-33 percent of registered voters to grab early ballots this election?
Since Sept. 22, some 4,920 people have voted "early" in Gordon County. That's just about 20 percent of the 24,714 people registered to vote in Gordon. By this coming Friday night, following the close of "advance" voting, elections supervisor Shea Hicks expects another 3,000 people to cast ballots in the Nov. 4 general election. If so, that means up to a third of all registered voters in the county will have voted early with the big day still to go.
-Similar staggering numbers are being reported in surrounding counties including Floyd and Bartow. As many of 50 percent of registered voters are still expected to vote a week from Tuesday, which would affirm Secretary of State Karen Handel's prediction several months ago of massive turnout for this election. Here's how to vote "advance" this week:
-Floyd County: Advance voting starts today and continues through 7 p.m. Friday. Daily hours: 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Locations: The Floyd County Administrative Building, 12 E. Fourth Ave., second floor, Commissioner's Caucus Room; or the Civic Center> Click Floyd
-Sample ballots online: You can preview the ballot for your community online at the Floyd County Web site. The ballots are broken into state House districts:
11th District | 13th District/City | 13th District/County | 14th District | 16th District
>Candidate Q & As: State House, county commission, school board> Politics
The Buzz of Northwest Georgia> Click
-Campaign 2008's final four: The races to watch
-Three-dot buzz: Entrepreneurial spirit flows; 'big' news brewing?
-Seniors turn at the table: Making dining dollars stretch locally
-Peaks & Valleys: The highs, lows of Northwest Georgia
More below:
-Wind advisory in effect, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Gusts of 21 mph as of 7 a.m..
-Pepperell No. 2, Rome No. 5 in latest AJC football polls
-Gas prices 30 cents lower than this time a year ago.
Downtown Headlines
- More than 6,000 due downtown this week for cooking school, power 'n' cheer, cheerleading exhibition, wine festival and, on Friday, Trick or Treat on Broad Street> Downtown Headlines
Weather Center/brought to you by Katie Dempsey for State House :
-Get ready for a chilly but sunny week with afternoon highs only in the upper 50s, lows near freezing.
-Wind advisory today: Gusts to 25 mph through 7 p.m. Also: fire danger.
-For the extended forecast, click WeatherCenter
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable / brought to you by Riverside Toyota
-Going to UGA v. Florida? Leave now. This game should live up to preseason hype>Arey
High School and Shorter football / Brought to you by Printworks
-Pepperell No. 2, Rome No. 5 in latest AJC football polls
-After some key wins Friday night, a look at what's up during the final week of the regular season. For more, click The Football Report
-John McClellan goes 22-1. missing only Cartersville> McClellan
Gas at $2.32 in some parts of Northwest Georgia; state average at $2.51: You're paying less for gas today than you did a year ago. The statewide average for a gallon of unleaded was at $2.51 on Sunday vs. $2.84 a year ago. A month ago, we were paying $3.96 a gallon. Check gas prices below; MSN gas feature redesigned.
| Bartow | Chattooga | Floyd | Gordon | Polk | Georgia | |
| Ticker | Down | Down | Down | Down | Down | Down |
| Range | $2.32- $2.69 | $2.55- $2.90 | $2.46- $3.30 | $2.40 $2.70 | $2454 $2.80 | $2.51 |
| Links | Cartersville | Summerville | Rome | Calhoun | Cedartown | State |
Campaign 2008's Final Four: The races to watch
We thought Josh Caray was going to jump through our desktop speakers Friday night as he called the final minutes of Rome's bruising defeat of Dalton on 95.7 The Ridge. The intensity of those final minutes of Rome's come-from-behind second-half surge compares easily with the fleeting ticks of this campaign season.
There are four races to watch in these final days and plenty is happening in public, within the campaigns and in Atlanta, too. What to watch:
1. Dempsey vs. Puckett: This race continues to draw scrutiny from both the statewide political Web sites and locally. From the fireworks between Democrat Bob Puckett and Republican incumbent Katie Dempsey at Tuesday's forum to assumptive mailers and now radio ads, this is becoming a true brawl. It will get much nastier leading up to Nov. 4.
2. Morgan vs. Patterson: Republican challenger Dan Morgan is charging and Sunday's expected endorsement by the Rome News--telegraphed months ago by puffs of smoke rising from downtown and perhaps some "Rome justice" that hit too close to home--won't hurt him too much. Incumbent Democrat Leigh Patterson is using overall statistics (cases, expenditures, experience) in her patented "knock out" attempt. It has become the second most-discussed race in Rome/Floyd County.
3. Bagwell vs. Jennings: Republican Irwin Bagwell's "sub" at Tuesday's debate got this race moved from hot to boiling and it picked up again Thursday when incumbent Democrat County Commissioner Jerry Jennings got confused on the date of their on-air debate on WRGA 1470 AM. Bagwell was there at 7 a.m., ready to go. The debate was scrubbed because of Jennings' no show.
4. Martin vs. Chambliss: The U.S. Senate race continues to tighten up and the current story line has Democratic challenger Jim Martin and Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss in a potential runoff. (Don't forget Paul Coverdell's Senate win in November 1992).
'Storyline' that needs to go away: This race almost made it to the Final Four but we still don't see it as being close. That said, the political affiliations of the two superior court judges is overblown. It has been obvious since qualifying that Jack Niedrach has been a leader in the Floyd County Democratic Party and it has been obvious since qualifying that Jason Lewis leans heavily toward the Republican Party. The only thing less transparent are "nonpartisan" Rome City Commission races. Leave the parties out of this; we're voting for the individual and his (or her) interpretation of justice. We expect the next breaking "news" item will be a determination that Barack Obama is black and John McCain is a member of AARP.
Signs of life after Nov. 4: This update from the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce-- The annual pre-legislative breakfast is set for Friday, Dec. 5, at 8 a.m. at the Palladium. The pre-Nov. 4 question is: who will be among the highlighted guests?
Three-Dot Buzz . . . :
Let the entrepreneurial spirit flow: The captivating oral tour of Google's inner workings Thursday night by Maureen Schumacher at Berry's Executive Round Table dinner (click Business) was almost topped by the side discussions with some business-minded students and their friends. Everything from a start-up T-shirt company in White (www.badbacon.com) to turning a summer internship experience into bid to market a real family barbecue recipe had local business leaders buzzing. That spirit of entrepreneurism--especially among young adults--was contagious . . .
News to watch in coming weeks: Something big is brewing in Floyd County and not the items we've been tracking on radar (new air-related and auto-related jobs). The tip we got from an insider source is to be ready for good business news. All we can say is bring it . . .
News to watch in coming days: The ever-passive workings of the executive level of the state Department of Transportation are nothing shy of a "bad" television reality show (as opposed to any "good" reality show). From what we hear, Jeff Probst of Survivor fame would be wise to be on hand to see who's the next one voted off the island by the tribal council. Wait until you see what happens next after the "tribe has spoken." . . .
Seniors see more and more dining deals here
By Natalie Simms
Living on fixed incomes in these choppy economic conditions means today's senior citizens need to stretch their dollars farther than ever. To lure those gray dollars, restaurants are offering discounts for those 55 and older including:
- Country Gentlemen, 26 Chateau Drive, 10 percent off.
- Fuddruckers, 595 Riverside Parkway, 10 percent off.
- Moe's Southwest Grill, 110 Shorter Ave., 10 percent off.
- Bojangles, Rome locations, 10 percent off (dine-in only),
- Wendy's, Rome locations, 10 percent off.
- Arby's, Rome locations, 10 percent off.
- Long John Silver's, Rome locations, 10 percent off.
- Sonny's Real-Pit BBQ, 2103 Shorter Ave., 10 percent off; dine-in only.
- Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House, 264 Shorter Ave., complimentary cup of ice cream anytime.
- IHOP, 35 Riverbend Drive, every Tuesday from 4-10 p.m., seniors get a buy one dinner, get one free deal.
- Burger King, McDonald's and Hardees' locations give discounted coffee.
- Ryan's Steakhouse, 2305 Shorter Ave., seniors can purchase a $1 senior card and receive 50 cents off each visit.
- Did we miss any? Please e-mail (click) and we'll add to the list.
Natalie Simms recently wrote a story for Hometown Headlines on deals on kids meals in Northwest Georgia. Several readers asked for this article on senior dining.
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peaks to Suzie Henderson (right) and Connie Deville (left):
The respective Floyd County and Rome City Schools' teachers of the year represent the best of the best. Our school systems are pounded each campaign season as candidates seek some sort of pinata to promote themselves. Our educators, meanwhile, focus on their students and their mission. And we're seeing those dividends with higher SAT scores, Blue Ribbon designations and the like. We salute Suzie and Connie--and all our educators. Ignore the rhetoric; it will be over Nov. 5.
Peak to Andrew Burk: At Saturday's Floyd County Republican Party meeting, the 11-year-old sixth grader from Armuchee Middle was honored for his budding interest in politics. He's already in the giving mood, having contributed $42 to Irwin Bagwell's campaign account and earning letters of commendation from U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey and U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson for his civic efforts. Andrew's goal: a run for Floyd County Commission. We'll jump on the bandwagon: Burk for Commissioner in 2028.
Peak to Northwest Georgia voters: We don't care if they're
red votes or blue votes, we salute the red, white and blue spirit of the 2008 voter. To see more than 20 percent of the community's registered voters already casting ballots and predictions of perhaps 60 percent more has us fired up. This has been an exhausting campaign season but knowing there's a record surge of voting already happening makes it more palatable.
Valley to the win-at-all-costs mentality in some races: It's bad enough to hear some of the trash out there this campaign season but what gets us steamed is the possible collateral damage by some of the allegations. Here we are with voters finally tuning in again and some campaigns are in limbo mode to see just how low they can go to turn the race their way. Disgusting.
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