Crime Watch; Debt Vote; Bus Blues

1. The East Cobb Target store where  was arrested last week is among the Cobb locations for today's National Night Out, a crime awareness and prevention event held in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies. 

The Target location is at 3040 Shallowford Road, near the intersection of Sandy Plains Road. The event takes place from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and we'll have a full report on Wednesday. 

Cobb police continue to investigate other pickpocket incidents in that area and elsewhere in the county. the arrest came after a man took a wallet from a purse in a shopping cart at the East Piedmont Publix on Wednesday. 

Elsewhere in East Cobb, Cobb police are busy investigating two robberies in the Powers Ferry/Delk Road area in the last week, including at  on Sunday. 

Along the Franklin Road area in nearby Marietta city limits, four block parties are being conducted for National Night Out: Autumn View, Las Colinas, Ridge Pointe and Crossings at Wood Station. 

We couldn't find any local promos to highlight, but the accompanying video from St. Paul, Minn. is typical of how some police departments are getting the word out. 

2. The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday afternoon voted 269-161 in favor of an agreement to lift the federal debt ceiling, avoiding default for the first time in American history. 

Rep. Tom Price of Roswell, who represents most of East Cobb, voted for the plan, while Marietta Congressman Phil Gingrey voted against. 

Both are conservative Republicans who demanded spending cuts without increases in revenue and advocate a balanced budget amendment. 

Some Tea Party activists -- Price and Gingrey are both sympathetic to that cause -- are clearly not hapy with the deal. 

House Democrats split their vote at 95-95. Rep. David Scott, who represents parts of Smyrna and South Cobb, voted yes, but just as many Congressional liberals and their allies found the measure equally distasteful. 

We'll have more on the debt bill as it goes before the Senate today. 

3. School's almost back in session, as we noted yesterday, but that hasn't stopped many East Cobb families from a steady summer of continuing education. 

East Cobb mom and Patch Local Voices blogger Kathryn Patterson about how pleased she and her kids have been with Khan Academy, an online education source with plenty of courses for youngsters and adults alike. 

It gets funding from Google and the Gates Foundation, and Kathryn reports how thrilled she is at the array of courses about investments and finances. She's planning to blog about that real soon. 

4. The last ride for Route 65 -- the last Cobb Community Transit bus to serve the heart of East Cobb -- took place on Friday, as cuts to that and two other little-utilized routes in South Cobb went into effect on Monday. 

While most East Cobbers probably won't notice (65 had fewer than 500 average weekly riders), the cuts also effect Cobb paratransit routes, and that's a very different story.

At a meeting with the East Cobb Civic Association last week, Cobb commissioner Bob Ott said that Route 65 for paratransit riders is one of the most heavily used in the county. 

He said efforts are underway to find private, altnerative routes for paratansit riders in East Cobb.

5. No matter how you get around, take it easy and keep your cool. Temperatures in the high 90s, with a heat index nearing 103, are forecast for Tuesday, and it's not going to get much better during the week. 

A Code Orange Alert has already been issued for today.