Author: On Common Ground News

The City of Lithonia, Mayor and Councilmembers will  honor Maggie “Mc” Woods, on Oct. 28, 5:30 pm, for a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate a street topper at the corner of Magnolia Street and Williams Reynolds Grant Drive, in front of the home where she lived. In 1972, Maggie Woods became the first African-American Councilwoman in Lithonia. A resident of Lithonia since 1935, Mrs. Woods raised all eight of her children in the city, including her daughter Marcia, who would become Lithonia’s first African-American female mayor in 1995, and her son Jerome Woods, who was elected as police…

Join the North Georgia Live Steamers for miniature steam train rides on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers. The train takes passengers on a wooded path in the horse park. Rides begin operation at 1 p.m.  The last train ride is  at 4:30 p.m. The cost to ride is $2 per person. Run days may be canceled for inclement weather. For more information, call 770-860-4190.

The Stonecrest Library Friends group will host its “Super Holiday Book Sale” on Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road, Stonecrest. There will be used books available for purchase in all categories including  fiction, non-fiction, biographies, encyclopedias, romance, history, crafts, magazines, books on tapes,  CDs and DVDs. Proceeds benefit the Stonecrest Library’s children and adult programs.

The NAACP DeKalb County branch and Salem Bible Church Political/Social Action Ministry will host the “2020 Vision: Education for a Better Tomorrow” forum on Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The forum will be held at Salem Bible Church, 5460 Hillandale Drive, Lithonia and feature subject matter experts on legislative bills, voter education, the 2020 U.S. Census and redistricting and gerrymandering. Political strategist Fred Hicks will serve as moderator. The panelists include
Taifa Smith Butler, executive director of Georgia Policy and Budget Institute; Tharon Johnson, political consultant;
Attorney Jerry Wilson; Sam Tillman, DeKalb Board of Voter Registration; Aklima…

State Rep. Karen L. Bennett, chairwoman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, will honor breast cancer survivors and pay tribute to her grandmother and the families of loved ones who died from the disease during the Emma B. Allen Pink Sash Parade on Sunday, Oct. 27. The tribute will be held at Antioch-Lithonia Missionary Baptist Church, 2125 Rock Chapel Road, Lithonia,     during the 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. worship services. The Emma B. Allen Pink Sash Parade was named in memory of  Bennett’s grandmother, who died from breast cancer at an early age in 1962, just…

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond announces sewer repairs at “Ground Zero.” DeKalb County has begun Phase 2 work on its worst sewer spill site. Officials held a press conference on Oct. 23 to announce that another round of repairs are underway  near Melanie Court, where 22 sewer spills have been reported since 2014. Construction crews demolished a house near the site as they began work at what DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond called “Ground Zero.” “This is Ground Zero for the challenges my administration has faced with the long-delayed repairs and maintenance to DeKalb’s sanitary sewer system,” said Thurmond.…

State Rep. Billy Mitchell (D-Stone Mountain) announced that he will introduce legislation during the 2020 legislative session to allow college athletes in Georgia to be compensated for the use of their name, likeness and image. The proposed legislation will be modeled after California’s “Fair Pay to Play Act,” which was recently signed into law and will protect college athletes from eligibility sanctions by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) beginning Jan. 1, 2023. With Mitchell’s proposed legislation, Georgia is poised to join a rapidly growing number of states that are introducing bills similar to California. The bills are…

CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL CALLED MEETING 10/23/2019 4:00 p.m. 3120 Stonecrest Blvd. Suite 190 Stonecrest, Georgia CALL TO ORDER EXECUTIVE SESSION REAL ESTATE MATTERS ADJOURNMENT

Jermel Campbell, 26, turned himself into DeKalb County Police Department last night. Campbell was one of three men wanted for the Sept. 29, 2019 murder of Kevin Downer outside the Round 1 bowling  arcade at the Mall At Stonecrest. A third suspect, Trayvon Williams, has yet to be arrested. #DKPD

The Securities and Exchange Commission and Morehouse College will co-host a panel discussion on strategies to attract investment capital to minority businesses from 4 – 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24 during Homecoming Week. The special event, which will be held on the campus of Morehouse College, will feature conversations with minority entrepreneurs and investors who will explore solutions for overcoming barriers and share business successes. The panel discussion will be held at the Shirley Massey Executive Conference Center. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Advance registration is recommended. Seating is limited. The full agenda and list of speakers and panelists will be available…