Hello, South Cobbers! We are South Cobb Patch, a local online news community dedicated to covering any and everything that happens in Austell and Mableton.

I'm Kiri Walton, the editor of South Cobb Patch. I'm a passionate journalist, who graduated with a bachelor's in journalism from the University of Florida and worked as a reporter for community newspapers before earning my master's from the Knight Foundation's Fellowship for Community Journalism at the University of Alabama.

I live right here in Austell, and I care about what's happening in the South Cobb community, an area that has more parks than any other part of the county and includes a large stretch of the legendary Silver Comet Trail.

South Cobb is also the home of Six Flags over Georgia and plenty of historical sites like the Mable House, which was used as a field hospital during the Civil War.

Despite being only miles from Metro Atlanta and a straight shot to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, South Cobb still has a small-town, down-home feel while maintaining a richness of arts, culture and diversity. With schools that have high levels of community involvement, great restaurants and shopping, Mableton is on the brink of a renaissance just as Austell begins to revitalize itself after the floods of 2009.

And South Cobb Patch will be your daily dedicated news source covering it all, so check us out! Our site is updated several times a day, so check it often. You can also follow us on Twitter at SouthCobbPatch or find us on Facebook.

I plan on reporting a lot of the good news that often gets brushed aside in other South Cobb coverage.

Here's where you can help! You can upload your announcements and events right onto the South Cobb Patch website, comment on stories and post your questions right onto the homepage.

Have a news tip or want to contribute? E-mail me at kiri.walton@patch.com.

You'll see me around South Cobb on my laptop at the local coffeehouses, reporting at local town meetings, schools, zoning boards, businesses, Little League games and writing about extraordinary local heros (and we have quite a few). Just come up and say hey. Tell me what's happening on your street or let me know what questions you have. Think of Patch as your community's set of eyes and ears, but most importantly as your community's voice.