Hometown Headlines

Update/70% chance of snow, sleet tonight; 90% chance Tuesday

-Tonight: 70% chance of rain, possibly mixed with snow, mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
-Tuesday: 90% chance of rain, possibly mixed with snow, before 1 p.m, then a chance of rain. High near 46. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
-Tuesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

-Flood warnings continue: Oostanaula River in Gordon County, affecting Floyd, too; Coosa River near Plant Hammond.

-Extended forecast> Click / Regional radar

'RACA is not going away,' says group president as Broad Street site closes: Broad Street is buzzing about the loss of the Rome Area Council for the Arts at 248 Broad St. The arts group could wind up in a vacant building on West Third Street. Sherry Childs, the group's president, stressed this morning that "RACA is not going away" and that the arts group will "reorganize, reinvent and re-emerge" in Rome. A formal statement is due later today; an announcement on a new location is pending some final negotiations. What is known: RACA will leave Broad Street and Executive Director Rebecca Koontz has been laid off, the last of RACA's paid staff. -RACA's officials statement> Click

-Because of the closure of the RACA Broad Street gallery, the Rome-Art Coterie meeting on Tuesday will be at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m.

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-SMS auction takes in $90,000: Wright Ledbetter of R. H. Ledbetter Properties Inc. examines a Giclee limited edition canvas of Saint Mary’s Church painted by Dr. Christine Colley, one of many items up for bid at the Saint Mary’s School live auction on Saturday night at The Forum. Preliminary reports show the auction took in more than $90,000. Says April Camp, auction chair:

“The evening was a success thanks to many volunteers, including parents, parishioners, friends and businesses. It truly is an event for the whole community.”

-Darlington seniors Madde Briggs and A.J. White have been named finalists in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program> Merit

-Luke Weeks, a senior at Coosa High School, is a Finalist in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program> Merit

-Model High School classes of 1966, '67 and '68 are planning a class reunion for this summer. If you graduated with these classes and would like to help with planning, please attend the next meeting on Saturday March 13, at the Landmark Restuarant at 11:45 a.m. Also, if you were a member of these classes or were a teacher, we share your contact information. Contact Eddie Couch at 706-266-5988 or by e-mail to Sandy Rickman Davis at nananonsense@comcast.net.

-Feb. 21/Shorter Athletics' Third Annual Hawks Football Banquet, 4:30pm. The banquet will take place on the arena floor of the Winthrop-King Centre. Tickets are $15.00 per person.

-The American College of Cancer Specialists recognizes Dr. Paul B. Brock, a Harbin Clinic general surgeon, as a distinguished master> Health

-RFPRA Youth Soccer Registration is now open> Rome Kids

Today's updates:

-Romans mourning the loss of Scott Hines: E-mail and Facebook updates are flying tonight with word of the loss of Scott Hines, owner of Pro Performance. Early word has it that he died while running with friends at Berry College today with a massive heart attack the suspected cause> Friends mourn

-Latest update from state Rep. Barry Loudermilk> Click

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable> Arey?

-Bowden loses wins; Favre may start feeling pressure; Duke-UNC basketball: who cares?

Sports/Rome Braves/State Mutual Stadium> Sports

-2010 Braves Brigade tryouts set for Feb. 20.

-Registration, training begin for 3rd Berry Half Marathon March 6.

Tickets on sale for the Rome-Floyd Sports Hall of Fame dinner> Click

-Looking for a different way to celebrate Valentine's Day? Try the North Georgia wineries. Plus: Three Sisters (chocolate celebration), Wolf Mountain reopen this weekend.

Army Reserve Capt. Chris Parker's journey to Iraq: Track the Rome teacher as he deploys for service in Iraq> Capt. Parker

Registration is now open for the Rome High School Run with the Wolves 5K Road Race and 2-Mile Health Walk at State Mutual Stadium on Feb. 20. This is a fast, flat and certified course. Details Saturday, Feb. 20, with registration at 7 a.m., the race at 8:30 a.m. and the walk at 8:40 a.m. Advance registration should be postmarked by Feb. 15; the early entry fee is $15; day of race, $20. All pre-registered runners and walkers will receive a T-shirt. For information and a printable registration form, visit www.rcs.rome.ga.us/rhs -- click on the Run with the Wolves icon or go to Active.com for online registration. Proceeds will benefit Rome High School PTSO Academics. For more: 706-766-8845 or smcelhone3@comcast.net.

Parks & Rec offering weight loss prize: The Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority is launching Better Weight Than Ever, a new program for adults to encourage healthy lifestyles and provide an incentive for those looking to jump start weight-loss goals. Participants must be at least 16 years old and register in teams of two. Teams with the largest percentage of weight loss after 14 weeks win $300. To participate, register Feb 1-5 at the Etowah Senior Center from 9 am to 8 pm. Cost is $50 per team.> Details

-From academics and athletics to volunteerism and unsung heroes, meet the Noon Optimist Club's 2010 Students of the Year> Students of the Year

Hometown Headlines has created Rome Business Links, a new group directly linking Northwest Georgia business owners an operators with others in our market who also use Linked In. This group is open to all and is designed as a fast-reference directory. It is designed to serve as a "hub" for local Linked In users, much the same way as our Rome, Ga., Facebook Directory, which now has close to 2,400 members> Click

-Feb. 9/Rome Young Republicans meeting, 6:30 p.m., 333 on Broad. Guests: Maria Sheffield, candidate for Insurance Commissioner, and Sam Olenscandidate for Attorney General. Contact: romeyoungrepublicans@gmail.com

-Feb. 12/Barnes keynote speaker at Chattooga chamber banquet: Former Gov. Roy Barnes will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce beginning at 7 p.m. at the Chattooga County Civic Center. Barnes is a Democratic candidate for governor this year.

Senate unanimously passes Sen. Preston Smith’s bill to allow licensed, out-of-state emergency personnel to assist the state in the event of a disaster> Senate

'The Druck Report' local business update now on WRGA: Local business news, updates and analysis can be heard each weekday at 7:40 a.m., 12:40 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. on WRGA 1470 AM. The program delivers a different perspective on current and upcoming business reports found on Hometown Headlines each day. Retail, restaurants, residential and commercial real estate, banks and credit unions, healthcare, tourism, colleges, media and sports/business will anchor our reports. Please join us for The Druck Report.

>In Bartow County, you can hear Web casts of news and sporting events from WBHF 1450 AM on www.bartowheadlines.com.

-'Rome, Ga, Facebook Directory' at 2,300 members: The popular social media network has a booming group of users in Rome/Floyd County. Hometown Headlines has created a Rome directory group open to all. Add your name: Rome, Ga., Facebook Directory

-Join HometownHeadlines.com's Linked In group: We're forming a network of local professionals and other colleagues interested in community topics. The group is open to all. Click Hometown

February/Erasing the Color Line exhibit at Oak Hill: Oak Hill and The Martha Berry Museum will present Erasing the Color Line, an exhibition detailing the story of integration at Berry College, throughout the month of February. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for students/children. There is no charge for admission for children ages 6 and under. In the fall of 1964, Berry accepted three black students. It was, as President John Bertrand stated, “better to face change and to get on with the job at hand than to be caught in a web of floundering resistance.” At a time when schools across the South were wracked by violence and dissent, Berry transitioned from its roots as a school for “poor, Anglo-Saxon children” to an integrated institution quietly and peacefully. Click www.berry.edu/oakhill.

Feb. 9/The Language and Literacy Center is hosting an informational volunteer recruitment meeting at the Village at Maplewood on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 1:30 p.m. This event will be open to all current residents in the Village at Maplewood, as well as to the general public in our area. The meeting will inform participants about volunteer opportunities available in tutoring adult students who want to improve their reading and education abilities. The Language and Literacy Center, located on the second floor of the Rome-Floyd Library, is a joint program of Georgia Northwestern Technical College and the Rome-Floyd Library. The Language program provides three levels of English-as-a-Second Language classroom instruction. Day and evening classes are available with quarterly registration. All services are offered free of charge. Details: Barbara Raybon, 706-236-4617 or: braybon@romelibrary.org

Feb. 9/Floyd County School Board, 7 p.m.: The meeting will be held in the board room in the central office on Riverside Parkway. The board caucus meeting precedes each regularly scheduled meeting and begins at 6 p.m.

Feb. 12/R.O.M.E. presents the Clock Tower Jazz Ensemble and the Clock Tower Soul Review performing ‘Heart and Soul 3’ at 7:30 p.m. at the Rome City Auditorium. The 18-piece band and four outstanding vocalists will perform love songs from the swing era plus many of Motown’s greatest hits. Everyone is welcome to listen and dance to songs by Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, the Temptations, and much more. Tickets are $10 for singles and $15 for couples and are available at Kroger’s and at the door. For more information, contact Sam Baltzer at 706-233-7285 or sbaltzer@shorter.edu.

Feb.13/Rome Area History Museum hosts Mother/Daughter Valentine's Tea at 3 p.m. Enjoy tea, goodies and games with daughter, granddaughter or great-granddaughter. Free event for members and daughters. Other guests are $5 per mother/daughter duo. For more info, call 706-235-8051.

Feb. 15/Rome Fencing Club will start a class for beginners. Class will run six consecutive Monday nights at Trinity United Methodist Church on Turner McCall Boulevard in the Martha King Building from 6 to 8 p.m.. The class is open to all ages at a cost of $275 per person, class fees are paid on the first night. Included in the fee: all equipment needed to get started, weapon, glove, body cord, jacket, mask and insurance. Students will receive basic instruction in epee, which evolved from the dueling weapon. Footwork, tactics and basic actions for the weapon are covered. Details: Robin Holt at rholt@nextelrome.com

Feb. 18/The Ducks Unlimited Rome Chapter Annual Membership Dinner and Fund Raiser is Thursday, Feb. 18, at The Forum. Doors open at 6 p.m with dinner at 7 and the auction at 8. Tickets are $50; sponsor/corporate tables are $800. For information, call David Culp at (706) 234-5307 or (706) 346-0571.

-This fast-paced, high energy networking event provides you with up to 19 valuable leads. Only one person per company and one person per business category is permitted at each event.

Feb. 18/Rome Area History Museum presents Snapshot in Time Lecture at 5:30 p.m. Topic: The year 1963 and the Civil Rights Movement. Event is free to public.

Feb. 19/Keep Rome Floyd Beautiful, partners team up for Arbor Day celebration at State Mutual Stadium: 11 a.m. service includes the dedication of the Rome Floyd Garden Club Arboretum and the Daughters of the American Revolution southern magnolia. A reception follows at the new ECO center at Ridge Ferry Park. Sponsors: Georgia Forestry Commission; the Xavier Chapter of the DAR; the garden club; city of Rome Tree Board; and Keep Rome Floyd Beautiful.

Feb. 19/Will Muschamp, Darlington Class of 1990 and now defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the University of Texas, headlines Career Day at 8:30 a.m. in Morris Chapel. This event is open to Darlington students and faculty only. Limited seating will be available for Darlington parents. Details

Feb. 19-21/Darlington presents Hello, Dolly!: Darlington School’s fine arts department will present the famous Broadway musical “Hello, Dolly!” Feb. 19-21 at Rome City Auditorium. Friday and Saturday shows will be at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday’s show will be at 2:30 p.m. General admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students and senior citizens. Reserved seats are $15. A limited number of special box tickets are also available. For ticket information, please visit www.darlingtonschool.org/musical. Tickets will also be on sale at Top Hat, Kroger, Traditions and Rome Area Council for the Arts.

March 4-26: William Entrekin Show, Rome Area Council for the Arts. March 4 -26. Reception March 4. 6-8 p.m. Admission is free.

May 1, 2/Darlington School’s second Tri for the Kids Weekend set: An Olympic Distance Race for adults will take place Saturday, May 1, at 7:30 a.m. in downtown Rome, and the Tri for the Kids youth triathlon will take place Sunday, May 2, at 2:30 p.m. at Darlington School. All proceeds from both races will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Georgia’s South Rome location> Tri

May7-8/The Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority in partnership with Rome-Floyd Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce Stubb’s Bar-B-Q as the presenting sponsor for the Roman Roast on the River May 7-8> Click s

Kiwanis Club meetings: Members meet Mondays from noon to 1 p.m. at Bella Roma Grill. Click Kiwanis.

Noon Optimists' meetings: The Noon Optimist Club of Rome meets on Mondays at 11:45 a.m. at the Three Rivers Club at State Mutual Stadium. The public is welcome. For more: 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

Humane Society meets second Thursday of each month: The meetings begin at 7 p.m. at the office at 518 Broad St. Everyone is welcome. Also: The Humane Society needs volunteers. The all-volunteer staff has improved conditions for pets in our county for 15 years. Many opportunities exist. Please call 234-7979.

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