Rome City Schools received Headstart Program approval for the current school year. The approval came almost two months after the school year began because of red tape in Washington, even though all required state and local forms were filed ahead of deadline. Rome qualified for $140,000 in federal funds for the program, which was about 90% of the funding that they requested. The program was designed to assist preschool children who are educationally and socially unprepared for first grade classes.
The Rome City Schools system also announced plans to request a $1 million bond referendum to raise money for classroom construction, including major new wings at Elm Street Elementary, new classrooms at West End Elementary, and the construction of two new junior high schools in East and West Rome, with the space currently devoted to junior high turned over to high school use instead.
Two West Rome students—Beverly Hall and Michael Witte—were named as semifinalists in the 1968-1969 National Merit Scholarship program. That meant that they advanced to the second step in the competition for about 2900 scholarships valued at more than $8 million.
The West End Mites defeated Alto Park 6-0 on Tuesday afternoon at the Boys Club Field. David Sapp scored the six points with a 21-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter.
West Rome was eager to extend its 5-0 season record with another win as they faced off abasing Cedartown in a 7-AA South headline game. "It'll take our finest effort," Coach Nick Hyder said. "Cedartown has always been ready for us, and it'll certainly take a better effort to win than we've put forth in the last couple of weeks. The game was made more challenging by injuries that sidelined Gerald Tucker, one of West Rome's defensive stars; Alan Carrington, who was out for the season after injuring his shoulder; and Johnny Rimes, who suffered a bruised kidney. In spite of all these setbacks, West Rome went on to win the game 16-14, thanks for a Roger Weaver field goal late in the second half; Weaver also racked up more than 127 yards on the ground during the game, making him the star player for the Chieftains.
The Floyd County Public Works Camp continued to be a rather porous operation: two more prisoners managed to walk away from a work detail this week in 1968. Their "vacation" from their 20-year prison terms was rather short-lived, though, as they were apprehended following a chase that began on the Alabama Highway outside of Rome and ended in Alabama.
Two juveniles, ages 11 and 14, were arrested and charged with vandalism, theft, and burglary after they stole bicycles from Sears, broke windows at Trammel Welding, and broke into the Trammell offices. The boys were also suspected in the theft of ties from Second Avenue Baptist Church and the theft of more than two dozen hubcaps.
Rome police officers petitioned the Rome City Commission for Social Security coverage at the Monday night commission meeting. In 1968, an officer with 25 years of service did NOT receive Social Security, since the city had opted out of social security participation (local governments were allowed to do this until the 1980s), but they did receive a pension of $100 per month, along with an additional $4 per month for every year of service over 25, up to a maximum of $152. That means that 38 years or more of service earned a city policeman $152 a month in pension benefits (even adjusting for inflation, that's equals only $1085 in today's dollars).
Coosa Valley Tech continued to grow with the addition of a practical nursing course. All applicants had to have completed at least the 10th grade in high school and had to pass an aptitude test. (Today, it's hard to imagine that someone with only a tenth grade education could qualify for any sort of nursing certification, but that's all that was needed in 1968!)
Kay's Kastles decided to take on Candler's Drugstore by cutting the price on their milkshakes to 29¢ each--only 4¢ more than Candler's 25¢ milkshake price. They also added a 27¢ 3-scoop cone to their menu--that made it larger than Candler's two-scoop cone, but Candler's cones were only a dime each, so you could buy two 2-scoop cones and a 5¢ one-scoop cone for less than the price of Kay's Kastles' 3-scoop. Ah, the wonders of an ice cream war!...
Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Humpty Dumpty salmon for 69¢ a tall can, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound. A&P had spare ribs for 65¢ a pound, red delicious apples for 15¢ a pound, and Showboat pork & beans for 17¢ a can. Big Apple had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and white seedless grapes for 29¢ a pound. Kroger had pork chops for 89¢ a pound, Parkay margarine for 25¢ a tub, and bananas for 12¢ a pound. Couch's had Armour Star sliced bacon for 59¢, Heinz tomato soup for a dime a can, and locally grown turnip greens for 15¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Pink Jungle (starring James Garner) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Bible (starring Stephen Boyd) at the First Avenue, and Von Ryan's Express (starring Frank Sinatra) at the West Rome Drive-In. the midweek switchout brought Never a Dull Moment (starring Dick Van Dyke) at the DeSoto, Rachel,Rachel (starring Joanne Woodward) at the First Avenue, and The Mini Affair (starring Georgie Fame) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to number one for a fourth week with "Hey Jude." Other top ten hits included "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#2); "Little Green Apples" by OC Smith (#3); "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley (#4); "Girl Watcher" by the O'Kaysions (#5); "Midnight Confessions" by the Grass Roots (#6); "My Special Angel" by the Vogues (#7); "I've Got to Get a Message to You" by the Bee Gees (#8); "Over You" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#9); and "Say It Loud—I''m Black and I'm Proud (Part 1)" by James Brown (#10).
Bea Benaderet, star of Petticoat Junction, died from lung cancer the week in 1968, shortly after the start of the show's sixth season. The show would continue without her, limping along for the remainder of the sixth season and a seventh season, but ratings declined significantly in her absence.
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