Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR–The Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights plans to meet with City of Decatur officials to discuss the rash of racially-motivated incidents that have occurred in the City of Decatur over the past few weeks. The meeting will be heldon Friday, May 29, 10:30 a.m,. at City of Decatur City Hall,  509 N. McDonough Street, Decatur. Last night(May 27), a video surfaced of a white Decatur High School student holding a toy gun and using racial slurs.  Last month, several videos of white Decatur high school students using racial slurs were posted on social media.  Two weeks ago, a…

ATLANTA–Gov. Brian Kemp announced today (May 28) that he is renewing Georgia’s  State of Emergency order for the third time, extending the public health emergency order through July 12 to continue to fight against COVID-19. Kemp also announced more sectors that would open incrementally across Georgia as the state rebuilds its economy. Here’s a summary of what the governor said during the news briefing, which was live-streamed from the Georgia Capitol at 4 p.m.: “…On March 14, 2020, I issued an Executive Order declaring a Public Health State of Emergency in Georgia due to the impact of COVID-19. To…

Congressman Hank Johnson and George Floyd WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) delivered the following 1-minute House floor speech to bring awareness of racial disparities concerning COVID-19 and police violence against unarmed African Americans in light of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, MN this week. Floyd’s death sparked rioting in Minneapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday following the May 25 incident in which a white officer kneeled for nearly eight minutes on the back of Floyd’s neck, while other officers stood by and did nothing to stop it. A bystander video-recorded the incident…

Rockdale County is celebrating its 150th anniversary and is asking residents to join in by creating and submitting videos explaining what makes Rockdale County so special. Within the video, citizens can state what brought them to Rockdale County, explain their family history, and describe what they enjoy most about the county they call home. Participants can shoot their videos on their smartphones. Any videos submitted will need to be audible, in focus, have good lighting, and have the dimensions of 1920X1080.  Videos containing lewd acts, cursing or inappropriate gestures will not be considered. All submissions should be emailed to: rockdale150@rockdalecountyga.gov.…

DeKalb County Extension announces the sixth season of Fresh on DeK, DeKalb County’s Mobile Farmers Market, which travels throughout the county offering nutrition education and fresh grown fruits and vegetables for sale. The season will be open from June 1 to Sept. 18. Fresh on DeK brings fresh fruits and vegetables to DeKalb County. Fresh on DeK’s purpose is to improve the health of the community, the viability of local produce and to preserve the environment for future generations by providing access to fresh produce and nutritional education programming throughout DeKalb County.  This season, Fresh on DeK will be…

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit has arrested a Lithonia, Georgia woman on felony murder charges. According to an arrest warrant issued on May 27,  49-year-old Olivia Lynn Walker committed Elder Neglect between January 2016 and January 2020, causing the death of her mother, Mattie Lynn Bullard, at a Marbut Farms Trail residence in Lithonia.  The warrant alleges that Bullard suffered a stroke in 2015 after having been under Walker’s care since 2010. DeKalb Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Investigators located Walker at her residence in Lithonia, where she was arrested and transported to the DeKalb County Jail without incident.

DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) has completed the construction of the Glendale water main. This was a replacement project to install a new eight-inch water main and a new 36-inch transmission main along a portion of Glendale Drive. Contractors working on behalf of DWM completed the 24-month construction project by removing the more than 30-year-old water pipes and installing approximately 5,900 linear feet of transmission main that fill water tanks in south DeKalb. The work was completed in April 2020 and included replacing water mains along portions of Glenwood Road, Parkhill Drive, Guy Way, Santa Monica Drive and…

DeKalb County property appraisal notices for 2020 are scheduled to be mailed on May 29, 2020.  While the office remains closed to public access, staff will be accessible by telephone and email via the contact information provided on notices, or by calling the main office at 404-371-0841.  A 45-day appeal period begins when the notices are mailed and runs through July 13, 2020.   Property owners who wish to file an appeal are encouraged to use the online process detailed on each assessment notice. Those appealing should be sure to generate and retain a confirmation sheet as a record of the…

ATLANTA—Gov. Brian P. Kemp and state officials  will provide an update on COVID-19 on Thursday, May 28, at 4 p.m. The news conference, which will be held in the  North Wing at the Georgia State Capitol, will be livestreamed at facebook.com/GovKemp  and gpb.org/coronavirus.

Rockdale County Government is preparing to reopen the Rockdale Tennis Center, 1370 Parker Road, Conyers, and its tennis courts at Richardson, Johnson and Wheeler parks. Members can begin using the tennis courts beginning June 8. League play will begin on June 18. The Rockdale Tennis Center has been awarded a $5,000 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Facility Recovery Grant Award to defray some of the expenses related to reopening, the county said. Signage with new safety guidelines mandated by state health officials will be posted as well as the hours of operation. “Receiving the USTA award will allow us to…