Author: On Common Ground News

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA– The Gwinnett County Board of Assessors mailed approximately 311,000 annual Notices of Assessment to residential and commercial property owners on Thursday, May 21.   State law requires that annual notices be sent to property owners advising them of the appraised value of their property as of Jan. 1. The annual Notice of Assessment provides last year’s value and the 2026 value. The annual Notice of Assessment is not a tax bill but includes the value of the owner’s property and any exemptions, preferential assessments, or credits that will be applied when property taxes are calculated later in the year.  The Board of…

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA– Gwinnett County officials will honor fallen military and public service heroes during its annual Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 25, at 1 p.m. Due to forecasted inclement weather, the ceremony will be held indoors in the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center auditorium, located at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville. Two fallen public safety heroes will be inducted into the Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial during the ceremony:  Gwinnett County Police Officer Pradeep Tamang died in the line of duty on Feb. 1, during a dispatch call. He joined the Police Department in July 2024 and graduated from the 121st Police…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA – State Rep. Rhonda Taylor (D-Conyers) will host a “2026 Constituents Speak Series Kickoff: Post-Session Legislative Update” town hall meeting on Saturday, May 23, at 10 a.m., at the Conyers-Rockdale Library. “Our communities deserve transparency, accountability and access to information about the decisions being made under the Gold Dome,” said Taylor. “This town hall is an opportunity for constituents to hear directly from lawmakers, ask questions and ensure their voices continue to shape public policy. We encourage residents to come out, stay informed and remain actively engaged in the legislative process.” The community town hall will provide residents…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA–Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) invites outstanding teaching candidates to the RCPS Teacher Job Fair on Monday, June 8, 1- 5 p.m., at Conyers Middle School, 400 Sigman Road NE, Conyers. Participants must pre-register by visiting www.rockdaleschools.org/jobfair. We seek candidates for teaching positions in the 2026-2027 school year. On-site interviews will be held during the RCPS Teacher Job Fair. RCPS has 11 elementary schools, four middle schools, three traditional high schools, a virtual campus for grades 6-12 and five non-traditional schools (Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology Grades 4-8, Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology Grades 9-12,…

ATLANTA—DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson is saluting former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for winning the Democratic Primary nomination for Georgia governor. Bottoms won in a crowded field of seven challengers on Tuesday, May 19.  Cochran-Johnson says Georgia voters have spoken, and she is urging voters to join her in giving Bottoms full support as Bottoms now heads for the Nov. 3 General Election.  “Today, the people of Georgia have spoken, and I proudly stand in full support of Keisha Lance Bottoms as the Democratic nominee for Governor of the State of Georgia. As the CEO of DeKalb County, and…

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Planning & Sustainability Department announced the launch of DeKalb’s short-term rental program. All DeKalb short-term rental owners/operators must apply for and obtain a Short-Term Rental License within 30 days to comply.  What is a Short-Term Rental (STR)? A short-term rental is the rental of any room, lodging, or overnight accommodation for a period not exceeding 30 consecutive days, including properties advertised through platforms such as Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and similar services.   Beginning May 20, 2026: Owners/operators of short-term rentals in unincorporated DeKalb County will be required to: Apply for and obtain a Short-Term Rental license •…

NORCROSS, GA–Gwinnett County Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Bernardo Antonio Romero-Linarte, who is wanted on multiple felony warrants related to crimes against a child. The warrants obtained for Romero-Linarte include kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, sexual battery, and child molestation. Romero-Linarte’s current whereabouts are unknown, but he was last known to be in the Norcross area.  Detectives are asking anyone who may know where he is to contact law enforcement immediately. Anyone who sees Romero-Linarte should not approach him and should call 911. Anyone who has information to share in this case should…

DECATUR, GAA–DeKalb County Voter Registration & Elections (DeKalb VRE) announces the unofficial and incomplete results for the General Primary Election held ON Tuesday, May 19. https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/voter-registration-and-elections/election-results The DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections will hold a pre-certification meeting on Friday, May 22, at 8:30 a.m. The board will then vote to certify the election results on Tuesday, May 26, at noon. Both meetings will take place at the DeKalb VRE Office located at 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300 in Decatur. Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) ballots must be received by Friday, May 22, by 5 p.m. A…

Dekalb County voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, May 19, in the 2026 General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election, setting the stage for races that will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Here is what DeKalb residents should know as they look ahead: At the top of the ticket, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination for Governor. On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and businessman Rick Jackson did not reach the 50 percent threshold required to win outright and will face each other in a runoff on June 16. Runoffs are also…