Author: On Common Ground News

Need a job? New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, 6400 Woodrow Road, Stonecrest, is hosting a Career Expo on Friday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Job seekers from throughout the metro Atlanta area are encouraged to attend. The expo will include a host companies that will be recruiting people with diverse educational backgrounds and skill sets. New Birth’s pastor, Dr. Jamal Bryant, along with other leaders, will open the event with presentations.

By Sarita Mason, OCG News Intern The City of Stonecrest is keeping its promise to repave and repair the city’s streets. City officials and Blount Construction Company, Inc. held a ribbon- cutting ceremony today for the beginning of repairs for the city’s 18 worst streets. The ceremony took place on Leverett Drive in the Amherst Forest community. Mayor Jason Lary said he was excited for the city to finally get rolling on the project. He said the project addresses improvements residents have been requesting for months, some of them citing dangerous potholes in communities and main arteries in the…

  On Monday, hundreds of residents attended Congressman Hank Johnson’s Resources Fair at Georgia Piedmont Technical College in Clarkston. The fair helped connect constituents with local, state and federal agencies that provided job-readiness training, information on the television/film industry and employment opportunities.   The event included trainings for veterans, help for ex-offenders trying to overcome barriers to employment, resume development, pathways to empowerment, interviewing skills, job readiness workshops and small business forums. The fair – held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – included a panel on “How To Do Business With the Television and Film Industry” in Georgia.  …

One of the two toddlers pulled from a swimming pool at their home in Rockdale County has died, the Rockdale Sheriff’s Office said. The 2-year-old boy, who had been in critical condition at Scottish Rite Hospital since April 25, died on Mother’s Day, May 12. He was pronounced deceased by medical staff at 3:45 p.m. His sister, 3,  recovered and was released to go home, the Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators had arrested Trevor Chase Bohannon, 21, on two counts of reckless conduct and two counts of cruelty to children in the second degree, but upgraded the charges to murder in…

Pictured is Jaymeon Render, 8, who nearly stole the show at Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary’s State of the City Address on May 6, 2019. The Barack Obama Elementary School student, who was dressed as a superhero the mayor called “Zero Tax Boy.” The young Render responded “no” to every question the mayor asked. The audience erupted into laughter at the child’s response.   Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary: City fiscally on track, ready to repave worn roads, poised for economic development   At his State of the City Address on May 6 at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Stonecrest Mayor Jason…

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson, District 3, in partnership with STAND Inc. and others, hosted the third annual National Opioid Summit on May 2. The summit was held in DeKalb at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. This year’s summit, whose theme was “Opioid Summit 3.0: Preserving Our Youth and Families,” focused on the opioid crisis impacting families across the nation. Opioids are a class of drugs that include heroin, synthetics such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and others.  Opioid deaths from…

State Rep. Doreen Carter will be the guest speaker at the Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce luncheon celebrating National Small Business Week on May 15. The luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at This Is It! Banquet Hall, 2853 Panola Road, Stonecrest. Carter, who represents House District 92, which includes parts of DeKalb and Rockdale counties,will provide an update on bills and other critical issues state lawmakers addressed during the 2019 legislative session. Elected to Georgia’s General Assembly in Nov. 2015, Carter currently serves on the Small Business, Industry & Labor, Education, Code Revision and Special…

Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry The City of Clarkston has paved the way for developers to build Georgia’s first tiny home community. The City Council voted unanimously for the project on May 7. “The Cottages on Vaughan” will be situated on a half-acre lot centrally located one block from downtown Clarkston, and will include eight tiny homes on permanent foundations, ranging from 250-492 square feet. Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry said he is excited about the concept. “We’re creating our future world,” said Terry. “We are proud to partner with the MicroLife Institute on this innovative new approach to housing.…

As part of the Operation Clean Sweep 2019 initiative, the DeKalb County Sanitation Division will host a paper shredding event on Saturday, June 15, 8 a.m. – noon, at the DeKalb County Sanitation Division’s Central Transfer Station, 3720 Leroy Scott Drive, Decatur. Event participants will have an opportunity to dispose of up to 10 standard-size boxes of paper. All documents will be shredded onsite and shredding services will be provided by A1 Shredding & Recycling. The event is free and open only to DeKalb County residents within the Sanitation Division service area. Proof of residency may be requested.…

  Gregory B. Levett And Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory will unveil a beautiful memorial garden on Memorial Day weekend to honor the men and women who have died protecting and preserving America’s freedom. The funeral home will host a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the Veterans Memorial Garden on May 26, 5 p.m., at its South DeKalb location, 4347 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur. The national holiday is May 27. “We wanted to do something to honor our veterans and give back to them since they have given so much to us. Sometimes, they had to give everything— even their…