Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling invites DeKalb County high school juniors and seniors to enter the 2018 Stop Teen Dating Violence Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest. Coleman, in partnership with Cinderella’s Gowns, Men’s Wearhouse of Stonecrest, and Lynette Clove, an independent sales director for Mary Kay, plan to give away a prom package to the winner. With February being recognized as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, Stribling is encouraging DeKalb teens to promote healthy dating practices that prevent dating violence by producing a one-minute PSA. The student who creates the most impactful PSA will win a prom prize package, which…

The Stonecrest Babies “R” Us store is closing as part of the corporation’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan, officials said. The restructuring calls for the closing of up to 182 stores nationally and abroad to ease debt. According to reports, the stores haven’t had an annual profit since 2013, losing much of its share of the toy market to mass merchants such as Walmart, Target and Amazon. A manager at the Stonecrest location said the store would begin its liquidation on Feb. 8, closing for good by April. The company is holding going-out-of-business sales at 25 stores in the United…

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED By Valerie J. Morgan   State Rep. Vernon Jones said that he is working with city officials to seek legal action against Sam’s Club. Jones said Sam’s Club violated the Federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) when it abruptly closed the Stonecrest store on Jan. 11, and could face penalties for failure to properly notify workers and city officials of the massive layoffs. “This has been sloppy from Day 1,” Jones said. “Sam’s Club violated the federal WARN Act. I will be talking with legal counsel, officials, the community as well as employees affected. They failed…

The Stonecrest Toys “R” Us™ on Turner Hill Road is not closing as part of the corporation’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan. However, the Babies “R” Us at Stonecrest, which is owned by Toys “R” Us,™ is closing, Nicole Hayes, a spokesperson for the corporation, said today. According to reports, the company has not had an annual profit since 2013. Toys “R” Us™ plans to close up to 182 stores nationally and abroad as part of a reorganization to ease its debt, officials of the company, headquartered in Wayne, NJ, announced. The company is holding going-out-of-business sales at 25 stores…

Oct. 5, 1940-Jan. 18, 2018 Family and friends gathered today for the homegoing celebration of Gilbert “Dr. Turman,” Jr., a former principal of Southwest DeKalb High School and founder of the South DeKalb Neighborhood Coalition. Turman also was known in Newton County, where he worked as an educator before working in DeKalb. Mr. Turman died on Jan. 18. He was 77. The Rev. Aaron Park officiated the 1 p.m. funeral, which was held at Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 6275 Campbellton Road, Atlanta. Mr. Turman is survived by his wife of 49 years, Anne; three children: Carla Turman Burnett (Collie); Gilbert…

The next meeting of the DeKalb County Board of Health is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 25, in the Bohan Auditorium, Richardson Health Center, 445 Winn Way, Decatur.   The meeting will begin at 3 p.m.  The public is invited to attend. Agenda items for the meeting include the presentation of the contract for approval for the renovation of the North DeKalb Health Center.  Also included are service award presentations, a director’s report, and the financial status report. Anyone who would like to bring an issue before the board can be placed on the agenda by contacting Erica Brooks at 404-294-3787. Written…

The public is invited to a public meet and greet with new DeKalb County deputy chief operating officer of public safety, Joseph “Jack” H. Lumpkin on February 3, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive Decatur, GA 30030.

A domestic violence disturbance rocked a quiet community in Rockdale County on Sunday and now Rockdale Sheriff’s deputies have a 41-year-old man in custody for fatally shooting his wife. Letron Jerome Bell, 41, was charged with the death of his wife, Lisa LaShawn Samuel Bell. The suspect was taken into custody after police responded to a call, arriving at the family’s home on 4680 Habersham Way in Conyers on Sunday, Jan. 21, around 11:54 a.m. There were three children ages 7, 10 and 17 in the home at the time of the shooting, authorities said. When deputies arrived on the scene,…

The Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center is celebrating a decade of the performing arts in South DeKalb with a calendar filled with events. David Manuel, interim deputy director of DeKalb Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs,  said that 2018 will be jam-packed with programs from now until the annual “Urban Nutcracker” musical, which will be held in December. “We’re having events all year round. This is our way of saying thank you to the community for helping us celebrate 10 years of bringing the best of arts and culture to South DeKalb,” said Manuel, who has been over the Porter…