Author: On Common Ground News

Sugar Bowl Bakery, founded in 1984 by five immigrant brothers as a neighborhood coffee shop in San Francisco, one of the leading minority-owned bakeries in America, will locate its first East Coast location in DeKalb County. The company will create approximately 400 new jobs and invest $37 million over the next five years in its new Tucker facility. “Sugar Bowl Bakery is one of the great American success stories, and we’re excited to welcome this internationally known, family-owned bakery to Georgia,” said Gov. Brian Kemp, who announced the company’s expansion into DeKalb County. “Through our outstanding workforce and logistics…

Heavy rainfalls during the week of March 2 flooded the DeKalb County sewer system with an extraordinary amount of stormwater causing a 6.9-million-gallon spill on Meadow Creek Path.  In February, a 9.2-million-gallon spill occurred at this site that also was due to stormwater intrusion into the wastewater system. Stormwater intrusion occurs when rainwater enters the wastewater system from a structural defect, such as broken or damaged sewer lines, root intrusion and aging infrastructure. Identifying the location of the stormwater intrusion can be challenging because the actual source of stormwater intrusion could be located miles away from the actual…

Development Authority Pictured: City of Stonecrest Economic Development Director Clarence Boone; Stonecrest Development Authority member Julius Lee; Stonecrest Development Authority Chair Antonio Render and Mayor Jason Lary.  Photo provided.  Housing Authority Pictured: Members of the Stonecrest Housing Authority Edwina Clanton, Bill Bruckner, Mayor Jason Lary, Marty Garrison, and Dennis Dae. Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary and the members of the Stonecrest Housing Authority and the Stonecrest Development Authority are heading to the bank with their first checks. Last year, the Authorities respectively adopted bond inducement resolutions paving the way for a $70 million senior citizen housing community and a $700 million…

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced a conviction by jury trial in connection with a fatal crash nearly five years ago that claimed the lives of three people headed to church . Jurors returned guilty verdicts against Marvin Lynch, 32, of Marietta, on March 6 on charges of vehicular homicide in the first degree (six counts), hit and run (two counts), and driving under the Influence. Authorities said Lynch fatally struck Vernon Hatley, 67, of Raleigh, N.C.; his wife, Willie Mae Hatley, 65; and their friend, Cora Rhodes Lyles, 65, of Stone Mountain. Lynch was sentenced to…

By Mackenzie N. Morgan DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson said that he is determined to get a complete count for the 2020 Census—even if it means hosting free carnivals. An estimated 600 people attended one such carnival hosted by Johnson and DeKalb County’s Department of Human Services on March 7 as a reminder that the census is approaching. Invitations to respond to the census are being delivered in the mail March 12-20.  Responses can be made online, by phone or by mail. Families from all over DeKalb attended the Census Carnival, which was held in…

The qualifying period for candidates seeking offices in Rockdale County ended on Friday, March 6, with six unopposed races already decided in the May 19 primary. The incumbents who will face no challengers and will retain their seats are: State Court Judge Nancy Bills; Tax Commissioner Tisa Smart Washington; Coroner George Levett; Rockdale Board of Education Post 1 member Mandy North; Rockdale Board of Education, Post 3 member Wales Barksdale; and Rockdale Board of Education, Post 4 memberHeather Duncan. Meanwhile, the Rockdale Sheriff’s race will have more candidates than any local contest on the ballot. Sheriff Eric Levett is facing…

Pictured left to right are Sarah Adams, Xenia Delgado, Congressman Johnson, Mena Perry and David Moreno. Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) announced the winners of his 2020 Congressional Arts Competition and awarded four college scholarships worth a total of $35,000 on March 7 at the Art Station in Stone Mountain. In this year’s competition, there were 40 entries from eight high schools throughout the Fourth District. The Grand Prize Winner was Sarah Adams, a senior at South Gwinnett High School. She won a $12,000 scholarship to The Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) for her work “Nourish.” Adams will…

State Rep. Viola Davis recently honored Tucker resident Linda Clarkwith the Yellow Rose/Nikki T. Randall Servant Leadership Award. Davis described Clark, a longtime resident of the Peters Park Community, as a “one-woman force that has unified the community to combat and fight the growing deterioration of the neighborhood.” Davis said Clark has a long history of serving the Peters Park Community with dedication and devotion. Clark took the lead in a community cleanup,  motivating more than 75 volunteers from all over Tucker to roll up their sleeves and pitch in to restore Peters Park.  The army…

ATLANTA—The Georgia General Assembly will suspend the 2020 legislative session indefinitely after Friday, March 13, the 29th Legislative Day. The suspension is out of anabundance of caution and in the interest of health and safety of members, staff and the public given the prevalence of the coronavirus. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and Speaker of the House David Ralston have mutually agreed to suspend the session and resume at a future date to be determined. “We continue to urge calm and appropriate responses to the coronavirus situation. However, the current environment demands that we take additional preventative action,” said Duncan. “Speaker…

The school district issued the following statement: “We have been committed to keeping our community updated about the rapidly developing situation with COVID-19. Throughout the process, we have relied on the guidance from the Georgia Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DeKalb County Board of Health, Georgia Department of Education, as well as our state leaders. During today’s 3 p.m. press conference, Gov. Kemp communicated the following, “Given the rise of the coronavirus, I am going to issue a call to action. If local communities feel it is prudent, you should consider closing day…