The Cleveland Current
Rocking for children
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Local band holds fundraiser
Local Cleveland band Southern Halo is doing their part to help the children by hosting “Rocking for Children’s Hospital” Benefit, May 18th. The inaugural event aims to raise funds for Friends of Children’s Hospital and will feature heavy hors de’oeuvres, guest speakers, a silent auction and live entertainment by Southern Halo and Nashville recording artist Phil Vaught.
The event will be held at the Warehouse, and tickets are $30 per person in advance and $40 per person at the door. Southern Halo is comprised of sisters Natalia (14), Christina (13), and Hannah (12) Morris. According to their mother Lori, the girls had been wanting to do a fundraiser. They had originally planned to do something for St. Jude’s and LeBonheur in Memphis, but Natalia suggested keeping it in Mississippi.
“I had never even heard of the Batson Hospital before,” said Lori. “We went down and toured it, and they just fell in love with it. They’ve been a part of all the planning.”
Two-Wheel Graduation
Written by Mark H. Stowers |
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Local riders work up to a Harley education As kids, they played around on dirt bikes, broke some bones and as they got older and a bit more “sophisticated,” so did their toys. Bart Abraham and Adam Satterfield both enjoy some “big boy” bikes – Harley Davidsons. Abraham has a vintage 1998 Harley Dyna Wide Glide while Satterfield purchased his 2011 Dyna Street Bob this past January. Abraham got his Harley as an “incentive” to work harder in school 10 years ago. “When I was in junior high, I wanted to race street bikes,” Abraham said. “I wasn’t really into school at the time, and the deal was if I stayed in school, they would get me a Harley. So dad found and bought me a Harley, and that’s what kept me motivated and in school.” Satterfield has toured the Delta from Oxford to Memphis to Greenville but as a farmer hasn’t had time to put in a long riding trip. In the first month he had it, there were plenty of little trips around town but that’s about to change.
Area school districts to be consolidated
Written by Suzette Matthews |
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Three total in Bolivar County On May 1st both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature adopted Senate Bill 2760 that requires Bolivar County to consolidate into three school districts —Cleveland Municipal, West Bolivar, and North Bolivar. The bill calls for each new consolidated school district to elect their board of trustees in a November 2013 special election and abolish any other school board in affected school districts. “On July 1 following the election of the new school districts boards of trustees in Bolivar County, the former county board of education and former board of trustees of North Bolivar School District, Mound Bayou Public School District, West Bolivar School District, Shaw School District, and Benoit School District shall be abolished.” Both the House and the Senate adopted the committee report which says that on or before September 1, 2012, Bolivar County school boards will receive “instructions regarding the timetable for action to be taken to comply with the administrative consolidation required in this section.”
Keeping it Local
Written by Jordan Thomas, The Cleveland Current Editor |
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Farm families of Mississippi campaign for farmers Although Mississippi is rich in farm land — especially in the Delta — many Mississippians still have misconceptions about farmers. However, an organization called Farm Families of Mississippi is trying to change that. The organization began in 2010 and has grown every year. Farm Families of Mississippi started with an idea from one of the local chapters of Farm Bureau. After tossing the idea around and brainstorming, the organization was born. The organization began with four main goals: to encourage people to buy local, to inform the public that farmers take care of their animals, to spread the word that farms are good for the environment, and to let everyone know that American food is affordable. “Most people don’t realize that Americans spend less of their disposable income on food than any other country,” said Greg Gibson, a spokesperson from Farm Families of Mississippi. “We only spend about 10 percent of our income on food.”
DSU fares positively in budget appropriations
Written by Becky Gillette |
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Legislature supports educational programs Delta State University (DSU) and higher education in general were treated positively—especially considering the current economy--in the recent legislative appropriations with universities receiving a one percent decrease overall in state funding. “Overall, we did very well,” said DSU Vice President for University Relations Dr. Michelle Roberts. “There was new leadership in the legislature, and a lot of new Senate and House members. That they continued their support of those programs speaks well of not only higher education, but for Delta State.” In addition to general funding for the university, the legislature approved three line items in the appropriations bill to support programs at Delta State. Those programs, which have been funded for a number of years, include the aviation program, electronic learning and the Delta Center for Culture and Learning. “We were very pleased to receive funding for those again this year,” Roberts said. The universities were not able to get the funding requested to pay the cost increases for health insurance and the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) in Mississippi. Roberts said that was a disappointment as the colleges had asked for funding to cover increases in January and July.
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