Author: On Common Ground News

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—The early voting period for the upcoming runoff elections ended on Friday, June 17, with 2,148 ballots cast,a  low turnout based on Rockdale’s current 60,582 listed on “active voter rolls.” Election Day for Georgia’s runoffs is Tuesday, June 21, with several key races to be decided.  Rockdale Elections Supervisor Cynthia Willingham said the county is reminding those who plan to vote in person to go to their assigned precinct and carry identification with them on June 21, Election Day. Precincts will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those who plan to vote by absentee ballot may deliver…

DECATUR, GA–In June 2021, DeKalb Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson allocated $100,000 from the District 7 discretionary fund for Discover DeKalb to retain C.H. Johnson Consulting Inc. for the purpose of conducting comprehensive market analysis for the feasibility of a new event and hospitality epicenter in DeKalb County. C.H. Johnson Consulting was joined by TVS Design, an Atlanta-based architecture and design firm, to assist with the study, which included industry trends, comparable case studies, and competitive and local markets. Subsequent phases of the project included a financial and operating analysis, site analysis, and a final report outlining the consulting team’s findings, conclusions,…

During its June 15 meeting, the Board of Voter Registration and Elections approved three emergency polling locations for the General Primary Runoff to replace previous locations. The former and current locations are listed below: From North Gwinnett Church to Riverside Elementary School located at 5445 Settles Bridge Road in Suwanee From Peachtree Elementary School to  Unity Atlanta Church located at 3597 Parkway Lane in Peachtree Corners From Trinity Lutheran Church to  Berean Baptist Church located at 1405 Hewatt Road Southwest in Lilburn Signage will be placed at the previous polling locations to alert residents where they should vote. The Primary runoff will be held Tuesday, June 21,…

STONECREST, GA –Privi Art Gallery, the first fine art gallery in East Metro Atlanta, has its launch in celebration of Juneteenth on Sunday, June 19 at 1 pm. The inaugural exhibit: ARTcestry: Building Legacy Beneath the Struggle explores the shocking and inspiring journey many minorities face when searching for their lineage and the legacy left for the next generation through artistic and photographic expression. The opening exhibit will highlight the works of six contemporary artists including Kevin Cole a mixed media artist and art professor whose work interrogates the relationships between color, music, and art; Abstract artist Zerric Clinton who…

DECATUR, GA–The DeKalb County Governing Authority today announced its intention to raise property taxes this year by 7.08 percent over the rollback millage rate. DeKalb County has six separate tax levies. Two of those levies (the general and hospital funds) are used in the required calculation for the rollback rate. The other tax levies (police, fire, designated, and the special tax district bond fund), when combined with the general and hospital levies, produce the same benchmark millage rate of 20.810 mills from last year. The combined millage rate for the general and hospital funds will exceed the rollback millage rate.…

RSVP Required for ‘Hot Rods & BBQ’ Celebration STONECREST, GA–New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Dr. Jamal Bryant are hosting a free Father’s Day weekend event featuring free food, fast cars and funny man George Wallace on Saturday, June 18, 4 to 7 p.m. The ‘Hot Rods & BBQ’ event will take place on the New Birth campus, 6400 Woodrow Rd., Stonecrest and will include a DJ, entertainment, prizes, gifts and hot rods.   “Strong men and good fathers are integral to our community,” said Pastor. Bryant. “We are often bombarded with negative images, stereotypes and depictions of Black men…

COMMERCE, GA—PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA), a division of PepsiCo, is opening a new $8.5 million, 172,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility in Commerce, GA. The facility builds on the $260 million expansion of the PBNA manufacturing facility in the City of Tucker earlier this year, now resulting in over 425 new jobs, officials said. In the span of three years, PBNA, through its operating subsidiaries, has committed $268 million of capital in the State of Georgia. PepsiCo currently employs 3,450 people across Georgia. The Commerce distribution center will create 50 new jobs, including product pickers (order fulfillment); forklift operators, CDL-A drivers,…

DEKALB COUNTY–DeKalb County has cancelled its second celebration, scheduled for Saturday, June 18, due to high temperatures. According to weather reports, temperatures reached 101 degrees in Atlanta and has been hovering in the high 90s and above this week. W ith temperatures and the heat index expected to be in the 90s, the county is cancelling the event out of an abundance of caution. For information on the county’s cooling centers, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/news/dekalb-county-opens-cooling-centers-during-heat-advisory.  

DECATUR, Ga. – DeKalb County is making recreation centers and libraries throughout the county available as cooling centers due to the ongoing heat advisory.  As defined by the National Weather Service’s Peachtree City Forecast Office, a heat advisory is issued when “feels like” temperatures are expected to reach or be greater than 103 degrees, or when the actual air temperature is expected to be at 105 degrees or greater.  Most DeKalb County libraries and recreation centers will be available as cooling centers, during the location’s normal business hours.  For a list of DeKalb County recreation centers, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parks and click the “Recreation Programs and Centers”…