Author: On Common Ground News

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – The Gwinnett County Police Department is searching for a missing juvenile who walked away from a local hotel overnight with no shoes. Demond Alexander, 15, has a medical condition which makes him unable to be left without parental care for long, his mother said.  Alexander left the Country Inn and Suites hotel, located at 5970 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross, around 4:15 a.m., police said.  The child’s mother called 911 to report the teen had gone to the lobby of the hotel the night before around 11 p.m. to get coffee and never came back The teen was…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—A joint Rockdale County Legislative Delegation meeting will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m., at the Conyers-Rockdale Library, 864 Green St. S.W. The meeting will provide an opportunity to hear from state lawmakers who represent Rockdale residents. Key updates will be provided and the community will have an opportunity to ask questions and share their concerns ahead of the Legislative Session, which begins in January 2025. Rockdale Delegation leaders include: State Sen. Tonya Anderson Peterson, Senate Delegation chair; State Rep. Rhonda Taylor, House Delegation chair; State Rep. Angela Moore, District 90; State Rep. Doreen Carter, 91;…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—Excel Church Worldwide is hosting its Thanksgiving Grocery & Turkey Giveaway on Saturday, Nov. 23. The church is located at 1151 Flat Shoals Rd SE, Conyers. The free food boxes will be available from 10 a.m. until noon or until the boxes run out. Typically, the church sets up a drive-up and volunteers distribute the boxes.  Excel Church is led by Pastor K. Francis Smith. 

The DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA) One Act Play troupe is set to participate in the GHSA One Act Play State Championships at Houston County High School on Saturday, Nov. 23,  at 9 a.m. DSA clinched a spot in the Class 1A Division 1 state championships by winning the Region 5-1A title during recent competition. The group is vying to win the school’s third state title to go with victories in 1999 and 2022. Two other DeKalb schools picked up region runner-up awards. McNair came in second in the Region 4-1A Division 1 competition. Redan claimed a runner-up spot in…

ATLANTA – Today, Speaker of the House Jon Burns (R-Newington) announced the application periods are now open for agriculture relief funds through the Georgia Forestry Commission, SAFETY 24 Hurricane Helene Relief Loan Program and The Weathered But Strong Georgia Hurricane Relief Fund. “Across Southeast Georgia, our farmers and timber producers are facing historic losses and devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,”  said Burns.  “The Georgia House is proud to work alongside Commissioner Harper, Governor Kemp and Lieutenant Governor Jones to secure this critical relief for the men and women who put food on our tables and keep our No. 1 industry…

ATLANTA—Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger officially certified the results of the 2024 Presidential Election today following county certification as well as two post-election audits.  Earlier this week, county election offices completed a hand count of over 700,000 ballots across the State, performing a Risk Limiting Audit (RLA) with a 95% risk limit. Additionally, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office completed an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) audit of every ballot cast in this election. “The votes were counted accurately, securely, and quickly,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “I’m proud to certify these results and we congratulate President-Elect Donald J. Trump on his…

DECATUR, GA—Some voters in DeKalb County will head to the polls again in the upcoming General/Special Election runoff, scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. When a candidate does not receive 50 percent plus one vote during the General Election, a runoff election is held.  The runoff election will include: DeKalb County Commission District 3, DeKalb County Super District 7, Atlanta City Council Post 3 (At-Large) and Doraville City Council District 1 – Post 2 (At-Large).  Only DeKalb voters who are registered in the runoff districts are eligible to cast ballots during the runoff. Voters can verify their districts by visiting…

ATLANTA—Gov. Brian P. Kemp today announced today, Nov. 21, that Irving Tissue will add 100+ new jobs as part of a nearly $600 million expansion at its Macon facility. Irving Tissue produces premium household paper products, including tissue and baby diapers for many of North America’s top retailers. Company President Robert K. Irving, Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller and other state and local leadership celebrated the announcement at Irving Tissue’s fifth anniversary celebration in Macon. “Since choosing Macon in 2017, Irving Tissue has invested around $1.5 billion into the community and created 400 well-paying jobs, with another 100 jobs on the way,” said…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) today reintroduced a resolution reaffirming the United States’ commitment to advancing racial justice, addressing systemic inequities, and promoting the rights and dignity of people of African descent globally.   The resolution calls for a second United Nations-designated International Decade for People of African Descent (2025 – 2034) and calls for national and international actions to combat racism and foster inclusion. “The first International Decade for People of African Descent laid important groundwork, but pervasive systemic inequities continue to challenge communities across the worldwide African diaspora,” said Congressman Johnson. “This…