Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County Police say the suspect named as the primary aggressor in a gun battle at the Haven Motel, 4893 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain, has been identified as Arthur Brown, 29. Police responded to a shot call at the motel on July 1 at approximately 10:15 p.m., DeKalb County Police spokesperson Michaela N. Vincent said in a news release. The investigation revealed that two adult males engaged in a gun battle with multiple persons being struck by stray rounds, to include a 10-year old girl and two adults (a male and a female). The investigation also revealed that Brown…

Newton County Superior Court Judge Horace Johnson passed away on Wednesday(July 1) after testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday(June 29). He was the proud husband of his wife, Michelle, and father to two sons, H. James, III and Bryant. The judge was a faithful member of Columbia Drive United Methodist Church, where he sang in the choir. Judge Johnson was appointed to the bench by Governor Roy Barnes in 2002 and served on the Superior Court for the Alcovy Circuit (serving Newton and Walton Counties in Georgia) for 17 years. In 2016, his judiciary peers elected Judge Johnson as President…

The Conyers City Council announced today its intention to increase the 2020 property taxes it will levy this year by 6.74   percentage over the rollback millage rate.   The Conyers City Council has determined a property tax increase is necessary to offset the reduction in revenues due to COVID-19.    When the total digest of taxable property is prepared, Georgia law requires that a rollback millage rate must be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current year’s digest that last year’s millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred.   The budget tentatively adopted…

DECATUR, GA– Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in the county and state, DeKalb County’s Drive-In Movie and Fireworks night event is postponed. The event was to occur at the Gallery at South DeKalb Mall on Friday, July 3. DeKalb County continues to encourage residents to complete the 2020 Census at home by visiting the my2020census.gov website. Currently, 59.8 percent of DeKalb’s households have completed the 2020 Census. DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond is pushing for 100 percent of county households to get counted. “If every household is counted, DeKalb County could receive $1.8 billion in federal funds annually…

STONECREST, GA. – Last night (July 1), city officials issued a stop-work order for the Metro Green Recycling Center under construction at 2450 Miller Road.  Christopher Wheeler, the city’s Planning and Zoning Director, said there appears to be a discrepancy regarding the facility’s failure to meet DeKalb County’s Solid Waste Plan. Wheeler said that he doesn’t know if or how long the recycling center developers will take to rectify the problem; however, until the issue is resolved, the company is being ordered to cease all activity on the site. Metro Green Recycling is the topic of discussion for several…

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for advancing me to the August 11 Run-off for Clerk of Courts. I am deeply grateful for your support. It would be my great honor to serve you as Rockdale Clerk of Superior and State Courts. From the Elect Fulcher Campaign, my family and myself personally, thank you. My recent endorsement by another candidate, Ms. Mallory Minor, sends a strong signal to voters. She is a Rockdale native who cares about our community and who also understands how the courts work and the importance of the Clerk’s Office to a well-functioning court…

Congressman preserves Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program(DBE) contracts   WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today(July 1), Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, voted in favor of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. The Act provides for more than $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild American infrastructure including roads, bridges, transit systems, schools, housing, broadband access, green energy, and modernizing the Postal Service..    To watch Rep. Johnson’s House floor speech, click HERE.   Rep. Johnson’s amendment to reauthorize and preserve the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program was incorporated into the final bill before it was considered on the…

CONYERS—City Council member Blair Barksdale has resigned her seat on the Conyers City Council effective July 8. Barksdale was originally elected to the District 2, Post 1 seat in 2017. Her term will not expire until Dec. 31, 2021. Barksdale has served on several committees during her term including the Planning, Public Relations and Olde Town committees. In commenting on the resignation, Mayor Vince Evans said: “Blair is a product of this community and has exhibited a true heart for serving the citizens of Conyers. I speak for the rest of the City Council when I say I sincerely…

There were cheers and jeers as Rockdale County Board of Commissioners Chairman Oz Nesbitt addressed the crowd who gathered last night(June 30) to witness the removal of the Confederate monument, which had stood 107 years outside of the county courthouse on Main Street. Though the crowd shared the same space, they were largely divided during an event that started at 10 p.m. and pushed past midnight. Some angry whites heckled Nesbitt, while blacks cheered as he explained his “executive decision” to remove the statue following heated debates this week ahead of a protest that was scheduled for July 2. Nesbitt…

State Rep. Doreen Carter and State Sen. Emanuel Jones ATLANTA – State Rep. Doreen Carter (D-Lithonia) will host a virtual town hall meeting to discuss the proposed construction of a Metro Green recycling plant in a Stonecrest neighborhood on Thursday, July 2, 10 a.m. To register for the virtual town hall meeting, please click here. Carter will be joined by State Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur). Additionally, Carter has invited city and county officials, along with representatives from Metro Green, to participate in the virtual town hall meeting. The proposed Metro Green recycling plant would be located at…