One of these summers I am going to take a proper vacation. This pandemic has upset so many aspects of our lives, and I am really looking forward to more “normalization”… which ought to come with ramped-up vaccinations. I hope you’ve had yours.

Since our last visit, I have been busier than usual. Life’s parade includes events of joy, like a son’s wedding (exhilarating, but tiring). Life also throws you a curve ball, such as the funeral for a beloved brother-in-law (COVID-19 strikes again). Mix in a full-time job, a couple of side gigs, and a rainy September encouraging lush green grass to grow, and I’m that dog chasing his tail, nonstop.

There are forces that wish to destroy America. Some of them are visible and some are stealth.

A man wanted on multiple charges, including felony murder, stemming from a shooting on Sept. 2 was arrested in Newton County by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Unit, Newton County deputies and U.S. Marshals.

CONYERS — Laura Goldgar, a Rockdale Magnet School of Science and Technology/Rockdale County High School senior, has been named a semifinalist in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. Semifinalists represent less than 1% of high school seniors and are the highest scoring students in th…

A pedestrian on Old Atlanta Highway was struck and killed by a car Sunday evening.

Conyers Police Department’s K9 Officer Briscoe, handled by Officer William Treadwell, will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit organization, Vested Interest in K9s Inc. 

The school year can be full of challenges, but fueling kids for a full day of learning tops the priority list.

As wonderful as a diner breakfast is, more people, getting hit by inflation across the board, are choosing to stay home and eat a bowl of Wheaties or Kix instead.

The Rockdale Citizen and Newton Citizen are shining a spotlight on the Hospital Heroes at Piedmont Rockdale and Piedmont Newton hospitals who are giving their all to provide a high level of essential health care services during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This past Tuesday was the International Day of Peace. And as I found out about it that morning, I kept recalling questions my father would ask.

Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods recently announced that Eastside High School sophomore Abigail Morgan is one of 66 high school students in the state selected to serve on his 2021-2022 Student Advisory Council.

The following charges and arrests were reported by the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, Conyers Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, and Georgia Pardon and Parole for the period of Sept. 14-20, 2021:

Every new parent knows how important it is to have time to bond with a new baby. But getting that critical quality time was complicated for Sheena Campbell after she gave birth to her twin girls, Amyah and Amyrah, at 30 weeks.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has survived a recall election, but that is not his victory.

Sen. Brian Strickland, R - McDonough, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been appointed by Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan to serve on the Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission.

A zoning ordinance amendment approved last week will prevent development of truck stops in the Brick Store Overlay district in eastern Newton County.

A 17-year-old male is being held on murder and other charges at the Newton County Detention Center following a Sept. 14 shooting that left another man dead.

Following the death of Mao Zedong, former president and founding father of the People's Republic of China, more than 40 years ago, his successor, Deng Xiaoping, instituted economic reforms that looked less like classic communism and more like capitalism.

Unemployment rates in Rockdale and Newton counties declined from July to August as initial claims dropped more than 25% in both counties.

COVINGTON — The Covington Police Department has made two arrests in connection with more than 70 entering auto incidents that occurred earlier this month inside the city and in unincorporated Newton County.

The following charges and arrests were reported by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Covington Police Department, Oxford Police Department, Porterdale Police Department, the Georgia State Patrol and Georgia Pardons and Parole:

An existing moratorium on new residential development in Newton County has been extended until Jan. 18, 2022.

The death of K-9 Officer Tom-Tom is under investigation, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

You have probably seen this one’s bright butter-yellow flowers, the plants commonly very abundant in old agricultural fields and roadsides. 

It did not feel like Christmas morning, or even a birthday, the late afternoon that I received the offer of my first job.

Newton County School System officials have announced that the new Eastside High School construction project will be completed in March 2022 and ready to start the new 2022-23 school year.

When my local daily newspaper announced they were going all-digital, the response was fast and furious.

City Council member Sandra Vincent is hoping to hold a Christmas parade for McDonough residents this year, despite the fact that the mayor and city staff members have cancelled the traditional parade on the city square.

Forget what you hear most pundits saying about last week's recall election that failed to unseat California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Voters in the Nov. 2 Conyers municipal election will have several options for casting a ballot.

DECATUR — Seven people were arrested, including a Porterdale man and a man from Social Circle, and one molestation victim was identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, during a coordinated effort between the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, and the GBI’s Special En…

A Newton County jury last week convicted a Newborn man on charges of malice murder, felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The New Depot Players opens its latest production, “Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner,” Thursday at the Conyers Rockdale Council for the Arts Black Box Theater at 910 Center St., Conyers.

Piedmont Newton Hospital and Piedmont Physicians Group have announces that Emory Internal Medicine of Newton is now Piedmont Physicians at Hospital Drive.

Fire hydrants in downtown Covington are shedding their utilitarian appearance and taking on a look with a lot more personality.

The Rockdale Citizen and Newton Citizen are shining a spotlight on the Hospital Heroes at Piedmont Rockdale and Piedmont Newton hospitals who are giving their all to provide a high level of essential health care services during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The star of your next spread can be hidden away in the refrigerator for a surprise delight for your guests.

CONYERS — The Miracle League of Rockdale kicked off its fall season Sept. 11 with two games at Legion Fields. The first pitch was thrown by Tom Carden, adjutant general of the Georgia Department of Defense and a member of the Homeland Security board.

Too often we read the Bible and sing hymns of worship simply as a way to bask in the glory and wonder of the words praising God. Not that there is anything wrong with basking in God, but we miss out on so much if we limit ourselves to an emotional or spiritual uplift.