Author: On Common Ground News

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces a conviction by jury trial in the case against an Albany man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman nearly 40 years ago.  On Tuesday, May 20, jurors found Reginald Colwell, 58, guilty of Kidnapping, Rape, and Aggravated Assault in connection with the incident on December 30, 1988.    In a sentencing hearing held today, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams, who presided over the trial, sentenced Colwell to two Life sentences*, plus 20 years to all be served consecutively.   According to the investigation, the 20-year-old victim went to…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA — Squatters who had occupied the home of a local family’s late father left the home, bringing a sigh of relief to the family who had begged county officials for help.   The squatters moved out of the Spring Valley homedays after Channel 2 Action News confronted them and aired stories about the situation. Channel 2, which broke the story, was on the scene as deputies went through every room of the house on Monday, June 2. The television station had reported that some of the occupants had criminal records. DeKalb County District 3 Commissioner Nicole Massiah had…

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA– A man who attended a 2023 Norcross baby shower was convicted of murder for shooting another person at the event.  A Gwinnett County jury found Esteven Avila-Vega, 28, guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the April 2023 shooting death of 39-year-old Angel Mendoza-Ramirez.  Avila-Vega will be sentenced at a later date, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday, June 2. “There is no place for gun violence in Gwinnett County, but a baby shower is an especially egregious place to be…

DECATUR, GA–The DeKalb Regional Land Bank Authority Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 12, at 2 p.m. at 178 Sams Street, Training Room A1201-A & A1201-B (First Floor), Decatur. The public also can attend the meeting virtually at  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81020464767?pwd=viAQ85iuujAGmr64keBGzGgsEARddE.1 Meeting ID: 810 2046 4767 Passcode: 2Q5Ny0 Or Telephone:     USA 602 333 0032     USA 8882709936 (US Toll Free)     Conference code: 436320 Meeting Agenda  Approval of April Meeting Minutes Treasurer’s Report III. Attorney’s Property Title Status Report Chairman’s Report  Executive Director’s Report – Tamika Churchill Staff Update Project Applications Community Outreach and Training Other VII. Adjournment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), announced June 2 that he received an “A” from the Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP) for consistently introducing and supporting bills and policies that strengthen America’s IP framework. “Intellectual property laws protect the rights of inventors and creators by granting them patents, trademarks, and copyrights,” said Johnson.  “In doing so, these laws boost America’s competitiveness and export growth, create millions of jobs, and affect virtually every segment of the U.S. economy. In many ways, IP laws are the drivers of the American Dream. I will continue to focus on intellectual property policies that…

ATLANTA—Daniel Blackman, Democratic candidate for Georgia’s Public Service Commission District 3 seat, is officially back on the ballot after a Fulton County Superior Court judge issued an injunction on Friday, May 30, against the Secretary of State for disqualifying him.  Blackman has bounced on and off the ballot since Early Voting for the primary got underway this week. Blackman, one of four Democrats running in the June 17 Special Primary Election, initially was removed from the ballot after an administrative judge ruled on May 27—the first day of Early Voting—that he failed to meet the state’s 12-month residency requirement for…

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA– Daquan Rashad Clarke, 37, and Troy Anthony Hunt, 44, will spend the rest of their lives in prison for targeting and killing the owner of a DeKalb County check cashing store.  Clarke was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 80 years, and Hunt was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 30 years.  A Gwinnett County jury on Friday found the two men guilty of two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and four counts of violation of Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act for the…

STONECREST, GA– The City of Stonecrest has announced its intention to increase the 2025 property taxes it will levy this year by 1.53 percent over the rollback rate millage rate.  Each year, the board of tax accessors is required to review the assessed value for property tax purposes of taxable property in the county. When the trend of prices on properties that have recently sold in the county indicate there has been an increase in the fair market value of any specific property, the board of tax assessors is required by law to re-determine the value of such property and…

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA-The Rotary Club of Stone Mountain (RCSM) invites the community to its 60th Diamond Anniversary Jazz Brunch. The event will be held on June 7, 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., at Smoke Rise Country Club, 4900 Cheddar Drive, Stone Mountain. The celebration will honor the Rotary Club’s rich history of service and provide an exciting opportunity for community residents to join with the club in honoring and celebrating the Rotary Club’s past and present members, while welcoming future members of the club. The brunch will feature live music by the Toni Byrd Quartet in partnership with the Unity…

DECATUR, GA—Robert Olsen, an ex-DeKalb County Police Officer, has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in a negotiated  deal in the shooting death of unarmed Air Force veteran Anthony Hill, 26, closing a decade-long legal battle including appeals that reached the Georgia Supreme Court.  On  May 28, Olsen, 63, entered the guilty plea to the charge of Aggravated Assault in connection with the 2015 death of Hill, who was in the midst of a mental health crisis when Olsen shot him outside of the Chamblee Tucker Road apartment complex where Hill lived.    “It has been more than a decade since Anthony Hill’s…