We all know that travel conditions on I-285’s top end are a serious problem that must be addressed. But how do we fix the problem? Express buses? Light rail? More lanes? Toll lanes?

In 2006, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority launched revive285 top end, an initiative to develop a transportation solution for the northern I-285 corridor between I-75 and I-85. The project team, with public input, has since developed eight transportation solutions or “alternatives” to address the I-285 top end problems.

In November 2009, these alternatives were presented at a series of Revive 285 Public Information Open Houses. The project team is now seeking further public input. If you live, work or play on this corridor, this is your opportunity to help determine which of the eight alternatives should move forward, be modified, or be discarded. You can make a difference.

Go online now to www.revive285.com to watch the alternatives video, compare the alternatives with the interactive mapping tool, learn more about the revive285 project and provide valuable feedback via comment, survey or message board. Or, you can contact the project hotline directly at 770-431-7445.

Merchant’s Walk Library, located in East Cobb just off Johnson Ferry Road in Marietta, is moving to a new location. The new library will be located at 4880 Lower Roswell Road in the Parkaire Mall shopping center in Marietta. The move to the new facility will take place from December 21 to January 31 and a temporary reduction in service is anticipated. This will allow staff to pack and relocate the more than 75,500 items in the collection. The new East Cobb Library will be almost double the size and the largest branch library in Cobb at more than 16,850 square feet.

New Address:
4880 Lower Roswell Road
Marietta GA 30068

For too many in our community, Christmas in 2009 is just another day to worry about bills past due, food for the family, joblessness, and healthcare that is needed but not affordable. The recession and the recent floods have driven thousands of people to MUST Ministries. The parent who lost a job came for education and training, resume help and career counseling. The family washed out of their home came for new socks and underwear, food and clothing. The grandmother with diabetes came for treatment and patient education. There was no place to turn… until they came to MUST.

During this Christmas season, you can dramatically help change the lives of those around you who are struggling. Give generously today and make this Christmas a time to remember.

Elizabeth Inn Christmas Meal
A Christmas Meal will be served on Christmas Day, 2009 from 11:30a to 1:30p at MUST’s Elizabeth Inn in Marietta. All volunteer shifts are filled but they could really use your donations! Click Here to see what they need to serve 250-300 meals. Even a little helps! For more information contact their Volunteer Meal Coordinator Rosie Echevarria. Please deliver all food donations to their Donation Center (1210 B Kennestone Circle on the East side of Highway 41/Cobb Parkway across 41 from MUST’s Elizabeth Inn Campus) in Marietta. Mark your donation “CHRISTMAS MEAL” when dropping it off. The Donation Center is open Monday-Saturday 9:00am – 5:00pm. Any gift card donations can be delivered to Volunteer Coordinator Jackie Krapf at the Elizabeth Inn Campus (55 Elizabeth Church Road, Marietta, GA 30060).

Holiday Open House
Visit the Marietta MUST Holiday Open House at 1407 Cobb Parkway North Marietta, GA 30062 on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009 from 4-7 pm.
Bring your family. It could change the way you think of others at Christmas…and year ‘round. Please PSVP by Dec. 15, 2009 to Seth Tuttle 678-218-4513.

Christmas is Coming!
Volunteers are collecting new toys for MUST’s Christmas Toy Shops to help struggling families this holiday season. They need new toys and volunteers! Please consider holding a toy drive at your church, school, or business. Bring unwrapped gifts during the first week of December to the MUST location nearest you and label the items “Christmas Toy Shop”.

Big Chicken Chorus Holiday Shows
The Marietta Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society proudly presents Have Yourself A Merry-etta Christmas, featuring the Big Chicken Chorus, the 2009 BHS Bronze Medalist Quartet State Line Grocery, and others. Join the chorus on Saturday Dec. 12, 2009 @ 3:00p or 7:30p or on Sunday Dec. 13, 2009 @ 3:00p at the Cobb Civic Center’s Jennie T Anderson Theatre. A portion of the proceeds will once again benefit MUST Ministries! Tickets are $15, with Seniors & Students at $13, and are available at online at www.BigChickenChorus.org, by email to Art@Stealth-PI.com, by phone at (770) 573-7583, or by mail to: BCC, 1210 Wynnes Ridge Circle, Marietta, GA 30067.

Meet the Authors: A Book-Signing Event in Time for the Holidays takes place on Friday, December 11, 2009 from 5pm to 7pm at the Marietta Museum of History. Admission is free and members receive a 20% discount on all book purchases (excluding the 175 Facts about Marietta ). Autographed books make a great holiday gift.

Author Bios & Book Lists

George Coletti

Dr. Coletti attended Georgia Military College, graduating from High School and Junior College with the rank of Cadet Lieutenant Colonel with honors. He continued his education at the University of Georgia graduating in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science in Bacteriology. He then served as a first Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, 325 Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division from 1961-63 including service during the period of Cuban Missile Crisis. He then completed his education attending and graduating from the University Of Louisville School Of Dentistry with DMD degrees in 1967.
In addition to a very successful medical career in DeKalb County, Georgia. George has had an active civic service life. He is on the board of directors for two historical societies and is an active member of various clubs/ organizations.

Title Available by George Coletti:
Stone Mountain, The Granite Sentinel is a novel that follows the lives of the Jernigan family and their friends as they face life, death, love and war in Stone Mountain , Georgia in the 1850′s and 1860′s.

Jackie K Cooper

Born in Clinton, South Carolina, Cooper attended Erskine College where he received a BA in History/Social Studies. He also attended the University Of South Carolina School Of Law where he received a Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD). Cooper provides entertainment reviews for his website and as other websites as well and newspapers. He is a frequent guest on a variety of radio shows and is a frequent dinner speaker. He recently began providing commentaries for Georgia Public Radio. Jackie Cooper is the author of five books: JOURNEY OF A GENTLE SOUTHERN MAN , CHANCES AND CHOICES, HALFWAY HOME , THE BOOKBINDER and THE SUNRISE REMEMBERS . His next book, BACK TO THE GARDEN , will be published by Mercer University Press I 2011. All of his books are memoirs composed of short stories about growing up and living in the South.

Titles Available by Jackie Cooper:
• HALFWAY HOME shows Jackie looking back on his life to what he considers the halfway point.
• JOURNEY OF A GENTLE SOUTHERN MAN states that every life is a journey it has a beginning and an end but in between is life. Cooper takes the reader through an engaging story of the high and low points of his life.

Rhetta Akamatsu

Akamatsu is a paralegal, online researcher and, first and foremost, a writer. She is also a Certified Paranormal Investigator, a member of Ghost Hounds and ParaNexus paranormal organizations, and the Associate Managing Editor of the bi-monthly electronic journal, The Journal of Anomalous Sciences. In addition to Haunted Marietta , Ms. Akamatsu is the author of several self-published books, including Ghost to Coast , Ghost to Coast Tours and Haunted Places , and a non-paranormal book about blues women, T’ain”t Nobody’s Business if I Do.

Title Available by Rhetta Akamatsu:
Haunted Marietta tells the paranormal stories behind the historic buildings on the Marietta Square

Cathy Kaemmerlen

A professional storyteller/actress/historical interpreter/ author, Kaemmerlen is known for her variety of one-woman shows. She has an MFA in dance performance and choreography from the University of Wisconsin and a BA in English/Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina. Performing over 30 years she has done thousands of solo school performances through out the country using her dance and theatre backgrounds to enrich her tales and bring her characters to life and her writing skills to craft her varied stories and shows. She is a prominent member of numerous organizations including Touring Arts Rosters of the Georgia Arts Council; National Women’s History Project; SouthernArtistry.org; South Carolina Arts Council; Teaching Museum North; and books through Young Audiences of Atlanta Inc. She has two books published General Sherman and the Georgia Belles: Tales of the Women Left Behind and Speaking Stones: Voices from Historic Oakland Cemetery.

Titles Available by Cathy Kaemmerlen:
• General Sherman and the Georgia Belles: Tales of the Women Left Behind shares the stories of Georgian women who were brave and strong while the men were off at war. The women faced the challenge to protect their families and homes from being destroyed while Sherman was on his march to see.
• Speaking Stones: Voices from Historic Oakland Cemetery tells the tales of local notable figures who are buried in the Oakland Cemetery.

George McGuire

A native Mariettan, McGuire earned a BS degree at the University of Tennessee and a commission in the Army Reserve after completing ROTC. He was a member of the U.S. Army during WWII. He established McGuire Publishing Company Inc in 1990. He has published numerous books, The Decision and Ariane to name a few.

Title Available by George McGuire:
Ariane is a suspenseful, hopeful and dangerous triangular love story between an American Army officer and two German women during post war World War II.

Richard Croker

After a stint in the army, Croker returned to Georgia State University to finish his bachelor´s degree and then went to work for Ted Turner´s “Superstation.” He remained at Turner Broadcasting for 18 years, the bulk of which was spent writing, producing and directing for the sports division. He has worked on Atlanta Braves Baseball, NBA Basketball, NFL Football, four PGA Championships, two Olympics and one Goodwill Games. He left Turner to become an independent documentary filmmaker and his credits have appeared on Superstation TBS, TLC and The Discovery Digital Networks. He currently produces “Barbecue America” for PBS. He has written three books To Make Men Free , No Greater Courage , and the Boomer Century.

Titles Available by Richard Croker:
• To Make Men Free is about the emancipation of the slaves and the battle of Antietam and how it was the bloodiest day in America.
• No Greater Courage tells the story of the Battle of Fredericksburg and the great leaders who lead them to the battle.
• The Boomer Century is an insightful novel about the baby boomers and how they have changed and shaped our society. This book features interviews from some of the oldest baby boomers and how retirement and social security is not in their mindset right now.

Barbara Hickey

Hickey is the founder of the Etiquette School of Atlanta and has instructed comedians of the Blue Collar Show. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration. She is the author of the Top 40 Tips of Business Etiquette and Ms. Sincerely Kind Goes Out and About: (Where Good Manners Matter) .

Title Available from Barbara Hickey:
Ms. Sincerely Kind Goes Out and About: (Where Good Manners Matter) follows Ms. Sincerely Kind and her dog Manners on their day to day activities. It teaches children how to be polite and how to interact well with others.

Joe Kirby

The Editorial Page Editor for the Marietta Daily Journal since 1992, Kirby has a B.A. from James Madison University in History and Communication Arts. He also has won the prestigious Freedom of Information Award and Public Service Award from the Associated Press (Georgia) and the Georgia Press Association numerous times, as well as winning awards for Best Columnist, Best Editorial, Best Editorial Pages and Best Feature from those groups. He is the Southeastern Region 2008 winner of the First Place “Green Eyeshade” Award for Editorial Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He serves on the boards of the Marietta Museum of History, the Cobb Library Foundation, the Kennesaw Mountain Historical Association, and the Marietta Kiwanis Club. He is the author of The Bell Bomber Plant and co- author with Damien Guarnieri of Then and Now: Marietta and the newly released Then and Now: Marietta Revisited .

Titles Available by Joe Kirby:
• The Bell Bomber Plant It tells the story of how a workforce of undereducated farmers and thousands of Rosie the Riveters proved surprisingly adept at mastering the technical challenges of building bombers, and of how the plant jump-started the transformation of Cobb County from a semi-rural backwater to a suburban Southern powerhouse.
2. Then and Now: Marietta tells the changing history and the growing population of Marietta, Georgia through photographs.
• Then and Now: Marietta Revisited is a follow up to Marietta

Damien Guarnieri

An industrial photographer at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at The Ohio State University in 1994. Originally from Ohio Guarnieri moved to Georgia in 1995 where he enrolled in Savannah College of Art and Design to focus on his photography education. While attending SCAD, Guarnieri had two photographs included in the show, “A Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.” This show documented the 1997 MLK parade in Savannah and was exhibited at galleries in various cities across the United States. He earned numerous awards for his photojournalism, including Photo-of-the-Year honors twice. His images have appeared in U.S. News and World Report, Dance Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, as well as other publications in the United States and Europe. One of his photos is on display in the First Amendment Gallery at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. He co-authored two books with Joe Kirby.

Titles Available by Damien Guarnieri:
• The Bell Bomber Plant It tells the story of how a workforce of undereducated farmers and thousands of Rosie the Riveters proved surprisingly adept at mastering the technical challenges of building bombers, and of how the plant jump-started the transformation of Cobb County from a semi-rural backwater to a suburban Southern powerhouse.
• Then and Now: Marietta tells the changing history and the growing population of Marietta, Georgia through photographs.
• Then and Now: Marietta Revisited is a follow up to Marietta

George Weinstein

Weinstein’s work has appeared in Atlanta-area newspapers, regional anthologies, and nationally in A Cup of Comfort for Writers. He served as president of The Atlanta Writers Club for two terms and now schedules speakers and events for the club as its VP and Program Chair. He has written one adventurous children’s novel Jake and the Tiger Flight .

Title Available by George Weinstein:
Jake and the Tiger Flight goes through the adventures of a 12 year old boy and his learning to fly.

Lauretta Hannon

A commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered , Hannon’s stories reach 25.5 million listeners. Since 2000 she has also been known for her Georgia Public Radio stories, many of which celebrate strong, authentic Southern women (Cracker Queens). Her memoir The Cracker Queen- A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful, and Life became a Southern Indie Bestseller three weeks after its release.

Title Available by Lauretta Hannon:
The Cracker Queen is a witty novel about strong Southern women.

The 2009 Marietta Business Expo was a huge success and a sold out event despite having to reschedule due to the recent floods. The event provided an excellent opportunity to meet local business owners, build business connections, enjoy some good food and meet some great people who call Cobb County home.

Rob DeSoto a.k.a. The Citrus Man with Citrusolution Carpet Cleaning

Great BBQ at the Rib Ranch

Marietta Mayor William B. “Bill” Dunaway

Candy Bouquet arrangements look almost too good to eat

Your Office USA provides office space and business services

Chris Gilbert, Tim Lester, Otis Nixon, and Becky Bullard

Win the money tree from Green Flag Profit Recovery

AdzZoo is taming the internet one click at a time

Step back in time with the Marietta Museum of History

The winter holiday season is an exciting time of year that also unfortunately provides new opportunities for criminals.  The Cobb County police department crime prevention unit recommends the following precautions:

• Remember that entering autos makes up 40% of the major crime in Cobb County.
• Please make sure that while shopping at the Mall or other major stores, you do NOT go to the car and place items into your car or trunk and then go back inside to shop again. The best thing that you could do is LEAVE.
• Thieves are waiting and watching in the parking for you to do just that. After you put the items into the car or trunk and go back in for more, they are breaking into your vehicles and taking the items that were just purchased.
• Keep your purses/wallets close to you at all times.
• Always be aware of your surroundings. Walk to your cars with a purpose and always have your keys in hand. If someone approaches you while you are walking to your car, keep walking.
• Always be near a phone. Have your cell phone handy so that you can call 9-1-1 if there is an emergency.
• After the holidays, don’t just put the empty “T.V.” box or other large gift boxes at the curb for the trash. Cut the box up and put the pieces in the garbage can. Leaving the empty box at the curb just lets the suspected thieves know what new “things” are inside the house.

If you have any questions about personal safety or other safety related questions please don’t hesitate to call the local police precinct or the Crime Prevention Unit.

The two officers assigned to the Crime Prevention Unit are:

Officer Mike Bowman
Cobb County Police Department
Crime Prevention Unit
140 N. Marietta Parkway, NW
Marietta, Georgia 30060
770-499-4134
Michael.Bowman@CobbCounty.org

Officer C.J. Mabe
Cobb County Police Department
Crime Prevention Unit
140 N. Marietta Parkway, NW
Marietta, Georgia 30060
770-499-3909
Christopher.Mabe@CobbCounty.org

Precinct changes have been made to several wards in Marietta. Any voter with a change should receive a new Voter Precinct Card, which were mailed Oct. 6. Interested voters can check their polling places by going online to the Secretary of State’s poll locator, located online at:
http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/polllocator

Voters may also call Cobb Elections at 770-528-2581.