Author: On Common Ground News

Lithonia Industrial Boulevard, between Rock Chapel Road and South Stone Mountain Lithonia Road, will be closed to through traffic on Wednesday, April 19, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., to facilitate television production filming. Road closure signs will be posted advising motorists of construction work in the area and of local traffic restrictions. Any questions regarding the road closure should be addressed to Kyle Hinshaw, location manager for Twentieth Century Fox, at 404-788-9412.

Rockdale County’s Sims Elementary School has been removed from the Georgia Department of Education’s “focus” list. The department released the list of schools across the state that have met the Priority and Focus exit criteria and Sims Elementary School is among those demonstrating progress including raising its College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) score. “We are extremely pleased to see that Sims Elementary has met the criteria to be removed from the Focus list,” said Rockdale County Schools’ Superintendent Richard Autry. “I am proud of the hard work of the faculty and staff to ensure all students are on…

Gwinnett County Commissioners have awarded a $1.5 million contract for sidewalk construction along Rockbridge Road near Stone Mountain. “The sidewalk will be built between Five Forks Trickum Road and East Park Place Boulevard, which is a high-traffic area for pedestrians,” said District 2 Commissioner Lynette Howard. “The sidewalk will connect residential areas along Rockbridge to retail establishments in the East Park Place and U.S. 78 area.” CMES, Inc. had the lowest of three bids at $1,486,449. The project stretches about 1.2 miles and includes the installation of sidewalks, curb and gutter and drainage improvements along the west side of Rockbridge…

The Clarkston Culture Fest will be held on Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Market Street in Clarkston. The cultural celebration will kick off with the Refuge Coffee Run at 9 a.m. (8 a.m. registration) and family and children’s free fun run at 10 a.m.  Live performances will be held on the main stage featuring a variety of multi-cultural music and dance performers. A Kids’ Zone will provide face and nail painting, hair braiding, inflatable bouncy castles, photo ops, carnival games and more. Local vendors will be on site selling foods and goods. Visit…

Rockdale County Animal Control and the county’s Parks and Recreation Department will team up on April 29 to host Rockdale’s first Dash for Dogs 5K fundraiser at the Government Annex building, 1400 Parker Road, Conyers.  Top male and female finishers in each overall age group will receive medals. Participants can pre-register for the event at Johnson Park, 1781 Ebenezer Road, Conyers. Registration also is available on the day of the race or online at the county’s website (in the special events section) on the Recreation and Maintenance page. Money raised will be used to purchase fencing for the outside dog…

Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful (KCRB) is accepting registrants for the Great American Cleanup (GAC), which will be held on Saturday, April 29, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., at Pine Log Park Pavilion, 1500 Georgia Highway 138, Conyers. The event, hosted in partnership with the City of Conyers and Rockdale County, encourages citizens to pick up litter and other debris around the community, and teaches youths about the importance of litter prevention and recycling. KCRB invites civic and neighborhood groups, businesses, Scout troops, churches, youth groups, individuals, and families to participate in the cleanup. Volunteers are asked to send one representative from…

CONYERS—Some of the country’s top talk shows are after 6-year-old Dani and 5-year-old Dannah Lockett. Just a few weeks ago, the two Conyers sisters who are students at Fairview Elementary School, made a video with their mom, Dannella Lockett. They were discussing Dannah’s “breakup” with her kindergarten boyfriend. The little drama queens sounded like teens giving “advice” to each other, all the while making facial expressions in their “Say What?” video. The video went viral, generating over 10 million hits. The video begins with a question that every parent asks their children: “How was school today?” But Lockett’s daughters give…

DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson is inviting the community to attend a panel discussion she’s hosting, “The State of America and the Future of Our Youth and Senior Citizens,” featuring the Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network. The panel discussion will be held on Tuesday, April 11, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road, Lithonia. In addition to Sharpton and Johnson, the panel will include DeKalb Commissioner Gregory Adams; State Representatives Pam Stephenson and Doreen Carter; and Lithonia Mayor Deborah Jackson. Johnson said the panel discussion is critical in light of…

DECATUR—They applauded him more than 25 times, often erupting into laughter and chorusing “Amen” at his candor. It was DeKalb County’s CEO Michael Thurmond’s first State of the County address and with encouragement from the audience, he ditched his prepared “political speech” and instead spoke from his heart. Thurmond’s address on April 4 came on the 49th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and he paid homage to the civil rights leader and other foot soldiers, thanking them for tearing down the walls of discrimination. In his address, Thurmond, 64, discussed growing up in the rural…

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction by jury trial of two members of the Hate Committee gang who were charged in connection with a deadly crime spree spanning two days. Jurors returned guilty verdicts April 6 against Joseph Broxton, 22, and Daniel Pena, 24, on multiple counts of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery and violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, in connection with the shooting deaths of three people and gunshot injuries to three others following a series of attacks during the summer of 2015. Defendants Broxton (a.k.a.…