Author: On Common Ground News

SNAP to launch in-fused water tastings across Georgia    ATLANTA – Georgia’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamp) and its  four partner agencies are launching Hydrate My State, a campaign tailored for SNAP-eligible Georgians to encourage more water consumption, instead of sugary beverages. The campaign, led by the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) Office of Family Independence (OFI) SNAP Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed), will consist of in-person infused water tastings, recipes on how to incorporate more water into daily life, nutrition fact labels on why water is so important, and formal shareable promotions. “This comes as a…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA–Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) congratulates Gen. Ray Davis Middle School (DMS) on being named among the top 5 percent of Title I schools by the Georgia Department of Education (GADOE). The Title I Distinguished flag for 2021 Title I Distinguished Schools was recently presented to DMS administrators and teachers during a faculty meeting. This year’s Title I Distinguished Schools list is based on the 2019 CCRPI (College and Career Ready Performance Index), the most recent CCRPI available. DMS has been named to the GADOE’s top performing Title I schools lists for multiple consecutive years. The Distinguished Schools…

The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert today (Sept. 13) to residents in Rockdale, Newton, Walton and Barrow counties about a scam targeting senior citizens. Scammers are calling elderly residents pretending to be a relative in trouble with the law and needing bond/bail money. The scammers then connect the concerned victim with a person pretending to be their family member’s attorney. This so-called attorney arranges for the victim to pay cash or check to a courier service to help pay for legal fees and bond money. The courier is also a fraud. In reported cases, the suspect was a black…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– The Pink Pooch Festival and Survivor Walk is returning for its 10th Annual Celebration in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. The Pink Pooch Festival and Survivor Walk will take place Sunday, Oct. 10, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., at Richardson Dog Park, 3779 Union Church Road, Stockbridge The celebration will feature a free festival, music, food trucks, raffles, pet show, pet contests, mobile health screenings and more. “Rockdale County is in full support of the Pink Pooch Festival and Survivor Walk. We have been the home of this celebration since its inception as a parade in…

CONYERS, GA—Volunteers are needed for a Rivers Alive community waterway cleanup organized for Saturday, Oct. 2, in the Hunting Creek subdivision. The cleanup is sponsored by the city of Conyers Stormwater and Code Enforcement departments and volunteers will be provided with gloves, safety vests, masks, and water, and enjoy pizza at the end of the cleanup. The cleanup begins at 9 a.m. Volunteers are encouraged to park along the Sara’s Court cul-de-. The cleanup will take place in the vicinity of 1763 Hunting Creek Lane. “We welcome individuals, families, organizations, and anyone interested in volunteering some time to clean up…

By Mark Brock Region games determine your playoff fate, and the Columbia Eagles and Towers Titans got a good start by winning their first region matchups of the season on Friday night. Royce Tolbert played a big role on both sides of the football in the Eagles 21-14 win over the Pace Academy Knights at Avondale Stadium on Sept. 10 in the first meeting between the two football programs. Tolbert got loose in the first quarter scampering 43 yards into the end zone to give the Eagles (2-1, 1-0) an early 6-0 lead. The…

ATLANTA — Employment scams are on the rise in the turbulent job market created by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Better Business Bureau® (BBB®) study finds. BBB warns job seekers to verify employment offers to avoid illegal jobs, identity theft and fake checks to which millions are exposed annually. The in-depth investigative study — Job Scams: BBB study finds job scams increased during pandemic, warns job seekers to verify employment offers to avoid illegal jobs, identity theft and fake checks — details the many forms employment fraud takes and the scams that often result. Read the full study here. Job scams have been…

By Nicole LoBiondo, AccuWeather meteorologist AccuWeather meteorologists are keeping a close eye for the possibility of tropical development along the southern Atlantic coast of the United States during the middle to late week that could stir up dangerous surf and trigger tropical downpours along the Carolina coast. While Tropical Storm Nicholas takes aim at coastal Texas this week, a feature just off the Southeast coast could be the next potential candidate for tropical development to impact the United States. This comes less than a week after Tropical Storm Mindy quickly organized and ramped up before making landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a tropical…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—DeKalb County School District officials are working to resolve issues and concerns with school bus drivers, hoping to avoid massive absences this week such as the one that occurred in Region 1 on Friday, Sept. 10. A “high” number of school bus drivers did not show up for work on Friday in North DeKalb, prompting delays, canceled routes and chaos as parents scrambled to find alternate transportation for their children. “We’re being proactive. District officials met on Friday to address their(bus drivers) concerns regarding salary increases, pensions and the fact that some parents don’t…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson held a walk on the DeKalb Michelle Obama trail on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021 to remember the victims, survivors and families of the 9/11 attacks on the nation. Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the horrific event, “a moment we will never forget,” said Johnson. On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 hijackers committed murder-suicide on four planes. The death toll totaled 2,996 and more than 6,000 injured as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon and…