Author: On Common Ground News

Juneteenth project update set June 17    LITHONIA, GA–The Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance and Martin Rickles Studio will present a virtual update on the ongoing creation of a conceptual design for the reactivated Bruce Street School, the first Black public school building in DeKalb County. The event will be held on June 17, noon until 1 p.m. The final conceptual design unveiling will take place on-site in September. Zoom signup for the June 17 event can be found here. Since fall of 2021, a coalition of partners – including DeKalb County Government, the City of Lithonia, the Arabia Mountain Heritage…

CONYERS, GA—The Veal Street Community Center, 1160 Veal Street, has a new name in honor of a former longtime City Council member, coach and educator: Cleveland “Coach” Stroud Community Center. City representatives, members of the Progressive Club, who have long called the community center their home and of which Stroud is a long-time member, and family members of Stroud gathered for a sign unveiling at the center on Friday, June 3. Stroud did not seek re-election for District 1 of the Conyers City Council last year after serving for 27 years. He holds the distinction of being the first Black…

ATLANTA — Mayor Andre Dickens has reached an agreement with Atlanta firefighters to provide additional compensation to attract new recruits to the city and add a new tier with higher compensation for longer-tenured firefighters. The agreement will be submitted in the form of legislation for the City Council’s consideration. “The women and men of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department(AFDR) put their lives on the line on behalf of Atlanta residents, and as Mayor I want to make sure they are fully supported,” said Mayor Dickens. “These increases will go a long way toward helping us recruit and train the best firefighters…

ATLANTA– Attorney General Chris Carr is warning Georgians to be on the lookout for text message scams, including texts from unknown or unexpected senders with links requesting payment or sensitive information. “Scammers will use any means to commit their crimes, including sending texts that initially appear to come from a trusted source, such as a government entity, law enforcement agency, bank or well-known retailer,” said Carr. “What may seem like an urgent or enticing message is often an attempt by a fraudster to infect your device or steal your money or personal information. Our goal is to ensure Georgians have…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– Four high school graduates of the Rockdale County School District have been named recipients of the inaugural Rockdale Clerk of Courts Janice Morris Scholarship. Each student won a $1K scholarship after writing an essay about overcoming adversity and their desire to pursue higher education. The 2022 winners shared their experiences with bullying, being raised by a single parent,  coping with isolation, and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic as the virus disrupted the lives of family and friends. “ All of the students demonstrated a strong promise for succeeding in college and beyond in spite of…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA –Jamichael Jones, 33, wanted for the June 5 murder of Atlanta rapper Trouble (Michael Orr), 34, has surrendered. Jones was arrested in Clayton County. Authorities said Jones turned himself in today around 1 a.m. and was taken into custody by the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Eric Levett said Jones’ mother was instrumental in Jones’ surrender. The mother said her son called her and told her that he wanted to turn himself in peacefully. Jones gave deputies a location to meet with them and was arrested without incident, authorities said. Jones was charged with Felony Murder, Aggravated…

Do you wonder why Chick-fil-A has so many loyal customers? The restaurant is sharing its recipe for customer service success at an upcoming workshop in Rockdale County. Rockdale County government, in partnership with Chick-fil-A, will offer a Business Quality Customer Service Training  on June 22,  8:30 a.m.  to 12:30 p.m.  The free workshop, open to businesses and members of the community at-large, will be held at the Costley Mill Event Center, 2455 Costley Mill Road N.E., Conyers. At this morning’s Board of Commissioners’ meeting, Rockdale Chairman Oz Nesbitt praised department leaders for the collaboration with Chick-fil-A, which will facilitate the…

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will host its sixth annual Father-Daughter Dance on June 11, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur.   The father-daughter dance is for all ages and costs $15 per couple and $5 for each additional child. The event will include music, refreshments, and dancing. To register, visit any recreation center or go to  www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parks and click the yellow banner to register online on the department’s homepage.  For more information, contact Wannetter Terrell, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs recreation…