Bobcat Christmas Party: December 16th

	Bobcat Entertainment's Christmas Party (Neil Raggio, Brad Reeves, & Marty Frascogna)
	Hal & Mal's Big Room 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson, MS
	Friday, December 16, 9:00pm
Whether you've been naughty or nice this year, it's almost time for egg nog and company Christmas parties. Though last year's party was a little dysfunctional, this year we've stepped it up and booked 24/7, a big time Motown band that everyone loves, and we've moved it to a nicer venue with plenty of room. Whether you're looking for a reason to get that special someone under the mistletoe or you are married and need an excuse to get out of the house, you're guaranteed to be in the Christmas spirit(s) at the Second Annual Bobcat Christmas Party. Come on out to Hal & Mal's on Friday, December 16th and you'll leave wondering why you thought Dirty Santa was fun. 24/7 will play until 1:30 AM so even if your office Christmas party is that night you have plenty of time to catch the party. As always, this party is open to everyone so please feel free to click on the "Invite More People" tab on the left and invite anyone you know by putting their e-mail address in the box. Dress: Cocktail Attire Cover: $10 Also, since Marty has left us to go to Chicago, we need some help with these parties. If anyone is interested in helping out with planning or decorations, please e-mail neilraggio@hotmail.com. Be sure to check out the pictures from the Halloween party at www.bobcatentertainment.com. Also, we also need people to take pictures at the Christmas party and send them to us so that they can be posted on the website.

Blackberry Owners and Potential Buyers Beware

Judge refuses to enforce disputed patent deal, may ban BlackBerry sales; RIM shares tumble.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. was dealt another legal setback in a key patent infringement case on Wednesday, raising pressure to settle or face a possible shutdown of its U.S. mobile e-mail service.

U.S. District Judge James Spencer denied a request by Research In Motion to enforce the terms of a disputed $450 million settlement reached earlier this year with patent holding company NTP Inc.

Now the judge will set up a hearing on whether RIM can keep selling or importing its BlackBerry hardware and software in the United States.

RIM (down $3.79 to $61.13, Research) stock, halted for the news, tumbled after reopening, sliding about 7 percent on Nasdaq and in Toronto.

RIM said in a statement that it would continue efforts to get the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. The company also reiterated that it has prepared a software upgrade that can be used to work around the disputed patents.

The dispute between RIM and NTP goes back four years.

In 2001, NTP filed a suit against RIM claiming that the BlackBerry infringed on its patents. In 2002, a jury found in favor of NTP and awarded the company $23.1 million in damages.

In 2003, a district judge increased the damages to $210 million and issued an injunction against RIM. That injunction was set aside, however, pending appeal.

Last December, an appeals court sided with the district court and, in March, RIM settled with NTP for $450 million.

But during the summer, RIM walked away from that deal for reasons that have yet to be disclosed. In this go-round, RIM wanted those terms enforced, so Wednesday's ruling was a setback.

RIM reports more than 4 million BlackBerry subscribers worldwide, with the vast majority in the United States. So will you lose your BlackBerry service?

The judge could issue an injunction, but several analysts doubt that RIM will have to stop selling BlackBerries.

NTP has asked the court to make sure that any shutdown of the BlackBerry does not affect government customers or emergency response personnel. And RIM has said that it would be difficult to shut down the service selectively, making it less likely that an injunction could be enforced in a timely fashion.

In addition, RIM would likely be interested in settling, even if it means a bigger payout.

"I don't think RIM wants to take it all the way to an injunction, so the likelihood is that they are going to settle before that happens, said Kona Shio, an analyst with research firm Conscius Capital Partners in Montreal. It is estimated a new settlement could cost as much as $1 billion.

NTP, a holding company and not a rival making its own products, would also benefit more from a settlement than from a BlackBerry shutdown. After Wednesday's ruling, NTP's lawyer, James Wallace, said, "We would hope today's developments would bring the parties back to the table."

The Best of Jackson

I encourage everyone to vote for your favorite restaurant, bar, stores, etc. in Jackson at the Best of Jackson website for Jackson Free Press' annual awards.

Woman Has First Face Transplant

(CNN) -- Doctors in France say they have performed the first partial face transplant on a woman who had suffered extensive injuries in a dog attack.

A joint statement from hospitals in Lyon and Amiens in northern France said on Wednesday the surgery took place Sunday in Amiens on a 38-year-old woman, replacing her nose, lips and chin.

The woman was in "excellent" condition and that the transplanted organs look "normal," the statement said. She wants to remain anonymous, it added.

Dr. Jean-Michel Dubernard, one of the surgeons who performed the transplant at Amiens University Hospital, told The Associated Press the transplant was the world's first of its kind.

But "we still don't know when the patient will get out," he said. He refused to give any more details until a news conference on Friday at 1 p.m. in Lyon.

The grafted tissue came from another woman who had been declared brain-dead, with the consent of her family, the statement said.

Various organs were also donated from the deceased woman for other patients.

The statement said the woman who received the partial facial transplant had "lesions that were extremely difficult and nearly impossible to repair using standard facial surgery methods."

Doctors from CHU Amiens and a team from CHU Lyon participated in the procedure, the statement said.

Similar procedures have been discussed by British and American doctors, but because of ethical concerns they have not been approved.

Scientists have previously performed scalp and ear transplants but experts say the mouth and nose are the most difficult parts of the face to transplant.

The woman will not look identical to her donor even once the swelling has gone down. Her appearance will be somewhere between her original face and the face of the donor.

Parkway to Open Pinelands

By Sylvain Metz
smetz@clarionledger.com

Vickie D. King/The Clarion-Ledger When construction is completed, the Hugh Ward Parkway will be a north/south connection running from Mississippi 25 to Spillway Road in Rankin County.

Hugh Ward Parkway is several months away from opening, but builders already are grabbing up lots for new houses.

The property "was just a hidden secret all these years," said Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads, whose city will take in a portion of the parkway and the $100 million residential and commercial development known as The Pinelands.

Barry Jackson, one of three partners who built the $7.1 million parkway that could open by February, said the property sits "right in the middle" of a fast-growing area.Jackson said his research shows 130,433 people live within a 5-mile radius of the development.

Over the next two years, 2,000 new homes are expected to be built within a 1-mile radius of The Pinelands, Jackson said.

Vickie D. King/The Clarion-Ledger Construction of homes is underway along the Hugh Ward Parkway in Flowood. Built at a cost of $7.1 million on land once owned by late Jackson veterinarian Dr. Hugh Ward, it could open in February. Development The homes, to be built for about $110 per square foot, will range in size from 1,750 square feet to 5,000 square feet. A section on the east side of the parkway will include 1- to 1 1/2- acre estate lots and a section for housing for retirees. The selling price for the estates could be anywhere from $750,000 to $1 million. Retirement dwellings, which will include town houses and patio homes of 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, are expected to be priced from $190,000 to $300,000, depending on the size. Source: Barry Jackson, partner in the Hugh Ward Parkway development

"People are moving out here because of the school system," Jackson said. "It's one of the best public schools in the state."

A low crime rate and family environment are attracting people who have among the highest per capita incomes in the state, he said.

The majority of schools in the Rankin County School District are rated Level 4 or Level 5, the highest rating in the state system.Violent crime in Flowood declined 17 percent in 2004, according to FBI statistics.

And annual household incomes in Rankin County average $75,000, according to the U.S. Census.The development also is close to the Ross Barnett Reservoir and the Jackson-Evers International Airport, Jackson said.

It is being built on land that was owned by the late Dr. Hugh Ward, a Jackson veterinarian who died in an automobile accident in 1998.

Jackson said work on the parkway, which will stretch from the old Winn-Dixie on Spillway Road up to Mississippi 25 at Wal-Mart, began after he and his partners, Pete Alman and Richard Partridge, purchased the land through an estate sale in January 2000.Close to 350 of the 1,200-1,500 lots in the multi-level development already have sold, Jackson said.

Interest in the development was so high builders were required to draw for lots, Jackson said."There's something about that location," said Pat Harmon, president of Old Trace Homes who purchased 15 lots in Turtle Ridge Phase I where the minimum home size is 1,750 square feet. He bought 10 more lots for Phase II. "It's the thoroughfare ... (which is) like opening up the Panama Canal."

"I'm really impressed with the growth that's out there in the Lakeland area," said Michael Bizzell of Bizzell's Construction.

His family-owned company purchased 20 lots in Turtle Ridge Phase 1 and 10 lots in Phase 2. He says there's a shortage of homes of this size in the tri-county area.The Pinelands also will include 255 acres for commercial development, which will include a bank and nationally recognized pharmacy on opposite corners of Mississippi 25.

"We (also) are talking to a major company to develop 68 acres between Wirtz and Manship roads," Jackson said. "They've put together over 100 different shopping centers with large boxes (anchor stores) all over the country."Beka Fisher of Flowood, who works at Waffle House next door to the parkway, said she welcomes it and expects it will mean more business for the restaurant.

In addition to providing new residential and commercial development, the parkway is expected to help with traffic congestion.

Once opened, the parkway could divert as many as 15,000 to 18,000 vehicles from Old Fannin and Grants Ferry roads.Old Fannin, which runs for three lanes in the county and five lanes in Flowood, now draws about 19,000 vehicles per day, while two-lane Grants Ferry sees about 15,000 vehicles per day, according to traffic counts made by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Fisher, who lives in Flowood, said she welcomes the parkway because it could ease traffic woes. "It's really busy on Old Fannin," she said.Rankin County State-Aid engineer Buster Parker said plans call for widening Grants Ferry Road, which will ease traffic congestion.

Parker said he's not too concerned about the additional homes to be built along the parkway. If each home averages three vehicles, that's 3,600 to 4,500 more than what's now there.

"I think it's going to be an asset out there," Parker said.In addition, Farmington Station, a new residential development going up off Old Fannin Road, will be connected to the parkway, Parker said.

Richard Young, who lives in the reservoir area, said he believes the parkway will help alleviate traffic off Old Fannin and Grants Ferry roads."They can't build it fast enough," Young said.

Young said he's not concerned about the new rooftops, noting the growth is inevitable.

"They are already planning (more) houses from Spillway Road on Old Fannin to Lakeland Drive (Mississippi 25)."

Raiders, Pats to Play It Again

By Bill Spencer
bspencer@clarionledger.com

Vickie D. King/The Clarion-Ledger Helped by the likes of Ryan Geary, No. 18, and Miller McNamara, No. 41, Jackson Academy beat Jackson Prep and running back Harper Solop (with football) 28-23 in their regular-season matchup Sept. 23 at Raider Field. JA has won four straight games in the series. Title bouts History of Jackson Prep against Jackson Academy in MPSA football championship games: Year — Winner, score 1984 — Prep, 21-6 1996 — JA, 14-7 1998 — Prep, 28-12 2001 — JA, 12-7 2002 — Prep, 21-3 2003 — JA, 27-24 (OT) 2004 — JA, 21-0 2005 — ?

Jackson Academy and Jackson Prep renew the Mississippi Private School Association's most intense football rivalry Friday night, meeting for a 29th time overall and fifth consecutive year to decide the MPSA's big-class champion.If you think Mark McVey is growing weary of a season-ending matchup that has almost become inevitable, guess again.

For the Prep senior running back/linebacker, this Academy AAA, Division I showdown is never dull.

"Playing JA in the championship game is what I want," McVey said. "To beat them in the championship game would cap off my senior year the best way possible."

Like McVey, JA senior fullback/defensive end Benji Maher wouldn't want to finish his high school career any other way.

"Prep always brings something different to the table every year, so it never gets boring," said Maher, who's aiming for a third straight crown as the Raiders try to trim Prep's 20-8 series lead.

"It's always a great game. It's fun playing your rival, and when you get to play them for a state championship, it just adds to it."

When you examine the MPSA's enrollment figures, it's no mystery why JA and Prep keep making this annual date at Mississippi College in Clinton.

MPSA Football Championships A Lee (Ark.) vs. River Oaks (La.), Thursday, 1:30 p.m. AA Copiah vs. Simpson, Thursday, 7 p.m. AAA-Division II Heritage vs. Starkville, Friday, 1:30 p.m. AAA-Division I Jackson Academy vs. Jackson Prep, Friday, 7 p.m. All games at Robinson-Hale Stadium, Mississippi College, Clinton

Prep, which has approximately 900 students in grades 9 through 12, and JA, with about 800 students, are the organization's two largest schools by far. Enrollments for other MPSA high schools plunge to about 300 or less, a significant gap.

"There are two schools in the MPSA head and shoulders above the other schools size-wise," MPSA director of activities Les Triplett said.

While Prep suits up 59 varsity players and JA dresses out 55, numbers alone aren't the reason for the two programs' dominance. Coaches Joey Hawkins of JA and Ricky Black of Prep cite an array of factors, including quality coaching staffs, off-season conditioning and, of course, talent.

"We've been really blessed to have some great athletes in our program," Hawkins said. "They work extremely hard year-round to be the best they can be.

"Numbers are definitely a big part of being successful. We have great junior high programs and great coaching staffs. That enables us to be successful year in and year out."

At Prep, there are no short cuts to being in tiptop shape.

"I've been at Jackson Prep for nine seasons, and this is eight years in a row we've been in a state championship game," Black said. "The biggest thing I see is our players work extremely hard. They understand the importance of the off-season. Even if they're involved in other sports, they're going through our off-season program."

JA and Prep have drawn an estimated 19,000 fans to the past four title games at MC's Robinson-Hale Stadium. That's an average of 4,750, one that Triplett has no complaints about. However, he did acknowledge there's a downside to the same pairing season after season.

"The good thing about it is pretty obvious. They're the two biggest schools we have, so it translates into big crowds," Triplett said. "The bad thing is there's a certain level of discouragement that settles in with the other schools. But people need to go back and look. It hasn't always been Prep and JA. Pillow, Parklane and MRA have won championships. They're not that far removed."

In fact, neither JA nor Prep was Mississippi's top AAA team last year. Division II champion Madison-Ridgeland Academy — with about 300 students — beat both during the regular season. Other AAA programs should take heart from that example, Triplett said.

"I don't want to say it shouldn't be Prep and JA every year, but it doesn't have to be," Triplett said. "I think this is cyclical. You just don't want to have the same teams year in and year out because you don't want to discourage teams into thinking they don't have a chance. I think they do have a chance."

Hawkins doesn't deny that numbers provide JA and Prep with a considerable boost.

"Parklane was great back in the '80s," Hawkins said. "When I played at Indianola, we were great in the '70s. But being one of the larger schools, you definitely have an advantage."

With about 240 students and 30 players this year, AAA rival Hillcrest Christian faced uphill battles against JA and Prep. Hillcrest's season ended with a 21-10 loss to JA in the AAA, D-I semifinals.

In regular season play, Hillcrest fell to Prep 9-7 and JA 37-13.

"We're less than half the size of either one of those schools," Hillcrest coach Doug Hoehn said. "Any type of injuries kill us. This school has less numbers than I've ever been around. We have to spend half our practice on offense and half on defense.

"Both of their teams play real hard. Their kids compete. I see where our program has come a long way in being able to compete with those schools. But with numbers like that, I don't see how they can't have an advantage."

If you believe Hawkins and Black, they could meet for a championship 15 years in a row and never tire of the matchup.

"It never gets old," Hawkins said. "It's just like the first time. My excitement for this game is probably increasing. To play a championship game against your crosstown rival does add more pressure, but it's a rivalry. That is great to experience."

"It really doesn't get monotonous," Black said. "It's such a rivalry right now. You anticipate it being twice a year. That's the way it has been."

That's not to say that Prep and JA don't seek out new challenges. Prep annually plays Memphis University School, and JA added Briarcrest Christian of Memphis to its schedule this year.

Still, Prep's flirtation earlier this decade with joining the Mississippi High School Activities Association — which oversees more than 250 public and private schools — has waned, and JA has no plans to abandon the MPSA.

"The MPSA is a good organization," Black said. "There are some quality programs, quality athletes and very good coaches in the MPSA.

"People think it's a big separation (between the MHSAA and MPSA), but I've coached in both leagues. It's not that big of a separation. The principles of football and competition all remain the same. We're satisfied with the MPSA."

Fondren Place

by Adam Lynch, Jackosn Free Press

Real estate developer Mike Peters is looking to expand the successful cultural renaissance at Fondren Corner across Duling Avenue, and officially unveiled his vision Nov. 17, at the Fondren Unwrapped holiday open house.

Peters says he has huge plans for Duling School, which will be closing up at the end of this year.

“The school board is going to finish out this semester. They’ll go home for Christmas holidays, and they won’t come back,” said Peters, who worked out an ownership deal earlier this year with Jackson Public Schools. “We’ll take over in January. We’ll start getting prepared and begin breaking ground in spring and open 12 or 18 months later.”

What Peters has planned is the complete conversion of the Duling School building and the construction of two other adjoining projects, one on the corner of Duling Avenue and State Street, the other cornering Duling and Old Canton Road. Peters said the only thing he’s sure of at this point is that the new buildings will be mid-risers similar to Fondren Corner, a mixed-use building that has become a symbol of the city’s artistic awakening. Duling Street will differ from Fondren in scope, however. Fondren Corner features apartments amid the offices and boutiques. Duling will sport condominiums running $200,000 or more.

The whole project, called Fondren Place, will come in three flavors: residential areas called The Flats, because of their one-story architecture; commercial retail businesses in the new buildings called The Commons at Fondren Place; and the converted Duling School, soon to be christened Duling Market at Fondren Place.

Peters said he envisions Duling Market consisting of “all kinds of cool little trendy art galleries, photographer galleries and trendy shops.” He describes a setting filled with people working, living, shopping and carousing in areas filled with good smells and great music.

“We’re creating all these cool little courtyards and sidewalks and outside vignettes with seating places, and we want this place to be a happening market where people just wander around and sit and eat outside and wander through these different buildings,” said Peters, who has some fairly big names added to the list of interested businesses.

“I’ve got all kinds of dress shops, gift shops and jewelry shops and Basil’s, which will be moving to a bigger location there (from Fondren Corner). I’ve also got Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, and I have a Starbucks,” Peters said. “We’re really ready to get going on this. It’s going to be exciting.”

Many Jackson residents and visitors point a wary finger to the territory on the West side of State Street, a mere handful of streets away to the north. Ward 1 Councilman Ben Allen has frankly called it “a war zone,” on his morning radio show, and in the past the area has been the site of numerous burglaries and an unhealthy smattering of structural decay.

Fondren, the city’s first “suburb,” exploded with development in the baby boomer years following the end of World War II. Peters says the area is making a return trip back from decay, however.

“The West side of State Street has been deteriorating, but it, in my opinion, hit its bottom several years ago and is now on a trend back up,” Peters said.

“Are there still some pockets of deterioration? Yes, but if you travel through the area, you can see people are starting to put money back into these houses. I think the area is getting ready to come alive again.”

Allen French, president of Real Estate Solutions, is certainly banking on new life in the district. French has been quickly acquiring a block of property behind the Que Sera Sera restaurant, including the vacant Woodlands Restaurant, on State Street. He said he’s planning to build a very sizeable collection of high-end condominiums to accommodate University Medical Center Students.

“It’s not geared just toward students, but there was a recent survey asking UMC students if they’d be willing to live within a mile of the (UMC) campus, and 95 percent of the students polled said yes,” French said.

“We’re basically not only trying to change the dynamics of Fondren, but we feel that if we do this thing right, we could possibly change the perception of the city of Jackson and maybe help make Fondren a destination point.”

Check Out the Headline on This Article

Who wants a high-paying job anyway?

Fan: I Dumped Mom's Ashes on Field

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A man arrested for running onto the field during the Philadelphia Eagles' game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday told police he was spreading his late mother's ashes.
Christopher Noteboom, 33, of Tempe, Arizona, ran onto the field holding a plastic bag, leaving a cloud of fine powder behind.
As he reached the 30-yard line, he dropped to his knees, made the sign of the cross and laid down on his stomach. Security personnel reached him moments later and he offered no resistance as he was escorted from the field.
Noteboom, a native of Doylestown, said his mother died of emphysema in January 2005, shortly before the Eagles' Super Bowl appearance.
"She never cared for any other team except the Eagles," Noteboom told WPVI-TV after he was released from custody Monday.
"I know that the last handful of ashes I had are laying on the field, and will never be taken away. She'll always be part of Lincoln Financial Field and of the Eagles."
Noteboom, a bar owner in Arizona, was charged with defiant trespass. He has a hearing scheduled for December 27.
"It's bizarre, but we have a zero tolerance for people who run on the field," Police Inspector William Colarulo said. "We especially have a zero tolerance for people who run onto the field and dump an unknown substance in a stadium full of people."
Eagles spokeswoman Bonnie Grant said the team has declined requests to spread ashes on the field.

Thief's Signboard Sentence Appeal Rejected

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The Supreme Court Monday allowed a California man to be sentenced to spend a day outside a San Francisco post office wearing a signboard stating, "I stole mail. This is my punishment."
The justices rejected an appeal by Shawn Gementera, who argued that this was designed to publicly shame and humiliate him. He said it violated the Sentencing Reform Act and the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Gementera pleaded guilty to mail theft after the police arrested him and an accomplice in 2001 for stealing letters from several mailboxes in San Francisco.
U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in 2003 sentenced Walker to two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The conditions for his release required Gementera to spend four days at a post office observing patrons inquire about lost or stolen mail, to write letters of apology to the victims of his crime, to give three lectures at high schools about his crime and to wear the two-sided sign for one eight-hour day.
Gementera appealed the legality of the signboard requirement, but a U.S. appeals court panel, by a 2-1 vote, ruled against him in August.
The appeals court said the record in the case showed that the judge imposed the condition for the legitimate purpose of rehabilitation.
It said the judge could have imposed a lengthier prison term instead of the signboard condition, and added that crimes and the resulting penalties nearly always cause shame and embarrassment.
Gementera's attorneys appealed to the Supreme Court.
"The shaming condition amounted to nothing more than the piling on of an additional and quite gratuitous requirement -- designed to publicly humiliate (Gementera) -- in contravention of federal law," they said.
"Punishments aimed at imposing shame and humiliation are inconsistent with a constitutional requirement that punishments, even for heinous crimes, be consistent with human dignity," they said.
Justice Department attorneys said a sentence may serve a legitimate rehabilitative purpose, even if makes the defendant feel uncomfortable or embarrassed in public.
The high court turned down Gementera's appeal without any comment or recorded dissent.

Avid USM Fan Collapses at Game, Dies

Huntsville, Ala., man tried to make it to first aid station, wife says

By Kathleen Baydala, kbaydala@clarionledger.com

Michael "Mac" McArthur was a sports enthusiast and a University of Southern Mississippi football fan practically from birth."He was not a screaming, hollering kind of guy," his wife, Diane McArthur, said. "But he knew how to get the crowd pumped up."McArthur, 49, of Huntsville, Ala., attended his last Golden Eagles football game Saturday with his older son and a longtime friend.
During the game against Tulane University, McArthur tried to make his way to a first aid station but collapsed, his wife said.Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict said McArthur had suffered a heart attack. McArthur was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics brought him to Forrest General Hospital.
"He was born at Forrest General, and he died at Forrest General," Diane McArthur said.Michael McArthur was in Hattiesburg visiting his parents after Thanksgiving. His uncle, William McArthur, said he visited his parents fairly often."His daddy is real ill," the uncle said. "He was always so good to help. When the hurricane hit, he came and got his father and mother and took them to Huntsville and kept them for several weeks because they couldn't live here without power."
This month, McArthur and his wife celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary. The McArthurs have two children: Mike, 16, and Scott, 14.The couple met after they had graduated from USM. Diane McArthur said her husband earned his bachelor's degree in restaurant and hotel management in 1981. Most recently, he was employed as a manager for Eurest, an international food contractor.
And as much as McArthur loved sports — football and golf mostly — he also loved helping young people, his wife said. He once coached recreation league football and, this year, was "the voice of the Madison County (Ala.) High School Tigers.""He sat in the press box and called the games," she said. "Everyone said he was so good at it, that they asked him to come back and do it again next year."

Jailed Laurel Councilman Attempts Escape

LAUREL — A Laurel city councilman, who was being held in jail on sexual battery charges, tried to escape over the weekend, authorities say.Joseph Jones attempted to scale a 30-foot security fence at the Jones County Jail on Sunday, said Sheriff Larry Dykes.Dykes said Jones was playing basketball in the exercise yard, when he dropped the ball, ran to the fence and tried to climb it.Dykes said Jones got within a few feet of the top before climbing down when two officers shook the fence.Jones had been in jail for several weeks, awaiting trial on two counts of sexual battery. The charges involved two teenage girls, authorities said.Jones could face additional charges for the attempted escape, Dykes said.

Oxford keeps building, building, building

By Jennifer Farish
Daily Journal Oxford Bureau

OXFORD - One year after city planning officials predicted a slowing of the construction market, building costs are proving otherwise.


Former Oxford Planner Colbert Jones reported to the Oxford Planning Commission this month that building costs are at a record $62 million this year, an increase of more than 60 percent over 2004's total.


The numbers may be positive, but the continuing growth has city leaders concerned about what the city will look like if growth is not carefully dictated.


"We want to work with the community to consider the site first, instead of planning the development first and then looking for a site to stick it on," Jones said in an earlier interview.





From $38M to $60M


In 2004, building costs In Oxford totaled about $38 million, a dramatic decrease from the $60 million reached in 2003.


Planners attributed the higher numbers in 2003 to a large number of commercial developments including the new Wal-Mart SuperCenter and to several large apartment complexes constructed that year.


The lower numbers in 2004 suggested the construction market had slowed, but it has become obvious through this year that the area is continuing to attract new residents and new businesses.





Curbing urban sprawl


Before retiring as city planner this month, Jones said preventing urban sprawl is the major task facing Oxford as the city continues to grow.


Planning Commissioner Debby Chessin agreed, saying prevention of sprawl is the major focus of a proposed agreement between the city and Lafayette County on requirements for county developments hooked to city water and sewer systems.


"Because the county is working toward a comprehensive plan, we decided not to focus on the smaller details but to draft a plan that would allow us to accept proposals based on meeting city specifications for water and sewer," Chessin said.


The proposal also sets density guidelines for the county developments requiring a certain percentage of green space according to the size of lots in the development.


"We want to eliminate the possibility of sprawl, so that Oxford is an attractive and well-thought out community," she said.





Growth-related measures


The proposal, if approved by city aldermen in December, would join a growing list of growth-related measures the city has adopted over the past few years.


The planning guidelines in the city and county are about more than just the way the area looks, Chessin said.


"We want to offer people to buy homes (of) quality construction that won't require long-term repairs, and the same goes for things like roads, which have to be repaired more often if they are not built to certain expectations," she said.


Therefore, she said, it is important to require developers to meet certain codes and to ensure that there is adequate infrastructure.


"Oxford is an undiscovered jewel, and it's becoming discovered," Chessin said. "People want to move here because of the quality of life and the small-town atmosphere, so as the growth increases, it is important that it is done in a careful and planned way that is attractive and safe for the people who live here."


Current projects


A wide variety of commercial and residential building is under way in Oxford. Here are a few of the projects residents are anticipating.


- Powerhouse Community Arts Center - Started this fall, the six-month project will renovate the former Oxford Electric Department warehouse into a modern theater, complete with arts council offices, exhibition areas and a transitional theater.


- Oxford Commons - The first phase of the project would include a commercial area to resemble the Oxford Square and to include a movie theater, restaurants and retail shops, as well as office areas and a hotel resembling the Lafayette County Courthouse. Also included in the first phase are the new upper elementary school for Oxford city schools, townhouses and single-family homes. Future phases could include a 48-acre lake and other residential areas.


- New condominums - This year, city planners have approved more than 80 new condominiums at various locations. Among the sites: the location of Forrester's Bar, which was leveled for condo construction.


- Oxford Skate Park - The city and private donors are building a skate park across from the public library on Bramlett Boulevard. Plans for the 10,000-square-foot concrete park include a playground, pavilion, restrooms, lighting and a parking lot that will also be available for library patrons.

Keenum draws support as next Miss. State's boss

BY ANDY KANENGISER


Daily Journal


STARKVILLE - Some Mississippi State University supporters are openly pushing Mark Keenum, chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, to return home to lead his alma mater.


Keenum is "an outstanding individual. He would be a great candidate and serve the university well if chosen," said former Tupelo Mayor Larry Otis, a 1960 MSU graduate. "He would bring a great skill set to the university particularly to the fundraising side. He represents the senator well."





Early speculation


The speculation game began early, just hours after MSU President Charles Lee, 67, announced his retirement Monday. Lee, who served a year as interim president before taking the permanent job in 2003, will step down at the end of the academic year in May.


Keenum's name was getting plugged by many in the MSU family.


"He's got the Washington experience and the research and development experience, plus an academic career,'' said MSU political scientist Marty Wiseman, a Keenum supporter. "He knows the halls of Congress and federal agencies well.''


Added Wiseman, an MSU alumnus and head of the Stennis Institute of Government: "There is a huge groundswell of support for Dr. Keenum.''


Keenum, 44, and his wife, Rhonda, who works on the White House staff and is an aide to President Bush's adviser, Karl Rove, are "two prominent State alumni with a new batch of triplets,'' Wiseman said.


A Corinth native, State graduate and former MSU agricultural economics professor, Keenum said in a statement he was "honord to have been mentioned as a possible candidate for the presidency of MSU."


"Dr. Lee has done an outstanding job during his tenure and certainly will be missed," he said. "As an alumnus, I share Dr. Lee's desire that his replacement be a leader of the quality that the university and state deserve.''


Keenum said his immediate plans are to continue to assist Cochran and help with Mississippi's Hurricane Katrina recovery.





Other prospects


State College Board member and West Point Mayor Scott Ross said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on Keenum or other potential prospects.


Ross, who serves on the board's new presidential search committee, said the university should hire a leader who can raise money and deal with a broad array of constituents.


"MSU needs a good, strong aggressive person who's got skills, not just inside, but outside the university,'' said Ross, an MSU graduate. "The president spends so much time on external matters, dealing with government, alumni, fundraising and things like that.''


The board committee is headed by MSU alumnus Ed Blakeslee of Gulfport and includes board member Roy Klumb, a State graduate also from Gulfport.





Other potential candidates


But Commissioner of Higher Education Tom Meredith, who began his duties in Jackson in October, is expected to play a significant role. It's his first search as commissioner of Mississippi's eight university system.


Under a recent board policy change, university presidents now report to the commissioner. A panel of MSU supporters is expected to assist with the national search. A consultant may be hired, too.


Keenum was a prospect for the job last time. The board suspended the search after MSU supporters were divided and unable to reach a consensus on a candidate, Ross said.


After Lee served as interim president, the board selected him for the job with influential Mississippi lawmakers, including Sen. Jack Gordon, D-Okolona, and Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, lobbying for him.


Others being mentioned for the post: MSU professor Marty Fuller, director of federal relations on the Starkville campus; Robert Altenkirch, former MSU engineering dean who is president of the New Jersey Institute of Technology; Millsaps College President Frances Lucas, an MSU graduate and daughter of retired University of Southern Mississippi President Aubrey Lucas. Also: Jim Newsom, a State graduate and president of the New York Merchantile Exchange.


Fuller, 47, a 1980 MSU graduate and Ripley native, said he's honored to be mentioned. "It would obviously be an honor to do that and serve in that capacity.''


Fuller is former associate director of the Mississippi agricultural experiment stations. "Hopefully, they will find a consensus (candidate) this time and move forward,'' said the 1976 Starkville High graduate.

Starkville Aldermen Consider Ban on Smoking

by Elizabeth Crisp
November 19, 2005

Starkville aldermen are reviewing an ordinance that could possibly ban smoking in all public enclosed buildings in Starkville.

Citizens for a Breathe-Free Starkville, a grassroots organization that claims about 450 members, presented the "Starkville Smoke-Free Air Act of 2005" at the Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday.

Aldermen voted to have a town hall meeting on the issue, but they have not set a date for it yet.

"There's a chance that we may not have it until January," Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey said. "This is going to affect students as much as residents, so we will have the meeting when school is in session."

Robert McMillen, an organizer for the group and research fellow at MSU's Social Science Research Center, said the proposed ordinance-which would apply to restaurants and bars-was very strict.

"The medical and scientific community agrees that second-hand smoke is incredibly dangerous. From a public health standpoint, this is a huge issue for Starkville," he said. "We've made it with no exceptions to create a level playing field."

However, many Starkville restaurant owners oppose the ban.

"It's not a level playing field like they say," said David Whitten, managing partner at Cotton District Grill. "Tonight's the first time we've seen the draft."

Whitten also said he did not think it would be a level playing field because some restaurants and bars-like the Boar's Head and Tiki at Rick's Caf?-are outside so they will not be affected by the ban.

McMillen said that should not be an issue.

"Places have their loyalty," he said. "People like certain places and will keep coming back to them whether they can smoke there or not."

There are petitions in local restaurants-including the Grill-that oppose the ban, Whitten said.

"We're not promoting smoking, but it should be a restaurant owner's decision," he said. "We enforce alcoholic beverage codes, safety codes, food service codes-now they want to add being tobacco police on top of that."

Corey said he is still listening to both sides of the argument, so he has not made an official stance on either side.

"The overwhelming majority of people who've contacted me want this ban," he said.

He noted though that the board has the option to make changes to the proposed ordinance. Options include allowing smoking during certain hours and making exceptions for certain places.

The Starkville Restaurant Association will make a presentation to the board at the next aldermen meeting, he said.

Robin Fant, president of the Starkville Restaurant Association, presented to the board results from a poll of 45 local restaurants. According to the poll-which included MSU eating establishments-56 percent were smoke-free, 33 percent had designated smoking and nonsmoking sections and 11 percent allowed smoking everywhere.

"What message is this going to send to restaurants?" Starkville resident Jeff Jones said. "This is a very industry-specific bill. How can you tell them what they can and cannot do?"

"If you don't like smoking, go to a non-smoking restaurant," he added. "Let the marketplace determine how this will happen."

Joe Tkach, owner of City Bagel Caf?, a non-smoking establishment in Starkville, said he supports the proposed ordinance because he sees the issue as a public health concern.

"Maybe if it's not in your face at every bar and every restaurant, some college students won't start smoking," he said.

Lee Retiring as MSU President

BY ANDY KANENGISER
Daily Journal

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State University President Charles Lee announced his retirement Monday, and the search is on to pick his successor.

In a memo to MSU supporters, the 67-year-old Lee said he plans to retire at the end of the academic year. His contract expires in June.

“I will continue to devote my full energy to seeking the resources the university needs during the upcoming legislative session and to continuing our focus on institutional priorities,’’ Lee said. “We still have much work to do.’’

Some supporters were hoping Lee would stay a while longer as leader of the state’s largest university. Last week, Lee told College Board members privately of his decision and made it public Monday.

Lee and his wife, Pat, “have been personally engaged on so many fronts to advance MSU and the state of Mississippi,’’ said former Tupelo Mayor Glenn McCullough Jr., a 1977 MSU grad. “History will reflect he provided strong leadership.’’


In service to the university

A major accomplishment is Lee’s push for a $400 million fundraising campaign that’s more than half complete, he said.

“I’m sorry to see him go – they will have a national search, I’m sure,’’ said Sen. Jack Gordon, D-Okolona, an MSU alumnus who joined other lawmakers in lobbying for Lee’s selection by the state College Board four years ago when he was interim president.

Under Lee’s tenure, MSU also received national accolades for hiring Sylvester Croom as the first black head football coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference. This fall, MSU opened its first new Starkville campus residence hall, Roy Ruby Hall, in more than 35 years.

Edward Sanders, a senior political science major and president of MSU’s Stennis-Montgomery Association, said he met Lee and his wife, Pat, about five years ago at a MSU Scholarship Banquet in Washington County. Lee has been a personable president to students.

“He’s done a good job and I wish him the best,” Sanders said.

Lee and his wife drew praise for helping with MSU’s response to Hurricane Katrina, with thousands of MSU supporters pitching in to assist victims on the Gulf Coast. The university also opened its doors to Katrina evacuees.

Some are mentioning potential prospects for the job, such as Mark Keenum, a former MSU professor and alum who is U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran’s chief of staff. Keenum was in the running last time.

“Dr. Keenum is well-liked and well thought of’’ among MSU faithful and on the national level, said Tupelo businessman Paul “Buzzy’’ Mize, a 1978 MSU graduate.

Millsaps College President Frances Lucas, a State graduate and ex-MSU staff member, said Lee has done a fine job. But as for a possible bid for the presidency there, Lucas said, “I’m enjoying every minute of my presidency at Millsaps. I’m happy where I am.’’

Lee’s state salary is $200,000 and he receives another $200,000 annually from the MSU Foundation, a private group of MSU supporters. At $400,000 per year, he is Mississippi’s highest-paid university president.

The Gator in the Living Room

Annie Boelte poses with the alligator that arrived at her house along with the storm surge of Hurricane Katrina. (Family photo)

PEARLINGTON, Miss. -- We hear a lot of incredible hurricane survival stories every day in Bay St. Louis and Waveland, where nearly three months later people still greet each other with reports of how many feet of water they had in their house.

But when we heard the story of the alligator in the living room we had to check it out, even though it took us a bit outside our usual area of interest to Pearlington, a town 20 miles west of Waveland that was decimated by Katrina.

To get to the bottom of the story, we dropped in on a meeting of the Pearlington Residents Committee.

The purpose of the meeting at the home of Lena Macillus was to discuss an effort to get Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood to investigate a plan for sewer service that the committee believes would be cost-prohibitive for the 52 percent of residents who live on fixed income, include one-third who live below the poverty line.

But the talk quickly turned to horror stories from the storm. Ms. Macillus, 67, rode out the storm at home with her disabled 61-year-old sister and several friends. They all survived, but there were some terrible moments when the water rose so quickly that her sister and a friend were swept away and had to swim for their lives.

They had not heard about the alligator in the living room, but they didn't find it all that surprising that a reptile might come a calling. Wild and domestic animals are common in the wild country of Pearlington. Ms Macillus herself found a water moccasin in a cedar closet after the storm. A neighbor lost the majority of her flock of about 30 peacocks.

To verify the alligator story, we reached Annie Boelte, 26, a New Orleans schoolteacher who spent the hurricane with her parents and 87-year-old grandmother in an elevated house on the Mississippi side of the Pearl River.

When the water rose into the lower level of the house, the family grabbed what food they could and scrambled into the top level, where they spent more than 24 hours before they were rescued with the help of a floatplane pilot, Boelte said by telephone.

A living room full of animals

Looking down during the day, they saw a number of animals in the living room, including snakes, a deer and a bat.

“It was just a zoo,” Boelte said by phone.

In the middle of the night the family was awakened by the screaming of a deer, which they assumed had fallen through the weakened floor to its death.

But the next day, when Boelte and her father gingerly walked down the decrepit staircase to see if they could rescue any keepsakes, they came face to tail with an alligator “with the biggest belly I ever saw.”

“I screamed and said a few curse words and ran upstairs,” she said. “Because the tail was facing me and I didn’t make eye contact directly, it didn’t evince as much fear as if the little critter had been facing me.”

Her father dispatched the beast with a gunshot. She did not see the animal again until about a week later, when she returned with a team of people to dispose of it and snapped a picture.

Now relocated to Baton Rouge, she hopes to return to New Orleans eventually to resume her teaching career.

My Favorite Latin Quote

"Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur."

It means 'Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound.'

Smoker Tried to Open Airplane Door

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- A French woman who is terrified of flying admitted in an Australian court Monday that she drunkenly tried to open an airplane door mid-flight to smoke a cigarette.

Sadrine Helene Sellies, 34, was placed on a good behavior bond after pleading guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court to endangering the safety of an aircraft.

Sellies was traveling on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to the east coast city of Brisbane on Saturday when the incident occurred at the start of a three-week Australian vacation with her husband, the court heard.

She walked toward one of the aircraft's emergency exits with an unlit cigarette and a lighter in her hand and began tampering with the door, prosecutors said. But a flight attendant intervened and took Sellies back to her seat.

Sellies was arrested and charged by police on arrival at Brisbane airport.

Defense lawyer Helen Shilton told the court Sellies was terrified of flying and had taken sleeping tablets with alcohol before takeoff.

Shilton said Sellies has no memory of what happened on the flight and that she has a history of sleepwalking.

But Magistrate Gordon Dean sternly warned the woman: "You must understand, if you are on a plane you must behave yourself."

Sellies, who did not speak in court and was aided by a translator, was placed on a 1,000 Australian dollar (US$734; euro623) bond -- meaning she will have to pay that amount if she commits another offense in the next 12 months.

Jim Hood's Article from N.Y. Times

Op-Ed Contributor

A Policy of Deceit

By JIM HOOD

Jackson, Miss.

RESIDENTS of the Mississippi Gulf Coast withstood a devastating blow from Hurricane Katrina. Now, as they face the enormous task of rebuilding, they are threatened with yet another crippling misfortune - this time at the hands of insurance companies, which are trying to deny coverage. That's why the State of Mississippi has filed suit to get the courts to clarify that insurance companies must cover the water damage that policyholders sustained from the hurricane.

For years these companies have sold policies that insure Gulf Coast residents against loss from the effects of hurricane winds. The people who bought these policies reasonably believed that they were covered for damage ranging from a blown-off roof to a four-foot surge of water in the house. But now that the homes and businesses of many policyholders have been destroyed or seriously damaged, these insurance companies are denying coverage on the ground that their policies excluded water damage.

It's true that many of these policies exclude specific types of water damage unrelated to hurricane winds, like the damage caused by tidal waves or windblown rain. But to extend such exclusions to the damage caused by a storm surge, which is the direct consequence of hurricane winds, is unconscionable and illegal, at least here in Mississippi.

No one, except perhaps insurance company executives, seriously disputes that without the hurricane, there would have been no widespread water damage. And there has never been a hurricane that did not cause water damage. Mississippi law provides that when one incident is a direct or contributing cause of loss, then the insurer of such loss is obligated to pay for the resulting damage. A contract between private parties is void and unenforceable when it abrogates state policies like this one. Only the legislature or the courts have the power to invalidate the law.

Moreover, Mississippi law has long held that insurance companies cannot write insurance contracts that purport to provide coverage for certain losses in one section and then exclude that coverage in another section. That is in effect what these companies do when they issue hurricane insurance and then claim that the policies' water damage exclusions extend to the storm surges that result from hurricane winds.

Insurance companies have tremendous bargaining power when they sign contracts with policyholders, but that doesn't entitle them to contract away their customers' existing legal rights. The Mississippi Supreme Court has previously voided similar contractual clauses, like those that don't adequately notify consumers of arbitration provisions, as well as clauses related to punitive damages and statutes of limitation.

Nor will honoring the contracts they've signed with policyholders send insurance companies into bankruptcy, as some companies have misleadingly claimed. Reputable credit and insurance industry analysts have found that the financial stability of these companies is not at risk. One insurance analyst estimated that covering damage from Hurricane Katrina's storm surge would cost insurers an additional $2 billion to $4 billion. To put that in context, consider that the industry's net income for 2004, when Florida suffered extensive damage from four hurricanes, was $38.7 billion.

I have no desire to bring financial ruin on any company. My obligation is to the people of Mississippi, and I must do what the law and my oath require of me: protect the citizens of Mississippi from being victimized by contracts that contain illegal provisions, even if doing so curtails insurers' profits.

The residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast have suffered enough from this hurricane. Their losses should not be compounded by the refusal of insurance companies to honor the contracts for which their policyholders paid premiums.

Jim Hood is the Mississippi attorney general.

Ole Miss Student Booked for Murder of Girlfriend

By Richard Lake
rlake@clarionledger.com

Williams

Police have arrested the boyfriend of a University of Mississippi student found stabbed to death in an off-campus apartment.

David Jackson Williams, 22, also an Ole Miss student, is being held without bond on a murder charge at the Lafayette County Detention Center, police said.He is accused of killing Demetria Bracey, 21, a senior from Jackson who graduated from Murrah High in 2002. Williams is a senior business major from Olive Branch, Ole Miss officials said today.

Bracey was found dead in an apartment near campus on Tuesday afternoon. Police said she had been stabbed in the chest.

Bracey

University administrators today bemoaned Bracey's death. "The entire university community mourns the loss of Demetria Bracey," Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Khayat said in a statement.

"She was an outstanding student, well-respected by her fellow students and our faculty. All of us are deeply saddened by the tragic circumstances of her death."

Said Melinda Pullen, associate director for resident life: "Demetria was a bright and vibrant young woman who, as a resident assistant, took every opportunity to recognize her residents and give them individual attention through things such as personal notes at move-in and decorating their doors on their birthdays. This is a great loss for Crosby Hall and the university community as a

Coast Casinos Announce Plans Today

Coast casinos to state plans

By Nell Luter Floyd
nlfloyd@clarionledger.com

Every gaming company with a Gulf Coast casino except one plans to unveil part of its plan when the Mississippi Gaming commission meets today at Imperial Palace Casino in Biloxi

The one holdout is Harrah's Entertainment, which owns Grand Casino-Biloxi and Grand Casino-Gulfport.

Scott Andress, a Jackson gaming lawyer, said just how much information casinos provide will vary."Some are further along in their rebuilding plans," he said. "Others may not yet be certain regarding their building plans. Still others, because they may be publicly traded companies, might not be able to divulge their plans at this stage of the game."

Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 29 severely damaged 11 of the 12 casinos operating on the Gulf Coast. A 13th casino, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, was days from opening and suffered damage.The Gulf Coast casinos employed 17,000 people and contributed $500,000 in state and local gaming tax revenue daily.

The commission is expected to approve the Isle of Capri's plans to open a temporary casino by the end of the year in the ballroom of its Biloxi hotel, said Larry Gregory, commission executive director.

Imperial Palace in Biloxi plans to reopen its casino by Dec. 31, but it doesn't need approval from the commission. It plans to return its casino to its barge, which stayed in place during Katrina but was flooded. Its hotel is housing FEMA workers.New Palace Casino in Biloxi also plans to reopen its casino by the first of the year. It doesn't need the commission's approval because it will be on its barge, Gregory said.

The commission Thursday also is expected to approve for the second time the gaming site and site plans of Emerald Star Resorts Inc. for the proposed Emerald Star Casino & Resort in Natchez. Approval would allow Emerald Star Resorts to proceed with the project.The company received site approval for the casino in February 2004. But it is starting the approval process over because it restructured its company and wasn't going to meet the two-year deadline from receipt of the original site approval to open the casino, said Andress, who represents Emerald Star Resorts Inc.

The company now has financing for the project, he said.

Plans for the $53 million Emerald Star Casino call for an 87,000-square-foot barge equipped with 800 slot machines and 30 table games. Plans also call for the existing Ramada Inn and The Briars bed-and-breakfast inn — the site where Jefferson Davis married Varina Howell in 1845 — to be purchased and become part of the Emerald Star Casino development.

Meridian Parents Upset Children Cleaning Cafeteria

November 16, 2005

MERIDIAN — Parents are circulating petitions to try to stop West Lauderdale Elementary School from making students sweep and mop the cafeteria after lunch.

"Our kids are not there to clean up; they are there to learn," said Fileesha Chisolm, whose children, Nathan, Seth and Hannah, attend West Lauderdale. "My husband and I — as well as other parents — pay a lot of tax dollars that should be going to that school to pay the cafeteria workers to clean," she said. "It's not the students or the teachers' responsibility."

Principal Larry Vick said students volunteer to clean the cafeteria.

"This has been going on a long time; it's not anything new," he said. "Nobody's made to do it; in fact, the kids like doing it. They're just cleaning up their area. It's not taking away from their learning or their class time."

Lauderdale County School District Assistant Superintendent Ed Mosley said Chisolm and the parents are on the agenda for the school board meeting Thursday.

Gale McGuire, who has two children at West Lauderdale Elementary, said school officials had defended the cafeteria cleanup by saying it teaches children responsibility.

"Well, the only responsibility they have at school is to learn and to get their education, not to do a job that we as parents pay taxes for that school board to hire people to (do) in that cafeteria," McGuire said.

In October Chisolm said she sat with her son Seth, a fourth-grader, during lunch. As the class headed out to the courtyard to play after eating, she said, Seth was reminded it was his turn to clean up.

"I'm thinking, wiping the tables," Chisolm said. "But he and a little girl got the brooms and dust pans and they're sweeping."

And people wonder why we have problems these days. This woman doesn't want her children to have to clean up for themselves, instead she wants tax dollars to pay for it. And I can almost guarantee that this woman will vote against any school bond issue that ever comes up with the argument that school taxes are already too high.

Oxford Police Investigate Ole Miss Student's Death

A 21-year-old University of Mississippi student was found dead Tuesday afternoon in an off-campus apartment, university officials said.

Police are investigating the death of Demetria L. Bracey of Jackson, the university said in a news release. The cause of death is under investigation.

Oxford police were not available for comment today.

Bracey, according to the university, was a senior French major, a member of the university band and honors college, and a resident assistant in a residence hall.

Motley Crue to Hit Jackson on March 25th

Motley Crue will play in Jackson this spring and tickets will go on sale online in the near future. The concert is at 8:00 on Saturday, March 25th at the Mississippi Coliseum.

Kazakhstan Threatens to Sue Ali G

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (Reuters) -- Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry threatened legal action Monday against a British comedian who wins laughs by portraying the central Asian state as a country populated by drunks who enjoy cow-punching as a sport.

Sacha Baron Cohen, who portrays a spoof Kazakh television presenter Borat in his "Da Ali G Show," has won fame ridiculing Kazakhstan, the world's ninth largest country yet still little known to many in the West, on British and U.S. channels.

Cohen appears to have drawn official Kazakh ire after he hosted the annual MTV Europe Music Awards show in Lisbon earlier this month as Borat, who arrived in an Air Kazakh propeller plane controlled by a one-eyed pilot clutching a vodka bottle.

"We do not rule out that Mr. Cohen is serving someone's political order designed to present Kazakhstan and its people in a derogatory way," Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Yerzhan Ashykbayev told a news briefing.

"We reserve the right to any legal action to prevent new pranks of the kind." He declined to elaborate.

Great Way to Help Katrina Victimes for Thanksgiving

An e-mail I received form Brooke Chamblee:

God has been Amazing in creating the H.A.N.D.S distribution center through the actual hearts and hands of so many in our City, State and Country. HANDS will be sponsoring a Thanksgiving feast down in Waveland this Thanksgiving. God has called us to feed this community of around 1,000. It not only requires a great deal of man power, as we are volunteer driven, but also a lot of food. Chip Pickering's office along with MSNBC's Joe Scarborough will assist in hosting the feast. Chimneyville has graciously offered their services to us and here is how you can help.

For $25.00, you can send a turkey or a ham to the coast for Thanksgiving. All you have to do is call Chimneyville Smokehouse and Farmers Market Restaurant, 601-354-4665, and place your order. Tell them it is for H.A.N.D.S and they will add it to the order from the community.

God began this vision through the words of Matthew 25:35-36. I hope you will consider this and pass it on to someone else that might join us this Thanksgiving in being the hands of Jesus to those in need.

Blessings,

Jeff Redding

Katrina Suggested as Time's Person of the Year

By Deepti Hajela, The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Time magazine's 2005 Person of the Year may not be a person after all. A panel of notables has made a strong case for awarding the distinction this year to Hurricane Katrina.

NBC anchor Brian Williams included Katrina in his larger nomination of Mother Nature, which he picked because of a host of environmental stories this year, from the tsunami to earthquakes in Pakistan. He said the hurricane and its aftermath led to other issues.

"Katrina gets you to Iraq. It gets you to petroleum. It gets you to presidential politics," Williams said. "It has laid bare so many cracks and fissures in our system."

Williams was part of a six-member panel invited to make suggestions to the magazine about who or what it should choose as its Person of the Year.

He was joined by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who like Williams traveled to the Gulf Coast to cover Katrina after it hit on Aug. 29. Other members included Time reporter Matthew Cooper, Democratic political consultant Donna Brazile, conservative activist Grover Norquist and WorldCom whistleblower Cynthia Cooper, named a Person of the Year by the magazine in 2002.

The panelists offered suggestions to the magazine for how to capture the idea of Katrina. Cynthia Cooper suggested choosing Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, the military coordinator for the disaster, while Anderson Cooper suggested a focus on the emergency responders or the American people.

"To me, those are the heroes of the story," Anderson Cooper said. "It was government that failed. It was people who stood up."

While Katrina, and by extension Mother Nature, got the most attention, panelists also suggested U2 lead singer and activist Bono, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Iraqi people and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, as possibilities. Norquist suggested a cover with Rice and recently deceased civil rights activist Rosa Parks.

Time's managing editor, Jim Kelly, said the magazine's staff already was working on stories about a handful of possible choices but the final decision would be made in the days just before the issue comes out.

"It's tricky because you want to look smart, but you also don't want to look like you're completely just of that moment," Kelly said. "You don't want to put someone on the cover and have people say, 'Huh?"'

The magazine's Person of the Year issue will be on newsstands Dec. 19.

Chappell: Unaware Alcohol in Office

County investigating whether supervisor's secretary living there

By Lorinda Bullock
lbullock@jackson.gannett.com

Chappell His tenure Ronnie Chappell has served as District 4 supervisor in Hinds County since January 1992. Supervisors make about $45,000 annually.

Hinds County District 4 Supervisor Ronnie Chappell says he knew nothing about the open bottles of liquor, makeup and cigarettes shown in a television report of his Raymond office last week.

"I was at a funeral," he said. "It's just really blown me out of the water," he said Monday.

Hinds County Administrator Anthony Brister said he and the county personnel director have launched an investigation in response to the WLBT-Channel 3 report and hope to complete it within the next two days.Reporters visited the office on a tip that Chappell's secretary Libby Everett was living in the office, according to WLBT.

Everett has been placed on administrative leave indefinitely with pay. She has worked as Chappell's secretary since April 2001. The position pays about $26,000 annually.

Brister

Possession of alcohol on county property is a violation of the county's personnel rules. Also, the sale and possession of alcohol in the 2nd Judicial District in Hinds County, where Raymond is located, is illegal.

Chappell, a supervisor for the past 13 years, said the few times he has been in the side office, he's never seen any alcohol or other items. The room is formerly a place to house jurors serving at the Raymond Courthouse. Chappell's office is in the Raymond Courthouse Annex.

"I don't go back there very much," he said.Chappell said he didn't know if Everett had been living in the office. "To my understanding, she lives with her brother," he said.

Jon Lewis, a constable in Chappell's district, said Chappell should resign if Chappell did not know what was occurring in the Raymond office."It looks like a trashed out hotel room," Lewis said of what he saw in the broadcast. "You can't go in that office and set it up like that without him knowing it."

Chappell said he has not spoken with Everett since the broadcast and is leaving the matter to Brister.

Raymond resident Shirlee Lawson said she wasn't sure how the situation should be handled, but something should be done."I was shocked and surprised that such a thing is going on in the courthouse," said Lawson, who has lived near the courthouse for six years. She said she voted for Chappell.

"I'd hate to think there isn't some explanation," she said.Chappell, aware some wouldn't accept his explanation, said, "I was not aware of this going on, and I'm sorry if it was and I was not aware."

Brister said the broadcast was the first time he's heard allegations of Everett staying at the office or any reports of alcohol being there.

"Right now we're actually just doing our research to make sure we protect the county for any liability and the employee," Brister said. "I've been gathering information from people that have been in and out of the office over the last week."Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said his office is not involved in the investigation. But, he said, "If the county administrator chooses to sign an affidavit, the Hinds County Sheriff's Office would certainly have to follow up."

Fellow county supervisors said the matter doesn't require board attention."Ronnie Chappell is an elected official accountable to the people who elected him. The board of supervisors has no authority to reprimand or dismiss another colleague," District 3 Supervisor Peggy Hobson Calhoun said.

District 1 Supervisor Charles Barbour said, "Obviously Mr. Chappell needs to address it head on and put it to rest."

Supervisors Doug Anderson of District 2 and George Smith of District 5 said they were unaware Chappell had a side office until the broadcast. Anderson said the situation is unfortunate for Chappell."I don't think Ronnie would intentionally do any violations of this sort," Anderson said.

Violent Weather Possible Tuesday in Miss.

Mississippi could see a rash of severe storms on Tuesday, with the largest threat being north of Interstate 20, state emergency officials cautioned.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said that while National Weather Service meteorologists expected northern counties to be more at risk, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes were possible statewide.

"Due to the fact that so many residents in the Gulf Coast and south Mississippi area are living in temporary housing such a travel trailers and mobile homes, MEMA and local officials are working to identify safe havens that local governments could open in the threat of severe weather," MEMA said in a statement.

Officials said shelter areas were in place in several south Mississippi counties, including heavily damaged Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.

"Historically, November has proven to be one of the most devastating and deadly months for severe weather in our state," said MEMA Director Robert Latham.

"Because so many more of our citizens are now more vulnerable, it is absolutely essential that all citizens are aware of this risk, closely monitor weather bulletins and take appropriate actions to seek safe shelter should severe thunderstorm or tornado warnings be issued by the National Weather Service," Latham said

How to Cheer Up a Nursing Home? Install a Bar

From MSNBC.com:

‘Patients aren’t bored to death,’ official says at St. Mary's in Ireland

DUBLIN, Ireland - A nursing home in Ireland has hit on a cheering way to keep up the spirits of its elderly patients -- by providing its own pub.

St Mary’s Hospital in County Monaghan, near the Irish border with Northern Ireland, believes ready access to a good pint may help its patients -- average age 85 -- actually live longer.

“We would say the whole social aspect of life does extend the years -- it means the patients aren’t bored to death,” Rose Mooney, assistant director of nursing told Reuters.

The pub, which opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. and charges normal bar prices, had also led to an increase in the number of visitors, she said.

Having its own bar made the hospital, which has around 140 patients, unique in Ireland, she added.

Jackson Sees Four Murders in 24 Hours

Jackson police are investigating the city's fourth murder in just 24 hours.

Late Friday night a 37-year-old man was found shot in his car in northwest Jackson. This occurred as police were already investigating Thursday's triple homicide.

Friday night police found the body of 37-year-old Derrick Willis inside his white truck. The call came in from the B.P. station near the corner of Gary Road and Medgar Evers.

"We responded to the scene, the subject said an individual came in and said someone was shot and he left," said Sgt. Wendell Watts of the Jackson Police Dept.

Police later found Willis' body and his truck in a ditch near the intersection of Williams Avenue and Gary Rd. Police believe he was shot on Williams Avenue while inside his truck and lost control

"His vehicle rolled over there, we did find where the shooting occurred which was on the street on Williams," said Sgt. Watts.

Residents in the area say they didn't know the victim and had never seen his truck in the area before Friday night,

Meanwhile, police identified 35-year-old Dexter Lipsey as the gunman in Thursday night's triple homicide. He is about 6's , 170-185 lbs., and was last seen driving a white Oldsmobile with Sharkey County tags.

Police say J.W. Gilbert, Bruce Rankin, and Louise Tillman Ray were all gunned down Thursday night at 3520 Cromwell St.

It is just about a block away from Dexter Lipsey's family home on Margaret Walker Alexander Street, next to the former home of civil rights legend Medgar Evers.

Lipsey's father said his son lived at the family home off and on. He said he hadn't spoken to his son Dexter in a couple of days.