🌱 Three-Step Approach To Hiding Guns From Kids + New Police Body Cams

Hello, friends! It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Patch newsletter. Come along for the most important things going on these days in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Wednesday: Clouds giving way to some sun. High: 69 Low: 57.
• Thursday: A shower and thunderstorm. High: 63 Low: 46.

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

1. Nationwide Children's Hospital's Center for Injury Research and Policy found that one in three families with children has at least one gun. Researchers also found that about 40 percent of all unintentional shooting fatalities of children aged 11-14 occur in a friend's home. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta officials are urging adults to follow a three-step approach: unload the firearm, lock it in a safe, and store ammunition separately from the firearm. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
2. Grammy-award-winning singer Rihanna's Savage X Fenty grand opening at the nearby Lenox Square Mall will be a grand two-day affair – especially since the opening falls on the same weekend as Rihanna performs at the 57th annual Super Bowl halftime show. The event will include a DJ, special giveaways, photo moments, and more throughout Saturday, Feb. 11 and Sunday, Feb. 12. (11Alive.com WXIA)
3. In nearby Austell, the City Council met on Monday night and approved body and dashboard camera upgrades for the Austell Police Department. Chief Scott Hamilton requested the new cameras, which will cost the city over $30,000 for body cameras and $349,000 for the in-car cameras (purchased at a later date). (Cobb County Courier)

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Today in Smyrna-Vinings:

• Soundcheck Music Bingo At Varners Restaurant And Tavern (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Hannah Ross, a children's library associate at Smyrna Public Library, led a story time event for infants and their parents yesterday. You can see photos of the event at the link! (Subscription: MDJOnline.com)
• Just a short drive from the Smyrna-Vinings area, the second annual Taste of Mableton is on Apr. 15! The community festival's first year was hugely successful, with over 3000 attendees and over 50 vendors and exhibitors. For more information and event location and hours, click here. (Subscription: MDJOnline.com)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• The Transistion Network (February 8)
• Anna Razumovskaya Artist Show (February 18)
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• Looking to Rent A Warehouse for 2 weeks Atlanta (Details)
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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! See you soon 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.