Author: On Common Ground News

The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting involving a 17-year-old male. On Monday, May 14, 3:11 a.m., deputies responded to a 911 call that a person was shot at 798 Pleasant Hill Road N.W., Conyers and the subject was being transported by friends to Rockdale Piedmont Hospital. Christian Manuel, who lived at the residence, was pronounced dead at the hospital. At On Common Ground News deadline on May 17, no further details were available about what led up to the shooting, said Sheriff’s spokesperson Yolande Lovinggood-Moore. The public is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office if anyone…

Organizers of Caribbean Carnival met on Tuesday (May 15) with city officials, businesses and community leaders for an informational meeting in preparation for the upcoming festival. The event, which will be held on Memorial Day weekend (Saturday, May 26), is expected to draw 25,000 guests to the new city of Stonecrest. There will be a parade down Mall Parkway and afterward, there will be a festival with entertainment and vendors. Representatives from the DeKalb Police and Fire Departments were present to explain road closures and safety procedures that will be in place during the event. Police will be on hand to…

Due to predicted inclement weather conditions, the Electronics Recycling & Paper Shredding event has been canceled for this Saturday, May 19. Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful (KCRB) will be hosting a paper shredding only event. The Paper Shredding Event will be held Saturday, June 23, 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. A maximum of four banker boxes per vehicle are allowed for paper shredding, and participants must provide photo ID as proof…

State Sen. Tonya Anderson (D – Lithonia) was recently honored with the 2018 “Champion of Georgia’s Cities Award” from the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) for her work on Senate Bill 333. Senate Bill 333 allows state or local government employers to pay the cost of their employee participating in a deferred compensation plan and allows employee contributions to be instituted pursuant to an automatic enrollment arrangement. This legislation passed both chambers and was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal on May 8, 2018. “It is truly humbling to be recognized by GMA and their membership,” said Anderson. “This legislation will…

By Mark Brock, DeKalb County School District Athletics Coach Jermaine Smith’s Cedar Grove Saints wrote their names in the DeKalb County and GHSA record books with a thrilling come-from-behind 102-96 win over Westminster to capture the 2018 Class 3A Boys’ State Championship title at Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany last Saturday. The victory was the Saints’ fourth consecutive state title setting a new benchmark in DeKalb County and they became just the seventh program in state history to win four in a row. Cedar Grove trailed by over 30 points to Westminster heading into the track finals on Saturday but…

Early voting will be offered statewide this Saturday, May 12, for the May 22 General Primary and Nonpartisan General elections. Here’s a look at the schedule in Rockdale County: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, May 12 Rockdale Board of Elections and Voter Registrations Office, 1400 Parker Road, Conyers, Lobby C Additionally, voters can cast their ballots at the Board of Elections Office during the following period: Monday and Tuesday, May 14 – May 15, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Extended hours for Early Voting: Wednesday – Friday, May 16 – May 18, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. All voters…

By Valerie J. Morgan Shadae and Gavilan Crawford had no idea they were talking to Olympic gold medalist gymnast Gabby Douglas when they spent three days showing her the ropes at their gymnastics business in the city of Stonecrest. Douglas, 22, came to Stonecrest Gymnastics & Ninja Zone to film an episode of Celebrity Undercover Boss, which airs Fridays on CBS. She went undercover as a middle-aged office manager pretending to be interested in opening a gymnastics school for children. In an interview with On Common Ground News, the Crawfords said filming the segment has been one of the highlights…

Four DeKalb County School District (DCSD) campuses have been ranked among the best high schools in America by U.S. News & World Report magazine. The DeKalb School of the Arts earned a gold designation after being ranked No. 75 overall, and No. 2 in Georgia – a jump from its No. 89 overall ranking in 2017. Chamblee Charter High School also earned a gold designation, ranking No. 457 nationwide and No. 14 in Georgia.  The Arabia Mountain High School Academy of Engineering-Medic performed well enough to earn a silver designation, ranking No. 58 in Georgia.  DeKalb Early College Academy earned…

By Valerie J. Morgan Gov. Nathan Deal has vetoed HB 600, which proposed term limits for the office of mayor in the city of Stonecrest while permitting council members to serve for an unlimited number of terms. Additionally, the bill would have prevented the mayor from voting with the City Council, except to break a tie.  The governor said he vetoed HB 600 because there was no consensus among the DeKalb County Delegation members who represent the city of Stonecrest. One of the delegation members, State Rep. Earnest “Coach” Williams, did not sign off on the bill.  “These amendments to…

Dr. Terry O. Oatts will be sworn in on May 30 as Superintendent of Rockdale County Public Schools at a called meeting.  The board appointed Oatts, former Assistant Superintendent for Student Achievement in Fayette County Schools, as superintendent on May 7. Oatts was selected  after he was selected in April as the sole finalist in the board’s superintendent search. Under the guidance of the Georgia School Boards Association as search provider, the Board completed a survey of its expectations for the next superintendent, posted and reviewed the results of a survey of the community and school district staff to seek…