Author: On Common Ground News

Rockdale County is celebrating its 150th anniversary and is asking residents to join in by creating and submitting videos explaining what makes Rockdale County so special. Within the video, citizens can state what brought them to Rockdale County, explain their family history, and describe what they enjoy most about the county they call home. Participants can shoot their videos on their smartphones. Any videos submitted will need to be audible, in focus, have good lighting, and have the dimensions of 1920X1080.  Videos containing lewd acts, cursing or inappropriate gestures will not be considered. All submissions should be emailed to: rockdale150@rockdalecountyga.gov.…

DeKalb County Extension announces the sixth season of Fresh on DeK, DeKalb County’s Mobile Farmers Market, which travels throughout the county offering nutrition education and fresh grown fruits and vegetables for sale. The season will be open from June 1 to Sept. 18. Fresh on DeK brings fresh fruits and vegetables to DeKalb County. Fresh on DeK’s purpose is to improve the health of the community, the viability of local produce and to preserve the environment for future generations by providing access to fresh produce and nutritional education programming throughout DeKalb County.  This season, Fresh on DeK will be…

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit has arrested a Lithonia, Georgia woman on felony murder charges. According to an arrest warrant issued on May 27,  49-year-old Olivia Lynn Walker committed Elder Neglect between January 2016 and January 2020, causing the death of her mother, Mattie Lynn Bullard, at a Marbut Farms Trail residence in Lithonia.  The warrant alleges that Bullard suffered a stroke in 2015 after having been under Walker’s care since 2010. DeKalb Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Investigators located Walker at her residence in Lithonia, where she was arrested and transported to the DeKalb County Jail without incident.

DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) has completed the construction of the Glendale water main. This was a replacement project to install a new eight-inch water main and a new 36-inch transmission main along a portion of Glendale Drive. Contractors working on behalf of DWM completed the 24-month construction project by removing the more than 30-year-old water pipes and installing approximately 5,900 linear feet of transmission main that fill water tanks in south DeKalb. The work was completed in April 2020 and included replacing water mains along portions of Glenwood Road, Parkhill Drive, Guy Way, Santa Monica Drive and…

DeKalb County property appraisal notices for 2020 are scheduled to be mailed on May 29, 2020.  While the office remains closed to public access, staff will be accessible by telephone and email via the contact information provided on notices, or by calling the main office at 404-371-0841.  A 45-day appeal period begins when the notices are mailed and runs through July 13, 2020.   Property owners who wish to file an appeal are encouraged to use the online process detailed on each assessment notice. Those appealing should be sure to generate and retain a confirmation sheet as a record of the…

ATLANTA—Gov. Brian P. Kemp and state officials  will provide an update on COVID-19 on Thursday, May 28, at 4 p.m. The news conference, which will be held in the  North Wing at the Georgia State Capitol, will be livestreamed at facebook.com/GovKemp  and gpb.org/coronavirus.

Rockdale County Government is preparing to reopen the Rockdale Tennis Center, 1370 Parker Road, Conyers, and its tennis courts at Richardson, Johnson and Wheeler parks. Members can begin using the tennis courts beginning June 8. League play will begin on June 18. The Rockdale Tennis Center has been awarded a $5,000 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Facility Recovery Grant Award to defray some of the expenses related to reopening, the county said. Signage with new safety guidelines mandated by state health officials will be posted as well as the hours of operation. “Receiving the USTA award will allow us to…

STONECREST—New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is taking its first steps to in-person worship by convening a drive-in style Sunday worship service. On May 31, Pentecost Sunday, Senior Pastor Jamal Bryant will welcome parishioners back to the Stonecrest campus to participate in a live service from the comfort and safety of their personal vehicles. The drive-in service, which begins at 9:30 a.m., will feature projection screens and speakers throughout the church’s parking lot to enable attendees to see and hear the live service. New Birth also will broadcast the sermon live across all social media platforms, its website and…

Cancelled: Work Session: Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Cancelled: Voting Session: Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Cancelled: Evening Work Session: Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. Zoning Public Hearing: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. – Assembly Hall located at 901 Main Street, Conyers, Georgia 30012 (Details to be posted closer to the date) Work Session and Voting Session: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. – Assembly Hall located at 901 Main Street, Conyers, Georgia 30012 (Details to be posted closer to the date)

The DeKalb County Human Services Department Office of Youth Services, in partnership with Georgia Piedmont Technical College, will host a two-part educational series for local nonprofits serving youths in DeKalb County. All nonprofits associated with the DeKalb Alliance on Youth or that provide services to youths in DeKalb are invited to join this virtual educational opportunity. The first workshop, “Access to Capital/Small Business/Non-Profit Assistance Under the CARES Act,” will be held on Thursday, May 28, at 1 p.m.  The second workshop, “Managing Customer Connection Through Other Channels – Internet and Social Media,” will be held on Thursday, June 11, at…