Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson and Atlanta Executive Director Stephanie Cho DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson credited with helping to expand language access   DeKalb County is the first county in Georgia to offer an officially translated ballot in an Asian language, going beyond the federal Voting Rights Act to expand meaningful language access to voters, Advancing Justice-Atlanta(AJA) officials announced today(Oct. 29). AJA officials thanked DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson for his leadership on the initiatives in working with the Dear Georgia It’s Time campaign, which was led by Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and supported by more than 30 voting rights groups.…

DeKalb County District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson has appropriated $1 million in federal funding to assist families impacted by the COVID – 19 pandemic. Allocations have been made to 21 community-based organizations in District 5 to provide food, rental, mortgage, and utility assistance to individuals who have lost wages or employment or financially impacted by the virus. Residents are encouraged to contact any of the agencies for help. A vetting process is in place to determine which individuals have been helped to avoid duplication of services, Davis Johnson’s office said. “People are worrying about…

DeKalb Clerk of State and Magistrate Courts will begin accepting customers on an appointment-only basis beginning Monday, Nov.  2. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, essential matters have been facilitated virtually since the initial statewide emergency order issued on March 13. Provisions in the Oct. 9 local emergency order allow reopening under specific guidelines to protect the health and safety of the public and court personnel. Before scheduling an appointment and visiting the office of the Clerk of State and Magistrate Courts you should know the following: Customers are encouraged to submit filings electronically at https://georgia.tylerhost.net/ofsweb/ and to seek remote assistance…

DeKalb to distribute 2,500 boxes of produce + chicken Oct. 31   DeKalb County Government is hosting another food distribution this weekend to assist families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The county has been distributing free food monthly to help families in need. “Food insecurity is a growing crisis in DeKalb County,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. “We hope that our monthly distributions will help struggling families keep food on their tables.” On Saturday, Oct. 31, the county will host three drive-through food distribution events during which 2,500 DeKalb residents will receive one 20-pound box of fruit and…

Georgia Gov. Kemp extends public health emergency,  renews COVID-19 order through Nov. 15  Today (Oct. 30), Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp signed Executive Order 10.30.20.01 and Executive Order 10.30.20.02, extending the public health state of emergency through Dec. 9 and renewing current COVID-19 restrictions with minimal changes to the sections on Healthcare and Governments. The order extending the public health state of emergency (1o.30.20.01) is effective immediately. Executive Order 10.30.20.02 takes effect on Nov. 1 at 12 A.M. and runs through Nov. 15 at 11:59 P.M. The Governor’s executive orders are available to be read here.

Damage assessment from Hurricane Zeta continues as teams see extensive damage across the state Electric service to nearly 490,000 Georgia Power customers has been restored following Hurricane Zeta. As of 8 p.m. Thursday(Oct. 29), approximately 280,000 customers are without power across Georgia. The company expects power to be restored to 95% of customers impacted by Hurricane Zeta by Sunday night. While the company continues to assess damage, customers in the hardest hit areas should plan ahead for the potential of extended outages, possibly days, due to the vast damage from the storm. Based on the impact of Hurricane Zeta across…

Rockdale County is refinancing debt related to the water and sewerage system to create savings for the county. Rockdale County’s Water and Sewerage Revenue Bonds Series 2020 was assigned the Aa2 rating by the Moody’s Rating Agency, the county announced today (Oct. 29). This is a favorable rating for a first-time water and sewerage bond presented by the County. The Moody’s Agency Report states: Rockdale County’s Water and Sewerage (Aa2) credit profile incorporates the strong financial and operating trends such as a healthy liquidity position and adequate debt service coverage ratios, which are supported by regular rate increases and long-range…

Due to outages from inclement weather, the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) will close all offices on Friday, Oct. 30. Only 12-month essential employees, including maintenance and custodial staff ,should report by 11 a.m. All students and staff are to report for a normal remote learning school day. DCSD acknowledges that staff, students, and families may be impacted by power outages resulting from remnants of Hurricane Zeta. Students will not be negatively impacted if they are not able to participate in online learning. Additionally, all feeding sites will be closed tomorrow. For more information, please visit: https://acfb.org. DCSD…

ATLANTA—Electric service to more than 280,000 Georgia Power customers has been restored following Hurricane Zeta. As of 1:30 p.m. Thursday(Oct. 29), approximately 417,000 customers were without power across Georgia. Damage assessment following widespread impacts from Hurricane Zeta is in progress throughout Georgia and must be completed as an essential step to efficiently and effectively allocate resources. Teams must first remove trees to access some of the hardest hit areas. Once accessible, an assessment of damage is taken before crews can begin making repairs. All of Georgia Power’s teams are in the field working to assess damage and restore power. In…