Rome News-Tribune
Rome fest celebrates freedom, fight for liberty and justice for all
The atmosphere was festive at the inaugural Juneteenth Fest Friday, as members of the community came together to celebrate the day of remembrance. The event was relocated due to possible severe weather, but it made a smooth pivot to the Joy Life...
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County schools’ summer of construction continues
If you want to learn what 300 dump trucks worth of dirt looks like, head over to see a small hill that now resides on the Model High School baseball field. And according to Floyd County Schools Executive Director of Facilities John Worsham, they...
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Ongoing builds reflect state of real estate
Work continues at a furious pace on the Armuchee Connector, as homebuilder D.R. Horton builds the Northberry Development on a 42-acre plot of land formerly owned by Berry College. The 140-home project was initially called Glenwood Park when the plot...
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Arts festival, road race a huge success
Thousands of runners and visitors packed Cave Spring’s Rolater Park this weekend as the city held its 51st annual Arts Festival and Road Race. “It was another fantastic weekend in Cave Spring,” Cave Spring Historical Society President Christa Jackson...
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June 14 celebration focuses on diversity, not divisiveness
Flag Day is a holiday commemorating the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, and lining Broad Street in red, white and blue, the Rome community came together to honor this historic day Sunday at a Flag Day event. The flag is a...
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GNTC’S Youth Success Academy honors graduates
Twenty-nine students received their High School Equivalency diplomas last week through the Youth Success Academy at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. Seventeen students graduated at the YSA Commencement Ceremony at GNTC’S Floyd County Campus in...
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Veterans gather for community, support and valuable resources
The Forum River Center was busy at the end of this week as veterans gathered for the We CARE VetFair, where they were treated to free haircuts, wellness checkups, assistance with their veterans’ benefits and information about the numerous resources at...
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YMCA brings fun, food and fellowship
The YMCA is bringing food, fun and activities to Banty Jones Park all summer. The YMCA’S summer feeding program, part of the state’s Happy Helpings initiative, gives away free lunches to children at the park weekdays from 12:30 to 2 p.m. In the...
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Cartersville facility moves closer to fully integrated solar production
Qcells has begun manufacturing solar cells at its Cartersville facility, a milestone the company says moves the operation closer to becoming the nation’s first and only vertically integrated solar manufacturing plant — that is, producing major solar...
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Block Party event a huge hit; KC and the Sunshine Band rock the Forum
Broad Street was buzzing this weekend, as KC and The Sunshine Band rocked the Forum River Center with a sold-out show Friday night, and Saturday afternoon’s Summer Sidewalk Extravaganza and Downtown Rome Block Party filled the streets. Broad Street...
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Local bookworms take on herb gardening at library
Hands — and tables — got a bit messy at the Rome-floyd County Library last week as patrons dug their hands into dirt and started on their very own herb gardens. The library is always bustling over the summer, and they wrapped up a slate of several...
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Ga.’s Rome market showcases local-grown, local-made vendors
Fresh produce, local honey and homegrown talent set up booths at the Rome Civic Center Friday morning as the Georgia’s Rome Farmers Market opened its seasonal run, bringing a rotating lineup of local vendors to the community each week. The market,...
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Westminster helps feed the community
A line of cars snaked through the parking lot of Westminster Presbyterian Church, long before a produce giveaway began Wednesday afternoon. Ken Davis, co-chair of the church’s mission team, was busy helping direct the operation and overseeing the...
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Rome-floyd FD trains with live fire
The Rome-floyd Fire Department got some use out of the Splost-funded training center when it hosted an event with the Georgia Public Safety Training Center and several firefighters earned their Live Fire Instructor Certificate. The training event was...
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Rome shines for 1,000 BRAG riders
A last-minute route change turned into a major win for Bicycle Ride Across Georgia and the Rome community this past weekend, as more than 1,000 cyclists rolled through Floyd County, bringing both an economic impact and widespread praise for the area’s...
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Berry sends off its 8th grade Class of 2026
Berry College Elementary and Middle School honored its eighthgrade Class of 2026 during a graduation ceremony held at the historic Frost Chapel on the Berry College campus. Family members, faculty and friends filled the chapel as students processed in...
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Cal’s Library brings story time to River & Hill in downtown Rome
Kids were packed cozily into River & Hill Books on Broad Street Saturday for a special story time with Pete the Cat. Pete, a popular children’s book character created by artist James Dean, is also the mascot of a relatively new local nonprofit, Cal’s...
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Children’s Museum of Rome is making steady progress on construction project
Things are taking shape at the Children’s Museum of Rome as construction crews steadily work in preparation for an opening later this year. A construction campaign for the interactive museum kicked off in November 2025, and exhibits are coming...
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Faith at forefront of St. Mary’s graduation
St. Mary’s Catholic School eighth graders marked their graduation with a ceremony centered on faith, combining the milestone with a full Mass. Unlike traditional ceremonies focused on speeches and diplomas, the service emphasized prayer, scripture and...
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Rome graduates endure rain, celebrate at Barron Stadium
Rain fell steadily over the field at Barron Stadium on graduation day, but it did little to dampen the spirit of Rome High School’s Class of 2026 as students marked the milestone surrounded by family, faculty and friends. Saturday’s ceremony opened...
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Model High School cheers grads at Forum
The Model High School Class of 2026 marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of another during a graduation ceremony at the Forum River Center, where a packed crowd of family members and friends filled the arena with cheers, applause and...
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“A promise that we will never forget”
Specialist Ross Mcginnis was 19 years old when he jumped on a grenade inside his Humvee vehicle while on patrol in Baghdad to protect his comrades, who did not even know it had been thrown through an open hatch. He died instantly and was later awarded...
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Seniors come full-circle with graduation walks
Across Floyd County, graduation season is marked not only by ceremonies in packed gyms and stadiums, but also by quieter, more personal moments in school hallways — as many seniors return to where their educational journey began. The annual graduation...
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Weather shifts graduation indoors
The Pepperell High School Class of 2026 celebrated graduation under a roof instead of the open sky this year, as rain forced the ceremony indoors to the Forum River Center — where a packed crowd of family, friends and supporters filled the arena to...
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Community celebrates Armuchee grads
Under the blazing sun at H.A. Lindsey Stadium, Armuchee High School’s Class of 2026 pushed through the heat to celebrate a milestone years in the making. Students, families and faculty gathered for the ceremony, primarily in the shade, to honor the...
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GSD celebrates 4 graduates
The Georgia School for the Deaf celebrated the graduation of four seniors, marking a milestone achievement for the Class of 2026 during a ceremony filled with reflection, gratitude and hope for the future. Family, friends, and school staff gathered...
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Rome, Floyd County voters go to the polls
Braving the hot temperatures, Rome and Floyd County citizens turned out for election day, although the trend of low voter turnout continued. Tuesday was the primary election day, when Floyd County residents voted for their party’s nominees to run in...
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CAPS OFF!
The Darlington School Class of 2026 marked a milestone as graduates, families and faculty gathered for the school’s 121st commencement ceremony that was filled with reflection, celebration and anticipation of the future. In addressing the graduates,...
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Alto Park Elementary revives career day for future workers
Students at Alto Park Elementary got a hands-on look at their futures as the school hosted a career day featuring more than 20 local professions. The May 14 event, held for the first time in seven years, brought together representatives from a wide...
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With the hard work done, young Olympians fill Barron Stadium
Laughter, cheers and friendly competition filled Barron Stadium as West End Elementary students wrapped up the school year with their annual Olympic Day. Thursday and Friday students took part in a full day of activities that included football...
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Stadium is filled for Education Day
The sun shone brightly over 4,500 screaming fans packed into Adventhealth Stadium as the Rome Emperors hosted schools from around the region for their annual Education Day game. Students and teachers from across Northwest Georgia and the surrounding...
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Local students celebrate as their classes end for the year
Students and teachers across Floyd County schools wrapped up the school year with field day celebrations, turning campuses into playgrounds of games, laughter and community, an annual tradition that is one of the best ways to end the academic year,...
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Berry College graduates 545
Hundreds of Berry College students, adorned in caps and gowns, filled Valhalla Stadium to celebrate the end of a chapter and the start of their lives as college graduates. A total of 545 students graduated from Berry College during the 2026 spring...
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Shorter University honors graduates during spring commencement
The Winthrop-king Centre was packed with families and friends as they gathered to celebrate Shorter University’s 2026 graduating class during faith-centered commencement ceremonies. The commencement was split into two ceremonies held on Thursday, one...
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Georgia Highlands softball wins GCAA championship
CARTERSVILLE — It was Athens Hudson who woke up the Georgia Highlands College softball club with a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning Saturday. When her next turn at-bat came up, leading off the bottom of the seventh, she had a...
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GNTC celebrates 2,230 graduates
Georgia Northwestern Technical College celebrated its Class of 2026 on Thursday, recognizing 2,230 graduates during spring commencement ceremonies as students marked the completion of their academic journeys and prepared for the next chapter. The...
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Prayer Breakfast speaker: Live faithfully
Hundreds of Christians filled the Forum River Center bright and early for a morning of prayer and fellowship at the annual Rome Area Prayer Breakfast. The early Thursday morning event brought in guest speakers from throughout the community to pray...
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Kids meet the ‘superhero of snakes’
Clear Creek Kindergarten students from Cartersville learned why the king snake is called the “superhero of snakes” during a visit to the Rome-floyd ECO Center Wednesday morning. The king snake is not venomous, according to Sarah Johnson, ECO Center...
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New ‘Rome Is ...’ mural unveiled
A new mural in downtown Rome is serving as both a piece of public art and a renewed call for community pride, as local leaders officially unveiled the “Rome Is” campaign during a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week. “We have a new campaign called ‘Rome...
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Hundreds gather at Ridge Ferry Park to sample savory selection
Close to 1,000 barbecue fans cooked and sampled some of the best barbecue in the county as the RomeFloyd Parks and Recreation Department hosted its annual Backyard BBQ Bash in Ridge Ferry Park Saturday afternoon. Eight teams competed for coveted...
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Baconfest and Car Show draws crowds to Cave Spring
This was not a drill, it was a bona fide bacon bonanza Saturday at the Cave Spring Baconfest and Car Show. Sponsored by the city’s downtown development authority, the event is one of many meant to draw in visitors to downtown. Baconfest has become a...
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Cancer Pavilion due to open in July
Three adjacent construction projects on Braves Boulevard NE near AdventHealth Stadium are all coming to a head, including AdventHealth Georgia’s new Cancer Pavilion, due to open in July. “We’re thrilled to open the AdventHealth Cancer Pavilion in late...
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‘Fantastic turnout’ at Senior Inforum
The only thing missing was John Travolta and a mirrored ball at the Thornton Center in Armuchee as almost 600 seniors gathered for the disco-themed Senior Inforum. The 38th annual Senior Inforum was hosted by the Rome-floyd Parks and Recreation...
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RCS cuts ribbon on new middle school
Rome City Schools officially cut the ribbon on its new Rome Middle School, celebrating the completion of a long-anticipated $108 million project aimed at expanding capacity and enhancing opportunities for students. “It means we just cut the ribbon of...
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Rome Clock Tower restoration earns top preservation award
The restoration of the Rome Clock Tower, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, received the Marguerite Williams Award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, recognizing the project with the greatest impact on preservation in the...
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Local legislators discuss recent session at chamber luncheon
The 2026 Georgia legislative session came to a close earlier this month, and most of our local legislators were at the Forum River Center Monday for a luncheon to give their take on what occurred. State Rep. Eddie Lumsden, R-armuchee; Rep. Katie...
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Early voting starts for May 19 primary
Early voting gets underway Monday and Floyd County voters have local races to decide in addition to statewide contests ranging from governor and attorney general to commissioners of agriculture, labor and more. The May 19 primary will decide the...
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Downtown walk raises awareness, support for child abuse survivors
Dozens of community members took to the streets in downtown Rome, walking and holding up signs in support of child abuse survivors during the “Walk to Support Survivors” Event as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month. The event was organized by the...
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Pinwheel garden is a symbol of partnership against child abuse
A gentle breeze blows on an unseasonably warm Thursday as volunteers spend the afternoon planting a garden — not with flowers but with blue pinwheels. Surrounded by brightly colored flora and fauna, the pinwheels, planted into the mossy soil, spin...
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Children celebrate Earth Week with seed bombing at library
Children got their hands dirty — and had plenty of fun — when they gathered at the Rome-floyd County Library for a hands-on Earth Week activity focused on environmental education. The event, hosted by Keep Rome-floyd Beautiful, invited families to...
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Cave Spring hosts Porches and Pastries
The hum of good music dueled with the sweetness of pastries at Porches and Pastries in Cave Spring as neighbors gathered for an afternoon of companionship and delicious baked goods. The Cave Spring Downtown Development Authority hosted the April 18...
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Church gives hope, fuel to hundreds
Waves of gospel music could be heard drifting through the air, a sweet melody amid the buzz of activity at the Circle K on North Broad Street Saturday, as hundreds of patrons gathered for the chance to get free gas. The weekend event, Prayers at the...
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A wild week: Floyd County students visit zoo, farm
Floyd County elementary students celebrated the warmer weather with trips to the zoo and Pettit Creek Farms last week, and local families may want to take a page from their (school) book. Garden Lakes Elementary students headed to the zoo for a bit of...
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AdventHealth brings heart services together
A new chapter in heart care opened in Rome as community leaders, physicians and residents gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the AdventHealth Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute, a facility designed to bring decades of specialized services...
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Event connects neighbors with resources, fosters imagination
On a bright, sunny day, children were creating art projects, tilling dirt to plant their own flowers, dancing and running free, enjoying Building Community Day. The Wednesday event was all about fostering imagination and neighborhood...
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3rd graders prove smarter, again
Do you know what the largest organ in the human body is? Can you give an example of a consonant digraph? The questions are so simple a third grader could answer them, and a group of students was up to the challenge April 14 in the “Are You Smarter...
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Bills await Kemp now that lawmakers’ work is done
Georgia lawmakers went home in a flurry of ripped paper, as is the custom at the end of the 40-day legislative session. The shreds floating through the House and Senate included some of the 2,241 bills introduced during the biennial assembly that...
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Rome, Floyd go to the polls
Floyd County residents hit the polls Tuesday for what many reported to be a seamless day of voting in the special election runoff for Northwest Georgia’s U.S. House District 14 seat. “The poll workers did a great job; they were really nice,” said Tom...
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Thunderbirds’ performance thrills attendees at airshow
The Wings Over North Georgia Air Show went off without a hitch with droves of attendees gathering at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport, despite the rain, to watch the highly anticipated performance of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. “We had...
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COMPROMISING AND REVISING
State Rep. Eddie Lumsden, Rarmuchee, saw much of his priority legislation gain passage this year — just not in ways he expected. The veteran lawmaker was not the only one working in the hectic final days of the Georgia General Assembly to ensure that...
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‘Largest contamination in history’
Erin Brockovich, a famed environmental advocate, is sounding an alarm on the dangers of forever chemicals in the rivers of Floyd County. Brockovich spoke at a town hall meeting at the Forum Tuesday, as part of efforts to rally the community to speak...
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Giveaway adds 225+ trees to Rome
The first community tree giveaway was a rousing success, if the numbers tell the story. The Rome Tree Board, along with Keep Rome-floyd Beautiful, held the giveaway Saturday at the GE Plant parking lot, and the response was very positive. “We were...
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Exchange Club names Youth of the Year
The Exchange Club of Rome presented its Youth of the Year award Friday to Armuchee High School’s Manrajpreet “Mannu” Singh during its regular meeting. A panel of judges selected the winner from nominations submitted by local high schools. The award...
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Ga. lawmakers negotiate in final week of session
Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-rome, was working at the state Capitol this weekend, getting a jump on the long hours lawmakers will be putting in during the next few days. Tuesday and Thursday are the last two voting days in the 2026 Georgia General...
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Georgia’s hidden industry
It’s been a long time since two fairly innocuous words have caused as much concern as these: data and center. This is the first article in a five-part series on a topic that has placed Northwest Georgia on the frontlines of a national...
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‘It’s heartbreaking’
Floyd County Tax Commissioner Kevin Payne had an office in the Historic Courthouse for nearly a quarter-century. Thursday, he recalled how it felt when he heard the first fire call and began to smell smoke. “Ryan and Blake came running through our...
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‘They saved Broad Street’
Floyd County officials heaped praise on the Rome-floyd Fire Department and other first responders for their performance during the devastating fire that destroyed the historic county courthouse. The Monday fire, which remains under investigation,...
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‘What we’re called to take care of’
At the junction of the Etowah and Oostanaula rivers sits more than a waterfront park; there’s a history that tells the story of “The Rivers Beneath” in a powerful way. A ribbon cutting Monday, March 23, unveiled an art project shaped through...
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‘DEVASTATING’
The tower of Floyd County’s Historic Courthouse fell at about 4 p.m. Monday, as flames engulfed the lower floors of the Rome landmark that had stood at the heart of downtown since 1893. Rome-floyd firefighters responded shortly after 2 p.m. as smoke...
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