Marietta Daily Journal
‘For decades to come’
Kennesaw’s new $15.6 million public safety facility is open for business. Hundreds of officers, Kennesaw staff and community members gathered for an open house after officials cut the ribbon on the two-story facility, located at 3074 Moon Station...
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Time for the fair
The 94th annual Superior Plumbing Presents North Georgia State Fair is returning to Cobb County this week at Jim Miller Park. The fair will run from Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 4. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to midnight...
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Veni, vidi, Vinings
An upscale contemporary Italian restaurant has opened its doors in Vinings. Cotto Modern Italian held its grand opening Thursday at Vinings Jubilee. It was created by restaurant management company Fork U Concepts, which also operates Taqueria Tsunami,...
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A full agenda
The Cobb County Board of Commissioners is set to consider funding improvements to the intersection of Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads during Tuesday’s meeting. Planned improvements to the intersection include reconfiguring the westbound lanes to...
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FARM FRESH
The Acworth Farmers Market invited residents to peruse a range of fresh fruits, vegetables, baked goods, preserves and other farm products Saturday morning. Tina Rhoades, manager of the Acworth Farmers Market, said the extra day was a new addition...
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‘You are not forgotten’
Veterans, servicemembers and two former POWs gathered at a new memorial to honor those who have yet to make it home during National Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Recognition Day Friday. The Aviation History and Technology Center, an outdoor...
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Bees, birds and more
SMYRNA — Pollinator pockets are popping up in Smyrna as the city works to create habitats for bees, birds, butterflies and more. According to Keep Smyrna Beautiful (KSB) Executive Director Julie Barwig, pollinator pockets are gardens designed to...
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Campaign promises
MARIETTA — Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson promised to create a statelevel agency for veterans issues if elected. The promise — which he made during a press conference Wednesday in Marietta — is in response to veterans complaining that...
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SPLIT VOTE
MARIETTA — The Cobb Board of Commissioners approved the rezoning for a controversial mixed-use development in an industrial corridor on Atlanta Road during Tuesday’s zoning hearing. The proposal from developer Branch Acquisition Company aims to...
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Leading lady
CUMBERLAND — The Cobb Chamber of Commerce named County Manager Jackie McMorris the 2026 Woman of Distinction on Monday. The Woman of Distinction award is given annually by the chamber’s Cobb Executive Women to recognize a woman who has demonstrated...
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Searching for stars
MARIETTA — A program devoted to mentoring young girls has opened a chapter in Marietta. Every Girl Shines is a nonprofit that pairs middle and high school girls with professional women for advice and mentorship. Since its beginning in 2017, the...
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Field of Flags
More than 100 people gathered at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park early Friday morning for a ceremony honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The event was hosted as part of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta’s...
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25 YEARS LATER
Smyrna Scouts, first responders and their families gathered Thursday evening to place flags at City Hall to honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The event was sponsored by the Smyrna police and fire departments, and the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation,...
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Room for rooms
Cobb County is set to consider language allowing accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as part of upcoming amendments to the county code. ADUs are secondary independent residential units located on the same lot as a detached singlefamily home. They are...
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‘Years of prayer’
SMYRNA — A new era for Smyrna First Baptist Church is beginning after the church broke ground on its new campus last week. The church, currently located at 1275 Church Street SE, is moving less than a mile away to 5.5 acres at 3030 Atlanta Road,...
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Walking the walk
CUMBERLAND — Hundreds of firefighters and civilians from Cobb County and beyond were up bright and early Saturday to be part of a stair climb honoring the sacrifice of 343 firefighters who died while responding to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The...
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‘It means everything’
Hundreds of firefighters and civilians from Cobb County and beyond were up bright and early Saturday morning to be part of a stair climb event to honor the sacrifice of 343 firefighters who died while responding to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The...
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Report: Former KSU student had not been seen in days prior to death
Roommates of a former Kennesaw State University student who was found dead in an apartment near campus told police he hadn’t been seen or heard from for days prior to his death, according to a police report. Larry Parker Green, 24, was found dead...
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Inflated celebration
MARIETTA — Strong test scores on the annual Georgia Milestone exams called for a bounce house celebration Thursday for Dunleith Elementary School students. School administrators brought four large bounce houses and inflatable obstacle courses into the...
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The home stretch
TRUIST PARK — The end of the Major League Baseball season is just around the corner, and the Atlanta Braves are celebrating with new merchandise, theme nights and specialty concessions for fans at all its remaining home games at Truist Park. The...
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Oasis for officers
WEST COBB — A former dilapidated space at Cobb Police’s Precinct 5 station received a facelift after officials opened its new outdoor garden area, created and built by a local Girl Scout. Laine Burson, 18, designed and transformed the space into a...
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Field of Flags
MARIETTA — Hundreds of people marched down Kennesaw Avenue on Saturday morning to plant nearly 3,000 flags at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. The event, known as Field of Flags, was hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Marietta and invited the...
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Always remember
MARIETTA — Hundreds of people marched down Kennesaw Avenue on Saturday morning to plant nearly 3,000 flags at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. The event, known as Field of Flags, was hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Marietta and invited the...
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DREAM BIG
MARIETTA — Friday kickstarted the Marietta High School football team’s first home game of the season, as well as an annual tradition for the team’s junior and senior players. Multiple players brought school spirit to Lockheed Elementary School by...
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Top priority
MABLETON — The Mableton City Council appointed Kerry Stallings as the city’s inaugural public safety director during Wednesday’s meeting. Stallings currently serves as chief of police for the University System of Georgia (USG), where he oversees...
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Hope chest
EAST COBB — Cobb foster parents looking for childcare assistance just received a new resource. Local nonprofit Ignite Hope, founded by east Cobb residents Jacqui and Jeff Jackson, held the grand opening of the organization’s Hope Chest, a store space...
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Collins in Cobb
ACWORTH — Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins brought his campaign for U.S. Senate to Cobb County Monday night, pitching his record on veterans, taxes and national security while taking repeated aim at Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. In a...
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A new year
KENNESAW — Sweet treats and stuffed owls welcomed thousands of Kennesaw State University students back to campus as the fall semester kicked off Monday. University President Kathy Schwaig stood on the campus green alongside school mascot Scrappy the...
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Wares of the world
MARIETTA — The world came to Cobb County on Saturday as the Cobb International Festival returned to Jim Miller Park in Marietta. The festival, which has taken place since 2019, is a family-friendly event that offers the opportunity to taste,...
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‘Once-in-a-lifetime’
Marietta High School families gathered at Marietta Melt Yard Thursday night to cheer on the Blue Devils from more than 4,000 miles away as they opened their football season against the NFL Academy in Loughborough, England. Superintendent Grant Rivera...
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‘Always your babies’
MARIETTA — For the second time this year, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office opened the doors of its adult detention center Thursday to something rarely seen inside a jail: mothers embracing their children. Seven female detainees were reunited with...
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A new nest
With the new school year less than a week away, new students flooded the halls of Kennesaw State University’s dorm room towers Wednesday for the first day of student move-in. Over 4,200 students across KSU’s Kennesaw and Marietta campuses are slated...
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Start with purpose
KENNESAW — Thousands of students, parents, teachers and community members gathered on North Cobb Christian School’s football field for a moment of prayer, worship and reflection Tuesday morning. The event marks the school’s 28th Circle of Prayer,...
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Top teacher
MABLETON — The Cobb County School District has named Mableton Elementary School teacher Kylie Hardy Teacher of the Year. Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, members of the Cobb Board of Education and Mableton Elementary staff surprised Hardy with the honor...
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A SPECIAL REUNION
POWDER SPRINGS — A few dozen seniors braved the heat Saturday afternoon to spend time with old friends at the 60th reunion for the Lemon Street High School Class of 1966. Lemon Street High School was a school for Black students in Cobb County before...
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‘Trip of a lifetime’
MARIETTA — Marietta High School’s football team boarded buses Friday bound for the airport and a once-in-a-lifetime journey to London, where the Blue Devils will open their 2026 season on an international stage. The team — 45 players, 18 coaches, two...
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Deed is done
MARIETTA — The City Council voted Wednesday night to approve a controversial data center on Powers Ferry Place, off Delk Road. The approval will enable an existing storage building on the 10.7-acre property at 1155 Powers Ferry Place to be partially...
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Across the pond
MARIETTA — Kickoff to Marietta High School’s football season is next week, and practices are well underway for perhaps the farthest road game the team has ever had to play. Instead of playing under the bright lights of Northcutt Stadium, over 40...
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Not so common
SMYRNA — This week, Whitefield Academy celebrated a major milestone for its 100-acre Smyrna campus with the grand opening of its new $40 million Learning Commons. Students, parents and staff of the Christ-centered college preparatory school eagerly...
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Sweet rides, good cause
ACWORTH — The parking lot outside of Holbrook Life Communities, a senior living community, was transformed into a display of classic cars over the weekend. The car show was organized by Holbrook staff working with Car Community Connection, a classic...
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Critter couture
MABLETON — Pets and their families from across Cobb County turned out in style Saturday for Cobb County Animal Services’ Woofs and Whiskers fashion show. The fashion show, which was held at Mable House Arts Center, invited people and their furry...
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Data debate
A pair of experts said residents should be concerned the Marietta City Council is considering approving a data center near a residential area. The comments came during a Thursday evening town hall at the Cobb County Civic Center on data centers hosted...
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Excellent educators
It was an emotional and exciting morning for three schools as the Cobb School District named its 2026 elementary, middle and high school-level Teachers of the Year. Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and several members of the Cobb Board of...
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Welcoming vibes
SMYRNA — Riverline Coffee, the Jonquil City’s newest coffee shop, is for “the craft obsessed and the curious.” Inside the shop, shelves full of books on various topics, games, coloring books and pencils cover one wall. On the other side of the shop, a...
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Wrapped in tradition
MARIETTA — Rolls of toilet paper dangled from trees, trash cans and bushes across Marietta High School while the school’s entrance was blanketed by the stuff Monday evening. Members of the Marietta High School Class of 2027 arrived the night before...
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Class is in session
ACWORTH — Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale visited students and teachers and spoke with media Monday during a firstday-of-school event at Pickett’s Mill Elementary School. As around 105,000 students headed back to school across the district,...
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A lot of colors
MARIETTA — The Marietta High School parking lot turned into an art studio for the senior class with parking spaces as their canvases. In an annual tradition, the Class of 2027 kicked off the last weekend of summer vacation by painting their reserved...
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Laying the foundation
For inaugural city manager William “Bill” Tanks, managing Cobb County’s youngest city takes dedication, focus and a commitment to serving others. Tanks began his role as city manager in April 2024, one year after the city incorporated in May...
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Practice makes perfect
NORTHEAST COBB — With the first day of school on Monday, the Cobb County School District’s youngest students got their first look at their school buses and classrooms Thursday morning. Dozens of students at Mountain View Elementary School boarded the...
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‘Be somebody’
MARIETTA — As students prepare to return to school next week, Marietta City Schools hosted its annual staff kickoff celebration to welcome teachers and faculty back to class. Superintendent Grant Rivera led the kickoff at the Marietta Performing Arts...
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Dogs on duty
MABLETON — With the 2026-27 school year approaching next week, the Cobb School District is preparing to introduce an additional eight Vapor Wake K-9s to its weapons detection fleet. In total, 16 different K-9s — trained to detect explosives and...
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Grand re-opening
EAST COBB — The Kroger at Shallowford Falls celebrated its grand reopening with a ribbon-cutting and giveaways for customers. The $1.1 million renovation includes a new floral department, the addition of a Murray’s Cheese Shop, and updated dairy,...
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That time of year
MARIETTA — Thousands of families turned out to Jim R. Miller Park on Saturday for the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office’s fifth annual Back-toSchool Bash. The event is meant to help prepare students and families for the new school year by distributing...
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‘Family fun event’
MARIETTA — Over 400 volunteers, community members and candidates packed the Jim Miller Park event center as Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens hosted the 35th annual Low Country Shrimp Boilin’ celebrating community and law enforcement Thursday evening. Owens...
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Source of joy
MARIETTA — Although he was born with a rare heart condition, 4-year-old Jace Connor of west Cobb does not let that stop him from playing like any other kid. Some of his favorite activities have included swimming in the summertime, playing with his...
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Cobb welcomes Trump
With the local economy top of mind for many voters heading into the November midterm elections, President Donald Trump visited Wheeler High School Wednesday to promote the new Trump Accounts investment program, touting his administration’s economic...
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50 years behind the badge
ACWORTH — Acworth Police Chief Mark Cheatham said a 50-year public service career in law enforcement is rare, which is why friends, family, colleagues and officials surprised one of the Lake City’s finest with a celebration this week. Officer Mike...
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2,997 flags
MARIETTA — A few dozen volunteers gathered Saturday morning off Roswell Street to assemble flags in preparation for the Kiwanis Club of Marietta’s Field of Flags project. The Field of Flags project brings together club members and volunteers on the...
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In remembrance
MARIETTA — A few dozen volunteers gathered Saturday morning off Roswell Street to assemble flags in preparation for the Kiwanis Club of Marietta’s Field of Flags project. The Field of Flags project brings together club members and volunteers on the...
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Pain at the pump
Gas prices are on the rise again across the U.S., including Cobb County, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). In Georgia, the average price for regular unleaded gas was $3.76 on Friday, compared to $3.65 per gallon on Wednesday and...
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A new path
— Just over a year after construction began, the Cobb School District celebrated the grand opening of its second career academy at Allatoona High School Thursday. The $25 million Cobb Innovation and Technology Academy at Allatoona High School is...
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Green investments
This week, the Kennesaw City Council asked city staff to look into potential ways to improve two parks near Dobbs Drive and Pine Mountain Road. The move follows weeks of residents expressing concern at the parks’ seeming lack of maintenance or...
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Growing pains
MABLETON — The City Council voted Monday night to approve a new tax to fund police services. In a 6-1 vote, Mableton’s council approved the new 4.5 mill rate to fund the city’s new Public Safety Special Services Tax District. Councilwoman Debora...
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Sacred tradition
MARIETTA — Around two dozen soon-to-be ordained ministers — along with family, friends and worshippers — gathered at the Switzer Library Saturday morning for a laying of the hands ceremony. The laying of the hands is a sacred tradition observed in a...
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‘Unbroken chain’
MARIETTA — Around two dozen soon-to-be ordained ministers — along with family, friends and worshippers — gathered at the Switzer Library in downtown Marietta on Saturday morning for a laying of the hands ceremony. The laying of the hands is a sacred...
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Data center tabled
MARIETTA — By unanimous vote Wednesday, the Marietta City Council tabled a request for a data center near Delk Road, and adopted a temporary moratorium on data centers in the city. The data center request, by Storage Powers Ferry Place LLC, seeks to...
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Rising high
CUMBERLAND — Members of the Cumberland Area Council were given a behind-the-scenes tour of a major incoming development just outside The Battery Atlanta on Wednesday. Staff of general contractor JE Dunn Construction led the group through the...
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FIFA fever
Despite the United States’ loss to Belgium during the FIFA World Cup round of 16, spirits were high at the Marietta Square watch party as families and friends turned out to view Monday evening’s match. People decked out in red, white and blue filled...
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Let Freedom Ring
MARIETTA — Marietta celebrated the Fourth of July in style Saturday morning at the annual Let Freedom Ring Parade. The parade has been held every year since 1969, according to the Marietta History Center, when it was first organized by the Marietta...
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Love for country
MARIETTA — Marietta celebrated the Fourth of July in style Saturday morning at the annual Let Freedom Ring Parade. The parade has been held every year in Marietta since 1969, according to the Marietta History Center, when it was first organized by the...
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Our Picks
Sunday Patience WGTV (8) 8 p.m. A young autistic girl was witness to her father's murder but can't find the words to tell anyone what happened. As the case grows cold, criminal archivist Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis) studies the evidence,...
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Stars and stripes
Armed with bundles of American flags, dozens of volunteers fanned out across Veterans Memorial Park on Wednesday, planting 250 flags in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary and the veterans who have served to protect it. Richard Garland, the city’s...
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Going green
This week marked medical cannabis expansion in Georgia as new legislation went into effect, expanding eligibility and allowing more forms of medical cannabis. At the Trulieve Marietta Dispensary, located at 220 Cobb Parkway, patients celebrating the...
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‘Angels on Earth’
It was an emotional day at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Monday afternoon when a Kennesaw woman was reunited with the first responders who saved her life after she was struck by lightning. Mary “Jeanne” Menna, 66, got the chance to meet the men and...
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A trip to the past
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park was transported 162 years into the past this weekend to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. The battle took place on June 27, 1864, during the American Civil War as General...
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