About this episode
Hometown's top headlines: please click here
Floyd County high schools set graduations (drive-through and in-person) as well as other year-ending events. Plus: Rome, Polk updates.
Bartow County Schools, central office to reopen May 18.
Rome, Calhoun long-term care centers each report the loss of a resident. Positive tests in our area up by 95 in eight days.
Dr. Gary Voccio of NW Public Health: Too early to finalize school plans. 'It will be very different than what it was in the past.'
Kemp: More tests performed but 'we must also focus on lab capacity to process the testing specimens.'
State Labor Department: $1.7 billion in unemployment benefits issued and nearly 1.6 million claims processed since mid March.
Dining: Bella Roma, Rome City Brewing's Tap Room reopen; on-site dining returns Monday to Steak 'N Shake, O'Charley's.
Politics: Miss the House 14 debate? Watch the replay here.
Ware Mechanical Weather Center: Upper 30s both Saturday and Sunday mornings; highs today, Saturday in the 60s.
Advertising:
Hardy Realty's virtual open house gallery: 14 homes you can tour from your desktop, laptop or smartphone whenever you want. All in 3D.
Rant of the day: Reaching the 'new mundane.'
Book clubs are meeting again, even if six feet from one another. Graduations are being planned. More restaurants are resuming dine-in service -- in addition to life-saving curbside.
We're still supposed to be wearing masks in public. That's happening less and less.
We're not reacting to the twice-daily stories about the rising death count even if three people -- one each in Floyd and two in Gordon -- died from the virus within the previous 24 hours.
Two weeks ago, the governor opened the tattoo parlors and bowling alleys and hair salons. Restaurants and other businesses follow. Shopping centers including the outlets opened a week ago. Government offices and parks are next.
Some will say too soon while others are saying we waited too long, pointing to more than $1.7 billion paid in state unemployment claims since mid-March.
Still others are mad about having to get creative for Mother's Day brunch and presents. Or about a sudden last blast of near-freezing temperatures on the second weekend of May.
Are we back to normal? No but apparently we've entered a zone of tolerance of what life is today. We wish we could say that's a good thing.
