Author: On Common Ground News

Voices of Faith (VOF) Conyers Tenacious Toastmasters is an exciting Club with creative and innovative members/ Your speaking abilities and presentation skills will be greeted with encouraging words and timely feedback and suggestions. Meetings are currently being held virtually via Zoom every 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Feel free to reach out to the Vice President of Membership @ saved593@aol.com or President @jhjones910@gmail.com to receive the Zoom Invite to upcoming meetings. Get comfortable & Join us!

The NAACP DeKalb County branch will host “A COVID-19 Health Forum—Healthy and Undefeated”virtually on Saturday, Aug. 29, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.  The  event will be held via ZOOM and participants will be given the ID number when they register at www.naacpdekalb.org. “This COVID-19 health forum is necessary to educate us about ways to change the health and economic disparities that plague our communities,” said DeKalb NAACP President Teresa Hardy. According to public health officials, blacks and Latino groups have been hit hardest by the coronavirus. Black Americans have a higher number of hospitalizations, infections and are 2.5 times…

The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will reopen Sugar Creek Golf and Tennis on Monday, Aug. 10, 7:30 a.m., at 2706 Bouldercrest Road, Atlanta. After closing in the fall of 2017, Sugar Creek Golf and Tennis reopened in December 2019. The golf course closed again in March 2020 after erosion caused safety issues with the golf cart bridges. Since 2017, the golf course has undergone a $2.2 million renovation. The golf course, driving and tennis court will reopen for public use and regular hours are Sunday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 9…

Photos By Glenn L. Morgan Today (Aug. 7), the Rev. Dr. Noel Battle, a civil rights activist, entrepreneur, educator and pastor, was brought to the City of Stonecrest to lie in repose at City Hall. Dr. Battle Battle died on July 28 at Emory St. Joseph Hospital after an extended illness, according to his wife of 62 years, Martha Battle.  Dr. Battle was 87. Dr. Battle’s death follows that of two Atlanta civil rights giants: The Rev. C.T. Vivian, and Congressman John Lewis, who both died on July 17. Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary received members of Dr. Battle’s…

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson recently partnered with the Pan Hellenic Council of DeKalb to donate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gowns to Oakhurst Medical Center. Since June 1, Oakhurst Medical Center has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams of staff members have been administering free coronavirus tests to the public at a drive-thru set up in the parking lot at the Gallery at South DeKalb mall in Decatur. To date, Oakhurst has conducted more than 7,000 tests. Oakhurst CEO Jeff Taylor applauded the partnership with Johnson and the Pan Hellenic Council of DeKalb. The council, chartered April…

Superintendent Terry Oatts Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) Superintendent Terry Oatts announced RCPS will postpone fall 2020 high school athletics until second semester. Oatts issued the following statement on Aug. 7: “As we contend with the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 public health crisis, we have continued to grapple with many aspects of ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff. Notwithstanding these challenges, we have continued to vigorously prioritize our student and staff safety and well-being by carefully tracking our local, regional and statewide…

The DeKalb County Human Services Department will host a virtual celebration of its End-of-Summer Virtual Village program on Monday, Aug. 10, 2 p.m. The event will include a summer highlights video and a presentation featuring youth participants. Registration (https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IxTvFoZmTr68_f6jg8VuYg) is free and open to the public. The Virtual Village is an online platform that was launched in June by DeKalb as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The summer session of the Virtual Village included more than 30 classes and programs, which connected instructors on a weekly basis with more than 500 youth participants virtually. The platform includes information, classes…

Gov. Brian Kemp, GEMA/HS Director Homer Bryason ATLANTA—Today, Aug. 7, Gov. Brian P. Kemp and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) reported the following numbers on the delivery of PPE and critical supplies to Georgia schools as students head back to school. “As Georgia’s students return to the classroom, we are focused on equipping our teachers, administrators, and school staff with the resources that they need to have a healthy start to the year,” said Gov. Kemp. “With more than 3.2 million critical supplies delivered to our schools, these…

Suspect Marquizs Harvey and K9 Deputy Bloo The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has arrested the rape suspect whose pursuit earlier this week resulted in the accidental death of K9 Deputy Bloo. Marquizs Harvey, 35, of Atlanta, was taken into custody without incident today (Aug. 6) after authorities located him at an East Point, Georgia residence. According to a DeKalb County warrant, Harvey is accused of raping a woman on July 20. DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive and Uniform Units made the arrest with the assistance of the Fulton County Sheriff’s…