Author: On Common Ground News

Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary has announced that he plans to take medical leave to undergo treatment for cancer. Mayor pro tem George Turner will oversee the City Council meetings likely until the end of the year, said Lary, who has started pre-radiation treatment. Lary said the council’s heated and lengthy debate at the Sept. 17 City Council meeting over the management of the city’s SPLOST program was the tipping point that led him to make the announcement. Councilwoman Jazzmin Cobble made a motion, which was seconded and approved by the council, to remove all of the items from the City…

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD SPLOST LIST (.PDF) By Valerie J. Morgan DeKalb County is putting its one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) to work.   The county has begun repaving the first of more than 300 miles of the worst streets and roads with funding generated from SPLOST, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters in November 2017.  “I want to thank the voters, who entrusted their government to responsibly use their tax dollars to improve infrastructure throughout the county,” DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond said during a Sept 20 news conference. “Today, we are fulfilling our promise to resurface county…

By Valerie J. Morgan The former Rockdale County Sheriff’s deputy who falsified jail logs stating mandatory checks were made on Shali Tilson, a mentally ill man who died while in custody in March, has been arrested in an unrelated case. Dan Lang was charged with stealing guns from the evidence room and pawning them and $40,000 in cash. A warrant was issued for Lang’s arrest and he turned himself in to the Rockdale County Jail on Sept. 20 without incident, authorities said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations said Lang was charged with multiple violations of theft by taking 42 firearms…

The high school graduation rate for the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) continues to improve, based on recently released data from the Georgia Department of Education. The four-year graduation rate for DCSD’s Class of 2018 was 75 percent, an increase from the 2017 graduation rate of 74 percent. Between 2013 and 2018, the district graduation rate improved 15 percentage points, closing in on the state’s rate of growth each year. DCSD’s work toward closing the gap between district and state graduation rates continues to persist. For Black/African-American students, the overall percentage of graduates increased three points since 2017 – from…

  Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) graduation rate remains above the state average, which increased for 2018. The Georgia Department of Education recently released the four-year graduation rate for 2018. The State of Georgia average increased to 81.6 percent, up slightly from 80.6 percent. This is an all-time high for Georgia’s graduation rate since the state began using the four-year cohort calculation. RCPS continues to perform above the state at 81.8 percent. “I commend our high schools for continuing to outpace the state’s graduation rate by graduating students within four years fully equipped with college and career readiness skills that…

Southwest DeKalb High School (SWD) will induct four history-making coaches into the inaugural DeKalb Athletic Hall of Fame: Dewey Alverson; Napoleon Cobb; William “Buck” Godfrey; and Kathy Walton. The inductees will be honored at the school’s annual “Breakfast of Champions.” on Saturday, Oct. 13, 11 a.m., at the school’s Performing Arts Center Building Atrium.  Coach Alverson was head football coach at SWD for 20 seasons, from 1959 –1978, where he recorded129 wins, 76 losses and 6 ties during two decades. He led the Panthers to the 1972 State Championship, state semi- finals in 1977; and to two region championships.  Napoleon…

DeKalb County Sheriff Jeffrey L. Mann invites the public to participate in a one-day, hands-on firearm safety program on Saturday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., at the DeKalb Sheriff’s Office, Firing Range, 3405 N. Goddard Road, Lithonia.  The Firearm Safety Day will help you become familiar with your personal firearm and learn how to discharge it safely. Firearm Safety Day At A Glance:  30-minute firearms Instruction seminar, hourly 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. S.W.A.T. weapons demonstration, noon How to load and discharge your firearm safely How to aim at and hit a target How to secure your firearm…

DeKalb Medical officially became a part of the Emory Healthcare system on Sept. 1, 2018. Partnership celebrations for employees, local leaders and government officials were held on Sept. 14 at each of the three DeKalb Medical locations, along with unveilings of new hospital signs at each facility.  As part of the integration, DeKalb Medical’s hospital on North Decatur Road is now named Emory Decatur Hospital; DeKalb Medical Hillandale is now Emory Hillandale Hospital; and DeKalb Medical Long-Term Acute Care at Downtown Decatur is named Emory Long-Term Acute Care. To see the video of the unveiling: https://youtu.be/LeCr0T9jn4E

The Rockdale NAACP will host a candidates’ forum on Oct. 6, 11 a.m., at Antioch AME Church, 1790 Ebenezer Road S.W., Conyers. Candidates from both parties who are running for seats that include Rockdale have been invited to discuss their platforms. The races include:  • Congressman Hank Johnson (Democrat), and Republican challenger Joe Profit, who are running for the Fourth Congressional District.    • State Rep. Pam Stephenson (Democrat) and Republican challenger Takosha Swan, who are running for the District 90 seat.  • Rockdale Commissioner Doreen Williams (Democrat) and challenger Republican Larry Cox, who are running for the Rockdale Board…

MARTA will mark National Voter Registration Day, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with activities at the Five Points Station.  Volunteers from local organizations will have paperwork for those interested in registering to vote. Please bring your state identification card, state-issued driver’s license or be prepared to give the last four digits of your Social Security Number. Community organizations also will partner with MARTA to host another drive on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., at the Doraville Station.  The non-partisan events are designed to ease the voter registration process. Activities will not endorse any campaign…