MPA/MPS Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Huntingtons Grille at the Hilton Jackson Hotel
Receives Prestigious DiRōNA Award

JACKSON, MS (August 24, 2009) – Huntingtons Grille at the The Hilton Jackson, MS – long synonymous with Southern hospitality and charm and ranked among the top Hilton hotels in the U.S. – has earned the DiRōNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) award for its top quality and distinguished dining. Located at 1001 E. County Line Road, the restaurant was part of the hotel’s recent multi-million dollar transformation and appointed celebrity Chef Luis Bruno, former Executive Chef for two Mississippi Governors’ administrations, as its new Director of Culinary Development. Mississippi’s award- winning Chef, Timothy Sims, serves as Executive Chef.

To receive the DiRōNA distinction, Huntingtons Grille underwent a rigorous, anonymous inspection process that scrutinized every aspect of its dining experience including food, wine, service, physical property and décor. To date, fewer than 800 restaurants have earned the DiRōNA distinction.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by DiRōNA,” said Cindy Campbell, Assistant General Manager of the hotel. “Huntingtons Grille exemplifies the shift in lifestyle positioning that we are taking with Chef Luis Bruno to enhance our food and beverage under a new health and wellness umbrella.”

Huntingtons Grille offers Mississippi fine dining at its best with nutritious food – fresh from farm to table – and one of the region’s most extensive wine lists. In addition, Huntingtons offers wine dinners, prix fixe early dining and live music nightly. The private Oak Room and Chef’s Table are available for smaller parties and meetings.

Additional award-winning restaurants at the Hilton Jackson include Wellingtons with its legendary buffets and Sunday Jazz Brunch featuring local jazz artists; Fitzgeralds with live entertainment nightly by local and regional musicians, and the new Luis’ Havana Cabana which overlooks the courtyard swimming pool and offers nutritious cuisine and beverages poolside. Chef Luis has also instituted in-room dining geared toward women travelers and new healthy menus for children.

For hotel reservations, contact the hotel at 601-957-2800, or toll-free at 888-263-0524 or 800-HILTONS, or visit www.Jackson.Hilton.com. For dining information or reservations, contact 601-957-1515 or www.opentable.com. The Hilton Jackson is owned and managed by Lane Hospitality of Northbrook, IL.

About DiRōNA
Established in 1990 to promote the fine dining industry, DiRōNA is a non-profit organization that serves as an independent authority for recognizing and promoting excellence in dining. DiRōNA’s independent inspectors anonymously explore nominated restaurants across the U.S., Canada and Mexico to find those worthy of the DiRōNA distinction. A restaurant eligible to display the DiRōNA certification presents the highest distinction to be achieved in the dining and hospitality communities. For more information, visit www.Dirona.com.
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Contact:
Leora Lanz
HVS Sales & Marketing
516-248-8828, x278
llanz@hvs.com

Two Lakes Flood Control Plan Not Studied
August 21, 2009
The Rankin Hinds Pearl River Flood Drainage Control District (RHPRFDCD), commonly
known as the Levee Board, recently took the first steps toward assuring that John McGowan’s
flood control project known as the Two Lakes Plan can finally receive a fair and balanced
evaluation.
An independent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers review in 2000-2001 led to a positive
confirmation of the Two Lakes Plan’s flood benefits. That confirmation, along with endorsement
and support of the Two Lakes Plan by local municipalities in 2001, is what led to the funding
and initiation of the feasibility study. The Levee Board, through their contract engineer MSEG,
accepted the responsibility for the study of the Two Lakes in 2003.
Recent admissions by Levee Board Members, the Board Attorney and the Board Engineer make
it clear that the Two Lakes Plan was never studied as part of the three year, $2.85 million
feasibility study. Instead, the Levee Board Engineers and the Corps of Engineers studied the
“LeFleur Lakes Plan” which resembles, but is significantly different from, the Two Lakes Plan.
The “Pearl River Watershed Preliminary Draft Feasibility Report” for this study was completed
in February 2007. Two and a half years later, Corps of Engineers has now released the
Feasibility Study Preliminary Draft Report The Corps stated in a recent letter to the Levee
Board “…we did not study any Two Lakes Plan proposed by Mr. McGowan nor did we link Mr.
McGowan’s original proposal with the study of alternatives desired by the RHPRFDCD.”
Levee Board Engineer Joe Waggoner spoke about the LeFleur Lakes and the Corps in the July
20, 2009, Levee Board meeting saying, “That’s not the McGowan Plan and it’s not really what
you asked them to do in the contract. It’s what they interpreted from a series of discussions and
meetings that was desired locally so they could wash their hands of it.”
In response, the Corps said in an August 11, 2009, letter to the Levee Board: “During the course
of the study from October 2003 through calendar year 2006, features of the (LeFleur) lakes plan
were modified at the request of your contract engineer and RHPRFDCD.” Since 2006 John
McGowan and the Two Lakes Foundation have been advising Mr. Waggoner and the Levee
Board that the feasibility study was deviating dramatically from the Two Lakes Plan conceived
in 1997.
Over the past two years claims have been made that the Two Lakes Plan was infeasible because
it cost $1.4 billion and had other negative features described in the then unreleased report. It is
now clear that those negative statements should have been attributed only to the LeFleur Lakes
Plan, not John McGowan’s Two Lakes Plan. The Two Lakes Plan should not be confused with
other plans incorporating the word “lake”. “Our plan is not the same as any version of the
LeFleur Lakes,” said The Two Lakes Foundation, through spokesperson Dallas Quinn.
(More)
On August 10, by unanimous vote, the Board voted to ask the Corps for a cost to incorporate the
Two Lakes Plan into the feasibility study still underway. In a separate unanimous vote, the Levee
Board rescinded its 2007 decision to endorse the plan known as the LeFleur Lakes Lower Lake
Plan. In addition, the Levee Board created a seven-member technical advisory committee to aid
in the evaluation of the various flood-control proposals. The Two Lakes Foundation hopes the
result will be an endorsement of the Two Lakes Plan as the “locally preferred plan”, which is
necessary to ensure that the local interests are effectively represented during the Corps
evaluation of all alternatives.
“We are delighted at the Board’s decision to ask the Corps to evaluate the Two Lakes Plan on a
level playing field,” said John McGowan. “We’re now working together instead of at
loggerheads and the people of the Jackson metro area can finally look forward to a flood control
plan that will not only protect them but which will create a shoreline that every citizen can be
proud of.”
The Two Lakes Plan has wide support among the Metro Jackson Area general population
because of its potential to provide jobs and increase tax revenue. Proponents of the Two Lakes
Plan have long maintained the Two Lakes will provide the best flood control and cost the
taxpayers less money than other plans and provide for environmentally responsible development
of parklands, residential areas and businesses on both sides of the Pearl River. The Two Lakes
Plan will provide the Metro Jackson Area with over 120 miles of shoreline and 36 islands on
new 4,000-acre lakes.
For more information visit the Two Lakes website at www.twolakesms.com or call Dallas Quinn
at 601-613-6051.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Courtney Taylor or Marsha Colson
Tel: 601.446.6631
Cell: 601.807.5007
Email: courtshout@bellsouth.net nptcolson@natchezpilgrimage.com

Best Bang for Your Travel Buck: Big Event in Small Town

Today’s weekend travelers get the best bang for their buck at big events in small towns. One of the most enchanting places to take advantage of this fact is Natchez, Mississippi, a delightful escape that will have you wishing that your weekend could last a month. With well over 200 antebellum homes, a wealth of gardens, magnificent live oaks tangled with Spanish moss and wisteria, breath taking river views from two hundred foot bluffs, and a charming historic down town, you’re sure to be captivated by this fun-loving river town. Once known as the “New Port of the South,” politics saved the city from demolition during the Civil War and poverty preserved it from progress afterwards. As a result, Natchez, MS boasts over 50 pre-civil war mansions and estates with museum quality interiors and over a thousand 18th and 19th century architectural treasures.

Fall Pilgrimage, September 26-October 10, gives visitors the opportunity to tour 20 of Natchez’s famous privately owned antebellum mansions. Visitors can nose through family heirlooms in rooms that have hardly changed since “before the war,” and meet descendents costumed in handmade antebellum garments. Cost of a 3 house tour is $24 per person; 4 house tour is $32 per person and a 3 house tour with a mini bus tour is $38 per person. Many of these estates such as The Burn, The Elms, Twin Oaks, and Hope Farm are now bed and breakfasts and give travelers a rest in the style of Scarlett herself. (For b and b reservations and concierge service at no extra charge to you, go to www.natchezpilgrimage.com or call 1-800-647-6742 and ask for Sara or Ivering). Between tours, visitors can take in the other thousand structures on the National Register of Historic Places in the beautifully preserved town, and behold the fantastic panoramic view of the Mississippi River from two hundred foot bluffs above the river banks. Nightly entertainment includes a Gospel concert and Southern dinner at the famous Carriage House Restaurant on the grounds of palatial Stanton Hall, once home of cotton mogul Frederick Stanton, cost $31.00 per person. Great local restaurants boast every thing from barbecue to fried catfish to Creole gumbo and crème brulee.

The Basics: Natchez is a two hour drive from Jackson, MS; ninety minutes from Baton Rouge, LA; three hours from New Orleans, LA; and five hours from Memphis, TN. Accommodations include an endless selection of historic bed and breakfasts, a beautiful RV park on the banks of the Mississippi River, as well as historic and national brand hotels. For further information call 1-800-647-6742, ask for extension 1, or go to www.natchezpilgrimage.com (For interviews, see contact above.)

For Immediate Release:
Contact Mara Hartmann
601.969.2520 office
601.594.9042 cell
mhartma@entergy.com

Entergy Mississippi Awards Grants to Mississippi Projects
Total of $124,000 awarded across state

Jackson, Miss. –Projects that enrich educational opportunities for Mississippi students are getting a boost from Entergy Mississippi, Inc.
Through the Entergy Charitable Foundation, the company has awarded grants to:
Hinds Community College,
Junior Achievement,
Middle Mississippi Girl Scout Council,
Mississippi State University Foundation,
New Stage Theatre,
Northwest Mississippi Community College Foundation,
Parents for Public Schools, and
University of Mississippi - DeSoto Center.
“More often, community organizations are focusing their efforts on improving education,” said Liz Brister, manager of external affairs for Entergy Mississippi, Inc. “We’re seeing a lot of creativity and innovation in these programs.

“A grant from Entergy gives these groups the boost they need to turn great ideas into reality and to keep many successful initiatives alive.”
Grants awarded to Hinds Community College in Raymond and the Northwest Mississippi Community College Foundation in Senatobia will fund Entergy Excellence in Education Scholarships to help students pay for tuition, books and supplies.
Junior Achievement will use its grant to fund economic education in K-12 schools across Mississippi using a program presented by community and business volunteers.
The Middle Mississippi Girl Scout Council’s grant will go toward the Rankin County Environmental Learning Laboratory, a science- and math-focused environmental education and recreational physical fitness program.
Mississippi State University Foundation will use its grant for the Student Technology Exchange Program. This vocational training program helps identify future engineers.
New Stage Theatre in Jackson will use its grant for the Arts in Education Touring Production, which provides workshops and arts-in-education tours for students in school districts throughout Mississippi.
Parents for Public Schools of Jackson’s grant will fund its Leadership Program, which provides training, resources and strategies to help Mississippi parents of school-age children improve public education in their communities.
A grant to the University of Mississippi – DeSoto Center in Southaven will fund Mississippi Building Blocks. This program enhances the quality of early care and education for young children by awarding scholarships to teachers to obtain their Child Development Associate Certificate.
The Entergy Charitable Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation wholly funded by Entergy Corporation. The foundation’s goal is to support initiatives that help create and sustain thriving communities. Special focus is on low-income initiatives, educational and literacy programs, and efforts to protect the environment.
The foundation accepts applications three times per year. For more information or to access an application form from the Entergy Charitable Foundation, look under “Our Community/Corporate and Foundation Giving” at entergy.com.
Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides electricity to more than 433,000 customers in 45 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Dr. James O’Connell Named J.H. Kanter Prize Laureate
Awarded $100,000 for Enhancing Health Care Delivery
Four Practicing Physicians Named Runners-Up, also Awarded Cash Prizes

August 11, 2009 - Washington DC – Dr. James O’Connell of Boston has been awarded the prestigious J.H. Kanter Prize for his exceptional work to enhance health care delivery for hundreds of low income and homeless people in Boston.

The inaugural prize, named for Joseph H. Kanter, a pioneering advocate for electronic medical records, is sponsored by the Health Legacy Partnership (HELP) a public private partnership with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ.) Dr. O’Connell will receive a $100,000 award to help continue his amazing work.

Dr. O’Connell is President of Boston’s ‘Health Care for the Homeless’ and on the front lines in his service to the poor. Often referred to as a “street doctor,” he created a model of healthcare for the homeless, bringing care to them where they reside: on the street. He established integrated relationships with Boston area hospitals so patients typically arrive with medical charts and have received enhanced outpatient strategies prior to acute hospitalization. Dr. O’Connell designed and implemented a medical records system for the care of homeless patients and authored books on care of the homeless.

“Through the profound example of his daily commitment, Jim (O’Connell) gently nudges us to re-examine the fundamental questions of human existence. How do we live the ordinary life extraordinarily well,” said Dr. Howard Koh, Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. O’Connell, selected from more than 50 practicing physicians submitted from around the nation, military and US territories, was nominated by the Massachusetts Medical Society which receives $10,000 for nominating him.

Four runners-up each also receive prizes in the amount of $25,000: Jeffrey Henderson, M.D. of South Dakota, Neil Calman, M.D. of New York, Sister Anne Brooks, D.O. of Mississippi, Herbert Smitherman Jr., M.D. of Michigan.

These front-line physicians have dedicated themselves to optimizing U.S. health care for all patients, regardless of gender, ethnicity, geography, language, education, religion, employment or insurance.

“The Kanter Prize recognizes the true calling of medicine– to deliver health care to those in need,” said Dr. Alan R. Leff, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago. “This is both the greatest privilege and highest obligation of a physician.”

The award winning runners-up:

Jeffrey Henderson, MD serves as the President and CEO of Black Hills Center for American Indian Health in Rapid City, South Dakota. He is committed to addressing health disparities seen in Native Americans, focusing on their broader health problems through research, service, education, and culturally sensitive health delivery. His center collected evidence of effective practices that may lead to changes in the guidelines for managing type II diabetes. Dr. Henderson was nominated by the South Dakota State Medical Association.

Neil Calman, MD, the President and CEO, of the Institute for Family Health in New York is dedicated to improving the quality and availability of primary care services to medically underserved communities in New York City and the Mid-Hudson Valley. He founded “Bronx Health REACH” which works with community and faith-based organizations, health care providers and public health officials to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes in diabetes in the southwest Bronx. Dr. Calman was nominated by: Medical Society of the State of New York.

Sister Anne Brooks, DO, the Founder and Director of the Tutwiler Medical Clinic in Tutwiler, Mississippi, started medical training at age 43 and currently provides multi-disciplinary care to some of the nation’s most impoverished and medically underserved, offering not just primary health attention but education and resource assessment. She challenges entrenched civic, political and health care entities in the Mississippi Delta region to recognize and address the cumulative effects of social disadvantages on critical health needs. She has been known to accept payment from patients in bushels of squash. Dr. Brooks was nominated by the Mississippi Osteopathic Medical Association.

Herbert Smitherman Jr., MD, is President and CEO of the Health Centers Detroit Foundation, Inc. in Detroit, Michigan. Running three community-based health centers in urban Detroit, he works with culturally diverse communities to improve urban-based primary care delivery systems. He is dedicated to organizing, expanding and improving access to cost effective, high quality healthcare for the uninsured and has volunteered his time without pay to see that patients get the care they need, regardless of income. Dr. Smitherman was nominated by the Michigan State Medical Society and the Wayne County Medical Society of Southeast Michigan.

A team of dean designated medical students from two medical schools in Arizona made the initial review of scores of qualified nominees. Ten finalists were evaluated by a panel of distinguished physicians and scholars with broad knowledge, both clinical and academic, in the field of healthcare disparities across the nation.

For more information, contact:
Susan Paley
703.915.6574
susanpaleyinc@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Regina Regan
MSWTC Information Specialist
Email: rregan@mswtc.org
Telephone: 601-353-0909

MSWTC Touts Certification and CenTradeX
Jackson, MS - The Mississippi World Trade Center has earned professional certification in four service categories after completing and passing a rigorous certification process conducted by the World Trade Centers Association. The WTCA is the New York non-profit organization that links the over 300 World Trade Centers worldwide and benchmarks service standards with assistance from Sirota Consulting. The objective is to guarantee that all certified WTC’s provide consistent, reliable service to businesses and individuals around the world as well as assuring a quality delivery mechanism for the universal services the WTCA provides. Standardization not only strengthens the organization as a whole, but provides immediate benefits to each individual World Trade Center.
Executive Director Barbara Travis says that “Reciprocity is a core attribute of the MSWTC and a key driver of membership and satisfaction. What is most appealing to the majority of local members is that they not only belong to the Mississippi World Trade Center but also to every other World Trade Center around the globe.” According to Travis, the use of minimum service standards “assures members that when they visit another World Trade Center offering similar services, they know what to expect both in terms of attributes and quality.” MSWTC earned certification in the trade information, trade education, business services and conference facilities categories.
Additionally, the MSWTC has acquired statewide exclusive distribution rights to CenTradeX, a WTCA- sanctioned trade-flow database offering Mississippi businesses competitive advantage on a global scale by providing the most comprehensive trade information available anywhere. In less than a minute, CenTradeX can find the most pertinent information about import and export activity in over 200 countries, all 50 U.S. states, millions of companies worldwide and every category of manufactured product. Detailed information on buyers, potential suppliers, shippers, competitors, and specific company profiles are available. MSWTC can now access a peerless range of customized data needed for making well-informed strategic business decisions at a very reasonable cost.

More information about MSWTC’s global business services or CenTradeX research data can be obtained by contacting Information Specialist Gina Regan at rregan@mswtc.org or by calling the Mississippi World Trade Center office at 601-353-0909.

Dear Editor:
The recent “sales tax holiday” in Mississippi was a phenomenal success. I am proud as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives that this legislation became law this year. I feel sure we will have many chances to “tweak” the act in coming years, but this was a great start.
I want to correct some points, however. I heard Sen. Walter Michel on a talk radio show insinuating that, but for the House of Representatives, the sales tax holiday in this state would have passed years ago, and that if had not been for him, it would never have come to fruition. While giving Sen. Michel full credit for his concern for our citizens and for his persistence in filing his bill for nine (9) consecutive years, the record needs to be set straight about the legislative history of the “sales tax holiday” bill.
According to official legislative records, Sen. Michel first introduced a tax holiday bill in 2000. It died in the SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE (my emphasis). The same SENATE Finance Committee killed Sen. Michel’s tax holiday bills in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and, even in the immediate past session of 2009.
In 2006, his bill passed the Senate and died in the House Ways and Means Committee. However, that was the session when all of the general obligation bond bills died in the Senate, but upon a suspension of rules by both House and Senate, five of them later passed both chambers. There was no way the House would pass his tax-holiday bill when the Senate was killing all of the House bond bills to the detriment of our citizens; therefore his tax bill died in the House committee.
Your readers need to know that although tax-holiday bills died in the SENATE Finance Committee from the years 2000 through 2006, HOUSE BILL 1612 , authorizing a “sales tax holiday” passed the full House in 2007. The bill was sent to the Senate where it died in the SENATE Finance Committee. THE SAME THING HAPPENED IN 2008 – the House passed a “sales tax holiday” bill and it DIED AGAIN IN THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
That brought us to 2009 when House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Percy Watson introduced HB 348 – the very act that Mississippi consumers took advantage of on July 31-Aug. 1.
So, while one must congratulate Sen. Michel for his intentions and his persistence in having filed “sales tax holiday” legislation for 10 consecutive years, only ONE of the bills he introduced got past the Senate Finance Committee. NINE OF THEM DIED IN HIS OWN SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
Respectfully Submitted,

State Rep. Sherra H. Lane, House District 86 (Clarke, Perry and Wayne Counties)

Work: 601-735-5708; Home: 601-735-3706; Cell: 601-381-2355

For Release:
Immediately

Contact:
Immediately

Mara Hartmann
601-969-2520 (office)
601-594-9042 (cell)
mhartma@entergy.com

Entergy Mississippi Targets Federal Stimulus Funds for Customers
“Smart Meter” pilot would be aimed at residential, small commercial customers

Jackson, Miss. – A $3 million pilot project aimed at testing new technology to improve customer service and lower customer bills may soon get underway. That’s if the U.S. Department of Energy approves an application filed today by Entergy Mississippi, Inc.
If approved, the federal stimulus grant would place automated meters in 5,000 residences and small commercial businesses, including some government buildings.
“Entergy Mississippi is working hard to get these federal stimulus dollars, and is excited about the prospect of this pilot project,” said John Mullins, vice president of customer operations for Entergy Mississippi, Inc. “This new technology is designed to let customers view their energy consumption in real time. That’s valuable information they could use to reduce their electric bill.”
If the pilot project meets company and customer expectations, it could be expanded.
“We’re committed to meeting our obligation to serve by providing the most reliable, affordable power possible,” Mullins said. “We’re continually working to find solutions that benefit customers and provide long-term stability in our rates.
“Energy efficiency measures are an important component in meeting customer challenges and in providing for our customers’ future energy needs.”
Gray Swoope, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, stated that, “We are pleased that Entergy Mississippi has applied for a competitive stimulus grant to pilot technology advances for their customers that encourage energy efficiency.”
Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides electricity to more than 433,000 customers in 45 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Entergy Mississippi, Inc.
P.O. Box 1640
Jackson, MS 39215-1640

Entergy, Pew Center on Global Climate Change Launch New Web Site
Custom-built carbon calculator offers personalized ‘CO2 footprint’ analysis

Jackson, Miss. –Entergy and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change today
launched a new Web site (www.entergy.com/makeanimpact) that is designed to help visitors take
action in reducing their carbon footprints.
The Make an Impact Web site offers customized tools for employees, customers and communities to better manage their individual impact on the environment, reduce their energy usage and become part of the solution to global climate change.
The Make an Impact Web site features:
a custom-built carbon calculator that offers a personalized CO2 footprint
analysis and action plan,
profiles of Entergy employees who are making an environmental difference in
their own unique ways,
a user-generated list of local environmental resources, and
a kids section with environmental tips, resources and games.
“We’re honored to be partnered with the Pew Center on this important Web site,” said
Kay Arnold, Entergy’s vice president of public affairs. “An increasing number of our employees
and customers have recently asked what actions they could take to offset their carbon footprint,
and how they can best teach their children about making smart energy and environmental
decisions. Therefore, we feel it’s important to provide them with the tools to understand and
manage their environmental impact because energy efficiency is both an easy way to reduce
energy cost and the quickest route to lower CO2 emissions.”
“Along with business and government, individuals have an important role to play in
developing a solution to climate change and lower energy costs,” said Pew Center President
Eileen Claussen. “Through our partnership with Entergy we hope to empower people to make
changes, small or large, in their daily lives because individually we can make a difference – and
together we can make an impact.”
The Make an Impact Web site was funded by Entergy through an environmental
stewardship grant to the Pew Center. The Web site complements Entergy’s comprehensive
environmental actions including the company’s voluntary efforts to stabilize CO2 emissions,
restore coastal wetlands, promote energy efficiency, improve communities and encourage
recycling.
“The Web site is only the first phase of the Make an Impact program. A second phase will
be announced in the fall,” said Arnold.
Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power
production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with
approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest
nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers
in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

MISSISSIPPI ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS MEDIA INFORMATION Mailing Address: 176 Country Place Parkway * Pearl, MS 39208 Telephone: (601) 932-2007 * Fax: (601) 932-8265 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: David Derrick Executive Director Friday, July 31, 2009 MPSA Becomes MAIS MS Private School Association (MPSA) Has New Name The Board of Directors of the MS Private School Association voted on July 29, 2009, at their annual meeting, to change the name of the association to the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS). The Board of Directors, made up of a representative from each member school, was motivated to align the name of the association more closely with the diversity and inclusive posture of its member schools. The 2/3 majority vote required to change the MPSA By-laws was exceeded significantly. “It was obvious that the overwhelming majority of our member schools favored the name change,” said David Derrick, the MPSA Executive Director. “Parents, students, teachers, and supporters of our member schools should know that the structure, services, athletics, academics, and all the things that they have come to expect from the association, will not change,” Derrick added. The MAIS is a tax exempt, non-profit educational association that serves 115 member schools and approximately 39,000 students in the states of MS, LA, and AR. The principle offices are located in Pearl, MS. This past January, the MAIS celebrated 40 years of service to member schools. Major services to member schools include accreditation, teacher certification, and organization of athletics and academic competitions. “A name change in an organization of our size will no doubt entail countless transition responsibilities, especially in the website and technology area. Until an official notice is posted, access to the MAIS homepage will remain at www.mpsa.org,” Derrick stated. The MS Private School Association (MPSA) is now the MS Association of Independent Schools (MAIS).