Author: On Common Ground News

The Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs Department’s Citizens Advisory Board meeting will be held Tuesday, May 23, at 6 p.m., at the Exchange Recreation Center, located at 2771 Columbia Drive, Decatur.

Stonecrest City Council work sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, May 24 and May 31, at 6 p.m., at Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road, Lithonia. Council member Jazzmin Cobble is planning a community meeting for May 25. More information will be provided when a location is determined. Council member Rob Turner, District 2, will host a “Listen and Learn” community meeting on June 1, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road, Lithonia. The next City Council meeting will be held on Monday, June 5, 10 a.m. at Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road,…

The Stonecrest City Council has hired a firm to temporarily handle city personnel and another company to help secure a site for City Hall as the new municipality takes shape. Mayor Jason Lary said the city should realize some revenues at the end of August that will come from franchise fees for various entities thanks to pre-work that was done by the Stonecrest City Alliance Vice Chair Plez Joyner. Lary said property tax revenues are expected for the first quarter in 2018. “In the interim, I am interviewing organizations that can handle Tax Anticipation Notes (TAN),” said Lary. Lary said…

Fairfield Baptist Church will celebrate its 132 anniversary on invites the public to attend commemorative services in honor of the church’s 132nd anniversary. The community is invited to help celebrate the milestone on Sunday, May 21, 7:30 and 10:45 a.m. worship services, which will be held at 6133 Redan Road, Lithonia. Fairfield Baptist Church was founded in 1885 and is a pillar of the Redan community. This year’s celebration, entitled “ Thanking God for the Past and Growing Stronger in the Future,” will be led by the church’s pastor, the Rev. Micheal Benton. The celebration will continue Monday through Wednesday,…

“Crime Watch Daily” with host Chris Hansen, a nationally-syndicated crime show, will take a behind-the-scenes- look at DeKalb County Police Departments Vice Unit as the unit executes prostitution stings. Hansen went along with the Vice Unit as it arrested pimps, johns and prostitutes during a two-day undercover operation. The segment airing Wednesday, May 17, on Peachtree TV, 10 a.m., shines a spotlight on the sex trafficking problem in the U.S.

The Atlanta Hawks Foundation will unveil state-of-the-art public basketball courts at DeKalb County’s N.H. Scott Recreation Center on Saturday, May 20, 11 a.m., marking the foundation’s second DeKalb location and the ninth Metropolitan Atlanta site to receive Hawks-themed courts since 2015. The Hawks will celebrate the opening of the courts with a youth basketball showcase featuring participants from the DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs. “With this new court, we’re thrilled to partner with DeKalb County in building another sustainable civic asset for Atlanta’s east side,” said David Lee, Executive Director, Atlanta Hawks Foundation and EVP, Hawks…

The DeKalb County Police Chief James W. Conroy and CEO Michael Thurmond honored the county’s fallen officers during a memorial service, which was held on May 10 at the DeKalb Historic Courthouse in downtown Decatur. The memorial service recognized May as the month law enforcement agencies across the country honored those who have died in the line of duty. The service brought together surviving family members, police officers elected officials and community groups. DeKalb honored officers from Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Pine Lake, Stone Mountain and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, DeKalb County Marshal’s Office and MARTA Police.

The I-85 corridor, closed since the bridge collapsed as a result of a March 30 fire, will reopen on May 15, officials announced. Gov. Nathan Deal, along with Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Commissioner Russell McMurry and State Transportation Board Chairman Robert L. Brown Jr., made the announcement on May 9. The northbound and southbound lanes of the I-85 bridge over Piedmont Road in metro Atlanta are projected to open to traffic by morning rush-hour on May 15. The new opening date is nearly two weeks earlier than GDOT’s most recent commitment of Memorial Day weekend, and five weeks ahead…

Rockdale County’s Board of Commissioners would grow from three to five seats and four new commission districts would be created under a legislative bill that would change the structure that Rockdale has had for 40 years. Some think Rockdale has outgrown its three-person commission, established in 1977, while others say it’s working just fine. The subject is one that will be discussed at a community meeting the Citizens Progressive Club is hosting on May 15, 7 p.m., at Bald Rock Baptist Church, 2284 Old Covington Road, Conyers. “It’s going to be a listening sessions for our state legislators to get…