Author: On Common Ground News

STONECREST, GA—It’s official. Jazzmin Cobble qualified on Thursday, March 10, to run for mayor of the City of Stonecrest. The City Councilwoman stated in a news release that she’s ready to rebuild and reform the city. “What an honor it was this morning to walk into Cty Hall and quality to run for MAYOR of the City of Stonecrest!,  Standing by my side was my husband David, carrying the torch with me. We are excited about all that is yet to come for the City of Stonecrest and with your support to be our next mayor, we will…

STONECREST, GA— Stonecrest Resorts, a commercial real estate development company, tonight (March 10) announced Phase 2 plans to turn the former Sears building located in The Mall at Stonecrest into a family entertainment and lifestyle destination. The $17 million adaptive reuse project will be called Priví and feature a food hall with several entertainment concepts on the upper level and a health and wellness center, an event facility, and a full-service co-working space designed for creative industry professionals on the lower level. Financing for the second phase of the project was settled last week with pre-development…

TUCKER, GA—The Tucker Pepsico bottling plant, located at 1644 Rock Mountain Boulevard, is planning a massive $260 million expansion that will create 136 new jobs. The plant currently employs 464 people. The new positions will include roles in digitized manufacturing tools, artificial intelligence and augmented reality tools as well as real-time analytics for machine operators and mechanics and raise the average wage for employees from $49,000 to $60,000. The facility, which is expected to be complete by 2024, will expand by more than 260,000 square feet, making it one of Pepsi’s largest manufacturing plants. By 2025, Pepsi estimates the Tucker…

DECATUR, GA—DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections (DeKalb VRE) has announced three virtual listening sessions with newly hired Executive Director Keisha Smith to hear from voters on ways to enhance the voter experience in DeKalb. The virtual meetings are scheduled March 26 at 11 a.m., March 28 at 6:30 p.m. and March 29 at noon. All virtual community listening sessions are open to the public. During the online meetings, Smith will share her key priorities for the 2022 election cycle, discuss the impact of recent redistricting, and provide background and perspective on her office and its function. “In…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the heels of a strong jobs report, workers and jobseekers are taking advantage of opportunities to acquire new skills and explore better opportunities. Many of those workers will seek help from the public workforce system – a network of federal, state and local government-funded programs that provide services to workers, jobseekers and employers that lead to economic growth and improved skills for workers. To continue its support of the public workforce system, the U.S. Department of Labor announced March 10 the award of $3.5 million to Safal Partners LLC to establish a Workforce System Technical Assistance Collaborative that will facilitate peer learning…

By Dele Lowman Smith DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections Board Chair DEKALB COUNTY, GA— At a time when too many Americans are enthralled with misinformation and conspiracy theories that erode public confidence in our elections, those of us who have chosen to be stewards of this sacred franchise have no such luxury. Elections officials are compelled to make decisions based on facts, within the bounds of the law, and to the benefit of every eligible voter, regardless of political affiliation. Likewise, we have a duty to ensure electoral operations are administered with excellence because incompetence has…

Photos L-R: State Sen. Nan Orrock  State Rep. Becky Evans ATLANTA – State Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) and State Rep. Becky Evans (D-Atlanta) have introduced the “Ratepayer Surcharge Relief Act” in both the House and Senate. House Bill 1503 and Senate Bill 607 seek to end the Plant Vogtle monthly surcharge for approximately 2.5 million Georgia Power customers. “This surcharge is especially unfair to our senior citizens,” said Sen. Orrock. “They have been paying for power for 12 years that they may never use. I voted against the surcharge legislation in 2009 because it is an unfair…