Restaurant changes at Etowah Crossing. 1,350 jobs to leave NWGA by August? Another summer sizzler.

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Changes continuing at Etowah Crossing shopping center off Hicks Drive:

-Look for J & C Buffet to open within a month. This Asian or Chinese buffet is coming to the 6,000-square-foot corner of the shopping center near the former Kroger location and next to the Quality Care dry cleaners. There's a good bit of activity at the site this week as shown by this photo.

-Also new is Print, Ship & More of Rome at 132 Hicks Drive. The shop is open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. and from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturdays. The business does printing, FedEx and more. Facebook
-Gone from the center, known for its adjacency to Home Depot and Kmart, is Mexico Tipico. There's a closed sign taped to the front door. It closed in May.

-Etowah Crossing has seen a few restaurants in the past, including China Lin and Hooter's. There had been considerable reports about other restaurants coming to this spot but you can cross Hooters off that list. Pizza Inn also appears off the table.

Regional employment looks grim in August as nearly 1,350 jobs go away.

-With Mohawk Industries shuttering the spun yarn plant in Cartersville in two months, things are looking a bleak around Northwest Georgia. Mohawk has 229 jobs on the line while Pierre Foods' plans to close the Rome plant takes another 350 jobs away. Add to that the loss of nearly 400 jobs at CCH Small Firm Services leaves Rome in a few weeks. That's about 1,000 jobs -- gone. May employment.

-Also in Northwest Georgia: Bluebird to close LaFayette plant in August, idling another 350 workers. Chattanooga

Busy Saturday ahead for regional, local candidates:

-June 26/Floyd GOP meets: The Floyd County Republican Party will meet at 8:30 a.m. at attorney general candidate Preston Smith's campaign headquarters in next to Kroger. Due: GOP primary candidates for local offices.

-June 26/Bartow GOP candidates forum. Candidates for state Senate districts 31 and 52, state House districts 12, 14  and 15, and local candidates. 9-10:30 a.m., party headquarters at 162 W. Main St., Suite 106. 

-Expanded political calendar; links to candidate profiles. Politics

Update on drowning in Etowah River Thursday evening. Bartow

Friday's Buzz

-Floyd adds nine new physicians to Family Medicine Residenc; five physicians graduate. Health

-Dempsey speaks at seminar on Safely Reducing the Number of Children in Foster Care. Click

-Perdue OKs budget that has $8.9 million for GNTC Catoosa campus. CH

-Berry students studying coral reef biome in Honduras. Click

-Gordon Hospital's cancer program earns three-year accreditation. Gordon

-Summerville's sizzling arts 'colony' spotlighted by Chattanooga. Click

What's ahead this weekend. Click Calendar

Your weekend forecast: (Thursday's high: 94)

-Friday: 40% rain chance, high of 95; heat index 102.

-Friday night: 30% rain chance, low of 69.

-Saturday: Another scorcher--95 and 30% rain chance. Heat index: 100.

-Saturday night: 70 degrees with a 30% rain chance.

-Sunday: High of 94, 40% chance of rain.

-Sunday night: Low of 72 degrees, 30% chance of rain.

-Extended forecast: Click  / Regional radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey 

-Why would the Steeler players care what Ben Roethlisberger has to say?    

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-Rome Braves pounded by Lexington Legends, 13-2.

-Braves in Lexington through Monday; home vs. Greensboro Tuesday.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos.  (click)