Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County officials will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for an amphitheater, walking trails, gardens and open meadows at Rainbow Park on Monday, July 1, at 10 a.m., 3171 Rainbow Park Drive, Decatur. The new amphitheater will seat up to 1,000 people and will be an open-air venue for DeKalb residents and visitors to enjoy a variety of live music performances, movies in the park and other county-sponsored events. David Manuel, executive director of the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center in DeKalb County, said is excited about the new amphitheater as an addition to the arts in DeKalb. “This amphitheater is…

Tadia D. Whitner                                                   Jessica Simmons Gov. Brian P. Kemp announced two appointments, selecting Tadia D. Whitner to serve on the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit Superior Court and Jessica M. Simmons to serve as Deputy Commissioner at the Georgia Department of Revenue. Kemp said Whitner brings “invaluable leadership and legal expertise” to the bench having served as a prosecutor, private attorney, and judge for municipal and juvenile…

DeKalb County has scheduled the first of four open houses that will be held to gather public input about the future of the Memorial Drive corridor. The first open house is scheduled Tuesday, June 25, 6 to 8 p.m., at the DeKalb County Watershed Management Office, 4572 Memorial Drive, Decatur. DeKalb Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, District 4, is hosting the workshops. In 2018, Bradshaw allocated $140,000 of District 4 reserves for a study. That was augmented by a $34,500 allocation from the DeKalb County Department of Planning and Sustainability Department, which, along with the POND consultant planning team, is developing strategies…

L-R: Pastor Marty Barrett, Ms. Bertley Bernard, Jerald Bryant and Pastor Mauricio Sonny Honor Thy Father, Inc., a DeKalb County nonprofit, hosted an awards dinner to recognize three outstanding community volunteers on June 15 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Tucker. Jerald Bryant Jr., a school football coach, Pastor Mauricio Sonny and Pastor Marty Barrett were recognized for the guidance and counsel they have provided to numerous individuals and single-parent households headed mainly by mothers. For the third consecutive year, during the Father’s Day Weekend, Honor Thy Father Inc. honored men who have tirelessly cared for the future…

More African-American students in Atlanta, DeKalb, Rockdale and Gwinnett counties could have a chance to learn Mandarin at an early age, helping them gain a more competitive edge to participate in cultural exchange programs with China. The idea is one that was discussed recently at a forum co-hosted by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) and Congressman Hank Johnson, who represents the Fourth District, at Clark Atlanta University. A delegation of elected official held the roundtable to develop ways to expose African-American students to China, the second-wealthiest country behind the U.S. About two-dozen invited guests attended the meeting, among them…

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), will arrive on June 24 to examine all aspects of the Conyers Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations and support services, Police Chief Gene Wilson announced. Verification by the team that the Conyers Police Department meets the Commission’s best practices and model policies is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation – a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, Chief Wilson said. As a part of the site based assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer…

Rockdale Community Ambassadors removed litter and illegal signs from the county’s gateways on June 15. In total, six volunteers picked up five bags of trash, four fallen road signs, five signs placed illegally in the right of way, and three adhesive signs that were located on the guardrails along the exits of I-20. Board of Commissioners Chairman Oz Nesbitt, Sr. thanked the volunteers for hosting their first Cleanup Bash, saying the drive was successful. Nesbitt created the ambassador board as a way to promote Rockdale County in a positive light. The next trash bash will be held on Saturday, Aug.…

Danielle Nguyen, Sydnee Hairston and Jose Ayala Three Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology students were honored this month at the Rockdale Soil and Water Conservation summer education program. Danielle Nguyen, Jose Refujio Ayala and Sydnee Nicole Hairston were brought home top honors from the Natural Resource Conservation Workshop, which was held June 9-13 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton, Georgia. Out of 159 counties in the state of Georgia, Rockdale had 17 students—the largest group this year—to participate this year, said Kenny A. Johnson, board chairman and district supervisor for Rockdale Soil and Water Conservation.…

Southwest DeKalb and Lakeside place second and third respectively By Mark Brock DCSD Athletics Specialist Three state titles propelled the Chamblee Bulldogs’ athletic program to the top of the DeKalb County School District’s All-Sports Award standings for the third consecutive year. Collecting Class 5A state championship trophies in girls’ tennis (third consecutive), boys’ tennis and girls’ swimming helped the Bulldog program to score 352.0 All-Sports points to outdistance second place Southwest DeKalb (307.0) and third place Lakeside (301.0) in the standings. Chamblee also collected six Region 5-5A titles in tennis (boys’ and girls’), girls’ soccer,…

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is accepting applications for volunteers to serve on the E-SPLOST (Education Special-Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) Advisory Committee. Applications can be submitted online until Friday, July 12. The E-SPLOST Advisory Committee provides citizen input, oversight, and review of a voter-approved project list paid for with E-SPLOST revenue. The committee consists of members of the public who share the common goal of maintaining transparency and communication from DCSD to the DeKalb County community. Candidates must be residents within DCSD boundaries. Members may not be DeKalb County Board of Education members, DCSD employees, or have any…