Author: On Common Ground News

Angelo Taylor, four time Olympian track star and Southwest DeKalb High School alum, has been inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Taylor, who received three gold Olympic medals and one silver, was inducted during the 62nd Annual Induction Ceremony on Feb. 24 at Macon City Auditorium. Taylor joined seven others in the 2018 class of inductees: NFL players Champ Bailey and Tracy Rocker; NBA’s Kenny “Sky” Walker; UGA’s women’s golfer Terri Moody Hancock, the first female to receive a full athletic scholarship to the University of Georgia; UGA’s golf coach Chris Haack; Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner…

Kendall Robinson, 17, is on a roll. DeKalb County employees and residents teamed up to help Robinson collect rolls of toilet paper for the homeless during a February drive sponsored by the office of DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. DeKalb County collected 7,000 rolls exceeding its goal of collecting 3,000 rolls of toilet paper for Love Rolls, Inc., a nonprofit that Robinson founded. The toilet paper was collected at several locations throughout DeKalb County from Feb. 12 to Feb. 23. Various county departments, along with the offices of District Attorney Sherry Boston and Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling. Additionally, Cedar Grove High…

The DeKalb County Police Department is looking for a suspect wanted in the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl on Feb. 23. The incident is reported to have occurred on South Stone Mountain / Lithonia Road, at Walker Road, along the railroad tracks.  The suspect is described as a black male in his early twenties.  He is 5 feet 5 inches tall, with a short Afro.  He was dressed in all black clothing. Anyone with information leading to the identification or location of the suspect is asked to call the DeKalb county Police Department’s Special Victims’ Unit at 770-724-7710.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit has arrested a suspect in connection with a Stone Mountain motel shootout that left one man dead. Warrants were issued by DeKalb Police on Feb. 24 for 22 year-old Neenahjah Rae-Kwon Purvis of Stone Mountain on charges that he caused the death of Maliki Jawuan Holt during the commission of a home invasion at an extended stay motel on Feb. 23. The warrants allege that Purvis was armed when he entered a motel room at 4893 Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain and that an exchange of gunfire occurred with the occupant, fatally injuring…

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond will give his outlook for 2018 during a State of the County address this month. Thurmond will deliver an evening State of the County Address to the community on Thursday, March 29, 7 p.m., at the Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road, Lithonia. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Nichole Simms at jnsimms@dekalbcountga.gov or 404-371-2552.

What is the DeKalb County School District doing to keep students and staff members safe?  What is DeKalb County Government doing to ensure the safety of communities and businesses? Mark your calendar for an important meeting. The community is invited to the monthly Cultural Exchange Breakfast to discuss the issues. The meeting will be held on March 10, 9 a.m., at Greater Traveler’s Rest Baptist Church/House of Hope, 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur (H.F. Shepherd Multiplex Building). “The goal is for everyone to walk away empowered with answers,” said DeKalb School Board member Vicki B. Turner, who is hosting the…

A crowd of concerned citizens turned out for the Public Safety Town Hall at Bob Mathis Elementary School presented by DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson, District 3. The Feb. 6 forum gave citizens an opportunity to have a face-to-face dialogue with a panel that included DeKalb’s new Public Safety Director Jack Lumpkin, School Public Safety Director Bradley Gober, District Attorney Sherry Boston, Solicitor General Donna Stribling and Juvenile Court Judge Vincent Crawford. The panel discussed how DeKalb officials are addressing crime in schools and the community at large. Chris Morris, a long-time DeKalb resident and former Director of Community Development,…

DeKalb Medical and the American Cancer Society will offer a free, four-class program on smoking cessation each Monday in March. The class meets from 6-7 p.m. For more information or to register for this program, call 404-501-WELL. We also offer a free Fresh Start Smoking Cessation Program. To learn more about this program, visit http://www.dekalbmedical.org/calendar. The best way to protect yourself and those around you from smoke-related health issues is to quit.

The Georgia Department of Labor is working with several partners on a job readiness event and accompanying job fair in Rockdale County in March. The readiness event is set for March 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Restoration Storehouse Center, 1400 Parker Road S.E., Conyers. The job fair follows a week later, March 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the same location. Partners include the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce, WorkSource Atlanta Regional, Restoration Storehouse, Conyers Rockdale Economic Development Council, Georgia Piedmont Technical College and The Stellar Consulting Group. Those who attend the readiness event will be given…

The DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department hired 47 new recruits in February with funding from a federal grant. The recruits started preliminary classes and will join the next scheduled fire academy in April. “Improved public safety is a top priority,” said Jack Lumpkin, DeKalb County’s director of public safety. “In addition to the federal funding of these new fire rescue positions, the special purpose local option sales tax passed last year will allow us to purchase quick response vehicles, build new fire stations and improve fire services for all of DeKalb County.” In 2017, the county received $4.9 million from…