Cartersville's AM 1270 returns in January. Latest Christmas updates. Rain returns today, Christmas Eve

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Media:
-Cartersville's WYXC 1270 AM returns in January: Almost a year after going "dark," Cartersville's WYXC 1270 AM is returning to the airwaves--and with some familiars. Tommy Young says a silent partner has stepped up to help the station return, either by Jan. 10 or perhaps Jan. 17.
-Here's why the newspaper looks smaller each week: Online ad revenue spending tops newspapers this year. "Digital advertising in the U.S. will exceed ads in newspapers for the first time in 2010, as marketers follow consumers online and digital messages are viewed as more reliable than print." Click for more.

Christmas updates:
-All construction-related lane closures in Northwest Georgia will be suspended for the Christmas holidays, beginning at noon Thursday and continuing until 5 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 27.
-Rising gas prices--Merry Christmas? Just in time for that holiday trip, you're seeing gas prices are at their highest level since October 2008. We're paying 45 cents more a gallon than we did a year ago. Georgia Gas Prices

Tuesday's Buzz
-Amazon finalizes deal for two fulfillment centers near Chattanooga. Details

Monday's Bartow County Jail reports. Incident Reports // Jail Intake Report

Your latest forecast:
-Tuesday: High of 48; 30% chance of rain. Low of 45.
-Wednesday: High of 54; low of 30.
-Christmas Eve: 50% chance of rain, low of 37.
-Christmas Day: 20% rain chance, high of 44, low of 26.

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey
-Tebow's first NFL start wasn't bad. Unfortunate but true, Michael Vick may be MVP.

Latest updates from the chamber of commerce, including annual meeting updates. Click Chamber.

What's ahead in Bartow County:
-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

Mixed reports from downtown Cartersville retailers as Christmas shopping season enters final days. Tellus ready for big lunar show. Weather: Low 50s, warmer nights this week.

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The Buzz of Northwest Georgia. Buzz

-Christmas shopping 2010: Mostly thumbs up from Rome, Cartersville and Calhoun retailers. And wait until you read about the Dec. 26 sales.
-Rome ReSale: Group's idea is to accept donated clothing, furniture, etc., sell it and channel the proceeds to local charities.
-Triple Threat Arts Co. opening in January.
-Indoor dirt track for hobby racing fans part of Turtle Trax in Cartersville.
-Tracking Santa: Watch Christmas Eve as NORAD tracks St. Nick.
-Peaks & Valleys: NAIA experience, 'ice road commuters.'

Your latest forecast:
-Monday: High of 50, low of 32.
-Tuesday: High of 52; 20% chance of rain. Low of 44.
-Christmas Eve: 30% chance of rain, low of 38.
-Christmas Day: Mostly sunny, high of 46.

Dec. 20-21: Lunar eclipse means an all-nighter at Tellus -- for staff and guests:

Sunday's Bartow County Jail reports. Incident Reports // Jail Intake Report

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey
-Mark Cuban is talking the talk, now let's see him actually walk the walk

Latest updates from the chamber of commerce, including annual meeting updates. Click Chamber.

What's ahead in Bartow County:
-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

Bartow picked for billion-dollar sports, mixed use campus. NAIA football weekend in Rome. Weather: No snow but rain, cooler temps

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Billion-dollar sports/mixed-use development announced for Emerson

-Just let the numbers tell the story of what  LakePoint Sports Development Group plans for 1,380 acres front I-75 and backing up to U.S. 41 . According to a story in today's Cartersville Daily Tribune News, the project would feature sports fields, entertainment, shopping, hotels, dining and "educational campuses."

 

Latest weather forecast:

-Friday: Some sun, high of 48, low of 34; 20% chance of rain overnight.

-Saturday: 40% rain chance. High of 47, low 27.

-Sunday: High of 48, low of 25.

-Extended forecast: Click / Regional radar: Click

NAIA football championship updates: Sold-out banquet tonight

Members of the Carroll College Fighting Saints meet with Main Elementary students

on Thursday. For more, click NAIA photos. Photo by Dana Thompson/Shorter.

-You'll be seeing more of the players and some of the fans for Sioux Falls and Carroll today as the championship game draws closer. The teams will again visit some area schools. Tonight, the Banquet of Champions begins at 6:30 p.m. at The Forum, and is a sellout. At 8 p.m., Fanatic Friday premieres at Town Green. It is free and open to all. Events

-Coosa's Van Curen, Calhoun's Parlo named 'Champions of Character': Jared Van Curen of Coosa High School and Blaire Parlo of Calhoun High School were recognized as recipients of the Greene's Jewelers 2010 Champions of Character High School Athlete Award. Details.

-Additional updates on the NAIA game, upcoming events. Click

Final Christmas shopping blitz begins

We've seen Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now it's 7-and-Counting -- that is shopping days left before Christmas. What's on tap:

-Mount Berry Square is open until 11 p.m. now through Thursday (OK, 10 p.m. Sunday). The mall also opens at 8 this morning and 7 a.m. Saturday.

-Cotton Block Friday's Christmas Market and Crafts Bazaar is tonight from 5 to 7 and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

-Calhoun Premium Outlets is operating pretty much at 12-hour days, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., except Sunday and Christmas Eve.

-The Belk store in Cartersville is open today from 8 a.m. until midnight and from 6 a.m. until midnight Saturday.

Thursday's Bartow County Jail reports.  Incident Reports // Jail Intake Report

Latest updates from the chamber of commerce, including annual meeting updates. Click Chamber.

Loudermilk, lawmakers reject pay increase: The Legislative Affairs Committee of the Georgia General Assembly has voted to forego the "cost of living" salary increase scheduled to be given state employees. This marks the third consecutive year the legislature has decided not to take the cost of living salary increase. "Throughout our state, businesses and individuals are cutting costs just to make ends meet during this economic downturn.  I believe the government and elected officials should be expected to operate in this way as well," said Sen.-Elect Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville. Lawmakers are paid an annual salary of $17,341. (Media release)

What's ahead in Bartow County:

-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.

-Dec. 20-21: Lunar eclipse means an all-nighter at Tellus -- for staff and guests:-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

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey

-Here are Norman's No-Nos to kick off the ridiculously long 35-game bowl season.

Rome Braves/State Mutual Stadium. Click Sports

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

Latest weather updates for Cartersville, Bartow County: snow Friday night? Mixed report on jobs: unemployment applications drop but so does job count. Restaurant scores.

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Continuing updates on the weather, closings, delays and area roads all day.

First-time job claims in November drop from same month last year BUT soar when compared to October 2010 reports.
-Rome/Floyd loses 300 jobs between November 2009-last month.
-County-by-county look at first-time jobless claims.

What's ahead in Bartow County: Cartersville City Council meets.

Coming Friday: WBHF AM 1450 is hinting at a big announcement. Tune in beginning at 6 a.m. for details.

NAIA football championship events, practices under way.
-Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Barron Stadium; 30% rain chance, high of 45.

Latest public health restaurant inspection scores for Northwest Georgia.

WorkReady program salutes Georgia Northwestern Technical College's economic development team.
-Governor's Office of Highway Safety awards grants to Pepperell, Coosa High schools. Details
-Redmond Regional receives Silver Plus performance award. Click
-Latest edition of Virtually Shorter now posted. Hawks

Norman Arey's Sports Commentary. Arey
- No SEC team makes it into the top five of next year's preseason college ranking.

Rome Braves/State Mutual Stadium. Click Sports
-Search under way for new manager as 'designated manager' takes job with Houston Astros instead.

Final high school football polls of 2010.
-Darlington, Calhoun ranked.

Dining Guide. Click
-Latest updates on restaurant changes, health inspection scores.

Wine News Vine. Wine
-Upcoming events at the North Georgia

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.

Highlights from Monday's Carterville Board of Education meeting

(Media release) In the regular December meeting of the Cartersville City Board of Education, the Board approved a resolution supporting the efforts of buying from local vendors. The School Board’s Resolution to Purchase Goods and Services in Bartow County lends support to buying local products and services when it is the most cost effective for taxpayers. The school system spends over $41 million annually in salaries, services and products and lends its support to local companies and suppliers when it is reasonable to do so. In the meeting, Superintendent Howard Hinesley shared the system’s appreciation for local businesses and the community in previous SPLOST votes which support the school system and in return the Board shares in the philosophy to support local expenditures when feasible.
-The Board also approved a Joint Resolution with the City Council for the refinancing of outstanding general obligation bonds. The resolution begins the process of the future refinancing of bonds when the market is favorable. This refinancing action has the potential of saving school system tax monies between $500,000 and $1 million in interest on the bonds used to finance the remodeling of Cartersville High School, as it will allow the system to pay off the bonds earlier.
-The Board approved changes in two Board policies. Policy DK-Student Activity Funds was modified to include outside organizations and support groups in the use of trademarks, logos, and marketing information. Outside organizations and support groups, such as clubs, must use the schools’ financial accounting systems in the raising of funds and fund disbursements and prevents those groups from using the Cartersville School brand without permission from the Board. Changes in Policy KHE-Gifts to Schools requires those gifts and donations to be in line with Board policy so that the school system is not placed in a situation of inequity or obligate the system to immediate or future expenditures. The policy also requires employees to accept gifts and donation on behalf of the school or a program only as approved by the Board. These changes bring the policies in line with previous policy changes and are meant to protect the system and its employees.
-The Board approved an amendment to the Superintendent’s contract that extends Dr. Howard Hinesley’s employment to June 30, 2014, commencing on July 1, 2011. State law prevents employment contracts from going beyond three years at any given time. The amendment to the contract has no effect on the amount of compensation to be paid to the superintendent.
-The Board approved budget parameters for the 2011-2012 school year. The parameters give guidance to administrators in developing next year’s budgets and represent no changes from the current year.
-The slate of personnel recommendations was approved as presented.
-The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Cartersville School Board is scheduled for Monday, January 10, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. The Board’s Work Session will be held on Thursday, January 6, at 6:00 p.m.

Near-record low today; freezing rain Wednesday? Plus: Cartersville updates

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More cold today; concerns about Wednesday
-15 degrees 'official' low so far: The record low is 14 degrees set Dec. 14, 1960, so we're close at 6 a.m.
-Closings/delays: The Appalachian campus of Chattahoochee Tech is opening late, at 10 a.m. Statewide closings: WSB TV
-Tuesday: Sunny, high of 31, low 18.
-Wednesday: 40-60% chance of freezing rain, high of 39, low of 33.

Rome's City Center: Kohl's, Dick's, Best Buy, Hobby Lobby?
-A little surprise popped up on the LoopNet real estate site: a solicitation for tenants for City Center, a new "power center" retail spot with 342,248 square feet planned by R.H. Ledbetter Properties at Riverside Parkway and Turner McCall. -The major anchors are listed as Hobby Lobby, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods and Best Buy.

CMC's Phoebe Stieber named 'Hospital Hero' by Ga. Hospital Association:
-Cartersville Medical launches 'hospitalists' program:

Monday's Bartow County Jail reports. Click and 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. 11-Feb. 15: The Grand Theatre offering Youth Acting Classes for grades 2-5 and grades 6-12. Details

Norman Arey's Sports Commentary. Arey
-That's dedication, folks, when you voluntarily take a $300,000 cut in pay.

Rome Braves/State Mutual Stadium. Click Sports
-Awaiting word on new manager for the Rome Braves as Runge has joined the Astros' organization.