Author: On Common Ground News

CONYERS—Mayor Vince Evans and the Conyers City Council will designate and dedicate a stretch of Milstead Avenue in the city limits as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Avenue on Dr. King’s birthday, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. Discussion has been ongoing for some time about memorializing Dr. King’s legacy in Conyers and at last year’s City Council retreat, the council assigned the task to Council Member Connie Alsobrook and members of the city employee-led Connect Committee. The Conyers Connect Committee was created in 2020 to foster the city’s successful ability for its employees to work collaboratively as a team despite…

Commissioner Steve Bradshaw and Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners unanimously re-elected District 4 Commissioner Steve Bradshaw as presiding officer and Super District 7 Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson as deputy presiding officer. “I am honored and humbled by the renewed vote of confidence in me that has been demonstrated by my esteemed colleagues,” Bradshaw said. “And I will continue to work hard to prove myself worthy of their support.” Since taking office in January 2017, Bradshaw has served in several roles,  including deputy presiding officer (2018 and 2019), County Operations Committee chair (2017 and 2018), Public Works…

Rockdale County Post 1 Commissioner Sherri L. Washington and Newton County District 3 Commissioner Alana Sanders are inviting small business owners to engage in a virtual town hall to discuss the new Federal COVID-19 Emergency Relief Package recently passed by the U.S. Congress. The town hall will be held via Zoom on Saturday, Jan. 23, 10 a.m., and broadcast live on the Official Rockdale County Facebook Page at facebook.com/rockdalegov. Congressman Hank Johnson and representatives of the Small Business Administration will discuss funding available through the new COVID-19 Emergency Relief Package and how to apply for assistance. “We want to…

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is delaying the return to school. Students will not return to face-to-face instruction on Jan. 19. DCSD Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris and her team presented an update of the District’s re-opening plan during the Jan. 11 Board of Education meeting. District officials said decisions were carefully made given the magnitude of COVID-19 and school closures on teaching and learning. The District will host a virtual town hall for parents with Superintendent Watson-Harris on Thursday, Jan. 14, 6 to 7 p.m. A two-week notification will be shared with families prior to the expected date for return…

The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will hold a virtual Parks Citizen Advisory Board Committee meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m. The meeting to discuss current park improvements and recreation projects will be conducted via Zoom at https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/86530929037. To join the meeting by phone, dial 888-270-9936, and use conference code 720766. For more information, contact Carol Underwood, administrative coordinator, at 404-371-2927 or cjunderw@dekalbcountyga.gov.

There will be a monthly meeting of the Stonecrest Development Authority on this Thursday January 14, 2021 at 8:30am.  The meeting will be available for the citizens to view through the City’s YouTube channel.

Medical professionals from CDC, Emory, DeKalb Board of Health and Kaiser to inform public about vaccine   As the COVID-19 vaccine rolls out in DeKalb County and known cases soar across the United States, DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson will host a virtual town hall to discuss the truths, myths and unknowns associated with the COVID-19 vaccine. The “COVID-19 Vaccine: Helping You Understand the Truths, Myths and Unknown” Virtual Town Hall will take place Thursday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. and will feature distinguished medical professionals on the front line of research, development and the implementation of the…

DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha V. Ramos will host the department’s first Virtual Community Q&A of 2021. The Q&A will be broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 17, 6 p.m., on the department’s Facebook page. Questions or concerns can be submitted now on the Facebook event post or submitted live during the Q&A session. Chief Ramos and other commanders will discuss the department’s 2020 achievements and areas of improvement in 2021. The community will also hear from other division leaders. “In the spirit of transparency and inclusiveness, we want to discuss our 2020 with the community, as well as our…

Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) was re-elected this week by his colleagues in the Georgia House of Representatives to continue his service as Speaker of the House for the 2021-2022 legislative session. Ralston has served as Speaker since 2010 and is Georgia’s 73rd Speaker of the House. “I thank my colleagues in the House for their continued trust and confidence,” said Speaker Ralston. “Our government is at its best when it is working for our people – when we address fundamental issues that make people’s lives better. This year, we will prioritize reforming Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law, improving and expanding our…

ATLANTA – The Georgia House Democratic Caucus (GHDC) Subcommittee on COVID-19 is urging Gov. Brian Kemp take more aggressive action to slow the spread of a new strain of COVID-19. The new strain, recently confirmed in Georgia, is reported to be more contagious. Members of the subcommittee, which includes State Representatives Rhonda Burnough (D-Riverdale), Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain), Shelly Hutchinson (D-Snellville), Donna McLeod (D-Lawrenceville), Sandra Scott (D-Rex) and Kim Schofield (D-Atlanta) are asking Kemp to re-evaluate his current response plan regarding the spread of COVID-19 within the state of Georgia. “In view of the recent confirmation of a new, more…