Rome NAACP hosting carry-out soul food dinner fundraiser
All orders must be reser ved before Feb. 27, and there are four menus to choose from. Pickup will be Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Rome chapter of the NAACP is hosting their Soul Food Dinner fundraiser on Feb. 27.
Secretary Jackie Jenkins said they usually do the fundraiser in November, but decided to move it due to the high COVID-19 numbers at that time. They also realized that by moving it to February, it can coincide with Black History Month.
The Rome NAACP helps anyone who feels that they have been discriminated against in a professional setting based on the color of their skin, according to Jenkins. All of the funds go towards the group’s budget and operational costs.
The group shares many members with One Community United, who is helping advertise and support the soul food fundraiser.
The dinner will be carry out and drive-thru only to lower the risk of COVID-19 spread.
Those who are interested can call 706-204-6112 or 601-454-6790 to reserve a plate for $15.
There are four menus to choose from and they all come with cornbread.
Menu 1 is brisket, baked beans, potato salad and turnip greens. Menu 2 is pigs feet, mac and cheese, collards and yams. Menu 3 is pigs ears, pinto beans, coleslaw and yams. Menu 4 is chicken, green beans, fried squash and mac and cheese,
All orders must be reserved before Feb. 27. Pick-up will take place at the Kelseyaycock-burrell Center at 41 Washington Drive from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
ATLANTA — Georgia tax collections continued on a strong pace last month, the state Department of Revenue reported Tuesday.
State tax revenues rose by $175.6 million last month compared to January of last year, a 7.5% increase.
Another positive showing for monthly tax receipts comes as good news to Georgia lawmakers beginning to go to work on Gov. Brian Kemp’s $27.2 billion fiscal 2022 state budget plan.
With tax revenues coming in higher than expected during the first half of the fiscal year through December, the General Assembly won’t be faced with a repeat of the $2.2 billion in spending cuts the legislature was forced to impose last year.
Individual income taxes increased by 6.3% in January, thanks largely to a 40.8% decline in tax refunds issued by the revenue agency. Net sales taxes also rose by 10.2% during the month.
Corporate income tax collections soared by 51.2% compared to January 2020, as estimated payments rose by 45.1% while refunds plummeted by 60.1%.
While state tax collection trends are looking encouraging at the present, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee warned late last month the good times aren’t likely to last.
Rep. Terry England, RAuburn, told his House colleagues state revenues likely will get hit at tax-filing time as the Department of Revenue issues refunds to a large number of unemployed Georgians whose benefits were taxed.
More consequential than 10 Republican House members voting last month to impeach former President Trump, was this month’s vote by 11 GOP members to strip their colleague, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of her committee assignments. The freshman member had been targeted by Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat majority because she had – before her election last November – engaged in social media communications that ran afoul of today’s political orthodoxy. The fact that 11 GOP members voted with the Democrats and against a Republican, reveals serious leadership, unity, and discipline problems within GOP ranks.
But first, to the impeachment vote. Many Republicans understandably were upset that 10 GOP House members broke ranks and voted to impeach Trump during his final days in office. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was singled out for especially harsh rebuke because she occupies one of the top leadership positions in her Party’s caucus.
If one considers what happened on January 6th not objectively, but in the light most adverse to the former President, one could construct an argument that something he said or did provoked the violence that occurred on Capitol Hill that day. It boils down to questions of opinion, bias, and perspective. As is their prerogative, 10 Republicans decided to adopt this view and vote for impeachment, a decision for which they will have to answer to their constituents.
On the other hand, the highly unusual vote by the full House on February 4th stripping Ms. Greene of her new committee assignments, had nothing to do with evidence, ethics, competence, or legalities. The vote was simply a move by the Democrat majority to punish a new GOP member. There was no evidence or even an allegation that she had done anything unethical or unlawful; simply that in the past she had crossed the line from political correctness to communications deemed verboten by the new cancel culture, including “retweets” of other people’s messaging about controversial and later debunked theories.
If in fact there was punishment to be meted out as a result of Greene’s earlier social messaging, such action would fall to the leadership of her party, the House Republican leadership. And if her party deemed her transgressions to be sufficiently egregious to take the highly unusual (but not unprecedented) step of removing her from her committee assignments, it would be her party’s members who would vote to do so. However, after meeting with the House Republican leadership, no reason was found to merit such drastic measures.
That should have been the end of the matter.
Congressional Democrats, constantly on the prowl for pounds of flesh to extract from anyone holding views similar to or in support of Trump, decided they would do what Greene’s own party did not, and she was removed from her assigned committee by majority vote of the full House. No Republican should have voted for that resolution; crossing over to vote with Pelosi strengthened the Democrats’ hand even as it weakened the GOP’S.
There are 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each one belongs to either the Republican or Democratic party. Each House member was elected with the support and benefit of the party they chose, and each one owes that party their support if and when it is challenged by the opposing party.
This does not mean that a member owes the party their vote if doing so runs contrary to their conscience or the best interests of their constituents. But for Republican House members, this does mean they support their party when it is being attacked by the Democrats who, in this instance, are overstepping the bounds of intra-party administration and responsibility.
The 11 Republicans who sided with Pelosi and against their own party in punishing Rep. Greene should have been taken behind the woodshed by the GOP leadership and reminded in no uncertain terms that loyalty matters and that it cuts both ways. The fact that this apparently did not happen strongly suggests a serious lack of leadership and discipline within the Republican Party. It portends more problems for Republicans in the months to come, as Democrats look for ways to widen these fissures in the GOP ranks.
Bob Barr represented Georgia’s Seventh District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. He served as the United States Attorney in Atlanta from 1986 to 1990 and was an official with the CIA in the 1970s. He now practices law in Atlanta and serves
as head of Liberty Guard.
The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1941 Shorter Ave. To schedule an appointment please go to WWW. REDCROSSBLOOD.ORG and enter code: WPC. The Red Cross is testing blood, platelet & plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies.
THURSDAY
The Rome Chapter of The Compassionate Friends will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, at Life Church, 19 John Davenport Drive. This is a support group for those who have lost their child, grandchild or sibling. For more information call Deeann at 706-936-9021 or Sandra at 706-506-6108.
The Animal Rescue Foundation of Rome/ Floyd will hold its annual Spayghetti dinner fundraiser from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18 at the Rome Senior Center on Riverside Parkway. Cost: $15 per person, $25 per couple, $5 ages 3-10. Tickets available at Peggy’s Backyard, Wet Petz, Sue’s Barber Shop and at the door. Social distancing will be observed.
UPCOMING
The February Zoom meeting of the Floyd-rome Retired Educators Association has been postponed until 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 15. Email Juanita King to have your name on the Zoom invitation list.
Keep Rome-floyd Beautiful will celebrate Arbor Day with a public event set for 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 19, at Tolbert Park, 300 Charlton St. For more information visit Keepromefloydbeautiful.org.
TRED is celebrating the GE Trails 4th birthday with a casual trail walk at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at Garrard Park, 1935 Redmond Circle. Java Joy coffee, cupcakes and snacks will be served. The event is free but donations will be accepted. For more information, contact Julie at 706-844-8509.
The NWGA Center for Independent Living will present a free Zoom class, on how they can help people with disabilities, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb 25. Attendees will be entered to win a Visa gift card. Email Christina Holtzclaw at choltzclaw@ nwgacil.org for the meeting link or call 706-314-0008 for more information.
Friends of the Library Silent Auction
through
The
is
accepting bids
March 1 at 4 p.m. There are five showcases at the library, 205 Riverside Parkway, with a special focus on history books and memorabilia.
ONGOING
The Alanon support group meets at Westminster Church, 1941 Shorter Ave., at noon each Wednesday. Everyone is invited to come.
VFW Post 4911 at 2632 Cedartown Highway hosts Bingo every Friday night. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., the kitchen opens at 6 p.m., and the games begin at 7:30 p.m. Cash prizes.
The NWGA Center for Independent Living holds
COVID-19 Peer Support call every Monday at 2 p.m. via the Zoom website and by phone. For the link and password, or if you need assistance, contact Christina Holtzclaw at 628-246-1825 or choltzclaw@nwgacil.org.
To list an event email Romenewstribune@rn-t. com or call 706-290-5252.