FREE
VOLUME 23 NUMBER 50
MARCH 10, 2018 Stay connected
Published Since April 1995
Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties
facebook.com/ocgnews
BREAKING POINT
Salem Middle School’s Band Director H. T. Monte conducts members of the band during a rehearsal . Photo by Travis Hudgons/OGC News
DeKalb CEO vows full investigation in water main break Neighboring Rockdale to undergo upgrades to water system
A
s crews worked around the clock to repair a 60-foot-long section of a water main break, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond announced that a full-scale investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the massive break on March 7. Thurmond said he learned around 5:30 a.m. that day about the break. Officials said a 48-inch-wide water main, one of four major mains in the county, broke at 5718 Buford Highway in Doraville, wreaking havoc. In some places, the water pressure dropped so low that toilets couldn’t be flushed. Schools
and colleges were shut down, along with government offices and businesses. Nonemergency surgeries also were canceled during the crisis. Officials issued a boil water advisory. They said at On Common Ground News’ press deadline on March 8, the advisory would remain in effect until tests results deem the water system is safe to use. Reggie Wells, assistant director of DeKalb County Watershed Management, said damage to a sewer may have collapsed and caused the main to break, flooding Buford Highway and other streets in the area. Wells stepped up to handle the crisis after Scott Towler resigned as director of Watershed Management, alleging retaliatory actions in response to his refusal to violate laws.
SEE WATER MAIN page 3
Salem Middle School Symphonic Band makes final push for help Stonecrest Mayor Pro Tem George Turner is urging the community to pitch in and help Salem Middle School’s Symphonic Band to help cover the costs of expenses for their trip to Carnegie Hall this month. Turner said the band is excited about representing the new city of Stonecrest and urged the community to rally around the band by giving a George Turner donation. About eight to 10 students still need money to go. Coordinator Sandra Harris said the band has held several fundraisers and sought donations through a GoFundMe page. The band was lacking about $15,000 for the trip to New York City, where it will perform on March 26. “We have about 50 students going and we need just a little more to cover the remaining students who do not have all of the money needed,” Harris said.
Georgia lawmakers to study school safety Rockdale scraps schoolbased voting precincts
S
tate lawmakers are establishing a House Study Committee on School Security in the wake of the massacre at a South Florida high school. Meanwhile, Rockdale County elections officials announced last week it was eliminating school-based voting precincts. Elections supervisor of Elections Cynthia Welch said the Rockdale Board of Elections and a citizens committee began looking at making the moves last summer. Welch said about 43,000 voters will be assigned new precincts ahead of the May 22 elections. State lawmakers moved to establish a committee to study school safety as growing national attention is focused on the Parkland, Florida massacre. “In the wake of one of the deadliest school shootings in recent history, it is absolutely critical that we study ways to improve security and safety in Georgia schools,” said Rep. Jasperse, who is sponsoring House Resolution 1414. “I hope that by establishing this study committee, we will be able to explore practical ways to make our
classrooms safer for every student, teacher and school staff member across our state.” Jasperse, who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, was supported by Speaker of the house David Ralston. “We want children to feel safe in their schools, and we want to ensure that schools have the resources necessary to combat the evolving nature of security threats,” said Ralston. “I trust Chairman Jasperse to see to it that this important priority makes it through the legislative process.” Under HR 1414, the House Study Committee
on School Security would study the conditions, needs, issues and problems related to school safety and security in Georgia and recommend any action or legislation deemed necessary or appropriate. Additionally, in the event that the study committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson would file a report prior to Dec. 1, 2018, the date which the study committee would be abolished. The House Study Committee on School Security would consist of nine members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, including a committee chairperson also appointed by the Speaker of the House who would be responsible for calling all study committee meetings. The study committee would hold meetings at places and times deemed necessary or convenient to fully and effectively exercise its powers, perform its duties and accomplish its objectives and purposes. Speaker Ralston recently announced that $8 million in bond funding for school security would be included in the House version of the Fiscal Year 2019 budget. The funding is envisioned to be used for campus security equipment such as security/camera systems, access control systems or door hardware. House leadership has invited their colleagues in the Senate to join them in this effort by matching the House’s $8 million appropriation for a total of $16 million.