Author: On Common Ground News

The Rockdale County Branch of the NAACP will host a virtual Black History Bowl as part of its celebration of Black History Month 2021. The event offers an opportunity for Rockdale middle and high school students to have a fun learning experience with cash prizes for the first, second and third place winners. The first place prize is $200; second place is $150; third place is $100. Contestants will use KAHOOT! learning platform, which is fast-paced, colorful and engaging and widely-used by school systems and familiar to many students. The Black History Bowl will take place on Saturday, Feb.…

DECATUR, GA – In observance of Presidents Day on Monday, Feb. 15, sanitation service for residential customers will run one day late as follows: Monday, Feb. 15 – Presidents Day observed. No sanitation service. Tuesday, Feb. 16 – Residential customers whose regularly scheduled collection day is Monday, Feb. 15, will be serviced on Tuesday, Feb. 16.  Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Residential customers whose regularly scheduled collection day is Tuesday, Feb. 16, will be serviced on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Thursday, Feb. 18 – Residential customers whose regularly scheduled collection day is Wednesday, Feb. 17, will be serviced on Thursday, Feb. 18.…

DECATUR, GA–DeKalb Cooperative Extension has opened its ninth annual plant sale and will be accepting orders Feb. 8 through March 31.  The one-day pick-up is Saturday, April 10, at the DeKalb Cooperative Extension Office. Due to the pandemic, all orders will be handled by mail or phone call, and order pick-up will be done contact-free. Several varieties are available to choose from including azaleas, hydrangeas, drift roses, muscadines, blackberries and many more. In addition, DeKalb County Extension ANR agents will offer a virtual information session on the plants featured in the plant sale. The virtual education session will be Wednesday, March 3,…

Emory Healthcare and Emory University are partnering with DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson for a virtual discussion on COVID-19 vaccinations for constituents of South DeKalb County. The webinar will be held today (Feb. 9), 6:30 p.m. Emory panelists include Ovid Barrow, MD, Chief of Medicine, Emory Hillandale Hospital; Kim Bentley, VP of Operations, Emory Hillandale Hospital; and Jim Forstner, CEO, Emory Decatur, Hillandale, and Long Term Acute Care Hospitals. The meeting will be held via Zoom and streamed live on Facebook. Mark your calendar: DeKalb Chamber State of Education & Workforce Development Event On Feb. 11, Christa Acampora, Deputy Provost for…

DECATUR, GA — On Thursday, Feb. 11, at 6:30 p.m., Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) will host a telephone town hall on the COVID-19 relief resources. Included on the call will be Atlanta Legal Aid to discuss housing and renters’ rights. There also will be an IRS expert on hand to discuss stimulus checks, representatives from the Small Business Administration to discuss Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)  and an Emory representative to share information about COVID-19 and vaccines. WHO:  Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) Terri Denison: Georgia District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Ruby…

New superintendent ‘doesn’t yet know what she’s doing’      By Deborah Jones President, Organization of DeKalb Educators(ODE) The DeKalb County School District is not being honest with the public. In doing so, the superintendent and the board are risking the lives of all DeKalb families. You won’t find newsletters or tweets or videos announcing the new ventilation equipment or kn95 masks it has purchased for students and employees. However, the district has celebrated its $10 million budget surplus. The district should make good on its commitment ” to keep the health and safety of our employees a number one priority.” The…

Stonecrest, GA—On behalf of Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment (CHASE), the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has moved for an interlocutory injunction to halt Metro Green Recycling’s construction of a solid waste facility in the city of Stonecrest until a DeKalb County Superior Court is able to hear their case. CHASE and SELC argue that without an injunction, Metro Green’s construction activities and eventual operation will continue to expose thousands of Black neighbors in Stonecrest and unincorporated DeKalb County to intrusive noise, dust, odors, and vibrations, and the resulting emotional and psychological stress from solid waste handling in…

DeKalb County, Delta Sigma Theta partner on initiative             DeKalb County Board of Health and members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will partner to administer second doses of COVID-19 vaccine to approximately 500 South DeKalb seniors The initiative will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2 p.m., at the Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road, Stonecrest. Seniors will be receiving their second dose of the Moderna vaccine. Volunteer clinicians from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will administer the vaccines. Partnerships with volunteers and other service organizations are part of several strategies that the DeKalb County Board of…

The DeKalb House Delegation will conduct its first regular meeting of the 2021 Legislative Session on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at noon or upon adjournment.  The delegation members and program speakers will meet virtually via Zoom. State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-85) serves as chair of the delegation and State Rep. Doreen Carter (D-92) serves as vice chair. The public is invited to view the meeting via Facebook LIVE on the DeKalb House and Senate Facebook page.  The meeting will be recorded. The DeKalb House Delegation will host a recurring meeting for eight weeks, ending March 31.  If a meeting is postponed or cancelled, a…

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond will announce receipt of a multimillion-dollar grant from the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance program during the DeKalb Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 9 a.m. Thurmond has convened a Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition comprised of public and nonprofit partners. The coalition will provide financial relief to DeKalb renters threatened by eviction and landlords facing revenue losses—both due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Thurmond will be joined by representatives from: DeKalb County Government DeKalb County Magistrate Court DeKalb County State Court DeKalb County Clerk of State and Magistrate Courts DeKalb County Marshal’s Office Atlanta Legal Aid…