-Etowah Terrace debate far from over?
-Something of a homecoming with CVFCU's new Cartersville office
-New CVS to open March 29; look for 24-hour service, too
-More 'signs' of growth at 'The Boulevard.'
-Peaks & Valleys: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Spotlight: Back to college -- Down economy means changing careers: With the economy in trouble, more and more people are turning to technical colleges and Georgia Highlands to learn new skills> College
Lights out at Circuit City: The Rome store at 2700 Martha Berry Highway and some 500-plus others are closed following several weeks of liquidation sales. Story
Chili's sponsors William S. Davies Homeless Shelter benefit Monday night: Bring this flyer with you Monday between 4 and 11 p.m., and Chili's on Turner McCall will donate 10 percent of the sales to the local homeless group. Click Flyer
Latest updates from state Rep. Barry Loudermilk> Newsletter
WeatherCenter, brought to you by Roman Court
-Hazardous Weather Outlook: Slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.
-Monday: 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. High of 80.
-Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Calm wind.
-Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.
-For more, click Weather Center
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable / brought to you by Riverside Toyota
- Seminoles' Bowden may be losing ground; dark horse for NCAA title? Louisville. Click Arey
Undefeated Model girls move to Final Four in Macon next weekend: Model takes on Henry County at the Macon Centreplex at 4 p.m. Friday with the winner meeting the victor of the Laney-Buford showdown. The AA final is set for 3 p.m. Saturday. Model defeated Greater Atlanta Christian at The Forum 62-52> Brackets
-Game coverage on the radio and the Web from WLAQ 1410 AM
Downtown Headlines
-What's ahead this week in Northwest Georgia. Home show could draw as many as 5,000 guests. Click Downtown
Three-Dot Buzz . . . :
Keep an eye on Etowah Terrace proposal: Last week's unanimous thumbs down by the planning commission on the Etowah Terrace rezoning was an eye opener for some. But the issue--maximum potential for the site--is not going to go away. As opponents have said, the property's value exceeds the intended use. Waterfront development will catch on in Rome. There was decent interest in the condos planned off West Third Street last year and someone will put together the right deal to make a similar venture happen. The Etowah project is well intended but to some it makes about as much sense as dropping a parking deck along the banks of the Oostanaula. It, too, will provide needed service starting later this month but once again, prime riverfront is chewed up with a B-list project.
New Cartersville CVFCU office a bit of a homecoming: Ron Tomlinson was in familiar territory Friday afternoon at the ribbon cutting for the new Coosa Valley Federal Credit Union branch at Tennessee and Felton streets (near the Carmike 12 theaters). Tomlinson, the president and CEO of the credit union, grew up in the area and talked about boyhood adventures in the community. He was joined by Randy Shaw of ShawHankins, who also was at the opening ceremony.
CVS to open March 29: Look for the new CVS at Berry Crossing to open on March 29. The electronic sign at the intersection of Martha Berry and the Bypass is flashing the opening date as well as time and temperature. In addition to the Wachovia branch, another 19,500 square feet of retail is planned> Berry Crossing
More 'signs' of growth at The Boulevard: The buzz around State Mutual Stadium this week includes Saturday's Redneck Rummage Sale, the start of ticket sales for the 2009 Rome Braves season and even tryouts for the National Anthem. Look closer and you'll see a series of wooden frames lining the Bypass about to herald phase one of the project planned by Dee Yancey, Doc Kibler and Robert Bogle.
Back to college: Down economy means changing careers
By Natalie Simms
When Roman Jedd Lovel found himself unemployed last September, he knew it would be tough to find another job in this economy. In the meantime, he put his education from the Atlanta Institute of Music to use and began teaching music and drum lessons as well as playing in local bands.
"But music doesn't keep dinner on the table," he says. "I needed another marketable trade to find a good job."
So Lovel decided to go back to school to learn another "marketable trade," something many unemployed and laid-off workers are doing these days. Lovel is enrolled in the heating and air conditioning program at Coosa Valley Technical College.
"Someone is always going to need their house heated or cooled," Lovel says. "It's a good marketable trade plus it's something that will allow me to still do music in the evenings."
Lovel and others like him make up a 12 percent increase in CVTC's enrollment of 2,766 students for the current winter quarter. Officials said there are several reasons for the increase.
"We are definitely seeing people who have been victims of downsizing and layoffs coming to us seeking an education that will give them the skills they need to find employment," says Amber Jordan, CVTC's director of marketing and public relations. "Our programs are inexpensive, relatively short in length and focused on the demands of area employers, which makes technical education a great choice for them."
Adds Dr. Craig McDaniel, the college's president: "We are seeing an increase of college graduates who are enrolling at CVTC because they have not been able to find a job. We are also seeing a larger number of applicants with one or two years of college who are coming here due to our access to the job market."
Of the students enrolled this quarter at CVTC, 701 students have transferred college credit from another institution.
Student boom at North Metro Tech
The same trend also can be seen at North Metro Technical College in Acworth, which saw a 14 percent increase in its enrollment for fall quarter 2008 to 2,516, the greatest number of students in the school's history. In addition, the number of students who already had bachelor's degrees almost doubled to 87.
"In times like these, enrollment numbers at technical colleges tend to increase," says Ron Newcomb, the college's acting president. "We are able to train students for new careers or enhance their current skills in a relatively short period of time, so it is a good option for many people who may have been laid off or who can't find jobs.
"And with the financial aid options we offer making it possible for many students to go to school virtually for free, going back to school right now is a great alternative for many people."
Says Lori McAllister, Workforce Investment Act Coordinator at North Metro: "I have had lots of people come to me both at school and on the phone who are unemployed or about to be unemployed. I'm getting numerous calls from people who have lost jobs they were in for more than 10 years. I've had more people coming to me than ever before that need what I would call 'upscale training' such as additional certifications in IT work. We definitely have more people returning to school because they are unemployed."
Highlands sees increase in 'new career' students
In addition, Georgia Highlands College officials said they have seen an increased interest in some of their continuing education courses such as Introduction to Computers and Digital Photography.
"We've had a number of calls from people who want to take the introduction to computers courses, but most can't afford the $129, so we ran a special on that course for $49 and the class filled up within a few days," says Dana Davis, Director of College Relations.
Both CVTC and NMTC are seeing increasing interest in their health programs as well as in areas of technical communications, personal and public services.
"CVTC's health programs remain full and have waiting lists, along with competitive admissions," says Jordan. "Other areas that have strong enrollment are in the area of person/public services, including criminal justice, cosmetology and early childhood care and education."
McAllister said NMTC's largest numbers are in commercial truck driving, biomedical instrumentation, medical assisting and the certified nurse assistant training. The college also hosted a two-day career/job fair last week.
With all these new students going back to school, one thing is certain: they will need jobs when they graduate. Officials say they have been holding workshops and career fairs to assist students in the job market.
"We recently held a workshop, 'Finding a Job in this Troubled Economy,' in which several presenters offered ideas, suggestions and ways to better 'brand' talents and skills to prepare for the job market," says Jordan. "CVTC also has in place a Workforce Investment Act program that provides assistance to displaced workers. Our WIA helps dislocated workers with the process of getting enrolled into the programs at CVTC."
Summer, fall could see another student surge
As for the future, college officials are predicting enrollment for summer and fall 2009 to reach record numbers.
"By fall of 2009, we will be Georgia Northwestern Technical College and our enrollment will likely exceed 5,400 students," says McDaniel, noting the upcoming merger with Northwestern Technical College. "We anticipate a total enrollment for the upcoming year to exceed 8,800 for credit students and another 8,000 for non-credit students in adult education, continuing education courses, business and industry training, and Quick Start programs."
Says Kim Crowe, Director of Marketing at NMTC "We generally see our lowest enrollment during summer quarter but we predict that this could be another record-breaking enrollment for all three of the merged colleges and we anticipate this for fall quarter as well." North Metro Tech is merging with Appalachian Technical College and Chattahoochee Technical College.
As for Lovel, he plans to complete the heating and air conditioning program at the end of this year.
"Ultimately, my long-term goal is to go into business for myself, but I need experience with an established company first," he says. "But, my advice to someone who is unemployed is to learn as many marketable trades as you can; a skill that is always needed and something essential that you can rely on."
For more information about available programs:
Coming up March 17: Bartow Together: Re-employment Resources Expo
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to the emergency teams handling Wednesday's acid spill: From the emergency responders to the school and college administrators, high fives to all involved. The Bekaert spill was quickly contained and the response by all involved was excellent. Fast action by all involved kept the potential for injuries extremely low. Locked down schools, closed roads, emergency shelters, hospital reaction--all was by the book. With severe weather season here again, it is comforting to know the emergency teams and others are prepped and ready to go.
Peak to RACA and local fans of art and chocolate: Last month's second annual Art of Chocolate fund-raiser earned more than $11,000 for the Rome Area Council for the Arts. Those dollars are all the more precious as funding sources dry up. RACA depends on this event and the September Beer Festival for critical dollars to keep the doors open on Broad.
Valley to the Georgia Legislature: It appears the Sunday package sales proposal is a dead issue with state lawmakers this session. We can understand that some fear the reaction of alcohol opponent constituents. What we don't understand is what is wrong with letting local communities decide, one by one, whether to allow Sunday package sales.
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