Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR, GA—The DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections (DeKalb VRE) Board welcomed three returning members and two new members this week, as Judge Bedelia C. Hargrove administered the official oath to the entire group during a July 7special called board meeting.   Nancy Jester (R) and Karli Swift (Independent) are the two new members. The five members will serve a two-year term through June 2023.   The DeKalb VRE Board is comprised of five members: ·      Anthony Lewis (R) …

By Mark Brock DCSD Athletics Specialist The DeKalb County School District(DCSD) is investing in its high school athletics programs with turf and track renovations to improve local schools’ ability to compete at even higher levels as part of the E-SPLOST V of 2020. Seven new turf fields and six-lane tracks are already installed at Arabia Mountain, Cedar Grove, Columbia, Druid Hills Middle, McNair Middle, Redan and Southwest DeKalb. Tucker is nearing completion with Dunwoody not far behind as we close in on August football practice. Deluxe Athletics was awarded the contract for the…

DECATUR, GA—DeKalb County Juvenile Court Chief Judge Vincent C. Crawford announced the receipt of a grant award of $949,811 from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration to extend the YouthBuild program through 2024 for DeKalb County residents ages 16-24. The funding is one of only two YouthBuild grants awarded in the state of Georgia. The program has been instrumental in providing alternative education, case management services, financial literacy, mentoring, paid occupational training, paid work experience, and job placement to youth throughout DeKalb County since 2019.  With the extension of funding, Juvenile Court will…

ATLANTA –The Georgia Council for the Arts, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), has announced the recipients of its Bridge, Project, and Arts Education grants as part of its initial disbursement of grants for fiscal year 2022. A total of 266 grants were awarded that will provide more than $2 million in funding toward arts initiatives in 49 counties throughout the state. The Bridge Grant will provide funding for operating support to 135 organizations, the Project Grant will help fund 54 art projects, and 77 programs received funding through the Arts Education Program…

Pictured L-R: Virginia Shepard, Interim Administrator Soukhy Clark and Marie Warrington.                   L-R: Tiameka Hudson-Collins, Latridra Roberts, Virginia Shepard, Yolanda Colbert, Marie Warrington and Desiree Roberson. STONECREST, GA– Traditions Health & Rehabilitation Center, 2816 Evans Mill Road, recently celebrated two long-time certified nursing assistants during National CNA Week: Marie Warrington, who has worked at the center for 35 years; and Virginia “Ann” Shepard, who has worked there for more than 33 years. “Certified Nurse Assistants are quite special to us as they…

HENRY COUNTY, GA—Purple Innovation, Inc., a comfort technology company known for creating the Purple® Mattress, is expanding its operations in McDonough.  The expansion will create an additional 500 jobs across production, fulfillment, customer care, and other areas of the business. and comes on the heels of the company’s commitment last year to create more than 360 jobs in Henry County. Once the expansion is complete, the company will employ more than 800 Georgians. “After recently being admitted to the Georgia Made program, it’s great to see this company already thriving and expanding here in Georgia,” …

CONYERS, GA – Piedmont Rockdale Hospital opened a new entrance specifically for laboring patients on July 6. The entrance has been designed to ensure patients are admitted quickly and safely for labor and delivery services. The new Labor and Delivery entrance is located directly across from the Milstead Avenue entrance. The entrance is for Labor and Delivery patients only and is locked at all times as a safety precaution. Patients and their support person will be granted access to the unit by Labor and Delivery staff members. “We are excited to now have…

 The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, working with the U.S. Marshals and the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, has arrested a suspect in the April murder of two men at a gas station in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Sheriff’s investigators today(July 6) arrested 29-year-old Hakeem Ross of Stone Mountain at a Powder Springs residence on two charges of Malice Murder in the shooting deaths of Jamitre Weaver and Gerico Floyd.  According to the arrest warrants, Ross and  Weaver had been engaged in an argument on April 8, 2021 at a gas station at the intersection of Redan Road…

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA– The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s office has partnered with Rehabilitation Enables Dreams (RED) to bring an accountability program r to Gwinnett. The goal of the program is to help curb incarceration by enhancing the social, financial and civic knowledge of offenders. On June 23, RED founder David Lee Windecher and Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson signed a Memorandum of Understanding and made the partnership official. “Giving first-time offenders a second chance is paramount in furthering progress within our communities,” said District Attorney Austin-Gaston. “Expanding accountability courts and rehabilitative resources is essential to the betterment of Gwinnett. We believe…