Wednesday

click www.bartowheadlines.com

 

Business

Eagle Rock to merge Rome, Dalton distributorships -- but who goes where? Two years ago, Eagle Rock Distributing Co. bought Simpson Grocery, the local Anheuser-Busch distributor, and did the same with Dalton's A-B distributor in February. Now "available" signs are in front of both locations as Eagle Rock seeks to combine the two into one location. The current option, says Vice President Fred Millard, is to sell or lease one location and to consolidate in the remaining site. Rome's operations could go to Dalton or vice versa. Then, once the economy settles, Eagle Rock will look at what's the best final strategy for locating the combined operation, he says. At the time of the purchase, the Rome distributor had 75 employees and was moving two million cases  a year s in Northwest Georgia, controlling 60 percent of the market, a Business Chronicle story shows.

State jobless rate soars to record 10.1% in June, an 'economic crisis'

We're days away from seeing the county-by-county stats but the state jobless rate is staggering enough. A record 10.1 percent of Georgia's labor force was idle last month, up from 9.6 percent in May. Says Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond's release: "Georgia is in the midst of a deepening economic crisis."

- 483,394 unemployed Georgians were looking for work, an increase of 65 percent from June 2008. Of that number, 160,249, or 33 percent, are receiving state unemployment insurance benefits while 93,000 are getting federal extended benefits. 
-In June 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.1 percent.

-Biggest losers: The number of payroll jobs in June decreased 209,500, or 5.1 percent, from June 2008. The over-the-year losses came in professional and business services, including temporary employment agencies, manufacturing, trade, transportation and warehousing, and in the construction industry.
-Biggest gainers: Healthcare and educational services, up 12,000 jobs.
-Says Thurmond, right: "Georgia leaders should develop a bipartisan recovery plan that focuses on three critical elements: protecting vulnerable citizens, including children, the elderly, and the sick; preserving our health, safety, and educational institutions; and encouraging economic development investments that promote job creation and future prosperity."

Politics

Gingrey to Pelosi--where are the jobs? U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey spoke on the House floor Tuesday, questioning Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the success of the Economic Stimulus bill given the June unemployment statistics which revealed a 25-year high 9.5 percent jobless rate. Watch it on YouTube.

Latest AYP reports a mix bag for local schools.

Weather

-Wednesday: High of 92, low of 72. 20% rain chance.

-Thursday: 50% chance of rain, high of 89; low of 70; 30% chance of rain.

-Your extended forecast> Weather / Local radar > Radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable

-Be sure to clip this story to use later: Urban Meyer isn't going to Notre Dame  --- ever

Rome Braves' updates:

Photo by Mills Fitzner/For more on the Braves' game, click Gallery

You make the call: The Rome Braves had another close call at home Tuesday night as second baseman Yoel Campusano slid into home plate. The Braves won, 3-2. But was Campusano safe?  Click Gallery to find out.

-Braves get the W, win 3-2 over Grasshoppers.

-Today: Rome vs. Greensboro; 1 p.m. game

-Latest Braves' photo gallery by Mills Fitzner> Gallery

Braves honor the late John Henry Moss, longtime league president: Moss died July 1 at age 90. Look for the JMH patches on the Braves' uniforms> NYT

Shorter Hawks' A.J. Cooley named to NAIA football's 'Super Six'> Hawks