Author: On Common Ground News

Teens can explore film, art, music + production DECATUR, GA—The DeKalb Human Services Department’s Office of Youth Services is accepting applications for its 2022 Sights N’ Sounds Program, designed to provide DeKalb high school students with exposure to the film, art, music production and recording industries. The program, which will offer workshops and hands-on experiences to encourage youth to pursue careers in the entertainment field, will be held in partnership with the DeKalb Entertainment Commission and Plug ATL, a local studio production company. DeKalb County high school students aged 15-18 are encouraged to apply. There is no charge to…

Service begins on May 1 ATLANTA – MARTA celebrated Earth Day on Friday, April 22, by announcing the launch of its first electric buses. MARTA, with support from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and partners New Flyer, Siemens, and the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), will place three electric buses into service on Routes 2 and 102 beginning Sunday, May 1. Routes 2 and 102 run out of North Avenue station, and together provide service to the Ponce de Leon Avenue corridor between Midtown and the Poncey-Highland neighborhood while connecting to Ponce City Market and…

ATLANTA — On Monday, the Atlanta City Council will return to convening committee meetings in Committee Room 1 located on the second floor of Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave SW. The meetings will be conducted in accordance with the City’s Charter, Code of Ordinances, and the rules of Council as adopted for in-person meetings. The committee meeting schedule is below:  Zoning Monday, April 25, 11 a.m.   Public Safety and Legal Administration Monday, April 25, 2 p.m. City Utilities Tuesday, April 26, 10 a.m. Community Development/Human Services Tuesday, April 26, 1:30 p.m. Transportation Wednesday, April 27, 9:30 a.m. Finance/Executive Wednesday,…

The Gwinnett County Board of Assessors mailed approximately 294,000 Annual Notices of Assessment to residential and commercial property owners today. State law requires that annual notices be sent to property owners advising them of the assessed value of their property as of Jan. 1. The Annual Notice of Assessment provides last year’s value and the 2022 value along with an explanation for any change in value from the previous year. Roughly 83 percent of the notices state that the appraised value was adjusted for market conditions in response to real estate market changes throughout 2021. The Gwinnett County Assessors’…

CONYERS, GA – Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) will require all students to carry clear bookbags beginning with the 2022-23 school year. At its meeting on April 21, the Rockdale County Board of Education approved the purchase of 16,500 clear bookbags that will be distributed to students. Superintendent Terry Oatts issued the following statement in a news release on April 22: “This is just another safety measure in our comprehensive plan to increase safety and security in all of our schools. We have increased safety and security over the past few years by installing safety vestibules in every school…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—Rockdale residents should be on the lookout for sample ballots and new voter precinct cards that will be included with their water bills. Cynthia Willingham, Rockdale County’s Supervisor of Elections, said the sample ballots and precinct cards for all voters should begin going out in the mail during the last week of April. Early voting for the general primary and non-partisan general election begins on May 2. Election Day is on May 24. Willingham told On Common Ground News today(April 21) that she and her staff are working to make sure that voters have as much information…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—Nancy Johnson-Miller, whose heartfelt “thank you” to a former DeKalb County educator was heard on television around the nation 26 years ago, has passed away. She was 63. Johnson-Miller, a mother of 3 and grandmother of two, was born with no fingers. As a student, she hid her hands with a handkerchief while attending Hooper Elementary School in DeKalb County to avoid ridicule from classmates. It was through her contact with her gym teacher, Lonnie Edwards, now known as Dr. Lonnie Edwards, who encouraged her to participate by teaching her how to socialize with her peers through…

LITHONIA – Today, Representative Doreen Carter announced the launch of her re-election campaign for District 93 in the Georgia House of Representatives. The new House District 93 covers part of Newton County, including Covington. Representative Doreen Carter said:My priority is for Georgia to be the number one state to live. I am a fierce education advocate. I was instrumental in the state fully funding the Quality Basic Education formula. It is time now to update Georgia’s funding formula beyond a “basic education.” As one of the few financial experts in the legislature, I know first hand how finances…

DECATUR, GA— DeKalb County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw will host his second Quarterly in the Fourth Community Breakfast meeting for 2022 on Saturday, April 23, via Zoom. “I am pleased that we are able to continue meeting with constituents,” Bradshaw said. “Although I prefer to meet in person and hope to resume in person meetings before the end of the year, meeting with my constituents remains important to me Representatives will provide an update on DeKalb County’s Entertainment Commission and the 2050 Unified Plan as well as COVID Pandemic updates from Atlanta VA Health Care. Also, representatives from, Police, Code…