Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR, GA–— DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management have crews completed repairs to a 30” broken water main at 3661 Clairmont Road., officials said Friday , Jan. 17.  “We are excited to announce that the water main break has been repaired,” said DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson. “When you start a job of this magnitude, whatever you find, you must deal with it in real time.” As service is restored, customers in the affected area may experience brown, milky or discolored water and are encouraged to run the faucets inside and outside their homes/businesses to clear the internal plumbing. A boil…

DECATUR, GA— DeKalb County will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the County’s annual King Day Celebration. The program titled “Mission: Possible; Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence 365,” will begin at 11:30 a.m., Friday, Jan. 31, at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Rd. NE, Atlanta.  The King Day charge will be delivered by Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.  The 2025 tribute marks the 41st consecutive year DeKalb will host the employee-planned event honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King.  The celebration is free and open to the…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) has released a statement following President Joe Biden’s Jan. 15, 2025 farewell address to the nation: “President Joe Biden dedicated 50 years of his life to serving his country, from United States senator to vice president and president of two historic administrations. There is no doubt in my mind that President Biden loved our country and worked tirelessly to ensure that every American had the opportunities and tools necessary to succeed, building up the ladders he himself climbed. In his farewell address to the nation, President Biden reflected on the idea of America—a country that…

ATLANTA—Bishop William J. Barber, II will be the keynote speaker at the 40th Annual King Holiday Observance Commemorative Service on Monday, Jan. 20, 9 a.m., at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 101 Jackson St. NE, Atlanta.  The observance coincides with the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump’s second term. Bishop Barber will reflect on how this symbolic overlap presents a critical moment for people of faith and moral conviction to rise together and respond to the deep injustices plaguing our nation, officials stated in a news release.  Bishop Barber is founding director of Repairers of the Breach, a group that trains social justice leaders,…

ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), in partnership with The King Center, unveiled a commemorative bus honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King at the 2025 King Holiday Observance kickoff reception.  Held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center and Aquatic Center, the event marks the start of this year’s observance under the theme, “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence 365.” The commemorative bus reflects MARTA’s ongoing commitment to equity and highlights the historical connection between public transit and the Civil Rights Movement, officials said.  King once described…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced a conviction by jury trial in the case of a Lithonia man charged with shooting his wife after she filed for divorce.  Jurors found Dmante Dontrell Anderson, 33, guilty on two counts of Aggravated Assault—Family Violence, False Imprisonment, Simple Battery—Family Violence, two counts of Cruelty to Children in the Third Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony and Use of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon During the Commission of a Felony in connection with the shooting of his wife on June 14, 2019.  According to the…

DECATUR, GA– Representatives from the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office are available year-round to speak to community groups about property taxes, and help homeowners understand homestead exemptions and their tax bills. “Since 2016, this office has conducted in-person and online community presentations to help taxpayers understand homestead exemptions and their property tax bills. We will continue to offer presentations to groups such as real estate professionals, homeowner associations and senior centers that are interested in learning more about services at the tax office,” said Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson. The office conducts in-person and online seminars annually with community organizations, which have…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– During its regular board meeting on Jan. 13, members of the DeKalb County Board of Education unanimously elected Deirdre P. Pierce (District 3) as the new board chair and Allyson Gevertz (District 4) as vice chair for 2025. “I am humbled and honored to have earned the unanimous vote of my veteran and newly elected colleagues to serve as chair of our Board,” Pierce said. “I am equally grateful to have received the votes of my constituents in District 3, which returned me to what I consider to be one of the greatest servant leadership jobs I’ve…

ATLANTA –Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) was re-elected by his colleagues in the Georgia House of Representatives to continue his service as Speaker of the House for the 2025-2026 legislative session. Burns has served as Speaker since 2023 and is Georgia’s 75th Speaker of the House. He was elected on Monday, Jan. 13. “I am incredibly grateful to my colleagues in the House for their continued trust and confidence,” said Speaker Jon Burns. “Over the last two years, we have worked together to pass meaningful measures that have lowered taxes, brought historic opportunities to our state, supported our families and businesses, and…