Author: On Common Ground News

The threat of rain did not prevent over 200 runners from crossing the finish line at the 9th Annual Race Against Violence 5K (RAV), which was held on Saturday, Oct. 20 in Conyers.   RAV has become an annual tradition for many people in the community as the participants, sponsors  and volunteers begin the weekend carbing up at the pre-race party hosted by Mellow Mushroom in Conyers on Friday night and then meeting at the Conyers First United Methodist Church at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday for the start of the race. The Rockdale County Task Force Against Family Violence, chaired…

Priscilla Davenport, breast cancer survivor, stands in front of her adopted MARTA bus stop she has sponsored for the past two years.In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Keep DeKalb Beautiful (KDB) is placing a pink ribbon on every sign adopted during the month of October as part of the Adopt-A-Stop (Marta), Adopt-A-Spot and Adopt-A-Road Programs.  Each Adopt-A-Program aims to reduce litter and blight in a focused area. To remain in good standing, each group is asked to complete and report four cleanups per year.  KDB will provide all the supplies and collect the materials at the end of each…

 THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED Democratic Party of Georgia pushes early voting  By Valerie J. Morgan  The Democratic Party of Georgia is urging voters to go to the polls during the early voting period, in the wake of receiving reports from thousands of voters– 47,00 of them in DeKalb County–who never received the absentee ballots they requested. Rebecca DeHart, executive director for the state Democratic Party, said an estimated 4,700 absentee ballots were unfulfilled by the DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections, even though a number of requests were made in early September. DeHart said DeKalb officials now have committed…

Harvest Fire Festival at New Birth New Birth Missionary Baptist Church& Samson’s Fitness Center, 6400 Woodrow Road, Lithonia, will host its Harvest Fire Festival on Saturday, Oct. 27. There will be fun for all generations. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Taste of Health 5K Run/Walk & Health Fair Screenings will be held. From 3 to 8 p.m., there will be outdoor games, sports competitions, bounce houses, a candy drop, food trucks, horse and pony rides, a concert, Drones Technology Demonstration,  bonfire and more. The family fun activities are free of charge.  For more details, visit www.newbirth.org/events. 770-696-9600 Kingdom…

The NAACP, DeKalb County Branch, will host its 62ndAnnual Freedom Fund Awards Gala on Oct. 27 at the Courtyard Marriott Atlanta,130 Clairemont Ave., Decatur.  A VIP reception will be held 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and the Awards Gala will begin promptly at 7. This year’s theme is “A New Era, Same Cause…Justice!” Former State Rep. Dee Dawkins Haigler, along with Dr. Alduan Tartt and Dr. Sean Tartt are the hosts for this year’s gala. DeKalb NAACP President Teresa Hardy said the Freedom Fund Gala is a major fundraiser for the branch, which formed 63 years ago with the mission…

There will be a meet and greet this Friday, Oct. 26, in Rockdale County with Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Kingdom Builders Covenant Church, 1151 Flat Shoals Road, Conyers. The public is invited to meet Abrams and hear about Marsey’s Law and other Amendments on the general ball. State Sen. Tonya Anderson and State Rep. Pam Dickerson are hosting the event.  

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking election officials in Georgia from throwing out absentee ballots or applications for a supposed signature mismatch without giving the voter an opportunity to contest the determination and confirm their identity. U.S. Judge Leign Martin May’s Oct. 24 ruling stems from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit against Secretary of State Brian Kemp and county registrars. The ACLU filed the suit on Oct. 16 on behalf of the Georgia Muslim Voter Project challenging that county registrars have no handwriting-analysis expertise to reject an absentee ballot if they think there is a…

DeKalb County Sample Ballot – General Election – Nov 6, 2018 Click Here to View Voter Specific Sample Ballot Click to enlarge

The Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series will host the General Election debate for Georgia Governor on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, which will air live at 7 p.m. The debate will be aired via Atlanta Press Club Facebook Live and on Georgia Public Broadcasting. Each debate from the Loudermilk-Young Debate Series will be available for viewers to watch on demand via Facebook Live at http://www.fb.com/TheAtlantaPressClub and GPBNews.org. The General Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. More information regarding the complete Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series can be found here: https://atlantapressclub.org/debates/ All candidates who qualify with the…

  On Wednesday, the head of the state’s child welfare agency will outline ways Georgia can help grandparents, aunts, and other relatives caring for boys and girls whose parents aren’t able to. Tom Rawlings, interim director of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services(DFCS), will participate in a panel discussion with other national experts in a forum hosted by the Chronicle of Social Change. He’ll outline ways the state supports relative caregivers through a statewide network of Kinship Navigators who connect these formal and informal foster parents with benefits and community support programs. Rawlings is a former…