Heat index of 105 today. Schools start. Cartersville council meets tonight.

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More sizzle on tap today; heat index of 105 expected.

-Wednesday's numbers: High of 98; heat index hit 105.

-Heat advisory in effect through 8 p.m. Advisory

-Air quality alert for Bartow County, Atlanta. Click

-Thursday: High of 96; low of 73. 40% rain chance. Heat index of 105.

-Friday: High of 94; low of 70. 40% rain chance. Heat index of 100.

-Weekend: No relief; upper 90s.

-Forecast: Click  / Regional animated radar

A stadium sizzler on Wednesday: The Rome Braves-Savannah SandGnats matinee started at 1 p.m. amid 98-degree heat. By the seventh-inning stretch, it was 103 degrees. The Braves won, 5-3. Click.

- Photo by Mills Fitzner/Gallery

City of Cartersville schools open today.

-What's new: Complete back-to-school guide, online. Click

-Complete 2010-11 curriculum calendar: Click

What's ahead in Bartow County:

-Aug. 5: Second Annual Tailgating for a Cause, 6 p.m., Taylor's Lake. Details

-Aug. 5: Cartersville City Council, 7 p.m. Hear it live on WBHF 1450 AM or Web cast here on Bartow Headlines. Work session begins at 6 p.m.

-Aug. 6: Family Fun Night, downtown Cartersville, from 7:30-11:30 p.m., sponsored by Coosa Valley Credit Union. Music, games and at twilight, "The Wizard of Oz."

-Aug. 7: Tellus Science Museum's "Night at the Museum 2010" from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. From astronauts to paleontologists, the galleries of the museum will be filled with some of the brightest minds in science. Join us for an event perfect for the whole family. Tickets are on sale now and are $10 for Members and $20 for Non-Members. Tickets can be purchased at the front desk or by calling 770-606-5700 ext. 431.

Politics

-House District 14 runoff candidates on radio today, Monday: -Republicans Christian Coomer and Shep Helton took part in a Q&A with WBHF AM 1450's Earnestine Young Jones Wednesday afternoon. You can hear the conversation this morning beginning at 9:30 a.m. via the webcast on Bartow Headlines.com. The program will be broadcast again Monday at 9:30 a.m., the day before the runoff. The district includes parts of Floyd and Bartow counties.

-Advance voting continues through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Bartow County Annex Building, 105 N. Bartow St., or Cartersville Civic Center, 435 W. Main St. Primary runoff ballot

-Bartow County Elections Supervisor, Joseph Kirk expects 10 percent turnout Tuesday.

Hibbett Sports' expansion at Riverbend Center in Rome just about done

This photo, taken Wednesday, shows how the expanded Hibbett Sports will look. The wall lined with merchandise is on the "Kroger" side of the store. The shop is expanding into Chico's former store at Riverbend Center.

-Just like with the recent Wal-Mart makeovers, the expansion of the Hibbett Sports store at Riverbend Center is continuing -- as are daily operations. Many of the walls of the former Chico's store at Riverbend are stocked with fall football equipment and other gear. Meanwhile, crews continue to remove the wall that separated the original Hibbett spot and Chico's. Carpeting is due over the weekend with the project's completion a week or so away. Chico's closed in January.

Frugal, savings, coupon sites on the rise in Northwest Georgia:

-The stubborn economy has just about all of us looking for a better way to save money. And today's media is being used to scratch that itch. For several months, Amie Brown of Rome has been posting online and on Facebook details of her savings adventures. Click The Thrill of the Deal. Her latest: snagging a box of Special K for 63 cents at Walgreens.

-Now comes Frugal Connect, the latest from Jerry Duke, one of the creators of Rome News Wire. (Click). Duke's new site features some common sense articles about shopping (i.e., discount bread stores) and even some out-there topics such as buying chickens to produce eggs--and pest control as well as compost. The frugal name is a popular one among those starting locally based discount sites.

-Another new site is brewing to help scratch that coupon itch in Northwest Georgia.

-It is a popular topic. Hometown Headlines got a solid response from a coupon-cutting feature by Natalie Simms earlier this year. Click

Dining & Drink

-Two wine tastings, one wine dinner set for this month in Floyd, Bartow counties. D & D

-Latest updates from the North Georgia wineries. WVN

-Later today: Public health restaurant inspection scores for Northwest Georgia. D & D

Thursday's Buzz (subscribe here)

-Euharlee votes to put Sunday alcohol sales issue on November ballot, according to WBHF AM 1450. Click

-Shorter named to Princeton's 'best of the Southeast' for sixth time. Click

-GSD's Kimberly McGuiness earns Presidential Citizens Medal. Click

-Community could qualify for two 'Opportunity Zones': The Cartersville-Bartow County Department of Economic Development has partnered with the City of Cartersville and Bartow County to apply for two Opportunity Zones due to "sudden and severe economic distress" created by the significant job losses and business closures of Mohawk Industries, Trinity Rail Group and Wheeler's Building Supply. Click

Wednesday's Bartow County Jail reports. Click & Click

-City of Cartersville's Fire Hydrant Testing locations: Aug. 5 and Aug. 9-10

Weather: Another summer steamer--with a bad air day, too. 

-Heat advisory in effect through 8 tonight; no relief. Advisory

-Air quality alert for Bartow County, metro Atlanta. Click

-Thursday: High of 98; low of 72. 20% rain chance. Heat index of 107.

-Friday: High of 98; low of 71. 40% rain chance. Heat index of 107.

-Weekend:  Mid 90s, low 70s, 20-30% chance of rain.

-Forecast: Click  / Regional animated radar

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey 

-Who are the college coaches who absolutely can't afford to lose their opener?  

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-Braves take third straight, 5-3.

-Tonight at 7: Savannah at Rome.  Friday-Tuesday, in Greenville.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos. (Click)