Author: On Common Ground News

Atlanta, GA: The King Center will host the 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service on Jan. 16, 10 a.m., at Ebenezer’s Horizon Sanctuary, 101 Auburn Ave., Atlanta. The service will broadcast live on FOX 5 Atlanta and livestream on Facebook, YouTube, fox4atlanta.com, and thekingcenter.org. The 54th Annual Commemorative Service is the hallmark of the King Holiday Observance.  The Rev. Natosha Reid Rice and Pastor Sam Collier will preside over the event. The King Center CEO, the Rev. Bernice A. King, will give the Call to Commemoration. This year’s keynote speaker is Bryan Stevenson, lawyer, social justice activist, law professor at New York University School of Law, and the founder…

ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that the State of Georgia has joined national settlements with CVS, Walgreens, Teva and Allergan to resolve allegations that the companies contributed to the opioid crisis. By joining the settlements, Georgia stands to receive more than $181 million in total base payments to help fund critical treatment, prevention, reduction and recovery services, Carr said. “No Georgia community is a stranger to the devastating effects of the opioid crisis, and we must do all we can to support those who are struggling,” said Carr. “Today’s announcement is another step forward in our…

CONYERS, GA – The Rockdale County Branch NAACP will host a breakfast commemorating and honoring the life, legacy and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, Jan. 16.  The event will be held at 8 a.m. at the Rockdale Career Academy, 1064 Culpepper Drive SW, Conyers.  The community is invited to attend. “We are excited to have a member of President Joe Biden’s staff to do a special presentation to one of the Rockdale County NAACP’s members, “ the organization stated in its news release. The keynote speaker will be Ambassador Waleed Shamsid-Deen, Special Envoy for Trade & Investment, The…

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA– Stone Mountain Park’s first-ever Lunar New Year Festival features cultural craft activities, storytelling, puppetry, dance and drum exhibitions, parades, a new Drone Show, a new Light Show, and other cultural elements. The festival will take place Friday through Sunday, January 20 – 22 and 27 – 29. Held in the Crossroads area of the park, visitors will experience the Largest Lunar New Year Spectacular in North America through dance, music, educational craft activations, dragon and lion dance teams, martial arts demonstrations, signature foods, hundreds of red and gold lanterns, and much more The event showcases cultural and educational activities for…

DECATUR,GA—The City of Decatur has appointed Renae Jackson as its first Equity and Engagement Director.   Jackson has worked for the City since 2007, most recently as the Communications Manager/Public Information Officer. She has an undergraduate degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Master of Arts from Agnes Scott College.  Jackson serves as the co-chair of the City’s Employee Equity and Inclusion team and is overseeing the development of an Equity Action Plan in partnership with the Common Good Agency. She has introduced city employees to racial equity training through the Racial Equity Institute and organized the anti-racist speaker…

GWINNETT COUNTY—The Gwinnett Police Homicide Unit has charged Requel Rayshawn Johnson, 20, and Antonio Montez Payne , 17, with Aggravated Assault and Felony Murder in connection with the shooting death of Nelson Cisneros , 22. The suspects and the victim are all from Norcross, GA, authorities said. Johnson and Payne were arrested and taken into custody with the assistance of the Gwinnett Police Gang Unit and Gwinnett Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit. They are being held at the Gwinnett Detention Center without bond. According to authorities, the shooting occurred on Dec. 15 around 7 p.m. on Stanton Court in Norcross. Police…

ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will hold a job fair for bus operators and journeyman bus technicians on Thursday, Jan. 5, 3 to 7 p.m. at MARTA headquarters, located across from the Lindbergh Center rail station on Piedmont Road in Atlanta. MARTA is offering a $3,000 sign-on bonus and will train all Permit and Class C (regular) license holders for their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). WHAT:  Bus Operator, Journeyman Bus Technician Job Fair Pay starting at $17.74/hr. for operators and $23.91/hr. for technicians MARTA will train all Permit and Class C (regular) license holders for their CDL $3,000…

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Superior Court judges have appointed Judge Fatima A. El-Amin as the next chief judge of the DeKalb County Juvenile Court, effective Jan. 1, 2023. Judge El-Amin is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. Judge El-Amin attended W.D. Mohammed High School in DeKalb County and completed her collegiate studies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Judge El-Amin received her J.D. degree from Emory University School of Law. Judge El-Amin has served as a full Juvenile Court judge since 2014. She presides over dependency, delinquent, and traffic cases. She also presides over the DeKalb County Juvenile Drug Treatment…