Author: On Common Ground News

Former Georgia Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, civil rights activist and global humanitarian, celebrated her birthday with a host of friends on Jan. 31, 2023 at Sudo’s Bar and Grill in Ellenwood, GA. Happy times, a great celebration for an awesome trailblazer who continues to give back to the community! Thank you for allowing On Common Ground News to celebrate your special da, Dee!

DEKALB, GA—Transforming Faith Church (TFC) celebrated its new home for worship on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. Pastor Lee May and his wife, Robin, welcomed worshipers to their new location at 5240 Panola Industrial Blvd., Stonecrest. The celebration included a Black History Month moment with youths sharing spotlights on unsung trailblazers.  Speaking of trailblazers, Pastor May is himself a trailblazer. Having served in 2013 as CEO of DeKalb County, he has been the youngest person to hold the position in the county’s history. May also is the former owner of an 8-screen movie theater in DeKalb County.  At age 29, he…

“Bo Legs,” the biographical documentary of Atlanta icon, Marvin S. Arrington, Sr., was presented on Saturday, Feb. 4, at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, located in the City of Stonecrest. The film screening was hosted by the City of Stonecrest and the Stonecrest Film & Entertainment Commission, headed by Stonecrest Councilman Rob Turner.  Bo Legs, so named for Arrington’s marked walking trait, takes viewers on the journey of one of Atlanta’s most transformative trailblazers. Arrington, a Fulton County Superior Court judge who formerly served as president of the Atlanta City Council  for 17 years, helped galvanize the city from a…

Gwinnett County government will celebrate Black History Month with a special event on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. The community is invited to come out for performances, soul food, and fellowship. A Black History Month display also will be available for viewing in the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center atrium throughout February To reserve your spot for this year’s celebration, visit GwinnettCounty.com/BHMCelebration. You can also pack a picnic lunch and explore the rich history of African American culture in Gwinnett on a Black History Month Bus Tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. For…

ATLANTA—On Feb. 5, Georgia Sen. Elena Parent (D – Atlanta) will host a legislative town hall alongside Representatives Becky Evans (D – Atlanta) and Mary Margaret Oliver (D – Decatur).  The in-person town hall will take place at Glenn Memorial Church, where Sen. Parent and Reps. Evans and Oliver will answer questions and update constituents on the 2023 Georgia Legislative Session. To attend the town hall via Zoom, register here Questions may be submitted in advance here WHO:              Sen. Elena Parent (D – Atlanta) Rep. Becky Evans (D – Atlanta) Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D – Decatur) WHAT:            Legislative Town Hall WHEN:            Sunday,…

DECATUR, GA—The DeKalb-Peachtree Airport Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 13, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom at https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/84958022051.  The meeting can be joined by phone at 602-333-0032 or 1-888-270-9936 and using the conference code 482992. The meeting agenda follows: APPROVAL OF JANUARY 13, 2023, MINUTES INFORMATION/OLD BUSINESS DIRECTOR’S REPORT – Mario Evans Airport Master Plan Update –  www.pdkmasterplan.com NOISE REPORT – Korey Barnes January 2023 Annual Noise and Operations Report OTHER III.  NEW BUSINESS  PUBLIC COMMENTS  

DECATUR, GA==The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, with the U.S. Marshals, have arrested a suspect in the murder last year of a Decatur woman. Decatur resident Nakia Dunta Dorsey, 23, was taken into custody without incident today (March3) on arrest warrants for Malice Murder and two counts of Aggravated Assault in November, 2022. The victim was Jayne Salazar-Chavez, Towers High School’s homecoming queen.   According to the warrants, Dorsey caused the death of Salazar-Chavez at her residence in Decatur when he allegedly shot several times into a vehicle where she was a passenger along with Brandon Lee Wilson. Authorities reported…

DeKalb County will open the following warming centers for residents to use on Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4, beginning at 8 p.m.: Fire Station 3, 100 N. Clarendon Avenue, Avondale Estates, GA 30002 Fire Station 4, 4540 Flakes Mill Road, Ellenwood, GA 30294 Fire Station 6, 2342 Flat Shoals Road, Atlanta, GA 30316 North DeKalb Senior Center, 3393 Malone Drive, Chamblee, GA 30341 Anyone staying in the warming centers must follow the county’s COVID-19 protocols that include wearing a mask, social distancing and undergoing a temperature check. DeKalb County also is partnering with the following nonprofit organization(s) to…

Clarence Cuthpert, Jr., Chief Judge State Court of Rockdale County, has been appointed to chair the Budget Committee for the Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution (GCDR).   Judge M. Cindy Morris, who chairs the Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution, appointed Cuthpert on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, the date marking his two-year anniversary as State Court Judge in Rockdale County.  Cuthpert was appointed as State Court Judge by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Feb. 1, 2021. The new GCDR leadership role follows Cuthpert’s appointment on April 3, 2020 by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton as the first Probate Judge to serve on…

DEKALB COUNTY –Malachi Coleman, 21, of Stone Mountain was taken into custody without custody on Jan. 31, for the New Year’s Day murder of Jayce Pirtle, 19, by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit. Coleman was arrested at a residence in Decatur on a warrant charging him with Malice Murder and Aggravated Assault-Weapon in connection with the shooting death of Pirtle. The incident took place on Arbor Ridge Drive in Stone Mountain on Jan. 1, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office stated. No cause was given for the shooting. Coleman was transported to the DeKalb County Jail, where he is…