Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA—In anticipation of frigid temperatures, the City of Atlanta announced the opening of an emergency warming center at the former Ramada Hotel, 450 Capitol Avenue S.E., Atlanta, 30312. The center will open today, Monday, Nov. 30, 5 p.m. and will remain open through Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1 p.m.  Those in need of additional assistance can contact the City by dialing 311 (inside Atlanta City limits) or 404-546-0311.  

The Donald J. Trump Campaign released the following release today, Nov. 30: For the fifth time, the Trump Campaign has requested that the Georgia Secretary of State perform an immediate audit of the signatures on all absentee ballot applications and absentee ballot envelopes received for the November 3rd General Election. The Trump Campaign estimates that between 38,250 and 45,626 illegal votes from the absentee ballots alone were cast in the state of Georgia – far beyond the Biden-Harris ticket’s current margin of 12,670 votes. The Trump Campaign has substantial evidence of other violations of Georgia’s Election Code and numerous other serious discrepancies in voting across…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) again has been awarded DeKalb County Fire Rescue (DCFR) the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant. Over the next three years, DCFR will use the $5,839,110 grant to provide funding for 100 percent of the salary and benefits costs for 30 new firefighters to serve the citizens and stakeholders of DeKalb County. “We are excited about the opportunity to enhance our capability to provide a quicker and more effective service to the citizens of DeKalb County,” DeKalb County Fire Chief Darnell Fullum said. The goal of SAFER is to enhance…

Conyers Rockdale Council for the Arts(CRCA) is launching its very first Virtual Artist Market at https://conyersarts.org/shop/.  CRCA has partnered with local artists to bring their artwork to the community for safe home shopping this holiday season. Items include jewelry, wood carvings, paintings, ornaments, holiday décor, fused glass, vintage jewelry framed art and more.  The market will be open until Dec. 11.   Items can be added until Dec. 3, so shoppers are encouraged to check back often to see what’s new. Artists include:  B.J. Crawford, Christopher Saunders, Greta Beech, Jackie Newman, Jessica Gugliotta (The Hoof ‘N Home), Lorraine Harrison (Harrison…

CLARKSTON—The swearing-in ceremony for Clarkston’s Mayor-Elect Beverly Burks will take place on Monday, Nov. 30, 1:30 p.m., Clarkston First Baptist Church, 3999 Church St., Clarkston (lower parking lot, Norman Road and Rowland Street. In taking the oath of office, Burks will become the first African-American female to be elected mayor of Clarkston in the city’s 138-year history. As a cause for a double celebration, Burks’ birthday is also on Nov. 30. With limited seating at this event and as a COVID-19 precaution, the public is encouraged to view the ceremony as a Facebook Live Stream at: facebook.com/CityofClarkstonGaand at: facebook.com/BeverlyHBurks/

STONECREST–DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections (DeKalb VRE) shifted from a planned Sunday recount to an updated Monday(Nov. 30) schedule as officials look toward the early completion of the statewide recount.  DeKalb’s recount is under way at the City of Stonecrest’s Early Voting Precinct at the former Sam’s Club(at the future home of Stoncrest City Hall at 2929 Turner Hill Road. The state’s mandated deadline is Dec. 2. “We believe we are in a great place and this change in the schedule will allow our team to rest and come in ready to complete this recount ahead of the deadline,”…

By Joel Edwards, President, Restore DeKalb Taxpayers of DeKalb County continue to demonstrate support for DeKalb County students’ success. However, it is evident that ongoing fiscal mismanagement has been rampant within the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) for a very long time. It is well documented that fraudulent activity has led to criminal convictions of a former Superintendent and Chief Operating officer and the firing of principals, teachers, and other staff. The discovery of previously unknown $40 million in capital funds, failure to report timely to the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts (leading to the 2020 downgrade…

STONECREST—DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections (DeKalb VRE) is conducting the electronic recount of more than 373,000 ballots to meet the statewide mandated deadline by Dec. 2, 2020. The recount is underway at the future Stonecrest City Hall (former Sam’s Club), 2929 Turner Hill Road. The site is one of the county’s largest early voting precincts. “We’re planning on deploying a recount plan that looks very similar to the recent risk-limiting audit,” said DeKalb VRE Director Erica Hamilton. “We’re engaging the same partners, county departments and others to ensure we’re able to once again maintain the integrity of the process.”…

Dr. Heather Bradley, Principal Investigator ATLANTA—The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded an interdisciplinary team in Georgia State University’s School of Public Health a two-year, $1.3 million grant through its RADx Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program to better understand barriers and motivations for participating in COVID-19 research among Black communities in Atlanta. The team will examine what kinds of things preclude people from participating in COVID-19 serostudies, which survey a large number of people for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody through a minimally invasive test, such as a finger prick. “Unfortunately, Black persons and other racial/ethnic minorities are less…