Author: On Common Ground News

On April 24-28, childcare centers all over the Conyers/Rockdale area will celebrate Hands on Literacy Week to encourage reading. Teaching programs this week will be geared toward encouraging young children to read through activities such as crafts, story-telling, and projects. A cross-section of the community including parents, grandparents and community leaders will come in to read to the children during this week’s celebration. The celebration will end with the Hands On Literacy Parade in Olde Town Conyers on Friday at approximately 10 a.m. Children dressed as their favorite book characters will walk down Main Street to Center Street with the…

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Conyers Police investigators are seeking the public’s helping in finding two suspects who robbed Kay Jewelers, 1620 Dogwood Drive and the BP gas station, 607 Sigman Road, within one day of each other. The jewelry holdup took place on Tuesday, April 18, at approximately 10:20 a.m. A black male and a black female suspect entered Kay Jewelers. The male, who was armed with a black semi-automatic handgun, jumped the counter after a short conversation with an employee. An undisclosed amount of jewelry was taken from the glass display case. The male suspect is described as 5’10 and 150 pounds, wearing…

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The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is helping to make commuting easier for bike enthusiasts with the installation of new bike racks and repair stands at 37 train stations. Additionally, MARTA is partnering with the City of Atlanta’s Relay bike share program to place 500 bikes at 65 locations around the city. The program began with 100 bikes at 22 sites. “We are proud to partner with Mayor Kasim Reed and the City of Atlanta in the expansion of their bike share programs that allows riders to reserve, ride and return a bike to the same location or another…

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FEATURED EVENT Inman Park Festival and Tour of Homes set   Join the historic Inman Park community for the 46th Inman Park Spring Festival and Tour Of Homes on April 29-30, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. The Inman Park Spring Festival features a tour of homes Friday to Sunday, street parade (2 p.m. Saturday), artists’ market, live music, food vendors, and kids’ activities in Inman Park. Guests are encouraged to walk, bike or catch public transportation to the event. For more information, visit www.inmanparkfestival.org. ATLANTA Author to discuss Modern Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta The Atlanta-Fulton Public…

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Two teens are in custody after they were located trespassing at Towers High School in DeKalb County on April 11.  They were occupying a vehicle stolen out of Conyers.  The 16-year-old and a 17-year-old also possessed items stolen from more than a dozen vehicles in the Calloway Crossing and Travers Creek neighborhoods in Conyers earlier that morning. Jontavious Clark, 17, of Decatur was driving a vehicle stolen off of Calloway Loop when he was stopped in Towers High School’s parking lot by DeKalb County School Police.  Three other juveniles, who are not Towers students, were also in the vehicle at…

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Learn what it takes to secure a grant for your nonprofit by attending an introductory grant-finding workshop on Wednesday, April 26, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore Street, Decatur. Discover what funders are looking for in nonprofits seeking grants and how to find potential funders. This workshop is presented by Asia Hadley of the Foundation Center-Atlanta. Register at the Decatur Library’s reference desk or by calling the library at 404-370-3070 or contact the Foundation Center at 404-880-0094. For more information, visit grantspace.org/training/calendar/Atlanta.

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Last week, DeKalb County’s Operation Clean Sweep removed more than 16 tons of debris and litter on Columbia Drive between Katie Kerr Road and Santa Monica Drive. To date, Operation Clean Sweep crews have removed more than 160 tons of debris from county roads. Operation Clean Sweep is targeting arterial roadways before turning a focus to collector, then residential, streets. Crews clear grass, trash and debris from roadway drains and curbs, mow rights-of-way and remove litter. On Saturday, April 22, crews will continue Operation Clean Sweep on Glenwood Road from Covington Highway to Interstate-20. Motorists are reminded to drive with…

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The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management is reminding businesses and residents that the county is still under a Level 2 drought status. One of the state-mandated water restrictions prohibits the outdoor washing of vehicles, including charity car washes. Commercial car washes that are either connected to the sanitary sewer or that recycle used wash water are permitted. The drought status is still severe in the metro Atlanta area since Lake Lanier, DeKalb’s water source, has not recovered. Water customers are urged to continue complying with the state-mandated restrictions.

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The Judicial Citizen Panel Review Program is seeking volunteers to help improve the lives of children in foster care. Interested volunteers may live or work in DeKalb. As sworn officers of the Court, the panel members are responsible for determining what progress has been made in working toward a permanency placement plan for children in foster care. Olivia Rudder-Wilson, who serves as administrator for the Judicial Citizen Panel Review Program, said the trained community volunteers submit their findings and recommendations to the judge regarding the court-ordered goals that must be accomplished before children return home. If reunification is not possible,…

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DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs and the Cedar Grove Community Association will hold an official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for Bouldercrest Park’s new playground on Saturday, April 29, 10 a.m., 4184 Bouldercrest Way. The public is invited to join county officials at the dedication ceremony.

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