What's ahead in Bartow: GOP women add forum. Another dose of 100-degree heat index readings

Please click www.bartowheadlines.com:

 

Regional buzz:

Hibbett Sports growing at Riverbend Center:

-Look for Hibbett Sports to grow a bit at Riverbend Center starting later thismonth. The popular sports shop is taking in the former home of Chico's near Kroger. Hibbetts currently has around 4,900 square feet and will add almost another 3,000. The Preston Smith for Attorney General campaign is in the former Hallmark spot adjoining Kroger (in orange). Another new tenant is taking the place recently vacated by SOHO: Courtesy Finance.

-Riverside Gourmet, Bussey's Flowers, The Season opens today on Broad:

The recent home of McBrayer Brothers furniture and then the Rome Area Council for the Arts has a trio of new tenants: Bussey's Flowers (also in Cedartown); Riverside Gourmet, which is on its third downtown location; and The Season. The backstory on this one would fill the rest of the page. But the real story is what's next as Todd Bussey and family expand into downtown Rome while Kevin Dillmon just expands, period, with not only some favorite from the previous gourmet shops but a new wine area. Holly Lynch's The Season -- a wedding and events planning company -- has been in business for several years; she's now gone brick-and-mortar.

-Finnish company FP-Pigments to add 20 jobs with new plant in Rome: Esko Sarkki, president of FP Pigments, says his company will open a new manufacturing plant and regional office in Rome within the next nine to10 months. The company will bring 20 new jobs to area. Business

-Saint Mary's Catholic School now an accredited member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Release

WBHF AM 1450 adds Atlanta Braves baseball: You can hear the Braves throughout the season starting Tuesday, June 22, on WBHF AM 1450.

City of Cartersville to be testing local fire hydrants this week. Location schedule

What's ahead in Bartow County:

-6/17: Chattahoochee Tech graduation to feature another big class: After breaking enrollment records for three straight quarters, Chattahoochee Technical College is set to break another record with the number of students graduating during its spring commencement. An estimated 909 graduates will be recognized at the ceremony, only the second for the newly merged school, scheduled for June 17. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center at 10 a.m.

-6/17: Cartersville City Council, 7 p.m. Hear it live on WBHF 1450 AM or Web cast here on Bartow Headlines. Click Agenda

-6/18: Gospel benefit set for the American Cancer Society: The site is The Church at Liberty Square in Cartersville. Tickets are available at all Bartow County Bank locations. Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. Performing will be The Gentrys and The Hoppers. For more: Freddie Gunn at 770-382-2572, Pam Brown at 770-655-3853 or Fredia Hall at 770-382-2418.

Wednesday report from the Bartow County Jail. Click

Heat wave, day three: 100-degree heat index due today

-Wednesday: High of 92 with a 40% chance of rain.

-Wednesday night: Low of 70, 30% rain chance.

-Thursday: Another hot one with a high of 94; 20% rain chance.

-Thursday night: A brief bit of cooling with a low of 67; 30% rain chance.

-Extended forecast: Click  / Regional radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey 

-So these past few months have been much to do about nothing. Is this all there is? 

Rome Braves. Sports

-Savannah take second straight from Rome Braves, 3-1.

-Tonight: Braves at Savannah.

-Mills Fitzner's home game photos. Click

Heat index of 103 today; high, 98. Latest Bartow, regional updates

Please click www.bartowheadlines.com:

 

Your latest forecast: 103-degree heat index today; Monday's high was 94.

-EMA issues Heat Advisory Information. Details

-Tuesday:  High of 98 with a 30% rain chance.

-Tuesday night: Low of 71; 20% rain chance.

-Wednesday: High of 95, 40% chance of rain.

-Wednesday night: Low of 70, 20% rain chance.

-Extended forecast: Click  / Regional radar

Regional Buzz:

-Tom Graves sworn in as Ninth District congressman, representing parts of Gordon County. Re-election bid for July 20 primary under way. Click

-Gordon County Commission considers 35-acre solar farm at old landfill: This is an interesting idea for using Harris Beamer Landfill, "a county-owned abandoned landfill," as the site for a solar energy farm with that energy sent the North Georgia EMC grid. For project details, click here. For more on the 6 p.m. meeting, click Agenda

-Georgia Northwestern Technical College to hold its first commencement ceremony this Thursday since becoming GNTC. Approximate 370 awards for graduates from Summer/Fall 2009 and Winter/Spring 2010 will be given out. GNTC

-Jim Williams to coach GNTC's women's basketball team. Click

What's ahead in Bartow County:

-6/17: Chattahoochee Tech graduation to feature another big class: After breaking enrollment records for three straight quarters, Chattahoochee Technical College is set to break another record with the number of students graduating during its spring commencement. An estimated 909 graduates will be recognized at the ceremony, only the second for the newly merged school, scheduled for June 17. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center at 10 a.m.

-6/17: Cartersville City Council, 7 p.m. Hear it live on WBHF 1450 AM or Web cast here on Bartow Headlines. Click Agenda

-6/18: Gospel benefit set for the American Cancer Society: The site is The Church at Liberty Square in Cartersville. Tickets are available at all Bartow County Bank locations. Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. Performing will be The Gentrys and The Hoppers. For more: Freddie Gunn at 770-382-2572, Pam Brown at 770-655-3853 or Fredia Hall at 770-382-2418.

Tuesday report from the Bartow County Jail. Click

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey 

-Make no mistake about it: College football and football only is driving league expansion.

Rome Braves. Sports

-Savannah swamps Braves, 10-4, to take opener.

-RHP Cory Rasmus selected for the 2010 South Atlantic League All Star Team replacing Arodys Vizcaino.

-Tonight: Braves at Savannah.

-Mills Fitzner's home game photos. Click

Record heat due today; air quality concerns, too. House District 14 candidate profiles. Buzz of Northwest Georgia

Please click www.bartowheadlines.com:

 

Record-setting heat due today; heat index: 105.

-The record for June 14 is 98 degrees set in 1958. We are expected to go one degree higher (records). The normal for today is 84 degrees How to cope: Limit outdoor activities; dress lightly; and drink plenty of water. Updates all day.

-Adding to the misery: Bartow, metro Atlanta under an air quality alert. Click

-Monday: High of 99; heat index of 105 possible. 20% rain chance.

-Monday night: Low of 70; slight chance of rain.

-Tuesday:  High of 96 with a 20% rain chance.

-Tuesday night: Low of 71; 20% rain chance.

-Exended forecast: Click  / Regional radar

The Buzz of Northwest Georgia: (Buzz)

-What's next for Mount Berry Square area? Mall's financial woes, adjoining vacancies, delayed Armuchee Connector, Tennis Center's initial snub the state: corridor is overdue for a break of good luck.

-Riverside Professional Park grows again: New office rising quickly.

-WRGA now streaming online: 1470 AM now webcasting.

-Peaks & Valleys: Classic car craze; Broad Street paving; summer-in-spring.     

Campaign Watch:

-State House District 14 primary profiles: Greg Bowen, Christian Coomer and Shep Helton are in the GOP primary July 20 while the winner will face the victor of the Democratic primary, Dan Ledford vs. Jessica Weaver-Stoll. Profile by Natalie Simms. Politics  

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey 

- No matter which way you slice it, Texas has to shoulder the blame. 

Rome Braves. Sports

-Rome Braves off Sunday; open three-game set in Savannah tonight..

-Mills Fitzner's home game photos. Click

Campaign Watch:

-State House District 14 primary profiles: Greg Bowen, Christian Coomer and Shep Helton are in the GOP primary July 20 while the winner will face the victor of the Democratic primary, Dan Ledford vs. Jessica Weaver-Stoll.  Profiles by Natalie Simms. Politics  

What's next for Mount Berry Square area?

-There's a lot in play off Martha Berry Highway these days and probably none of it is really attached to the other--at least on the outside. Together, they could spell the future of the mostly retail district fronting U.S. 27 from the gates of Berry College to just north of the Old Dalton Road cut. Those factors:

-The fate of Mount Berry Square: Now

comes word of a July 6 foreclosure sale after nearly 18 months of trying to find a bona fide buyer of the nearly 500,000 square feet of indoor retail with several viable anchors, some sporting shops, a few new players and an active food court. No matter what, the mall remains open for business. But just what plans a new buyer might have won't be known perhaps for months. Something besides straight retail is needed. Maybe a hybrid outlet spot? More retail-medical?

-Adjoining vacancies: The mall has a few openings but so does the surrounding site including Circuit City and the former Treasure Island. At 33,000 square feet, the Circuit City building is a prime spot for a new retailer. So far, no takers. A check of other locales around the country shows new retailers and even Goodwill taking over former CC homes. As for Treasure Island: There were lots of rumors of relocation when it closed two years ago. Now our only hope might be a Stars & Strikes-like family fun center.

-The Armuchee Connector: Shown in the above photo, this SPOST-funded highway would run from just north of the mall (top left) to a drain point in front of State Mutual Stadium at Riverside Parkway (bottom center). The start date keeps getting shoved back thanks to environmental or other concerns.

-The Tennis Center of Georgia: Not far from the mall along the path of the Armuchee Connector is the site currently designated for one of the largest tennis centers in the country. A lot must happen to make that a reality: more than $13 million in construction costs, sponsorships, etc. The state did not pursue state bonds for the project last session.

Riverside Professional Park continues to grow

A third office is rising at Riverside Professional Park just off the Bypass across from State Mutual Stadium. With two dental offices already occupied, a third office is close to completion with room for more. Click Garden Lakes.

Now streaming: WRGA 1470 AM

-You can now hear your favorite WRGA 1470 AM programming over the air or via your computer. The pieces are finally in place to broadcast the AM news/talk station over the Internet as well as over the air. Streaming the AM signal should give WRGA more access to the work place via computers and offer a way back into some households lost when the simulcast on FM ended with the launch of 93.5 Life FM last year. Click WRGA stream

PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs, lows of Northwest Georgia

Peak to the vintage car craze sweeping Northwest Georgia:

-For Saturday night's return of the Classic Car Cruise-In in downtown Rome to the first Saturday Tom Clayton Memorial Car Cruize in Cartersville to recent Northwest Georgia Cruisers car club show at Rockmart High School, car shows seem to be drawing more and more interest from collectors and fans alike. It is a great affordable way to both show off that chrome and encourage visitors to spend an afternoon or evening around town. And the addition of bands to some of these events just adds to the pleasure. Cruise on! (Photo/Classic Car Cruise In by Mills Fitzner. Click Gallery)

Valley to the staging of Broad Street's repaving:

-We're among those who were surprised to learn Broad Street even needed a new coat of whatever it is they put on roads today. Then again, we're still puzzled by the interstate-sized turn lanes being added to Ga. 53 but that's another matter. The Broad Street disruption was supposed to be one side of the divided road at a time. As always, that message never got to the crews, which ended up costing some night-friendly businesses a chunk of change last week. In these days of Internet, the telephone and even mail, why can't a simple message get conveyed? And why does someone barge into a popular downtown restaurant, demanding--in a loud voice--that five people better move their cars?

Valley to the weather:

-We're just a few days removed from the summer of 2010 and already it is a nasty one. The heat index at 6 p.m. Sunday was 101 degrees; the day's high, 94. The normal for this time of year is 84 degrees and record is 100 degrees set in 1958 (details). Can we please have a few more days of spring before hitting the century mark?

Huge weekend in Bartow: downtown concert, community events. Watch the heat: Mid-90s all weekend.

Please click www.bartowheadlines.com:

 

Campaign Watch: (click)

-Natalie Simms interviews the two Republican candidates seeking the Senate District 52 seat, representing Floyd and parts of Bartow and Gordon counties. Barry Loudermilk and Jeff Knight are on the July 20 primary ballot. The winner faces Democrat Mike Burton Nov. 3.

-Attorney general to review complaints Reece, others offered 'unauthorized assistance' with absentee ballots: The State Election Board has referred a Chattooga County case to the Attorney's General office, a complaint that alleges veteran state Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, D-Menlo, and several others offered "unauthorized assistance" with absentee ballots in the Nov. 7, 2006, general election. Reece represents District 11, which includes Chattooga and part of Floyd counties. She does not face a primary or Republican opponent this election season. The allegation is Reese and others assisted elderly and/or infirm absentee voters that year.  There are concerns about 2008 votes as well. List as potential violations: Whether Reece and others failed to fill out the oath on the absentee ballots of those she assisted as required by the state. Also: Whether Reese possessed another elector's ballots. Among those also name: Reece's mother, Eva. We placed calls to Reece at home and her Atlanta office, and to her attorney, Chris Corbin. on Thursday. Review the document. clicking SEB

-Latest local politics: Surprisingly quiet weekend. Politics

What's ahead this weekend:

-Dixie Swim Club from Pumphouse Players opens this weekend. Details

-June 12: Downtown Cartersville Summer Concert Series. 7-9 p.m. Caribbean Soul performs. Participating restaurant: Barbecue Street.

-June 12: Bartow Give a Kid a Chance Registration, 9:a.m. until noon, South Central Middle School, Euharlee Commissary, Cartersville Civic Center Parking Lot. Adairsville Manning Mill Park.   First come/first served -- registration limited to the first 1,000; others will be placed on a waiting list and contacted.  Each child receives a backpack with school supplies, jeans, T-shirt, a haircut and dental, hearing and vision screenings.  Details: Bartow Collaborative, 770-773-7342.

-June 12/Rare look at Valley View: The Etowah Valley Historical Society announces the opening for public viewing of the pre-Civil War family home, Valley View, at 100 Valley View Farm Road in Cartersville off Euharlee Road. On June 12, from noon until 5 p.m., you can tour the plantation home and grounds. The tour includes the interior of the home as well as the boxwood gardens, the smokehouse, the original kitchen, courtyard and downstairs porches.  

-June 12: Downtown Cartersville Summer Concert Series. 7-9 p.m. Caribbean Soul performs. Participating restaurant: Barbecue Street.

-June 12: Bartow Give a Kid a Chance Registration, 9:a.m. until noon, South Central Middle School, Euharlee Commissary, Cartersville Civic Center Parking Lot. Adairsville Manning Mill Park.   First come/first served -- registration limited to the first 1,000; others will be placed on a waiting list and contacted.  Each child receives a backpack with school supplies, jeans, T-shirt, a haircut and dental, hearing and vision screenings.  Details: Bartow Collaborative, 770-773-7342.

-June 12-13: 20th Annual Rockfest: One of the southeast's largest gem and mineral shows returns to Tellus after 19 years at the Weinman Mineral Museum. This family event features gem, mineral, fossil and jewelry vendors from all over the country, plus live music, children's activities and more. A great way to kick off the summer. Free for members, included in cost of admission for non-members. Tellus

Mount Berry Square facing foreclosure? Hometown Headlines

Dining & Drink (click)

-Latest public health restaurant inspection scores for Northwest Georgia.

-New this week: Links to specific reports of restaurants scoring 69 or less.

-North Georgia wineries offer song, swinging vines, Father's Day brunch.

Thursday reports from the Bartow County Jail. Click

Your latest forecast:

-Friday: 30% rain chance, high of 91; low of 70, 30% rain chance.

-Saturday: 30% rain chance, 93 again. 20% chance of rain, low of 70.

-Sunday:  A sizzling 94 with a 30% rain chance; low of 70.       

-Extended forecast: Click  / Regional radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey 

-College football has now officially shifted off its axis, so hold tight.

Rome Braves. Sports

-Rome Braves open series with 5-0 shutout of Greenville.

-Tonight, Saturday: Braves host Greenville. 

-Latest roster moves--and there are a bunch of them.

-Mills Fitzner's home game photos. Click

Bartow County community, business updates. Gingrey No. 2 in media challenge. 60% rain chance.

Please click www.bartowheadlines.com:

 

Latest community news:

-6/29: 'Opening the Door to the Future' helps close familiar door to community's past. HM

-Dixie Swim Club from Pumphouse Players opens this weekend. Details

-Atlanta Braves' Street Team part of Saturday evening's downtown concert activities:  The summer concert series features Caribbean Soul from 7 to 9 p.m. Click Braves

-7/1: Celebrating Freedom concert set: The Bartow Winds Community Concert Band announces its Celebrating Freedom Concert to be held on Thursday, July 1. The concert begins at 7 p.m., and will be held in Freedom Plaza in downtown Cartersville at the Depot. Admission is free but donations will be accepted supporting Advocates for Children. Musical selections include "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by Sousa, "The Armed Forces Salute" spotlighting each branch of our military, "Ashokan Farwell" by Jay Ungar featuring Ms. Miriam Smith on violin, and many other selections celebrating America. The Bartow Winds is a non-profit organization founded in the spring of 2009 as both an outlet for local musicians and a way to raise funds for charities. Its members range from high school and college students to adults. Bartow Winds is under the direction of Michael D. Elzey, with assistance from David Snipes. Future concerts include a fall concert scheduled at the opening of the new Cartersville Civic Center, a Veterans Day Celebration at Cloverleaf Elementary in November, a delightful Christmas concert in December, and a concert of Broadway revues as part of the Georgia Artists Series at Reinhardt University in the spring of 2011. For further information, please email bartowwinds@gmail.com or lwindsor57@comcast.net.

-6/26: Second Annual Bike Wash hosted by Chapter 376 and Hooter's of Cartersville, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., benefitting Feed the Children. For more, click www.Star376.com

Thursday's Buzz

-June 25, 26 grand opening set for Spring Place Pottery's Artists Gallery: A reception is planned from 5 until 8 p.m. June 25 at the shop, 15 E. Main St., Cartersville. On display: pottery, paintings and handmade art by both local and regional artists.

-Gingrey places second in House GOP new media challenge:

56 members took part in the six-week "March Madness" competition to see who could gain the most new Facebook friends, Twitter followers and YouTube subscribers.  Rep. John Fleming, R-La., took first prize (winning an iPhone) while Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga. took second prize (a flip cam). That's a copy of Gingrey's Tweet to the right announcing the end of the challenge Gingrey

-June 11-12: Labor department workshop for laid-off employees in Dalton: The Georgia Department of Labor will continue a series of workshops to help laid-off employees of educational institutions transition into new careers. The workshops, which will last two hours, will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center, 211 Dug Gap Battle Road in Lecture Hall Theater. The workshops are not job fairs; they're designed for the education employees being laid off throughout the state.

-Optimist Club golf tournament results: The 2010 Optimist Junior Golf Tournament sponsored by the Rome Noon Optimist Club was held at Meadow Lakes Golf Club on Tuesday, June 1. Winner in the Boys 16-18 Division was Levi Nix from LaFayette. In the Boys 14-16 Division Jacob Mitchell from Rome won in a playoff over Jacob Reeves from Trion. Thomas Brumbeloe from Canton was the winner in the Boys 10-12 Division. On the girls side Hannah White from Rome won the 14-16 Division and Dallas Vaughn from Calhoun won the 12-13 Division. Photos: Please click here and here.

Optimist Club presents $500 check to CAP's Rome composite squadron

The Noon Optimist Club of Rome recently presented a check to the Rome Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol for $500 to support their goals of aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services.  Pictured from left to right are: Captain Hayden Collins; Cadet Destiny Palmer; Cadet /Major Christiana Loudermilk ; Captain Philip Boylan; Cadet Michael Loudermilk; Chaplain Alex Mills; and Noon Optimist President Scott Wood.

Cartersville Restaurant Deals builds to more than 700 members: Launched May 1, the Facebook page quickly is becoming a go-to spot for restaurant deals in Cartersville-Bartow County. Authored by a restaurant owner, it is intended for local shops to post specials and deals. Six weeks in, it is booming. Click Cartersville.

Dining & Drink (click)

-Latest public health restaurant inspection scores for Northwest Georgia.

-New this week: Links to specific reports of restaurants scoring 69 or less.

-North Georgia wineries offer song, swinging vines, Father's Day brunch.

Wednesday reports from the Bartow County Jail. Click & Click

Your latest forecast:

-Thursday:  60% chance of rain, high of 90; low of 68, 30% rain chance.

-Friday:  30% rain chance, high of 94; low of 69, 20% rain chance.

-Weekend preview: Mid-90s, low near 70. 30% rain chance.

-Extended forecast: Click  / Regional radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey 

-College football musical chairs game is under way.

Rome Braves. Sports

-Braves off Wednesday, home tonight-Saturday vs. Greenville.

-Mills Fitzner's home game photos. Click

Graves wins seat in Congress; rematch simmering. Local politics. Calhoun mourns loss of former officer. 50% rain chance.

Please click www.bartowheadlines.com

 

Politics

-Graves wins Ninth Congressional District seat: Tom Graves, a Ranger Republican who resigned from the state House to campaign for the congressional seat Nathan Deal left, will replace Deal. Graves beat Gainesville's Lee Hawkins by a 56.5-43.5 percent margin. Graves won in 12 of 15 counties in the district, including Gordon County (80 percent of the votes went to Graves). Click

-Another tea party win: Graves won the support of the tea party movement early on and it paid off again Tuesday. Graves also was the top vote-getter in the May special election for the unexpired congressional term.

-What's next: Graves, Hawkins and three other Republicans go at it again in the July 20 primary. Graves' win Tuesday only means he'll finish Deal's 2010 term. The Graves-Hawkins race got dirty at the end; how much of that will carry over into the primary? And what will we hear from the three other GOP candidates on it?

-Busy primary season for local, regional candidates. Click Politics

Perdue vetoes bill that included assistance for billion-dollar indoor ski resort new Red Top Mountain. Even more stunning: some people thought this thing actually had a chance. AJC

Wednesday's Buzz:

-Synovus Financial Corp., parent company of GB & T, has declared a penny-a-share dividend payable July 1 to shareholders of record as of June 17.

Tuesday reports from the Bartow County Jail. Click

Dixie Swim Club from Pumphouse Players opens this weekend. Details

June 26: Second Annual Bike Wash hosted by Chapter 376 and Hooter's of Cartersville, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., benefitting Feed the Children. For more, click www.Star376.com

Your latest forecast:

-Wednesday: 50% rain chance, high of 90, low of 69. 

-Thursday:  50% chance of rain, high of 92, low of 69.

-Extended forecast: Click  / Regional radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey 

-So the World Cup begins this week. Read my lips: I couldn't care less.

Rome Braves. Sports

-Charleston pounds Rome Braves, 7-1.

-Braves off Wednesday, home Thursday vs. Greenville.

-Rome Braves place two pitchers, coach on SAL All-Star team.

-Mills Fitzner's home game photos. Click

With primary six weeks off and early voting under way, politics start to sizzle

Please click www.bartowheadlines.com

 

Politics heats up: Primary 6 weeks away; early voting under way.

 

-Today: Parts of Gordon County gets early test with congressional runoff: Graves vs. Hawkins. Link to tonight's results.

-Sudden flurry of candidate forums: One in Rome, two in Bartow; one on the air/web.

-Georgia Young Republicans' straw poll has so-so results for local statewide candidates Preston Smith, John Barge.  

-Early voting in July 20 primary under way. 

 

Smog alert for Bartow County, metro Atlanta today.

 

Your latest forecast:     

 

-Tuesday: High of 91, low of 66.

-Wednesday: 40% rain chance, high of 91, low of 70. 

 

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey

 

-Visualize this: Southern Cal playing Alabama in Russia in early January--outdoors.

 

Rome Braves. Sports 

-Another close one--but in favor of Rome.  Final: 4-3 Braves.

-Braves in Charleston tonght.

-Rome off Wednesday, at home starting Thursday  

-Mills Fitzner's latest game photos. Click