-Today's Focus: Georgia Conservative Party testing Floyd waters to see if group's tightly focused, states-friendly agenda has staying power here.
-Sluggish start to 2010 home sales continues.
-New menu at Hearth & Harvest Fireside Grill a winner.
-West End Commons takes on a 'healthy' focus.
-Rome Area Council for the Arts on the move.
-Peaks & Valleys: Run with the Wolves; 'grappling' with success.
Your latest forecast:
-Monday: 40% chance of rain, high near 64.
-Monday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.
-Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56.
-Tuesday night: 20% chance of rain and snow; low around 33.
-Wednesday: 20% chance of rain, snow. High of 49. Gusts: 20 mph.
-Extended forecast> Click / Regional radar
What's ahead in Bartow County:
-Feb. 25: Bartow chamber's Health & Wellness Showcase: The show is at The Church at Liberty Square, 2001 Liberty Drive, in Cartersville. A business-to-business networking is from 3 to 4 p.m.; a business card required for entrance. The event is open to the public from 4-7 p.m. with an admission charge of $2 or two non-perishable food items. Click Chamber
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable> Arey
-Braves strike out with Damon; Georgia Tech's luck is all of the bad kind
-The final report on January 2010 home sales by Greater Rome Realtors is out. The tally: 25 homes sold (original estimate was 24) vs. 33 sold in the first month of 2009. That's a 24 percent decrease, something of a surprise given the low interest rates and expanded tax incentives still in play. A Realtor had a five-letter summation on February sales trends; it was not "sales" but a few letters are similar.
RACA on the move to old Dempsey building:
-Visitors to downtown Rome on Saturday probably spotted volunteers and others helping move the Rome Area Council for the Arts from 248 Broad St. to the vacant former home of Dempsey Auction on West Third. The city, which owns the site, is giving RACA a price break on the site--which is due for eventual demolition. RACA's mission also is changing, mostly because of funding issues.
Updated menu at Hearth & Harvest Fireside Grill
-The second Cartersville creation of Appalachian Grill's Jackie Wallace, Hearth & Harvest Fireside Grill, has a new menu. H & H is tucked away in the West End Commons off Ga. 113 and Henderson Drive. We ordered two of the new menu items Friday night: Teriyaki Orange Glazed Children ($13.99), which was served with black eyed rice and steamed broccoli, and seafood pasta ($17.99), a wonderful medley of shrimp, scallops and strips of lobster over pasta and spinach with sun-dried tomatoes. Our plates were cleaned, which says something given the large portions H & H is known for. Both meals came with bread; side or full salads were extra. Hearth & Harvest remains one of the best dining secrets in the region.
Changes at West End Commons:
-And while at H & H, check the storefront signs in the throw-back development for lots of changes. Bill's New York Style Pizza and Barbecue Street greet you as you enter. Beyond that, there's a collection of shops but also a heavy "health park" presence, from Gold's Gym to Diva Fitness to martial arts to skin care and "hormone solutions for men and women." The health-oriented shops make for an interesting mix of tenants, one we haven't seen before> West End Commons
60 Minutes' Point-Counterpoint was never this good
-Readers of Sunday's Rome News got an eyeful as District Attorney Leigh Patterson pummeled a Pierre Noth column about the handling of the Reynolds-Harper case. In our 30-plus years of media experience, we don't recall a public official devoting as much "ink" as Patterson calls it in calling out a columnist. This piece was not by a ghost writer. If you know Patterson, you've heard her use several of the phrases she drops while citing case law, examples and opinions.
-To read Noth's initial blast, click Column.
-To read Patterson's blistering point-by-point response, click Patterson.
2010 Women's Expo is March 27:
-The latest Women's Expo is set for Saturday, March 27, at the Cartersville Civic Center, sponsored by Coosa Valley Credit Union along with Georgia Power, Plant Bowen. The line-up: Learn about products and services that will help you look and feel better; examine career choices; sample a "Taste of Bartow;" and try your luck on the door prizes. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased at the Red Cross office, 320 W. Cherokee Ave., Suite 109. Call 770-382-0981. Advance ticket holders will be entered into a special door prize drawing. For more, e-mail karonmauney@comcast.net.
Georgia Conservative Party testing Floyd waters to see if group's tightly focused, states-friendly agenda has staying power here
By Natalie Simms
natsimms76@gmail.com
A new political party is emerging locally that is attracting Republicans, Libertarians and Democrats alike. The newly registered Georgia Conservative Party (GCP) is developing a grass roots network they hope has "staying power."
"The GCP is not a split from the Republican Party," says Kirk Spears, right, a member of the GCP Board of Directors. "While our party does attract some disaffected Republicans, we are also attracting Libertarians, conservative-leaning Independents and 'blue-dog' Democrats. We are the new home for many conservatives who are looking for a fresh way to have a positive impact on their local, state and federal government."
The GCP is a state affiliate of the national American Conservative Party. The GCP was started last year but just became a registered political party of the state of Georgia a few weeks ago. The GCP is now working to start local chapters, including one in Floyd County.
"The board has developed the state party's by-laws and platform," Spears says. "Now, we are beginning to identify people who want to form GCP chapters in their respective counties and help them get up and running. I am leading the effort to begin a chapter here in Floyd County."
The drawing card for the group is its underlying platform goal of a limited role of government. With today's government spending more taxpayer dollars, becoming bigger and seeking more control of services, party leaders are working to rally a lot of supporters.
"The American Conservative Party has its own national platform focusing on a limited number of issues such as national defense and immigration," he says. "The platform states that the Constitution reserves responsibility for most issues with states, and therefore, leaves each state affiliate party to create its own platform."
The GCP is now working to finalize its platform. It will focus on issues specific to Georgia such as education, taxes and water concerns.
"The underlying basis for both platforms is the principles central to our nation's founding documents…God-given personal liberty, responsibility and the government's limited role in protecting those freedoms.
"Probably the major difference from the Republican Party is the emphasis on states making their own decisions," he says. "We feel that many issues that the Republicans have traditionally addressed on a national level are better left to individual states to decide for themselves."
The party has a very focused platform.
"Some may be surprised by the limited scope of the platforms," Spears says. "That is because we see a very limited role for government, and instead, place much more confidence in the freedom of individuals and markets to make their own choices."
As a third party, the GCP is trying to avoid the same mistakes other parties have made leading to their collapse.
"One of the reasons third parties have traditionally struggled is that they have been built around a single issue or individual," he says. "Once that issue resolves or the individual goes away, the party collapses. The approach of our national and state party is pretty much the opposite of that. We don't believe the federal government holds many answers, so we aren't looking to make an immediate impact on the national level.
"Instead, we want to build a party with staying power. We want to develop a grass roots infrastructure at the county and state level. Then, we want to begin to field and support conservative candidates at the local and state levels where we can make an impact on the lives of the people we live and work with."
The GCP already has formed local chapters in Carroll and Muscogee counties. An informational meeting for those interested in forming a chapter in Floyd County will be held on March 15 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
"We are looking for individuals who embrace what we stand for and want to become active in building the party in their community," Spears says. "This will be a chance for those who are interested to learn more about the state and national party and find out how they can become more involved."
The time and place for the event will be announced soon. For more, e-mail Spears at floydcountyconservativeparty@gmail.com.
>Follow the local effort on Facebook. Click Facebook
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs, lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to the inaugural Run With the Wolves: This fund-raiser for Rome High was a certified hit with nearly 400 runners and walkers Saturday morning. The purpose: "To provide funding for academic programs at Rome High School, home of the Wolves!" It did far more than that. It took fund-raising, even in tight times, to a new level much the same way the Berry Half-Marathon next month supports Berry Elementary and Middle School. Both are "healthy" ways to support two great schools.> Results
Peak to the student athletes competing at the state wrestling tournament: The list of winners from our area is a long one including Rome, Floyd County and Darlington schools. You've probably noticed an increase in the focus on wrestling programs throughout the community in recent years, and the results are showing> Results
A study by the 
The Cartersville-Bartow County Visitors Information Center seeks residents along the Old Dixie Highway in Emerson, Cartersville, Cassville and Adairsville who might have available yard sale spaces for rent during the upcoming Dixie Highway 90-mile Yard Sale June 4-6. Any church, non-profit organization or resident on Ga. 293 in Emerson and Cartersville, Cassville Road, U.S. 41 north of Cassville and the Old Dixie Highway/Main Street in Adairsville would be eligible to rent spaces. Please call 770-387-1357 to list your available space. There is no cost to participate. For more on the sale, 
-The longtime home of Zartic, later purchased by 
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