This week's Buzz (click)
>$20M civic center to tie in nicely with Georgia Highlands growth in Bartow
>Political dollar count due between June 30, July 8
>Key Bartow forum Tuesday; political site eyes Lewis-Battles House fight
>3-Dot Buzz: Business updates; possible 'scoop' on new ice cream shop
>Peaks & Valleys: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
>Plus: See what's on our other pages. Click Index
Sports
>Norman Arey: Paterno and Bowden, two 'faces of college football,' just one game apart in total wins>Arey
>Norman Arey's college football preseason predictions start Aug. 8. See the day-by-day guide of what's ahead> Picks
>Rome Braves split series with Savannah thanks to 7-3 win> Sports
Downtown Headlines
>Huge weekend ahead in downtown Rome starting with poetry night anniversary, benefit concert, cycling and annual RLT party> Downtown Headlines
-Plus: Downtown Development Authority coffee break, 8:30 a.m. Friday
WeatherCenter
>20% chance of storms after 2 p.m., high of 92. Get ready for highs in the 90s all week> WeatherCenter
>Check the weather in your vacation destination> WeatherCenter
Gas watch/Local prices steep--and steady--for now (updated 6/23)
Statewide average 'steady' at $3.97: A year ago, we were paying $2.84 for a gallon of unleaded. Today, the state average is at $3.97, down a penny.
| Bartow | Chattooga | Floyd | Gordon | Polk | Georgia | |
| Range | $3.82- $4.11 | $3.97- $4.10 | $3.94- $4.00 | $3.79- $4.11 | $3.98- $4.10 | $3.97 |
| Links | Cartersville | Summerville | Rome | Calhoun | Cedartown | State |
New/Check gas prices in vacation destinations from GasBuddy.com:
>Average price in Alabama/Mobile area: $3.89 (click)
>Average price in S. Carolina: $3.84 (click)
>Average price in N. Carolina: $3.97 (click)
>Average price in Florida/Orlando area: $3.95 (click)
>Average price in Tennessee: $3.89 (click)
Ga. 20 to see mini-boom with GHC growth, new civic center
Voters in Bartow County recently passed an aggressive SPLOST tax that included a $20 million civic center complex. In recent weeks, the county has purchased property across from the Cartersville campus of Georgia Highlands College with the intent of building a civic center and perhaps more there.
The site is an excellent one as it pairs nicely with the already-crowded, two-year-old home of Georgia Highlands' Bartow campus. There's a synergy already in the works between GHC and the county as the civic center moves toward reality.
This photo, from GHC's Web site, shows the two-year-old building on the Bartow campus. A similar building is on the boards for 2011. Click GHC Cartersville.
The arts and performance implications between the two are there, says Dana Davis, GHC's director of college relations.
But the college is looking at a lot of tomorrows at that site, not just the one with a civic center across an eventually four-laned Ga. 20. A master plan is under way examining what's next on the GHC side of the street, especially on the land owned by the board of regents.
"A number of footprints are on it," says Davis of the big-picture look, including a footprint basically replicating the 100,000-square-foot building opened two Augusts ago. The "mirror" as Davis calls it would be divided with a third of the space going toward a student center and two thirds for additional classroom resources.
Work on the building is still a few years off, 2011 at best, but the need already is apparent. Enrollment at the Bartow campus is exploding. The new building has a capacity of 2,000 students. Already, enrollment is at 1,809 and another 10 percent could be added to that by the start of classes in August.
Also in the works: critically needed parking and new access to the campus off Cline-Smith Road.
After that: As one veteran educator has said, the Bartow campus has room for another five buildings (including the 2011 structure). That master plan might need to go from wish list to to-do list sooner than most thought.
Politics/Counting the dollars first
A pretty solid indicator regarding support for the 2008 candidates is due next Monday. Candidates are required to file quarterly campaign finance and expense reports, covering April 1 through June 30. The "grace period" for filing to the State Ethics Commission is Tuesday, July 8 (Schedule).
You'll be able to read online reports for state House, district attorney and superior court judgeships. We'll post the links as they become available.
Local candidates (county commission, sheriff, court clerk, tax commissioner, etc.) file with the county elections office. Those updates will be published as well.
The key reports to watch for the July 15 primary cycle are:
>Floyd Superior Court clerk: Democrats John Harkins vs. Barbara Penson.
>State House District 15: Republicans Paul Battles vs. Jeff Lewis.
>District Attorney (Bartow, Gordon): Republicans Joe Campbell vs. Christian Coomer.
Speaking of July 15: Bartow forum is Tuesday
WBHF 1450 AM is hosting a political forum beginning at 6 p.m. at The Grand Theatre. The forum will be broadcast live both on radio and on Bartow Headlines (via Web cast) as well as repeated several times until the July 15 primary. Panelists are from WBHF, The Daily Tribune and The Bartow Neighbor. WBHF's Lee Burger will serve as moderator.
Candidates invited to participate include:
>House District 15: Republicans Jeff Lewis and Paul Battles.
>District Attorney: Republicans Joe Campbell and Christian Coomer.
>Tax commissioner: Republicans Valenda Bailey and Judy Kilgore.
>County School Board, Post 4: Republicans Wanda Cagle Gray and Tammy Livingood.
GOP candidates to speak at party meeting Saturday: Bartow County Republicans meet at 9 a.m., party headquarters, 162 Main St., Suite 106> GOP
Insider Advantage politic site focuses on Lewis-Battles race: The regional political site features a closer look at the key primary battle between incumbent Jeff Lewis and challenger Paul Battles for the Cartersville House seat> Insider
More local political news> Politics
Three Dot Buzz . . . :
Latest business news: We're hearing an interesting personnel update is possible involving a very familiar name. We'll post updates soon.
The inside scoop? Here's the skinny--an ice cream shop is in the works for one of the new strip centers on Turner McCall, either RiverWalk (Shane's, etc.) or River Center (Firehouse Subs). There's been a buzz about a new ice cream store coming to town for more than two years. A lot of names have been dropped--Cold Stone Creamery, Marble Slab, etc. This one could be different although the talk among some RiverWalk merchants is Cold Stone. Another source says it will be a shop more like B. Cooper's at the mall. We're checking for additional updates.
RIFF site looking good: The 2008 Rome International Film Festival is more than two months away but work behind the "scenes" continues. We recommend a glimpse at the ever-improving Web site of the festival (www.riff.tv). We love the super-hero theme and the catchy intro page. The festival returns to Rome Sept. 4-7.
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to Georgia Bulldogs baseball team: The Bulldogs start game one of the College World Series tonight (ESPN U). Georgia last won the title in 1990 and has to be a favorite to win it this year. As tough as it is for this Gator to write ... Go Dawgs!
Valley to the Stephens County baseball coach: It is one thing to get whipped on the field. It is another thing to see an umpire plunked by your team. But nothing says "loser" quite like the team baseball coach trying to justify the already-classic YouTube video by saying Cartersville's team was stealing signals via TV. The last we checked, the series wound up 2-1 in favor of CHS. We guess the TV was turned off for the game CHS lost in the series. Someone at the local Bud plant needs to cue up the "Real Men of Genius" theme. To quote that jingle: "Today we salute you, Mr. Losing Coach, who doesn't know how to admit defeat, clean up the program and move on." (Click)
Peak to local chef Mary Louise Lever: Her magic potion this time around was the "Sweet Potato Pizza Pie Bellissima." The question remains: what will she cook up next? Sweet Potatoes
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