This week's Buzz (click)
>Medical construction continues at brisk pace; more on the way
>Political Buzz: Majority leader in town to lend Dempsey a hand
>Oxendine gets an unexpected boost from stormy spring
>Peach Palace opens today; Bistro 239 adds more lunch shifts
>Peaks & Valleys: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
/Registration begins today for library's Catch the Reading Bug: Also at 11 a.m.: Magician Arthur Atsma performs> Below
Weather Center
>50 percent chance of rain after 2 p.m., high of 83> WeatherCenter
Sports
>Norman Arey's Sports: Junior's switch from 8 to 88 means real big numbers for marketing company>Arey
>Braves rally but Hickory wins; finale today at 11 a.m.t>Home Run Headlines
Cartersville in state AAA finale> Bartow Headlines
Downtown Headlines
>Latest changes to downtown's menu> Downtown Headlines
Gas watch/Prices almost stable since Monday (updated 5/26)
>Statewide average climbs to $3.91: A year ago, we were paying $3.05 for a gallon of unleaded and were fuming about it. This morning, the statewide average is at $3.91, up another dime since last Monday.
| Bartow | Chattooga | Floyd | Gordon | Polk | Georgia | |
| Range | $3.85- $4.10 | $3.88- $3.96 | $3.86- $4.00 | $3.80- $4.07 | $3.76- $3.96 | $3.91 |
| Links | Cartersville | Summerville | Rome | Calhoun | Cedartown | State |
Strong pulse for region's multimillion-dollar medical boom
News last week that Northwest Georgia Medical Clinic will move into its new Riverbend Medical Center quarters effective June 4 is the latest sign of the continued strength of the medical community in our area (Clinic).
In just about every county, major and minor medical projects are either wrapped up or nearing completion. Estimates put the combined value of the Northwest Georgia projects in excess of $50 million.
That includes, thanks to a favorable review from the state attorney general's office, the Floyd Medical/ReHabCare plan for a stand-alone Specialty Hospital is a go with construction likely to start later this year. Look for the new complex on the Floyd campus to include 45 beds (the current Specialty Hospital features 24 beds).
A county-by-county look shows:
>Bartow: The big player is the Harbin Clinic Cartersville office rising near Home Depot just on Gentilly Boulevard between U.S. 41 and Tennessee Street. The 72,225-square-foot campus--the latest from Harbin Clinic's recent growth spurt--should open in October. On Monday, it looked as if first-story window work was under way. Eventually, it will be home to Cardiology, Cardiac Rehabilitation, a Diabetes Management Center, ENT, Family Practice, General Surgery, Hearing Center, Imaging Center, Internal Medicine, Laboratory, Nephrology, Pediatrics, Plastic Surgery, Urology and Rheumatology. (Archive)
>Acworth area: Cartersville Medical Center recently opened a new imaging center and immediate care center in Acworth off U.S. 41 at the Cedarcrest Road intersection. The offices opened last month. The Acworth community continues to sizzle as all the commercial and financial development along 41 shows. There could be another health player in this market soon.
>Gordon: The new emergency center at Gordon Hospital was dedicated earlier this month. The 17,500-square-foot, $9 million project houses emergency center operations for the Calhoun hospital. Included are 20 new patient rooms; a separate room for trauma patients; a room for critical care patients; and one called a "negative pressure room" designed for patients with contagious conditions. Ground was broken last June. (Archive)
>Polk: Harbin Clinic Cedartown Medical Center opened in January at the corner of Cherokee Road and U.S. 27. The 20,000-square-foot complex includes family practice, internal medicine, cardiac care, diabetes management and a 16-station dialysis center.
>Chattooga: Also in January, Harbin Clinic Summerville Dialysis Center opened on U.S. 27 in Summerville.
Political Buzz
A Keen idea? Later today, House Majority Leader Jerry Keen will join state Rep. Katie Dempsey to put a positive spin on the calamity known as General Assembly 2008. The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. in the Sam King Room at City Hall. Insiders on both sides of the aisle consider it the opening shot in the Dempsey-Bob Puckett rematch for the House District 13 seat. And the Democrats are licking their collective chops. This "state-down" campaign style is what nearly cost Dempsey her initial bid in 2006. This "town hall meeting" is one of several in the works.
Quiet primary? Not in Bartow County: The Republican Primary in Bartow County is sizzling. Signs of both races--the DA's race between incumbent Joe Campbell and challenger Christian Coomer and the House District 15 race with incumbent Jeff Lewis and Paul Battles--literally are everywhere. Yard sides, banners and other displays are all over the county. And local radio is filled with ads a well. In what is a mostly quiet primary in some areas is anything but boring in Bartow.
Oxendine a force of nature: Georgia's rash of tornadoes this severe weather season (hopefully ending on schedule May 31) has been an indirect boon for Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine. Politicians have shown up at storm sites in Northwest Georgia, Cherokee County, downtown Atlanta and elsewhere this season. But the only one who has to be on site--who needs to be on site--is Oxendine. The state's longest-serving Republican leader is the only officially declared gubernatorial candidate for 2010. He brought that campaign to Rome on Saturday to speak to Floyd County Republicans. Thankfully, he wasn't following a tornado into town this time.
Three-Dot Buzz . . . :
Expanded choices are available for downtown diners starting today with at least one more on the way next month. They include:
>Peach Palace: More than a year in the making, Peach Palace opens today for lunch at 11 a.m. with service scheduled to continue through 4 p.m.this week . . .
>Bistro 239 at 239 Broad St. is offering lunch Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., starting this week. Also, dinner service is expanding to Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays-Saturdays . . .
>Sweet Pickles on the way: We'll have updates soon on the new Sweet Pickles restaurant in the old Forrest Sandwich Shop location . . .
>And nearby: Lots of work continues on the new Laredo's at RiverWalk and Five Guys Burgers & Fries on Shorter Avenue. Both are weeks away. . . .
>Help Wanted/Interview today at new Five Guys: A job fair is under way from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the new Five Guys on Shorter.
>Blue Fin seeks beer, wine license: The new Blue Fin sushi bar and grill coming to 727 Turner McCall (next to Firehouse) goes before the city's alcohol control commission Tuesday, seeking a pouring permit. (ACC) . . .
>Butter's, too: Butter's Diner, which took over the former home of Troy's Barbecue at Calhoun Avenue, also is seeking a beer pouring license. (ACC)
Kangaroo Jake's provides a different K for 'K Girl'
As grandfather Ernie Studard describes it (a.k.a The K Man from the Braves' games or "PaBear" in certain cases), granddaughter Lilly had few entertainment choices last weekend as the Rome Braves were on the road. So Plan B was the new Kangaroo Jake's inflatables center in Armuchee Village (Food Lion, Bella Roma, etc.) Lilly gave the inflatables a solid inspection as did "PaBear." Says the K Man: "This was a great, clean, safe place to go. No outside food but they have hotdogs and pizza. The cost is $5."
Peaks & Valley: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
>Peak to Rome public works' not-so-trashy idea: Some 350 residents in the Garden Homes community are part of a pilot program for garbage and recycling. Each will have three carts: one for garbage, one for yard waste, one for recyclables. This could bring major changes to the way Rome handles its curbside pickups and eventual recyclables as well. Some people talk about being green but this is walking the walk--or rolling the cart.
>Peak to the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber of Commerce: The chamber continues to blossom under the leadership of Kay Read and chairman Parnick Jennings. The latest: A series of surveys asking community response to key local topics. The first was a transportation questionnaire. Now on site: Questions about retail, medical and overall consumerism in the county (click Survey). Both follow the chamber's proactive immigration forum in February.
>Peak to the library system's Catch the Reading Bug summer reading program: Starting today and continuing through July 18, the program rewards area kids for spending part of their summer with a good book (make that good books). This is an outstanding, proactive effort to keep kids learning between the school years. More and more schools are sending home summer reading lists -- and even math exercises -- to keep those young brains fed. The library's program continues to be among the best out there (click Bug).
>Valley to high oil prices: We hear all the commentaries about worldwide demand for oil and how oil companies' profit margins haven't changed much amid the soaring prices. We hate to sound isolationist but it is past time to begin drilling closer to home. At the same time, the only way to lessen demand is to drive less.
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