Author: On Common Ground News

The Rockdale County Board of Assessors is offering extended hours on Saturday, June 8, 8 a.m. – noon, at their offices, 981 Milstead Ave., Conyers. Chairman Will Barkley said the extended Saturday service would give those who are unable to come in during the week the chance to do so on a weekend day. “We owe it to the citizens of Rockdale County to be as accessible as possible to ensure they are able to ask questions regarding their property assessments and exemptions,” Barkley said.  “We realize the need to sometimes do things outside of the scope of our daily…

DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will host the Summer Food Service Program from June 3 to July 19. The participating sites will provide free meals to students who need a nutritious meals during the summer. Applications and full program site participation requirements can be found at www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parksunder “Summer Food Applications.” Current program sites for summer meals are listed below: June 3 – July 19   ATL Unique Steppers 3913 Covington Hwy. Suite B Dectaur, GA 30032 Breakfast: 8 – 8:30 a.m. Lunch: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Browns  Mill Recreation Center 5101 Browns Mill Road Lithonia, GA…

Wells Street, between Hobbs Street and North Clarendon, will be closed to through-traffic beginning at 9 a.m., Friday, May 17, through 9 p.m., Tuesday, June 4, for the installation of a new storm sewer service main. Road closure and detour signs will be placed in the area to advise motorists of traffic restrictions. For more information, contact the DeKalb County Roads and Drainage Department at 404-294-2878.

Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary will honor Caribbean icon Eddy Grant during the Mayor’s Caribbean Celebration on May 25, 4 to 8 p.m., at the AEI Startup Factory. Grant isknown for his distinctive fusion of African and Indian music indigenous to his native Guyana, along with the rock and roll music of Chuck Berry. Grant founded The Equals, who topped the chart with its classic, “Baby Come Back.” Grant’s very danceable tune, “Electric Avenue,” was a No. 2 hit in the UK and U.S., following the No. 1 hit “I Don’t Wanna Dance,” a hit in every country except the…

Need a job? New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, 6400 Woodrow Road, Stonecrest, is hosting a Career Expo on Friday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Job seekers from throughout the metro Atlanta area are encouraged to attend. The expo will include a host companies that will be recruiting people with diverse educational backgrounds and skill sets. New Birth’s pastor, Dr. Jamal Bryant, along with other leaders, will open the event with presentations.

By Sarita Mason, OCG News Intern The City of Stonecrest is keeping its promise to repave and repair the city’s streets. City officials and Blount Construction Company, Inc. held a ribbon- cutting ceremony today for the beginning of repairs for the city’s 18 worst streets. The ceremony took place on Leverett Drive in the Amherst Forest community. Mayor Jason Lary said he was excited for the city to finally get rolling on the project. He said the project addresses improvements residents have been requesting for months, some of them citing dangerous potholes in communities and main arteries in the…

  On Monday, hundreds of residents attended Congressman Hank Johnson’s Resources Fair at Georgia Piedmont Technical College in Clarkston. The fair helped connect constituents with local, state and federal agencies that provided job-readiness training, information on the television/film industry and employment opportunities.   The event included trainings for veterans, help for ex-offenders trying to overcome barriers to employment, resume development, pathways to empowerment, interviewing skills, job readiness workshops and small business forums. The fair – held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – included a panel on “How To Do Business With the Television and Film Industry” in Georgia.  …

One of the two toddlers pulled from a swimming pool at their home in Rockdale County has died, the Rockdale Sheriff’s Office said. The 2-year-old boy, who had been in critical condition at Scottish Rite Hospital since April 25, died on Mother’s Day, May 12. He was pronounced deceased by medical staff at 3:45 p.m. His sister, 3,  recovered and was released to go home, the Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators had arrested Trevor Chase Bohannon, 21, on two counts of reckless conduct and two counts of cruelty to children in the second degree, but upgraded the charges to murder in…

Pictured is Jaymeon Render, 8, who nearly stole the show at Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary’s State of the City Address on May 6, 2019. The Barack Obama Elementary School student, who was dressed as a superhero the mayor called “Zero Tax Boy.” The young Render responded “no” to every question the mayor asked. The audience erupted into laughter at the child’s response.   Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary: City fiscally on track, ready to repave worn roads, poised for economic development   At his State of the City Address on May 6 at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Stonecrest Mayor Jason…

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson, District 3, in partnership with STAND Inc. and others, hosted the third annual National Opioid Summit on May 2. The summit was held in DeKalb at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. This year’s summit, whose theme was “Opioid Summit 3.0: Preserving Our Youth and Families,” focused on the opioid crisis impacting families across the nation. Opioids are a class of drugs that include heroin, synthetics such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and others.  Opioid deaths from…