Author: On Common Ground News

Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) celebrates the 15th semester of Parent Academy on Saturday, Sept. 22. The half-day event , which will be held 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., offers free workshops for parents, teens and tweens at Rockdale Career Academy (RCA), 1064 Culpepper Road, Conyers. The day kicks off with keynote speaker RCPS Superintendent Dr. Terry Oatts. Parents and the public are invited to hear and meet Rockdale’s new superintendent. Class topics range from improving computer skills, financial planning, helping your kids with today’s math, CPR, exercise, art creation, de-stressing, preparing for standardized tests and more – all focused…

Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful (KCRB) is hosting an Electronics Recycling & Paper Shredding for Rockdale residents and business owners. The E-Recycling and Paper Shredding Event will be held Saturday, Sept. 8, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., in the parking lot of the Rockdale County Government Annex, 1400 Parker Road, Conyers. The free, half-day event will provide the public a place to safely discard and recycle old documents and electronics, regardless of working condition. There is a maximum of four banker boxes per vehicle allowed for paper shredding. Participants must provide photo ID as proof of an address in the county.…

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has selected Frederick L. Daniels, Jr., a DeKalb County representative on the MARTA board of directors, as its Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member for 2018, one of the organization’s highest honors. The award is in recognition of Daniels’ impressive accomplishments in various roles on the MARTA board as well as his indelible impact on the industry as a mentor, friend and invaluable resource to his peers at transportation agencies nationwide, officials said. “I’m very thankful for this honor,” said Daniels. “I’ve always believed in serving my community and have been inspired and blessed to…

Stonecrest resident Idonia Hunter is the 2018 recipient of Keep DeKalb Beautiful’s Houston Award. Hunter is the third recipient of the award, named after Cynthia Houston and given each year to a person that has shown an unyielding, lifelong commitment to promoting clean, attractive communities. Houston, who dedicates her time to Adopt-A-Road and Adopt-A MARTA bus stop projects, said her involvement stemmed from the belief that a person should take pride in where they live because it is a reflection of the type of person they are.    For nearly 30 years, Hunter, family members, and other volunteers have cleaned…

By Ruth A. Wilson, Clerk of Courts It is an old truism that the three things you can count on in this life on earth are Death, Taxes and Change. Well, here we go again. Effective Jan. 1, 2019, attorneys throughout Georgia will be required to submit their Superior and State Court Civil actions with the Clerk of Courts Office via online.    In Rockdale, we have been accepting eFiled civil actions since January 2015. We have conducted multiple training sessions with local attorneys and Bar Associations who practice in Rockdale courts.    In a permissive eFiling environment such as we…

Anyone who has driven in metro Atlanta traffic knows that it’s bad. However, DeKalb County Board of Health officials are quick to point out that, compared to getting the flu, the misery of sitting in traffic is the least of your worries. The Board of Health is offering an easy route to getting your flu shot, without even leaving your vehicle.  A drive-thru flu vaccination clinic will be held Friday, Sept. 7, near the Northlake Mall Macy’s, from noon until 6:00 p.m. A flu shot is recommended for everyone ages six months and older, particularly those who are at high…

Congressman Hank Johnson and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) recently awarded $8,200 in scholarships to 12 college students from Georgia’s Fourth District as a part of the CBC’s 2018 Spouses Education Scholarship program. “This year’s winners have excelled in the classroom and in their communities through service and their academic talents,” said Congressman Johnson. “Each year, these scholarships address a financial need and give these outstanding students a little breathing room heading into a new semester of furthering their education.” These scholarships will provide financial assistance for the 2018-2019 academic school year and is designed to support students of all majors who…

Former DeKalb County Commissioner Sharon Barnes-Sutton has won her lawsuit challenging the process for appointing members to DeKalb County’s Board of Ethics.  The Supreme Court of Georgia stated in a unanimous decision (9-0) that the delegation of power to four private organizations to make appointments to DeKalb’s seven-member Board of Ethics is unconstitutional. “As these private entities do not answer to the people as required by our Constitution, they are not authorized to wield the power to appoint public officials to the DeKalb County Board of Ethics,” Presiding Justice Harold D. Melton wrote in the ruling. Attorney Dwight Thomas, who…

The Judicial Council of Georgia Standing Committee on Judicial Workload Assessment presented the Rockdale County Magistrate Court with a 2018 Judicial Clearance Rate Excellence Award after the completion of a three-year clearance rate study of all Georgia courts from 2015 through 2017. Only the top 10 percentile of courts from each class were recipients of the award. Rockdale’s Magistrate Court ranked fifth out of 159 Magistrate Courts, with a clearance rate of 107.1 percent of its caseload.  The Council’s Administrative Office of the Courts’ congratulatory letter, Chief Magistrate Judge Phinia Aten received along with the award, stated “Ideally, clearance rates…

  The DeKalb County Police Department is requesting assistance in locating a suspect wanted for felony murder and aggravated assault. The suspect has been identified as 46-year-old Van Johnson. He is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs and 235 lbs. Johnson may have sustained injuries during this incident and may be seeking medical attention. On Monday, Aug. 27, 2018, at 10 p.m. at 5038 Covington Hwy., police said the suspect saw a male driving away with the suspect’s vehicle. The suspect allegedly fired several shots into the vehicle as it was being driven away. The male subsequently struck a…