🌱 Drug Exchange Gone Wrong + Rescuing Hope Combats Sex Trafficking

Morning, everybody. I'm here with your Saturday edition of the Marietta Patch newsletter, full of all the things you need to know about what's happening in town.

But first, today's weather:

Cooler with occasional rain. High: 51 Low: 36.

Are you tired of blending in with all the other real estate agents in Marietta? Stand out with a premium sponsorship in our newsletter. Gain valuable exposure for yourself to our highly engaged local readership. Click here to learn more about this exclusive opportunity.

Here are the top three stories in Marietta today:

1. Atlanta police are investigating an alleged drug exchange gone bad as two men were shot in Buckhead. Around 6:15 p.m. Thursday evening, police responded to a call of shots fired at Lucian Books and Wine, right at the intersection of Peachtree Road and Pharr Road near Bagley Park. According to police reports, both men were alert and conscious while being taken to the hospital, and one suspect was arrested at the scene. (11Alive.com WXIA)
2. Cobb County nonprofit "Rescuing Hope" is playing its part in trying to combat the human trafficking issue in Georgia and educate the young early to avoid potentially dangerous situations. Rescuing Hope offers sex trafficking 101 for teachers to educate them on seeing the signs early of potential victims and the Play It Safe program aimed at middle schoolers and high schoolers; the Marietta school district just completed these programs recently. Sex traffickers usually target victims early, as young as 11 and 12 years old, so the earlier exposure to information, the better the Marietta school district will partake in this course annually. (WSB Atlanta)
3. What started as a sweet memory on vacation in 2016 became a business and hot spot in 2022 as Eric and Anne Mullenax founded Doodle Pies and secured their space in a Roswell shopping center near the Super Target. Doodle Pies is a pie shop with a signature menu highlighting favorites and a build-your-own dimension where you can make your hot pie savory or sweet based on the ingredients in the shop. Doodle Pies is becoming an integral part of the Roswell community as they want to expand into Sandy Springs and Buford; the Roswell location is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. (Atlanta Magazine)

Today in Marietta:

• Hoopcoming Dance At Wheeler High School (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Want to learn about the city government, the city of Marietta has opened registration for the City's 2023 Citizens' Government Academy. This free seven-week course is limited to the first 25 to register, the course starts Mar. 16. (City of Marietta, Ga., Government via Facebook)
• Friendly reminder, all businesses should regularly test cameras to ensure they are storing footage and operating correctly for maximum usage. Managers should also train staff to share media with investigators if a crime occurs. (Marietta, Georgia Police Department via Facebook)
• Celebrate Black History Month with the schools of Marietta as they honor the African American leaders who have impacted the schools and the community. Vanessa James has been through the schooling system and spent 32 years teaching at MCS. (Marietta City Schools via Facebook)
• Here’s some Super Bowl weekend trivia for you: Georgia ranks 5th in the nation for producing the most NFL athletes, with 1,004 NFL players and 218 Super Bowl players hailing from our state since the 1966-67 season. Check out more Super Bowl stats from across the country in this new BeenVerified study. (BeenVerified)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Warehouse Sale! (February 11)
• Playhouse Family Show! (February 11)
• Love at First Bite (February 14)

Other featured classifieds:

• Looking to Rent A Warehouse for 2 weeks Atlanta (Details)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday! 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.