Author: On Common Ground News

Atlanta’s inspiration station Praise 102.5 and WSB-TV are partnering with New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to share its Easter Service during the global coronavirus pandemic. New Birth will air its Resurrection Service on Easter Sunday at 9 a.m. on newbirth.organd across various social media platforms. Praise 102.5 will broadcast the service at 10 a.m. Additionally, WSB-TV will provide access to New Birth’s service on the wsbtv.comwebsite the same day. “These unprecedented times are forcing the Body of Christ to evolve its approach to reach more people and find innovative ways to stay connected to their congregations and communities,” said…

Registration to be entered in the Georgia Pre-K lottery in Rockdale County for the 2020-2021 school year is online only April 13-30, 2020. Pre-K registration information and link are at www.rockdaleschools.org/prek.  Kindergarten registration is currently open online at www.rockdaleschools.org/registration. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Registration for Pre-K and Kindergarten takes place at the webpage for Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) Student Registration, www.rockdaleschools.org/registration. Photos or scans of required documents can be uploaded into the online registration form. Please make sure photos or scans are clear and readable. To register a child successfully, parents must provide their child’s birth certificate, Social Security card, parent’s…

Daijah Buggs, Sarah Burkey, Chase Malone, Hannah Reaves Four outstanding students invested in community service in Rockdale County were named finalists for the Rockdale Coalition for Children and Families’ 2020 John K. Morgan Scholarship. This is the 10th year the Rockdale Coalition has offered the $4,000 scholarship for a student who has demonstrated outstanding community service in Rockdale County and plans to continue that level of commitment while pursuing post-secondary education. The scholarship is named for John K. Morgan, former president and chief executive officer of Acuity Brands Lighting and community advocate. Since the inception…

ATLANTA—Today, Sec. of State Brad Raffensberger announced that Georgia’s primary election has been postponed from May 19 to June 9. All vote by mail ballot request forms submitted for the May 19 date will be valid for June 9. Democratic Party of Georgia Voter Protection Director Saira Draper released the following statement: “Two things are clear. First, that the severity and duration of the COVID-19 health pandemic is uncertain, and second, that our leaders must make voting both safe and accessible despite these uncertainties.  There is no guarantee that this public health crisis will be any better…

The Rockdale Coalition for Children and Families has announced that the 2020 recipient of the F. William Hughey Community Service Award is Ruth Wilson, recently retired Rockdale County Clerk of Superior and State Courts and community service advocate. Wilson was elected to serve as the Clerk of Superior and State Courts, taking office in January 2009. She was the first African- American elected to a constitutional office in Rockdale County. Prior to seeking elective office, Wilson served for 26 years with AT&T. Her experience as marketing director for AT&T, where she created and managed interdisciplinary teams and a $250 million…

The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) is updating its current systems to distribute federal unemployment funds as part of the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), bringing relief to many Georgians who are currently ineligible for state unemployment benefits. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance  (PUA) is the program that will provide unemployment benefits to those not ordinarily eligible for them. This includes individuals who are self-employed, gig workers, 1099 independent contractors, or those with limited work history who will not qualify for state unemployment benefits. The modified application is expected to be available on Monday, April 13 on the GDOL…

State officials have announced a new date for Georgia’s 2020 elections: June 9 instead of May 19. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said on Thursday that Georgia’s elections have been delayed because of health risks concerning COVID-19.  Raffensperger said he could not delay the election until Gov. Brian Kemp extended Georgia’s public health state of emergency Wednesday. “This decision allows our office and county election officials to continue to put in place contingency plans to ensure that voting can be safe,” Raffensperger said. Meanwhile, Fulton County Director of Elections Richard Barron broke the news of the delay to his board during…

OCG News Editor’s Note: The 2020 elections are just around the corner. Many Georgia voters now have applications that were mailed to their homes so they could receive an absentee ballot. Have you requested yours? Don’t let COVID-19 steal your chance to choose your elected officials in this election! The Fulton County Board of Registrations & Elections will meet today, April 9, 10 a.m., to discuss preparations for the May 19, 2020 elections in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The public can join the meeting. The meeting will be aired live on the Fulton Government Television YouTube page and…

Pictured: Vernon Jones and “Ma” in a January 2020 Facebook post The mother of Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones passed away today. Rufer Jones was blessed to be 90 years old. Jones told On Common Ground News that he was at her beside when she made her transition. “She looked so pretty. Her hair was all laid back. She looked really peaceful,” Jones said. Jones was filled with emotion as he spoke of his “Ma,” recalling her tenacity in working their family farm in North Carolina, her ability to take a little something and turn it into wonderful…

Did you witness last night’s supermoon? On Common Ground Newsphotographer Glenn L. Morgan captured these shots of the astronomical event from his front porch while sheltering in place on April 7. The full moon occurred at 10:35 p.m. and it was the biggest, brightest moon of 2020, one of three this year. While the coronavirus may be invisible, there was no mistaking this awesome wonder.