Author: On Common Ground News

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has appointed Carina Swain as the county’s E-911 director. A public safety professional with more than 16 years of experience, Swain worked for the Atlanta Police Department from 2019 to 2023, most recently serving as an E-911 Communications shift manager. From 2016 to 2019, Swain worked for Fulton County Emergency Services as an E-911 Communications senior supervisor. “Director Swain has been tasked with replacing our antiquated E-911 phone system with state-of-the-art emergency call technology,” CEO Thurmond said. “She is leading the post-pandemic effort to reorganize the department, increase staffing and salaries, and…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA – DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court Debra DeBerry is reminding military veterans of all branches of service to record their DD-214 at the courthouse for safekeeping at no cost. Form DD-214 is a one-page discharge document that contains all the necessary details of a veteran’s service record. “It has come to my attention that an Arizona business is charging veterans to file their DD-214 forms. There is absolutely no cost to veterans filing the form and it is completely confidential and cannot be accessed by the public once filed with our office,” DeBerry said. DD-214 forms include dates of service,…

DEKALB, GA– A date has been set for the trial of a man accused of murdering two people—one of them who was the suspect’s 14-year-old niece in 2018.  DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Tangela Barrie has scheduled the case to begin with jury selection at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 9, in Courtroom 5C, the Office of DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry stated in a news release Royce Stewart, 42, is accused of committing the double morning murders around 9:30 a.m. on March 25, 2018 at the Trinity Walk Apartments in Decatur, according to the investigation. A DeKalb County Grand…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—The one-week qualifying period ended on Friday, April 5, for the Special Election that will be held on Nov. 5 to fill two unexpired terms on the seven-member Board of Commissioners. Both, the District 3 race and the Super District 7 race, have four candidates.The contenders officially entered the races by filing their qualifying papers and fees to run for the seats. The District 3 seat was previously held by long-time Commissioner Larry Johnson, who stepped down to run for DeKalb CEO. The DeKalb County Board of Elections and Registration released the following candidates who are in the…

DECATUR, GA– DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputies made arrests last weekend in two separate contraband drops at the DeKalb County. Latrenia Renee Reives, 21, of Decatur was arrested March 30 on charges of Criminal Trespass and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, both misdemeanors. According to warrants, Reives was apprehended around midnight after she allegedly drove a vehicle up to the jail. Her passenger, later determined to be a minor child, left the car and attached a bag to a rope dangling from an inmate cell window. Although officers stopped the vehicle, the bag and its unverified contents were pulled…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—The recent removal of two large signs from Larry Johnson’s campaign headquarters has prompted him to file a police report after the incidents were captured on video surveillance cameras.  Johnson, who is running for DeKalb County CEO, said he filed a police report on March 29 after the second incident on March  28.   He said the first incident occurred on March 18. “Pitiful,” Johnson said Vwith disgust. “What makes it so bad is that it happened twice within two weeks.”   Johnson said the signs were removed during broad daylight from his headquarters, located at 3735 Memorial Drive.     In one incident, a…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—A team of Voices of Faith Church leaders were on the ground, joining others on  Thursday in providing meals to those in need, a day after a tornado ripped through Conyers just before midnight. The EF-2 tornado winds reached 115 mph across a 9.5-mile stretch of Conyers, located just east of Atlanta, the National Weather Service reported. “You can’t look at the news reports and really understand the magnitude of what happened. You’re literally in tears when you see the path of destruction. You can’t help but praise God and give Him thanks because no casualties were reported,” said…

The DeKalb County Board of Ethics will hold a forum on Thursday, April 11, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Ethics Forum will be at 178 Sam’s St., Decatur. To register for the Ethics Forum, visit: https://dekalbcountyethics.org/ Agenda I. 11 a.m.   Doors Open II. 11:30 a.m. — 1 p.m. Panel Discussion     A. Best Practice in Ethics      B. Goals of Boards of Ethics     C. Politics  of Ethics III. 1:00 p.m. –2 p.m.   Networking

ATLANTA—The City of Atlanta has been named as the top city to start a business in 2024 by Home Bay and recognized in Black Enterprise magazine, the city announced in a new release.  Cited for low operating costs, a large talent pool and a strong community of Black entrepreneurs, the latest acknowledgement comes after the Atlanta metro area captured the Best Place to Start Your Own Business in 2024 by LinkedIn. “Once again, the city of Atlanta is being recognized for our efforts to create an inclusive community that supports strong business growth and development. We are a city of entrepreneurs, innovators,…