Author: On Common Ground News

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…

The Stonecrest City Council will hold a work session and city council meeting on Monday, Dec. 9. The work session begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by the city council meeting at 7 p.m. The meetings are open to public and are held at Stonecrest City Hall, 3120 Stonecrest Blvd., Stonecrest. The agendas for both sessions are below.

The world’s No. 1 motivational speaker, Les Brown, will join Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson, chess champion and founder of Be Someone Inc., at the Close Conference on Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m., at the Kimpton Overland Hotel, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Che Brown and Trevor Otts, creators of the Close Conference, are hosting the event at no cost as a holiday gift to the business community. The three-day conference, which began Dec. 5, is providing business development and revenue-generating ideas as well as networking opportunities for entrepreneurs, motivational speakers and coaches, marketers, personal and professional development experts and others. Brown said in…

L-R: Mayor Jason Lary, Economic Development Director Clarence Boone, and Council member Rob Turner The City of Stonecrest plans to launch its own convention and tourism bureau in early 2020, breaking ties with the Discover DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB). The City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 25 to terminate its intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the DCVB and utilize the city’s hotel/motel taxes to promote its own conventions, tourism and trade shows. The city would end the agreement with DCVB in February 2020, meeting its required notice of at least 90 days to the agency. Mayor Jason Lary said by…

TheDeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a murder suspect. A Felony Murder warrant has been issued for Atlanta resident Dequan Trimell King, 25, in connection with the shooting death of Brandon McCrary on Waldrop Place in Decatur on Sept. 22, 2019. Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of the suspect is asked to contact the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit by calling CrimeStoppers at 404-577-TIPS.  A reward may be possible if the information provided leads to an arrest.

On Nov. 22, at 1:20 p.m., the four suspects pictured fled from officers in a Dodge Challenger bearing tag CIB8629.  This tag is reported stolen out of Kentucky and the vehicle was last seen southbound on Highway 138. Any information regarding these persons of interest may result in a cash reward of up to $2,000.00. Tipsters will remain anonymous and are asked to contact Crime Stoppers with any information: Call: 404.577.TIPS (8477) Click: www.CrimeStoppersAtlanta.org BOLO CS 19-115987

CEO Michael Thurmond is joined by county leaders at the Dec. 5 news conference.   DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has recommended to the county Board of Commissioners a 4 percent public safety salary increase. Included in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal, the raise would be effective the first pay period in January 2020. The total cost of the compensation increase is $5.4 million. “DeKalb County remains committed to ensuring that our community is safe,” said CEO Thurmond. “The county’s holistic approach to increase compensation for the men and women of public safety reflects the county’s commitment to protecting DeKalb…

Tammy Grimes is celebrating her victory and ready to serve on the Stonecrest City Council. Grimes, an instructional support specialist for the DeKalb County School District, defeated Dave Marcus, a retired strategic planner and financial analyst, in the Dec. 3 runoff for the Stonecrest District 5 City Council seat. Grimes said she is looking forward to “working with the citizens, mayor and City Council to make “Stonecrest proud.” “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!  I am humbled by all of the support that has been shown to me and my campaign during the November election and the December runoff.  I…