Rome will ring in 2026 with a sky full of color as Atrium Health Floyd + Harbin Clinic and Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation partner to present a New Year’s Eve Fireworks Extravaganza.
Georgia’s Rome Office of Tourism and Rome Sports welcome the Georgia Elite Classic Showcase back to Barron Stadium on Saturday, December 27, and Sunday, December 28, 2025.
Got plans to ring in 2026? Northwest Georgia residents can celebrate New Year’s Eve with the King of Rock ’N’ Roll—at least for one night—when “New Year’s Eve with Elvis!” takes the stage at the Rome City Auditorium.
Folks looking to start 2026 on the right foot are invited to James H. “Sloppy” Floyd State Park for the park’s annual First Day Hikes on Thursday, January 1, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Chattooga County and the rest of Northwest Georgia are in for an unusually warm stretch through Christmas and into the weekend, with afternoon temperatures running well above normal and flirting with record to near-record levels.
Georgia State Patrol (GSP) Troopers and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) Officers are urging drivers across Northwest Georgia to slow down and drive smart during the heavy-traffic Christmas and New Year’s travel windows, with high-visibility patrols planned statewide on interstates and state routes to help reduce crashes and fatalities. Georgia DPS has used these holiday periods for focused enforcement on unsafe behaviors like impaired driving, speeding, seatbelt violations, and distracted driving.
Blood Assurance says recent trauma cases have quickly tightened local blood supplies, prompting an urgent call for donors—especially those with O positive and other rare blood types—to help area hospitals meet lifesaving needs.
Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Sunday, December 21, 2025:
If it doesn’t feel like late December in Chattooga County and across Northwest Georgia, you’re not imagining it. A warmer-than-normal pattern is taking hold and will only strengthen as we move through the week and into the Christmas holiday.
A Lyerly man was arrested Thursday of last week and booked into the Floyd County Jail on a felony warrant charging him with aggravated battery.
According to the warrant, 35-year-old Branden Lee Salas is accused of attacking a woman at a location on Blacks Bluff Road in Rome on May 8. The victim reportedly suffered a fracture to her left arm.
In addition to the aggravated battery charge, Salas is being held on a probation violation. Jail records also list him as a fugitive from justice, citing an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Cherokee County, Alabama, on unspecified charges.
