Author: On Common Ground News

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– DeKalb County Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs is seeking volunteers to assist at the Mystery Valley Golf Club and Sugar Creek Golf and Tennis Club now until vacancies are filled. All volunteer applicants must be 17 or older and successfully pass a criminal background check. Both facilities will be open Sunday throughSaturday and volunteers must work a minimum of a 7-hour shift once per week. Volunteers will receive  incentives that include discounted rates and more. Golf facilities listed below:   Location                                                                 Phone Number Mystery Valley Golf Course, 6094 Shadow Rock, Drive, Lithonia, GA 30058 (770)469-6913…

DECATUR, GA—DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced a guilty plea in the case against a former DeKalb County Jail Officer accused of violating his oath as a public officer by using excessive force against inmates. Cesary Wilborn, 33, pled guilty Monday, Aug. 28, to charges of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Battery, and three counts of Violation of Oath by Public Officer in connection to incidents dating back to 2016 and 2018. On July 8, 2016, Wilborn, a jailer at the DeKalb County Jail, entered 29-year-old inmate Demetre Mason’s cell to assault him, according to the investigation.  Wilborn struck Mason in the…

The qualifying period ended today in the City of Stonecrest with a total of 10 people seeking public offices. Mayor Jazzmin Cobble is facing four challengers, while Councilman Rob Turner is facing two opponents and Councilman George Turner (no relationship to Rob Turner) is facing one challenger. Here’s who’s running for the three seats, which are four-year terms:

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—DeKalb County School District is postponing middle school football games that were scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 26 due to extreme heat forecast  by the National Weather Service.. District officials said the games will be rescheduled.  “The safety of our student-athletes and staff is paramount.  Any tickets that have been purchased will be refunded through GoFan,” the district stated in a news release.

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA –  The Olivia Haydel Senior Center was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for elder abuse awareness and prevention. The award was presented by the Rockdale(Protecting our Elderly and At-Risk with Resources for Better Living Program at its annual senior luncheon on Aug. 10. PEARL increases awareness of abuse and safeguards the vulnerable members of our community.  Senior Services, a member of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), provides specific resources and case management for elderly and disabled adults that are affected by exploitation and neglect. PEARL coordinator Bernadette Synder  praised the combined efforts of PEARL and Senior Services.…

UPDATE: The pictured suspect in the original media release has been identified and is no longer a suspect. Gwinnett County Police detectives are icontinuing to work other leads. GWINNETT COUNTY, GA– Gwinnett County Police detectives have released surveillance images of a female who fraudulently obtained more than $19,000 from a victim’s bank account. Authorities re seeking the public’s help in identifying and locating the suspect. Police say the incident occurred on June 1, at approximately 1:30 p.m. The suspect entered the Truist Bank at 2171 Pleasant Hill Road and presented an ID with the victim’s personal identifying information  The suspect cashed…

DECATUR, GA– DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs is accepting applications for after-school employment opportunities such as accelerated learning coordinators, tutors, and certified teachers until Sept. 1.  Applicants must be 18 years or older to apply for recreation positions. Proof of certification is required for learning coordinators and all teaching position. All applicants selected will be required to successfully complete a health screening and criminal background check prior to employment.  For more information, contact Mary Windham, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs grant and administrative manager, at mwindham@dekalbcountyga.gov.  

CEO Thurmond: ‘This is a transformational moment’ DECATUR, GA– Today, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a tax cut proposal that is projected to save DeKalb homeowners $1 billion over a six-year period. “This is a transformational moment in DeKalb’s history,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said. “We have the opportunity to benefit generations of DeKalb residents.” In November, a referendum will be held to approve the Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax (EHOST) that would generate the property tax relief via a credit for homeowners who qualify for a homestead exemption. If approved, this relief would begin in…

Story Updated:  Rockdale County Public Schools on Aug. 24 released the names of all of its students honored as AP Scholars. The names of the students were not provided in a previous news story published this week.  CONYERS, GA. – Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) is honoring the 104 students recently named 2023 Advanced Placement (AP) Scholars – including two AP Capstone Diploma recipients and one AP Seminar and Research Certificate recipient – for their outstanding performance on the 2022-2023 exams. This is an increase of 21 students from the previous year with all three of our high schools represented among AP Scholars. The percentage…

DECATUR, GA– DeKalb County is making most recreation centers and libraries throughout the county available as cooling centers Friday, Aug. 25, and Saturday, Aug. 26, due to a heat advisory. As defined by the National Weather Service’s Peachtree City Forecast Office, a heat advisory is issued when “feels like” temperatures are expected to reach or be greater than 103 degrees, or when the actual air temperature is expected to be at 105 degrees or greater. For a list and interactive map of available cooling centers, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/weather. Water fountains will be accessible at available libraries. DeKalb County recreation centers and libraries will…