Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA—The Georgia Department of Labor announced today, April 24, that Atlanta recorded an unemployment rate of 3.6% in March, unchanged from a revised 3.6% in February. A year ago, the rate was 3.3%.  “In March, Georgians from every corner of the state stepped up, joining the workforce and filling critical jobs that drive our state’s economy forward,” said Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes. “By working with regional partners across the state, we’re creating a globally competitive workforce — one that’s built to last and ready to lead Georgia into its next phase of prosperity.” The labor force in Atlanta increased by 25,205 to 3,307,851. This…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA –Newly elected Board of Commissioners Chair JaNice Van Ness delivered her inaugural State of the County Address on Wednesday(April 23), marking the first time a woman has held the county’s top leadership role.  The address and breakfast, hosted by the Council for Quality Growth and presented by Atlas and Volkert, was held at 9 a.m. at the Rockdale County Auditorium.  Speaking to an audience of more than 200 business leaders, officials and residents, Van Ness introduced her administration’s guiding theme: SET—Sustainability, Economic Development, and Transparency. “Rockdale County is SET—for Sustainability, Economic Development, and Transparency,” Van Ness said.  On sustainability, Van Ness…

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – A Gwinnett County jury found a Duluth man guilty of murder for inflicting fatal injuries on his 9-week-old daughter. Khaliq Woods, 29, was convicted of two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated battery, and one count of first-degree cruelty to children for the November 2019, death of baby Kamila Woods. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.  “We grieve with the family of the deceased child Kamila Woods,” Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “This is a tragedy that an infant’s life was taken. We pray that the outcome…

UPDATE: The  location has changed for the Jamal H Bryant  Movement TARGETFAST Town Hall. The town hall will be held on TONIGHT, April 22, at 7:30 at   Salem Bible Church, 5460 Hillandale drive, Lithonia.  Stonecrest, GA—New Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s Senior Pastor Jamal Bryant will lead a town hall this evening, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. to launch the second phase of the national boycott against Target.  Bryant is calling on Blacks and other supporters to stop shopping at Target and divest from the retailer’s stock holdings, after demands were not met by this past weekend. Bryant launched a “40-day…

DECATUR, GA–DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces the conviction by jury trial of a Stone Mountain man charged with shooting two men in two different incidents at an apartment complex just days apart.  On Friday, April 18, a jury found Rontell Devon Shelton, 40, guilty of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, two counts of Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony in connection with the murder of Jordan McPherson, 28, on Dec. 30, 2019.  The jury also found Shelton guilty of Aggravated Assault, Possession of…

DECATUR, GA-– The DeKalb County Sanitation Division will host a free paper shredding event Saturday, May 17, 2025, from 8 a.m. – noon, at the DeKalb County Sanitation Division’s Central Transfer Station, 3720 Leroy Scott Drive, Decatur, GA 30032. Event participants will have an opportunity to responsibly dispose of all types of documents, including sensitive personal documents such as old tax records and legal documents. All documents will be shredded on-site, and each participant will be limited to ten standard-size boxes of paper. Shredding services will be provided by A1 Shredding & Recycling. The event is free and open only…

STONECREST, GA—With their fists raised high, a crowd of black business owners and supporters on Friday joined New Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s Senior Pastor Jamal Bryant for the launch of the Bullseye Black Market—a national movement to support black-owned businesses.  The event, held at New Birth’s Samson Fitness Center, marked a response to a 40-day boycott of retail giant Target, initiated by Bryant in March.  Joining Bryant for remarks at the event were Georgia Congressman hank Johnson, his wife, DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, and Stonecrest Distr5 Councilwoman Tammy Grimes, each voicing  their support for the launch.  “This is a revolutionary…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—A convicted serial rapist from Lithonia will spend the rest of his life in prison.  On Thursday, April 17, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Nora Polk, who presided over the trial, sentenced Marieo Terrell Kearney to Life Without the Possibility of Parole, plus 5 years to serve consecutively.  Jurors found Kearney, 40, guilty on March  12  of Rape, Aggravated Sodomy, Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony in connection with the assault of a woman in a parking lot on May 27, 2019. Investigators found that Kearney’s DNA from the 2019 rape kit…

CONYERS, GA– Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) is recruiting outstanding teachers to come aboard for the 2025-2026  school year.  The school district is hosting a Teacher Job Fair on Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the RCPS Board Room, 960 Pine Street NE, Conyers. Participants must pre-register by visiting www.rockdaleschools.org/jobfair. On-site interviews will be held during the Teacher Job Fair. RCPS has 11 elementary schools, four middle schools, three traditional high schools, a virtual campus for grades 4-5 and 6-12, and four non-traditional schools: Rockdale Career Academy and Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, Open Campus, Alpha Academy. In…

STONECREST, GA—With The Great Awakening weekend already underway, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church continues its transformative Easter celebration with impactful community engagement and powerful worship ahead.  On Saturday, April 19, New Birth will host its Community Impact Day, offering free Easter dinners to 1,500 families, a health fair in partnership with the Atlanta Medical Association, fitness activities led by E.F.F.E.C.T Fitness, and a festive Family Fun Day complete with food trucks, games, and more beginning at 10 a.m. The Bullseye Black Market, which features over 100 Black-owned businesses, will also remain open throughout the weekend.  The celebration will culminate on Sunday, April…