Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County commissioners unanimously approved to sell a 33-acre surplus airport tract to Brookhaven for nearly $6 million at the board’s Jan. 24 meeting. “It is a reflection of our collaboration with Brookhaven to give them something that they needed and give us the opportunity to release the latent value of the property to fund other improvements,” said Commissioner Jeff Rader, whose district contains the property. Approximately seven years ago, the Peachtree DeKalb Airport decommissioned a runway that only was being used for less than half of a percentage of the airports flights. Airport and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials…

A former Lithonia daycare provider accused of critically injuring a child in her care has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars following her conviction by jury trial.  Jurors returned guilty verdicts against 59-year-old Evelyn Bruce-Mighty, owner of Angela’s Little Daycare in Lithonia, on charges of aggravated battery and two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree last Friday. On May 16, 2014, a 16-month old boy was rushed from Bruce-Mighty’s daycare center to the hospital after suffering an unexplained trauma to his head.  The victim underwent emergency brain surgery and was comatose for more than a month.…

ATLANTA Atlanta Street car offers guests free rides   Re-discover Atlanta and ride the Atlanta streetcar free of charge Tuesday, Jan. 31, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Celebrate and explore some of Atlanta’s most vibrant urban neighborhoods. Take a selfie on the Jackson Street Bridge or take a stroll through the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic district. The free fare program runs monthly on the last Tuesday of each. For more information, visit streetcar.atlantaga.gov.   Interfaith community to celebrate faiths   The Annual World Religion Day celebration is set for Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m., at the Dunwoody Public…

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and Rockdale County Chairman Oz Nesbitt are among the six new board members the Atlanta Regional Commission has welcomed aboard. In addition to Thurmond and Nesbitt, the ARC also swore in on Jan. 25: Mike Boyce, chair, Cobb County Commission Romona Jackson Jones, chair, Douglas County Commission Eric Maxwell, chair, Fayette County Commission June Wood, chair, Henry County Commission “We’re excited to welcome these new members to the ARC Board,” said ARC Board Chair Kerry Armstrong. “We’ve got a busy year on tap as the Atlanta region continues to grow and change. I look forward…

  Rockdale County Government is seeking qualified volunteers to serve on the 2017 Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) Oversight Committee as the current SPLOST nears an end. Interested county residents must apply by Feb. 7. County Clerk Jennifer Rutledge will work with the Board of Commissioners to review applications. Those who are selected to serve will receive a notification letter by March 1. The voters of Rockdale approved the new SPLOST to fund transportation projects, public safety facilities, water resources and other needed improvements for the Conyers-Rockdale community. The 30-citizen committee of volunteers will meet quarterly to prioritize and…

Georgia Sen. Gloria Butler (D – Stone Mountain) was recently elected to serve as co-chairwoman of the Woman’s Caucus. Butler represents Senate District 55, which includes portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. “I am excited about being involved in an organization that brings female legislators together to promote the interests of Georgia’s women,” said Sen. Butler. “Women are a crucial and underserved group in our state and nation. I look forward to working for and with women to create change on every level that will positively affect our lives and the lives of all Georgians.” Butler serves as the…

The DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections has scheduled a hearing to consider a challenge of the qualifications of Mary-Pat Hector to hold the office of Stonecrest City Council, District Post 4. The hearing is set for Thursday, Feb. 9, 4:30 p.m., at the board’s office, 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300, Decatur. It was rescheduled after Hector asked the date to be changed from Friday, Jan. 27. Candidate George Turner Jr. is challenging Hector’s age to serve. Turner said in a letter to the board that Hector is 19. The board must determine if Hector must be 21. There are…

The Georgia Lottery Corp. announced that fiscal year 2017 first-half and second-quarter profits have reached the highest since the lottery’s inception in 1993. The profits for the first half of fiscal year 2017 soared to $541 million – $24.5 million ahead of last year’s record. Second-quarter profits transferred to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account will amount to $267.4 million, surpassing last year’s second-quarter transfer by more than $4.8 million. This brings the total raised by the Georgia Lottery for educational programs to more than $18.1 billion since the lottery began. The Georgia Lottery’s record first half follows a record…

Fourteen schools in the DeKalb County School District were recognized for generating some of the best student achievement statewide in 2016. The 2016 Single Statewide Accountability System awards, given by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, is a listing of Georgia schools that have exhibited high student performance or academic growth as measured by the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) from the three most recent school years. Awards are given for performance student performance and/or academic growth. The rating system is awarded by percentile compared to other schools in the state: bronze (93rd percentile), silver (95th percentile), gold…

The 8th Grade drama class at DeKalb County’s Champion Theme School, under the direction of Drama Teacher Joy Hammond, performed monologues for the youths of Lucious Sanders Recreation Center. The program, sponsored by the Rotary Club of South DeKalb in conjunction with the recreation center, was held at the Bruce Street Senior Center in the city of Lithonia. Pictured in the photo are students from the 8th grade year-long drama class at Champion Theme School and their teacher, Joy Hammond; South DeKalb Rotary members Ceasar Gaiters, Patricia Seals and Willie Hinton; and Lithonia Mayor Deborah A. Jackson. The Champion Drama Club will…