Author: On Common Ground News

Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) will celebrate its school-level 2018 Teachers of the Year in October.  The ceremony honoring the women and men who go above and beyond for their students, peers and community will be held on Oct. 16 at the Rockdale Career Academy.  The ceremony will feature all the school-level 2018 Teachers of the Year, selected by their peers. The district-level Teacher of the Year, chosen to advance to the state level competition, will be announced at the end of the evening.

by Mark Brock, DeKalb County Athletics The Class 3A No. 2 ranked Cedar Grove Saints make their second consecutive trip out of state traveling to Hoover, Alabama for the Geico ESPN High School Doubleheader Kickoff against the Alabama Class 7A Hewitt-Trussville Huskies at 2:30 pm on ESPN. The Saints are 1-0 on the season after hitting the road to Summerville (SC) last Saturday and defeating Summerville 21-7. Robert Jones III contributed 101 yards and a touchdown as the Saints piled up 226 yards rushing in the game. A 9-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kendall Boney and a 12-yard touchdown pass…

   The Georgia Democratic Party has called on Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp to immediately condemn threatening comments from Monroe County Commissioner John Ambrose. Responding to a request from activists in his community to hold a peaceful protest, Ambrose referred to other demonstrations across the country and said, “I just think they ought to take a submachine gun and just mow them down.” Kemp, who opposes common-sense gun safety to keep our schools safe and supports guns on college campuses, made national headlines earlier this year when he ran a shocking television ad in which he recklessly pointed a firearm at…

Today (Aug. 21), the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved a legal settlement that will replace 47,500 iPerl water meters within the next two years. Kendall Supply Inc. and Sensus USA Inc., pursuant to the meter warranty provision, also agreed to deliver and install 30,000 radio devices that transmit real-time customer water consumption data and reprogram 17,500 previously installed radio transmitters. The total value of the negotiated settlement amounts to approximately $8.64 million in equipment, installation and reprogramming services. The cost breakdown follows: Delivery and installation of 47,000 new Accustream meters: $4.75 million  Delivery and installation of 30,000 radio transmitters:…

State Rep. Vernon Jones (D-Lithonia) has been appointed by Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) to the House Study Committee on Risks Associated with Kratom. Advocates say kraton offers relief from pain, depression and anxiety. However, the FDA and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have been moving to ban the sale of kraton, citing the herbal drug’s potential for abuse saying it is an “imminent hazard to public safety,” according to reports. Jones questioned the accuracy of the statements made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb about kratom, and is asking the study committeesto review the reports.…

Anyone who needs a bag of food is welcome to get help from the Sankofa House Community Food Bank, 1240 Sigman Road N.W., Suite 106, Conyers. Residents from surrounding counties are welcome. The food bank will be open on the third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  ID is required. Appointments are available for special cases and emergencies. Call 678-517-2538.  

Here is a partial calendar for the school system:  Monday, Sept. 3 Labor Day holiday September 3, 2018, schools and Rockdale County Public Schools district offices, including Student Registration, closed for Labor Day holiday; www.rockdaleschools.org/calendars Saturday, Sept. 8 Youth Mental Health First Aid Class 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. September 8, 2018 at RCPS Central Office Board meeting room, 954 N. Main St., Conyers, GA; free and open to community; Register at www.surveymonkey.com/r/YMHFAFW18 or visit www.rockdaleschools.org/ymhfa for more information. Saturday, Sept. 8 Free SAT Prep 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. September 8, 2018, at Memorial Middle…

By Valerie J. Morgan The Georgia Black Legislative Caucus kicked off its 2018 conference, “Let Freedom Ring,” with a fiery AME preacher who served as the event’s first keynote speaker. The two-day conference, Aug. 10-11, was held at the Allen Entrepreneurial Institute, located in the new city of Stonecrest. Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, Presiding Prelate Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, told attendees that black voters have the power to be the game changer when they go to the polls in November. Bishop Jackson laid out the groundwork needed not only to elect Georgia’s first Democratic governor…

By Valerie J. Morgan  Lecester L. “Bill” Allen, founder and CEO of the Allen Entrepreneurial Institute,  discussed the importance of promoting entrepreneurship and ownership, especially among young African Americans.  He told state lawmakers attending the Leroy Johnson Civil Rights Dinner at the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus(GLBC) that they must do more to provide financial literacy to the black community in order for it to prosper.    “I find it so unfortunate that too many of us in our community are financially illiterate. We don’t understand money. It is time that we understand the finances and how it works in this…

By Valerie J. Morgan DeKalb County Superior Court Judge J.P. Boulee has rejected former DeKalb Police Officer Robert Olsen’s motion to drop all charges against him in the shooting death of Anthony Hill. The unarmed and naked Air Force veteran was roaming outside the Chamblee apartment complex where he lived when Olsen was dispatched to a possible signal 22(demented person) on March 9, 2015. Hill’s family said he was dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Judge Boulee’s Aug. 14 ruling paves the way for the case to move forward to trial, although no date has been set yet.  Olsen is…