Author: On Common Ground News

Mayor Jason Lary, the Stonecrest City Council, and city staff will host the grand opening of their new city hall. The dedication ceremony will begin on Saturday, Nov. 11, at noon. City hall is located at 3120 Stonecrest Boulevard, Stonecrest, GA. A short festival and celebration will occur, featuring the Arabia Mountain High School Marching Band, and talent from Salem Middle and Flat Rock Elementary Schools. Popular jazz and R&B band, Gritz & Jelly Butter will also perform. The community is invited.

Stonecrest City Councilwoman Diane Adoma hosted a Town Hall meeting and Veterans Day program on Nov. 6, just ahead of the Nov. 11 national holiday. Every military veteran who attended the event at the Stonecrest Library was honored, said Adoma. “We had all of the veterans to stand on stage. We asked everyone to take a moment of silence to thank the veterans for their service,” said Adoma. State Sen. Tonya Peterson, District 43, served as the keynote speaker for the program. Peterson, who served in the U.S. Air Force, also was honored and thanked for her service during a…

State Rep. Pam Stephenson (D-Decatur), along with Nicole Garner Scott, founder and president of 100 Female Entrepreneurs, and Tiara L. Johnson, founder and CEO of TLJ Headlines, will host Women’s Entrepreneurship Day at the Georgia Capitol on Friday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The event, one of the largest gatherings of women in business, will unite women from across the state to celebrate Women’s Entrepreneurship Day. Stephenson and female entrepreneurs will deliver remarks and attendees will learn more about the 100 Female Entrepreneurs Atlanta Chapter, which is launching in 2018. A luncheon will follow the remarks. To register…

Jean Yontz was announced as the Woman of the Year at the first annual we3 Women’s Conference, presented by the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce. Yontz, executive director of Phoenix Pass, a nonprofit for transitional housing for women and children, was presented the award on Oct. 20. She was recognized as a woman who has distinguished herself, her profession, and her commitment to uplifting women in the Conyers-Rockdale community. Other finalists were Robin Chance, branch manager for Georgia United Credit Union, and Vickie Stevenson, executive director of Project Renewal Domestic Violence Intervention Program, Inc. Over 250 women attended the conference, which…

On Nov. 7, DeKalb County voters approved a one-cent special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) to address serious transportation needs and other capital improvements. Proposed by DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners and the 12 cities wholly within the county, the measure will increase the current sales tax from 7 percent to 8 percent in April 2018. “For the first time in DeKalb County’s history, voters have approved a blueprint for success with the passage of the SPLOST,” said CEO Michael Thurmond. “We take this vote of trust seriously and will continue to work with…

Updated: Vince Evans and his wife, Cyndi, are all smiles as they celebrate his victory at the Celtic Tavern in Conyers. Photo by William E. Thomas/Special to OCG News Voters in the city of Conyers overwhelmingly elected long-time City Council member Vince Evans as its first new mayor in 20 years. E vans, who served 18 years on the City Council (the last 8 as mayor pro tem) will succeed Randy Mills, who served as mayor of Conyers for two decades and did not seek re-election, deciding instead to spend more time with his family. At his victory celebration, which…

The Stonecrest Business Alliance Board of Directors will host a community breakfast meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 8 – 10 a.m., at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 7850 Stonecrest Square. Attendees will receive an update regarding the Overlay District zoning codes and efforts to form a Stonecrest Community Improvement District. Guest speakers include Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary, Stonecrest Economic Development Manager Sabrina Wright and APD Solutions CEO Vaughn Irons. Information will be provided regarding city-wide progress and an update on Atlanta Sports City, followed by a Q&A session. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, contact Kimia…

The public is invited to provide input at two upcoming open houses in DeKalb County for the I-20 East Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Strategic Plan. Participants will have the opportunity to review exhibits that provide background on the study effort, and give feedback on the types of development and amenities they would like to see along the proposed I-20 East transit corridor. Attendees may stop by at any time during either of the two-hour meetings scheduled: Nov. 8, 1 to 3 p.m., Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road, Lithonia Nov. 9, 5 to 7 p.m., Community Achievement Center, 4522…

http://bit.ly/2lYbuIH Time is running out to vote today. For more information on the DeKalb SPLOST:  http://files.constantcontact.com/3d1f2ebe001/bdb879a4-d114-4e3f-bbf9-bb6f99921c8f.pdf?ver=1510082975000  NOTICE OF WORK SESSION MEETING CITY OF STONECREST There will be a Work Session Meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. at the Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road, Stonecrest, GA.  CHANGE OF LOCATION  FOR CITY OF STONECREST MEETING Effective Nov. 15, 2017, all Work Session and City Council Meetings will be held at the City Hall of Stonecrest, 3120 Stonecrest Boulevard, Suite 190 Stonecrest, Georgia 30038.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit has arrested a Stone Mountain man who was wanted for murder and armed robbery. Sheriff’s investigators found Shamar Davis, 17, at a business near Decatur. Sheriff’s deputies served warrants alleging Davis shot Justuss Rogers multiple times on Oct. 23 during an armed robbery as Justuss sat in the front seat of a vehicle on Pinnacle Drive in Stone Mountain. Davis was also wanted on a warrant issued on Oct. 29 for felony theft. The warrant alleged that Davis stole a 2014 Honda Accord while the owner was in a convenience store on Redan…