Local News

March 4, 2010

SOUTHERN STATES ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TOURNEYS BEGIN TODAY

Today’s the big day that the Southern States Athletic Conference men’s and women’s basketball championships get underway in Rome.  SSAC Commissioner Dr. Kurt Patberg says that he believes that this is the first time that the tourneys have been held on neutral sites and not at a college.  Action will be played at Darlington and the Forum in downtown Rome. 

Shorter’s men and women will participate in the SSAC tournaments.  95.7 FM The Ridge will follow both teams as long as they are in it. 

For more information about the Southern States Athletic Conference men’s and women’s basketball championships, visit www.ssacsports.com. 

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A recent poll has revealed that 73 percent of Georgia voters support raising the tobacco tax by $1 per pack to cut the state’s budget and preserve Medicaid funding in Georgia, according to the American Lung Association.  Support has been gained for this measure by Republicans, Democrats and Independents. 

Danny McGoldrick, Vice President for Research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, says, “Now is the time for legislators to listen to the 73 percent of Georgia voters who want to raise the tobacco tax instead of cutting critical programs.  These results show that, regardless of party, voters across Georgia understand raising the tobacco tax is a smart way to cut the deficit and protect our kids from tobacco.”

The survey of 500 registered voters in Georgia was conducted by a number of groups, including the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.  It was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and was conducted by the polling firm Public Opinion Strategies. 

A recent report by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and other public health institutions reveals that a $1 increase in Georgia’s tobacco tax would raise $354.5 million in new annual revenue.  It is believed that it would also prevent 79,600 Georgia kids form smoking, save 38,400 state residents from premature death and save $1.8 billion in tobacco-related health care costs.

Georgia’s current cigarette tax is 37 cents a pack, ranking 47th in the nation and below the national averate of $1.34 per pack. 

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Registration is now open for the Coosa River Basin Initiative’s Waterfest Ten, set for April 16th and 17th at Ridge Ferry Park in Rome.  There will be live animal shows, the world’s largest portable aquarium featuring Oostanaula River fish, exhibits, children’s activities, food, a regional Environmental Quiz Bowl for area schools, and the chance to win over $5000 in prizes.  There will also be a 13-mile canoe/kayak race on the Oostanaula River, canoe and kayak tug-o-wars in a portable pool to be set up at Ridge Ferry and CRBI’s Canoe-a-thon fundraising competition. 

Registration to participate in the race and tug-o-wars is now open at www.coosa.org.  Registration fees range from $10 to $80.  For more information about the CRBI’s Waterfest 10, call (706) 232-2724.  You can also call that number to find out more about raising money in the Canoe-a-thon. 

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