FREE VOLUME 24 NUMBER 13
MAY 19, 2018
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Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties
City of Stonecrest prepares to welcome epic crowd for Caribbean Carnival By Valerie J. Morgan
T
he city of Stonecrest is finalizing plans for the upcoming Caribbean Carnival, which is expected to bring an epic crowd to the new city on Memorial Day weekend. “This will be the largest event Stonecrest has ever hosted. We’re looking forward to it,” said Mayor Jason Lary, who will be one of the grand marshals for the event, which kicks off with a parade on Saturday, May 26, 12:30 p.m., on Mall Parkway. Charles Baker, who has been working closely with city officials on behalf of Carnival, said 25,000 people are expected to attend the event, which celebrates Caribbean culture over the Memorial Day weekend. Baker said some 3,000 participants alone will ride, march or perform in the colorful parade. The popular event, Baker said, is moving from Covington Highway in Decatur, where it has attracted some 30,000 people over the last
three years. The event is celebrating 30 years in the Atlanta area and has grown tremendously over time, he said. Organizers said the parade is expected to last five hours as it moves down Mall Parkway from the Wal-mart to Stonecrest Square, ending at the ring of hotels at the
Photos by Travis Hudgons
Mall at Stonecrest. After the parade, a festival will be held with vendors selling Caribbean foods, dancing and entertainment in the parking lot at the former Kohl’s building, now known as Atlanta Sports City. City officials met with organizers, businesses and community leaders for an informational meeting on May
15 to discuss logistics. Several business representatives who attended the meeting expressed concern about their customers’ ability to have access on the day of the event, but police assured them that plans are in place to handle traffic
SEE CARNIVAL page 2
DeKalb band director elected into American Bandmasters Association James Seda is one of only six African-American ABA members Southwest DeKalb High School band director James Seda has been elected into the American Bandmasters Association (ABA). As one of 13 new members, Seda joins recognized band directors from various public schools, universities and orchestras throughout the United States and Canada. Seda’s election also brings the total number
James Seda
of African-American band directors among the American Bandmasters Association to
just six of 325 total members. Seda has served as director of bands at Southwest DeKalb High since 2001. Previously, he served as assistant director of bands at Southwest’s feeder school, Chapel Hill Middle School. A product of the Atlanta Public Schools, graduated from Southside Comprehensive High School. He received his bachelor’s of science degree in music education from Florida A&M.
Photo by Travis Hudgons
Bands under Seda’s leadership have been featured in the movie, “Drumline,” marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, and have performed at the 2016 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Band Directors Consortium. Seda is a four-time recipient of the Citation of Excellence award from the National Band Association.
SEE SEDA page 6
Georgia sets record for employed residents
G
eorgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Georgia set all-time highs again in April as the labor force and employed residents in the state continued to surge. The state continues to approach the 5-million mark for employed residents. At the same time, the state posted more than 4.5 million jobs and a labor force of more than 5.1 million. Both labor force and employed residents were records again in April. The jobless rate, meanwhile, dropped by .1 percent. “The state really is prospering,” Butler said. “We continue to see our current businesses expanding and companies moving to Georgia to take advantage of our low taxes, great transportation system and excellent labor force.” In April, Georgia counted 4.92 million employed residents. That number was up by 12,611 over the month and by more than 123,000 since last April. Likewise, Georgia’s labor force continued to climb, increasing by 9,112 in April to 5.1 million.
It grew by 98,554 over the last 12 months. Butler said both numbers continue trends going back many months. “Georgia continues to produce quality jobs,” Butler said. “And better yet, people are getting those jobs.” Georgia’s April unemployment rate came in at
4.3 percent, down from 4.4 percent last month. A year ago it was 4.9 percent. Jobs were down in April by 2,800 to 4.5 million. However, over the past 12 months, Georgia added 67,100 jobs. Most of the job loss was in professional and business services which was down by 9,500. Leisure and hospitality noted the largest job growth at 2,800. Over the past year, Georgia has added more than 10,000 jobs each in the following sectors: education and health services, trade, transportation and utilities, leisure and hospitality, and construction. The number of claims filed in April was up less than 1 percent. As compared to April 2017, they were down by less than 1 percent. There were 58,756 jobs posted on employgeorgia.com during April. Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.