Afternoon updates:
-Another foggy night, morning ahead: A dense fog advisory is up for much of Northwest Georgia through 10 a.m. Tuesday> Details
-NAIA championship signage on the way up: Look closely at the NAIA sign above and you'll see a crew across Second Avenue preparing to stencil the NAIA emblem into the grass on Monday. Signs are popping up around Barron Stadium and even nearby businesses. The flashing sign at River Ctiy Bank (background) asks motorists, "Are you ready for some football?" Click Buzz / Football Report.
-Tellus records 100,000th visitor since opening last January: Tellus, Northwest Georgia's Science Museum, on Monday greeted its 100,000th visitor since opening 11 months ago. The lucky visitor: Bret Jones, 7, who came to the museum with his mom and grandparents> Details
-Master plan on the way for Ga. Northwestern Technical College> click
-Floyd, Polk, Chattooga counties honored by Farm Bureau> Click
-Latest state business updates from Georgia Trend> Ga. Business
-Track today's Dow, other markets> Google Finance
-Georgia Political & Policy Digest's daily headlines> Ga. Politics
This week's Buzz of Northwest Georgia (click)
-NAIA football championship game: What is means to Northwest Georgia.
-Continuing game/event coverage all week on Hometown.
-TV, radio, Web, Facebook, Twitter links and updates.
-Special breakfast Thursday, banquet followed by free pep rally Friday.
-Watching the Richardson Effect and local legislative politics.
-As the Armuchee Connector gets started, what's expected next. Tennis center? Hotels? Restaurants?
-Peaks & Valleys: Rome, Calhoun high schools, Father Jim Miceli.
Calhoun No. 2 in final AA poll, Darlington finishes sixth in A rankings: The state champion teams are Sandy Creek (AAAA): Wilcox County (A); Camden County (AAAAA); Peach County (AAA); and Buford (AA) > Football Daily
John McClellan's Football Report> Football Report
-We thank John for another great season of high school football picks. He was dead-on all season and went 4-1 in his championship picks, missing only the Gainesville-Peach County game. The Football Report transforms into our online NAIA Football Championship headquarters starting today through next Sunday.
Dense fog advisory through 10 a.m. Monday> Details
-Monday: 30% rain chance. High of 61.
-Monday night: 70% chance of showers, low of 50.
-Tuesday: 30% chance of rain, high of 57.
-Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy, low of 34.
-Saturday: NAIA football championship game: sunny, 47 degrees..
-Extended forecast> Click / Local radar / regional radar
Tonight/Cave Spring parade, 6 p.m. > Details
Tuesday's MegaMillions jackpot: $118 million> Click
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable> Arey
-Is Kelly really the right man for Notre Dame? What's going on with Louisville basketball?
Sports/Rome Braves/State Mutual Stadium> Sports
-Atlanta Braves' ace Tommy Hanson to appear at Rome Braves' Hot Stove Gathering at The Forum Jan. 25> 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.
Your online guide to NAIA National Championship Week
-Schedule of events now through Saturday.
-Overview of the game week.
-Where to watch, listen to the game.
-Shorter Coach Phil Jones among event speakers.
-For these and other stories, please click Football Report
-Weather for Thursday-Saturday events: So far, it all looks sunny> Weather
What to expect for NAIA week
-Proactive businesses: We're hearing several local groups jumped quickly this year to contact both colleges, and already are seeing extra sales and reservations from the game crowds. Comfort Suites, for example, posted a congratulatory note on the Lindenwood University Facebook Page on Dec. 9, also pitching accommodations.
-More motivated merchants: Downtown will have a dedicated audience especially with some sponsor-related NAIA events brewing as early as 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Will downtown restaurants and shop owners step up?
-Road trip for the Lions: Lindenwood University offers two charter fan buses to the championship game. The cost is $99 per person. That covers transportation and lodging. Fans will have to cover other expenses, including meals and tickets. Tickets for the national championship game can be purchased by calling 800-858-7601, or by visiting www.forumevents.org. The bus departs Lindenwood at noon Friday and returns immediately following the game. Click Lions
-Game day: Look for a sellout, easily more than 5,000 seats especially with the weather forecast looking just about perfect for a noon game.
-Plenty of media: Even if you can't make the game Saturday, you won't escape the electronic footprint. The Ridge 95.7 FM is carrying the game live starting just before noon. CBS College Sports is providing live national cable television coverage. And the game will be simulcast on the Web by several groups, including The Ridge.
-Social media also in 'the game': There's already a Facebook page dedicated to the NAIA game (click) and it has nearly 300 members. Lindenwood University has an active Facebook page as well. The university also has an active Twitter page as well. Click http://www.twitter.com/LU_Lions
-Game notes:
>The University of Sioux Falls will be hosting a post-game reception in Rome immediately following the NAIA National Championship Football game. Pizza and soda will be served for $5. The reception will be held under the tent located on the home side of the field. Call (605) 331-6791.
>Pretty hefty game preview information now available on the Lindenwood University Web site. Click Lions
Politics/Richardson Effect far from over?
-Even before Glenn Richardson's implosion and the aftershocks that swept the House, there were rumors about how the 2010 legislative races could have some new players. Look for the Richardson Effect--overall reform--to sweep into Northwest Georgia as well.
-For now, the one to watch is Barry Loudermilk who's still getting some play as a potential House speaker and/or ranking officer. He brings a squeaky clean reputation to the plate and has a solid base with House conservatives. Look for Thursday's caucus to clear up the initial House leadership issues.
-The spotlight remains on the House District 13 seat held by Katie Dempsey as well. One potential candidate drew five phone calls following Wednesday's prelegislative breakfast at The Forum hosted by the chamber. So far, there is no candidacy there (Republican side). But there is some traction among Democrats.
-One surprise name is surfacing as a potential Democratic opponent against Preston Smith for the District 52 Senate seat. That announcement could come soon.
-The other shoe(s) to drop?: We're also watching to see if incumbents in other offices come forward to declare for House and Senate seats. At least two names are out there as potential House candidates.
As Armuchee Connector gets under way, thoughts turn to possible development. Tennis center? Hotels? Restaurants? Stay tuned.
By Natalie Simms
After months of delays, construction will soon be under way on the Armuchee Connector, giving commuters an alternate route in and out of the area. Along with the $12 million, SPLOST-funded roadway comes the potential for development along the corridor, something our economy could use a boost of these days.
"We have to get a major construction permit from the Corps of Engineers before we can start," says Kevin Poe, County Manager. "We expect to get that in early January and then give the notice to proceed to the construction company."
The Floyd County Commission awarded the contract for the project to C.W. Matthews Contracting Group for $8,059,862.35 in September.
The 2.2-mile connector will travel as follows (see yellow line above):
-Start at the end of Braves Boulevard (east of State Mutual Stadium, lower left of map) and turn north crossing the Oostanaula River.
-Continue north approximately 1.5 miles, then turn west across Old Dalton Road to intersect with U.S. 27 at what is now Kendrick Auto Repair Shop. The business has been relocated. That's Mount Berry Square in upper right corner.
-The connector will continue across U.S. 27 to end at Old Summerville Road. The estimated timeline is 19 months so look for completion near the end of 2011.
For now, Poe says there are no plans for the almost $4 million remaining from the project.
"We are just sitting on that right now because we've had some overages in other areas and our sales tax revenues are way down from what we expected, so we're not obligating that money to anything right now," Poe says.
On the table: mega tennis compound. While it's too early to know the full extent of development opportunities that will be available once the road is complete, plans are under way on a proposed regional tennis complex that would be a partnership involving Berry College, the city, the county and potential community players (initial press release: click here).
"There are lots of intangible benefits of this project for Berry but number one is securing the prosperity of our community," says Danny Price, General Counsel for Berry College. "It will also give us the opportunity to provide student work positions, host major intercollegiate tournaments and bid for an NCAA Division III (tennis) Championship." (Image: Berry magazine; story, click Here).
The project's current design includes 74 tennis courts and a large clubhouse. Of those 74 courts, four are covered and 14 are Quickstart courts for development of a youth tennis program.
"We are working off a projected budget of $13 to $14 million. That includes the land for the project that Berry would commit to the project," Price says.
According to Price, Berry would donate just under 30 acres of the college's River Farm property. Estimated value: $1.5 million. The land is part of 80 acres next to Mount Berry Square that will be separated from Berry's other property by the new connector.
Expansion opportunities for hospitality industry: A complex that size has the potential of attracting thousands of players and spectators--and, in turn, could create a need for hospitality-related businesses.
"In order to get into the game to bid for large tournaments, we will have to have sufficient hospitality resources… we don't want them to travel outside of Rome to stay in a hotel," Price says. "If this becomes a reality, there would certainly be job creation and good positive impacts on our community."
City officials agree.
The key question is how to pay for the multimillion-dollar project and who would be responsible for the complex in the long-run. Players on all sides of the table agree this is something they want to keep off of a future SPLOST list. Berry officials says they would only serve in an advisory capacity and leave the operations and management of the facility to the city and county.
"We hope this project never has to show up on a future SPLOST," Price says. "With the benefits and the economic impact for our community, there should be sources we can tap to help make it happen."
Who pays what? Bennett says the city does have $500,000 from the 2006 SPLOST for building new tennis courts. "The courts themselves will not cost that much. The biggest cost is for site development, utilities, etc.," he says. "The city and county could both provide a lot of in-kind work for roads and sewers that is a lot of value without cash."
There also are a number of federal and state grants available that project organizers could seek since the complex would drive economic prosperity.
"On the surface, this project looks great but we need the hard, cold evidence on what exactly the impact will be on our community and then we can evaluate how much of an investment we are willing to make," Bennett says.
"Our intentions are that we can put together a package to ask for a reasonable amount of funds from the commissions that puts as little burden on the tax payers as possible," says Poe, left. "We definitely have to weigh the economic benefits to the investment."
Scott Bentley, the president of the Coosa Valley Tennis Association, says his group also would work to secure funds for the project.
"It would come from multiple sources through private donations and major donors," he says. "We would do major fund-raising campaigns through the CVTA."
Other funding could come from the sale and redevelopment of the current Rome-Floyd Tennis Center on Third Street. If the regional tennis complex is built, the current tennis center would close.
Officials say it is too early to know what would happen to the other tennis facilities owned by the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority throughout the county. Bentley says the tennis association would like to keep the Etowah and Alto Park facilities open for the community.
For now, supporters are asking--and answering--a lot of questions.
"Our president and Board of Trustees recognize this project could have a profound impact on the prosperity of our area," says Berry's Price. "And city and county officials should get a lot of credit because they have spent a lot of time analyzing this. It is truly a partnership and we'd like to see it become a reality as soon as possible."
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to the life of Father Jim Miceli: These next few weeks are going 
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