Divers Recover Body of Drowning Victim on Lake Lanier – Cumming Patch

A family outing on Lake Lanier turned tragic Thursday afternoon after a 44-year-old man drowns.

Rodrigo Bernal Trejo was pronounced dead at Northside Hospital-Forsyth said Capt. Jason Shivers with the Forsyth County Fire Department, according to Deputy Coroner Nickie Stockel.

Shivers said units were dispatched at 3:08 p.m. to Lake Lanier for a "missing person, presumed drowning victim."

"Upon our arrival we confirmed with family and friends, and bystanders that in fact a drowning was witnessed of an adult male off the shore of West Bank Park [located off Buford Dam Road] here in Forsyth County," said Shivers.

FCFD divers performed an initial surface search, followed by an underwater search where the body of Trejo was recovered and brought to shore at 3:46 p.m.

Disney World Tells 'Santa Claus' to Change – Roswell Patch

Thomas Tolbert, a Roswell resident and Santa Claus impersonator, was recently told by park officials at Disney World to tone down his "jolly" look, report several media outlets.

Tolbert, who once owned a local formal wear store and now works at Summer's Landing senior living community, committed to his look a long time ago, according to an interview with 11 Alive News, telling them although he doesn't always put on the suit, he does stay in character wearing "Santa-casual."

Even without the suit, families requested pictures and autographs throughout his vacation with family at the park. After several days, Disney officials pulled Tolbert aside and told him to change, although he refused.

Group Renews Call for Cherokee Schools to End Graduations at Church – Canton-Sixes Patch

Now that a federal appeals court has ruled that two Wisconsin high schools violated the U.S. Constitution when they held graduations in a church, a group that threatened to sue the Cherokee County School District for doing the same thing said local officials "must stop this anti-liberty and repressive practice."

Jeffrey Selman, the president of the North Metro Atlanta Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said Wednesday that he, along with the leaders of Georgia's two other AU affiliates, "unequivocally renew the call to stop the inappropriate use of religious venues for public school graduations.

It was 2010 when AU attorneys asked Cherokee to move high school graduations from a religious venue to a secular one. At the time, Selman said the group intervened after "a member of the community asked AU for help in stopping this constitutional violation."

The request, and the potential for litigation, sparked a community uproar in Cherokee, which had held commencement exercises at First Baptist Church of Woodstock since 2005.

Fatal Accident on I-575 in Northeast Cobb – Northeast Cobb Patch

One person was killed in a fiery accident on Interstate 575 at Hawkins Store Road on Friday morning, according to the Cobb County Police Department.

According to information reported by the Marietta Daily Journal, a Ford Expedition was traveling southbound on I-575 at 3:45 a.m. Friday when the car left the roadway, struck part of the Hawkins Store Road bridge, and burst into flames under the bridge. The driver, the lone occupant of the vehicle, was killed in the accident.

Ethics Board Member Resigns – Kennesaw Patch

One member of Kennesaw's Board of Ethics said she has resigned effective immediately after being "blindsided" at a meeting on Tuesday to review a complaint filed against Mayor Mark Mathews.

Mathews said it was unfortunate that Alberstadt resigned.

However, members of an ethics board have to be aware that at some point they likely will hear cases against elected officials, the mayor said.

Alberstadt said that during the hour-long meeting, the board was told by an attorney sent to advise them that the city's ethics code doesn't apply to elected officials. For example, elected officials aren't included in the city's personnel policy, which includes the use of city property for personal reasons. That was one of the complaints filed by Kennesaw resident David Ermutlu.

"Well, what the hell are we having a meeting for?" Alberstadt said. "What the hell do we have a room full of people for? What the hell is Mark Mathews sitting right behind my back for?"

Funeral for Usher's Stepson Held at Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Buckhead – Buckhead Patch

Family and friends gathered for the funeral of 11 year-old Kile Glover on Friday at Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Buckhead. Glover is the son of Tameka Foster, who was married to Grammy-winning pop star Usher.

A volunteer with Wieuca Road Baptist Church, 3626 Peachtree Road NE, told Buckhead Patch that while they are not directly involved with funeral preparations, it has been their goal to take care of and protect the family — who began arriving at the church around 9:15 a.m.

The funeral was set to begin at 11 a.m. and Atlanta police were on the scene directing traffic. At around 10:30 a.m., funeral attendees lined the front of the church as a precession of limousines and and SUVs arrived at the church.