Author: On Common Ground News

ATLANTA— Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced this afternoon during a televised press conference that barbershops, salons, gyms, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors, spas and other indoor facilities will be permitted to reopen on Friday, easing restrictions due to COVID-19. Dine-in restaurants and movie theaters will be allowed to reopen on Monday, April 27, while houses of worship are asked to continue to comply with social distancing orders, if they choose to open. Nightclubs and bars, however, remain under a ban. Kemp did not mention department sores or malls during the press conference. Georgia’s shelter in place order remains in effect through…

EFFECTIVE MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020- To prioritize essential transit service, MARTA is reducing bus service to the 41 routes listed below. OPERATIONAL BUS ROUTES BEGINNING 4/20/2020 2  4  5  6  15  19  21  26  39  40  42  49  50  51  60  71  73  78  82  83  84  86  89  95  102  107  110  111  117  120  121  172  178  185  186  191  192  193  196  816  Including Oakley Industrial Circulator ALL OTHER BUS ROUTES WILL BE SUSPENDED Bus customers will enter and exit using the rear doors only, except for customers who require the accessibility ramp. MARTA is suspending fare…

Torinto Antoine Christian, the 35-year-old Decatur resident who escaped last week after he was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, has been arrested. After a brief foot pursuit, DeKalb County sheriff’s investigators apprehended Christian without incident at a gas station on Moreland Avenue in Atlanta. Christian was arrested on Monday, April 13, and booked into the DeKalb County Jail. Investigators say that Christian had asked for medical assistance while in his cell and was transported to Grady, where he slipped out of his handcuffs and fled. Christian was originally arrested on warrants charging him with kidnapping and aggravated assault.  

Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) has released its  End of the Year Guide 2019-2020 with  protocols for grades, transcripts, retention/promotion, graduation, prom, student registration and more. Families are strongly encouraged to read the RCPS End of the Year Guide at www.rockdaleschools.org/COVID19. Important dates include: May 7 – Last day of Independent Learning Days (last day of school online for students). May 14 – Last day to turn in assignments May 22 – Last day of school for 190-day employees (such as teachers). Meal Routes – RCPS Mobile Meal Routes will continue through the summer until July 24. For meal delivery…

South DeKalb community activist Kenneth Saunders III has passed away. Saunders died from COVID-19, said Kathryn Rice, who worked closely with Saunders as part of the South DeKalb Improvement Association. Rice, an advocate who pushed for the incorporation of a new city called Green Haven, announced Saunders death tonight in an email. Saunders was in his 40s “It is still hard to believe,” Rice said in the e-mail. Saunders was vice president of the Hidden Hills Civic Association. He served on the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals and the DeKalb Parks Bond Advisory Committee. Saunders ran for the…

  Kemp urges Congress to provide more funding for Paycheck Protection Program  ATLANTA—Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp is calling on Congress to pass additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which ran out of money this week. The $349 billion Small Business Administration’s (SBA) PPP program,  launched on April 3, was supposed to help small businesses on the brink of collapsing amid COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, April 16, the bad news came: The money to save America’s 30.2 million small businesses dried up. Gov. Kemp issued the following statement on Friday, April 17: “While businesses across the United…

Sankofa Community Food Pantry will host its drive-through food pantry on Saturday, April 18, 12 to 3 p.m. at 1240 Sigman Road N.W., next to Voices of Faith Ministries. Drive your vehicle behind the plaza and open your trunk. Volunteers will bring the food out to you. A variety of fresh produce and dry food items will be available to the public at no cost, while supplies last. ID is not required to obtain food and will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 678-517-2538.

In an effort to spread education and awareness of COVID-19, Rockdale County Chairman, Oz Nesbitt, Sr., will host a conference call with local clergy and local funeral directors on Thursday, April 23, 3:30 p.m. The conference call number is (701) 802-5410. Participants should enter the Access Code: 4042664. After announcing their first and last name, participants should mute their phone to prevent feedback and background noise. For more information, contact Jorge Diez at jorge.diez@rockdalecountyga.gov.

The DeKalb County School District announces its plan to close the 2019-2020 school year. The district’s school year will end four days early on May 15 for grades PreK-11 instead of May 21. The school year for seniors will end on May 8. The End of Year Guide for Students and Families for 2019-2020 provides detailed information regarding final grade calculations, promotion/retention, summer extended learning opportunities, school year learning recovery opportunities, end of year activities, and a FAQ. A copy of the guide is attached. The district will end the year as follows: Last day for seniors is Friday, May 8, 2020. Last day for…

Ramona Tyson, who has been serving as interim superintendent of the DeKalb County School District (DCSD), got a new title and a boost in pay for the work she has done in ushering the district through the COVID-19 global pandemic. Tyson was named superintendent on Wednesday, April 15, following a unanimous vote by the DeKalb County Board of Education. Tyson will serve for 75 days in the position as the board continues the process of naming a permanent superintendent. As superintendent, Tyson’s base salary increases from $250,000 to $350,000 annually for the remainder of the fiscal year ending June 30.…