Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson has been invited to speak at the Council for Quality Growth’s DeKalb Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, August 1, 8:30 a.m. at the Druid Hills Country Club. Cocharan-Johnson will discuss economic and community development in DeKalb County and District 7. To join her, please RSVP by clicking here.

To help parents get a healthy jumpstart on preparing for their children to go back to school, C.H.O.I.C.E.S. and DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson will host their 9th Annual Let’s Move! Dekalb Back-to-School Expo on Saturday, July 27. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Intergenerational Center at Exchange Park, Decatur. During the expo, families will not only get free school supplies. Thanks to partners such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank, they also will receive access to the mobile food pantry to take home fresh produce and pantry staple items. Known for their…

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is helping thousands of students start the school year on the right foot during its annual back-to-school event in August. Senior Pastor Dr. Jamal H. Bryant and the New Birth congregation have expanded this year’s outreach to include the distribution of 3,000 brand-new shoes for school-aged students on Aug. 3 In DeKalb County, where New Birth is located, nearly 105,000 students are registered in the school district. More than 15 percent of those students come from families who live below the poverty line and 72 percent receive free or reduced lunch, officials say. “We have…

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson is calling for volunteers to help DeKalb County reach a 100 percent response rate on the 2020 Census. During National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 6, the DeKalb County Complete Count Committee will share information on how residents can sign up to volunteer and ensure that hard-to-reach populations in DeKalb are counted. Johnson said at today’s Board of Commissioners meeting that a caravan of volunteers will travel throughout DeKalb during National Night Out to notify the public the census count officially launches on April 1, 2020. “We have 200 volunteers who have signed up and…

Deon Chaney, 17, of Ellenwood, TaDon Ward-Pimpleton,18, of Austell, and a juvenile have been arrested and charged with breaking into several vehicles parked at homes in the Olde Town area of Conyers. The break-ins took place during the morning hours of June 24, 2019. In addition to the break-ins, one vehicle was stolen, Conyers Police Sgt. Buck Vaughn said. The suspects were identified after officers with the DeKalb County Police Department located the stolen vehicle and gave chase when it fled after a traffic stop. Conyers Police detectives interviewed the group and learned that they were in Conyers visiting a…

The City of Stonecrest Housing Authority will meet on Wednesday, July 24, 5:30 p.m., at the Council Chambers at City Hall, 3120 Stonecrest Blvd, Stonecrest. This will be the first meeting for the authority. The members include Bill Bruckner, Marty Garrison, Diane Robinson, Dennis Dae, and Nathan Alexander. The meeting is open to the public.

Antonio Manuel Wilson, 19, was found guilty for his role in the armed robbery shooting death of 20-year-old Tre Griffin of Stone Mountain. Jurors returned guilty verdicts on July 19 on felony murder and drug charges against Wilson. Griffin was gunned down on Nov. 19, 2017 in front of his mother’s home in the 5000 block of Fieldgreen Crossing in Stone Mountain. According to DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston’s office, Wilson and two other men, charged in connection with the case, conspired to rob Griffin outside of the home. Officers responding to a ‘person shot’ call found the victim…

State Representatives Dar’shun Kendrick (D-Lithonia), Billy Mitchell (D-Stone Mountain) Debra Bazemore (D-Riverdale), and Sam Park (D-Lawrenceville), along with Senators Tonya Anderson (D-Lithonia) and Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) recently attended the 2019 Public Leadership Institute’s (PLI) State Strategy Forum National Conference. This conference invites about 120 state legislators from over 40 different states to participate in policy and leadership sessions, which are designed as practical and real-world as possible. During the three-day conference, which was held in Washington, D.C., July 12-14, local  legislators led some of the policy and leadership sessions. Kendrick spoke on “All In for Women’s Health: Protecting and Expanding Abortion…

A bystander was shot in the head after trying to diffuse a road-rage dispute at the intersection of Rockbridge Road and South Indian Creek Drive in DeKalb County on Monday, July 22 around 8 a.m. Police said an 18-year-old was arrested in connection with the incident and the victim, who was not identified, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. A witness said the situation seemed to have calmed down when the vehicle returned, and a passenger opened fire. The vehicle sped off and has not been located. Police did not release descriptions of the vehicles involved as the…

Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary became one of the first area mayors to broadcast a public service announcement for the American Red Cross this week.  The mayor joined American Red Cross Communications Manager Ronnika McFall at the Midtown Blood Center to encourage area residents to donate blood either at the city’s upcoming blood drive or by visiting a donation center.  The Stonecrest Blood Drive will be held at City Hall on July 30 from 1 to 6 p.m. “We really want people to come out and support the Red Cross blood drive. It is critical that we all pitch in and…