Author: On Common Ground News

Dozens of women in business gathered at the Georgia State Capitol  recently for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, which was hosted by State Rep. Pam Stephenson (D-Decatur), Nicole Garner Scott, founder and president of 100 Female Entrepreneurs, and Tiara L. Johnson, founder and CEO of One Million Dreamers, author and blogger. The Nov. 16 event, which organizers called one of the largest gatherings of women in business under the Gold Dome, provided attendees the chance to learn more about the 100 Female Entrepreneurs Atlanta Chapter, which launched in 2018. The national business league’s mission is to accelerate female entrepreneurs by providing tools…

Lorraine Harrison was recently named the 2018 Woman of The Year at the second annual we3 Women’s Conference in Rockdale County.   Harrison was presented the award by the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the conference and High Priority Plumbing and Services, Inc., which sponsored the award. In receiving the award, Harrison, who owns About Marketing and publishes the About Conyers magazines was recognized as an a womanwho has distinguished herself, her profession, and her commitment to uplifting women in the Conyers-Rockdale community and the surrounding areas.  Other finalists were Darlene Hotchkiss, Hedrick Family Dentistry and Susan Paul Smith, Rockdale…

DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) has partnered with the DeKalb County School District to reduce sewer spills. The county worked with the school district to develop the “No FOG, No Clog” public education campaign for more than 102,000 elementary, middle and high school students.  Nearly 60 percent of all spills are caused by fats, oils and grease, or FOG, poured down sink drains. FOG coats the inside of pipes and eventually forms a blockage leading to a spill. 

The DeKalb County Human Services Department’s Office of Youth Services will host a “Sights N’ Sounds” Arts Showcase on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m., at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur.  The Arts Showcase will feature work of DeKalb County high school students who participated in the “Sights N’ Sounds” arts pilot program. Students will perform original songs they have written, produced and recorded while participating in the program.   The Arts Showcase is open to the public and there is no cost to attend.  To learn more about current youth programs…

Rockdale County Chairman, Oz Nesbitt, Sr., will host the fourth Shop Talk forum on Saturday, Dec. 8, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at DT’s Barber Shop, 1240 Sigman Road N.W., Conyers. This fourth event in the series will feature the following speakers to answer questions and concerns from a candid audience: •George Levett, Coroner •Cynthia Willingham, Board of Elections Director Shop Talk is a grassroots approach to getting to know the community by interacting and engaging in an “open air” dialogue. The series will also be introducing elected officials to those who may not know who they are, what their…

The DeKalb County Sanitation Division will host its final recycling roll cart exchange event on Dec. 8, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., at North DeKalb Mall, 2050 Lawrenceville Highway, Decatur. The mandatory recycling bin trade-in deadline is Dec. 28. Existing recycling subscribers will have an opportunity to complete the mandatory recycling bin trade-in process, by exchanging an 18-gallon recycling bin for a complimentary 35-gallon recycling roll cart, or upgrading to a 65-gallon recycling roll cart for a one-time $15 prepaid fee. New recycling subscriptions can also be processed during the event.  Only 500 roll carts will be available, and requests…

DeKalb County Commissioner Gregory Adams is partnering with Pinch of Excellence’s CEO, Michelle Stanton, on the “Bags of Love” drive to assist the homeless.      Bags of Love is a clothing drive that will provide homeless citizens in DeKalb with sleeping bags, hats, gloves, heavy duty socks and other garments needed for the winter weather. The donations to help 250 homeless people were collected through November at the Manuel Maloof building in downtown Decatur.  Homelessness is a global concern and is seen right here in DeKalb. In January 2018, volunteers, including 80 from DeKalb, found 3,572 homeless people in…

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two suspects in the murder of a man at a Citgo gas station in Lithonia on the eve of Thanksgiving Day. Arrest warrants for both suspects allege that the victim, Traveon Quandarius Smith, 20, was lured out of a vehicle by one of the suspects on Nov. 21 at a gas station located at 301 North Stone Mountain Road in Lithonia. Smith was then shot multiple times in the back and head, causing his death.  Warrants say that surveillance video recorded the incident. An arrest warrant was issued on Nov. 23 charging 24-year-old…

Rockdale County has been awarded a $27 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) loan by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) to finance the construction of a new water pollution control plant. The construction of the new plant is set to begin in the first quarter of 2019 and expected to be completed within 18-24 months, county officials said. The construction of the 3 million-gallon-per-day water pollution control plant will replace an outdated 450,000 gallon-per-day treatment plant and increase the county’s overall wastewater treatment capacity by 2.55 million gallons. The county will pay 1.89 percent interest on the 20-year…

Rockdale County government plans to help those looking to go in to business and small businesses seeking to grow through a summit it plans to host early next year.  Rockdale County, in partnership with Georgia Power, will  present the “Small Business Entrepreneurship Summit” in 2019. The summit will be held at Rockdale Career Academy, 1064 Culpepper Dr. SW, Conyers.  Entrepreneurs have the option of choosing from three consecutive Saturdays to attend: Feb. 16, Feb. 23 and March 2, 2019, 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. The summit will provide attendees with the tools needed to start or grow their business.…