Author: On Common Ground News

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—This week, DeKalb County Animal Control Master Officer Victoria Hall is being honored as a Torchbearer by DeKalb County for her heroic efforts in capturing a rabid fox to protect DeKalb citizens. On July 10, DeKalb County Animal Control received initial reports of a fox attacking and biting shoppers at a shopping plaza on Turner Hill Road in the City of Stonecrest. Many shoppers spotted the fox and tried to avoid it but some were unsuccessful and bitten by the fox. Hall was dispatched and arrived on scene. She was able to carefully…

Work Session: Tuesday, July 20, 7 p.m. – In the Assembly Hall, 901 Main Street, Conyers Zoning Public Hearing: Thursday, July 22, 7 p.m. – In the Assembly Hall, 901 Main Street, Conyers Voting Session: Tuesday, July 27, 10 a.m. – In the Assembly Hall, 901 Main Street, Conyers For more information on the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners, please visit: https://rockdalecountyga.gov/our-government/board-of-commissioners/  

The current status of the Bruce Street School ruins, prior to historic preservation efforts.   Ruins of DeKalb County’s first black school will be designed by Martin Rickles Studios    LITHOINA, GA—Martin Rickles Studio, an Atlanta-based interdisciplinary design studio, has been selected for the conceptual design for the preservation and activation of the Bruce Street School ruins, the remnants of DeKalb County’s first Black public school. Also known as the Lithonia Negro School, the ruins are located next to the site of the soon-to-be completed East DeKalb Community and Senior Center, all within Lithonia’s historic…

LITHONIA, GA—On Saturday, July 17, 2021, community leaders helped spoon historic soil at the site of a marker erected to remember black victims who were lynched by white mobs in Lithonia in the late 1800s after Reconstruction. The soil ceremony was held on July 17, 2021, at Lithonia Park, located at the corner of Main Street and Max Cleland Boulevard. The jars of soil will be housed at the DeKalb History Center and the Equal Justice Initiative  museum in Montgomery, AL. The soil was collected from symbolic sites in Dekalb County’s Redan Community and in the City…

Photo and video by Glenn L. Morgan/ ocgnews.com CONYERS, GA– Rising kindergarteners in the Bright from the Start summer transition program at Voices of Faith Academy watched in wonder as their lunch was prepared on July 15 by Royal Delights Hibachi. The students received chop sticks and forks, of course, to enjoy their meal in an outdoor setting. The free, six-week program, which ends July 23, offered reading and math enrichment, along with cultural activities to give them a window on the world and help them to develop their social skills https://youtu.be/6AfKB1CMf8k

Robert Croom, program director for Air Conditioning, Building Automation and Commercial Refrigeration at GPTC (left), and student Adam Lovell collaborate on a building engineering project at the college’s DeKalb Campus in Clarkston. Photo provided by GPTC. CLARKSTON, GA — Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC) received a $95,000 grant as part of the Johnson Controls Community College Partnership Program, which aims to equip students with in-demand knowledge and skills to support employment upon graduation. GPTC is one of 10 technical and community colleges across the nation receiving grants for the 2021‒2022 academic year but the only college…

LAWRENCEVILLS, GA—If you’re a new business owner in financial need or one who needs a jumpstart, the Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center wants to lend a helping hand. The center is now accepting applications for membership from budding business owners. “Small businesses are essential to a thriving economy — bringing jobs, stimulating economic growth and driving innovation,” said Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson. “With more than 26,000 businesses here, the center will help nurture those entrepreneurs by providing guidance that will help their business.” Sponsored by the Board of Commissioners, the center is an incubator…

DeKalb County’s Senior Center Without Walls: Virtual Village and DeKalb Virtual Career Academy” were recognized with achievement awards at the 2021 the National Association of Counties (NACo. The conference, which was held virtually and in person, brought together county and elected officials from across the country to Prince George’s County, MD on July 9-12. The achievement awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents. NACo recognized DeKalb Senior Center Without Walls: Virtual Village as an example of innovation and excellence in the Human Services Category. Established in March 2020, the DeKalb…

Decatur, GA—Youths in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) DeKalb County branch won five medals during this year’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) competition. The competition was hosted virtually July 8-11 during the national NAACP conference. High school students from across the country participated in the academic and cultural competition.   Freda Hammonds, ACT-SO Chair of the DeKalb NAACP branch, attributes the success of the program to the commitment of its talented students volunteer mentors who provided the guidance to the students. “We had 35 students to participate in 23…