Author: On Common Ground News

UPS announced that it expects to hire about 100,000 seasonal employees to support the anticipated annual increase in package volume that will begin in November and continue through January 2020. That’s enough people to populate a city the size of Albany, N.Y. “We expect another record peak season this year, with daily package deliveries nearly doubling compared to our average of 20 million per day,” said Jim Barber, chief operating officer. “In order to make that happen, once again we’re recruiting about 100,000 people for some of the country’s best seasonal jobs.” The full- and part-time seasonal positions – primarily…

On Sept. 10, Rockdale County Sheriff Eric J. Levett signed a memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Army’s Partnership for Youth Success, or PaYS. The PaYS program is a strategic partnership between the Army and a cross-section of private industry, academia and state and local public institutes. The U.S. Army PaYS program guarantees soldiers at least two job interview and possible employment after completing reserve training or their first term of service.  The PaYS program provides America’s youths with the unique opportunity to simultaneously serve their country and prepare for their future. The PaYS program helps soldiers prepare for a career…

By Mackenzie N. Morgan Staff Writer   Johnson Park is getting a facelift. Rockdale County officials and community leaders recently held a groundbreaking ceremony fon Sept. 9.  The county is upgrading the facility’s gymnasium and natatorium areas. The expansion will cost approximately $2.8 million and will be funded with special purpose local option sales tax dollars (SPLOST). The renovations, handled by Lichty Commercial Construction, Inc., will include a new gymnasium with an indoor walking track, offices, a weight room, a pool deck expansion with team meeting rooms as well as renovations to convert existing storage space into a family changing…

The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs is scheduled on Sept. 20, 9 a.m., to reopen the driving range at Sugar Creek Golf and Tennis Center, 2706 Bouldercrest Road, Atlanta. Officials say the driving range is ready to go with new equipment. The storage barn has been completed and the bridge repairs are expected to be completed by the end of this month. The driving range will be in full operation Sunday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Renovations are still underway at the golf course. Golf cart repairs and tree removal are expected to…

On Sept. 11, around 5:04 p.m., Rockdale County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to 1590 Park St. in reference to a burglary in progress. Upon arrival to the residence, deputies received a call that a white male matching the description of the male who had attempted to burglarize a residence off Park Street had been spotted. When deputies attempted to stop the subject, he ran. Deputies chased him and captured him. The subject was identified as Brian Hand. Further investigation revealed that Hand had several warrants out of other jurisdictions. While being detained, Hand began complaining of chest pains…

Gov. Brian P. Kemp has tapped 66 leaders to serve on the Complete Count Committee, a task force who will ensure every resident of Georgia is counted in the 2020 U.S. Census.    The state committee will be chaired by Rusty Haygood of the Department of Community Affairs and Anna Miller of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget. The Executive Order is available here. Two members of the Governor’s Complete Count Committee, Lori Geary and Tharon Johnson, will serve as co-executive directors of a statewide marketing campaign for the 2020 census. Launched by the Governor’s Office of Planning and…

Rockdale Clerk of Courts Ruth A. Wilson says her Real Estate Division is now storing real estate records digitally via the Cloud. “This advancement in our technology allows us to be capable of accessing our records remotely, 24 hours a day. In the unfortunate event that a disaster should ever occur and we have to relocate, we would be capable of instantly setting up at an off-site location and continue to provide service to the public,” said Wilson. In addition to transitioning our records to the Cloud, we are also proud to announce that all digital Real Estate records…

The Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce will host Constance Abbott for the September member luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 11:30 am  to 1 p.m., at Kaiser Permanente Panola Medical Center, 5440 Hillandale Drive, Lithonia. Abbott is a registered nurse and serves as health services administrator at Kaiser Permanente’s Conyers medical center. A catered lunch will be provided. Members are free with advance registration or $10 at the door. Guests are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. To register, visit greaterlithoniachamber.com

DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Timothy C. Hardy, deputy director of DeKalb County’s Code Enforcement Division, will a hold a community meeting on code compliance and how residents can contribute to the upkeep of their neighborhoods. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 19, 6 p.m., at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, 3181 Rainbow Dr., Decatur. “Code enforcement is a critical component in residents engaging in the collective stewardship of our communities,” said Cochran-Johnson. “It’s imperative for everyone to understand that being in compliance with property maintenance and building codes is vital to community…

The Rockdale County Board of Elections regular meeting scheduled has been rescheduled to Sept. 19, 4 p.m., 1261 Commercial Drive, S.W., Suite B, Conyers (drive around to the back of the building). The Board of Elections will hold a special meeting on Thursday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m., for the purpose of hearing public comments regarding the relocation of the Fieldstone Precinct to Chief Cornerstone Community Church, 2900 Salem Road. “If you cannot attend the meeting and would like to provide comments regarding this polling place change, please send your comments via email to me and I will…