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Viva Italia! Thousands attend Third Annual Italian Festival of Mississippi By Michael Simmons “It was great,” exclaimed Bootsie Lyon, president of the Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce on the success of this year’s Italian Festival of Mississippi. Despite chilly, rainy weather, thousands of people flocked to the Bolivar County Expo Center over the weekend to celebrate for the third year in a row. “I would say well into the thousands,” Anne Dilworth said on the number of people who attended the event. Dilworth is the manager of Team Cleveland/ Main Street and that facet of the chamber has hosted the event each year. “This is our primary fundraiser and I can easily say it was a huge success,” she said. Even with the inclement weather we had a great turnout.” |
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Proposal aims to privatize new DSU residence hall University may follow state college trend By Lynn Lofton A new concept in campus housing has been proposed and may be coming to Delta State University. Using a privatized delivery method authorized by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning two years ago, a 350-bed residence hall and a 30-unit apartment complex have been proposed to be built. This method of using private developers to build on-campus housing is being used successfully around the country. According to Greg Redlin, Delta State’s chief financial officer, the university was authorized last month by the state college board to issue a request for proposals to build this facility. Private developers will be asked to finance and construct the facilities rather than the university. However, the university and the DSU Foundation will be deeply involved in all the details as the project progresses. |
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From Apprentice to Master John Yarbrough helps businesses stand out By Keith Wood We’ve all heard the song; “Signs, signs, everywhere a sign…” and we pass by them all the time. They are a fixture on every storefront, and some are so recognizable that they are ingrained in our subconscious. In a business, good signage can be the difference between the success or failure of the business. Good signage can increase a business’ opportunity for success and that’s where John Signs in Cleveland enters the picture. Owned and operated by John Yarbrough with the aid of his wife Charlotte and Steven Barbetti, John Signs can help a business make itself stand out with custom signage that covers the gamut. Yarbrough and company supply signs ranging from billboards and automobile fleet customization to magnetic and electric design. |
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Federal funds sought to repair damage to Rosedale Courthouse By Lynn Lofton The Bolivar County Courthouse in here has seen better days, but efforts are underway to repair and restore the historic building listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a Mississippi Landmark. The fate of the 1920s era building was on the agenda when a group of county officials went to Washington, D.C., recently in search of funding for the restoration and other county projects. “We’re trying several different avenues for funding,” said Supervisor Andrew Williams. “We are working with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and hope there will be some funds in the federal stimulus package.” He, other supervisors and architect Belinda Stewart agree that stabilizing the building’s northern exterior wall is the first order of business. Temporary support beams are being used to prop up the wall which has separated from the rest of the building. The damage has made that portion of the building unusable, forcing re-location of several county offices. |
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Tax target of Senate bill Lawmaker fights for local businesses By Michael Simmons Legislators will be peer into a hot-button issue when they review SB 3272, which if passed will create the Inventory Tax Reduction Act. It passed the senate on February 25 and has since been transferred to the House Ways and Means Committee. “Cities and counties have inventory tax — they are charged a tax on all inventory they carry and that gets very expensive for many of our businesses,” State Rep. David Norquist, D-Cleveland, said. “Look at a business like a pharmacy that carries a lot of drugs or look at Quality Steel that maintains a lot of raw material and finished products,” he explained. |
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Creative flow on Cotton Row The Gallery at Wiljax opens downtown to showcase local art By Mary grace chapman There’s no denying that the Delta is a breeding ground for creativity. While artists, musicians and writers are plenty, many of them remain virtually unknown due to a lack of exposure. Cleveland photographer Will Jacks has recently put some extra studio space to good use helping to solve this dilemma. “I always envisioned incorporating a gallery space into my everyday work,” he said. “The timing hasn’t presented itself until now, and I’m hoping that with the backing of the community, this can become a central hub for art.” |
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