The Floyd County Board of Education voted Tuesday night to hire four new Principals for the 2008-2009 school year.  They include Mary Alcorn, who will replace the retiring Donna Brombacher at Garden Lakes.  The board also voted to appoint Albert Watters as the new Principal at Armuchee Middle School. Jeannie Hubbard will succeed the retiring Lauren Abrams at Midway, and Carmen Jones will take the place of Pepperell Primary Principal Linda Spivey, who is also retiring at the end of the current school year.  

City of Rome employees will have the maximum meita pay raise reduced from 4% to 3% as part of austerity cuts that will be imposed by the city to offset an anticipated budget shortfall of between $550,00 and $600,000.  The city will also put off capital projects for the time being and make other cuts in order to deal with the economy that has seen a 2.5% reduction in sales tax receipts this year and a significant cut in taxes related to releated real estate transfers.  Bennett says thet the merit raise reduction was a better answer than outright layoffs or potential one week furloughs without pay.