Author: On Common Ground News

Featured Event   Fresh On DeK Mobile Market brings fresh produce to the community The DeKalb Mobile Farmers Market will be held on Thursday, June 29, 12 – 2 p.m. at the Redan-Trotti Library, 1569 Wellborn Road, Lithonia. The mobile market provides access to healthy, affordable food for communities where access to fresh regionally-grown fruits and vegetables is limited. The Mobile Market accepts EBT (SNAP benefits), credit cards, checks and cash. The DeKalb Mobile Farmers Market is a program of DeKalb County Extension Services. For more information, call 770-482-3821.   ATLANTA Grab a bite to eat at Food…

DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond will detail progress made toward addressing the water billing crisis during his third update meeting on Thursday, June 29, 6:30 p.m., at Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur. Before the meeting, DeKalb County water billing representatives will be available to assist customers with new water billing disputes and general water billing questions. Representatives also will be able to verify whether the customer is in dispute process. Customers also will be able to learn whether their bills are still being held for evaluation. DeKalb County water billing representatives will not be able to access the billing system,…

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) have announced the formation of the Congressional Caucus for Advancement of Studio, Talent and Film Diversity. The new bi-partisan caucus aims to focus on increasing opportunities for minorities in the film and television industries. The three representatives, all serving as co-chairs, plan to add to its congressional membership in the coming weeks. “Last year, I challenged the Academy to be diverse and inclusive. This year, Oscar nominees were more diverse and that’s good, but the underlying problem has not gone away: Minorities are underrepresented in all key roles in…

DeKalb County children are invited to help select Hairston Park’s new playground on Saturday, June 24, 11:30 am. Friends of Hairston Park is hosting a special planning meeting seeking input from citizens about the park’s planned upgrades at the Mainstreet Community Center, 5001 Mainstreet Park, Stone Mountain. Hairston Park is a 45.7-acre park located in the Greater Hidden Hills community. Children attending the meeting will review three playground renderings presented by DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs. The rendering with the most votes will be selected as Hairston Park’s preferred playground. Attendees will also learn more about Friends of…

Written by Rockdale Tax Commissioner Tisa Smart-Washington By now, Rockdale County property owners should have already received their assessment notices in the mail and had an opportunity to review them. On some notices, nothing changed from last year. On other notices, the changes may mean changes on the tax bill that will be mailed in the fall. For property owners who appealed the value of their assessment by the June 12 deadline, the question may be “now what?” Chief Assessor Lamar Sims shared the appeal process with me. Once a homeowner has filed an appeal with the Board of Assessors,…

Councilwoman Diane Adoma has been selected as an upcoming member of the Leadership DeKalb Class of 2018. Leadership DeKalb was founded in 1986 by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce to educate community leaders and to address issues facing the growing population. Leadership DeKalb’s purpose it to connect leaders and inform them on matters that are vital to the county and enhances their leadership skills. This is a great honor for Councilwoman Adoma and one that will create new and exciting future opportunities. The program will run from August 2017 until June 2018.

Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC) announced the roll-out of its new Advanced Manufacturing Lab before a packed crowd of invited guests from the four-county area: DeKalb, Rockdale, Newton and Morgan counties. The new lab, which will be located on the college’s Newton campus, is designed for individuals who are interested in pursuing manufacturing sector careers. Attendees at the June 19 roll-out included Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Deputy Commissioner Matt Arthur; community, business and top manufacturing leaders; K-12 school superintendents; CEOs of the region’s career academies; and elected and appointed officials from throughout the college’s four-county service area. “We get it. Forward-thinking businesses such…

Former NBA player Mike “Stinger” Glenn held the 38th annual “Mike Glenn Basketball Camp for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing” athletes in Decatur. The weeklong camp started on June 18 and concluded on June 23 at Clairmont Presbyterian Church and the Church at Decatur Heights. “Our goal as always is to provide our campers with a fun-filled week that could be considered the best week of their lives,” said Glenn. The camp offered practice sessions, drills, scrimmages at Clairmont Presbyterian Church culminating with an All-Star game at the Decatur Recreation Center. “Last summer at our 37th annual camp,…

Rainbow Park Baptist Church, 2941 Columbia Drive, Decatur, invites the public to its annual Vacation Bible School. The Vacation Bible School will be held for all ages pre-k to adults July 10-13, 6 to 8 p.m. It’s free to attend. This year’s program is entitled “Galactic Starveyors: Discovering the God of the Universe.” There will be a time of singing, storytelling, crafts and snacks. Don’t miss out. Transportation can be provided. To learn more about this and other upcoming events at “The Park,” visit http://www.rainbowparkbaptist.org or call us at 404-288-1910.

The Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) will conduct two public kick‐off meetings to start an update process of the Hazard Mitigation Plan for Rockdale County. The meetings will be held on Thursday, June 29, 3 until 4:30 p.m. and again from 5:30 until 7 p.m. at the Rockdale County Fire Rescue Training Annex located at 2150 Iris Drive, SW, Conyers.         The Hazard Mitigation Plan update is required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to keep Rockdale County eligible for federal mitigation assistance for future disasters. Citizens, businesses and interested parties are invited to attend…