Author: On Common Ground News

LAWRENCEVILLE— The Gwinnett District Attorney’s Office is commemorating the 40th anniversary of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week this week, April 18 to 24. This year’s theme is Support Victims. Build Trust. Engage Communities. “We kicked off our events by mailing a written message from District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson along with a bookmark detailing community resources to our survivors of homicide victims,” said Victim Witness Program Director Uzma Khan. “We want all victims to know that we are here to support them.” The Victim Witness Program invited a victim survivor, several community agencies and members of local law enforcement to record…

Roots Down will install edible, native landscapes at five libraries   DeKalb County District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson is launching edible landscapes at five libraries in her district as part of a wider Fruitful Communities initiative led by Roots Down. Residents are invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at the Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road, on Earth Day, April 22, 2 p.m., to learn more about the initiative and explore the initial design concepts for the installation. The Fruitful Communities initiative focuses on addressing food insecurity, creating green jobs, combating climate change by installing Productive…

Site will feature a farmers’ market, array of outdoor activities   LITHONIA—DeKalb County officials on Monday, April 19, joined Super District 7 Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson for the groundbreaking of the $1.4 million Education, Market, Botanicals, Agriculture and Recreational Center (E.M.B.A.R.C.) Youth Farm. The farm will be developed on the 50-acre site of the former Bransby Outdoor Y Park, located at 1185 Rock Chapel Road in Southeast DeKalb. The farm will offer entrepreneurship training for youths, along with a farmers’ market, country store, hen house and greenhouse. Residents and tourists alike also will be able to enjoy trails, rockclimbing, zip…

DECATUR,GA – The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs has installed five new Chronolog photo stations in honor of Citizen Science Month. The Chronolog stations are located in Mason Mill Park and Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. During April, volunteers from all over the world become involved in research by participating in local science community projects and events through collecting data, analyzing results, and solving scientific problems. Citizen Science Month is the perfect time for patrons to visit DeKalb’s parks and snap fun photos of nature, park officials said. The purpose of the Chronolog photo station is for…

CONYERS, GA–Rockdale County Chairman Oz Nesbitt, Sr. is encouraging members of the community to join in a county-wide cleanup on Saturday, May 1. Check-in for the event will be held at 8 a.m. at the county government annex located at 1400 Parker Road. The Chairman’s Countywide Cleanup will include  Rockdale County officials, department directors and staff, along with citizen volunteers who will help collect litter, tires and other debris during the eight-hour event. “Through this event, we are letting the members of the community know that we share their same interest in the beautification of Rockdale,” Nesbitt said. “Together, we can…

Notice is given that the Rockdale Board of Elections will  hold a regular meeting on Friday, April 23, 2021 at 4pm, per the details below and agenda attached.   Meeting is scheduled as follows:   WHAT:             Regular Board of Elections Meeting   WHEN:            Friday, April 23, 2021   TIME:               4:00pm   WHERE:          In-Person: Rockdale Board of Elections Office                         1261 Commercial Drive, SW, Suite B                                         Conyers, GA 30094                                         (770) 278-7333   MASK-REQUIRED   Online Via Zoom:  Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7049887949 Meeting ID: 704 988 7949 One tap mobile +13126266799,,7049887949# US (Chicago) +16465588656,,7049887949# US (New York)

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– DeKalb County Board of Health officials are hosting a farewell celebration on Friday, April 23, for Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Ford, District Health Director and CEO of the DeKalb County Board of Health. Ford has accepted a job with the Biden Administration that will begin on May 10. Ford, who has served for more than 16 years leading the DeKalb County Board of Health, has been tapped to serve as Special Assistant to the President for Public Health and Science. She will work as part of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Susan Rice. Ford was presented a…

Iffat Walker, Founder & Executive Director of CAN CONYERS, GA – Community Action NOW! (CAN) is partnering with D.O.P.E. Healing Inc., Personified Lab Services, RxMTM Consultants and Philadelphia Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM Georgia) to launch “ROCKTHESPREADROCKDALE,” a free COVID-19 vaccination, testing and vaccination education initiative. CAN has joined forces with other local Rockdale organizations and churches to provide 200 free vaccines and testing on April 24 and 25. Other partners include Antioch East A.M.E. Church, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Conyers Rockdale Caribbean Association Inc., and Global Men of Honor. “It is critical that we get into communities of greatest need…

ROCKDALE COUNTY– Rockdale County has joined more than a dozen cities and counties in the metro Atlanta area including DeKalb, Gwinnett, Hall and Henry counties, and the cities of Decatur and Conyers, to name a few, that include the stormwater utility fee on the property tax bill. The decision comes as a collaborative effort of the Rockdale County Tax Commissioner’s Office, Rockdale County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Stormwater Management to ensure the stormwater utility fees are properly billed and collected, and the utility is properly funded. These fees go toward stormwater operations and infrastructure improvement, rehabilitation…

PRESS STATEMENT April 19, 2020 I will be on cancer treatment medical leave until further notice. This is my third round of treatment in two years. This time around will require a longer, more rigorous regimen due to the addition of complications from my contracting full- blown COVID-19 in December and returning early from surgery in January. I want to thank the Emory team at Winship Cancer Institute and Kaiser Permanente Georgia for the excellent care and instructions I have received for a healthy return to public service after treatment and rest. I promised my family I would not…