Author: On Common Ground News

STONECREST—Grieving friends and supporters have made a makeshift memorial outside of the Tic Toc Food Mart on Evans Mill Road in DeKalb County. They placed flowers and stuffed animals near the door to remember the store’s owner, who was shot to death as he was closing the store on Feb. 19. The deadly shooting took place around 10 p.m. Police said they believe someone waited for Tesfaye Birru, 57, as he closed for the night. A friend said Birru was often seen taking his night deposit from the store to his car. Police found Birru’s body on the ground…

Pictured left to right: Eric Jordan Elam and Troy William Fiddes The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit has arrested 26-year-old Acworth resident Eric Jordan Elam and 19-year-old Covington resident Troy William Fiddes. Elam is known locally as the hiphop performer “Ahuto Dakkid.” Both suspects are accused of picking up Amir Azad on Feb. 7 in a vehicle and driving him to Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain, where they beat him with a handgun and robbed him. Authorities said Elam and Fiddes stole an I-phone, about $100 cash and the black and…

Several students were recognized at a recent Stonecrest City Council meeting for contributing key data for the department’s master plan, which is still underway. Parks and Rec Director Sean DePalma, along with Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary and Councilman Jimmy Clanton, honored the students’ efforts by shining the spotlight on them during a special presentation at the Feb. 10 meeting. Student representatives from Lithonia and Arabia Mountain High Schools’ Student Government Associations conducted school-wide surveys generating more than 1,300 completed surveys between the two schools. DePalma said the survey results…

Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary recently announced the promotions of several of the city’s key staff members: Clarence Boone and Al Franklin were promoted as senior directors Chris Wheeler was promoted as the city’s new Planning and Development Director Sonya Isom was promoted to the Deputy City Clerk William Settle was promoted to Business Development Director Tuyanna Daniel was promoted to City Planner LaRhonda Sutton became the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Film and Entertainment. Megan Reid, the city clerk, will be the city’s first employee to be hired from the city’s partnership with Jacobs…

After the recent ransomware attack, Rockdale Water Resource’s (RWR) systems have been restored. “RWR wants to thank the residents of Rockdale for your patience and understanding during the recent outage. Rockdale County apologizes for the inconvenience and is putting measures in place to prevent this from happening again,” Rockdale County said in a news release on Feb. 20. During the outage, RWR stopped all disconnects for failure to pay and any additional late fees to ensure there were no negative impacts to customers. County officials said any account that requires immediate…

Commissioner Post 1, Sherri L. Washington and Rockdale County Planning and Development Department in partnership local community organizations bring the ‘Growing Everyday: Strong, Steady, Sustainable’ meeting to the community. This meeting will be held on Feb. 27, 6 p.m., at the J.P. Carr Community Center, 981 Taylor St., Conyers. The purpose of this public meeting is to kick off the Economic Development Strategic Plan. During the meeting several speakers will discuss and focus on the current demographics and status of existing business in Rockdale County. “We are looking for new ways to…

The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus (GLBC) will host its annual Heritage Dinner on Thursday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The theme for this year’s dinner and awards ceremony is “GLBC: Building on The Past, Standing Strong in The Present, Elevating Georgia 2020 and Beyond.” At the dinner, the GLBC will honor past legislators and leaders who made an impact on the GLBC, offer insight on the current political climate and how the caucus intends to be a cornerstone in a new and better Georgia. The Heritage Dinner…

DeKalb County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw will host a community meeting on the proposed District 4 senior center on Monday, Feb. 24, 6 to 8 p.m., at Antioch A.M.E. Church, 765 S. Hairston Road, Stone Mountain. The public is encouraged to attend and receive an update on the proposed design and center programming services for constituents. The senior center will be located on a 2.7-acre, county-owned parcel at 4875 Elam Road, Stone Mountain. Wood Inc., the architect of record, will be present to discuss the design, receive feedback and answer…

Residents in the Greater Hidden Hills community are encouraged to attend the Greater Hidden Hills Community Develop Corporation (GHHCDC) meeting on Saturday Feb. 22, 10 a.m., at the Mainstreet Community Center, 5001 Mainstreet Park Drive, Stone Mountain. The GHHCDC represents several communities within the four-square-mile overlay district. Officials of the GHHCDC plan to discuss their vision and goals for 2020, according to a press release. . “At our final meeting in December, we all spoke about our hopes and prayers,” the release said. Some of the issues and updates include: Permanent legislation to restrict dollar stores A tree…

DeKalb County seniors are celebrating Black history throughout February with a variety of activities held at county senior centers. All events are free and open to the public. Activities include cultural displays, musical programs, and informational workshops. Upcoming events at each of the centers are listed below: Central DeKalb Senior Center, 1346 McConnell Dr., Decatur: “Women of Blues & Rock,” musical presentation, on Feb. 24, 12:30 p.m. DeKalb Atlanta Senior Center, 25 Warren St. SE, Atlanta: “Tell Your Own Family History,” a history exchange, on Feb. 21,10 a.m.   Lithonia/East…