#EconomicDevelopment | AM 1180 Radio

October 6, 2026

Chattooga County Plans $5 Million Broadband Expansion Through 2030

Local News, Local News Items #Broadband, #BroadbandExpansion, #BroadbandInfrastructure, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CommunityDevelopment, #Connectivity, #DigitalAccess, #EconomicDevelopment, #FiberInternet, #FiberOptic, #GeorgiaBroadband, #HighSpeedInternet, #Infrastructure, #InfrastructureInvestment, #InternetAccess, #InternetService, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #NorthGeorgia, #northwestgeorgia, #PennvilleGA, #RuralBroadband, #RuralDevelopment, #RuralGeorgia, #RuralInternet, #summervillega, #trionga, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Chattooga County is planning a major expansion and upgrade of broadband service over the next several years, with an estimated $5 million identified for the effort in the county’s newly adopted five-year Community Work Program.

October 6, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Deadline Approaching For Appalachian Regional Commission Funding

Local News, Local News Items #AppalachianRegionalCommission, #ARC, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CommunityDevelopment, #DowntownDevelopment, #EconomicDevelopment, #FederalFunding, #GeorgiaDCA, #GeorgiaDepartmentOfCommunityAffairs, #GrantFunding, #Infrastructure, #InfrastructureFunding, #LocalGovernment, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #NorthGeorgia, #northwestgeorgia, #PennvilleGA, #RuralDevelopment, #RuralGeorgia, #SummervilleDowntown, #summervillega, #ToogaTheatre, #TourismDevelopment, #trionga, #WorkforceDevelopment, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Local governments and eligible organizations in Chattooga County have only a few days remaining to submit pre-applications for the next round of Appalachian Regional Commission funding.

October 5, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Chattooga Chamber Offering Venture Lab Business Planning Workshop

Local News, Local News Items #BusinessPlanning, #BusinessWorkshop, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountyChamberOfCommerce, #ChattoogaInfo, #ChattoogaVentureLab, #EconomicDevelopment, #Entrepreneurs, #Entrepreneurship, #LocalBusiness, #northwestgeorgia, #smallbusiness, #summervillega, #VentureLab, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

The Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce is offering a business planning workshop later this month as part of its Chattooga Venture Lab, an entrepreneurial program designed to help turn ideas into growing businesses.

The Biz Planning Workshop will be held Wednesday, October 28, from 1:30 until 4:30 PM at 10050 Commerce Street in Summerville.

According to the Chamber, Venture Lab consists of six modular workshops offered in different formats to accommodate participants’ schedules. Shared workspace is available, along with mentoring and one-on-one consulting.

The October 28 workshop will focus on helping participants develop an idea into a company and create a plan for its future using small, achievable steps over the course of a month, with hands-on guidance and advice.

The Chamber says virtual and recorded options will also be available within 48 hours for those unable to participate in person.

Registration is required for the workshop.

October 4, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Nominations Open For Georgia’s 2027 Small Business ROCK STARS

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #EconomicDevelopment, #Entrepreneurship, #GDECD, #GEDA, #GeorgiaBusiness, #GeorgiaDepartmentOfEconomicDevelopment, #GeorgiaEconomicDevelopersAssociation, #GeorgiaRockStars, #GeorgiaSmallBusiness, #LocalBusiness, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #ShopLocal, #smallbusiness, #SmallBusinessRockStars, #summervillega, #SupportLocalBusiness, #trionga, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

The Georgia Department of Economic Development is looking for outstanding small businesses, including those in Chattooga County and across Northwest Georgia, for statewide recognition.

October 3, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Northwest Georgia Workforce Summit To Focus On Jobs, Manufacturing And AI

Local News, Local News Items #AI, #ArtificialIntelligence, #CalhounGA, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #DaltonState, #EconomicDevelopment, #GeorgiaJobs, #GeorgiaNorthwesternTechnicalCollege, #GeorgiaWorkforce, #GNTC, #GordonCountyGA, #healthcare, #manufacturing, #northwestgeorgia, #TechnicalEducation, #WorkforceDevelopment, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Business leaders, educators and workforce experts from across Northwest Georgia will gather later this month to discuss some of the biggest challenges facing employers and workers across the region.

September 30, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

New Round Of Bidding Underway For Tooga Theatre Renovation

Local News, Local News Items #AppalachianRegionalCommission, #ARC, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CommunityDevelopment, #DowntownRevitalization, #DowntownSummerville, #EconomicDevelopment, #GeorgiaDCA, #HistoricPreservation, #HistoricToogaTheatre, #LocalGovernment, #northwestgeorgia, #summervillega, #ToogaTheatre, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Chattooga County is moving forward with a new round of bidding for the first phase of renovations to the historic Tooga Theatre in downtown Summerville, with contractors invited to a pre-bid meeting Thursday morning.

September 27, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Cleanup And Demolition At Former Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital To Begin In October

Local News, Local News Items #BatteyBusinessComplex, #BatteyHospital, #Brownfields, #ChattoogaInfo, #CommunityMeeting, #Demolition, #EconomicDevelopment, #EnvironmentalCleanup, #EPA, #floydcountyga, #HUD, #northwestgeorgia, #northwestgeorgianews, #NorthwestGeorgiaRegionalHospital, #Redevelopment, #RomeFloydCounty, #RomeFloydDevelopmentAuthority, #RomeGA, #WestRome, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

A major cleanup and demolition project at the former Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital property in Rome is expected to get underway next month, and the public will have an opportunity to learn more about the work before it begins.

September 25, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Georgia Power Nearing Completion Of Major Battery Storage Project In Floyd County

Local News, Local News Items #BatteryStorage, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CoosaRiver, #EconomicDevelopment, #ElectricGrid, #EnergyInfrastructure, #EnergyStorage, #floydcountyga, #GeorgiaEnergy, #georgiapower, #georgiapsc, #GridReliability, #HammondBESS, #northwestgeorgia, #northwestgeorgianews, #PlantHammond, #PublicServiceCommission, #RomeGA, #summervillega, #trionga, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

A major Georgia Power energy project in Northwest Georgia is nearing completion, with the company preparing to place a 57.5-megawatt battery storage facility in Floyd County into service later this year.

September 25, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Tooga Theater Renovation Project Re-Bid After Contractors Ask For More Time

Local News, Local News Items #AndyAllen, #AppalachianRegionalCommission, #ARC, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountyGovernment, #ChattoogaInfo, #CommunityDevelopment, #Construction, #DowntownRevitalization, #DowntownSummerville, #EconomicDevelopment, #GeorgiaDCA, #HistoricPreservation, #LocalGovernment, #northwestgeorgia, #PublicBids, #SoleCommissioner, #SummervilleDowntown, #summervillega, #TheaterRenovation, #TheTooga, #ToogaTheater, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Chattooga County is re-advertising the first phase of the Tooga Theater renovation project after contractors interested in the work said they needed additional time to prepare their bids.

September 25, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Northwest Georgia Employment Reaches Record High As Unemployment Edges Up

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #EconomicDevelopment, #Employment, #floydcountyga, #GDOL, #GeorgiaDepartmentOfLabor, #GeorgiaJobs, #GordonCountyGA, #jobs, #LaborForce, #LaborMarket, #LocalEconomy, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #NorthwestGeorgiaJobs, #RomeGA, #summervillega, #trionga, #Unemployment, #UnemploymentRate, #WalkerCountyGA, #Workforce, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Northwest Georgia’s unemployment rate unchanged at 5.6 percent, Rome Down

Northwest Georgia added workers during August, with both the regional labor force and the number of people employed reaching all-time highs, according to new figures from the Georgia Department of Labor.