Author: On Common Ground News

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Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms notified Atlanta Police Department officers that they will receive their first compensation adjustment on Dec. 21. On Oct. 1, Mayor Bottoms announced an historic comprehensive plan to raise compensation for APD members, signing the legislation into law two weeks later on Oct. 15. During her October press conference, she stated that the City would make an investment towards police compensation by January 2019. The disbursement of the first round of police pay raises on December 21st, delivers on the Administration’s promise ahead of schedule. “The City of Atlanta has a world-class police force and its members…

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has proposed a three-percent pay raise and a $15-per-hour minimum wage to help retain and attract talented employees who are motivated to provide quality customer service to residents and businesses of DeKalb. The compensation enhancements are part of CEO Thurmond’s goal of maintaining a well-compensated, highly-trained workforce dedicated to putting customers first. On Dec. 11, Thurmond delivered to the Board of Commissioners highlights of his proposed FY2019 budget which includes a 3-percent raise for all county employees who did not receive a raise in October 2018. Additionally, the proposed budget increases the…

DeKalb County’s new Super District 7 Commissioner Lorraine Cochran Johnson was sworn in by Judge Badelia Hargrove during a private ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 11. Johnson announced in a statewide release today that her public Oath of Office ceremony will be held on Jan. 4, 2019, 3 p.m., at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. She said she is looking forward to the public attending. Judge Glenda Hatchett will administer the oath of office. Judge Penny Brown Reynolds will serve as the keynote speaker. The program also will include special guest Georgia Secretary of State Robyn…

Thousands flocked to welcome New Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s new pastor, Dr. Jamal Bryant, on Sunday, Dec. 9. Bryant took the helm, igniting the crowd with a sermon entitled “Bite Me” in which he rebuked enemies—snakes—who try to tear down others. He invited those who had left New Birth out of despair to return, along with those seeking a church home where they can grow and become involved in ministry and the community. “I need New Birth to get the word out to everyone that our church is back on fire,” said Bryant. Atlanta businessman Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., chairman…

The city of Stonecrest will ring in the New Year with several new services planned, money in its reserve fund and no new taxes. The $9,168,400 budget includes a $250,000 reserve fund and represents more than a $2.5 million revenue increase or 41% over the 2018 budget. City officials say the revenue boost is primarily due to the city’s ability to now receive a state insurance premium tax. The tax, however, will not affect residents or businesses in the area.  Municipalities receive the tax from the state for property, casualty, and life insurance policies purchased by those within the city.…

Norfolk Southern Corporation, a major transporter of automotive products, coal and industrial products, is planning to locate its headquarters to Atlanta, a move that will create 850 jobs. Gov. Nathan Deal was joined by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Dec. 12 to announce that Norfolk  Southern will locate its headquarters in Fulton County. The new campus, which represents a $575 million investment, includes dispatch operations, operations and service support center, crew management center, corridor operations offices, national customer service center, administrative functions, marketing department and police communications center. “As a major hub for both transportation and innovation,…

The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) was recently recognized with two awards for wastewater collection system and water quality. DWM was awarded the 2018 Gold Collection Systems Award at the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) Fall Conference for scoring high on criteria that review preventative maintenance, system evaluation, rehabilitation programs, and training. GAWP is Georgia’s largest professional water and wastewater organization and recognizes organizations which take exceptional effort to properly manage, operate and maintain collection systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also honored the department with the Water Fluoridation Quality Award.  For the fourth…

The D.L Sims Elementary School (SES) Junior Beta Club in Rockdale County won six awards at the Junior Beta Club State Convention in Savannah Nov. 28-30. The following awards were presented to Sims: Painting—second place (Grace Prince) Technology—fourth place (Magic Boyd and Timothy Harvey) Performing Arts—fifth place (V’nai Edmead, Dani Donald, Chance Sanford, Samaya Williams, Karleigh Prince, Makyaii Walker, Ty Mortimer) Songfest—fifth place (all scholars) Jewelry—fifth place (Taylor Holmes) Gold Key Award 10 Percent Growth (all scholars) SES also achieved the honor earlier this year of being named a National Beta School of Distinction. The SES Junior Beta Club sponsors…

The Rockdale County High School (RCHS) Debate Team returned home with medals including top speaker for the entire tournament – at the Nov. 10 Atlanta Urban Debate League (AUDL) Tournament. The event hosted more than 350 middle and high school students from Atlanta metro area school districts including Atlanta Public Schools, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Calhoun, Cobb, Decatur City, Douglas County, Drew Charter, and more. The RCHS Debate Team placed 6th, 7th, 10th, and 12th place in team competitions. RCHS individual winners include: Tyla Harris 1st Place Speaker (over the entire tournament), Jackie Gomez Villa 5th Place Speaker, Aaron Gill 11th…