Author: On Common Ground News

  Off-duty DeKalb County police officers are patrolling commercial properties on Wesley Chapel and Panola Roads in Decatur under a new initiative launched by the East Metro DeKalb Community Improvement District (CID). Officers are working staggered shifts, primarily during overnight hours, to provide protection and increased visibility to the Wesley Chapel/Panola Road businesses that are located in the CID. Sgt. Susan V. Sowell, who is leading the patrols, said CID property owners may contact DeKalb’s East Precinct to report areas of concerns. “I will use a variety of enforcement options, such as high-visibility patrols, the operation of speed detection…

DeKalb County’s Gresham Park will soon have an outdoor basketball court, thanks to The Atlanta Hawks Foundation. The foundation donated $48,000 to develop the basketball court, expected to be completed by late Fall. DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs and Foundation representatives held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 14 at the park, located at 3113 Gresham Road, Atlanta. About 100 children participating in the county’s summer parks program joined officials for the ceremony. The new basketball court, county officials say, will not only provide recreation for residents in the area but enhance the overall health and wellness…

  The Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce will host its Third Wednesday Luncheon on July 20, 11:30 a.m., at This Is It banquet facility, 2853 Panola Road, Lithonia. A discussion on how mental health issues are impacting the community at large will be led by Major Jordan, a peer education outreach specialist for Beacon Health Systems, which provides mental health services for the state of Georgia. Jordan also will discuss resources available. Chamber members may attend the luncheon at no cost with pre-registration or pay $10 at the door. Guests may attend for $20 with pre-registration or pay $25 at…

Join DeKalb County officers for Coffee With A Cop on July 27, 8 to 10 a.m., at Bojangle’s restaurant, 2695 Panola Road, Lithonia. Discuss your concerns and find out about policing initiatives in the community.

To avoid conflicts with the upcoming runoff election, DeKalb’s Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs Department has changed its July 26 regularly scheduled Citizens Advisory Board meeting to Tuesday, July 19, 6 p.m. The board will meet at the Manual J. Maloof Building, 1300 Commerce Drive, Third floor, Decatur.

Hundreds of residents met DeKalb County government representatives and learned about services that can improve their quality of life at the Seventh Annual DeKalb Neighborhood Summit, which was held July 9 at Greater Traveler’s Rest Baptist Church in South DeKalb. “The summit was a valuable opportunity for DeKalb County government, community leaders and residents to meet and share ideas about how to make our county even better,” DeKalb Interim CEO Lee May said. “I was pleased with the turnout, the energy and the dialogue at the summit.” In light of recent events in Dallas, St. Paul and Baton Rouge, the…

Hien Zaidai Nguyen, a Clarkston resident, has filed a petition to run as an Independent in the Nov. 8 General Election. He is seeking the Fourth Congressional District seat held by long-time Democrat Hank Johnson. The district encompasses portions of DeKalb, Gwinnett and Newton counties and all of Rockdale County. Johnson, who took his seat in Congress in 2006, is now serving his fifth term in office. Qualifying for Independent candidates was held June 27 to July 1. Georgia’s Secretary of State’s Office qualified candidates running for federal and state offices, while county elections officials qualified local candidates. Nguyen’s petition…

Courtney Dillard has qualified to run as an Independent candidate for Chairman of the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners. Dillard turned in more than 2,800 signatures to the Board of Elections by the July 12 deadline. His name will go on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot once the petition signatures are verified by Rockdale elections officials. The state of Georgia requires a petition with 2,534 signatures from registered voters for candidates seeking office as an Independent. Dillard will face the Democratic winner of the July 26 run-off. Incumbent Richard A. Oden and Oz Nesbitt, who currently serves as Post…

With the early voting period for the runoff elections coming to a close, Rockdale County’s Supervisor of Elections Cynthia Welch is encouraging the community to get out and vote. The runoff Election Day is July 26. Early voting, which began July 5, ends July 22. Voters can only request a Democratic or non-partisan ballot since there are no Republican candidates in the July 26 runoff. So far, 1,206 (about 2.6 percent) of Rockdale’s 46,156 eligible voters had cast ballots as of July 12. The numbers break down this way: 881 Democrats had voted in person, 125 had mailed in ballots.…

The Rockdale Democratic Party will host a political forum on July 16, 9 to 11 a.m., at the party headquarters, 1264 Parker Road, Conyers. The community is invited to come out and hear from run-off candidates in the following races: Senate District 43 House District 91 Rockdale County Chairman Post 1 Commissioner Probate judge