Author: On Common Ground News

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

  The DeKalb Democratic Party’s GoTV Committee is seeking volunteers to assist with its “Get Out TheVote” phone bank calls. Volunteers can choose from several dates that are scheduled during July and August at Hillandale Medical Center, 2801 DeKalb Parkway, Lithonia. Phone banks will take place in the Private Dining Room on the first floor in the Main Hospital building: July 18, 6 to 9 p.m. July 25,6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 1, 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 8, 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 15, 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 22, 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 29, 6 to 9…

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp is reminding runoff election voters that it is illegal to take pictures of a ballot or voting equipment. In previous elections, voters have posted “ballot selfies” on social media in violation of state law. Georgia law prohibits photography in a polling place when voting is under way, unless the poll manager gives approval for limited media coverage. “If you are going to post about your voting experience on social media, I encourage you to post your peach voting sticker, not your ballot,” said Kemp. “Georgia law intends to preserve secrecy of the ballot for…

Rockdale Sheriff’s Back-to-School Fun Day set July 23 The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office is hosting the Sheriff’s Back-to-School Fun Day in partnership with several churches, businesses and the community at large on Saturday, July 23, noon to 4 p.m. The free event, which will highlight safety, will be held at the Rockdale County Government Annex, 1400 Parker Road, Conyers. Parents are invited to bring the kids out for a cookout, raffle for bike giveaways, music, games, jump Houses and water Slides, a cookout, cotton candy and snow cones. The event also will provide families and the community with information and…

The two lawn areas east of the Community Bandstand in downtown Decatur are being refurbished. Pedestrian traffic has worn the lawns at the Old Courthouse on the Square, compacting the roots of the grass and preventing the lawns from growing, officials said. The City of Decatur has hired Plants, a local company, to install a new pervious system that allows the grass to grow through it while at the same time reducing the stress on the roots. The project began July 13. The construction area will be fenced off during the two-week installation project and the two grassy areas will…

The latest news of two police-involved shootings that left two black men dead—one in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the other in Falcon Heights, Minnesota—has prompted protests, anger and cries for justice from across the nation. Alton Sterling, 37, was fatally shot by police outside a Baton Rouge convenience store on July 5. Police say two officers responded to an anonymous caller who said a man selling CDs outside the store threatened him with a gun. After police arrived, a struggle ensued and Sterling was shot. The shooting sparked protests by angry residents in Baton Rouge and prompted the U.S. Justice Department…