Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA– Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is warning Georgians about the latest version of the grandparent scam. The scam still starts with a phone call from someone pretending to be your grandchild, one of his/her friends, a lawyer or a law enforcement officer. The caller then describes an urgent scenario requiring that thousands of dollars be sent immediately, e.g. your grandchild will go to jail if you don’t send bail money or he or she became ill while traveling in a foreign country and needs money to come home. If impersonating the grandchild, the scammer may speak…

The former Brown Middle School in Atlanta’s Historic West End will be renamed for one of the city’s most famous business leaders and entrepreneurs    ATLANTA – The Herman J. Russell West End Academy, formally named Joseph E. Brown Middle School, will host a ceremony honoring the renaming of the school on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 10 a.m. The renaming of Brown Middle School pays homage and tribute to Herman J. Russell, an Atlanta native who became a well-known real estate and construction businessman and philanthropist. Brown was a secessionist Georgia governor who opposed the abolition of slavery. Born and raised in…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—DeKalb County Police are continuing to seek the public’s help in finding the person responsible for killing Quartez Mender in a hit-and-run on Sept. 1. Mender would have turned 16 today. Police said Mender was killed around 2 a.m. on Flat Shoals Parkway near Wellington Court. His family members said he snuck out of the house. Investigators say they believe he was struck while walking near the entrance of Orchard Walk Apartments. The driver of the vehicle stuck Mender and did not remain on the scene, police said. Family and friends held a candlelight vigil and balloon release on…

SNAP to launch in-fused water tastings across Georgia    ATLANTA – Georgia’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamp) and its  four partner agencies are launching Hydrate My State, a campaign tailored for SNAP-eligible Georgians to encourage more water consumption, instead of sugary beverages. The campaign, led by the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) Office of Family Independence (OFI) SNAP Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed), will consist of in-person infused water tastings, recipes on how to incorporate more water into daily life, nutrition fact labels on why water is so important, and formal shareable promotions. “This comes as a…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA–Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) congratulates Gen. Ray Davis Middle School (DMS) on being named among the top 5 percent of Title I schools by the Georgia Department of Education (GADOE). The Title I Distinguished flag for 2021 Title I Distinguished Schools was recently presented to DMS administrators and teachers during a faculty meeting. This year’s Title I Distinguished Schools list is based on the 2019 CCRPI (College and Career Ready Performance Index), the most recent CCRPI available. DMS has been named to the GADOE’s top performing Title I schools lists for multiple consecutive years. The Distinguished Schools…

The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert today (Sept. 13) to residents in Rockdale, Newton, Walton and Barrow counties about a scam targeting senior citizens. Scammers are calling elderly residents pretending to be a relative in trouble with the law and needing bond/bail money. The scammers then connect the concerned victim with a person pretending to be their family member’s attorney. This so-called attorney arranges for the victim to pay cash or check to a courier service to help pay for legal fees and bond money. The courier is also a fraud. In reported cases, the suspect was a black…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– The Pink Pooch Festival and Survivor Walk is returning for its 10th Annual Celebration in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. The Pink Pooch Festival and Survivor Walk will take place Sunday, Oct. 10, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., at Richardson Dog Park, 3779 Union Church Road, Stockbridge The celebration will feature a free festival, music, food trucks, raffles, pet show, pet contests, mobile health screenings and more. “Rockdale County is in full support of the Pink Pooch Festival and Survivor Walk. We have been the home of this celebration since its inception as a parade in…

CONYERS, GA—Volunteers are needed for a Rivers Alive community waterway cleanup organized for Saturday, Oct. 2, in the Hunting Creek subdivision. The cleanup is sponsored by the city of Conyers Stormwater and Code Enforcement departments and volunteers will be provided with gloves, safety vests, masks, and water, and enjoy pizza at the end of the cleanup. The cleanup begins at 9 a.m. Volunteers are encouraged to park along the Sara’s Court cul-de-. The cleanup will take place in the vicinity of 1763 Hunting Creek Lane. “We welcome individuals, families, organizations, and anyone interested in volunteering some time to clean up…

By Mark Brock Region games determine your playoff fate, and the Columbia Eagles and Towers Titans got a good start by winning their first region matchups of the season on Friday night. Royce Tolbert played a big role on both sides of the football in the Eagles 21-14 win over the Pace Academy Knights at Avondale Stadium on Sept. 10 in the first meeting between the two football programs. Tolbert got loose in the first quarter scampering 43 yards into the end zone to give the Eagles (2-1, 1-0) an early 6-0 lead. The…

ATLANTA — Employment scams are on the rise in the turbulent job market created by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Better Business Bureau® (BBB®) study finds. BBB warns job seekers to verify employment offers to avoid illegal jobs, identity theft and fake checks to which millions are exposed annually. The in-depth investigative study — Job Scams: BBB study finds job scams increased during pandemic, warns job seekers to verify employment offers to avoid illegal jobs, identity theft and fake checks — details the many forms employment fraud takes and the scams that often result. Read the full study here. Job scams have been…