🌱 Smyrna Plans To Purchase Church + Grenades Found In Veterans Home

Welcome back, Smyrna-Vinings. I'm here in your inbox this morning to get you caught up on everything you need to know about what's going on in town.

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny and pleasant. High: 79 Low: 60.

Here are the top three stories today in Smyrna-Vinings:

1. Smyrna city officials have approved a plan to purchase the 8.9-acre Smyrna First Baptist Church campus for $15.8 million as part of a downtown expansion. The church will lease the building from the city for up to four years while they construct a new structure on a 5.5-acre tract of land they plan to buy from the city for $3.3 million. Some residents, including mayoral candidate Alex Backry, expressed concerns about the lack of details regarding land preparation costs and the use of taxpayer money for the project. (The Center Square)
2. Recently, Cobb County police, while in the home of a deceased veteran, discovered several unexploded grenades that were over 50 years old. The Cobb bomb squad was called in to assess and ensure the safety of these explosives. The police did not disclose the veteran's identity or specify the war in which the veteran had served. (WSB-TV)
3. The battalion fire chief for Cobb County, John Graham, has filed a civil lawsuit against the county, alleging that he has not been compensated for three years' worth of overtime work. The lawsuit claims that the county failed to provide overtime compensation to Graham, who has been with the county fire department for nearly 30 years and serves as a battalion chief in a salary-based position. The suit is part of a broader issue concerning fire chiefs and their entitlement to overtime compensation. (WSB-TV)

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Today in Smyrna-Vinings:

Thursday, September 21

• Preschool Storytime With Cobb Collaborative At Smyrna Library (10:30 AM)
• Symrna Chapter: What Can Photographers Learn From Paintings At Smyrna Community Center (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Mark your calendar for a Spooky Festival in downtown Smyrna on Oct. 27! Click the link to learn more. (Smyrna Parks and Recreation via Facebook)
• Alive After Five is back today, Sep. 21, at 5:30 p.m. at Old Smyrna Firehouse with Powers Electrical Solution! (Smyrna Business Association via Facebook)
• Smyrna Parks and Recreation has a new 17 ft. x 10 ft. LED screen to broadcast football games for College Football Saturday. The first event will kick off on Sep. 30 at 3:00 p.m. (Smyrna Parks and Recreation via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• Hispanic Heritage Food Testing (September 22)
• Social Security Seminar on Sept 25th and 26th at Sandy Springs Public Library (September 26)
• Microchip & Vaccination Clinic for Dogs & Cats - Low Cost (October 8)
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You're all caught up for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— 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.