Author: On Common Ground News

The Rockdale County Water and Sewerage Authority will meet on Tuesday, July 11, 8:30 a.m., at the Rockdale Assembly Hall, 901 Main St., Conyers. The meeting is open to the public. The Conyers/Rockdale Planning Commission meeting will be held Thursday, July 13, 7 p.m., in the Rockdale Assembly Hall.

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson, District 3, recently hosted his annual “boot camp” for homeowners. The free information session, which was held at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center in Decatur, gave homeowners an opportunity to learn how to sustain a homeowners’ association and how to protect their investments in their homes. County officials, including Code Enforcement representatives, provided homeowners information on the dos and don’ts, and representatives from BB&T Bank, State Farm and the DeKalb Alliance discussed available resources. Commissioner Johnson said more than 150 people and estimated 40 Homeowners Associations attended the boot camp.

  Penny Womack, an Adult Education instructor at Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC), was recently named runner-up for Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE), a national organization promoting adult literacy and education. “Penny Womack’s commitment to adult education and her willingness to go above and beyond by spending extra time to assure her students succeed has been recognized nationally by COABE,” said GPTC President Jabari Simama. “She is the type of instructor, teacher, and mentor that we value at Georgia Piedmont, and her work ethic is exemplary,” he said. Womack began teaching Adult Education…

After Kevin Ward Clark, Jr. was arrested on June 29 by the DeKalb Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit, his father, Kevin Ward Clark, Sr., surrendered to deputies without incident and is now also in custody at the DeKalb County Jail. Kevin Clark, Sr., is charged with felony murder in the shooting death of Carlos Clay Lemons on April 27, 2017 at a coin laundry on Memorial Drive in Decatur.  According to arrest warrants, both suspects lured Lemons out of the Spin Cycle Coin Laundry, where he was shot and killed. Kevin Clark, Jr. was arrested on June 28 on probation violation…

DeKalb County Public Library and the DeKalb County Police Department are joining forces to launch two special programs. Read with a Cop and Safety with a Cop are designed to strengthen police-community relationships by bringing police officers and the community together. Through Read with a Cop, officers read books to children and give a tour of a police car to kids who attend the activity. The purpose is to build good, trusting relationships between the officers and your children. Safety with a Cop is an adult program. Participants meet police from the community in an informal atmosphere to discuss safety…

 Two wanted murder suspects were arrested and narcotics seized on June 30 after a Conyers Police officer spotted a vehicle with fogged windows in the parking lot of Motel 6, 1351 Dogwood Drive, Police arrested Brian Simpson, 38, of Huntsville, Alabama. He was wanted for a triple shooting that left one man dead on May 31, 2017 in Huntsville.  Police also arrested Kirk Mitchell, 42, who was wanted out of Los Angeles, CA for a murder that occurred on Dec. 29, 2007. Officer Kelli Behrend was on routine patrol that Friday night when she observed the passenger exit the vehicle and immediately retreat to…

Written by Rockdale Clerk of
 Courts Ruth A. Wilson The Legislature created Rockdale County from Newton and Henry counties on Oct. 18, 1870. A law to raise money to build a courthouse was passed soon after the county was created. The original courthouse cost the citizens $500. The facility was a two-story, brick Georgian structure (Colonial Revival style) with a center hall and adjoining rooms. Construction was completed on June 29, 1872. It was one of three courthouse buildings erected in the county. Also in 1872, the Board of Commissioners had a jail built for $2,490. This was a rock…

Five schools in Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) were named National Beta Schools of Merit for 2017. This honor is awarded by the National Beta Club program, which celebrates and develops academic achievement, leadership, character and service among elementary, middle and high school students. The RCPS schools with this honor are: Barksdale Elementary School Flat Shoals Elementary School Shoal Creek Elementary School Sims Elementary School Rockdale County High School The award recipients received a National Beta School of Merit decal to display in their building window.  The names of the winning schools were publicized at the 2017…

Suite 20 Xpress, the brainchild of platform stylist Kristy Gaiters to provide affordable healthy hair in the booming Atlanta hair industry, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this month in the South DeKalb community. The salon, located at 5561 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain, is not only known for providing quality hairdos at affordable prices but for honoring community leaders at its annual International Trailblazers Awards. “We are excited about our 10-year celebration and the International Trailblazers Awards. It is our honor to pay tribute to those who have given to our communities,” said Gaiters, who grew her business from humble beginnings.…

MARTA bus routes 5, 12, 25, 27, 36, 37, 39 and 110 will be redirected to accommodate street closuresduring the race. The roads impacted are as follows: Peachtree Road – Piedmont Road to Peachtree-Dunwoody Road; Lenox Road – East Paces Ferry to Buckhead Loop; Oak Valley Road – East Paces Ferry Road to Peachtree Road; Wieuca Road – Peachtree Road to Roxboro Road; 10th Street between Peachtree Street and Monroe Drive; and Piedmont Road between Monroe Drive and 10th Street.   Planning your excursion is easy: Smartphone and Android users are urged to download MARTA’s “On The Go” app to plan their trip and track bus and rail arrivals in…