Newsline: What’s buzzing. Off Broad opens. A ‘Luau to Die For.’ Politics: Gingrey, U.S. senators, gas tax fight

Newsline is a mix of information gathered Friday by Hometown Headlines from a variety of sources.

Off Broad hits the on switch: Since Thursday evening, Off Broad — a new lounge with a light menu at River Center and Hawthorn Suites — has been pouring and serving as Ira Levy’s latest project brings a new after-hours venue downtown. Libations, a light menu and cheese trays are part of the offerings in a lounge setting designed for easy conversation.

‘A Luau to Die For.’ We can’t say it any better so we’ll ‘borrow’ the name for the headline about Floyd Against Drugs’ presentation of the Murder Mystery Dinner “A Luau to die For’ on Thursday, Feb. 26 at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. The cast consists of Amy Astin, Severo Avila, Judge Tami Colston, Josh Hayes, Gary Jones, Evie McNiece, Robert Smyth, Esther Vaughn, Rhonda Wallace and Mark Webb. In addition to a buffet dinner and a murder mystery game, there will be a silent auction beginning at 6 p.m. All proceeds go to benefit Floyd Against Drugs and its mission to mobilize the entire community to work together to reduce the youth and adult use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco in Rome and Floyd County. Tickets are $35 per person, $60 a couple. Pre-sale only tickets can be purchased at Shasta Daisies, West Rome Animal Clinic, Vargo Orthodontics and Massey’s Plaza Jewelry.

Phil of the future: Former U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey has been appointed to the Board of Governors of the World Congress Center Authority. The 12-year congressman didn’t spend much time out of public service as his term ended barely four weeks ago. The AJC calls this one of the “primo” appointments out there.

The $500 million question: Georgia Municipal Association Executive Director Lamar Norton will speak to the Greater Rome Chamber’s Transportation Committee at noon Wednesday. Norton was an appointed member of the joint legislative study committee that had hearings all over the state last year but would not sign the report of the committee because the of proposal to “wean” local governments from the sales taxes on motor fuels This is an issue that will continue in the headlines as it would take money out of city and county funds and direct it toward transportation needs.

Somebody’s watching me? U.S. senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and David Perdue, R-Ga., this week co-sponsored legislation to stop the Internal Revenue Service from implementing its proposal to severely curtail the First Amendment rights of citizen-led 501(c)(4) groups. The Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act was introduced by U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and is cosponsored by 33 additional senators. The bill would stop further attempts by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to exploit bureaucratic loopholes to restrict the free speech rights of the same types of tax-exempt social welfare organizations victimized in the IRS political targeting scandal. “Our Founding Fathers put freedom of speech in the First Amendment to the Constitution for a reason, and I am proud to join my colleagues in ensuring that our Constitutional rights are preserved for groups of all political beliefs,” said Isakson, who is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees the IRS. “I will continue to do all that I can to end the corruption and politicization we’ve seen within the IRS.”