Fumble! Indoor football league pulls franchise from Rome ownership group

Click www.hometownheadlines.com

 

Southern Indoor Football League says no to Rome ownership group: The Southern Indoor Football League has pulled its support of  of Professional Sports & Entertainment Group's bid to bring an SIFL team to Rome starting in March. A media briefing had been set for Thursday to announce the team. Says League President Thom Hager in a media release: "We love the Rome market. Rome fits perfectly in our vision for expansion. PS&EG has worked diligently to assemble an infrastructure; however the league has established requirements to ensure the viability and sustainability of our teams. If a prospective owner is not willing or able to comply, our experience is that the member will not be able to provide the fans and league the level of professionalism expected of a new SIFL team." Click SIFL

Rome, Cartersville old-media newspaper battle? Harbin dialysis, patients win national cooking workshop. John McClellan's high school football picks for week two.

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Battle of the dinosaurs: Rome vs. Cartersville newspaper war? So says pundit Chuck Shiflett's Backroom Report. Shiflett tracks the expansion of Bartow news in the Rome paper and compares the two papers' coverage of recent events. Shiflett -- most recently with WYXZ 1270 AM, a news-talk station that is off the air -- has been a frequent contributor to the Cartersville newspaper. What gets us, based on Shiflett's report: How does the AJC feel about copies of the Rome News inserted with copies of its publication? RNT carriers deliver the AJC in Bartow and Floyd counties. The big question: Is there an audience left for growth? Backroom Report

Harbin Clinic Dialysis Center, patients wins national contest to receive an educational cooking workshop from Chef Oliver Hall: Harbin received 396,152 votes, beating No. 2 finisher Saints Medical by about 6,000 votes.  Harbin was one of 19 facilities hoping to win the two two-day cooking workshop with an award-winning chef for their patients. It was part of Baxter Pharmaceuticals' "Exceptional Performance" Challenge. View the Harbin entry, featuring John Ware. Click

-For more on the contest, please click here.

-How to help win that special playground for McHenry's students: McHenry Primary is in FIRST place with the deadline set for Tuesday. Please take a minute to support the project. Click

John McClellan's High School picks, updates for week two. McClellan  

-Calhoun over Armuchee by 28.

-Pepperell by 6 over Chattooga.

-Rome by 9 over Cass.

-Darlington by 2 over Cartersville.

-Gordon Central tops Coosa by a point.

-Sonoraville by a dozen over Model.

-Unity Christian over East Atlanta by 7.

Freebies highlight Rome Dwarf House's Customer Appreciation Week Sept. 13-18: Five days worth of samples and other give-aways are planned at the Shorter Avenue location, including free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 13; small milk shakes the same hours the following day; and a free chicken biscuit from 6 until 10:30 a.m. Sept. 17. A concert is planned Sept. 18. Facebook

-Sweet! New Gelato cooler due at Honeymoon Bakery. More flavors of the popular Italian dairy item are returning after summer breakdown.

Inaugural Gran Fondo Rome to draw 500-plus cyclists Oct. 23: Starting from Bella Roma Grill, the event offers rides of 40, 60 and 100 miles throughout Northwest Georgia with proceeds benefiting the Magnolia Foundation. Details

Final five booths left for chamber expo; early bird registration ends tonight at 5: You can sign up by clicking here and save $50. That's $255 for a booth that will cost your $305 starting Wednesday. The expo is Friday, Nov. 5 (chamber members, exhibitors only) and Saturday, Nov. 6 (open to all).

Heard on the Tweet: Putt-Putt Fun Center joins both Facebook and Twitter. Says the FB posting: "Help bring Putt-Putt out of the stone age and into the 21st century! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @puttputtrome for updates on great specials and deals all year long." We're in.

Tuesday's Buzz:

-Earthworks Pottery is offering two fall classes, Adult Intermediate Wheel Throwing, taught by Janda Canalis and Kim Vasil, and Adult Beginning Wheel Throwing taught by Lisa Brown.  Classes run for six weeks starting the week after Labor Day.  Click here for more information or to sign up Earthworks

-Sept. 18/Roman Rumble 5K & 2 Mile Health Walk to be held at 8 a.m. at the Shoals area of Ridge Ferry Park. The 24th annual event is presented by the Rome Runners Club; it benefits the Rome and Floyd County Habitat for Humanity. Click 

Your latest forecast:

-Tuesday: Sunny, high of 91, low of 59.

-Wednesday: Sunny, high of 93, low of 59.

-Forecast: Click  / Regional radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey   

-SEC East, part 1: Three new coaches but don't expect any startling results this year.

Shorter Hawks football. Hawks

-No rest for 0-1 Hawks; at Georgia Dome vs. Georgia State Thursday.  

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-West Virginia slams Rome Braves, 10-4.

-Tonight-Thursday in West Virginia; Friday-Monday in Lexington. 

-Mills Fitzner's 2010 home game photos. Click  

The Buzz: Ticket sales up in 2010 for Rome Braves. WinShape at Berry College growing again

 

Please click www.hometownheadlines.com:

The Buzz of Northwest Georgia. Click

-Rome Braves see more tickets sold in 2010 vs. 2009--but also had three more home games. Regular season ends on the road Sept. 6.

-Another McDo-over for Mickey D's, this time in Rockmart.

-So if gas costs $2.37 a gallon in Acworth, why is it $2.58 in Rome?

-Labor Day means barbecue in Greater Rome: The annual Knights of Columbus barbecue is from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Civic Center Sept. 6.

-The Rome (fill-in-the-blank) indoor football team to get formal announcement Thursday.  

Today's focus: Click   

-Big growth coming to WinShape's offices on the Berry College campus. Natalie Simms report.  

How to help win that special playground for McHenry's students. Click

-McHenry Primary is in FIRST place with the deadline set for Tuesday. Please take a minute to support the project. Darlington supports McHenry campaign. Click

Your week-ahead forecast: We're not done with the 90s just yet.

-Monday: High of 87, low of 67. 20% rain chance.

-Tuesday: Sunny, high of 92, low of 59.

 

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey   

-Can Alabama repeat as champ? Sure but don't believe it's a done deal just yet.

John McClellan's High School picks, updates. McClellan  

-John was 9-2 last week on local games; 25-7 overall. Next picks: Tuesday.

Darlington No. 9 in Class A poll;  Calhoun No.3 in Class AA. High School

Shorter Hawks football. Hawks

-No rest for 0-1 Hawks; at Georgia Dome vs. Georgia State Thursday.  

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-The Braves were off Sunday.

-Tonight-Thursday in West Virginia; Friday-Monday in Lexington. 

-Mills Fitzner's 2010 home game photos. Click  

A better season for ticket sales for the Rome Braves but . . .

Nearly 4,900 people packed State Mutual Stadium to see Saturday night's home season finale vs. Greensboro. They helped boost the number of tickets sold for the 2010 season to 193,061, up nearly 10,000 from 2009. Photo by Mills Fitzner. More photos from the finale and 2010 season. Click Gallery.

The bad news about the 2010 Rome Braves' season is that it is one to forget in terms of playoffs. With a week's worth of games left to play -- all on the road -- Rome needs to put together a winning streak to avoid being the cellar dweller of the 14-team South Atlantic League (latest standings).

But in the ticket sales category, 2010 will do down as a winner. The Braves sold 193,061 tickets over 68 home games (two rainouts this year) or 2,839 tickets per home game. The 2008 total was 183,750 tickets. That's an increase of more than 5 percent.

But there are caveats: The Braves hosted 65 games in 2009, three less than this year. In 2008, Rome average 3,366 tickets sold for each of its 66 games, or a total of 222,168.

The major slide has occurred with season ticket sales, which is the major source of income for Floyd County as per the contract with the Atlanta baseball organization. A share of naming rights and an escalating annual fee paid by the ball club complete the supplement.

Also hurting this year: a blistering hot summer. There were 7 p.m. games where the field temperature was still 100 degrees; afternoon games were warmer.

But the Braves countered in 2010 with a new social media marketing campaign; more ticket specials; game promotions from fireworks to kid-friendly acts; and increased outreach to a broader North Georgia market.

Rome probably will finish in seventh or eighth place in the SAL in terms of attendance this year--which demandsanother caveat. Rome/Floyd County is the smallest market in the league that includes Charleston, Savannah, Lexington and the others.

As for 2011: Opening night is April 7 and season ticket sales are under way. Click

Three-Dot Buzz . . . :

-Latest McDo-over is in Rockmart: The latest local McDonald's to be leveled only to be replaced by a new building is the Mickey D's on U.S. 278 in Rockmart. Look for the grand reopening within a few weeks. Shops in Calhoun and West Rome have been erased and replaced in recent years . . .

-Drive-by gas pricing -- in more ways than one: Our travels Saturday took us through Rockmart and later Acworth. At the RaceWay on U.S. 278, unleaded was $2.44 a gallon. At the Home Depot on U.S. 41 in Acworth, unleaded was $2.37. The privilege of buying gas in Greater Rome cost you $2.58 a gallon on Saturday; $2.48 in Bartow County (we paid $2.50 at QuikTrip in Adairsville Friday); and $2.53 in Gordon County (source: MSN Autos) . . .

-Barbecue time again: Labor Day means barbecue in Greater Rome courtesy of the Saint Mary's Knights of Columbus. This year's barbecue is from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday or until sold out (usually 12:30-1 p.m.) at the Rome Civic Center. Tickets are $8 per person. Proceeds are used by the Knights to help charitable causes in Rome/Floyd County. You can dine in or get it to go. The menu includes: a plate for $8; pound of pork, $8; pound of beef, $8.50; half chicken, $4; sandwich, $3; quart of Brunswick stew, $8; full rack of ribs, $16. A bake sale will be held in conjunction with the barbecue . . .

-First & goal for indoor football: With a Sept. 2 media briefing set, Rome indeed is returning as an indoor football city starting in March. The venue: The Forum. The name of the team: you'll get a chance to suggest the monicker. Our hope: Something clever that goes beyond the normal urge to tie it to ancient Rome. We have good memories of the Rome Renegades and hope this team can build on that solid foundation . . .

Today's Focus

WinShape adds 'The Hub' to help with summer camps, year-round needs at Berry's Mountain Campus. More changes on the way

By Natalie Simms
nsimmshh@att.net

Within several weeks, The WinShape Foundation will begin construction on an activities center for its expanding summer camp programs. Appropriately, it is named "The Hub."

"With this new building, we will be able to have all of our campers come together at once for special performances and closing ceremony events," says Bob Skelton, WinShape Senior Director. "We've always used the auditorium at the Retreat Center but it is not large enough for all of our campers to meet together at one time."

Summer camps are just one of seven programs under the WinShape Foundation, which was created in 1984 by Truett and Jeannette Cathy, founder of Chick-Fil-A restaurants. WinShape is a non-profit organization and charitable foundation with one goal: "to help shape winners."

The Hub will be used year-round by both WinShape campers and as part of Berry College's Mountain Campus. It will include a college-size basketball court, indoor rock-climbing wall, exercise and conditioning rooms, a stunts and tumbling area, outdoor jumping pillow, locker rooms and a performance stage.

"Behind the performance stage will be a roll-up wall that will allow the stage to convert to an outdoor amphitheater … it will be a multifunctional area with a sound and lighting system," says Skelton, right. "During the summer, it will mainly be used by our girls' camps. Right now, they have to share facilities, which isn't very functional. This gives us a second facility where we can offer indoor climbing, basketball and volleyball for boys and girls at the same time."

The Hub will be behind Inez Henry Hall, home of WinShape's administrative offices; between the Hall and Kimbrell Cottage, one of the WinShape's foster homes. A walking path will connect The Hub to rest of the retreat area.

The final architectural drawings on The Hub are expected this week and should go to bid around mid-September. Skelton says the project will need to be completed by May 1, prior to the upcoming summer camp season.

WinShape also is renovating Inez Henry Hall to add office space. The building, which was constructed in the 1930s as a mule barn for Berry and later housed the Berry Academy Middle School until 1982, has been the administrative center for WinShape since it began.

"We are renovating the space for more personnel and to bring all of our programming offices together," Skelton says. "We have seven different programs under the WinShape umbrella with about 80 employees here at Berry."

WinShape also is adding central heat and air-conditioning to the former Berry Academy Gymnasium. The building has never had air-conditioning, only heat through steam units. The HVAC will be all electrical. That renovation should be completed by the end of the year.

"Our camps are really growing," Skelton says. "We are adding a number of off-site one-week girls' camps this year. We will be doing eight sessions of one-week camps for girls who have completed first grade up through sixth grade. All details will be announced Oct. 10, 2010."

For more information about the WinShape Foundation and summer camps, visit www.winshape.org. (Images courtesy of the WinShape websites).

 

Beginnings (football) and endings (Rome Braves' home season). Plus: weekend weather. Expanded Northwest Georgia restaurant scores. Weekend events.

Please click www.hometownheadlines.com:

 

John McClellan's High School Football Picks & Forecasts. Click McClellan

-Cartersville to fall to Pepperell by 12.

-Cass gets county's only win, beating Woodland by 5.

-Adairsville to lose by 20 vs. Ridgeland.

-Kickoff forecast: 82 degrees, 20% rain chance.

High School football coverage:

-WBHF AM 1450 features Pepperell vs. Cartersville on the radio, and Cass vs. Woodland on the webcast heard on www.bartowheadlines.com. Coverage runs from 5:45 p.m. until midnight with the Resanant Bank pregame show live from Scott's Walkup Barbecue from 6 until 7 p.m.

Dining & Drink

Public Health restaurant inspection scores:

-Each week, we highlight the peaks and valleys of local restaurant scores for Floyd, Bartow, Gordon, Polk and Chattooga counties. This week's highlights:
-Bartow County: 100 for City Blends; 99 for Beavers Drive Senior Center; 98 for Cracker Barrel in Cartersville; 97s for Bill's New York Style Pizza in Cartersville and Red Roof Inn; 96 for Cloverleaf School and Scott's Walk-up Barbecue; and 95 for Quality Inn and the Waffle House on West Avenue.
-Floyd County: A 96 for the new Zaxby's on Turner McCall.
-Gordon County:100 for Bowman's in Resaca and a 97 for Calhoun Health Care.
-Chattooga County: Henry's got a 95 in Summerville.
-As for low scores: There was a 63 for T.J.'s Country Buffet in Adairsville and a 58 for Bambo Garden in Adairsville.

-Complete list of this week's scores: Dining Guide

Saturday: Downtown Cartersville concert featuring The Tams has rescheduled for 7 p.m.

Demmin named director of critical care services at Cartersville Medical Center

(Media release) Sarah Demmin, RN, was recently promoted to Director of Critical Care Services at Cartersville Medical Center.  With over 10 years of experience in long term pulmonary, coronary care unit, intensive care unit and hospice nursing, Demmin has held several progressive nursing leadership positions.  Having previously worked as an ICU staff nurse at Cartersville Medical Center, Demmin returned in January 2010 as Nurse Manager of Critical Care Services and later served as Interim Director prior to her promotion. Demmin's coronary care knowledge has been valuable as Cartersville Medical Center has recently expanded its Cardiac Catheterization Lab and is scheduled to offer additional cardiac services this Fall, including Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. A visible leader with excellent physician and employee relationships, Demmin places the highest priority on the quality of care patients receive at Cartersville Medical Center. Demmin is a 2000 graduate of Floyd College and lives in Cartersville with her husband and daughter

Cartersville Medical Center names New Nurse Manager

(Media Release) Tonya Morton, RN, was recently promoted to Nurse Manager of Medical-Surgical Services at Cartersville Medical Center. A Cartersville Medical Center employee for two and a half years, Morton also holds five years of management experience in Personal Care Homes with additional pharmaceutical experience. Morton is a 2008 graduate of Georgia Highlands School of Nursing.

Sept. 2, 7:30 a.m.: Adairsville Chamber Council breakfast sponsored by Ace Home Center at the Adairsville Inn. All chamber members are invited to attend. No charge for breakfast.

Thursday's Bartow County Jail reports. Incident reports / Intake reports

Your latest forecast:

-Friday: High of 91, low of 67. 20% rain chance.

-Saturday: Sunny, high of 90, low of 67.

-Sunday: High of 87, low of 65.

-Forecast: Click  / Regional animated radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey   

-Auburn's gotten a lot of preseason attention but watch out for Ole Miss in the SEC West.

Shorter Hawks open 2010 season vs. W. Alabama. Details

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-Greensboro pounds Braves, 9-5.

-Tonight, Saturday night: Braves host Greensboro, 7 p.m.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. Click 

Rome, Floyd jobless rate down vs. July 09 but flat vs. June 10. Shorter's presidential search. Airshow in Rome Friday, Saturday

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Local jobless rates: Down from July 2009, about the same as June

	July  2010 Employed	July 2010 Unemployed	July 2010 % jobless	June 2010 % jobless	July 2009 % jobless
Bartow	40,061	4,999	11.1%	11.2%	11.9%
Chattooga	8,992	1,205	11.8%	11.2%	12.2%
Floyd	44,049	5,216	10.6%	10.6%	10.8%
Gordon	21,555	3,067	12.5%	12.5%	13.5%
Polk	18,379	2,118	10.3%	10.5%	10.8%
State	4,218,183	480,486	10.2%	10.3%	10.2%

Source: Georgia Department of Labor

-Overview: Northwest Georgia's employment snapshot for July is another edition of good news, bad news. Compared to the same month in 2009, things look good. The jobless rates in Floyd, Bartow, Gordon, Polk and Chattooga counties dropped, especially in Bartow and Gordon counties.

-Little change: Compared to June, the July report was mostly flat with a tick or two down except for a big increase in Chattooga County: from 11.2 percent to 11.8 percent.

-What to watch in August: Two major closings--Pierre Foods in Rome (350 jobs) and the Mohawk spun yarn plant in Cartersville (229 jobs).

-Help is on the way: Two job fairs are set for next month: On Sept. 9, the Cedartown Career Expo from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cedartown Career Center, 262 N. Park Blvd. 770-749-2213  And on Sept.  23, the Northwest Georgia/Shorter University Job and Career Fair at The Forum,1 until 5 p.m. with more than 30 employers. Business.

-Statewide job report. Click Business

CVB moving to new Brown Center; depot office goes to to downtown development office

(Media release) The Cartersville-Bartow County Convention & Visitors Bureau will close its offices and Visitor Information Center on Aug. 28 at the Historic Railroad Depot in downtown Cartersville. The CVB is relocating to the new Clarence Brown Conference Center on Ga. 20.

-The Cartersville-Bartow County Visitor Information Center reopens on Sept. 20.  The visitor information center will be open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. A grand opening for the Brown Center will be held in August.

-Features of the new Visitor Information Center include designated parking, ample restroom facilities, free WiFi, in-lobby destination marketing presentations and more. 

-The CVB will operate the 44.000-square-foot Clarence Brown Conference Center. It will feature 15 interior rental spaces in addition to the Cass Courtyard and Bartow Amphitheater. 

-The Cartersville Depot, owned by the City of Cartersville, will remain open to the public and will be operated by the Cartersville Downtown Development Authority. 

-The CVB's Welcome Center in Adairsville's Historic Rail Depot will consolidate with Cartersville.

The Adairsville Depot also remains open to the public as the Adairsville Rail Depot Age of Steam Museum is located inside

-Details: 770-387-1357 and or at www.NotAtlanta.org

Chattahoochee Technical College extends deadline for admissions

(Media Release) Prospective students have a little bit longer to get documents together for fall quarter at Chattahoochee Technical College. The deadline for the submission of fall quarter application packets (application, application fee, official test scores and sealed high school/GED and college transcripts) has been extended to Friday, Sept. 3.  For more: www.ChattahoocheeTech.edu or call 770-528-4545.

Search specifics set for Newman's replacement as Shorter president:

An article appearing in a recent edition of The Christian Index details what qualities are sought for the next president of Shorter University. Dr. Harold Newman announced his retirement in June after successfully guiding the school to university status. Newman has agreed to stay on through is contract or until a replacement is named. Among the characteristics sought: "A born-again evangelical Christian ...an advocate of Christ in the fine arts ...a proponent of both Liberal Arts and Professional Studies... an awareness of fund raising." Click Shorter

Air show that really happens in the air at Russell Airport Friday, Saturday: -The Admiral John Towers Regional Aerobatic Competition flies into Rome's Richard B. Russell Airport this Friday and Saturday as pilots from all over the Southeast come to show their flying skills. It is free and open to all. Details

Watch Gingrey's Polk town hall via C-SPAN: A 96-minute video of U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey's meeting was taped Aug. 18 at the senior center in Cedartown. Included: Some transcript breakouts. Plus: the clarity of the video is amazing, especially since it is via the Internet. To view, click Gingrey

Aug. 26/Labor Department seeks 45 workers for its new Disability Adjudication Services office in Dalton. Click

Wednesday's Bartow County Jail reports. Incident reports /

Your latest forecast:

-Thursday: Sunny, high of 90, low of 69. 20% rain chance.

-Friday: High of 90, low of 67.

-Weekend preview: Sunny, upper 80s and upper 60s at night.

-Forecast: Click  / Regional animated radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey   

-ACC Coastal is one of the most competitive divisions in all of college football.

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-Greensboro takes opening game of final home stand of 2010 season, beats Rome, 6-3. 

-Tonight: Braves host Greensboro. 7 p.m.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. Click 

John McClellan's High School Football Picks & Forecasts. Click McClellan

-Cass gets county's only win as Cartersville (vs. Pepperell), Adairsville (vs.  Ridgeland), Woodland (vs. Cass) in for rough evenings, says NW Georgia's Mr. High School Football.

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-12th inning rally gives W. Virginia win over Rome, 5-2.

-Tonight: Braves host Greensboro. 7 p.m.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. Click 

Berry College studying football program. Tiles of Calhoun closing Rome store. Opi's Roadhouse due in late September.

Please click www.hometownheadlines.com:

 

Berry takes a closer look at football, full track and field programs:

-One of the more clever T-shirts around the Berry College campus boasts of an undefeated football team. That shirt could be setting a pretty high bar for a potential team of gridiron Vikings. A conversation coming out of the start-of-semester meetings on campus is a serious look at Berry football.

-"It is a study item this year," says Jeanne Mathews, assistant vice president for public relations and marketing. "Much as we spent a full year researching all aspects of a possible move to the NCAA, we will be researching the costs and benefits of a program.  The vice president of Student Affairs, Debbie Heida, and Director of Athletics Todd Brooks will be leading an effort during the school year to open discussions with the campus community about the potential. All of these factors, financial and benefits,  would be considered in deciding to make a recommendation, one way or the other, to the Board of Trustees.

-"We are also studying a full track and field program, considering the costs and benefits.  Berry desires to continue to grow our athletic offerings and, for each change, we will study for at least a year prior to making a recommendation."

-In recent years, Berry has added swimming, softball and lacrosse.

Tiles of Calhoun closing Rome store: Tiles of Calhoun is closing the Rome store off Dodd Boulevard by the weekend but will keep the Calhoun store near the outlets in operation. Rome-area customers have been asked to pick up their existing orders by Friday.

Dining

New Opi's Roadhouse due at Ga. 53/140 by late September:

-The rebuilding of the Opi's Roadhouse on Ga. 53/Ga. 140 is finally taking shape following a fire that destroyed the restaurant last October. With the slab poured and framing beginning this week, owner Dennis Nolan hopes to have the new restaurant open by the end of September. "You will definitely see some progress soon," he says. "... it all depends on the beer and liquor license, that could take longer because you can't apply for that until we have the building up." The new Opi's Roadhouse will be double the size of the previous location with 3,000 square feet. The same menu will be featured along with new items of steak and seafood. Nolan says he will hire at least 25 new employees beginning in mid-September. To follow updates on Opi's Roadhouse, check out their Facebook page. (Natalie Simms)

-Aug. 30/Spirit Night at Chick-Fil-A Dwarf Houses helps Saint Mary's School. Ten percent of the profits from 5 to 9 p.m. go toward the school.

Wednesday's Buzz:

-Lauren Sklar 2010-11 chair of Heart of the Community Foundation. Click

-Photo: food queen Paula Deen meets World HiFi's Bill Pelfrey Jr. Business

-Aug. 28/Auditions for 'Annie' set: Here's the schedule with auditions to be held at the DeSoto: Children's Auditions, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.; adults (13-plus) 3:30 until 5 p.m. Callbacks: Aug. 30, 7 p.m. Click

-Latest Rome Braves' roster move. Click Sports

-Floyd's Arts in Medicine team Ga.Volunteer Group of the Year. Health

Your latest forecast:

-Wednesday: High of 91, low of 68.

-Thursday: Sunny, high of 92, low of 69. Rain chance: 20%

-Forecast: Click  / Regional animated radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey   

-Miami, Duke and Virginia have almost nothing in common on the football field.

Football

-John McClellan's High School Football Picks & Forecasts. Click McClellan

-Pepperell, Rome, Darlington, Armuchee, Chattooga to start new season off with wins, says Northwest Georgia's Mr. High School Football.

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-12th inning rally gives W. Virginia win over Rome, 5-2

-Tonight: Braves host Greensboro. 7 p.m.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. Click 

Too Hot to Cook benefit today. Moonlite Cafe coming to Redmond. Friday night football: McClellan picks, radio links

Please click www.hometownheadlines.com:

Reminder of The Restaurant Deal of the Day--helping others:

-13 restaurants taking part in 'Too Hot to Cook' benefit: The line-up the third annual Too Hot to Cook fund-raiser benefitting the Rome-Floyd County Commission on Children and Youth today is as follows. All are donating a portion of their revenue today to the commission. Taking part are: 333 on Broad; Buffalo's Southwest Cafe; Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House; CiCi's Pizza; Great Harvest Bread Co.; Honeybaked Ham & Cafe; Jefferson's; Moe's Southwest Grille; Shane's Rib Shack; Sonny's Real Pit Barbecue; Victorian Rose Tea Room & Cafe; Western Sizzlin; and WOW Cafe & Wingery. Click

More restaurant news:

-Moonlite Cafe coming to Redmond area: The one-time home of Backyard Barbecue and briefly Down South Country Cooking is about to have a new tenant. Moonlite Cafe's address is 1818 Redmond Circle. Details pending.

-Two changes at The Greener Burger: The Broad Street restaurant is now serving beer and wine; it also is closed on Mondays.

-Beer, wine tastings this week: Harvest Moon, Bella Roma Grill, Johnny Mitchell's Smokehouse are the venues. Click

Football

-John McClellan's High School Football Picks & Forecasts. Click McClellan

-Pepperell, Rome, Darlington, Calhoun, Armuchee, Rockmart, Cass, Gordon Central and Chattooga to start new season off with wins, says Northwest Georgia's Mr. High School Football.

-Two games, one station, no problems: We've seen WJTH in Calhoun (AM 900 / 101.7 FM) do it for several years and now the folks at WBHF 1450 AM in Cartersville are giving it a go. The radio station will carry the Pepperell at Cartersville game Friday night with coverage beginning at 5:45 p.m. It also will be heard on Comcast Channel 23 (in Bartow) Another key showdown, Cass at Woodland, is Friday night and it will be webcast on Bartow Headlines. The decision for the first weekend of high school ball is key as only one station in Bartow is providing coverage this fall.

-Other stations carrying Friday night football this fall are as follows; click each for games and broadcast schedules: WRGA / Q102 / 93.5 Life / South 107 / WLAQ / The Ridge / Hometown 1220 AM / WGAA / WEBS

-More indoor football news: As we wait for formal word on the new Rome Southern Indoor Football League team, here's good news for AFL fans: The Georgia Force is back, courtesy of a move by the Huntsville Vipers. Facebook

-Upon further review . . . : Here's a wild rumor for now. A third football team playing at Barron Stadium each fall, joining the Rome High Wolves and Shorter Hawks? Like we said: just a rumor now--but a stubborn, well-traveled one.

-Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey

-Could it be that Florida State is really back or will we be teased by Clemson again?

Education

-Shorter University's preliminary enrollment numbers for the fall semester show a 25% growth in the traditional student enrollment over last year. Shorter

-Berry College is welcoming nearly 700 first-year students and transfers for the first day of classes Monday.Berry

-Aug. 26/Georgia Northwestern Technical College will hold a graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. at the Forum. Click

Health

-Oct. 10/Darlington School will host the Rome Triathlon Club's 3rd Annual Navigator Sprint Triathlon at 1 p.m. Proceeds benefit Cancer Navigators. Details

-Harbin using new implant to help younger patients with knee pain. Health

-Harbin Clinic Rome Dialysis Center honored. Health

Business

-Gordy named director at Rome's ADAMS Management Services. Click

Your latest forecast:

-Tuesday: Sunny, high of 93, low of 65.

-Wednesday: High of 93, low of 66.

-Forecast: Click / Regional animated radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey

-Could it be that Florida State is really back or will we be teased by Clemson again?

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-Rome takes second straight vs. West Virginia, 2-1.

-Braves final '10 home game stand. Next: tonight at 7 p.m.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. Click

Buzz: Growing pains at berry. Last call for drink in Cartersville. Not at hot this week.

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The Buzz of Northwest Georgia:  Click

-Growing pains at Berry College: new dorms on the way?

-Last call for drink in downtown Cartersville.

-Splash City coming to Shorter Avenue in former Bob's Cycle Shop site.

-DeSoto Theatre: Back and better than ever, just in time for Peter Pan.

-Rome Braves end 2010 home season with a bang on Saturday.

-Wine & dine: Steakhouse II opens; so do a few bottles of wine, beer.   

Monday Focus: Click

-Belle Terra: Taking a love for gardening and blossoming into booming wedding and events location serving Northwest Georgia. By Natalie Simms.

Your latest forecast:

-Monday: Mostly sunny, high of 93, low of 67.

-Tuesday: Sunny, high of 93, low of 67.

-Forecast: Click  / Regional animated radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey   

-Take your pick but any of these three deserves a last place finish.

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-Braves come back in the ninth to neat W. Virginia, 6-5

-Braves final home game stand. Next: Monday at 7 p.m.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. Click 

John McClellan's High School Football Picks & Forecasts

-Next picks posting Tuesday morning. Click Football

Calhoun No. 3 in latest statewide Class AA rankings. Football Daily

Three-Dot Buzz . . .:

A good problem to have at BerryCollege: A year ago, students were moving into the stunning, mountain-resort-like Audrey B. Morgan Hall and Deerfield Hall. The new twin residence halls, with room for 346 beds, cost $29 million. Now comes word of even more expansion. The inaugural edition of The Carrier for the new semester tells of plans to add 200 to 250 beds within the next two to three years. The reason: growth. Berry's freshman class alone brought 660 students to campus this year. Classes for all Berry students start today.

Last call at drink in Cartersville: The online cynics pretty much diced and sliced the latest news from Integrity Plaza in downtown Cartersville. That news: drink, a funky, feisty spot for smoothies, drinks and snacks had closed after 10 months in the spot that once was home to Jittery Joe's. We agree: the track record at that spot is not a great one. But entrepreneurs continue to try. Wrote the founders on their Facebook page: "It is with a heavy heart that we announce that today (Thursday) was drink's last day of business. Thank you to our loyal customers, employees and supporters but unfortunately, the sales were just not enough. We appreciate each and every one of you and what you've meant to us these past 10 months. We have great faith in our product and concept; it just wasn't meant to be at this time or location. Love to you all, G&C." It reminds us of the great effort on Broad Street in Rome, Urbana Coffee Shop. A great idea that should have worked.

Splash City coming to Bob's Cycle Shop location: Idle since around Christmas time, there are signs of life at the former home of Bob's Cycle Shop at 2203 Shorter Ave. By September, we'll see Splash City up and running with pools, spas and more.  Too late in the season, you say? Maybe not. Just ask all those renting cabins in Blue Ridge, especially around the Christmas holidays.

DeSoto Theatre--back and better than ever: Following repairs from the July 13 fire that damaged the historic building, the Rome Little Theatre is moving back into the building this week as its long-awaited show "Peter Pan" opens this Friday. Shows will run through the weekend and next weekend, Sept. 3-5. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Details

Final week to see the 2010 Rome Braves at home: The final six home games of the 2010 Rome Braves' season begin Monday night at State Mutual Stadium. Saturday's finale includes fireworks and the Third Annual Emergency Preparedness Night by Floyd County's Emergency Management Agency. The Braves' ninth season in Rome begins at home April 7 vs. Hagerstown. Rome Braves.

Wine and dine: This is a busy week for the restaurants and wine lovers in Northwest Georgia. Openings: The Steakhouse II is scheduled to open in Cartersville on Thursday at 650 Henderson Drive, the former spot of Hearth & Harvest in West End Commons. It will be open Tuesday-Saturday for dinner starting at 4 p.m. ... You have your pick of wine tastings, wine dinners and beer tastings this week: Wednesday at Harvest Moon: Beer tasting ($10). Wednesday at Bella Roma Grill: Wine tasting ($10). Friday at Johnny Mitchell's Smokehouse in suburban Euharlee: Wine dinner, $35 per person. Details: Dining

Belle Terra: Taking a love for gardening and blossoming into booming wedding and events location serving Northwest Georgia

By Natalie Simms
nsimmshh@att.net

A love of gardening has blossomed into a growing wedding business for Latrelle Jones as she and her husband, J.P. Jones, have transformed his family's Belle Terra estate into one of the premiere wedding venues in Northwest Georgia.

Located between Rome and Cave Spring at 4432 Cave Spring Road, Belle Terra includes more than 20-plus acres of gardens, a private lake and Belle Terra Manor, the old English Tudor-style building that includes wedding suites and a reception hall.

The Manor was built in the 1930s as a private country club for the Jones family. Over the past four years, Jones has been growing her gardens and adding multiple facilities to become an ideal location for outdoor weddings.

"The property has been in my husband's family for nearly 100 years," she says. "Five years ago, I began my Cottage Garden near the 20-acre lake where Belle Terra Manor sits. I love gardening, and we have ample acreage for developing fantastic gardens. As my gardens continued and grew, I felt such a serenity and connection with nature. Sharing that connection with friends and family was important to me. It occurred to me that Belle Terra would be a great place for a wedding."

Jones, who teaches at West Central Elementary School, became a certified wedding planner while continuously working on the gardens and grounds in her spare time. She developed a website and then launched her wedding business.

"Things moved along slowly at first, which was fine with me since I was still teaching," she says. "As the need arose, we built a reception hall and added features like fountains, a waterfall in the water garden, an arched bridge, a parterre garden, a quarter-mile of garden paths and a conservatory."

The conservatory functions as a rain location for events with seating for up to 200 people. It includes various indoor plantings and a courtyard so the wedding party can still have the feel of the gardens. Jones says the wedding business has "zoomed" this year with more than 20 events planned, doubling the 10 events at Belle Terra last year.

"I will be retiring this year from teaching and plan to step it up," she says. "I have had to hire some part-time office help as well as groundskeepers to help keep them pristine."

Jones and her husband recently purchased nearby Havenshire House and added it to their offerings for wedding services this year.

"Havenshire House is a guest house with seven guest rooms, a banquet room, its own 20-acre lake, massive deck and patio, and gorgeous lake and mountain views," she says. "It is a complete, unique and relaxing wedding venue all on its own."

With the addition of Havenshire House, Belle Terra is now able to conduct three simultaneous events within the property. Belle Terra Manor and the water gardens are only available for weddings from April through October. Havenshire House is open year-round for events.

"Currently, we just provide these beautiful ceremony and reception sites. We don't do the catering or other vendor services. We can, however, recommend many wonderful vendors," Jones says.

"I feel like I am blessed to be in this business. Many times, as ministers conduct wedding ceremonies, during the prayer, they thank God for the beauty of the surroundings. I don't know why but I always tear up. I guess it makes me happy to think that our efforts, with God's help, are so appreciated."

Aside from weddings, Belle Terra is available for engagement parties, rehearsal dinners, reunions and corporate retreats. For more information, visit www.belleterraweddings.com.

Rome landmark The Partridge seeks alcohol pouring permits. Local restaurant scores. Not as hot this weekend; more rain.

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The Partridge seeks beer, wine, liquor pouring license:

-Rome's Alcohol Control Commission on Monday will hear a bid from the owners of The Partridge to bring alcohol sales to the downtown landmark. Andre Rodriquez, who bought the restaurant at 330 Broad St. earlier this year, had said alcohol sales would be among the changes he hoped to make. The ACC meets at 5 p.m. Monday to hear that request; also on the agenda: review of recent alcohol sales violations at 10 area businesses and more discussion about Rome's 50/50 alcohol-to--food sales restrictions. Details: ACC

Closer look at latest local restaurant inspection scores:

-Each week, we look at the high and low restaurant inspection scores as determined by the public health departments in Floyd, Bartow, Gordon, Polk and Chattooga counties. Below are those scoring 95 or better, or below 70:
-Bartow County: The Booth Western Art Museum came in with a perfect 100- followed by a 99 for Louie's Cafe; 98 for CiCi's Pizza; 96 for Honeybaked Ham; and 95 each for Meg Pie Too and Best Western hotel's breakfast.
-Floyd County: Las Palmas at RiverWalk scored a 95.
-Gordon County: 100 each for The Chuckwagon and for Willy's at the Elks Club. Calhoun Health Care scored a 97; a 96 for El Pollo Allegre No. 2.
-Chattooga County: Two Summerville restaurants had scores below 70: Hong Kong had a 68 while Pizza Hut had a 52.

-For all the local restaurant scores, please click Dining

Friday's Buzz:

-Toys R Us Express opens Friday at Prime Outlets in Calhoun: The store is next to The Children's Place.  Probable hours are 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday plus 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Sundays.  Also: Catherine's is having a pluss-size fashion show Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Express

-Aug. 28/The Coosa River Basin Initiative and Upper Etowah River Alliance will host a canoe/kayak paddle on the Etowah River from Old Federal Road to East Cherokee Drive in Forsyth and Cherokee counties. CRBI.

-Arts, cultural passport now on sale in Rome. Click

Local updates:

-Berry student facing child exploitation charges: Ian Kennedy, 22, has been arrested in Chickamauga on charges of obstruction, computer pornography, sexual exploitation of a child and aggravated child molestation (criminal attempt), according to the FBI. Report

-WSB TV alleges repeated 'violations' inside Kellogg's snack plant in Rome. Story, video report at Channel 2

Your latest forecast:

-Friday: High of 91; low of 73. 40% rain chance. Heat index of 97.

-Saturday: High of 89; low of 72. 60% rain chance.

-Sunday: High of 90; low of 72. 70% rain chance.

-Forecast: Click  / Regional animated radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey   

-Who's afraid of the Big East? Can either TCU or Boise State challenge The Big Boys?

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-Braves earn second consecutive shutout win over Charleston, 4-0.

-Braves in Charleston tonight; home Saturday-Aug. 28.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. Click 

John McClellan's High School Football Picks & Forecasts

-Mr. High School Football looks at all the changes since last season; predicts opening week games. 

-Plus: Unity Christian's first game at Covenant Christian is Friday night.

-For more, click Football

Darlington senior included in Class A roundup. High School Football Daily

Rome, Floyd County get mixed report on jobs: More employed than a year earlier--but down 800 jobs from June to July. 13 restaurants take part in Too Hot to Cook benefit

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Mixed report: First-time jobless claims in July down for '09, up from June

	July 2010	June 2010	July 2009	12-month %
Bartow	943	729	1,616	Down 41.6%
Chattooga	128	120	155	Down 17.4%
Floyd	1,259	730	1,584	Down 20.5%
Gordon	964	721	1,061	Down 9.1%
Polk	543	284	640	Down 15.2%
Georgia	68,089	64,794	93,988	Down 27.6%

Source: Georgia Department of Labor

Yet another good news/not-so-good news report from the state Labor Department:

-More jobs, less jobs: Floyd County added 800 jobs in July vs. July '09. But compared to June, the county lost 800 jobs (40,200 to 39,600). Chart below

-Troublesome June: While the number of first-time applicants filing for unemployment insurance dropped in July vs. the same month in 2009, the number of claims month over month rose, especially in Floyd County (up 72.5 percent).

-Numbers game: While the state's jobless rate dipped to 9.9 percent last month vs. 10 percent in June, state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond says "a growing number of discouraged workers dropped out of the workforce. For the second consecutive month, the number of jobs in our state declined, new layoffs increased, and long-term unemployment continued to rise." More state stats: Click Business.

-As for first time claims: Bartow County saw the largest year-over-year drop, at 41.6 percent. The smallest decrease was in Gordon County: 9.1 percent.

-What to watch: Pierre Foods is closing its Rome plant this month, idling 350 workers. In Bartow County, Mohawk Industries is closing a spun yarn plant, laying off nearly 230 people. Not included: CCH  Small Firm Services' exodus from West Rome to Kennesaw, taking more than 350 jobs out of the market.

-Down the road: Recent Rome/Floyd County expansions will add 75 jobs in coming months. Also: The Labor Department's Rome Career Center will be interviewing applicants for Steak N Shake on Aug. 23. About 110 jobs will be created.

-The Northwest Georgia/Shorter University Job and Career Fair is at The Forum from 1 until 5 p.m. Sept. 23 with more than 30 employers. Business.

-And the Cedartown Career Center will be the site of a job fair Sept. 9, 1-4 p.m.

The above chart, from the Labor Department, shows Rome/Floyd gained 800 jobs compared to July 2009 but also lost that many jobs compared to June 2010.

13 restaurants taking part in Tuesday's 'Too Hot to Cook' benefit

-The line-up is out for the third annual Too Hot to Cook fund-raiser benefitting the Rome-Floyd County Commission on Children and Youth. Thirteen area restaurants are donating a portion of their revenue all day Tuesday to the commission. Taking part are: 333 on Broad; Buffalo's Southwest Cafe; Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House; CiCi's Pizza; Great Harvest Bread Co.; Honeybaked Ham & Cafe; Jefferson's; Moe's Southwest Grille; Shane's Rib Shack; Sonny's Real Pit Barbecue; Victorian Rose Tea Room & Cafe; Western Sizzlin; and WOW Cafe & Wingery. Click

-Tonight/Stevi B's Second Annual Free Pizza Day at the Cartersville shop at the Wal-Mart/Lowe's plaza is taking part -- if you're one of the first 100 customers beginning at 6 p.m. Click

-Latest public health restaurant inspection scores for Bartow, Floyd, Gordon, Polk and Chattooga counties: several 100s, a 68 and a 52. Click

Autographed Bobby Cox commemorative T shirt, pennant added to Model/Johnson auction Saturday: The retiring Atlanta Braves' skipper and Adairsville resident has signed both items for the auction to benefit the Model and Johnson Schools Foundation set for Saturday at Model Middle School. The dinner is from 5 until 6:30 p.m. with the auction to follow.  The dinner is $5 per person (five tickets for $20). Call 706-295-5713.

Thursday's Buzz:

-Floyd schools' comments on ACT scores: Click / Georgia numbers: Report

-Floyd industrial parks, safety net to benefit from broadband grant: Details

-Georgia Northwestern selected for Georgia's Math Initiative in Adult Education program. Click

-CRBI and Keep Bartow Beautiful, along with students from Berry and Georgia Highlands, cleaning up river access point. Details

-Latest 'Be Green' tips from the library, Keep Rome Floyd Beautiful: The latest episodes focus on River Revelry and drying clothes the old-fashioned way: on a clothes line (right) and saving $$$. Click Video

-Georgia DOT will present draft FY 2011-14 State Transportation Improvement Program for public review, comment. The four-year program specifies federally funded transportation projects for non-urban communities in rural Georgia. Two Open house meetings will be held Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 5-7 p.m. at the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, and Thursday, Aug. 26, from 5-7 p.m. at the GDOT District 6 Conference Room in Cartersville.

-National Alliance of Mental Health will hold annual candle light service for mental illness awareness on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Your latest forecast:

-Thursday: High of 91; low of 72. 70% rain chance. Heat index of 102.

-Friday: High of 94; low of 73. 60% rain chance. Heat index of 102.

-Weekend:  Low 90s, low 70s, some rain.

-Forecast: Click  / Regional animated radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey   

-Most folks agree that Ohio State is the team to beat but I'll take Iowa this season.  

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-Finally a W! Braves end skid, beat Charleston, 2-0.

-Braves in Charleston, S.C., through Friday.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. Click 

John McClellan's High School Football Picks & Forecasts

-Mr. High School Football looks at all the changes since last season; predicts opening week games. 

-Plus: Unity Christian's first game at Covenant Christian is Friday night.

-For more, click Football

Pepperell, Calhoun players make preseason Class AA list. Football Daily