VOLUME 22 NUMBER 9
FREE
MAY 28,2016
Published Since April 1995 Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties • www.facebook.com/ocgnews
Landslide victories for Boston,Thurmond
Heather Sorenson and Pastor James C. Ward Photo/Special by David Washington
Acclaimed pianist Heather Sorenson leads concert at Antioch-Lithonia MBC
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ntioch-Lithonia Missionary Baptist Church recently welcomed maestro Heather Sorenson for a concert that featured her music, Antioch’s James C. Ward Chorale and the Covington/Conyers Choral Guild, Inc. The internationally-known Christian music producer who has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Constitution Center brought together the two choral groups after leading a music clinic in Covington. Under Sorenson’s direction, the groups performed as if they had been singing together every Sunday, drawing standing ovations from Antioch’s congregation. “It was an honor to get her. She’s among the top 3 or 4 pianists in the world. It was like having a Mozart or a Bach performing in our church,” said Antioch’s Pastor James C. Ward. One of the pieces the combined choir sang during its May 22 concert at Antioch was entitled “O Sing Unto the Lord,” a piece written by Pastor Ward, an accomplished musician in his own right who minored in music at Morehouse College, where he received degrees in Philosophy and German. Sorenson said she re-arranged “O Sing Unto the Lord” after Pastor Ward asked her to take a look at it. Sorenson announced to the congregation that she liked the neo-classical piece so much that she plans to publish it through her company, Shawnee Press/Hal Leonard, which provides high quality sheet music to churches, schools, bands and orchestras. “Composing and arranging music are natural expressions for me. This was really a special piece that I enjoyed and I believe others will enjoy as well,” said Sorenson. Pastor Ward said he actually wrote the song years ago and put it away in a box with others he has written. “Sister Heather simplified it and made it so that the averSee Antioch page 8
District Attorney-Elect Sherry Boston talks with supporters at her celebration, held on May 24 at Universal Joint Bar and Pub in Decatur. Photo by Glenn L. Morgan/OCG News
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herry Boston will become DeKalb County’s next District Attorney when she leaves her current job as Solicitor General and she takes the oath of office in January 2017. Boston, a Democrat, earned a whopping 62 percent of the vote, defeating her sole challenger, Democratic incumbent Robert James, during the May 24 primary elections. There were no Republicans in the race. In her bid for the county’s top prosecutor position, Boston leveraged several key endorsements, which included former
DeKalb District Attorneys Bob Wilson and J. Tom Morgan, Congressman Hank Johnson and former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young. Boston championed restoring trust in the county, promising “a new day” in DeKalb. The message was one that resonated with voters. Boston carried nearly all 192 of the county’s voting precincts. Boston criticized James for overspendSee Election Coverage page 10
Michael Thurmond wins Democratic primary for CEO
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n another key race, former DeKalb Schools Superintendent Michael Thurmond won the Democratic primary for CEO, earning 72 percent of the vote. Former DeKalb Commissioner Connie Stokes, who also served as a state legislator, came in second with 26 percent of the vote. Joe Bembry, a car towing business owner, placed third. Thurmond will now face Republican Jack Lovelace in the November general election. Lovelace, the lone Republican running for the CEO seat, received 7,558 votes in the primary. The winner of the CEO race will oversee a $1.3 billion annual budget and more than 6,000 county DeKalb CEO-Elect Michael Thurmond poses for a picture with his wife, Zola, and their daughter, employees. Mikaya.