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Community Corner

🌱 Cobb County New Crisis Alert System + DOT's Critical Staff Shortage

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in East Cobb.

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Carla Varner, Neighbor
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Hi all. It's me, Carla Varner, your host of the East Cobb Daily. Here's all the local news you need to know right now.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and comfortable. High: 85 Low: 68.

Here are the top three stories today in East Cobb:

  1. Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Thursday that the district has switched to a new crisis alert system provider. The district's former system, AlertPoint, will be replaced by Centigex, an alert system technology for the educational sector.
    Ragsdale also said that the district is considering recruiting and training retired military, law enforcement, and other agents to serve as armed guards of schools, as well as hiring more school psychologists to help students with mental health issues. (East Cobb News)
  2. The Cobb Department of Transportation director Drew Rensler and other county department leaders will ask county commissioners for funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to hire outside firms to help perform routine road maintenance projects because of "critical level" staffing shortages. The agenda item says 41 of the 94 maintenance positions in Cobb DOT are vacant, and the maintenance division has been operating with at least 40 percent vacancies for the past year. The agenda item states that the contracted services will allow the Division to respond more efficiently in providing required maintenance operations countywide, and will prevent the backlog of work orders. (East Cobb News)
  3. Participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — or WIC — will have access for a limited time to Georgia-grown fruits and vegetables from specialty farmer's markets. Georgia has nearly 200,000 WIC participants. Participating health departments across most of Georgia are hosting farmers markets where WIC vouchers are accepted. (GPB)

Today in East Cobb:

  • All Ages Zumba With Kevin At Mountain View Regional Library (10:15 AM)
  • The Centennial Year Comedy Show At EpiCenter (7:00 PM)
  • 750 Music And Arts Festival At Westside Cultural Arts Center (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

  • French Broad Chocolate, a "bean-to-bar craft chocolate" company out of Asheville, will open on the first floor of the Central Food Hall in fall 2022. "Opening at Ponce City Market has been a dream of ours for many years," said co-founder Jael Skeffington. (What Now Atlanta)
  • Come out to Dunwoody's first Panda Express opening on Jun. 14. The first 88 customers during the grand opening will get a surprise gift. (What Now Atlanta)
  • One Book, One City invites you to read together and join in on a discussion with Wanda M. Morris, author of All Her Little Secrets, on Tuesday, Jun. 14 at 6:00 p.m. in nearby Powder Springs. All Her Little Secrets is "a brilliantly nuanced but powerhouse exploration of race, the legal system, and the crushing pressure of keeping secrets," said international bestselling crime fiction writer Karin Slaughter. (cobbcounty.org)

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Events:

  • Thomas Arvid Annual Summertime Show (June 11)
  • Aura Reading & Energy Check Up (June 18)
  • Hire A Pro To Clean Up The Yard For Dad (June 19)
  • Wellness Together Walk-Along At Cumberland Mall (June 21)
  • Taxes in Retirement Seminar (June 21)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. I'll see you around!

— Carla Varner

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