Author: On Common Ground News

Sen. Emanuel Jones (D – Decatur) will co-host a special town hall meeting with DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson on Monday, June 19, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at New Life Church, 3592 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur. Jones will be joined by representatives from the Georgia Department of Transportation to discuss the bridge on Flat Shoals Road and I-285, as well as other transportation issues in south DeKalb. The meeting will include presentations on the study of the bridge and estimated project completion dates.

Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner Richard Steele announced all Gwinnett tag offices will follow a five-day, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. schedule effective July 1. There also will be a change in the location offering Saturday services. Beginning July 1, the Lawrenceville tag office will be open on Saturdays, and the North Gwinnett tag branch in Buford will be closed on Saturdays. “With our Saturday crowds, we have simply outgrown our North Gwinnett location,” said Steele. “Saturday hours in Lawrenceville will offer Gwinnett County residents a centrally located branch with ample parking as well as drive-thru service. The new five-day schedule…

Left to Right: Vernon Beamon and Christopher Spencer Two gang members received life sentences for the execution-style murders of a Stone Mountain couple, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston has announced. Jurors found Christopher “Crisco” Spencer, 27, and Vernon “Veto Corleone” Beamon, 28, guilty on charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, burglary, violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, financial transaction card fraud, and weapons offenses in connection with the murders of Samuel White, 54, and his fiancé Sylvia Watson. DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson, who presided over the trial, sentenced Spencer to two…

The Stonecrest City Council has amended its meeting schedule for the month of June. The City Council meetings will be held on Mondays at 10 a.m. and weekly work sessions will be held on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. The City Council amended its schedule to allow more time to address several ordinances and other business as the new city takes root. The 2017 regular meeting calendar will begin in July with City Council meetings held on the first and third Mondays at 10 a.m. The work sessions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Wednesdays…

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.