Author: On Common Ground News

Explore Georgia, the state tourism office within the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), joined Gov. Kemp and industry professionals from across the state today to recognize a record-breaking year in tourism at the annual Tourism, Hospitality and Arts Day at the Georgia State Capitol. The annual event highlights the importance of the tourism, hospitality, and arts industries in the state. Georgia welcomed 111.7 million international and domestic visitors in 2018, who collectively spent $36.9 billion in communities throughout the state and directly supported 478,000 jobs. Without the jobs created by the tourism industry, Georgia’s unemployment rate would be 10%,…

The Sankofa Community Food Pantry is hosting a drive-through food pantry on Saturday, Jan. 18, 12 to 3 p.m. at 1240 Sigman Road. The free food giveaway is open to the community and will feature fresh produce and other dry food items. Attendees are asked to drive their grocery-ready vehicles behind the building to pick up their items. No ID required. Event is rain or shine.

Martin Luther King, Jr. will not be honored with a parade in Rockdale County this year. Community activist Josie Dean, who organized the first-ever parade to honor the civil rights leader in Rockdale, says Conyers city officials have blocked her from having the annual event that she has coordinated for the last three years. Dean said the city is retaliating against her for being outspoken on community issues. “It’s sad that here it is 2020 and Conyers just elected the first two blacks to the City Council and there is no parade to honor Dr. King in the City of …

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) hosted his inaugural Unsung Hero Awards at the Black Box Theatre in Conyers on Jan. 12. Johnson honored 20 leaders from DeKalb, Rockdale Gwinnett and Newton counties who go above and beyond their job descriptions to give back to their communities and assist the constituents of Georgia’s Fourth District. On Common Ground Newswas one of five recipients honored with the Congressman’s inaugural “Diamonds of the District” award. The newspaper’s  publishers, Glenn and Valerie Morgan, thanked the Congressman for his support over the years, stating that receiving the award was especially significant as On…

DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox is in a crowded race to keep her job as DeKalb’s first female sheriff. Nine candidates, including Maddox, put their bid in for sheriff after the qualifying period ended on Jan. 8. Maddox, who served as the former Chief of Police for Georgia Piedmont Technical College, will join her competitors in a special election set for March 24 that will fill the unexpired term of Jeffrey Mann. The election will determine who serves the last nine months of Mann’s unexpired term, which ends in December 2020. Mann announced his retirement last November after unsuccessfully fighting the…

By Mackenzie N. Morgan Staff Writer The city of Stonecrest is now home to one of Georgia’s newest semi-pro basketball teams, the Georgia Kangaroos. The team, which has been seeking a home since early last year, will play its inaugural basketball game against the Augusta Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 19, 3 p.m., in the gymnasium at the newly renovated Browns Mill Recreation Center in Stonecrest. Founder, head coach and former Parkview High School basketball player, Brian Caswell, said he is ecstatic about bringing semi-pro sports to Stonecrest. Caswell thanked city officials and Stonecrest Parks and Recreation for assisting in…

Stonecrest City Councilwoman Tammy Grimes will host her first community forum as the newest member of the City Council. Grimes, who represents the city’s District 5, announced at the Jan. 13 council meeting that she plans to host “Talking With Tammy” on Jan. 28, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road. Grimes said she would provide more details about the meeting later. For more on the meeting, visit www.ocgnews.com.

Stonecrest City Councilman Jimmy Clanton, District 1, will host his monthly community meeting on Saturday, Feb. 1, 10 a.m., at the AEI Startup Factory, 7310 Stonecrest Concourse, Stonecrest.

The DeKalb History Center is offering a series of research classes this winter that will be open to the public. The first class in the series, “Researching Your Historic House/Property in the Metro Atlanta Area,” will be held on Saturday, Jan. 25, 10 to 11 a.m., at the DeKalb History Center located inside the Historic DeKalb Courthouse, 101 E. Court Square, Decatur. In the historic preservation training class, attendees will helpful tips and expert advice from Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr., who spent 33 years as the historian for the National Register of Historic Places within the Historic Preservation Division of…

The DeKalb NAACP’s 18th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. parade will be held on Jan. 20. The kick off ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Green Pastures Christian Ministries Church, 5455 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur at 11:30 a.m. The parade will start promptly at noon. The annual parade is held on the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday and commemorates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who would have been 91years old this year. “We continue to honor Dr. King so that he is always remembered for his sacrifice for all people,”said DeKalb NAACP…