Author: On Common Ground News

By Sarita Mason OCG News Intern Four recruits are gaining hands-on experience in the automotive world, thanks to DeKalb County Fleet Management, Georgia Piedmont Technical College and DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, District 5. The students are among the first to participate in the DeKalb Fleet Apprenticeship Program. The two-year program launched on Sept.4, 2018 and is now providing the opportunities for students to get directly under the hood and on the ground as they learn to repair big fleets such as firetrucks, police cars and tractor trailers used by county government workers. Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson…

The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services honored a Gwinnett County resident as a Foster Caregiver of the Year during an appreciation luncheon and awards ceremony on May 20 in Atlanta. Gracie Kennard was chosen among foster parents nominated by Division staff statewide based on her outstanding service and partnership with the agency. “We are grateful for all of Georgia’s foster parents for opening their homes and hearts to children in need,” said Division Director Tom C. Rawlings. “Our Foster Caregivers of the Year, however, deserve special recognition because they consistently go above and beyond what we ask…

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has made another arrest in conjunction with the shooting death of a 7-year-old girl who was at her foster parents’ home on Satellite Boulevard in Ellenwood when she was killed on April 12. Scottdale resident Dwayne Eric Allen, 27, is in custody at the DeKalb County Jail after sheriff’s deputies apprehended and arrested him on May 20without incident at an Atlanta-area business. Allen is charged with murder and aggravated assault. According to warrants issued May 16, Allen and his nephew, 21-year-old Antoine Allen, shot up the Satellite Boulevard home with an AR-15 assault rifle, and…

A suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a woman on May 11. On May 18, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit, with assistance from the U.S Marshals and Chamblee Police Department, arrested 29-year-old Alexandra Liz Bodie of Lithonia on a warrant charging her with the felony murder of Brandy Jean Brummett, 40, of Atlanta. According to the warrant, Bodie shot Brummett in the chest with a black handgun at 2800 Northeast Expressway in Chamblee, causing her death. Bodie was arrested in Doraville and transported without incident to the DeKalb County Jail.  

DeKalb County has agreed to pay $750,000 to resolve alleged civil claims under federal law. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the county and its agency, WorkSource DeKalb, violated the False Claims Act by misusing grant funds for the Department of Labor’s On-the-Job Training (“OJT”) program. The civil settlement resolves the United States’ claims that, between Jan. 1, 2013 and Dec. 18, 2016, DeKalb County falsely certified compliance with Department of Labor regulations related to OJT. According to the allegations, former WorkSource DeKalb officials improperly administered an on-the-job training program, usingmonies…

Recent DeKalb County School District (DCSD) graduates can learn more about college entry, military enrollment, and entering the workforce courtesy of the Department of Student Advancement’s Summer Transition Centers (STC). STCs are scheduled to open June 3 at locations throughout DeKalb. The free centers offer assistance in finalizing college paperwork, receiving financial aid, answer questions about what to do after high school, college application, and reviewing other options. “When a student graduates from a DeKalb County high school, we make sure they have the tools needed to succeed at the next level available,” said Superintendent R. Stephen Green. “The…

DeKalb Chief Magistrate Judge Berryl A. Anderson, center, hosts law students from China. Earlier this month, the Magistrate Court of DeKalb County hosted four students from China who recently completed their Master of Comparative Law Program at Emory Law. The students volunteered for a three-day “internship” where they had the chance to take a tour, observe court, and shadow judges within the Criminal, Ordinance and Civil divisions of the DeKalb Magistrate Court. “My court was honored to host these law students from China,” said DeKalb Chief Magistrate Judge Berryl A. Anderson. “Our judges and the students had a…

Rockdale Constitutional Corner By Sheriff Eric J. Levett We have all received irritating unsolicited phone calls from people we don’t know. They always have horrible timing, too, calling at the most inconvenient moment, like when your family is about to sit down for dinner. Some of these calls aren’t just annoying anymore. They’re also malicious. There has been a rash of phone calls making the rounds lately where scammers try to trick victims into giving them sensitive data that could lead to massive financial losses. Several citizens have contacted the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office over the past year after receiving…

DeKalb Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs announces the Metro Athletics Network, on behalf of the Lithonia Lions, has been awarded $9,730 to fund the NFL Flag Football program. The program is managed by Dennis Allen, vice chair of the DeKalb Park’s Citizen Advisory Board and has been recognized by the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation and the Georgia Shape Initiative. Both organizations have partnered to provide a two-year grant to help fund youth football leagues. Funding will assist after-school providers and schools to start new NFL Flag Football leagues and enhance existing programs. The organizations are also interested in increasing participation…

Rockdale County is hosting the 2019 Rockdale Employment Summit on Friday, June 7,10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,at Salem High School, 3551 Underwood Road SE, Conyers. The job fair will include a mobile career lab that will assist with resume building and job training. The event also offer services for veterans as well as training and employment information concerning Rockdale Works. The summit will offer record restriction services. Persons who have been arrested in Rockdale County, but were not convicted, may be eligible to have their arrest record restricted and potentially sealed by the courts for free. All applicants who pre-registered…