The Buzz of Northwest Georgia:
-Top of the seventh: Rome Braves ready for 2009 season (Click)
-Wachovia branch to get facelift at Berry Crossing
-Party marks fifth anniversary of Q102's Jim & Karli , a rarity these days
-Whole Foods on Boulevard's menu--or vice versa?
-Two new Web sites to check
-More dinner options downtown--and the return of The Beatless
-Focus: Regulator of regional EMS teams running on fumes (Click)
WeatherCenter/brought to you by Roman Court
-Today: Sunny, with a high near 72.
-Tonight: Partly cloudy, low of 38.
-Tuesday: 20% chance of rain, high of 69.
-Tuesday night: 90% chance of showers, storms; low of 50.
-For more, click WeatherCenter
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable / brought to you by Riverside Toyota
-NFL way off base with Matt Stafford; rumors swirl around college basketball jobs> Click Arey
Rome Braves preseason updates
-Former Braves catcher Javy Lopez to throw first pitch Opening Night.
-Single ticket sales under way at State Mutual Stadium
Downtown Headlines
-What's ahead in downtown Rome. Click Downtown
Three-Dot Buzz . . . :
Top of the seventh: A new year for Rome Braves> Ticket, food and beverage discounts headline the "what's new?" column as the Rome Braves begin their seventh season. Mickey Seward reports on what fans can expect starting opening night (April 14) at State Mutual Stadium> Blog
>Coming soon: 2009 opening day roster, additional updates
Wachovia to get a facelift at Berry Crossing: With CVS now open at Martha Berry and the Bypass, look for the Wachovia branch to get some exterior sprucing up. The developers have agreed to do a redesign in exchange for the bank's extending the lease on that site. Click Berry Crossing
Party marks fifth anniversary of 'The Morning Q with
-Q102's Jim and Karli have been together for five years, something of a hallmark these days in the radio business. The program airs weekdays from 6 until 9 a.m. and has been honored by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters. An anniversary party is set for 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Opi's Waterfront with Scott Thompson of Peachtree Station performing> Q102
Whole Foods on Boulevard menu? In terms of sheer promotion, The Boulevard is testing new waters in Northwest Georgia. Sixty- and 90-second animations of the project are now on YouTube (click) and you can follow updates as well via Twitter (click). And if you look at the Twitter "followers" of the site, you'll find an interesting link to Whole Foods Market. It is the corporate link, not a fan-boy site. We've got an e-mail into Whole Foods checking the source.
Two new Web sites to note this week:
-ShopRomeShops.com: This site is a collection of paid photos and ads, linking visitors to the shop in each photo. After an introductory period, the participating merchants will pay $40 a month for exposure. Ian O'Shea is at the keyboard.
-Atlantaunfiltered.com: This is what a news Web site should be: detailed, unfiltered information from a trained investigative reporter. Former AJC writer/editor Jim Walls has assembled an interesting collection of news updates from the metro area. With dozens of other AJC journalists about to be idle, look for additional sites to pop up with varying subjects or "niche" details.
Tearoom adds dinner service starting April 7: Downtown Rome's never-static dining options are growing again. Effective April 7, The Victorian Rose Tearoom and Cafe at 510 Broad St. will serve dinner Tuesdays-Fridays with meals costing from $6.25 to $12.95, says George Kastanias. One difference: No alcohol and that includes carry-ins. The Tearoom is open for lunch Mondays-Fridays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The restaurant has done several special dinners in recent years with very positive buzz.
The return of the Beatless: Rome's favorite Beatles' cover band, The Beatless, will reunite at the June 5 First Friday concert at Bridgepoint Plaza> Beatless
Group monitoring region's EMS units running on fumes
>Budget cuts strap Region 1 EMS, the office that regulates and monitors emergency medical crews serving Northwest Georgia. But help is on the way.
By Natalie Simms
For more than two months, state budget cuts have forced Region 1 Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to coordinate all EMS training and inspections for the Northwest Georgia area with only one person.
It's been a stressful situation that has stretched 
"It's been hard around here doing three jobs," Loftin says. "But things are looking better."
Loftin lost his administrative assistant in October, followed by the training coordinator in January. State budget cuts would not allow Loftin to rehire. The situation left Loftin the lone employee to cover all 16 counties and two health districts in the region.
One person monitoring 30 ambulance services, first responders
Among his many duties, Loftin is responsible for overseeing inspections on all EMS personnel and vehicles at the 30 ambulance services and first responder units in the region, as well as overseeing EMS training at 10 programs in the area.
"The cuts also instituted travel restrictions so we had to conduct a lot of meetings with conference calls," he says. "But it is more efficient now without having to take the time to travel. After the call, you can just go back to work and not have the interruption of travel."
Loftin is recruiting a new training coordinator and hopes to have the position filled by April 16. In addition, the new hire likely will be the person to assume Loftin's post when he retires in September 2010.
"I certainly hope the budgetary things don't keep up so that when I retire, this new person would be able to hire someone to help," says Loftin.
Even though short-handed, new duties assigned to Region 1
Help is something Loftin is glad to see, especially with his workload about to increase. Beginning later this year, Region 1 EMS also will regulate the Emergency Helicopter Service in this area. Region 1 has three helicopters, one in Calhoun and two along the Georgia-Tennessee state line.
"Helicopter service is a vital part of our trauma system here," Loftin says. "Even though they have reduced the number of helicopters in our area, we have not been greatly impacted."
A fourth helicopter previously was stationed in Cartersville but has been moved into the Kennesaw/Marietta area.
"This year, we will begin regulating the helicopter service," Loftin said. "Last year, they petitioned the state to be regulated by EMS because they were afraid to have a less professional service come in to regulate. The helicopter service has always followed national standards and they were afraid others would not. They wanted to be regulated by the highest standards."
The state is now in the process of implementing the rules and regulations for helicopter oversight, and will begin inspections later this year.
Some other good news came last week as the Georgia General Assembly approved a new "Super Speeders" bill that would help fund the state's Trauma Network, including EMS programs.
The bill, passed March 25, now awaits Gov. Sonny Perdue's signature. It calls for a $200 fine for speeders going more than 85 mph on the interstate or four-lane road or 75 mph on two-lane roads. It is estimated that $23 million will be raised the first year.
The funds will be used to support the Georgia Trauma Network.
"Things are looking good with legislation. Since the 'Super Speeders' passed, we should be able to hire back a lot of people at the state level that have been laid off," says Loftin.
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Northwest Georgia's embracing of
Valley to anyone linked to Georgia's highway system: On Friday, as we returned from a free-flowing traffic vacation in booming Florida, we ran into stop-and-go traffic below Hampton. It didn't ease up until we were north of the I-675 intersection; the culprit was listed as an accident. As we idled along, we offered apologies to the out-of-state motorists trapped in the daily mess. We felt guilty for allowing the problem to escalate without any form of leadership whatsoever in traffic management and development. And yet here we are, a state reportedly so welcoming to new business and tourist dollars, and we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot when it comes to traffic. What struck us the most: as we shuffled slowly northward, the session-long power play over DOT "management" continued in nearby Atlanta. Yeah, that's real leadership.
Valley to the latest round of gas price hikes:
This graphic from www.georgiagasprices.com shows how gas prices have jumped in each of the past four summers including record territory last year.
Let's see, the excuse this time out is a supply issue as the refineries switch from "winter blend" to "summer blend" gas. Come June 1, they'll be able to blame the "potential" for hurricane development in the Gulf of Mexico. Next fall, it will be the switch back to "winter blend." We think there's a shorter answer for why gas prices are soaring again: the spring travel season is upon us and the summer road wars are about to begin. Any guesses on what a gallon of unleaded will cost by June 1?
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