Author: On Common Ground News

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA– A long-term entering auto investigation by Gwinnett County Police has resulted in 49 criminal charges involving two suspects. Bryon Hunt, 27, of Forsyth has been arrested, the Police Department said. Roy Higgins, 27, of Buford, however, remains at large. The automobile thefts began on April 17, when a man reported that his vehicle was broken into on White Birch Way in unincorporated Lawrenceville. During the theft, his firearm was stolen. Shortly after the report, the case was assigned to a detective in the General Crimes Unit. The lead detective discovered a series of entering autos in the area…

ATLANTA– The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS} is inviting organizations and individuals to apply for project funding from the 2023 State of Hope (SOH) grant cycle. Projects must centered around keeping children safe, strengthening families, and empowering communities. Through this grant cycle, DHS seeks to empower and equip Georgians in developing initiatives that support at least one of the four “Opportunity of Hope” areas – education, trauma awareness, quality caregiving, and economic self-sufficiency. These are the priority areas DHS believes will have the greatest impact in supporting healthy families and building family protective factors to keep children safe within…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—Southwest DeKalb County High School senior Isaiah Taylor became the ninth DeKalb County track and field athlete to be named the Georgia Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year, the GHSA announced. Taylor joins four other Southwest DeKalb Gatorade honorees including his father, Angelo Taylor, who was a two-time winner (1995, 1996) and went on to win gold in the Olympics. “I was excited when I found out on Instagram that morning,” said Isaiah Taylor. “One of my biggest accomplishments and it continues a great legacy of track at Southwest DeKalb.” The senior swept the Class 4A…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA. — The East Memorial Drive Pop-Up Market, the latest in a trend of flash retailing occurring around metro Atlanta, will be back a second time on Saturday, Aug. 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The East Memorial Drive Pop-Up Market debuted on June 3 in the parking lot of the Rock of Ages Lutheran Church, 5135 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain. “We had a total of 48 vendors at the market, and a steady stream of customers who purchased everything from cupcakes and lemonade to jewelry and body butter,” said Deanna Johnson Cauthen, the pop-up market coordinator and…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–DeKalb Sheriff Melody Maddox reports that phone scammers have re-surfaced in the metro area, and they are taking advantage of residents who unwittingly give them money before realizing they have been scammed. “It was disheartening for me to learn this week that a resident had been taken for $14,000 by a caller who threatened him with arrest for not appearing for jury duty,” says Sheriff Maddox. “Unfortunately, the calls I receive are generally after the scam takes place, when it’s too late to help the victim. The sheriff’s office will never contact anyone by phone or ask for…

DECATUR, GA– Today, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond announced the county’s Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax (EHOST) credit for 2023 will provide $147 million property in tax relief for homeowners who qualify for a homestead exemption. By the end of 2023, the total savings from the EHOST will be approximately $738 million. “DeKalb County is the only Georgia county with a local sales tax that is 100 percent dedicated to property tax relief,” said CEO Thurmond. “Our EHOST property tax relief strategy will be especially helpful to homeowners who are struggling with skyrocketing adjustable-rate mortgage payments.” Qualified DeKalb County homeowners…

ATLANTA—The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has opened a Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC). The center opened on Friday, July 7, 11 a.m., at the Troup Baptist Association in LaGrange, GA. SBA’s loan outreach will serve Georgia’s business owners, non-profits, homeowners and renters affected by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred on March 25-27, 2023. The DLOC will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “I encourage anyone who has not applied for a disaster loan to visit the center for one-on-one assistance. Our team is…

ATLANTA– The Atlanta Board of Education (ABOE) has initiated a search for a firm to find a new superintendent for Atlanta Public Schools (APS) to start July 2024. The selected firm will identify a diverse pool of qualified candidates nationwide and assist the ABOE in developing a superintendent profile. The selected firm will also design a search process, conduct community and stakeholder engagement sessions and assess all feedback in this process. “We have aggressive goals for Atlanta Public Schools, and we are committed to taking all the necessary steps to put people and processes in place to realize those objectives,”…

DECATUR, GA—Investigators with the Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney is seeking the public’s help in identifying two additional suspects in the murder of Keng Wilson, 20. Joshua Ontario Simpson, 26, was arrested in August 2021 and charged with Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm by a First Offender Probationer and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony in connection with Wilson’s death. According to the preliminary investigation, Wilson went to fill up at a gas station on Rockbridge Road on July 8, 2021. Surveillance video showed Wilson arrive at the gas…