Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA—The Office of the Attorney General is warning consumers of an imposter email scam targeting members of synagogues and churches in which scammers pose as religious leaders to try to trick congregants into sending them money. “Cybercrimes such as these are popular with scammers because the Internet makes it easy for them to hide their true identity,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “Consumers should be very suspicious of any emails asking them to send money – even if they appear to come from a trusted source.” There are different variations to these imposter emails. In one version, scammers set…

More than 850 will learn + earn online   In response to the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, the DeKalb Summer Youth Employment Program has been transformed into the DeKalb Virtual Career Academy. Registration for the program will be open May 8-14. The program, which runs from June 1 to July 31, will provide career development, education enrichment and summer income for 850 DeKalb County youths, ages 14 to 24. Participants will earn $9 per hour while learning online for 20 hours a week, Monday through Thursday. “The COVID-19 pandemic has stifled America’s economy. The innovative partnership with the…

Pictured is a snapshot from Harvest Gwinnett at the Lawrenceville Community Garden. Live Healthy Gwinnett launched in 2014 as a community health initiative designed to encourage Gwinnett County residents to invest in personal wellness.  LAWRENCEVILLE—It’s time to grow! Gardeners of all skill levels are invited to reserve a plot and be part of the Lawrenceville Community Garden. Applications are now being accepted for 4 feet by 8 feet garden plots for the 2020 season. These raised beds are $35 each and applicants are required to perform 12 hours of community volunteer service annually toward the general care and upkeep…

Students from Rockdale County Extension/4-H Club have placed in a national consumer literacy competition, LifeSmarts, earning them a chance to compete in the next National LifeSmarts Championship. LifeSmarts, a consumer education competition that challenges teens in grades 9-12 about personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities, is a program of the National Consumers League (NCL). The winning team is coached by Aleshia Lewis. Students include: Abby Lassiter (11th grade), captain Collin Wheaton (11th grade) C’Mone Wheaton (10th grade) Christian Wheaton (9th grade) Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the in-person 2020 National LifeSmarts Championship was…

The U.S. Department of Labor announced today, May 6, the award of six Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) totaling $10,012,821 to help address the workforce-related impacts of the public health emergency related to the coronavirus. The awards are funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided $345 million for DWGs to prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus. The department awarded $131,286,863 to 24 states and territories on April 14, and $30,170,311 to seven states on April 29. This latest award brings the total amount awarded to states and territories to $171,469,995. The Technical College…

Tele-conference ZOOM.com  May 7, 2020  6:30-8:00 p.m. Agenda: o Introduction of Mayor Jason Lary and Commissioner Larry Johnson o Recap of last Complete Count Committee meetingo Executive support, Mayor Lary and Commissioner Larry Johnsono Summary of all existing efforts with identification of low responses o New strategy to reach the “hard to count” population • Community input – suggestions • Questions and Answers TO RESPOND TO THE 2020 Census, go to; my2020census.gov or call 1 844 468 2020 George Turner, Jr. Councilman D-004 Adrion Bell, Communications Director 404-886-2053 gturner@stonecrestga.gov 770-224-0200abell@stonecrestga.gov www.stonecrestcensus2020.org View this meeting on our City of Stonecrest YouTube…

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson was recently elected to the 2020-2021 Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG or Georgia’s County Association) Board of Managers as a representative for the National Association of Counties (NACo). Johnson, the Second Vice President of NACo, currently oversees 3,069 counties, 3.5 Million employees and 300 Million constituents will now serve as a liaison between the state and national county associations. He will work with DeKalb County Commissioner Jeff Rader and Lamar County Commissioner Nancy Thrash who also serve as NACo Representatives for ACCG. “The 2020-2021 ACCG Board of Managers represents the collective strength of Georgia’s…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DeKalb Summer Youth Employment program is going virtual. Powered by a unique partnership between the DeKalb County Government, DeKalb County School District and Georgia Piedmont Technical College, the DeKalb Virtual Career Academy will offer “learn-and-earn” opportunities for 850 DeKalb residents ages 14 to 24. The initiative will be announced during a virtual news conference on Thursday, May 7, at 10 a.m. Who:             DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond DeKalb School Superintendent Ramona Tyson Georgia Piedmont Technical College What:            DeKalb County Government, DeKalb County School District and                                          Georgia Piedmont Technical College will…

Three suspects, two of them convicted felons, have been arrested in  connection with a standoff that kept hostage negotiators on the scene for hours on May 2 at the Pawn Depot, 2605 Old Covington Highway, Conyers. The Rockdale Sheriff’s Office said today that the men arrested on the scene were Randall Langbecker (possession of a firearm by convicted felon and Violation of Georgia Controlled Substances Act); Paul Morgan (possession of a firearm by convicted felon, Violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act); and Taylor Jett (Violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act). It was unclear why the arrests were not…

DeKalb offers free virtual programming for seniors The DeKalb County Human Services Department is celebrating Older Americans Month   this May with free virtual programming for the county’s seniors. From now through May 29, seniors are invited to participate from the comfort of their homes in approximately 50 classes normally held in person. The virtual platform allows seniors to maintain safe social distancing while interacting with their peers and class instructors. Classes topics include exercise, cooking, computer, foreign language, art and more. Virtual programming has been developed in collaboration with DeKalb County Public Library. A full schedule is available…