Author: On Common Ground News

Justin Edwards, the son of DeKalb County activist Joel Edwards, will be laid to rest on Saturday, Feb. 17. Justin Edwards, 34, was shot to death on Feb. 10 by an unknown assailant as he and his girlfriend were headed home. Police said Justin Edwards had stopped to check out two flat tires in the parking lot of an abandoned building on Memorial Drive and Boulevard in Cabbagetown around 11:30 p.m. Witnesses told police that a suspect approached the car, fired shots and then ran. Edwards’ girlfriend wasn’t hurt. Joel Edwards told WSB TV he believes it was a targeted…

By Valerie Morgan Attorney Genet McIntosh Hopewell has announced her candidacy for DeKalb Superior Court Judge, challenging incumbent Courtney Johnson for the seat. The General Primary election is May 22. The longtime attorney said she is running to bring more fairness and compassion to the bench—something, she says, is woefully lacking under Johnson, who was elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. Hopewell said Judge Johnson does not treat people with dignity, pointing to an incident involving a public defender who urinated in her chair because Judge Johnson refused to allow her to take a bathroom break during a murder…

Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith to Give Reading at Emory Tracy K. Smith, the current U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winner, will give a reading of her poems on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 4 p.m. at Emory University’s Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. The event is open to the public at no charge. Tickets are not required, but seating will be limited. Books and a limited-edition broadside will be for sale at the reading, with a signing immediately after. Smith is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, “Ordinary Light,” and three books of poetry. She won the…

By Dr. Toni G. Alvarado In March 2015, I received an email from a 4th grade school teacher in Houston, TX asking me if I would be available to speak with the family of one of her students who had been removed from the school for psychological evaluation after raising her hand in class and announcing that she was planning to commit suicide because she did not like the color of her skin. You can imagine the emotions that gripped me after reading this email. I immediately connected to this story because of my own childhood struggle with being dark…

The City of Stonecrest City Council will meet on Feb. 19, 6 p.m., at Stonecrest City Hall, 3120 Stonecrest Blvd. This is the voting meeting for the council. City Council Agenda 2-19-2018 CITY OF STONECREST, GEORGIA Honorable Mayor Jason Lary, Sr. Council Member Jimmy Clanton, Jr. – District 1         Council Member Rob Turner- District 2 Council Member Jazzmin Cobble – District 3          Council Member George Turner- District 4 Council Member Diane Adoma – District 5 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA February 19, 2018 6:00 p.m. Stonecrest City Hall 3120 Stonecrest Blvd. Stonecrest, Georgia 30038 CALL TO ORDER:   Mayor…

The Stephenson High School Trombone Choir from DeKalb County has been invited to perform at the 2018 Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha, the nation’s most prestigious festival for scholastic musical ensembles. The 27th Annual Festival, which showcases the finest music ensembles and student musicians in America, will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 15-17. Under the direction of Calvin L. Morris, Jr. and Quentin R. Goins, the Trombone Choir was selected to perform by a panel of esteemed music educators and conductors, who judged a recorded audition. “When we received the news of our acceptance to the…

DeKalb County District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson is hosting a Public Safety Town Hall Meeting to allow residents to discuss various public safety issues and needs in their communities. The town hall meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. at Bob Mathis Elementary School, 3505 Boring Road, Decatur. The keynote speaker for the event will be Joseph “Jack” Lumpkin, DeKalb County’s new chief operating officer for public safety. Residents also will have the opportunity to meet representatives from various county departments, including the Sheriff’s Office, Marshal’s Office, Solicitor-General’s Office, Juvenile Court, District Attorney’s Office, DeKalb Community Service…

Stonecrest City Councilman Rob Turner, District 2, will host a town hall meeting on Feb. 22, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road, Stonecrest. The community is invited to hear updates on issues relevant to the city and community at large.

Ira Henderson, a cornerback for Stephenson High School’s football team, was arrested on Feb. 9 after allegedly robbing an 18-year-old student at gunpoint after school, according to DeKalb County police. Henderson, 18, and another unidentified male suspect are accused of robbing the victim of his backpack and $1,200 Louis Vuitton gold tennis shoes on Jan. 26. The victim said he had gotten off the school bus around 4 p.m. when he was approached by the suspects in the driveway at his home, police said. The suspects pulled up in a white 4-door Lexus truck, one carrying a shotgun, the other…

Kaylon Janard Jiles, 24, of Tucker and Traquan Alexander Mcleod, 22, of Decatur are in custody for the murder of Lawrenceville resident Eric Fisher, who was shot to death outside a Motel 6 in DeKalb County. The shooting took place in November 2017 after Jiles and Fisher got into an argument, DeKalb Sheriff’s spokesperson Cynthia Williams said.  Fisher was shot multiple times. Jiles fled the scene in a black sedan, according to reports. Four months later, Jiles  and Mcleod were arrested on Feb. 12 by the DeKalb Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit. Jiles, Mcleod and a third person were spotted at a…