Author: On Common Ground News

STONECREST—Ten contenders qualified this week for three seats on the Stonecrest City Council, with all three incumbents facing challengers for the Districts 1, 3 and 5 seats in the Nov. 2 General Election. District 1 City Councilman Jimmy Clanton is facing three challengers, the most crowded race. District 3 Councilwoman Jazzmin Cobble and District 5 Councilwoman Tammy Grimes are both facing two opponents. The seats are for four-year terms. Grimes is running for her first four-year term on the council. She was elected in 2019 to fill the unexpired term of Diane Adoma, who resigned…

 By The Dollar Empowered Community (D.E.C.) The pandemic brought numerous emergencies to families across every demographic. But the lack of financial security, in addition to what has been a disproportionate exposure to COVID-19, underscored the disparities in the Black community. The racial wealth gap is nothing new.  There has been national data available for at least three decades on the disparities. The pandemic in 2020, however, provided just the right time to reach out to the community to collectively come together and begin to do something about it. Meet The Dollar Empowered Community (The D.E.C.),  a real estate syndicate…

DECATUR, GA–The NAACP DeKalb County branch will host a virtual closing ceremony on Sept. 30, 6 p.m., for its Remembrance Project honoring the memory of black victims who were lynched in DeKalb County. Over the past two years, the NAACP DeKalb Remembrance Project, in collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) has installed markers at three locations  to remember the known and unknown victims of lynchings that have been documented in DeKalb. The sites where the historic markers have been placed include: DeKalb County Courthouse, 556 N. McDonough St., in downtown Decatur Kelly Park,  6886 Main St., Lithonia Oak…

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA– Gwinnett County has opened a shelter for homeless women and their children, offering them a new lease on life. The first – and currently only –shelter in Gwinnett officially opened on Tuesday, Aug. 17. HomeFirst Gwinnett: The Resting Spot will cater to women, moms and their children. HomeFirst Gwinnett is a collaborative initiative between the county, United Way of Greater Atlanta and Primerica Foundation. “Homelessness is a complex and tragic problem. Gwinnett County is fortunate to have a partner like HomeFirst Gwinnett on the frontlines addressing this issue,” said Board of…

After an outcry from citizens at the public hearings this week, Rockdale County Post 2 Commissioner Doreen Williams says she will not support the county’s proposed 7.94 percent property tax increase. The three-member Rockdale Board of Commissioners  is set to vote on the matter on next Tuesday, Aug. 24, after the final public hearing, which will be held at 9 a.m. at the Assembly Hall, 901 Main St., Conyers. The board has held two public hearings: Aug. 17 and Aug. 19. Williams told On Common Ground News (ocgnews.com) this morning that the county should look at other…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA – Rockdale County will host a ribbon cutting on Aug. 31, 5 p.m., for its new teen center at Johnson Park, 1781 Ebenezer Road S.W., Conyers.  The center will be named after Grady Jarrett, a Conyers native, Rockdale County High School graduate and Atlanta Falcons Defensive Lineman. The 700-square-foot Grady Jarrett Resource Opportunity Center will feature technology and e-sports equipment.  The resource center also will be used to help teens register for college, apply for employment and host e-sports tournaments and leagues. Rockdale County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds contributed…

STONECREST— Tara Graves qualified today(Aug. 19) to run against Councilman Jimmy Clanton, who is seeking re-election for the District 1 seat. Graves was the only candidate who qualified today, bringing the total to eight who are running for council seats. Graves’ entrance means that all three incumbents who are running in the Nov. 2 General Election will face challengers for their seats: Districts 1, 3 and 5. Here’s a snapshot of the races since qualifying began on Aug. 16: District 1: Councilman Jimmy Clanton, Jr., who qualified on Aug. 16; Tara Graves, who qualified on…

DECATUR, GA – The DeKalb County Board of Health has added four mobile vaccination unit stops on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on a rotating basis, through Sept. 15. The dates, locations and times are as follows: Tuesdays Aug. 24 and 31, 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Gresham Park Recreation Center 3113 Gresham Rd. SE Atlanta, GA 30316 Wednesdays Aug. 18 and 25, noon until 7 p.m.   County Line-Ellenwood Library, 4331 River Road, Ellenwood, GA 30294                               Sept. 1, 8 and 15, 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Exchange Recreation and Intergenerational Center 2771 Columbia Dr. Decatur, GA 30034  Thursdays Aug.…

DECATUR, GA–DeKalb County Police Detective Casey Benton has been named by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) as the 2021 Outstanding Police Officer of the Year. Detective Benton, who has been with the DeKalb County Police Department for 15 years, received his award in July 2021 during the GACP’s training conference in Savannah. ” src=”cid:clip_image003.jpg” alt=”clip_image003.jpg” width=”123″ align=”left” hspace=”12″ vspace=”5″ v:shapes=”Text_x0020_Box_x0020_2″ apple-inline=”yes” class=”Apple-web-attachment Singleton” style=”opacity: 1;”>“DeKalb County is fortunate to have Detective Benton not only because of his exceptional work ethic, but most importantly for his dedication to protecting the community’s most valued resource–children,”…