Author: On Common Ground News

STONECREST–On Monday (Oct. 12), the city of Stonecrest will welcome voters to the largest Early Voting precinct in DeKalb County and one of the largest in the state. The DeKalb Board of Elections is moving 30 voting machines into the future Stonecrest City Hall, which is the site of the former 130,000-square-foot Sam’s Club, located at the corner of Turner Hill Road and Stonecrest Parkway. Officials said about 40,000 square feet of the building would be used for the voting precinct. Mayor Jason Lary said the city is pleased tooffer the site as DeKalb’s largest Early Voting site. Any DeKalb…

The DeKalb County Police Department is seeking the male suspect pictured in the photos and video. He is wanted for questioning in a Sept. 25, 2020 armed robbery. At approximately 10:20 p.m., the male victim was attempting to deliver food on the 1400 block of Willow Lake Drive when he was approached by a male suspect with a gun. The  suspect robbed the victim of his cell phone, wallet and the victim’s vehicle. The victim was not physically harmed in the incident and his vehicle was located two days later in a neighboring jurisdiction, authorities said. Anyone with information about…

The DeKalb County Virtual Village 2.0, “Keeping Children Safe During a Global Pandemic,” has announced that Orrin Hudson, founder  of the Stone Mountain-based nonprofit, Be Someone Inc., will conduct a series of 10 virtual chess classes for DeKalb youths ages 8 – 18.  The one-hour long classes will be taught Saturdays, 11 a.m. to noon, Oct. 10 through Dec. 12.   The free program will culminate witha chess tournament followed by an awards program. Hudson presented a similar program this summer that was well attended.  What makes Hudson’s program unique is that while teaching young people to play chess, he uses the…

Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling announces alternative Dancing with the DeKalb Stars domestic violence awareness event  Due to the ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19, Dancing with the DeKalb Stars will not take place in its usual manner. Instead, DeKalb Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling announced that her office will host a donation drive to benefit Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence and International Women’s House on Friday, Oct. 30, 4 to 7 p.m. outside of the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center. “It is disappointing we will not be able to gather the DeKalb community to raise awareness around domestic violence…

Conyers, Ga. – Rockdale Career Academy (RCA), a college and career academy in Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) recently received a $5,000 donation from Warner Bros. Entertainment as part of community outreach efforts and workforce development for the growing film and entertainment industry in Conyers and Georgia. “We are thrilled to have the continued support of Warner Bros. Entertainment for our students,” said RCA CEO Bennett McCumber. “This generous donation and partnership enables RCA students to participate in career pathway-related activities, competitions and to receive professional training and certifications, preparing them for career and college success after high school.” “In…

By Amos King Recenty, I read an article in On Common Ground News that was written by Georgia Rep. Karen Bennett.  In this article, Rep. Bennett blasts the Jefferson County, Kentucky grand jury concerning the September 23 charges stemming from the death of Breonna Taylor by Louisville law enforcement officers. Pictured: L-R  Retired LTC Amos King, State Rep. Karen Bennett, Breonna Taylor As a 28-year disabled veteran and the president for Justice for Veterans, I was highly offended by Rep. Bennett’s statements in this article. I can understand you, Ms. Bennett, expressing a great deal of passion for Ms.…

DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will host its fifth annual “Poetry Slam Virtual Edition” on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., in celebration of National Poetry Month. The Poetry Slam is free and will feature young poets and writers from DeKalb. The theme for the event is freedom and is open to DeKalb youth ages 5 to 17. The registration deadline is Nov. 2. Participants can join via Zoom, by visiting https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/96158775120. To join the meeting by phone, dial 888-270-9936, and use conference code 720766. To access online registration, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parks and click the “Register Now” button on…

The Rockdale Democratic Party is seeking volunteers to assist in various ways for the Nov. 3 General Election. If you would like to get involved and volunteer, please e-mail rcdpeb@gmail.com or leave a message at 678-463-37725 on how you would like to help.

The City of Chamblee late yesterday(Oct. 8) was informed that a member of its municipal court staff tested positive for COVID-19. The court staff member was present during the Oct. 5 traffic court session but was not exhibiting any symptoms at that time. The staffer was not in close proximity with any attendees and followed social distancing guidelines. This court staffer was not present at the Oct. 8 traffic court session. Per the Statewide Judicial Emergency Order, the city released municipal court operating guidelines on May 13 and later updated them on July 1 that require all attendees to wear…

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners is hosting a virtual meeting of the Rockdale Coalition of Homeowners and Civic Associations (RCHCA) on Thursday, Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. via the Rockdale County Official Facebook Page at facebook.com/rockdalegov. There will be presentations from the Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency, Rockdale Recycling Center and Rockdale County Board of Assessors. Participants may submit questions ahead of time to: jeannettia.owens@rockdalecountyga.gov with the subject line “RCHCA Meeting.” In March, it was originally decided that RCHCA meetings for 2020 would be canceled for the remainder of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials decided, however, to…