Author: On Common Ground News

The City of Atlanta announced the opening of an emergency warming center in anticipation of frigid temperatures expected over the Christmas holiday. The center will open Thursday, Dec. 24, 6 p.m. and will remain open through Saturday, Dec. 26, at 11 a.m. The warming center is located at the former Ramada Hotel, 450 Capitol Avenue S.E., downtown Atlanta. The operation schedule is subject to change in accordance with local weather. Those in need of additional assistance can contact the City by dialing 311 (inside Atlanta City limits) or 404-546-0311.  

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit arrested two murder suspects today. DeKalb sheriff’s investigators, with the U.S. Marshals Office, arrested 41 year-old Stone Mountain, Georgia resident Gerald Jerome Clark in Decatur on a charge of murder in the death of an unidentified woman on Sept. 26, 2020 at a Fieldgreen Drive residence in Stone Mountain. The arrest warrant alleges that Clark shot the victim several times and locked her in the trunk of a vehicle which he set on fire. In a separate operation, DeKalb sheriff’s investigators worked with the Rockdale Sheriff’s Office to arrest 23-year-old Courtney Evette Terrell…

Rockdale County Clerk of Courts Janice Morris took the oath of office on Dec. 18.  Probate Judge Clarence Cuthpert Jr., performed the swearing-in ceremony at the Rockdale Superior Courthouse. Originally, the swearing-in for all of the county’s elected officials was scheduled for Dec. 29 at the Rockdale auditorium. However, due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases, swearing-in ceremonies were restricted and held separately on different dates. Morris was joined by her husband, Tolbert, for her swearing-in ceremony. She said she is excited about her new role as Clerk of Courts and looks forward to bringing a…

Judge Vincent Crawford DECATUR, GA.—The Superior Court judges, under the leadership of Chief Judge Asha Jackson, has approved the reappointment of Judge Vincent Crawford as chief judge of Juvenile Court for another two-year term. The extension of his tenure will allow for continuation of the strategic plan in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge Crawford, a Savannah native, graduated with honors from Florida A&M University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science. He is a graduate of the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He began his legal career with…

STONECREST, GA—The City of Stonecrest will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon on Wednesday (Dec. 23,) for the grand opening of Belinda’s Southern Cuisine. Owner Belinda Hull has opened the restaurant in the former Buffalo Wild Wings, 7322 Stonecrest Concourse, outside the Mall at Stonecrest. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and includes an expansive menu. Patrons can dine in or carry out. Masks are required and social distancing is practiced. “I had been looking for the perfect restaurant since I closed my other restaurant seven years ago in Lithonia,” said Hull. “The reason I’m doing this…

March 29, 1969    Dec. 22, 2020  Story Update Dec. 26: Funeral Services for Heather Hudson will be held on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, at Bushelon Funeral Home at 1p.m., 800 14th Street SW Birmingham, Alabama 35211 Pastor Otis Johnson, officiating Viewing will be on Tuesday, Dec. Dec. 29, 2020. Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson lost his sister, Heather on Dec. 22. Heather Hudson was critically injured in a car accident on Friday (Dec. 18) after she had a medical emergency, lost control of her car and hit a pole in Birmingham, AL, where she lived, Mr. Hudson said. Heather Hudson was 51.…

District 7 Council Member Howard Shook $10,000 CrimeStopper reward offered ATLANTA — District 7 Council Member Howard Shook released the following statement today (Dec. 22) after the report of a shooting along Peachtree Road near Phipps Plaza in which a 7-year-old child was hit: “Last night, a dispute between two parties resulted in the shooting of an innocent 7-year-old girl. We pray for her and her family. I lack the words to adequately convey the despair and anger so many of us feel about this latest and most painful example of the utter lawlessness that defines what…

ATLANTA – Members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus (GHDC) Subcommittee on COVID-19 have submitted a letter to Attorney General Christopher Carr to request an investigation and audit into the Georgia Department of Labor’s (GDOL) inability to process and pay Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits claims in a timely manner. “If a request can be made to the attorney general to investigate the Secretary of State and the State Election Board concerning allegations of voter fraud, I am sure we can request the same attorney general to investigate the GDOL for fraud and for a forensic audit,” said State Rep. Viola…

First two of 10 healthcare vehicles placed into service Today, DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond and Dr. S. Elizabeth Ford, district health director, announced the launch of two step vans funded with federal CARES Act money that will be owned and deployed by the DeKalb County Board of Health (DCBOH). By Dec. 31, 2020, two additional vans and six mobile medical units will be in operation. The step vans cost $262,000 each, for a total expenditure of $1.1 million; the mobile medical units will cost $282,000, each, for a…

The Rockdale-Newton National Council of Negro Women(NCNW) is hosting a toy giveaway on Wednesday, Dec. 23, noon to 4 p.m., Antioch East AME Church, 1790 Ebenezer Road. S.W., Conyers. Toys will be provided to needy families in Rockdale County while supplies last.  Voter education reminding residents of the dates to vote and other pertinent information also will be provided.