Author: On Common Ground News

The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) was recently recognized with two awards for wastewater collection system and water quality. DWM was awarded the 2018 Gold Collection Systems Award at the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) Fall Conference for scoring high on criteria that review preventative maintenance, system evaluation, rehabilitation programs, and training. GAWP is Georgia’s largest professional water and wastewater organization and recognizes organizations which take exceptional effort to properly manage, operate and maintain collection systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also honored the department with the Water Fluoridation Quality Award.  For the fourth…

The D.L Sims Elementary School (SES) Junior Beta Club in Rockdale County won six awards at the Junior Beta Club State Convention in Savannah Nov. 28-30. The following awards were presented to Sims: Painting—second place (Grace Prince) Technology—fourth place (Magic Boyd and Timothy Harvey) Performing Arts—fifth place (V’nai Edmead, Dani Donald, Chance Sanford, Samaya Williams, Karleigh Prince, Makyaii Walker, Ty Mortimer) Songfest—fifth place (all scholars) Jewelry—fifth place (Taylor Holmes) Gold Key Award 10 Percent Growth (all scholars) SES also achieved the honor earlier this year of being named a National Beta School of Distinction. The SES Junior Beta Club sponsors…

The Rockdale County High School (RCHS) Debate Team returned home with medals including top speaker for the entire tournament – at the Nov. 10 Atlanta Urban Debate League (AUDL) Tournament. The event hosted more than 350 middle and high school students from Atlanta metro area school districts including Atlanta Public Schools, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Calhoun, Cobb, Decatur City, Douglas County, Drew Charter, and more. The RCHS Debate Team placed 6th, 7th, 10th, and 12th place in team competitions. RCHS individual winners include: Tyla Harris 1st Place Speaker (over the entire tournament), Jackie Gomez Villa 5th Place Speaker, Aaron Gill 11th…

Following a month of work, stabilization of historic Vaughters’ Barn – the iconic white-painted structure located off of Klondike Road in the city of Stonecrest – is complete. The building required significant renovations to fix years of wear and tear, the result of aging materials and the elements. Now that construction has finished, the Barn and meadow loop trail are once again available for hikers and photographers. Vaughters’ Barn is surrounded by more than 140 acres of former dairy pasture that now serves as wildlife habitat. DeKalb County was at one point the biggest dairy producer in the state of…

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) has been elected Secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Johnson’s term will begin Jan. 3 and lasts through the 116th Congress – ending Dec. 31, 2020. The Secretary of the CBC keeps minutes of all meetings, maintains a file of all official documents and records, ensures members are notified of meetings and works in conjunction with the chair to sign or endorse any agreements, checks, drafts or notes on behalf of the CBC. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be elected by my peers to the leadership team of the Congressional Black Caucus –…

DeKalb County Commissioner Gregory Adams will host a panel discussion on the so-called school-to-prison pipeline. The leadership summit will be held Dec. 18, 9 a.m. to noon, at the Manuel J. Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur. Along with the office of DeKalb County School District Superintendent R. Stephen Green, Adams is convening a panel of local leaders to join in a think tank environment to discuss solutions. In recent years, a significant amount of public policy attention has been given to the consequences of youths falling out of the path of completing their education and adequately situating themselves…

The Wesley Chapel Library will host a Kwanzaa awareness celebration on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 6 to 7:30 p.m., the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road, Decatur. The holiday celebration, observed Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, honors African heritage and promotes seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. The community is invited to experience Kwanzaa in song, poetic drama and a performance by the ‘Each One Teach One’ African dance troupe and more. For more information, call 404-286-6980.

The National Coalition of 100 Black Women Decatur-DeKalb Chapter Inc. will host its “3rd Annual Bling Your Bra” event on Jan. 5, noon to 2 p.m., at Emory Decatur Hospital, 2701 North Decatur Road, Decatur. The program will be held in the hospital’s Keeton Auditorium. Speakers will discuss awareness, risk factors and preventive measures for breast, lung and ovarian cancers in women. The event is open to any woman who would like to attend. Free  validated parking will be available.

  Today, the men and women in blue honored fallen Officer Edgar Flores with a funeral service in Dunwoody, one of two held for him. Officers and other public safety personnel traveled in a more than mile-long motorcade at 9:30 a.m. from DeKalb County’s public safety headquarters in Tucker to All Saints Catholic Church, 2443 Mount Vernon Road, Dunwoody, where the funeral service was held. A packed crowd, which included Gov.-elect Brian Kemp, attended the service. Tears flowed as tributes  were made honoring Officer Flores. Officer Flores would have turned 25 years old on Monday, Dec. 17. He died…

Dr. Stanley J. Pritchett plans to resign as president of Atlanta’s Morris Brown College, effective Dec. 31, college officials said. In the coming weeks, the Board of Trustees will name an interim president to serve until a permanent president is appointed, the college announced in a news release. The new president will be charged with leading Morris Brown College forward to fulfill its mission of providing students a first-class education. For 12 years, Pritchett dedicated his leadership to charting a course to re-accreditation. The board expressed its thanks and appreciation to Pritchett for his service and dedication.