Author: On Common Ground News

CONYERS, GA–Rockdale Chief Probate Court Judge Gary Washington today(April 8) announced the launch of VitalDirector, an innovative platform that provides users the ability to request and pay for vital records online. The new system provides users with a fast, easy way to request and pay for copies of birth, death and marriage certificates from digital devices. “We are excited to partner with Permitium and introduce VitalDirector to the State of Georgia and the citizens of Rockdale County,” said Judge Washington. “…VitalDirector not only ensures compliance with statutory requirements but also expedites processing times, enhances security measures, and provides a seamless…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—Four men and three women from DeKalb and Rockdale counties were elected on Saturday, April 6, as 4th Congressional District Presidential delegates to the Democratic National Convention.   The seven who were the top vote-getters will join delegates from across Georgia at the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Chicago Aug. 19-22. In total, there were 22 contenders vying for the opportunity to represent the Fourth Congressional District at the convention.     The delegates elected include:Dee Dawkins-Haigler; Erica A. Slaton; Samuel (Parker) Short; State Rep. Billy Mitchell; and John Storck, all from DeKalb County. The two…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—The DeKalb-Peachtree Airport Advisory Board meeting scheduled for today, April 8, at 6 p.m. has been cancelled due to a lack of a quorum to hold the meeting.

Get ready for a spectacular celestial show on tomorrow, April 8, 2024. That’s when a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Locally, the DeKalb County School District is designating Monday as an independent learning day so that families may have the chance to watch the eclipse.  Nearly every other metro Atlanta district, however, including Atlanta Public Schools, City of Decatur, Clayton, Fulton, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties will be open and operate as usual on Monday. Millions of people are expected to witness the rare event as  the sun completely darkened by the…

ATLANTA, GA– Gov. Brian P. Kemp announced that PrizePicks, one of the largest daily fantasy sports operators in North America, will locate its new 33,000-square-foot headquarters in Atlanta. The company will invest $25 million in the new headquarters and expand its workforce by 1,000 new jobs over the next seven years. “Georgia continues to be a driver of tech growth and innovation, attracting innovative companies with its unique mix of talent and infrastructure,” said Kemp. PrizePicks is the fastest-growing sports company in North America, according to the Inc. 5000. rankings for 2023. The company was named a top 10 innovative company…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has appointed Carina Swain as the county’s E-911 director. A public safety professional with more than 16 years of experience, Swain worked for the Atlanta Police Department from 2019 to 2023, most recently serving as an E-911 Communications shift manager. From 2016 to 2019, Swain worked for Fulton County Emergency Services as an E-911 Communications senior supervisor. “Director Swain has been tasked with replacing our antiquated E-911 phone system with state-of-the-art emergency call technology,” CEO Thurmond said. “She is leading the post-pandemic effort to reorganize the department, increase staffing and salaries, and…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA – DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court Debra DeBerry is reminding military veterans of all branches of service to record their DD-214 at the courthouse for safekeeping at no cost. Form DD-214 is a one-page discharge document that contains all the necessary details of a veteran’s service record. “It has come to my attention that an Arizona business is charging veterans to file their DD-214 forms. There is absolutely no cost to veterans filing the form and it is completely confidential and cannot be accessed by the public once filed with our office,” DeBerry said. DD-214 forms include dates of service,…

DEKALB, GA– A date has been set for the trial of a man accused of murdering two people—one of them who was the suspect’s 14-year-old niece in 2018.  DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Tangela Barrie has scheduled the case to begin with jury selection at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 9, in Courtroom 5C, the Office of DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry stated in a news release Royce Stewart, 42, is accused of committing the double morning murders around 9:30 a.m. on March 25, 2018 at the Trinity Walk Apartments in Decatur, according to the investigation. A DeKalb County Grand…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—The one-week qualifying period ended on Friday, April 5, for the Special Election that will be held on Nov. 5 to fill two unexpired terms on the seven-member Board of Commissioners. Both, the District 3 race and the Super District 7 race, have four candidates.The contenders officially entered the races by filing their qualifying papers and fees to run for the seats. The District 3 seat was previously held by long-time Commissioner Larry Johnson, who stepped down to run for DeKalb CEO. The DeKalb County Board of Elections and Registration released the following candidates who are in the…