Author: On Common Ground News

State Sen. Emanuel Jones (D – Decatur) released the following statement regarding the potential closure of the South DeKalb campus of Georgia Piedmont Technical College: “After reading an editorial in the “On Common Ground” newspaper regarding the potential closing of the South DeKalb Georgia Piedmont Technical College Campus, I have serious concerns that require immediate attention. I am the State Senator who represents the residents and citizens of the South DeKalb community. Our emphasis is to promote economic development and academic excellence in the South DeKalb community. As such, the programmatic offering at this facility which includes: GED, Continuing…

Ezra Tyron Black, a detention deputy with the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release this evening (July 31). Black was arrested on July 26 around 9 p.m. He was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute; crossing of guard lines with drugs; violation of oath of office; and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, officials said. The Special Investigation Unit received information that inmates had items in their possession that were not permitted. SIU conducted an undercover…

The Aetna Foundation donated $15,000 worth of Narcan kits to the DeKalb County Department of Health at the second annual Opioid Summit, which was held on July 26 at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur.  The half-day summit featured 20 speakers—from social advocates and health officials to policy makers and nonprofits.  The Narcan kits, containing 408 doses, will be distributed by the DeKalb County Department of Health to first responders to combat the opioid epidemic across the county.  “Opioid abuse and overdose is one of the most urgent public health crises facing our community today,” said…

  By Valerie J. Morgan Two women were victorious in DeKalb County run-offs. DeKalb  voters overwhelmingly elected media executive Lorraine Cochran-Johnson to serve as the Super District 7 commissioner in the July 24 runoff. Cochran-Johnson defeated incumbent Gregory Adams with 67 percent (9,993 votes ), according to preliminary election results. Adams received 32.63 percent (4,840). The results must be certified by the DeKalb Board of Elections and Georgia Secretary of State. With Cochran-Johnson’s election, there will be three Johnsons serving on the DeKalb Board of Commissioners: Commissioners Larry Johnson,  District 3; Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, District 5; and Cochran-Johnson, Super…

Rockdale County Public Schools’ officials held a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on July 24 for the historic Pine Street Elementary School at its new location, 500 Sigman Road.  The two-story, 170,000-square-foot building replaces the former Pine Street Elementary, the oldest existing public school in Rockdale County. Rockdale Schools Superintendent, Dr. Terry Oatts, Principal Kim Vier, along with Board of Education members Jim McBrayer, chairman, and Wales Barksdale, vice chair, led the dedication celebration.  The 60-year-old elementary school, which opened in 1957 at 1300 Pine Log Road in Conyers, School is being repurposed for administrative offices.  The school, which will…

By Valerie J. Morgan A two-mile trail of tires and a muddy shoe print led Rockdale County authorities to the suspect who illegally dumped over 100 tires. The Rockdale Sheriff’s Office arrested Zavien Corell Sims, a 17-year-old from Conley, and charged him with illegally dumping 107 tires. Lt. Corporal Robert Wilson said the tires were dumped from the entrance lane of 7th Century Row near McDaniel Mill Road to Klondike Road at Stonebridge Trail.  Wilson was traveling north on McDaniel Mill Road around 6 a.m. on July 12 when he observed a large U-Haul truck stopped in the exit lane…

By Valerie J. Morgan  Ruby Tuesday has closed its Conyers location at 1714 Highway 138 N.E. According to a sign posted on the door, the restaurant closed on July 23.      Efforts to contact the company’s media relations by e-mail and the restaurant by telephone were unsuccessful. The restaurant’s listing on Google has been changed to “permanently closed.” The shutdown of the Conyers location follows declining sales that have plagued the chain for several years. Officials announced in August 2016 that it planned to close 95 underperforming locations. At that time, the company had not identified which of its…

By Mackenzie N. Morgan DeKalb County Sheriff Jeffrey L. Mann hosted the ninth annual “Community Day with the Sheriff” on July 25 at the Stars & Strikes bowling center in Stone Mountain. The event, which began in 1999 as collaboration between the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office under then-Sheriff Thomas Brown and businessman Tom Walker, Sr., owner of Suburban Lanes, was started to promote positive relationships between young people and law enforcement. “I grew up in a small town where we knew and respected the police chief and all of the deputies. We are trying to rebuild that same mutual respect…

s  The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) continues to address the concerns of its bus drivers through an open, collaborative dialogue, officials say. Superintendent R. Stephen Green met recently with drivers in the latest step in this ongoing process. In a statement following that meeting, Green noted actions taken recently include offering benefits to the drivers. To date, DCSD has addressed 22 concerns of the drivers, while another 23 are currently being addressed, and 13 more are being researched. “DCSD continues to work with its bus drivers on solutions that address their concerns. Substantial progress has been made through a…

A Stone Mountain couple has been arrested by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Unit on charges they caused harm to two juveniles. Warrants issued on July 19 allege that Tamara Raychell McGowan, 38, and Thomas Charles Young, 42, locked two juveniles in the basement of their home on North Hairston Road for hours and fed them noodles only once a day between June 1, 2017 and April 30, 2018. The warrants also allege that the suspects exposed the juveniles to drug use and sexual activity, and that they attempted to have the juveniles participate. McGown and Young are…