Author: On Common Ground News

About 22 miles of roadway in Rockdale County will be restriped this year with more durable and visible road markings and new reflective raised pavement markers. Rockdale County has awarded Conyers-based Pittman Construction with the SPLOST #2A Contract. Pittman will utilize Peek Pavement Marking to refresh pavement markings on the 22 miles of arterial roadways, the most traveled corridors in the county. The contractor will use thermoplastic pavement marking, which is more durable than regular pavement paint and better reflects headlights, said John Moretto, P.E., Director, Rockdale County Department of Transportation (RDOT). The thermoplastic markings will last about three times…

ATLANTIC OCEAN—Gas Turbine Systems Technician 3rd Class Luis Montes of  Covington, Georgia, remains at sea in the Atlantic as part of the certified Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, ready for tasking in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19. Montes is pictured sanitizing an electrical plant control console aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy on April 21. Keeping HSTCSG at sea in U.S. 2nd Fleet, in the sustainment phase of OFRP, allows the ship to maintain a high level of readiness during the global COVID-19 pandemic.        

Chad Suddeth, Athletic Director at Rockdale County High School, has been recognized by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association as a Certified Athletic Administrator. Coach Suddeth is one of an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide to attain this level of professionalism. To earn this distinction, Coach Suddeth has demonstrated the highest level of knowledge and expertise in the field of interscholastic athletic administration. The voluntary certification process included a thorough evaluation of the candidate’s educational background, experience and professional contributions, as well as a rigorous, comprehensive written examination. The NIAAA is a national professional organization consisting of all…

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) has announced his support of H.R. 266, the $484 billion Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which will now go to the President’s desk for his signature. Johnson was in the Chamber and voted in support of the bill. “Unfortunately, some of the funds allocated to the Paycheck Protection Program in the first CARES Act were made accessible to large corporations,” said Johnson. “These are businesses that were going to float, but still grabbed all the life vests, leaving small-and medium-sized businesses to drown. Critically, in this supplemental package, we must…

By Rev. Dr. Billie Boyd-Cox Conyers, GA  The governor’s asinine enticement of reopening small businesses is another weapon of mass destruction.  It’s lynching. It’s Jim Crow. It’s slavery. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, as of April 20, there were 19,398 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 3,702 people hospitalized and 774 deaths and of those 774 deaths, 422 were black men and women. There are now 500 new confirmed cases. It is not safe to be anywhere other than inside your home.  But this move, this maneuver by the governor is not about our safety. It’s deeper than that.  Last…

  Bishop Reginald T. Jackson Presiding Prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church I have issued a directive to the more that 520 AME churches in the Sixth Episcopal District, which comprises the State of Georgia, that none of our churches are to gather for services on this coming Sunday morning. This decision by the governor puts economic interest above the safety and well-being of the citizens of Georgia. There is no data which justifies or gives credibility to the governor’s decision. Over the last…

By State Rep. Viola Davis I am a critical care nurse with over 20 years experience, elected official, and a prior business owner of a hair salon with my late sister, located in DeKalb County. I, along with Representatives Donna McLeod and  Mary Robichaux, reviewed the Safety Guidelines for Reopening Barber and Cosmetology Salons and the OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplace for COVID-19 referenced in press releases. I have several concerns about the safety guidelines issued to salon owners: The first step in reducing or eliminating the risks of Coronavirus in a hair salon or barbershop is to train all employees…

Georgia lawmakers will resume the 2020 session on June 11, Speaker David Ralston has announced. The session has been suspended since March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ralston said in a letter to Georgia’s House of Representatives that the priority will be to pass the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

STONECREST—As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp reopens businesses today, Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary is making sure that healthcare providers have the protective gear they need to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Lary will be joined at City Hall today at 11:30 a.m. by hospital executives, county officials, council members and other community leaders in presenting a donation of 5,000 protective masks to Emory Hillandale Hospital. “We have got to get a hold of this testing  before we, in good faith, can tell our residents the coast is clear,” said Lary. “Minority communities are being severely impacted by this pandemic and this city is…

Reopening businesses is modern black lynching By Rev. Dr. Billie Boyd-Cox Conyers, GA  The governor’s asinine enticement of reopening small businesses is another weapon of mass destruction.  It’s lynching. It’s Jim Crow. It’s slavery. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, as of April 20, there were 19,398 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 3,702 people hospitalized and 774 deaths and of those 774 deaths, 422 were black men and women. There are now 500 new confirmed cases. It is not safe to be anywhere other than inside your home.  But this move, this maneuver by the governor is not…