Author: On Common Ground News

   On Jan. 16 at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Eggs & Issues Breakfast, Speaker  (R-Blue Ridge) announced that legislation was filed to create the Georgia Commission on Freight and Logistics. House Transportation Committee Chairman Kevin Tanner filed that legislation as House Resolution 37, which has been assigned to the House Transportation Committee for consideration. “We are going to seize the potential of our ocean and inland ports to continue expanding our economy,” Speaker Ralston told the audience at the Eggs & Issues Breakfast. “To do so, we must have a freight logistics network that is second to none.” “I am…

The Lithonia Art Center is seeking interns and volunteers with various experience and expertise.  The center needs those with experience in curation, collecting, instruction, therapy, comic books, illustration, murals, fashion design, music production, architecture, carpentry, masonry, interior design, philanthropy, fundraising, web design, online retail management and event planning and any other experience that might be helpful.  Please email your resume and/or portfolio to: LithoniaArtCenter@gmail.com. Steve Paul of the Lithonia Art Center is currently teaching Comic Art & Anime Drawing classes to students at Mosaic Minds Art Academy. To sign up for classes, e-mail LithoniaArtCenter@gmail.com. Sun.”

  Colorful signs denoting the Conyers historic district, landmarks and attractions in the Olde Town Conyers area have been installed, as the first phase of the city’s directional signage program gets underway. The first phase includes two monument-style primary signs at major gateways where the city limits begin, two smaller monument-style signs on secondary roads within the city limits, 14 vehicular directional signs, seven downtown identification signs, eight parking signs, as well as 19 street identification signs in Olde Town Conyers.  The Conyers City Council and staff reviewed and approved renderings of a variety of wayfinding signs at the city’s…

State Representative-Elect Viola Davis will be sworn into office as District 87 state representative on Monday, Jan. 14, 10 a.m. at the Georgia State Capitol, 206 Washington Street SW, Atlanta. Davis, who will be accompanied by returning and newly elected officials, will replace State Rep. Earnest “Coach” Williams, who has held the position since 2003. Known for her work with the Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter government watchdog group, Davis is a staunch supporter for government transparency to ensure elected officials and government agencies are held accountable for how tax dollars are spent. The legislative session begins Monday, Jan. 14 following…

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen have reached an agreement to settle issues regarding validation of the Gulch development bonds. The deal also establishes a framework to balance overall support for economic development within City of Atlanta tax allocation districts (TADs) with the needs of Atlanta’s public school children. The proposed agreement is hallmarked by four main pillars: APS will continue its participating partnership in the Westside TAD through 2038, including by joining with the City and the State of Georgia in the support for the Atlanta Gulch Project; COA will agree to…

The City of Clarkston Police will hold an Active Shooter Awareness Class on Jan. 23, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Clarkston Library, 951 North Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston. The Clarkston Police Department is providing this free class to increase public awareness of the dramatic rise in annual active shooter incidents in the United States, to assist in public preparedness for an active shooter event and to inform and educate the public about law enforcement’s active shootings processes and procedures. For more information contact: Lt. Harry Hess, Clarkston Police, hhess@cityofclarkston.com, (404) 292-9465

Fulton County began 2019 by unveiling a new logo. This is the first branding update undertaken by Georgia’s largest county since 1989. Adopted by the Board of Commissioners in October 2018, the identity refresh includes a redesign of the County’s oak tree logo featuring fresh design elements and a new color palette emphasizing blue and orange. The logo and rebranding efforts were developed by County staff. “Fulton County is a big deal.  It’s important that our logo reflects a community that us a leader in the region nationally and even internationally,” said Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts.…

On Jan. 4, Lorraine Cochran-Johnson took the oath of office in a public ceremony, becoming DeKalb County’s Super District 7 Commissioner.  As the Super District 7 commissioner, Cochran-Johnson will represent 350,000 residents in the Eastern half of DeKalb. A packed crowd attended the swearing-in ceremony, which drew dignitaries and supporters from across metro Atlanta and beyond to the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center in Decatur.   Cochran-Johnson was sworn in by Judge Bedelia C. Hargrove, who in February 2017 became the first African-American chief judge of the DeKalb Probate Court.  Judge Penny Brown Reynolds, another trailblazer, served as the keynote…

ATLANTA– Attorney General Chris Carr and 48 other attorneys general today (Jan. 4) announced that Career Education Corp. (CEC), a for-profit education company, has agreed to reform its recruiting and enrollment practices and forgo collecting approximately $493.7 million in debts owed by 179,529 students nationwide. In Georgia, 16,654 students will get relief totaling more than $48 million dollars. “We’re proud of the role that our office’s Consumer Protection Division played in reaching this settlement,” said Carr. “Now, more than 16,000 Georgia students who fell victim to this company’s unfair and deceptive enrollment practices will get the justice they deserve.”…