🌱Dallas Man Arrested In Sweet 16 Shooting + Local Man Drowns In Fla.

Hello, everybody! It's me, Linda Marlow, your host of the Patch newsletter. Let's get this Wednesday started off right with a quick guide to the most important things happening in town, including updates on:

• Villa Rica man drowned after falling into the Gulf of Mexico at Bradenton Beach.
• Smyrna man sentenced to prison for defrauding CARES act funds.
• Dallas man arrested as the fifth suspect in the Sweet 16 party shooting.

But first, today's weather: Today will be partly to mostly cloudy with a high of around 85, and winds from the south at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight, we can expect mostly cloudy skies, a low around 65, and light and variable winds.

Business owners and marketers in Dallas-Hiram: Do you want to build awareness with local customers? I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top stories in Dallas-Hiram today:

1. Stephen Carmichael, 75, of Villa Rica, drowned on March 27 in Bradenton Beach after falling into the Gulf of Mexico. Carmichael was discovered floating in the water by teenage vacationers from Ohio, according to a report from the Bradenton Beach Police Department. Carmichael was pronounced dead at the HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton, despite the efforts of Kristine Blumenthal and BBPD Officer Kyle Orms. According to his online obituary, Carmichael enjoyed golfing and had been married to wife Beverly for 46 years after retiring from a 40-year career with Norfolk Southern railroad. The District 12 Medical Examiner's Office is investigating his death, and the autopsy results are pending. (The Islander)
2. Rowlando Hatter Jr., 32, of Smyrna, was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for his role in an illegal scheme to obtain $3.3 million in COVID-related unemployment insurance benefits using the personal information of more than 100 victims. Hatter received debit cards from five different state workforce agencies, which he used to withdraw cash. Clyde Parker, Hatter's co-conspirator, was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $596,348.50 in restitution. Hatter's sentence stemmed from allegations that he directed state workforce agencies in five states to pay out fraudulently obtained benefits. (Cobb County Courier)
3. On Saturday, Tahkel Marquise Beverly-Smart, 21, from Dallas, became the fifth suspect to be arrested in relation to the mass shooting that took place at a Sweet 16 party in Douglasville, killing two teenagers in early March. Beverly-Smart has been charged with 80 counts related to the incident and was denied bond. The other four suspects, charged with mass murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery, were previously identified and arrested. (Fox5 Atlanta)
4. The Georgia state Board of Education has released a new set of English and language arts (ELA) standards for public comment as part of a longer process of revising the state's standards across all grade levels. The new standards include a "foundations" category for kindergarten through 5th grade, with a focus on phonics skills, and the "practices" category has been redesigned to cover K-12 instead of being grade-specific. The standards were created by a working group of 300 educators from across the state and feedback was received from more than 14,000 Georgians on an earlier draft of the standards posted last November. (GPB)

Today in Dallas-Hiram:

• Spring Break — Paulding County School District (All Day)
• Computer Basics and Internet Essentials — Dallas Public Library (11:00 AM)
• Mahjong — Paulding Senior Center (2:00 PM)
• Tween Switch Hangout — Maude P Ragsdale Hiram Library (3:00-5:00 PM)
• Logan Wilson & Adam Wagnor Live — 278 South (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Patch Real Estate News: Don't let finding your next home be a headache. Patch's weekly real estate roundup brings you recently listed and interesting houses to hit the market in the local area, including any scheduled open houses that may be coming up. Take a look at the properties in the Dallas-Hiram area and click any address to see more details. Get ready to start your happy house hunting. (Patch Real Estate News)
• City of Dallas, Georgia – Government: Free Movie Night. See the movie Encanto, April 21, at the Dallas Theater downtown. Seating is on a first come first serve basis. (City of Dallas, Georgia – Government via Facebook)
• New Georgia Public Library: The New Georgia Public Library is hosting an Easter Egg-Stravaganza today. Children aged 0-5 can participate in an egg hunt at 10:30, while those aged 6 and above can join the fun at 11:30. The event promises to be exciting with the added bonus of a photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny. (New Georgia Public Library via Facebook)
• Maude P. Ragsdale Hiram Library: Come craft with the library on Monday, April 17 for Earth Day. It is drop-in between 2 - 6 p.m. and there will be various craft supplies in the children's room to help yourself to. (Maude P. Ragsdale Hiram Library via Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all good for today! See you tomorrow for your next update.

— Linda Marlow

About me: Linda Marlow is an experienced writer and communications professional with a diverse background in industries such as healthcare, education, publishing, and performing arts. She is a Dallas resident who is passionate about sharing the latest news and events happening in Paulding County through her writing. Linda is currently serving as a contributing writer for the Dallas-Hiram Patch newsletter, where she continues to use her storytelling skills to inform and engage the local community.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Dallas-Hiram Patch newsletter? Contact me at Dallas-Hiram@Patch.com