Monday News You Can Use

Weather. The afternoon commute could be a messy one as occasional showers and thunderstorms are expected Monday, with some potentially severe storms, according to the National Weather Service. It will be windy and unseasonably warm with a high near 74 degrees with wind between five and 20 miles per hour. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent with new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch. Going into Monday night, there is a slight chance of showers before 1 a.m. with a low temp around 41 degrees.

Schools Open. After a week off for winter break, area teachers and students are back in the classroom today, and a Smyrna pair will be honored tonight. student Joan Kathryn Bedinger and CHS teacher Betsy Bunte will be recognized at tonight’s annual Student and Teacher Achievement Recognition banquet at the First United Methodist Church in Marietta. The STAR program will honor 24 Cobb students for academic excellence tonight and Bedinger selected Bunte as the teacher who has positively influenced her at CHS.

Cobb Schools Scholarships. The Cobb Schools Foundation awards two $1,000 college scholarships to students at each of the 16 high schools in Cobb County School District. Scholarships are awarded based on academics, leadership and extra curricular involvement. Deadline to apply is today, Feb. 28 and scholarship applications available at www.cobbschoolsfoundation.org.

Cajun Food. is hosting a crawfish boil tonight to kick-off its Taste of New Orleans menu that begins Tuesday. Feast on fresh Louisiana crawfish with all the fixings including red potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and andouille saisage. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.

Vinings Business Association. The VBA is set to hold its first Tuesday of the month lunch meeting tomorrow at Social Vinings Restaurant. Featured speaker Terry Arrington will deliver a “Contacts-R-Gold’’ presentation helping business professionals turn valued scattered contact sources into an import-ready electronic file. See here for more information.

- Angela Chao contributed to this story.