Marietta Daily Journal Podcast

McEachern girls' and boy's basketball teams roll to Elite 8

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Show Notes

The McEachern girls dominated the first half, then fought off a strong comeback by Campbell in the second to take a 50-47 victory over their longtime county rivals in the second round of the Class AAAAAAA state basketball tournament at Lovinggood Arena on Saturday.

It was all McEachern in the first half as it led 30-15 at halftime, but Campbell outscored the Indians 32-20 in the second half to narrow the margin.

With the win, McEachern advanced to the state quarterfinals for the 10th time in 13 years. The Indians will host Central Gwinnett in the state quarterfinals Wednesday at 6 p.m.

The McEachern boys earned its seventh state quarterfinal appearance in eight years with a resounding 88-51 victory over Westlake in the second round of the Class AAAAAAA state tournament at Lovinggood Arena on Saturday.

With the win, McEachern will now host county rival Wheeler in a quarterfinal showdown between the top two ranked teams in the state in the ScoreAtlanta pre-tournament Class 7 A boys’ state rankings – with the Wildcats ranked Number 1 and the Indians Number 2. That game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday.

The Black History Month dinner hosted by the city of Smyrna, called off multiple times in recent years because of the pandemic, convened Friday evening at the Smyrna recreation center.

More than 150 people were eager to listen to the night’s keynote speaker, Erica Armstrong Dunbar, author of “She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman.”

Councilman Lewis Wheaton welcomed and thanked the guests for coming, reminding them that the proceeds from the evening would benefit the foundations for Griffin and Campbell middle schools, before introducing Dunbar to loud applause.

Dunbar’s goal was to reintroduce people to Harriet Tubman. Tubman is best known as the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad — a network of secret routes slaves used during the 1800s to escape to freedom. Tubman would make the journey to lead people out of enslavement at least 13 times. Dunbar discussed how the Black Lives Matter movement reminds Americans of the people and names who have been and continue to be lost to violence, adding that social reform is an ongoing process. With her book, Dunbar said she was trying to tell the story of a complex woman who dedicated her life to social justice, and how her influence still inspires new generations.

After the presentation, a long line formed to get books autographed by the author, particularly some young readers, who remarked that they really loved hearing about Harriet Tubman.

Several hundred people ran full tilt into Lake Acworth on Saturday — some of them in costume.

The brisk excursion was part of the “Polar Plunge,” an annual national fundraiser for the Special Olympics.

The money will help run and sponsor athletes for the state’s Special Olympics, which will be at Emory University in May. The event was jointly organized by the Special Olympics of Georgia and Law Enforcement Torch Run, a long-running campaign among law enforcement professionals who support the Special Olympics.

Several local law enforcement agencies raised money and submerged officers and staff, including the Kennesaw and Acworth police departments, and the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department, the latter of which won the costume contest by riding into the lake on toy horses. The water temperature inside the lake was estimated to be in the upper 50s.

Matthew Wynne, a Special Olympics athlete who grew up in Alpharetta, said the cold water is part of what makes the event fun, and he wouldn’t have minded if the water had been more frigid.

Georgia Milton-Sheats, CEO of Special Olympics Georgia since 1999, ran into the lake alongside other Special Olympics organizers. She said almost 500 people raised money and registered for the plunge, and the event raised more than $230,000.

State Senator Ed Setzler, filed legislation this week to reimpose Republicans’ county commission district map on the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

Senate Bill 236 mirrors the map passed last year by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp, which drew Democratic Commissioner Jerica Richardson out of her seat.

The proposal comes after Setzler filed a bill — SB 124 — explicitly prohibiting Georgia counties from drawing their own district lines, which the commission’s Democrats have been working to do since October. If passed, the tandem bills could overrule the Democrats’ “home rule” effort designed to amend the district lines and keep Richardson in office.

Though Republican officials, including Attorney General Chris Carr, have said the home rule bid is unconstitutional, Richardson and her two Democratic colleagues on the Cobb Board of Commissioners maintain the effort is legal.

Richardson said were the legislation to be passed, it would end her tenure on the board. East Cobb resident Larry Savage, meanwhile, challenged the constitutionality of the home rule effort in a lawsuit filed just before the new year. That lawsuit was later withdrawn, with Savage saying a follow-up suit was forthcoming.

That suit, however, has yet to materialize. Savage last said he was working with a new attorney but did not respond to a request for comment this week.

Andrew Young Jr., former ambassador to the United Nations, former congressman, past mayor of Atlanta and civil rights icon, will be the keynote speaker at the Georgia Symphony Orchestra’s annual Celebrity Luncheon fundraiser.

The event will take place March 18 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Marietta Country Club.

Ambassador Young will be joined by a group of local artists, authors, musicians and business leaders. Proceeds from the event will benefit the GSO’s musical performance, youth education and outreach programs. Not only are guests certain to be inspired by Ambassador Young, but they also will select to be seated at a table with one of a carefully curated collection of influential and creative area personalities to learn more about them. A specially created three-course menu will be prepared by Gary Sanderson, Marietta Country Club executive chef, and his team. The event also will provide a fantastic opportunity for guests to indulge themselves from among an array of silent and live auction goods, such as rare trinkets and tidbits, fine art and everyday splurges.

On March 11, Cobb County will be well represented in the 139th Atlanta St. Patrick's Parade as it marches down Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta.

Ten local groups will participate in one the largest St. Patrick’s parades in the Southeast, which draws hundreds of parade watchers from around the region. The parade will begin at noon at the intersection of Peachtree Street and 15th Street and will continue down Peachtree to 5th Street, concluding at 1:30 p.m.

The Cobb County Groups are:

- the 116th Army Band,

Artz for the Harp,

Atlanta Freedom Band,

Atlanta Gaelic Athletic Association,

Cosplay Volunteers of Atlanta,

DREAM Dachshund Rescue,

Firefighters Emerald Society of Metropolitan Atlanta,

Georgia Smoke Diver Association,

MIB DragonCon Parade Crew

and Twilight Twirlers of Marietta

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