Author: On Common Ground News

Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful (KCRB) and the Conyers Home Depot will host the Bring One for the Chipper program in Rockdale County on Saturday, Jan. 6, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., at Home Depot, 1330 Dogwood Drive, Conyers. The Chipper program offers citizens the opportunity to dispose their cut trees at a central location in the community, while recycling the trees for reuse for a good cause. Across the state, thousands of volunteers in hundreds of Georgia’s communities come together for the Chipper event. Since its inception in 1991, more than 25 years ago, the program has collected more than 6…

The DeKalb County Office of the Solicitor-General has formed a new unit to join DeKalb County’s Operation Clean Sweep initiative. The new unit is comprised of two assistant solicitor-generals, a community prosecutor, an investigator and a legal assistant. The division is responsible for the prosecution of all cases involving code violations, blight and other nuisances. “With the announcement of Operation Clean Sweep, we saw a need to expand our reach to efficiently and effectively address the concerns of citizens who suffered from ongoing blight and code violations,” said Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling. “I hired prosecutors who I know will work tirelessly…

In observance of Christmas Day on Monday, Dec. 25, garbage, recyclable materials and yard trimmings collection for residential customers will be based on a revised collection schedule as follows: Monday, Dec. 25 – Christmas Day observed; no collection service. Tuesday, Dec. 26 – Residential customers whose regularly scheduled collection day is Monday, Dec. 25, will be serviced on Tuesday, Dec. 26. Wednesday, Dec. 27 – Residential customers whose regularly scheduled collection day is Tuesday, Dec. 26, will be serviced on Wednesday, Dec. 27. Thursday, Dec. 28 – Residential customers whose regularly scheduled collection day is Wednesday, Dec. 27, will be serviced…

MARTA will close the Georgia Dome Station and suspend rail service from Five Points to Vine City beginning at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19, in preparation for a second implosion at the Georgia Dome site. Shuttle buses will be provided every 15 to 20 minutes from Five Points Station to Vine City Station for patrons needing transportation through that area. The first implosion, a month ago, failed to bring down the entire structure. Two remaining walls will be imploded at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Once the demolition crew gives the all-clear, MARTA safety teams will inspect the…

Christopher Seabrook, president of the newly-formed Stonecrest Chamber of Commerce, greeted business owners and stakeholders recently at a holiday breakfast reception. The meet-and-greet was held at the Rose Garden on Covington Highway on Dec. 19. Seabrook said the new Chamber is seeking businesses to grow with the organization. The Chamber is making plans to provide networking opportunities and resources to help businesses grow.

Stonecrest City councilman George Turner is inviting the community to join Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson’s Get Smart” event this Thursday. Watch the video HERE.

Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology (RMSST) seniors and student council leaders Bridgette Benefield, Madeline Burkey, Rachel Hill, Jestini Jordan, Jessica Kamuche, Asiah McWhorter, and Sydney Turner have successfully completed the National Student Council Student Leaders Program, earning national recognition as National Student Council Distinguished Student Leaders. Fewer than 900 students nation-wide achieved this highly sought-after honor. Sponsored by the National Student Council (NatStuCo) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the Student Leaders Program serves to:  Give schools a tool to enhance and improve their efforts to develop student leaders.  Challenge students to work for recognition…

There will be a Special Called Meeting on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 at 6 p.m. for the second reading and adoption of the Ordinance to change the meeting dates for the 2018 Calendar Year and Adoption of the 2018 Fiscal Year Budget.  Work Session will follow immediately.  The meeting will be held at the Stonecrest City Hall, 3120 Stonecrest Blvd. Stonecrest, Georgia.

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, issued a statement following reports that the Trump Administration is prohibiting top health officials, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from using a list of seven words or phrases when preparing 2018 budget documents. The forbidden terms are “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based”: “From the very beginning this administration has dealt in fake news and alternative facts, so it is no surprise that it would impose language restrictions on agency employees,” said Johnson.“Censorship and the propaganda that results is dangerous.…

The New Year will bring new restrictions on bars, clubs and other late-night establishments that serve alcohol in DeKalb County. The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed an ordinance on Dec. 12 to roll back the hours for serving alcohol. Establishments must stop pouring Sunday through Wednesday at 2 a.m. The last call for alcohol Thursday through Saturday will be 2:30 a.m. In addition to the new hours, which will be uniform throughout the county, late night establishments must close 30 minutes after they stop pouring. The new law becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1. Commissioner Jeff…