Your latest forecast

-Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
-Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
-Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56. North wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
-Monday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
-Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.
-Tuesday night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.
-Extended forecast> Click  / Regional radar

New Jersey ticket wins $212 million PowerBall jackpot> Click

Weekend Updates

-7th Annual Cowboy Gathering at Booth museum, Cartersville> Bartow

-Latest public health restaurant inspection scores> Scores

-Wine News Vine: Fifth Annual Wine Highway Weekend begins today. Ten wineries, tastings for $20 in North Georgia> Wine News Vine

Steak N Shake coming to Rome in July:

-Restaurant will rise off Turner McCall following removal of former Johnny Carino's site> Dining

-Johnny's changes opening date; service begins Monday> Click

Gordon Hospital has been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) Quality Honor Roll> Click

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable> Arey

-Tebow doesn't wow 'em with test score; no marque game for Georgia Tech this fall.

Sports/Rome Braves/State Mutual Stadium> Sports

-Rome Braves' single-game tickets go on sale Saturday, March 20: The box office opens at 10 a.m.; ticket prices remain the same: $10, $8,. $6 and $4> Sports

-Braves announced 2010 promotional schedule.

-Redneck  Rummage Sale at State Mutual Stadium March 20> Click

Gordon Hospital honored by Georgia Hospital Association

(Media release) Gordon Hospital has been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) Quality Honor Roll.

Gordon Hospital is one of 48 hospitals in Georgia to be placed in the Presidential category, one of the highest on the list. The honor roll is based on clinical data provided by the federal Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), which administers the nation’s Medicare and Medicaid programs.

“This is a great accomplishment for Gordon Hospital,” said Joseph Parker, president of GHA. “This recognition further underscores the commitment of the Gordon Hospital staff to ensuring that every patient receives the best, most effective health care possible.”

All acute care hospitals are required to submit care data to CMS. This data details how well a hospital’s caregivers adhere to a list of 10 Appropriate Care Measures (ACM), which are the clinical processes of care that are known to be the most effective methods of treatment for patients who have suffered heart attacks, heart failure or pneumonia. The ACM is a composite measure that determines whether or not a patient received the right care at the right time.

For instance, a recommended treatment to help prevent a heart attack is to take aspirin either before or upon arrival at the hospital, as well as at discharge. A suggested treatment for pneumonia is to administer an antibiotic within four hours of a patient’s arrival. A hospital’s adherence to these recommended clinical practices usually leads to better outcomes.

“It is our mission to ensure that each of our patients receives the right care at the right time and this recognition validates this,” said Pete Weber, president and CEO of Gordon Hospital. “This honor is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our staff who are constantly working to make excellent care even better.”

What's ahead in Gordon County:

-March 19: GEM welcomes award-winning Elvis tribute artist Matt Cordel: The Friends of the GEM Theatre are bringing award-winning Elvis tribute artist Matt Cordell to the Calhoun Civic Auditorium on Friday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. The event is for all ages and will include both Gospel and rock 'n' roll selections. Tickets are $20 for reserved seating, $15 for general admission and $8 for ages 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at Fitness First of Calhoun, Gordon County Chamber of Commerce, Traditions of Rome and online at www.calhoungem.org. Doors open at 7 p.m. with an Elvis Look Alike Contest; the winner receives a cash prize. Call: (706) 296-7103

-March 27: U-Ride Bicycle Ride, benefitting the United Way of Gordon County: The rides cover 14-, 35- and 62-mile routes, beginning at 9 a.m. with registration set for 7:30 that morning at the Calhoun Historic Depot. Lunch and a T-shirt are provided. Registration is $10 for students (high school and under); $25 for adults; and $55 for families (three or more) Details: vspence@gordoncountyunitedway.org

-April 17, 24: Tire amnesty days, Redbone Ridges Landfill.

Gordon's Relay for Life on May 7 to feature cancer study enrollment

(Media release) Researchers at the American Cancer Society are beginning to enroll 500,000 adults across the United States for its Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3).

This historic study will help the society better understand the lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer, and ultimately eliminate cancer as a major health concern for future generations. Enrollment for the study will be conducted at the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in Gordon County from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, May 7 at the Northwest Georgia Regional Fairgrounds. (Click Relay Facebook page)

The Gordon County Relay For Life is one of only two sites in Georgia and many around the country this year where individuals may enroll in the new study.

“This study is extremely important to further our understanding not only of what factors cause cancer, but the processes by which cancer develops,” said Mary Wright, Mission Delivery manager for the American Cancer Society in Gordon County. “We are extremely grateful to the half a million men and women across the country who we hope will make this vital contribution to help fight cancer by helping make the study a success.”

Researchers are looking for a diverse group of men and women between the ages of 30 and 65 who have never had cancer and are willing to complete a mailed survey every two years during the course of the study, which is expected to continue for several decades.

And while the study is expected to last for years and yield lifesaving results, initial enrollment will take just 30 minutes. At the relay event, individuals will be asked to complete a brief written survey, provide a waist measurement, and give a small blood sample.

Follow-up surveys will be sent within a few months of enrollment, as well as every few years to update participants’ health behavior information. For more information or to learn how to participate, visit www.cancer.org/cps3, email cps3@cancer org, or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.

CPS-3 will build on evidence from three previous studies from the American Cancer Society, the first of which began in the 1950s: Hammond-Horn, CPS-I, and CPS-II, which together have played a major role in the understanding of cancer prevention and contributed significantly to the scientific literature and to the development of public health guidelines and recommendations. For example:

· Hammond-Horn confirmed the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.
· CPS-I was the landmark study that linked the significant impact of being overweight or obese to the risk of cancer occurrence and death.
· CPS-II was among the earliest research to show that individuals who use aspirin or hormone replacement therapy have a lower death rate from colon cancer.
· CPS-I and CPS-II helped identify the substantial impact of air pollution on cardiopulmonary conditions, motivating the Environmental Protection Agency to propose more stringent limits on particulate air pollution.

Scientific evidence suggests that about one-third of cancer deaths are related to nutrition, excess weight or obesity and physical inactivity.

Get Gordon County updates via Twitter:

-Follow us at www.twitter.com/gordonheadlines.

The 2009 Gordon County Tax Bills were mailed in January but bills are now available online for payment at http://www.gordoncounty.org. You can make your payment now to receive a tax deduction for 2009. Payments can also be made in person at the Tax Commissioners Office located inside the Gordon County Courthouse Annex, 101 Piedmont Street in Calhoun. Payments can also be mailed in. Call the Tax Commissioner's office at 706-629-9242 for amount due and bill number. Deadline for payments: March 12.

Gordon County, Ga., Facebook Directory: Gordonheadlines.com brings you a new community Facebook group to help you find other friends in the community. Click Facebook