The Buzz of Northwest Georgia: Click
-Greater Rome Bank gets OK on Calhoun branch--but don't look for it soon.
-Cooking queen Paula Deen aims to grease sales of Serta bedware at Rome's World Hi-Fi. -Anyone else puzzled by 4.7% jump in state revenues in July?
-Primary runoff by the numbers: 10% turnout?
MONDAY FOCUS: Christmas shopping season already in focus. Click
-Local merchants outline plans to boost Christmas shopping sales, from downtown events to Santa to the new Toys R Us Express coming to Prime Outlets in Calhoun.
Another week in the 90s. Details below.
-Plus an air quality alert today for Bartow County, metro Atlanta. Click
754 ballots cast during advance voting:
-Advance voting for primary runoff ended at 5 p.m. Friday with 754 votes cast. There were 25 Democratic ballots and 729 Republican ballots.
-Election day, Aug. 10: Precincts open 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
-On the ballot: There are statewide races for both Democrats and Republicans, including the GOP House 14 runoff (Christian Coomer vs. Shep Helton). Click
-For more, contact the elections office: Click
Sunday's Bartow County Jail reports. Click & Click
-City of Cartersville's Fire Hydrant Testing locations: Aug. 9-10
What's ahead in Bartow County:
-Bartow County schools open Monday: Calendar for the 2010-11 school year. Click.
Supply list, other updates. Click
-Bartow County Board of Education to meet Monday: Work session is at 6 p.m. (agenda) followed immediately by called meeting (Agenda)
Your latest forecast: Another week in the upper 90s.
-Monday: High of 96; low of 67. Heat index of 100.
-Tuesday: High of 97; low of 69. Heat index of 101.
-Forecast: Click / Regional animated radar
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey
-Friar Tebow? That's the look of it. Tough year for Duke, South Carolina?
-Friar Tebow? That's the look of it. Tough year for Duke, South Carolina?
Rome Braves. Click Sports
-Braves finally find win column vs. Greenville. Barely. Final: 6-4.
-Now-Tuesday, Braves in Greenville; off Wednesday; home Thursday.
-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. (Click)
State OK's Greater Rome Bank's Calhoun branch bid but ...
-State banking officials have OK'd Greater Rome Bank's bid to open a branch office in Calhoun but don't look for any immediate action there, says Interim President Kay Chumbler. The bank has picked the former Movie Gallery spot at 305 W. Belmont Drive as the branch site. Greater Rome has up to a year to actually open the branch and, even then, could apply for an extension if so desired.
What's cooking from Paula Deen and World HiFi? Mattresses
-Yes, the queen of Savannah cuisine known for adding a stick of butter to every possible recipe (and we're not complaining) has another deal cooking. Paula Deen Home by Serta is a new line of bedding and it will be sold exclusively in this area by World HiFi on Shorter Avenue. Bill Pelfrey and other members of his buying group will meet with Deen soon as part of the rollout.
-And while checking on the Deen item, we bumped into something on Trump Home. The Donald has his own line. And yes, we're tempted to drop something in right about here about "rugs."
Call it a summer stunner: 4.7% jump in July revenue reports?
-Is anyone else surprised by the stunning jump in July state revenue collections? In a year where state government stamped out the sales tax holiday, initial reports show Georgia's revenue jumped by $51 million, from $1.096 billion to $1.147 billion.
-We're stunned; more than a few people planning to buy big-ticket items such as lap tops had waited until the tax holiday--and then learned it was canceled.
-Reports from at least one retail center in our area were cautious at best last weekend--down from the back-to-school sales a year earlier under the sales tax holiday but not as grim as they could have been.
-Plus: More school systems have pushed back the start of the school year because of budget cuts, including nearby Polk County.
-And some consumers held off until this past weekend to take advantage of the Tennessee tax holiday sales (click Dalton).
-Again, the report is surprising because of another indicator, a more local one: Greater Rome home sales were almost anemic last month. Just 46 homes were sold last month with an average value of $75,550.
-And yet, despite all the above, we saw a jump in state revenues? Hmm. Revenue
Primary runoff: By the numbers
| State House 14, GOP | Contributions overall | Contributions since July 1 | Total expenditures | Cash on hand |
| C. Coomer | $17,050 (**) | not filed | $9,608 (**) | $7,442 (**) |
| S. Helton | $33,380 | $18,600 | $32,226* | $1,154 |
**Coomer's report for the runoff had not been filed as of Sunday evening. These are numbers through June 30. Source: State Ethics Commission
The above chart shows the financials for the Republican House District 14 race between Christian Coomer and Shep Helton. Click the candidate's name, contributions and expenditures for a detailed look on donations, from whom and for how much as well as expenditures.(*)
The winner of Tuesday's primary faces Democrat Dan Ledford in the Nov. 2 election. The district includes parts of Floyd and Bartow counties.
The House race helped fuel a surprisingly high 754 "advance" or early votes in Bartow County last week, including 729 ballots and 25 Democratic ballots. Other big draws: the GOP gubernatorial race and the attorney general's runoff featuring state Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome, and Cobb County's Sam Olens.
More turnout: There's no way to pretty this one up. Local elections supervisors are hoping for a 10 percent turnout, maybe 12 percent, during Tuesday's primary runoff.
-The Democratic side of the ballot is tiny--one statewide office--while Republicans will pick their gubernatorial nominee, attorney general nominee and insurance commission hopeful.
-While a lot of eyes are on the Olens-Smith runoff for attorney general, the marquee event is the House District 14 GOP showdown between Coomer and Helton.
-In Gordon County: Some voters will decide--for a fourth time--between Rep. Tom Graves and Lee Hawkins for the full term to serve in the Ninth Congressional District. Also: A county commission and school board race.
*Disclosure: Helton took out an ad on the Hometown Headlines' websites with an invoice of $160 pending.
As back-to-school shopping blitzes end, layaway plans,
other promotions beginning to sound a lot like Christmas 2010
By Natalie Simms
As the Back-to-School shopping season winds down, retailers are turning their attention to the biggest shopping season of the year…Christmas. And with the economy still struggling to recover, local retailers are expanding their offerings and services to lure in shoppers.
"We are expecting big things this Christmas season," says Elaine Abercrombie of Greene's Jewelers and chair of the Rome Downtown Development Authority. "We have a great selection of gifts in all our retails stores and an array of restaurants. I think the economy is on the upward swing and we have a lot of events planned to attract shoppers, so we are definitely looking forward to the Christmas season."
Greene's traditionally is one of the more decorated shops in downtown Rome each Christmas season as the photo to the right shows. One year even featured "snow."
Among the upcoming Christmas events include the Downtown Christmas Sidewalk sale on Nov. 6 and the Downtown Christmas Open House on Nov. 19 and 20. Other activities are being planned including Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus visits, carriage rides and train rides.
Big holiday push in Downtown Cartersville
Merchants there also are looking forward to a busy holiday shopping season. With 40 shops, the selection of holiday gifts is plentiful from Bartow County's largest shopping district.
"One of the good things coming out of the past several years of a slow economy is a change in mind set by shoppers. Shoppers have realized how important it is to buy locally and keep their tax dollars here in Bartow County," says Liz Hood, Director of Cartersville's Downtown Development Authority.
"Bartow County loses millions in sales tax dollars when shoppers buy outside our county, money that could help with schools, roads, police and fire departments, plus all the many services provided by our local government. Changing shopping habits by offering fun events downtown is one way to help counteract that tax dollar loss, and introduces consumers to the wonderful gift shops and dining opportunities offered downtown."
Upcoming holiday events in Cartersville include: 
-"A Taste of Cartersville" on Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to give a sampling of food from Cartersville restaurants and caterers, a fashion show from downtown boutiques and kids' activities.
-"Christmas Cookies and Cartersville" on Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a downtown holiday open house
-"Taste of the Holidays" on Nov. 19 with a preview of holiday gifts and food from local restaurants
-Annual Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting on Dec. 4 from 5-6:45 p.m.
-Downtown Candlelight Shopping from 4-8 p.m. on Dec. 10.
Toys R Us Express joining Calhoun outlets
Holiday shopping expectations are also high for the Prime Outlets in Calhoun. According to Janet Paulsen, general manager, the outlets are anticipating strong traffic and sales.
"Value is still important to shoppers in these economic times," she says. "At Prime Outlets-Calhoun, our leading designer and top brand-name merchants offer customers dramatic savings up to 65 percent off regular retail prices every day. Shoppers remain mindful of their wallets and are looking for ways to stretch their money farther."
Just in time for the shopping season, the new Toys R Us Express store will be opening at the outlets later this month. The outlets also will be hosting their third annual Midnight Madness event beginning at midnight on Black Friday. "It's a can't-event filled with exclusive discounts and special offers throughout the night," Paulsen says.
Mount Berry Square officials are also busy planning events to draw in shoppers. Santa Claus will be arriving on Nov. 12. A Breakfast with Santa also is in the works as well as "pet photos" with Santa. Black Friday will be a big shopping day. Lots of special giveaways and promotions are planned that will lure shoppers in for gift buying.
Aside from events, retailers are expanding selections in stores and continuing to offer customers valuable programs like layaway.
"We are getting ready to celebrate our 63rd Christmas on Broad Street," says Abercrombie. "We know the economy is cyclical and we plan for that. This year, we have been buying more moderately priced items, while continuing to offer a wide selection of items in all price ranges."
Paula Conaway, owner of Paula's Boutique on Broad, says she is adding two new machines to expand her product selection for Christmas. She is adding a new engraving machine and a hot stamp machine.
"We will be able to engrave on jewelry, glass, plastics…just about anything. And with the hot stamp machine, we'll be able to stamp on bibles, books, napkins and logos on boxes," she says. "We've also expanded our kids section, so we have lots of stocking stuffers. Even in this economy, we are continuing to do very well and have done more business since moving last year."
Another downtown jeweler, Ford, Gittings & Kane, continues to offer layaway as it has for 52 years to help customers stay in their budget.
"It is a good way for customers to stay on budget," says Alice Herring with Ford, Gittings and Kane. "And right now is a great time to start shopping for Christmas because the selection is great now, not like it would be Dec. 20…now is the time to get the best choices."
2010 layaway programs
Many local retailers are now offering layaway services that allow customers to put a small percentage down on the items and make regular payments over a period of time. Some local retailers offering layaway include:
-Greene's Jewelers, 328 Broad St. Requires 10 percent down, 10 percent minimum payment a month over allotted time period
-Ford, Gittings & Kane Jewelers, 312 Broad St. Requires 25 percent down and regular payments over allotted time period
-Paula's Boutique, 236 Broad St. Requires 20 percent down and regular payments within 30- or 60-day layaway period.
-Traditions of Rome, 101 E. 2nd Ave. Requires 20 percent down plus sales tax and regular payments within allotted time period.
-Kmart, 102 Hicks Drive. Requires 10 percent or $15 down (which ever is higher) and biweekly payments. If layaway total is below $300, time period is eight weeks. If above $300, time period is 12 weeks.
-Toys R Us, 2780 Martha Berry Blvd. Requires 20 percent down plus all applicable taxes, a $10 service fee and shipping charges are due when the merchandise is put into layaway. You may make additional payments at any time but 50 percent of the total price of your order must be paid within 45 days and the total price of your order must be paid within three months/90 days.
Two retailers are trying out new programs this year to help customers save money for Christmas purchases.
-Toys R Us and Sears have started Christmas Savings Clubs. With the program, customers load money onto a savings card as much and as often as desired.
-At the end of the savings period, Oct. 16 at Toys R Us and Nov. 18 at Sears, club members will receive an additional 3 percent of their savings loaded onto their card. -For more information, visit Toys R Us and Sears.
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