded over $1 million in local scholarship dollars to team members since 2017. The scholarship awards team members based on academics, community service and operator recommendations, and team members must be employed by Chick-fil-A Canton to be eligible. Woodstock welcomed a new Starbucks location into Adair Park's mixed-use development Saturday. The location was first announced in October 2021 and will finally open their doors for the first time at 6 a.m. Saturday. Adair Park is located at 8256 Main St. in downtown Woodstock. Adair Park posted updates on its Facebook page marking the progress of construction and announced the grand opening online as well. The store is offering a 10% discount through April 23 if customers show the post announcing the opening, according to Adair Park. Reinhardt University recognized its outstanding faculty, junior and senior students at an event called Evening of Honors. Two seniors, Lauren Dose and Deborah Blount, received the traditional and non-traditional Student of the Year awards, respectively. Dose was one of the first students to land a book deal while pursuing an undergraduate degree, and Blount is preparing to graduate at 64 years old with a 4.0 GPA and has created a scholarship in memory of her deceased husband. The university also presented several other awards, including the Engaged Learner award and the Faculty Mentor Award, and recognized students who hold high GPAs. River Ridge High School's soccer team secured a convincing 10-0 victory against Newnan in the opening round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs. The Knights scored three goals in the first four minutes, with eight different players eventually finding the net. The match was called three minutes into the second half, following GHSA rules on the mercy rule. River Ridge will play against Sprayberry in the Sweet 16. Twelve Cherokee County School District students were selected to the Georgia Governor's Honors Program, the district announced.  The program selects academically excelling rising juniors and seniors throughout Georgia to participate in a four-week long summer curriculum at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. These students were “selected based on overall excellence in academics, extra-curricular activities and leadership, as well as exceptional skills and talents in a specific area of study,” according to CCSD. For a full list of honorees, please head over to Tribune Ledger News dot com. Georgia's General Assembly passed a bill in the final moments of this year's legislative session that safeguards the public's right to fish in navigable parts of the state's rivers and streams. This move came after a property owner along Yellow Jacket Shoals in the Flint River claimed exclusive control of fishing from the bank on its side of the river to the center of the stream, leading to a lawsuit and an agreement that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources signed consenting to the ban. The fishing rights bill, Senate Bill 115, narrowly passed the House and Senate and now heads to Governor Brian Kemp's desk for signature. For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/    https://cuofga.org/   https://www.drakerealty.com/   https://www.esogrepair.com/             See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

History Cherokee's 20th Annual Derby Day will take place at 4:30 p.m. on May 6 at the Mill on Etowah, and tickets are now available for purchase. This event is the largest annual fundraiser for the organization, featuring a hat contest, pony pull, silent auction, bourbon tastings, and more. Gourmet food and specialty cocktails will also be served. Individual tickets are priced at $100, while couples attending can purchase tickets for $185. The funds raised through the event will support History Cherokee's activities throughout the year, including operating the new History Center, creating new programming for all ages, and advocating for historic preservation. Interested parties can purchase tickets on the organization's website. Thrive Coworking has signed a lease to become the primary tenant of the Jones Building in downtown Canton. The building will have a total of 19,000 square feet with Thrive Coworking taking up all of the top floor and half of the street level floor. Within Thrive's space, there will be approximately 40 offices available for lease, along with several meeting and event rooms for both members and non-members ranging from four to 50 people. Memberships for Thrive Coworking range from $159 to $355 a month. The Jones Building, which dates back to 1879, is currently undergoing restoration and will soon be open for business. Former Woodstock track and field star, Will Sumner, along with his 4x400-meter relay team at the University of Georgia, received national recognition from the USTFCCCA as the male athletes of the week after setting a new record time of 2:58.82 at the Texas Relays. The team's time broke the meet's previous record of 3:00.23 set in 2021 by NC A&T and also broke the previous school record of 3:02.10. Sumner, who was named the 2021-22 Gatorade Georgia Boys Track and Field Player of the Year, was part of Woodstock's first Region 5 seven A title win and was the first athlete from the school to win the Gatorade award The Northside Hospital Foundation held an Easter Eggstravaganza at Etowah River Park in Canton, complete with egg hunts and craft stations. The event had four egg hunts divided by age groups, giving each child a chance to participate. The foundation accepted donations for MUST Ministries, and T-shirts were sold for $10 each to raise funds for Northside Hospital Cherokee's Special Care Nursery. The event also had a petting zoo and the Northside's Sammy Stork mascot made an appearance.   The Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation has awarded local high school seniors a $5,000 scholarship, including three from Cherokee County. Cherokee County seniors who received the scholarship are: ♦ Clayton Tucker, Sequoyah High School ♦ John Tucker, Sequoyah High School ♦ Matthew Warren, Creekview High School These students were among 20 seniors in Sawnee EMC's service area who were awarded the scholarship, the foundation announced.   Cherokee County is inviting residents to view and give feedback on the draft of its 2023 Comprehensive Plan, which will be available online from April 10 to 28 at Cherokee GA dot com slash Our Cherokee. A community meeting will be held on April 11 at the Northside Cherokee Conference Center in Canton. The county planning staff led the update process, and the consultant, POND, provided support. The plan will be submitted to the Atlanta Regional Commission in May for review, and final adoption and transmission to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs are expected in September. The Canton City Council is considering an expansion and update of the city's urban redevelopment plan for central Canton, which would help the Canton Housing Authority apply for state housing tax credits for housing. The proposed updates would also provide additional support for other funding projects and could start the process of replacing blighted housing in central Canton with new homes. The council is expected to vote on the updated plan on April 20. In addition, the council heard a request for an annexation and rezoning request for an indoor recreation facility and awarded a change order for the Harmon Park improvements project. #CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews           -          -          -          -          -          -          The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.             This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group     For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/    https://cuofga.org/   https://www.drakerealty.com/   https://www.esogrepair.com/                         See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we talk with Julia Mahood, a Master Beekeeper in Georgia. Julia is fascinated with drone honey bees and especially Drone Congregation Areas. To find out more about DCA's, she is on a quest to find as many as she can across her Georgia community. She started by reading all she could find, then went looking using an artificial queen lure on the end of a very tall stick. That didn't work. She switched to weather balloons and that much better, so eventually she started using mechanical drones, with cameras and lots of range. Some of what she's found so far hasn't been reported before she started this quest. She's finding them now and has created an online map so others can contribute – as a citizen science effort to locate as many as possible. But there's more. She also works with the Georgia Department of Corrections teaching beekeeping in one of their women's prisons. Find out more about Drone Congregation Areas and teaching beekeeping in prisons by listening today! We hope you enjoy the episode. Leave comments and questions in the Comments Section of the episode's website. Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:  Julia's MapMy DCA Website: https://mapmydca.com/ Beekeeping Today Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beekeepingtodaypodcast Kim's Climate Change Blog: https://www.growingplanetmedia.com/blog Honey Bee Obscura: https://www.honeybeeobscura.com ______________ This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global offers a variety of standard and custom patties. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode!  We welcome Betterbee as sponsor of today's episode. Betterbee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about heir line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com We welcome Blue Sky Bee Supply as a sponsor of the podcast! Check out blueskybeesupply.com for the best selection of honey containers, caps, lids, and customized honey labels. Enter coupon code PODCAST and receive 10% off an order of honey containers, caps, lids, or customized honey labels. Offer ends December 31, 2023. Some exclusions apply. Thanks for Northern Bee Books for their support. Northern Bee Books is the publisher of bee books available worldwide from their website or from Amazon and bookstores everywhere. They are also the publishers of The Beekeepers Quarterly and Natural Bee Husbandry. _______________ We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com Thank you for listening!  Podcast music: Be Strong by Young Presidents; Epilogue by Musicalman; Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus; A Fresh New Start by Pete Morse; Wedding Day by Boomer; Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC Copyright © 2023 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

Tyler Douthit, a senior offensive lineman and football star at Woodstock, was seriously injured after falling four stories from a parking deck in Athens. He was found lying near the entrance of the parking deck and was taken to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center's intensive care unit. Police reported that there was no evidence of foul play. Douthit has committed to play football at Samford and had over 20 college offers. He was honored as a scholar-athlete in October and was a first-team all-Cherokee County team member following the 2022 season. The Cherokee County School District superintendent expressed his condolences and said that Douthit and his family are in his prayers. Seventh graders from Cherokee County School District tested their STEM knowledge in the Georgia Association of Water Professionals' Model Water Tower Competition, presented by the Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority. The contest gave CCSD students the chance to build water towers, with 42 entries submitted, and Woodstock Middle School swept the top three spots. The first- and second-place winners will now compete in the state competition. CCSD middle school STEM teachers included the project in their third-quarter classes, with water professionals visiting the classes to teach tower design, structure and functionality. Creekview grad K.J. Jenkins, a senior reserve guard and the best outside shooter on New Mexico's basketball team, has entered the NCAA's transfer portal to play for another program for his last season of college eligibility. Jenkins averaged 7.4 points per game and his 43.6% 3-point shooting was the best on the team for the season, and his 55.4% three-point percentage in conference play was the best shooting ever by a Lobo in Mountain West play. However, despite his skills from the outside, the Lobos had an offense predicated on playing in the paint, and three-pointers accounted for just 26.7% of UNM's shot attempts. He is the second Lobo this week to enter the transfer portal along with senior wing Emmanuel Kuac, who had each of the past two seasons cut short with season-ending leg injuries. St. Clements Episcopal Church in Canton is hosting its annual Lenten Fish Fry for the thirteenth year in a row. The fish fries began on February 24 and runs each Friday night through March 31 by drive-thru only from 5 to 7 p.m. The funds raised by this event go towards supporting the Cherokee County community, such as paying utility bills for families facing financial difficulties, supporting the Bethesda Community Clinic, and donating to Must Ministries. The church's goal this year is to serve 1,000 meals, with each meal costing $10 and including fried tilapia, hushpuppies, sweet baked beans, coleslaw, and a cupcake. Fifty volunteers of all ages from the church come together to help run the event. The Cherokee County Farm Bureau in Georgia held a middle school bookmark contest and high school art contest in honor of Agriculture Week. The countywide high school art contest was won by Alex Ramirez from Cherokee High School, with CharliAnne Clemens from Creekview High School receiving second place. The first place countywide bookmark winner was Violet Paul from E.T. Booth Middle School, and Gabriel Melo from Mill Creek Middle School received second place. Prizes for county winners include a $100 gift card for first place and a $75 gift card for second place, while state-level prizes range from $100 to $250. Etowah High School's Career Pathway Construction and Carpentry program in the Cherokee County School District has received state industry certification for the 2022-2027 school year. The program, which is led by teacher Ty Casteel, had been undergoing the certification process with the Georgia Department of Education and industry affiliate Construction Ready. The certification recognizes the highest levels of excellence for curriculum and instruction, facilities and equipment, extra-curricular programs, and partnerships with industry professionals. Etowah's program is among 38 career pathway high school programs offered by CCSD, which provide students with a wide selection of job exploration and preparation electives.   And now, as we get closer to the start of the 2023 Masters, Times-Journal Incorporated sports editor John Bednarowski joins the show to take us on a tour of Augusta National presented by Ingles. #CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews           -          -          -          -          -          -          The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.             This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group     For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/    https://cuofga.org/   https://www.drakerealty.com/   https://www.esogrepair.com/             See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Bednarowski calls in from Greensboro to discuss the Kennesaw State men's basketball team's heartbreaking loss to Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  Plus:  An Atlanta man who has garnered the nickname “the crawling burglar” was indicted by a Cobb grand jury on 24 counts of burglary and one count of racketeering related to a string of alleged burglaries in Cobb County. Aron Jermaine Major has been detained at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center since his arrest on June 1, 2021, according to jail records. Arrest warrants for the suspect describe a pattern of late-night and early-morning burglaries where the suspect used techniques reminiscent of a heist movie. Major's son, Aron Major Jr., was also arrested on a single count of tampering with evidence the day after his father was arrested. Major Jr. was indicted for tampering with evidence by the same grand jury last week. According to arrest warrants, Major removed or broke windows to crawl into numerous businesses while they were closed, prying open safes, cash drawers and stealing merchandise. Cash, alcohol and cigarettes were the common targets of the suspect. According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Major was sentenced four times for previous burglaries and other crimes in metro Atlanta dating back to 1992. A group of Cobb County state representatives have agreed to advance legislation de-annexing portions of the new city of Mableton, two representatives said Thursday. State Representatives Terry Cummings David Wilkerson, Michael Smith,Teri Anulewicz, and Doug Stoner all represent parts of the new city of Mableton. Representatives have reached a tentative agreement that some northern parts of the city should be cleaved off, Wilkerson and Anulewicz said. Cummings is expected to sponsor the bill, but didn't respond to requests for comment Thursday. A map of the areas the representatives are proposing to de-annex wasn't available by press time, but Wilkerson described the areas as Cobb voting precincts Birney 02 and Mableton 04, plus “the unincorporated Austell that's up near the East-West Connector.” In last November's cityhood referendum, Birney 02 voted 72% against incorporation, and Mableton 04 voted 73% against. Across the entire Mableton cityhood area, residents voted 53% to 47% in favor of incorporation. While an agreement was reached among representatives, the bill that would enshrine it was still being drafted Thursday. It is expected to be introduced on Monday. In 2016, Brad Smith was an assistant coach at Dalton and got to experience what the environment around Allatoona's football program was like at Cobb EMC/Buccaneer Stadium. The Catamounts were in the midst of a state semifinal run and a 13-1 season, while the Buccaneers, coming off their state championship season, were in the middle of a 6-6 season. Still, the stadium was packed, Allatoona played hard and it had a true home-field advantage. Though Dalton won the game 24-22, the trip to Acworth left a mark on Smith. Fast-forward seven years and Smith had just finished his third season as the head coach at Loganville. After taking over a 3-8 program in 2020, he led the Red Devils to a 9-2 mark last season -- included a team-record 8-0 start -- for the team's first winning season since 2016. That is when the Allatoona job came open after the retirement of founding coach Gary Varner.  Varner stepped down following the 2022 season to concentrate on his health. Smith said he understands the challenges of taking over for the man who began the program and who has been the only coach in the program's history, but he draw of what he remembered from that game in 2016 was too big of a pull. Loganville, Smith's alma mater, was his first head-coaching job. He compiled an 18-14 record during his three years there and took the Red Devils to the playoffs twice. He takes over an Allatoona program that went 6-6 a year ago. For now, Smith is caught between schools. He plans on being on campus at Allatoona full-time by the end of the month and will teach physical education. However, he is also trying to make sure he leaves Loganville in the best possible condition. He was doing helmet and uniform inventory this week and getting the equipment prepared for the spring.  A Marietta man will serve 10 years behind bars after he was sentenced for charges related to a 2021 armed robbery in a Cobb County mobile home park. 19-year-old Ezra Dangelo Ford pleaded guilty to three felonies — armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of firearm during the commission of a felony, the Cobb County District Attorney's Office said. Superior Court Judge Jason Marbutt accepted a negotiated plea, sentencing Ford to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years probation. The robbery occurred on April 12, 2021, when police responded to a call from Lamplighter Village, a mobile home park at the corner of Windy Hill Road and Powder Springs Street. The victim told police that he and Ford had “decided to meet up and hang out,” the DA's office said. When the victim arrived, Ford stepped out of a vehicle and pointed a gun at him. Ford took the victim's backpack filled with personal items and his skateboard, prosecutors said, before leaving the scene. The victim later picked Ford out of a line up, resulting in his arrest. Carlos Rodriguez was sworn in as the new president of the Cobb County Bar Association during its monthly luncheon at Roswell Street Baptist Church on Thursday. Rodriguez said his three daughters overheard a discussion between him and his wife about him being sworn in as president, and one of his daughters asked him “what happened to Joe Biden?” Rodriguez, who also chairs the Cobb County Board of Ethics, thanked the audience for the opportunity to become president, saying how the Cobb brand is strong throughout the state. The Cobb County Bar Association is a social and professional group for local lawyers to celebrate the law profession and engage with the community by sponsoring educational programs, social and charity events. The bar hosts two major fundraising events a year, Sleighbells on the Square 5K and Law Day Classic Golf Tournament, which raises tens of thousands of dollars for the Cobb County Bar Children's Emergency Fund. The fund provides support for Cobb families in need in areas that are often not addressed by traditional charities, assisting with utility bills, clothing, medicine and housing to help local families get back on track. As president, Rodriguez is the figurehead of an organization representing one of the busiest judicial systems in the state, he said. Rodriguez, a Marietta native and 2003 graduate of Marietta High School, received his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Georgia and is part of the criminal defense attorneys law firm Kilgore and Rodriguez. Rodriquez's law partner, Maddox Kilgore, an Emory grad from the Smyrna area, served as president of the Cobb County Bar Association from 2018 to 2019. The Town Center community is gearing up for its second annual Noonday Shanty 5K and 10K next Saturday along the Noonday Creek Trail in Kennesaw. The Noonday Creek Trail, which is located near the Town Center at Cobb mall, spans seven miles and boasts hidden wetlands, scenic views, public art and bird habitats. Managed by Orion Racing, the Noonday Shanty 5K and 10K is the first USA Track and Field-certified race to take place on the Noonday Creek Trail. The race serves as a qualifier for the AJC Peachtree Road Race and features a mostly flat 5K and 10K course. Both routes wind through the Noonday Creek Trail, Fifth Third Bank Stadium, Cobb International Airport and Aviation Park.  The 10K race will kick off at 7:45 a.m. followed by the 5K race which will begin at 8 a.m. After the races conclude, runners can enjoy a live DJ, entertainment and free beer for participants over 21. All participants will receive a free T-shirt and finisher medal. #CobbCounty #Georgia #LocalNews      -            -            -            -            -            The Marietta Daily Journal Podcast is local news for Marietta, Kennesaw, Smyrna, and all of Cobb County.             Subscribe today, so you don't miss an episode! MDJOnline            Register Here for your essential digital news.            https://www.chattahoocheetech.edu/  https://cuofga.org/ https://www.esogrepair.com/ https://www.drakerealty.com/           Find additional episodes of the MDJ Podcast here.             This Podcast was produced and published for the Marietta Daily Journal and MDJ Online by BG Ad Group   For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com          See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Listen to the show Monday-Thursday at 10am. Learn all about people and places around Gwinnett County. Hey if you're enjoying the show, horoscope & morning inspiration, help me keep up the good feelings by buying me a cup of coffee. Just click the link below. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AudreyBK_________________________________________________Superintendent Woods sent the following. Here is what we sent to the Gwinnett School System:March 14, 2023Superintendent Dr. Calvin Watts and Members of the Gwinnett County Board of Education:Recently, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) announced that the district was exploring the option of adopting a new health education curriculum, including an embedded new sex education program.In district communications with the public, it was stated that this move was designed to better align with the new Health Education standards adopted by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE). This public statement coupled with concerns expressed to me by local citizens encouraged the engagement of my office in this process.I greatly appreciate the willingness of your school district to provide GaDOE with both your current sex education program and the proposed curriculum. Upon review, the following has been determined:1. A comprehensive crosswalk has not been provided for all lessons/topics in the proposed curriculum aligned with the state-approved standards. Upon an initial review, there is content in the proposed curriculum that is not included in our state standards.2. The proposed curriculum expands instruction within grades K-5. State law only requires age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention in these grades. The proposed curriculum seems to go above this requirement, and it appears local public feedback does not support expansion into this grade band.3. The proposed curriculum does contain content specifically labeled to CASEL standards, which are not recognized or adopted by the Georgia Department of Education or State Board of Education and are not part of the state- approved standards for health education in Georgia.4. Regarding the instruction of sex education, Gwinnett's current curriculum presents itself to be better aligned with the emphasis on abstinence in accordance with state standards and law, as well as State Board of Education board rule.I understand that the Gwinnett County Board of Education is scheduled to discuss the proposed adoption at its board meeting on Thursday. I respectfully request that the board delay adoption to give the district time to ensure compliance in the proposed curriculum with state law, standards, and board rule.I share your commitment to the health and wellness of our children. In that pursuit, it is essential that state standards and guidelines are adhered to and that public institutions are responsive to public feedback and input they receive. Overwhelming local input supports my call to pause and re-evaluate adoption. Simply stating “parents can always opt out” needlessly puts Gwinnett families and parents in a zero-sum situation.I appreciate your attention to this matter and your support for the children and families of Gwinnett County. Respectfully,Richard Woods, State School Superintendent

Mark Levine of Atlanta Home Shows joins the podcast to talk about all the great exhibits you can see at the Atlanta Home Show this weekend at the Cobb Galleria.  Plus: A Kennesaw State University economist told businesspeople Tuesday that he's optimistic that steps taken by the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will stabilize the banking sector in the wake of two regional banks collapsing. In response to the failure of California-based Silicon Valley Bank and New York-based Signature Bank, authorities announced a new instrument through which banks whose balance sheets are hobbled by high interest rates will be able to access liquidity in the form of Fed loans against their affected assets. The Treasury Department, meanwhile, announced Sunday that customers of both banks would not lose their funds, including those who had funds exceeding the $250,000 federal insurance limit. President Joe Biden said Monday taxpayers would not bear the costs and the money would instead come from fees that banks pay into the federal Deposit Insurance Fund. He also said the collapse of the banks would not spiral into a larger crisis, as occurred in 2008. Those steps, Tutterow said, provide a “backstop” against what happened at Silicon Valley Bank, which he described as an “old-school bank run” where customers rush to withdraw their money in a panic. Tutterow said that banks like SVB invested heavily in longer-term bonds when interest rates were low. But then the Fed began raising interest rates to combat inflation, which lowered the value of the bonds. But to combat inflation, the Fed raised interest rates several times over the past year, lowering the value of the bonds. One audience member asked Tutterow if he expected more interest rate hikes, in light of the recent bank collapses. Tutterow said he thinks the hikes will continue. Another factor in the rapid collapse of SVB, Tutterow said, was technology. People can, with a few taps on their smartphone, move money between accounts, meaning banks are run quicker than they used to be. A Miami man wanted for questioning in a south Florida homicide was arrested after a police chase in Cumberland Monday, according to authorities. Gustavo Alexander Aviles (Ah-Veel-Lez) was arrested around 2 p.m. Monday at the corner of Cobb Parkway and Akers Mill Road while attempting to elude police, according to jail records. Aviles (Ah-Veel-Lez) is charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer for a felony offense, a felony, as well as numerous misdemeanors related to traffic violations, per jail records, and he is being held without bond. Wheeler's Isaiah Collier is the 2022-23 Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Player of the Year. The USC signee is the fifth Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Wheeler High School. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Collier as Georgia's best high school boys basketball player. The Naismith Player of the Year is now one of three finalists for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced later this month. Collier joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Chet Holmgren, Trae Young, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Collier is the fourth Wheeler player to have earned the honor joining Jaylen Brown, D.A. Layne, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and becomes the sixth overall from Cobb County joining Sharife Cooper, who won the award at McEachern in 2019 and Brian Oliver, who won in 1986 while playing at Wills. Before the statewide turkey hunting season opens, youth and mobility-impaired hunters utilizing private land have an early chance to harvest a gobbler during the special opportunity turkey season March 25-26, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division. This weekend hunt opportunity is available only for youth 16 years of age and younger, or hunters that are mobility impaired. The season bag limit for turkeys is one gobbler per hunter per day and a season total of two gobblers. Resident youth hunters under age 16 will not need a license. Hunters age 16 years or older, including those accompanying youth or others, will need a hunting license and a big game license unless hunting on their own private land. One can get a license at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, at a retail license vendor, or by phone. The 2023 Georgia statewide turkey season opens April 1 for Private Land and April 8 for Public Land. With approval from the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, construction is expected to begin next month on the first phase of a trail along the Chattahoochee River in south Cobb. The first 1.2-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee Riverlands project, a trail in and around Discovery Park at the River Line, will begin construction sometime in April and is expected to take two years to complete, per the $3.4 million contract with Excellere Construction approved by commissioners in February. The trail segment along Discovery Boulevard is the “pilot” portion of what is hoped to be a multi-jurisdiction, 100-mile network from Lake Lanier to Newnan. The commission on Tuesday approved the final hurdle in the process to start construction on the first phase of the pilot portion. That last step before construction was confirmation from the Atlanta Regional Commission that the first phase of the project is consistent with the regional plan for the Chattahoochee River Corridor. Commissioners approved ARC's certificate of compliance by a 4-1 vote during their regular meeting Tuesday. Local business leader and author Kevin Paul Scott recently brought together leaders who have inspired him throughout the years to publicly dedicate his latest book and thank those who have impacted his life. A highlight of the book launch event was Scott's presentation to Barbara Dooley, wife of the late Coach Vince Dooley. Scott's new book, "Inspired Every Day," provides a path for individuals to find their passion and live a fulfilling life. It's only fitting that Scott dedicated the book to Vince and Barbara Dooley, after their mentorship and friendship for more than 15 years. Sadly, Coach Dooley passed away only weeks before the book was published. Scott doesn't just write about inspiration, he lives it out. The name of his company is ADDO, which is Latin for "Inspire." The global firm works with companies like Coca-Cola and Chick-fil-A to provide strategies, resources and programs to develop leaders. The book launch was somewhat of a full-circle moment because ADDO's inaugural event took place in Marietta more than a decade ago when Dooley and Reighard joined then-Sen. Johnny Isakson and Dr. Betty Siegel to host leaders. For more information, head over to Kevin Paul Scott dot com. #CobbCounty #Georgia #LocalNews      -            -            -            -            -            The Marietta Daily Journal Podcast is local news for Marietta, Kennesaw, Smyrna, and all of Cobb County.             Subscribe today, so you don't miss an episode! MDJOnline            Register Here for your essential digital news.            https://www.chattahoocheetech.edu/  https://cuofga.org/ https://www.esogrepair.com/ https://www.drakerealty.com/           Find additional episodes of the MDJ Podcast here.             This Podcast was produced and published for the Marietta Daily Journal and MDJ Online by BG Ad Group   For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com          See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Listen to the show Monday-Thursday at 10am. Learn all about people and places around Gwinnett County. Hey if you're enjoying the show, horoscope & morning inspiration, help me keep up the good feelings by buying me a cup of coffee. Just click the link below. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AudreyBK___________________________________________The project is set to be constructed over 2,000 acres of land between Dacula and the Apalachee River, north of Ga. 316 and south of Route 8. Rowen is projected to create about 90,000 jobs this century and contribute billions to the economy of Georgia. In December, the county commission approved a new zoning district for the Rowen land that requires developers to comply with the Rowen Foundation's design guidelines, which include environmental practices such as preserving native plants and green space. The Georgia Department of Economic Development is still seeking the first company or companies to become Rowen's founding partners.

With the ASUN championship game tied 66-66, and Terrell Burden heading to the free throw line with 0.7 seconds on the clock, Kennesaw State coach Amir Abdur-Rahim had a simple message for his senior point guard. "I love you," he said.  The feeling was mutual. Burden was the first player signed once Abdur-Rahim became coach four seasons ago. That first year they suffered through a 1-28 season. Sunday, with a simple made free throw, Burden had a chance to beat Liberty and send the Owls to their first NCAA tournament. The first of two shots swished through the net to give KSU a 67-66 lead. What did Abdur-Rahim say before Burden's second attempt?  "Miss it high," he said.   Burden, who finished with a team-high 19 points and was named ASUN tournament MVP, did exactly that. He had the ball bounce off the back of the rim and go straight up. By the time the ball was rebounded, the final moment ticked off the clock and the celebration began with the Owls and the sell out, boisterous KSU Convocation Center record 3,805 fans.  Now, the Owls will have to wait for a week before they find out who they will be playing and where. In the latest Bracketology on ESPN.com, KSU is penciled in as a No. 15 seed and playing Baylor in Denver. CBSSports.com has the Owls as a 14-seed, also playing Baylor, but in Columbus, Ohio. KSU is the first team since BYU in 2001 to advance to the NCAA tournament less than five years after a season with one or zero wins. People thronged to Marietta Square for a full day of games, laughter and revelry during Marietta the Gathering's inaugural festival celebrating the geek community Saturday. A geek, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “an enthusiast or expert who is obsessively interested in a particular subject.” The term “geek” has been used as a derogatory word in the past, stereotyping certain people or hobbies. Today, it is seen as a badge of honor to gamers, pop culture enthusiasts and others who follow their creative passions. There wasn't a cloud in the sky to obstruct the sun as revelers walked by tents, looking at goods and interacting with people plying their wares in the shade. Nevin Marshall, a woodworker from Marietta, was out enjoying the weather with his 4-year-old daughter, Julie, teaching her chess moves on an oversized chess board. Jorge Maldonado, a retail worker from Marietta, was out sharing his passion for all things “Star Wars.” He's a part of the 501st legion, a charity group that spreads the joy of Star Wars by visiting children in the hospital and other kind deeds. Maldonado was showing off his remote-control droid he built to eager fans stopping by and asking questions. He said it took him 18 months to build the droid, and that it always brings smiles to children's faces when he brings it to the hospital.  The Cobb County High School Coalition and Smyrna-based Habitat for Humanity of NW Metro Atlanta hammered the first nails in the affiliate's first home build of the year. The one-story house will soon be a home for single mother Laurelle and her two children. This is the 26th Habitat home built by the students of the Habitat clubs of the Cobb County High School Coalition. The four Cobb high schools participating in this year's coalition are Campbell, Hillgrove, Pope and Walton High School Habitat for Humanity student chapters. Even though she spends 46% of her income on housing costs, Laurelle's current apartment makes her concerned for her family's health. The electrical wiring in the apartment is substandard, mold is on the ceiling and stray cats' nest in the HVAC vents. Laurelle's looking forward to being able to provide her 14-year-old daughter and her energetic 11-year-old son separate bedrooms. She says she heard about Habitat for Humanity's international work where she grew up in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, but she decided to apply when her son's therapist told her about the homeownership program. Now, she's on her way to building a new home in Marietta, with an affordable, zero interest mortgage. For more information head over to habitat NWMA dot org.   Smiles and laughter abounded as the Cobb County NAACP celebrated its annual “Profiles in Black” program at Turner Chapel AME Church on the final day of Black History Month Tuesday. More than 50 people gathered to recognize African-American men in the community who have made significant strides in American society. The Cobb County NAACP will celebrate African-American women who have impacted their community during Women's History Month in March. The evening's celebration serves as a reminder that the struggles and progress of the past are essential to the present, Blackburn said. In between songs and award presentations, Blackburn peppered the audience with famous quotes from Black Americans such as Ava DuVernay, John Lewis, Serena Williams, Harriet Tubman and Alice Walker, trying to see if the audience could identify the source. The honorees gave brief speeches thanking the NAACP and emphasizing the importance of the organization. For a full list of honorees, please head over to MDJ Online dot com. Grown-up spellers should be buzzing: The 6th annual Adult Spelling Bee, a fundraiser for the Cobb branch of Communities in Schools, will take place Friday at the Strand Theatre. Last year's event raised over $60,000 for Communities in Schools of Marietta and Cobb, a school dropout prevention and intervention organization that offers resources to students throughout both districts to fund such programs as career fairs and book distributions. This year's goal is $75,000, according to Jennifer Lynch, who leads the group's fundraising efforts. Participating teams, which this year include different police chiefs around Cobb, young professionals, lawyers and judges and Kiwanis Club members, dress up in costume and imitate characters for the event. The event begins with a VIP program at 5:30 p.m., followed by the start of the general program at 7 p.m. Tickets for this year's bee are available at the Strand's website. General admission tickets are $20, and VIP tickets are $75.   Want to better ensure your fishing success at your local waterway? No need to consult a crystal ball to get the fishing outlook, just check the updated Georgia Fishing Forecasts. Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) fisheries biologists and technicians annually update the fishing forecasts for 31 Georgia reservoirs and 19 rivers, and they are available in one convenient location at Georgia Wildlife dot com slash fishing dash forecasts. Over forty five lakes and rivers are included in the forecasts. To get started on your fishing adventures today, go to Go Outdoors Georgia dot gov to purchase your Georgia Fishing license.   #CobbCounty #Marietta #LocalNews -            -            -            -            The Marietta Daily Journal Podcast is local news for Marietta, Kennesaw, Smyrna, and all of Cobb County.             Subscribe today, so you don't miss an episode! MDJOnline            Register Here for your essential digital news.            https://www.chattahoocheetech.edu/  https://cuofga.org/ https://www.esogrepair.com/ https://www.drakerealty.com/           Find additional episodes of the MDJ Podcast here.             This Podcast was produced and published for the Marietta Daily Journal and MDJ Online by BG Ad Group   For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's tenth Commissioner of Labor, Bruce Thompson, discusses efforts to change the image of the Georgia Department of Labor. Dr. Robert J. Patterson, a professor of African American at Georgetown University, discusses the Advance Placement African American studies pilot program and the controversy surrounding it. Anthony Knight, the City of Atlanta's first African American Heritage Coordinator, discusses the goal of the Historic Context Statement Project and how the city is working to capture the voice of AUC students. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gwinnett County police are investigating the death of a teen who was found dead on Paden Mill Trail in unincorporated Lawrenceville. The 16-year-old male's body was found at about 1:05 p.m. behind a house located at 651 Paden Mill Trail. Police discovered the body while visiting the house to conduct a follow up on a missing person's case that they were investigating. The teen had been shot. Anyone who has information about the teen's death is asked to call detectives or Crime Stoppers, which lets tipsters remain anonymous. Please head to Gwinnett Daily Post dot com for more updates. The Georgia Department of Education recently released the list of AP Honors Schools — with 23 Gwinnett County public high schools making one or more of the lists. Several Gwinnett schools were recognized in more than one category. Paul Duke STEM High School and Mountain View High School made the list in all seven categories in which they are eligible while Archer, Brookwood, Dacula, Duluth, Grayson, Lanier, and Mountain View high schools made the list in six of the seven categories in which they are eligible. DeNelle West, Gwinnett County Public Schools' Chief Learning Officer, says the recognition is a testament to the dedication of the district's educators. AP exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP courses are one of several ways Georgia students can access college-level learning at the high school level. Students who earn a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam may receive college credit. The 2023 AP Honor Schools were named in eight categories, based on the results of 2022 AP courses and exams. Please head over to Gwinnett Daily Post dot com for a full list of schools and honors. The Sip & Swine BBQ Festival not only touts some of the best Kansas City-style barbecue in America, but it also impacts the future in extremely positive ways. The festival is set Friday and Saturday at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville. More than 100 professional and shade-tree barbecue competitors from 12 states and two continents will vie for the coveted People's Choice Tasting award in an event sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Admission and parking are free for the two-day porcine extravaganza, which will also feature some 80 craft vendors and 40 food vendors. Now in its eighth year, the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival was originally established as a fundraiser for Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children's Shelter in Buford. Home of Hope is focused on ending homelessness two generations at a time, providing service for homeless infants and children up to 17 years old, along with their young mothers. The nonprofit also aids teenagers aging out of the foster care system. The festival has grown to feature bands, crafts and family-friendly activities, and this year's event is expected to be the largest to date. Proceeds from competition and vendor fees, raffle ticket sales and the purchase of People's Choice Taster Kits all go Home of Hope. Thus far, the festival has raised $742,000 on behalf of the children's shelter. For more information about the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival, visit Sips and Swine dot com. For more information about Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children's Shelter, visit Home of Hope GCS dot com. Is E.T. hanging out around the Lawrenceville Square? Maybe he's buying comic books at Galactic Quest before heading over to Strange Taco for dinner?  We'll leave that to the pundits, both inside and outside the peanut gallery, to debate. Regardless of whether you believe in aliens or not, Lawrenceville has notched a Number 1 ranking on what some people might consider a weird list: the most likely places in America to see a UFO. According to BonusFinder.com, you have a higher chance of seeing strange objects in the sky over Lawrenceville than you are in the skies over places such as Sedona, Arizona, and Greenville, South Carolina (which came in at Numbers 2 and 3 on the list, respectively), or the state capitol of Pennsylvania — Harrisburg — which is Number 4 on the list. BonusFinder.com ranked cities based on how many sightings there have been for every 10,000 residents rather than total number of sightings. Sedona, with 96 sightings, would be Number 1 if the latter criteria were the determining factor since Lawrenceville only had 67 sightings. But, it's sightings per capita that determined the rankings, and Lawrenceville — which is home to Gwinnett County Airport at Briscoe Field by the way — was Number 1 in that regard. The city reached the top spot with 144.64 alleged sightings per 10,000 people, according to BonusFinder.com. The sightings lasted, on average, 15.47 minutes.  Lanier High School has earned the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science A. Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have achieved 50% or higher female exam taker representation in one or both AP computer science courses, or a percentage of female computer science exam takers that meet or exceed that of the school's female population. Sallie Holloway, Gwinnett County Public Schools' Director of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, says the award is an acknowledgement of Lanier High School's commitment to inclusivity. More than 1,100 institutions achieved either 50% or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science exam takers meeting or exceeding that of the school's female population during the 2021-22 school year. In 2022, Lanier High School was one of 209 schools recognized in the category of AP CSA, and the only school in Gwinnett County to be recognized. Lanier has worked with its partner, State Farm IT, and the cluster schools to create a culture that supports more diversity in computing and other STEM fields and are seeing the fruits of this labor. Beyond the College Board recognition, Lanier High has always been well-represented at the National Center for Women & Information Technology local and national awards. The school regularly sees dozens of girls recognized at the Georgia awards ceremony. Additionally, Lanier has had five girls recognized nationally, including a national honorable mention for Valentina Diaz Romero and national winner Makenna Reilly for 2023 In its long and distinguished history, Buford High School has won untold state championships in just about every sport. And now the time has come to make some room on the school's trophy display for the school's latest state crown. On February 24, Buford's Game Day Cheerleading squad won the Class AAAAAA state championship at Columbus State College. It was the team's first state title in its four-year history. Co-Coach Caroline Parker said the competition – which began with 16 teams in the preliminary round and had eight in the final round – called on squads to showcase their skills in band chant, a crowd-leading cheer, and a routine that accompanies their school's fight song. The 24-member squad – which was selected last April – is made up of cheerleaders for the Wolves' football and basketball games. Now that they know just exactly what it takes to win a state championship, the next season will serve as a lesson on how to effectively defend that championship. There were six seniors on the 2023 team and Parker said she was pleased they were graduating on such a high note. And those involved will get to take a brief break, although it won't be long before the title defense begins, as tryouts begin in three weeks. For more information be sure to visit www.bgpodcastnetwork.com   https://www.lawrencevillega.org/  https://www.foxtheatre.org/  https://guideinc.org/  https://www.psponline.com/  https://www.kiamallofga.com/  https://www.milb.com/gwinnett  https://www.fernbankmuseum.org/  www.atlantagladiators.com          See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2012, the Georgia Department of Transportation approved a one percent sales tax to fund local transportation projects. Now, it is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Joining us in this podcast is Kenneth Franks, State Transportation Investment Act Administrator to speak on TIA's success, future projects, and regional and local impact.

A Suwanee man is facing several charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, after he hit a Gwinnett County police officer's patrol car on Interstate 85 on Thursday night. Master Police Officer Hideshi Valle said Randy Vanallen Cooley, 35, is accused of hitting the patrol car on Interstate 85 South near Pleasant Hill Road just after 9 p.m. Police had previously said on social media that the officer, whose name has not yet been released, had been working the scene of a five-vehicle accident when her patrol car was hit. Police said the officer sustained a head injury, but she is expected to recover. Cooley has been charged with following too close, driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of an open alcohol container, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, driving without a valid license, and failure to register a vehicle in Georgia. He was arrested at the scene of the accident. The state House of Representatives handily passed a bill Monday aimed at bolstering school safety in Georgia.   The “Safe Schools Act,” which has the strong support of Governor Brian Kemp, passed on a 148-20 vote.   The bill, sponsored by Representative Will Wade, a Republican from Dawsonville, one of Kemp's floor leaders in the House, would require schools to conduct an intruder or active-shooter drill by October 1 each year.  It would also require public schools to submit school safety plans to the Georgia Emergency Management Association as well as local emergency management and law enforcement agencies. The legislation would create a mechanism for school employees to earn a “school safety and anti-gang endorsement” after completing a special training program. And it encourages colleges and universities to include training for future teachers in best practices for safe schools and deterring gangs. Though the bill breezed through the House, it drew criticism from some Democratic lawmakers. Savannah Democratic representative Anne Allen Westbrook cited a study conducted by researchers at Georgia Tech showing increases in anxiety and depression among students for 90 days after active-shooter drills.  Representative Stacey Evans, an Atlanta Democrat, voted for the bill but also urged lawmakers to consider passing gun-control measures.   The bill will now move to the Georgia Senate for consideration. A 14-year-old Brookwood High School student was hit by a pick-up truck while leaving the school on Thursday, and Gwinnett County police are using the incident to urge pedestrians and drivers to practice safety on or along roadways. The incident happened at about 6:40 p.m., as the 14-year-old student was leaving the school campus and walking across Dogwood Road at a crosswalk on a red traffic signal. The teen sustained a head injury and a broken leg as a result of the injury. The pick-up driver remained at the scene as police and firefighter/paramedics arrived. Police are urging pedestrians to use sidewalks or paths while walking along roadways, and to walk facing traffic and as far from vehicles as possible if neither are available. They are also urging pedestrians to only cross streets at crosswalks or intersections since drivers are more likely to expect pedestrians at those locations. Pedestrians are also urged to wait for gaps in traffic before trying to cross the street and to not assume drivers will see them. Wearing bright colors during the day, or reflective materials at night, and trying to make eye contact with drivers are some ways pedestrians can make sure they are seen. Meanwhile, drivers are encouraged to be on the lookout for pedestrians and to always stop or yield to pedestrians who are in a crosswalk. They are also encouraged to never pass another vehicle that is stopped at a crosswalk since they might be stopped to let a pedestrian cross the street. Drivers are also urged to remain on alert and slow down while driving by schools and in neighborhoods, and to stick to posted speed limits. Defense is at the forefront of the Norcross basketball teams' state title defense. Both the reigning Class seven A state champion girls and boys have ratcheted up their defense of late as they aim to bring two more trophies to Spalding Drive. The two teams host quarterfinal games Wednesday night — the girls vs. Number 3 Archer at 5:30, followed by the boys against Number 5 Newton at 7. The Number 2-ranked Norcross girls have been especially impressive with suffocating defense, including holding Lambert in check in a 59-34 second-round win over the weekend. That came on the heels of holding Collins Hill to 41 points in a first-round victory. The high-paced Norcross boys are a dangerous team offensively, but their work on the defensive end has been equally important in their past postseason success. The fourth-ranked Blue Devils have held opponents to 56.3 points per game over their last 15 games. They held Osborne to 60 in the second round while also showcasing their high-powered offensive attack with 45 second-half points in a 72-60 win. They racked up 90 points in a first-round victory over Collins Hill. In addition to the Norcross doubleheader, four other Gwinnett basketball teams have quarterfinal games Wednesday. In seven A, the Central Gwinnett girls play at McEachern at 6 p.m., while the Grayson boys take on Walton at 6:30 p.m. at Archer. The Lanier boys host Grovetown at 7:30 p.m. in six A, and the Providence Christian boys host Spencer at 7:30 p.m. in double A. For the third consecutive week, the Number 14-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College softball team has had a player named the Continental Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week. Senior Alexa Good received the latest honor after tossing a two-hit shutout in the Grizzlies' 8-0 victory against No. 9 Tennessee Wesleyan University last Saturday. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native struck out four batters and did not issue a walk in the game. The right-hander stands 4-0 this spring with two shutouts and a 1.68 earned run average. She has recorded 27 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched. Sophomore Annalise Wood was named the CAC Pitcher of the Week for the first two weeks of the 2023 season. Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host the University of Rio Grande from Ohio in a doubleheader on Friday, March 3, at the Grizzly Softball Complex, starting at 2 p.m. The four-game series between the two teams will continue Saturday, March 4, at noon. Gwinnett County commissioners are moving to adopt international property maintenance rules that will enable the county's code enforcement officers to issue citations for interior code violations at rental properties. The county began the process of adopting the International Property Maintenance Code this past week. Adoption of the code would enable the county's code enforcement officers to work with rental property tenants to ensure the interiors of their residences remain up to code. Code enforcement officers currently have no authority over interior issues at rental properties. The rules would only apply to rental properties. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs must first review the proposed policy change before the Board of Commissioners can officially adopt the International Property Maintenance Code. State law requires the 60-day review by the DCA before final adoption can take place. The International Property Maintenance Code was compiled by the International Code Council. The code requires, among other things, all interior surfaces are maintained and that issues are corrected swiftly. It also requires ongoing pest control, making sure equipment works, and ensuring the interiors of rental properties main clean and sanitary. The code does state that occupants of rental units will be tasked with ensuring the interior of their particular unit remains clean while property owners are responsible for shared and public areas. An occupant can be held responsible if their actions, or failure to act, directly leads to any rodent or insect infestation. For more information be sure to visit www.bgpodcastnetwork.com   https://www.lawrencevillega.org/  https://www.foxtheatre.org/  https://guideinc.org/  https://www.psponline.com/  https://www.kiamallofga.com/  https://www.milb.com/gwinnett  https://www.fernbankmuseum.org/  www.atlantagladiators.com        See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tributes to a giant of Georgia politics began to pour in after the weekend's announcement that former President Jimmy Carter, 98, would enter hospice care at his home in Plains. The news was announced by the Carter Center in a social media post Saturday. Admirers from Cobb remembered the remarkable arc of Carter's career, which carried him from the Gold Dome to the White House before a decades-long career as an advocate for humanitarian and civil rights causes. “Georgia is losing a great oak that has fallen,” said former Gov. Roy Barnes. Barnes called Carter a remarkable man who historians will treat kindly. Even though he faced steep challenges as president, Carter is already recognized as one of the great humanitarians of our age, Barnes said, and was ahead of his time on environmental issues. Barnes' father Bill Barnes supported Carter in the contentious 1970 Democratic primary election for the gubernatorial race, when Carter bested former Gov. Carl Sanders. Bill Barnes had become friends with Carter on bird hunting trips in south Georgia. Roy Barnes said that in Cobb, one of Carter's biggest supporters was the late Conley Ingram, who served as a judge in several of Cobb's courts and spent four years on the Georgia Supreme Court after being appointed by Carter. As governor, Barnes said Carter reorganized and streamlined state government. The overhaul was the most extensive since the gubernatorial term of Richard Russell in the 1930s. Barnes got to know the former president better as a state legislator. When Barnes was governor, Carter spoke out in support of Barnes' changing of the state flag to remove the Confederate battle flag. Former Marietta Congressman Buddy Darden likewise remembered when Carter was stumping in Cobb during his second, victorious run for governor in 1970. Carter ran as the supposed conservative against Gov. Sanders, Darden said, but that all changed when Carter declared in his inaugural address, “the time for racial discrimination is over.” A Georgia Department of Education investigation found that the Cobb County School District failed to follow federal law by denying services to a 5-year-old student with disabilities. The district has been ordered to provide compensatory services and review its policies in the wake of the investigation. A formal complaint was filed by the student's parent and the Southern Poverty Law Center last December, after Cobb schools denied home-based services for the student, who has Down syndrome and several other disabilities. The state found the district rejected the recommendations of two medical professionals that a unique, eight-week feeding program conducted during school hours was medically necessary for the student. After he missed 10 consecutive days of in-person school due to the medical program, the district withdrew the student and provided no special education to him from Sept. 29 through Nov. 22, and then re-enrolled him after the program was completed, according to the state. Cobb must now provide 50 hours of services to the student, the state ordered. Cobb schools said it had received the state's order and would respond accordingly. Cobb school board member Randy Scamihorn said he couldn't comment on any specific case. But, he said that he's always supported checks and balances on the school system, recognizing it will always be striving to be better. A Cobb County woman has received a life sentence after pleading guilty to the murder of her 5-year-old daughter this week, the district attorney's office said. Shekinah Akbar, 33, was accused of torturing and killing her child in a February 2020 incident. Akbar called 911 on February 20 to report that her neighbors had beat her daughter. First responders arrived to find the girl, who was not identified by name, dead and badly beaten. Akbar later told investigators she was attempting to exorcise evil spirits from her daughter, admitting she had hit the child. When confronted with the full extent of her daughter's injuries, Akbar claimed she did not remember inflicting that much harm and denied having killed her child. Akbar was subsequently arrested and charged with murdering her juvenile daughter. Akbar initially entered a plea of insanity, but later withdrew that notice and pled guilty but mentally ill to felony murder and cruelty to children, per the DA's office. She was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Robert Leonard.  It's the end of an era at one of Cobb County's oldest family-run nursing facilities. On Tuesday, residents and nurses of Ross Memorial Health Care Center hosted a send-off for brothers Jimmie and David Ross, who have operated the facility on Old 41 Highway for a generation. The brothers said they plan to turn over management to Parkside, which operates a handful of clinics in Georgia. The transition for the two comes after their brother, Russell Ross, died last year, and following nearly 60 years for the family business. The Ross brothers' grandparents, James A. and Annie Lee Ross, founded the original 24-bed Shady Grove Rest Home in 1965. David Ross said he plans to get back into his hobby of working on cars before deciding on a second act and next career. Jimmie Ross, meanwhile, said he plans to spend more time at his father's farm in south Georgia. The moment, he added, was a bittersweet one. His wife, Sheila Ross, has unofficially served as the home's decorator-in-chief, and Tuesday, the hallways were festooned in Mardi Gras decor. She too is still figuring out what's next, but looks forward to relaxing with her 14-month-old granddaughter. The Marietta Community Egg Hunt, sponsored by Superior Plumbing and the Marietta Business Association, will be April 7 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Life University's Athletic Complex, 1415 Barclay Circle in Marietta. The event will feature food, games, music, activities and egg hunts for everyone. There will be over 60,000 eggs and candy for the various hunts. The funds raised from the Egg Hunt go to support Marietta City Schools via the Marietta Business Association Education Programs. Admission is free and parking is free at Life University, 1269 Barclay Circle in Marietta. The egg hunt schedule will be 5:30 p.m. for ages three and under, 6 p.m. is a Special Needs Hunt, 7 p.m. for ages 4-7, 8 p.m. is a Special Needs Hunt and 8:30 p.m. is ages 8-10. Toddler Hunts are located in a separate area and will be at 5:30, 7 and 8:30 p.m. There will be food vendors on hand and Ultimate Kid's Zones, which are $10 per child for unlimited rides. The Powder Springs Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a person who they say broke into a home Sunday morning. A photo of the person was captured on a home security system, which police shared on social media. Police said the person broke into a home on Marietta Street in downtown Powder Springs and burglarized it. Anyone with information about the person is asked to contact the department on social media or call Sgt. Cheatham-Seay  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transgender civil-rights activist Ashely Diamond and Beth Littrell, a senior supervising attorney at the Southern Poverty Law, discuss Diamond's recent decision not to move forward with challenging the Georgia Department of Corrections over its transgender policies. Lastly, Shirley Baylis, the business development manager for the City of Decatur and Shundel Cooper, the director of operations for Let's Ride Atlanta, discuss Decatur's new electric shuttle pilot program.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Introduction: Welcome to Five & Thrive: a weekly podcast highlighting the Southeast's most interesting news, entrepreneurs, and information of the week, all under 5 minutes.  My name is Jon Birdsong and I'm with Atlanta Ventures.  Product of the Week: ARBO out of the Atlanta Tech Village is a lightweight, scalable ERP for SaaS companies providing automated revenue recognition and real-time access to financial insights such as cash flow, burn rate, profitability, yearly taxes, and financial projections. Saurav Bhandari is their CEO and has lived and loved accounting since his early days as an intern at the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. Check them out as they continue to refine their product offering and bridge the gap between services and SaaS.  Alpha Product of the Week: This product just launched and the value prop is in the name: Accountability. This company is led by Faiz Imran and their goal is to help as many entrepreneurs & founders network, collaborate, and push each other to hit their goals each week via weekly zoom calls. Faiz loves mastermind communities and their benefits. Now he is leveraging software to bring those benefits to the masses. If you're looking to connect with other founders around the theme of accountability and growth, check out accountability.to Event of the Week: Two items to put on the calendar. First if you or your cofounder is connected to Georgia State University as a student, alumni or a community member then take note. Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund Cohort 4 applications are now open and closing soon on Feb 17th. Apply to get a great set of support as you continue building. Link in bio.  Second, next week is Atlanta Startup Convos on Wednesday the 15th at 8:00 a.m. Three companies presenting include: Prismm, AdPipe, and OinkChing. Put it on your calendar as the demos will be exciting to see. Company Coming Up: We have two companies coming up, both of them out of Alabama. First is StreetMetrics hq'd in Birmingham. StreetMetrics is solely focused on bringing Google Analytics quality insight and reporting but for the physical, out-of-home world. Examples include ads on buses, trains, taxis, bikes, and anything that moves. How do they do it? StreetMetrics software shows impressions per mile, what routes your ads traveled, and if they caused an incremental lift in action. Drew Jackson is leading the charge and they have gained tremendous momentum.    The next company coming up is Zaden Technologies out of Huntsville led by Valentine Nwachukwu is a company growing fast around cloud environment management and creation. They do this by automating the infrastructure for product development. Several of their clients are large enterprises looking to save immense hours and money around devops and cloud infrastructure with their product called Olympus. Keep an eye on this team as they grow.   Companies Worth Applying To: Safely (.com) is hiring for several roles including customer success, sales, and operations. Safely, led by Andrew Bate, provides two major services to protect your vacation rental. First they provide short-term vacation rental insurance and second, guest screening services. Simple. Sweet. And needed.  Lastly, strategic product managers are needed over at Thought Factory. CEO, Amanda Sabreah has put together a very needed offering at the intersection of product development and marketing used by large enterprise companies to attract customers by ensuring a clear, cogent message with a product that delivers on the promise. Check them out and apply today.       Annnnd that is five minutes!   Links discussed:   

To start off Black History Month, Imara takes a look at the state incarceration and abolition for Black trans people in the United States. First she speaks with Ashley Diamond about her experiences fighting for her rights and freedom against the Georgia Department of Corrections. Next, she's joined by artist, abolitionist, and community organizer Toni-Michelle Williams to talk about her work around criminal justice reform and leadership building for marginalized communities in Atlanta.Read the “TransLash Guide to Black History Month” here. Follow TransLash Media @translashmedia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.Follow Imara Jones on Twitter (@ImaraJones) and Instagram (@Imara_jones_)Chinyere Ezie: Twitter (@lawyergrrl) and Instagram (@chinyereezie)Free Ashley Diamond: Twitter (@freeashley_now) and Instagram (@freeashley_now)Toni-Michelle Williams: Instagram (@misstonimichelle) TransLash Podcast is produced by Translash Media.Translash Team: Imara Jones, Oliver-Ash Kleine, Aubrey Calaway. Xander Adams is our sound engineer and contributing producer.Digital strategy by Daniela Capistrano.Theme Music: Ben Draghi and ZZK records. Music for “We Flesh Podcast” ad read was Bosch's Garden provided by Kjartan Abel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A south Georgia woman is charged with stealing three handguns from her boyfriend in Cherokee County after meeting him for the first time in person. Katrina Leanne Minkema of Douglas, was arrested Sunday and charged with one felony count of theft by taking, according to a warrant filed December 7 by the Cherokee Sheriff's Office. Authorities say Minkema allegedly stole a Ruger 9MM, a Smith and Wesson 22 caliber and a CZ P10 handgun, each with an extra magazine, from the property of a man she had an online relationship with. According to the warrant the total value of the stolen guns was between $1,500 and $5,000. The alleged incident took place between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m. October 15 in Woodstock, according to the warrant. According to the sheriff's office, Minkema met her boyfriend for the first time at his home when she visited him at about 5 a.m. October 15. The boyfriend told authorities that that morning, he left the home for work, and when he decided to come home for lunch, Minkema and his three handguns were missing. Minkema was released from the Cherokee County jail Monday on a $4,875 bond, according to Cherokee Sheriff's Office spokesperson Patty Pan. Recruiting for some of Cherokee County's top football players has picked up some steam over the past few weeks. Players from all six schools have seen recognition come their way, with Creekview's Andrew Rosinksi proving to be a valued commodity, and Cherokee's Kyan Simmons picking up his third offer. Rosinski, a 6-foot-6. 282-pound offensive lineman, has offers from Georgia Tech, Duke, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Liberty and Charlotte. He visited Duke and Vanderbilt last week and earned two Power Five offers this month alone. Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern visited Creekview's campus Thursday. Simmons ' recruiting process started slow, but coming into the 2022 season fully healthy and one of few veterans on the Warriors' defense, he led the team with 103 tackles, 11 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Simmons has offers from Football Championship Subdivision program Marist and Division II Shorter, as well as Westminster College, a Division III program in Pennsylvania. Sequoyah's Jackson Hancock was offered by Georgia Southern on Thursday and has visited Georgia State. Woodstock's Evan McKeller received his first offer Wednesday from Division III Anna Maria College in Masschusetts. The senior linebacker was third on the Wolverines' tackle chart this season with 67, including four for loss and one sack. Etowah defensive back Frank Mosley committed to Division II West Virginia State on January 21 after finishing fourth on the Eagles' defense with 60 tackles this year. Etowah offensive lineman Tate Nelms is set to visit South Florida this weekend, while fellow lineman Andrew McNair was invited to the Georgia vs. Florida High School Showcase on January 19. Canton resident Frank Capuozzi, the oldest member of the Cherokee County Senior Services Center, celebrated his milestone of a fulfilling 100 years of life at a celebration held on January 27. A large birthday card was made and signed by multiple members of the community. Party attendees enjoyed slices of a cake provided by his daughter, Antoinette Kelly. The celebration began officially at 11:30 a.m. at the center in Canton. From his left pocket, Capuozzi pulled out a gold pocket-watch to show guests around the table. The watch was a gift from one of the party attendees who Capuozzi regularly asked for the time from. He laughed heartily as he showed the engraved cover that reads “100 Years.” He was described as “lively” and “down-to-earth” by those passing his table at his party. Capuozzi is now mostly deaf due to his time serving in World War II as a gunner. He served on three fronts in France, Germany and Belgium, including the Battle of the Bulge. He recounted his time in France with a night he spent at Sacré-Cœur, a basilica in Paris, lighting candles for prayers that he would live to see his 40th year. At 100 years old, he says he wouldn't change a single decision he's made. He's the proud father of three children, a grandfather of three and a great-grandfather to two. Capuozzi spent close to four decades working as a hairdresser before his retirement at 60 years old. He also worked with CBS and NBC studios during that time. He moved to Canton to live with his daughter after the death of his third wife, Leanore Cappuozzi, two years prior. He spent his childhood growing up in Naples, Italy, where he was born. He is the oldest child in his family and had two sisters, Maria Ricciardi and Rita Fitzsimmons, who were twins. Fitzsimmons died at 94 years old but Ricciardi is now 95 years old. An officer with the Woodstock Police Department was recognized this week for helping a driver who was stranded on the road after running out of gas. Seeing the driver in need, Officer B. Keane used his patrol car and then his own body strength to help push the pedestrian's car, the department shared on its Facebook page. The daughter of the driver made a Facebook post thanking the officer and tagging the Woodstock Police Department. The daughter said she brought gas to her mother, but it wasn't enough to get the car started. Officer Keane pushed the vehicle with his patrol car, and then when the car would not make it all the way, he got out and pushed it the rest of the way himself. The Woodstock Police Department was made aware of officer Keane's good deed via this Facebook post. “We were tagged in the post below and just had to share!,” the Facebook post by the Woodstock PD reads. “Thank you, Officer B. Keane, for going above and beyond! We think he's pretty amazing too!” The city of Woodstock and the Georgia Department of Transportation are working together to help alleviate congestion at the intersection of Interstate 575 and Ridgewalk Parkway. The Woodstock City Council approved a cost proposal this week from Arcadis for the design services of a project the city is calling the “I-575 — Ridgewalk Parkway Diverging Diamond Interchange.” A diverging diamond interchange allows non-highway lanes to cross to the opposite side of the highway at each interchange. By doing this, two-way left-turn traffic is allowed on the highway without the need for traffic signals. The cost proposal shows a maximum allowable cost of $934,407.90 for the task order with Arcadis, according to city documents. If the scope of services changes, there will be additional costs. The design phase includes field surveys and survey database, environmental documentation including all required special studies, geotechnical, preliminary construction plans, as well as lighting and right-of-way plans (including revisions) for the improvements at I-575 at the Ridgewalk Parkway interchange, according to city documents. The work will be completed in accordance with GDOT Plan Development Process and GDOT Environmental Procedures Manual, GDOT Plan Presentation Guide, design policies and manuals and current software versions approved by the department's project manager. Plans will be approved by GDOT and the Federal Highway Administration due to I-575 being a federal interstate, said Stacy Brown, marketing and communications manager for the city of Woodstock. Camp Gideon, a Christian-based camp on Lake Allatoona, announced their three finalists for the 2023 Valor and Virtue Mentor Award. The award honors "a young woman who displays a lifestyle of mentoring, exhibits virtues of self-control, kindness and humility while using her influence to positively impact lives within her community," according to the camp's website.  This year's finalists are Caroline Latimer, Bailey Bridges and Sarah Souza. The winner of the award will be announced at the 2023 Annual Ladies Tea fundraising event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on February 25. It will be held at Victory Church in Acworth. Tickets can be purchased at Camp Gideon dot com.  Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the Camp Gideon scholarship fund, which pays for a camp experience for children of families in hardships such as single parents, low-income households, those struggling with a job loss or chronic medical conditions. #CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews           -          -          -          -          -          -          The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.             This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group     For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/    https://cuofga.org/   https://www.drakerealty.com/   https://www.esogrepair.com/     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a recent interview on The Takeaway, Kamau Franklin said, "What seems to be underreported is that even at the beginning of the protest against Cop City, when people were doing demonstrations and marches on city sidewalks, we would have at the end of those demonstrations, police jumping in the middle of them and arresting people for just standing or talking after demonstrations. And they've come in during demonstrations. They've used pepper spray. They've violently thrown people to the ground. Folks have been arrested. This is pre the charges of domestic terrorism."  Activists view cop city as proof of the ongoing militarization of the police. Bulldozers and police raids made their way through Weelaunee People's Park last Wednesday after police killed protester Manuel Terán AKA Tortuguita. Officials say Manuel fired first and have released a photo of the S&W handgun that they say Manuel used to fire at police. But, activists doubt the official account from police. The GBI director says there is no body cam footage from the incident and the Georgia Department of Public Safety released a press release saying they would not be releasing the identity of the trooper who was struck in the abdomen for concerns "for the protection of life, safety, and public property." Local activists are calling for an independent investigation into Tortuguita's death. In the aftermath, protests happened across the country and more protesters in Atlanta have been arrested on “domestic terrorism” charges.  For more, we checked in with Founder of Community Movement Builders Kamau Franklin and Sean, a participant in the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement, for an update on the situation. We also spoke with City Councilmember At-Large Michael Julian Bond who supports the development of cop city. To keep up with our coverage of cop city, check our recent segment. For transcript, see above.

In a recent interview on The Takeaway, Kamau Franklin said, "What seems to be underreported is that even at the beginning of the protest against Cop City, when people were doing demonstrations and marches on city sidewalks, we would have at the end of those demonstrations, police jumping in the middle of them and arresting people for just standing or talking after demonstrations. And they've come in during demonstrations. They've used pepper spray. They've violently thrown people to the ground. Folks have been arrested. This is pre the charges of domestic terrorism."  Activists view cop city as proof of the ongoing militarization of the police. Bulldozers and police raids made their way through Weelaunee People's Park last Wednesday after police killed protester Manuel Terán AKA Tortuguita. Officials say Manuel fired first and have released a photo of the S&W handgun that they say Manuel used to fire at police. But, activists doubt the official account from police. The GBI director says there is no body cam footage from the incident and the Georgia Department of Public Safety released a press release saying they would not be releasing the identity of the trooper who was struck in the abdomen for concerns "for the protection of life, safety, and public property." Local activists are calling for an independent investigation into Tortuguita's death. In the aftermath, protests happened across the country and more protesters in Atlanta have been arrested on “domestic terrorism” charges.  For more, we checked in with Founder of Community Movement Builders Kamau Franklin and Sean, a participant in the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement, for an update on the situation. We also spoke with City Councilmember At-Large Michael Julian Bond who supports the development of cop city. To keep up with our coverage of cop city, check our recent segment.

A judge is preparing to hear arguments on whether to release a special grand jury report on the investigation into efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results; Georgia Department of Corrections plans to downsize the state's largest women's prison; and we hear from a residential housing expert with the Federal Reserve about Atlanta's housing market.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Duluth officials said they are proud of the city's newest public art, a mural called “Meet Me on Main” that is painted on the back window of the Nacho Daddy building, which is located on Main St. The officials say it allows people to step back in time to the old Duluth. Brenda Ehly is the artist behind the piece. She said she was inspired from a phrase on the city's seal that she saw when she first moved to Duluth. Ehly is no stranger to the Duluth art scene. Her notable pieces in downtown Duluth include: ♦ Dream Big mural at Hill Street & West Lawrenceville ♦ Painted bike rack at Hill Street & West Lawrenceville ♦ Two paintings displayed in Maple Street Biscuit Company♦ ♦ Interior & exterior signage at both Crave Pie & Harper Row ♦ Backdrop for the model train set at the Southeastern Railway Museum ♦ Pen & ink depiction of City Hall located inside City Hall as part of our permanent art collection Gwinnett County commissioners agreed to partner with the Georgia Department of Transportation on one proposed new interchange on an interstate in the county and to team up with the city of Buford on a draft report for another proposed interchange on a different interstate. One of the interchanges is the long-discussed proposed McGinnis Ferry Road interchange on Interstate 85 in Suwanee. The other is a proposed interchange on Interstate 985 at Thompson Mill Road in Buford. The partnership with Georgia DOT pertains to right-of-way acquisition for the McGinnis Ferry Road interchange on I-85. The interchange has been in the planning stages for years and advertisements calling for construction bids for the project are expected to be posted this year. The other project, with Buford, is further off, however. In fact, it only recently go the OK from federal officials to even be considered. Under the agreement, the county and Buford will jointly fund the creation of a draft project concept report on a proposed new interchange on I-985 at Thompson Mill Road. Each side will pay $500,000 for the study, with the county using 2017 special purpose local option sales tax funds for is portion of the cost. “Producing ‘American Son' is part of a season of site specific shows about moving forward in the face of adversity,” Live Arts Theatre's Co-Artistic Director Becca Parker said. If the name “American Son” is familiar, it was a 2019 movie directed by Kenny Leon and written by Christopher Demos-Brown. The movie was based on Demos-Brown's play of the same name. American Son' touches many avenues of life such as interracial relationships, being the product of an interracial relationship, and different levels of profiling by those in power as well as the public. The story centers around a bi-racial couple who must confront their feelings about race and bias after their son is detained by the local police following a traffic stop incident. Because of the language which is described as “severe adult,” other adult topics and moderate violence, the play is recommended for audiences ages 16 and up. The audience is also cautioned that the production contains racially charged language and an audio depiction of a shooting. Leading the production are Le Titia Sloan as Kendra Ellis-Conner, the mother of the “American Son.” R. Chandler Bragg portrays Scott Conner, the father who is estranged from Kendra. The cast is completed by Santiago Vargas as Officer Paul Larkin and Live Arts Theatre Pro Company member D. Norris as Lieutenant Stokes. The production opens today and runs through Sunday. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday show begins at 2:30 p.m. Tickets start at $15. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Southeast Region announced Tuesday that Georgia and Tennessee are two of 14 states that have been selected to participate in the expansion of a demonstration project to evaluate the impact of using Medicaid eligibility data to directly certify students from low-income households to receive free and reduced-price school meals. Historically, most students who receive these meals have been certified based on information they submit in an application. Officials say adding Medicaid to the list of benefit programs that can “directly certify” a student to receive free or reduced-price meals is a win-win for students, families, and school officials. This means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify. The remaining 12 states selected to participate in this round of the project are Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. The newest round of this demonstration creates an important opportunity to further test the impact of Medicaid Direct Certification, which was first initiated through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The Biden Administration is committed to expanding direct certification opportunities and certifying more eligible children for free and reduced-price meals without an application. For more information, visit the FNS webpage on Direct Certification. For more information be sure to visit www.bgpodcastnetwork.com   https://www.lawrencevillega.org/  https://www.foxtheatre.org/  https://guideinc.org/  https://www.psponline.com/  https://www.kiamallofga.com/  https://www.milb.com/gwinnett  https://www.fernbankmuseum.org/  www.atlantagladiators.com      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WABE politics reporters Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas discuss the latest from the legislative session continues and as rallies take place outside of the Georgia capitol as what would've been the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade nears.Former U.S. Attorney Michael J Moore discusses Ashely Diamond's decision not to move forward with challenging the Georgia Department of Corrections over transgender policies and several other pending legal cases. Lastly, Major General Charles F. Bolden Jr., a former NASA administrator and astronaut, discusses a $65 million gift for The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gwinnett County commissioners agreed to partner with the Georgia Department of Transportation on one proposed new interchange on an interstate in the county and to team up with the city of Buford on a draft report for another proposed interchange on a different interstate. One of the interchanges is the long-discussed proposed McGinnis Ferry Road interchange on Interstate 85 in Suwanee. The other is a proposed interchange on Interstate 985 at Thompson Mill Road in Buford. The partnership with Georgia DOT pertains to right-of-way acquisition for the McGinnis Ferry Road interchange on I-85. The interchange has been in the planning stages for years and advertisements calling for construction bids for the project are expected to be posted this year. For more information be sure to visit www.bgpodcastnetwork.com   https://www.lawrencevillega.org/  https://www.foxtheatre.org/  https://guideinc.org/  https://www.psponline.com/  https://www.kiamallofga.com/  https://www.milb.com/gwinnett  https://www.fernbankmuseum.org/  www.atlantagladiators.com      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recorded before reporting to serve their sentence, Todd and Julie talk about putting their faith in God versus putting faith in man. Todd reveals more details about those involved in the Georgia Department of Revenue scandal. Todd and Julie share their hope that the judicial system will work things out in their case. Also, Todd details the amazing life of his aunt Jane who was removed from life support the day of the recording.

Sex trafficking is ubiquitous, even though many people fail to notice it. That is why the Rotary Club of North Cobb hosted “The Truth About Sex Trafficking In Our Community,” a forum this week that brought together Cobb leaders, concerned citizens and groups combating sex trafficking in the county and across Georgia. North Cobb Rotary member Hicks Malonson is an ambassador for Rescuing Hope, a Marietta-based nonprofit fighting sex trafficking through educational programming and support for survivors. Human trafficking has gained greater attention in Georgia since 2019, when Governor Brian Kemp established the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education Commission, chaired by his wife, Georgia first lady Marty Kemp. The commission, composed of public officials, experts on human trafficking, and representatives from law enforcement and advocacy groups, is tasked with combating human trafficking in the state. Georgia's heightened focus on the issue extends to law enforcement agencies. Georgia Assistant Attorney General Kaitlyn Salinas works for Georgia's statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, created in 2019 as the first of its kind in the U.S. Salinas, speaking at the forum, noted that it is far less likely nowadays for traffickers to walk through an airport or hotel with large quantities of cocaine, but it is much easier for them to walk through either with a young person they are trafficking. Susan Norris, the executive director of Rescuing Hope and a member of the GRACE commission, moderated a panel of local “first responders” to human trafficking at Tuesday's forum. Ana Murphy, the school social work supervisor for the Cobb County School District, said it is difficult to identify whether a student is being trafficked. She noted it is “a major red flag for us” when students are frequently absent from school, a trend that worsened with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Norris said one study showed a 40% jump in trafficking during the pandemic because students were online, not only in class, but socializing with other students and, potentially, traffickers. Norris encouraged attendees to become involved in volunteering for Rescuing Hope and other anti-trafficking organizations at the forum, like Out of Darkness (www.outofdarkness.org), Wellspring Living (www.wellspringliving.org) and The Table on Delk (www.thetableondelk.org).  More information about Rescuing Hope can be found at www.rescuinghope.com. For help or to report suspicions of human trafficking call 911, the Georgia Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking, or the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Kennesaw State University's Wellstar School of Nursing has received a federal grant to teach graduate students how to help patients break increasingly deadly opioid addictions. Assistant professor of nursing Kathy Barnett and Wellstar School of Nursing Associate Director of Graduate Programs Susan Beidler teamed to earn the nearly $729,000 grant, which comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a subsidiary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Barnett and Beidler will implement curricular revisions in the KSU Masters of Science in Nursing programs that address decreasing stigma and increasing access to early interventions for substance use disorders. According to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health, drug overdose deaths increased by 61% from 2019 to 2021, and fentanyl-involved overdose deaths increased by 230%, illustrating the urgent need for more medical training in helping people with opioid addiction. Opioids include many prescription pain medicines, fentanyl and the illegal drug heroin. In a theatrical, winding speech interlaced with musical tie-ins and clips from “Back to the Future,” Mayor Derek Easterling recapped his seven years in office before a crowd of civic and business leaders this week. Easterling, first elected in 2015, was reelected without opposition in 2019. This year marks the final year of his second term. The mayor told the MDJ after speaking that he intends to run for a third term this November. Ever the showman, Easterling emerged ahead of his speech to the Kennesaw Business Association to the tune of “Rockstar” by Nickelback, carrying a guitar and clad in jeans, cowboy boots and a leather jacket. With his back to the crowd, the speakers then began to blare the opening riff of “Back in Black” by AC/DC as Easterling pretended to play guitar. The mayor then shook his head and yelled for the music to stop. The same sequence then played out with Ozzy Osbourne's “Crazy Train,” and Guns N' Roses' “Sweet Child O' Mine.” Finally, City Manager Jeff Drobney, dressed as Doc Brown from “Back to the Future,” yelled out “Mayor, you've got to get back to the future.” Easterling then began speaking. In his State of the City address, Easterling ticked through a laundry list of developments the city has seen during his time in office, recapping improvements to parks, roads and other infrastructure; new businesses and housing developments; changes to city services and systems; and more. Those developments were listed chronologically, and as the mayor started speaking about a new year, a “Back to the Future” clip would be played on the screen. To accompany the theme, the city also procured a DMC DeLorean, which was parked outside the Adams Park Recreation Center, where Easterling spoke.  Easterling said some of the things the city can look forward to this year are the opening of the Depot Park amphitheater, progress on a new public safety center, the start of a Cherokee Street streetscape project, improvements to Ben King Road and more. McEachern pulled away early and never looked back as the Indians made the short trip to defeated archrival Hillgrove 68-57 in Tuesday's Region 3 6A opener. McEachern reversed an early Hillgrove advantage and took control of the game with an 18-0 run that began late in the first quarter and lasted until midway through the second quarter. The Indians went on to outscore the Hawks 42-20 through the second and third quarters combined. Though the win gave McEachern an early leg up in the region standings, for coach Tremayne Anchrum Sr., and his players, getting the win over their crosstown rival was more significant. Moses Hipps scored 15 points and Ace Bailey added 14 points to lead McEachern. McEachern went on to outscore Hillgrove 23-11 in the second quarter to take a 40-32 halftime lead, then outscored the Hawks 19-9 in the third quarter to widen its advantage to 59-41. Hillgrove did narrow the gap a little bit at the end, but the Hawks were only able to get as close as 10 points — 61-51 — with 5:00 remaining in the game. The Marietta Board of Education voted unanimously this week to elect Kerry Minervini of Ward 6 as the chair for another year. Minervini, a real estate agent who was first elected in 2017, also served as chair last year. Unlike the Cobb County Board of Education, Marietta school board members can serve consecutive terms as chair. The board also unanimously elected Ward 1's Jeff DeJarnett as vice chair. DeJarnett replaces Jason Waters of Ward 2 in the role. Board attorney Clem Doyle distributed index cards to the board members, each of whom privately wrote down their nomination for chair and vice chair. Doyle then announced the results — seven nominations for Minervini for chair, seven nominations for DeJarnett as vice chair. Votes were then held to approve both appointments. The chair and vice chair elections stand in contrast to those of the Cobb school board last week, where members split along party lines, with the Republican majority winning out. Marietta's school board is nonpartisan. The Marietta board elected its leaders at the top of its first work session of the year. In other action, the board reviewed several items it will vote on at its Jan. 17 meeting.  South Cobb welcomed a new community garden this week — or, at least, the beginnings of one. A coalition of agricultural, gardening, and healthcare groups gathered off Powder Springs Road at the Cobb County Farm Bureau offices. There, partners broke ground on a garden that's intended to help out with food insecurity and healthier living. The Wellness Garden, as it will be known, so far is simply a lawn next to the Farm Bureau with a few posts sunk for a fence. But it will one day feature 15 garden beds — each 12 feet by four feet — along with a pollinator garden and hoop house. Unlike some community gardens, which are merely shared spaces for residents to grow their own produce, the Wellness Garden will be geared specifically toward providing food to those in need and spreading the word on how to use locally-grown produce. To that end, volunteers alongside nutritionists from Wellstar Health System — one of the partners in the venture — will be holding classes in the Farm Bureau offices on healthy cooking and eating. Other partners include the Cobb County Conservation District, the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, and Cobb EMC, which is helping to financially support the effort. Renae Lemon, one of the master gardeners, has been involved in several community gardens throughout the county including one which opened in Acworth this summer. She said the group has been meeting regularly to plan the Powder Springs garden since June, with the hope of starting to get plants in the ground this Spring. #CobbCounty #Georgia #LocalNews      -            -            -            -            -            The Marietta Daily Journal Podcast is local news for Marietta, Kennesaw, Smyrna, and all of Cobb County.             Subscribe today, so you don't miss an episode! MDJOnline            Register Here for your essential digital news.            https://www.chattahoocheetech.edu/  https://cuofga.org/ https://www.esogrepair.com/ https://www.drakerealty.com/           Find additional episodes of the MDJ Podcast here.             This Podcast was produced and published for the Marietta Daily Journal and MDJ Online by BG Ad Group   For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com        See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) recently held its annual Media Symposium where it released its 19th edition of the Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2023.  Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs was part of a panel discussing the future of education in Georgia.  She spoke along with Commissioner Greg Dozier from the Technical College System of Georgia, Chancellor Sonny Perdue from the University System of Georgia, and State School Superintendent Richard Woods from the Georgia Department of Education. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Dana Rickman, President of the Georgia Partnership.  Support the show

 Powder Springs man found guilty in a 2018 armed robbery in Cobb was sentenced to at least 12 years in prison on Tuesday. Romero Lindley received a 20-year sentence with 12 to be served in custody. Lindley was found guilty of two counts of armed robbery and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony on Dec. 9 of last year. Lindley's charges stemmed from a home invasion incident on June 5, 2018, when Cobb police were dispatched to an armed robbery in progress at an apartment located in Marietta. A neighbor said at the time that four armed men entered the apartment. During an investigation into the incident, three victims and the neighbor told the officers that two of the men drove away prior to police arrival, while the other two fled through the woods toward a church parking lot, prosecutors said. Officers found Lindley hiding in bushes near the apartment following a K-9 tracking. He was found with a black ski mask and black sweatpants, which contained one of the victim's necklaces, per prosecutors. The ski mask, found within arm's reach of Lindley, was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for DNA matching, and found to contain Lindley's saliva. In Lindley's arrest warrant from 2018, he was accused of taking a laptop, a Louis Vuitton travel bag and approximately $300 from the residence. Prosecutors said one victim testified at trial and stated that Lindley “put a gun to [his] forehead and took the necklace right off [his] neck.” Lindley was arrested again last May, accused in an arrest warrant of jumping bail by fleeing to South Carolina after he failed to appear in Cobb Superior Court on the armed robbery charges. In 2019, Lindley's co-defendant Marcellis Richardson pleaded guilty to charges related to the incident. Another co-defendant, Donquail Williams, pleaded guilty to charges in 2021. Democrats Nichelle Davis and Becky Sayler were sworn in as the two newest members of the Cobb County Board of Education on Thursday. Sayler, who previously taught English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in Cobb and now teaches preschool, represents Post 2. She replaces Democrat Dr. Jaha Howard, who did not seek reelection after a single term in order to run for state school superintendent, a race he lost. Sayler won 68.6% of the vote in the November general election to Republican Stephen George, Jr.'s 31.4%. Davis, meanwhile, was a Teach for America teacher before becoming a staffer at the education nonprofit Achieve Atlanta, and represents Post 6. She replaces Democrat Charisse Davis, who decided against running for reelection after serving one term. Sayler was sworn in by Cobb State Court Judge Ashley Palmer, while Davis was sworn in by Cobb Superior Court Judge Kellie Hill. Sayler told the MDJ two of her priorities on the board will be expanding pre-K and revising a policy passed in July that paved the way for armed, non-police security personnel at schools, which was billed as a way to improve safety in case of a mass shooting. Sayler added that, as a former ESOL teacher, she is passionate about the district's dual-language immersion program, which enables students to develop literacy skills in English and a foreign language at the same time. Davis said she will prioritize “building relationships” as she begins her term on the board. At their first meeting, Sayler and Davis got a taste of the partisan divide on the board, with party-line votes leading to the election of the new board chair, Republican Brad Wheeler, and vice chair, Republican David Banks. A vote on the board meeting calendar also passed 4-3, with the Republican members in favor and Democrats opposed. The discussion for instant replay at the high school state championship football games will begin in earnest Monday. It is one of the items that will be talked about at the Georgia High School Association Board of Trustees' meeting in Thomaston. During a news conference last month to announce that the GHSA's football state championships would be moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, executive director Robin Hines said the issue of replay would be looked into. The topic came into the forefront following the Class AAA title game between Sandy Creek and Cedar Grove. A touchdown was allowed to stand despite the Georgia Public Broadcasting television replay showing that the Sandy Creek ball-carrier appeared to be tackled at the 1-yard line. Sandy Creek went on to win the game 21-17. With playing the title games in an NFL stadium, it gives the GHSA an opportunity to potentially utilize its system to make sure calls are correctly made in the biggest games of the year. Hines also said he hopes he would be able to use the games in August's season-opening Corky Kell Classic — also at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — as a trial for the state championships. Another item that will be discussed by the GHSA Board of Trustees is a motion brought forth by the Fulton County School System to do away with the minimum seating requirements for schools to host state semifinal football playoff games. This year, three state semifinal games involving Fulton County schools had to be moved to neutral sites because the host schools' stadium capacities did not meet the GHSA's minimum standard of 6,000. Milton, whose stadium seats 3,000, was set to host Mill Creek in one Class AAAAAAA semifinal. After numerous discussions of options, which included the possibility of Mill Creek agreeing to waive the seating requirement or moving the band seating into the end zone to open up additional seating space, the game was played at Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta, with a 5 p.m. scheduled start. It became the first game of a semifinal doubleheader, which was followed by Hughes, another Fulton County school that could not fulfill the GHSA seating requirement, facing Rome at 8 p.m. The other Class AAAAAAA semifinal between Roswell and Gainesville was moved to McEachern's Walter Cantrell Stadium. Ethan Bourdon became the first child to ride Kennesaw's brand-new swing at Swift-Cantrell Park, one that allows kids with disabilities to get in on the fun. Bourdon's mother, Shawna Grimes, told the MDJ this is “huge” for Bourdon, who is wheelchair-bound with a rare genetic disorder, MeCP2 Duplication Syndrome. Mayor Derek Easterling said the swing's ribbon-cutting was the culmination of a five-year effort by the city to transform the park, located on Old Highway 41 across from Kennesaw Elementary School, into one that is inclusive of all children. According to the city, the park is home to one of the largest inclusive playgrounds in the country. It includes 40 feet of shade, wheelchair accessible ramps that lead to a ropes tower, sensory stations, an eight-person, wheelchair-accessible, swaying structure, a slide and the new swing. About $450,000 from the city's 2016 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax projects was put toward upgrading the 18,500-square-foot park with features that would make it accessible for all under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Easterling said Kennesaw Councilman Pat Ferris had first lobbied for the inclusive swing after the idea for making the park inclusive of those with disabilities came up about five years ago. The swing, which was the final touch on the park's upgrades, came together thanks to Ferris and Kennesaw resident Ann Pratt, who is active in the North Cobb Civitan and was recognized by the city in June 2022 for her leadership. The swing was made possible by a grant from T-Mobile, created to fund improvement projects for small towns across the U.S. Kennesaw received a grant of roughly $47,000 to implement the swing. Former Hillgrove point guard Jeremiah Wilkinson committed this week to play his college basketball at Mississippi State. Wilkinson, a 6-foot, 175-pound junior from Powder Springs who now plays at The Skill Factory, a basketball developmental organization in Atlanta, posted his decision on social media Wednesday. Wilkinson was the first commitment to Mississippi State from the class of 2024. The three-star recruit selected the Bulldogs over a number of other Division I programs, including Georgia State, Florida, Mississippi, Butler, Murry State, Rice and Saint Louis, among others. He was also garnering interest from interest from Marquette, Loyola-Chicago and Providence. Wilkinson is averaging 14.3 points, 3.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds a game this season against similar basketball prep programs. Last year, he helped lead Hillgrove to a 23-4 record, averaging a team-high 16.8 points per game to go with 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Jordan Ridley is ready to hit the ground running as one of newest members to represent Cobb and Cherokee counties in the Georgia House. Ridley is “super great guy,” according to Cobb GOP Chair Salleigh Grubbs. Ridley, 30, was elected to represent House District 22 in November with 14,685 votes, or 61.5%, to Democrat Stacee Hill's 9,190 votes, or 38.5%. Ridley won 52.4% of the vote in Cobb. Ridley replaces Wes Cantrell, a Republican from Woodstock, who decided not to seek reelection after eight years under the Gold Dome. Before the 2020 redistricting cycle, House District 22 included eastern Cherokee County and a slice of southwest Forsyth County. Under the redrawn legislative map, Ridley will represent southwest Cherokee County and a sliver of north Cobb. A Cherokee County native, Ridley went to Etowah High School before attending Georgia State University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in public policy. Previously, Ridley served as the chair of the Cherokee County Republican Party from 2021 to 2022. Before that, he was a legislative aide for state Representative Charlice Byrd, a Republican from Woodstock, who represents House District 20. Ridley said he looks forward to leveraging the connections he established while working for Byrd in the General Assembly. Ridley worked on a wide range of issues as Byrd's aide, and he said appropriations is his biggest interest entering the 2022 session. That said, Ridley is looking to take advantage of other work experience in his new role. On his preference sheet for committee assignments, he listed the Game, Fish, and Parks Committee — Ridley was a park ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and worked for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. #CobbCounty #Georgia #LocalNews      -            -            -            -            -            The Marietta Daily Journal Podcast is local news for Marietta, Kennesaw, Smyrna, and all of Cobb County.             Subscribe today, so you don't miss an episode! MDJOnline            Register Here for your essential digital news.            https://www.chattahoocheetech.edu/  https://cuofga.org/ https://www.esogrepair.com/ https://www.drakerealty.com/           Find additional episodes of the MDJ Podcast here.             This Podcast was produced and published for the Marietta Daily Journal and MDJ Online by BG Ad Group   For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com              See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.