Author: On Common Ground News

Event will be livestreamed Sunday, June 14, on Facebook   DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha V. Ramos will host a Virtual Community Q&A on Sunday, June 14, 6 p.m.,  on the department’s Facebook page. Questions or concerns can be submitted on the Facebook event post beforehand or submitted live during the Q&A session. “I want the community to know that I hear and understand their concerns and frustration,” said Chief Ramos. “I’m hosting this Q&A to reaffirm my stance on honesty and transparency.”  The DeKalb County Police Department is the second-largest police department in Georgia. Chief Ramos is…

                                        State Sen. Emanuel Jones and DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond ATLANTA — The DeKalb County Senate Delegation on June 11 voted unanimously to ask DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond to provide frontline pay to 1,000 county poll workers. State Sen. Emanuel Jones, chairman of the DeKalb Senate Delegation, said poll workers are vital to our democracy and the voting process, and should receive frontline pay for their Election Day service during the June, August and November elections. Thurmond agreed to…

Rockdale County Supervisor of Elections Cynthia Willingham said outstanding ballots will now be counted on Monday, June 15, instead of today, June 12,  because of a myriad of problems and malfunctions across the state on Election Day. Willingham said absentee ballots, military ballots and provisional ballots must still be counted, which will determine who is in a runoff. In the three-way County Commission Chair race, incumbent Oz Nesbit had the lead over challengers Katrina McCollum Young and Brian Jenkins, who were in second and third place respectively. Nesbitt had 9,181 votes (51.92). McCollum Young had 6,270(35.46); and Jenkins…

On Monday, June 1, 2020, Marquez Chandler was the passenger and shooter in a vehicle involved in a drive-by shooting on Green Valley Drive in Conyers.  He is currently WANTED by the Conyers Police Department.   Tipsters will remain anonymous and are asked to contact Crime Stoppers with any information: Call: 404.577.TIPS (8477) Click: www.CrimeStoppersAtlanta.org

Tipsters will remain anonymous and are asked to contact Crime Stoppers with any information: Call:404.577.TIPS (8477) Click: www.CrimeStoppersAtlanta.org 

ATLANTA—Today(June 11), Gov. Brian Kemp signed Executive Order 06.11.20.01 – Empowering a Healthy Georgia. The order addresses ongoing emergency response efforts for fighting the spread of COVID-19. Unless noted otherwise in specific sections, the order goes into effect at 12 AM on June 16 and runs through 11:59 PM on June 30.  Sports: Effective June 16, professional sports teams and organizations must follow the rules and guidelines set by their respective leagues. High school and collegiate teams and organizations must follow the rules and guidelines set by their applicable conferences or associations. Amateur sports teams and organizations…

As a part of addressing health inequities and high numbers of COVID-19 cases in identified DeKalb County ZIP Codes, the DeKalb County Board of Health, with the assistance of the City of Doraville, will open a COVID-19 testing site at the following location on June 15: Former K-Mart Store Parking Lot (at I-285 and Buford Hwy.)
5597 Buford Hwy. NE, Doraville The Doraville location’s hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. As of June 9, the Buford Highway corridor, which include the cities of Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville, has 767 of the 4,185 positive COVID-19…

As the state restrictions are being lifted, Rockdale County will reopen the remainder of its parks and trails starting on July 6, 2020.  The park openings will allow residents access to all the county’s public green spaces.  In efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Rockdale County closed its facilities and properties in March. “We are excited to reopen the remainder of the county’s parks next month and allow residents to get out and enjoy the fresh air and exercise after the shutdown due to COVID 19,” said Rockdale County Chairman Oz Nesbitt.  “As we continue to reopen…

A look at some early results for key local races DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox appears headed for a runoff with either Ruth “The Truth” Stinger or Antonio “Block”  Johnson, who are battling for second place, according to unofficial early results.Run-offs are scheduled on Aug. 11. DeKalb County’s early results were finally posted June 10 with a few of the 100 precincts still out. A  myriad of  problems were reported  statewide on June 9, Election Day, slowing down the process. Absentee and provisional ballots still had to be counted, officials said on Wednesday. Maddox and her challenger are vying to fill…

Atlanta Gas Light is inviting the public to join its efforts to help curb the escalation of food insecurity in communities due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is partnering with local agencies to collect food donations in 14 communities across the state. This is a drive-thru event and those taking part are asked to wear a face covering for their safety and the safety of the employee and foodbank volunteers. Atlanta Gas Light is also asking that donations be placed in the trunks of vehicles, where one of the volunteers will retrieve the food items. Local food…