This week's Buzz of Northwest Georgia (click)
-Former Armas building up for auction Dec. 18, home to Victorian Tea Room, Harbin's behavioral sciences.
-Smartypants the latest Broad Street business on the move ... to Broad Steet.
-Bella Roma Grill almost ready. Hiring is under way at stadium site.
-Caring on the Internet: Web sites let patients, families, friends track key health events in controlled, reliable online experience.
-Tall Cotton: Merchants in Cotton Block have more events pending.
-Model's next football coach: A familiar name is making the rounds.
-Peaks & Valleys: The parade, Darlington, Calhoun High, Glenn Richardson, Tiger Woods.
John McClellan's state championship picks for Friday, Saturday:
-Buford by 4 over Calhoun. Plus: John's picks on all high school divisions> Football Report
-Can't get to the Dome? Watch the game live on GPB at 4:30 p.m.
-Georgia High School Football Daily: Calhoun Coach Hal Lamb's date with history> Details
Your latest forecast:
-Monday: A high of 51, overnight low: 41. 20-30% chance of rain.
-Tuesday:100% chance of rain. A high of 53, overnight low: 52.
-Extended forecast> Click / Local radar / regional radar
Downtown Headlines: (click)
-Caroling, Babes in Toyland, dinner theater highlight upcoming weekend.
Dining & Drink:
-Dining updates: Dinner theater at 333 on Broad Dec. 11, 12, 18, 19> Dining
-Weekly public health restaurant inspection scores> Scores
-Wine News Vine: preparing for Wine Highway celebration> Wine News Vine
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable> Arey
-College football came close to chaos but in the end, sanity was restored
Day-by-day scheduled for the NAIA National Championship events in Rome: The game is Dec. 19 but events start days earlier> Details
-NAIA title game contestants set: Defending champ Sioux Falls takes on Lindenwood, Mo. Semi-final results> Click
Sports/Rome Braves/State Mutual Stadium> Sports
-Ingle, Moore, Czajkowski, Chase return to Rome Braves in '10
-Rome Braves offer new 12-pack flex ticket plans.
-Registration, training begin for 3rd Berry Half Marathon March 6.
On The Buzz this week:
-Caring on the Internet: Web sites let patients, families, friends track key health events in controlled, reliable online experience.
-Former Armas building up for auction Dec. 18, home to Victorian Tea Room, Harbin's behavioral sciences.
-Smartypants jumping to the other side of Broad.
-Bella Roma Grill almost ready. Hiring is under way at stadium site.
-Tall Cotton: Merchants in Cotton Block have more events pending.
-Model's next football coach: A familiar name is making the rounds.
-Peaks & Valleys: The parade, Darlington, Calhoun High, Glenn Richardson, Tiger Woods.
Former Armas property up for auction Dec. 18:
The U.S. Marshal's office has ordered the auction of a former Mario Armas property at 510 and 512 Broad St. The lower half is occupied by Victorian Tea Room and Harbin's behavioral services offices are upstairs. Both tenants remain open for business. The tea room, now six years old, is exploring options in case the sale necessitates relocation. Opening bid is $50,000 but look for the final price to be perhaps seven to eight times that amount if not more> Click Auction.
More moves on Broad: Smartypants jumps across the street:
-The former home of National Copier Exchange at 405 Broad St. will soon be the new base of operations for an expanded Smartypants store. Look for the move within three weeks from 412 Broad St. to 405 Broad. Says the e-mail flyer: "The new store is twice the size! Year 2010: new year, new store, new departments!" The consignment shop is among the most popular in Floyd County.
-Sidebar: If you're keeping score, this is the third Broad on Broad move in the past few weeks. The first two: C&S Trophies and Mattress Direct. (see below)
'Now hiring' at Bella Roma Grill:
Eddie Hasko plans to open his Bella Roma Grill in front of State Mutual Stadium by January as last-minute work on the building continues. Look for some tile roofing to go on as well in coming weeks. In addition to the revamped exterior, you'll see two "now hiring" signs on property. Applicants can go to the original store, Bella Roma, on Martha Berry Highway in Armuchee to file applications, he says.
Sitting in 'tall Cotton'
The first "push" by merchants in the Cotton Block neighborhood on Broad Street was a success Saturday. In fact, look for additional offerings in coming months as the merchants lure customers to what once was the quieter end of Broad Street. Mattress Direct, Pullen Ordinary Bikes, C & S Trophies and others offered free hot dogs, popcorn, a radio remote and drawings to lure customers on a wintry Saturday afternoon. The decorations, including those street side, were provided by the merchants. With all the growth in the block and at least one or two more businesses on the way (Roger Wade's new hot dog place plus perhaps more barbecue), keep an eye on Cotton Block.
Blue Devil Buzz: Lots of speculation is flying around concerning Model High's next football coach. More than a few are saying a familiar football name is considering a return to the local gridiron scene. Stay tuned.
Caring on the Internet: Web sites let patients, families, friends
track key health events in controlled, reliable online experience
By Natalie Simms
In today's fast-paced, high-tech society, it's no surprise people are turning to the Internet to keep friends and family updated on major health issues. Online communities such as CarePages and CaringBridge are helping thousands of families keep their relatives, friends and co-workers updated on key health events.
CaringBridge is the one of the oldest, founded in 1997, and most widely used free online services. The network is designed for one purpose-- to help families facing a serious health event to communicate quickly, privately and efficiently online, according to the corporate Web site.
In the last 12 months, more than 31 million people have visited CaringBridge and more than 172,000 personal sites have been created.
"I had first heard about CaringBridge after I left Bowling Green to come to Rome and one of my close friends was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer," Waltz says. "I could keep up with her via CaringBridge on her whole treatment, recovery and surgery…I still felt like I was right there with her even though I was not able to be."
So, when Waltz faced her cancer diagnosis, she created her very own CaringBridge page as well.
"It is a great way to keep family and friends updated," she says. "Because when you are right in the middle of everything, you can't possibly return all the phone calls and keep everyone updated. It was the best way to keep everyone updated at the same time."
Waltz kept a journal on the site to update everyone on her surgery and treatments. She finished her treatment in April but continues to keep family updated on any subsequent health events.
"I had people from all over the world send me messages and when you're going through something like that, you need that positive support. It really makes you feel better," she says. "I had a lot of sleepless nights, so it was wonderful to get on here and read notes of encouragement…it helped me so much."
"I could customize my page with colors and photos. I found it to be a fun way to keep. . . memories of what I was going through," Waltz says.
Another widely used site is CarePages.com. More than 4 million people are members of CarePages.com and more than 130,000 CarePages web sites have been created since it was started in 2000, company reports show.
CarePages is an online community of millions of people coming together to share the challenges, hopes and triumphs of anyone facing a life changing health event. Through personalized web sites, members can relate their stories, post photos and update family and friends instantly. The site also includes blogs, discussion forums and the ability for users to find others in similar situations, the web site stated.
In the past, Mallory has been hospitalized several times and CarePages helped the McElhaneys keep loved ones updated. www.CarePages.com/getwellmallorymcelhaney.
"When she was first diagnosed, we spent a lot of time in the hospital in 2006 and into the summer of 2007, so we used it a lot then," Patrick says. "Since then, she is a lot more stable but we use it to keep folks updated if anything comes up."
The McElhaneys set up Mallory's CarePage through Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. CarePages' web site states they have more than 700 healthcare facilities that offer private-labeled versions of CarePages websites for their patient families. Locally, neither Floyd Medical Center nor Redmond Regional Medical Center participates with the network.
"It's a way to let thousands know without making thousands of phone calls," Patrick says. "In a way it can spoil people because you get information out so quickly. But it is great for us, too, because people can leave messages for us. It is very encouraging to read all the messages."
Through CarePages and the Mitochondrial Foundation web site (www.UMDF.org) the McElhaney's have found a lot of information and met other folks who have the same disease as Mallory. They are now working on creating their own web site just for Mallory with information about Mitochondrial Disease.
"We've been able to connect to others in the U.S. and Atlanta online going through similar situations. There may be others in Rome and Floyd County. We just want to get the word out and help those that we can," Patrick says.
A third service has emerged to help provide care to families going through a health crisis: www.CareCalendar.org.
It is a web-based system to organize meals and other help for families during a time of illness or life-changing events, such as the birth of a baby or death of a family member. CareCalendar also can be used for long term situations, including homebound and caregiver respite care needs.
The web site does allow the family to update their friends and family on their health status but at the same time, allows them to list the things they need help with including meals, yard work, rides to doctor appointments or help with getting children to their activities.
With all these new services available, people going through a health crisis certainly do not have to go at it alone. Sending out updates, asking for help and getting encouraging messages are just a click away.
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to the Rome Christmas Parade committee: With more than 25,000 watching, the committee coordinated one of the better parades in recent memory last Tuesday evening. Under cooperating skies, around 100 units --floats, flatbeds, bands, Wells Fargo's stage coach, Budweiser's Clydesdales and more -- flowed almost flawlessly down Broad Street.
Valleys to Glenn Richardson, Tiger Woods: No, power doesn't corrupt. It is the person (or people) who let power corrupt them.
Peak to Saturday morning's dusting of snow: Thanks for the brief but fun injection of a little extra Christmas spirit.
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