MPA/MPS Press Releases

For more information:
T. Logan Russell
Delta Land Trust
(601) 259-4789 tlogan@deltalandtrust.org

Governor Haley Barbour toured Vicksburg area flooding on Tuesday and suggested that the approximately 150 residents affected by Mississippi River flooding there could expect little or no taxpayer help in rebuilding their homes.

If people choose to live somewhere that they know repeatedly floods, at some point, it’s not the taxpayer’s responsibility anymore. We can’t expect the taxpayers just to continue to bail people out year in and year out,” Barbour said.
Yet despite his apparent support for taxpayer rights and non-structural approaches to flood control when it comes to repetitive flooding in the Vicksburg area, Barbour went on to defend construction of the planned Yazoo Backwater Pumping Plant in the extremely flood prone South Mississippi Delta.

There is considerable farmland and lots of houses underwater in the Backwater Area,” the Governor said. “We need the Yazoo Pumps but the environmentalists have stopped them for the last 20 years,” Barbour added.

Representatives of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation, Mississippi Sierra Club and Delta Land Trust took issue with the Governor’s statements.

The farmland in the Yazoo Backwater Area has a 50% chance of flooding every year,” said Dr. Cathy Shropshire, Executive Director of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. “If that isn’t repetitive flooding, what is? It makes a lot more sense to continue the efforts to reforest this land through the Wetland Reserve Program and other programs than to build massively wasteful and environmentally destructive Pumps that will only make flooding in Vicksburg worse,” she added. “The money could be used to move people in the Yazoo Backwater Area out of harms way just like the Governor has proposed for the Vicksburg area,” she concluded.

As for flooding of houses in the Yazoo Backwater Area, Delta Land Trust’s T. Logan Russell, a seventh generation Mississippian with deep family ties to the Delta, survivor of the Easter Flood of 1979 and long time opponent of the Yazoo Pumps Project, took issue with the Governor’s statement.

The same day the Governor was grousing about residential flooding in the Yazoo Backwater Area, the Chief Engineer for the Mississippi Levee Board was saying that everything looked great on the protected side of the levee,” Russell said. “The current level of flooding in the Yazoo Backwater Area at the Steele Bayou gate is 91 feet. 91 feet is in the two-year floodplain. Corps of Engineers and FEMA data has revealed that there are virtually no primary residences in the two-year floodplain of the Yazoo Backwater Area,“ Russell continued. “I don’t know where the Governor got the idea that there were a lot of homes flooded in the Yazoo Backwater Area at 91 feet but that just isn’t the case. There may be a few hunting camps flooded in the Yazoo Backwater Area right now, but few, if any, primary residences are flooded,” he concluded.

Louie Miller of the Mississippi Sierra Club then stated, “Perhaps the Governor is not aware that the federal Office of Management and Budget killed the Pumps Project in 1989 before Senator Thad Cochran’s attempt to bring home the bacon one more time with a last minute, one sentence amendment to a 14,000 page spending bill revived the Pumps in 1996,” said Miller. “Last time I checked, the OMB is not generally known as an environmentalist organization,” he added.

Miller went on to say that, “In fact, all presidents since Reagan have been against the Yazoo Pumps. What Presidents Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II have all recognized is that the Yazoo Pumps are a colossal waste of taxpayer money that will only benefit 50 or so Delta farmers whom are already significant beneficiaries of federal commodity support programs. The Pumps are another in a long example of wasteful government spending that would benefit the Delta elites while ignoring the plight of the Delta’s poor,” Miller concluded.

The citizens groups encouraged interested Americans to email EPA in support of its proposed veto of the Yazoo Pumps at ow-docket@epa.mail.epa.gov with docket #EPA-RO4-OW-2008-0179 as the email subject. EPA is accepting comments until May 5.

Competitive edge given to owners of web sites in Mississippi

Are you tired of seeing national companies monopolize the Internet? Well so are the owners of Mississippi.com, and they have decided to do something about … at least in Mississippi.

“We design and host a lot of web sites for businesses in the state,” said Chad Clarke, Co-Owner of CCF Consulting, Inc., the parent company of Mississippi.com. “And one of the biggest problems that our clients face is getting people to their web sites. Yahoo! and Google are great search engines, but not if you want to find a local business or want to reach visitors coming to Mississippi.”

“Our Search Engine and Web Site Directory are similar to Yahoo! and Google except that we only list and promote web sites for state and local government agencies, businesses, organizations and any other Mississippi-based web sites,” Clarke added.

In addition to allowing individual site operators to register their web sites, Mississippi.com is working with chambers, tourism associations, Main Street organizations, and other associations to promote both their web sites and those of their members.

“We want to partner with people and organizations to promote their web sites and their community,” Clarke said. “We hope to have a positive effect on the state and all of the small business owners that work hard to compete online.”

It was after Hurricane Katrina that Clarke said he realized the potential for the web site.

“We were partnering with a national company at the time to market the site and had very little control. We knew that it was an opportunity that was lost. An opportunity to help get critical information out to people. We could have helped a lot of businesses,” Clarke said. “Our site and systems never failed during the Hurricane, but we were not in a position to let Mississippi.com work for us or the people of the state.”

It was several months after the storm that CCF Consulting, Inc. started developing plans to change the Mississippi.com web site and have more hands-on control. When they looked at the problems facing many of their customers they realized that they were always the same problems. How do I get more people to my web site? And, How do I reach people in my community or that are coming to my community?

“People say that if you can’t beat them join them,” Clarke said. “Well, everyone has joined Yahoo! and Google and they are still getting beat. At Mississippi.com we have taken the position that if they are not working for you then build something better, something that helps you compete and gives you a chance to win.”

When you go to Mississippi.com there are 18 main categories listing web sites throughout the state including a Cities Guide. The Cities Guide breaks down web sites not only by city, but by categories. There is also a search feature that lets you type in keywords to find the sites with the best match.

“The searches results will get better and better as more businesses are listed in the directory,” Clarke said. “We want everyone to make this their First stop on the Internet. In the future we will be adding free e-mail accounts, news feeds, and many other services that will give Mississippians a better on-line community.”

For more information contact Byron Clarke at 1-228-868-9581 or at bclarke@ccfconsult.com

For more information, contact:
Debbie Brangenberg, Director
Elvis Festival / DTMSA
(662) 841-6598 debbie@tupelomainstreet.com

Tupelo’s Elvis Festival puts the “cradle of rock ’n roll” on the map as the premier location for Elvis fans and music lovers June 6th-8th in Downtown Tupelo. To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, the Tupelo Elvis Festival has expanded its activities and entertainment offerings to include free music entitled “Down on Main Street” and an acoustic showcase called “Unicel Unplugged.”

For the second year, sanctioned by Elvis Presley Enterprises, the Elvis Festival Tribute Artist Competition will be an exciting part of the Festival. The first round of competition will be held at the Lyric Theatre on Friday, June 6th. The Top Ten Finalists will go on to the final competition that will take place on Fairpark Stage on Saturday night, June 7th, which will include performances by 2007 Ultimate Tribute Artist Shawn Klush of Scranton, Pennsylvania and 2007 Tupelo Elvis Festival Ultimate Tribute Artist Brandon Bennett of Ponchatoula, Louisiana along with Sunny Burgess and the Pacers, DJ Fontana and The Sweet Inspirations.

“The impact this Competition has on the future success and growth of the Tupelo Elvis Festival is tremendous,” said Debbie Brangenberg, Executive Director of the Elvis Festival. “It is only natural that Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley, be associated with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. with its 30th Anniversary search for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist. Our hope is that we will continue this competition next year for Elvis fans and teach a new generation what a truly gifted performer he was.”

Headliners for the weekend are Friday night Crossin Dixon and Saturday night Jo Dee Messina.

Full entertainment line-up will include:

Friday, June 6th on the Fairpark Stage:

Bliss
Unicel Unplugged presents Tim Warren
Jonathan Singleton and the Grove
Unicel Unplugged presents John Milstead
Crossin Dixon
Unicel Unplugged presents Shane Rowe & Eddie Warren
Saving Abel

Friday, June 6th at the Lyric Theatre

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tupelo Ultimate Tribute Artist 1st Round Preliminary Competition
7:00 p.m. Ronnie McDowell in Concert

Saturday, June 7th on Fairpark Stage:

Elvis Tribute Artist Finals
Sunny Burgess and The Pacers
2007 Tupelo Elvis Tribute Artist Winner Brandon Bennett with the Sweet Inspirations and DJ Fontana
2008 Tupelo Elvis Tribute Artist Winner
2007 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Winner Shawn Klush
Jo Dee Messina
Closing act TBA

Saturday, June 7th at the Lyric Theatre

12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Tupelo Ultimate Tribute Artist 2nd Round Preliminary Competition

Saturday, June 7th on Main Street:

Free Entertainment “Down on Main Street”

Refuse The Fall
Braden Gray and Loose Gravel
South of Sanity
Jamie Davis and Soul Gravy
Velvet Jones
Zachery Stone
Prosevere
Hindsight

Sunday, June 8th:

Gospel at First United Methodist Church

The Foyer Boys
The Landmarks
The Stamps

Tickets go on sale May 1.

The Tupelo Elvis Festival is proud to honor the musical heritage of the town that shaped the early years of our nation’s leading cultural icon.

For more information, go to www.tupeloelvisfestival.com.

Proclamation signed by Governor Haley Barbour
Contact info: Tawyna Maddox
228.627.0728 or 228.475.6398
splitntwo@yahoo.com

It’s killing the spirit of family everywhere.

The State of Mississippi proclaimed Friday, April 25th, 2008 as Parental Alienation Awareness Day. With awareness comes education and understanding, and the power to stop the abuse of innocent children caught in the crossfire of people they love. Mississippi unlike issues in the past has chosen to step forward and be a forerunner in this issue; being one of the top 10 states to recognize Parental Alienation Awareness Day.

Two-thirds of alienated children yearned for the absent parent, one half those with a profound intensity. The effects of Parental Alienation Syndrome [PAS] on a parent are very similar to the loss of a child due to accident or illness. The child experiences a great loss, the magnitude of which is akin to the death of a parent, grandparents and all the lost relatives and friends.

For the parent and child who have been alienated, the bereavement does not end. Understanding PAS and how to address it is critical if children are to enjoy the emotional benefits of loving, healthy relationships with both parents and their extended family members, to grow up with the ability to form loving and stable relationships with other adults.

Like a terminally fatal childhood disease, Parental Alienation rips the innocent child from one’s arms slowly. Parental alienation is a “silent” emotional killer. There are hundreds of thousands of children and parents affected by PAS. Ninety percent of high conflict divorces will show symptoms of PAS. Let’s keep children safe from the harmful side effects that are inherent with Parental Alienation. “I speak from the voice of experience as I am living through my own Katrina-like devastation of being alienated from my three children” says Tawyna Maddox, founder of www.splitntwo.com from Moss Point, Mississippi. “To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.”

Links:
www.splitntwo.com
www.overcomingparentalalienation.com
www.parental-alienation.com
www.paao-us.com
www.paawarenenss.org

With the Mississippi River set to crest in Vicksburg on Thursday at 50.5 feet, Vicksburg tour boat company Mississippi River Tours is offering passengers an up close view of the floods.

Trees that normally line the banks of the river are barely visible. Casinos that usually float in their own culverts are actually floating on the river. Sunsets are going down over water instead of trees, and the heavy barge and tugboat traffic that defines the Mississippi River has almost stopped.

Vicksburg residents and tourists have not seen the river this high since 1973. Tour boat owner, Ann Jones, says, “Passengers are just amazed at the width of the river and the volume of water that is flowing downstream. Local residents are taking advantage of being able to get onto the river during the flood, and tourists are able to go home and tell interesting stories about their ride on the Mississippi River during the historic 2008 flood.”

The river will take quite a while to get back to its normal levels. But as the Mississippi River crests and falls, boat tours showing passengers a different angle of the floods will continue to amaze. Scheduling and information regarding a Mississippi River tour out of Vicksburg can be found at www.msrivertours.com or by calling toll free 1-866-807-2628.

Contact Information:

Ann Jones
Cell 601-415-0596
Office 601-883-1083
info@msrivertours.com

MISSISSIPI DRUG CARD
www.mississippidrugcard.com

JACKSON, MS. — The Mississippi Drug Card Program announced today that more than 29,074 Mississippians have received a FREE prescription drug card since the Mississippi Drug Card program launched December 12th. The program’s website www.mississippidrugcard.com has had over 439,630 hits in that time. Members have processed a staggering 22,348 prescriptions saving an average of 30% off their medications!

“The public response to this program has been overwhelming!” states Mississippi Drug Card Program Director, Lila Cedotal. “With total savings already over $360,000, this program is a true testament to the people of Mississippi needing help with their medication costs.” As the first of its kind, Mississippi Drug Card is a free prescription drug benefit which helps consumers to access prescriptions they need at the lowest available cost. This non-profit program was launched to help the uninsured and under-insured people of Mississippi afford their prescription medications. However, the program can also be used by people who have health insurance coverage with no prescription benefits (which is common in many HSA’s and high deductible health plans). Additionally, people who have prescription coverage can use this program for non-formulary or non-covered drugs. The Mississippi Drug Card can also be used by those individuals who do not qualify for public funded programs (I.e. Medicaid and Medicare) and by people who receive their medicines through charity care providers (under 340B, a federally funded program which grants discounts to providers) and require a drug that is not available to them. This program even covers some pet medications (medications that are available at participating pharmacies). The Mississippi Drug Card program has no restrictions or participation requirements and the program is open to every resident of Mississippi.

This free prescription card is available online for everyone in Mississippi by simply going to www.mississippidrugcard.com and printing a card. Residents with no access to the internet can receive the discount at an FRED’S pharmacy. The card is also being given out by some hospitals, doctors’ offices and clinics. Employers are also encouraged to offer the Mississippi Drug Card program to their employees as an added benefit with discounts on prescription products as well as discounts on eyeglasses, contacts, LASIK surgery, hearing exams, hearing aids, and many more discount services.

Every Mississippi resident is eligible to participate in the Mississippi Drug Card Program, regardless of age or income. Whether users have insurance has no bearing on the card’s ability to save them money. There are no restrictions to membership and no applications to fill out. Most major pharmacies, as well as thousands of independent pharmacies, accept the card. A complete list of participating pharmacies in your area can be found on the website www.mississippidrugcard.com. Participating pharmacies include the following: FRED’S, Kmart, Winn-Dixie, Rite Aid as well as many other chain drug stores and thousands of independent pharmacies.

This program is powered by UNA Rx Card, which is a division of United Networks of America. “It is exciting to know that we have brought over $109 million in prescription savings to our members around the country since the program’s inception!” says EVP Brian Oliver. UNA Rx Card is the fastest growing discount prescription card company in the United States. UNA Rx Card has set up similar programs to the Mississippi Drug Card in New York, California, Texas, New Jersey, Ohio, Utah, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Iowa and Tennessee.

For more information, press only:
Lila Cedotal, Mississippi Drug Card- Program Director
Phone: 800-726-4232
E-mail: lila@mississippidrugcard.com

For more information on the Mississippi Drug Card Program: www.mississippidrugcard.com

For more information contact:
Mary Woodward, Communications
601-960-8475
601-750-0481
mary.woodward@jacksondiocese.org

Over 100 people from all over the Diocese of Jackson will be traveling to the Papal Masses in Washington and New York, when Pope Benedict XVI visits the United States April 15-20. Among them is a group of students and faculty from Ole Miss.

Bishop Joseph Latino and retired Bishop William Houck will be concelebrants at both Masses and will participate in several meetings with the pope during his stay.

Rev. Ricardo Phipps, from Christ the King and St. Mary Parishes in Jackson will be helping with the distribution of Communion at the Mass in New York at Yankee Stadium on April 20.

According to Mary Woodward, diocesan director of communications, the Archdiocese of New York allotted the Diocese of Jackson 100 tickets for the Mass. Tickets were distributed to people on a first come first serve basis. The diocese did not coordinate any travel arrangements for those going.

“We had to have our final list of names turned in to the archdiocese on Feb. 15. The security measures they are taking are very strict,” said Woodward.

“Through the generosity of several people in the diocese, we were able to provide tickets for five New York-based Missionary Sisters of Charity (Mother Teresa’s order), who were unable to get tickets in New York.

Those five Sisters will be sitting with our people in the right field bleachers on Sunday at Yankee Stadium,” Woodward added.

About 25 people from the diocese will be attending the Mass in Washington on Thursday, April 17. Fewer tickets were offered to the Diocese of Jackson for this Mass and originally it was not known if any would be available due to final construction on the Washington Nationals Stadium.

“The response of the people going from our diocese has been very inspiring. Many of them see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity and are making a real pilgrimage out of their trip,” said Bishop Joseph Latino. “As a Catholic, it is not everyday you get to participate in a Mass celebrated by the pope. It is my hope and prayer that this will be a unique and beautiful spiritual experience for them,” he added.

In Washington, the Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, April 17, at 10 a.m. at the new Nationals Park, which is expected to accommodate 46,000 people. In tune with the season of Easter and Pentecost, the readings will speak about hope and the Holy Spirit. There will be readings in English and Spanish, and the general intercessions, also known as Prayers of the Faithful, will include petitions in the Igbo, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog languages as well.

The music program for the Mass will reflect a variety of musical styles, from traditional Latin and English hymns to other modern rhythms in several languages. Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo and American mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves are expected to sing at the Mass along with four different choirs totaling 570 members from across the Archdiocese of Washington.

New York’s Yankee Stadium will accommodate approximately 57,000 participants for the Mass on Sunday, April 20, the last day of Pope Benedict’s visit. Mass is set to start at 2:30 p.m. It will have an especially celebratory tone as it commemorates the bicentennial anniversary of the foundation of four U.S. dioceses, including Boston, Louisville, Philadelphia and, the host, the Archdiocese of New York, as well as the 200th anniversary of the Baltimore’s designation as the first U.S. archdiocese. These dioceses as well as those immediately neighboring the Big Apple will have the largest representation at the Mass.

The readings for the Mass will be those corresponding to the Fifth Sunday of Easter. They will be proclaimed in English and Spanish and the Prayers of the Faithful will be offered in several languages. More than 550 priests and clergy will distribute Communion at Yankee Stadium.

Show My Game, Showmygame.com, the hottest and most exciting sports video website has officially been named the title sponsor of the annual Mississippi Governor’s Cup.

The Governor’s Cup, formerly known as the Mayor’s Cup, continues to be the most competitive rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State for the past 27 years.

The Show My Game Governor’s Cup will be held at Trustmark Park on April 15, 2008 in Pearl, MS.

The MS Numismatic Association Coin Show and Convention will hold its annual coin show and convention in Jackson, MS at the MS Fair Grounds Trade Mart Building on Saturday and Sunday, April 12 & 13, 2008. Visit the MNA web site at www.misscoin.com for directions and additional information.

“Jackson offers our association a central location that is convenient for the majority of our membership, and the Trade Mart facility has allowed us to expand our exhibitors and dealers”, said Darrell Beeson, MNA President. “This show and event was held on the MS Gulf Coast for years, but Hurricane Katrina has caused our leadership to relocate the show, and Jackson seemed the logical choice”, Beeson added. The 2007 show was also held in Jackson.

This 47th Annual event is the premier coin show in the Deep South for the month of April. It will attract hundreds of coin collecting enthusiast and over 80 dealers from across the country ready to meet the needs of the collecting public. Free appraisals of numismatic material, free numismatic publications, buying and selling coins & currency, and the availability to view thousands of coins that trace the linage of U. S. coinage over the past three centuries, are just a few of the opportunities that await attendees. Admission is free and the public is cordially invited. Hours include 9:00 a. m. – 5:00 p. m. daily, Saturday – Sunday.

“If you have any interest in the hobby of coin/currency collecting or related areas, this is an event that you don’t want to miss”, says MNA Secretary Everett Sorrells. “An MNA membership table will be on the floor for those who might want to join the MS Numismatic Association or just receive more information about other opportunities for involvement in the hobby”, Sorrells added.

Catholic Diocese of Jackson
P.O. Box 2248
Jackson, MS 39225-2248

FROM: Mary Woodward
Communications Office
O: 601-960-8475
C: 601-750-0481

CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF JACKSON PROMOTING CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH

WASHINGTON/JACKSON —Catholic dioceses nationwide will promote Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. Plans call for raising awareness through special prayers during Sunday Masses, diocesan and parish lectures, and other educational activities.

Child Abuse Awareness is a major initiative of the Catholic Church in the United States. As a result an estimated 1.6 millions persons have undergone background checks; 1.8 million priests, deacons, candidates for ordination, educators, employees and volunteers have gone through safe environment programs and approximately 6 million children in parish school and religious education programs have received age-appropriate instruction in this area.

The diocesan and parish efforts were urged by the U.S. bishops’ Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People. It provided educational materials, homily resources, prayer cards, intercessory prayers, posters and other materials to each of the 195 dioceses in the United States. Dioceses are providing information via their Web sites and through distribution of prevention and awareness materials to all parishes and schools.

“We can never rest when it comes to protecting children and teenagers,” said Bishop Gregory Aymond, Committee chairman. “The prevalence of child abuse in our society calls for vigilance of parents, pastors, teachers, indeed, all responsible adults. Child Abuse Prevention Month deserves our attention in both prayer and action.”

The Catholic Diocese of Jackson, Office of Protection of Children, monitors and facilitates the ongoing screening and training programs for all adults who work in programs for our children and youth in both schools and parishes.

“At the present time, we have 4,556 adults in active ministry with young people who have undergone background checks and an initial training in the Diocese’s Protection of Children Program,” stated Vickie Carollo, director of the office for the Jackson diocese.

“Since October of 2002, many of these individuals have also participated in ongoing reviews of material focused on providing safe environments when working with children/youth in parishes and schools.  There were 7,692 children/youth instructed in age-appropriate self-protection skills in 2006-2007. The Office of Protection of Children continues to review new materials for both adults and children/youth in order to provide parishes and schools with up-to-date and appropriate training in providing safe environments,” Carollo said.

Carollo has sent child abuse prevention and awareness information to all parishes and schools in the Jackson diocese, requesting that the information be used in their liturgies and bulletins during April and throughout the year.

“As we mark Child Abuse Prevention month in April during this beautiful Easter season, let us celebrate all that is done in our communities, our nation and our world to protect our most valuable gift from God – our children,” Carollo concluded.

The resource materials sent to dioceses were developed by the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and underwritten by the Catholic Communication Campaign, which is supported by a collection taken up annually in parishes to support church media efforts. The resource material is available at http://usccb.org/ocyp/april_cap_month.shtml. Or visit the Diocese of Jackson’s web site – www.jacksondiocese.org  – and click on the Child Abuse Prevention link.