FREE VOLUME 24 NUMBER 52
MARCH 29, 2019
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‘DAY OF REMEMBRANCE Antioch-Lithonia MBC celebrates 150 years of praise and worship By Mackenzie N. Morgan Antioch-Lithonia Missionary Baptist Church, one of DeKalb County’s oldest African-American churches, is celebrating a landmark anniversary. The church kicked off its anniversary festivities on March 24 with two worship services, which were led by Antioch-Lithonia’s Pastor James C. Ward and Pastor Robert Taylor of Jonesboro’s Shiloh Baptist Church, the oldest African-American church in Clayton County. The church’s sesquicentennial worship service and concert on March 31 will celebrate a legacy of leadership, love and loyalty since the church was founded 150 years ago. The “Day of Remembrance” concert will feature guest conductor Heather Sorenson, along with other special guests including Cellist Ty Young of Dallas, Texas and the Covington/Conyers Choral Guild. Deacon Rickey Dixson’s brass ensemble will accompany the choirs. “This will be a great worship service because we will have one of the most gifted musicians, Heather Sorenson, in our midst. More im-
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Pastor James C. Ward conducts the James C. Ward Classical Arts Chorale. Photo provided.
PAPA JOHN’S NEW FACE Shaquille O’Neal appointed to board of directors, pizza marketing ambassador
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Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary thanked Sean Ali and his family for agreeing to sell his property to the city for a park. Photos by Glenn L. Morgan/ocgnews.com
Stonecrest City Council gives green light to buy tract for community park By Valerie J. Morgan The city of Stonecrest is moving forward with its plans to purchase an 8.8-acre tract to build a community park at the corner of Evans Mill and Salem roads, after getting the nod from the City Council on March 25. In a 5-0 decision, Mayor Jason Lary and four City Council members approved spending up to $350,000 to buy the property, halting plans for a Mayor Jason Lary gas station and convenience store. City Councilwoman Jazzmin Cobble was absent from the meeting and did not vote. The council’s approval drew applause from the audience, a number of whom had staunchly opposed plans for the gas station and convenience store, saying they did not want that type of commercial development in the middle of a residential community. Lary, who had vowed to push for the city’s first real estate acquisition and turn the tract into a community park, thanked Sean Ali, the property owner, for his cooperation. Lary and Councilman George Turner, whose council District 4 includes the tract, met with Ali over a period of several days to discuss the possibility of the city buying the property. Ali pulled back on building the gas station after
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BA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal will join Papa John’s pizza as a member of its Board of Directors, the company has announced. O’Neal, a franchisee of nine Papa John’s restaurants in the Atlanta area, also will enter into a marketing agreement to be an ambassador for the Papa John’s brand, officials said in a news release. O’Neal’s new assignment follows an about face for the corporation, which suffered public backlash last year over an offensive comment Papa John’s founder John Schnatter made. According to Forbes magazine, Schnatter admitted he used the “N” word during a Shaquille O’Neal conference call with a marketing agency when he was apparently trying to convey his distaste for racism when he said: “Colonel Sanders called blacks “N” and never faced any public backlash at KFC.” Forbes said the call was part of Papa John’s media marketing training to avoid public disasters. Schnatter apologized for the comment and stepped down as chairman of the board. Since that time, Papa John’s has added six new board of directors, including O’Neal; Jeff Smith, CEO of Starboard Value, who has been named chairman of the board, and Steve Ritchie, president and CEO of Papa John’s. “We are thrilled to partner with Shaquille and welcome him to the Papa John’s Board,” said Chairman Smith. “Shaquille has an excellent entrepreneurial background, including as a restaurant franchise owner, and is a natural creative marketer. Shaquille has demonstrated great success through understanding the customer value proposition with product and brand differentiation. The Board and I are excited to work with Shaquille and look forward to the terrific possibilities to strengthen our position together.” O’Neal has significant experience helping to market and grow leading consumer brands across multiple categories. The four-time NBA champion and television sports analyst on Inside the NBA has established a track record as an investor, restaurateur and franchise owner. O’Neal currently owns a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts franchise in Atlanta and previously owned 27 Five Guys Burgers and Fries franchises. He is the founder and owner of Big Chicken, a fast casual fried chicken restaurant in Las Vegas, and Shaquille’s, a fine dining restaurant in Los Angeles. In the sports arena, O’Neal is a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings NBA
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