Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will hold an official ribbon cutting ceremony for the county’s newest park amenities on Monday, Dec. 10, at noon. The ceremony will be held at Zonolite Park, 1147 Zonolite Place, Atlanta. A total of $32,000 was contributed to enhance the park play areas including a new picnic shelter, garden beds and walkways. The public is invited to join county officials, parks staff and Park Pride representatives at the ceremony.

DeKalb County parks officials will hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the county’s newest pier on Friday, Dec. 14, at 11 a.m. The ceremony will be held at Chapel Hill Park, 4002 Lehigh Blvd, Decatur. A total of $158,000 was contributed to construct a fishing pier with a pavilion and a trail to improve connectivity. The public is invited to join county officials, parks staff and Park Pride representatives at the ceremony.

The DeKalb History Center has launched an authors’ program called Hops at the History Center, which debuts on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 6 p.m. The nightly program will feature authors, lectures, and discussions over a wide range of topics. All programs will take place at the DeKalb History Center, and will be ticketed. The debut event will feature Author Andre Joseph Gallant, who will be speaking about his new book, A High Low Tide: The Revival of a Southern Oyster. Gallant, who lives in Athens, Georgia, is an independent journalist whose writing has appeared in Oxford American, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bitter Southerner,…

The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) is getting behind  State Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, D-Lithonia, to push for funding a public awareness campaign for computer science education and efforts to encourage more diversity and inclusiveness among tech companies. The caucus passed two resolutions at the 42nd Annual National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) conference on Nov. 29 that were modeled after  House resolutions Kendrick proposed during the 2018 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly. “Encouraging equal access to opportunities in technology is crucial to keeping up with the demand of a growing tech economy across our state…

The Decatur City Commission announced it has selected long-time Assistant City Manager Andrea Arnold to become Decatur’s next City Manager. City officials say they anticipate that an agreement with Arnold will be ratified at the City Commission meeting on Dec. 17 and that she will begin her new role on Jan. 1, 2019. She will succeed Peggy Merriss, who is retiring. Arnold, who has served as Assistant City Manager since 2004, came to work for the city in 1997 from the Atlanta Regional Commission. Mayor Patti Garrett said the City Commission was very impressed with Arnold. The City Commission received…

Guardianships can take away a person’s rights to decide to marry, make contracts, consent to medical treatment, and establish a residence. Conservatorships allow the appointee to manage the ward’s finances and assets, buy and sell property, and enter into business and commercial transactions. Both the guardianship and conservatorship can also take away a person’s right to bring and defend actions in court. There are several other, less intrusive ways to act on behalf of someone with diminished mental or physical capacity. One or more of the following alternatives may serve the needs of an incapacitated adult without unnecessarily limiting his…

  By Valerie J. Morgan Atlanta’s Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson, founder of the Be Someone mentoring program for youths, was one of the “Points of Light” honorees selected to attend today’s farewell ceremony for the award’s founder, President George H.W. Bush. President Bush died Nov. 30 in Houston at age 94. His wife of 73 years, Barbara, passed away in April. The funeral for the nation’s 41stpresident took place at the Washington National Cathedral. The farewell ceremony was held at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., where Hudson, a DeKalb County resident and other Points of Life honorees paid…

The passing of a President of the United States is a demarcation point in the life of this nation. This morning, I would like to mark the passage of President George H.W. Bush. I did not vote for him in 1988. Nor did I vote for him in 1992. But in 1990 President Bush was Commander-in-Chief of American armed forces when I was a Captain in the US Army. In other words he was my Commander-in-Chief. It was on his orders that I, along with thousands of other Americans, was deployed to the Middle East for Operation Desert Shield…

The City of Atlanta announced that it will open an emergency warming center in anticipation of frigid temperatures. The center will open today, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m.The warming center is located at the Old Adamsville Recreation Center, 3404 Delmar Lane NW, Atlanta. Transportation will be provided by Fulton County from Gateway, 275 Pryor Street, beginning at 6 p.m. Men, women and children are welcome. Socks and hygiene kits will be provided by U First, Inc. For more information,  contact the Office of Constituent Services at 404-330-6023. Assistance information also is available by dialing ATL311 or 404-546-0311.

The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the county’s newest pier on Dec. 14, at 11 a.m. The ceremony will be held at Chapel Hill Park, 4002 Lehigh Blvd., Decatur. A total of $158,000 was contributed to construct a fishing pier with a pavilion and a trail to improve connectivity. The public is invited to join county officials, parks staff and Park Pride representatives at the ceremony.