Author: On Common Ground News

Photo cutline: Gov. Brian Kemp joined Piedmont Healthcare staff for a tour of the Marcus Tower. Atlanta is bracing for a surge in COVID-19 cases across Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp announced a partnership today (July 14) to provide additional hospital beds to treat COVID-19 patients in Georgia at the Marcus Tower of Piedmont Healthcare’s Atlanta campus. Kemp and Kevin Brown, president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare, say the partnership includes providing the initial usage of 62 beds, with the capability to scale up based on demand. “I’m very grateful to Kevin Brown and the entire Piedmont Healthcare team for…

The DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections will hold a special called meeting on Thursday, July 16, 4 p.m., for the purpose of conducting its normal monthly business. This meeting will be conducted via teleconference (Zoom). Simultaneous public access to the meeting will be available via livestream on DCTV’s UStream channel https://video.ibm.com/channel/dctv-channel-23. Public comment may be submitted by sending an email of one page or less to electionspubliccmnt@dekalbcountyga.gov which must be received between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting. The body of the email must include the commenter’s first and last name, followed by…

Stone crest Mayor Jason Lary announced today that he is removing the stop work order placed on the construction of Metro Green Recycling earlier this month.  After consulting with the city attorney, the mayor said that is not wise to maintain an order that could place the city in legal jeopardy. Metro Green Recycling Center began construction last month at 2450 Miller Road.  On July 2nd, the mayor and the city’s planning and zoning director placed a stop work order on the construction site citing a discrepancy regarding the facility’s failure to meet DeKalb County’s Solid Waste Plan.  After consulting with…

DeKalb County students will start the new school year online on Aug. 17, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the district has announced. The DeKalb Board of Education approved delaying the start of the 2020-21 school year at its board meeting on July 13. Students were scheduled to return on Aug. 3 but following guidance from state public health officials and community feedback from an input study, the district devised a plan for students to return to school virtually. The district’s decision to reopen virtually marks the first major actions under the leadership of Schools Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris, who was…

On the evening of July 10, an employee of the Clerk’s office notified management that they had tested positive for COVID-19. The employee is a deputy clerk and typically interacts with the public. Individuals who had direct contact with the employee have been notified and directed to self-quarantine and/or self-monitor. The affected workspaces and common areas will be disinfected and sanitized, and the employee has been placed on leave until cleared by a physician to return to work. “We are following recommendations from the CDC and taking all necessary precautions to protect our employees, judicial partners and the public,”…

ATLANTA – State Rep. Vernon Jones (D-Lithonia) will host a “Prayer for Police” event on Tuesday, July 14, 10 a.m., at the Georgia State Capitol’s north wing steps. Jones will be joined by Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds; Department Public Safety Commissioner Colonel Gary Vowell; Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police president-elect Bruce Hadley and Executive Director Butch Ayers; Georgia Sheriff’s Association President Stacey Jarrod and President-elect Carlton Speed; and State Rep. Micah Gravley (R-Douglasville). Two local pastors, Dr. Coy Barker of Elevation Point Church in Loganville and the Rev. George W. Levett, Jr. of…

The Conyers-Rockdale (Nancy Guinn Memorial) Library will reopen by appointments only starting Monday, July 20. Patrons may schedule appointments Monday –Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community, the library is limiting access on an appointment basis that would allow patrons to check out materials within a limited time frame. Services requiring the Law Library and Genealogy, Notary, Proctoring, Photocopying, and Printing will be available with social distancing measures in place. There will be a One-Way entrance and exit at…

DECATUR—On Wednesday, July 15, lane closures are set to begin for sections of the northbound and southbound lanes along South Candler Street, between East Pharr Road and Park Drive, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., while crews work to complete the rehabilitation of approximately 1023 linear feet, of aging, ductile-iron sewer pipe. These sections of South Candler Street will reopen on Saturday, July 18. The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management has initiated this construction project as a part of ongoing maintenance to repair approximately 100,000 linear feet of sewer pipe to improve sewer service countywide. Motorists and MARTA…

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the conclusion of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advance program, which provided small businesses, non-profits and agricultural businesses a total of $20 billion in emergency funding. The program provided $1,000 per employee, up to a maximum of $10,000.  Recipients did not have to be approved for a loan to receive the Advance. The Advance provided an interim but vital source of funds while applicants awaited a decision on their loan application. “Following the enactment of COVID-19 emergency legislation, the SBA provided nearly six million small businesses employing 30.5 million people with $20…

The Chamblee Police Department and the Brookhaven Police Department have requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into a shooting involving officers from both police agencies. The shooting occurred in the City of Chamblee on July 12. At 8:57 a.m. on July 12, the Chamblee Police 911 center received multiple calls regarding a man armed with a gun in the parking lot of an open business located in the 2300 block of Shallowford Terrace. At least one caller reported the man was yelling at a passersby to call the police. Chamblee Police officers arriving at the scene encountered a…