Pollen levels stay sky high; temperatures to ease a bit. Politics: Rhonda Wallace in commission hunt; tea party poll splits. Business briefs. Friday lottery jackpot: $290 million

Please click www.hometownheadlines.com:

 

Later this morning:  Today's pollen count. Will we get into five digits? Tuesday's count: 9,369.

A break in the 80s by Thursday

-But not that much -- just into the upper 70s, still more than 10 degrees above normal.

-Wednesday: High of 85, low of 57. Record: 86.
-Thursday: 30% rain chance, high of 80, low of 59.
-Friday: 60% rain chance, high of 77, low of 55.

Business:

-There's a new buzz coming to Broad Street. 

-Rome Respiratory just one of several businesses on the move.

-Berry's Business Outlook Conference set for April 18, Clemson's Dr. Bruce Yandle is the guest speaker.

Politics:

-Rhonda Wallace seeking Post 1 County Commission seat.

-Romney cruises in Illinois, 47-35% over Santorum.

-Tea Party's latest straw poll: Romney, Santorum 31% each.

-Latest political notes.

$290 million MegaMillions jackpot Friday night. No winners Tuesday.

Hometown Headlines Radio Edition, WRGA 1470 AM. 
-7 to 9 a.m. weekdays. 
-Please join our guests today including Kevin Ellis of Berry College on the the Fourth Annual Battle on the Mountain Bull Riding hosted by the college's Block and Bridle Club; and Dr. Frank Stephenson, professor of economics at Berry College on the legislative tax debate.

Today's Sports:  

-10th season home-opener is April 12 at State Mutual Stadium. First pitch: Rocket Wheeler, team's first manager.

-Miracle Field opening is April 14.  

-The Rome Braves release 2012 Promotional Calendar; filled with events celebrating 10 years of the club calling Rome home. Sports

-Rome Braves 2012 season and single-game tickets now on sale. 

Berry Fine Arts spring calendar

Here's a look at what's ahead from the Fine Arts Department at Berry College
this spring. For more, please click http://www.berry.edu/music/

Gretchen Reinhagen; Award-winning New York Entertainer
March 22 – Berry College Concert Series
Ford Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public!

Berry College Dance Troupe presents Vitality
March 22-24
Rome City Auditorium, 8 p.m.

The Michael O'Neal Singers
March 27 – Berry College Concert Series
Berry College Chapel, 7:30 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public!

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Berry College Music Department
March 30, 7:30 p.m.
March 31, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
April 1, 2 p.m.
Ford Auditorium

Berry College Trumpet Studio Recital
April 3 – Berry College
Ford Auditorium, 11:00 a.m.
Free and Open to the Public!

Berry College Guitar Studio Recital
April 5 – Berry College
Ford Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public!

Berry College Jazz Ensemble
April 12 – Berry College
Ford Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public!

Berry College Concert Choir and Berry Singers
April 15 – Berry College
Berry College Chapel, 3 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public!

Berry College Wind Ensemble Spring Concert
April 19 – Berry College
Ford Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public!

Berry College Theatre Company presents Erin Go Bragh: An Evening of One Act
Plays From the Irish Literary Revival
April 19-22
E.H. Young Theatre
8 p.m. nightly, Sunday 2:00 p.m.

Berry College Symphony Orchestra
Spring Concert
April 23 – Berry College
Ford Auditorium, 7:30 p.m
Free and Open to the Public!

Pollen record set, more today? Spring begins -- or is that summer? Hight/Publix deal sealed. Shorter's national basketball title bid ends a game early

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Pollen: A record Monday; sequel today?

-8,164 was Monday's chart-busting pollen count and we'll know today's number by midmorning. Most of it, by the way, is coming from trees, not plants.

-Please join us at 8:10 this morning on Hometown Headlines Radio Edition as we talk with Dr. David Carlton of the Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic's Rome office. WRGA 1470 AM

Numbers of the day:

- 5,000,000 square feet: And that's just the nonsports component of the new LakePoint Sporting Community.

-3,860,000: Dollars delivered to the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority for the Charles Hight Square site.

Welcome to spring -- or is that summer?
-We finished Monday with a high of 84, a degree shy of tying the all-time record high of March 19. As for today: The forecast high is 85, two degrees shy of the record for March 20.
-Tuesday: High of 85, low of 55. Record: 87.

Shorter Hawks' dream season ends one game too soon.

-Concordia beats Shorter to end NAIA national championship hunt.

E.C.O. Center celebration set for April 21

-Berry College Environmental Science Seniors to join with center at Ridge Ferry Park.

Traffic alert Thursday for Shorter Avenue, Mount  Alto as crane brought in for new emergency radio tower.

Hometown Headlines Radio Edition, WRGA 1470 AM

-7 to 9 a.m. weekdays. Listen online.

-Please join our guests today including Norman Arey on the life of Furman Bisher; Dr. David Carlton of the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic in Rome on the pollen surge; and Kyle Hensel on the returning office of the Small Business Development Center.

 

Today's Sports:  

-10th season home-opener is April 12 at State Mutual Stadium. First pitch: Rocket Wheeler, team's first manager.

-Miracle Field opening is April 14.  

-The Rome Braves release 2012 Promotional Calendar; filled with events celebrating 10 years of the club calling Rome home. Sports

-Rome Braves 2012 season and single-game tickets now on sale.  

Several merchants opting out of Rome's Sunday alcohol package sales. More record-tying heat on the way. Gas up another 4 cents. Remembering Furman Bisher.

Please click www.hometownheadlines.com:

 

The Buzz of Northwest Georgia. Click here

-As Rome prepares for Sunday alcohol package sales, some merchants don't plan to join the party.

-Politics 2012: Surprise brewing in the county commission races?

-Cartersville paper ending Monday edition, adding Saturday publication instead.

Northwest Georgia Public Health officials are continuing to spread their precautionary and preventative messages about rabies in 2012 after two cases have been reported here so far this on top of the state-leading 15 cases last year

A shot at the NAIA national basketball championship is on the line Monday at 7 p.m. as the No 1-seeded Hawks take on fourth-seeded Concordia in Kansas City.

Longtime AJC sports columnist Furman Bisher dies. 

Georgia gas prices up 4 cents a gallon, up almost 30 cents from a year ago

Latest forecast: Record-tying Sunday at 84 degrees.

-Highs will stay in the 80s all week, remaining 15 or more degrees above normal for this time of year.

 

-Monday: Sunny, high of 85, low of 53. Record: 85.

-Tuesday: High of 84, low of 55. Record: 87.

-Wednesday: High of 83, low of 55. Record: 86.

Hometown Headlines Radio Edition, WRGA 1470 AM

-7 to 9 a.m. weekdays. Listen online.

-Please join our guests Tim Allee, Environmental Health District Director, on rabies concerns in Northwest Georgia; Chad Warner, head coach of the Shorter Hawks basketball team, on tonight's huge game and a shot at the national title; and Kelly McCutcheon, president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.  

Shorter Hawks in NAIA Final Four; next game Monday at 7

Shorter Hawks beat No. 9 Rogers State (Okla.) 63-60 Saturday afternoon. Next up: winner of No. 4 Concordia (Calif.)/ No. 12 LSU Shreveport at 7 p.m. EDT Monday. 

Please see www.hometownheadlines.com for more.

Rome International Festival returns March 31

Are you starting to feel that your world is too small? Are you missing out on cultural diversity opportunities? Do you think you already know everything there is to know about your community? If you answered yes to any of these questions you should consider joining us in celebrating Rome's international diversity during the Rome International Festival on Saturday, March the 31st at Bridgepoint Plaza, where the rivers come together and the cultures meet.

The festival will feature International displays, music, food, and kids' crafts and arts – you can find all that and even more without having to leave Rome.

Especially exciting this year will be the presence of the thirteen members of the delegation of students from Ueki, Kumamoto, Japan who will be in Rome from March 27- April 2. With them at the Festival you can enjoy Japanese food, song, dance, and arts.

Sponsored by the City of Rome and the Rome-Floyd International Association, the Rome International Festival is celebrating its ninth anniversary of bringing a multicultural exchange to the city of seven hills. New areas expected to be represented this year include Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Trinidad. In addition to those four, There will be food samples from the United States, Japan, Palestine, Kurdistan, Russia, Italy and various Latin American regions- 15-20 countries in all will be presenting their cultures to Romans in different ways during this event.

To complement the international flavor of the event, a wide variety of entertainment is scheduled throughout the day. Participants will perform in the traditional costumes of their home countries. The event also offers kids crafts and arts with an international flavor.

On the stage there will be music and lots of dance. The students from Ueki will sing and lead the audience in traditional Japanese dance. There will be two belly dance groups plus Latin American Zumba. There will be a martial arts demonstration and the always exciting Mountaintop Djembe drummers with their energetic African music.

According to the chairman of the Rome-Floyd International Association, George Pullen, the event will offer something for all ages: "I encourage everybody to come and attend this diverse and multicultural event. You'll be surprised to see how many different ethnic groups and cultures are actually living in the Rome area. And of course the food – it's an explosion of tastes." Representatives from the various countries will present affordable sample portions of foods from their home countries.

The Rome International Festival is the initial event in the Spring into Peace series. The Peace Concert jointly sponsored with the Martin Luther Commission and in prior years held the night before the Festival, this year will follow two weeks later on April 13 at Bridgepoint Plaza.

Make your plans to join us at Bridgepoint Plaza in Historic Downtown Rome. The Festival is free and open to the public with food samples available for a nominal charge.

For more information regarding this event, contact George Pullen at 706-295-0010

More storms tonight, more heat today; high of 83. Shorter men, women resume national title chase today. Publix deal Monday?

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Record heat, evening hail -- and more on the way?

-We saw a record high of 85 in Rome and 84 in Cartersville on Thursday and a few more hot days are ahead. The evening ended with a thunderstorm and hail. More rain is possible as well. Your forecast:

-Friday: 40% rain chance, high of 83, low of 58. 
-Saturday: 30% rain chance, high of 82, low of 56.
-Sunday: 20% rain chance, high of 85, low of 53.

Georgia Northwestern adding horticulture building to Rome campus.

Charles Hight Square/Publix final contracts now expected on Monday.

 

Shorter men, women continue national basketball championship hunt; broadcasts on 95.7 FM.
-Hawks play at 11:45 a.m. 

-Lady Hawks at 6:15 tonight. 

Tonight's MegaMillion jackpot worth $200 million. 
-Businessweek: Georgia lottery players 'biggest suckers in the nation' for buying tickets.

Latest public health dining scores.

Hometown Headlines Radio Edition, WRGA 1470 AM

-7 to 9 a.m. weekdays. Listen online.

-Please join our guests Friday including U.S. Rep. Tom Graves and Shannen Ferry, Georgia Northwestern's Horticulture Program Director.

 

Today's Sports:  

-10th season home-opener is April 12 at State Mutual Stadium. First pitch: Rocket Wheeler, team's first manager.

-Miracle Field opening is April 14.  

-The Rome Braves release 2012 Promotional Calendar; filled with events celebrating 10 years of the club calling Rome home. Sports

-Rome Braves 2012 season tickets now on sale. Home opener on April 12. Single-game tickets on sale March 17.