COBB COUNTY - At its Tuesday night meeting, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the River Line Master Plan and include it in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

At a public hearing before the vote, Dana Johnson, Cobb's planning division manager, recapped what had led up to the approval of the plan.

"We held five public meetings and two public information meetings where we really tried to work with everyone before coming to this final plan," Johnson said. "We feel the plan addresses all of the objectives we had when developing this vision, which included connectivity to the surrounding community, industrial uses, more exposure for the Chattahoochee River, and an identity for the area that will become recognizable in the future."

The River Line area is in south Cobb, bound by the Chattahoochee River and Buckner Road, and encompasses eastern portions of Veterans Memorial Highway and southern portions of Oakdale Road.

The county developed the plan with the hopes of creating a definitive character for the area, much like Vinings and Mableton, by attracting more neighborhood developments and businesses.

Roberta Cook, whose home and subdivision lies in the center of the master plan, said that she supports the plan.

"It's a vision, but I look forward to the trails and greenspace preservation the plan suggests, and I urge the board to accept this plan," Cook said.

Chairman Sam Olens said that the plan was started 16 months ago, and recognized Cook as a leader within the community during the plan's development. After several industrial and business owners in the area felt that their voices were not appropriately heard on the original steering committee, Olens agreed with the Cobb Planning and Zoning Commission's suggestion that four members of the business committee be appointed to the plan's committee.

"This is a very important piece of Cobb County," Olens said. "Dana did a really great job with this by working with business leaders when they felt they were being left out, and he worked to create a plan that was acceptable to everyone. It is not easy to get a group of homeowners and business and industrial owners to come to agreeance on a plan like this, but he found a way."

During the board of commissioner's afternoon work session, Turner Construction Project Manager Winston Williams gave several updates on the status of the construction of the New Superior Court Building.

"We are moving exceedingly well through our schedule, and through our continuing buyout process, have been able to give almost a million dollars back to the county," Winston said.

Winston said he expects the building to be completed in March 2011.

Several county judges and elected officials attended the work session, and Olens thanked Winston and his construction group for allowing those who will be using the building to be actively involved in the construction process.

On Tuesday night, the board approved a change order of $538,600 to be transferred back to the county. After a previously approved transaction of funds, this brings the total amount of savings for the county to $938,600.

Also Tuesday, three local small business employees requested that the county's business license ordinances be revised. Olens said the group should speak with Cobb's community development agency director Rob Hosack and the office of the county's attorney.

MARIETTA - Some of the students at A.L. Burruss Elementary School were surprised last week when they received an envelope postmarked from the White House. Inside the package, they found a letter from President Barack Obama, a picture of him and his dog, Bo, and "Flat Stanley."

In April, A.L. Burruss teacher Avis Franklin-Grant and her second-grade class wrote a letter to the president and enclosed a red, white and blue colored Flat Stanley. Franklin-Grant's students moved up to the third grade, never hearing back from the White House - until last week.

"I am on top of the world after receiving a letter from my dear president. I was flabbergasted when we got the response back. The letter is such a personal letter, I just feel like (President Barack Obama) really had a hand in it," she said.

Stanley Lambchop, the main character of the Flat Stanley children's books, is a little boy that was flattened by a bulletin board that fell on him. The character discovers the advantages of being flat, including being able to travel the world through the mail. Jeff Brown penned the book in 1964.

Teachers often use the book as a lesson in letter writing. Children create their own "Stanleys," mail them off to family and friends, and ask for Stanley to be returned. Stanley recipients have been known to include letters and photos of the character's far-away visits.

Franklin-Grant said she chose the president to be her class' Stanley recipient because, "He was brand-new to office, and I had never heard of anyone in my arena sending Flat Stanley to the White House. I wanted to see if we would get a response back."

Third-grader Chris Castaldo, 8, said hearing back from the White House was "amazing."

Jenee Francis, 8, said their Flat Stanley played with the president's daughters, Sasha and Malia, and Bo on the White House lawn. Her favorite thing in the package was the picture of Bo.

Franklin-Grant said she knew it would take some time for a response, and didn't expect one so soon.

"I told the class it would probably take some time. I knew eventually something would come, I just didn't know when," she said.

Franklin-Grant has made a copy of the letter for each student. She's going to frame the original, along with Flat Stanley, to keep in her classroom.

She doesn't want to divulge whom her class will mail Flat Stanley to this year.

ACWORTH - The city of Acworth has canceled its Nov. 3 general election, which is saving the taxpayers and city thousands of dollars.

The three seats up for election are uncontested, and as a result, the city can cancel the election under a new Georgia law - which may set a precedent.

According to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated sections 21-2-291 and 21-2-285: "In the event that there are unopposed candidates in a primary, special primary, general election, or special election, there may not be a need to have an election at all. Unless more than one write-in candidate has qualified or unless there are issues to be submitted to the electorate, the unopposed candidate is generally deemed to have voted for himself or herself and may be declared the winner."

Candidates Tommy Allegood for mayor; Tim Richardson for Alderman Post 4; and Tim Houston for Alderman Post 5 have all qualified and are running unopposed.

"I can't recall any time in recent history in the city when the city was able to call of an election," Allegood said. "It's a big savings to the taxpayers."

Allegood said the city is saving $7,000 - money that was originally budgeted for the election year.

"It will wind up being a part of a surplus, which saves the taxpayers the cost of the election," he said. "In any municipality budget, if you're in an election year or cycle, you always budget monies to be used for the election."

The city of Johns Creek in North Fulton County has also called off its general election, with four candidates running unopposed.

Sharon Dunn, Cobb Elections director, said an unopposed candidate's name must appear on a ballot when there are other races with more than one candidate.

Allegood said he would spend Nov. 3 keeping an eye on the elections in other Cobb cities.

COBB GALLERIA - She needs no introduction.

The always-smiling lady wearing the stylishly oversized, red glasses who is celebrated for treating everyone with kindness, be they waitresses or nobility, was awarded the fifth annual Legacy Award on Friday.

As Kennesaw State University President Emeritus Dr. Betty Siegel entered the packed Renaissance Waverly Hotel's ballroom, she received a standing ovation from about 450 of Cobb's movers and shakers.

"Oh, my goodness. My heart is full, and I'm so appreciative of these wonderful accolades that come my way, but I must offer a disclaimer: whenever you see a turtle on a post you know it didn't get there by itself," she said, giving a shout-out to her husband, Dr. Joel Siegel, and two sons, Drs. David and Michael Siegel.

Chattahoochee Technical College initiated the Legacy Awards in 2005 by honoring former University of Georgia Football Coach Vince Dooley. The awards went to Cobb Superior Court Senior Judge Conley Ingram and Marietta Daily Journal associate editor Bill Kinney in 2006; to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb) and former Gov. Roy Barnes in 2007; and to Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, last year.

Deane Bonner, president of the Cobb NAACP, called Siegel one of the true pioneers of the county.

"When you deal with Betty Siegel, you know you're dealing with a real person. I think this award today for Dr. Betty Siegel is most fitting, most fitting," Bonner said.

Siegel was the first woman to head a public university in Georgia and the longest-serving woman president of a public university in the nation from 1981 to 2006, taking Kennesaw State from 4,000 students to 18,000.

"If Dr. Betty Siegel had chosen law she'd be sitting on the United States Supreme Court now," remarked Cobb Superior Court Judge Jim Bodiford.

From her Siegel Institute at KSU, she works to spread the message of leadership, ethics and character throughout the world in such places as South Africa, China and England.

Joe Daniell, executive vice president of Vinings Bank, spoke of Siegel's famous speaking style, which he said is both profound, but able to reach everyone.

"She just relates to every level and nothing is ever beneath her from the waitresses at the Waffle House to the Archbishop of South Africa. She can relate to everybody and that's why she is so effective with students," Daniell said.

Her passion for work can be traced back to her roots as a coal miner's daughter in the hills of eastern Kentucky. Retired Dickerson Middle School principal Carole Kell, noting how she grew up around the copper mines in north Georgia, spoke of her similar background with Siegel.

"So when I came to Cobb County and I first met Betty I said 'this is my hero, this is the one, a kindred spirit,' and we understand each other - we're both in education," Kell said.

"She is my hero because she exhibits everything that I think is important in a person as far as integrity, character, doing what you believe in and saying what you believe, being supportive to her community," Kell said.

Attorney Fred Bentley Sr., a former state senator and representative, spoke of how Siegel has never forgotten where she came from.

"She has been all over the world. She has appeared before the Queen. She appeared before Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She's been in front of everybody that you think of that's important, but the main thing is that she never has forgotten what started her, and I am proud of her and proud of Joel and proud of her sons because they have made a difference in this world," Bentley said.

Her successor, KSU President Dr. Dan Papp, spoke of Siegel's reputation.

"She is a legend among presidents, not only in Georgia, not only in the Southeast, but nationally as well. She is just a neat lady any way you look at it. Betty helped put Kennesaw on the map," Papp said.

Cobb Schools Superintendent Fred Sanderson said her award says it all.

"She's a legacy in education. I was very fortunate to have her sons in class as a teacher at Wheeler. I've been very fortunate to be with her family for a long time, and she's a magnificent lady," Sanderson said.

Among the hundreds in attendance were Cobb Board of Commissioners Chairman Sam Olens; Kim Gresh of S.A. White Oil Company; Cobb Commissioner Tim Lee; Cobb Superior Court Judge Adele Grubbs; Bob Prillaman, former WellStar Board of Trustees chairman; former Cobb Chamber of Commerce chairmen Fred Bentley Jr and Sam Kelly; Marietta City Councilman Van Pearlberg: former Cobb school board members Laura Searcy, Curt Johnston and Johnny Johnson; Melinda Ashcraft, president of the CTC's foundation; Tana Page of the Georgia Association of Educators; Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle's spokeswoman, Jaillene Hunter; City of Acworth Alderman Bob Weatherford; state Rep. Matt Dollar (R-east Cobb); etiquette teacher Barbara Hickey and Paulding County Board of Commissioners Chairman David Austin.

COBB COUNTY - Cobb County Tax Commissioner Gail Downing said that there was almost no change in the percentage of residents who paid their taxes on time this year compared to last year, although many bills were not paid in full.

Although 90.5 percent of Cobb County residents paid their taxes on or before the 2008 due date, the number of people meeting the deadline increased slightly this year to 90.8 percent.

"While we actually saw a slight increase in those who paid on time this year, we are not collecting as much money as we expected, so that tells us that many people are not paying their taxes in full, just what they can pay right now," Downing said.

The tax commissioner's office has only received $630 million of the $685 million expected to be collected this year. Downing said that 129,719 tax bills were paid by mortgage companies.

Late payments incur a 5 percent penalty plus 1 percent interest per month.

Seven homeowners hurt by the September flooding have been approved for a penalty-free extension approved by the Board of Commissioners. Together, those seven tax bills total $40,460, and those are considered in the 90.8 percent of homeowners who paid on time.

Applications from 21 more property owners, representing $72,154 in outstanding taxes, are pending approval.

Property owners affected by the floods have until Dec. 31 to apply for the extension. If approved, they will make a $50 payment toward their bills and have until April 15 to pay in full without being charged penalties.

The Cobb County Tax Commissioner's office handles the collection of taxes for Cobb County, Cobb County Schools, the city of Acworth, the Cumberland and Town Center Community Improvement Districts, and the state's quarter-mill property tax. The other five cities in Cobb - Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, Powder Springs and Austell - handle their own billing and collection.

SAVANNAH - Savannah was founded in 1733 and was one of America's first planned cities, with a series of squares and parks that can still be enjoyed today.

But the reason for those public spaces might surprise modern visitors: British General James Oglethorpe designed them as part of a military grid so his troops could set up camp and have shaded meeting spots. The soldiers were there to keep the Spanish from advancing north to the English colony in Charleston, S.C., and Oglethorpe's statue faces south, as if still keeping a watchful eye on things.

Originally the city had 24 squares. It's a remarkable feat of preservation that 22 are still in existence and one more is being restored. Surrounded by stately homes and beautiful gardens, they form the heart of a two-and-a-half-square-mile historic district with more than 2,000 historic or architecturally significant buildings.

The city's preservation movement got a jumpstart in 1955 from a group of women angry that the historic Isaiah Davenport House was about to be knocked down for a parking lot. Eventually that home and many others were saved.

Today the area is one of the largest National Historic Landmark districts in the country. Most of the houses remain privately owned, but a few are open for public tours, including the Davenport House. It dates to 1820 and is considered one of the best examples of Federal architecture in the area, with original plasterwork, a cantilevered staircase, a large collection of Davenport china and period furniture.

Another popular house for tourists is the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, where the founder of the Girl Scouts grew up. The house was built in 1821; Low was born in 1860. It had more than 65,000 visitors last year, including at least 20,000 Girl Scouts whose visits earn them a special birthplace pin for their uniforms. Generally it takes about two years for a troop to reserve a visit, plan for it and raise the necessary money.

The Mercer House dates to the 1860s but achieved fame in the late 20th century as home to the late art dealer Jim Williams, who was tried but never convicted in a fatal shooting there. The case inspired the book and movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."

Savannah's historic cemeteries include the Colonial Park Cemetery, which dates to 1750 but was occupied during the Civil War by Union troops who famously altered some of the dates on tombstones; the Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery, an early burial place for the city's substantial Jewish population, which also founded a synagogue in 1733, Congregation Mickve Israel; and Laurel Grove Cemetery, which was designed in 1850 as a segregated graveyard, with one section for blacks and one for whites.

Savannah's most famous cemetery is Bonaventure. It's one of the most photographed cemeteries in the country. Not only does it have a beautiful collection of camellias, azaleas, dogwoods, magnolias and old live oak trees, but it's also where many prominent locals were buried. Its unique monuments and tombstones include one in the shape of a piano. The cemetery's famous "Bird Girl" statue, which was featured on the cover of the "Midnight in the Garden" book, is now on view at Savannah's Telfair Museum of Art. It was moved there to protect it from vandalism.

Savannah has a history in movies too, dating to a silent film shot there in 1915 called "Under Southern Skies." Other movies shot in Savannah include "Forrest Gump," "Roots," and "Glory." As you stroll through the historic district, you'll pass by the place where Forrest Gump sat on a bench with a box of chocolates, telling his life story as he waited for a bus to take him to his beloved Jenny's house. But the spot in Chippewa Square on Hull Street never had a real bus stop, and the bench used in the movie is in the Savannah History Museum.

Savannah's tours include those devoted to the Civil War, art, architecture, African-American heritage, gardens, and of course ghosts, with a choice of transportation from limos, trolleys and buses, to horse-drawn carriages and boats along the waterway. Savannah likes to call itself the "most haunted city in America," and one ghost tour offers transportation by hearse.

But nothing beats seeing the city on foot. With all those beautiful parks, it's easy to find a nice spot to sit for awhile and people-watch. Temperatures are mild even in winter, with daytime highs in the 60s not unusual. Stroll on down to the City Market or River Street for a drink, shopping, or something to eat.

A project now under development called Savannah River Landing will include hotels, offices, estate homes, condos, shopping, boat slips, a garden plaza and retail shopping, all along the waterfront. But developers say they'll respect Oglethorpe's original plans by leaving pedestrian-friendly spaces and blending in with the historic cityscape.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The company that has exclusive rights to salvage the Titanic is planning a possible expedition to the world’s most famous shipwreck in 2010.

The first expedition to the North Atlantic wreck site since 2004 is revealed in a filing by RMS Titanic Inc. in U.S. District Court, where four days of hearings are scheduled to begin Monday on the company’s claim for a salvage award.

Lawyers for RMS Titanic Inc. confirmed the expedition plans but declined to discuss them in detail.

“That is something that is being looked at right now but it’s not in any way a done deal,” attorney Robert W. McFarland said in an interview. He said the company would have more to say at this week’s hearing.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith, a maritime jurist who considers the wreck an “international treasure,” will preside over the hearings. They are intended to determine a salvage award and establish legal guarantees that thousands of Titanic artifacts remain intact as a collection and forever accessible to the public. Some pieces have ended up in London auction houses.

The 5,900 pieces of china, ship fittings and personal belongings are valued in excess of $110 million and are displayed around the world by Premier Exhibitions Inc., an Atlanta company. RMS Titanic is a subsidiary of Premier.

The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage in international waters on April 15, 1912, and has been subject to competing legal claims since an international team led by oceanographer Robert Ballard found it in 1985. Since then, RMS Titanic has retrieved artifacts during six dives.

Courts have declared it salvor-in-possession — meaning it has exclusive rights to salvage the Titanic — but have explicitly stated it does not own the 5,900 artifacts or the wreck itself.

At the hearings this week in Norfolk, lawyers for RMS Titanic will essentially seek title to the artifacts and a monetary award for its salvage costs. More than a dozen experts will be called to support the company’s claim, according to a court filing.

In seeking a salvage award, RMS Titanic will have to document the labor it devoted to its previous expeditions, the risks incurred during the 2 1/2-mile trips beneath the Atlantic to the Titanic wreck site, and the preservation efforts and archaeological value of the wreck and its contents, among other factors.

Smith, the judge, has drawn upon the government to help craft covenants to keep the artifacts preserved, intact as a collection and available to the public. She is mindful of the Titanic’s place in history and the 1,522 people who died when it went down after it struck ice nearly a century ago, based on her previous statements from the bench.

“I am concerned that the Titanic is not only a national treasure, but in its own way an international treasure, and it needs protection and it needs to be monitored,” the judge told lawyers in the case nearly one year ago.

If the court agrees to RMS Titanic’s request, the company could sell the entire collection to a museum with court approval. The company has said it has no plans to do so.

The judge will also consider a competing claim.

Douglas Faulkner Woolley, a British citizen, challenges RMS Titanic’s legal claim to the wreck site and plans his own salvage operation.

Lawyers for RMS Titanic declined to discuss the competing challenge.

International protections have been sought for the Titanic almost since the wreck was discovered.

———

On the Net:

RMST Inc.: http://www.titanic-online.com

Patty Mozley is a strong, independent woman who radiates optimism. With a positive outlook that doesn't wane in the face of personal trials, Mozley speaks a powerful message on breast cancer.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For Mozely, a two-time breast cancer survivor, awareness is paramount.

"It's so important for women to take a proactive stance on (breast cancer)," Mozley said, who was first diagnosed in 2003 after a routine mammogram.

"When I had it the first time, the world just stopped," said Mozley who was treated by lumpectomy and mammosite radiation therapy targeted into her breast twice a day. The five-day therapy, equivalent of 30-day therapy, was suspended for a week when Mozley's mother died.

Regular mammograms are essential to early detection, said Mozely, Admissions Director of The Walker School in Marietta.

"But not all cancers are detected by mammograms; that's the scary thing," she said. "That's why it's important to know your body, to check it."

Even though Mozley had regular mammograms, her usual check up did not detect a second cancer. Mozley discovered dimpling of the breast in June 2009 while toweling off after a shower. Located on the same breast around the site where she had scarring from the earlier mammosite radiation therapy, it turned out to be a tumor.

"I knew it didn't look good," she said.

Women need to know the signs of breast cancer such as dimpling of the breast, nipple discharge and swelling under the arms, said Mozley. "You've got to be aware of your body because it will tell you when something's wrong," she said.

Mozley, an advocate of self-breast exams, also encourages adopting a monthly buddy system with a friend to remind each other it's time for a self-exam.

Although Mozley was calmer the second time around having been diagnosed at Stage 1, she admits, "I was kind of dumb founded because I cleared the five-year hurdle."

"I didn't panic because I knew I could be cured because I had just done a mammogram not too long ago," she said.

Because the second cancer was in the same breast, Mozley took her doctors' advice, opting for a double mastectomy followed by chemotherapy. The percentage for recurrence was greater, and reconstruction of the breast was also easier if both breasts were done at the same time, she explained.

Although self-sufficient, Mozely welcomed the support of friends and family during her illness who provided essentials such as meals, transportation to and from doctors' appointments and company.

"The love, support and caring of friends has been amazing," she said, "People have been so incredibly wonderful to me."

With the support of many, a confident Mozley said it is important for those who have been through this to lead the charge in awareness.

"Find it yourself," she urges on being proactive, "It saves lives."

---