LUY-Development

Category: Local News

  • Adams County board wants audit done of Recreation Commission

    Adams County board wants audit done of Recreation Commission

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Adams County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to get an financial audit done of the Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission’s operations.
     
    Questions have arisen about how money the commission gets from the county and city is being managed. “We need to know where it’s going,” said Supervisor Mike Lazarus.
     
    The Recreation Commission has told county and city officials that funds are in disarray and payments have not been received. “Somebody somewhere is not paying somebody,” Lazarus said as he urged the four other supervisors to support hiring an accountant to review the commission’s finances.
     
    The nine-seat Recreation Commission – appointed by city aldermen and county supervisors – has struggled in recent months to function, according to supervisors. Rec commission members have failed to show up for meetings and they haven’t properly handled the money received from Natchez and Adams County. 
     
    The YMCA was managing the city-county recreation programs, but the contract with the suburban Jackson-based organization expired in March without it being renewed in a cloud of uncertainty. The Y was being paid about $100,000 a year.
     
    In consolidating their recreation efforts in 2015, the Adams County Board of Supervisors and Natchez Board of Aldermen each pledged to put up $100,000 annually for recreation construction. The most visible new recreation structure is the Natchez-Adams County pool that was built last year at Liberty Park
     
    However, county supervisors in recent months have expressed disappointment in the lack of progress upgrading other recreation facilities at the city-owned Duncan Park and county-owned Liberty Park..
     
    In addition to the $100,000 each pledged annually for infrastructure, the county board yearly allocates $334,000 to combine with $550,000 from the city board for the recreation commission to use.
     
    —
     
    The Adams County Board of Supervisors is being urged to help pay off a $12,000 debt left for Natchez’ new civil-rights monument and plaza. However, supervisors aren’t legally allowed to do this, said county board attorney Scott Slover. “We are limited in what we can donate to,” he said Monday.
     
    Natchez had the monument constructed on the grounds of City Auditorium with municipal, state and private funds to honor more than 400 black marchers who were unjustly arrested in Natchez and imprisoned in 1965. The “Proud to Take a Stand” monument was dedicated last month.
     
    The Board of Supervisors has rebuffed past pleas to help fund the project, which was originally budgeted to cost about $115,000.
     
    In asking the county board again Monday for money, monument commission chairman Robert Pernell said the project is about $12,000 “in the hole.” Funding is needed for the costs of landscaping and plaques at the black granite monument and plaza located on the corner of Jefferson and Canal streets on the Natchez City Auditorium grounds.
     
    Slover said the state Legislature could pass a law specifically allowing the Adams County board to give money for the monument. “If we can find a way legally, we need to do it,” said county Supervisor Ricky Gray. 
     
    The Legislature begins its annual session in January.
  • Veteran Ranger Heading To Country’s First National Park

    Veteran Ranger Heading To Country’s First National Park

    TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — Sarah Davis has enjoyed her time in Tupelo and has nothing but praise for the people and environment.

    “The people are friendly, Tupelo is a great size town with a great location,” said Davis, the chief ranger for the Natchez Trace Parkway. “It’s five hours to the beach and four hours to the mountains.

    “I enjoy hunting and fishing, and this is a sportsman’s paradise.”

    Davis is heading to Yellowstone National Park, where she will become its first female chief ranger.

    Davis, a 20-year veteran of the National Park Service, came to Tupelo in 2012 from an office in Washington, D.C. where she had a 76-mile commute one-way each day to work.

    “I wanted to get back to working in a park, not sitting at a desk,” Davis said. “When this position came open, I applied. I had worked at the Blue Ridge Parkway so I had a good idea of what to expect.

    “I am originally from North Carolina. Coming here was like coming home. Everybody is so welcoming.”

    Since the parkway is a 444-mile long road, Davis wanted to improve safety and reduce the number of fatalities. While most of the traffic on the parkway is around the Tupelo and Jackson areas, the majority of the serious injuries and fatalities are in more rural areas where higher speeds play a role.

    Moving rangers away from the big cities helped. So did a new case reporting system and switching to electronic tickets. Between the two, the time writing tickets and doing paperwork has been cut in half, giving them more time to patrol.

    While motorists may not be big fans of the parkway’s 50 mph speed limit, it is there for a reason.

    “Physics is the biggest reason,” Davis said. “The parkway is very unforgiving. It’s a narrow road with no shoulders. There is very little chance to react.”

    The increased patrols, unmarked cars and other measures has had an effect on speeding, distracted driving and fatalities. All have dropped.

    While she has enjoyed her stay with the Natchez Trace, her remaining time here is measured in weeks. Part of the park service’s formula is based on short stays and transfers. That allows new people to bring new ideas to the nation’s parks and historic sites to make sure they don’t become stale.

    The next assignment for Davis will be as chief ranger at Yellowstone, the country’s first national park and at 2.2 million acres, the largest in the lower 48 states. It is also the park she has visited the most. She admitted working at Yellowstone was definitely on her bucket list.

    “I someone says if they could only visit one national park, which one? It has to be Yellowstone,” she said. “It has so much to offer — mountains, meadows, the lake, waterfalls, geysers, mud pots. Then there’s the wildlife — bison, bears, elk and wolves.

    “There are thousands of things to see and everything is spectacular. The opportunity to protect and be a part of Yellowstone is something special.”

    The move will definitely be a step up for Davis. Where she currently oversees around 45 rangers and has a budget of $3.5 million, at Yellowstone she will have a budget closer to $18 million and a staff of 275 employees.

    “I will be here until Thanksgiving and then start the move,” Davis said. “In Yellowstone, I will be living in historic Officers Row in the Mammoth-Hot Springs area.

    “I will actually be walking distance from the office and be able to walk home for lunch.”

    The biggest change for the Southern girl who likes it hot will be dealing with the cold weather. Some areas of the park are under snow nine months out of the year. But that will be fun and new for her and at least one of her two dogs.

    “The older one has seen snow before,” Davis said. “The other one is a Mississippi dog, so I look forward to introducing her to snow for the first time.”

    ___

    Information from: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, http://djournal.com

  • Louisiana Volunteer Rescue Crew ‘Cajun Navy’ Changes Name

    Louisiana Volunteer Rescue Crew ‘Cajun Navy’ Changes Name

    LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — A volunteer search and rescue group in Louisiana says it has changed its name to avoid confusion with a similarly named organization whose leader is accused of taking money from a fundraiser meant for children.

    The director of Pinnacle Search and Rescue, formerly known as Cajun Navy 2016, told KADN-TV it sped up its name change when the president of a separate group called America’s Cajun Navy was charged with fraud two weeks ago. News outlets report the change also comes as its own president, Jon Bridgers, faces fraud charges after a homeowner said he agreed to do contracting work on a house but never finished.

    Pinnacle Search and Rescue director Ben Husser said some were confusing the two organizations.

    Both groups include private boat owners who assist rescue operations.

  • Old Community Hospital Vandalized

    Old Community Hospital Vandalized

    NATCHEZ — Five juveniles face charges of burglary of a building and malicious mischief after police said they vandalized the old Community Hospital at 129 Jefferson Davis Boulevard on Wednesday night.

    Police officials did not release the names of the suspects because they are juveniles.

    Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong said police and deputies from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office discovered the building had been damaged after receiving an anonymous call that four females and a male were seen walking toward the property.

    “Officers did notice extensive damage to the building,” Armstrong said. “Officers of the Natchez Police Department encountered five juveniles that matched the description given by the anonymous caller.”

    The juveniles were transported to the Natchez Police Department where they were interviewed with the parents and were charged with burglary of a building and malicious mischief.

    “The juveniles were processed through booking and released to their parents,” Armstrong said. “The Natchez Police Department is still looking at additional suspects involved in the malicious destruction of the old Community Hospital. The police department wants to inform the public that the old Community property is privately owned and that anyone trespassing, burglarizing and or vandalizing the property could face criminal charges. The old Community Hospital is not a ‘haunted’ place to play around in.”

     

    By Staff Reports

  • Survey: Louisiana youth interest in vaping is on the rise

    Survey: Louisiana youth interest in vaping is on the rise

    NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Interest in e-cigarettes is growing among Louisiana’s middle school and high school students, despite deaths across the country attributed to vaping, according to a new survey.

    The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living found the number of students in the state who say they used vape products has doubled since 2017.

    The survey shows that in 2019, about 32% of high school students and 15% of middle school students in Louisiana reported vaping more than once, according to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. About one in four middle school students and half of high school students said they have tried vaping.

    Though e-cigarette purchases are limited to people ages 18 and older, a large portion of the students surveyed who vaped said they bought the devices from friends.

    Schools were randomly selected for the anonymous survey, which was optional for students to complete. About 2,700 students were surveyed.

    Most students said they tried vaping because they were curious, with those who vaped regularly saying they were influenced by friends or family members.

    Twenty-nine cases of vaping-related illness have been reported to the Louisiana Department of Health. The people involved ranged in age from 17 to 71, with a median age of 28. Over half said they used a mixture of nicotine and THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, in their e-cigarettes, while 21% reported using just nicotine.

    Nationally, 1,604 cases of lung injury from e-cigarette use have been reported across 49 states, with 34 deaths confirmed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • Louisiana holding free flu shot events around the state

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s health department is holding one-day flu vaccination clinics around the state where people can get free flu shots.

    The free flu shot events began in October and are continuing this month. A full list of locations, dates and times is available online. Events are open to the public, without appointments needed.

    Those who don’t have private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid to cover the cost of the flu shot won’t have to pay for the vaccination.

    The Department of Health says more than 1,400 people in Louisiana died last year from the flu and more than 14,000 people were hospitalized.

    The agency is encouraging people to get their annual vaccination against the flu, saying a shot is recommended for anyone over 6 months old who doesn’t have a complicating condition.

  • Mississippi now allows dogs on restaurant patios

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Pet dogs can now dine with their owners under certain conditions at Mississippi restaurants.

    The Mississippi State Department of Health’s new policy went into effect Friday.

    Restaurants must apply for a variance to the department’s food code to allow the animals and pay a $165 inspection fee. Under the new policy, a restaurant must have a separate outside entrance into a designated outdoor dog-friendly area. Dogs, who must remain leashed, are not allowed to go indoors — unless considered a service dog.

    Disposable dishes and utensils are required and dogs can’t come into contact with any items involved in food service operations. Employees cannot touch or handle the animals.

    Visit www.HealthyMS.com/doggiedining for more information.

  • High School Sports Results 11/01/19

    High School Sports Results 11/01/19

    The results from some of the local high school games. two teams are playing in the playoffs and moving on to the second round.

     

     

    Cathedral defeated Winston Academy 44-18

    ACCS defeated St. Aloysius 41-10

    Natchez High fell to Brookhaven 48-32

    Delta Charter fell to Cedar Creek 49-14

    Cathedral and ACCS were the only teams in  playoff games so far and are gonna be moving on to the second round to be played next week.

    Delta Charter is playing for a spot in the playoffs

    Natchez High was eliminated from playoff contention tonight due to the loss to Brookhaven

  • Longwood Afternoon festival to be filled with music, food, fun Saturday

    Longwood Afternoon festival to be filled with music, food, fun Saturday

    NATCHEZ — By the time Longwood Afternoon is over Saturday afternoon things are likely to get a little Ugly.

    The New Orleans funk band Ugly with Natchez’s own Jody Stallone playing drum headlines this increasingly popular music festival.

    “We like to feature new and upcoming artists,” event organizer Lou Ellen Stout said. “That is what Natchez does — feature some the area’s best talent.”

    Since it started in 2015, the festival has become a popular fall event that raises money for the preservation of the historic house Longwood.

    With gates opening at 10 a.m., the event will feature five live bands, a petting zoo for children, various food vendors from around Natchez and craft vendors selling homemade wares, all on the 90-acre grounds of the antebellum house on Lower Woodville Road.

    This year’s music lineup includes Natchez natives as well as artists from around the region.

    The music starts at noon with the Vidalia-native band, Easily Distracted, featuring 15-year-old Tyler Gregg and 14-year-old Bryce McGlothin, both from Vidalia.

    The entry fee is $10 per person. Children 12 and under get in free, Stout said.

    Since the festival announced its lineup in September, organizers have added the band Dalton Wayne & the WARmadillos to the afternoon lineup.

    Stout said the band has recently released a new record and has been receiving some notice in the Baton Rouge music scene.

    “They are hilarious and are really fun,” Stout said. “They are going to be great.”

    The Anteeks, Dalton Wayne & the WARmadillos and Magnolia Bayou will play throughout the day before the New Orleans Funk band Ugly takes the stage takes the stage at 6:30 p.m.

    Stout said there might also be a few suprises Saturday afternoon.

    “You never know what other Natchez musician that people love will come to play,” Stout said.

    – By Ben Hillyer, The Natchez Democrat

  • Dem bypasses party unity in his run for Mississippi governor

    Dem bypasses party unity in his run for Mississippi governor

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Republican nominees for statewide offices in Mississippi appeared at a campaign rally in September, making speeches about unity and posing for smiling group photos. Democrats have not done the same, and it’s unlikely that they will before Tuesday’s election for governor and other positions.

    The Democratic Party has been at loose ends for years in Mississippi, a conservative Deep South state where President Donald Trump is popular. Republicans hold seven of the eight statewide offices and control both chambers of the Legislature.

    That lone statewide Democrat is fourth-term Attorney General Jim Hood, who has been elected with bipartisan support and is now his party’s nominee in the open race for governor. He’s locked in a tight contest with Republican Tate Reeves, who is finishing his second term as lieutenant governor after two terms as the elected state treasurer. Two other gubernatorial candidates are running low-budget campaigns.

    Reeves is endorsed by Trump, and the president was traveling to Tupelo, Mississippi, for a rally Friday. Donald Trump Jr. campaigned for Reeves in two places Oct. 24 — at a hunting club near Hattiesburg and a barbecue in Oxford.

    Hood eschews connections to national Democratic figures and promotes himself as a candidate who supports gun rights and personally opposes abortion. He even keeps his distance from most other Democrats seeking office in Mississippi, saying he continues to follow his father’s advice from years ago: ”‘Son, you run your race and you stay out of everybody else’s.’”

    “It’s going to be hard enough for me to win in this state,” Hood said. “And I want to make sure that I represent Republicans and Democrats — because a lot of Republicans are going to vote for me.”

    Mississippi, Louisiana and Kentucky are the only states electing governors this year, and Mississippi has the only race without an incumbent. Because of state law, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant could not seek a third term, and he’s campaigning for Reeves.

    Democrats dominated Mississippi politics for generations, but for some candidates, the party label was more a matter of habit and convenience than a signifier of unity with the national party or even with other Democrats inside the state.

    Republicans started rising a generation ago, when a blunt-spoken contractor named Kirk Fordice unseated a Democratic governor in 1991. The GOP has held the Governor’s Mansion for all but one term since then, and it has steadily picked up other offices.

    This year, the Democratic Party fielded candidates for seven statewide offices and didn’t bother to challenge the Republican state auditor.

    The Democrat trying to succeed Hood as attorney general is Jennifer Riley Collins, a military veteran and former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi. She faces Republican Lynn Fitch, who’s finishing her second term as state treasurer.

    Collins said she is “disappointed” that Hood won’t campaign with her or other Democrats. She said Democratic Party rules require the party’s nominees to support each other.

    “I think we are stronger together,” said Collins, who is trying to become the first African American to hold statewide office in Mississippi since Reconstruction.

    Collins said she has actively campaigned with two other Democrats running for statewide office — former Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree, who faces Republican state Sen. Michael Watson in the secretary of state’s race; and former Mississippi Democratic Party director Rickey Cole, who is trying to unseat Republican Andy Gipson as state agriculture commissioner.

    “We always lift each other up if the other person is not in the room,” Collins said of her agreement with DuPree and Cole.

    Some of the Republican nominees have had their differences over the years, despite the smiling photo at the unity rally. Reeves preceded Fitch as treasurer, and he criticized her handling of the state-sponsored college savings plan that he had previously managed; she said she did what was needed to keep the plan afloat.

    During an Oct. 10 gubernatorial debate, Reeves endorsed Fitch as he criticized Hood’s answer about not openly supporting others in his own party.

    “This is how easy this is,” Reeves said. “I am for the Republican nominee for attorney general, and I am for the Republican nominee in all statewide races.”