Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs is accepting new or gently-used coats for its first coat drive now until Friday, Nov. 30. As the temperature starts to drop, the Department of Recreation Parks & Cultural Affairs is working to provide some comfort to those in need. Citizens are encouraged to drop off coat donations at the Lucious Sanders Recreation Center, located at 2484 Bruce Street, Lithonia, noon to 8 p.m. For more information, contact Marcus Byams, Recreation Center director, at 770-482-0408.

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has voted to issue taxable bonds to buy part of the OFS Brightwave Solutions site on I-85 at Jimmy Carter Boulevard. The Series 2018 revenue bonds will be issued by the Urban Redevelopment Agency (URA) of Gwinnett County, which approved the resolution on Oct. 16. “The next steps will be to get bond ratings from the rating agencies in November with pricing and closing to follow in December,” said Director of Financial Services Maria Woods. The property is within the Gwinnett Village Opportunity Zone, making it eligible for URA financing. OFS is expanding its…

DEKALB City of Lithonia sets Trunk or Treat The City of Lithonia will host its annual Trunk or Treat on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the City Hall parking lot, 6920 Main Street. Participants are encouraged to decorate their cars and open up their trunks filled with treats for the kids. Children are encouraged to wear their costumes. For more information: 770-482-8136, ext. 128. Rain or shine. DeKalb Parks and Recreation sets Halloween events The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs is hosting several Halloween events at recreation centers on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Many of…

Two high-ranking Georgia members of the ‘Bloods’ affiliated ‘Sex, Money, Murder’ gang have been convicted of killing a baby and injuring three women during a deadly home invasion in Stone Mountain. Jurors returned guilty verdicts on Monday afternoon against Kenneth “K.G.” Jackson, 33, and Christopher “Trillz” Florence, 33, on charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and weapons offenses for the murder of nine-month old Kendarious Edwards. Marco Fernando Watson, 39, a third defendant, was convicted of weapons offenses in connection with the crime. The incident happened on May 10, 2014…

Children in the community got a chance to get lots of goodies during Voices of Faith Ministries’ Trunk or Treat, which was held today (Oct. 27)at the church’s Conyers campus located at 1290 Sigman Road. Instead of knocking on doors in neighborhoods for treats, the kids went from trunk to trunk in the church’s parking lot filling up their plastic pumpkins, buckets and backpacks. The cool weather was perfect for all who dressed up in costumes. The Voices of Faith event was among several free fall celebrations held this weekend in east Metro Atlanta ahead of Halloween and other fall…

Stacey Abrams is making her way across the state pushing early voting. The Democratic nominee for Georgia governor stopped in Rockdale County on Friday night (Oct. 26) where an enthusiastic crowd greeted her and other Democrats who are running for office. The event was held at Kingdom Builders Church. The Democratic Party of Georgia is urging voters to go to the polls on Sunday. Abrams will lead The “Souls to the Polls” initiative in downtown Atlanta with a 1 p.m. rally at Underground Atlanta. Sunday voting will be held from noon until 4 p.m. The Early Voting period…

Clarkston Boys 5-5A Champs By Mark Brock DCSD Athletics DeKalb County School District picked up four team region titles, six runners-up finishes while qualifying 17 teams for the state meets set for November 2-3 at Carrollton. Tucker boys (4-6A), Clarkston boys (5-5A), Chamblee girls (5-5A) and Druid Hills girls (4-4A) all claimed region championships while Martin Luther King Jr. boys and girls (4-6A), Lakeside girls (4-7A), Chamblee boys (5-5A), Southwest DeKalb girls (5-5A) and Druid Hills boys (4-4A) all finished as runners-up. The other teams to qualify for state include Lakeside boys (4-7A), Arabia Mountain boys (5-5A), Southwest DeKalb boys…

Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Georgia’s net tax collections for September totaled $2.23 billion, for an increase of $153.1 million, or 7.4 percent, compared to last year when net tax collections totaled nearly $2.08 billion. Year-to-date, net tax revenue collections totaled $5.81 billion, for an increase of $329.9 million, or 6 percent, compared to September 2017. The changes within the following tax categories contributed to the overall net tax revenue increase in September: Individual Income Tax:Individual Income Tax collections for September totaled nearly $1.16 billion, for an increase of $105.6 million, or 10 percent, compared to last year when…

The new Hall Campus of Lanier Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), celebrated the completion of its 335,000-square-foot campus. The project is the first newly constructed technical college campus in the history of technical education in Georgia. provide thousands of students with even greater opportunities to find enduring and meaningful careers here in the No. 1 state for business.” “Institutions like Lanier Technical College are an essential part of Georgia’s robust workforce and thriving business climate,” Gov. Nathan Deal stated in an Oct. 19 news release. “With unparalleled resources for learning and mastering high-demand skills,…

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management firm and a technology solutions provider, has chosen Atlanta for the company’s newest Innovation Hub. BlackRock plans to build its presence in Fulton County, partner with the Atlanta business community and local universities, and create 1,000 career opportunities over the next several years. Gov. Nathan Deal praised the expansion in an Oct. 25 news release. “When firms like BlackRock choose to expand here in the No. 1 state for business, it’s a powerful statement of what Georgia has to offer to industry leaders,” said Deal. “Georgia provides a workforce that is among the…