Author: On Common Ground News

Road to reopen July 31  On Monday, June 8, a road closure is set to begin along The By Way Northeast, between Oakdale Road Northeast and Lullwater Road Northeast, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. while crews work to install approximately 1,500 linear feet of water main. Property owners who live in this impacted area will have access to The By Way Northeast during this temporary road closure. This section of The by Way Northeast will reopen on Friday, July 31.

DeKalb County officials are reminding voters that several precincts have been relocated for the June 9 election. Please know before you go to the polls. You must vote at your assigned precinct on Election Day. Due to COVID-19 and as an emergency measure, pursuant to OCGA §21-2-265(a), the polling precincts below are being relocated. For more information, contact the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 404-298-4020.

A coalition of community partners are working to assist families living at extended stay hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition of partners, led by City of Hope Safe Haven and its Executive Director Alecia Washington, have created a one-stop for assistance for the families. The coalition is providing a week’s worth of food, toiletries, counseling, job search support and housing assistance, free COVID-19 testing and education on site to families this weekend. The “Feed Your Neighborhood During COVID-19” event will be held on Saturday, June 6, noon to 4 p.m. at the Candler Event Center, 2942 Ember Drive Decatur.…

Drive-through food pantry opens at 10 a.m., Coronavirus testing begins at 11 a.m New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is hosting free COVID-19 testing and continuing its weekly food pantry on Saturday, June 6, 10 a.m. New Birth’s food pantry, known as The King’s Table, is receiving additional resources, thanks to support from DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and other partners. On the same day, New Birth is hosting free drive-thru COVID-19 testing in partnership with MAJL Diagnostic Laboratories. Testing begins at 11 a.m. and concludes at 3 p.m. Individuals who do not have insurance or receive Medicaid or Medicare coverage…

DeKalb Chief Magistrate Berryl A. Anderson announced today, June 5, that in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, she has taken additional steps toward protecting the health and safety of employees and law enforcement who work with the court’s criminal division. Since the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the chief judge of DeKalb Superior Court declared the judicial emergency on March 14, 2020, Judge Anderson has worked toward making sure the Magistrate Court operates both safely and efficiently. “Our Criminal Division was already operating at the level of 90 percent virtual, but now we have become 100 percent…

Dinosaurs are returning to Gwinnett County’s parks as part of the “Meet Me in the Park” program which encourages families to use parks for fitness and exploration. Statues of eight dinosaurs will be placed in Gwinnett County parks, and clues to their locations will be shared on Facebook and Instagram @GwinnettParksandRec. Park patrons are encouraged to take selfies with the dinosaurs and share them with the hashtag #MeetMeAtThePark. Prehistoric celebrities that may be found in the parks include Citipati, Daspletosaurus, Maiasaura, Pachycephalosaurus, Pterodactyl, Dilophosaurus, and Stegasaurus. The dinosaur scavenger hunt is expected to last throughout the summer, so there’s plenty…

The NAACP DeKalb is conducting a final push to encourage residents to get out and vote in the June 9 primary elections. A press conference will be held on Saturday, June 6, 11 a.m., at The Mall At Stonecrest plaza near Kohl’s and the movie theater to mobilize volunteers who want to help get out the vote. Participants must register to attend at www.naacpdekalb.org. DeKalb NAACP President Teresa Hardy is urging everyone to do their part in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hardy said registered voters must “finish the job.” “DeKalb County had the highest percentage of unregistered…

DECATUR—The Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights plans to host a peaceful protest on Sunday, June 7, 1 p.m., at the downtown Decatur Square, 101 E. Court Square. Morehouse College student Messiah Young,  Spelman College student Taniyah Pilgrim, and  Amber Jackson, a hygienist, who suffered a broken clavicle after being body slammed will be in attendance. All three were assaulted by Atlanta Police using excessive force.  The assaults were captured on video shared on social media. “Our youth have been on the front lines during the unrest in pain and in rebellion responding to the social pandemic…

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit has arrested a suspect in the hit-and-run death of a man at a public park during the theft of the victim’s vehicle, cash and credit cards.  The suspect is also charged with injuring a family of six who were riding scooters in the parking lot at North DeKalb Mall, critically injuring a 4-year-old. Lithonia resident Tyrus Anthony Webster, 23, was located on Panthersville Road near Flat Shoals Road in Decatur, where he was taken into custody today, June 5, on 17 arrest warrants. DeKalb County Police had put out a wanted notice, posting…