Author: On Common Ground News

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—A convicted serial rapist from Lithonia will spend the rest of his life in prison.  On Thursday, April 17, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Nora Polk, who presided over the trial, sentenced Marieo Terrell Kearney to Life Without the Possibility of Parole, plus 5 years to serve consecutively.  Jurors found Kearney, 40, guilty on March  12  of Rape, Aggravated Sodomy, Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony in connection with the assault of a woman in a parking lot on May 27, 2019. Investigators found that Kearney’s DNA from the 2019 rape kit…

CONYERS, GA– Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) is recruiting outstanding teachers to come aboard for the 2025-2026  school year.  The school district is hosting a Teacher Job Fair on Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the RCPS Board Room, 960 Pine Street NE, Conyers. Participants must pre-register by visiting www.rockdaleschools.org/jobfair. On-site interviews will be held during the Teacher Job Fair. RCPS has 11 elementary schools, four middle schools, three traditional high schools, a virtual campus for grades 4-5 and 6-12, and four non-traditional schools: Rockdale Career Academy and Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, Open Campus, Alpha Academy. In…

STONECREST, GA—With The Great Awakening weekend already underway, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church continues its transformative Easter celebration with impactful community engagement and powerful worship ahead.  On Saturday, April 19, New Birth will host its Community Impact Day, offering free Easter dinners to 1,500 families, a health fair in partnership with the Atlanta Medical Association, fitness activities led by E.F.F.E.C.T Fitness, and a festive Family Fun Day complete with food trucks, games, and more beginning at 10 a.m. The Bullseye Black Market, which features over 100 Black-owned businesses, will also remain open throughout the weekend.  The celebration will culminate on Sunday, April…

DECATUR, GA- In a bold step to curb crime and reckless driving, the DeKalb County Police Department’s Special Operations Division conducted a high-visibility Spring Operation Safety Checkpoint on Friday, April 11.  The initiative is a key component of DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson’s comprehensive public safety strategy, which combines proactive policing, multi-agency collaboration, and targeted enforcement to reduce crime and save lives. The two-hour checkpoint was held at 2936 Memorial Drive near the intersection of Candler Road—an area for heavy traffic and high crime rates. Officers screened for valid licenses, registration, insurance, impaired driving, and equipment violations, while distributing educational materials…

CONYERS, GA–Disc golf enthusiasts gathered for the ribbon-cutting of the Iron Hoof Disc Golf Course at the Georgia International Horse Park (GIHP) on April 16. The 18-hole, championship course is now open and free for public use. Volunteers, led by local disc golf course designers Donny Cook and Travis Hurt, built the course over the last few months on the Bald Rock Meadows section of the park, located off of Costley Mill Road.  Similar to the game of golf, disc golf players use a flying disc or Frisbee rather than balls and clubs. Players throw the golf disc from a…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA— Greater Georgia Action, Inc. launched its statewide education tour on Wednesday, April 15, with a town hall meeting featuring Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King. The event focused on Georgia’s newly passed  Senate Bill 68, tort reform law, which aims to limit excessive lawsuits and create  more balanced litigation in the state’s courts.    King provided an overview of the new law, expected to be signed on  Monday, April 21, by Gov. Brian Kemp. King says the new law is greatly needed to rein in “phantom lawsuit damages”– legal awards based on inflated medical bills. The goal, he said, is…

DECATUR, GA –– The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a former employee charged with bringing contraband into the DeKalb County Jail. Stone Mountain resident Tony Alzadia Randle, 22, was taken into custody without incident at the DeKalb County Jail on April 16. Randle is charged with Violation of Oath of Office by a Public Officer and Crossing State/County Guard Lines with Weapons, Intoxicants, Drugs without Consent. Both offenses are felonies. Randle had been with the agency since September 2024 as a Detention Officer assigned to jail operations. He was released on Thursday, April 17, on a $5,000 bond.

LITHONIA, GA—The Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce honored five DeKalb County high school seniors as winners of its 2025 essay scholarship contest on Wednesday, April 16.   The board presented each student with a $500 ceremonial check and gift bag during the Chamber’s Third Wednesday Luncheon, which was held at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Lithonia.  Board Vice Chair Andrew Chamblin, III, said the book scholarships would be awarded to the students once they have been accepted to the post-secondary school that they will attend in the fall.  The Chamber has sponsored the scholarships for several years as a way to…

ATLANTA—Georgia legislators representing DeKalb, Gwinnett, and Rockdale counties are inviting residents to a series of town hall meetings this month to provide updates on the 2025 Legislative Session. Some of the meetings are scheduled this week. The 40-day session officially ended on April 4 and lawmakers want you to know what was accomplished—and what wasn’t under the Georgia Capitol’s gold dome.  The town halls are an opportunity for constituents to meet their representatives, hear firsthand about key legislation and local issues that may affect their communities and ask questions.   Some of the meetings will be held jointly by legislators from the…