Author: On Common Ground News

DDS reminds veterans, active military of special services Veterans Day is Nov. 11 and the Department of Driver Services (DDS) is reminding Georgia veterans and active military personnel of special licensing and testing services dedicated to them year round. “DDS welcomes the opportunity to honor Georgia’s veterans and active service members,” said DDS Commissioner Bert Brantley. “I am especially proud of the 54 veterans that are part of the DDS team and continue to serve in many roles throughout the state.” DDS supports veterans and our active military several ways including:        Offering free licenses and IDs for veterans (upon…

DeKalb County’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs will accept donations of nonperishable food items for its annual canned food drive now until Friday, Nov. 18. Citizens are encouraged to help fight hunger in their community by dropping off nonperishable items at one of the county’s recreational facilities during normal operating hours. Once all items are gathered, they will be distributed to county citizens in need. Citizens are asked to drop off donations at any of the following locations: Manuel J. Maloof Center, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur Browns Mill Recreation Center, 5101 Browns Mill Road, Lithonia Exchange Recreation Center,…

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System (AFPLS) is seeking input from residents on what they would like to see in the Library System’s Strategic Plan. Community engagement has been the cornerstone of the Library System’s operation, and as AFPLS enters into a Strategic Plan that will take us through the next three years and the renovation of 24 branch libraries in total, it is asking to hear from residents again. The public input sessions will be held at the following locations: Sandy Springs Library – Monday, Nov. 7, 6 p.m. Sandy Springs Branch, 395 Mount Vernon Hwy., Sandy Springs …

The City of Atlanta and the Atlanta Hawks have reached an agreement on key terms for the $192.5 million renovation of Philips Arena, subject to approval by the Atlanta City Council and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, officials said. The deal terms will ensure that the Atlanta Hawks remain in the City of Atlanta for decades to come and will maintain the downtown facility as a world-class, state-of-the-art venue for sports and entertainment events. Specifically: The public contribution for arena renovations is capped at $142.5 million, of which $110 million will come from a series of bonds backed by the…

The Georgia Department of Education released the four-year graduation rate for 2016 showing an increase to 79.2%, up slightly from 78.7%. The Rockdale County Public Schools graduated four out of every five students this year (82.1 percent), officials said. “Last year, we had a significant increase in our graduation rate which held steady above the state this year,” said Rockdale Superintendent Richard Autry. “While we want all of our students to graduate in four years, we recognize that many of our students need some additional time, such as summer school, an extra semester, or even extra year or more to…

D.L. Sims Elementary School in Rockdale County celebrated the induction of high achieving scholars to the Jr. Beta Club, which focuses on achievement, character, leadership and service, with a ceremony held Oct. 12. Rockdale Magistrate Court Judge Phinia Aten served as the keynote speaker, highlighting the importance of courage, thoughtfulness and vision. Under the guidance of sponsors Wendy Davis and Shalaiwah Neil, the SES Jr. Beta Club welcomed returning members Amber Edwards, Alyssa Garnett (club president), Asia Hadley, Madison Knight, Isley Nixon and new members Kimora Creighton, Mark Davis, Joshua-Emmanuel Gerald, D’Asejah Holman, Prince Richards, Talia Anderson, Camron Brown,…

By Joel Thibodeaux | Say Yes to Stonecrest “DeKalb County’s 5th Commission District, which covers the boundaries of the proposed City of Stonecrest, is very unique in that it features abundant green space amid an urban, suburban and rural setting, through which flows the South River. It is home to the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area, and to the historic Flat Rock community…libraries, medical institutions and the Lou Walker Senior Center…one of the last areas close in to Hartsfield Jackson International Airport with abundant industrial space and open land to build on, we have much to offer.” This is what…

By John W. Frase As vice president of the Kings Row Community Association, I have a great deal of concern with the upsurge of Cityhood consolidations within DeKalb. Many of my association members and community residents worked very hard to prevent the creation of Greenhaven, which would have become the second-largest city in the in f Georgia. Since the proposed City of Stonecrest would be in close proximity to DeKalb’s District 3, its creation would place further burdens on DeKalb County and possibly encourage other efforts toward cityhood consolidation in adjoining neighborhoods. Firstly, residents should look at the facts right…

The DeKalb County NAACP branch will be offering rides to DeKalb residents who have no transportation to get to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 8, 8:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. For further details or to find transportation to your district polling precinct, please contact the NAACP DeKalb County Command Center at 404-241-8006 or email naacpdek@comcast.net.

Rockdale County’s Elections Supervisor Cynthia Welch said Rockdale added 1,258 voters to its number of registered voters by the Oct. 11 registration deadline, a small number compared to four years ago. Welch said with the additional applications, the number of eligible voters in Rockdale rose from 48,745 to 50,003. “We expect an increase whenever there is a Presidential election. We actually had more—about 3,500—to register just before the General Election in 2008 and 2012,” Welch said. “It’s typical to see people registering just before an election because they want to participate in the General Election.” In 2008, Rockdale ushered in…