Author: On Common Ground News

September 24, 2025 — The flavors of the future will be on full display at this year’s A Taste of Chamblee, as the festival brings back its highly anticipated youth culinary competition spotlighting the next generation of chefs on Saturday, Oct. 18. The festival will be held in downtown Chamblee. The City of Chamblee is continuing its partnership with the Navigate Foundation and C.H.E.F. Academy to provide a “taco themed” youth culinary competition sponsored by Talpa Supermercados. Three teams of students will compete to prepare an international dish with a “taco twist” in front of a live audience. Attendees will…

DECATUR, GA–The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 4:30 p.m. The in-person meeting will be held at 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300, in Decatur, and is open to the public. Public comments may be made in person or submitted by sending an email of one printed page or less at a minimum font of 12 to electionspubliccmnt@dekalbcountyga.gov which must be received between 35 and 5 minutes before the scheduled start of the meeting. The body of your email must include your first and last name.  By submitting an…

EAST POINT, GA—Over 600 metro Atlanta jobseekers attended Microsoft’s networking event at the Impact Event Center in East Point. The job fair offering opportunities in tech, construction, and logistics positions.  Hosted through a collaboration between MWI Workforce Institute and Microsoft, the Sept. 26 event resulted in more than 100 on-site hires and scheduled interviews, with additional participants connected to human resources teams, training opportunities, and upskilling resources, event officials said. The event featured resume coaching, interview strategies, and direct networking with employers and Microsoft hiring managers. Attendees also participated in a Datacenter 101 workshop, designed to introduce jobseekers to one…

LILBURN, GA– The Gwinnett County Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating 33-year-old Anthony Sherlock, who is wanted in connection with a fraud investigation. On Sept. 5, Sherlock met with a victim to purchase a motor vehicle. During the transaction, Sherlock provided the victim with a fraudulent check. Once the financial institution determined the check had been altered, the funds were not released to the victim, resulting in a significant loss.  Sherlock is described as a Black male, approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing around 155 pounds. His neck is tattooed.  Anyone who has any information…

PINE LAKE, GA—The City of Pine Lake will host its annual Pine Lake Fest, a two-day festival on the shores of picturesque Pine Lake, GA, DeKalb County’s smallest city, on Oct. 11 and Oct.12.  Now in its 23rd year, the festival will feature the best that Pine Lake has to offer by way of artists and crafters, live music, health and wellness vendors, food trucks and family fun.  There will be chalk art and sand sculpture contests at the city’s beach with prizes, a Pet Parade, a Kids’ Carnival with fall-themed crafts, street performers, and Paddlepalooza—LakeFest’s exciting regatta with a…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA–Rockdale County will host its 2025 Rivers Alive Cleanup on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 8 a.m. tonoon, at Black Shoals Park. Rivers Alive is a statewide initiative led by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation. Its mission is to clean and preserve more than 70,000 miles of Georgia’s rivers and streams. This year’s Rockdale cleanup is made possible by the support of Rockdale County Parks and Recreation, Rockdale Water Resources, Rockdale County Code Enforcement, Rockdale County Stormwater, and Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful (KCRB). Volunteers will be equipped with gloves, safety vests, masks, and…

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Sanitation Division will host a free paper shredding  event on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 8 a.m. – noon, at the DeKalb County Sanitation  Division’s Central Transfer Station, 3720 Leroy Scott Drive, Decatur, GA. Event participants will have an opportunity to responsibly dispose of all types of documents, including sensitive personal documents such as old tax records and legal documents. All documents will be shredded on-site, and each participant will be limited to ten standard-size  boxes of paper. Shredding services will be provided by A1 Shredding & Recycling. The event is free and open only to DeKalb County residents. Proof of…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– Rockdale County Animal Services is relaunching its community meetings to discuss updates on animal services, stats from the previous year, and upcoming projects.  The public meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. at JP Carr Community Center, 981 Taylor St., Conyers,  Residents, pet owners, animal-related businesses, rescue organizations, and advocacy groups are encouraged to attend and participate in the conversation about the future of animal services in Rockdale County. The meeting will provide an overview of department achievements, current challenges, and new initiatives in development. “We’re excited to re-engage with the…

Tributes are pouring in for the late DeKalb County Judge Ronald B. Ramsey, Sr., who is being remembered for his many contributions as a judge and as a former Georgia state senator. Judge Ramsey passed away on Thursday, Sept. 25, at the age of 66. Several close to Ramsey said that he was battling cancer. News of Judge Ramsey’s passing began flooding social media on Thursday, Sept. 25, as community leaders and friends expressed condolences to his wife, Doris, and the Ramsey family. Many reflected on the profound impact he made on their lives as a mentor, colleague, friend and…

DECATUR, GA—A 49-year-old Valdosta man was sentenced to life in prison in the deadly shooting that occurred inside a restaurant at The Gallery at South DeKalb mall. Three people were injured and one person was killed during the 2022 incident.   DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston on Friday, Sept. 26, announced the conviction by jury trial and sentencing of James Elderidge Scott, who was found guilty of Malice Murder; two counts of Felony Murder; Aggravated Assault and other charges in connection with the shooting on June 10, 2022.  DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams, who presided over the trial,…