Author: On Common Ground News

Photo Essay by Mackenzie Morgan The “Real Black Santa” comes to City of Stonecrest From left to right: Stonecrest Parks and Recreation staff Tamieka Porter, Sean Depalma and Sheldon Fleming pose for a picture at the Real Black Santa holiday bazaar on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Browns Mill Recreation Center in the City of Stonecrest. Santa Claus was on hand for family Christmas portraits at the Real Black Santa community event. Children eagerly await their turn to sit with St. Nick during the holiday party which featured inflatable bounce houses, a vendors market, music and…

The holiday spirit of generosity has arrived early at LifeLine Animal Project, thanks to a generous gift from Anisa Telwar Kaicker and her team at Anisa Internationa. Anisa International is supporting LifeLine with matching holiday donations for the eighth consecutive year. The organization has pledged to l match every dollar donated – up to $50,000 – through Dec. 31.  The campaign will feature some very special stories of adoption matches made possible by the donations. “We are so grateful for the continued support of Anisa and her team at Anisa International,” said Rebecca Guinn, CEO of LifeLine Animal Project.…

Georgia Cancer Specialists (GCS) is hosting the 18th annual Totes to Tots drive to collect backpacks and suitcases for foster children in Georgia. Donations of new backpacks, duffel bags and suitcases will be accepted at locations across the state. More than 14,000 children, from infants to teenagers, are currently in the foster care system in Georgia. Many of these children shuffle their belongings in garbage bags when they are removed from their homes. Totes to Tots aims to change that by giving every foster child in Georgia a new backpack, duffel bag or suitcase. Since Totes to Tots launched in 2003,…

The City of Stonecrest held its inaugural Christmas tree lighting at City Hall on Dec. 12. Dozens of citizens joined Mayor Jason Lary and the city’s First Lady, Debbie Lary, as well as other city officials for the historic event., which included holiday music and refreshments. The celebration marked a three-year milestone. Mayor Lary is considered the founder of the city, which has 54,000 residents. Lary spent years pushing for the city’s incorporation. Citizens voted to incorporate Stonecrest as a municipality in 2016.

The Stonecrest City Council approved its general operating budget for Fiscal Year 2020 at its Dec. 9 meeting in a 5-0 vote. In a separate 4-1 vote, the council approved the contract with Jacobs, (formerly CH2M), which was hired to manage the city’s administration. Councilwoman Jazzmin Cobble cast the dissenting vote, after raising several questions about a 1.4 percent increase in the lump-sum contract for services with Jacobs. The council passed a proposed budget of $10,460,900, a 7.2 percent increase over the 2019 budget of $9, 704,911. The budget includes an average 3 percent cost-of-living raise for staff employees and…

Congressman Urges Colleagues To Put ‘America First’ WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight(Dec. 11), Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, delivered the following statement at the first of two Judiciary Committee hearings marking up Articles of Impeachment against President Donald J. Trump: Watch here: https://youtu.be/94QM_M93HtI Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Until this investigation began, I did not support impeaching President Trump. I’d like to tell y’all what changed my mind. “America first.” We’ve heard those words a lot recently. We haven’t always agreed on what they mean. But we know this: our Founders created impeachment so…

The holiday season is getting even more festive with a new Georgia Lottery game. The Georgia Lottery recently launched Cash Pop, a new draw game that offers players a chance to win cash prizes up to $1,250 five times a day, every day – by matching just one number. Cash Pop is the first, new Georgia Lottery game to be available at both retail and through iLottery channels. “We are laser-focused on our mission to maximize revenues for HOPE and Pre-K,” Georgia Lottery Corp. President and CEO Gretchen Corbin said. “Cash Pop is a great addition to our…

DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, in partnership with Georgia Piedmont Technical College, will host a GED Roundtable for churches in District 5  to offer GED preparatory classes at local houses of worship. The GED Roundtable will be held on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m., at the Georgia Piedmont Technical College – South DeKalb Campus, 2460 Wesley Chapel Road, Decatur. Churches are encouraged to send a representative to the roundtable to receive information on how they can offer GED classes to their congregation and surrounding communities.  “When we educate ourselves, we empower ourselves,” Commissioner Johnson said. “I believe that…

\WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) voted on Friday, Dec. 6, to pass H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, critical legislation to restore the full strength of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), following the disastrous Supreme Court Shelby v. Holder decision, which gutted the VRA’s ability to combat voter suppression and discrimination.  Since the Shelby v. Holder decision, at least 23 states have enacted voter suppression laws that encompass voter purges, strict ID requirements, poll closures and curtailing of early voting hours – including Georgia. “Nearly 55 years after the Voting Rights Act enshrined…

  Dashuan Johnson, better known as “The Guru of Abs,” showed seniors how to shed their midsections during a kickoff celebration of a new senior fitness program at the City of Stonecrest’s Browns Mill Recreation Center on Dec. 3. More than 20 older adults attended the inaugural class just ahead of New Year resolutions. Johnson got the crowd moving and started them off with chair exercises to some thumping beats where they were able to stand intermittently and do marching exercises. Atlanta Brand Central provided complimentary T-shirts to commemorate the center’s first senior class since the center’s grand re-opening after…