The future of the automotive industry is changing so rapidly that it’s hard to predict precisely how people are going to get from here to there in the future.

ATLANTA — Georgia’s chief business recruiter pitched on Wednesday a $1 million plan to resurrect a tourism industry suffering massive losses since coronavirus-fearing travelers stopped taking vacation trips and attending business conferences.

New unemployment claims filed by out of work Rome and Floyd County residents registered a sharp increase in December.

Nesting doors have become a favorite architectural device for the combination of interior and exterior dining in downtown Rome.

Consequences of the COVID pandemic for Rome and Floyd County government ranged from large fluctuations in revenue to — on the more surprising side — improved attendance at Juvenile Court hearings.

Former Rome Floyd Chamber executive director Al Hodge was noted for preaching job growth based on an analogy to a three-legged stool. Jobs are created by the expansion of existing business and industry, they are created by bringing new industry to town and they are formed by encouraging star…

Redmond Regional Medical Center announced on Friday the appointment of Rick Stevenson to its Board of Trustees. Stevenson will serve a two-year term on Redmond’s Board.

ATLANTA — First-time unemployment claims in Georgia increased by 5,581 last week to 37,039, reflecting a national trend, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.

Rome’s Downtown Development Authority adopted a work program for 2021 Thursday that includes taking better advantage of vacant storefronts, creating a more welcoming environment and improving communication of downtown initiatives.

There is still a significant pot of money available to assist small businesses in Rome that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATLANTA — Georgia Power is putting off some of this year’s milestones in the construction schedule for the nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

A beloved Rockmart institution suffered extensive damage in an early morning fire Saturday that firefighters were still trying to determine the cause of in the hours after the blaze.

A slate of recommendations from the Georgia Freight & Logistics Commission will go to the General Assembly when it opens its 2021 session Monday.

Well over a year in development, the new McDonald’s crispy chicken sandwich, which will launch nationally in February, is already available at the Martha Berry and Turner McCall locations in Rome.

ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Labor started paying out unemployment benefits last week through the new federal COVID-19 relief legislation even as a group of unemployed Georgians sued the agency to speed up checks.

Rome and Floyd County have moved back up a notch in the Georgia Department of Community Affairs assessment of the economic vitality of counties across the state.

Times-Journal Inc., has purchased the Morgan County Citizen weekly newspaper in Madison, Ga., it was announced Wednesday by owners of the two publishing companies.

Rome real estate developer Wayne Robinson has spun off his shopping center in the 700 block of Turner McCall Boulevard to a couple of Virginia based investor groups.

Historical aerial photographs of Floyd and other Georgia counties are now available online through the Digital Library of Georgia.

One of the largest business deals in the history of Rome and Floyd County, the marriage of Atrium Health to Floyd Medical Center, is moving closer to reality as the calendar flips to a new year.

It would be difficult to imagine any 2020 round-up of business activity in Rome without a reference to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Going into 2021, Mercy Care of Rome is looking toward a few updates when they reopen their doors to the public — but for the time being they’ve been hosting virtual programs for their clients.

Average personal income in Floyd County rose by 2.4% to $39,314 in 2019, according to a report released this quarter by the U.S Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation is launching a feasibility study on a vanpool program for workers in Floyd and nearby counties.

The Rome Floyd Chamber is seeking nominations for its annual small business and leadership awards programs.

While 2020 will go down in many a memory bank as a difficult year for the economy, a number of local companies continued to grow and a major new shopping center was added to the Turner McCall corridor coming into Rome.

It’s not the kind of opening R.H. Ledbetter Properties had hoped for at the new East Bend shopping center, but given the nature of 2020, the developers are happy to have four of the new retailers open.

More than 250 top young tennis players from nine states across the Southeast are expected to spend time in Rome in the runup to New Year’s Eve.

ATLANTA — The Small Business Development Center at the University of Georgia will offer free online seminars this coming week to update business owners on the $900 billion coronavirus relief package Congress just passed.

Unemployment increased by 0.8 % to 4.4% in Floyd County during November.

Proposals for redevelopment of 2.2 acres adjacent to the Courtyard Rome Riverwalk hotel won’t be presented to the city’s Redevelopment Committee until after the first of the year.

Both local medical centers made the list of Georgia Trend’s 2020 Top Hospitals in the state. The rankings appear in the magazine’s December edition.

Sunrise Manufacturing revealed plans Monday to purchase 10 acres in the Floyd County Industrial Park for a new facility.

Nestlé Prepared Foods is recalling approximately 92,206 pounds of Lean Cuisine Baked Chicken meals that may be contaminated with pieces of white hard plastic.

Asked if they knew nearly one in five Floyd County jobs is in the manufacturing sector, a good many Romans would probably shake their head and say, No way!

The Downtown Development Authority honored Romans for their service to the downtown district Friday.

Two proposals to redevelop the city-owned property on West Third Street were submitted by the deadline this week.

ATLANTA — Atlanta-based The Home Depot Inc. has agreed to pay a $20.75 million fine for violating federal environmental rules for conducting home renovations involving lead paint.

McAlister’s Deli will open its first store in Rome on Monday morning in the East Bend shopping center.

First time claims for unemployment benefits in Floyd County dropped sharply from October to November.

ATLANTA — Georgia utility regulators Tuesday approved an offer by electric membership cooperatives to provide steep discounts to telecom providers that expand broadband service into rural areas of the state unserved by broadband.

The Rome Floyd Chamber's first foray into a $100 matched gift card giveaway sold out within minutes.

ATLANTA — Congress should not adjourn for the holidays without passing a new economic stimulus package to help businesses and their employees affected by the coronavirus pandemic, top state and national business leaders said Monday night.

The Rome-Floyd County Development Authority approved an inducement resolution for the expansion of VT Industries early Tuesday.

VT Industries, a manufacturer of countertops and commercial doors, revealed plans Monday for a $24 million expansion of its manufacturing operations in Rome.