Several businesses and churches are accepting donations to aid storm victims affected by last week’s Oklahoma tornadoes. The Cedartown Kroger is participating in a store-wide “round-up” where customers can round up their purchases to the nearest dollar. The proceeds will go to the storm victims via the American Red Cross. The round up event will con-tinue until May 26. Regions Bank is accepting cash and check donations at their Cedartown location. Checks can be made payable to the American National Red Cross Tornado Disaster Relief Fund. Cedartown’s Cedar Lake Covenant Cathedral has set up a “Support Moore, Oklahoma” link on their website where residents can donate to relief efforts via Paypal. According Bishop David Huskins, the church is working closely with Oklahoma City’s Gate Church and Moore Oklahoma’s Tree of Life church. The funds collected by Cedar Lake will aid relief efforts, Huskins said. He also said they will be collecting specific items in the near future. “Right now, the best way to help is through monetary donations. The infrastructure there is so devastated, and it is hard to get items there to those that need it. With money, re-lief workers can go out and buy the items needed there, and get it to victims quickly.” Rockmart’s First Presbyterian Church is collecting items for hygiene kits that will be sent after the initial, immediate aid is given. All items must be able to fit inside a gallon-sized zip bag and can be dropped off at the church, 306 S. Marble St. Worldview Baptist Church Childcare in Cedartown is accepting donations of stuffed teddy bears to send to the young victims of the tornado. Officials there said they would accept donations until May 30. They can be dropped off at the child-care center, located at 500 College Dr., Cedartown.

ATLANTA -- Economic recovery is well entrenched in Georgia, but that doesn't mean it isn't being dragged down by external circumstances, according to Georgia State University's quarterly economic forecast released Wednesday. The state will expand employment by 1.8 percent this year, further reducing its unemployment rate to 8.6 percent. Personal income will grow by 2.5 percent in 2013, but it won't do much to boost disposable income after inflation and the resumption of the full, federal employment tax. Add to that the fact that one-third of Georgia homeowners no longer can tap home equity to supplement their cash flow because they owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth, and the result is tepid consumer spending despite pent-up demand. "The battle will be fought between the urge to splurge on one side and reduced disposable income on the other," said Rajeev Dhawan, director of Georgia State's Economic Forecasting Center. "We already can guess the odds of winning here." Stingy consumers mean meager sales-tax collections, both for the state and local governments as well as for transportation projects in 46 counties, including those in the Augusta, Columbus and Vidalia regions. That could hobble government budgets. For example, the forecast notes that Georgia's statewide sales-tax collections grew by a modest 0.4 percent from July to April. "That's a far cry from the 5.3 percent growth we had in fiscal 2012," Dhawan said. What are the external circumstances buffeting the Georgia economy? Europe's recessionary economy, the pause in China's growth, Middle East instability and the developing impact of the sequestration of federal funds are counterweights to the surging stock market and rising home values. The 2013 forecast predicts the sectors benefiting will be wood products and transportation equipment in manufacturing, and the administration/support, information and leisure/hospitality service areas. Cutting jobs will be the federal government, textile mills and mining, according to the forecast. The most vibrant metro areas will be Atlanta, Savannah and Athens which will beat the state's pace while Augusta, Columbus, Dalton and Albany will be treating water.

City commissioners are hoping to shed a little light on what could be an accident waiting to happen. The intersection that joins Hwy. 27 to the Cedartown Bypass and North Main Street is a busy one to say the least. Located between the WalMart Super Center and The Home Depot, it’s an intersection that sees thousands of vehicles on a daily basis. It also serves as a main thoroughfare for drivers heading to the Cedartown North Business Park, Cedartown Middle School, Cedartown High School and traffic looking to connect to Hwy. 278. And when night falls, the lack of light can turn it into a confusing place for drivers. “We’ve had a lot of people talk about this intersection,” said commission chair Dale Tuck. “Particularly if you’re driving north towards Rome on Hwy. 27 like you’re going to Home Depot at night and when it’s raining. It’s very dark and hard to see.” City Commissioners Johnny Barrett and Larry Odom and Cedartown City Manager Bill Fann, along with retired judge and Cedartown resident Dan Winn, have spent the last few weeks meeting with representatives of Georgia Power and the Georgia Department of Transportation in an effort to remedy the situation. “They’ve gotten on top of this issue and are working to try and find a way to make that intersection not quite so hazardous and bring in some more light down there,” Tuck explained. The city commission received a proposal from Georgia Power regarding the cost and details involved with the installation of lighting. In the proposal, Georgia Power said they could relocate two 400-watt high-pressure roadway lights that already exist on poles located near the intersection. These lights were used to illuminate the previous roadway that existed before the new intersection was created several years ago. However, the lights at their current location are too far away from the new intersection to do any good, said Fann. The proposal includes the installation of those lights on new, 45-foot poles on the west side of the Cedartown Bypass. One pole would be installed on the northwest side, the other on the southwest side at a cost of $2,800 total. The proposal also states that the installation of the poles and lights would have to be approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation before any work could begin. In addition, the further the poles are located from the intersection, the taller the poles would have to be in order to effectively light the intersection. Taller poles would mean an increase in the initial proposal cost. Fann said the commission is waiting to hear back from the DOT before discussing the proposal further. “Hopefully, we’ll get help from the DOT on this project and save taxpayers some money,” Fann said.