Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR, GA– Sandra Valenciano, M.D., M.P.H., has been appointed as the new District Health Director for the DeKalb County Board of Health, effective July 1. While she has been in her new role for just shy of two months, Valenciano is not new to the agency, which oversees public health services for over 750,000 residents in DeKalb County, where more than 130 languages are spoken. Before willingly stepping into the role as Interim District Health Director in April, she served as the Board of Health’s Medical Director for the Division of Community Health and Prevention Services, beginning in…

DECATUR, GA–The DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections will hold a special called meeting on Friday, Sept. 3, at 1 p.m. This meeting will be conducted via teleconference (Zoom). Simultaneous public access to the meeting will be available via livestream on DCTV’s UStream channel https://video.ibm.com/channel/dctv-channel-23. The focus of the meeting will be changng for polling locations. To make a comment, join via Zoom at https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/97184078303  or by phone at 1-888-270-9936 and use conference code 171493. Public comments of two minutes or less may be made live via the teleconference. For those joining the meeting by telephone, please be aware…

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA–Gwinnett County has tapped members of the community to help the county set priorities for next year’s budget. County elected officials, department directors and agency leaders will present their 2022 financial outlooks and business plans to a Citizens Review Team beginning Aug. 30. The diverse group of men and women will team up with Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson to study the needs of departments and agencies to provide services to Gwinnett residents and businesses. From there, the team will recommend funding from a resident’s perspective. “The residents we serve are the driving factor for how the County operates,”…

CONYERS, GA—Conyers City Manager Tony Lucas announced that Carrie Bootcheck, city attorney, has been hired as in-house counsel for the city of Conyers effective Sep. 2. Bootcheck has served as assistant city attorney for Conyers since 2004 and in June 2021, was named city attorney and appointed as prosecuting attorney for Conyers Municipal Court for a four-year term by the Conyers City Council. In addition to her expertise in local government law, Bootcheck is also proficient in civil litigation, probate law, wills, and construction law. She is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent…

Employees misclassified as independent contractors led to overtime violations  ATLANTA – Home care aides tend to the needs of people when they are most vulnerable, often putting their own health at risk. A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found that an Atlanta-area home care service failed to pay these essential workers the overtime they earned and are legally due. The department’s Wage and Hour Division determined Able Mabel Assisted In-Home Care Services Inc. –operating as Able Mabel Home Care – misclassified home health care aides as independent contractors and failed to pay them overtime when they worked over 40 hours in a week,…

STONECREST, GA—DeKalb County, in partnership with the DeKalb County Board of Health and Medcura Health, on Saturday(Aug. 28) administered an estimated 2,526 COVID-19 vaccinations during an outdoor event that featured music and celebrities at the Mall at Stonecrest. All persons receiving a vaccination also received a $100 prepaid debit card. “This has been an amazing day for DeKalb County and the region,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said. “We also served a very diverse group of people from surrounding counties, including Henry, Newton and Gwinnett.“That’s a good thing because COVID-19 is no respecter of County lines…

The Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade, which usually takes place in late September, has been postponed, organizers announced today. “ABI was in the process of putting our plans in action for the 2021 Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade. However, as conditions surrounding COVID and the Delta Variant have shifted, it has become obvious that rates of infection and hospitalizations are on the rise. In conjunction with the Mayor’s office, we have decided to postpone this year’s lantern parade. While we are disappointed in having to reschedule, we want to ensure our communities stay safe. We look forward to Chantelle…

STONECREST, GA—The New Black Wall Street Market’s grand opening, which was planned for Labor Day weekend, has been rescheduled to Oct. 30-31, due to the rising number of COVID-19 Delta variant cases, officials have announced. Bill Allen, the visionary and owner of the New Black Wall Street Market, said refunds will be processed for vendors who had paid their fee beginning immediately “After much prayer and deliberation, Mr. Allen has decided that out of an abundance of caution and concern for public health / safety due to the proliferation of the COVID-19 Delta variant, we will be postponing…

ATLANTA –– With temperatures frequently exceeding 90 degrees across much of the state and the heat index near 100, Georgia Power is reminding customers that the company offers energy assistance programs to those in need of help paying or reducing their monthly energy bill.    Assistance when you need it Georgia Power offers energy assistance programs in communities across Georgia and has established partnerships with nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations to assist income-qualifying customers with their energy costs. The company’s programs are offered to help meet the changing needs of customers across the state, proactively identify solutions to meet their specific…

Ministry to host pull-up service featuring gospel recording artist Fred Hammond, free food giveaway, COVID-19 vaccinations + other community outreach STONECREST, GA—New Birth Missionary Baptist Church will host a pull-up worship service on Sunday, Sept. 5, at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the ministry’s campus located at 6400 Woodrow Road in Stonecrest. Initially planned as a reopening for in-person Sunday service, Senior Pastor Jamal Bryant pivoted Labor Day weekend plans out of an abundance of caution as Georgia’s COVID-19 cases surge and vaccinations plateau. The pull-up worship experience will feature award-winning gospel…