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VOLUME 24 NUMBER 5
APRIL 28, 2018
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HIGHER LEARNING
IN THIS ISSUE, SPECIAL SECTION
ELECTION COVERAGE 2018
DeKalb awarded $3.6 million in mass transit Improvements
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19 Stone Mountain High students earn associate degrees in dual enrollment program
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Route 121 to get new buses
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eKalb County will receive $3.6 million in mass transit improvements through a federal grant issued to MARTA. The award will enhance public transportation in the county and includes new buses that are environmentally friendly, officials announced. The funding from the Federal Transit Administration will upgrade and replace 40foot diesel-fueled buses with 60-foot Compressed Natural Gas buses. The new buses will be stationed in central DeKalb County at the Laredo Bus Depot in Scottdale. They will be used to enhance service on MARTA Route 121, which connects riders to the Avondale Station and the city of Stone Mountain. The bus route travels the Ponce de Leon Avenue corridor and is one of DeKalb's most heavilyused routes. "This investment in DeKalb County transit infrastructure and rolling stock will begin to bring more service into south DeKalb County, while also improving the emissions with cleaner CNG fuel and improving our rider experience from the central into the eastern and southern segments of our county,” said DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond.
Frederick L. Daniels, who represents DeKalb County on the MARTA Board of Directors, applauded the upcoming improvements. “This grant will allow MARTA to provide more service in DeKalb County, along one of our busiest routes,”said Daniels. Additional service expansions also are being developed in the DeKalb
Transportation Authority (GRTA). The funding also will pay for the construction of a new operations and maintenance facility along I-20. "As we build out More MARTA across the region, we will continue to partner and enhance existing service options with the jurisdictions in our core service areas. Our goal is to simply become and maintain the status of being one of the
‘This grant will allow MARTA to provide more service in DeKalb County, along one of our busiest routes.’ County Master Transit Plan under Thurmond's administration with significant public and rider input. MARTA also modified several bus routes in DeKalb County to improve overall service, on-time performance, ridership and safety, based on customer feedback and service analysis. Routes 39 (Buford Highway), 116 (Redan Road) and 121 (Memorial Drive/ North Hairston Road) schedules have been adjusted to enhance weekday and weekend service. Park-and-ride lots also will see upgrades, thanks to a $3.6 million grant awarded to the Georgia Regional
best transit and transportation systems in the nation," said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. The county, in partnership with DeKalb Municipal Association, has also engaged the Atlanta Regional Commission to produce a Transit Master Plan to provide a comprehensive vision for public transit in DeKalb. The Transit Master Plan will review additional public transportation service expansions and serve as Phase I of the DeKalb Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update that will be completed in 2019.
On Common Ground News salutes Stone Mountain High School. Nineteen of its students have earned Associate Degrees in business management before completing high school. Stone Mountain High School partnered with Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC) in a dual enrollment initiative, “Onward Academy.” The partnership between GPTC and the DeKalb County School District through the Office of Student Advancement. Currently, four DeKalb County schools have students who are graduating from dual
degree programs this school year: Stone Mountain High School, Clarkston, Cross Keyes, and Ronald E. McNair. The following students from Stone Mountain High will graduate from GPTC on May 19: Anttwan Alford; Aiyana Ali; Kyra Chism; Diomonay Cole; Monnighan Crowell; Gissell Duran; Kayla Jenkins; Jordan Johnson; Nyisha Jones; Lisa Le; Lyndy Le; Arletha McClendon; Cameron Moore; Demonte Peeples; Cristian Reyes; Mariama Sheriff; Valdina Tchoute; Kiara Thomas; and Mu’nisah Ujima.
DeKalb gang members convicted in retaliatory double homicide Victims killed after alleged insult to gang leader
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hree members of the 9 Trey Bloods gang were convicted in a murder case involving two female victims, DeKalb County District Sherry Boston announced. Jurors returned guilty verdicts on April 26 against 24-year-old Demetre “Flame” Mason and 25 year-old on charges of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and weapons offenses in connection with the murders of Shaniqua Camacho, 20, and Sonia Williams, 21. A third defendant, Michael “Slim” Jenkins, 24, was convicted of Aggravated Assault and Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act for his role in the crime. The victims were gunned down on May 19, 2014 in the 2700 block of Shell Bark Road in Decatur. The young women were with the men visiting a nearby home when a dispute erupted with several other
gang members. The argument escalated with one of the gang members becoming enraged after being “disrespected” and called a derogatory name. The gang members beat up the women. The women escaped the house on foot. Jenkins, Henderson, and Mason, who was dating victim Williams, chased the women by car. After locating the victims inside the parking lot of an apartment complex, Henderson and Mason exited the vehicle and fired multiple shots, fatally wounding the women. Their bodies were discovered by a resident the next day. The defendants were identified and arrested following an extensive investigation. Each will be sentenced at a later date by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Linda Hunter. A fourth defendant, Malcolm “Dot” Brown , will be prosecuted separately. A trial date has not yet been set. The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Buffy Thomas and Dwayne Brown, with assistance from DA Investigator Waine Pinckney. Detective M.S. McLendon of the DeKalb County Police Department led the initial investigation.