Author: On Common Ground News

Effective July 1, Georgia will relax requirements for operating three-wheel auto cycles in the state. Under the new state law, no license or motorcycle learner’s permit will be required and neither will the DDS motorcycle knowledge test or motorcycle skills test be required. Instead, drivers in Georgia operating three-wheel auto cycles will only be required to possess a valid Georgia Class C (regular) driver’s license, a valid Georgia Class CP (regular) learner’s permit, or any equivalent class of driver’s license or learner’s permit issued by another state. Two-wheel and three-wheel motor vehicles that are controlled by handlebars and require the…

ATLANTA—House Speaker David Ralston recently named Rhonda Briggins, MARTA’s senior director of external affairs, to the House Commission on Transit Governance and Funding. House Resolution 848, passed during this year’s session of the Georgia General Assembly, established a commission to study the conditions, needs, issues and problems regarding Georgia transit. The council will provide transportation recommendations aimed at benefiting Georgia’s local and regional economy. Transit studies, generated from the commission’s activities, will also review potential funding mechanisms. ‘This is an amazing opportunity for not only MARTA but for transit statewide as Georgia takes a hard look at funding and governance,”…

Bill Carruthers started drinking grain alcohol when he was 6 or 7 years old. He spent the next 40 years battling alcoholism and drug addiction and was locked up in jail or prison at least 18 times in Savannah alone for a cycle of criminal behavior. A recovery program helped Carruthers turn his life around. He shared his story before nearly 200 people who attended the “Community Conversations on Mental Health: Hope & Recovery” forum, which was held at the Rockdale Career Academy in Conyers.    Doreen Williams, Rockdale’s Post 2 Commissioner, said  Carruthers’ message was one that many families…

Pamela Ballin, 56, will be sentenced on Tuesday, June 6, 9 a.m., for the bludgeoning murder of her husband, Derrick Ball, Sr., 53, a Lithonia businessman. DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gail Flake, who presided over the case, will sentence Ballin. DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced Pamela Ballin’s retrial ended in a conviction on May 26. Ballin was charged with murder, felony murder and aggravated assault in the nearly 8-year-old case. Mr. Ballin was attacked on Dec. 29, 2009 inside the couple’s Turnbridge Wells Road home in Lithonia and he later died in the hospital. Authorities say they…

Ken Wilson is learning to walk and speak again. Since suffering a massive stroke while driving home from work last summer, Wilson, 54, has been on a roller coaster to recovery. The smiling, big-guy Wilson, who worked with the Lithonia Jazz Concert series during its heyday, is now undergoing extensive rehabilitation therapy. His car, which was totaled in the July 11, 2016 accident, flipped and rolled over three times after he lost control. He suffered broken bones in his right arm, a dislocated shoulder and he was left paralyzed on his right side. He lost over 100 pounds after the…

Rockdale County’s new code enforcement manager, Troy A. Smith, is spearheading a countywide cleanup day on June 10, 7 to 11 a.m.   Free T-shirts and brunch will be provided to volunteers while available. Check-in and registration will be held at the Rockdale County Courthouse. Smith is encouraging community-wide participation and inviting citizens and groups to roll up their sleeves and work along side county staff members. For more information and advance registration, call 770-278-7052. Registration forms for the Rockin’ Rockdale Countywide Cleanup can be found at www.rockdalecountyga.gov.

Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS), Rockdale Emergency Relief (RER), and Bread of Life Deliverance (BOLD) Ministries partner this summer in the fourth annual “Be Bright, Eat Right Rockdale” Summer Feeding Program to ensure Rockdale County’s children receive healthy, balanced and delicious meals throughout the summer. If your child (up to age 18) lives in one of the neighborhoods served, they can receive a free lunch Monday through Friday during the summer (see locations and times below). Servers will be wearing bright blue “Be Bright, Eat Right Rockdale” T-shirts. RCPS will deliver bagged lunches and books via school bus to locations…

Written by Rockdale Clerk of
 Courts Ruth A. Wilson In a concerted effort to make it easier for people to serve as jurors, the Rockdale Clerk of
 Courts Office is embracing technologies aimed at reducing wait times, paperwork, and trips to the courthouse. We want jurors to have positive experiences with the courts. We recognize that while jury service is an important civic duty, it can be seen as an inconvenience, which is why we have implemented systems to foster better communication between jurors and our Office. One of the major innovations in recent years was adoption of an electronic…

Stonecrest District 2 Councilmember Rob Turner hosted his first town hall meeting on June 1 at the Lou Walker Senior Center. About 40 people attended the meeting. Congressman Hank Johnson, DeKalb Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson and School Board member Vicki Turner, who are all residents of Stonecrest, spoke at the meeting. State Rep. Doreen Carter, Stonecrest Acting City Manager Michael Harris and Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary also provided brief updates. Stonecrest City Council member Jazzmin Cobble, District 3, will host a town hall meeting for constituents on June 8, 7 p.m., Ousley United Methodist Church, 3261 Panola Road, Lithonia. Stonecrest…

Stonecrest District 5 Councilwoman Diane Daniels Adoma helped coordinate a free  youth intervention program called the ACT Prep Boot Camp. Adoma said the event was held at the Salem Panola Library with every seat occupied. The boot camp was sponsored by Henry C. Cotton, founder and CEO of Sage Group America, a leader and innovator in education and technology since 1991 with a focus on meeting state and national standardized test goals. Cotton was recently elected mayor of Bastrop, LA. Adoma said she partnered with SageGroup to present the boot camp because her goal is to help support students to…