Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR —Take  a tour and explore the floor plans, house types, and dynamic architectural styles of some of Decatur’s historic gems, spanning 1830 to 1965. The tour is outdoors with a total walking distance of about one mile, and lasts about an hour and a half. Tour Dates and Times: Tuesday, July 20 9:00 – 10:15 am 7:00 – 8:15 pm Tuesday, August 17 9:00 – 10:15 am 7:00 – 8:15 pm Tickets for members of DeKalb History Center are $5.   Non-member tickets are $10. Ticket Link: https://dekalb-history-center.square.site/ Historic DeKalb Courthouse, Lobby 101 E. Court Square, Decatur GA…

ATLANTA –Gov. Brian Kemp has signed an executive order, extending the public health state of emergency due to COVID-19. The governor’s office said the new order, set to expire on July 1 at midnight, will be the last time the state of emergency will be extended. “With the executive order I signed today, the public health state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will end on Thursday, July 1 at 12:00 AM,” said Governor Kemp. “I appreciate the General Assembly granting my office this authority in order to swiftly and appropriately respond to the coronavirus pandemic. We…

Registration is now open for DeKalb County School District’s Adult Education Program: The Next Chapter. The program’s educational and career advancement opportunities include GED classes, family literacy activities, workforce training sessions, post-secondary support and more. The registration deadline is Monday, June 28, 2021. To register, visit http://bit.ly/DCSD-adult-ed-2021. For more information, contact Narva Dunlap at (678) 676-0384 or email family_engagement@dekalbschoolsga.org.

DeKalb County government has rescheduled sanitation collection due in observance of Independence Day on Monday, July 5.  Garbage, recyclable materials and yard trimmings collection for residential customers will run one day late as follows: Monday, July 5 –Independence Day observed. No sanitation service. Tuesday, July 6 – Residential customers whose regularly scheduled collection day is Monday, July 5, will be serviced on Tuesday, July 6.  Wednesday, July 7 – Residential customers whose regularly scheduled collection day is Tuesday, July 6, will be serviced on Wednesday, July 7. Thursday, July 8 – Residential customers whose regularly scheduled collection day…

ATLANTA – The House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee, chaired by State Rep.Bonnie Rich (R-Suwanee), and the Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, chaired by State Sen. John F. Kennedy (R-Macon), will hold its next series of joint town hall hearings across the state of Georgia. The schedule for the next three in-person hearings is as follows: Monday, June 28, 2021, from 5 – 7 p.m. in room 341 of the State Capitol; Tuesday, June 29, 2021, from 5 – 7 p.m. at South Forsyth High School (Cafeteria) in Cumming; Wednesday, June 30, 2021, from 5 – 7 p.m.…

DeKalb County Government is partnering with South Georgia farmers and county faith leaders to provide 2,500 boxes of Georgia-grown fruit and vegetables to residents on   Saturday, June 26, and Monday, June 28. “This farm-to-table initiative continues our efforts to alleviate food insecurity for our residents hardest hit by the economic effects on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said. The following churches will hold food distributions on Saturday, June 26: New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, 6400 Woodrow Road, Stonecrest, GA 30038. Distribution begins at 10 a.m. Big Miller…

ATLANTA– Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced today (June 22) that the office’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has indicted Terry Florence in DeKalb County Superior Court for three counts of Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude. “We are working every single day to rescue victims of Human Trafficking and put their buyers and traffickers behind bars,” said Carr. “Our team will continue to track down every lead until there are no more victims of this horrific crime in Georgia and all perpetrators are behind bars.” The defendant is currently in custody. The crimes occurred during the spring…

DeKalb County Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a regular meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, June 28. This meeting will be conducted via teleconference (Zoom). A Finance Committee Meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. To listen in on the meeting, request the link and PIN from weissingera@dekalblibrary.org no later than noon on the date of the meeting. For more details on the agenda and about listening in, visit www.dekalblibrary.org.

Commissioner Sherri Washington BOC vows to use ARPA funds to “put people first”   ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—Help is on the way for residents, businesses and essential workers in Rockdale County, as the nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Rockdale County government has received its first round of federal relief —$8,827, 741—under President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act(ARPA), county officials announced today at the Board of Commissioners meeting. The county received the first “tranche,” the term that federal officials are using for the deposit of funds to local governments, in May. Rockdale officials say plans are in place to…

Photos  By Kelly Jordan ATLANTA—Centennial Olympic Park  drew crowds eager to attend the Juneteenth Atlanta celebration, which was held June 18-20.  The downtown festivities included a parade, national speakers, a community vendors’ market, cultural arts amphitheater and a variety of entertainment such as Double Dutch jump rope artists, yoga, martial arts, meditation fields, chess and other board games, bounce houses and face painting. Oh yes, and there were plenty of food trucks and concessions. Photographer Kelly Jordan covered the event. About Kelly Jordan Kelly Jordan has lived in Atlanta since 1968. He attended Emory University before he and partners…