Christopher Patrick Golden pleaded guilty Thursday morning to the murder of two Cobb County sheriff’s deputies who were killed at a west Cobb subdivision in September.

The negotiated plea agreement includes charges of aggravated assault and murder in the slaying of Deputies Jonathan Koleski and Marshall Ervin Junior. Under the terms of the agreement, Golden will receive two life sentences, plus an additional 55 years, without the possibility of parole. That would represent the maximum sentence short of the death penalty, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors told Superior Court Judge Julie Adams Jacobs they were prepared to seek the death penalty in the case, which drew national attention, before Golden’s attorneys approached them with a plea offer. After consulting with the deputies’ families, they agreed to the multiple life sentences. Golden, shackled at the wrists and ankles and clad in an orange jumpsuit, waived any right to appeal or challenge the plea in the future, or seek a pardon or parole. Because the sentencing terms were part of the plea agreement, no further hearings will be required.

A Kennesaw man has died after he was shot outside a Walmart in the Town Center area Wednesday, police announced Thursday night.

Eddie Figueroa  died from his injuries, the Cobb County Police Department said.

Officers responded to the Walmart in Town Center Market off of Chastain Meadows Parkway around 11:52 a.m. Wednesday, following 911 calls reporting an active shooter, according to police.

Though the incident was initially treated as an active shooter situation, officers later discovered it was not, and was in fact an altercation between two different sets of people, police said. While at the scene, Cobb police were contacted by the Marietta Police Department regarding a person, later identified as Figeuroa, at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound. Figueroa had been driven to the hospital in a private vehicle, according to police. The shooting led to the store being evacuated Wednesday. The Walmart anchors the Town Center Market shopping center, located off Barrett Parkway just east of Interstate 575. Police said at the scene the shooting occurred outside the store's automotive center.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Cobb Community Foundation announced that Sweetwater Mission was named the recipient of the first annual Howard Koepka Collaborative Spirit Award, an award that in its inaugural year carries with it an unrestricted grant of $10,000.

This new award honors the life and collaborative spirit of the late Howard Koepka, a much-loved community organizer known for asking everyone everywhere, “How can we help you?” In his role at Noonday Association of Churches, he was an integral part of the Cobb Community Food Fleet, an initiative of Cobb Community Foundation and Noonday Association in collaboration with 90 nonprofit, for profit, faith-based and government organizations that distributed over four million pounds of food during the pandemic. The Howard Koepka Collaborative Spirit Award honors not just Koepka but those organizations who embody his collaborative spirit. Of the 10 organizations nominated, Sweetwater stood out as exemplifying the idea that multiple organizations working together can accomplish more than any single organization can accomplish on its own.

Former McEachern High School standout Tremayne Anchrum Jr. believes in making the world around him a better place.

Now, the offensive lineman is being recognized for his efforts.

Anchrum was selected as the Los Angeles Rams’ nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award earlier this week.

The award, considered one of the league’s most prestigious honors, is given to the NFL player who is not only an outstanding player, but one who excels within the community.

Former Rams offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth, the 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year, surprised Anchrum with the news while he was volunteering with the Hollywood Food Coalition. Anchrum began volunteering with the coalition during the pandemic and has continued as a weekly volunteer. Anchrum, a seventh-round draft pick of the Rams in 2020 out of Clemson, also volunteers at the Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club. During the offseason, he often spent 4-5 hours per day volunteering and working with youth.

Anchrum continues to volunteer the Boys and Girls Club and recently took a group of 15 to the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum after demonstrators on a major highway in Los Angeles displayed antisemitic messages.

This year, Anchrum also brought “My Chemo Fairy” to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. “My Chemo Fairy” provides a child who is fighting cancer, and their family, something to look forward to when it comes time for treatment, and it is a way to let them know there are people ready to support them. The gesture is in an effort to carry on the legacy of former McEachern offensive line coach Geoff Pastrick, who died in 2020 after fighting lymphoma. Anchrum is also an ambassador of Set the Expectation, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending sexual and interpersonal violence through advocacy, prevention work with men and engagement with agencies servicing survivors and their families.

Anchrum also supported a U.S. Vets gala to raise money to address veteran homelessness and many other local causes in the Los Angeles area. Each of the 32 Walter Payton Award nominees will be recognized for their work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona. The winner will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air the Thursday before the Super Bowl on NBC.

Each nominee will receive up to a $40,000 donation in their name to their charity of choice, and the winner will receive up to a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

The American Lung Association has launched its 2023 Fight For Air Climb Firefighter Calendar, which honors first responders from across the U.S., including Matt Stewart from the Smyrna Fire Department.

Every year, thousands of firefighters race up hundreds of stairs in full firefighter gear weighing over 40 pounds during American Lung Association Fight For Air Climbs in more than 40 cities nationwide. Stewart of the Smyrna Fire Department was chosen as one of the American Lung Association’s top Fight For Air Climb firefighters nationwide. Stewart, who became a firefighter to be a part of something bigger than himself, has been a firefighter with the Smyrna Fire Department for two years.

The 2023 calendar also includes fire safety tips, statistics on how fires affect one's lung health and tips for the Fight For Air Climb. All proceeds will support the American Lung Association’s mission to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research.

To purchase a calendar, visit Lung.org/calendar.

 In a small room off the Tapp Middle School auditorium, Powder Springs Mayor Al Thurman cut the ribbon for the city’s new food pantry Wednesday.

The project is a partnership between the city of Powder Springs and Goodr, a waste management company that supplies nonprofits with surplus food from businesses. The store stocks non-perishables, fresh produce and refrigerated goods such as eggs, bacon and deli meat — all of which is free. Goodr CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston, a former Powder Springs resident who now lives in Mableton, also attended the ribbon-cutting, along with the members of the Powder Springs City Council. Tapp Middle School Principal Alvin Thomas said the store will be open to the families of Tapp Middle School students until after the holidays, when it will open to the rest of the community. The pantry, Thomas said, will help ensure kids who rely on school lunches also have food on weekends. Thomas said that providing food for students and their families is another way the school can fulfill students’ emotional, social and academic needs. Powder Springs funded the store with federal COVID-19 relief money from the American Rescue Plan Act. Powder Springs ARPA Program Manager Wayne Wright estimated the project cost around $100,000. This is the fifth of Goodr’s grocery store-style food pantries, which are run mostly by local volunteers.

#CobbCounty #Georgia #LocalNews     

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