Author: On Common Ground News

Dear Citizens: The First Lady and I would like to invite each of you to participate in our first annual “Stonecrest Claus.” Our goal is to provide gifts for the Stonecrest children that may miss Christmas because of circumstances beyond their control. We have been so blessed in our lives with good health, great kids, super friends and family, and now the world class City of Stonecrest. We pray that each of your lives are fulfilled with whatever brings you joy. Unfortunately, Debbie and I get to see the side of the sad faces of children that can’t celebrate the…

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners (BOC) is hosting its holiday drop-in on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 5 to 7 p.m., at the Board of Commissioners office, 962 Milstead Ave., Conyers. BOC Chairman Oz Nesbitt invites the community to stop by for refreshments, say hello and snap a holiday selfie. He says those who come need to move through quickly. The annual event draws a crowd.

The FBI is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a suspect believed to be responsible for bank robberies in Conyers, Athens and North Augusta, S.C. Frank Douglas, 58, who has multiple aliases, was released from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on Sept. 29, 2017. He is charged with a bank robbery that occurred in North Augusta, S.C. on Nov. 27. Douglas is also a suspect in the following bank robberies: On Nov. 30, 2017, at approximately 12:11 p.m.,BB&T, located at 1887 GA-20 SE, Conyers, was robbed. The suspect passed a demand note to bank employees and left the location with…

There will be a Special Called Meeting on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at 5:50 pm to approve the Ordinance and Agreement granting Franchise to Georgia Power Company by the City of Stonecrest.  The meeting will be held at the Stonecrest City Hall, 3120 Stonecrest Blvd. Stonecrest, Georgia. PUBLIC HEARING: FY 2018 BUDGET A Public Hearing for the Fiscal Year 2018 proposed City of Stonecrest Municipal Budget will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, December 18, 2017. Adoption of the FY 2018 City of Stonecrest Municipal Budget will be held at a Special Called Meeting on Wednesday, December 27,…

PUBLIC HEARING FY 2018 BUDGET December 8, 2018 A Public Hearing for the Fiscal Year 2018 proposed City of Stonecrest Municipal Budget will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, December 18, 2017. Adoption of the FY 2018 City of Stonecrest Municipal Budget will be held at a Special Called Meeting on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. Both meeting will be held at Stonecrest City Hall, 3120 Stonecrest Blvd. Stonecrest, Georgia. All residents wishing to speak on this subject may do so at the public hearing meeting.…

Superintendent R. Stephen Green, Rockdale Interim Superintendent Shirley Chesser Eight more DeKalb schools removed from “Focus” list Rockdale’s Hightower Trail Elementary exits list Eight more schools in the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) have been removed from the Federal Focus and Priority lists for underperforming Title I schools. The school have been taken off the lists, following significant increases in student achievement, district officials announced. Since 2016, a total of 13 DeKalb schools have made academic progress beyond the Focus and Priority lists, according to officials.The Georgia Department of Education announced on Dec/ 5 the following are…

Tip leads to more than 20,000 illegally dumped tires Based on a tip from a resident, DeKalb County discovered more than 20,000 illegally dumped tires at Fork Creek Mountain Park. This is the largest illegal tire dump site discovered this year and it will take approximately two weeks to completely remove the tires from the park. “Thanks to an alert citizen, the county was able to immediately respond,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. “Illegally dumped tires create serious health and fire hazards and the county is committed to preventing illegal dumping in DeKalb.” In addition to being an…

By Mackenzie N. Morgan Since re-opening into a full-time health clinic in October, Helping Hands in Rockdale County is succeeding at its mission in providing preventive healthcare services to save lives, its founders say. CEO Tolbert Morris recently presented Rockdale County Commissioner Doreen Williams with a basket donated by a 36-year-old woman, who was newly diagnosed with breast cancer. “She wanted to thank Commissioner Williams for sponsoring her mammogram. It was detected early, thanks to Commissioner Williams’ generosity in paying for the tests,” said Janice Morris, president of Helping Hands. The husband-and-wife team said the community in which…

The Greenhaven cityhood movement, a proposal for full-time mayor for Stonecrest and MARTA rail expansion were among the hot topics discussed at the House Delegation’s pre-legislative meeting on Dec. 5 at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center in Decatur. Chairman Howard Mosby conducted the meeting with several of the state lawmakers pitching in to field questions and address issues. State legislators spent nearly three hours listening to the concerns of constituents, allowing everyone in the audience who wanted to speak to have a turn. Several spoke in support of a proposal to create the city of Greenhaven including Kathryn Rice,…

  DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond will detail progress made toward fulfilling the sewer consent decree on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 6:30 p.m., at Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library, 5234 Lavista Rd., Tucker, GA 30084. In December 2011, DeKalb County reached a Clean Water Act settlement in the form of a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. The 8½-year consent decree calls for significant levels of sanitary sewer system inspection, assessment, rehabilitation and repair. To date, DeKalb’s progress toward fulfilling the consent decree includes cleaning 150 miles of sewer, removing more…