Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR, GA – The DeKalb County Board of Health has received its first doses of Moderna (for ages 6 months to 5 years old) and Pfizer (for 6 months to 4 years old) COVID-19 vaccine. Parents or guardians may schedule an appointment online or by visiting one of the Board of Health’s four regional health center locations: Everyone 6 months and older is eligible for COVID vaccination and booster doses of COVID vaccine are recommended for individuals age 5 and older. COVID-19 vaccinations are free. However, if you have insurance, please bring your insurance information and photo ID with you.…

By Ed Williams, Ed.D. In 1971, the citizens in DeKalb and Fulton counties voted to levy a one-percent sales tax for 50 years to fund MARTA transit services. I was 7 years old at the time and was not old enough to vote or petition the courts. The sales tax funding mechanism came about because homeowners did not want transit funding done as part of their property taxes. The Board of Commissioners in Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton and DeKalb, as well as the City of Atlanta authorized the Rapid Transit Contract and Assistance Agreement (RTCAA) with MARTA , setting it to…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–DeKalb County District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson announced that she has awarded funding to two organizations to provide rental and utility assistance to needy District 5 residents. Earlier this year, Davis Johnson allocated $200,000 to Decatur Cooperative Ministry and $100,000 to the NAACP DeKalb. With the funding awards, the organizations now will be able to provide eviction forbearance and rental assistance and help cover utility and water bills for residents in District 5 who are experiencing hardship. Decatur Cooperative Ministry will also provide relocation assistance for individuals who have been displaced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This…

ATLANTA – The Fulton County Board of Health Vital Records office at the Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor Street SW, Suite 109A, will be closed Friday, July 1, and Monday, July 4,  in observance of the Independence Day holiday. Normal business hours will resume  on Tuesday, July 5, at 8:30 a.m. The Vital Records Department provides the official recorded copies of birth and death certificates, in Fulton County. Residents in need of purchasing birth and death certificates on the impacted dates may do so online through VitalChek.  For more information,  visit https://bit.ly/3a1bqSn or call 404-613-1260.

DECATUR, GA– Crews will facilitate a lane closure Thursday, June 30, at the intersection of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Ivy Lane to investigate and repair a broken water main. The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) first became aware of the leak on May 30. The department has continued to monitor the leak while waiting for back-ordered materials needed for the repair to arrive. Those materials arrived June 29. On June 29, DWM received the required permissions from the Georgia Department of Transportation to work on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, which is a state route. An emergency contractor will be…

DECATUR, GA—The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) DeKalb County branch announced 27 medalists for the local Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) competition. Nine of these students will advance to the national competition on July 14-17, in Atlantic City, NJ. The judges for the competition awarded 9 Gold medals, 7 Silver medals, and 11 Bronze medals. The local competition was hosted virtually April 30 and May 1 and consisted of more than 40 students from DeKalb and other counties. ACT-SO is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic achievement among…

ATLANTA—A packed house of elected officials, community leaders, and other well-wishers celebrated Georgia’s  “Trifecta” leadership on June 28. The trio of metro Atlanta leaders honored for their work locally and nationally included DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson, president of the National Association of Counties (NACo); State Rep. Billy Mitchell, president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators; and Union City Mayor Vince Williams, president of the National League of Cites(NLC). The reception, hosted by The Collaborative Firm and several sponsors, was held in downtown Atlanta at The Commerce Club. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and…

STONECREST, GA–The DeKalb County Board of Health, in partnership with its testing partner, Viral Solutions, will permanently close the Stonecrest COVID-19 testing site, located at 2994 Turner Hill Rd., at the conclusion of operations on Thursday, June 30. The remaining location, located on the Apple Valley Road side of the Brookhaven MARTA station (1238 Apple Valley Rd., NE), will remain open for COVID-19 testing, with the following hours: Brookhaven MARTA COVID-19 Testing (provided by Viral Solutions) 1238 Apple Valley Rd., NE, Brookhaven Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday CLOSED 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. CLOSED 9:00 a.m. –…

DECATUR, GA– On Thursday, June 30, work to repair a leaking water main will be completed at the intersection of DeKalb Industrial Way and North Decatur Road from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. DeKalb County contractors will repair leaks in the water transmission system of a 30-inch main and install new paving. Engineers and construction crews will work to minimize the length of impact to residents and business owners as weather permits, officials said. Motorists should expect delays stemming from the repair. Construction signs and traffic flaggers will assist motorists in moving safely around the repair area. Our construction crews…