Author: On Common Ground News

State Rep. Vernon Jones has filed an ethics complaint against DeKalb County’s Ethics Officer Stacey Kalberman for violating state laws that prohibit the ethics officer from involvement in the county’s political affairs. Jones filed the report on March 15, citing his own personal observations and media reports of Kalberman actively working to get legislation passed to make changes to the DeKalb County Board of Ethics. The state ethics law, passed in 2015, states in Section 22Å(i)(2): “The ethics officer shall not be involved in partisan or nonpartisan political activities or the political affairs of DeKalb County.” Additionally, the Board of…

During the first Saturday of Operation Clean Sweep, DeKalb County crews removed more than 50 tons of debris from a 12-mile stretch of South Stone Mountain-Lithonia, Panola and Redan roads. “Operation Clean Sweep is an initiative created by DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond, voted on by the commissioners and organized across several DeKalb departments,” said Director of Beautification Marcus Kellum. “We all know what we need to do, and we’re ready to do it.” At the March 11 kickoff, Thurmond honored DeKalb resident Cynthia Houston who helped inspire the Operation Clean Sweep initiative. “Long before I ever thought about…

Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival The third annual Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival will be held on March 25-26h 26, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Blackburn Park, 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE, Brookhaven. Families, including four legged friends, are invited out for an afternoon of fun in the sun, food and live music. The two-day festival will include a pet costume contest and pet parade, interactive children’s village, a classic car show, 5K Race and 1K walk, artisan’s marketplace, food trucks. For more information, visit brookcherryfest.org.   ATLANTA Local author presents civil rights lecture with rarely seen photos The Auburn…

State Sen. Tonya Anderson (D – Lithonia) will host a town hall meeting on Monday, March 27, 6:30 until 8 p.m., at Antioch A.M.E. Church, 765 S. Hairston Road, Stone Mountain. The meeting will cover bills that have passed in the Senate, bills on the calendar and how this legislation could affect you and your family. Sen. Anderson encourages members of the public to attend as this meeting serves as a forum for concerned citizens to have their voices heard by legislators. Anderson represents the 43rd Senate District, which includes portions of DeKalb, Newton and Rockdale counties. She may be…

Join DeKalb County Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson and staff members along with District 4 Commissioner Steve Bradshaw for an in-depth look at how homeowners and senior citizens may save money on their annual property taxes. The meeting will be held on Monday, March 27, 7 p.m., DeKalb County Fire Station Community #25 Community Room, 7136 Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain. For more information, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/taxcommissioner or call 404-298-4000. Commissioner Bradshaw can be reached at Srbradshaw@dekalbcountyga.gov or 404-371-4907.

The City of Decatur is hosting its annual Touch-A-Budget Expo, 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, on the MARTA Plaza. Every one in the community is welcome at this free event. The purpose of Touch-A-Budget is to engage people of all ages in the city’s budgeting process in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. In addition to learning about the city’s plans for spending in the July 2017 – June 2018 fiscal year, the expo will feature music, food and prizes. The popular Card of Strategy game returns this year, appropriate for ages 5 to 105. Public safety and public…

WorkSource DeKalb will host its 2017 “Youth ROCK! EXPOsed,” April 3-4, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Georgia Piedmont Technical College Conference Center, 495 North Indian Creek Road, Clarkston, Georgia. The free event aims to prepare DeKalb County youths for summer employment opportunities with workshops such as resume writing, dressing for success, effective communication and entrepreneurship. Attendees also can participate in a job fair and gain assistance researching scholarships. Youths who complete the career readiness training at the expo and are selected to participate in the DeKalb Works Summer Employment Program will be able to apply participation in this event…

MARTA recently honored two veteran bus operators for driving more than a million miles without a preventable incident. Bus operators Arluther Deadwyler and Coy Dumas Jr. received MARTA’s Million Mile Safe Driver Award — earning an elite designation among their peers nationwide. For more than four decades, Deadwyler and Dumas navigated busy streets across MARTA’s service areas.  While Deadwyler and Dumas’ routes may have changed over the year, their commitment to safety never wavered. “I’m thankful to have been recognized,” said Deadwyler, who has driven more than 1,290,000 miles incident free. “We have a job to do and rules to…

Gov. Nathan Deal, in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), presented 24 businesses with GLOBE (Georgia Launching Opportunities By Exporting) Awards at the 2017 Go Global reception. The state-led awards program recognizes companies that entered into a new international market in the previous year. “The Go Global event highlights innovative businesses and the enormous impact trade has on Georgia’s economy, while providing industry leaders an opportunity to network and strengthen relationships with international partners,” said Deal. “These businesses contribute heavily to Georgia’s success in exports and significantly bolster the state’s economy by reaching new markets. In 2016,…

TUCKER—The Kingdom Builders Gospel Awards will host its inaugural Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, March 25, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., at Restoration Church of deliverance, 4874 North Royal Atlanta Road, Tucker. The theme, “Activate Your Now Faith,” will equip, empower and enable men and women to pray with greater power. Evangelist Valerie Curtis of Open Door Outreach Center in Riverdale, Georgia will be the keynote speaker. Currently, she serves as an associate minister of the Open Door Outreach Center and a Ministerial Liaison to Apostle Mary…