Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA –Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) contractors will begin to shift traffic this week from the existing Flat Shoals Road Bridge onto a new section of the bridge at I-285 east, weather permitting. “The upcoming traffic shifts are milestones for the bridge reconstruction project,” said District Metro Atlanta Engineer Kathy Zahul. “This just puts us one step closer to a successful completion of the project, we are thankful for the patience that the community has displayed during our progress with this project.” The traffic shift is a part of the ongoing bridge project that will accommodate the…

Are you in the mood for gourmet sweet goods? Head to Brown Sugar Gourmet Desserts in Conyers where you’ll find mouth-watering baked goods with a distinctive flair. This bakery specializes in decadent creations, which include custom birthday, wedding, and special event cakes. Partners Roderica Bracey and Janice Colbert are owners of the business, which celebrated its 1-year anniversary with a ribbon cutting ceremony in April. Bracey and Colbert have approximately 15 years of combined baking experience. The two were co-workers at ADP and developed a loyal following by offering catering services independently. They teamed up and started a business together…

DeKalb County Sheriff Jeff Mann has been banished from all city of Atlanta parks for six months, ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and serve 80 hours of community service, after negotiating a plea deal to amend indecency and obstruction charges against him.    Mann was originally charged with indecency and obstruction  on May 6 for allegedly exposing himself in Piedmont Park and then running from an Atlanta police officer.    Mann negotiated a guilty plea to change the charges to obstruction and prohibited conduct in a park—for being in the park after dark. Although Atlanta Municipal Court Judge Crystal…

DeKalb County Police Chief James Conroy announced two new assistant chiefs in the police department who will report directly to him. Major Tony Catlin will be promoted from assistant commander to assistant chief of the Criminal Investigations Division, which is responsible for investigating homicides, robberies, aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, auto thefts, narcotics violations and crimes against children. Catlin will be responsible for managing a division comprising 105 detectives and 22 civilian employees. Major Sonya Porter will be promoted to assistant chief of the newly elevated Support Services Division. Previously a section of the Special Services Division, this reorganization emphasizes…

The DeKalb County School District (CSD) is on a mission to highlight the successes of its public schools. The district has launched a campaign with seven outdoor billboards located in strategic locations across the county with the message: “I Love DeKalb Schools.” The billboards are part of the first phase of a what the district calls a “revolutionary” marketing effort, which will also include print ads, television commercials, an original jingle performed by DCSD students, promotional materials and social media. In addition, a new webpage http://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/ilovedcsd/ has been launched simultaneously, with messaging that reflects the unity, spirit and diversity of…

The community celebrated the completion of renovations at the Johnson Park Recreation Center, 2781 Ebenezer Road, Conyers, during an open house on July 27. The county spent $334,000 renovating the recreation center putting in new carpet, new paint, upgrades for the disabled to use restrooms, renovated locker rooms and improvements to the gym and indoor pool area. Rockdale Chairman Oz Nesbitt commended staff for work at the recreation center, saying he was proud of the improvements.

The city of Stonecrest, this year, will collect only 5 percent of the taxes levied on lodging for hotel/motel guests. The Stonecrest City Council amended its hotel/motel tax ordinance on July 24 to collect only 5 percent—not 8 percent as it had approved on June 19. City Attorney Thompson Kurrie said the city would be able to collect the full 8 percent, as DeKalb County had before the new city was formed, with the approval of state legislators. Meanwhile, city officials said 3 percent of the hotel/motel taxes would be used for the city’s general operating fund, while the remainder…

While many back-to-school events around metro Atlanta featured backpacks and school supplies for students heading back to school, pampering was the order of the day for a special group of girls in Rockdale County. Voices of Faith Ministries hosted a “Back-to-School Royal Pampering Party” on July 22 for female students who are members of its Rockdale congregation. Deaconess June Hawkins Jones said ten students in middle and high school participated in the free mentoring event, which included sessions on skin care, meditation and strategies for succeeding in college. The church’s Youth Ministry, under the leadership of Pastor Matthew Jenkins, sponsored…

DeKalb County celebrated the grand opening of a new animal shelter on July 26. The 33,440-square-foot facility sits on 5.3 acres in Chamblee and can accommodate more than 400 animals. The new $12 million shelter is almost twice the size of the old facility on Camp Road and features a 1,300-square-foot clinic that includes a surgery prep and surgery room, lab area, secure pharmacy storage and holding areas for animals scheduled for surgery. The clinic will provide spay-and-neuter services for animals adopted from the shelter. The new shelter is open and located at 3280 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Chamblee. “The county…

Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson, noted youth mentor and anti-violence activist, will host a back-to-school event on Aug. 5, 1 to 4 p.m., at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 7850 Stonecrest Square in the city of Stonecrest. Parents are invited to bring their children to learn strategies for success as Hudson, founder of Be Someone, Inc., demonstrates how to outthink the competition by using a life-sized chessboard and pieces. Hudson says young people will learn how to respect others, think before they make dangerous moves, and give more than they take through the free Chess Leadership Training and Personal Empowerment back-to-school event. “This…