Author: On Common Ground News

STONECREST, GA— Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) led a two-day tour across Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District on Dec. 16 and 17 to tout the passing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure law. “This new infrastructure law will create millions of good-paying union jobs with a once-in-a-century investment in rebuilding infrastructure in Georgia: from roads and bridges, transit and rail, to wastewater systems and high-speed broadband,” said Johnson, a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “This new law marks a generational change and renews investments in a…

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the Biden-Harris Administration is providing up to $1.5 billion to states and school districts to help school meal program operators deal with the challenges of supply chain disruptions brought on by the pandemic. With funding made available through USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA will provide $1 billion for schools to purchase food for their meal programs and another $300 million for states to purchase foods to be distributed to schools. An additional $200 million will be used for cooperative agreements to purchase local foods for schools with a focus on…

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) announced today the suspension of construction-related lane closures on heavily traveled interstate highways and state routes near major shopping areas and tourist locations. The suspension will be effective beginning 5 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 23, until 5 a.m. Monday, Dec. 27 for the Christmas holiday. The same restrictions are also in place for the New Year’s holiday from 5 a.m. Friday, December 31 to 6 a.m. Sunday, January 2. These statewide lane restrictions allow reduced traffic congestion during the holidays.While construction-related lane closures will be suspended, the department reminds travelers to…

STONECREST, GA –– The Stonecrest City Council unanimously passed its fiscal year 2022 budget (FY22) with little fanfare last month, but next year’s budget marks a major milestone for the city as it pivots from contracted services to in-house staff to meet the needs of the community. The $13.7million FY22 budget represents more than a spreadsheet balancing revenue and expenses. It puts actions behind elected leadership’s desire to be a “world class city.” “This budget focuses on residents and the priorities identified and ranked by Mayor and Council to best serve them,” said Acting City Manager Janice Allen…

DECATUR, GA–The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office reports that an inmate  custody has died of an apparent suicide while in custody at the DeKalb County Jail. Officers performing security checks at the jail found Elnan Edinson Oganda, 47, of Doraville  unresponsive inside a cell on Dec. 16, authorities said. Emergency medical services were rendered immediately by the jail’s medical staff and DeKalb Fire Rescue but Oganda was pronounced deceased at the scene, authorities said. Oganda was arrested by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office without incident on Dec. 10, 2021 on warrants issued by the Doraville Police Department. He was being held without…

ATLANTA – Members of the DeKalb County Legislative Delegation, co-chaired by State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) and State Sen.Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur), will hold two virtual town halls regarding the 2022 legislative session, which will convene on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. The event schedule is as follows: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, 9:30 a.m., via Zoom. To register for Zoom access, click here Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, 7 p.m. via Zoom. To register for Zoom access, please click here. Advanced registration is required to participate in the virtual town halls. During the events, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and…

DECATUR, GA — The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District recently awarded a STREAM Award to DeKalb County Watershed Management for Excellence in Education for the county’s “No , No Clog” program. Since the program began in 2018, sewer spills in the county caused by clogs from fats, oils, and grease (FOG) have declined significantly, and residents countywide have been educated about the importance of pouring, scraping, and wiping these items into a container or the trash, rather than the sink. The STREAM Award celebrates excellence in five areas:  water supply and conservation, wastewater, watershed and education;…

Seniors 55+ are eligible to receive a $100 grocery gift card, booster, and flu shots   DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, in partnership with the DeKalb County Human Services Department, will provide grocery gift cards to DeKalb seniors just in time for the holidays. Davis Johnson invites seniors living in District 5 to register for the Health, Wellness, and Food Festival event, which will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 21, at the Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road, Stonecrest, 1– 4p.m. The purpose of this event is to address food insecurity and the health and wellness needs of…