Author: On Common Ground News

Applications from local educational entities accepted Aug. 1-31   Atlanta, GA –Gov. Brian P. Kemp has announced the availability of $47 million in Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER), beginning August 1. The Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) will distribute these resources through an application process. The purpose of the GEER II Fund is to provide local educational agencies, institutions of higher education (IHEs), and other education related entities with emergency assistance needed as a result of COVID-19. The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA), was signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020. The Act provides funding to…

DECATUR—The DeKalb County Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating three men wanted in connection with the homicide of Ian Garvey, 39. On June 13, around 3 a.m., Garvey was shot outside of the Flex Lounge, 3711 N. Decatur Road, after he and one of the three suspects were involved in a dispute in the parking lot as Garvey walked to his vehicle, police said. After the first suspect shot Garvey, the other two suspects shot him. Garvey died on the scene and the suspects fled in a dark grey/silver four-door sedan. Anyone…

DECATUR, GA–DeKalb County Board of Health and Medcura Health administered more than 230 COVID-19 vaccinations and tested more than 50 adults and children. “This event has been a huge success by any measure,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. “We are committed to eradicating this disease and fighting to keep DeKalb County residents safe.” Residents received $50 prepaid debit cards for vaccinations at the event, which was held at the Gallery at South DeKalb. COVID-19 testing and backpacks for students were also available. Approximately 540 people have been vaccinated during three county-sponsored COVID-19 vaccination events.

https://youtu.be/Sk0KgdQb3Xk The Aquatic Center, located at 4929 Browns Mill Road, Stonecrest is now open for play weekends to 7pm. Admission: youth 17 and under is $5, adults 18+ is $7. For more information, call 770-224-0191.

DECATUR, GA-Motorists should expect delays stemming from lane closures beginning Aug. 2 as work crews begin repairing aging sewer pipes along South Columbia Drive . The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) is initiating these construction projects to address the repair needs of approximately 100,000 linear feet of sewer pipe as a part of ongoing maintenance to improve sewer service countywide. The following projects will prompt lane closures that will start on Aug. 2: South Columbia Drive, between Derrydown, Way Shadow Moor Drive  A portion of the northbound lane along South Columbia Drive, between Derrydown…

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Curtis D. Spencer PACIFIC OCEAN—Quartermaster Seaman Lyan Martinez-Casiano, who is from Lawrenceville, GA, is assigned to the amphibious transport dock ship, USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26). The ship is underway conducting routine operations as part of the U.S. 3rd Fleet. Martinez-Casiano is pictured using a needle gun on the exterior of the ship to remove corrosion.With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor,…

Participants enjoy a South River paddle from earlier this year. Photo by Andrew Kraft    ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– On Aug.14, join the South River Watershed Alliance for a scenic excursion down the South River, from Lorraine Park and Trailhead in Stockbridge to Oglesby Bridge Road in Conyers. “River recreation is powerful. It increases respect for the river and gives us leverage to demand better protection of it. The South River is Atlanta’s hidden gem — the more we discover it, the brighter it will shine,” said Margaret Spalding, South River Watershed Alliance Executive Director. Canoes and kayaks are provided…

DECATUR, GA– The DeKalb County Board of Health will hold a special called board meeting via teleconference on July 30, beginning at noon. Public access to the teleconference can be established by calling: 301-715-8592, Conference ID 880-4808-9164, Password: 539830 Agenda items for the meeting include: Executive Session(Closed to the Public) Approval on Personnel Matter Discussed in Executive Session Public Comments Board Comments Anyone who would like to bring an issue before the board can be placed on the agenda by contacting India Dyer at 404-294-3787. Written comments to the board will be accepted at:  Office of the Director, DeKalb County Board of…

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced that the office’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has indicted eight Albany, GA Bloods gang members on 54 gang and human trafficking charges in which they forced minors and others into sexual servitude. A Dougherty County Grand Jury returned the indictment on July 28. “Gangs are behind the crime wave that is affecting Georgia communities, and members are willing to commit horrific acts to help fuel their illegal activities,” said Carr. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute gang members for their crimes, and we look forward to presenting this case –…