Author: On Common Ground News

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor is hosting a national online dialogue, Providing Expanded Family and Medical Leave to Employees Affected by COVID-19,to help employers and workers understand their responsibilities and rights, respectively, under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The public, including employers, workers and their advocacy groups can participate in the online forum through Sunday, March 29. The department’s Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI), in partnership with Wage and Hourly Division (WHD) and the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), will host the dialogue. ODEP’s ePolicyWorks will facilitate the dialogue initiative. Please register to participate. Wage and Hour…

On Thursday, March 26 at 1 p.m. the Georgia Chamber will be hosting a call with SBA Regional Administrator Ashley Bell to provide an overview of the U.S. Small Business Economic Injury Disaster Loan program now available to Georgia businesses. The virtual meeting will give business owners the opportunity to ask questions surrounding relief efforts. To Join: Due to the high-demand teleworking has placed on the conferencing industry, conference hosts are urging callers to join in via computer. If joining via phone and you encounter a busy signal, please try…

 The City of Conyers met in an emergency meeting on Wednesday, March 25, and passed an ordinance ordering an emergency shelter in place among residents, closing non-essential businesses and prohibiting public gatherings in the city limits of Conyers. This ordinance builds upon the Council’s previous declaration of a state of emergency and passage of an ordinance restricting restaurants to curbside, delivery or take-out only, sale of beer and wine for restaurants offering take-out consumption off-premises, and closure of entertainment establishments. The city’s shelter in place order and new restrictions call for the following to slow the spread of the coronavirus…

https://youtu.be/v_rEHeohnBU DeKalb County Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying three suspects wanted for the murder of 34-year-old Tiwuan Johnson. Johnson was attacked and fatally shot on Feb. 19 around 6:30 p.m. in his car as he sat parked  outside of the Citgo convenience store at1106 N. Hairston Rd.,  Stone Mountain. The attack was captured on surveillance video. A car pulled up beside the victim’s car and one of the suspects entered the passenger’s side of Johnson’s car. Another suspect pulled up, went inside the store, and returned, got in on the driver’s side and begin beating Johnson.…

ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is making operational adjustments beginning Thursday, March 26, to protect the health and wellness of employees as they continue providing essential transit service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, MARTA is making service plan changes to bus and rail operations beginning Monday, March 30, to address the dramatic ridership and revenue decline seen in the wake of this national health crisis. “MARTA stands by our role as a provider of essential infrastructure. Our frontline employees are everyday heroes who drive buses, run trains, protect our customers, and clean vehicles and stations. I…

Emory University will take part in an NIH sponsored global clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of novel therapeutic agents in hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The drug remdesivir is the first agent to be evaluated. The Emory Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Unit (VTEU) was activated March 11 by The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), meaning it can begin enrollment as part of this phase three therapeutic clinical trial. The clinicaltrials.gov identifier is NCT04280705. Emory is one of eight VTEUs around the country and up to 32 sites being activated for the trial.…

Gwinnett County has ordered certain businesses to close until further notice due to COVID-19. Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash signed an emergency order shutting down gyms, fitness centers, fitness studios, theaters, live performance venues, bowling alleys, arcades and other similar establishments within unincorporated Gwinnett County. The order also requires that restaurants, food courts, brewpubs, breweries and other eating establishments within unincorporated Gwinnett County cease offering dine-in and outdoor/patio service. These establishments may continue to offer food to customers through delivery, takeout and/or drive-thru service. Exceptions include cafeterias or on-site dining services in hospitals,…

DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court Debra DeBerry is making  Temporary Protective Order applications available online due to COVID-19. DeBerry updated the process following the Supreme Court’s Emergency Order issued on March 14. The clerk worked in collaboration with Chief Superior Court Judge Asha Jackson,  Chief Magistrate Judge Berryl A. Anderson, DeKalb Sheriff Melody Maddox, key staff and advocates to migrate to a virtual environment beginning March 23. Judge Anderson said: “During this Judicial Emergency,  we have worked collaboratively to complete a monumental task of providing safe online services, which include video emergency hearings to victims in need of Family…

In an effort to reduce and prevent the spread of COVID-19, Rockdale County Board of Commissioners (BOC) is issuing a 14-day mandatory Shelter in Place. This order will go into effect starting Thursday, March 2at 12:01 a.m. and will expire Wednesday, April 8, at 11:59 p.m., unless extended by further action of the BOC. The decision for the Shelter in Place Ordinance came as an agreement among County partner agencies which include, Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Conyers, Rockdale County Public School Systems, Rockdale Piedmont Hospital, and the Department of Public Health. This ordinance is enforceable by…

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has its first two confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, it was announced today (March 24). A 35-year-old male inmate in the DeKalb County Jail is undergoing treatment at Grady Memorial Hospital after he tested positive for the virus during a medical assessment while in custody in the hospital. A 57 year-old male employee whose job has no contact with inmates has also been confirmed as having tested positive for the COVID-19 virus while out on sick leave.  The sheriff’s office learned of both medical reports today(March 24). “We were informed of the inmate’s screening…