🌱 Cobb County Schools Best Place To Work + Rising Domestic Violence

Good morning, neighbors! It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Patch newsletter. Come along for the most important things happening in town.

But first, today's weather:

Breezy and cooler. High: 55 Low: 27.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Marietta who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top three stories in Marietta today:

1. Forbes named the Cobb County School District one of the Best Large Employers for 2023. This comes following the District being cited as one of the best places to work in Georgia four years in a row. Cobb is one of two public school districts to be recognized and noted alongside other institutions like the University of Georgia, Delta Airlines, and Coca-Cola. (Subscription: MDJOnline.com)
2. The Cobb County District Attorney (DA) Flynn Broady shared that domestic violence has increased by nearly 30 percent in Cobb County since the pandemic. To combat this, Broady is pushing for a family advocacy center to support survivors and those affected by domestic violence. The DA hopes to open the center in the spring, but additional funding is needed. The Cobb County Board of Commissioners will vote on increased funding for the center at the end of February. (WSB Atlanta)
3. The Cobb County School District announced Georgia's Building Educator Success Together (BEST) program, allowing teachers to earn advanced degrees in education for free at the University of West Georgia. The partnership will enable 500 educators a year to participate. All programs are available online, and classes will start as early as June 2023. (Cobb Schools)

Today in Marietta:

• An Evening With Mimi Naja And Parker Smith At The Hunt House (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Marietta has announced Feb. 12 as Ron Carter Day. Carter is the house organist at Earl Smith Strand Theatre. (Subscription: MDJOnline.com)
• Women and high school female seniors are invited to attend a self-defense class hosted by the Marietta Police Department on Feb. 21 (for women) and Apr. 17 (for students). The Rape Aggression Defense course be 12 hours long and located at the Marietta Police Department. (Subscription: The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
• “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” begins today at the Marietta Theatre Company and will run through Mar. 4. You can get your tickets here. (Travel Cobb)

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Featured events:

• Rae and the Ragdolls (February 18)
• BJ's Wholesale Club Pre-opening Limited-time Offer (February 23)
• Add your event

You're all caught up for today! I'll see you around.

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.