Author: On Common Ground News

The deadline is approaching to register for the Phi Omicron Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.’s scholarship essay writing seminar. Submit your essay and register by Saturday, Oct. 5: phiomicronzetazetaphibeta.chair@gmail.com The writing seminar will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Newton High School, 1 Ram Way, Covington. Topics will include how to write a winning scholarship essay and tips and tools to help stand out in the application process. The workshop is free to attend and will be held in the school’s media center. Parents are encouraged to attend.

ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Police Department has made an arrest in the Aug. 17 assault aboard an eastbound train near Georgia State Station. After an extensive investigation, Bernard Edward Daniel, 31, of Talladega, Alabama, was identified as the suspect. MARTA Police obtained arrest warrants for the charges of Battery, Kidnapping, False Imprisonment, and Robbery by Force. MARTA police worked with the U.S. Marshal Southeast Regional Task Force to locate Daniel in Talladega, Alabama on Sept. 12 and arrested on the above warrants by the Gulf Coast U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force until the extradition…

Work Session: Tuesday, Oct. 1,10 a.m. – Assembly Hall, 901 Main Street, Conyers, CANCELLED   Voting Session:Tuesday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m. – Assembly Hall, 901 Main Street, Conyers Extended Budget Work Session: Tuesday, Oct. 15, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. – Assembly Hall, 901 Main Street, Conyers Zoning Public Hearing: Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. – Assembly Hall,901 Main Street, Conyers Voting Session:Tuesday, Oct. 22, 10 a.m. – Assembly Hall, 901 Main Street, Conyers 2020 Budget Public Hearing: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 9: a.m. – Assembly Hall, 901 Main Street, Conyers, Work Session: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m.…

Chloe Dorsey honored as DeKalb County Torchbearer A screen shot from Chloe Dorsey’s video of an unusual rescue. This week, DeKalb County government is honoring Chloe Dorsey for her very impressive and unusual heroic rescue effort at Stone Mountain Park. Dorsey was on a morning run at Stone Mountain when she came across a youngster in distress. A young deer, that is. The small animal attempted to jump over a fence with its herd when it got caught between two metal fence bars. Summoning the strength of half a dozen super heroes, Dorsey pried the bars apart, freeing the deer.…

DeKalb County police are investigating a deadly shooting that happened late Sunday in the courtyard near the Round 1 bowling arcade at The Mall at Stonecrest. Police said it was reported that several people fired at the victim after an argument inside Round 1, a late-night entertainment complex that offers bowling and an arcade.  The mall was closed at the time of the shooting. Authorities said the victim was found in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to his back.  He was taken to Grady Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The identity of the victim had…

 https://youtu.be/x23dAqt8xKk At a news conference today, Attorney Mawuli Davis and community activists called for Sheriff Eric Levett’s resignation. They blamed his lack of leadership and incompetence for the death of 22-year-old Shali Tilson, who died from dehydration after being detained in the Rockdale Jail . The news conference follows the release of a Special Grand Jury report released on Wednesday that concluded Rockdale jail administrators did not criminally causeTilson’s death but died as a result of complacency and lack of leadership. Davis said the Tilson family is filing a civil lawsuit.

Riki Albury, Jr., 19, was sentenced to life plus five years for the bludgeoning murder of 49-year-old Ronald Roach of Decatur, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced today. Roach was brutally beaten and stabbed more than three dozen times in a robbery-motivated attack. Albury was convicted of Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Theft by Taking, and Possession of a Knife during the Commission of a Felony. A friend discovered the victim’s body inside of his Flat Shoals Road apartment in Decatur on the morning of June 28, 2018. He had been stabbed 38 times throughout his chest, neck, and…

Attorney Mawuli Davis, who is representing the family of Shali Tilson, the 22-year-old mentally ill man who died of dehydration while in the custody of the Rockdale County Jail, is holding a news conference at 10:30 a.m. today at the Rockdale County Courthouse. Davis said he plans to address District Attorney Alisha A. Johnson and the Special Grand Jury’s report, which was released on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The Grand Jury’s four-month investigation concluded the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and its jail administrators did not criminally cause Tilson’s death. Tilson died of dehydration on March 12, 2018 after being arrested…

Stonecrest City Councilman Rob Turner honored the Lou Walker Senior Center for its outstanding programs for seniors. Turner presented a proclamation to Bettye Austin Davis, executive director of the center, declaring Sept. 24 as Lou Walker Day in the city of Stonecrest. Seniors at the center also observed Sept. 24 as National Voter Registration, with a registration drive. The Lou Walker Senior Center opened its doors on Jan. 6, 2006 to provide comprehensive social, health, nutritional, educational and therapeutic services for DeKalb county seniors age 55 and older. The center serves over 3,000 members who participate in a host of activities…

DeKalb County residents now have a free ticket to Financial Literacy101. A new partnership between RBC Bank and DeKalb County is bringing financial literacy coaching and education through a project called Operation HOPE. The initiative, led by DeKalb County District 7 Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, is designed to help county residents take control of their finances. Officials and community leaders gathered on Sept. 25 for a ribbon-cutting celebration to mark the launch of HOPE Inside RBC Bank DeKalb, located at the AEI StartUp Factory, 7310 Stonecrest Concourse in the city of Stonecrest. Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer John…