First time claims for unemployment benefits dropped significantly from July to August. The Georgia Department of Labor reports 325 Floyd County resident filed a claim for benefits in August, down from 732 in July.

Amanda Miller was born in Macon, Georgia, but grew up in the Rome area. She is a 2006 graduate of Georgia Highlands and obtained a certification in phlebotomy in 2013. Before starting at Hardy Realty, Amanda worked for Wells Fargo.

The Bob Richards Regional Youth Detention Center is pleased to announce Sergeant Darius Hall as its 2017 Second Quarter Security Employee of the Quarter and Food Service Supervisor Valerie Allen as its 2017 Second Quarter Support Employee of the Quarter. Both were nominated by their peers fo…

Adairsville will host a grand opening for the major renovation of the more than century old railroad depot building Sunday, September 24 from 2-4 p.m.

Spotlight item: Monthly sales tax receipts report

Travelers and shoppers don’t just stumble into Cave Spring. Even though the city sits at the crossroads of U.S. 411 and Ga. 100, neither route, at least not in Cave Spring, draws as many through travelers as log trucks. That has not hampered recent redevelopment efforts in Cave Spring. The d…

After a nearly two-month hiatus, Joe Murray has reopened Blue Ribbon Shoe Shop, 7 W. Fourth Ave., less than a block from the old shop location at 409 Broad St.

The Downtown Development Authority agreed Thursday to act as a conduit for a $170,000 Georgia Cities Foundation loan for work to convert the second floor of the Tim and Molly Vicchrilli’s building at 100 Broad St. into a 10,000 square foot residential space.

Three Rome firms are sending crews to help with the downed trees in extreme South Florida.

Native Roman Mason Minshew has joined Owes & Owens CPA, PC as a staff accountant. Mason graduated from Shorter University in December 2016 with a degree in accounting and a minor in marketing, and has just returned to his Alma Mater to pursue a Master’s degree in Accountancy. Mason is a …

Michelle Picon has been appointed Chairman of the Heart of the Community Foundation Board of Governors for 2017-2018.

Brian Hawkins has been named Chief Financial Officer of Greater Community Bank. “Brian brings an impressive eight-een years of financial and operational experience to our team,” said David J. Lance, President and CEO. “I am confi-dent that his expertise will be an asset to the bank.”

Cave Spring businesswoman Christa Grant was surprised by her fellow Cave Spring business owners last Thursday night with a big 30th anniversary celebration at the gazebo across from her shop.

The long anticipated makeover of the Shorter Chick-fil-A Dwarf House is finally getting underway. Sort of. Site preparations for a new modular, or containerized temporary Chick-fil-A drive-through in the RiverWalk shopping center, 315 Riverside Parkway, got started last week.

Word on the Street: Christa’s celebrates 30 years, Outdoor Adventure Day

Executives at Phoenix Air Unmanned in Cartersville realized several years ago that the use of unmanned aerial units, drones, was becoming big and made the intentional effort to become a major player in use of the technology. However Greg Roper at Phoenix suggests folks don’t call them drones…

CARTERSVILLE — U.S. Labor Secretary R. Alexander Acosta marked Labor Day alongside Anheuser-Busch CEO Joao Castro Neves at the company’s brewery in Cartersville Monday.

Living & Giving owner Lisa Landry has added a new Pop Up Shop and event space across the hall from her Living & Giving shop downtown.

One of the nation’s largest charitable organizations has honored a Georgia Northwestern Technical College Computer Information Systems professional for his service to the Northwest Georgia community.

Dustin Taylor, owner and operator of Watchdog Home Solutions, answers the questions for today’s Small Business Snapshot.

The Rome Tennis Center at Berry College has been in operation for a full year now and Rome Finance Director Sheree Shore said for accounting purposes, the center has essentially operated on a break-even basis. Rome City Manager Sammy Rich said the goal for the facility was always to break even.

Small Business Snapshot: Watchdog Home Solutions

The new Carlsen Precision Manufacturing facility in the Floyd County Industrial park started shipping product from Rome this week. The Walkerton, Ontario-based manufacturer of custom hinges, metal stamping and laser cut products plans a formal grand opening event on Oct. 19.

From staff reports

Development of a highly efficient workforce was foremost on the minds of German executives during a whirlwind visit to Rome on Tuesday. The Rome Floyd Chamber hosted German Consul to the Southeast Detlev Ruen­ger, President of German-American Chamber of Commerce Stefanie Jehlitschka, and Pre…

From staff reports

Jeff McGatha, owner of Georgia-Alabama Home Center, answers the questions for today’s Small Business Snapshot.

Hardy Realty announced today that Ann Smith has joined the firm as a Commercial Property Manager.

Rome pharmacist Keith Winslette said that he has finally closed on the sale of property at the intersection of the Armuchee Connector and Martha Berry Highway for a new RaceTrac convenience store and filling station. Winslette said the company has also looked at other sites in Rome for new stores.

At a young age, Dr. Peter Adams asked his father, an oncologist, why he was a doctor.

Unemployment in Floyd County rose eight-tenths of a point from June to July, creeping back over 6 percent for the first time since January. The July rate landed at 6.3 percent, up from 5.5 percent in June.

Small Business Snapshot: Georgia-Alabama Home Center

While Rome is not necessarily viewed as a hotbed for advanced manufacturing, a new report done by Brookings, shows that Rome manufacturers have more robots per 1,000 employees than any other metropolitan area in Georgia except Warner Robins. The report covers a time span from 2010-2015, and …

Rome real estate executive David Doss is starting to give some serious thought to what he wants to do with an out parcel adjacent to the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel on West Third Street.

Toles, Temple & Wright Inc. announces the addition of Michelle Mink as a Realtor.

The Rome Knights of Columbus Labor Day Barbecue will celebrate its 50th year of serving Rome’s best barbecue, Brunswick stew and sides September 4.

Steve Irmscher, owne of Line-X or Rome, answers the questions for today’s Small Business Snapshot.

Small Business Snapshot: Line-X

The old adage about back door friends being the best certainly is equally appropriate when it comes to the customers of Mel & Mimi’s, 203 E. Eighth St. The shop is located in an old home, and when Melanie Morris and Mimi Weed bought the property in 1999, they had to create off-street par…

Rome and Floyd County added 600 jobs from July of 2016 to July 2017, but the number of first time claims for unemployment assistance was up from July of a year ago. The report from the Georgia Department of Labor indicates 41,000 people were listed on the payroll of companies based locally.

Cedartown's HON Company will soon be making a new investment in Polk County and hire new workers for their plant in the coming year.

The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce Sergeant Mitch Glass as its Employee of the Quarter for the Second Quarter, 2017. With 22 years of dedicated service, Sgt. Glass is being recognized for exemplary performance, teamwork, innovative thinking, motivation and attitude. Mit…

For Dr. Frank Stegall Jr., becoming a Harbin Clinic surgeon could be considered preordained.

Blood Assurance recently appointed Brian McDaniel as executive director of operations for the company’s Georgia operations. McDaniel assumed management of Blood Assurance’s Georgia operations on June 5, 2017.

Two Floyd County 4-H’ers, Veeka Malanchuk and Lauren Wood, brought back high honors following the Georgia 4-H Congress in Atlanta the last week of July.  Malanchuk placed first in the International project and was named a Master 4-H’er. Lauren Wood placed second in the Performing Arts Dance …

On the second Wednesday of each month, the mobile career center of the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission makes a stop at the Rome office of the Department of Community Supervision at 100 Marable Way. There, DCS officials join with representatives of the Georgia Department of Labor in Rom…

Word on the Street: Patent for new heavy machinery seat, local 4-H students honored, mall sets reading program for youth

The corporate pairing of Rome restaurateur Ginny Kibler with local caterers Barbara Triplitt and Ellen Keene is a match made, well, on the moon. Make that the Moon Roof — of the Harvest Moon Cafe, 234 Broad St., where Keene and Triplitt, owner of Two Can Do Catering, will take on catering re…

Harbin Clinic Spine & Pain Management Rome welcomes Dr. Sathiyakumar to its team of physicians dedicated to caring completely for the backbones and achy joints of Rome.

Georgia Highlands College Assistant Professor of History David Hensley has been selected to join the University System of Georgia’s European Council Summer Study Abroad Program in Berlin for 2018.