Author: On Common Ground News

The Executive Committee of the DeKalb County Public Library Board (DCPL) of Trustees voted to close all branch libraries at the end of regular operating hours on Saturday, March 14, until further notice as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. DCPL will continue to monitor the situation and update services accordingly. For patrons with physical materials currently checked out, the library system will adjust the due dates so that fines will not be incurred. The hold expiration date of any item not picked up by Saturday will be adjusted to maintain customers’ places in the queue. Outdoor book…

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) is hosting a telephone town hall on the coronavirus on Monday, March 16 from 6:15-7:15 p.m.. He’s calling more than 75,000 people in Georgia’s Fourth District to answer their questions and listen to their concerns about the coronavirus. Joining the Congressman will be experts from Emory University, the DeKalb County Board of Health and Oakhurst Medical Center to address participants questions and discuss the best way for callers to protect themselves and their families and help prevent the spread of the disease. Guests include Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Ford, District Health Director of the DeKalb County Board…

With Independent Learning Days at RCPS and school closures throughout the country related to COVID-19 precaution taking place, nutrition for students who depend on school meals is top of mind. RCPS will begin mobile meal delivery routes in Rockdale on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, for children under the age of 18; more information is at www.rockdaleschools.org/COVID19 . If you would like to talk with our Exec. Director of School Nutrition Peggy Lawrence about this, please contact her at plawrence@rockdale.k12.ga.us.

City of Conyers officials met late Thursday to create an action plan for its departments related to the COVID-19 virus. The city will utilize all resources at its disposal to ensure normal operations and services continue for citizens without interruption as long as possible. If the spread of COVID-19 makes its way to Rockdale County and Conyers, essential employees for the city of Conyers will continue to report to work in an effort to minimize any disruption in services. As the situation develops, the city will determine the best course of action to continue providing services while protecting the public…

Due to the closing of Brookhaven Briarwood Recreation Center until at least April 3, the recreation center will not serve as an advance voting polling location for the March 24 presidential preference primary and special election. Advance locations and time can be found by visiting www.dekalbvotes.com. Absentee ballot applications can be obtained by visiting www.DeKalbvotes.com, emailing Absenteeballot@dekalbcountyga.gov, or calling the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 404-298-4020. For more information, contact the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 404-298-4020.

Applications to vote absentee by mail in the March 24 presidential preference primary and special election must be submitted no later than Friday, March 20. All absentee ballots must be received by the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, 2020, with the exception of Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) voters.  UOCAVA voters’ ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, March 24, 2020, and received by the elections office no later than Friday, March 27, 2020. Absentee ballot applications can be obtained by visiting www.DeKalbvotes.com, emailing Absenteeballot@dekalbcountyga.gov, or calling the…

The Conyers–Rockdale (Nancy Guinn Memorial) Library will be canceling all programs and events scheduled at the library March 14 – April 1, 2020, due to COVID-19 concerns. The library will be waiving fines for late materials during this time. The safety and health of the library visitors and staff is our highest priority. We will continue to pay attention to the community updates and keep you informed of any other changes in the library operation. At this time, the  Conyers-Rockdale (Nancy Guinn Memorial) Library will remain open during regular business hours. We want to remind you that you can access…

DeKalb County Chief Magistrate Judge Berryl A. Anderson has decided to postpone the annual Magistrate Court 101 program scheduled for Saturday, March 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The program will be rescheduled to a date later this year.   Anyone who has already registered will automatically be included in the list of program participants and be notified well in advance with the new date.       Judge Anderson noted, “Magistrate Court 101 is a program that our judges happily volunteer for because it gives us an opportunity to interact with children and adults from our DeKalb community in a format…

In an effort to assist one of Georgia’s high-risk groups during the health situation involving coronavirus, the Department of Driver Services (DDS) will be providing a 120-day extension for driver’s license and identification card holders age 60 and older. DDS estimates that more than 36,000 Georgians are eligible for this service. “Commissioner Moore and his team are actively searching for ways to provide more services away from the centers to mitigate public health concerns, and I applaud them for identifying this solution for these citizens,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp. Customers aged 60 years of age and older whose license or ID card is valid with an expiration from March through…