Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Board of Health will hold its regularly scheduled meeting via teleconference on May 26, beginning at 1 p.m. Public access to the video conference can be established through the following methods: Zoom Video: https://zoom.us/join | Meeting ID: 812 3085 1471 / Passcode: 612312 Zoom Audio: 301-715-8592 | 812 3085 1471 / Passcode: 612312 Agenda items for the meeting include:          Approval of Minutes Regular Board Meeting Minutes of March 24, 2022       Approval of Board Budget Committee Minutes III.       Approval of the Proposed FY2023 Budget       District Health Director’s Board Report for March 2022 – April 2022         Financial Status Report      Public Comments VII.     …

DECATUR, GA– DeKalb County residents now have another source to obtain at-home COVID-19 test kits for free. Beginning Monday, May 23, free over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits will be available at all regional health center locations in DeKalb County. No health insurance information or ID checks are required. The at-home tests or self-tests, are convenient, offer fast results, can be taken anywhere, and work whether or not you have symptoms. The rapid antigen tests give results in just a few minutes. These tests do not need to be returned to a health center or laboratory. “Testing is an invaluable tool that…

DECATUR, GA—Trial is scheduled to begin next week in the murder case against 48-year-old Richard Merritt, a former Marietta, Georgia attorney. Merritt is charged with Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, two counts of Aggravated Assault and Possession of a Knife During the Commission of a Felony in connection with the February 2019 stabbing and beating death of his mother, Shirley Merritt, 77, at her Tucker home. Merritt was scheduled to turn himself in on Feb. 1, 2019 to serve 15 years in prison and 15 on probation in another case, but vanished after killing his mother and…

CONYERS, GA—The Nancy Guinn Memorial Library has replaced its old microfilm reader/printers with the all-in-one ScanPro 2200, thanks to a generous donation by the Friends of the Library (FOL) group. With the ScanPro 2200, patrons can view 16mm, 35mm, fiche, and jacketed fiche while researching old newspapers, census records, slave record, American Ancestry records and more. The library received the ScanPro 2200 microfilm machine under the FOL past president Linda Kelly during the pandemic. The ScanPro 2200 is an all-in-one printer, scanner for research, and a conversion scanner for roll film, fiche, and jacketed fiche. The library’s microfilm collection…

DECATUR, GA—DeKalb County’s Fresh on DeK Mobile Farmers Market will kick off its 2022 season with a virtual event featuring Chef Mical St. Clair. The kickoff will be held on Friday, May 20, 11 a.m. to noon. Chef St. Clair will prepare Greek chicken quesadillas, Greek pico salad, and mint infused water during the food demonstration. Registration for the Zoom session can be found at https://bit.ly/FODKickoff2022 or tune into the live session on Fresh on DeK’s Facebook page. Fresh on DeK is made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DeKalb County Government, DeKalb County…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA –Rockdale County Sheriff’s Deputy Walter D. Jenkins is being remembered by law enforcement officials and the community.  During a private funeral home visitation with family members today(May 18), Sheriff Eric Levett ceremoniously posted the United States Honor Flag near Deputy Jenkins. The United States Honor Flag will remain with Deputy Jenkins for his visitation and funeral services. The flag arrived in the Atlanta area late Monday night, the Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Jedidia Canty said in a news release. Each time the flag is moved or carried, new custom white gloves are worn. These gloves will later be…

ATLANTA—Motivational speaker Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson has been in headline news this week with a message for young people who want to be gang bangers: “Think it out, don’t shoot it out. The new weapon of choice is a king, queen and a pawn—not a gun.” “I’ve been on several television and radio stations discussing solutions to stopping crime and eradicating the school-to-prison pipeline,” said Hudson. “I’m doing everything that I can to stop this madness. We’ve got to let the kids know we are here to help them succeed. We’re not going to let gangs take our…