Author: On Common Ground News

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA— The Rockdale Board of Elections will conduct a free Voter Education Training Class on Saturday, April 2. All citizens must pre-register for the free class for planning purposes. During the class, an overview will be provided on the laws regarding registering voters in the State of Georgia. The class also will cover how to confirm if you are registered to vote, confirming your polling precinct and other important information ahead ahead of the May 24 election. Rockdale Board of Elections Supervisor Cynthia Willingham is urging the public to share the announcement of the free class. WHAT:    …

Hidden video surveillance revealed victims cries for help   DECATUR, GA–DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces convictions by guilty plea in connection with the negligent death of an elderly nursing home patient in Brookhaven at the hands of two nurses and an aide charged with his care. During court proceedings on Tuesday, March 15, before DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Shondeana Morris, 67-year-old Loyce Pickquet Agyeman, a former Licensed Nurse Practitioner (LPN) pleaded guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter, Neglect to an Elder Person, and Concealing the Death of Another. She was sentenced to eight years in prison. Wanda Nuckles,…

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office, 4380 Memorial Drive, will have extended hours from March 28 – April 1 until 6 p.m. to accommodate walk-in customers applying for property tax exemptions. Homestead exemptions provide a reduction in annual property taxes and are available to individuals who own and occupy a home in DeKalb County as of Jan. 1, 2022. Homeowners who do not have an existing exemption have until the April 1 deadline to apply. “I encourage homeowners who do not have an existing homestead exemption to contact my office or visit our website to review their exemption status.…

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Police Department is hosting a free safety fair on Saturday, March 19, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at South DeKalb Plaza, 2627 Candler Road, Decatur. During the fair, residents will receive free gun locks, car seat safety checks, DUI simulators, child ID kits, information on how to create a neighborhood watch, and more. Residents also will have the opportunity to meet and greet representatives of the DeKalb County Police Department, including the department’s Police Athletic League Plus and the Community Policing Unit which will host games for the community to enjoy. “We are asking…

STONECREST, GA—Dr. Charles S. Hill, Sr. has stepped forward to his services as a candidate for Mayor of Stonecrest. Hill and his wife, Laurene, and 2 adult sons, Charles Jr. and Cecil, have resided in Stonecrest, Georgia for 38 years.  He and his wife have operated their eye clinic in Decatur, Georgia for more than 35 years.  Hill  is the only eye surgeon operating in South DeKalb County and has focused the attention of his practice on serving the black community. Hill earned a B.S. degree from Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL. He earned his medical degree from the University of…

Football Great Warren Moon, Congressman Hank Johnson, local officials attend       STONECREST, GA– After a long hiatus due to COVID-19 and necessary repairs, the Flat Rock Archives Museum, located in the City of Stonecrest, has reopened with new exhibits and a renovated building. The Flat Rock Archives chronicles the history one of Georgia’s oldest Black communities, Flat Rock, as well as the life of Black Americans in the rural South in general. Tours of the museum and surrounding historic sites, including the plantation home where the Flat Rock ancestors were enslaved, are also available. The Flat Rock Archives celebrated the…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—Heritage High School Principal LaTonya Richards has named Ryan Andrews as the new head varsity football coach for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Coach Andrews is no stranger to leading a football team.  In 2013, Andrews took over as head coach at Banneker High School. Under his leadership, Banneker made the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Eight of 12 seniors signed college scholarships from that team. In 2014, Andrews went to Marietta High School, where he coached cornerbacks, and in 2015, Andrews became the head coach at Shiloh High School. In his four years as…

DECATUR, GA– A Decatur man charged in a string of unsolved rape cases in DeKalb County has pleaded guilty to the crimes. Dionte Mapp, 39, pleaded guilty as indicted to Kidnapping (three counts), Rape (three counts), Aggravated Sodomy (two counts), and Aggravated Assault (two counts) in connection with sexual assault crimes against three women dating back to 2006 and the violent assault of a fourth woman in 2015 that led to a break in the previous cases. June 28, 2006 A 17-year-old female met the offender near her South DeKalb home and agreed to go on a date later…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA–Rockdale County is launching Opening Doors to Recovery (ODR), an intensive care management program designed to reduce repeated psychiatric hospitalizations of the mentally ill who have been incarcerated. Championed by Rockdale County Commissioner Doreen Williams, the Rockdale program is the first county in Georgia to launch ODR. Under the new program, funded by a grant from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, mentally ill inmates who have been released from jail back into the community will receive wrap-around services to help them succeed and stay on track. ODR will provide the individuals a team…