Author: On Common Ground News

Suite 20 Xpress, the brainchild of platform stylist Kristy Gaiters to provide affordable healthy hair in the booming Atlanta hair industry, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this month in the South DeKalb community. The salon, located at 5561 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain, is not only known for providing quality hairdos at affordable prices but for honoring community leaders at its annual International Trailblazers Awards. “We are excited about our 10-year celebration and the International Trailblazers Awards. It is our honor to pay tribute to those who have given to our communities,” said Gaiters, who grew her business from humble beginnings.…

Yielding to pleas from the business community and others, the Stonecrest City Council unanimously adopted a zero millage rate, effectively voting down a proposed 1 percent millage increase. The council reached its decision on July 5 after holding its third and final public hearing as required by law. No one spoke in favor of the increase at any of the hearings. Homeowners who currently have homestead exemption would not have been impacted by the increase because the 1 percent homestead exemption would have offset the hike and the net effect would have been zero. Owners of commercial and rental…

MARTA is reminding customers to upgrade to the new silver Breeze cards. After July 10, the blue Breeze cards will no longer be accepted at MARTA fare readers. The new silver cards, which can be purchased for $2, offer added security to combat fraud and abuse. “Although we first introduced our new cards in January of last year, we still have a few remaining customers who haven’t fully converted to our new silver Breeze cards,” said MARTA GM/CEO Keith Parker. “We want to encourage everyone to upgrade to the silver Breeze card to help minimize any confusion on July…

The DeKalb County Sanitation Division is launching a glass recycling drop-off program. Effective Monday, July 17, DeKalb residents can no longer place glass in curbside recycling bins for plastics. An official launch event will be held Thursday, July 13, at 10 a.m., at the Sanitation Division administration building, 3720 Leroy Scott Drive, Decatur. All recycling collected at the drop-off locations will be used for manufacturing new glass containers and fiberglass. Before dropping off glass containers, residents should rinse all food and liquids. Only food and beverage glass containers that are blue, green, clear or brown glass will be accepted. The…

Health TRUST Rockdale, the grant-making division of the Hospital Authority of Rockdale County (HARC), will accept applications Aug. 1-4 for its final grant cycle of 2017.  Nonprofit or government agencies working to improve the physical and mental health of Rockdale residents are encouraged to apply. HARC ended its last grant cycle in May, awarding $154,854 to 11 agencies: B.O.L.D. Ministries; Horse & Harp; Longleaf Hospice Foundation; Prevent Child Abuse Rockdale; Project ReNeWal; Rockdale Cares; Rockdale County Accountability Courts, Rockdale Emergency Relief; Rockdale Houses for Men & Women; Servants of the Lord Meals on Wheels; and ViewPoint Health. “The Authority is…

DeKalb County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, District 4, will meet with the Southland community on July 18, 6 p.m., at The Southland Country Club, 5726 Southland Drive, Stone Mountain. Those who would like to ask Commissioner Bradshaw a question should email Linda Mayhand at lfmay@bellsouth.net before the meeting.

Saturday, July 8: Coffee and Conversation with Council member Diane Adoma, 9:30 a.m., Dunkin Donuts, 3068 Panola Road, Suite 1 (next to T-Mobile). Topics to be discussed: High Paying Local Jobs; Beautiful Neighborhoods; Upscale local restaurants and retail shopping; public safety; Technology Village; youth programs and zoning. Adoma will host a District 5 Town Hall meeting on July 18, 6-7:30 p.m., at Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road. There will be a special guest presentation on a revitalization project. Monday, July 10: Council member Jimmy Clanton will host a District 1Town Hall meeting at 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Stonecrest Library. Residents are…

The Rockdale County Water and Sewerage Authority will meet on Tuesday, July 11, 8:30 a.m., at the Rockdale Assembly Hall, 901 Main St., Conyers. The meeting is open to the public. The Conyers/Rockdale Planning Commission meeting will be held Thursday, July 13, 7 p.m., in the Rockdale Assembly Hall.

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson, District 3, recently hosted his annual “boot camp” for homeowners. The free information session, which was held at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center in Decatur, gave homeowners an opportunity to learn how to sustain a homeowners’ association and how to protect their investments in their homes. County officials, including Code Enforcement representatives, provided homeowners information on the dos and don’ts, and representatives from BB&T Bank, State Farm and the DeKalb Alliance discussed available resources. Commissioner Johnson said more than 150 people and estimated 40 Homeowners Associations attended the boot camp.

  Penny Womack, an Adult Education instructor at Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC), was recently named runner-up for Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE), a national organization promoting adult literacy and education. “Penny Womack’s commitment to adult education and her willingness to go above and beyond by spending extra time to assure her students succeed has been recognized nationally by COABE,” said GPTC President Jabari Simama. “She is the type of instructor, teacher, and mentor that we value at Georgia Piedmont, and her work ethic is exemplary,” he said. Womack began teaching Adult Education…