Author: On Common Ground News

DEKALB COUNTY—Former DeKalb County basketball coaching great Eric Mance will be honored posthumously on Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.,  at a special ceremony at Lithonia High School, 2440 Phillips Road, Lithonia. The Lithonia High School basketball court will be renamed in remembrance of Mance. Mance, a 28-year coaching veteran in DeKalb County, had a winning record of 487-257 while coaching at Briarcliff, Gordon, Lithonia and Martin Luther King Jr.  high schools. Mance coached at Lithonia High from 1986 to 2001. At Lithonia, He had two state runner-ups—1994 and 2000.   Mance retired in 2009 but continued to work as a stadium manager at North…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA – The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit with assistance from Georgia State Patrol SWAT arrested a man wanted for a recent double shooting on Embacadero Drive in Lithonia. Javoka Shumaker,  44, was located and arrested at an apartment complex in Lithonia. He was taken into custody for the Feb. 14,  double shootings of Paul Wilson and Jennifer Mullins. The shootings occurred in the presence of a minor.  Smith succumbed to his injuries.  Shumaker was transported to the DeKalb County Jail without incident and is being held without bond on felony charges of Murder-Malice, Aggravated Assault Weapon, and…

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DECATUR, GA—A mother who who went after a man who committed a sexual act with her 12-year-old daughter is now facing life in prison. Authorities say Danyale Harris, 42, tried “to take the law into her own hands,” resulting in the death of Juan Newkirk, a 19-year-old who accompanied Harris and ended up being killed in a shootout during the confrontation. DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced that jurors returned guilty verdicts on March 22 against Harris on Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Assault and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. The man…

ATLANTA– Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Cooling Assistance, administered by the Georgia Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Division of Family & Children Services, is available April 1 through July 31, 2024, or until funds are exhausted. ThiE federally-funded program assists low-income, elderly, and disabled Georgians with cooling bills through direct payments to home energy suppliers. The application period for LIHEAP Cooling Assistance opened on April 1, 2024, to Georgians aged 65 years of age and older or those who are medically homebound. All other eligible residents can apply starting May 1, 2024. Funds are administered through local Community Action…

CONYERS, GA– Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) invites the best and the brightest to the RCPS Teacher Job Fair on Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., at the RCPS Board Room, Pine Street NE, Conyers. Conyers. Participants must pre-register by visitingwww.rockdaleschools.org/jobfair.  The district is seeking outstanding candidates for teaching positions in the 2024-2025 school year. RCPS schools with vacancies will be represented and interviews will be held during the Teacher Job Fair.   RCPS has 11 elementary schools, four middle schools, three traditional high schools, a virtual campus for grades 3-5 and 6-12 and four non-traditional schools (Rockdale Career Academy…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—Rockdale County Clerk of Courts Janice Morris will present the “Ask ALawyer Q & A Panel” on Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. to noon, at the Rockdale County Auditorium, 903 Main St. N.W., Conyers. This event will provide the community with legal information from a panel of attorneys. The panel will cover topics related to Family Law, Criminal Law, Personal Injury, and Wills and Estates. Morris has assembled a team of experienced attorneys to answer attendees’ legal questions. Guest speakers include: Caycie Dix-Miller (Family Law) Reginald L. Winfrey (Criminal Law) Ronel Salters (Personal Injury) Saraj Siedentopf (Wills and…