Author: On Common Ground News

The DeKalb County Board of Ethics will conduct a special called meeting on Monday, May 3, 6 p.m. The meeting will be held via Zoom at https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/88137432677 Join by phone at 602-333-0032 or 888-270-9936 and use conference code 171493. Agenda Adoption of Agenda Interviews of Ethics Administrator Finalists III.         Executive Session to Discuss Pending Litigation and Employment Matters Vote on Final Candidate Adjournment

ATLANTA – State Rep. Billy Mitchell (D-Stone Mountain), chairman of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus, commends the recent appointments of the Rev. Abraham Mosley and Christopher Sanders to serve on the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA). Rev. Mosley is the first Black Georgian to serve as the chair of the SMMA Board of Directors. “The governor has made some great appointments to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association in Abraham Mosely and Christopher Sanders,” said Mitchell. “I look forward to working with them on reimagining Stone Mountain Park into a more family-friendly and welcoming place for all, as is called for…

The Stone Mountain Memorial Association today (April 26) unveiled proposed changes for Stone Mountain Park, home of the nation’s largest Confederacy, citing tremendous financial losses due to mounting public pressure to remove Confederate monuments across the country and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several of the park’s attractions remain closed due to the pandemic. The proposal, includes relocating several Confederate flags and consolidating some monuments and artifacts, creating a new logo for the park, renaming several park roadways, trails, lakes, ponds and other assets and the construction of a Fith and Freedom outdoor chapel atop Stone Mountain. The plan…

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today (April 23) that it is increasing food assistance to low-income seniors – a population that has been especially hard-hit by the pandemic – by providing nearly $37 million in additional support to the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). States and Tribal nations will receive the new funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to serve additional seniors, in addition to up to $2.6 million in administrative funds from a previous COVID relief bill. “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the hunger crisis in America, but help is on the way,”…

DECATUR, GA—DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson will host a virtual Public Safety Town Hall on April 27, 6 p.m. The Annual Public Safety Town Hall will not be held in its traditional form this year, due to the pandemic.  However, Commissioner Johnson is committed to ensuring that constituents continue to have meaningful ways to stay connected and engaged.  Therefore, the virtual event will give constituents a chance to ask questions and gain knowledge from experts from the following areas: DeKalb Board of Health, District Attorney’ Office, Fire Department, Human Services (Office of Youth Services), Mental Health, Marshal’s Office, Parks & Recreation,…

Congressman Hank Johnson and Speaker Nancy Pelosi Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) hosted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for an Instagram Live event on April 17 to discuss President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, The American Jobs Plan, vaccines and the Jan. 6 riotat the White House and its aftermath. While the American Rescue Plan is changing the course of the pandemic and delivering relief for working families, Johnson and Pelosi said this is no time to become lax in social-distancing protocols that keep us all same as possible. Johnson said that millions of American workers are still out of work, while…

Growing up in Jackson, Georgia, just south of Atlanta, Ortez Battle didn’t plan to become a lineman when he grew up. At Henry County High School, he excelled in track and cross country and had a passion for computer science and technology. Battle turned down sports scholarships to pursue a career in the military after graduating, packed his bags and headed to California to work in the legal field for the U.S. Marine Corps. Battle’s four years spent in the military were tough, but those skills have translated well into a position at Georgia Power as a lineman working out…

DECATUR, GA – DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has lifted the five-year-old water service disconnection moratorium for residential water accounts, effective July 1, 2021. The moratorium was established in October 2016 by Interim CEO Lee May and continued in January 2019 by CEO Thurmond upon taking office. DeKalb County has 102,000 residential water customers. “Restoring trust by understanding the root cause of the billing problems, taking corrective actions and being responsive to customer concerns has been our goal,” said CEO Thurmond. “We have learned from past mistakes but we did not dwell on it. I was hired by the citizens…

Gov. Brian P. Kemp announced the Georgia Lottery Corp.’s most successful quarter in its 27-year history. The Georgia Lottery raised more than $415.8 million in profits for the third quarter of fiscal year 2021, bringing the total transferred to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account since inception to more than $23.4 billion. “The Georgia Lottery’s extraordinary results have a wide-reaching impact on Georgia’s students, families and communities,” Kemp said. “Lottery-funded Pre-K prepares our youngest students with a foundation for learning while HOPE keeps our best and brightest students in state, building a strong workforce and driving economic development in…