Author: On Common Ground News

The DeKalb County Board of Education will hold the following meetings on Monday, February 8, 2021 in the J. David Williamson Board Room, Robert R. Freeman Administrative Complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard, Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083. 11:30am       Virtual Community Input Meeting 1:00pm         BOARD MEETING Executive Session for the purpose of discussing permitted matters. Combined Work Session & Business Meeting The board meetings are in-person, but due to social distancing requirements, members of the public are asked to view the live stream and/or broadcast. The meeting agendas are attached and can be accessed online by going to: www.dekalbschoolsga.org, click on Leadership,…

New superintendent ‘doesn’t yet know what she’s doing’      By Deborah Jones President, Organization of DeKalb Educators(ODE) The DeKalb County School District is not being honest with the public. In doing so, the superintendent and the board are risking the lives of all DeKalb families. You won’t find newsletters or tweets or videos announcing the new ventilation equipment or kn95 masks it has purchased for students and employees. However, the district has celebrated its $10 million budget surplus. The district should make good on its commitment ” to keep the health and safety of our employees a number one…

Join AARP Atlanta and the legendary Freddie Jackson for “Jam Tonight,” a free “couch concert” on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. Throughout the evening, Jackson will serenade viewers with some of his famous ballads. Viewers also will learn about guarding their hearts and finances.Registration is required for the free virtual eventl at www.aarp.org/atlanta.

Rockdale County and the Citizens Progressive Club will host a virtual town hall, “Dispelling the Myths, Fears and Phobias,” to address issues about COVID-19 on Thursday, Feb. 25, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Viewers can expect to hear presentations from Dr. Alvin Griffin, MD of Conyers, GA; Dr. Bonnie Word, MD of Texas, specializing in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine; and Dr. Kenneston Carr, MD of California. The virtual discussion will be available to view at www.facebook.com/rockdalegov, the Rockdale County website at www.rockdalecountyga.gov, and the Rockdale 23 YouTube page. Questions to the speakers can be submitted…

DeKalb announces advance voting times for two special elections   The DeKalb Board of Voter Registration and Elections approved changes to advance voting times for two upcoming elections. The board voted to adjust all available advance voting times to begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m. to align the Georgia House District 90 runoff election and Clarkston City Council special election. Advance voting for the House District 90 race takes place Feb. 24 through March 5. The runoff election is scheduled March 9. Advance Voting for a special election to fill a seat on Clarkston’s City…

ATLANTA – Members of the DeKalb House and Senate Delegation, co-chaired by State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) and State Senator Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur), will host a “Protect Your Voting Rights” virtual forum on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, 6:30 p.m.   During the virtual forum, members of the delegation will discuss proposed legislation that may impact state and local elections.The forum will be available via Zoom and Facebook live stream. Registration via Zoom is strongly encouraged. To register for the Zoom meeting, please click here.  Zoom: https://bit.ly/3auUSj4

ATLANTA – Georgia is rolling out a statwide program to assist landlords and tenants who are behind on rent and utility payments due to the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Brian Kemp announced that the State of Georgia has received more than $552 million in stimulus funds through the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Congress appropriated $25 billion to provide relief to landlords and tenants who are behind on rent and utility payments due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The effects of COVID-19 have hit many Georgians hard financially,” Gov. Kemp said in a statement. “In addition to protecting lives, we have…

The Rockdale County Department of Stormwater Management will now manage Land Disturbance Permitting (LDP) processes due to new state mandates. Effective March 29, 2021, all LDP applications, including fees, are to be submitted directly to Rockdale County Stormwater Management. This function was previously managed by the Rockdale County Planning and Development Department. Any project where land disturbance is involved, a Land Disturbance Permit application must first be submitted to Stormwater Management to determine if the project is viable before the project can move forward. Included as a part of this process, inspection requests for Erosion Control…

The Rockdale County Democratic Party recently held its virtual swearing-In ceremony announcing its newly elected and appointed officers. Rosalyn Ridgeway is the new chair of  the Rockdale Democratic Party. The swearing-In seremony was performed by the Honorable Phinia Aten, Chief Magistrate Judge of Rockdale County and the keynote speaker was State Sen. Tonya P. Anderson, District 43 and Chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. “I am looking forward to serving as Chair of the Rockdale County Democratic Party. The newly-elected and appointed leadership team will work diligently in serving this organization,” said Ridgeway. The other elected…

ATLANTA, GA – As tax season is approaching, a number of Georgians are discovering that they may be the victims of unemployment insurance fraud. Consumers say they received 1099-G forms from the Department of Labor indicating that they owe taxes on unemployment compensation they received in 2020. However, the benefits actually went to identity thieves who used the consumers’ names and Social Security numbers to file phony unemployment claims and collect the benefit money. “These scams are not only hurting struggling Georgians, they are also putting additional strain on the Department of Labor at a time when it is…