Author: On Common Ground News

Watchdogs for Justice and Mothers Against Gang Violence will host the “Fall For Justice” community awareness event on Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Baha’i Unity Center, 2370 Wesley Chapel Road, Decatur. There will be music, food, karate and golf demonstrations, face painting and interactive skits based on actual court cases to show young people how to avoid trouble in interacting with police officers.  Come out and interact with the DeKalb County Police and Fire Departments, YMCA, Southland Golf, Wesley Chapel Martial Arts, Bahai Unity Center, Anytime Fitness and many others.  All ages are invited. For more information,…

The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and the DeKalb County School District will host the “Seeing is Believing Tour” and State of the District Address on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 7:30 to 11 a.m. More than 50 business, civic and community leaders will tour six schools and learn how the school district is educating students in the 21st century. “As we strive to strengthen our workforce in DeKalb County, it’s important for us to connect the business community with the local school district,” said Katerina Taylor, DeKalb Chamber President and CEO. “The Seeing is Believing Tour will be an opportunity for our…

The Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce (GLCC) and President Kendra Price will host the Chamber’s 25th Anniversary Scholarship Gala on Friday, Nov. 9, at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur.  The GLCC Board of Directors will host a private reception from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. ahead of the gala, which begins at 7 p.m. The signature event provides the opportunity for the Chamber’s community and business partners to enjoy an evening filled with networking and entertainment while creating scholarships for deserving students.  For tickets and more, visit www.greaterlithonia.chamber.  

Super District 7 Commissioner Gregory Adams, in partnership with 25 To Art, The Sauce Creative Agency and Just About Blessing You (JABY) Inc. will host a Fall Arts Festival on Saturday, Oct. 27, 1 to 6 p.m., at Wade Walker Park, 5585 Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain. The family-friendly festival is free. There will be live music and entertainment from local artists, a game truck, food, candy, arts and a costume contest. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets.

The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections will accept yellow or white absentee return  envelopes through 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6.  The statewide vendor inadvertently printed absentee return envelopes on white stock, instead of the normal yellow stock. Because of the high volume of absentee requests and to maintain efficiency in processing requests, the white envelopes were used until a new shipment could be received. Either yellow or white envelopes are acceptable.   Advance voting is underway and will run through Friday, Nov. 2.  Voting sites and times can be found at www.dekalbvotes.com under “Current Election Information.” Sample ballots and…

Mega Millions just keeps getting bigger and better. As a result of robust sales, Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot has been bumped from $868 million to $900 million – the largest in the game’s history and second largest in U.S. history. Additionally, Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot has grown to $345 million, combining with Mega Millions for more than $1.2 billion in jackpots. “Georgians love big jackpots, so this is an exciting time for us,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin said. “As our jackpots continue to grow, we are grateful to our players and retailers for their support. While our…

  The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections will accept yellow or white absentee return envelopes through Tuesday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. The statewide vendor inadvertently printed absentee return envelopes on white stock, instead of the normal yellow stock. Because of the high volume of absentee requests and to maintain efficiency in processing requests, the white envelopes were used until a new shipment could be received. Either yellow or white envelopes are acceptable, officials said. Advance voting is underway and will run through Friday, Nov. 2. Voting sites and times can be found at www.dekalbvotes.com under “Current Election Information.” Sample…

by Mark Brock, DeKalb County Athletics The No. 2 ranked Chamblee Lady Bulldogs lead a group of eight DeKalb County teams kicking off the volleyball state playoffs on Saturday at various sites. Chamblee (39-6) via its third consecutive Region 5-5A title gets to host a pair of Class 5A State Tournament matches on Saturday. Coach Lorri Reynolds Lady Bulldogs take on Johnson-Gainesville (1-23) at 11:00 am following the Decatur/Kell match with the winners advancing to the second round on Tuesday, Oct. 23. All-Area 5-5A players junior Becca Evans and seniors Hannah Cain and Camille Van Leer lead Chamblee into…

  Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary has named the members of the city’s new SPLOST Citizens Oversight Advisory Committee. The committee members are: Swain Waters, Phyllis Douglas, Shawn Jones, Dave Marcus, Erica Dixon, Lemuel Hawkins, Darrel Taylor, Michelle Emanuel, Eric Carrington, Kerry Williams, Plez Joyner, and the mayor. Lary announced the appointments during the Oct. 15 City Council meeting. The 12-member committee will ensure that the city is accountable for the funds generated by the 1% tax that voters approved in 2017.  SPLOST will generate an estimated $47 million for the city over the next five and a half years. The…

ATLANTA — The American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Georgia has filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Brian Kemp and all county registrars demanding they provide due process for Georgia voters whose absentee ballots or applications are being rejected due to an alleged mismatch of signatures. The case was filed on Tuesday, Oct. 16, on behalf of the Georgia Muslim Voter Project. At issue is a state law that allows election officials — who have no handwriting-analysis expertise — to reject an absentee ballot if they think there is a signature mismatch in the voter’s paperwork, without giving prior notice…