Author: On Common Ground News

Kerri Redding, a reputed member of the Gangster Disciples, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted for the murder of 19-year-old Christopher Kenyatta. DeKalb Superior Court Judge Gail Flake handed down the sentence on Dec. 12. Redding, 26, was found guilty of murder, felony murder and aggravated assault. Kenyatta’s body was discovered on July 6, 2016 by a passerby walking along a trail behind the Treehills Parkway apartment building in Stone Mountain. He had been fatally shot in the chest. According to the investigation, Redding and the victim were involved in an ongoing dispute over money. Witnesses reported…

Some needy families already have their turkey for the upcoming holiday dinner, thanks to the Pan Hellenic Council of DeKalb County. The council, which is comprised of eight of the nine black International Greek letter sororities and fraternities, collaborated with Wayfield Foods in Lithonia to purchase and distribute 135 frozen turkeys to needy families on Dec. 2 at Browns Mill Elementary School. The school’s principal, Dr. Tiffany Brown, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was among those who participated in the event. Dr. Tanyeeta Goodjiones, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. who is the school counselor,…

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) delivered more than 50 books on Nov. 27 to three elementary schools in his district. Johnson delivered the books to schools in both DeKalb and Gwinnett counties: Anderson-Livsey Elementary School in Gwinnett; and Fairington Elementary School and Flat Rock Elementary School, both in DeKalb. Principals and media center specialists at each school were also given three books: “Women in Congress,” “African Americans in Congress” and “Hispanic Americans in Congress.” Each school also received official flags that flew over the U.S. Capitol. The books provided to the students were made available by the Library of Congress’ surplus books…

The DeKalb County Public Library System and Conyers-Rockdale Library System will receive grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities totaling $61,922, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) announced. The DeKalb County Public Library System, under the direction of Gina Jenkins, will use its $50,000 Humanities Access Grant to fund the Prime Time preschool program. The family literacy program assists low-income families with creative ways to educate their children through expert storytellers. The Conyers-Rockdale Library System, under the direction of Project Director Mary Harrison, will use their $11,922 Common Heritage grant to fund their African-American Faith and Heritage in Rockdale County project.…

Children at the Atlanta Mission Shelter will have a brighter Christmas this year, thanks to a little boy’s classroom assignment and his big heart. Grant Callaway, a 2nd grader at Genesis Innovation Academy in Atlanta, launched his business, Toys are Great this year, and collected 55 toys to donate to kids in need. “Every kid should have toys they love. Some kids don’t have brothers or sisters to play with, but they should have toys,” said Grant. Earlier this year, teacher Terrentena Grant tasked her class with creating a business and a logo. At the next parent-teacher conference, Grant’s mother,…

State Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick (D-Lithonia) and the Georgia Economic Bill of Rights Task Force will hold a series of public hearings on five topics that effect Georgians on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. in rooms 606 and 514 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, Atlanta. The schedule for the event is as follows: 9 – 10 a.m., Room 606: Healthcare discussion moderated by Rep. Kendrick and featuring guest speakers Jewell Gooding, Executive Director of Mental Health America of Georgia, and Laura Colbert, Executive Director of Georgians for a Healthy Future; 10 – 11 a.m., Room 606: Affordable…

The city of Lithonia has been approved by the State Office of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to recruit someone to serve in the AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program. The city plans to use the community liaison to promote financial literacy by securing speakers and entities to host workshops on money management and savings, said Mayor Deborah A. Jackson. The position is a temporary, full-time position funded by the State AmeriCorps Office for a one-year period.  A monthly stipend of $1,026 is provided, along with health and other benefits.  An educational award is available…

Originally posted in the Richard Zorza Access to Justice Blog July 8, 2017 By Ruth A. Wilson Rockdale Clerk of Courts We, at the Rockdale Clerk of Courts Office, are clear about our Purpose in service to the Courts and to the Public: Preserving the Past While Preparing for the Future. We spend a lot of time actively educating ourselves on emerging court technologies and at the same time staying abreast of the rapidly changing demands of the law, the public and evolving social norms. It is a never-ending challenge. Following is a somewhat humorous example of how we need…

  Today, the city of Stonecrest and Smart Reach Digital announced plans to launch a digital marketing campaign in Seattle, Washington to win Amazon’s HQ2 headquarters. Mayor Jason Lary said employees at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, along with CEO Jeff Bezos, will receive pop-up messages on their smart phones and other devices about the benefits of creating a corporate city of Amazon. Stonecrest has voted to de-annex 345 acres of its city and donate it to Amazon to build its own corporate city. The ads, which start today, will link to the city of Stonecrest’s web site: http://stonecrestga.gov/focus City of Stonecrest.php.…

Supporters of the proposed city of Greenhaven are opening a new headquarters at 3203 Glenwood Road, Suite D., Decatur, the Concerned Citizens of City of South DeKalb, Inc. (CCCSD) announced today. A motorcade will leave on Saturday, Dec. 16, 11:30 a.m., from the parking lot of the Gallery of South DeKalb mall and travel to the new headquarters. The grand opening will begin at 1 p.m. CCCSD plans to utilize the new headquarters as a base of operations to educate residents about the proposed city of Greenhaven as it seeks approval from state lawmakers to offer a cityhood referendum to…