Author: On Common Ground News

By Pamela Gipson Traveling while young is one of the best decisions I have made in my mid-twenties. Traveling keeps my eyes open and exposed to the beauty of the entire world while exploring other peoples’ cultures. Over the past two years, I have traveled to over ten countries. And to top it off, all my flights were booked off flight deals! Many young millennials always ask me how I am able to travel so freely and also about the funds needed to travel. Well, it’s easy. With flight glitches, I tend to book them around a holiday week…

On Friday, June 17, high school students from Central Gwinnett and South Gwinnett High schools met with local judges as part of S.M.I.L.E. (Summer Mentoring in Legal Education) Gwinnett. A panel of Recorder’s Court judges, a Magistrate Court judge, a State Court judge, and a Superior Court judge, all from the Gwinnett Circuit, spent over an hour discussing their legal careers and the law with students eager to learn about the legal profession. The students were given the opportunity to ask questions and peppered the judges with questions about their legal backgrounds and various legal issues. State Court Judges Pam…

ATLANTA 9th Annual HBCU Run/Walk set at Piedmont Park The Atlanta Historically Black Colleges and Universities Alumni Alliance is hosting its ninth annual 5K/10K run walk on Saturday, June 25, 7 p.m., at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Alumni and HBCU supporters are invited to run or walk in the race for a chance to win gift cards, sneakers, fuel bands, fitbits and more. The race theme, Run For You, Run For Them, Run For Us, highlights the alumni alliance’s three-fold purpose:  Run For You embodies the health aspect and the importance of getting active; Run For Them represents the scholarship dollars raised for future students…

Work soon will begin on the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue that will stand on the Georgia Capitol grounds. State officials announced that Atlanta-based artist Martin Dawe will create the statue, which is expected to be unveiled in early 2017. Gov. Nathan Deal said Rep. Calvin Smyre (Columbus), dean of the Georgia General Assembly, led the search to replace sculptor Andy Davis, who was killed in a 2015 motorcycle accident. “While the passing of Andy Davis was a tragic loss to his family and community, his contributions to this project and to the legacy of Dr. King will live on,”…

The Lambda Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. will host DeKalb County’s District 4 Commissioner Candidate Debate. The two candidates in the runoff will square off in a debate Thursday, June 30, 7 p.m., at New Bethel AME Church, 8350 Rockbridge Road, Lithonia. District 4 runoff candidates are incumbent Sharon Barnes-Sutton, and businessman Steve Bradshaw. The debate will be moderated by Steen Miles, a retired journalist, author and former State Senator for Georgia’s 43rd District. She will ask questions and take questions from the audience. Everyone is welcome to attend. Lambda Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa…

Dr. Veronica Lester Flanigan, the first black female to graduate from Rockdale County High School, class of 1966, 50 years ago, passed away June 23, 2016. She was honored at the Citizens Progressive Club Trailblazer Banquet Sept. 2015. Dr. Flanigan was a member of Peek’s Chapel Baptist Church. Celebration of Life for Dr. Flanigan will be Sunday, June 26, 2 p.m., at Peek’s Chapel Baptist Church, 3185 Old Salem Road, Conyers.

DeKalb Interim CEO Lee May presented a revised 2016 operating budget of $1.337 billion to the Board of Commissioners that would provide additional funding to existing initiatives, including pay raises if approved. The recommendation allocates $6.5 million for pay increases to be implemented as the second phase of the county’s pay and class study, a research project that analyzed and compared DeKalb salaries with other similar organizations. Additionally, the administration is taking steps to identify other saving mechanisms.  A $4.6 million reduction in unused salary expenses is being offered from unfilled vacancies to defray departmental mid-year requests.  Other major changes…

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit has arrested a suspect in the June 20 shooting death of a man on the Northeast Expressway in Atlanta. DeKalb Sheriff’s Office investigators arrested 25-year old Juan Carlos Moulier, Jr., of Atlanta on warrants issued by the DeKalb County Police Department for the felony murder of Tommy Jackson during an attempt to take money from him. Moulier is also accused of felony armed robbery. The arrest took place on June 22 without incident on the access road of Northeast Expressway. Moulier was taken to the DeKalb Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division prior to…

Conyers Police along with Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta are offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrests in two cases they are working. Police are seeking information about the Beasley Drug store  burglar. The suspect burglarized the downtown Conyers pharmacy on June 2 and June 5, stealing pharmaceuticals in mesh a laundry basket. The first time, the suspect broke in by smashing the store’s front door with a crowbar and the second time, by using a chunk of concrete. Conyers Police also are asking for the public’s help in identifying two suspects who burglarized the Best Buy in Conyers on…

Public safety and code enforcement are the focus of an upcoming summit during which DeKalb residents can meet various government representatives and learn about services that can improve their neighborhoods and quality of life. “Working Together for a Cleaner and Safer DeKalb” is the theme of DeKalb County’s seventh annual neighborhood summit which will be held Saturday, July 9, 9 a.m. to noon, at Greater Travelers Rest Church—House of Hope, 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur “This summit will give residents the information they need to partner with their government to improve their neighborhoods,” said DeKalb County Interim CEO Lee May.…