Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA – The DeKalb County House Legislative Delegation, chaired by State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates), will hold a series of virtual public hearings to discuss the proposed district maps for the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners and DeKalb County Board of Education. The virtual event schedule is as follows: ·       Wednesday, Feb. 2, 12 p.m. via Facebook Live; to participate in this virtual hearing, please click here;  ·       Tuesday, Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom; advanced registration is required; to register for Zoom access, please click here; ·       Wednesday, Feb. 9, 12 p.m. via Facebook Live; to participate…

ATLANTA – State Rep. Matt Dollar (R-Marietta) announced on Feb. 1  a ballot referendum for area residents to consider incorporating the City of East Cobb. HB 841, sponsored by Dollar, will now head to the Senate for consideration. “House Bill 841 would allow local residents to decide for themselves whether or not to create the City of East Cobb,” said Dollar. “People are really seeing the value of not increasing the size of government, but shifting important services to a more local level. I want to thank my colleagues for their bi-partisan support of this effort.” If HB 841…

ATLANTA – State Rep. Matt Dollar (R-Marietta) resigned from the Georgia House of Representatives today. Dollar announced that he has accepted a position with the Technical College System of Georgia as the deputy commissioner of economic development. “Having been born and raised in Marietta, it has been the greatest honor of my life to serve the citizens of House District 45 in the Georgia House of Representatives,” said Rep. Dollar. “I want to thank the people of East Cobb for putting their trust in me, as well as Speaker David Ralston for the confidence he has shown in me during…

DeKalb County Cooperative Extension will host Family and Consumer Sciences virtual classes for free. The “Best Way to the Heart Is Through the Stomach” class will be on Feb. 8 at 11:30 a.m. This class will give participants the necessary tools to make healthy choices while dining out. Register for this class at https://bit.ly/3o0Bukc. The “Home Is Where the Heart Is” class will be on Feb. 16 at 11:30 a.m. This class will discuss the importance of keeping your home healthy to protect yourself and others. Register for this class at https://bit.ly/3rLuOre. The “What Are We? Understanding Nutrition Facts Labels” class…

DECATUR, GA– DeKalb County and its contractors will continue the water meter replacement on Cartecay Drive, between Ellijay Drive and Sylvan Circle. Work is planned for Wednesday, Feb. 2, through Friday, Feb. 4, unless unforeseen circumstances arise, officials said. As crews connect the new water main, residents may experience periods of low to no water pressure during the work hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. These planned outages are expected to last approximately one to four hours. Construction crews will work diligently to minimize the length of impact to residents, county officials said. The work is being…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– Throughout the month of February, the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners invites citizens to present the “Black Church Experience,” highlighting unique stories, insights into the historical significance of the Black Church within Rockdale. The county kicks off February with a 3-part docuseries on Rockdale 23 (Comcast cable channel 23) and will be shared on all Rockdale social media platforms with the handle: “RockdaleGov.” Viewers can watch the videos on demand at: vimeo.com/RockdaleGov or on Rockdale 23 YouTube. The docuseries will  feature brief conversations with black clergy, community leaders and citizens sharing their unique stories and insights into what…

ATLANTA– The Georgia Lottery Corp. today announced it generated $376,513,000 in profits for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022, bringing the total transferred to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account since inception to more than $24.6 billion. “With their largest Q2 transfer ever, the Georgia Lottery continues to make an immeasurable impact on the lives of Georgia’s students and their families,” said Gov. Brian Kemp. “By continuing to invest in our state’s most important asset, its children, Georgia is raising a generation of leaders capable of keeping our state the best place to live, work, and raise…

ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will hold a job fair for bus operators and journeyman bus technicians on Saturday, Feb. 5, 9 a.m. until noon at MARTA headquarters on Piedmont Road N.E. MARTA is offering a $3,000 sign on bonus and will train all Permit and Class C license holders for their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). WHAT:           Bus Operator and Journeyman Bus Technician Job Fair Pay starting at $17.39/hr. for operators and $23.44/hr. for technicians MARTA will train all Permit and Class C holders for their CDL $3,000 sign on bonus COVID-19 vaccination required for employment…

STONECREST, GA—Stonecrest City Councilman Rob Turner and Councilwoman Jazzmin Cobble will host a virtual town hall meeting on Feb 8, 6:30 p.m., to discuss economic development in Stonecrest.  The “Economic Development Checkup: How is Stonecrest business holding up amid COVID19?” forum will be held via Zoom and by telephone. Speakers include Jonathan Bartlett, Economic Development Director; Gia Scruggs, City of Stonecrest CFO; James Tsismanakis, CEO Discover DeKalb; and Shelbia Jackson, DeKalb Film Commission. Join the Zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84414449233 Meeting ID: 844 1444 9233 One tap mobile: +16465588656,84414449233# U.S. (New York) +13017158592,84414449233# U.S. (Washington DC)

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– The second annual Black Lives Matter at DeKalb Schools Week of Action kicked off today, Jan. 31, and will be held virtually through Feb. 4, in the DeKalb County School District (DCSD). The week-long event features daily Black Lives Matter school-based instructional activities, including a social media celebration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and a celebration of Black-owned businesses in DeKalb County. An array of dynamic speakers and topics has been curated around this year’s theme, “Celebrating Black Contributions to America.” The virtual symposium will include speakers and topics for individuals to engage in and…