Author: On Common Ground News

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners (BOC) will host its annual holiday drop-in for the community on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the J.P. Carr Community Center, 981 Taylor St., Conyers. The community is invited to celebrate the holiday season with refreshments, music and a photo booth. Meet  and greet elected officials, county leaders and staff at the free event.

The official kick-off to Conyers’ holiday season takes place the weekend of Dec. 6-7 in Olde Town. Sponsored by the city of Conyers, the Olde Town Christmas Party will be held on Dec. 6, 5 to 8 p.m. Families are encouraged to enjoy visits with Santa in the Conyers Depot/Welcome Center at 901 Railroad Street. The evening also includes hayrides, train rides, marshmallow roasting and a wide variety of complimentary holiday craft stations and activities sponsored by downtown merchants and local businesses. The Fantastic Falcons of C.J. Hicks Elementary School, under the direction of Thomas Russell, will perform at…

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (BGCMA) has named Kimberly Heard, a member of the A.R. “Gus” Barksdale Boys & Girls Club, as the 2019-2020 “Youth of the Year. The prestigious award is BGCMA’s highest honor recognizing teens from Clubs in the metro Atlanta area who are working hard, investing in themselves, and demonstrating leadership in their schools, Clubs, and communities. On Nov. 8, BGCMA welcomed 21 Youth of the Year nominees and nearly 600 attendees including local politicians, business leaders, and advocates, to the annual Youth of the Year Fundraising Gala presented by Bank of America.…

Funeral arrangements for 21-year-old Alexis Crawford have been finalized for this weekend. The Clark Atlanta University student’s body was found on Nov. 8 in a DeKalb County park. Authorities said Crawford was strangled to death. Jordyn Jones, Crawford’s roommate, and Jones’ boyfriend, Barron Brantley, have both been charged with her murder and booked into the DeKalb County Jail. Five days before her body was found, Crawford had filed a police report accusing her roommate’s boyfriend of “unwanted kissing and touching. ” The two women shared an apartment together off campus. Family spokesman, the Rev. Markel Hutchinson, said the funeral has…

    The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit has arrested Stone Mountain resident William Ralph Callaway, 22, on felony murder and first-degree forgery charges. Warrants were issued on Nov. 6 charging Callaway in connection with an incident that occurred on Oct. 6 on Kensington  Road in Decatur.  The warrants allege that on that date Callaway and  Jaymericko Scott, Jr. were attempting to purchase automatic weapons using counterfeit money.  According to the warrants, both men were shot by the seller during the transaction.  Scott died as a result of his injuries.  Callaway was treated and subsequently released from the…

DeKalb County will open two warming centers for citizens to use overnight as temperatures are expected to be below freezing. The following stations will open Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., and the close date is to be determined. Fire Station 3, 100 N. Clarendon Ave, Avondale Fire Station 6, 2342 Flat Shoals Road, Atlanta First United Methodist Church of Tucker, 5095 LaVista Road, Tucker, will open at 7 p.m. as a no-freeze shelter. The no-freeze shelter provides food and a place to shower and sleep. The close date is to be determined. With temperatures forecast below freezing through…

ATLANTA – Orrin Hudson, founder of Be Someone, Inc., held an exhibition during the Atlanta Small Business Expo on Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Cobb Galleria Centre.  Hudson, whose mentoring and coaching organization is based in DeKalb County, GA,  showed attendees winning moves to succeed in business and in life, how to outthink, outmaneuver and outperform the competition and finish on top. The Small Business Expo returned to Atlanta for the fifth consecutive year  to bring together local small business owners and entrepreneurs to network with 100 plus exhibitors as well as attend over 20 free workshops led by business experts.  …

YOU’RE INVITED Antioch-Lithonia Missionary Baptist Church is celebrating 150 Years! Join Pastor James C. Ward and the Antioch-Lithonia family for a sky diving exhibition honoring veterans this Sunday, Nov. 10.

The City of Stonecrest Department of Parks and Recreation is developing its very first Parks and Recreation Master Plan and will host a public forum on Nov. 14, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at Browns Mill Recreation Center, 5101 Brown Mill Road. The city wants to hear from residents, business owners, special interest groups and any other interested parties. Community stakeholders are strongly encouraged to attend the meeting. Sean DePalma, director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Stonecrest, said the Parks and Recreation Master Plan will examine the existing parks, recreational facilities, programs, and services, and determine the current…

Mayor Jason Lary and wife Debbie Lary Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary scored the winning touchdown on Nov. 5 in his bid for re-election, soundly defeating Charles Hill, II and Diane Adoma in the city’s three-way mayoral race. Lary won a four-year term with 3,049 votes (55.48 percent), while Hill placed second with 1,294 votes (23.54 percent). Diane Adoma came in third place with 1,131 votes (20.58 percent), early results showed.About 13.6 percent of the city’s 40,678 registered voters participated in the districtwide mayoral election, according to officials. Lary dominated the playing field, leading the votes at four of the city’s…