Author: On Common Ground News

CONYERS, GA—The Conyers Police Department responded to reports of a person who had been shot at the Georgia International Horse Park on July 6, around 5:15 p.m. The victim, 18-year-old Marcus Shaffer of Conyers, suffered a single gunshot wound that resulted in his death. Shaffer was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Rockdale County Coroner’s Office. Police received a 911 call from a friend of the deceased who was present at the time of the shooting. The 911 caller, also an 18-year-old male from Conyers, is considered a witness to the event at this time. The victim and witness…

CONYERS, GA – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) announced that More Than Conquerors, Inc. of Conyers, a nonprofit organization that helps young people make healthy choices, received a $1.5 million U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant. “More Than Conquerors has been in our DeKalb and Rockdale County communities for more than 30 years,” said Rep. Johnson. “They have been helping our youth during a tricky time – teenagers who are just beginning to understand who they are as people and all the peer pressure and desire to fit in that comes with that. Conquerors helps our teens navigate…

The City’s Leisure Services will host weekly ‘pop-ups’ beginning July 8 STONECREST, GA – The City of Stonecrest will kick off a four-week Parks Pop-Up series starting at Fairington Park on Friday, July 8, at 12 p.m. The weekly pop-ups are designed to bring families together and reintroduce residents to premiere outdoor gathering spaces in the community. The fun will continue at Browns Mill Park on Friday, July 15, and the Southeast Athletic Complex on Saturday, July 23. The City’s final pop-up will be held at Salem Park on Friday, July 29. All pop-ups will run from 12 p.m. until…

DECATUR, GA–DeKalb County is making recreation centers and libraries throughout the county available as cooling centers 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. Most DeKalb County libraries and recreation centers will be available as cooling centers, during the location’s normal business hours. For a list of DeKalb County recreation centers, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parks and click the “Recreation Programs…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the overall economy continues to rebound from the pandemic, many workers most adversely affected – particularly women, people of color, people with disabilities, lower-wage workers and workers from other historically marginalized communities – continue to face challenges in finding quality jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor announced today (July 6) that it is making available $140 million in Quality Jobs, Equity, Strategy and Training(QUEST) grants for states to provide jobs and employment training and services for America’s unemployed and underemployed workers. Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, QUEST National Dislocated Worker grants will support…

CHAMBLEE, GA—A 15-year-old female, associated with an Amber Alert from Jupiter, Florida was found unharmed by Chamblee Police at an apartment complex on Plaster Road. The Chamblee Police Department was contacted by FBI-Atlanta, advising a missing juvenile female from Florida was reportedly located in an apartment complex in Chamblee, Georgia. Investigators and officers were able to determine her exact location due to recent communication between the missing 15-year-old and her case worker in Florida. Chamblee Police located her with a 19-year-old male, reported to be Oliver Ramos, who transported her from Jupiter, Florida to Chamblee, Georgia. Ramos was arrested without…