Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR– East Ponce De Leon, between Wamsley Way and Kingsgate Drive, will be closed to through-traffic from 9 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 15, to Thursday, Dec. 31 for a drainpipe system repair. Road closure and detour signs will be placed in the area during the road closure period advising motorists of construction work in the area and of local traffic restrictions. Questions regarding this road closure should be addressed to Terrence Simpkins, staff engineer senior, DeKalb County Public Works Roads and Drainage Division, at 404-294-2040 or trsimpkins@dekalbcountyga.gov.  

On Dec. 10, students earning their diplomas for high school and GED achievements while in the care of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), graduated in a traditional statewide ceremony, featuring Rockdale County Chief Magistrate Judge Phinia Aten as keynote speaker. The graduation ceremony was held at the Rockdale County Regional Youth Detention Center in Conyers, and attended by the graduates and their families and Commissioner Tyrone Oliver, the Superintendent of Schools, Zane Shelfer, the Deputy Superintendent of Schools, teaching faculty and principals of the Georgia Preparatory Academy and Pathway to Success Program, who administer to the students’ academic…

Rockdale Water Resources (RWR) will be relocating to its new Customer Care Center, 940 South Main St. NE, Conyers. In preparation for the move, Rockdale Water Resources Customer Care will be closed on Friday, Dec. 18 and will reopen on Monday, Dec. 21. RWR is asking that all new service requests and customer care inquiries be addressed before Dec. 18 or on/after Dec. 21. Due to guidelines taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Rockdale Water Resources Customer Care Center’s lobbies will remain closed even after it reopens on Dec. 21, until further notice. Residents will be able to reach…

DECATUR—DeKalb DeKalb County Government is adding a fourth food distribution site in December because food insecurity is reaching crisis levels for many families. On Saturday, Dec. 19, the former K-Mart building parking lot in Doraville will be one of four locations where 3,700 DeKalb residents will receive one 20-pound box of fruit and vegetables and a bag of ground beef or 10-pound bag of chicken hindquarters. “We recognize that many families are struggling to keep food on their tables,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said. “The Buford Highway distribution site grew out of our partnership with nonprofit advocacy organizations and…

  John Lewis “Good Trouble” marches, xotercades  Set in cities across Georgia VARIOUS CITIES WILL STREAM LIVE VIA:  https://www.facebook.com/TJC.DC ATLANTA –Black and Brown voters in cities across Georgia are joining the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda, the Transformative Justice Coalition, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and community organizers for John Lewis “Good Trouble” Marches and Votercades, festive celebrations of voting rights that will lead voters to the polls for early voting for the U.S. Senate runoffs and Public Service Commission race on Jan 5. The motorcade and festivities will kick off in DeKalb County  today (Dec. 14), 11 a.m., at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center, 3181 Rainbow…

https://youtu.be/WLKIXuha3UM

Rockdale County Board of Elections is working to ensure citizens can vote as conveniently as possible during the General Runoff Election on Jan. 5, 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Early voting begins Monday, Dec. 14. The options to vote include: Mail absentee ballots In-person early voting Saturday voting In-person Election Day voting Election Day voting will take place at the voters’ assigned Polling Place. For voters voting in person, due to social distancing, please wear your mask and be prepared to wait in possibly long lines. PRECINCT RELOCATIONS: Voters of the following precincts will continue to vote on Election Day,…

DECATUR—DeKalb County District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson is encouraging needy seniors in her district to apply for critical home infrastructure repairs. “No senior should have to live in a home that has a cracking roof, leaking pipes or a faulty HVAC system – especially during this winter,” Commissioner Davis Johnson said. The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved $150,000 in funding, which was appropriated by Davis Johnson to provide roof, HVAC, plumbing or other critical infrastructure repairs to seniors in District 5. The program will offer forgivable loans to assist seniors. To be eligible, applicants must be at least…

DECATUR—The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) DeKalb has called on Gov. Brian Kemp to call a special election to fill the House District 90 seat left vacant by the resignation of former Georgia House of Representative Pam Stephenson.  Stephenson ran unopposed in the primary election in June 2020 and won her seat. However, her daughter, Taurene Stephenson, acting as her guardian with power of attorney, filed a resignation with the Georgia governor’s on Sept. 10, 2020. The upcoming 2021 General Assembly and the absence of a representative for House District 90 are of particular concern…