Author: On Common Ground News

CONYERS, GA—R&B Singer Usher is opening Georgia’s first Dave’s Hot Chicken location in Conyers. The soft opening is on Thursday, Aug. 29, 11 a..m. Usher has teamed up with franchise owners Lawrence Kourie and Andrew Feghali to open multiple locations in the metro Atlanta area with the first location in Conyers at 1447 Highway 138 S.E. at the transformed site of the former Krystal restaurant. Dave’s Hot Chicken offers a seven-level spice scale from “No Spice” to “Reaper” chicken tenders and sliders, along with sides that include French fries, macaroni and cheese, kale slaw, cauliflower bites and cauliflower sliders. Dave’s…

DECATUR, GA—A 12-foot-tall bronze statue memorializing the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis now stands for the world to see in front of the historic Decatur Courthouse. It was in this Georgia district, just outside of Atlanta, where Lewis served for 17 consecutive terms as Congressman that the unveiling ceremony was held on Aug. 24, 2024. Hundreds turned out to witness the historic event, many lining up at the Decatur Square hours ahead of the 11 a.m. ceremony. Several dignitaries  paid tributes to Lewis as a hero for progress, including Ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young; U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock;…

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA– A team of residents will weigh in on County government priorities before Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson proposes the 2025 budget. Gwinnett County department directors and elected officials began presenting their 2025 business plans to a Citizens Budget Review Team on Monday, Aug. 26. Following the series of presentations, Chairwoman Hendrickson and the group will evaluate the needs of the departments and agencies that provide services to Gwinnett residents, businesses and visitors. From there, the team will recommend funding priorities from the viewpoint of a resident. “Gwinnett residents are integral to shaping our County’s future through their participation…

ATLANTA — Two employees were killed, and a third injured after a tire exploded in a Delta Air Lines maintenance area at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27. The deceased have been identified by the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office as Mirko Marweg, 58, and Luis Aldarondo, 37. The employees were team members of Delta TechOps, which is responsible for airline maintenance and repair. Authorities said the incident involved wheel components that were being disassembled for maintenance and were not attached to an aircraft when the incident happened. The incident did not impact operations at the airport, officials said. Investigations…

DECATUR, GA– Today, Aug. 34, tune in to DCTV Channel 23.TV to witness the historic unveiling of the John Lewis statue at 11 a.m. The ceremony, which will be live streamed, will be held in the Decatur Square. Crowds are expected to attend, but everyone can witness online, organizers say. The monument honors the late legendary Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who died July 2020 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Lewis was known for getting into “good trouble” through his nonviolent protests for civil rights.  Lewis, along with other noted civil rights activists led the landmark civil rights march that became known as…

Victim’s mother speaks out on son’s death WAYNE COUNTY, GA  – An 11-year-old juvenile charged in the death of Noah Bush, an 8-year-old Wayne County boy who was found drowned in May, confessed to his role in the homicide.  Atlanta Attorney Mawuli Davis, who is representing the family, said the11-year-old confessed to pushing Noah into a clay pit filled with water and holding his head under water until he died. The defendant was charged with Simple Battery, Involuntary Manslaughter, Concealing the Death of Another and Criminal Trespass. The judge sentenced the 11-year-old to the maximum penalty of two years in confinement.…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA —A fugitive shot and killed himself early today (Aug. 22) as Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T assisted the GBI and the U.S. Marshals in attempting to serve a felony murder warrant for his arrest. The suspect was wanted in Crawford County, authorities said. The incident unfolded at the Horizon Extended Stay Hotel on Old McDonough Highway, where the suspect had barricaded himself inside. Authorities were trying to serve the warrant when shots were fired during the standoff. No law enforcement officers were shot or injured. The suspect took his own life, authorities said. The suspect’s identity was…

DECATUR, GA – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) recently held his annual “Week of H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Elevate),” which was comprised of a four-part grants workshop series, A Day in My Shoes, where the Congressman visited a local nonprofit, and the H.O.P.E Award ceremony that recognized the outstanding work of local nonprofits throughout Georgia’s 4th Congressional District. The grants workshops were held via Zoom to help teach constituents, non-profits, and government stakeholders how to write, apply for, and learn about the federal grants and Community Project Funding process. The workshops featured guest speakers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),…