Author: On Common Ground News

The DeKalb County Board of Health will conclude COVID-19 testing operations on Tuesday on the campus of Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2340 Clifton Springs Rd., Atlanta. Beginning Wednesday, Aug. 19, the Board of Health will operate the following testing locations, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.: Former K-Mart Store Parking Lot (at I-285 and Buford Hwy.)
5597 Buford Hwy. NE, Doraville Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church
1879 Glenwood Ave. SE, Atlanta Greenforest Community Baptist Church
3250 Rainbow Drive, Decatur Salem Bible Church
5460 Hillandale Drive, Stonecrest The testing location at Greenforest Community Baptist Church is also open on Saturday, 9…

DeKalb County residential property owners will receive $119 million in property tax relief for 2020. “DeKalb is committed to delivering high-quality services during this pandemic while providing substantial property tax reductions for the third consecutive year,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. The $119 million in property tax relief for DeKalb homeowners will be generated by the Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax Credit (EHOST). The tax reduction is the result of the passage of two measures in November 2017: Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax (EHOST) and the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). DeKalb is the only county…

DeKalb County School District (DCSD) announced today (Aug. 14) that all athletic activity for the 2020 fall season will be delayed until the end of September, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes marching bands and auxiliary groups. The district will continue conditioning through September while monitoring data provided by health partners and will revisit to make a determination regarding fall sports at the end of September. The decision comes after reviewing the latest data from the DeKalb County Board of Health and feedback from parents, coaches and other stakeholders regarding the increase of COVID-19 cases in DeKalb County. The district has solicited and…

Rockdale County Judge Maureen E. Wood has been appointed to a second term as Juvenile Court Judge. Chief Judge David B. Irwin announced the appointment today (Aug. 14). Wood’s second term will become effective on Oct.1. During her first term, Wood continued the expansion of Rehabilitative Court Services and added two accountability courts:  Family Treatment Court and Resource Court (Juvenile Mental Health Court). Under Wood’s direction, the court’s Children in Need of Services (CHINS) protocol was modified to comply with 2014 code changes. The changes allow CHINS youths to be placed under informal agreements that connect youths and their…

Dr. Everett B. Ward and Sen. Kamala Harris The National Pan-Hellenic Council is among the well-wishers from around the nation congratulating Sen. Kamala Harris on her historic selection as Joe Biden’s running mate for U.S. President for the 2020 election. Biden announced Harris as his pick for vice president on Aug. 11. Harris is the first black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be chosen for a presidential ticket. Dr. Everett B. Ward, Chair of the Council of Presidents of the National Pan-Hellenic Council Ward, issued the following statement: “…I join my colleagues in congratulating U.S.…

DeKalb County School District’s School Nutrition services will provide a two-day meal package during virtual learning on Monday, Wednesday and Friday beginning Aug. 17 at all DeKalb schools. Parents and students will need a student ID number to pick up meals from any DCSD school. Buses delivery routes will continue throughout the district. In addition, the “grab and go” curbside option will be provided for families at 30 meal distribution sites. For nutrition, distribution sites, and the delivery schedule, go to https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/student-meal-service/

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners (BOC) stepped up measures to protective the public’s heath, adopting an ordinance requiring that face coverings/masks are worn in public places. The ordinance follows a previous resolution the BOC enacted at the July 28 voting session suggesting that facemasks be worn in public. The ordinance was presented to the BOC for the first read, with the second read being waived and adopted at the Aug. 11 board meeting. The ordinance masks violations an offense, which can be enforced by general penalty. The ordinance has been drafted in accordance with the Executive Order issued…

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners has approved the DeKalb Better Business Loan Program, a partnership with local banks to provide financial relief to small DeKalb County businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The programwill be funded using $15 million from the county’s allotment of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. The loan program was developed by DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond’s administration, in cooperation with the Small Business Subcommittee of the DeKalb COVID-19 Strategic Task Force, chaired by Steve Bradshaw, presiding officer of the Board of Commissioners. “We are fighting a pandemic that undermines the…

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) announced today (Aug. 12) that it is joining a lawsuit filed by the NAACP challenging a rule issued by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos that unlawfully forces school districts to inflate the amount of federal COVID-19 aid they must share with private schools. The rule will drastically diminish the resources available to support public school children and historically underserved student populations during the pandemic, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed by the NAACP on July 1 in federal court in Washington, D.C., says DeVos is directing more funds from the $13.2 billion in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) to wealthy…