Author: On Common Ground News

First Place winners Congratulations to the winners of the Rockdale County Middle School Oratorical Competition, who were chosen on Oct. 28 by a five-member panel of distinguished judges. The annual event was held at Conyers Middle School. The first-place winners each took home $500, second-place winners $350, and the third-place winners $150. The competition judges were Rockdale Superior Court Judge Robert Mumford; Pastor Antoinette Alvarado; Rockdale State Court Judge Nancy Bills; Rockdale Probate Court Judge Clarence Cuthpert, Jr.; and Cory Thompson, director of communications at Georgia Piedmont Technical College. Toastmasters District 14 Director Al Wiseman served as speaking coach…

A DeKalb County Grand Jury has indicted a Decatur man accused of killing his grandmother and hiding her body along an I-20 embankment near the Flat Shoals Road exit. Jurors returned a five-count indictment against 35-year-old Gregory Williams on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another, and theft by taking in connection with the murder and disappearance of Millicent Williams, 78. Williams, a military veteran who reportedly had Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome, had lived with his grandmother for several years. Police were called to their home six times between July 2011 and September 2004…

Pastors, police officers and the community will unite at two upcoming worship services in DeKalb County. The Unite DeKalb services are part of an effort to build better relationships and further the Citizens Review Panel, which was created to review issues surrounding actions of police officers against citizens, said Pastor Steven Dial, who heads the DeKalb Pastors Alliance. The first unity service will be held on Friday, Nov.10, 7 p.m., at Greenforest Baptist Church, 3250 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. The second service will be held on Friday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m. at St. Philip AME Church, 240 Candler Road SE, Atlanta.…

Springfield Baptist Church, 1877 Iris Drive S.E., Conyers, will host a community resources meet-and-greet to assist families of individuals incarcerated and recently released. The church’s Transitional Prison Ministry is presenting the resources event on Saturday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to noon, at the church’s activity center. The event will provide housing and employment information and representatives from the Georgia Department of Corrections, State Board of Pardons and Paroles and area transition centers will lead discussions. Refreshments and a light lunch will be served. For more information, call 770-929-1111.

Resource Center for Community Action (RCCA) will host its Thanksgiving mobile food pantry distribution on Thursday, Nov. 16, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1400 Parker Road, Conyers. Bags of chicken leg quarters and hens will be given away. The food is free to anyone in need while quantities last. Drive up in your vehicle and volunteers will bring the food to you. Food also will be given away at Mayor’s Park in Lovejoy, Georgia on Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This will be the second year the RCCA has held the Community Thanksgiving giveaways at two locations. For…

Rockdale Board of Commissioner Chairman Oz Nesbitt, Sr. has appointed 13 volunteers to serve as community ambassadors. Nesbitt said he created the team of ambassadors to help promote Rockdale and to serve as volunteers at community events with county officials or on their behalf. The volunteers became ambassadors after completing the Rockdale Community Ambassadors Workshop training on Oct. 28 at Johnson Park Recreation Center. Nesbitt appointed the following individuals to serve as ambassadors: Connie Alsobrook Katie Beam Everett Bevelle Gwen Butler Jessica Ivey Keith Lamar, Sr. Betty Maddox Terry Moore Jerry Sheppard Daniel Whidby Ivy Wroe Paula Sims Ballard…

Conyers Police offer reward in Conyers murder case  Conyers Police, in conjunction with Crime Stoppers, is now offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the shooting death of Richard “ATL” Green. Investigators have released a sketch of the suspect. The reward was increased from $2,000. On Sunday, Oct. 22, at noon, Richard “ATL” Green was shot and killed inside a residence on Pinedale Circle in Conyers. The shooter is described as a tall slender black male with a “box” style haircut and a gap in his front teeth.  He was…

The Stonecrest Business Alliance Board of Directors will host a community breakfast meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 8 – 10 a.m., at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 7850 Stonecrest Square. Attendees will receive an update regarding the Overlay District zoning codes and efforts to form a Stonecrest Community Improvement District. Guest speakers include Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary, Stonecrest Economic Development Manager Sabrina Wright and APD Solutions CEO Vaughn Irons. Information will be provided regarding city-wide progress and an update on Atlanta Sports City, followed by a Q&A session. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, contact Kimia…

DeKalb County’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department is hosting GIS Day to promote GIS awareness on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Manuel Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur. The DeKalb GIS event will showcase the newest GIS apps including Site Selector, a tool to identify available commercial property. The event will also showcase geocache capabilities, allowing citizens to find floodplain information for their properties and more. This event is free and open to the public. Current GIS apps are available online at www.dekalbcountyga.gov/gis by clicking “Maps and Appshttps://dekalbgis.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html.” Worldwide, GIS Day is an annual event…

The Redan Soul Line Dancers, a group of retired senior citizens, held its first extravaganza and donated $630 to the Redan Booster Club. Proceeds for the Sept. 9 dinner, which featured entertainment by the Soul Line Dancers, will be used to support mentoring programs for children and adult activities at the Redan Recreation Center. The check was presented to Booster Club Director Portia Perry. The recreation center invites retirees, seniors and other first-time dancers, to join the Redan Soul Line Dancers for classes, which are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The classes are free.…