Author: On Common Ground News

Conyers is joining communities across the country by participating in the 35th Annual National Travel and Tourism Week (May 6-12), which celebrates what travel means to American jobs, economic growth and personal well-being. The theme of this year’s National Travel and Tourism Week is “Travel: Then and Now.”   Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit the Conyers Welcome Center, 901 Railroad Street in historic Olde Town Conyers, May 7-11, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be refreshments, brochures and exhibits showcasing historic and present-day photographs of Conyers tourism attractions.    The Tourism Week is not only a time…

By Travis Hudgons Members of the Martin Luther King Jr. High School ‘Kings of Halftime’ Marching Band received exciting news on May 3. The band will perform in the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The band will proudly represent DeKalb County as one of nine marching bands selected from a nationwide pool of 100 high school, collegiate and military bands that applied. According to a release, each year, Macy’s selects marching bands with stage presence, musical talent and marching ability for its annual Thanksgiving Day parade. The spectacle draws an audience of more than 3.5 million live spectators and 50…

By Valerie J. Morgan A proposal to award a $3.8 million contract to Grice Consulting, Inc. to manage the city of Stonecrest’s SPLOST program has died—for the second time in two months. The Stonecrest City Council deadlocked 3-3 on the proposal during a tense special called meeting on May 3. In April, the council also could not reach an agreement, deadlocking 3-3 on the matter.  The council has been bickering over who should manage the SPLOST program since the council initially approved an agreement with Grice last September. The 6-year, $47 million SPLOST program is slated to fund several infrastructure and…

Gov. Nathan Deal has signed HB 930, legislation that creates the state-level Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority (the ATL), which provides a new structure for coordinated transit planning and funding for the 13-county metro Atlanta region. The ATL will be responsible for developing a Regional Transit Plan, as well as identifying and prioritizing the projects and initiatives required to develop region-wide transit. Deal also allotted $100 million in 10-year General Obligation bonds in the FY 2019 budget to fund public transit.  “Georgia is a destination for all types of industries and people from all walks of life to come and enjoy…

  The Stonecrest Friends will have a “Super Book Sale” on Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road. There will be used books in all categories for sale including fiction/non-fiction, crafts and romance. Magazines, textbooks, encyclopedias, books on tapes/CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes also will be available. For more information, call 404-482-3828.

  A man convicted in connection with a deadly home invasion inside a Decatur apartment complex has been sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 20 years.  Desean Subar, 26, was sentenced May 2 during court proceedings before DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha Jackson. Subar was convicted following a jury trial on charges of Murder, Felony Murder, Home Invasion, Armed Robbery and weapons offenses for the shooting death of Justin Bryant, 21.  Bryant was gunned down in his Cedar Brook Drive apartment on Jan. 29, 2016.  Subar and an armed accomplice stormed into the victim’s apartment with guns…

The DeKalb County Police Department Homicide Unit and the Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit are searching for a suspect wanted for the murder of 43-year-old Willie James Hammond on Feb. 13, 2018. The suspect, 19-year-old Taveyon McNeil, is believed to have fled the state. Warrants are being held on him at the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. Two other suspects have been identified, arrested and charged in connection with the murder of Hammond. Javien Evans, 17, is in custody at the DeKalb County Jail and Tamorris D’Tron Tyler, 26, is being held at the Rockdale County Jail. McNeil is described as 5…

Carolyn Fuller, who served as the Library Director of the Henry County Library System since 1999, has accepted the position of the Interim Library Director of The Conyers-Rockdale Library System. Fuller has a BS in Music Education from Concord College. She received her MS in Christian Education/Church Music, and her Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Florida. During her tenure at the Henry County Library, Fuller oversaw the construction of five additional libraries. In 2012, Fuller was selected to inventory and catalog the contents of the Governor’s Mansion library at the request of Gov. Nathan Deal…

The DeKalb County Police Department is honoring officers who sacrificed their lives in service during its annual Fallen Officers Memorial Service on Wednesday, May 9, 10 a.m., at the DeKalb History Center, 101 E. Court Square, Decatur.  The service is part of the national recognition law enforcement agencies from around the country have planned during the month of May to pay respects to the officers and their families.  DeKalb will also recognize fallen officers from Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, DeKalb County Marshall’s Office, MARTA, Pine Lake and Stone Mountain. The memorial service brings surviving family members, police…

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston has been selected to receive the 2018 “Champion for Change” award presented by the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence (WRC).  Boston will be recognized during the 15th annual Champions for Change awards luncheon and silent auction, sponsored by Southern Company, on May 10 at the Georgia Aquarium.  As a non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence, WRC each year honors members of the Greater Atlanta community who work to advance that mission. Boston was selected for her leadership and commitment to ending domestic violence in Georgia. “It is an incredible honor to…