Author: On Common Ground News

Students at DeKalb County’s Barack H. Obama Magnet School of Technology, formerly known as Clifton Elementary, donned orange aprons to work on a special project just ahead of Easter. Home Depot provided the aprons and Do-It-Yourself Easter basket kits as part of the launch of the new school’s Beautification Club. Dr. Betty Mayfield, who founded the Beautification Club, said the project is one of many she is looking forward to as she helps students learn what it means to take ownership of their school and live up to the name of the school, which honors President Barack Obama, the first…

The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Committee has received an ethics complaint against DeKalb Ethics Officer Stacey Kalberman. She is accused of lobbying state legislators at the direction of her board of directors to change the way appointments are made to the DeKalb Board of Ethics. The Commission said in a letter dated March 29 that it accepted the complaint Amos King filed against Kalberman, but would not consider allegations against the entire DeKalb Board of Ethics because King did not specifically identify the board members by name as required. “The vague allegation as to the “DeKalb Board of…

The City of Atlanta Municipal Court is offering amnesty to individuals facing arrest and other penalties due to delinquent traffic tickets and misdemeanors. The amnesty program, which runs April 3 through May 12, permits individuals to resolve their outstanding cases with reduced fines and fees. “Our goal is to ensure that we have licensed and lawful drivers on city streets,” said Ryan Shepard, Municipal Court Administrator. “After receiving a citation, many individuals fail to appear in court, resulting in additional fines and fees, and in some cases, a warrant being issued. The Municipal Court’s warrant amnesty program offers an opportunity…

The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections is reminding DeKalb voters that the special elections scheduled April 18 are for voters who reside in the Sixth Congressional District or Stonecrest municipal districts 2, 4 or 5. Only voters who reside in these geographical districts are eligible to vote. Voters who are represented by Congressman Henry (Hank) Johnson of the Fourth Congressional District or Congressman John Lewis of the Fifth Congressional District are not eligible to vote on April 18 in the congressional special election. The polling places located in the Fourth and Fifth Congressional Districts will not be open…

Jordan Dillard is home for Easter break, spending time with family before graduating this May from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. She will be headed to Africa in the fall where she will start her one-year fellowship with the Boston-based Shooting Touch Foundation. Through the foundation’s Basketball Health Corps program, fellows endeavor to use basketball as a tool to educate and empower at-risk youths and the communities in which they live. Dillard will be part of a team based in Rwanda where they will construct basketball courts, build teams and train coaches to run Rwanda’s first and only free youth league…

By Valerie J. Morgan Rockdale County’s Planning and Development Department is preparing a comprehensive plan to guide development over the next 20 years and is seeking the public’s opinions. During an open house on April 13 at the JP Carr Community Center in Conyers, community stakeholder shared their input on services and goals they would like the county to implement by 2037. Rockdale Commissioner Doreen Williams, who spearheaded a survey last year to improve county services, praised Kirsten Cook, an engineer in the Planning and Development Department, for organizing the open house, the first in a series planned for…

“Atlanta Streets Alive” to feature family events Walk, run, or bike down the middle of the road when Atlanta Streets Alive comes to the Southside on Sunday, April 23, on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW and Georgia Avenue SE in Atlanta. The event kicks off at 2 p.m. with a bicycle parade and continues until 6 p.m. Enjoy biking, skating, walking and rolling down the streets while taking part in this fun, free, family-friendly event packed with free entertainment and fun activities. For more information, visit www.atlantastreetsalive.com. ATLANTA 46th Inman Park Spring Festival, Tour Of Homes set The…

State Representatives Karen Bennett (House District 94) is hosting a town hall with State Representatives Doreen Carter (District 92) and Dar’shun Kendrick (District 93) on Monday, April 17, 7 to 8:30 p.m., at Fairfield Baptist Church, 6133 Redan Road, Lithonia. The lawmakers will discuss legislation impacting healthcare, education, immigration, and gun laws. The community is urged to attend. For more information, call Rep. Bennett’s office at 404-656-0202; Rep. Carter’s office at 404-656-0220 or Rep. Kendrick’s office at 404-656-0116.

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…