Author: On Common Ground News

Local students and their parents are invited to attend the upcoming Probe College Fair featuring recruiters from more than 50 colleges and universities from across the country. The fair will be held March 1, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Georgia State University’s Perimeter Campus, 3251 Panthersville Road, Decatur. College recruiters will be on site to discuss admissions, financial aid, student life, and other issues. DCSD students will have the opportunity to meet with college representatives from across the country. College recruiters will be on site to discuss concerns involving admissions, financial aid, student life, and more. There is no…

A winning ticket worth $50,000 was sold in Covington for Georgia’s Feb. 23 Powerball drawing. Winning numbers for the drawing were: 4-6-14-20-32 and the Powerball was 13. The winning ticket was purchased at Potts Store, located at 15524 Highway 36. The winner claimed the prize on Tuesday. Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot has rolled to an estimated $322 million to a single annuity winner. The Powerball jackpot has grown since Dec. 29 and has rolled 17 times. Powerball offers two jackpot payment options: the $322 million jackpot prize paid over 29 years in 30 graduated payments; or the cash option, which is…

Today, Fair Fight Action submitted over 200 signed declarations from Georgia voters who faced burdens when attempting to cast their ballots during the 2018 General Election and December runoff to opposing counsel and sent summaries to the court, the organization said in a news release. “Today, Fair Fight Action releases our first wave of sworn statements by Georgia voters detailing the many forms of voter suppression. These declarations highlight the depth and reach of voter suppression in Georgia,” said Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight. “Georgians, particularly Georgians of color, faced a myriad of issues: They were turned away without…

The Beverly Cunningham Outreach Program, Inc. and its partners will host “Let’s Talk: Sex Trafficking, HIV, and Healthcare” on Thursday, Feb. 28, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Stonecrest Library Auditorium,  3123 Klondike Road, Stonecrest. The event will feature DeKalb elected officials, prosecutors, sororities and concerned citizens. Speakers include: Gilead Science, Ed Duda and Saving Our Children And Families, Inc. Dequanda Sanders. Panelist will include: Bob Rodgers-Minor, Sex Trafficking; Adriane Brown, Sex Trafficking; Shante Miller-Regional HIV Educator; Harralyn Rawls, Sex Trafficking survivor; Kim Moon,HIV survivor; William Francis-HIV Survivor, Cynthia Allen-HIV Survivor. Moderator: Diamond Lewis, executive producer, DeKalb County Television Host: Deborah…

“As President of Morehouse College, I would like to congratulate Spike Lee on his historic Oscar win,” said Dr. David A. Thomas. “Spike is an outstanding Morehouse Man. His collective work has touched millions of movie audiences around the world. His expertise as a filmmaker and storyteller uplifts the progression of black men and black culture at a global level. We are humbled each time he returns to his alma mater to reconnect with alumni and students who recognize his status as a living legend. We are educating men of Morehouse to follow in his footsteps.”

The Rockdale Career Academy’s 9th annual RUN RCA 5K/1-Mile Run will be held on Saturday, March 9, 9 a.m. – noon. The annual tradition raises funds to help RCA students participate in career pathway-related competitions and real-world projects. The course, which tours nearby industries, starts and ends at Rockdale Career Academy, 1064 Culpepper Drive, Conyers. The moderate terrain is family-friendly, stroller-friendly and a great way to achieve a great course time. This year’s race also involves a professional challenge between local first responders participating in the race.  Free health screenings by RCA healthcare pathway students, snacks, and a fun warm-up…

Kennedy Boothe, an eighth grader at General Ray Davis Elementary School, is the 2019 Spelling Bee champ for Rockdale County Public Schools. After many nail-biting rounds eliminating contestants, Boothe correctly spelled “hallucinations” and “conspicuous” to win the district trophy.  The 2019 RCPS Spelling Bee was held at Memorial Middle School on Feb. 8, and sponsored by the Rockdale Association of Educators. The runner-up in the competition was Zaccheus Fairman, a fourth grader at C.J. Hicks Elementary. Each RCPS elementary and middle school entered the top speller in their school to the district competition. Here are the names of the other…

The Stonecrest City Council is scheduled to vote on the city’s controversial SPLOST management contact on Monday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. The upcoming vote follows the council’s 4-2 approval on Feb. 11 to award a $3.3 million contract to Grice Consulting Group, LLC. That decision follows infighting among council members that has persisted for more than a year and a half after city officials questioned invoices ($162,000 worth) that Grice submitted for pre-SPLOST work. The city settled and paid Grice $40,000. With the council’s recent vote to move ahead, council members instructed city attorneys to have drafts of the contract…

Executive order creates 17-member commission to review county charter   DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has announced the creation of a DeKalb Charter Review Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the Organizational Act that established the county’s current Chief Executive Officer and Board of Commissioners form of governance. “The purpose of this commission is to study DeKalb’s current form of government to ensure the county is responsive to the ever-changing needs and demands of county government,” said CEO Thurmond. “It has been 40 years since the Organizational Act was initially passed in a public referendum. Jimmy Carter was president;…

First COLA adjustment in 14 years  DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has proposed a two percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the county’s retirees and beneficiaries in the FY2019 budget amendment. If approved by the Board of Commissioners, the increase will become effective on July 1. The annualized cost of the adjustment will be $2.1 million. “I am heartbroken that our 11,000 retirees and beneficiaries have been denied a cost-of-living adjustment since 2005,” said CEO Thurmond. “Eliminating a structural budget deficit and increasing the rainy-day fund have provided the county with the revenue needed to reduce DeKalb’s unfunded pension liabilities and…