Author: On Common Ground News

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—Early voting for the runoff elections has begun and Rockdale County elections officials reported the county’s turnout so far for the June 21 Democratic Primary and non-partisan runoffs is 841. Rockdale Elections Supervisor Cynthia Willingham stated in her report that the county currently has 60,582 active voters on its rolls as of April 25, 2022. More statistics on the turnout is provided in the gray box below and the Sample Ballot information follows the voter turnout. What you need to know about Early/Advance Voting in Rockdale:  The early voting period runs Monday through Thursday, June 13-16, 8 a.m.…

PENSACOLA, FL– Hospitalman Raquel Shanks, a native of Grayson, Georgia, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Pensacola operating out of Naval Air Station Pensacola. Shanks joined the Navy four years ago. “I grew up with everyone in my family being a Marine and I knew the Navy would be my branch,” said Shanks. Growing up in Grayson, Shanks attended Beaufort High School and graduated in 2018. Today, Shanks relies upon skills and values similar to those found in Grayson to succeed in the military. “Family is what you make of it,” said Shanks. “While…

ATLANTA– Georgia District 53 Rep. Sheila Jones along with several state lawmakers and local commissioners will gather to recognize June 12 annually as Women Veterans Day in Georgia as decreed in State House Resolution 978. To kick off this observance, an inaugural celebration honoring women veterans will take place on Monday, June 13, 10 a.m. at the Georgia State Capitol, Room 341, 206 Washington St. SW, Atlanta. “Nearly 93,000 women veterans call Georgia home,” said Rep. Jones. “Many states already recognize these truly heroic and brave women annually and it is time Georgia acknowledge them officially with a day worthy…

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Board of Ethics will conduct a board meeting on Thursday, June 16, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held via Zoom at https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/88137432677 Join by phone at 602-333-0032 or 888-270-9936 and use conference code 171493.  Agenda Adoption of Agenda Approval of the Minutes of May 12, 2022 III.            Administrative Items Nomination and Election of Board Officers Board Chair Board Vice Chair Board Secretary Update on Status of newly hired Ethics Officer Public Comment Executive Session to Discuss Legal Matters Motion to Convene an Executive Session Motion…

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…