OPINION: COUNCILMAN’S ‘BIG HOLE IN GROUND’ IS TURNING SQUARE INTO ‘TARP TOWN’ / 6A MariettaMarietta DailyDaily JournalJournal COBB’ S LOCAL NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1866 MDJONLINE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2011 50¢

COMING SUNDAY Another milestone for Congresswoman shot in head starting to speak ‘more and more’ By Amanda Lee Myers spokesman C.J. Karamargin said Wednes- and a federal judge, were killed in the attack Writer day. He didn’t know what her first words outside a grocery store where Giffords was were, but said that at breakfast one morn- meeting with constituents. Thirteen people, PHOENIX — Rep. Gabrielle ing she asked for toast. including Giffords, were injured. Giffords spoke for the first time since she “She’s working very hard and it’s pay- Other news organizations, including was shot in the forehead, her spokesman ing off,” he told The Associated Press. , earlier reported that Giffords had said Wednesday, yet another significant “We’re elated at this. We always knew asked for toast and was able to speak. milestone in her recovery from a traumat- Gabby is a fighter and that she’s not going In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Gif- ic brain injury. to let this thing win. And you know, every fords’ husband said his wife Giffords first spoke within the past few day is proof of that.” U.S. Rep. Gabrielle days and is speaking “more and more,” Six people, including a 9-year-old girl See Milestone, Page 5A ‘Gabby’ Giffords

Aisle Style A ROCKIN’ SUCCESS School board Cobb Life’s 2011 Brides magazine offers tips from to vote anew wedding planners on everything from how to wow ’em with a gown, on calendar making personalized invita- tions, top-tier cakemakers, Online survey to be posted Friday choosing rings and gifts for community members, teachers, and how to stage parties. Gracing the cover is parents to vote on three options Kennesaw State University student and Kennesaw By Kathryn Malone resident Melissa Martin. [email protected] Get all you need to know about Brides in Sunday’s MARIETTA — The Cobb School Board will Marietta Daily Journal. reconsider the controversial, so-called “balanced calendar” and will decide next week on calendars for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school INSIDE TODAY years. On Wednesday morning, vice chair Scott Sweeney asked that dis- SPORTS trict staff present three calendar options at the board’s next meeting, at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17, for a vote, and the board agreed, 5-2, with David Scott Banks and Lynnda Eagle dissenting. Sweeney Sweeney and Kathleen Angeluc- ci, who both presented information to the board on Wednesday about the calendar and are in favor of a more traditional calendar, will be working with Superintendent Fred Sanderson this week to create the calendar options. Board Chair- Lassiter girls after woman Alison Bartlett asked that at Kathleen least one of the options be the cur- Angelucci state swim ‘4-peat’ rent balanced calendar. At the request of Eagle, the board will post a The Lassiter High survey through Survey Monkey with the three cal- School girls swimming endar options on the district website, asking com- team will try to extend their munity members, teachers and parents to vote on dominance in the pool by their preference. going after their fourth The survey will be available from 3 p.m. Friday straight state championship when the tournament See Calendar, Page 5A begins at Georgia Tech. — Page 1C LIFESTYLE Early deadlines Because of the threat of inclement weath- er moving into the metro Atlanta area on Staff/Mike Jacoby Wednesday night, the Marietta Daily Journal To Your Success Vice President Zach Childers, left, company President Jim Childers, published today’s edition on early deadlines. seated, and Derek LoVerde, director of sales and marketing, pose at the Acworth com- Some late news and regular features — such pany's operation on Acworth Due West Road in Kennesaw. The company provides as lottery numbers and late-night sports customer ‘thank you’ gifts, surveys and other tools to gauge customer contentment events — may not be included today. with a business. It has grown rapidly in its 12 years, shipping more than 50,000 gifts We regret any inconvenience this may last year to 47 states. And even with the economic downturn, it showed an 11 percent cause our readers and we expect to resume gain in 2010 over 2009. For a company profile, see Page 4B. regular deadlines tonight.

Marjorie’s cupcakes are made with love Strokes rising fast Former Cartersville legislator Marjorie Gregory Clarke among America’s of Marietta believes her gets 11th District GDOT post cupcakes are special young, middle-aged because they come from a By Jon Gillooly (R-Marietta) said “I would recipe her mom gave her.  Diet sodas linked to stroke risk / 4A [email protected] love to have had somebody 4A who outright represents — Page 1D By Marilynn Marchione ATLANTA — Former Cobb, but if that wasn’t going Associated Press Writer state Rep. Jeff Lewis of to happen, I guess he’s the COBB & STATE Cartersville was elected best one. I guess I’m as happy LOS ANGELES — Strokes are rising dra- Wednesday to represent the as I can be.” matically among young and middle-aged Ameri- 11th Congressional District GDOT board members, cans while dropping in older people, a sign that seat on the 13-member Geor- who serve five-year terms, are gia Department of Trans- the obesity epidemic may be starting to reshape elected by a majority of a portation board. the age burden of the disease. General Assembly caucus “You had four great candi- from each of Georgia’s 13 The numbers, reported Wednesday at an dates. You really did, and it American Stroke Association conference, come Skip Butler/The Daily Tribune News congressional districts. There was a tough choice,” State are 11 state senators and 21 from the first large nationwide study of stroke Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyr- Former state Rep. Jeff hospitalizations by age. Government researchers Lewis of Cartersville. state representatives who vote na) said. by secret ballot for the posi- compared hospitalizations in 1994 and 1995 with Lewis, who served in the Galleria Centre set ones in 2006 and 2007. Sen. John Wiles, a Republi- tion. Of the 32 lawmakers state House as a Republican can also from Kennesaw. who vote in the 11th Congres- to host flower show The sharpest increase — 51 percent — was from 1993 to 2008, ousted among men 15 through 34. Strokes rose among Stoner said it took four bal- sional District, 15 represent incumbent David Doss of lots to determine the winner. The 24th annual South- women in this age group, too, but not as fast — Cobb. Rome, first elected in 2002, The first ballot eliminated 17 percent. Some have questioned eastern Flower Show and beat out two other chal- Chastain, the second eliminat- “It’s definitely alarming,” said Dr. Ralph whether it’s proper for Lewis returns to the Cobb Galle- lengers, commercial real ed Wiles and the third was a Sacco, American Heart Association president and to sit on GDOT’s board given ria Centre Feb. 25-27. estate agent Paul Chastain of tie between Lewis and Doss. — Page 1B See Stroke, Page 5A Kennesaw and former state State Rep. Judy Manning See GDOT, Page 5A

INSIDE  145th year, edition 41 OUTSIDE Bieber fever ADVICE 2D COMICS 7D MOVIES 3D ‘Beliebers’ pack singer’s BUSINESS 4B CROSSWORD 5C OBITUARIES 3B 44 25 CLASSIFIEDS 5C LIFESTYLE 1D OPINION 6A HIGH LOW documentary premiere COBB/STATE 1B LOTTERY 2A SPORTS 1C Partly cloudy More on page 8B PAGE 2A THEBRIEFCASE EDITOR: DONNA ESPY  [email protected]  770-428-9411, ext. 520 Vinings resident helps form new COBBBUSINESS Atlanta law firm THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2011 MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL PAGE 4B From staff reports Atlanta trial attorneys Andrew M. Beal, a COBB/SMALL BUSINESS Vinings resident, and James D. Blitch IV have formed Beal & Blitch LLP law firm. The firm, located in Midtown Atlanta, represents a broad To their success range of businesses and clients in litigation in federal and state courts, as well as other alternative dispute reso- lution matters. Beal graduated from Duke University and earned his Andrew M. law degree from the Univer- Beal sity of Georgia School of Law, where he was active in the Moot Court Society and taught in the School of Business. He began his legal career in 1986 with Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi, a national firm specializing in products liability and proper- ty subrogation claims. Marietta firm gets GDOT contract C.W. Matthews Contracting Company, Inc., of Marietta, was awarded a Georgia Department of Transportation contract for $30.9 million. The 4.7-mile CD lane project will begin this spring and is scheduled to be completed by August 2013. The firm will construct two eastbound CD lanes parallel to and on the south side of Interstate 20. The lanes are designed to improve mobility and safety in this corridor, essentially by moving the heavy local traffic between Interstate 285 and Wesley Chapel Road off of I-20 east and onto the CD lanes. ... Atlanta-based accounting firm Moore Colson has announced it has hired a business assurance professional and three business assurance interns. Kelly Bird has been hired as a busi- ness assurance senior associate, and Bevan Hopper, Meg King and Jenna Kelley have been hired as business assurance interns. ... Skyline Pest Solutions & Home Inspections of Marietta has acquired CRC Services Ter- mite & Pest Control, which had been Staff/Mike Jacoby serving metro To Your Success part-time worker Rebekah Childers, left, and Vice President Zach Childers pack up the company’s customer Atlanta and appreciation gifts at its operation on Acworth Due West Road in Kennesaw. north Georgia for more than 30 years. CRC Services was a pri- vately held family business founded by Con- ’ : nie R. Couch. ... From today through April Cobb company s key Customer satisfaction 14, Austell taxpayers can get free help filing By Donna Espy cookies with their thank you their personal income tax returns from [email protected] note,” Abernathy said. “That AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers. really sets us apart.” Richard Cramer, Tax-Aide state coordinator “There is only one boss — Abernathy said Childers and for Georgia, said help is available at 125 the customer. And he can fire his employees will probably sites throughout Georgia. For more informa- everybody in the company, sim- help E. Smith celebrate its 50th tion about locations or volunteering for the ply by spending his money anniversary next year. “It would program, go to www.aarp.org/taxaide or call somewhere else.” — Sam be nice to send something spe- (888)-227-7669. Walton, Wal-Mart founder cial to our customers for our 50th,” Abernathy said. “We’ll Businessman Jim Childers turn to Jim to help with that — SNAPSHOT has created a business that I can’t imagine anyone else but combines an all-important cus- him filling that niche for us.” tomer satisfaction aspect with a Jim’s family helps fill that cookie. niche as well. His son, Zach, Childers is president of To 28, is vice president, and his Your Success, a family owned son-in-law, Derek LoVerde, 31, and operated business providing is director of sales and market- customer thank-you gifts, cus- ing. Family friend Caron Startt tomer satisfaction surveys and is operations manager and, other tools to gauge customer when needed, Jim’s wife and satisfaction with a business. The co-owner Olive, their daughter, cookies are a way of saying Rebekah, 20, and younger son, ‘thank you’ from a firm to a John, jump in to help get ship- new customer, often adding a ments out every Tuesday and ‘wow’ factor to the process. Thursday — a must to make The delightful smell of sure the fresh-baked cookies cookies baking is one perk of arrive on time. working at the Acworth Due “Having good people is the Staff/Anthony Stalcup West Road business, which is hardest part of having a busi- CHAMBER AWARD: Allan Bishop, with housed in a 1909 home on ness,” Childers said. “God has WellStar, right, was recently honored with a three acres. Products are put the right people here at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce Campaign shipped via the U.S. Postal right time.” He added they aver- Lifetime Achievement Award at the Cham- Service and range from $25 age around 12 employees but ber’s annual awards dinner. Chamber tins and soft-sided coolers to have had as many as 15 during Chairman Rob Garcia hands him the award. $80 Waterford Crystal bowls Christmas and summer months. filled with cookies, candy, cof- And many of those are college fee and nuts. students or others who need a “I felt like, if we help others To Your Success co-owner Olive Childers arranges cook- job in today’s tough economy, succeed, then we’ll have suc- ies on a cart at To Your Success. Childers said. “We see this as a We welcome your cess ourselves,” said Childers, ministry to offer work to people 59, explaining how he came up ping out 5,000 gifts.” “We have been doing busi- going through tough times in business news with the company name. A man Childers attends trade shows ness with To Your Success for their lives.” of strong faith, Childers said he around the country with cook- over 10 years,” said Debbie Their family business is The Marietta Daily Journal wants your believes God gave him the busi- ies in hand. The three indus- Abernathy, vice president of E. grounded in the Christian faith, business news for our expanded two pages ness idea and the name. “We tries that make up the majority Smith Heating and Air. “Last said Childers, who attends of coverage on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fri- want to give God all the credit.” of his customers are heating year they sent approximately Roswell Street Baptist Church days and Sundays, with an emphasis on The 12-year-old firm has and air-conditioning, recre- 466 cookie tins, E. Smith logo in Marietta. “Our goal in this Cobb news. seen much success. It shipped ational vehicle and mobility grocery recycle bags and cus- business is to win more people We ask that you send us your business more than 50,000 gifts last year businesses. tomer reply cards with a thank- to Christ and let people see news — new business, promotions, new to 47 states. Even with the eco- E. Smith Heating and Air you note for us.” that a business can be run by hires, expansion, and so on. Is your compa- Biblical principles and can ny or organization planning an important nomic downturn, the company Conditioning in Marietta uses Abernathy said she runs into meeting? Send us the news and we’ll pub- saw an 11 percent increase in the company to ship out cookies customers throughout the com- work,” Childers said. “And to lish it in our business calendar of events. sales in 2010 compared with to their new equipment cus- munity who comment on the honor God in everything we Send all news to Business Editor Donna 2009, Childers said. tomers. They come in recycled gift of cookies — fresh-baked do.” Espy at [email protected]. “And in January we’ve grocery bags with the company Otis Spunkmeyer cookies in For more information, visit We also ask that you include photos with already seen a 25 percent logo on it and have proven to be four different flavors. “They www.ToYourSuccess.com. your news and send them in jpeg form, please. increase over last January, ship- a big hit. will tell me they got the nicest

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