Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA—State Rep. David Wilkerson (D-Powder Springs), along with other members of the Georgia General Assembly, recently hosted a virtual town hall meeting to hear from college students on the impact that COVID-19 is having on their transition to learning strictly online. Dozens of students are urging the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents’ to institute a pass/fail grading system, instead of the traditional letter grade, in the wake of the COVID-`9 pandemic. Some of the students say they lack high-speed internet at home and must go to other places—sometimes late at night—and sit in businesses’ parking lots to connect…

The next meeting of the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 10 a.m. via teleconference. The schedule for other Rockdale BOC meetings in May follows: CANCELLED: Work Session:Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. – Assembly Hall located at 901 Main Street, Conyers, Georgia 30012 Work Session and Voting Session:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. – Via Teleconference (Details to be posted closer to the date) CANCELLED: Evening Work Session:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. – Assembly Hall located at 901 Main Street, Conyers, Georgia 30012 CANCELLED: Zoning Public Hearing:Tuesday, May…

    The Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force Community Outreach Committee, co-chaired by Bernice King and Leonardo Smith, has partnered with the Georgia Department of Public Health and DeKalb County Board of Public Health to establish free testing at a pop-up site at the House of Hope in Decatur this Monday, May 4, 3 to 7 p.m. The church is located at 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur. If you or a loved one has COVID-19 symptoms or you believe you may have been exposed to COVID-19, this community-based site is your chance to find out if you have COVID-19. Pastors, local…

Rockdale County Parks and Recreation will open trails at select locations starting Saturday, May 2, from dawn to dusk. As the County continues to practice caution during these times, the trails will be the only recreation areas open – restrooms, pavilions, exercise equipment, tennis and basketball courts will all remain closed. The following trails will be open starting May 2 from dawn to dusk: South Rockdale Trail Lorraine Park & Trailhead South Rockdale Park & Trailhead Wheeler Park Trail – parking only available behind playground off Bennett Road SE Johnson Park Trail Pine Log Park Trail All other parks remain…

Beginning Saturday, May 1, eighty DeKalb County Police and Fire Rescue cadets and trainees will pass out 10,000 masks along with hand sanitizer to residents over the next six weeks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. “DeKalb County has been overwhelmed with phone calls and emails from anxious residents asking how they can get a COVID-19 Care Packet,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. “I want to reassure residents that for the next six weeks, we will be passing out these packets as part of our ongoing efforts to inform, educate and protect our residents.” The police and fire rescue…

https://youtu.be/3mvVOR9Qcp8 Video by Glenn L. Morgan A processional led by hearses circled the Georgia Capitol today in protest of Gov. Brian Kemp’s order to reopen Georgia’s businesses and his order to rescind his sheltering in place mandate. Kemp is lifting the sheltering in place for all Georgians except the fragile and elderly on Friday.

Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary and the newest edition to his family, Molly, a 2-year-old Yorkie, made a drive-by run this week  to wish employees a happy birthday. “We don’t want to let COVID-19 steal our joy. Celebrations are still important to us, even while we’re practicing social distancing,” said Lary.

DeKalb County will pass out 10,000 masks along with hand sanitizers to residents over the next six weeks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. “The expiration of Governor Kemp’s statewide shelter-in-place order shifts the burden to local leaders who must redouble ongoing efforts to inform, educate and protect our residents,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said. Beginning Saturday, May 2, dozens of DeKalb County Police and Fire Rescue cadets and trainees will distribute COVID-19 care packets containing two disposable nonsurgical masks and a container of hand sanitizer, along with a card with tips on how to prevent the spread of…

ATLANTA—Today, Gov. Brian Kemp signed Executive Order 4.30.20.01, lifting his shelter-in-place order throughout Georgia as he announced the re-opening of more businesses. The new executive order take effect on Friday, May 1. On Friday, malls and other stores will be added to the list of sectors that the governor began reopening on April 24 and on April 27 across the Peach State. Kemp has received both criticism and praise in his attempt to jumpstart the economy. While proponents have thanked Kemp for putting people back to work, with critics charge that more people will be exposed to COVID-19 and Georgia’s…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Labor is hosting a national online dialogue on “Opening America’s Workplaces Again” to solicit ideas from the public on how best to help employers and workers reopen America’s workplaces safely. The dialogue will run from Thursday, April 30, through Thursday, May 7, 2020, and will include a one-hour Twitter chat on Friday, May 1, at 2 p.m. EDT. “We’ve already seen the positive effect of the U.S. Department of Labor’s actions and guidance on the workers and employers trying to navigate the coronavirus crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. “As we…