Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA – The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, chaired by State Repr. David Knight (R-Griffin), will hold two meetings to discuss the state’s aviation education and training programs. The meetings, which will be held at the Georgia State Capitol, 206 Washington St. S.W., are scheduled as  follows: ·         Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, 1 – 4 p.m., Room 403, Georgia State Capitol ·         Wednesday, Sept.15, 2021, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Room 403 ,Georgia State Capitol To watch a live stream of these meetings, please visit www.legis.ga.gov.

Fifth annual event set Aug. 27   DECATUR, GA—IIn celebration of National Procurement Month, DeKalb County will host its Fifth Annual Reverse Trade Show and Procurement Summit virtually.  The DeKalb County Purchasing and Contracting Department (P&C) encourages current and prospective vendors, along with the public, to take advantage of this opportunity to learn how to do business with the county. Participants also will have the chance to provide department representatives with contact information and listings of the services and goods they offer, while receiving answers to questions from procurement staff.  This free event is from 9 a.m. to noon on…

The closure is necessary to provide additional staffing resources to provide COVID-19 vaccinations for the event at The Mall at Stonecrest, taking place from 8 a.m. until 1p.m. The DeKalb County Board of Health, along with DeKalb County Government, DeKalb Fire Rescue and MedCura Health are partnering for this event. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will be provided for administration. COVID-19 vaccinations are free. However, if you have insurance, we ask that you please bring your insurance information and photo ID with you. An administration fee may be applied for Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance. You…

DECATUR, GA—Truman Smith, 32, was sentenced to life in prison on Aug. 20 for fatally shooting a friend, Johnnie Crawford, 50 , at point blank range DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction by jury trial in the murder case against Smith, who was from Zebulon, Georgia. Jurors returned guilty verdicts against Smith on charges of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault and Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony in connection with the shooting death of Crawford. The fatal incident occurred on Sept. 15, 2016. Smith, his cousin, a friend, and the victim were…

CONYERS, GA – Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) was recently awarded around $5 million over four years in the third round of the Georgia Department of Education’s Literacy for Learning, Living, and Leading in Georgia (L4GA) grant. The goal of L4GA is to improve literacy outcomes for students from birth through grade 12. RCPS was one of 19 districts in the state selected for the most recent round of the L4GA grant, which totals more than $14.7 million state-wide over four years.   Six RCPS schools will participate in programs and resources funded by this third round of the L4GA…

Customers have four ways to avoid service cutoff DECATUR, GA – DeKalb County will lift its five-year-old water service disconnection moratorium for residential water accounts on Sept. 1, 2021. Residential water service customers may avoid service disconnection in one of four ways, by: Paying the past due balance in full by Aug. 31, 2021. Customers who opt to pay the past due balance in full may request a credit of up to one year of late fees by emailing dekalbwaterbillingfn@dekalbcountyga.gov. Requesting an Installment Payment Agreement online at www.dekalbcountyga.gov/installment, or by calling Customer Service at 404-378-4475, or by returning the…

STONECREST–Kelvin Kight says when he qualified to run for the District 1 City Council seat on last Friday, he left City Hall filled with excitement. He thought everything was in order. Now, Kight is struggling to understand why city officials notified him today (Aug. 24) that he is ineligible to run for office and will forfeit his $450 qualifying fee because he actually lives in District 5. “She (City Clerk Sonya Isom) asked me for my driver’s license. She said she was going to verify that I was eligible to run for the seat. When she returned to…

Courtney Howe, 50, identified in 1997 attack by positive DNA match   DECATUR, GA–DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced a conviction by guilty plea in the sexual assault cold case against Courtney Howe, 50. During court proceedings last Friday, Howe pleaded guilty as indicted to charges of Rape, Aggravated Sodomy, Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault, Burglary and Theft by Taking, in connection with the attack of a 35-year-old female victim in her home 24 years ago. The incident happened on May 10, 1997 at a home on Harts Mill Road in Atlanta. The victim awoke in the middle of the night and…

STONECREST, GA–Kelvin Kight, a candidate who officially threw his name in the hat to run for one of three city council seats, qualified for the wrong seat on Aug. 20, county elections have confirmed. Kight qualified for the District 1 seat, although he actually lives in District 5, according to DeKalb County Voter Registration and Election officials. Kight can’t switch seats now, however, since the qualifying period ended on Friday at 4:30 p.m., a spokesperson for DeKalb Elections Supervisor Erica Hamilton said today. “He (Kight) could have changed before the period ended, but he cannot change now. Those…