Archived News

DeKalb fugitive squad arrests leader of New Black Panther Party

DeKalb Sheriff’s Office fugitive squad members arrested Hashim Nzinga, 49, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  Nzinga is the New Black Panther Party’s chief of staff.

According to Nzinga’s arrest warrant, he was in possession of a handgun. He later pawned the handgun at the Stone Mountain Pawn Shop at 4591 Rockbridge Road.

Nzinga’s February 2012 convictions of felony deposit account fraud in Gwinnett County made this transaction illegal, according to an incident report.

Fugitive squad members arrested the Black Panther leader at his probation office at 410 West Oak St. in Lawrenceville. He was transported to the DeKalb County jail without incident.

Nzinga gained national attention on CNN recently by announcing that the New Black Panther Party is placing a $10,000 reward for the capture of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who claims he killed the unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in self-defense during an incident in February in the Florida city of Sanford.

Oglethorpe University offering guided tour of campus

Oglethorpe University, chartered near Milledgeville in 1835 as a Presbyterian college and opened in 1916 at its present landmark location on Peachtree Road, will offer campus tours Saturday, March 31 at 10 a.m.

The Georgia granite buildings, trimmed with Indiana limestone and topped with Vermont slate roofs are on the National Register of Historic Places. The university has the most famous multi-millennial time capsule in the world, the Crypt of Civilization, sealed in 1940 and not to be opened until 8113.

The tour guide is Dr. Paul Hudson, an Oglethorpe University alumnus, columnist for Hometown News, faculty member at Georgia Perimeter College and Oglethorpe University, and a member of the DeKalb History Center.

The tour costs $5 for non-members and is free for members of the DeKalb History Center. For more information and to make reservations, contact Melissa Forgey at forgey@dekalbhistory.org by 4 p.m. March 28 for a reservation.

Georgia Conservancy to present revitalization recommendations to Lithonia residents

The Georgia Conservancy will be making its final report on its Lithonia Blueprints planning project on April 2.

Georgia Conservancy plans to present recommendations from the Lithonia Blueprints planning project, unveil the final report and discuss next steps.

The report will serve as documentation of the planning process and the projects, improvements and initiatives that Lithonia stakeholders supported through this process.

The report will be presented during the regularly scheduled meeting of the Lithonia City Council on Monday, April 2, at 7 p.m. at Lithonia City Hall.