Author: On Common Ground News

HB 600 Vetoed By Valerie J. Morgan   Gov. Nathan Deal announced Tuesday (May 8) that he vetoed HB 600, which proposed term limits for the mayor of Stonecrest, while permitting council members to remain in office for an unlimited number of terms. Additionally, the bill would have removed the mayor’s voting power with the five-member City Council, except in the case of a tie. The governor said he rejected HB 600 because there was no consensus among the DeKalb County Delegation members who represent the city of Stonecrest. One of the delegation members, State Rep. Earnest “Coach” Williams,…

By Mark Brock, DCSD Athletics It has been some 30 years since Druid Hills competed in gymnastics, but the Lady Red Devils made a triumphant return by knocking off two-time defending champion Lakeside 98.90 to 92.80 to claim the program’s first ever DeKalb County Gymnastics title at Dunwoody just before Spring Break. Druid Hills’ lone gold medal before this year came back in 1974 when Nancy Davis tied Lakeside’s Denise Finney for the gold in the uneven parallel bars. Junior Amelia Wainscott and her teammates made sure Druid Hills was on the map in DeKalb County as Wainscott won…

The DeKalb County Police Department is searching for Meshon Williams who is wanted for the shooting of 6-year-old Z’Mari Mitchell. The incident occurred on Saturday, May 5,  at approximately 5:30 p.m., at 3539 Sweetgum Lane in Decatur. Prior to the shooting there was an altercation between the suspects and someone in the residence. After the initial altercation ended, multiple shots were fired toward the house. One of the rounds entered the home and struck the child. The suspects fled in an unknown vehicle immediately after the shooting. Williams is 17 years old, 5’11” and 150 lbs.

Gov. Nathan Deal today signed SB 407, criminal justice legislation that reforms misdemeanor bail practices, providing increased flexibility and transparency in this area. SB 407 also provides judges with more opportunities to utilize community service and educational advancement as alternatives to fines or as a condition of probation. The legislation is based on recommendations from the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform and builds upon Deal’s previous criminal justice reform initiatives. “In the past eight years, Georgia has become the standard-bearer for many pressing areas of our time, but perhaps none more so than criminal justice reform,” said Deal.…

Conyers is joining communities across the country by participating in the 35th Annual National Travel and Tourism Week (May 6-12), which celebrates what travel means to American jobs, economic growth and personal well-being. The theme of this year’s National Travel and Tourism Week is “Travel: Then and Now.”   Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit the Conyers Welcome Center, 901 Railroad Street in historic Olde Town Conyers, May 7-11, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be refreshments, brochures and exhibits showcasing historic and present-day photographs of Conyers tourism attractions.    The Tourism Week is not only a time…

By Travis Hudgons Members of the Martin Luther King Jr. High School ‘Kings of Halftime’ Marching Band received exciting news on May 3. The band will perform in the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The band will proudly represent DeKalb County as one of nine marching bands selected from a nationwide pool of 100 high school, collegiate and military bands that applied. According to a release, each year, Macy’s selects marching bands with stage presence, musical talent and marching ability for its annual Thanksgiving Day parade. The spectacle draws an audience of more than 3.5 million live spectators and 50…

By Valerie J. Morgan A proposal to award a $3.8 million contract to Grice Consulting, Inc. to manage the city of Stonecrest’s SPLOST program has died—for the second time in two months. The Stonecrest City Council deadlocked 3-3 on the proposal during a tense special called meeting on May 3. In April, the council also could not reach an agreement, deadlocking 3-3 on the matter.  The council has been bickering over who should manage the SPLOST program since the council initially approved an agreement with Grice last September. The 6-year, $47 million SPLOST program is slated to fund several infrastructure and…

Gov. Nathan Deal has signed HB 930, legislation that creates the state-level Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority (the ATL), which provides a new structure for coordinated transit planning and funding for the 13-county metro Atlanta region. The ATL will be responsible for developing a Regional Transit Plan, as well as identifying and prioritizing the projects and initiatives required to develop region-wide transit. Deal also allotted $100 million in 10-year General Obligation bonds in the FY 2019 budget to fund public transit.  “Georgia is a destination for all types of industries and people from all walks of life to come and enjoy…

  The Stonecrest Friends will have a “Super Book Sale” on Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road. There will be used books in all categories for sale including fiction/non-fiction, crafts and romance. Magazines, textbooks, encyclopedias, books on tapes/CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes also will be available. For more information, call 404-482-3828.

  A man convicted in connection with a deadly home invasion inside a Decatur apartment complex has been sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 20 years.  Desean Subar, 26, was sentenced May 2 during court proceedings before DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha Jackson. Subar was convicted following a jury trial on charges of Murder, Felony Murder, Home Invasion, Armed Robbery and weapons offenses for the shooting death of Justin Bryant, 21.  Bryant was gunned down in his Cedar Brook Drive apartment on Jan. 29, 2016.  Subar and an armed accomplice stormed into the victim’s apartment with guns…