Author: On Common Ground News

CONYERS, GA—Conyers Police have released the identity of a man whose body was found on Jan. 20 on the property of the Conyers Post Office on Highway 138. Capt. Jackie Dunn said today (Jan. 26) that the man who was found was John Jerry, 58. His identity had been withheld pending notification of next to kin.  He was believed to be homeless. His last known address was the Horizon Extended Stay in Conyers, Dunn said. Dunn said Jerry died of natural causes. “An autopsy was performed and it is clear from the autopsy that there was no foul play,”…

Applications accepted online for one-week only   ATLANTA—The applications process is now open for the city’s guaranteed income pilot program for low-income Atlantans. I.M.P.A.C.T. (Income Mobility Program for Atlanta Community Transformation) will serve 300 City of Atlanta low-income residents who will receive $500 per month in guaranteed income for one year. The Urban League of Greater Atlanta began accepting applications for the program today, Jan. 26, at 8 a.m. on behalf of the city and Mayor Andre Dickens. In one of her final acts as mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a partnership between the City of Atlanta and the Urban…

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has installed full-body scanners at entrances to its facilities on Memorial Drive in Decatur to better detect the presence of weapons and contraband on visitors, employees, and arrestees at the DeKalb County Jail. Last year, the agency purchased two units of the Tek84 Intercept Body Scanner for High- Security Screening, a state-of-the-art security scanning system of the type that is being used by more than 500 correctional facilities nationwide. The units are located inside the jail intake area and the public entrance to the jail lobby. They represent the agency’s commitment…

ATLANTA — Atlanta police announced on Jan. 25, that a 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting that left a 6-month-old child dead. The shooting occurred on Monday, Jan. 24, around 3 p.m., near the Food Mart store on Anderson Avenue in the Dixie Hills neighborhood in northwest Atlanta.  Police said the baby was shot while riding in the backseat of a car. The child was identified as Grayson Matthew Fleming-Gray. The child’s mother told WSB-TV that she was pulling into a parking lot when the shooting occurred. The suspect, Dequasie Little, was arrested…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–DeKalb County will open three warming centers for residents to use overnight. Warming centers will be open in the following DeKalb County Fire Stations nightly Jan. 25 – 29, beginning at 8 p.m.: ·      Fire Station 3, 100 N. Clarendon Avenue, Avondale Estates, GA 30002 ·      Fire Station 4, 4540 Flakes Mill Road, Ellenwood, GA 30294 ·      Fire Station 6, 2342 Flat Shoals Road, Atlanta, GA 30316 Anyone staying in the warming centers must follow the county’s COVID-19 protocols that include wearing a mask, social distancing and undergoing a temperature check.

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– In a virtual voting session on Jan. 25, the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners approved placing the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) on the ballot for May. Rockdale County Board of Elections will meet on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 3:30 p.m. to adopt the resolution. In 1985, Georgia legislators authorized a one-percent sales tax collected by the County and in 1987, Rockdale County began to fund developments and improvements starting with the Nancy Guinn Library. SPLOST money is collected every time someone purchases something in Rockdale County whether they are residents or not. Throughout the…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA –The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution on Jan. 25 to create a new Public Facilities Authority to help facilitate its plan for future growth. The resolution was approved during a virtual meeting, which was held at 10 a.m. The authority will provide the county, Rockdale County School District and the City of Conyers with an additional method of financing government projects. Bonds issued by the authority will have the lowest possible interest rates and cost of issuance, officials said. The authority can raise capital to be used in the acquisition, design, and construction…

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA. – DeKalb County Schools’ Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris will give her State of the District address) on Wednesday, Jan. 26.   The virtual event will begin at 6:30 p.m. and stream live on DSTV and DCSD Family Engagement’s Facebook page. The address will be translated into the district’s top five languages and can be viewed via ZOOM at: https://bit.ly/3rEnj5m.        Watson-Harris will share her focus for the 2022-2023 school year:  equity, excellence, and empowerment. She will also discuss her vision for success, and other priorities, such as academic and professional growth, student and staff wellness, family and community engagement, and conditions for learning.  

LITHONIA, GA – The I&C Empowerment Zone, Inc. is accepting registrations for its Prom Dress Fairy’s Free Prom Dress Giveaway, which will be held on March 5 at the Redan Recreation Center, 1839 Phillips Road. The Prom Dress Fairy Project anticipates outfitting over 300 underserved young ladies in the metro Atlanta area, organizers stated in a news release. The dresses  event is being held to assist students whose families have been impacted by the pandemic and others who are underserved. “We will provide, free of charge, dresses, shoes, makeup, jewelry and an abundance of pampering to give the young…

CONYERS, GA—The Nancy Guinn Memorial Library will celebrate Black History Month with Master Storyteller Lillian Grant-Baptiste on Saturday, Feb.19, at 2 p.m. This will be an in-house program with a limited space. Grant-Baptiste, a master storyteller and educational consultant from Savannah, GA, will demonstrate how storytelling has historically been used as a tool of both resistance and reconciliation. Attendees must wear a mask and comply with social distancing protocols. The Nancy Guinn Library is located at 864 Green St., Conyers