This week's Buzz (click)
>City of Rome/GE deal almost done. Next up: Battle over who gets what
>Entice vs. county suit looks close to an end
>Rome Braves a flop on the field, doing well in the stands
>Three-Dot Buzz: Marshall Tucker Band, Van Zant due at Lick N Sticks
>Peaks & Valleys: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
>Plus to see what's on our other pages, please click Index
Also today:
>Today's the final day to register to vote in July 15 primary: New or lapsed voters have Monday left to qualify to vote in the upcoming primary. Visit the elections office at 12 E. Fourth Ave. between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
-Advanced voting is Monday, July 7-Friday, July 11. Vote at the elections office, 12 E. Fourth Ave., or at the Rome Civic Center. Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
-The primary is Tuesday, July 15, with precincts open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
-Democratic ballot: Floyd County clerk of superior courts; U.S. Senate, PSC.
-Republican ballot: Two seats on the public service commission.
Another Rome twist in House Speaker Glenn Richardson's divorce files: The AJC is reporting "Walter Matthews, chief judge of the Rome Judicial Circuit, was appointed to decide the motion filed by Rome ethics activist George Anderson to unseal the divorce file of Glenn and Susan Richardson."> AJC
Sports
>Norman Arey: Doing a double take over baseball's idea to adopt instant replay> Arey
>Rome Braves end first 'season' of 2008 with 22 wins, 27 loses. Season Two starts Thursday> Sports
Downtown Headlines
>What's ahead in downtown Rome> Downtown Headlines
WeatherCenter
>High of 93 with a 20% chance of rain; cooler nights ahead> WeatherCenter
Gas watch/Local prices steep--and steady--for now (updated 6/16)
Statewide average 'steady' at $3.99: A year ago, we were paying $2.88 for a gallon of unleaded. Today, the state average is at $3.99, the same as a week ago.
| Bartow | Chattooga | Floyd | Gordon | Polk | Georgia | |
| Range | $3.84- $4.10 | $3.95- $4.10 | $3.95- $4.05 | $3.92- $4.13 | $3.90- $4.06 | $3.99 |
| Links | Cartersville | Summerville | Rome | Calhoun | Cedartown | State |
City/GE deal approaching finish line; side deal brewing?
Look for closure on the city of Rome/GE property deal within a few weeks. Just about all is in order and the property handoff should come quickly.
The 128 acres in question are in green (to the right), surrounding the site. The gray area will remain in GE custody and includes the buildings and infrastructure.
Once the deal is official, get ready for phase two: an escalating custody battle if you will for use of the land.
Last year, we broke the story about a land-use package that was heavy on recreation, including a new Barron Stadium. That appears to be one of the scenarios in play but others are said to be in the works, perhaps even on paper somewhere.
An interesting rumor involves a land swap, with the Coosa Valley Fair getting 50 acres of the Rome/GE property and the city getting the current fairgrounds. The current fair site has been on and off the market in recent years, with one group proposing a very interesting retail/residential combo. That proposal appears dead.
Bottom line: This tug-of-war is going to heat up, especially given some of the players involved, and could be the story of the summer.
Entice suit about to go away
Another story line is about to be resolved, the county vs. Entice. The legal battle between the county commission and Charles Craton and company is said to be close to resolution. A recent decision by the federal judge more or less signaled a need to settle rather than move forward, escalating legal fees on both sides.
Entice has been open for more than two years on Ga. 53 near Shannon and, except for the court proceedings, has pretty much stayed out of the headlines. It remains a buzz topic as motorists share stories about informal car counts in the parking lot.
As for the resolution: This one could end with a resounding thud.
Rome Braves/Fresh start needed in the 'second season'
The first 69 games and "first season" of 2008 are over for the Rome Braves and their loyal fans. We don't recall seeing so much poor play in five entire seasons of Braves' baseball, let alone the 10 wins and 24 losses at home between April 3 and last Thursday night. The overall record for the first season: 22 wins, 47 losses.
The South Atlantic League's playoff structure goes like this: The top two teams in the "first season" qualify to play in the league championship series in September. Lake County and Asheville (from the northern and southern divisions) are in. The Braves have to focus on a second-season surge if they hope to make their third trip to the playoffs in six years.
The talent is there although we expect call-ups to Myrtle Beach for the few stars in the 2008 lineup--and soon. But that's the proverbial level playing field as every club will face that same challenge.
What is impressive so far in 2008: Fan loyalty. The Braves averaged 3,527 fans for each of 33 home games in the first half, compared to 3,372 per game in all of 2007. John Smoltz' two games here helped fill some extra seats but the Braves have been drawing more per game each month.
The problems are on the field, not in the fan base. The solution comes in an old Harry Caray quote: "Let's get some runs."
Three-Dot Buzz . . .
Lick N Sticks coming to White's Dive Haven on July 26: The Marshall Tucker Band, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Georgia Satellites and Jimmie Van Zant headline the musical festival> Lick N Sticks . . .
Speaking of 'Rock': The folks at Rock 105.9 FM are precisely targeting an unserved market in Rome/Floyd County. The station is after male listeners and offers the only real rock format outside of Atlanta or Chattanooga (and that option is mostly oldies). Our market is formatted for "soccer moms" and country fans (and that is from radio insiders) with some of news/talk and sports. That's not a negative as the recent Georgia Association of Broadcasters' awards to Q102's Morning Q with Jim & Karli show yet again. Now if we can just get a 24/7 sports station.
Must be a local tax? Yet again we're seeing a bizarre difference in gas prices in Bartow and Floyd counties. Making the point sufficiently ambiguous again Sunday: the price of gas at Murphy Oil pumps in front of the Wal-Mart stores in Cartersville and East Rome. The Cartersville store was charging $3.92 a gallon at 5 p.m. Sunday; the Rome shop, at 5:25 p.m., $3.97. For the latest gas prices, click Fuel
And the week's 'top' story was ...
This one had us scratching our heads but comments heard Friday night put the vote over the edge. Last week had some interesting stories to be sure:
>County Commission Garry Fricks' traffic stop in Calhoun.
>Updates on plans for a massive movie studio off the Bypass and U.S. 27.
>The opening of mega-hot franchise Five Guys Burgers & Fries in Rome.
>Floyd School Board member Mark Hufstetler resigns and David Cox--unopposed in his bid to fill Hufstetler's seat in the election--fills the vacancy.
>Renewed radio wars, with Rock 105.9 entering the market and the latest between Southern Broadcasting and Thom Holt's Coosa Valley News.
>Gas prices cruising into the $4 a gallon range locally.
All newsworthy, all of local interest. But you know people are ready for a break when the most-mentioned item in e-mail, in person and on the phone last week was that since-dead bear that stalked downtown Rome.
Peaks & Valleys: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Valley to Garry Fricks: The only criminal count Fricks is guilty of is gross disrespect for the office he holds, the county staff and the electorate. That said, remember these are traffic charges no matter what you see in political cartoons or chat rooms. As we said last week: Fricks' enemies had five days to qualify to run against him, in either party, and no one stepped up. The rumored bid of an independent candidate is about out of time, too.
Peak to Jeremiah Watson of Cave Spring: The Coosa High graduate has won an appointment to West Point. Watson and other 11th District military academy appointees will be honored during a ceremony June 23 in Marietta hosted by U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey.
Peak to the Rome Area History Museum's freebie idea: The museum's supporters are sponsoring free admission days, in part to boost the group's cause and profile. With memberships in the 300 Club or in honor of birthdays and other milestones, the idea is a good one.
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