Local News

Pairing Veterans With Animal Companions

Superior Pets for Patriotic Vets is an initiative sponsored by Superior Plumbing, which pairs shelter animals from Cobb County Animal Control with veterans. The VA spends around $7.5 billion on healthcare services, and about 22 post-service veterans commit suicide each day. In an effort to alleviate the emotional scars that plague our nation’s finest, while securing a forever home for shelter dogs and cats, Superior Pets for Patriotic Vets will match companion pets with local veterans. To date, 198 shelter animals have found new homes.

Veterans seeking a companion animal can complete the adoption form at https://bit.ly/3joLjWQ, and bring it to Cobb County Animal Services (1060 Al Bishop Drive, Marietta) and take home their new friend.

Public Safety Employees Awarded

The Cobb Chamber honored Cobb County’s Public Safety heroes Oct. 4, during its annual Public Safety Appreciation Breakfast, presented by Cobb EMC and Wellstar, at the Cobb County 911 Coca-Cola Roxy. Deputy Director

Awards included the Medal of Kevin Gardner. Valor presented to Cobb County Police Officers David Cavender, John Pearson and Bryan Moore for their actions during a firefight with an armed carjacker in June 2020.

Other award recipients included the Public Safety Employee of the Year, Kennesaw Police Detective Daniel Wood, who was selected for his actions during a February multiple-vehicle chain-reaction collision on I-75.

Nominations for the Public Safety Awards were solicited from public safety agencies throughout Cobb County, including police, fire, sheriff’s office, campus police, emergency communications and EMS.

Award of Merit

Officers Dustin Trail and Tasia Sveda, Smyrna Police Department

Distinguished Achievement Award

Director Andrew Altizer, Kennesaw State University Public Safety Department; Major Jake King, Marietta Police Department

Outstanding Community Contribution

Deputy Director Kevin Gardner, Cobb County 911; School Resource Officer Brian Washington, Marietta Police Department

DAR supports Wreaths Across America

The Liberty Hill Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution is a Wreaths Across America sponsoring group.

Morrill Worcester is the owner of Worcester Wreath Co. in Maine. In 1992, Worcester Wreath had a surplus of wreaths near the end of the holiday season. Remembering his boyhood experience at Arlington National Cemetery, Worcester saw an opportunity to honor our country’s veterans.

Arrangements were made for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the cemetery that had been receiving fewer visitors each year. The annual tribute went on quietly for several years, until 2005, when a photo of the stones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, circulated on the Internet. The project received national attention, and, in 2007, Wreaths Across America was formed to remember, honor and teach.

With the help of local organizations, wreath-laying ceremonies are held around the country through Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization.

Individuals and businesses are invited to purchase a wreath for $15, while supporting the Liberty Hill Chapter community projects, at https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/164030.

The deadline to purchase wreaths is Nov. 30. Wreaths will be placed on veterans gravesites on Dec. 18.

The Battery Atlanta Movie Nights

The Xfinity Movie Series returns to The Battery Atlanta through Dec. 10 on the plaza green. Each weekend, moviegoers can enjoy family-favorites, like “Trolls” and “The Muppet Movie” as well as holiday favorites, like “The Grinch.” On Nov. 27, attendees will be treated to “Abominable” after the Christmas tree lighting festivities. For all movie showings, guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair. Nov. 5 — “Trolls” Nov. 12 — “Land of the Lost” Nov. 19 — “The Muppet Movie” Nov. 27 — “Abominable” (following the tree lighting) Dec. 3 — “Jurassic World” Dec. 10 — “The Grinch”

The free shows start at 7 p.m. The Battery Atlanta does not permit coolers, outside alcoholic beverages or glass containers, but guests are encouraged to grab to-go items from one of the many restaurants and have a picnic on the plaza.

Truck-a-Palooza rescheduled to November

The Truck-a-Palooza event originally scheduled to be held in Kennesaw in October has been moved to Nov. 13. Change your calendar and then get up close to police cars, fire trucks, construction vehicles, military vehicles and even a police helicopter. Bring your cameras and make some memories.

Event is 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Town Center Mall (400 Ernest Barrett Parkway), in the back parking lot. Admission is $5 per person, or $20 per family. Children 2 years old and younger are free. Proceeds support the Cobb County Safety Village.

PAL Gets Donation for Special Needs Kids Program

Cobb’s Police Athletic League (PAL) received a grant of $10,000 to help its ongoing programming for children. The Cobb PAL hopes to plan a field day for special needs children in the future. Georgia state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick helped the PAL generate the grant funding. Cobb Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell and Kirkpatrick were on hand to present the check.

Library Offers Hiring Resources

Looking for a job? Your Cobb library card can help with that! Free resources, such as LearningExpress Library, offer free job search and workplace skills improvement, career certification, and licensing exam preparation. www.cobbcounty. org/library/card-account.

Water System Volunteer Challenge

Cobb County Water System, in partnership with the National Park Service, presents the Chattahoochee Basin Volunteer Challenge. This challenge was created to encourage community members to participate in organized waterway-related service activities throughout Cobb County. The group that accumulates the most service hours will win a free rafting trip on the Chattahoochee River with a park ranger from the National Park Service. Qualifying events must take place by March 31, 2022.

Acceptable service events include: • Waterway cleanups • Storm drain marking projects • Privet pulls • Water quality monitoring • Amphibian monitoring and bio blitzes

To propose alternate service ideas, email Water_RSVP@ cobbcounty.org, or call 770419-6431.

To participate in the challenge, register at https://tinyurl.com/ ChattChallengeRegistration. You may also visit the webpage at: https://tinyurl.com/ ChattahoocheeChallenge. The registration deadline is Jan. 3.

Cobb County Police Unveil New Headquarters

The Board of Commissioners, public safety leadership and property management officials cut the ribbon for the new Cobb County Police Headquarters on Fairground Street in Marietta last month.

The building, a former credit union, underwent $16 million in renovations paid for through the 2016 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. Cobb County Property Management provided the work to transform it into the new headquarters. The new building enabled the department to consolidate sections, such as records, permitting, crimes against person unit, internal affairs unit, technology-based crimes, violent incident prevention and early response unit, and command staff. These sections were previously scattered across different buildings throughout Cobb.

Further improvements are ongoing, including a real-time crime center designed to consolidate information for officers in the field. A crime scene garage is under construction behind the building. Both projects are expected to be completed during 2022.

County Extends COVID Emergency Ruling

Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Lisa Cupid signed a second extension of the county’s Declaration of Emergency last month concerning the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The extension allows upcoming public meetings to be held virtually, to keep the county’s emergency operations plan in place, and to continue to encourage residents to get vaccinated and take precautions in public. The second extension runs through Nov. 16.

The extension also cites the “severe overcrowding” condition at Kennestone Hospital, caused by coronavirus cases, and continues the terms of prior declarations.

Volunteers Needed for Blue Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is approaching quickly, and volunteers are needed to help with Blue Thanksgiving, an opportunity for the community to show appreciation for the men and women in Cobb County who serve and protect. Volunteers are needed to transport food and supplies to police agencies and offices on Thanksgiving Day. Food pickup will be located in east Cobb, off Trickum Road.

For more information, including volunteer sign-up, please visit bluethanksgiving.com/index.html, or email kim@bluethanksgiving.com.

The Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications is holding its first E911 recruitment open house, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 20, at the Public Safety Village.

Job candidates are invited to meet the recruitment team, along with several members of the E911 staff. They will explain the important role that a 911 professional fills in public safety as the first of the first responders. Computers will be available on-site to begin the application process for interested candidates.

Library System Earns Kudos for Excellence

Several Cobb County Public Library System employees were recognized last month for their outstanding work through the Georgia Libraries Conference. • Communications Manager Slone Williams earned Library Journal’s Marketer of Year Honorable Mention Award. • The Cobb County Public Library Census Committee (Pat Ball, Dinah Bonesteel, Tom Brooks, Wanda Dallas, Raymond Goslow, Corey Stegall, Shannon Tyner and John Willard) were presented with the Georgia Library Association’s Team Award for census work. • Deborah Jackson, a member of the Georgia Public Library System inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) committee served as a panelist on diversity and inclusion at the Georgia Libraries Conference. She will be presenting at the national Public Library Association Conference. • Raymond Goslow gave a presentation on the use of Geographic Information Systems in libraries to the Georgia Libraries Conference. He received favorable comments, including “best presentation!” The Cobb library system expressed thanks to Support Services Director Sharon Stanley and the GIS team (Kimberly Lemley and Jennifer Lana) for making GIS available to the team.