Author: On Common Ground News

  The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) will conduct six public meetings as a part of two upcoming redistricting efforts involving the new John R. Lewis Elementary Elementary facility and the Druid Hills High School cluster. These two redistricting efforts are to address additional capacity created by the new John Lewis Elementary facility, as well as the overcrowding of elementary schools in the Cross Keys and Druid Hills High School Clusters. The second of three meetings will present three (3) proposed options for redistricting. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss the redistricting options in small groups and provide input to…

DeKalb County Police Department’s Command Staff received in-service training this week. The classes, which were held on Oct. 17 and 18, included Tact, Tactics and Trust, Community Policing, Taser use, ASP, De-escalation, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Building A Foundation of Trust, were held at the AEI Start-up Factory, 7310 Stonecrest Concourse.

DeKalb County Solicitor-General Donna Coleman Stribling So you think you can dance? Notable DeKalb County officials will show off their dancing skills as they compete in the second annual Dancing with the DeKalb Stars, a domestic violence fundraiser and resource expo hosted by DeKalb County Solicitor-General Donna Coleman Stribling. The event takes place on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m. at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center. The resource expo will open one hour prior at 5 p.m. The dance competition features nine teams, each of which is comprised…

Voices of Faith Ministries kicked off its Founder’s Day Celebration with an Empowerment Night, which was held on Wednesday, Oct.17, at its Stone Mountain campus. The Voices of Faith choir led the celebration, ushering in the Holy Spirit with songs of praise and worship. Dr. Manuel Scott, Jr. of Los Angeles, California served as the guest pastor, bringing a powerful message entitled “Our God is Bigger.” Bishop Hawkins said having his congregation hear Dr. Scott speak at Voices of Faith was a wonderful anniversary present. He said years ago, when he lived in California, he worshipped at Dr. Scott’s church.…

Ready to go treasure hunting. Come on out to the community yard sale on Saturday, Oct. 20, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Rockdale County Government Annex, 1400 Parker Road, Conyers. Shop for household goods, toys, clothes and other items. If you would like to be a seller, bring your table, chair and your fee. Pay on the day of the sale.   Date:          Saturday, October 20, 2018 Time:          8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fee:             $10 for Rockdale residents                      $15 Non-County residents *Set-up starts at 7 a.m.*

A packed crowd of high school students turned out for the scholarship fair sponsored by the Infinite Scholars Program and The Leadership Team USA. The two-day event, Oct. 17-18, was held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, 6400 Woodrow Road, Stonecrest. In addition to meeting with college recruiters, students interested in entering the workforce had a chance to meet employers. Thomas Ousley, founder of Infinite Scholars, and Courtney Dillard, Founder and CEO of The Leadership Team USA, said the goal of the fair was to provide students with plenty of options so that they may have hope after high…

Christopher Antonio Florence       Marco Fernando Watson        Kenneth Jackson Kenneth Jackson, Christopher Antonio Florence, and Marco Fernando Watson Jury selection is underway in the murder trial against two alleged members of the Sex, Money, Murder gang and their reputed leader for a deadly home invasion in Stone Mountain that claimed the life of a baby. Kenneth Jackson, Christopher Antonio Florence, and Marco Fernando Watson are charged with Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and weapons offenses in connection with the murder of 9-month old Kendarious Edwards. The incident…

This Halloween, having the blues will be a good thing for some trick-or-treaters. For most kids, Halloween is a holiday for earning bragging rights for collecting colossal amounts of candy — but not all kids get to fully enjoy the holiday due to some candies containing allergens or whose caregivers have opted out of the junk food tradition.  The Teal Pumpkin Project is an initiative by the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) group and a movement to create a fun, safe Halloween for children with food sensitivities. Food allergies are a life-altering and potentially life-threatening disease, and a growing…

DEKALB COUNTY The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will host several Halloween events at recreation centers on Oct. 26 – 31.  Many of the festivals are free to attend and will include face painting, movies, games and costume contests. The public is invited and children are encouraged to wear costumes. For more information, call the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs at 404-371-2711. (Note: not all events listed below are affiliated with DeKalb Parks and Recreation) Friday, Oct. 26 Lucious Sanders Recreation Center, 2484 Bruce Street, Lithonia, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Free admission. Midway Recreation…