Author: On Common Ground News

Volunteers fanned out around Rockdale County recently to clean up during the annual Rivers Alive campaign. The effort resulted into the collection of 10,420 pounds of litter. Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful (KCRB) hosted the annual event on Saturday, Oct. 14, drawing more than 200 volunteers, including 96 youths from local schools, civic organizations and scout troops. This year’s cleanup removed hundreds of bags of garbage and 117 tires amounting to nearly 5.2 tons from local parks, roadways and waterways, Randy Poynter Lake and other locations. As a thank you, volunteers received a free T-shirt from Rivers Alive. The event ended with…

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In an effort to make room for Restoration Storehouse, Rockdale County Government is holding a public surplus day on Friday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Government Annex Building at 1400 Parker Road, Conyers. The County will be offering surplus equipment including office furniture, electronic devices, etc. for low prices. All items will be available for pickup on site and must be removed by 3 p.m. on the day of sale. Those who plan to make purchases should have a vehicle they can load. Transactions can be made by cash, cashier’s check or money orders only. Checks…

Today, former DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Watson was sentenced to a misdemeanor after pleading guilty to misappropriating about $3,000 in county funds intended for business travel. Watson, 63,was supposed to start his pre-trial this morning but entered the plea instead. He was sentenced to 12 months probation as a first-time offender, rather than as a felon. Watson’s attorney, Robert James, said he and Watson were pleased with DeKalb Superior Court Judge Asha Jackson’s ruling. “Our intention was never to escape accountability. We wanted him to be treated fairly as others in similar situations,” said James, DeKalb County’s former District Attorney.…

By Valerie J. Morgan A trail of shoes graced the front door of Zam Tuang and San Thang’s small apartment in Clarkston. Inside, family and friends gathered to try and pick up the pieces of the Burmese couple’s lives, shattered after the Thangs’ 4-year-old daughter, Lun, was struck by a hit-and-run driver. As some women cooked in the kitchen, silence filled the apartment, broken by a small child crying. Lun Thang, a pre-K student, was killed on Oct. 18 around 6:45 a.m. as she walked to Indian Creek Elementary School accompanied by her aunt, 7-year-old sister and cousin. “She…

Flanked by mayors and leaders of the 12 cities within the county, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond held a news conference on Oct. 18 to give an overview of projects that would be funded by the new 1 percent sales tax, if voters approve three referendums now at stake. Early voting for the referendums began on Oct. 16, ahead of the General Election on Nov. 7. While city residents will vote on the referendums and their citywide elections, voters in unincorporated DeKalb County will vote only on the referendums. Passage of the Special Purpose Local Sales Tax would increase DeKalb’s…

The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office is investigating allegations of a gas-for-votes offer in Conyers after receiving complaints from citizens and information from the Rockdale County Elections Supervisor Cynthia Welch. State officials are looking into allegations that the Shell Gas Station, located at the intersection of West Avenue and Green Street, offered $5 of gas to the first 100 people who brought in their “I Voted” sticker and provided identification showing they live in Conyers. “We received two complaints in our office and so I went by the station to find out if they were giving away free gas to…

Job seekers looking to begin their career with Gwinnett County Government are invited to the third annual Career Expo hosted by the Gwinnett County Department of Human Resources. The free event will be held Friday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville. New this year, HR representatives will be available to provide free résumé critiques. Application and interview skills training sessions will be held at 10:30 a.m. after employee testimonials and a presentation about Gwinnett County employee benefits, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. The Career Expo gives…

The DeKalb County NAACP is taking the old proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” to heart. The branch is partnering with the DeKalb County School District to recruit volunteers to work with faculty and students in schools throughout the district. Lance Hammonds, who serves as the NAACP branch’s second vice president and chairs the education committee, said the partnership is a concerted effort to help students achieve, particularly those in underperforming schools. Hammonds said the NAACP collaborated with Schools Superintendent R. Stephen Green and Dr. Vasanne Tinsley, deputy superintendent, student support and intervention, to develop a volunteer…

Rockdale County Elections Supervisor Cynthia Welch said her office is extending hours, 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., the last two days of the early voting period. Extended hours will be available on Thursday, Nov. 2, and Friday, Nov. 3, to attract more voters to use the new machines Rockdale is piloting for the state of Georgia. Originally, Welch’s office was scheduled to be open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the early voting period, which runs Oct. 16 through Nov. 3. However, Welch said the hours for early voting were extended to allow people to get…