Author: On Common Ground News

By Valerie J. Morgan and Travis Hudgons The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) terminated seven employees for violating school district policies after nearly 400 bus drivers participated in a strike on April 19. The district delivered termination letters to the seven employees after reviewing events leading to the “sick out.” While the district does not discuss specific personnel matters, the employees were among a group found to actively support or encourage bus drivers not to report to work, officials said. The drivers want better pay and benefits. District officials say DeKalb school bus drivers earn about $19,400 annually and are among the…

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Dr. Terry O. Oatts, Assistant Superintendent for Student Achievement in Fayette County Schools, has been selected by the Rockdale Board of Education as the sole finalist for Rockdale Schools superintendent. Information on Oatts will be available at the Board office and posted on the district website at www.rockdaleschools.org, effective Friday, April 20, 2018 and for the following 14 days prior to the Board taking final action. Jim McBrayer, Board Chair, applauded Shirley Chesser for serving as interim superintendent. “On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to express our sincere appreciation to Mrs. Shirley Chesser for the tremendous work…

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On Friday, April 13, officers with the Conyers Police Department located a female who had been held at the Horizon Extended Stay hotel for the purpose of providing sexual services in exchange for money. The Police Department received a phone call from a friend of the victim who was concerned for her welfare. The investigation that followed led to the arrest of Brad Gaskin, a 36-year-old male from New Jersey. The 20-year-old female from Washington State had recently moved to the Atlanta area, police said. She and Gaskins met in DeKalb County and he offered her a place to stay.…

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A DeKalb County Grand Jury has returned an indictment against a father accused of killing his 5-year-old son. The six count indictment against 25-year-old Montrais Boyd includes charges of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Knife during the Commission of a Felony, and Cruelty to Children in the First Degree (two counts) in connection with the stabbing death of Montrais Boyd, Jr. The victim’s body was discovered in a shallow grave at the child’s paternal grandmother’s home on Rocky Pine Drive in Lithonia on Feb. 21, 2018. He had been violently stabbed in the neck and buried…

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The Stonecrest City Council may have set a record for deadlocks at the longest council meeting it has held since the city government was born a year ago. The council met for seven hours on April 16, starting at 6 p.m. and ending a little past 1 a.m. The Stonecrest City Council deadlocked 3 to 3 on rezoning request for a 16.79-acre tract at 1882 Coffee Road from M (light industrial) to heavy industrial (M-2). Several questions were raised by the public as to whether the proposed site would be used for industry that might create environmental waste and pollutants…

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A DeKalb County Grand Jury has indicted two men for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy. The 24-count indictment against 39-year-old Kelvin Jermain Armstrong and 47-year-old Kevin Walker includes charges of Aggravated Sexual Battery, Aggravated Child Molestation, Child Molestation, Cruelty to Children in the First Degree, Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes, False Imprisonment, Reckless Conduct of an HIV Infected Person, and drug possession. The charges against the defendants stem from an incident on Jan. 29, 2018.  According to the investigation, the victim was grabbed and forced into a Buford Highway apartment while walking home after missing his school bus. Once…

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DeKalb County residents can now get a work-out at church facilities that have partnered with the DeKalb County Board of Health. Through a partnership with the Board of Health and funding from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant, six DeKalb  churches are now offering fitness classes and open gym hours to the public. Thanks to shared use agreements, each faith-based organization will open its facility to engage community members in physical activity. Adults and youth can participate in activities such as Zumba, basketball, indoor soccer, weight training and walking groups.…

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The Originals, filmed in Conyers since 2013, has finished its five-year stint in the city. Conyers officials marked the premiere of the fifth and final season of the vampire episodes, which aired on April 19, tweeting that the white oak stake prop used in  “The Originals” is now on loan to the Carter Library. The prop is part of an exhibit highlighting President Jimmy Carter’s role in the creation of the first Georgia Film Commission in 1973 when he was governor. “That stake, apparently, is the only thing that can kill a vampire,” said Jennifer Edwards, director of the city’s…

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The Goss family—Stephanie, Matt, Colton and Blakely—have been named the 2018 March For Babies Ambassador Family for Rockdale, Newton and Walton counties. Ambassadors bring to life the mission of the March of Dimes, sharing how they have been affected and helped by research, programs, advocacy, or educational campaigns funded by the organization. Since 1946, families have represented the organization in this distinct volunteer role. The Goss family Journey with March of Dimes began in 2016 when at 21 weeks, Stephanie Goss was admitted to the hospital on complete bed rest due to a slow rupture in the amniotic sac surrounding…

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