Author: On Common Ground News

CONYERS—The 2021 Walk of Heroes/Veterans War Memorial ceremony will be held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, 11 a.m., at Black Shoals Park Memorial, 3001 Black Shoals Road. Organizers want people to mark their calendars and plan to attend. Last year’s program was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but those who are planning this year’s event are inviting the public to attend in person. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order on April 30 lifting most remaining COVID-19 restrictions on businesses while gatherings while “strongly encouraging” the public to continue wearing face masks and practicing social distancing.…

DECATUR – DeKalb County Cooperative Extension will host “May Gardening” virtual classes for free. The “Herb Gardening” class will be held May 11, 6 to 7 p.m. The “Invasive Species” class will be held May 19, 6 to 7 p.m. The “Things that Bug Me Inside and Outside the home” class will be held May 25, 6 to 7 p.m. Registration is required. Register at https://ugeorgia.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b7OC9zuiTSvWTt4 or email yanyu.chen@uga.edu to register.  For more information, contact the DeKalb County Cooperative Extension Office at 404-298-4080, or visit our website at https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices/dekalb.html.

DECATUR, GA– Due to forecasted severe weather, the DeKalb County Board of Health  is making the following modifications to its hours of operations on Tuesday: All Offices and Health Centers:                                              Opening at 10:00 a.m., Closing at 2:00 p.m. Doraville MARTA COVID-19 Vaccination Site:                    CLOSED Stonecrest COVID-19 Vaccination Site:                                 Opening at Noon, Closing at 4:00 p.m. Greater Piney Grove Testing Site:                                          CLOSED (previously scheduled) The Stonecrest COVID-19 vaccination site will still accept individuals with or without appointments on Tuesday. Anyone who had a vaccination appointment at the Doraville MARTA vaccination site on Monday, may go to the…

DECATUR, GA– This summer, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and the Board of Commissioners are hosting the 2021 DeKalb Virtual Career Academy (DVCA), the county’s fifth annual summer jobs program, run by WorkSource DeKalb. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to make it difficult for DeKalb County youth to find summer jobs and internships,” said Thurmond. “Again, this year, DeKalb County will fill this training and financial gap by offering our summer jobs program as a virtual career academy.” Applications will open on May 5, 9 a.m, and close on May 11, 5 p.m., for the five-week program, which runs from…

ATLANTA – In recognition of Older Americans Month, Attorney General Chris Carr is encouraging older consumers to protect themselves from fraudsters by becoming familiar with common scams and scam tactics. “We are proud to celebrate Older Americans Month and pay tribute to the achievements, sacrifices and innovations of our older Georgians,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “We must also do all we can to protect those who are most vulnerable. As con artists invent new ways to perpetrate crimes, our office wants to take this time to urge all Georgians to avoid and report scams that target our older adult…

Approximately 8,000 customers impacted by outages, fallen trees, downed power lines   ATLANTA –As waves of severe weather continue to cross the state, Georgia Power crews are facing recurring damage from high winds, heavy rain, lightning and tornadoes that have led to fallen trees, damaged equipment and downed power lines. As of late afternoon, crews were in the field working to restore power to approximately 8,000 customers impacted by the storms. As crews work to assess damage and make repairs, they are finding broken poles, broken wire, damage caused by lightning strikes and limbs on lines. Crew have been forced…

DECATUR—A coalition of African-American faith leaders joined AME Bishop Reginald Jackson today (May 3) to hold a prayer rally and in the rain at The Home Depot on Snapfinger Woods Drive in Decatur. The demonstration was part of a national boycott against The Home Depot by faith leaders from across Georgia in response to voter legislation signed into law earlier this year by Gov. Brian Kemp The faith leaders say the legislation significantly diminishes the ability to request and submit absentee ballots, minimalizes voting opportunities across the state, makes it a crime to offer food or water to…

By Mark Brock Athletics Specialist DCSD   A combined 22 athletes and four relay teams from the DeKalb County School District’s (DCSD)Lakeside and Tucker boys’ and girls’ track and field teams are headed to the Class 6A Sectional B at Barron Stadium in Rome on Saturday (May 8) after their performances in the recent Region 4-6A Track and Field Championships at Godfrey Stadium.   The Lady Tigers finished third overall with 74 points behind Westlake (237.5) and North Atlanta (109.5) while Lakeside came in fifth (61).   Tucker’s Katelyn Mendoza lead the way with a gold in the discus (85.05.50)…

Gov. Kemp approves $1 million in grant funding to bolster tourism across variety of digital + print media ATLANTA— Explore Georgia, the state tourism office within the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), announced several new initiatives today(May 3) to increase visitation and support tourism recovery in the state. During a virtual event held at the Georgia Aquarium, Explore Georgia launched a new marketing campaign, ‘Ready. Set. Georgia.,’ unveiled the latest ‘2021 Explore Georgia Official State Travel Guide,’ and highlighted $1 million in new grant and co-op opportunities for the tourism industry made possible by Gov. Brian P. Kemp’s amended FY21…