Author: On Common Ground News

District 7 Council Member Howard Shook $10,000 CrimeStopper reward offered ATLANTA — District 7 Council Member Howard Shook released the following statement today (Dec. 22) after the report of a shooting along Peachtree Road near Phipps Plaza in which a 7-year-old child was hit: “Last night, a dispute between two parties resulted in the shooting of an innocent 7-year-old girl. We pray for her and her family. I lack the words to adequately convey the despair and anger so many of us feel about this latest and most painful example of the utter lawlessness that defines what…

ATLANTA – Members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus (GHDC) Subcommittee on COVID-19 have submitted a letter to Attorney General Christopher Carr to request an investigation and audit into the Georgia Department of Labor’s (GDOL) inability to process and pay Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits claims in a timely manner. “If a request can be made to the attorney general to investigate the Secretary of State and the State Election Board concerning allegations of voter fraud, I am sure we can request the same attorney general to investigate the GDOL for fraud and for a forensic audit,” said State Rep. Viola…

First two of 10 healthcare vehicles placed into service Today, DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond and Dr. S. Elizabeth Ford, district health director, announced the launch of two step vans funded with federal CARES Act money that will be owned and deployed by the DeKalb County Board of Health (DCBOH). By Dec. 31, 2020, two additional vans and six mobile medical units will be in operation. The step vans cost $262,000 each, for a total expenditure of $1.1 million; the mobile medical units will cost $282,000, each, for a…

The Rockdale-Newton National Council of Negro Women(NCNW) is hosting a toy giveaway on Wednesday, Dec. 23, noon to 4 p.m., Antioch East AME Church, 1790 Ebenezer Road. S.W., Conyers. Toys will be provided to needy families in Rockdale County while supplies last.  Voter education reminding residents of the dates to vote and other pertinent information also will be provided.

PUBLIC INVITED TO ATTEND WEDNESDAY, DEC. 23, 2020, 4:30 PM  To Attend in Person – Mask Required 1261 Commercial Drive, SW, Suite B  To Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7049887949  Meeting ID: 704 988 7949 One tap mobile: +13126266799,7049887949# US (Chicago) +16465588656,7049887949# US (New York) The Board of Elections will hold a Special Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, 4:30 p.m. to consider a challenge of 4,880 electors’ qualifications and eligibility to cast a vote in the Jan. 5, 2021 General and Special Runoff Election pursuant to Ga. Election Code §21-2-230(a).  Such Challenge has been presented by Mr. Hiram Dryer and Mrs. Cathy Clines,…

  DeKalb County has received an additional $4.6 million grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), marking the second major award granted to the county’s elections office. The grant will help fund temporary staffing, personal protective equipment (PPE), election-related equipment, educational collateral development and other items to enhance the voting experience and expand resources available to the department. “This is another win for DeKalb County as we launch our early voting locations, prepare for large numbers of absentee ballots and host the runoff elections on Jan. 5,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. “After a historic…

ATLANTA – The Georgia General Assembly launched its new public website on Sunday, Dec. 20. The launch is the first part of the state legislature’s multi-year software project to modernize its Legislative Management System (LMS). Officials say the new website has a modern look and feel with a unified design and maintains individual branding for the House and Senate. It now has a mobile-first responsive design for phones and tablets and contains a new streamlined menu structure for easy navigation. The new homepage provides quick access to House and Senate meeting schedules, committee meetings and important legislative documents, such as…

DECATUR–The DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections  will hold a special called meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1 p.m. This meeting will be conducted via teleconference (Zoom). Simultaneous public access to the meeting will be available via livestream on DCTV’s UStream channel: https://video.ibm.com/channel/dctv-channel-23. Public comment may be submitted by sending an email of one page or less to electionspubliccmnt@dekalbcountyga.gov which must be received between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting. The body of the email must include the commenter’s first and last name, followed by the commenter’s address. Abusive, profane, or derogatory language will not…

Cross Keys High School, Agnes Scott College added to expanded list   DECATUR–DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections (DeKalb VRE) continues to expand early voting locations ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff election with the addition of Cross Keys High School and Agnes Scott College. The new advance voting locations opened Monday, Dec. 21, and will remain open until Dec. 31. “We have experienced a strong turnout across the county for our first week of early voting and look forward to two more successful weeks as people continue to vote in-person and via absentee ballot for the runoff election,”…

DECATUR-In observance of Christmas Day on Friday, Dec. 25, and New Year’s Day on Friday, Jan. 1, sanitation service for residential customers will be based on a normal collection schedule. There will be no change to the sanitation collection service schedule. The North Transfer Station, Central Transfer Station, Seminole Road Landfill and Customer Care call center will be closed on Friday, Dec. 25, and Friday, Jan. 1, reopening on Monday, Dec. 28, and Monday, Jan. 4, respectively, during normal operating hours. For more information, contact the Sanitation Division’s Customer Care team at 404-294-2900 or  email sanitation@dekalbcountyga.gov or visit www.dekalbsanitation.com  …