Oxford, MS :: Your Source for Anything in Oxford, MS!

on Saturday, September 03, 2005 - 11:20 PM Posted by: cwhaley

It seems that the media would have most in the country believe that New Orleans, LA was hit worst by Hurricane Katrina. But that is not necessarily true. No one is going to say that what has happened in New Orleans is meaningless and will be forgotten, but there are places that are being forgotten that should not. As a Mississippian, I can not forget about Mississippi. I have several friends that are from the coast, many of whom live there now. There are towns that are being passed by because people do not know that they are there. These towns are home to people that have literally lost everything. I was reduced to tears while reading an article the other night about a small township in southern that was being passed by relief workers who never even thought to stop. This township was off in the distance, with only a small sign on the highway to show it even existed. one man spoke of how he was affected by this natural disaster. He said that the only store nearby that was opening was a Wal-Mart some 6 miles away. It had only opened a few times since Katrina blew threw because no one was able to make it to work. They were only allowing two people in the store at a time and had to ring everything up by hand because they had no electricity. These were not wealthy people to begin with, now they have lost everything and no help is arriving for them. Other parts of Mississippi have received national publicity but very little in the way of aid. While the media focuses on the economic devastation in New Orleans, Mississippi is once again left to by wayside. Cities like Biloxi and Gulfport thrive because of the commerce brought in by casinos. With every casino out of commission for the immediate future, and at least eight that have been completely destroyed, Biloxi, Gulfport, and Mississippi as a whole are losing money at an astonishing rate. Just to open, the casino industry as a whole must pay half a million dollars in tax revenue alone to the state of Mississippi. That is a total of $2.5 million dollars that the state of Mississippi has lost since Katrina hit, and that does not even include the tax revenue brought on during the course of a day through money won, lost, and paid out to employees. I in no way mean to underestimate the physical and economic damage to New Orleans, or other parts of Louisiana, but focus also needs to be placed on Mississippi and Alabama. Katrina was a hurricane as it ripped through half of Mississippi. It was a tropical storm as it ripped through the other half. It did damage to a dorm on the campus of the University of Alabama. Very few places were left unscathed by Katrina. I wish the media would focus on some of these things as well. All we seem to hear about is historic New Orleans, but there are Annabelle homes that stood for over a hundred years in Biloxi that no longer exist. Homes that survived the Civil War, just to be forgotten in wake of a hurricane that ravaged four states because all anyone is focusing on with any intent is one city.

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Celebrating Faulkner

on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 - 02:34 PM Posted by: cwhaley

This week, the University of Mississippi holding the 32nd Annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference. People have come from as far north as Canada, as far west as California, as far east as New England and many other southern states to enjoy the conference celebrating one of Mississippi's most beloved writers.

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Discovery Finally a "Go"

on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 - 02:34 PM Posted by: cwhaley

Two and a half years after Columbia fell from the sky upon re-entry, Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 10:59 a.m. ET. Discovery has been mared with set backs and delays. NASA vowed that Discovery would take off, and it did. However, some observers viewed what they think was debris shortly after liftoff.

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Apology

on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 - 02:33 PM Posted by: cwhaley

I would just like to apologize for the lack of news for the past two weeks. I allowed myself to get sidetracked, but now I am back with current news.

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New Road Close to Opening

on Thursday, July 14, 2005 - 01:33 PM Posted by: cwhaley

The new Gertrude Ford Parkway is set to open within two weeks. The road will connect Molly Barr Road with Jackson Ave. It follows the old railroad tracks and leads to Old Taylor Rd.

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Marraige Records Restored

on Thursday, July 14, 2005 - 01:27 PM Posted by: cwhaley

Historic marraige records and other documents are ready for viewing after being restored. Many of these documents predate the 1900s.

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NASA Calls Off Launch

on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - 01:46 PM Posted by: cwhaley

Discovery: NASA has postponned the launch of the first shuttle mission in over two years. NASA called off the launch just three hours before it was supposed to happen because of a faulty fuel tank sensor and the threat of bad weather.

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Tile Damage Discovered, Fixed Launch Still a "Go"

on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 09:03 PM Posted by: cwhaley

Discovery: Two tiles near the tail of the shuttle were damaged and replaced following an incident where a side panel fell off of the craft. NASA maintains that the shuttle is in great condition and that the launch will go on as planned.

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NASA Making Final Preparations for Discovery Launch

on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 04:03 PM Posted by: cwhaley

Discovery is the first attempt at a launch since the re-entry, and subsequent incineration, of Columbia in January of 2003. After that incident, NASA grounded all shuttles and vowed to find out why that happened to Columbia.

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Tupelo Preparing for 5 Lanes

on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 02:03 PM Posted by: cwhaley

For those who frequent Tupelo, you will soon have more lanes to help with congested traffic. Next month, the city plans to open five lanes on Coley Road, Cliff Gookin Blvd., and Eason Blvd.

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