Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR, GA– Due to the Labor Day holiday, the DeKalb County Board of Health’s offices and regional health centers will be closed on Friday and Monday, however, COVID-19 testing and COVID-19 vaccine will be available throughout the weekend for community members. COVID-19 testing in the parking lot of the North DeKalb Health Center is available Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., and will be unaffected by the holiday. COVID-19 vaccine will be available at the Doraville MARTA station, in addition to planned mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Mobile clinics can be found be visiting dekalbhealth.net/mobile-covid-19-vaccination-clinic/#calendar.…

STONECREST, GA—Annie’s Crab Kingdom closed its doors on Sunday (Aug. 29) after opening in August 2020 during the pandemic and sustaining a yearlong run in the city. DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, speaking on behalf of her aunt, Annie Page, for whom the restaurant was named, and other family members involved in the business, said the shutdown was due to staffing shortages. Cochran-Johnson said that finding and retaining employees was very challenging Cochran-Johnson held a farewell celebration on Sunday with supporters at the restaurant, located at 6768 Browns Mill Road. She said new owners plan to open a…

CONYERS, GA— Jerimiah Stanley, 14, now has wheelchair ramp, thanks to the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and YellaWood lumber company.  Until recently, Stanley had to use a makeshift ramp made of a piece of plywood to enter and exit  the brick, ranch-style home that he shares with his 78-year-old grandfather, Arthur Franklin.    Last Tuesday, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office partnered with YellaWood lumber company to build a ramp for the teen. YellaWood donated the wood needed to build the new ramp and certified contractor Toby Malcolm from Creekside Construction located in Oxford, GA volunteered his services to make and installed the new…

DECATUR, GA—DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces a conviction by jury trial in the murder case against a Stone Mountain man accused of beating and killing his girlfriend’s 22-month-old son. Jurors returned guilty verdicts last Thursday against 29-year-old Kevin Stewart on charges of Felony Murder and five counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree in connection with the death of the child.   The fatal beating occurred on June 6, 2018. Stewart was residing with his girlfriend and her toddler at the Stone Mountain Inn. On the day of the incident, the child’s mother left the room to…

Crews to upsize existing sewer lines Contractors have begun assessing and preparing the impacted areas. More than 4,500 feet of existing 14- and18-inch sewer lines will be upgraded to 24-inch lines. The Tilly Mill Sewer Replacement Project is part of DeKalb County’s $1.345 billion capital improvement program. More information about the Tilly Mill Sewer Replacement Project is available on the “Capital Improvement Projects” section of the Department of Watershed Management (DWM) website at www.dekalbwatershed.com. Residents may also call the DWM Project Information Line at 1-800-986-1108 or email projectinfo@dekalbcountyga.gov with questions. For more information, join the virtual townhall meeting on…

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,”…