Wintry mix, freezing rain back in Bartow's forecast. NAIA game activities begin. What's ahead in Bartow County?

Wintry mix, freezing rain back in today's forecast; more snow, too

-The on-again, off-again "wintry precipitation" forecast is back. Look for a 20 percent chance of "wintry" weather today followed by a 60 percent chance of snow and freezing rain tonight with little to no accumulation of ice expected. Rain will continue into the weekend followed by a 20 percent snow chance Saturday night. Details below.

Lunar eclipse means an all-nighter at Tellus -- for staff and guests:

-A rare, total lunar eclipse is due the morning of Dec. 21 and Tellus: Northwest Georgia's Science Museum will pull an all-nighter to help area residents take it in. The galleries, store and café will open at midnight. Says a media release: "There will be many viewing options: in the observatory, through our smaller telescopes in the grounds, and inside the museum, with a live image of the eclipse being fed from the 20-inch telescope into the theater, banquet rooms, planetarium and Great Hall."  

The event is free for members; it is included in the cost of regular admission for non-members. Tellus will remain open until 5:30 a.m. The eclipse will begin around 1:30 and will end around 5 a.m. Details: 770-606-5700.

Tuesday's Bartow County Jail reports.  Incident Reports //Click

What's ahead in Bartow County:

-Dec. 16: Cartersville City Council.

-Dec. 18-19: Steps of Faith Dance Studio will present "The Nativity" at The Grand Theatre. Shows on Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dec. 19 at 3 p.m. Advance tickets are $13 and $15 at the door. Call 770-386-7343.

-Jan. 6: Cartersville School Board, 6 p.m., work session.

-Jan. 10: Cartersville School Board, 6 p.m. regular meeting.

-Jan. 11-Feb. 15: The Grand Theatre offering Youth Acting Classes for grades 2-5 and grades 6-12. Details

NAIA gets under way as teams due today: What to know.

-Sioux Falls and Carroll teams and support staff as well as others begin to arrive in Rome later today for Saturday's 4:30 p.m. national title game at Barron Stadium. The visitors bureau predicts 2,000 out-of-town fans, accounting for 1,100 hotel stays between today and Sunday morning.

-Economic impact: $1 million-plus (2009 game:$1.8 million; 2007, $1.55 million)

-Weather forecast: 40% chance of rain, high of 46 on Saturday.

-What's new at the stadium: They'll see changes at the stadium since their last visits including the artificial turf and scoreboard. More is on the way; see below.

-What's new nearby: The Harbin Clinic Cancer Center, due in April, will be readily visible from the stadium as will the new cut into Heritage Park.

-What's new around town: Hight Homes is gone, soon to be replaced by Charles Hight Square and probably Publix ... The Specialty Hospital is rising on the other side of the Floyd Medical Center campus.

-What's new downtown: Johnny's New York Style Pizza, The Greener Burger and Pastime restaurants are open; The Partridge has a revitalized look and menu.

-Accommodations: Let's hope the teams get along. They're in neighboring hotels, Country Inn & Suites and Holiday Inn Express.

-What's next: Thursday's activities begin with the Champions of Character/Fellowship of Christian Athletes Breakfast, The Forum. Events.

-What the game means to Rome: Click // NAIA championship website

Not a November to remember after all:

-The good news was state revenue collections were 6.7 percent last month compared to November 2009 ($1.27 billion vs. $1.19 billion). But when compared to November 2007, we're still not quite back to pre-recessionary levels just yet. Revenue for that month was $1.42 billion and for November 2007, $1.4 billion. That's still a 9 percent deficit when comparing 2007 and 2010 reports. Details

-Big drop in local home sales: Make that 27 homes sold in November vs. 59 a year earlier, or a 54 percent, year-over-year drop. The value of those homes dropped by about $4,000 or to the $120,000 range, according to the Greater Rome Board of Realtors.

Rain could be with us through Saturday night:

-Wednesday:  20% chance of wintry mix; high near 36. Tonight: 60% chance of ice, low of 33.
-Thursday: 60% rain chance, high of 55; low of 39.

-Extended forecast: Click / Regional radar: Click

Norman Arey's Sports Commentary. Arey

-Those Brainiacs in the Big Ten (or whatever) just won't let up for a second.

Rome Braves/State Mutual Stadium. Click Sports

-Awaiting word on new manager for the Rome Braves as Runge has joined the Astros' organization.