Hometown Headlines

YMCA launches 'Tomorrow' campaign; goal set at $2.5 million: Renovation of Second Avenue campus, endowment funds part of the effort. Some $1.4 million already is committed toward the project> YMCA

>How to track Thursday's Shorter-Western Carolina game> Football
>Braves begin final home stand of 2008 this Thursday: This is your last chance to see the 2008 edition of the Rome Braves with night games set for Thursday-Saturday (fireworks following Saturday night's game) and then 2 p.m. Sunday and 1 p.m. Monday. Next home game: April 14, 2009> Rome Braves

>Rome's Kudzu Vine Web cast goes live with special DNC shows: The Kudzu Vine Web cast is doing live 30-minute shows from the Pepsi Center all week at 6 p.m. EDT. Scott Akemon and Dave McLaughlin are talking with people from the convention center. The Heading Left Network is carring the shows live as well> Kudzu

>Thursday/District 11 congressional hopeful Bud Gammon is hosting a Democratic National Convention watching party at The Forum starting at 6 p.m Aug. 28 and ending with Barack Obama's acceptance speech.$10 per person and a cash bar will be available> FCDP

>Links to help you track Thursday's Shorter-Western Carolina game. Plus: Preview shows begin on radio. And: John McClellan's game-by-game predictions for Friday night> Football

Unity football kicks off today, tonight: Unity Christian's middle school football program has its first pep rally and football game totoday. The pep rally will be held at 2:50 p.m. at the Upper Campus on the bypass and the game is at Grizzard Park at 6 p.m.

Norman Arey, Northwest Georgia's most experienced sports journalist, wraps up his annual series of college football previews today. Starting Friday, "Norman's No-Nos," Arey's weekly pick of football losers, returns>Arey

>Today: And the two coaches who will be on opposite sides of the field on the night of the national title game will be ...

>The latest on Gustav: Gustav could be targeting the Gulf Coast by early next week> Gustav

>The south leg of Old Rockmart Road, from Ga. 101 to the Polk County line, will be reduced to one lane from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28. There could be traffic delays in the work zones. Use Ga. 101 to avoid the construction area.

Take a minute to complete online litter survey: Keep Rome Floyd Beautiful seeks our answers to some quick, key questions about litter and our community. For more, click Litter

Latest prices: Gas prices dropped nine cents a gallon since Aug. 15. Statewide, the average: $3.56. A year ago: we were paying $2.61.

	Bartow	Chattooga	Floyd	Gordon	Polk	Georgia
Ticker	Down	Down	Down	Down	Down	Down
Range	$3.46- $3.60	$3.32- $3.60	$3.40- $3.72	$3.43- $3.70	$3.41- $3.65	$3.56
Links	Cartersville	Summerville	Rome	Calhoun	Cedartown	State

Gingrey plans town hall meeting on energy

>Wednesday in Cedartown: U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey is holding a town hall meeting on energy costs from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the State Patrol office, 73 Cline Ingram Jackson Road. The event is free and open to all. For more: 770 429-1776.

DOT projects on hold for holiday weekend: All scheduled and ongoing construction-related lane closures in Northwest Georgia, including the concrete paving project on I-75 between Barrett Parkway and Glade Road, would be suspended for the Labor Day weekend, beginning at 5 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 29, 2008, and extending to 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Source: DOT

13th Annual Pansy Sale to benefit Network Day Service Center Inc. under way: The Network Day Service Center, celebrating 54 years assisting the mentally and physically challenged persons of our community, is sponsoring the annual pansies sale with paid orders due by 5 p.m. Sept. 28. The rates are $15 per flat or two flats for $28. Pickup is Friday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Orders and checks can be sent to: Network Day Service Center Inc., P.O. Box 1346, Rome, 30162-1346. For more, call Ginger Grant at 706-232-2879 or Karen Smith, 706-676-5924.

>Closer look at 'Armas auction.' Site has 150-plus pictures of what's for sale

Wachovia Securities Stock Market News, Commentary: Check the latest from Wall Street and commentary updated three times each business day from Wachovia Securities. Chief Market Strategist Al Goldman keeps you abreast of the latest stock market news, market activity and economic reports in his commentaries>Market News

Each day, Hometown Headlines posts headlines and links to the state's top business stories provided by Georgia Trend and Georgia Daily Digest. Look for these updates by 9 each morning.

-U.S. Senate energy compromise coalition expands; House GOP members keep protest for energy bill alive

-Denver: Barnes delivers stemwinder, rips GOP-led Legislature & Perdue; -Marshall keeps his distance from Democratic convention; Jimmy Carter says Obama is 'prepared'

-AJC on State Budget Crisis: Spending cuts must be strategic and selective; Alexander: Working toward a better system

Thursday/Latest Federal Grant Supermarket: U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey's latest Federal Grant Supermarket is from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Kennesaw State University. Topics include grant writing, small business tips and updates; and meetings with federal agency representatives. The event is free and open to all. For more: Casey.Sims@mail.house.gov or contact Gingrey’s office at (706) 290-1776.

Thursday/Groundbreaking set for Pine Ridge Apartments: Charles Williams REIC is planning a 10:30 a.m. groundbreaking ceremony for Pine Ridge Apartments at 64 Lyons Drive off Shorter Avenue in West Rome. It is being called a "first-of-its-kind, multimillion-dollar project."

Thursday/District 11 congressional hopeful Bud Gammon is hosting a Democratic National Convention watching party at The Forum starting at 6 p.m Aug. 28 and ending with Barack Obama's acceptance speech.$10 per person and a cash bar will be available> FCDP

Friday/Business EXPO booths available with $50 discounts: Booths for the annual Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce Business Expo are now available. The event is set for Friday, Nov. 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.. Those reserving before Aug. 29 get a corner spot for $280 ($330 starting Aug. 30) or a regular spot for $255 ($305 starting Aug. 30). Booths are eight by 10 feet and come with a table, two chairs, power and WiFi. This year's theme: "Rome for the Holidays...You Can't Beat Home Sweet Rome." Contact Alison Smith at asmith@romega.com or (706) 291-7663 ext. 306. Also available: corporate sponsorships. Expo details> Click

Friday/Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home presents 'Tommy Wildcat Returns': The Oklahoma Nammy award winning Cherokee flutist shares the culture and music of the Cherokee at 7 p.m. Also performing will be local songwriter- storyteller Gary Greene. He's a tour guide from New Echota. Adults $5, children under 12, $2. For information, call 706 291-9494.

Saturday-Sunday/19th Annual Running Water Powwow, Cherokee Homecoming and Ripe Corn Festival at Ridge Ferry Park. Hours: 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $7 (ages 13-69); free under 12, 70 and over. For complete details, click Running Water Powwow

Saturday/Floyd EMA, Braves team up on emergency preparedness: Floyd County's Emergency Management Agency is giving away 10 weather radios and 100 emergency preparedness kits at the Aug. 30 Rome Braves-Columbus Catfish game> EMA

Monday/Knights of Columbus BBQ set for Civic Center: The annual St. Mary's Knights of Columbus barbecue fund-raiser is set for 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Rome Civic Center. Tickets are on sale now. For more, click Dining

Monday/Poinsettia sale begins: The Junior Service League of Rome will be holding it's annual Poinsettia Sale beginning Sept. 1 and the last day to get your order in is Nov. 1. Proceeds go to benefit the Chieftains Museum and provide school supply kits for needy children in the Rome and Floyd County schools. The contact number is 678-986-0979 or 770-878-0598. Pick up will be available at the Rome Civic Center on Dec. 4-5 fro 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.> JSL

Sept. 2/Floyd County Republican Women will meet for lunch at Sassafras Grille, 11:30 a.m. Irwin Bagwell, candidate for county commissioner, and Elizabeth Rhodes, Campaign Director for U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey are the speakers.

>Thursday, Sept. 4 at Pepperell High School: The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the school auditorium with a student musical performance.

>Monday, Sept. 8 at Armuchee High School: The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the school auditorium. Glenwood Primary and Armuchee Elementary students will assist with the pledge and the national anthem. The Armuchee Middle and Armuchee High bands will perform.

>Thursday, Sept. 11 at Coosa High: The meeting will begin at 6:30 in the school auditorium with a student musical performance.

Sept. 4/Shannon rec center plans subject of town hall: The Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority is hosting a Town Hall Meeting to share plans for the new Shannon Recreation Center. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Shannon Park Scout Hut. Included: updates on approved plans and construction timelines for the recreation center. Click tentative plans

Sept. 5/Annual Swing for Kids Golf Classic set: The 14th Annual Swing for Kids Golf Classic, benefiting the clients of the Rome-Floyd County Commission on Children and Youth, is set for Friday, Sept. 5, at Stonebridge Golf Club. The honorary co-chairs of this year's benefit are state Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome, and state Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome. Presented by ServiceMaster, the tournament begins with registration, lunch and a silent auction from 10:30 until 11:45 a.m. Click Classic.

Sept. 7/Jesus in the Park set for noon-7 p.m. at Ridge Ferry Park: This year's celebration, the tenth, includes free admission, free food, free games/inflatables and music. It is open to all and is sponsored by the Youth of Trinity United Methodist Church. For more, click www.jesusinthepark.net or www.trinityumcrome.org

Sept. 27/Baby and Kid Fair: Twenty booths remain for the Babies R Us Second Annual Northwest Georgia Baby and Kid Fair set for Sept. 27 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at The Forum. Scheduled: a diaper derby, a maternity fashion show, a chance to win a year's supply of diapers. 10-foot by 10-foot booths are $250; non-profit rate: $200. Contact: J. Queen Events, jqueenevents@gmail.com or go to www.nwgababyfair.com

Sept. 27/Berry College Battle of the Bands, 4-7 p.m. Brooke from The Real World is emceeing the event followed by a Rock the Vote speech. Entry is $25 for Berry students; $40 for non-Berry dtudents. All ages welcome for entry. $500 prize. For more, call 706-236-2293 or e-mail kcab@berry.edu. Deadline: Sept. 12.

Sept. 29/Peifer, a CNN Hero for 'championing the children, to speak: Steve Peifer, one of seven CNN Heroes last year, will speak to the Rome community Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. in Darlington School’s Morris Chapel. A college counselor at Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe, Kenya, Peifer was CNN’s “championing the children” honoree for his work in feeding Kenyan children in 25 schools and establishing solar-powered computer training centers in remote areas of Kenya. For more information, call 706-802-4391.> Darlington

Now-Oct. 24/'Rivers Run Through It.' Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home announces the new exhibit, "Rivers Run Through It." Learn about the part the rivers played in our area from the time of the Cherokees to the early years of Rome's history. There are displays of ferries, riverboats and more. The three rivers brought people here, now see how we have used them. Now-Oct. 24. Chieftains is open Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.. Call: 706- 291-9494.> Chieftains

Kiwanis Club meetings: Here's a look at this month's Kiwanis Club speakers. Members meet Mondays at Harvest Moon: Kiwanis

>Sept. 1: Labor Day, no program
>Sept. 8: Dr. Bruce Conn, Dean, School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences and Professor of Biology, Berry College
>Sept. 15: Leif Penrose, Instructional Technology, Coosa Valley Technical College
>Sept. 22: Tamara Tillman, Minister of Education and Administration, First Baptist Church

Noon Optimists' meetings: The Noon Optimist Club of Rome meets on Mondays at 11:45 a.m. at Bistro 239. The public is welcome. For more information, please e-mail noonoptimists@comcast.net

Toastmasters meet twice a month: The Rome Toastmasters meet on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 6 p.m. at the library. Web site E-mail

>Sept. 12: Dr. Craig McDaniel and Hal Storey, co-chairs of the committee for the upcoming education SPLOST.

>Sept. 19: Dan Balfour, state senator. His main topic "Scattered, Smothered and Covered...the Story of Waffle House."

>Sept. 26: Dr. Gayland Cooper, Superintendent of Rome City Schools. Do test scores really tell the tale?

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