Author: On Common Ground News

The DeKalb County Sanitation Division is launching a glass recycling drop-off program. Effective Monday, July 17, DeKalb residents can no longer place glass in curbside recycling bins for plastics. An official launch event will be held Thursday, July 13, at 10 a.m., at the Sanitation Division administration building, 3720 Leroy Scott Drive, Decatur. All recycling collected at the drop-off locations will be used for manufacturing new glass containers and fiberglass. Before dropping off glass containers, residents should rinse all food and liquids. Only food and beverage glass containers that are blue, green, clear or brown glass will be accepted. The…

Health TRUST Rockdale, the grant-making division of the Hospital Authority of Rockdale County (HARC), will accept applications Aug. 1-4 for its final grant cycle of 2017.  Nonprofit or government agencies working to improve the physical and mental health of Rockdale residents are encouraged to apply. HARC ended its last grant cycle in May, awarding $154,854 to 11 agencies: B.O.L.D. Ministries; Horse & Harp; Longleaf Hospice Foundation; Prevent Child Abuse Rockdale; Project ReNeWal; Rockdale Cares; Rockdale County Accountability Courts, Rockdale Emergency Relief; Rockdale Houses for Men & Women; Servants of the Lord Meals on Wheels; and ViewPoint Health. “The Authority is…

DeKalb County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, District 4, will meet with the Southland community on July 18, 6 p.m., at The Southland Country Club, 5726 Southland Drive, Stone Mountain. Those who would like to ask Commissioner Bradshaw a question should email Linda Mayhand at lfmay@bellsouth.net before the meeting.

Saturday, July 8: Coffee and Conversation with Council member Diane Adoma, 9:30 a.m., Dunkin Donuts, 3068 Panola Road, Suite 1 (next to T-Mobile). Topics to be discussed: High Paying Local Jobs; Beautiful Neighborhoods; Upscale local restaurants and retail shopping; public safety; Technology Village; youth programs and zoning. Adoma will host a District 5 Town Hall meeting on July 18, 6-7:30 p.m., at Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road. There will be a special guest presentation on a revitalization project. Monday, July 10: Council member Jimmy Clanton will host a District 1Town Hall meeting at 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Stonecrest Library. Residents are…

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…