Author: On Common Ground News

Pictured L-R: Taron Williams, Trayvon Williams, Jermel Campbell One suspect wanted on murder charges in connection with the Sept. 29 shooting at The Mall At Stonecrest is in custody, DeKalb County police said on Wednesday (Oct. 9). Nineteen-year-old Taron Williams, whose address is listed as Covington in jail records, turned himself in to the DeKalb Police Department and was booked into the DeKalb County Jail, police said. Two other suspects — Trayvon Williams, 25, and Jermel Campbell, 26 — are still sought in connection with the shooting, said DeKalb Police spokesperson Michaela N. Vincent. She said she did not know…

Expanding its footprint as an international leader in the development of social activists, Morehouse College will host its first annual Human Rights Film Festival Thursday through Saturday at the Shirley A. Massey Executive Conference Center. The inaugural festival will honor Spike Lee’s lifetime achievement in film and offer a platform to other independent filmmakers whose work promotes cultural understanding and exposes the injustices of the world. Top festival entries will be screened for audiences along with some of Hollywood’s most anticipated movies. “Harriet,” Kasi Lemmons’ new, epic film on the life of Harriet Tubman will be shown at 7…

DCSD kicks off Superintendent Search Community Engagement Phase The DeKalb County Board of Education formally initiated its search for a new superintendent on Monday, Oct. 7 with presentations fro Debra Hill, Kevin Castner and Percy Mack of BWP and Associates (www.BWPassociates.com). BWP and Associates is a national search firm, specializing in assisting boards seeking superintendents. The firm has conducted more than 800 successful national searches. “Selecting a new superintendent is the most important task we have as a board, and we are starting the process by asking the community for input,” said Board Chair Michael A. Erwin.…

Winfrey’s contribution will be the largest endowment for a scholarship in the College’s history  Oprah Winfrey visited Morehouse College on Monday, Oct. 7, to celebrate the 30thanniversary of the Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program and made a surprise announcement. She donated $13 million to continue the scholarship fund, pushing her total investment to $25 million, which is the largest endowment in the College’s history. Winfrey made the surprise announcement Monday afternoon, on a day in which she met with 47 Oprah Winfrey Scholars that she welcomed as “sons.” She also attended a special luncheon with Morehouse College faculty and staff, the…

Katerina Taylor is resigning as president and CEO of the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce. Taylor made history in 2014 when she succeeded Leonardo McClarty, becoming the first-ever female appointed president in the 75-year history of the Chamber. Taylor has accepted a position with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom’s administration. Before her appointment with the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, she served as vice president of SunTrust Bank. Taylor said in a letter to Chamber members today that her last day with the Chamber is Oct. 16. Her letter reads as follows: “It is with gratitude that I write this…

This evening, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s Pastor Jamal Bryant led a prayer vigil and rally at the Mall at Stonecrest’s Sears parking lot in response to the recent shootings in the city of Stonecrest. Pastors, politicians and people in the community stood together in solidarity, denouncing violence and promising to take back their community.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Karalo Rafael Brownlee, 30, of Atlanta. According to warrants issued on Oct. 2, there was a shootout involving Brownlee and other individuals at a residence on Columbia Drive in Decatur on the same date.   Brownlee allegedly shot Carlesa J. Reneau, 47, in the back with a rifle, causing her death later at a hospital.  Warrants say  Brownlee also attempted to shoot Dedrick Jerrod Lawless, allegedly the son of the victim.  Brownlee had been the subject of an active pursuit by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit and the U.S. Marshals. Brownlee was…

If you’re ready to become a member of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport team, make plans to attend the ATL Airport Career Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Georgia International Convention Center, 2000 Convention Center Concourse, Atlanta. The job fair will feature more than 60 of the airport community’s top employers offering 2,000+ jobs. The event is the perfect opportunity for qualified applicants to apply for jobs with airport concessionaires and other companies that make Hartsfield-Jackson an industry leader. Available positions include: Concessions/Restaurants Barista | Bartender | CDL Driver | Cooks | Shift…

Dr. Sherry Blake STONE MOUNTAIN—Mental health is a growing concern among all populations. Yet mental illness remains taboo for many to openly talk about, even more often in black communities. To help stop the stigma, Antioch AME Church, 765 South Hairston Road, Stone Mountain,will host a free community forum, “Your Mind Matters-Caring for the Mind, Body and Spirit,” on Saturday, Oct. 12, 9 a.m. to noon. Dr. Sherry Blake, reality TV clinical psychologist, will headline the event.     “When a crisis occurs, the faith-based community is often the first place that people turn to for comfort and understanding,” said…

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is leading a “Stop the Violence” prayer vigil and community rally on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m., in the Sears parking lot at The Mall at Stonecrest, 2929 Turner Hill Road. The solidarity rally comes in the wake of two unrelated deadly shootings in the community. A man was fatally shot on Sunday, Sept. 29, in the parking lot of the mall after an altercation broke out between a group of men in the courtyard near the Stonecrest 16 movie theater and the Round One bowling arcade. On Monday, Sept. 30, an employee at a…