Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR—The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit, in cooperation with the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force of the U.S. Marshal’s Office, have arrested 26-year-old Samuel M. Alexander of East Point as a suspect in a shooting death on July 7, 2017. Warrants were issued on July 8, 2017 alleging that Alexander fatally shot Adrian Anderson while in a physical struggle that took place during commission of an armed robbery on Covington Highway in Decatur. Alexander is charged with murder and armed robbery. Alexander was arrested at a residence in East Point and transported to the DeKalb County Jail without incident.

As the county experiences a rise in temperatures during the summer, DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) offers advice to stay cool throughout the season. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 1999 and 2009, an average of 658 people died each year due to heat in the United States. Older adults, the very young and people with mental illnesses or chronic diseases are at highest risk. Below are some tips to stay safe in the heat this summer: Stay in an air-conditioned area during the hottest hours of the day. Residents without air conditioning should go to…

In case you haven’t heard, this entire week, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) and law enforcement agencies throughout the State of Georgia are teaming up with their counterparts in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee in “Operation Southern Shield,” a week-long speed prevention and enforcement initiative in each of their respective states on interstates, major highways and local roads. If you’re speeding over the limit, you could face fines under the Super Speeder law. Georgia’s “Super Speeder Law” defines a Super Speeder as a driver convicted of speeding at 75 mph or more on a two-lane…

The Georgia Department of Education released income guidelines for free and reduced price meals for the 2017-18 school year. The Georgia Department of Education has announced its guidelines for free and reduced-price meals for the 2017-18 school year. The free and reduced-price meal option is available for families who are financially unable to consistently pay a full price for lunch for their children. Application forms have been sent to homes with a letter to parents and guardians detailing the requirements to qualify for the programs. To apply, households should fill out the applications and return them to the school. For…

State Representatives Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain), Doreen Carter (D-Lithonia) and Dar’shun Kendrick (D-Lithonia) will host their “Back to School Zone” on Saturday, July 29, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the Redan Recreation Center, 1839 Phillips Road, Lithonia. The event will feature a teen job fair, NFL helmet safety clinic, free sports physicals and music by DJ Black. Ian Holmes, Southeast regional manager of USA Football NFL Foundation, will speak to parents and coaches at 10 a.m. regarding helmet and equipment safety for young football players. There will be a guest appearance by former Atlanta Falcon Dewey McClain. The…

Creative Currents Artist Collaborative is calling for a radio ban on singer R. Kelly’s music and his upcoming Aug. 25 performance at Wolf Creek Amphitheater in Atlanta. Ms. Oronike Odeleye, managing director of Creative Currents Artist Collaborative, started a petition on July 18 after reading the recent Buzzfeed article (http://bzfd.it/2tedbB1) about new “sex cult” allegations against the singer, which state R. Kelly is mentally and sexually abusive of six women who live in his properties in Chicago and Atlanta, and that he dictates what they eat, how they dress, when they bathe, when they sleep, and how they engage in…

Civil rights activists condemned DeKalb County’s elected officials for their silence in the case involving the DeKalb police officer who beat a homeless black woman with his baton at a convenience store on June 4. Gerald Rose, president of the New Order National Human Rights Organization and Jose Dean of Black Man Never Forget, held a news conference on Tuesday outside the Maloof Auditorium in downtown Decatur to demand action in the investigation involving Officer P.J. Larscheid, a white DeKalb police officer who beat Katie McCrary, a 38-year-old black woman. Rose said elected officials should be as outraged…

DiJanelle Fowler, mother of 13-month-old Skylar Fowler, has been arrested in connection with the death of her child. On June 15, Fowler called 911 from Emory Physician parking garage advising that she had a medical emergency. Emory Police responded and found the mother and child in the car. The child was strapped into her car seat in the back seat of the vehicle and was pronounced dead on the scene. During the investigation, it was determined that the child’s condition and injuries were not consistent with the timeline given by the mother. It was also revealed that the mother…

DeKalb County removed 1,199 tons of debris from demolished buildings at Brannon Hill Condominium in Clarkston on July 13 and 14, completing Phase I of cleanup plans at the development. “I cannot overstate my appreciation for the hardworking men and women who executed a logistically challenging plan to cleanup this devastation and increase the quality of life for DeKalb residents,” said DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond. “Blight contributes to diminished public health and safety, and though we still have far to go, this is a positive first step.” Phase I of the Brannon Hill cleanup was completed by 37 county…

Public pressure is mounting for swift action against the DeKalb County police officer who beat a homeless woman with his baton inside a convenience store. Today, the DeKalb Chapter of the SCLC and other civil rights organizations boycotted the Chevron, 3364 Glenwood Road, where the incident took place on June 4. They called for justice in the investigation involving Officer P.J. Larscheid, a white DeKalb police officer, who beat Katie McCrary, a 38-year-old black woman. Larscheid said police were called to the store after the woman was suspected of asking a customer for money. Nathan Knight of the DeKalb SCLC…