Author: On Common Ground News

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– State Rep. Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain) is providing information to make constituents aware of Georgia rental assistance programs for DeKalb County landlords and tenants whose finances have been impacted by COVID-19. “There are millions of dollars in federal aid available now to DeKalb County landlords and residents who need help paying their rent and/or utilities,” said Rep. Davis. “Georgians, especially those in the metro Atlanta area, are struggling to keep up with the rising costs of living. Our state and local officials are working to make this funding available to them, but many of these struggling…

You’re an entertainer that travels the globe, but COVID (like everything else) shut you down. What do you do instead? WATCH Joya Bravo’s story below to find out how this Rockdale County resident rebounded and continues to find ways to keep her calendar booked.

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist   Nicholas made landfall as a hurricane, packing 75-mph winds, on the coast of Texas on Monday night, and AccuWeather forecasters say the slow-moving storm will unleash life-threatening flooding along the Texas Gulf Coast, around the greater Houston area and across parts of Louisiana. Due to the significant threat of flooding the storm will pose, Nicholas has been rated a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale. Since making landfall Monday night, Nicholas has lost some wind intensity and was designated a tropical storm as of Tuesday morning. Regardless of the change in designation, forecasters say Nicholas will be able to unload…

ROCKDALE COUNTY,GA—Keep  Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful has set a new date for its Electronics Recycling & Paper Shredding event. The event, which was scheduled this month will be held in October, due to anticipated inclement weather. Officials said that the paper shredding truck used during the event is inoperable during rainy weather. The event will take place Oct. 23, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., in the parking lot of the Rockdale County Annex, located at 1400 Parker Road, Conyers. In the event of rainy weather, the date is subject to change. The free, half-day event will provide the public a place to safely discard and…

DECATUR, GA–DeKalb County District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson will host a “Tenant & Landlord Eviction Relief” virtual town hall on Thursday, Sept.16, 6:30 p.m. Participants include DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, Congressman Hank Johnson, DeKalb County Chief Operating Officer Zachary Williams, and DeKalb County Clerk of State and Magistrate Courts Javoyne Hicks. The virtual town hall meeting will offer an opportunity for DeKalb County tenants who may be facing eviction and landlords who have filed a dispossessory to learn about how they can get eviction relief from DeKalb County. “We know that the eviction moratorium is coming to an end…

AARP Experience Corps brings students, seniors together DECATUR, GA—The DeKalb County Human Services Department is recruiting volunteers to participate in its tutoring program designed to help DeKalb students improve their reading skills. Participating DeKalb schools will include: Stoneview Elementary, Pine Ridge Elementary, Murphy Candler Elementary, E.L. Miller Elementary and Redan Elementary. Informational sessions will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m., and Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. via Zoom to provide more information to the public about the program. There is no cost to participate. Registration, however, is required. The links for the sessions are as follows: Sept. 21, 10…

Tucker will oversee DeKalb, North Fulton, Gwinnett, Forsyth and Rockdale counties    ATLANTA – Georgia Power has announced that Deon Tucker has been named the Metro North regional director in the Atlanta area, effectively immediately. In her role, she will lead the company’s external affairs activities for DeKalb, North Fulton, Gwinnett, Forsyth and Rockdale counties. She will also provide leadership and support for power delivery, customer service, sales, and community and economic development to bring value to customers. Prior to her current role, Deon served in Macon as a regional director, serving 136,000 customers in a 22-county area. Previously, she worked…

ATLANTA– Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is warning Georgians about the latest version of the grandparent scam. The scam still starts with a phone call from someone pretending to be your grandchild, one of his/her friends, a lawyer or a law enforcement officer. The caller then describes an urgent scenario requiring that thousands of dollars be sent immediately, e.g. your grandchild will go to jail if you don’t send bail money or he or she became ill while traveling in a foreign country and needs money to come home. If impersonating the grandchild, the scammer may speak…

The former Brown Middle School in Atlanta’s Historic West End will be renamed for one of the city’s most famous business leaders and entrepreneurs    ATLANTA – The Herman J. Russell West End Academy, formally named Joseph E. Brown Middle School, will host a ceremony honoring the renaming of the school on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 10 a.m. The renaming of Brown Middle School pays homage and tribute to Herman J. Russell, an Atlanta native who became a well-known real estate and construction businessman and philanthropist. Brown was a secessionist Georgia governor who opposed the abolition of slavery. Born and raised in…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—DeKalb County Police are continuing to seek the public’s help in finding the person responsible for killing Quartez Mender in a hit-and-run on Sept. 1. Mender would have turned 16 today. Police said Mender was killed around 2 a.m. on Flat Shoals Parkway near Wellington Court. His family members said he snuck out of the house. Investigators say they believe he was struck while walking near the entrance of Orchard Walk Apartments. The driver of the vehicle stuck Mender and did not remain on the scene, police said. Family and friends held a candlelight vigil and balloon release on…