MPA/MPS Press Releases

Media Contact:
Sam Johnson
(601) 362-4322

Legislature passes measure to expand “One Call” network
The State of Mississippi has taken a major step to increase public safety and decrease costs associated with construction project accidents by passing a law to expand the state’s “One Call” network. If the bill is approved by the Governor, effective July 1, every private and public entity in the state that operates underground facilities will be required to join the Mississippi One Call Network.

“This law is good for the safety of our citizens and it makes good business sense as well,” said Sam Johnson, Executive Director of Mississippi One Call. “Now there is no excuse for not knowing where underground utilities are located in an area where anyone is digging - just dial 811 and get the area marked.”
The bill was passed overwhelmingly by the Mississippi Legislature in April and Governor Barbour has until mid-May to sign it. The Governor has also declared May “Safe Digging Month in Mississippi.”

“Each year, people are killed or injured and millions of dollars of property is damaged or destroyed nationwide because digging devices come into contact with gas, electric, water or other lines that are buried in the area where work is being done,” said Johnson. “The strong support for this law shows that safety is a bipartisan issue.”

Calling 8-1-1 before starting a project connects the person digging to the Mississippi One-Call System (MOCS), a computerized information center located in Jackson. MOCS then determines what entities – public and private - have underground utilities in the area. After MOCS contacts all of them, the individual companies send crews to mark their
lines on the property, enabling the person or crew digging in an area to steer clear of underground pipes and wires.

“More and more states are considering laws similar to what we have just passed in Mississippi,” said Johnson. “Until now, membership in Mississippi One Call was voluntary; meaning our records only reflected the companies and municipalities that participated.”

The new law marks the first significant expansion of MOCS since the service was established 24 years ago. Many Mississippians are still not aware that by simply dialing 811 they can have homes, businesses or any construction area searched for underground lines before they dig.

“Dialing three digits is all they need to do to be sure,” said Johnson. “It does not cost the person calling us – our members pick up the costs of the marking.”

For companies such as Atmos Energy, which both operates underground gas lines and has crews that dig year-round, paying to be part of MOCS is money well-spent.

“Safety is our top priority and we believe One Call is the most important service to prevent injuries that happen when people accidentally hit utility lines of any kind,” said David Gates, President of Atmos Mississippi. “Also, the costs associated with locating lines are minimal when you compare them with the costs associated with making emergency repairs to facilities that have been damaged.”

For more information about the Mississippi One Call Network, visit us online at:  www.ms1call.org

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Contact Mark Simpson at 601-594-1486
Or mark@marathonmakeover.com

Renaissance at Colony Park, a lifestyle retail center in Ridgeland, will host the inaugural “Renaissance at Colony Park Half Marathon” on Saturday, June 28 at 6 a.m.

The half marathon will begin and end at Renaissance at Colony Park on Highland Colony Parkway, with the course running along the parkway and through area neighborhoods, such as Dinsmor, Bridgewater and Old Towne.
A half marathon is 13.1 miles and is open to runners and walkers. In addition to the half marathon, there will be a Gattitown One Mile Fun Run for children ages 5-13, and a Friday night pasta meal presented by Mint Restaurant at Renaissance.

The half marathon is open to runners and walkers 16 and older and is limited to the first 1200 participants. The One Mile Fun Run is limited to 250 participants.

Marathon Makeover is Mississippi’s premier marathon training program that is currently training over 450 area runners and walkers to complete a full marathon of 26.2 miles. This is their fifth year of turning couch potatoes into marathoners.

There is over $5000 in the winners’ purse, to be presented to the top overall men’s and women’s runner, masters (40+) and grandmasters (50+). Each participant will be entered in a drawing for shopping sprees and gifts from Renaissance at Colony Park retailers and other area merchants. Each registered participant will have a chance to win a new car or $25,000 from Paul Moak of Ridgeland.

The half marathon is presented by Cellular South, Marathon Makeover, Renaissance at Colony Park, HC Bailey Companies and Mattiace Properties. Additional sponsors include Ridgeland Tourism Commission, Paul Moak of Ridgeland, Gattitown Pizza, City of Ridgeland, Ridgeland Parks and Recreation, and LifeChange Counseling Centers.

For more information, visit www.marathonmakeover.com.

–End–

TO THE EDITOR:

Loggers face major crisis with rising fuel costs

This letter is written on behalf of the loggers in the State of Mississippi who are currently experience a major crisis in the logging industry. This crisis is the result of a long term continuation of inflated fuel prices that is forcing logging companies out of business at a fast pace. Many logging companies have already closed. Unless immediate relief is provided by the State of Mississippi in this industry, the life of the remaining logging companies in our state is short term.

Over the last several months, group meetings have been held statewide with over 300 seasoned logging companies to address this crisis. Loggers with a minimum of 27 years experience in the industry gathered from all over the state to make a concerted effort with the State of Mississippi to seek immediate relief. All logging companies report that their businesses are failing due to inflated fuel prices. There is no market to sell their equipment to get out of the business. Equipment dealers and banks are feeling the crunch of loggers not being able to make their equipment payments. The loggers all agree that unless relief is provided, the logging industry will not survive.

The forestry sector in the State of Mississippi is one of the leading industries in our great state, with a phenomenal impact:
• The logging industry in Mississippi is a $14 billion per year enterprise;
• 52,580 people are directly employed in the forestry industry;
• Forestry generates a $1.6 billion annual payroll;
• With a 3-4 multiplier, another 200,000 jobs with a aggregate payroll exceeding $6 billion results from the forestry industry;
• Sustainable communities depend on the logging industry to bring money in through employment, local investments and local ownership.

What makes logging a “different” business?
• Most are small family, micro businesses. Most are single-generation firms where the current owner built the business from the ground up.
• An up-to-date equipment spread represents a $1 million investment. The average logger has more invested in the business than the average timber owner has invested in land and timber.
• The owner is involved in the business every day: supervising, checking out the next tract, making repairs and operating equipment. Normally, the owner’s family is involved in running the company.
• There are no franchises or long-term business agreements. Business is conducted on a contract per-tract basis.
• Logging firms are often overlooked as a part of the community. They are usually located off the major business highways. There is no storefront or large sign out front or other indicators of the business size, yet they contribute billions to the economy of the state.
• Goodwill is a key asset in logging in that the logging companies have to maintain not only a disruptive activity for the landowner, but also have to follow strict regulations mandated by the rural, state and federal regulators on the roads traveled to take their products to the mills. This often involves extra work and is very costly to assure that the landowner, the state and federal agencies and the surrounding communities are satisfied with the conduct of the operation.

These are high-volume, low-margin businesses:
• One-to-5 percent of gross revenues are retained as profit in the best of times;
• Maintaining cash flow is critical: There is no “season” for logging in the South; Operations are expected to have 50-week work year with no allowances for scheduling payments “when the crop comes in;” Labor, the largest single expense, must be paid on a weekly basis while equipment payments, repair bills and other consumable supplies must be paid monthly.

Fuel costs are soaring in recent years, jeopardizing the survival of these business.

The Mississippi Loggers have issued a plea of relief to the State of Mississippi in support of this failing industry. Survival will depend on relief in the following areas:
• An immediate waiver for the remainder of 2008 of the fuel tax on off-road diesel and on-road diesel.
• An increase in highway weight limits to 88,000 pounds;
• Waiver of sales tax on purchase of parts and supplies needed to repair and maintain equipment and trucks;
• Landowner waiver on severance tax collected from the mills for the state to assist landowners in offsetting the stumpage price;
• Landowner waiver on long-term capital tax to offset stumpage prices, thus increasing the logging company revenue.

Mississippi Loggers have requested to Gov. Haley Barbour to be placed on the Call for the Special Section forthcoming in the State of Mississippi for immediate relief to the logging industry. The logging industry’s survival depends on it.

– 30 –

CONTACTS:
Tamme Bufkin, Circle B Timber/Mississippi Loggers Association, 601-545-1239, Cell: 601-408-8508;
John Mabry, Sam Mabry Lumber Co./Mississippi Loggers Association, 601-657-8061, Cell: 601-660-3993;
Cecil Johnson, executive director, Mississippi Loggers Association, 601-776-5754, cell 662-418-8891

LOGGING INDUSTRY CONTACTS:
Stone Timber Inc., Wiggins
Randy Miller, 251-331-8242

Greg Green Logging, Leakesville
Greg Green, 601-270-5894

Timberline Trucking, Hattiesburg
David Harvison, 601-545-8873

Circle B Timber, Inc., Hattiesburg
Lowell Bufkin, 601-545-1239 or 601-315-0789

Soujourner Logging, Hazlehurst
Wayne Soujourner, 601-892-4021

For more information:
Louie Miller
Mississippi Sierra Club
(601) 624-3503
lmillersc@earthlink.net

Several Mississippi citizen’s groups met at the State Capitol today to question Governor Barbour’s recent statements on flooding in the proposed Yazoo Pumps area. The groups referenced recent comments made by the Governor and by Neely Carlton, spokesperson for the Governor.

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

The citizen’s groups noted that there is no residential flooding in the proposed Yazoo Pumps area and that most of the flooding was on timberland and low lying marginal farmland.

“Last week the Governor said that there was considerable farmland and lots of houses underwater in the proposed Yazoo Pumps area, yet his disaster declaration request to FEMA did not include the counties in the proposed Yazoo Pumps area,” said Louie Miller, State Director for the Mississippi Sierra Club. “Either there is flooding in the proposed Yazoo Pumps area or there isn’t. If there is, why didn’t the Governor include these counties in the disaster declaration request? The Governor is talking out of both sides of his mouth and the people of Mississippi and the American people should be outraged about it,” Miller stated.

Miller added “This type of deception is nothing new for supporters of the Yazoo Pumps. This project has a long history of lies and propaganda manufactured by Pumps supporters ranging from the Corps of Engineers on down which is one of the reasons why the Office of Management and Budget, not generally known as an environmentalist organization, killed the project back in 1989 until Thad Cochran revived it with some legislative slight of hand in 1996,” Miller said. “To add insult to injury, with Cochran’s help, the rich farmers whom would benefit from this monumental boondoggle finagled a way to make sure that it was 100% federally funded with no local cost share,” Miller concluded.

The groups also referenced statements made last week by Peter Nimrod, Chief Engineer of the levee board in Greenville and by Kent Parrish, Project Engineer for the Yazoo Pumps.

“The same day that the Governor is grousing about flooding in the proposed Pumps Area, Peter Nimrod, the Chief Engineer of the Mississippi Levee Board in Greenville, said that while there was considerable flooding on the Mississippi River side of the levee, everything looked great on the proposed Pumps side,” said T. Logan Russell, Executive Director of Delta Land Trust based in Madison.

“A week later, Kent Parrish of the Corps Vicksburg District said that with an additional foot or two of water at the Steele Bayou gauge, you would actually begin picking up some residential flooding in the proposed Pumps area,” Russell added. “That means there is no residential flooding in the proposed Pumps area currently as evidenced by the Governor’s current FEMA disaster declaration request and historic FEMA flood damage data,” he continued. “The Governor even had his spokesperson, Neely Carlton, go on record before a federal agency saying that the flooding at the Governor’s lake house somehow would have been alleviated by the Yazoo Pumps. But the Governor’s house is not in the Yazoo Pumps area and probably would have flooded worse if the Yazoo Pumps were in operation,” Russell concluded.

Russell also referenced statements made by the Government Accountability Office. In 2006, the GAO told Congress that recent Corps of Engineers studies were so flawed that they could “not provide a reasonable basis for decision-making”. The GAO said that those studies, like the one for the Yazoo Pumps, were “fraught with errors, mistakes, miscalculations, and used invalid assumptions and outdated data,” Russell said. “This is one of many reasons why every American president from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush- Democrats and Republicans alike- has opposed the Yazoo Pumps project,” Russell concluded.

The groups also noted the Governor’s double standard between Mississippi River flooding and proposed Pumps area flooding. “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 last week.

Yet despite his apparent support for taxpayer rights and relocating flood prone residences when it comes to repetitive flooding in the Vicksburg area, Barbour went on to defend construction of the planned Yazoo Pumps in the extremely flood prone South Mississippi Delta.

“Any land that is currently flooded in the proposed Yazoo Pumps project area has a 50% chance of flooding every year,” said Dr. Cathy Shropshire, Executive Director of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. “That sounds like repetitive flooding to me. 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 the Vicksburg area worse,” she added.  “The money could be better used to move people in the proposed Yazoo Pumps area out of harms way just like the Governor has proposed for the Vicksburg area,” she concluded.

The citizens groups encouraged interested Mississippians and concerned 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.

Call Nita Rutledge 901-896-5877 for additional info or email nita@southern-appraisal.com

4th Annual Little Creek Ranch Rodeo May 10th

Rodeos have been part of our American culture for close to two centuries, gaining in popularity each year with thousands of fans attending rodeos around the country. On Saturday May 10, 2008 Little Creek Ranch will offer rodeo fans a chance to experience first hand a unique part of our heritage.

Rain or shine the 4th Annual Little Creek Ranch Rodeo will be held Saturday May 10, 2008 from  6:00-11:00 pm at the ranch near Glen, MS. Dodge Rodeo, Calvary Rodeo Production and Little Creek Ranch  are proud to host this family event and invite everyone to come out for the fun and excitement. Other main sponsors include the Alcorn County Farmer’s Coop, Land Bank of North Mississippi, Coca Cola Bottling Works of Corinth and Brose Autoplex.

As an added attraction this year a Cutting Bred Quarter Horse will be given away during the rodeo. Purchase of a ticket the night of the rodeo qualifies you for the drawing and you must be present to win. Admission to the rodeo is adults $8.00, Children $5.00, kids 5 and under free with the gate opening at 4:30. There is limited seating  so bring your lawn chair and concessions will be available.

The Kid’s Rodeo kicks off at 6:00 pm with Mutton Bustin’ and Junior Steer Riding with the young ones. At 7:00 pm cowboys and cowgirls from around the region will compete in Bare Back Riding, Calf Roping, Team Roping, Cowgirl’s Barrel Racing and Bull Riding featuring some of the toughest bulls in the region.

An 8:00 pm intermission will feature entertainment by Kay Bain, one of Mississippi’s most beloved and talented singers, and the host of the popular Morning Show on WTVA in Tupelo. Kay will be joined on stage by Wayne Jerrolds, the new Alabama State Fiddle Champion and former Bill Monroe Bluegrass Boy, Jake Landers who co-wrote Walk Softly On This Heart of Mine with Bill Monroe and Wayne’s band Savannah Bluegrass.

Calvary Rodeo Production is a Mississippi based Christian rodeo company and during the past 12 years their rodeos have earned a reputation as professional, entertaining and inspirational. Call owner Tommy Wilbanks at 662-223-0804 for information on Calvary Rodeo events.

Little Creek Ranch is a 900 acre working ranch located at 181 CR 345 Glen, MS. Drive seven miles east of Corinth on Highway 72, turn south onto CR 300 (county road numbers do not run in sequence) and follow the signs 3 miles to CR 345.  Check out the website www.littlecreek.ms for a map or call Harold Little at 662-808-9107 for information.

MISSISSIPPI HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATION
Contact Vanessa Henderson, 601-956-3472
www.mshca.com

Mississippi nursing home residents in spotlight during week of “ageless love”      

For a full week every May, activities directors and other staff in nursing homes throughout Mississippi go a bit whacky, maybe overboard – they pull out all the stops to celebrate and shower special attention on the people who live in 200 public or proprietary skilled nursing homes.

This year, beginning on Mother’s Day for the 41st consecutive year, nursing home residents will experience the nationwide theme of “Love Is Ageless.” Mississippi Health Care Association (MHCA) and the American Health Care Association through sponsorship aim to build better relationships among the generations, strengthen relationships with family members, celebrate quality of life and care issues, and recognize all staff members who demonstrate excellent care giving.

But the individual residents get special spotlight attention through parties, extraordinary food functions, entertainment and social events, and opportunities to take part in unusual activities.

Vanessa Henderson, executive director of MHCA – representing 220 long term care facilities including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and retirement communities plus 80 associates – said this annual event dedicates time to “celebrate the people who planted the seeds that have made our communities grow stronger. They have been the teachers, the business people, the church leaders, the parents and other central figures who produced all of the good things that we now enjoy. This week gives us a chance to honor these special residents, as well as the families, staff, volunteers, and communities who are advocates for quality of life and care for nursing home residents.”

The Honorable Governor Haley Barbour proclaimed May 11-17 Nursing Home Week, urging citizens to visit nursing home residents and recognize “the high quality of care that our long term care facilities are providing.”

Henderson encourages everyone to visit nursing home residents that week: “Giving from a place of love to enrich another person’s life is an act neither of you will forget. Communicate with the individuals you visit; listen to what they say — everyone has a memory of a love in his or her life, whether it is a spouse, a grandchild or a childhood friend.

“Encourage story sharing of love from their past with each other,” she suggested. “We can even convey our love without speaking – a smile for a friend, a hug, a thankful nod. But why not get back in touch with the poets of yesteryear and express our love for others through language?”

The set-aside week offers every Mississippian the special occasion to pay tribute to or memorialize individuals they know who’ve lived in nursing homes. Monetary donations to the Mississippi Health Care Foundation directly benefit residents through paying for otherwise unattainable personal/medical needs such as eyeglasses and dentures, awarding Make-A-Memory gifts to residents, and giving scholarships to long term care staff who desire higher education achievement. Tax-deductible monetary gifts can be mailed to MHC Foundation, 1076 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, MS 39157; the Foundation staff will acknowledge the gift to both donor and honorees or families of those memorialized.

During National Nursing Home Week, most nursing homes give each resident a chance to shine. Some feature both residents and staff, nodding to a bygone era and revealing through walk-a-thons, devotional services, arts and crafts events, and other social activities the extraordinary talents of residents and caring concern from long term care workers.

“Residents of nursing homes now are very different now compared to 30, 20, even 10 years ago,” said Henderson. “Today’s long term care resident requires skilled nursing care, and each desires dignity, choice, and comfort. At the same time, facility owners and staff want their residents to be safe, optimally healthy, and happy; so they have elected to improve the way they conduct business.

“Long term care facilities and assisted living centers offer more now than ever before; they offer choice, customized care for each individual, and an evolving, ever better culture,” she said. “Staffs are different, too – representing a wider array of health specialists, including social workers, activity therapists, and chaplains – and better trained than ever before. Nurses and certified nursing assistants, particularly, are much better educated and bring more skills to the work place.”

Mississippi long term care professionals continue to concentrate focus on efforts begun in  2007 on that concept of change – especially relating to the individuals who reside in nursing homes and assisted living centers and their right to more choices in their home environment, care options, and social activities.

Four directors of nursing at homes from Brandon to Gautier, Magee, and Picayune described at a long term care seminar for nurses earlier this spring how their facilities’ development of the “culture change” concept is helping them and, more importantly, their residents.

Directors of Nurses who spoke shared specific examples:

• JaCinda Shaw, Covenant Health & Rehab of Picayune, told them that putting a pool table in the facility has been especially welcomed by men – “Those who live with us and the visitors. You know, men are not very good at just visiting or sitting idly while their families visit; so we gave them something they would like to do.”
• Renee Kennedy of River Chase Village, Gautier, worked years as a hospital nurse before trying long term care. “Now I sleep with a pen and pad in my hand,” she said. “If I wake up at 3 am with an idea, I jot it down to make a difference in others’ lives the next day. Ever night I go to bed thinking, ‘What can I do tomorrow to make the day better for somebody?’”
• Kay Brannon, Hillcrest Nursing Center, Magee, talked about family style dining, which allows bonding, gives residents’ choices, and puts the person in control; resident outings thanks to a grant-funded facility bus; kitchenettes for those who like late night snacks; and providing Wii games for therapy and exercise – “They love to play each other and with the staff, too.”
• Janet Butts, Brandon Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, said, “Culture change begins when a job candidate applies for the position. When a new employee comes in, every one gets a three-day orientation. Our residents range from 36 to 100-plus years in age – that’s a huge span, and we do everything we can think of to make each comfortable, part of the home’s life, and important as individuals.”

Gwen Causey, MHCA director of long term care quality and regulatory services, said their stories resonate because they’re real.

“Listen, I’ve worked in long term care, starting on the floor as a licensed practical nurse and then – after going back to school to earn my BS degree – as a registered nurse supervisor,” Causey said. “With the aging of Baby Boomers – The Age Wave – the number of people who will require long term care will grow bigger every year. This huge aging population promises problems, opportunities, challenges, and a whole new way of thinking about daily living to assure a safety net for our country’s most vulnerable population of seniors and disabled citizens.”

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