Author: On Common Ground News

The City of Stonecrest’s Development Authority members completed a day-long training recently.  The 11-member panel includes local business owners, Mayor Jason Lary, Stonecrest’s Economic Development Director Sabrina Wright and Doug Stoner, a consultant hired to aid in building and managing the new authority. The statutorily-mandated training equipped the students with the knowledge of how development authorities serve within the city’s economic development process.  Training topics included ethics, conflicts of interest, bonds, incentives, strategic planning, and finance.  Development authority members will play a key role in the city’s economic development process.  According to the Georgia Government Finance Officers Association, the new…

DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) and Georgia Piedmont Technical College have teamed up to develop the “No FOG, No Clog” program for the college’s English as a Second Language (ESL) students.  DWM will facilitate six Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) presentations to almost 300 students in the ESL program at the college.  The DWM Public Outreach Department will design and create presentations focused on best management practices for FOG disposal.  In accordance with the campaign message, students will receive the following tools to best dispose of FOG:  Funnels to pour cooled grease into a container Scrapers to remove…

Councilman George Turner will hold a town hall meeting on Oct. 2, 6 to 8 p.m., at Salem-Panola Road Library, 5137 Salem Road, Stonecrest.        The meeting will include information on Mayor Jason Lary’s medical leave, the upcoming Stonecrest Fest, development proposed at Browns Mill and Panola Road intersection, for 5KRun/Walk against hypertension at Arabia Mountain on Oct. 27 and the nest steps for the city’s SPLOST program. The community is encouraged to attend the town hall meeting. For more information, Councilman Tuner can be reached at 404-886-2053 or turnerg1@comcast.net.

The National Sustainable Energy Group (NSEG), a leading African-American-owned HVAC Distributor based in Lithonia, has signed a Master Merchant Agreement with 1st Franklin Finance to provide HVAC loans for borrowers with moderate credit.  The program is designed to allow homeowners with a moderate credit score an opportunity to secure financing to purchase a new HVAC unit based on the mandatory EPA phaseout of the R-22 refrigerant commonly known as Freon.  This will also be a game changer that provides HVAC financing for homeowners who have Freon-based HVAC units that are 10 years or older, outdated and non-functional HVAC units that…

More than a dozen young children filled the Stonecrest Library’s children’s’ room for its first Fancy Nancy tea party on Saturday, Sept. 22. Attendees age 3 and up came dressed to impress in frilly frocks, tiaras, hats and gloves – and a crown, donned by the only boy to attend the event. The children were captivated as Stonecrest librarian, Mickey Harvey, who heads the library’s children’s department, led the program. In addition to learning various aspects of tea etiquette, the tea session included beverages, snacks and a reading of the children’s book, Fancy Nancy , written by Jane O’Connor. The…

  DeKalb County Fire Rescue will host its 16th Annual Fire Safety Festival from noon to 4 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 6, at Plaza Fiesta, 4166 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta.  For the festival’s theme, the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department has adopted the National Fire Protection Association’s campaign, “Look, Listen, and Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”  The goal is to educate the community about these three basic, but essential steps, in reducing the chances of having a fire. Another goal is to develop a plan of escape in the event of a fire. Families are invited to enjoy…

DeKalb County, along with Susan G. Komen Atlanta and Northlake Mall, will host its third annual DeKalb Breast Cancer Awareness 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, Oct. 20.  A one-mile fun run, kids zone and health fair have been added to this year’s event.     Both routes begin at 9 a.m. and end at Northlake Mall, 4800 Briarcliff Rd. NE, Tucker. The kids’ zone and health fair opening immediately after the race.  Registration fees for the 5K and fun run are $15 (adults); $10 (seniors 55 and above and teams of 10 or more); and $5 (kids and employees).  Participants will…

Fall brings Conyers’ longest-running festival, the 38th edition of the Olde Town Fall Festival, to be held on Saturday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Center, Commercial and Railroad Streets in Olde Town. Coordinated by the city of Conyers, the festival features more than 80 artists, crafters, food vendors and local merchants, as well as a variety of children’s activities. “From woodworking and jewelry to baked goods and crocheted items, there is a fantastic variety of vendors lined up for this year’s festival,” said Sandy Fowler Daniels, event coordinator for Olde Town Conyers. The Olde Town Fall…

Antioch-Lithonia Missionary Baptist Church, 2152 Rock Chapel Road, Lithonia, will host its annual Health and Wellness Expo on Saturday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. 2 p.m. The expo will be held in the church’s Fellowship Hall.  The community is invited to come out for free blood pressure and glucose screenings, information from DeKalb County’s Board of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, hospice care, mental health advocates, breast cancer awareness and AIDS organizations and others. Expo highlights include a kids’ healthy snack contest and a women’s health skit. Representatives from DeKalb County’s Police and Fire Departments will also be on hand.…

By Mackenzie N. Morgan  Rockdale County Commissioner Sherri Washington is doing her  part to make the community more aware of sickle cell anemia as the nation observes Sickle Cell Awareness Month in September.  Washington knows firsthand how devastating sickle cell anemia can be. Her  sister,  Lori Davis, died from complications of the disease last November.  “Sickle cell is an autoimmune deficiency disease that affects primarily African Americans. If you’ve never had to live with anyone who has been through that, you’re blessed,” Washington said during comments at the Rockdale Board of Commission meeting on Sept. 26.   Sickle cell is…