Author: On Common Ground News

County to begin serving Lawrenceville customers Dec. 1, slight increase expected  The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 1 approved an intergovernmental agreement to purchase the Lawrenceville Water Distribution System. Under the agreement, Gwinnett County will take ownership of the city of Lawrenceville’s water distribution system on Dec. 1, 2020. Gwinnett has agreed to make a one-time payment of $400,000 with a guarantee of a minimum of $13.3 million in repairs, replacements, rehabilitation and upgrades to the system over the next 10 years. “Every day, we produce more than 70 million gallons of water to be used…

The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) has joined the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) in offering COVID-19 Guidance specifically for Georgia child care facilities. The guidance covers everything from drop off/arrival and food preparation and meal service to how and where to report confirmed cases of COVID-19 in child care programs. “The guidance we are releasing today is designed for families, child care facilities, and healthcare providers,” said DECAL Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs. “The health and safety of Georgia’s youngest learners is always our top priority and we want to create an environment in child care that will…

Today(Sept. 2), the U.S. Department of Labor announced that $100 million in funding will be provided to support states’ efforts to combat fraud and recover improper payments in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program, including those programs created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. At the same time, the Department’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) issued a letter (UIPL) 28-20, which highlights tools and strategies to assist states in strengthening their anti-fraud operations, including the availability of a new identity verification solution to confirm the identity of individuals filing for unemployment benefits. The coronavirus has led to…

The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs and Park Pride will hold a series of virtual public meetings to discuss the masterplan of Cedar Park, located at 3165 Cedar St., Scottdale, GA 30079. The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6:30 p.m. The community is invited to learn and provide input regarding future improvements of Cedar Park. Participants can watch the live streams and register in advance to participate via Zoom, by visiting www.friendsofcedarpark.wixsite.com/welcome/participate. Meeting topics include: Big Ideas—Sept. 15, 6:30 p.m. Draft Plans—Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m. Final Plan—Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m. Visioning…

In keeping with Georgia’s Open Meetings Act, this notification is to advise that members of the DeKalb County Board of Education will participate in a Virtual Called Meeting, 2:00p.m., Wednesday, September 2, 2020.  The called meeting will adjourn to an executive session for the purpose of discussing permitted matters regarding litigation.  The virtual meeting can be viewed at the following link on DeKalb Schools TV (DSTV) by going to: www.dekalbschoolsga.org/communications/dstv, or Comcast channel 24 for Comcast subscribers in DeKalb County.

Chris Stallings will serve as director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) Gov. Brian Kemp announced that Chris Stallings will serve as director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and Homeland Security (HS), and Mike Smith as the GEMA/HS Chief of Staff following the retirement of Director Homer Bryson. The announcement was made today (Sept. 1) during a press conference in the State Operations Center, following the retirement of Director Homer Bryson. “I am honored to assume the role of Director of GEMA/HS,” said Stallings. “It’s humbling to be entrusted with this responsibility by the Governor, and…

ATLANTA—To ease traffic congestion statewide during the Labor Day holiday weekend, the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) is suspending interstate highway construction-related lane closures from noon Friday, Sept. 4, through 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8. Lane closures will also be limited on major state routes that directly serve key tourist and recreation centers. Georgia DOT reminds drivers that crews may still work in proximity to highways to address safety and maintenance concerns that may require some long-term lane closures. In addition, incident or emergency-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any route. “In an effort to…

DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson will host a special webinar to provide information to residents interested in starting an online business. The Global Marketplace Online Sales Webinar will occur Thursday, Sept. 3, 6 p.m., and will feature technology experts, web developers and specialists who will share tips to maximize online sales using Google analytics and search engine optimization (SEO) as well as on- and off-page optimization. With the decline in brick-and-mortar shopping due to the spread of COVID-19, many residents have either lost their jobs and many small businesses have had to significantly reduce their employee base. Cochran-Johnson feels giving…

State Sen. Tonya Anderson (D – Lithonia) says help is on the way for people who have misdemeanors on their records to be discharged and gain employment and housing opportunities. Anderson told the Rockdale Democratic Party at its Aug. 29 meeting that her authored bill, Senate Bill 288, would require that an individual’s criminal history record ibe restricted when the charges have been dismissed, or there has been a disposition of the charges. The legislation was signed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on June 30 but won’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2021, Anderson said. She said there wasn’t enough…