Author: On Common Ground News

Featured Event Decatur lantern parade set Light up the night at the Decatur Lantern Parade on Friday, May 12, 8 p.m. at the Color Wheel Studio, 508 E. Howard Ave., Atlanta. Make your own lantern at home or attend a lantern-making workshop where supplies and guidance are provided. Line-up at Color Wheel Studio begins at 8 p.m., with the parade beginning at 9 p.m. and ending at the Decatur Square. Parade music will be provided by the Black Sheep Ensemble and Wasted Potential Brass Band. Please note the Decatur Lantern Parade is battery powered. Flying lanterns are forbidden. For more…

ATLANTA—MARTA is making commuting easier with discounted unlimited two-day weekend passes and discounted 30-day passes beginning in May. For $10.50, the “Ride The Weekend” Pass provides unlimited rides on the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s buses and trains on Saturdays and Sundays. Passes will be on sale until June 30, 2017, but customers can use them on any weekend of their choice. “Weekends in Atlanta offer a full range of activities and attractions that MARTA customers now have even more reason to take advantage of,” said MARTA GM/CEO Keith T. Parker. “Our array of discounted fares helps get more people…

State Sen. Emanuel Jones (D – Decatur) will co-host a town hall meeting with Commissioner Larry Johnson on Thursday, May 11, 6:30 p.m., at New Life Church, 3592 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur. Jones will be joined by representatives from the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Georgia Department of Education, local public safety officials, DeKalb County School Board members and local commissioners to provide updates on community initiatives.

Dionne McGee has been appointed as a DeKalb County Deputy Chief Assistant Solicitor-General for the Office of Solicitor General. McGee, one of three Deputy Chief Assistant Solicitor Generals, is responsible for the Special Victims Unit and Community Outreach. A former prosecutor with the DeKalb Solicitor-General’s Office, McGee had been in private practice focusing on family law matters, criminal defense and personal injury after trying to unseat Dax Lopez in 2012 for state court Judge. McGee returned this year to the Solicitor-General’s office after being appointed by DeKalb’s new Solicitor-General Donna Coleman Stribling. The Special Victims Unit McGee oversees is comprised…

WorkSource DeKalb will move its weekly training information sessions to Thursdays at 10 a.m. beginning Thursday, May 18. The last Tuesday orientation will be May 9. Sessions are held at WorkSource DeKalb’s office at 774 Jordan Lane, Decatur. Training information sessions discuss Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) eligibility, training requirements, available resources and assessments. Individuals receive a training request questionnaire and receive an assigned career counselor to assist in the application process. Attendance is mandatory in order to access WIOA training. WorkSource DeKalb administers various employment and training programs for adults, dislocated workers and youth ages 14-24. Occupational skills…

The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management reminds businesses and residents that DeKalb remains under a Level 2 drought response. DeKalb and eight other counties rely on Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River as their primary water sources and all remain in a Level 2 drought. Outdoor watering is restricted to twice a week. Even-numbered addresses and sites with no numbered address may water Wednesdays and Saturdays, while those with odd-numbered addresses may water on Thursdays and Sundays. Watering is only permitted before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. The following practices are not subject to the 4 p.m. to 10 a.m.…

Taylor Hicks, a senior at Salem High School in Rockdale County was named winner of the Rotary Club of Rockdale County’s Four-Way Test essay contest. Students were asked to submit essays on the guiding principles of the Rotary Club, called the Four Way Test, which asks “Of the things we think, say or do: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” Hicks, who will attend the University of West Georgia in the fall, was awarded a $1,000 scholarship at the May 3 meeting…

Rockdale Youth Leadership (RYL) celebrated the development of another cohort of young leaders at Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) with a graduation ceremony held May 1 at Rockdale Career Academy. The eight-month program, modeled after the Leadership Rockdale program and conducted by RCPS and the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce, teaches sophomores about the industries, institutions, government agencies, and community in Conyers-Rockdale and Georgia. Participants, who hone leadership skills and receive networking opportunities during the program, often go on to become student leaders during their junior and senior years at RCPS. Graduates will be able to wear a cord at their…

As summer approaches, the Department of Driver Services (DDS) reminds students needing to test for an instructional permit or driver’s license over the long vacation to obtain a “DDS Certificate of Enrollment Form” from their school administration before the end of the school year.  Students planning for an on-the-road test will also need a Georgia Alcohol Drug Awareness Program (ADAP) Certificate of Completion. DDS Commissioner Spencer R. Moore encourages teens to visit the DDS website at www.dds.georgia.gov as they prepare for their first license. “It is important that teen drivers visit our website as they work toward becoming…