Whether you're ready or not, the new year is upon us this Sunday. So if you're looking for a few things to do on New Year's Day, here are five suggestions. 1. Watch NFL Football Normally, New Year's Day is heaven on earth for college football fans. But since New Year's Day is on a Sunday this year, the bowl games have been pushed to Monday. So, New Year's Day 2012 is all about the NFL. This is an exciting day to watch, especially since most of the games being played will impact the playoffs. The Detroit Lions will play the Green Bay Packers at 1 p.m. on Fox, as if we even had to tell you that…

Hello South Cobbers! It's been a little while since our last "Five Things" column, but this is a very special one. 1. Today marks South Cobb Patch's first birthday! Yes, one year ago today, the site went live with tons of features and even breaking news about a knife-wielding man who was killed by an officer. You'll see more features all week long as we celebrate this event! Want to give us a great birthday present? We want more e-newsletter subscriptions and more Facebook "likes."  Make sure you're signed up for our e-newsletter by clicking "newsletters" at the very bottom of the homepage …

It’s back to work this morning for everyone. It’s not going to be all that pretty, either. There’s a 50 percent chance of rain, and The Weather Channel is predicting thunderstorms throughout the day, night and into Wednesday for South Cobb. Trash pickup in Austell resumes this morning. However, the Austell City Council meeting usually held on the first Monday of every month has been rescheduled for July 11. So has the regular meeting of the Austell Community Taskforce. ACT will also hold a meeting for anyone interested in helping with their annual Back to School Bash at 7 p.m. at the South …

Today is officially the first day of summer. You'll know it as soon as you walk out the door. According to the National Weather Service, the high will be 93 today. (It's already nearly 90 degrees this morning.) There is a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms and showers after 2 p.m.  The Board of Commissioners Zoning Hearing will be held today at 9 a.m. at the BOC room at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta.  The South Cobb Regional Library is hosting a morning book discussion at 11 a.m. and a journaling workshop at 6 p.m. Needing to use a computer? Check out CobbWorks mobile computer lab at the South…

The City of Austell is holding its regular city council meeting tonight at 7. Duane Demeritt, operations manager for the city's public works department will be presented a pin as Certified Floodplain Manager. The fun of Mableton Community Day is not over yet! The Mableton Community Day afterparty is slated to take place on Saturday at Mexico Lindo. Albert McCrae, one of the primary organizers of the event, wants to thank everyone for their support with this community bash. That's not the only community bash going on this weekend either. Back 2 Back Chiropractic will be holding a Community …

1.     Today the City of Austell holds its Pre-agenda city council meeting at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. 2.     The Cobb Board of Commissioners meet today for their 9:30 a.m. agenda work session at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta before their meeting on Tuesday. 3.     The Cobb Transit Authority Board meeting will also be held at 6:30 p.m. at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta. 4.     Enjoy the World of Art exhibit at the Mable House Arts Center. The exhibit is on display from now until May 27. The facility is open Mondays through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until hours change due to budget cuts. 5.     …

1.     It’s Spring Break. That means no school zones this week, but it also means there will be kids in the neighborhood during the day, riding their bikes in the cul-de-sac or running around the grocery store, so get ready. Also, if you and the children don’t have plans for the day, bring them to the South Cobb Regional Library at 3:30 p.m. to talk “peace” and for a reading of “ Zero and One” by Otoshi. 2.     Another place to take the children this week is to the Mable House Arts Center for the last week of Floyd Middle School’s art exhibit. The center is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 10…

1. Austell residents should not be alarmed to see 35-foot flames shooting into the air today right before lunchtime at about 11:30 a.m. The Austell Gas System is doing away with its propane tanks and will use only natural gas from this point forward. Mayor Joe Jenkins said the company will burn off vapors left in propane tanks after the propane is pumped into tanker trucks. The propane tanks will then be transported for disposal. Jerkins said it would take two to three days to burn off the vapors in what he estimated to be about 20 propane tanks. 2. No early SPLOST voting today. The official …

The Consignment Sale of the Year is here. Well, the first one is anyway. The popular biannual Orange Hill Baptist Church’s  Kids Kingdom sale will run through Saturday. Come watch fathers play in Imagine International Academy of Mableton’s flag football game fundraiser at Whitefield Academy at 6 p.m. Tonight is also Cobb County Schools’ night with the Atlanta Hawks. Tickets start at a discounted rate of $26.25 and include a meal from Chick-Fil-A. Five dollars from each ticket sold benefits the Cobb Schools Foundation. On Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon, organizations and people from all over …

1.     Today the Cobb Board of Commissioners has its final vote on the Mableton Form-Based Redevelopment Code. The board will also approve design plans for the new Austell Senior Center being built in Clarkdale Park. The regular meeting is at 7 p.m. at their meeting room on 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta. 2.     CobbWorks will be providing services at the South Cobb Regional Library today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 3.     Lap swimming is allowed at the South Cobb Aquatic Center today at 8 to 9 a.m., and open swimming is from 2 to 4 p.m. Aquarobics is from 9 to 10 a.m. today. 4.     Since the kids …

On Tuesday, the Cobb Board of Commissioners’ worksession will be held at 9 a.m. and the regular meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Cobb Commissioners meeting room at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta. This is the final hearing about the nearly 70 code amendments, including the new form-based code for Mableton’s redevelopment district.  For more information about this district or code, click here.  Sports from Patch Sports Editor, Rory Sharrock: It was a down year for Pebblebrook basketball.­ The boys went 1-22 and the girls finished 6-20.­ Both squads lost in the first round of the Region 4-…

1.     The Cobb County Board of Commissioners is set to vote on a new 82-acre development, River View on the Chattahoochee, that will be built along the Chattahoocheee River in Mableton its 9 a.m. zoning hearing today. The development, which will take about seven to 10 years to fully develop, will be made up of both commercial and residential structures. The meeting will take place at the Board of Commissioners room at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta. 2.     If you haven’t taken the Cobb Schools online calendar survey, you still have time. It will be open until 1 p.m. on Thursday to allow people…

1.       Austell City Council meets today at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The council is set to approve the purchase of a new sand and salt spreader. 2.       Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairman Tim Lee will deliver his “State of the County” address this morning at the Cobb Chamber’s First Monday breakfast at 7:30 a.m. 3.       The Mableton Business Exchange meets today at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and networking at Mexico Lindo. 4.       What’s there to do tonight? Mexico Lindo is having its Monday Night Trivia starting at 7 p.m. and Good Shepherd Episcopal Church is serving its free weekly …

1.     Zoning: The new Riverview development will be considered this morning at 9 a.m. at the Planning Commission Zoning Hearing at the county government facility at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta. The Board of Zoning Appeals worksession is also being held at 9 a.m. at 1150 Powder Springs Rd. N.W. in Marietta. 2.     Cobb Battle II: South Cobb battles North Cobb again today in basketball at North Cobb High in Kennesaw. The varsity girls’ team begin playing at 6 p.m. and the varsity boys’ follow at 7:30 p.m. 3.     Business: The Christian Business Men’s Connection has its Austell Fellowship …

1.     South Cobb Rotary Club meets at noon at Presbyterian village. Come check it out! 2.     Today is the opening night of Pebblebrook High’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying,” which begins at 8 p.m. at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre at the Cobb Civic Center. The play’s actors, directors and crew worked tirelessly to bring this play to fruition despite the huge chunk of time lost because of January’s winter ice storm. 3.     Education: The Cobb County Board of Education meeting begins with public comment at 7 p.m. at the Cobb Central Office at 514 Glover St. in Marietta.  A …

1.     Though the S-word is being thrown around in the forecast, it is not supposed to make an appearance this weekend. However, grab what you need from the grocery stores because the flakes may begin to fall on Monday. 2.     South Cobb Regional Library is having a Martin Luther King program from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. for children, 5 years and older. The program will include stories and books. 3.     The Roswell Fine Arts Alliance continues its exhibit at the Mable House Arts Center throughout January and February. The reception for the exhibit is Saturday at the center from 7 to 9 p.m. 4…

1.  Today the sun is out and the high will be in the 50s. Hard to believe that just last week the entire city was covered in a blanket of ice. According to the forecast from the National Weather Services, you can expect a slight drizzle this morning and this evening with patchy fog throughout the first part of the day. 2. The Mableton Business Exchange will meet at 8:30 a.m. at MJ LMMNZ for its first meeting of 2011. The Mableton Business Exchange is a newly formed networking group that meets weekly to exchange leads, share expertise and form friendships. 3. The Roswell Fine Arts Alliance …

1.     The kids are back in school. The libraries are open, along with the banks and government offices. Finally. 2.     Today Austell City Mayor Joe Jerkins will deliver his 2011 State of the City address at noon at the Austell Business Association meeting at the city’s Threadmill Complex. 3.     The Cobb County Board of Commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. in the board’s meeting room on the second floor of the county government complex (100 Cherokee St., Marietta) for the regular meeting which was rescheduled due to the winter storm. 4.     Pebblebrook High School travels down the road to …

Martin Luther King became a world-renowned leader of non-violent social change yet he was once a part of the Atlanta community (and lived in what we call Cascade Patch.) King would have been 82 on Saturday, Jan. 15. King led many Civil Rights student movement meetings at Paschal’s Restaurant on Hunter Street, now Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., named in his honor. At the mere age of 15, he graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and went on to attend Morehouse College. Within the 39 years of his life, Dr. Martin Luther King was known as great orator, theologian, philosopher, a non-violent…

Here's what you need to know for Day FOUR of The Snowpocalypse: As the week winds down and hopefully so does the Snowpocalypse that has gripped Metro Atlanta, here are the most important things you need to know as we head into the fourth day of this winter storm. Schools: Kids R Kids daycare center opens Thursday at 10 a.m. .Cobb public schools will be closed on Thursday for a fourth straight day, along with South Cobb private schools, including all campuses of Cumberland Christian Academy and Whitefield Academy. All Thursday day and evening classes at Chattahoochee Technical College have …