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Tractor Trailer Driver Charged With Going The Wrong Way On Calhoun Highway In Fatal Wreck
A New York man is charged with vehicular homicide and driving down the wrong side of Calhoun Highway in a wreck Thursday night near Calhoun Road that killed one person and seriously injured another. According to Floyd County Police reports: Parvinder Singh, 47, of Floral Park, N.Y., was driving a tractor-trailer north in the southbound lane of Ga. 53 without lights and struck another vehicle head-on, killing one person and...
An ‘Old-Timey’ Service: Once a Cherokee Mission, Floyd’s Second–Oldest Church Will Be Open to Worshippers Sunday
Romans will have the opportunity to gather once again in a historic Presbyterian church that traces its roots to missionaries who ministered to area Cherokee before the devastating, government-sanctioned removal that took Native Americans away from this area. Sardis Presbyterian Church, which calls itself Floyd County’s second-oldest church, will host its spring service and dinner on the grounds Sunday, May 5, at 11 a.m. with Matthew Myers, Calvary Baptist Church children and family pastor, delivering the message and the sounds of a reed organ filling...
Police Warn Of Continued Gun Thefts From Vehicles
Increasingly brazen gangs of thieves are prowling neighborhoods in Rome and Floyd County, slipping from home to home late at night and silently checking to see who left their vehicle doors unlocked. They’ll take whatever they can get: cash, mobile phones, maybe the occasional laptop. But police say what they’re hoping to find are firearms. Floyd County Police Department Public Affairs Officer Michael Bell said people need to lock their...
Around Town: The Marathon's Over as Marathon Opens. Cartersville's Varsity Confirmed But Will Take a Few Years.
It’s been a running joke among some observers in Rome: Which would open first, the long-sought Varsity off Spider Webb or the Marathon convenience station on Shorter Avenue just below Burnett Ferry Road? It looks like it was a photo finish as both opened on Monday, but the convenience store likely welcomed customers first. And both are going through something of a soft opening, with the Marathon still coming together...
Floyd County Gaming Machine Ordinance Taking Shape
Floyd County will likely leverage its ability to regulate convenience stores to address what they consider an explosion in the number of local electronic gambling machines. Six-month moratoriums on new gaming machines, officially the Class B coin-operated amusement machines, have been enacted in the county, Rome and Cave Spring while regulations on the machines are crafted. “Our ordinance will do everything we can do within the law,” County Attorney Chris...
East Rome Murder And Mutilation Case To Move Forward After Mental Evaluation
A trial date has been set after a state psychiatrist determined that a man accused of killing and mutilating a Cumming man is mentally competent to stand trial. Brandon Christopher Risner, 23, is accused of stabbing, disfiguring and disemboweling his former friend 21-year-old Aaron William Davis in November 2022. His trial is set to begin on June 24, according to a scheduling order filed by Floyd County Superior Court Chief Judge John “Jack” Niedrach. ...
Turner McCall Boulevard Closure Starts May 6. What We Know.
A water main replacement will shut down traffic on Turner McCall Boulevard in front of the main entrance of Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center starting Monday night around 9 p.m. Vehicles heading east on Shorter Avenue will be sent south down Second Avenue towards downtown Rome, or north up Martha Berry Boulevard. Southbound vehicles will go down Second Avenue and make a left on West Third Street by the tennis...
Judge Finds Silver Creek Man Not Guilty Of Armed Robbery Accusations
A Floyd County Superior Court judge found a Silver Creek man not guilty of armed robbery and assault charges Thursday after a bench trial. Branton Kaden Hughes was originally convicted in 2022 for the November 2021 armed robbery of a truck driver on Maple Avenue and sentenced to life in prison. However, in January, that conviction was overturned and Hughes was granted a new trial. Hughes’ attorney Thomas Michael Harris...
Rue 21 Closing All Stores In Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
It’s been a difficult past few years for retailers who base most of their operations out of indoor shopping malls, including the Mount Berry Mall. The most recent example of this ongoing problem is at Rue 21, a store that sells mostly teen and tween clothing. Rue 21 sells affordable apparel and accessories, from party dresses to graphic tees, but has struggled to regain the enthusiasm it enjoyed during the early 2000s. ...
Early Voting Continues In Floyd County Through May 17
On average, 185 people have voted each day since early voting opened in a primary that will decide the Floyd County Sheriff and Floyd County Clerk of Court races. According to the Floyd County Elections Office, 924 ballots had been cast by early Friday in the first week of three weeks of early voting before the May 21 primary. If that average trend continues it could mean an even lower...
Rome Man Acquitted In Alabama Murder Still Faces Charges In Floyd County
A Rome man acquitted of the murder of two Rome sisters in Alabama will still face charges in Floyd County stemming from the incident in 2020. Devin Lashawn Watts was found not guilty of capital murder after a weeklong trial in Cherokee County, Alabama, in March. However, he remained in custody and was transferred back to the Floyd County Jail to resolve other criminal charges in the case. Watts, along...
Data Centers Debate Pits Industry Against Environmentalists
The debate over a tax break the data center industry has enjoyed in Georgia for the last six years has moved from the General Assembly to the governor’s office. The legislature passed a bill during this year’s session suspending for two years a state sales tax exemption on purchases of data center equipment aimed at attracting more data centers to Georgia. The measure also would create a 14-member state commission...
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