Author: On Common Ground News

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–A highly contagious strain of dog flu has been spreading in several U.S. cities and is circulating in the Atlanta area. DeKalb County is awaiting test results for the dogs at DeKalb County Animal Services.  Pet owners should monitor their own dogs for symptoms, which may include coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, labored breathing, and lethargy, and contact their veterinarian if their pet appears ill. If your pet is showing symptoms, please keep them isolated from other dogs for 28 days to prevent further spread of the disease.For more information from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, click here.

DECATUR, GA– DeKalb Clerk of Superior Court, located in the DeKalb County Courthouse at 556 North McDonough Street, will remain closed until further notice due to a water pipe bursting and flooding multiple areas in the Judicial Tower.  Clerk’s Office Courthouse employees will work remotely during the cleanup and repairs. The Board of Equalization’s office remains open. All hearings for the Board of Equalization during this time will be held as scheduled. Although the Clerk of Superior Court’s Office will be physically closed during emergency repairs, the website  www.dksuperiorclerk.com remains available 24 hours a day for filing criminal, civil, real estate, tradenames…

ATLANTA — The Atlanta City Council will consider legislation during the Jan. 3 meeting to request that the mayor’s Office of Violence Reduction and the Atlanta Police Department develop a program to provide firearm safety storage, or lock boxes, free of charge to qualifying Atlanta residents to deter accidental shootings and reduce the theft of unsecured firearms and related crimes (22-R-4798). The Council will also consider legislation authorizing a special procurement agreement with Grady Memorial Hospital to operate the Center for Diversion Services in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement between the City of Atlanta and Fulton County for an initial term…

All Gwinnett County government offices, with the exception of those operations required for the comfort and safety of residents, will be closed for the New Year’s holiday on Monday, Jan. 2, and will reopen during normal business hours Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. A Magistrate Court judge will be available at the Gwinnett County Detention Center during the holiday. Trash and recycling collection in unincorporated Gwinnett County will not be delayed. The Gwinnett County Solid Waste Management Call Center and the hauler call centers will be closed Jan. 2. Residents can visit GCSolidWaste.com to find their hauler’s contact information. Residents who…

Holiday – Monday, Jan. 2 – County Offices Closed – New Year’s Day Holiday Holiday – Monday, Jan. 16 – County Offices Closed – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday Conyers-Rockdale Planning Commission: Thursday, Jan. 12, 6 p.m. – Rockdale Auditorium ,903 Main Street, Conyers Rockdale County Board of Commissioners Combined Work Session and Voting Session: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 10 a.m., Assembly Hall, 901 Main Street, Conyers Rockdale County Board of Commissioners Zoning Public Hearing: Thursday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m., Rockdale Auditorium, 903 Main Street, Conyers Meetings of the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners are streamed via Facebook live on Rockdale…

DECATUR, GA—JaNautica Lashay Whitehead, the 19-year-old whose body was found in a car at 3951 Snapfinger Parkway, near the Omega Psi Phi World Headquarters in DeKalb County, knew the suspect charged with murdering her, On Common Ground News has learned. Whitehead died violently on Nov. 26, 2022—she was shot twice in the head and was wearing her Waffle House uniform when she was killed, On Common Ground News learned after filing an open records request that was made available today, Dec. 28, for the arrest warrant for the suspect, Deeron Zyon Hicks. Hicks was arrested on Murder-Malice charges on Dec. 17,…

ATLANTA – The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Board will hold a special called board meeting on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, 11 a.m., at 245 Peachtree Center Ave., Marquis One, Suite 2300, Atlanta. To view agenda and options to watch remotely, visit https://www.srta.ga.gov/grta/board/ About the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) is a state-level authority that addresses mobility and air quality in metro Atlanta. GRTA’s jurisdiction encompasses 13 Georgia counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale.  Under state law and via executive order, GRTA approves the allocation of state…

ATLANTA—State Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) and State Representative-elect Saira Draper (D-Decatur) will host a hybrid town hall meeting  on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. The in-person location has not been finalized. An updated advisory will be sent out once the location is confirmed. In order to attend the town hall via Zoom, register using: bit.ly/1-4_TownHall Questions may be submitted in advance at: bit.ly/23_TownHall Sen. Elena Parent serves as chairwoman for the Senate Democratic Caucus. She represents the 42nd Senate District, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She may be reached at her office at 404-456.5109 or by email at elena.parent@senate.ga.gov.  

ATLANTA – Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King encourages Georgia residents to be safe when celebrating with fireworks this New Year’s Eve. Between 2006 and 2021, firework related injuries increased by 25%. In 2021, an estimated 11,500 people were injured in incidents involving fireworks and at least 9 were killed. While a majority of firework related incidents occur during Fourth of July Celebrations, a significant amount occurs during the New Year’s holiday. In recognition of the risk of fireworks, Commissioner King asks Georgians to follow the below tips for keeping yourself and others safe while celebrating the holidays. Purchase fireworks from…

DECATUR, GA – DeKalb County Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a regular meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. The meeting will be held in person at DeKalb County Public Library Darro C. Willey-Administrative Center, 3560 Kensington Road, Decatur, GA  30032. A live broadcast of the meeting will be streamed over the internet. To receive a link to the livestream, contact weissingera@dekalblibrary.org no later than Monday, Jan. 9 at noon. For more details and the agenda, click here.