WRGA Rome's NewsTalk

02/14/2025

Our top local stories for Friday….The Floyd County Board of Education is expected to appoint its newest board member during a called meeting on Friday morning; the City of Rome appears to be moving away from the idea of having a third party handle parking enforcement downtown; the City of Rome’s Arbor Day celebration begins Friday at 1 p.m. at Covington Park, located at the intersection of East 12th Street and Cave Spring Street; a Silver Creek woman has been jailed on a felony aggravated animal cruelty charge; and a Columbus, Georgia man has been returned to Floyd County to face charges of aggravated assault, unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution, and participation in criminal street gang activity. These stories and more at wrganews.com

02/13/2025

Our top local stories for Thursday….Floyd County water customers may see a rate increase for the first time since 2013; pre-leasing has begun for units at Rome’s Nova District project with move-ins expected to begin in July; Calhoun State Rep. Matt Barton has sponsored a bill that would protect manufacturing companies from lawsuits concerning the spread of the PFAS family of chemicals; a West Rome man has been arrested in connection with a knife attack on Camp Street back on February 8; and a Kingston man is accused of attempting to steal a Down Dump trailer from a residence on Jim Lee Drive in Rome in March of last year. These stories and more at wrganews.com

02/12/2025

Our top local stories for Wednesday….The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Commercial Gambling Unit recently identified violations at 26 businesses in the City of Rome and seven in the county that operate Coin-Operated Amusement Machines; a Floyd County man who spent 26 years in prison has filed suit claiming investigators not only fabricated false evidence but also hid exculpatory evidence during a 1996 investigation that led to his wrongful conviction; the Floyd County Commission has approved a request from public works for a grant with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to pave Rush Chapel Road with rubber-modified asphalt; a Lindale man has been arrested on charges of 1st and 3rd-degree cruelty to children; and a 32-year-old Armuchee-area man is facing charges following an argument on Sunday at his Green Acre Road home. These stories and more at wrganews.com

02/11/2025

Our top local stories for Tuesday……PFC Dalton Gibbs, the Rome City Police Department’s Officer of the Year, was honored by the Rome City Commission Monday night; Rome City Commissioners also approved two alcohol ordinance amendments, but the votes were not unanimous; a Silver Creek woman was arrested following a reported stabbing on Copeland Street in North Rome Saturday night; Rome Police responded to a ‘shots fired’ call at the Tamassee Lane apartments just after midnight Monday; and a homeless man is accused of having a weapon in a school zone and copping down trees at Gilbreath Park in Lindale. These stories and more at wrganews.com

02/10/2025

Rains will begin to fall Tuesday and stay with us through Thursday. Meteorologists suggest we could see as much as 5 inches of rain over that period.

🌧️For local storm updates and critical information - Follow These Pages🌧️

⚠️Road Closures: Follow Floyd County E-911 GA

📱 App for Weather Updates & Damage Reporting: >> Download the Floyd County EMA App

02/10/2025

Our top local stories for Monday……Rome City Commissioners are set to vote on two alcohol ordinance amendments and honor the city’s Officer of the Year when they meet tonight; the Floyd County Board of Education will discuss personnel during an executive session this afternoon and will then hold its regular monthly meeting this evening; the Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed two additional measles cases in unvaccinated metro Atlanta residents; a 43-year-old West Rome is accused of harassing a woman while he was incarcerated; and Rome man is facing a felony obstruction charge after he allegedly kicked a police officer. These stories and more at wrganews.com.

02/07/2025

Our top local stories for Friday….A rezoning application for a proposed data center at Highway 53 and Plainville Road across from the Lowe’s Distribution Center was withdrawn prior to Thursday’s Rome-Floyd Planning Commission meeting; a Shannon man is accused of assaulting another man with a machete at his Barron Road residence on Wednesday; a 30-year old Celanese man was jailed on multiple charges following a reported altercation on Shorter Avenue Thursday morning; a man from Miami, Florida was booked into the Floyd County Jail Tuesday on charges of exploitation of an elder person, financial transaction fraud, and theft by taking; and Noelia Sargento, winner of Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s EAGLE Award for 2025, was selected as a regional finalist for the State EAGLE Award by the Technical College System of Georgia. These stories and more at wrganews.com

02/05/2025

We have had several incidents of card skimmers used to steal Account and PIN information. Please be observant of any machines that you use your cards in.

02/05/2025

Our top local stories for Wednesday….The Rome and Floyd County governments are working to ease high property tax bills under House Bill 581, though several steps remain before residents see any relief; the 42nd Junior Service League Follies will take place this Friday and Saturday at the Rome City Auditorium; Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation’s 2025 Community Impact Grant cycle has opened and the deadline for submitting proposals is Feb. 28; and a Shannon man was arrested early Monday at his Bells Ferry Road home after allegedly threatening to kill everyone in the residence. These stories and more at wrganews.com

02/04/2025

Our top local stories for Tuesday……House Bill 581 will be one of the topics of discussion when the Rome-Floyd County Joint Services Committee meets Tuesday morning; the Floyd County School System has announced the application process to appoint a new school board member to fill the unexpired term of Chip Hood; Georgia’s gas price average decreased at the pumps compared to a week ago; Weather permitting; Georgia Department of Transportation crews will be testing the road surface of the on-ramp from Red Top Mountain Road to I-75 northbound; and a Coosa woman is accused of attempting to strike a 24-year old man with her vehicle in North Rome on Sunday. These stories and more at wrganews.com

02/03/2025

Our top local stories for Monday….The Floyd County Board of Education is holding a called meeting Monday to discuss the applications and process of appointing a new board member; the Rome News-Tribune is reporting that Rome city commissioners are again showing interest in renewing talks to split with the county, to one degree or another, on parks and recreation services; city commissioners recently got an update on several road projects including the Second Avenue widening and the future replacement of the bridge on Turner McCall Boulevard; a Rome woman was reportedly found with fentanyl during traffic stop last week; and two Rome residents were arrested Thursday at the intersection of Branham Avenue and Grover Street on co***ne possession charges. These stories and more at wrganews.com

01/31/2025

Our top local stories for Friday….The Rome City Commission is holding a planning retreat and on the first day on Thursday, some of the discussion centered around changing the commission from nine to seven or possibly five members; the Rome area recorded an unemployment rate of 3.4 percent in December, up two-tenths of a percent over-the-month; Rome City Schools’ administrators recently completed fall school data Impact Checks with members of the Board of Education; a fire earlier this week at Georgia Apache Mills on Oak Street in Calhoun is under investigation; and a North Rome man has been jailed on a felony 3rd-degree arson charge. These stories and more at wrganews.com

01/30/2025

Our top local stories for Thursday….The Floyd County Commission has approved an ordinance amendment pertaining to the regulation of commercial poultry operations and concentrated or confined animal feeding operations; Karly Nguyen has been Rome High School STAR Student and she has selected Seth Winstead as her STAR Teacher; plans have been announced for a mixed-use development consisting of over 2,390 acres in at the Highway 411/I-75 interchange Bartow County; and Robert Branum, a Cybersecurity student from Ringgold, was named Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s 2025 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership winner, and Jennifer Dixon, assistant dean and instructor of Early Childhood Care and Education, has been named the college’s 2025 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year. These stories and more at wrganews.com

01/28/2025

Tuesday, January 28, 2025--10:00 a.m. -GNTC News Release- Chef Greg Paulson, program director and Culinary Arts instructor at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC), will appear this week on “Family Feud.” Paulson, his wife Beth, and stepchildren Matthew, Keel,y and Julie will ap

01/28/2025

Our top local stories for Tuesday…..The Rome News-Tribune is reporting that the Floyd County Board of Education on Monday announced that it will not opt out of HB 581, allowing county residents to take advantage of the homestead tax break on school taxes; qualifying for the upcoming special election for Post Four on the Floyd County Commission is underway, and five candidates signed up to run on Monday; the Floyd County Police Department and the Defenders for Children organization presented a new electric detection canine team on Monday; Floyd County Commissioners will consider a number of recommendations from the planning commission when they meet today; and a West Rome man was arrested Saturday after allegedly barricading himself in his Leon Street residence. These stories and more at wrganews.com

01/27/2025

On Monday afternoon the Floyd County Police Department and the Defenders for Children organization presented Floyd Counties’ new electric detection canine team. The team is led by Floyd County Police Captain Ojilvia Lom and canine “Billy.”

Please visit the WRGA News article linked here to see our video story:

January 27th, 2025 - 4:47 PM Ethan Garrett - WRGA Digital News Editor & Video Reporter - https://youtu.be/H08s4TfgWIU?si=pZMVQD_XC2FiNJiQ On Monday afternoon the Floyd County Police Department and the Defenders for Children organization presented Floyd Counties’ new electric d

01/27/2025

Our top local stories for Monday….Two alcohol ordinance amendments are slated for First Reading during Monday’s Rome City Commission meeting; Rome City Schools will Pre-Kindergarten registration today; Corey Townsend, Senior Vice President at Ameris Bank, has announced his candidacy for Floyd County Commission Post 4 as qualifying begins today; the Floyd County Police Department and Defenders for Children organization will present and demonstrate its new Electronic Detection Canine team this afternoon; and two people have been arrested on felony charges of 1st-degree cruelty to children and aggravated battery. These stories and more at wrganews.com

01/24/2025

The Rome Police Department is reporting that a traffic accident has occurred near 18 Shorter Avenue (area of Big Dan’s Car Wash) affecting traffic in all directions.

Another traffic accident has also been reported on Turner McCall Blvd in the Taco Bell / Zaxbys area and is affecting traffic in both directions.

Please avoid these areas until the accidents are cleared.