Author: On Common Ground News

CONYERS, GA—On Saturday, Oct. 23, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) is hosting a free Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination event with the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners and the Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale Health Department. The free event will be held at 1733 Lake Rockaway Rd., Conyers, GA 30012.  *Enter 2442 Lake Rockaway Rd. for your GPS. The Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale County Board of Health will administer 100 Pfizer vaccines. Rockdale County will give $50 gift cards to the first 100 vaccine recipients. The shots and gift cards are on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information: Call…

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CONYERS, GA—Conyers Police Department today (Oct. 22) announced an increase in the reward for the unsolved murder case of Richard  “ATL” Green, 36. Today marked the fourth anniversary of the unsolved murder. Green was killed on Oct. 22, 2017 in the Pinedale subdivision in Conyers. A family member said that he had been asleep at home when a tall, African-American man in his 20s, wearing all black and a hoodie rang the doorbell. He entered the home, Green and ran from the home in broad daylight. The man who gunned down Green remains unidentified, authorities said. In…

DECATUR, GA—DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran Johnson recently allocated $15,000 in District 7 discretionary funding to the Atlanta Community Food Bank to assist Soldiers’ Angels with three mobile food distributions for veterans impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The second distribution will take place on Friday, Oct. 22, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Atlanta VA Arcadia Clinic, 250 North Arcadia Avenue, Decatur. Veterans interested in the Oct. 22 food assistance distribution must pre-register by visiting www.soldiersangels.org/atlanta. Each recipient will receive a box containing approximately 75 pounds of food packed by volunteers and loaded into cars, pushcarts or backpacks…

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced its Veterans’ Employment and Training Service is now accepting applications from public and private sector organizations to enhance the employment and training services it provides to transitioning service members and their spouses through the agency’s Employment Navigator and Partnership Pilot.    This initiative provides one-on-one career assistance to transitioning service members and their spouses at select military installations worldwide, and complements classroom instruction provided through the agency’s Transition Assistance Program. Employment Navigators help connect transitioning service members and their spouses to public and private sector partner organizations for employment and training services during, and after, their…

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) achieved an 83.1 percent graduation rate for cohort 2021, according to graduation data released by the Georgia Department of Education on Oct. 21. By achieving its all-time high graduation rate, APS has narrowed the gap with the state rate of – 83.7% – by 2.9 percentage points to a difference of 0.6 percentage points. This is the first time that APS has been this close to the state graduation rate, APS officials stated in a news release. A total of 2,557 students graduated on-time from APS in 2021. The percentage of students who graduated in…

DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond, Radio Host Frank Ski among honorees, Grammy Award-winning Gospel Artist  Tasha Cobbs Leonard to perform STONECREST, GA—New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is bringing a homecoming-style celebration complete with a Battle of the Bands, a live performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard and other festivities on Sunday, Oct. 24, beginning at 9 a.m., 6400 Woodrow Rd., at the football field area of the church campus. Senior Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant will dedicate a portion of the program to honoring various community leaders and champions in DeKalb County. “While many members of our congregation and…

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA—A  38-foot Norway Spruce has been selected for Gwinnett County’s 34th annual Lighting of the Tree. The stately spruce will be transported from the mountains of North Carolina and will arrive in downtown Lawrenceville on Monday, Nov. 1. The tree will then be installed on the lawn of the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 5:30 a.m. when County staff will begin decorating for the tree lighting tradition that takes place on Thanksgiving Day.  The tree will remain on display to the public throughout the holiday season at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, 185 West…

CONYERS, GA—The Court Services Division of the Conyers Police Department opened today (Oct. 21) in its new office, the former City Hall administration building at 1184 Scott Street. The Conyers City Council contracted with the firm Reeves Young in July for renovations to the former City Hall complex on Scott Street, now known as the Conyers Public Safety Complex. Five existing buildings within the complex are under renovation to house the following: Court Services, Conyers Police Department, Special Operations, Criminal Investigations Division and Crime Scene Investigation. Court Services is the first building to be completed in the $2 million…