Author: On Common Ground News

By Mark Brock, DCSD Athletics DeKalb County has seven of its 17 playoff teams in action tonight led by the No. 8 ranked Chamblee Lady Bulldogs who host North Springs at North DeKalb at 6:00 pm. Chamblee (12-2-2) rolled through its Region 5-5A schedule 7-0 and outscoring its region opponents 67-0. Juniors Teagan Furbish and Caiah Smith lead the charge for the Lady Bulldogs. Skye Bragan is the leader in goal for the defense. Chamblee is making its 10 consecutive state playoff appearance, but is looking to improve on its 3-9 record. It is the first playoff matchup between…

Atlanta Public Schools can confirm that there was at least one shot fired in the air in the parking lot of Benjamin E. Mays High School (3450 Benjamin E. Mays Dr. SW) this afternoon.  A female student got into a verbal altercation with a male acquaintance, who is not a Mays student, that resulted in the male breaking a car window and the student receiving cuts from the broken glass.  As the male acquaintance drove away, at least one shot was fired into the air in the parking lot.  No other injuries were reported. Several Atlanta Public Schools Police…

Eight students were injured this afternoon in an accident involving a DeKalb County school bus. There were 19 students from Champion Theme School and Cedar Grove Middle School on the bus, officials said. The school bus was soundbound on I-285 near Glenwood when the bus made contact with a tractor trailer, school spokesman Andre Riley said. The students were taken to the hospital and are being checked.

https://youtu.be/MSSrqTOUh3M

By Valerie J. Morgan and Travis Hudgons The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) terminated seven employees for violating school district policies after nearly 400 bus drivers participated in a strike on April 19. The district delivered termination letters to the seven employees after reviewing events leading to the “sick out.” While the district does not discuss specific personnel matters, the employees were among a group found to actively support or encourage bus drivers not to report to work, officials said. The drivers want better pay and benefits. District officials say DeKalb school bus drivers earn about $19,400 annually and are among the…

Dr. Terry O. Oatts, Assistant Superintendent for Student Achievement in Fayette County Schools, has been selected by the Rockdale Board of Education as the sole finalist for Rockdale Schools superintendent. Information on Oatts will be available at the Board office and posted on the district website at www.rockdaleschools.org, effective Friday, April 20, 2018 and for the following 14 days prior to the Board taking final action. Jim McBrayer, Board Chair, applauded Shirley Chesser for serving as interim superintendent. “On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to express our sincere appreciation to Mrs. Shirley Chesser for the tremendous work…

On Friday, April 13, officers with the Conyers Police Department located a female who had been held at the Horizon Extended Stay hotel for the purpose of providing sexual services in exchange for money. The Police Department received a phone call from a friend of the victim who was concerned for her welfare. The investigation that followed led to the arrest of Brad Gaskin, a 36-year-old male from New Jersey. The 20-year-old female from Washington State had recently moved to the Atlanta area, police said. She and Gaskins met in DeKalb County and he offered her a place to stay.…

A DeKalb County Grand Jury has returned an indictment against a father accused of killing his 5-year-old son. The six count indictment against 25-year-old Montrais Boyd includes charges of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Knife during the Commission of a Felony, and Cruelty to Children in the First Degree (two counts) in connection with the stabbing death of Montrais Boyd, Jr. The victim’s body was discovered in a shallow grave at the child’s paternal grandmother’s home on Rocky Pine Drive in Lithonia on Feb. 21, 2018. He had been violently stabbed in the neck and buried…

The Stonecrest City Council may have set a record for deadlocks at the longest council meeting it has held since the city government was born a year ago. The council met for seven hours on April 16, starting at 6 p.m. and ending a little past 1 a.m. The Stonecrest City Council deadlocked 3 to 3 on rezoning request for a 16.79-acre tract at 1882 Coffee Road from M (light industrial) to heavy industrial (M-2). Several questions were raised by the public as to whether the proposed site would be used for industry that might create environmental waste and pollutants…

A DeKalb County Grand Jury has indicted two men for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy. The 24-count indictment against 39-year-old Kelvin Jermain Armstrong and 47-year-old Kevin Walker includes charges of Aggravated Sexual Battery, Aggravated Child Molestation, Child Molestation, Cruelty to Children in the First Degree, Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes, False Imprisonment, Reckless Conduct of an HIV Infected Person, and drug possession. The charges against the defendants stem from an incident on Jan. 29, 2018.  According to the investigation, the victim was grabbed and forced into a Buford Highway apartment while walking home after missing his school bus. Once…