Author: On Common Ground News

On Common Ground News is sending up prayers for Bishop William “Papa” Sheals, senior pastor of Hopewell Baptist Church in Norcross. Bishop Sheals is scheduled for heart surgery on Wednesday, May 20, at Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta. Bishop Sheals was in good spirits when On Common Ground News spoke with him around 11:25 a.m. today. Bishop Sheals’ longtime friend, gospel powerhouse Dottie Peoples, had called to check on him as he was being admitted to the hospital. Peoples sang her hit, “On Time God, while she was on the phone with him,” said “Big John,” Sheals’ personal…

DeKalb Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, District 4, shared his perspective in newsletter I think that most of us were shocked and saddened when we learned about the tragic murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County. The video is heartbreaking. On February 23, 2020, Mr. Arbery was essentially ambushed and killed while he was out running. On that date he was 25 years old. This incident has affected me deeply. And I have been thinking back to when I was 25 years old. When I was 25 years old, I was an officer in the United States Army, and running was a…

Pictured: Rockdale County Superintndent Dr. Terry Oatts Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) has been chosen as one of 36 school systems to receive donated mobile hotspots. This donation will help fill the internet connectivity gap for thousands of students across the state, said Schools Superintndent Dr. Terry Oatts, “As a district, we are honored to have been chosen as a recipient of the WiFiRanger Teton C-19 hotspots, which will enable us to creatively and strategically deploy internet access to select communities utilizing some of our school buses,” said Oatts. “These hotspots will allow us to achieve equitable access…

Drive-thru giveaway set May 22     DeKalb County Government is lending a helping hand to residents who have limited access to healthy food through a partnership with the Georgia Department of Agriculture and Georgia farmers. On Friday,May 22, the county is hosting two drive-thru food distribution events where officials will give away 1,200 boxes of fresh produce and 1,200 bags of chicken. Residents will receive one 20-pound box of “Georgia Grown” fruit and vegetables and one 10-pound bag of frozen chicken hind quarters. Each of the 1,200 COVID-19 Care Baskets will include 20 pounds of fresh Georgia-grown fruit and vegetables…

Citizens and deputies rushed to help seven people, six of them children under 11 years old, who were injured as their vehicle overturned on I-20 in Rockdale County today. The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said the accident happened around noon. The vehicle was eastbound on I-20 just beyond Exit 78 Sigman Road when it overturned, ejecting four of the children. Sheriff’s spokesman Lee Thomas said the initial investigation revealed multiple injuries were sustained.  Thomas said first aid was rendered by responding deputies and citizens on the scene before all of the passengers were transported to a local hospital for further…

https://youtu.be/3OsX8kaVY7Y In Rockdale County, 256 people turned out today, the first day of the three-week, early In-person voting period, said Supervisor of Elections Cynthia Willingham. The process for early voting, which was held only at the 1400 Parker Road location, was well organized. “It ran smoothly,” said Willingham. Voters were able to park, walk inside the building and maintain social distancing as they waited their turn to sign in and proceed to the voting machines. Several poll workers, who were wearing protective masks and gloves were stationed to guide and assist voters along the way. Most voters were in…

County election officials in Georgia can begin processing absentee ballots on June 1—eight days early—state officials have decided.  In previous elections, absentee ballots were not processed until Election Day. The State Election Board today (May 18) unanimously approved an emergency rule permitting election officials to begin opening and scanning the mailed-in ballots early. The ballots, however, will be stored in the memory of computers until they are counted on Election Day, June 9, after polls close at 7 p.m. Results for some races, however, may not be known for several days because of the historic number of absentee ballots expected.…

In an effort to address the high numbers of COVID-19 cases in identified DeKalb County ZIP Codes, the DeKalb Board of Health is expanding the number of corona virus testing sties. Officials are adding two sites this monthnwith a goal of ramping up to a total of six teams. As of May 18, at 5 p.m., Georgia had performed 364,289 tests, its confirmed number of COVID-19 cases was 38,081; deaths 1,642; 1565; Intensive Care Unit admissions was 1,565; and the number of hospitalizations totaled 6,916, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. DeKalb health officials announced that the…

This week, DeKalb County joins the American Public Works Association(APWA) in recognizing its nearly 1,700 public works employees, 1,300 of whom are providing essential services to county residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 1960, the APWA has sponsored National Public Works Week.  Across North America, more than 30,000 APWA members in the U.S. and Canada are using the week of May 17-23, 2020, to highlight the importance of public works. DeKalb County’s Public Works Department include Fleet Management, Roads & Drainage, Sanitation, Transportation and Watershed Management. These professionals ensure residents, businesses and county employees have clean drinking water, paved roads,…

The Atlanta branch of the NAACP is calling for an investigation into the history of inequality in the criminal justice system in the Glynn and Waycross, Georgia circuits. The civil rights organization said the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, an unharmed black jogger who was gunned down by a white son and father in Brunswick, Georgia, has re-ignited the outcry over the longstanding pattern of black men being killed by rogue vigilantes. The Atlanta NAACP is set to hold a press conference on Tuesday, May 19, 10:30 a.m., at 1147 Calhoun Ave., Atlanta. “We intend to examine the prosecutions…