Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Transportation’s (Georgia DOT) efforts to proactively treat interstates and state routes ahead of expected precipitation and frigid temperatures resulted in mostly dry and passable road conditions today. Crews are currently patrolling routes and treating any icy patches as they are found. As of this morning(Dec. 23), the I-85 Express Lanes and the I-75 South Metro Express Lanes are open to traffic. The I-75 Northwest Corridor Express Lanes are expected to reopen to southbound traffic in the next few hours. Be sure to know before you go and check 511GA for real-time traffic information. There are some reports of fallen…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—The NAACP DeKalb and community activist Amos King want to know why DeKalb County authorities have left the public in the dark about the murder of 19-year-old Ja’Nautica La’shay “JuJu” Whitehead. Whitehead was found shot to death inside a vehicle on Snapfinger Parkway in DeKalb around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26. The suspect, Deeron Zyon Hicks, was arrested on Murder-Malice charges on Dec. 17, according to DeKalb County Jail records. Authorities, however, have released few details to the public surrounding the murder or the arrest. “There was no press conference, no news release, no nothing…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– DeKalb County opened warming centers for residents to use in the following locations on Dec. 22, beginning at 8 p.m.: Fire Station 3, 100 N. Clarendon Avenue, Avondale Estates Fire Station 4, 4540 Flakes Mill Road, Ellenwood Fire Station 6, 2342 Flat Shoals Road, Atlanta North DeKalb Senior Center, 3393 Malone Drive, Chamblee These above locations will close at 8 a.m. on Dec. 23. Beginning at 7 a.m. Dec. 23 through 7 a.m. Dec. 27, the following warming center locations will be open: Exchange Park Recreation Center, 2771 Columbia Drive, Decatur Mason Mill Recreation Center, 1340 McConnell…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– Rockdale County Water Resources (RWR) is advising residents to beware of individuals impersonating county employees attempting to enter homes to conduct free water samples, after reports of incidents occurring in neighboring Gwinnett County. Reports say the suspect was offering to collect free lead and copper samples to gain access into customers’ homes. Most attempts have been targeted toward Spanish-speaking families living in the Norcross area. While no reports have been made in Rockdale County, RWR is asking its customers to be vigilant, to protect themselves and their families from this threat. If anyone claiming to be a…

ATLANTA – The House Study Committee on Cannabis Waste Disposal and Recycling, chaired by State Rep. Mesha Mainor (D-Atlanta), will hold a series of meetings from Thursday, Jan. 5 – Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in room 606 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, 18 Capitol Ave.,  in Atlanta. The meeting schedule is as follows: Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, 9 a.m. The House Study Committee on Cannabis Waste Disposal and Recycling will examine ways to properly dispose, capture and treat the waste created from the manufacturing of legal cannabis products, such as hemp and CBD oil,…

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA– The Board of Commissioners approved several County initiatives during its latest meetings. Here is a glance at some of the actions taken:  Grant funds help turn biosolids into fertilizer Gwinnett County’s efforts to maintain a sustainable environment will grow. The Department of Water Resources will apply for a grant through the USDA’s Fertilizer Production Expansion Program. The grant application of $21,250,000 will be used toward the design and construction of a biosolids dryer at the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center, which will significantly reduce the volume of biosolids generated at the facility, officials said. The biosolids will…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA – Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency will open a warming this weekend for those in need. The agency is urging the public to help spread the word that Rockdale is offering shelter to those who need a place to keep warm. Although the first day of Winter is Wednesday, Dec. 20, Georgia is bracing for temperatures that are expected to drop well below freezing into the teens this weekend. Rockdale’s warming center will be open fDec. 22-26 at J.P. Carr Gym, 90 Hardin St. S.W., Conyers. The center will be open evenings from 7 p.m. to 7…

CONYERS, GA—Conyers Rockdale Council for the Arts (CRCA) plans to roll out a jazz series as part of a new music and performance program it is launching in 2023. The jazz series will be held in the CRCA Black Box Theater beginning in January. CRCA has also created Inspiration Theater, which will include theatrical performances, community outreach and community education to inspire awareness, discourse, and ultimately positive social change. The first two performances will be Heaven In Chains in March 2023 and The Bench in August 2023. “We were able to re-start Theater Out of the Box, our theater education program for citizens with disabilities,…