Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs is hiring lifeguards for the 2018 swimming season. Applications are open through July. Pool lifeguard applicants must be 16 or older, have American Red Cross certification or certification from a nationally-recognized aquatics training program and successfully pass a criminal background check. To view available positions or complete an application, visit DeKalb County’s job search portal by visiting www.dekalbcountyga.gov, clicking on “How Do I?” and selecting “Apply for Jobs.” For more information, contact LaShanda Davis, public relations specialist, at 404-371-3643.

DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will host the Summer Food Service Program June 4 – July 27. This ongoing effort ensures that students have nutritious meals during the summer. Applications and full program site participation requirements can be found at www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parks under “Programs/Events” or picked up Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Mason Mill Recreation Center, 1340 McConnell Drive, Decatur, GA. Agencies interested in becoming a program site must apply by May 11 and should call Rose Myrick at 678-698-1114 with questions.   Current program sites for summer meals are listed below.   June…

Motorists can expect detours at the city of Conyers Hardin/O’Kelly Street Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) streetscape project continues.  The intersection of Oakland Avenue and O’Kelly Street will be closed beginning Monday, May 7, to construct a roundabout. The road closure and detours are tentatively scheduled for 90 days, weather permitting, through July 9. The Hardin/O’Kelly LCI project, endorsed by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), is designed to make the area more walkable and livable.  The project length is 0.77 miles, beginning at the intersection of Hardin Street and Dogwood Drive and ending at the intersection of O’Kelly Street and Green…

DeKalb County’s Fresh on DeK mobile farmers market is gearing up for a new season.  The community is invited to the kickoff on May 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the DeKalb County Extension, 4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur. There will be free food, free biometric screenings and prizes, as well as discounted produce while it lasts.  The mobile market was established to provide fresh produce and other goods in “food deserts.” Fresh on DeK is a program of the DeKalb County Cooperative Extension, DeKalb County Government, and the DeKalb County Board of Health.  The Centers for Disease Control and…

The 32nd Annual DeKalb County Senior Olympic Games featuring contestants ages 50 and older will be held May 2 – 11. The kickoff for the games will be Wednesday, May 2, 10 a.m., at Exchange Recreation Center, 2771 Columbia Drive, Decatur. The Olympic-style sports festival will include free-throw basketball, bowling, golf, horseshoes, track and field, billiards, swimming, table tennis and water volleyball. Events will be held at various venues across the county. The DeKalb County Senior Olympic Games, which is open to all residents of DeKalb County as well as residents from surrounding counties, is part of National Older Americans…

Congressman Hank Johnson, District 4, awarded four students scholarships worth $70,000 in the 2018 Congressional Arts Competition. Johnson announced the awards at the Lou Walker Senior Center in Lithonia during a reception for the winners on April 21 Arantza Pena Popo, a junior at Arabia Mountain High School in the city of Stonecrest, was named the grand prize winner. Popo earned a four-year scholarship worth $12,000 a year to attend the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) for her “Cultural Portrait” piece.  Arantza described her work as a “cultural portrait of facial adornment from different cultures.” The Stone Mountain…

by Mackenzie N. Morgan Dr. Antoinette G. Alvarado has called on a chess champion to share success strategies with students at the Alpha School in Rockdale County on April 30.  Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson, founder of Be Someone Inc., in Stone Mountain, will lay the foundation for the screening of the film, “Queen of Katwe.” Hudson, a chess champion and motivational speaker, served as a Disney consultant for the movie. Disney picked Hudson, who grew up poor and learned chess from a teacher, a move that forever changed his life. “Queen of Katwe” tells the story of a poor, 10-year-old Ugandan…

LifeLine Animal Project presents our DeKalb County Pet of the Week, Momma.  With Mother’s Day around the corner, Momma would love to celebrate motherhood at home with her new family. This three-year-old girl is the perfect choice for anyone looking for a calm and gentle dog who is good natured.  Momma’s favorite things to do include taking long naps on a comfy dog bed, resting her head in her human’s lap and going for slow walks.  This wonderful girl is great on a leash, never pulls and sticks right by your side.  If Momma sounds like the pup for you,…

By Mark Brock, DCSD Athletics The No. 6 ranked Clarkston Angoras and the Tucker Tigers were the lone bright spots on a night when four DeKalb soccer teams’ seasons would end. The toughest loss would come as the No. 1 ranked Cross Keys Indians (15-2-0) would score an own goal that made the difference in a 2-1 loss to Grady at Adams Stadium on Wednesday night. The two teams played a scoreless first half, but with 34:51 left in the game Eduardo Dimas got behind the Grady defense on a nice pass from Jose Romero to give Cross…

The Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney is hosting a child support ‘settlement’ day for delinquent parents to become financially compliant with their child support court orders. The event will be held on Friday, April 27, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Child Support Enforcement/UIFSA Division of the District Attorney’s Office. Notification letters have already been mailed to eligible parents outlining the amount due and other documents required to be presented in person. Parents who remit proper payments can have their driver’s licenses reinstated, if applicable. Delinquent parents who fail to appear or bring…