-Blood drive today
-Bartow Board of Education meeting.
-Democrats meet tonight.
-Cartersville City Council meets on Thursday.
-Car, bike rally to aid Dr. Stan Wilkins fund
The Buzz of Northwest Georgia:
-Fall enrollment looking from fair to fine for local colleges.
-Rome Braves: Next seven games critical to first playoff bid.
-It's not even summer yet but football's in the air for Shorter, NAIA.
-More pigskin: V3's June issue features a Q&A with UGA's Mark Richt.
-Make that the 'Talk of the (Home) Town' this week on WRGA, WSRM.
Peaks & Valleys: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia:
-Peaks to Northwest Georgians who paused Thursday to pay respects to Sgt. Jeffrey Jordan; to the retiring Father Jim Miceli of St. Mary's; to the downtown car show.
-A rare 'undecided' to Atlanta Braves GM Frank Wren: Give him credit for attending a Rome game just days after Tom Glavine pitched his last game for the organization in Rome.
Weather:
-Hazardous weather advisory: Chance of thunderstorms today.
-Monday: 30% chance of showers, thunderstorms. High near 90.
-Monday night: 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low of 69.
-Tuesday: 20% chance of showers, thunderstorms. High of 92
-Latest local Radar / Latest regional Radar
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable:
-NASCAR in line for a double whammy? Alabama a dirty program? Naw, not The Tide
Rome Braves updates:
-Up next: Monday-Wednesday, home vs. Savannah.
-Latest Mills Fitzner game photos> Gallery
Fall looking fair to fine for local colleges so far
This week's Focus is on fall enrollment projections for Berry and Shorter colleges as well as Georgia Highlands College and what soon will be known as Georgia Northwestern Technical College. While the two private schools are optimistic about fall enrollment, the two public schools say numbers are way up, mostly because of today's economy. It isn't too early to talk about fall enrollment: Berry's first orientation for incoming students is today. Please see Natalie Simms' story below.
Rome Braves: Next seven games decide fate of first playoff run
-The Rome Braves went into the weekend needing a sweep, or at least two wins, over the Charleston RiverDogs to stay equal in the race for the "first half" South Atlantic League Southern Division crown.
The RiverDogs won two games, Rome one, leaving the Braves four back with the final seven games of the first half starting today.
The first-half winners of the northern and southern divisions play the winners of the second season (June-early September) in the playoffs with the champion from each division meeting in the SAL championship. Translation: Rome has another chance to get into the playoffs following the All-Star break next week.
Photo: Braves' outfielder Jahdiel Santamaria tried to stop this ball hit
over the outfield fence in Saturday's blowout. Photo by Mills Fitzner/Click Gallery
How it looks today:
| Teams | Games behind | Who they play now through Sunday |
| Charleston | In the lead | 3 at Augusta; 4 at home vs. Savannah |
| Greenville | 1.5 games back | 1 home with Bowling Green; 3 at Asheville; 3 at home vs. Lexington |
| Rome | 4 games back | 3 at home vs. Savannah; 4 at Augusta. |
-Latest SAL standings> Click
Fall football already in the air in Northwest Georgia:
-Shorter Hawks' athletics didn't waste time after joining Twitter last week. Just hours after going live on the 140-character-only online addiction, the Hawks were touting
2009 football season tickets for sale. "Come cheer on the defending Mid-South Conference Champion Shorter Hawks for only $50." That's the season ticket package; six home games are on the schedule (click). Call 706-233-7288.
-The Hawks and supporters of the NAIA football championship games played here last year and this Dec. 19 will huddle this Thursday evening. Look for some updates on the 2009 championship game set for Barron Stadium--and maybe more? Click NAIA
-More football? June's V3 tackles Mark Richt: Well, tackle isn't the right word. Northwest Georgia's news features magazine includes a lengthy Q&A with the coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. Richt was in town recently to rally the Bulldog faithful.
Radio update/'Hometown' on 'Talk of the Town' this week:
-Join us this week on "Talk of the Town" on WRGA 1470 AM and WSRM 93.5 FM from 9 until 10 a.m. Monday's guests: Dr. Craig McDaniel on the Coosa Valley Technical College/Northwestern Technical College merger; and Cheryl Shippey/Jill Hawkins from Floyd Health Care on KiKi's Kids Camp and pediatric sleep issues.
Local colleges expecting different levels of growth this fall
By Natalie Simms
Northwest Georgia's colleges are projecting increases in their fall enrollment -- a good sign in this tough economy. In at least two cases, the recession is helping fuel growth. And the first signs of the new students are showing up this week at Berry College as orientation begins.
Here's how it looks so far: The public institutions, Georgia Highlands and Coosa Valley Technical College, are experiencing record numbers; while the private schools, Berry College and Shorter College, are optimistic about their fall numbers.
"To date, our admissions numbers for new students are ahead of where we were this time last year and last year was a record enrollment for Shorter," says Dawn Tolbert, Director of Public Relations. "Typically, we see the number of students who commit to Shorter continue to rise over the next few weeks and we are optimistic that will be the case again this year."
As of June 5, Shorter had 313 deposits from new students, including new freshmen and transfers. In addition, more than 750 students, who were enrolled at Shorter this spring, have registered for classes for the fall semester.
"Shorter's new student numbers show a positive trend over the previous two years," Tolbert says. "At this same point in the recruiting cycle, we had 302 new student deposits for fall 2008. Those totals include both new freshmen and transfers. By the beginning of the fall semester, we enrolled 450 new students in fall 2008."
Tolbert says the economy hasn't had a significant impact on enrollment. "Our enrollment projections look positive but we are very mindful of the fact that they are simply projections until the students arrive on campus this fall," she says.
One thing the economy has affected is the financial situation of many students.
"Some parents of both prospective and returning students have expressed concerns about their families' economic situations," Tolbert says. "But they also understand that a Shorter College education is an investment in the future."
Tolbert says Shorter is committed to helping students achieve their goal of earning "a private education in a Christian environment." Shorter's business office and financial aid staff have been working with families to meet their financial needs to make that goal a reality, she says.
A series of orientation days, known as Shorter College Summit, begin July 13.
Berry's work-on-campus program helps with finances
The same can be said for Berry College, whose staff has been giving "personal attention" to new students and families to help make their college dreams come true.
"Parents and students are very aware of the cost," says Brett E. Kennedy, Director of Admissions at Berry. "They are looking at schools that demonstrate value and we are showing them why it's worth the investment."
Kennedy says Berry offers a very "generous" financial aid package that includes work-on-campus options, something that makes Berry affordable.
"We are competing with public institutions that have a wide variety of costs," he says. "We are finding lots of kids who want to be here and because they get to work on campus, that has made it financially more desirable."
While Berry's fall enrollment figures will not be available until late summer, officials feel positive about their new students.
"We have had a very strong response in our applicants and visits to Berry," says Kennedy. "We are in a good position. It has been an unusual year and unpredictable with the economy, but we feel good where we are standing."
Berry's Student Orientation, Advising and Registration program begins today (June 15). You can watch some of the programs on the college's student-run multimedia channel, Viking Fusion, between 1 and 3 p.m. Monday and Thursday. Click Viking Fusion.
Georgia Highlands sees enrollment surge, especially in Bartow
Northwest Georgia's public institutions are already seeing record increases mostly because of the economy and the affordability of public education. While totals will change between now and the fall, Georgia Highlands and CVTC officials already are seeing double-digit increases.
"Traditionally, when the economy is down, you will see enrollment go up at two-year and technical colleges because people are out of work and need skills," says Dana Davis, Director of Public Relations at Georgia Highlands.
To date, 1,849 students are registered for fall at all of Highlands' campuses. This is almost a 96% increase over last fall's total of 944 students. The Floyd campus has 674 students registered for this fall, up from 367 last year; while the Bartow campus has 1,022 for this fall, up from 440 last year.
"Our numbers will go up and down until the students actually come for orientation and pay their fees," Davis says. "After everything shakes out, we are expecting to be around 1,500 at all campuses."
While the economy is the key factor, Davis says they are seeing a number of out-of-work people coming back to get their degree as well as an increase in the "traditional" student population.
"We have lots of traditional students, those 18-year-olds coming out of high school who are looking for a cheaper alternative to four-year institutions because their parents have lost money in this economy," she says. "We also have a lot of students who are out of high school but can't find jobs so they decide they might as well go back to school."
Georgia Northwestern (CVTC) launches with huge numbers
Coosa Valley Technical College officials are also seeing record numbers of students. The school experienced a 22 percent increase in enrollment this past winter quarter. Summer registration is under way so figures are not yet available for fall enrollment but expectations are high.
"I anticipate fall quarter to be in the neighborhood of a 10 percent increase or maybe 15 percent," says Dr. Craig McDaniel, president of CVTC. "We could have up to 5,500 to 5,800 students at all our campuses. I wouldn't be shocked if we hit 6,000; that would be a 20 percent increase."
Last fall, CVTC had 2,795 students, which was a 9.1 percent increase from fall 2007.
Northwestern Technical College had 2,335 students, a 3 percent increase from 2007.
On July 1, CVTC and Northwestern will merge to become Georgia Northwestern Technical College with operations based on the Rome campus. The combined schools will have campuses serving Northwest Georgia: Rome, Polk, Gordon and Rock Spring.
"The economy has a lot to do with it because there are a lot of laid off people in the seven counties we serve," McDaniel says. "We've also seen an increase in our young students through dual-enrollment. Our overall average age has dropped to 25 over the last three years because we are getting a lot of students directly from high school."
One of the largest increases is coming from students who already have some other college transcripts or degrees.
"Those numbers have almost tripled because we are a pathway into the job market," McDaniel says. "If you don't have a skill, it is hard to find a job. We are closely aligned to the job market and our mission is to get people to work."
He noted that 80 percent of the jobs in our area do not require a four-year degree, only a certificate or technical degree.
"There are a lot of good jobs in manufacturing with the suppliers for the Volkswagen and Kia plants in the region," McDaniel said. "Utility companies, like Georgia Power, have an aging workforce with a lot about to retire. They have told us they don't have an adequate supply of applicants. We have a great relationship with Georgia Power and have a training program at our Rockmart campus. They have a lot of outstanding jobs with great pay."
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to the Northwest Georgians paying respects to Sgt. Jordan:
Anyone on Turner McCall, Riverside Parkway and Martha Berry Highway around 11:30 a.m. Thursday saw a solemn tribute to Sgt. Jeffrey Jordan. The Cave Spring father and husband was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan. As his body was brought home, several thousand people paused from their busy day to line area highways and bridges to pay their personal respects to the fallen Floyd County native. Business people, senior citizens, students and others congregated at street corners, crossing their hearts as the procession passed them. It was a tribute Jordan richly deserved. (Click Viking Fusion to see the procession pass Berry College, above)
Peak to Father Jim Miceli: For nearly 20 years, Father Jim Miceli has led St. 
Mary's Catholic Church -- and School -- in Rome. His tenure alone is rare among Catholic churches and most congregations. Unlike many in the religious community, Miceli had two charges: the church and the Pre-K through eighth grade school on East Seventh Street. Miceli is retiring at age 60 but won't be leaving the area. He'll still help the new pastor from time to time with weekend Masses. He also leaves his replacement with a huge burden relieved: a recent fund-raising campaign has just about retired the church's expansion debt from recent years. Plus the school begins its eighth year in expanded and remodeled facilities this fall.
Peak to the Downtown Development Authority's classic car cruise in: The first edition of this instant classic (get it?) was Saturday and it was a winner. Designed to lure shoppers, diners and the curious on summer evenings, the show drew more than 60 vehicles and several hundred fans. Look for additional cruise ins the second Saturday of each month through October. It is an excellent compliment to downtown's already First Friday summer concerts (through Labor Day weekend).
Undecided to Frank Wren: Give the Atlanta club's general manager full credit for even attending a Rome Braves' game on Friday, less than two weeks after what became Tom Glavine's farewell to the organization as he pitched Rome to a big win amid 5,105 grateful fans. Around 3,500 fans were on hand Friday as Wren sat a few rows behind home plate with a computer nearby to watch the Atlanta club as he took in Rome's 7-2 loss to the RiverDogs. Wren was in Three Rivers Club prior to the game; no food fight erupted. In fact, all seemed quite respectful.
Photo by Mills Fitzner/Click Gallery
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