-Profiles of County Commission candidates Eddie Lumsden, Larry Maxey kicks off our July 20 primary coverage.
-About that 'October surprise' in the Graves-Hawkins runoff.
-Along the campaign trail.
Three Dot Buzz . . .:
-El Pueblito coming to downtown Cartersville.
-Children's Attic, Imagine Hair Air opening on Broad Street.
-Raceway brings more gas competition to Rockmart, region.
-Pet Supermarket coming to Felton's Crossing in Cartersville.
-U-turn for local car sales? And First Friday concert, movies return.
Peaks & Valleys:
-Shorter AD Bill Peterson, staff collected deserved honors.
-Campaign rhetoric already over the top.
First take on Chick-Fil-A's spicy chicken sandwich. Dining
Calhoun High, Cook County split Monday's twin bill; face off Tuesday afternoon for AA baseball championship. Gordon Headlines.
Your latest forecast
-Monday night: 80% rain chance, low of 66.
-Tuesday: 50% chance of showers. High of 84.
-Tuesday night: 60% rain chance, low of 66.
-Wednesday: 40% rain chance, high of 86.
-Wednesday night: 20% rain chance, low of 67.
-Extended forecast> Click / Regional radar
Campaign Watch:
-Hometown Headlines today starts our primary candidate profiles on our Politics page. Only opposed candidates in the July 20 primary are profiled.
-Our campaign coverage this year is more focused on the candidates and the issues. You will not see a series of candidate endorsements, public appearances, staged rallies, etc. Also this year: More commentary.
-Also today: Latest campaign news & views. See below.
Three-Dot Buzz:
. . . El Pueblito coming to Integrity Plaza in Cartersville: Look for El Pueblito Mexican Restaurant at 148 W. Main St. later this month. The plaza has had mixed success with restaurants, including Ambra, then Zydeco, then Schroeder's. Perhaps this regional chain will have better luck. For more on Downtown Cartersville, click DDA
. . . Newest consignment shop due this month on Broad: Welcome Children's Attic to 226-A Broad St. It is the latest consignment shop to open downtown and comes with some differences from the rest (Posh, Smartypants, etc) Click
. . . Imagine Hair Art opens Wednesday at 334 Broad St. The grand opening is Saturday, June 5. Details
. . . Raceway now open in Rockmart: The pumps are at the corner of U.S. 278 and Ga. 113 in front of the Wal-Mart Supercenter. Saturday's cost for unleaded: $2.58 a gallon. Why does this matter? More competition for the higher-price pumps in Floyd County. Here's hoping Raceway or parent company RaceTrac heads to Floyd next.
. . . Pet Supermarket coming to Cartersville: The signs already are up for Pet Supermarket, opening soon in Felton's Crossing off U.S. 41 in Cartersville. What's of special note: The strip shopping centers along Joe Frank Harris Parkway continue to see some revival (i.e., new CVS, Blood Assurance at Collins Pointe).
. . . U-turn for car sales? That's what one veteran auto salesman tells us. May's numbers were much improved vs. the first four months of 2010. Expanded details soon.
. . . 'First weekend' free activities return: On tap Friday night at Bridgepoint Plaza: First Friday concert with The Jamie Pelfrey Band. In Cartersville that night: Family Fun Night with the movie 'Up.' Events begin at 6 p.m. at both venues.
Did the 'October surprise' in the June runoff work or not?
-The $2.2 million suit against Ninth District congressional candidate and former Northwest Georgia representative Tom Graves opened a lot of eyes Thursday and Friday. The suit by Bartow County Bank is not the most flattering thing, especially with the runoff to determine Nathan Deal's short-term replacement set for June 8. Early voting already is under way.
-Graves faces Lee Hawkins in the runoff and then those two and three others meet in the GOP primary July 20 to settle the 2011-12 term.
-Was the timing 'bad' politics? Actually, no, given it was more than a week out from the June 8 election. The normal style is to drop an eye-opener the weekend before election day. Hometown Headlines, for example, traditionally avoids such stunts if they're attempted the weekend before election day. We've had a few tried in local politics in recent years.
-Should the Graves' campaign have seen this one coming? Yes as anything and everything is fair game in this sad state of politics in 2010. Given that assumption, an immediate response and counterstrike should have been ready to go. It wasn't.
-Did it help or hurt the Hawkins' campaign? Neither. Graves supporters are pretty steadfast. It shouldn't hurt his chances on June 8. But it could mushroom into a problem in the July primary. As for Hawkins: It might boost his chances in the primary but it also paints the campaign as one ready to land a few strategically below-the-belt blows.
-What about the bank in all this? The timing of Bartow County Bank coming under a consent order from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. a day after the Graves' suit went public was coincidence. We doubt the FDIC gives a rip about local politics.
Along the campaign trail:
-Maybe there's something to this hiking stuff. We had a little fun with Floyd County school board candidate Terry Williamson's valid reason for missing last Thursday's GOP forum at the Etowah senior center. He had a hiking trip in Phoenix previously scheduled and he couldn't get it changed. Two days later, he had both feet firmly back in Floyd County and was still on the move, visiting various spots around town including the old Armuchee Park ball fields amid Saturday morning's humidity. Perhaps 50 people at most were there including the 12 kids practicing for an all-star baseball tournament. Williamson quickly worked the crowd, passed out literature and left for his next stop. He faces incumbent Teresa Lumsden in the July primary.
-About this week: It is a busy one including the Floyd Republican Women's luncheon Tuesday (11:30 a.m. Red Lobster) with two statewide candidates speaking while Polk County Republicans meet Saturday (9 a.m. meeting; doors open at 8 a.m., Cedartown Library). The main event Saturday: 'A Day for Democrats,' Rome Civic Center, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to Shorter Athletic Director Bill Peterson and his staff: 
-Shorter athletics director Bill Peterson, trainer Josh Tucker, sports information director Matt Green swept the Southern States Athletic Conference director awards last week--and deservingly so. The university (as of 10 a.m. today) has continued to build on its athletics programs, including the relatively new and successful football program, and also spring and fall sports. Click
Valley to some of the early campaign rhetoric:
-We understand the concerns about health care reform and immigration. Both are huge national issues with intense local impact, especially with our medical community. But we also question the hot-button-pushing candidates out there trying to make names for themselves. Stick to specific local and political concerns, please. Tell us, specifically, what you'll do to bring more jobs to the region, to shore up--not deplete--our secondary and college learning centers and specifically how you'll get our transportation needs out of neutral.
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