Author: On Common Ground News

Gwinnett County Probate Court is now offering fingerprinting for weapons-carry license applicants Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. Previously, applicants had to visit another office in a different building to be fingerprinted. Because the weapons-carry license application is a three-step process, applications must be received each day no later than 4 p.m. The fee for first-time applicants is $72.50; there is no additional cost for fingerprinting. The fee for renewal applicants is $30; renewal applicants are not required to get fingerprinted. Probate Court accepts cash, personal check, money order, and credit card…

The 5th annual Stand Up for Stand Down toiletry drive for Georgia’s homeless veterans will take place July 4 through Sept. 5. Sponsored by the Georgia district Pilot International Clubs and Georgia Cancer Specialists, affiliated with Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, the drive collects much-needed toiletry and personal care items to fill “comfort bags” for veterans who attend Stand Down events throughout North and Central Georgia. “Stand Down” is a military term that refers to the time when troops are brought back from the battlefield for rest and recuperation.  Each year, Stand Down events across the country provide health care and…

The City of Decatur, known around the nation as a “Tree City,” walk-friendly community, and for its planned development and revitalization efforts, has a new designation: It’s Georgia’s first Bee City. With the new designation by the Bee City USA program, the city plans to establish community gardens where honeybees and other pollinators such as butterflies and wasps will be protected. The gardens will serve as a place where beekeepers can breed honeybees and children and others can learn about the importance of honeybees. The city applied for the designation in June to support its efforts in urban gardening opportunities…

The Atlanta Housing Authority has hired 13 interns as part of the White House 2016 Summer Opportunity Project. The initiative provides 1,000 or more youths, ages 16-21, with job-readiness and summer employment opportunities. “The Department of Housing and Urban Development asked each public housing authority to hire at least one youth in support of the White House initiative,” said Joy Fitzgerald, president and CEO of the Atlanta Housing Authority. “As a Moving to Work authority, we felt it only appropriate to go all out for this great initiative and hire 13 summer interns.” “We’re delighted to have our summer interns,…

IMPACT to host Rockdale candidates’ forum July 9 IMPACT (Interdenominational Movement for Pastoral Accountability, Collaboration & Training) will host a political forum for the Rockdale run-off candidates on Saturday, July 9, 6 p.m., at Bald Rock Baptist Church, 2284 Old Covington Road, Conyers. Candidates from the six contested races have been invited: State Senate District 43: Tonya P. Anderson and Dee Dawkins-Haigler House District 91: Vernon Jones and Rhonda S. Taylor Rockdale Board of Commissioners Chairman: Richard A. Oden (Incumbent) and Oz Nesbitt Rockdale Board of Commissioners, Post 1: Phyllis D. Hatcher and Sherri Len Washington Rockdale Probate Judge: Charles…

As president of the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter, I am constantly reminded of the disturbing facts about the Alzheimer’s and dementia. There are more than five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, including 130,000 here in Georgia. Since age is considered the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s and baby boomers are aging I know that the number of people with Alzheimer’s is going to escalate at an alarming rate, particularly here in Metro Atlanta. As a wife to a wonderful man whose mother has Alzheimer’s, I see the emotional turmoil the disease brings. When my mother-in-law was first diagnosed, I…

Mrs. Ursula Yvonne Keyes, mother of former DeKalb County District Attorney Gwendolyn Keyes, passed away on July 2 in Loudoun County, Virginia. She was 84. Ursula Keyes was the wife of Andrew J. Keyes, Sr., a former Tuskegee Airman, who preceded her in death. They were married 41 years and had two children, Gwendolyn and Andrew, Jr. Mrs. Keyes, a retired registered nurse who provided compassionate care to others over a 28-year career, was a member of the Presbyterian Church both in Succasunna, New Jersey and Stockbridge, Georgia. Mrs. Keyes is survived by children, Gwendolyn (Randal Fleming), Andrew Jr., Deborah…

ATLANTA – Avery Frazier has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for a series of violent armed robberies of title loan stores in Rockdale and Cobb Counties. Frazier, 49, of Douglasville, robbed 34 stores between 2013 and 2014 to support a gambling habit at a North Carolina casino, authorities said. He was caught after a Conyers Police Department officer captured his license plate as he fled the scene of a robbery at the Title Bucks store in Conyers. “Frazier repeatedly traumatized hard working people at gunpoint,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “He sowed fear throughout our communities, robbing…

By Valerie J. Morgan As the nation recovers from the recession and foreclosures stabilize, America’s housing market has a new thorn: Homebuyers are facing stiff competition to find available homes for sale. Tonya Jones, who works as a real estate agent for Solid Source Realty, says the housing market is now both a blessing and a beast for those like her who earn their living selling residential properties. They sell and pray for another home. “There’s an inventory shortage. Finding affordable homes for sale, especially in South DeKalb, is increasingly more difficult,” Jones said. “As soon as they go up…

By Mackenzie N. Morgan Whitney Ingram, 27, is among an elite group of scholars involved in Physics, the branch of science concerned with matter and energy. In December, the DeKalb County resident (a member of the Stephenson High School class of 2007) will make history as the first black female to graduate from the University of Georgia with a Doctor of Philosophy in Physics. To date, there are 89 black female PhD physicists in the country – living and dead. “I’m honored to be the first at UGA and I’m so happy that I can reach and inspire others,” said…