Natchez, Miss.
Postings Daily
Sheriff David Hedrick See our CPSO Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CPsheriff.
Taylor Fleming
In the early morning hours of July 31, 2025, deputies with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a shooting at a residence on Hwy. 61 North in Natchez. Upon arrival, deputies located an adult female who had sustained a gunshot wound to her left forearm, with an exit wound observed in her upper back. She was initially transported to Merit Health Natchez and later flown to another medical facility for further treatment. While early reports suggested the shooting was accidental, investigators later discovered conflicting information at the hospital. The victim disclosed that, following a disagreement with her boyfriend, she had stepped outside to clear her head. Upon returning inside the residence, she was shot in the back by a male subject. Deputies identified and detained a male suspect at the scene. Following an interview at the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the individual/suspect, identified as Taylor Fleming, 25, of Natchez, confessed that the shooting had not occurred as initially described. Fleming was placed under arrest and charged with Aggravated Assault Domestic Violence and Tampering with Evidence. Bond was set at $175,000. Fleming pleaded guilty to simple assault in 2023.
Concordia Extension in Vidalia is not open to through traffic due to ongoing sinkhole repairs. If you are dropping your children at Vidalia Upper and Lower Elementary, you need to take Cross St.
Pieces of the exterior of the Eola Hotel have benn falling onto the sidewalk and into the street, causing a threat to safety. The city has blocked one of the sidewalks near the hotel to protect walkers-by. Mayor Dan Gibson says the city will send a letter to the Eola owner, Rob Lubin, telling him he must fix and stabilize the exterior, so it is not a threat to pedestrians and parked cars. Debris from stories up have fallen on parked cars, causing minor damage.
The Briars
A new Natchez antebellum homeowners group of six owners, Living History Natchez, will go its own way, separate from the two garden clubs to market their houses too tourists. For info, call 601-653-0919.
An independent auditor visited the Jefferson County sheriff’s department to see if deputies and staff there would uphold his constitutional rights to record video on the property. Deputies and staff were very polite. They asked the auditor what he was doing, and he told them. Then they allowed him to continue to video without reservation, supervision or harassment. The auditor’s constitutional rights were protected. The good treatment he received was in stark contrast to the treatment he received at the Adams County sheriff’s office. As the auditor video recorded deputies’ cars, three deputies came outside and told him to stop. The deputies said he could not stand on the public sidewalk and film without their permission, which of course is baloney. It looked like a confrontation was in the offing, until Chief Deputy Shane Daughtry came out and led the other three deputies away. The Supreme Court has ruled private citizens can film or record on public property without permission. There are certain limitations. The recording cannot interfere with an investigation or present a safety hazard.
The City of Natchez announced that it has begun efforts to ensure compliance with House Bill 1203, recently passed legislation that requires municipalities to take action to prevent and remove homeless encampments on public land. The Natchez Police department will begin posting signs at known homeless encampments to alert those taking up residence that they are not permitted to remain on city property, giving 24 hours notice to vacate. Mississippi House Bill 1203, passed on April 17, is summarized as: "An Act To Prohibit Camping On Certain Public Property; To Provide Definitions For This Act; To Provide That No Person May Occupy A Campsite Inconsistent With The Regulations Of This Act Unless Specifically Authorized By The Applicable Governing Authority On Which The Campsite Is Located." It is the goal of The City of Natchez to comply with this newly enacted state legislation, and to be responsible custodians of city-owned property, ensuring the continued safety and cleanliness of public city land.
Trinity staying open
Due to unfounded rumors about Medicaid, people started a rumor that Trinity Medical would close. In fact, revenues were up 18 percent in the most recent year reported to $31.4 million, with an over $2.3 million surplus. Incredibly healthy, more financially stable than ever, with nearly double the revenues Riverland achieved. The hospital is staying open.
The City of Natchez appears to be skirting the bidding laws of the state of Mississippi. If the city rejects the lowest bid, it must be stated in open discussion and in the minutes why that bid was rejected in specifics. If a different bid was accepted, then the reasons why must be so stated. Simply receiving a recommendation from a department head to choose one bid over another is not adequate nor are off the cuff behind closed doors conversations adequate to reject one bidder and accept another. It is not adequate to reject a low bid because the City would prefer to do business with a company that has a previous good track record with the city. Failure to follow the bidding laws and recent court opinions can result in the injured party demanding and receiving total compensation for the contract plus attorneys fees. Additionally, if city leaders disparage a company and it turns out their criticisms are incorrect or misleading, the injured company could receive additional damages.
Jonesville Main Street is one of the 11 Louisiana communities to receive Technical Assistance grants. The Jonesville grant is for $27,000. This grant will be added to the monies raised from various events like Bingo Nights and Friday Night After 5. The Main Street boundaries stretch from Main Street southeast to Mound and part of Front Street, then from LA Highway 84 northeast to Lee Road. Vacant buildings in this area are in the process of revitalization. Sidewalks and walkways will be improved with added lighting for pedestrians. Jonesville Mayor Loria Hollins says revitalizing downtown creates a better business environment and opportunities to build on the town’s unique history and resources.
New scanner
The Natchez Police Department asked aldermen to approve a contract with AD&S, a Brandon, Miss. firm, to supply a fingerprint scanner, software support, and maintenance. The police chief explained that the department has not had a working scanner for three years, since Chief Daughtry was in charge. Aldermen were surprised to learn that the police department has not had an operating fingerprint scanner for such a long time.
Natchez police arrested Tomika Drane, 46, of Natchez, for felony shoplifting, felony sale of drugs and felony possession of drugs in a correctional facility. In 2023, she was charged with identity theft and bank fraud and then for possession of drugs in a correctional facility in Concordia Parish. In 2023, she allegedly participated in a theft ring that broke into people’s houses, stole checks and then cashed them around town.
Adam’s deputies arrested Kendrick Nelson, 39, of Natchez, for failure to register as a sex offender. He was convicted in 2013 of child fondling and sentenced to five years in MDOC.
Hiring cops
Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said the city is about to start an ad campaign to attract new police officers, emphasizing that Natchez pays more and offers a higher quality of life. The ads will be placed regionally and outside of the immediate area in hopes of attracting Mississippi and Louisiana applicants.
Alderman Billie Joe Frazier has correctly pointed out that contractors for the city are putting in low bids to win bids and then putting in a series of change orders afterwards that call for more work and more money to be spent. The aldermen routinely approve the extra work and extra expense. That makes the projects go over budget. Alderpersons Frazier, Irving and Hall have expressed concern that projects are continuing to go past deadline due to the slowness of contractors. They point to work on the convention center and Duncan Park clubhouse as examples. The trio voted to change the city’s errant policy. However, Mayor Dan Gibson disagreed and said the contractors were doing a good job and the change orders are necessary. When it came to a vote, Alderpersons Smith, Davis and Moroney voted against reforming the process and Gibson broke the tie. The contractors will stay in place. The extra low bids will be approved. Change orders will be accepted. Delays in work will be ignored. And project costs will increase.
Natchez aldermen formally adjudicated nearly 30 derelict properties at this week’s meeting. The city has targeted more than 200 properties that are in just awful shape in recent years, during both the Grennell and Gibson administrations. The city can charge the property owners for cleanup and demolition. The process to cleanup is very slow, as once the derelict property is adjudicated, the city has limited funds for cleanup and demolition. Some properties have been in rotten condition for 10-20 years. Commander Lee Best has been working hard with property owners to comply with city law. Some owners have been responsive. Others have not. And some are financially unable to make repairs or do cleanup. Aldermen have credited Best for his excellent work.
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Calendar
The Franklin County 2025-2026 school year is rapidly approaching, with staff development and student registration taking place next week. The first full day of classes will be on Friday, Aug. 8. Important dates during the school year include: Aug. 4-6: Staff Development/Student Registration Aug. 8: Classes Begin Full Day Sept. 1: Labor Day Oct. 6-10: 1st Nine Weeks Test Oct. 13: Columbus Day Oct. 16: Report Card Pickup/3:30-6 p.m. Nov. 24-28: Thanksgiving Holidays Dec. 4: Parade Day / 60% Day Dec. 17-23: 2nd Nine Weeks Test Dec. 24, 2025-Jan. 6, 2026: Christmas Holidays.
Dewayne Whetstone with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department warned residents of a phone call scam concerning unpaid tickets, fines and federal subpoenas was making its way through the area. “A person calling himself Captain Hudson with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and using a Roxie phone number is calling folks about unpaid tickets, fines and federal subpoenas,” Whetstone said. “We do not have a Captain Hudson nor a person named Hudson period working for Franklin County. If you receive this call, block it and move on.”
Adams County administrator Mitzi Conn told supervisors that the airport authority recommended that interim airport director Larry Matthews get a raise from $18 an hour to $21.50 an hour. This would give Matthews a pay of $44,700 per year, not counting overtime. Supervisors voted unanimously to give him the pay raise, which will be permanent even after a new airport director has been hired. Conn mentioned that four people had applied for the permanent airport director’s position, and that she expected the airport authority to recommend a finalist to supervisors. While the airport ran its own business for many years, with a board of commissioners, supervisors recently changed the set up to where they are in charge of the airport directly and an airport advisory board makes recommendations to supervisors for spending, policy and administrative improvements.
Tint arrests
Some states consider a window tint violation a traffic offense. But in Mississippi, it is considered a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $1000. Adams County deputies do arrest and put in jail people who disobey the window tint law. The tint can be a threat to officers who are doing traffic stops, is commonly used by drug dealers to hide their activities and thugs trying to hide their possession of weapons. Tint is also used by young people who just want to be cool or sharp.
A 64-year-old Adams County man failed to show up for jury duty several times. Deputies arrested him and put him in jail pending bond. Conviction can include a fine of up to $300 and up to 3 days in jail. So many people are skipping jury duty, Adams County circuit judges and the sheriff had promised they would arrest persons who skipped out on their citizen duty.
A Catahoula Parish grand jury has found no reason to charge Catahoula deputies for shooting and killing Tyler Nugent earlier this year. The jury entered a "no true bill" into the record. Nugent had shot and killed his mother before deputies arrived. Armed, he barricaded himself in the house and refused to surrender. Deputies tried to de-escalate the situation, but he continued to resist and threaten. When deputies entered the home, they shot Nugent.
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Shane Daughtery, Ricky Gray
Adams County Chief Deputy Shane Daughtery explained to supervisors that his department brought in the MBI and the FBI to investigate the Deerfield Road attacks. The attacks resulted in the beating of a black bicyclist and the shooting and wounding of one white man. The attack started when a gang of young drunk white men verbally and physically attacked Reginald Butler while he was riding his bicycle. The deputy said the SO wanted to be open and transparent about its investigation. He said the local investigation has finished up, but it is still an open case and he wasn’t sure whether additional charges would be filed or other persons would be charged by the MBI or FBI for a hate crime. Supervisor Ricky Gray responded that he was concerned that while several men involved were charged with aggravated assault and were now out on bail, that the black man and bicyclist Reginald Butler, who is also charged with assault, was still in jail because he could not post bond as of the supervisors’ meeting. Gray expressed his concern that the justice system had to be fair to all, and that all people had to be considered not guilty until proven otherwise. He thought the incarceration of Butler was unfair. The supervisor noted the case had become a big news item, shared on social media. “We can’t hide this. We’ve got to get this right,” Gray said. In the days following the county’s meeting, Butler was subsequently released on bond.
Natchez city sales tax collections are distributed from the state to local government. The higher the figure, the more active and prosperous is the local economy. The sales tax year runs from July 1 to June 30. So the 2025 sales tax year ended June 30, 2025. 2020 $5.0 million pandemic shutdown year, 2021 $5.4 million, 2022 $5.9 million, 2023 $5.9 million, 2024 $5.8 million, 2025 $5.8 million. The highest year was $5.909 million in 2023. The figures are not adjusted for inflation. That means higher prices for goods and services did not spur a rise in taxable retail sales.
Adams County supervisors would like to buy a $397,000 fire truck for their volunteers. Grant funds may be available that could lower the net purchase price to $79,000. And another $50,000 could be borrowed and paid back with a low interest loan. The 2000 gallon pumper would be stationed at Lake Montrose. Fire coordinator Daryl Smith reviewed the details with county leaders.
Judge Walt Brown
Adams County Judge and Youth Court Judge Walt Brown told Adams County supervisors that opioid settlement funds are being used to give drug offenders minimal treatment with the state. The state gets the drug users clean, with inpatient hospitalization, but does not offer them the therapy support to modify their thinking or change their long-term behavior patterns. As a result, many fall back into drug use again. Brown told supervisors the city had sold the county drug court an old unused car for $1. Now the drug court is using that car to transport drug court program offenders to and from court, since many lack transportation. Supervisors voted to pay the insurance on the vehicle and accepted the old car onto the county’s inventory rolls.
Services were held July 26 for Ada M. Wilson, 70, of Natchez, who died in a one car accident at the Morgantown Exxon in on 61 North on July 19. Ms. Wilson was a nurse at Jefferson County Hospital for many years. She was known for her excellent care and outgoing personality. Prayers for Ms. Ada and her family.
Natchez aldermen meet for a public hearing, July 29 at 6 p.m. at City Hall Council Chambers. The city continues to go after property owners who don't take of their buildings and yards and leave the properties with unsightly debris and junk. Many of the properties are so dilapidated that demolition is appropriate. The process can include fines, clean-op and demolition, billed to the property owner. Approximately 60 properties are on the agenda for adjudication. The owners have received written notice of their need to clean up and fix their properties and have been given time to do so before the city acts.
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Grants received
The Natchez School District has received a $192,000 state grant to support homeless students, with clothing, tutoring, mentoring, school supplies, including individualized instruction. Typically, school districts who receive these grants hire a coordinator to oversee the program. The district is also getting a $290,000 grant for Pre-K education at Suzie B. West Elementary.
On July 23, the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team executed the arrest of Terrance Jerome Boatner Jr., 19, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The arrest came after the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation obtained a warrant through the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish, charging Boatner with 100 counts of pornography involving juveniles, a felony offense under Louisiana law. The warrant stems from allegations involving activity that occurred on or around February 7, 2025. Boatner was taken into custody without incident and is currently being held pending further legal proceedings.
Clayton Police Chief Bobby Madison Sr. has been elected president of the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police.
Edna Jones
Edna C. Jones shot her baby daddy in the house they shared in Jefferson County in 2020, critically wounding him. She was charged with aggravated domestic assault. Now she faces charges of accessory after the fact of murder in Copiah County. She is 34. Adams On July 23, Adams County deputies coordinated with the Copiah County Sheriff’s Office, successfully apprehended Edna Cordelia Jones, of Roxie, Mississippi, pursuant to a felony warrant issued by the Copiah County Circuit Court. Jones was wanted for accessory after the fact to murder, in connection to an ongoing homicide investigation led by the Copiah County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest was made without incident, and Jones was taken into custody following the issuance of an Instanter Capias commanding her appearance before the Circuit Court of Copiah County. She was located based on investigative leads and brought in for processing by ACSO. Jones is currently awaiting transfer to Copiah County.
Adams County deputies recently put a 64-year-old man in jail for skipping jury duty. Orange jumpsuit and all. If you receive a summons for jury duty, you must show up for court, or file in writing in advance your request for an excuse. Judges have been very upset that people aren’t showing for jury duty. And both the judges and the sheriff have promised to arrest people who do not show up.
The jobs picture is slightly better than last year. Adams County has 9,930 people with jobs, up 210 jobs from a year ago. Unemployment is at 5.9 percent. For January-June, the job figures have relatively stable, with around 10,000 jobs reported. The outlying counties also reported the number of jobs now as compared to last year: Franklin County 2760 +40, Jefferson County 2120 +20, Wilkinson County 2800 -80.
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Tax issues and developments
Tim Byrd, business manager for the Natchez School District, said the school board has modified its request to supervisors for money and will revise the school budget for the coming year to keep its request exactly the same as the last year, $14.4 million. This eliminates the possibility that school spending would contribute to a tax increase for 2025-2026.
Miss-Lou Magazine has asked Adams County Tax Assessor Larry Hughes how much the assessment for the entire county has increased and how much more tax money will go the city and county, if the millage remains the same, knowing the schools will get $14.4 million.
Adams County Administrator Mitzi Conn said she attended the school board meeting on July 22 and was glad to hear that the school district will not need more money from supervisors. She expects to receive official notification soon from the school board regarding the change of direction. It’s still too early to say how the supervisors and county budget is shaping up for the new fiscal year that starts October 1. Conn is reviewing budget requests from department heads this month and in August. Then she and supervisors will review those requests and finalize the budget by September 15. Supervisor and Board president Kevin Wilson said he is adamantly opposed to tax increases. And he will vote against them. However, he and Supervisors have no control over reassessment. So hundreds, perhaps several thousand, Adams County residents and businesses will receive tax increases this year due to reassessment. The process of reassessment is likely to occur over the next two years to cover the all city and county properties.
Searching river
Vidalia Police Chief Joey Merrill said a passing motorist saw a man jump off the Miss Lou bridges earlier this morning. The woman driver called the police immediately to report the jump. Rescue teams got into the river looking for the person. No person has been found. No person has been reported missing so far. Sheriff's deputies, police and wildlife and fisheries agents have been active in the search.
Circuit Judge Carmen Drake has some important trials coming up in Wilkinson County in August. Tyrell Vessell will stand in trial for murder and possession of a stolen firearm. Derrion Stine faces a charge of possession of a stolen firearm. And Alvin Jackson Jr. ges to trial for murder and three counts of aggravated assault. Assistant District Attorneys Lisa Dale and Larry Baker will prosecute the cases. Those accused are considered not guilty unless convicted by a court of law.
Woodville Police Chief Lemuel Rutledge reported that he had 13 applications for the opening of police officer. Upon his recommendation, the aldermen voted unanimously to hire Clifton Walker as a certified police officer and Ernesco Lollis as a radio dispatcher. Lollis will undergo training to become certified.
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The Adams County Sheriff’s Office is proud to announce the appointment of Captain Ruston Cavin as the new Special Response Team Commander. Captain Cavin brings years of dedicated service to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, having demonstrated exceptional leadership, tactical expertise, and a commitment to protecting our community. His extensive experience and outstanding track record within the department make him the ideal choice to lead the Special Response Team. As SRT Commander, Captain Cavin will oversee the department's elite tactical unit, responsible for responding to high-risk situations and ensuring the safety of our citizens and law enforcement personnel alike. His leadership will play a crucial role in further enhancing the effectiveness and preparedness of the team as we continue to uphold the safety and security of Adams County.
Natchez aldermen voted to spend $9400 to fix the driveway at Fire Station #3. The aldermen said they were unaware of the condition of the driveway until people shared a photo of the driveway on FB. The mayor said, “People like to use social media as a weapon. It’s a shame.” Mayor Dan Gibson said the abandoned Watkins St. Cemetery is being maintained by the city, in accordance with state law. The city has been spending more than $14,000 a year to cut the grass and trim the crêpe myrtle trees, using contractors. Gibson said some drainage work needs to be done and some monuments fixed. The gravestones were broken by storms. The cemetery is considered very historic, especially since victims of the Rhythm Club fire are buried there. The mayor is hopeful that additional maintenance and repairs can be done in the near future, so that the site can be promoted as an important Natchez historical site and that visitors will tour the cemetery.
Hospital biils texted
Merit Health admission forms, once signed by you, allow the hospital to send your bill to you automatically by text instead of by a traditional bill mailed to you at your house. There may be an opt out. A patient may contact the business office directly to get a mailed bill to his home. It’s very common for bills from any hospital to have charges on the bill for procedures and medications the patient did not actually receive. It’s good to check over a hard copy of an itemized bill. If the insurance provider, Medicare, or Medicaid does not pay the entire bill, the patient will owe a balance. And he should want to make sure that balance is correct. Merit patients are being turned over to collection for unpaid bills received by text. Trinity Medical does not bill by text. But their contract emergency room physicians and anesthesiologists have been known to do so. The business office at Trinity said that the ER physicians may have stopped billing by text. A patient can always request a hard copy of your bill. An unpaid bill sent by text is considered the same as a bill mailed to your house for collection purposes under the law.
Natchez aldermen usually talk about city government issues. But Alderwoman Felicia Irving gave a short speech at the city meeting that, “like 50 and 100 years ago, our votes (are) being suppressed.” She did not reveal any local situations where people are not allowed to vote or their votes are suppressed. If you know of anyone who has been denied the right to vote, who is a registered voter or has been denied the right to register, please call Miss-Lou Magazine at 601-431-2990. We would like to look into it. If you go to vote in Natchez and Adams County and the officials don’t have your name on the list of registered voters, ask for an affidavit ballot. This is a special ballot that the election commission will look at when they’re counting votes. The election commission will determine whether there’s been a mistake or not. If you’re entitled to vote, they will count your affidavit ballot and register all your choices. Sometimes voters show up at the wrong precinct, getting the city and county precincts confused. If you’re unsure as to where you should vote, call the election commission or the circuit clerk's office and they will help you.
Mayor Dan Gibson reported it would take more than $100,000 to fix the city fountain downtown near the Grand Hotel. He said the fountain was originally donated by the Rotary Club more than 50 years ago. The mayor says the city could turn the old broken fountain into a big planter and install a new smaller fountain in the center of it for much less cost. Alderman are considering the mayor’s idea.
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Stanley Searcy Jr.
Adams Sheriff Travis Patten and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office congratulated Chief Deputy Stanley Searcy Jr. for his dedication to professional development and excellence in law enforcement. Chief Deputy Searcy has recently completed the following prestigious programs: 1. FBI Mississippi Law Enforcement Command College (July 13-18, 2025) – A rigorous 40-hour leadership training sponsored by the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police (MACP) and the FBI Jackson Division. 2. 200-Hour Canine Handler Certification from Thorn K-9 Training Academy (completed July 10, 2025) alongside K-9 Dubai. 3. Patrol Service Dog Certification with specialized training in narcotics detection (Methamphetamine, Marijuana, Heroin, Cocaine, and MDMA). “Chief Deputy Searcy’s commitment to advancing his skills reflects his unwavering service to our community,” said Sheriff Patten. “These accomplishments not only enhance his capabilities but also strengthen the safety and effectiveness of our agency. We commend him and K-9 Dubai for their hard work and dedication.”
Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft said the Elm and Concordia sinkhole could have an underground stream and the culverts then collapsed, causing the hole. The contractor starts tomorrow by pumping out the water. Craft says his town crews also have expertise in this type of work. The contractor, Doss Construction, and crews may need to work on the right of way. which extends 25 feet on each side of the street. The mayor said he'd like to finish the job before school starts, but that will be dependent on weather, the contractor, seepage and identification of any underground stream. There could be some settling after the first work is done, which would require additional attention. Sinkhole repair is a top priority, he emphasized. He also mentioned that construction on Polk Park playground has started.
Mississippi is changing its taxation. As of this month, the sales tax on groceries has been reduced from 7% to 5% percent. Pet foods, alcoholic beverages, hot prepared meals and vitamins are still taxed at 7%.The sales tax on machinery and farm equipment remains at 1.5%.Overall, the general sales tax rate remains 7%. Some towns have an extra one percent added for an 8% total tax rate. Some communities like Natchez charge 8 1/2% on restaurant meals 8-10% or more on hotel rooms. Natchez has the highest hotel tax in the state charging 10% plus $2 per room per day.The gas tax has increased three cents a gallon as of July 1. It will again increase three cents a gallon in 2026 and another three cents a gallon in 2027. These monies will be used to repair roads and bridges.The top individual income tax rate had been 5% in Mississippi for many years. It was reduced to 4.7% in 2024 and is now 4.4% in 2025. The state plans to eliminate income tax entirely by 2030.
Zanra McDonald, Larry Hughes, Kevin Wilson
Superintendent of Schools Zandra McDonald and her school board team at the Natchez Adams School District want another $400,000 from the supervisors this year to fund local education. Supervisors have several options. First, they can pass a tax increase to fund the extra $400,000. Second, they can also absorb the $400,000 into the county budget and cut some other spending to avoid the tax increase. There’s also a third possibility. The Adams County Tax Assessor Larry Hughes has been busy reassessing properties. That reassessment automatically brings extra revenue to the county, city and schools. There may be enough extra funds coming in from the reassessment to avoid a tax increase altogether. Hughes will present a completed tax roll to supervisors on Aug. 4. At that time, he and supervisors should know just how much money is coming in from assessments and reassessments. Adams County Supervisor and Board President Kevin Wilson said replied that taxpayers can’t afford any tax increase. He does not support any tax increases.He added the schools are wasting an inordinate amount of money by keeping open the schools that are not occupied. The district is also leasing the vacant schools at way below the market rates, which increases negative cash flow. Wilson said he’s not satisfied with the oversight and management of the finances of the schools, indicating that taxpayers are abused. He supports the philosophy that a ‘quality education should include proper management of facilities and finances.’
Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said the city has made a big effort to improve its parks. "The city has recently completed a multi-million renovation of all Natchez parks. We have added new playgrounds and facilities for tennis, pickleball, and disc golf, he said. "Our ballfields have been restored, park bathrooms have been renovated, new lighting has been added, and we have brought new life to the Natchez Youth Center at North Natchez Park. Soon, we will cut the ribbon on our newly renovated historic golf clubhouse at the city’s 18-hole Duncan Park Golf Course."
Natchez salaries for officeholders are: Mayor $94,500, City Clerk $90,000, Alderman $23,800.
Water rate increase
Most residents and businesses in Vidalia will see a slight increase in their water bills this year. The state requires town-owned utilities to break even or show a surplus to keep operations solvent. Because Vidalia has done so, it received more than $9 million from the state to rebuild its water plant. Now the average household will spend around $30 a month for water in the coming year, with the small rate hike. The state recently evaluated the water plant to see how Vidalia is doing. On a potential score of 105, the Vidalia water plant scored 103. One of the aldermen joked, “we’ll have to do better next year!”
Miss-Lou Magazine has been reviewing and writing about some of the governmental audits in the area, including why some local governments are so behind in filing their audits. We asked Mayor Connie Adair in Ridgecrest about their situation. Adair was elected in November 2024. Prior to her election, the village should’ve completed its 2023 audit and started working on its 2024 audit. It turns out the previous administration had done neither. Adair said she is working with Silas Simmons CPAs to prepare the 2023 audit now and that it should be completed soon. Once the audit is submitted to the state legislative auditor, it is reviewed and put on that state agency's website. The mayor said once the 2023 audit is completed, she and the clerk will start on the 2024 audit immediately. Adair said she’s very anxious to get both done. Without both on file, Ridgecrest cannot apply for and receive state grant funds.
Vidalia aldermen voted to give town employees a 2.5% pay raise as a cost-of-living increase.
New awnings
Colorful new awnings are appearing along Main, Franklin, Commerce, and Canal Streets this summer as the Downtown Natchez Alliance (DNA) rolls out the first visible phase of its Balcony, Awning, and Façade Incentive Grant Program. Made possible by the Downtown Natchez Alliance, the projects are funded by a $161,400 award of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to DNA by the Mississippi Main Street Association through the Mississippi Legislature, in combination with private investment dollars from the individual property owners. Ultimately, the program will deliver more than $300,000 in balcony, awning, and facade improvements to the Historic Downtown Natchez District. The newest wave of awning installations is already brightening the district: a refined black canopy now crowns Wyatt Waters Gallery (101 N Commerce St.); a bold royal blue awning frames Soirée Boutique (505 Main St.); a fresh green cover shades Pig Out Inn Barbeque (116 S Canal St.); five matching black entry awnings accent Paul Green Real Estate’s downtown branch (419 Main St.); and an eye catching white and black striped canopy at Consign & Design (121 N Commerce St.).
The Natchez Film Office supports film projects in the city of Natchez, provides production resources, and serves as a liaison for production needs, including permits, city services, scouting, and logistical support. The Film Office can also provide information to the local film industry and Natchez residents upon request. With scenery and sites ranging from historic architectural masterpieces and gorgeous panoramas of the Mississippi River to more contemporary settings, Natchez is built to tell stories and provide both resources and community support with genuine Southern Hospitality. Natchez has served as a filming site for numerous productions and is ready to work with filmmakers. Please contact Lynsey Gilbert, at lynsey@visitnatchez.org to assist with film requests.
The Concordia Parish Library received a $1000 grant from Entergy to purchase children’s books for its summer reading program.
Meritorius service
Concordia Sheriff David Hedrick recognized Deputy Billy Ray Farmer, Deputy Maggie Dungan, Dispatch Supervisor Tassika Washington, Dispatcher Tionna Ellis, Deputy Drakel Carter, and Captain Chad Fuqua for their exceptional service and dedication beyond the call of duty during a recent emergency response call. Hedrick said, "A group of our deputies came face-to-face with one of the most difficult situations imaginable, the effort to save a life under extreme duress. These deputies acted without hesitation. They worked together as a unified team, doing everything in their power to save that life. Eventually, after all was lost, they refused to quit. Their dedication, urgency and compassion in that moment is a reflection of the kind of heart I expect from every member of the department. These men and woman showed exactly how I want our deputies to serve the people of Concordia Parish and the Miss-Lou area, with care, courage and unshakable commitment to the community. I could not be more proud of them."
Natchez residents report improved garbage collection service since Meridian Waste has placed newer trucks on the road to collect city residents’ garbage. The old trucks had tendency to leak and leave smelly water on the streets.The city has a separate garbage contractor from that used by Adams County.
The Wilkinson County School District was cited by the state for its school audit, which revealed 15 major negative findings and more than 70 deficiencies in bookkeeping, accounting, policies, procedures and spending, including violations of state laws. The Office of the State Auditor has completed its limited internal control and compliance review of the school district for the year ended June 30, 2023. State Auditor Shad White said, "We identified certain major deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be significant deficiencies in internal control. We also identified other deficiencies. While performing our review, we noted certain instances of noncompliance with state law that require the attention of management." White issued his letter with 20 pages of documentation of the problems on Nov. 14, 2024.
Manslaughter in Centreville
Centreville police said Jontavian Sanders, 21, was shot in a pickup and taken to Field Health, where he died. Police recovered security camera video and interviewed three suspects. They arrested Carlos Jackson Jr., 21, of Centrevile, along with two other juvenile suspects, for their roles in the death of Sanders. Jackson was charged with accessory after the fact to manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence. A 16-year-old was charged with manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence after the fact to manslaughter. A 15 year-old was charged with tampering with physical evidence and accessory after the fact to manslaughter. Jackson posted bond and was released. But since he was already out on bond on charges from Clinton, La., he was put back in jail. His Louisiana charges include felon in possession of a firearm and possession of two weapons which had been illegally converted to fully automatic.
Each year, the Adams County Tax Assessor presents an official listing of all the properties in Adams County to the Board of Supervisors to approve assessments. The county uses assessment and millage to determine your property tax bill. Since so many properties are reporting increases of 25 to 50% or more In their assessment, it would be wise to check the value assigned to your home or business. You can call the tax assessor and a deputy clerk will review your assessment with you and whether it’s changed from last year. Call 601-442-6732 for info. You can also visit the office and get a copy of your tax assessment form that shows how the assessment was figured. Supervisors hold a public hearing on August 4 and at that time they will accept the assessor’s roll. That means you must make any protest to your taxes on or before August 4.
The Wilkinson County school budget included $12 million in revenues this past year, of which $2.6 million was obtained from local property taxes. In the coming year, the district forecasts revenue of $15 million, of which $2.6 million will come from local property taxes. The school district has not released figures on actual expenses as yet. Whether or not there will be a property tax increase will be dependent upon how much the school actually spends and also the Wilkinson County supervisors budget.
Storms coming?
Heavy rains and possible flash floods close to the coast are likely Thursday from a tropical depression. The storm could cause heavy thunderstorms and flash flooding Thursday aftnoon and night in the Natchez area. The Natchez area is under a flash food watch.
Natchez police say they found fresh spattered blood near the Natchez Grand Hotel but no victim and no shooters Tuesday night. Bullet casings from several different weapons were recovered. If you have info, call Natchez police at 601-445-5565.
The Wilkinson County school budget included $12 million in revenues this past year, of which $2.6 million was obtained from local property taxes. In the coming year, the district forecasts revenue of $15 million, of which $2.6 million will come from local property taxes. The school district has not released figures on actual expenses as yet. Whether or not there will be a property tax increase will be dependent upon how much the school actually spends and also the Wilkinson County supervisors budget.
Scholarship auction
The Village of Harrisonburg Service League Auction will be held Monday, July 21, 5:00-9:30 p.m. at the Harrisonburg Elementary School Auditorium at 505 Bushley Street. This auction benefits the work of the Village of Harrisonburg Service League. Its annual Scholarship Program which awards two $1,000 scholarships to graduates of Harrisonburg High School, hosting the Harrisonburg Heritage Festival and supporting many other events and efforts in and around Harrisonburg.
Frank Lucas, 60, of Natchez, has been arrested for aggravated domestic assault by Adams County deputies. He is currently in jail. He plead guilty to assault in 2018.
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, the State of Mississippi reports Natchez city sales tax collections were $5.66 million compared to $5.76 million last year, a decline of $100,000. Sales tax collections are a measure of retail activity in the community. The state shares a portion of the sales tax collections with city and town governments every year.Statewide, sales tax collections increased by only a half of one percent.
Jimmie Maier Jr.
On May 21, the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office received a report about criminal sexual conduct involving a juvenile victim. The case was turned over to Detectives with the Concordia Sheriff’s Office Cyber/Special Victims Unit, who began their investigation. Jimmie Maier Jr. of Monterey was established as the suspect. Detectives obtained probable cause and arrest warrants for Maier. On July 11, Deputies and Detectives with the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, along with agents with Louisiana Probation and Parole, took Maier into custody without incident. He was booked into the Concordia Parish Correctional Center for 4 Counts of Sexual Battery Victim Under 13 Years of Age and 2 Counts of Indecent Behavior with Juveniles Victim Under 13 Years of Age. Maier is currently being held on a $500,000 bond at the Concordia Parish Correctional Facility. This is an ongoing investigation, as Detectives have identified several additional victims, and further charges are expected. The crimes in this case go back more than three decades. Anyone with information regarding this case or anyone who has been a victim of Maier is encouraged to reach out to Detective Baker with the Concordia Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit at 318-473-0740 ext. 409.
Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten has been blocking locals from his Facebook page and the Adams County' Sheriff's Facebook page. That action appears to be illegal, as he is a government official and he cannot censor or block comments, when both pages are used for government public information purposes. The Supreme Court ruled in 2024, in Lindke v. Freed, that a public official's social media activity constitutes "state action," and thus implicates the First Amendment. The sheriff's action is a violation of free speech rights. Miss-Lou Magazine has asked the Sheriff to comply with the high court's decision and stop blocking and ublock people who wish to view his pages or comment.
The Natchez-Adams School District announced Tony Fields has successfully completion of the Mississippi School Boards Association’s Prospective Superintendent Leadership Academy. The program equips future superintendents with the knowledge, skills, and preparation to lead Mississippi’s public schools with excellence. Mr. Fields was one of only 31 educational leaders selected from across Mississippi School Districts to participate in this rigorous and highly selective academy. Fields is the district's public relations director and a former Natchez alderman.
Senior assaulted
A gang of young and drunk adults attacked a senior citizen in Concordia Parish, injuring him, and requiring his hospital treatment at Trinity Medical. Concordia deputies arrested the assailants. Those arrested included Jayden Carnegie, 22, Mia Drane, 17, Christian Keith, 25, and Brantley Evans, 20. All were charged with second-degree battery. Drane and Evans have bonded out. Keith and Carnegie remain in jail. If convicted, the felons can receive up to eight years in jail and a fine of up to $2000.
Adam‘s deputies arrested Avery C. Hill, 24, of Natchez, for felony domestic violence. Bond was set at $50,000. He remains in jail.
Cedric L. Minor of Wilkinson County was charged with possession of a stolen firearm. He was also charged with possession of a firearm by convicted felon. He plead guilty in front of Judge Carmen Drake. As part of a plea bargain, the first charge was dropped, and he was sentenced to 10 years for the second charge. Five years to serve in MDOC. Five years was suspended and five years is to be served under formal reporting supervision. He was assigned court costs and a prosecution fee.
Doug Duffey
Doug Duffey will perform live in concert at his La. Hall of Fame Induction at the Arcade Theater in Ferriday on July 25, 7-10 p.m. On July 25 7-10 p.m. Louisiana Music Legend Doug Duffey and his full band will be headlining a concert at the theater, as he is inducted into the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame. Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry will be there, providing introduction ceremonies. Duffey, a Monroe native, has worked with artists such as Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, and others. He’s one of the most prolific songwriters living in Louisiana, and he’s recorded eleven albums. Tickets are only $25, available at https://deltamusicmuseum.com Doors at 6 p.m.
A party and drinking led to arguments and shootings near Deerfield Road in Adams County on Friday night. One man was seriously wounded with a stomach wound and a chest wound and had to be airlifted for treatment. Adams County deputies responded to witness calls. Cameron Taunton, 21, of Vidalia, was charged with assault causing bodily injur, with Judge Danny Barber set bond at $350,000. Reginald Butler, 33, of Natchez, was charged with aggravated assault. Houston Pretty, 18, of Vidalia, has been also charged in the Deerfield Rd. attacks. He was arrested for aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit assault by Adams deputies and Barber set bond at $350,000. Taunton was arrested by Concordia deputies last October for aggravated assault, second-degree battery and trespassing.
Parents of kids in Grades 5-12 in Natchez public schools may have only clear backpacks on campus this fall.
School lunches
Parents of students in the Franklin County School District are being urged to fill out applications for free and reduced meals. Parents must fill out a new online application every school year, even if their children qualified for the program last school year. Applications are being handled online. To access the application, visit: https://wwwschoolapps.com/.../DistrictRed.../FRANKLINC_MS... If you need assistance or have questions, contact Melinda Arnold at 601-384-5196.
Andrew Peabody, 97, of Natchez has died. He was the founder of SCAT, an airline flying out of the Natchez airport. SCAT served a number of cities in the South and was later sold to Air Illinois. He was an advocate for airline and economic development in Natchez-Adams County for more than 40 years and owned and operated Creative Travel. And he was active in the oil and gas business as well as raising cattle. Andy graduated from Washington and Lee University and was a US Navy veteran. Prayers for Andy and his family.
The City of Natchez and Natchez Workforce Development announce the launch of The Miss-Lou Train to Gain Program, a workforce development initiative awarded $300,000 in grant funding from the Delta Regional Authority. Natchez’s application was selected as one of the 25 awardees of over 120 applicants. The grant, which runs through April2027, is part of a strategic effort to uplift and empower underserved communities across Southwest Mississippi and neighboring Louisiana parishes. The program is designed to train 100 dislocated workers, including formerly incarcerated individuals and veterans, and aims to place at least 75 participants in high-skill, high-wage jobs that offer career advancement, stackable credentials, and industry-recognized certifications. The initiative will serve six persistent-poverty counties, including Adams, Claiborne, Franklin, Jefferson, Pike, and Wilkinson, as well as Catahoula and Concordia parishes.
Brandon Harbor
Brandon P. Harbor, 34, of Jonesville, was found by Adams County deputies at a local residence. He fled out a window, but a K9 ran him down, and he was captured. He was wanted by Catahoula authorities for attempted second degree murder, aggravated battery with a weapon and criminal damage to property. He was extradited back to Louisiana and is in the Catahoula jail. Harbor lived in the Alexandria area as well as Jonesville and launched a crime wave in Alexandria in 2021-2022, where he was arrested for parole violation, possession of a weapon by convicted felon, resisting an officer, felony possession of drugs and battery of a pregnant woman. He was placed in jail twice, but released.
A Natchez resident and former Centreville officer, Patrick Harris, has been arrested by agents of the Mississippi state auditor's office for stealing pistols from the evidence room of the police department and pawning them to a pawn shop for cash. He also pawned his service pistol. Harriss has been charged with embezzlement.
Judge Carmen Drake held court in Wilkinson County. Latedry Earls plead guilty to manslaughter and evidence tampering in the shooting death of Telvin Matthews in 2024. He was sentenced to 20 years for the manslaughter. He received 10 years for tampering with the evidence, with five years suspended and five years supervised probation. The sentences will be served concurrently, so he will serve 20 years. Earls will also pay court costs and a prosecution fee plus a fine of $3000. A Wilkinson County jury unanimously found Jaccory Carr guilty of aggravated assault for shooting at Police Chief Lemuel Rutledge in 2022. Judge Drake sentenced him to 30 years. Because Carr has been very combative in the Wilkinson County Jail, the judge had MDOC pick him up immediately. Carr has more legal troubles ahead. He faces a murder trial for a shooting death in Centerville and other charges, including assault and destruction of public property. (Woodville Republican)
Shopping event
Downtown Natchez will celebrate Christmas in July Saturday, July 12, with open houses, free refreshments and sales.
Leah Hunter has asked Natchez aldermen to increase their subsidy of the Natchez Downtown Alliance from $55,000 a year to $70,000 a year. The city is considering her request. As director of NDA, she has been more successful than her predecessors in increasing grants, events and publicity for downtown.
Former Woodville police officer Roderick Hart has been indicted for grand larceny for allegedly stealing $1200 in cash that was paid as a fine. The money was placed in a traffic ticket envelope in a locked desk of the deputy town clerk. Hart denies the allegation and has filed a motion to dismiss the indictment saying the indictment itself is not proper. Hart’s attorney said the money apparently disappeared from a locked drawer in a desk between April 1 and April 4, 2024, but that the police officer did not steal it.
Festival scheduled
The Natchez Food & Wine Festival returns July 25-27, attracting top chefs and restaurateurs from throughout the Gulf South. Each summer, they gather in Natchez to stage multiple-course dinners in historic mansions, progressive dining events, gourmet tastings, and casual social occasions that make the most of the city’s spectacular riverside setting. For info, events and tickets go to natchezfoodandwine.com.
Louisiana released its LEAP scores for Concordia schools. The percentage of students showing "mastery" of the basic subjects: Monterey 49%, Vidalia Upper 38%, Vidalia Junior High 29%, Vidalia High 19%, Ferriday Upper 16%, Ferriday Junior High 13%, Ferriday High 9%. Louisiana tests its students for their math, English, science and social studies skills. Mastery is defined as proficient, demonstrating good skills in the subject and/or ready for the next grade level or course. Mastery and advanced are the top two skill levels. They are considered what is necessary for success in the subject matter. Basic means students need additional work and more skill development. Scores are designated as unsatisfactory, approaching basic, basic, mastery or advanced.
In the 2025 LEAP assessment cycle, Catahoula Parish schools maintained their performance level from the previous year, with 24% of students in grades 3 through 12 achieving scores at the Mastery or Advanced level.
Grant for downtown
The Downtown Ferriday District has received a $250,000 federal grant for strategic planning. The grant will be used to develop a plan to improve roads, bridges, sidewalks and improve signage, lighting, and town owned facades.
Adams County deputies have arrested Roy Glenn, 44, of Natchez for taking away a motor vehicle, a felony. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in jail and a $10,000 fine. He remains in jail. He was arrested in April for aggravated battery, domestic abuse in criminal damage to property. In September 20 24, he was arrested for. simple assault, domestic battery. In 2012 he played guilty to domestic violence and assault and was given two days in jail with 28 days suspended.
Copper wire vandals have hit Highway 61 N. in Adams County again, stealing the wire for salvage and knocking out phone and Internet connections to dozens of residences and some businesses. AT&T said $20,000 of copper wire and Internet fiber cable were stolen. Adams County deputies are looking for the culprits.
Foreclosure
Vidalia Mills will go through formal foreclosure on Aug. 6. The mayor says there has been a number of companies that have expressed interest in purchasing the plant or locating there. Since the lenders will own the plant starting in August, they will sell it or lease it to someone. The cotton looms could also attract bidders or buyers separately from the property. Vidalia will not be involved directly in either the sale or lease, but will welcome any company who locates there. Craft said he wouldn’t be surprised if it took a year or two to actually land a new company, as the property is quite large. Vidalia will get to sell utilities: electricity, water, sewer, and gas to the new owner or lessee.
Ferriday police said an argument between two men led to a shootout, with both men being wounded. Police charged Albert Lee Jr., 19, and James Johnson Jr., 25, with attempted murder. Both suffered minor wounds and are recovering. Judge Kathy Johnson set bond at $150,000 each.
The Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office locate Todd Polk. Polk is a convicted sex offender whose last known address is 1225 Peach Street, Vidalia, LA. Polk is a 46-year-old white male with tattoos on both arms and chest. He may have a shaved head. Polk is wanted for failure to register/notify as a sex offender. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of this individual is urged to contact the Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office by calling 318-336-5231.
Jobs data
Concordia Parish has 5,962 workers with jobs, down 110 jobs from last year. The jobless rate is 6.3 percent.
Adams deputies arrested Jordan Butler 22, and Yasmine Lyles, 27, after they committed an armed carjacking. They also face the charge of assault by physical menace. The couple is currently being held in jail. Butler was arrested in 2024 for animal cruelty and bonded out.
Aziza Young, 35, of Jackson, surrendered to Adams County authorities. She was wanted by Jackson police for the shooting murder of her boyfriend, Adrione Triggs, 45, on July 4. She will be charged with homicide and auto theft and transported to Jackson. JPD said, “Based on our investigation, it was calculated,” police said in reference to a possible motive for the killing. “Based on witness accounts... she was not defending herself.” Authorities said there was an argument before the shooting took place. Police also said that, according to witness accounts, she attempted to “drag the body... move the body” after the shooting took place.
Natchez police are investigating a second shooting in three days. Damien Strickland was shot and killed at Holiday Apartments on July 4. On July 6, a man was shot and wounded multiple times on Minor Street. He was able to drive himself to Merit Health and then airlifted out of town for treatment. Police are looking for the shooters in both attacks.
Mississippi’s annual Sales Tax Holiday returns this summer, giving families and bargain-hunters a chance to stretch their back-to-school budgets. From Friday, July 11, through Sunday, July 13, qualifying purchases of clothing, footwear, and school supplies will be exempt from state sales tax, as long as the price of each individual item is under $100. What qualifies? Clothing: shirts, pants, jackets, uniforms, etc. Footwear: sneakers, dress shoes, boots, and similar items. School supplies: notebooks, crayons, backpacks, binders, and other classroom essentials. Remember: the exemption applies per item, not to the total bill. For example, you could buy three pairs of shoes at $99 each and pay no sales tax, but a single pair priced at $100.01 would be fully taxable. Tax savings aren’t limited to in-store shopping. Eligible items ordered by mail, telephone, or the internet also qualify, provided the order is placed and paid for during the holiday and each item’s price is below the $100 threshold.
As part of the Juneteenth commemoration, the Natchez Chapter of the NAACP held a panel discussion at the NAPAC Museum to remember the 100th birthday of Medgar Evers. Evers was a leading voice in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and early 1960s. He was assassinated at his home in Jackson in 1963 by Byron De La Beckwith, a terrorist, member of the White Citizens Council and Klan associate. The killer was not convicted until 1994 and later died in prison. Evers worked across the state to help communities register blacks for to vote. Following his death, his brother, Charles, assumed the leadership mantle and carried on the work of his brother. Medgar’s wife, Myrlie, also played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement after her husband was killed. She is now 92. Medgar Evers was a US veteran and served in the Normandy campaign. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery. Dozens of people attended the panel discussion at NAPAC.
Richard Nelson
Richard Nelson has resigned his position as executive director of the Natchez Adams County Airport. Airport employee Larry Matthews will run the place for at least awhile, as supervisors hire a replacement. Nelson said Adams County supervisor harassment, interference, conflicts of interest and ethics violations within the commissioners led him to resign. Nelson said some commissioners, who were tenants at the airport, didn't know what they were doing and steered policy, administration and spending to benefit the commissioners personally. With Nelson gone, there is less chance of securing an airline carrier.
Adams County deputies are looking for Jolie Eadie, who failed to pay for services at a Natchez business. If you know of her whereabouts, call deputies ay 601-552-2752.
Natchez police report Damien Strickland, 31, of Natchez, was shot and killed on the steps of an apartment at Holiday Apartments on the evening of July 4. Police are investigating.
Eola Hotel
Consultant Hayes Dent says planning continues on the Eola Hotel project. He said Virginia attorney Robert Lubin continues, with others, to push the project along. The hotel will take advantage of EB-5 provisions in US law to secure foreign investors. Some of the money used will come from those investors, and some money will be borrowed. He did not want to say how much the project will cost in the end, but when $25 million was mentioned as a price tag, he said the hotel renovations and what’s already invested would be more than that. The project will also take advantage of historic tax credits and new market tax credits as part of its financing package. Dent added that Lubin and friends will probably announce the management team and the hotel’s national affiliation in July. Dent said there’s no firm timeline yet when construction will start, as there still raising money and determining the amount that needs to be borrowed. Additionally, they need to get a new and firm cost on construction from the contractor. While they have a general idea of how much they believe it will cost, they need to get a bid on the exact amount and enter into a formal contract to build the hotel at that set amount. The City of Natchez has promised to help the Eola succeed.It has notified tenants of the Fry Building that it’s time to vacate. The City plans to demolish the building and turn the Fry site into a parking lot for hotel visitors and the general public. At one time, the mayor and aldermen discussed actually investing in the hotel project directly. The city has the legal ability to allow Eola to use the hotel's sales taxes and property taxes generated to be used toward payment of debt (tax increment financing) like the City did for Country Inn and Suites/Natchez Grand Hotel.
The US Department of Justice is expected to sue the Concordia Parish School Board over the alleged failure of the local schools to desegregate. Concordia had initially agreed to a DOJ compromise that would move Vidalia students to Ferriday. But parents and citizens spoke out of the local public meeting and the school board voted to ditch the settlement agreement with the federal government. The State of Louisiana Attorney General’s Office continues to say it will help Concordia defend if and when DOJ takes action. The school board went into an executive session at a recent meeting to discuss its case, but school board members did not say anything publicly about what was discussed nor did they go on the record with the statement for the minutes.
Ferriday’s sewer system had broken down due to failing sewer pumps. Mayor Alvin Garrison was able to find a few replacement pumps in Ohio that would work with the mechanics of the current system. The pumps have been installed and the system is now operating once again. Ferriday has received a $19.5 million grant for a major sewer system overhaul. That project should be bid in August.
Bude fireworks
For the fourth year in a row, the Franklin County Baptist Association will host a Fourth of July Fireworks Show at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. The festivities will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 4 with ice cream being served from the Association office. The fireworks will begin about 9 p.m. Officials are asking for donations from businesses and individuals to help cover the cost of the fireworks. The goal is to raise $5,000 to cover the cost of the show. Anyone wishing to make a donation, or for more information, can contact Wes Arnold at 318-230- 0626.
Adams deputies arrested Corey Rice, 39, of Natchez, for aggravated assault. He is currently being held in jail. He has previous felony convictions for possession of cocaine and felon in possession of a weapon.
On June 30, at approximately 4:54 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a two-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 425 at Grayson Road. The crash claimed the life of 43-year-old Joshua Boies of Wisner. The initial investigation revealed that a 2022 Ford F-150 and a 2010 Toyota Corolla, driven by Boies, were northbound on Louisiana Highway 425. For reasons still under investigation, Boies failed to slow down and rear-ended the Ford F-150. As a result, the Corolla exited the roadway and overturned. This action ejected Boies from the vehicle. Boies, who was not restrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead. The driver of the Ford F-150, who was restrained, sustained no injuries. A toxicology sample was obtained and submitted for analysis.
Ross brothers and Damper
Michael Ross Jr., 22, and Devin Ross, 21, were arrested in Vicksburg and charged with one murder and six attempted murders in the Fayette music festival shooting. Courtez Damper, 20, was previously arrested for the murder and shootings. Those agencies participating in the investigations and arrests include the US Marshal’s Service, the Mississippi Bureau of investigation, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and Fayette Police Department. They accused murderers are expected to be tried in Jefferson County.
The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, a native of Ferriday, has died at the age of 90. He was one of the nation's leading televangelists in the 1980's. Swaggart was a first cousin to entertainers Mickey Gilley and Jerry Lee Lewis.
For the fourth year in a row, the Franklin County Baptist Association will host a Fourth of July Fireworks Show at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. The festivities will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 4 with ice cream being served from the Association office. The fireworks will begin about 9 p.m. Officials are asking for donations from businesses and individuals to help cover the cost of the fireworks. The goal is to raise $5,000 to cover the cost of the show. Anyone wishing to make a donation, or for more information, can contact Wes Arnold at 318-230- 0626.
Slight dip in jobs
Adams County has 10,180 people with jobs, down 10 jobs from a year ago. The jobless rate is 5%.
Taurus Williams, 34, has been captured and arrested by Vidalia police and Concordia deputies on Hwy. 131 in the parish. He was wanted in Adams County for possession of and trafficking cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl and other drugs. He faces an enhancement charge for dealing near a church. Additionally, he is a felon, was in possession of a weapon and will face that additional felony charge. Also arrested in the case were two women now facing felony charges for assisting his escape, and trying to hide him from authorities. Those facing accessory after the fact charges include: Shawanda Lewis and LaKrystal Barnes. Lewis is being held in the Concordia Jail. Barnes has bonded out in Adams County. Taurus Williams is being held in Concordia.
Adam’s deputies arrested Quiero Johnson, 36, of Natchez, for shooting into a vehicle. He is currently being held in jail. Deputies arrested Raymond Bennett, 44, of Natchez, for failure to register as a sex offender. He was convicted of child fondling in 2012 and is currently being held in jail.
Kristony Carter
Little Miss Alcorn State University Kristony Carter raised more than $2000 for the Morgantown Elementary Beta Club. She and her family will travel to Orlando, as she competes in the National Beta Club Convention.
Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft said work on the big sinkhole at Concordia and Elm has been delayed because of the high water table. The river is still at 47 feet and the mayor estimates the river should fall to around 40 feet before work can restart.
House Bill 1 requires a nine-cent gas tax increase over the next three years in Mississippi takes effect July 1. The nine-cent increase will not take place at all once. Instead, it will be phased in over the next three years. On July 1, the tax will increase from 18 cents per gallon to 21 cents per gallon. On July 1, 2026, the tax will increase to 24 cents per gallon, then to 27 cents per gallon on July 1, 2027. After July 1, 2029, the gas tax rate will be adjusted for inflation, rounded to the near whole cent with a maximum of one cent per gallon annually. Lawmakers and transportation officials have said the state needs more money in order to maintain and build roads and bridges across Mississippi, citing the continuing the increased costs for material and labor.
The Lincoln Outfit
Live at Five will feature The Lincoln Outfit at the gazebo on the Natchez Bluff July 4 at 5 p.m.. Miss-Lou fireworks on the river begin at 9:30 p.m.
On June 25 at approximately 4:45 p.m., the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office assisted the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office in executing a felony arrest warrant for a wanted suspect believed to be hiding in Catahoula Parish. After coordinated surveillance at a local motel, members of the Catahoula Special Response Team, Concordia SRT, Jonesville SRT, Ferriday Police, Vidalia Police, Sandy Lake Fire & Rescue, and American Medical Response met on the location. The Catahoula SRT Bearcat was utilized to issue multiple verbal commands over a public address system, instructing the suspect to exit the room peacefully. After observing movement inside the room, the suspect opened the door and was quickly taken into custody by SRT members. The suspect, identified as Donnie Sanders, initially resisted arrest but was safely apprehended without injury. He was found in possession of a handgun, illegal drugs, and drug paraphernalia. Sanders was booked into the Catahoula Parish Jail on multiple charges, including Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Felon in Possession of a Firearm with CDS, Possession of Schedule I and II Drugs, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Resisting Arrest and Fugitive from Justice (Ferriday Police Department). Bond will be set by the 7th Judicial District Judge, and Sanders will be transported to Ferriday to face additional charges.
The Concordia Parish Police Jury is getting tough on homeowners and businesses that do not keep their properties tidy. The jury has sent out a series of letters to property owners telling them to clean up or else. The else is the jury will come in and clean the property and charge the property owner $400 at a minimum. And if the bill is not paid,  the amount due is entered as a lien against the property.
Home values
Zillow reported for Natchez. A typical home value is $120,592. Typical value one year ago was $116,204. The service forecasts a value decrease of 7.3 percent over the next year. 290 homes are for sale and 15 sold recently.
The Silas Simmons CPA 2023 audit of the Concordia Parish Clerk of Court does show a rather large $586,000 deficit from previous years. This deficit was reduced in 2023 due to an operating surplus. However, the deficit should not be seen as mismanagement, as most of it reflects long-term liabilities for pensions and other retirement costs that will be due eventually and must be paid. For 2023 itself, the office improved its finances, with $742,000 in revenues and $696,000 in expenditures, showing a net operating surplus. The office has over $536,000 in operating cash, which is sufficient to pay its ongoing bills and act as a small reserve. The Concordia paper ran a rather alarming article, indicating there was a huge deficit which would lead people to believe there was mismanagement But it’s actually quite common for offices to have pension and other retirement liabilities that are quite large. Government has evolved over two generations to where parish employees have very attractive, retirement packages, much better than the private sector. As a result, local governments often have large pension liabilities that will be paid with future revenues. The CPA did note that the office has a small staff, and as a result, financial responsibilities are not separated or segregated as they should be. But that’s because there are so few employees. There were no negative findings as to operations, bookkeeping and accounting. The CPA noted that the office was close to budget in both forecasting its revenues and expenditures. And as a result, the budget did not need to be amended at anytime during the year. Andy Anders is the parish Clerk of Court.
Miss-Lou law enforcement shut down the bridges in Natchez-Vidalia in both east and west directions due to five loose barges that hit the northern bridge. Some of the barges continued to float downstream. The bridges were later reopened.
Taxes may increase
The Natchez-Adams school board holds a public hearing on Tuesday to adopt a $72.7 million school budget for the coming year. The school board is asking for more tax support from supervisors, approximately $432,000. Supervisors have the option of cutting other budget items to afford the tax increase or increasing mileage to pay for the extra money the schools want. Supervisors may have their own budget and expense increases to consider. It is possible that taxes could go up 3 to 4 mills. The new school budget starts October 1.
Woodville Police Chief Lemuel Rutledge told the mayor and aldermen the patrol officer most recently hired has quit, and he expects another officer to resign soon. Rutledge said retention of officers is difficult because of the low pay and poor benefits compared to what other towns offer. The Chief said his department needs eight patrolmen and six radio dispatchers to operate effectively. He noted that the streets are increasingly dangerous, as there have been recent officer involved shootings in Adams, Jefferson and Pike counties.
Three men were in the parking lot of the club, The One Way, in Centreville, when Eldred Anderson, 62, of Gloster, told Nicholas Henry and Lawarren Seiber, both of Centreville, to stop leaning on his pickup. An argument ensued. Pistols were pulled and multiple shots fired. Henry died at the scene. Seiber died at Field Health. Anderson was wounded, treated and released from Our Lady of the Lake. He was then arrested on two counts of murder and released on bond.  If you witnessed the shooting or have any information about the killings, call police at 601-645-5917.
Building rehab
Natchez businessman Dick Thompson says he now owns the former furniture warehouse on Franklin St. in downtown Natchez. He isn’t quite sure what he will do with the building other than remodel it and bring it back to excellent condition. Thompson says the 12,500 square-foot building could be used for commercial, residential or mixed use applications. He expects to spend $2-$3 million on the project. In addition to owning Live Oak Nursery, he has invested in housing, office, commercial and other real estate investments over the years.
Some Mississippi towns and cities had elections this spring. Those taking office July 1 will include: Woodville: Mayor Jessie Stewart; Aldermen William Carter, Meagan Spillman, Francis Bailey, Louis D’Aquilla; Centreville: Mayor Demetria Allen Hudson; Aldermen Doc Walker, Amuad Stewart, Sonny Wilson, Michelle Singleton, Iyomia Maria Montgomery.
Judge Carmen Drake held court in Wilkinson County. Michael Carpenter played guilty to assault of a jailer. He was sentenced 5 years suspended with credit for time served. He will be on formal reporting post release supervision. He was ordered to pay $682.50 in court costs and prosecution fees. He is also to pay a fine of $1000 payable to the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s investigation fund. John Joseph Barr played guilty to two counts of grand larceny. He was sentenced to five years, with three years to serve and two years suspended to be served on formal post release supervision. Barr had a pending conviction in Franklin County. He will serve all his sentences concurrently. In addition, he was ordered to pay court costs and a prosecution fee of $682.50.
Tuition for Pre-K
Mississippi allows school districts offer six types of pre-K education based on the funding source. The Natchez district will start charging parents $250 per month per child for three and four year-old education beginning this fall. The district had offered totally free pre-K education, but the school board moved the program to fee-based when some state funding was cut.
Concordia deputies arrested Donald Walker, 48, of Ferriday, for felon in possession of a weapon and aggravated battery, domestic violence. He remains in the parish jail.
Silicon Ranch of Nashville, Tennessee, will build an 83-acre solar energy farm near Cane Creek Road and Highway 24, just west of Centreviile. The $4.75 million project will employ 100 workers during its construction phase. The farm will tie into Entergy. The company has been in business since 2011. Revenues are approaching $250 million annually. And it recently secured $500 million in investment capital for new projects.
Michel James Kelly threatens suit
Concordia District 1 Justice of the Peace Michael James Kelly faces a felony charge of malfeasance in office and theft of less than $1,000, a misdemeanor. Kelly collected money for Pay Less Loans in Jonesville but never paid the company all the money it was due. He was arrested in October by Concordia deputies. Kelly collected $2880 in judgments, but still lowed the company $1445 at the time of his arrest. His next court appearance is July 16. In 2017, he was a constable and was arrested for three counts of resisting an officer with force, criminal damage to property, simple battery and home invasion for entering a home and pushing a woman, while delivering an eviction notice. Ferriday Police Chief Richard Madison said at the time officers were called and Kelly allegedly fought them while resisting arrest. The charges were later dropped and Kelly sued Ferriday officials and town employees for damages in federal court. Editor's note: Miss-Lou Magazine asked Kelly if he would like to post additional info regarding his arrest or federal lawsuit. He has not responded. There are no false statements in this news. Arrested twice. Charges dropped first time. Hearing date coming up in July on the October 2024 arrest. Will report outcome if a resolution to the charge occurs. All those charged are considered not guilty unless they plead or are convicted. When public officials are arrested, this is news. And this particular news and the lawsuit have been previously reported by Justia, Sentinel, Democrat and Miss-Lou Magazine in 2017-2018 and 2024-2025.
The Louisiana Board of Ethics has officially closed its investigation into Sheriff Toney Edwards, clearing him of all alleged violations of the Louisiana Code of Governmental Ethics. Following a thorough review, the Board determined there was no evidence to support any of the claims made against Sheriff Edwards. Allegations included the misuse of inmate labor, unauthorized personal use of Sheriff’s Office property, and acceptance of a gift in exchange for a contract. After evaluating the findings of a confidential investigation report, the Board found these claims to be unsubstantiated. The Board confirmed that no storm shelter was ever constructed on Sheriff Edward’s property using prison labor, and personal loan documents showed that equipment allegedly misused was privately owned by Sheriff Edwards. Additionally, all Sheriff’s Office equipment was properly accounted for, and no evidence supported claims of improper gifting or influence.
On June 17, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Highway 61 North in reference to a stolen motor vehicle. Patrol Deputies learned that, during the night of June 16 or the early morning hours of June 17, a vehicle had been stolen from a parking lot in Natchez, Mississippi. Deputies were informed that the suspects involved in the theft were seen in the area of Highway 61 North near Tractor Supply. Patrol Deputies responded to that location in an effort to locate and identify the suspects, who fled on foot upon seeing law enforcement. Deputies from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Group responded to assist in the search. Within an hour, the suspects were apprehended. They were identified as 18-year-old Isaiah Davis of Lorman, Mississippi, and two juvenile Black males, also from Lorman. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division continued the investigation and obtained evidence linking all three suspects to the vehicle theft. Isaiah Davis was charged with Theft of a Motor Vehicle (Felony) and booked into the Adams County Jail. The two juveniles were also charged with Theft of a Motor Vehicle (Felony) and transported to the Adams County Juvenile Detention Facility.
NATCHEZ MONUMENT COMPANY: Love. Beauty. Craftsmanship. 601-445-5912, 680 Hwy. 61N, Natchez. Visit our website: natchezmonument.com. Since 1953, our monument company has proudly served the Miss-Lou and its families with the very important selection of memorials ensuring quality, service and affordability. We offer a one-stop solution: able to both design and create the perfect monument, as well as set it in the cemetery. Certified Memorialist. Member Monument Builders of North America and Southern Monument Builders. Brookhaven Monument, 601-833-5701, 807 Hwy. 51N, Brookhaven, brookhavenmonument.com. McComb Monument, 601-684-3111, 430 S Broadway, McComb, mccombmonumentco.com.
Nakia Stewart Anderson
Wilkinson County and Bridgers CPAs have been working on completing the county’s past due annual audits. The 2020 audit is finally complete and the audits for 2021, 2022 and 2023 should be completed by this fall. Chancery Clerk Nakia Stewart Anderson told supervisors the state auditor directed the county to improve its bookkeeping by correctly coding a number of accounts that were incorrectly labeled. This problem has gone on for years. Anderson said she would follow the state’s recommendations. She and her staff are working closely with the CPA and the state to improve the county’s bookkeeping and accounting.
Vidalia is repairing its sinkhole at Elm and Concordia. Mayor Buz Craft said the contractor had to temporarily stop work, because the water table is still too high.
After a slow start to the fiscal year, Natchez city sales tax collections have been picking up. The sales tax fiscal year runs July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. The Mississippi Bureau of Revenue shares sales tax collections with cities and towns. Natchez has received $5.2 million July 2024-May 2025, compared to $5.3 million the year before. The month of June will finish the fiscal year’s collections. Taxable retail sales are a measure of the strength of the local economy, representing the willingness of local consumers to spend money on taxable products and services. Natchez’s slight dip in collections is reflective of the mixed picture other cities in Mississippi have experienced this year. Brookhaven is up 3 percent. McComb is down 1 percent. Vicksburg is up 1 percent. Brandon is up less than 1 percent.
Robert Galmore Jr., Anthony Owens
Adams County deputies are looking for Robert Galmore, Jr, 22, Natchez, who has outstanding warrants for burglary of a dwelling and possession of a stolen firearm. He has a history of burglary and receiving stolen goods. If you know of his whereabouts, call deputies at 601-442-2752. Adams County deputies are also looking for Anthony D Owens, 60, of Natchez, for violation of sex offender registration laws. He was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault in Illinois and has lived in the Natchez area for a number of years. If you know his whereabouts, call deputies at 601-442-2752.
Adams County EMS Director Brad Bradford said he plans to go talk with Natchez aldermen to see if the city will help fund the repair of the emergency sirens that have not been working. Supervisors agreed to spend more than $50,000 to make those repairs, which will include a software upgrade.
Adams deputies arrested Wayne Hammett, 64 of Natchez, in March, for a felony aggravated domestic violence. He was released on bond of $15,000. Now he has been arrested again, this time for aggravated assault. Bond has been set at $100,000 and he remains in jail for now.
Fireworks cancelled
Fayette Mayor Londell “Rock” Eanochs has cancelled the July 4 fireworks celebration due to recent violence in the community.
Barry Tyson of Franklin County was recently elected Chairman of the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Board of Trustees. Tyson was elected during the June board meeting. Randall Lofton of Lincoln County was elected Vice Chairman while Ray Brown of Copiah County was elected Secretary. Tyson has served as a trustee for the last 22 years and served as Board Secretary for the past five years.
The Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office Cyber Crime/Special Victims Unit opened an investigation on March 11 on a 39-year-old New Orleans resident, Nicholas Kyle Conable, who was communicating online with what he believed to be a 16-year-old juvenile female. Conable began communicating with the juvenile via social media, then later asked her to recruit two other juveniles to participate in sexual acts with them. His communications revealed that he was attempting to perform multiple sexual activities with all three juveniles. Conable gave a detailed description of the acts that he intended to engage in. Conable shared multiple lewd and lascivious images of himself with the juveniles. CPSO contacted the US Marshals Service, who located and arrested Conable on June 12. Conable was transported to Concordia Parish on and booked into the Concordia Parish Correctional Facility, where he is awaiting a bond. He is charged with two counts of computer aided solicitation of a minor and 24 counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile. On June 12, during a routine screening of incoming inmate mail at the Catahoula Correctional Facility, officers discovered 32 micro sheets of suspected synthetic narcotics, commonly known as “Mojo", concealed within correspondence addressed to an inmate currently housed at the facility. The inmate now faces disciplinary action in accordance with Louisiana Department of Corrections regulations. Additionally, a warrant will be filed through the 7th Judicial District Court for the introduction of contraband and intent to distribute. This information has been shared with the Catahoula Parish Narcotics Team, who are coordinating with authorities in Tangipahoa Parish, where the mail originated, to identify the source of the contraband.
Dick Thompson
Live Oak Nursery caught fire on Friday. Owner Dick Thompson said an employee assaulted him this week and was fired after threatening additional bodily harm to Thompson. Thompson believes the employee may have set the fire.
Natchez Fire Chief Robert Arrington said his department is conducting an investigation surrounding the fire at Live Oak Nursery. Arrington commended the Adams County volunteers for responding to the fire. The hydrants near Live Oak did not have much water pressure. So the volunteers’ trucks were used to provide extra water to combat the fire.
The Concordia Parish School Board has talked about hiring a full-time athletic director, even though the schools have had not had one for over a decade. But Superintendent Toyua Bachus said she wouldn’t recommend hiring an athletic director right now, because the school is running a deficit due to the construction at Ferriday High and cuts in federal funding. Now that the Biden era has officially come to a close, school boards across the country are looking at a decrease in federal funds. Concordia spent about $62 million on schools this past year, running a $3.9 million deficit. The district has enough operating funds to cover the deficit and more.
PRESENT THIS AD to your Natchez DQ Grill & Chill Restaurant server for your free coffee. Dine-in or drive-thru. 245 John R. Junkin Dr., Natchez, 601-442-3200. Limit 1 per customer. Not valid with any other offers. Void if altered, sold or restricted by aw. Plus tax, if applicable. All trademarks owned or licensed by Am. D.Q. Corp. © 2025
Dr. Pinnen has won national and international research fellowships from the German Historical Institute, the LSU and University of Texas Libraries, and has presented his research in Europe and the US. He was selected as the Mississippi Humanities Teacher of the Year in 2019, and Complexion of Empire in Natchez won the 2021 Book of the Year Award from the Mississippi Historical Society. In 2024, he was named the Humanities Scholar of the Year by the Mississippi Humanities Council and Distinguished Professor of the Year at Mississippi College.The April 22 program is funded in part by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit natchezhistoricalsociety.org |
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News for Southwest Mississippi and East Central Louisiana, including Adams, Jefferson, Franklin and Wilkinson counties and Concordia and Catahoula parishes.
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Peter Rinaldi, publisher
Clarisse Washington, editor emerita
by Peter Rinaldi
Look at the headline in Dan’s article. He argues that ineffective state laws contribute to our local crime outbreak.
Wrong.
Actually, what we need is judges who set appropriate bonds for repeat felony offenders. And we need circuit judges who do not reset bonds and lower the bond amounts, listening to the pleadings of sneaky defense attorneys who go into chambers, quietly and privately, and get their crazy felons out of jail. Those arrested with the history of felony crimes or arrested for gun crimes should not be given bond at all.
Rules allow judges to withhold bond entirely if the criminal is a flight risk, likely to reoffend or a threat to public safety. The judge can consider both the arrest and the conviction record in determining bond. It is often in the case that a criminal out on bond commits another felony crime. Then he goes to a bond hearing and gets another bond and is back on the street.
Sometimes the prosecutors do not inform the judges of the history of the perpetrator, including recent arrests. It means the judges and the prosecutors must do their homework together and find out the history of the perp before the bond hearing. As to sentencing, if you give repeat felony offenders light or suspended sentences, the community pays for it quickly, because the offender comes out and violates again.
All those convicted of gun crimes should receive the maximum sentence allowed by law. The state also provides for an extra five-year penalty for those who commit crimes using a gun. The enhancement is added to the sentence for any other crimes the convict has committed. Mississippi has lots of appropriate penalties for a dozens of major offenses.
We don’t need crime reform. We need Adams County judges to simply use the laws that currently exist to protect us.
Too many plea bargains subject the public to even more mayhem. Serious felony offenders plead down to lesser offenses. Charges are dropped. Sentences delivered are light. A judge has the right to reject any plea bargain and force the prosecution to go to trial and they should force such prosecution, when the plea bargain does not protect public safety or punish the criminal adequately.
I will commend to you the work of Judge Danny Barber and DA Tim Cotton, who are doing the job the way it should be done. They are protecting the public. They are newly elected, and we are happy they are there.
Dan is blowing smoke again. He has succeeded in many things as mayor. But he, the aldermen and police have failed to secure public safety. And it’s not because the laws are bad. It’s because police do not do their job, nor do the courts and the city has been unable to hire police chiefs for some time who are effective.
Overall, over the past generation, NPD has been ineffective and failing. The public knows this, and the criminals know this. At the same time, we have had some outstanding local officers that have done a first rate job. But they have not been in the majority. The problems of effective law enforcement and appropriate bonding and sentencing have been a problem long before Dan Gibson ever came into office. Dan could tell his city judge to start putting repeat shoplifters in jail. While that’s only a misdemeanor, jail time is allowable by law. That might help a bit.
I’m sure The Democrat will promote this misleading commentary written by the mayor. But I will not. We do not need state reform. We need local enforcement of current law, appropriate bonding and proper sentencing. We need local reform.
However, if Dan writes a commentary about what he and the city intend to do with police department reform, training, motivating, hiring, patrolling, crime mapping, undercover officers, road blocks, departmental leadership, budgeting or city court reform to curb violence and property crime, I will be happy to publish his commentary. But blaming state laws is just a bunch of garbage.
And we all will welcome any administrative changes he makes to make the community safer. I am simply not going to publish his bull-throwing and misleading statements anymore, even though I support his general administration of the city.
The city’s primary job is to provide public safety. It has failed to protect the public from our criminals. And failed, absolutely! The only way Dan can lose his seat is if he has an opponent who campaigns on crime and crime only. The entire city is sick of the plague of criminals and the lack of effectiveness of the part of city officials to deal with it.
And people can see when sand is being thrown in their eyes. Our vision is better than Dan thinks.
by Peter Rinaldi
There’s this false reassurance in Natchez white society that nearly all of the shootings are black criminals shooting other black criminals, and therefore, white people in good neighborhoods don’t have to worry.
“It ain’t coming our way!”
This is a false assumption. While it is most true that black shooters are shooting black victims, several dozen of the relatively recent victims were innocent victims of crime. They weren’t criminals. They were just good, young people in the wrong place at the wrong time and were wounded or killed.
Two of my acquaintance friends, white and well to do, have sold their ritzy houses in downtown and moved away. They lived more or less on the borderline of the white and black neighborhoods. And they were tired of having bullets strike the masonry or fly through the windows. Both husbands and wives felt threatened. So they left.
The attack last week near the Natchez Grand is a reminder that the thugs have cars, guns and cell phones and they can hunt down their enemies without interference from law enforcement. And while police believe only one person was wounded, the news story could’ve been easily one or two killed and two or three wounded, including tourists and locals, black people and white people.
Fortunately, many of the shooters are not practiced at shooting and many of their bullets go all over the place. But as you noticed from the news coverage recently, the thugs are starting to use assault rifles and pistols that have been illegally converted to fully automatic. That means the attacks can be potentially more deadly.
Bullets aimed or shot wildly can hit anything or anybody, vehicle, house, child, teen, senior, black, white, green. It is just a matter of time before the wounded and dead include black and white folks, shot by the gangsters and terrorists. We’ve had some close calls already.
I’ve been very disappointed that the police and sheriff’s office have not been able to stem the tide of violence. There have been speeches and prayers and a lot of bull from the microphone, but there has been no improvement in patrolling or policing tomstop the outbreak of shooters. Nobody’s expecting the mayor, the aldermen or the supervisors to have an effective antidote to the violence. They haven’t done anything in the last four years and they’re not going to do anything. At least you can say they kept their campaign promises. They didn’t promise to fight the violence before they were elected. And they have done very little to combat the violence since being elected. They simply ignore it, other than speeches.
We still have bonding and sentencing problems. Felons with weapons, criminals with stolen guns,and criminals using guns are not always given the appropriate bonds and if convicted, There are far too many suspended sentences or light terms for people who are hardened criminals.
We can’t give easy bonds to people who commit gun crimes. Between the time they are arrested, bonded out and go to trial, it can be up to two years. In that intervening time, they commit a lot more crimes while they’re on the street waiting for their trial.How many times have I run stories about criminals bonded out for a gun crime only to be arrested later for another gun crime? Dozens of times.And it doesn’t matter at all whether the thug is black or white or the victim is black or white. The only thing that matters is...,are you going to gang up on the gangs and arrest the drug dealers and shooters and put them in jail for long terms? The color of the shooter or felony offender doesn’t matter. What matters is what he’s done that merits jail.Are you going to use the five-year gun enhancement penalty offered by the state of Mississippi to send these monsters to jail?
I am really sick of the plea bargains that are offered to people with gun crimes. Or their felony crimes are watered down to misdemeanors. We should prosecute these people to the full extent of the law. As long as it’s a gun felony, the guy has to go to jail and for a long time.
When I was in Natchez this last time in May, my wife and I stopped at La Fiesta like we always do. I was talking to an old friend who had recently moved back to Natchez for his job. Both he and his wife were extremely excited about their healthcare job opportunities. But she said, almost casually, “We’re at the Mark right now and we’re looking for a house. But we’re not going to buy one in Natchez. We’re looking in Vidalia, because it’s safer.”
What does that tell you? How many people are leaving because of crime? How many people are not coming because of crime? How many people are not investing because of crime?
To me, Montebello is a symbol for this story. When I arrived in Natchez years ago, that subdivision was full of people who kept their yards looking good. It was an inexpensive place for people to buy a house. A lot of young marrieds moved there for their first house. And there were a lot of seniors who had been there for many years. It was safe, lovely, a good place to raise kids.
Now the shooters are there. The drug dealers are there. Houses are falling apart. The place is unsafe. And it’s going the way of Roselawn, but quicker than I thought it would.
Why do you think I stayed at Virgil‘s hotel in Vidalia instead of staying in Natchez when my wife and I came to town? I may be old, my body half broken. Sometimes I feel my age, but my wife is only 57. If the thugs actually got to me, I have lived a good life. But my wife has many years of ahead of her and I want her to see them all in safety.
I love Natchez very much. But I would prefer my wife not be a casualty of my affection for my adopted hometown.High bonds and no bonds, tough sentences for all gun criminals.
We have to change the way we’re operating, both in policing and in the courts, or we will never get rid of this plague.
by Peter Rinaldi
Debra Moak
One of the first things Vidalia Aldermen heard at their recent meeting was a detailed revenue, expense, and fund balance report from accountant, Debra Moak.
The town remains incredibly financially healthy due to careful spending and holding in reserve much of the Hydro funds. With anticipated revenues of $51 million and expenses of $42 million, the town shows a good surplus and has more than $20 million in restricted and unrestricted funds available. Debra went into a lot of detail on the budget and spending, so those who were in the meeting, both aldermen and the public, could pick up necessary information. This is the way government should be run! I wish other towns snd public agencies were on the ball like Vidalia.
It is amazing the difference in professionalism when you cross the river and listen to what’s going on financially in Natchez and Adams County. First of all, in Natchez-Adams, there are practically no financial reports whatsoever, for the month, for the quarter for the year. Nobody asks about cash flow, revenue or expenses as to the big picture. They will often ask about individual expenditures. But there are no monthly reports or year to date reports that would be most helpful.
The city of Natchez runs its meetings on a strict agenda, thanks to Mayor Dan. The clerk does tell aldermen what expenses they have to OK for the month. But there is no discussion practically ever about where the city stands financially and where it is heading. No specifics! The Aldermen are in the dark and so is everyone else. I assume the city clerk and the mayor keep tabs on it. That’s merely my assumption.
Adams County supervisors continue to run meetings as a free for all. Supervisors jump in on the discussion when they feel like it, get off message and off the agenda every meeting. It’s more like children gossiping than a serious meaning discussing issues. I’ve almost never heard a supervisors’ discussion of revenue and expenditures and cash flow, except at the annual budget time, and by then it’s too late to really do anything for the current fiscal year. This lack of care was manifest two years ago. Supervisors weren’t paying attention to the budget and neither was the now ex-county administrator.
They overspent by more millions of dollars and didn’t even know they had done so, with so many financial miscalculations. They also complain miserably in private about the sheriff’s overspending, but never do anything about it. They don’t bring it up in open meeting and they don’t curb the excess. They complain privately and keep their mouth shut. They did wake up from their doltish behavior and raised property taxes 16% in one year to cover a budget shortfall. Oops!
I’m hopeful this will change with the new county administrator, Mitzi Conn. She’s a sharp cookie, as the thing goes. And I am hopeful she’ll keep those bozos informed.
Ferriday is always a nightmare…finances always broke, always spending too much, always short of cash. Alderwoman Gloria Lloyd seems to be the most informed when it comes to money over the years, but the town could use monthly in quarterly reports just like Vidalia. The last Ferriday mayor had no money sense whatsoever and hid problems. I’m hoping Mayor Alvin Garrison will bring a little more attention to the revenue and expenditure picture. Monthly reports are needed.
by Peter Rinaldi
The Concordia Parish Police Jurt is supposed to conduct an annual audit, like other public agencies in the parish and around the state. The jury continues to have problems getting its materials together, submitting the data to the CPA and actually preparing the audit.
As a result, no report has been submitted to the state for 2023 or 2024. Having a report timely filed would also help the jury monitor its finances, bookkeeping and accounting practices. The lax attitude toward accounting has been reflected over the years in the number of negative findings found in the audits. However, the number of findings was significantly reduced in 2021 and 2022.
The CPA has repeatedly advised the jury to have more than one person handling invoices and writing checks, and the two signature should be on the checks. This is to make sure that invoices are correct, properly documented and the checks themselves are accurate. Having two persons sign checks can also help prevent errors or fraud. The last audit showed the jury with a cash surplus and significant cash reserves, which was good. But the jury does not issue monthly or quarterly revenue and expense reports to the public.
Consequently, here is no information as to whether the jury is now in good shape or poor financial shape as of 2024-2025. I was asked if the jurors actually know their financial condition for 2024-2025. I could not answer the question, because cash flow is not discussed in the jury meetings. Residents have been complaining for years about the poor condition of paved and gravel roads, with some roads were receiving little or no maintenance since the 1960s and 1970s.
The jury had enough resources in 2022 to do a modest paving program, but chose not to. Whether it is financially able to do so now is uncertain. No reports have been released to let the public know if the jury is flush with cash, broke, in financial trouble or financially stable.
Concordia jurors would be wise to follow in the footsteps of the Vidalia mayor and aldermen, who provide accurately monthly and annual revenues and expenses and submit their audits on time. The public knows exactly where Vidalia stands financially. Up-to-date reports are provided monthly to the voters and if someone wanted detailed information, they could get a print out at City Hall on demand. But as to the jury, citizens are supposed to guess or accept vague assurances. Taxpayers are kept completely in the dark.
by Peter Rinaldi
Superintendent of Schools Zandra McDonald and her school board team at the Natchez Adams School District want another $400,000 from the supervisors this year to fund local education.
Supervisors have several options. First, they can pass a tax increase to fund the extra $400,000. Second, they can also absorb the $400,000 into the county budget and cut some other spending to avoid the tax increase. There’s also a third possibility. The Adams County Tax Assessor Larry Hughes has been busy reassessing properties. That reassessment automatically brings extra revenue to the county, city and schools.
There may be enough extra funds coming in from the reassessment to avoid a tax increase altogether. Hughes will present a completed tax roll to supervisors on Aug. 4. At that time, he and supervisors should know just how much money is coming in from assessments and reassessments.
I sent a note to Adams County Supervisor Kevin Wilson this afternoon, asking what the his board of supervisors will do. Wilson replied that taxpayers can’t afford any tax increase. He does not support any tax increases.He added the schools are wasting an inordinate amount of money by keeping open the schools that are not occupied. The district is also leasing the vacant schools at way below the market rates, which increases negative cash flow. Wilson said he’s not satisfied with the oversight and management of the finances of the schools, indicating that taxpayers are abused. He supports the philosophy that a ‘quality education should include proper management of facilities and finances.’
Wilson raises an important point. The schools should manage their facilities wisely when it comes to maintenance and other costs. Case law and Miss. Department of Education directives say school boards are supposed to exhibit a fiduciary responsibility toward the use of their buildings and lands, meaning for the best use of students and education, maximizing revenues available to the districts.
The improper sale or lease of school district lands and assets has traditionally been an ethical and financial problem for many school boards across the state. The state has said in this past that schools must lease their 16th section forestry, hunting and oil lands at market rates. The state does allow schools to lease their properties to charter schools, which are public schools, at below market rates. But there doesn’t seem to be much case law as to whether the Natchez school policy of leasing their schools for a dollar a year is legal or not.
The very low lease rate means taxpayers are subsidizing the tenants that occupy the public schools. Those tenants aren’t even paying the cost of grass cutting and utilities.
McDonald and the school board feel it’s appropriate to “gift the use” of the schools to community nonprofits. Of course, taxpayers are paying for those gifts, side deals, and below market leases for the friends and acquaintances of the school district management team.
The school district had a budget of $39 million in 2019, serving 2800 students. This coming year’s budget will be $72.6 million, also serving approximately 2800 students.
by Peter Rinaldi
Dan Gibson
Dan Gibson says in his weekend newsletter: "Mayor's Desk -- Natchez Population is Booming, Population Growth. This great news: statistics are finally catching up with our Natchez Renewal. We’ve known we are growing, and we finally have the data to back this up. Like many cities, Natchez did not fare well in the US Census completed during the national pandemic of 2020 and prior to the beginning of our administration. Response rate was poor, and the snapshot taken of our statistics at that time were “pre-Natchez Renewal” and accounted for none of the growth we have experienced since the fall of 2020. For a better picture of what is happening in Natchez, we sought out a more recent census study by the nationally respected firm Cubit Planning. Its numbers confirm what we are witnessing every day: Natchez is growing – for the first time in many decades. Cubit’s study shows that Adams County, Mississippi, of which Natchez is the county seat and only municipality, has a current population of 29,208."
My response: Now let's look at the actual facts. Here's what the services say for Adams County:
U.S. Census
1980 38,305
1990 35,356
2000 34,340
2010 32,297
2020 29,538
2023 est. 28,746
Other data services
2025 World Population Review 29,204
2025 NCA Stats 28,795
2023 FRED 29,098
2025 Niche, Data USA 29,098
So is Dan stating the truth, fibbing or outright fabricating or misleading? You decide.
The Census is the only service that actually counts people, using interviews, forms, and records from SSA and immigration, checking state birth and death records, monitoring moves and dual residences. All the other services extrapolate and estimate. The Census does estimates between the 10-year Census. The next official counting will be in 2030. Cubit is a service that estimates and extrapolates.
I would guess that Dan chose to use Adams figures and not Natchez figures because the Natchez figures show a decline in population of 3% since the last Census, according to Cubit, the service he likes. Hard to argue growth and renewal when the city population is declining. The Census and other services also say Natchez population is declining.
Natchez
2020 Census 14,520
2022 Census est. 13,812
2025 World Population Review 13,599
2025 Cubit 14,082
2025 Population. US 13,918
Conclusion: Dan correctly quotes Cubit for Adams population, but does not includes the data that shows contrary evidence of population decline. He is Mayor of Natchez but quotes Adams figures instead of Natchez, because the city figures are awful. He tries to lead you to believe there is renewed growth and prosperity, but the population data does not show this for either city or county. He gets credit for his Cubit quote, but the rest of his talk is misleading and inaccurate and generally not persuasive because he eliminated data that does not support his premise.
His premise of growth is absolutely contradicted and false when city of Natchez figures are included. He conflates Adams figures with the premise of Natchez results.Award: Dan's statement earns 3 out of 4 Pinocchios. Not so good.
Remember also, increase or decrease in population is not just people moving in and people moving out. Births and deaths in the local figures play a role in the numbers. Those additions and subtractions are not necessarily economically indicative.
by Peter Rinaldi
Mayors are elected to run city governments not fix a broken economy. Both Butch Brown and Dan Gibson ran into trouble when they tried to overpromise what they could not deliver economically.
In 2019, Darryl Grennell was mayor and we had 10,370 jobs in Natchez-Adams County. During Darryl’s tenure, the job numbers ranged from 10,260-10,510. Today, Dan is mayor and we’ve got the highest job numbers we’ve had in his five years in office, now 10,160. So we have 210 jobs fewer than when Darryl was boss.
When Anna and I met Dan five years ago at DQ in Natchez, I did mention the history of mayors overpromising when it comes to economic development. Butch was not the only mayor to so suffer. I advised Dan to concentrate on the core responsibilities of city government; police, fire and public works. He listened but not closely. I could tell at the time he was not interested in my view or assessment. That’s fine. It was his campaign and his job not mine.
It’s fair to say we’ve made progress in fire protection and public works, including streets and public facilities. Much of this has been accomplished on borrowed money, which taxpayers will have to pay back, both principal and interest in the future. The reason this has been accomplished with borrowed money is because the local economy is not growing. There are not enough new businesses and homes to increase tax revenues and give the city more money to spend on projects. Sales tax collections have not risen in two years, and they are actually down a bit. The city gets more property tax revenue, only because the county tax assessor reassesses properties upward, not because of growth.
And of course, the police department and crime fighting are a big mess. Dan and the aldermen have not been able to make much progress in this area, although the number of shootings has declined since 2018, when 18 people were shot and murdered in Natchez-Adams County.
A close associate of mine as always called Dan "the fairy-taler." Because he tells fairytales. That’s only a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.I expect Dan to win a third term. But I do not expect progress either in the management of government or in the economy.
think we have gone as far as his abilities will take us. Dan will continue to be the public relations man, the smiling face, the photo-op guy. He is ambitious, wants to make progress and has done an excellent job of bringing Black people more into close proximity of their city government. That’s important. Natchez is a majority Black town, and its people need to feel that they’re part of the action, included and their views important.
There is rising dissatisfaction with Dan. No one is expecting him to part the Red Sea, and like Moses, lead us to the Promised Land. But his constant bull-throwing and over-praise of citizens is undermining his integrity, where people stop believing in the things he says that are actually true and do not trust him as being honest or accurate in his assessments.
Overall, his management of city government is legions ahead of what Darrryl did, who was lazy and often did not work at the job. Citizens have a tendency to be very critical. That includes me. However, in retrospect, I believe Dan has been a positive change, a good mayor for Natchez. However, the bull-throwing is tough to take.
As I look back over the years and assess real economic progress, you would have to go back to the Jake Middleton administration to find it. Back then, the aldermen were dead set against the new casino, what became Magnolia Bluffs. Middleton felt two casinos would be better for the community,with property tax and gambling tax revenues to help fund city operations. He was right, and the aldermen were wrong. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to write the story of how that was accomplished, turning the recalcitrant aldermen around. But in the end, Middleton was correct. Isle of Capri faded away and Magnolia Bluffs poured money into city government by the millions of dollars much more than Isle had ever done.
Magnolia Bluffs Casino opened in 2012, and with its hotel, brought more than 300 jobs That’s a long time ago now. Before that, the CCA prison brought 400 jobs in 2009. Those were the biggies, 13 and 16 years ago.
We may get economic development sooner or later, but I don’t think it’ll be Dan who is delivering it. He’s had five years in office without much economic progress. And the Eola project is simply a sinkhole into which money is poured without result.
In the short term, Jimmy Smith's Tracetown Shopping Center rebuild offers the best prospects for growth. The new center could add 50-100 retail jobs, full and part-time, depending on which stores locate there, and if they are successful.
by Peter Rinaldi
Adams County population
One of our local politicians criticized me yesterday, saying I’m not telling the Good News about the economy. I reminded him that I was the only media person to report that Adams County has 520 more jobs this spring compared to last year at this time.
I also stated that a seasonal bump up or temporary gains does not make a strong economy. And the most accurate indicator of economic growth or decline is population. When the population grows over 10 or 20 years, that means people have made a long term commitment to live in a community. And they have the jobs and resources to maintain their lives.
Unfortunately, the Adams County population figures show a decline over many years and a corresponding decline in jobs as well. I conclude that local government is not doing a good job.
First, local government supplies mediocre services at a high price. Second, it taxes people and businesses exorbitantly, consider considering the value received and the incomes of those taxed. And finally, local government is inept at recruiting the jobs and industry that the politicians so often promise. Population decline is the result of many factors. And lousy government is certainly one of those factors. Reform is required.
While the political class has grown wealthy, with extraordinarily high salaries and benefits and fabulous retirement over the last 20 to 30 years, the county has grown poorer in compared to the state as a whole and the South in general. As a result, people have left and continue to leave.
That is the true state of the Adams County economy. You have to have good leaders. When you have poor leaders, they simply watch the decline occur and do nothing.
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by Peter Rinaldi
When I was growing up in CT in the 60’s, the Italian mafia got big. Drugs, gambling, prostitution, numbers, loan sharking, extortion. The fighting was fierce. A mob war left about 50 dead and wounded in a few years.
Eventually, the FBI arrested and broke up the gangs, putting the leaders and followers in jail, since local law enforcement was corrupt and ineffective. Everybody wanted the mafia gone, except the criminals and their families who lived from the illegal proceeds.
People didn’t say the bad guys were poor and had to steal or they came from broken homes and needed a second chance and sympathy. They were thugs, killers, thieves and drug dealers, worst of the worst. Scum. I would run across a few in New Haven and Waterbury.
These white, mostly Sicilian but some Italian thugs, were just like the black thugs we have now in Natchez. Misfits, immoral, crazy, evil, threatening or using violence and always carrying stolen or illegal guns. It took my home area about 15 years to make things safe. But it was finally accomplished.
So don’t give our Natchez area thugs any slack. Don’t make excuses. Put them in jail and keep them there for a long time. They ain’t poor, sad boys who deserve our loving help. They’re bad to the bone. Evil. They’ll kill you.
Get rid of them by giving them their 10-40 years. They’ve earned it.
Virgil Jackson
by Peter Rinaldi
Before riverfront development, Vidalia had a riverbank and a corps of engineers mat field. Basically, the riverfront flooded every so often and there was not much there.
But Virgil Jackson came back to his hometown and built the Comfort Suites hotel. It was a gigantic risk at the time. Because neither riverfront, Vidalia or Natchez, really had had much happening since the old Natchez Under the Hill washed away generations ago. The Lady Luck Casino and Virgil‘s hotel started to kick things off.
Virgil‘s investment of millions of dollars paid off for the community. He provided jobs, real estate taxes and sales taxes, and spurred others to invest in his dream, the Vidalia Riverfront.
Bryant Hammett was state representative at the time and delivered on much infrastructure for the riverfront, including a convention center. The Tillmans and other medical companies built swank facilities. An RV park was built south of town. Even a second hotel arrived. The riverfront became an amazing success story.
Virgil is 86 now and he’s talking about retiring and traveling. But his idea of retiring and traveling is probably our idea of working part time. I really think of him as a hero. He is a visionary and carried through on all his promises. He put Vidalia and the Miss-Lou. first.
In recent years, his Comfort Suites became the Clarion Suites. And as you know, he’s planning on selling the hotel to enjoy the next phase of his life.
Please wish him well and thank him for all he did for our communities. God bless.
by Peter Rinaldi
Jan Griffey of The Democrat contacted me today. She has written a story from an interview she had with Mayor Dan, in which he says, "I'm not a quitter!" Of course, nobody expects Dan to quit, as he was just reelected without opposition and got a pay boost from $68,000 to $99,200 a year. Very comfy. No quitting expected.
I haven't followed Jan's writing as much as other ND reporter-editors over the years, Generally, her paper has taken the editorial position over the decades that all our mayors are good public servants doing a good job. I don't know if Jan is continuing this policy or not. I do know she has an accomplished record as both a journalist and editor-manager.
I have taken a different view from the traditional ND opinion. I support Natchez not any mayor. So if a mayor does well, he deserves credit. And if he does a goof-up or does something stupid or dishonest, then I so mention.
Jan's article says Dan believes the town can support a rebuilt Tracetown and a new shopping center next to Walmart. He doesn't give an economic reason or any stats to support his view, just a summary of optimism and 'we will succeed despite the nay-sayers.'
Of course, it's not nay-saying to question assertions like 1) Let's rebuild a youth center for $900,000, when there are no programs, staff or extra money to run it. 2) Let's accept a dilapidated Fry Building, take it off the tax rolls and turn it into a parking lot. 3) Let's subsidize the Eola and rebuild it with tax dollars. 4) Let's borrow millions for repaving, the convention center rehab, Duncan Park and other parks, city hall upgrades, Silver St, riverboat docks, Morgantown Rd. and not worry about how it's going to be repaid. (Additionally, the length of the loans are longer than the expected life of the improvements.) 5) Let's keep spending, increasing the city's overhead and hope the tax assessor bails us out with increased property taxes on all decent properties. I
t's not nay-saying to question or criticize. It's normal or should be. Dan has revitalized city spirits. His can-do energy is appealing. But his picture-taking excess and praise given to unworthy scoundrels and the semi-talented has hurt him. His fibbing and bull throwing have begun to undercut his standing. Yet, I would still rank him as #1 or #2 in mayoral competency, with Butch Brown ranking there as well.
Take a moment to read Jan Griffey's article. It's interesting for what is said and what is unsaid. https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/.../does-trace-town.../
Please note that Mayor Dan has stated that the new shopping center next to Walmart is a great idea. So how much will this city land cost the developer? How many leases have actually been secured so far? What will be the city's share of the development costs, or will the developer pay his own costs, as he should? Show us the numbers! Again, this is not nay-saying, but appropriate questioning.
With the goofy statements that came out of city hall on the Eola deal, citizens should have justified concern and some worry. The mayor and aldermen have already proven they know little about the hotel business. It will be interesting to see if they manage this next shopping center development well or poorly. Giving out community awards, taking photos, ribbon-cuttings and speeches are great. And so are truthful statements, verifiable pledges and actual numbers. I
nquiring minds want to know.
by Peter Rinaldi
What’s always attracted me to Natchez was not its culture or history but its amazing differences.
When you know Natchez close up, you realize that there are all these mini groups of people sharing similar values, beliefs and habits. But the groups do not share the same aspirations or beliefs of other small groups. The diversity and disunity creates a sparkling yet sometimes chaotic atmosphere, entertaining and also frustrating.
The foundation of the town has always been its position as the largest small town in the area, the center or hub. And curiously, there’s no uniformity to the towns around us. Jonesville, Ferriday, Vidalia, Fayette, Meadville, Woodville are all amazingly unique, so different from each other.
In my 47 years of living in Natchez or writing about the area, my love affair with the place has never ebbed. Despite the economic slide and profound demographic adjustments, the difficulties and frustrations, I remain a big fan.
Eventually, I will run out of time, age or health will catch up with me, and I will end my work with my mission unaccomplished. I’ve always believed that Natchez needed a profound makeover to be successful. Revolution and reform. At the same time, I knew deep down that such positive changes were unlikely. Like Don Quixote, I’m always tilting at windmills. I’m a sad sack knight on the Great Quest or Crusade.
Behind the satirist, the cynic or critic is almost always an idealist who believes people should act well and perform magnificently, if real progress is to be made. My kids believe I am Natchez obsessed. My wife knows it’s worse than that. I’ve noticed there are a lot of people like me in Natchez, ridiculously critical but always hoping for and looking for evidence of the Great Economic and Cultural Redemption.
Years ago, I wrote a poem that after I die, I will come back to write one more blazing, well-written editorial and people will take it to heart. Natchez will change for the better. Angels will sing and money will fall down like rain from the clouds. Of course, such a fantasy is just that. But many of us actually think and hope for a similar happenstance. Maybe there are a few more Don Quixotes like me out there.
Yes, we are a town of Don Quixotes. We fight to make it right. And our delusion a source for misery, happiness and great expectation.
by Peter Rinaldi
People will have different views on this. Some will say crime, racism, poverty, immorality, the Russians, Democrats, Republicans, government corruption, etc. But to me, the worst problem we face as both residents of the Natchez area and as Americans is ignorance. I noticed a pronounced change in our society in the 1980’s.
Whereas, post war, our communities had been built on hard work, acquiring education and skills, by the 80’s, large numbers of people were middle class or better and the U.S. had the richest poor people in the world. I saw a change in people. They thought they could acquire the good life without work, sacrifice or knowledge.
A lot of parents lost the drive to push their kids toward education and careers. We had lost that sense of deprivation and fear from the Depression and WW2. Life was easy. As a society, we decided that public school education need not be competent. It was no longer a priority. America was at the top. Forty years later, we have educated two generations of students who cannot read, write and compute at grade level. They don’t understand history, economics, civics and have no concept on how to handle their own money.
So the gap between rich and upper middle class and poor has grown quite wide. With the failure of parenting and many public schools, kids and young adults have become less moral, more impulsive, less able and willing to work. They can’t dress, speak, write or even do simple math. They do not behave. They drink, drug and have irresponsible sex, which creates a generation of poorly performing kids who can’t cut it, because of absent sperm donor fathers.
American society and Natchez area society have suffered greatly because of the values, morals and behavior changes. The worst thing about being lacking knowledge and being truly ignorant is that those who are so affected don’t understand they lack knowledge or skill. That’s when the blame game starts. The unskilled can only succeed materially if someone or some agency gives them something they have not earned through work. They can survive through donations from parents, family or the government. And if that support is not overly generous, then others are at fault. It’s racism, Republicans, whites, blacks, government, society’s fault.
We need reparations or extra help of some kind, because we can’t make it on our own. Of course, the answer to this problem is simple. Children must achieve the same level or a higher education and skill level as their parents. That education had to be effective and competent. The individual has to work hard, use money wisely, not act impulsively and refrain from the misuse of drugs, alcohol and sex and should not commit crimes.
The successful path is based on honesty, education and work. Yes, a few of us will succeed because we can’t inherit or marry into a comfortable station in life. But most have to succeed by work and dedication over a long time. Large numbers, very large numbers of Natchezians and Americans are on the wrong path. We’re not on the path that worked for the nation in the 1940’s-1970’s. We’re on the path of the 1980’s and forward, a journey that ends in failure. Natchez is the perfect example of this. While we have many skilled, hard working and successful people in our community, those at the bottom of society are dragging us down, down, down, overwhelming the efforts of those hard workers.
The results are catastrophic. Depopulation occurs, as smart and aspiring people leave, fewer jobs, a poorer economy is here, more crime, failing schools and failing government, and even clubs, churches and charitable groups are falling apart.
Centuries ago, when the Visigoths were at the gates of Rome, the barbarians asked for a huge ransom in gold and silver. Otherwise, they would burn and sack the city. The Roman army and government had failed to protect the largest and wealthiest city in the world. With the barbarians at the gate, the citizens of the city, so used to the government taking care of them, demonstrated and rioted not because they wanted security and protection from the invaders, but because they wanted free bread. The rich people fled with their money and possessions. The ransom was not paid. The barbarians entered the city, burning about a third of it and killing 70,000 men, women and children. Several attacks later, Rome actually fell and its nation in the West was destroyed. But the barbarians only pushed over what had become a very weak civilization, a people who could not care for themselves.
Natchez and America share some similarities with Ancient Rome. Society had reached a peak of wealth, prosperity and success but large numbers of people became unproductive and dependent. They lacked skill and would not work. They spent too much time on pleasure and excess. In my heart and in my head, I know our situation is not as deep and dark as Rome. Salvation and remedy are possible. But I often question whether success will return. Like you, I think. I hope. I’m fearful but not certain of the outcome.
by Peter Rinaldi
Garbage trucks a threat to safety
Blind and dumb or complicit? American Insurance of Natchez confirms that one of their insured’s vehicles was hit and damaged by a Metro-United Infrastructure garbage truck here in Adams County.
After claiming it was insured, the company admitted it is not, a violation of state law. Adams County supervisors have known for some time that the garbage contractor was running uninsured trucks here and that those trucks were not compliant with DOT regulations either.
The county’s contract with the garbage hauler specifies it must carry the proper insurance both for vehicles and general liability. Since supervisors willingly allowed United to operate outside the law, there is the question whether county leaders negligence could lead to a suit against the county and the individual supervisors themselves, as they and taxpayers could be held liable for any serious injuries and damages resulting from an accident with the uninsured trucks.
Supervisors have purposely allowed United to ignore and violate state laws and failed to enforce provisions of the contract that would protect the public from grievous harm. By Mississippi law, supervisors themselves are generally protected from lawsuits for their governmental actions. But that protection ceases if supervisors are negligent and willingly complicit in illegal activity.
Supervisors Middleton and Wilson have stated they want to cancel United Infrastructure’s garbage collection contract for poor service.
But Supervisors Gaines, Hutchins and Gray have stuck with the company. Now we have learned that the trio knew the company had no vehicle insurance and that United’s trucks did not meet DOT’s safety and inspection regulations. Ouch!
Clearly, both United and supervisors are working together to violate the law, expose the county to legal jeopardy and put our citizens at risk. What’s wrong with these supervisors? What the heck are they thinking?
by Peter Rinaldi
Bordering the Mississippi River in the southwestern part of the state, Adams County, the first county organized in the Mississippi Territory, has played a crucial role for three centuries. From its importance in Native American history and its role as Fort Rosalie in the colonial period to its prominence as a center of Mississippi economic and political life in the early 1800s, from Natchez as an urban center in the middle of cotton wealth to cultural tourism in the mid-twentieth century and a major civil rights boycott in the 1960s, the region has been central to Mississippi’s history and identity.An ancient home of mound-building people, the area that became Adams County was by the early 1700s home to a confederation of Indian groups that included the Natchez.
Beginning in 1716, when French colonists established the Natchez District and built Fort Rosalie as a central governmental and military post, the Natchez and French came into contact and then conflict. French leaders first brought African slaves to the area in the 1720s. French economic interests included trading with the Natchez for deerskins and trying to grow tobacco, both for sale to European markets. In 1729 the Natchez attacked Fort Rosalie, killing more than 200 of the fort’s 750 residents and undermining some of the French interest in the area. War between the French (and their Choctaw allies) and the Natchez from 1729 to 1733 led to the enslaving of a number of the Natchez. Beginning in the 1730s, the Natchez began to break up into different groups, with some of them leaving the area and some forming alliances with the English.The successive European claims to the Mississippi River Valley meant that Natchez had multiple influences and complex demography from early in its history. The French and Africans and various Native American groups had a presence in the county in the 1730s, followed by English and then Spanish colonists. The Spanish period from the 1760s to the 1790s left a major mark on Adams County.
Spanish governor Manuel Gayoso de Lemos had authority in Natchez territory from 1789 to 1798, when the region came under US control. Gayoso encouraged agricultural experimentation, planned a set of avenues for the city of Natchez, and welcomed many of the groups that gave Natchez its distinctive character.Cotton, slavery, and trade on the Mississippi River revolutionized life in the early national period. Tobacco and especially cattle were key to the area’s economy in the late 1700s, and population increased dramatically after farmers in the Natchez area first grew cotton successfully in the 1790s. Natchez developed one of Mississippi’s first slave markets at the Forks of the Road, and it often held several hundred slaves at a time.In the late colonial and early national periods,
Natchez was Mississippi’s center for government, education, science, and religion, as well as for slave trading and the wealth generated by plantation agriculture and commerce. Founded in 1799 in the Mississippi Territory, Adams County was named for the nation’s second president. From the first territorial census in 1792 through 1840, Adams County had the highest population in Mississippi, with slaves accounting for between 42 and 52 percent of residents. As a meeting place, Adams County became crucial to movement on the Mississippi River and as the end point of the Natchez Trace. The area called Natchez Under-the-Hill became a temporary home for many steamboat workers, travelers, and gamblers.The Natchez District was home to Mississippi’s first territorial government, and many the members of Mississippi’s political elite resided in the area. George Poindexter moved to Adams County in 1802 and became territorial attorney general in 1803, representative to the General Assembly in 1806, and the state’s second governor in 1820. William Bayard Shields arrived in Adams County in 1803 and served in a series of positions dealing with land, banking, and the law, becoming the state’s first chief justice in 1817.
Conflict between Natchez elites and other Mississippi voters and political voices began in the 1790s and continued through the movement of the capital to Jackson in 1820.With the French and then the Spanish presence, Natchez in the 1700s was the home of Mississippi’s first small group of Catholic settlers. All of the Protestant groups that ultimately grew to dominate much of Mississippi church life set up establishments in early Adams County. Baptists came to the area in 1799, and Tobias Gibson formed the first Methodist church in Washington in 1799. In 1807 James Smylie helped start the first Presbyterian group in Mississippi outside Washington. In addition, Jewish services were held in Natchez beginning around 1800.
From 1800 to 1820 Adams County’s population grew from 4,660 to 12,076, with its slave population far outnumbering whites or free blacks. In 1820 the county’s population consisted of 4,005 whites, 118 free blacks, and 7,953 slaves. With the growing cosmopolitan center of Natchez and the remarkably profitable large cotton plantations surrounding it, Adams County possessed a unique combination of urbanity and large-scale plantation slavery. For example, Adams County had far more people employed in manufacturing and commerce than any other county, and most of Mississippi’s planters who owned more than 250 slaves lived in Natchez. Adams County was one of the nation’s wealthiest areas and various commercial enterprises were established as a result. Publisher Andrew Marschalk, sometimes called the Father of Mississippi Journalism, started several newspapers in the area, including the Mississippi Gazette, which he founded in Natchez in 1802. The state’s first bank, the Bank of Mississippi, opened in Natchez in 1809, and Mississippi’s first academy, the Ker School, opened in Natchez in 1801. The territory’s first college, Jefferson College, opened in Washington in 1802, and Elizabeth Female Academy opened there in 1818.Architecture marked and continues to distinguish Natchez. The combination of wealth, ambition, cosmopolitan tastes, and skilled craftspeople shows in numerous homes built in the early and mid-1800s, many of them large brick buildings with distinctive names. The styles shifted from Federal to Greek Revival to Italianate, often with unique artistic touches.In the 1830s and 1840s Adams County’s importance within the state had begun to wane a bit, but it remained the county with the most residents, including the most slaves.
In 1840 the county had 4,910 free whites, 283 free blacks, and 14,241 slaves. The most famous free African American in the county was William Johnson, known as the Barber of Natchez, who owned multiple businesses and left a diary detailing life in the city. Adams County trailed only Warren County in number of commercial and manufacturing workers in the state. A sprawling sawmill operation owned by Andrew Brown was one of the largest businesses in Mississippi, which helped rank Adams County among the leaders in the lumber industry.On the eve of the Civil War, Adams County remained home to both slave plantations and city dwellers, but while many areas of the state had seen dramatic population growth, Adams County stagnated in the prewar years. With 5,648 free whites, 225 free blacks (by far the state’s largest such population), and 14,292 slaves in 1860, the population had hardly changed since 1840. What had been the richest place in Mississippi, with the biggest houses, the wealthiest people, and the most productive cotton plantations (with the highest numbers of slaves), now ranked in the middle of the state’s counties in the value and productivity of farm property—seventh in cotton production, thirtieth in corn production, and twenty-seventh in value of livestock. Fourteen counties had larger populations.With a population of 6,612, Natchez nevertheless remained Mississippi’s largest city in 1860. Whereas foreign-born immigrants were rare in most of Mississippi, Natchez had 767 foreign-born men and 475 women, the state’s largest immigrant population. Many of the foreign-born were Irish workers.Adams County stood as a striking exception to the Methodist and Baptist domination of the state’s religion. In 1860 census takers counted just six churches in Adams—two Presbyterian churches, one Episcopal, one Baptist, one Methodist, and one Catholic. However, these churches were larger than most of the state’s other congregations.
Among the many notable individuals in antebellum Natchez were Varina Howell, who married Jefferson Davis in 1845 and eventually became the only First Lady of the Confederate States of America, and Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, who was born a slave and became a popular opera singer in both the United States and England. Natchez native John F. H. Claiborne was a political figure and newspaperman who became an important postbellum historian of Mississippi.After the Civil War and emancipation, Adams County retained a large African American majority. The county was briefly a center for African American politics, with Natchez minister and educator Hiram Rhoades Revels serving briefly as Mississippi’s first African American senator in 1870–71. Revels later became the first president of Alcorn College. John Roy Lynch, who like Revels arrived in Natchez during the Civil War, became the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives and then a member of the US Congress from 1873 to 1877.
Although Adams County had many of the largest plantations in the antebellum period, its farming people worked on some of the smallest farms in the state after the war. Only four counties had average farm sizes smaller than Adams County’s 104 acres. The transformation of large plantations into small farms was accompanied by a dramatic increase in sharecropping. About two-thirds of the county’s farmers—the highest percentage in the state in 1880—worked for shares.Postbellum Adams County nevertheless remained one of the state’s leading centers for manufacturing and a destination for immigrant workers. In 1880 Adams County manufacturers employed 417 workers, the second-highest number in the state, and the county’s 619 foreign-born men and women (most of them from Ireland, Germany, England, and Italy) gave it the state’s largest nonnative population.
By 1900 the average farm size in Adams County had dropped to fifty-five acres, as the increasing use of sharecropping and especially tenancy divided land into even smaller units. The county’s population of 30,111 included more than 24,000 African Americans, and only 6 percent of the African Americans who farmed were landowners. Natchez remained one of the state’s larger cities, and Adams County continued to have substantial numbers of foreign-born residents (443) and industrial workers (811).In the early twentieth century Adams County in many ways remained unique by Mississippi standards, and religion was one of the clearest manifestations of that uniqueness. In 1916 Adams ranked very low in the number of Southern Baptists (420) but third in the number of Episcopalians (463) and fourth in the number of Catholics (2,533). African Americans comprised the majority of Adams’s churchgoers. The largest group in the county was the National Baptist Convention (3,800 members), while the African Methodist Episcopal Church had a sizable membership.
Early twentieth-century Adams County was home to a number of notable and creative individuals. Residing in Natchez were editor and Prohibition leader Harriet B. Kells, prolific adventure novelist Prentiss Ingraham, and writer Alice Walworth Graham, who set some of her romance novels on the area’s plantations.Two of Mississippi’s most important efforts to preserve particular visions of the state’s history started in Natchez.
In the 1930s Natchez women led by Katherine Grafton Miller began marketing their city as a destination for tourists who wanted to experience antebellum homes and their history. In the same decade Roane Byrnes Fleming began work that eventually led to the creation of the Natchez Trace Parkway, offering both natural beauty and historic travel.At the time of the Great Depression, Adams County retained a largely agricultural economy, but 12,608 of its 23,564 residents lived in Natchez, making it one of only three Mississippi counties in which a majority of the population lived in urban areas.
African Americans made up about two-thirds of the county’s population, while the remainder featured greater ethnic diversity than existed in much of the rest of Mississippi, with a substantial number of immigrants, especially from Italy. Businesses in Adams County employed about 800 industrial workers, many of them in sawmills and a creamery. Tenants operated 80 percent of the county’s farms, which concentrated on growing cotton.
By 1960 Adams County’s population had grown to 37,730, with whites achieving a slim majority (50.5 percent) for the first time as a consequence of African American out-migration as well as an increase in the white population. Agricultural labor had declined to one of the lowest percentages in the state, and a majority of workers were employed in manufacturing. Over the next two decades, Adams County experienced an 82 percent increase in manufacturing jobs, and it ranked seventh in the state in per capita income and second in retail sales. Adams was home to Armstrong Tire and Rubber, one of the larger factories that moved to Mississippi as part of the Balance Agriculture with Industry plan. The county also had the highest value of mineral production in the state, mostly petroleum from its thirty-four proven oil wells.
In the 1950s and 1960s Adams County played a significant role in both civil rights activism and opposition to civil rights. The county’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) demanded desegregated schools immediately after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. Ten years later, shortly after local NAACP president George Metcalfe attended a Natchez school board meeting to ask for the desegregation of schools, he was injured by a car bomb, and activists in several groups, including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), responded with a long boycott of white-owned stores. The Americans for the Preservation of the White Race formed in 1963 in a gas station outside Natchez, and the city’s Ku Klux Klan was among the strongest and most active in the state, with members responsible for several murders, including that of Wharlest Jackson, a black man whose truck was bombed after he was promoted over two white men at a factory in 1967.
Because of the constant threat of violence, black men in Natchez welcomed a chapter of the Deacons of Defense and Justice, a militant organization that pledged to protect the black community by using violence if necessary. SNCC, the Congress of Racial Equality, and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party did not attempt mass mobilization in Natchez until they had undertaken efforts in the rest of the state.Like many of the state’s Mississippi River counties,
Adams County’s 2010 population had decreased by about 15 percent over the previous half century, reaching 32,297, most of them African Americans. The county also featured a small but significant Latino minority, about 6.5 percent of the population. With historical attractions, pilgrimage tours, museums, and festivals, Adams County is one of Mississippi’s leaders in the arts and cultural tourism.
by Peter Rinaldi
Many locals believe Vidalia kids should not be transferred to Ferriday schools, and that it is counter productive to send kids from middling performing schools to lower performing schools. Louisiana modified its A-B-C-D-F grading system a few years ago to include more specific scoring. The Louisiana Believes School Performance Score, SPS, is compiled from LEAP tests, growth, dropout rates, graduation rates, ACT scores, skills tests, interests and opportunities and other factors. Scores range from 60-150, the state average being 80.2.
Academic Watch 60.0-74.9
One Star 60.0-79.9
Two Stars 80.0-99.9
Three Stars 100-119.9
Four Stars 120.0-139.9
Five Stars 140.0-150.0
Ferriday High 66.9--C
Ferriday Junior High 49.2--F
Ferriday Lower Elementary 58.2--D
Ferriday Upper Elementary 56.1--D
Monterey 100.2--A
Vidalia High 81.4--B
Vidalia Junior High 68.1--C
Vidalia Lower Elementary 74.2--C
Vidalia Upper Elementary 74.2--C
Monterey is holding up the entire district, Ferriday schools are in crisis and Vidalia Grades 3-8 are showing signs of deterioration compared to years ago. Vidalia schools all rank above Ferriday schools. We not consider the Concordia schools good until 50 percent of students perform at or above grade level (mastery and advanced).
If some folks want to be satisfied with mediocre or poor results, that's their choice. This has nothing to do with race. It's all about performance and skill. We should not accept the propaganda that coming from the district office that things are moving along nicely.
Unfortunately, it appears both the Sentinel and Democrat routinely spread this bull to make people feel good and to curry favor with their news sources. A great disservice. All you need to do is check the state's website to see if the district's claims are true. Often they are not or twisted to serve the propagandists' needs. It appears the state says Monterey and Vidalia High are good schools.
And the rest are not so good and need much improvement. The kids are not getting what they deserve. Reform is necessary.
by Peter Rinaldi
I still haven’t figured out why a parent who values a good education for his or her child would ever send that child to a school graded by the state as a C, D or F school, where the school ranks in the bottom 50 percent of schools in the state.
If I couldn’t afford a private school or get my kid in Delta Charter or move to Monterey, I would get a second job, ask relatives for a stipend or move to where schools are acknowledged as good. I wouldn’t send my kids to Natchez public schools either, other than Natchez Early College. I don’t understand this complacency to accept what both states say is a substandard education compared to other communities.
I can understand why Vidalia parents would not want to send their kids to Ferriday High, because it does not rank as highly as Vidalia. But I don’t understand why a lot of Ferriday parents won’t enroll their kids in Delta Charter as an academic step up from Ferriday. Why not send your kid to a better school for FREE?
The school board has its back against the wall for several reasons. The district and a series of superintendents delayed desegregation for many years. As a matter of fact, the district spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of effort trying to destroy Delta Charter before it got started, wasting resources that should have been spent elsewhere, like on a viable desegregation plan.
So now, the game is over. The feds are tired of waiting. And Toya and the school board are willing to use some Vidalia kids as sacrificial lambs to cover their own failures.
Toya said when she got her salary renewal at above $120,000 a year and a three-year contract extension, that she had a continuing commitment to excellence. The board make like her. She may be competent. But there is not excellence in the system at this point, as so few kids score at “advanced” or “mastery” within all schools except Monterey.
I would invite parents to read the specifics on their school that are available for both Concordia and Adams schools on the state department of education websites. If you have trouble discerning the complexity and all the details, let me know and I will send you a summary for your school.
Frankly, I don’t think excuses cut it. The two systems, Concordia and Adams together, are spending more than $135 million each year to educate 5000 students. The results for the money spent are terrible, and the states have pointed out the weaknesses.
We’re not going to ever have successful communities economically, unless this lackluster performance is fixed. And pushing a few kids from Vidalia to Ferriday in a racial juggling act just makes things worse.
by Peter Rinaldi
When Judge Audrey Minor retired, she said it was for health reasons. But in fact, she retired because she was about to be kicked out of her job by the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance for serious wrongdoing.
Testimony by a former justice court judge, a justice court clerk and several other Adams County residents indicated that Minor was violating the law in the way she handled cases. The allegations were serious, provable, but the Ethics Commission decided not to publicly release the facts from its investigation and scheduled closed door hearing.
Minor resigned but not before her own chief clerk filed suit against her and the county for wrongfully disciplining the clerk. Minor had convinced supervisors that her clerk was doing a bad job, when, in fact, the clerk knew Minor was misbehaving. Eventually, supervisors realized that it was Minor in the wrong but not before the judge resigned and retired.
Minor's difficulties began a long time ago when she was assistant justice court clerk, serving under Clerk Betty Stiles, Judges Patricia Dunmore and Charlie Vess. County Administrator Cathy Walker told Supervisors Lazarus, Watts, Felter, Campbell and Grennell that a few hundred dollars was missing from the justice court till. Minor made repayment of approximately $100. A follow up audit revealed no additional monies missing. Despite the missing money and repayment, no disciplinary action was taken, as Campbell and Grennell felt Minor should be given any benefit of doubt.
In 2017, Minor was still jusice court clerk and Judge Patricia Dunmore issued a warrant for the arrest of Minor's son, Edwin B. Smith Jr. Smith had apparently shot at a man at the victim's home on Saragossa Rd. At least four shots were fired, so Dunmore issued a warrant for Smith's arrest for shooting into an occupied dwelling.
Normal procedure would call for the warrant to be given to the justice court clerk and the clerk to give the warrant to the sheriff's office. But Smith was never arrested. Whether Minor as justice court clerk unlawfully held the warrant or the deputies got the warrant and failed to carry out the arrest is uncertain. Dunmore is deceased. Retired Judge Charlie Vess said he didn't know about the case until I mentioned it. I've sent two requests with questions to Sheriff Patten about the warrant. He has not replied as yet. At this point, the statute of limitations on the alleged crime has passed, so no legal action can be taken. I did a quick check Smith's subsequent record. I see no other criminal acts.
Minor's son, Edwin Smith, was eventually hired by our county supervisors to serve as their IT director from approximately 2020-2022. The shooting was not disclosed prior to his hiring. Some of the supervisors knew Smith and Minor were son and mother. Some did not. Justice court clerks allege that that while Smith was county IT director, he would work late at night in justice court and that computer files were moved, so that now Justice Court Judge Minor could attend to cases in which the plaintiffs or defendants were friends. The cases were allegedly moved from Judge Eileen Maher to Judge Minor. This is an allegation not proved. Since the clerks' evidence and Judge Maher's evidence has not been released by the state, we're left in the dark as to specifics and proof. But Adams County supervisors are aware of these allegations. I would like to know which cases were moved and when and by whom, for sure. I believe this information was submitted to the state prior to Minor;s hearing.
It is surprising to me that Supervisors Gaines, Gray and Hutchins, who initially and adamantly criticized their current justice court clerk and so sided with the now disgraced Judge Minor, that they have not issued a public apology or statement on this mess. I'm going to ask Supervisors Middleton and Wilson what they think of this mystery and wrongdoing. I am already aware that they did not know of Smith being Minor's son, nor did they know of the shooting before Smith was hired as IT director.
As a postscript, I have also talked in detail to the victim of the shooting and gotten all the details as to what happened on the day of the shooting. His information is truthful and supported by the arrest warrant. Also, if Sheriff Patten replies to my queries, I will let you know. It would paint a more complete picture if we knew if the wrrant was delivered to SO or not.
by Peter Rinaldi
Just before Thanksgiving, the Legislative Auditor released the 2022 CPA report and audit. Yes, 2022. Tte town should have also issued its 2023 report by now. But its management by both former Mayor Rydell Turner and the council were inadequate, with the leaders routinely violating state law.
Negative findings from the audit said: The Town could not supply the auditor documentation related to franchise tax receivables, contracts for services, grant agreements, fixed asset purchases including bid process, invoices or similar documentation on expenditures, retirement plan submissions, rental income, accounts payable, pledged assets, and grant tracking. The Town had an unfavorable expenditure variance of $412,950 or 14.5% for the year ended June 30, 2022.
The Town operated without a budget for eight months of the fiscal year. Minutes of several council meeting from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022 could not be produced. The Town did not remit Safe Drinking Water fee payments to the state since 2017.
The Town did not remit the funds due to the various judicial and law enforcement agencies for the charges/tickets paid during the year. The Town did not timely file their financial statements with the Legislative Auditor on a timely basis.
The Town's bank account that holds utility deposits is less than the schedule of utility customer deposits. The Town could not supply documentation on grants received and tracking of expenditures and grant restrictions.
The Town could not supply documentation that it complied with Louisiana Bid Law in the purchasing of several assets during the fiscal year. The Town is not depositing the correct amount of funds in the required bank accounts to meet bond requirements. The Town's bank account that holds utility deposits is less than the schedule of utility customer deposits.
The town council has proposed three tax issues for Dec 7, because the town cannot pay its bills.
Ferriday is close to insolvency. And the only option leadership has is to cut expenses by $500,000, eliminating the police department and turning over enforcement duties to the sheriff's office for a fee of $450,000 annually. The own must increase its water and sewer rates to cover a $215,000 annual loss. The town only has $149,000 in cash available for unrestricted use, which is much too little to operate and pay bills timely. Even if the voters pass all three punitive tax measures, the town is going to run out of money before the new revenues are collected and benefits from bond refinancing take effect.
by Peter Rinaldi
Social problems lead to crime.
I was asked today what can be done in Natchez -Adams to cure its violent crime problem. Of course, we’re a lot more dangerous than most towns across the USA. And while crime is not a Black problem because about 25-30 percent of our felony offenders are White, the majority of our local violent offenders are Black.
So why is that?
1. Criminals, regardless of race, do not hold high religious values or believe in exhibiting good morals. They believe in doing what they want, when they want and don’t figure they’ll get caught if punished. No matter whether you’re rich or poor, college educated or illiterate, from a great family or a rotten one, if you carry God or profound humanistic and socially conscious values with you, you’re probably not going to become a gangster. Nothing like the 10 Commandments. Still a good guide to a wonderful life.
2. Natchez public schools provide a substandard education with only 25-35 percent of students able to perform at or above grade level. When kids get a lousy education and/or the kids and parents do not see the value in getting an excellent education, then over time, hundreds and eventually thousands of kids are not skilled and not able to compete successfully in job markets. They make poor employees and earn less. They are more likely to commit crime as they are growing up.
3. Many women, including the far majority of Black women in our community, have their babies without marriage, out of wedlock. The last time I looked, about 72 percent of local Black women were single when their babies were born. And the percentage of White females doing the same is rising, about 36 percent. Regardless of a woman’s race, if she goes through sex partners and there is no father figure helping to raise male children, there is often trouble ahead.
You can look up the national stats yourself. The children of unwed moms are more likely to be poorly educated, not as likely to be successful career-wise and more likely to commit crime and end up in jail than those that come from two parent, male and female, married families.
4. The Democratic welfare state has substituted subsidy for self-reliance. As long as you remain single and poor, the government will subsidize your poverty with all kinds of programs and benefits. Meant to help those on the bottom of the economic ladder, the beneficiaries will lose most or all of their benefits if their incomes increase with two working parents. These subsidies work against raising children properly because the subsidies are small. The subsidies guarantee poverty. But there are way too many families in our county on partial to significant government help, which damages the woman’s career, skill and earning abilities. So, there you have it. To fight the crime wave, you have to believe in God and act like you do; get a solid education for career building and get married before having kids.
To add a postscript, let me be absolutely clear. If 72 percent of White, Asian, Hispanic or Martian women popped so many babies out of wedlock, didn’t get married first before having kids, their kids got a stinking education, and they didn’t follow God’s word, they’d be in the same mess and committing crimes like crazy.
But in the past two generations in Natchez Adams, most of our White, Hispanic and Asian kids come from married parents (at least initially), got a decent or good education at AC, Trinity or Cathedral, religious and moral behavior were part of school training as well as at home, and the kids were raised by married parents.
Of course, many single moms, regardless of race, are excellent parents, raise their kids properly without government assistance and have high moral and religious values. But it’s not their kids causing the stink and the trouble.
Those are the main problems that contribute to crime here and in many crime ridden towns across the country. How can this be corrected when people persist in making bad or poor choices?
I started seeing this big time back in 2010. So I wrote about it and how it was affecting us in Natchez. The changes were a slap in the face, a sign of self destruction. It seems like the changes have become even more etched in our local society since 2010. And so we will continue to fail, if these conditions are not remedied.
There are a few positive signs. Local Black illegitimacy declined from 80 percent to 72 percent in recent years. Natchez High started a small but successful Early College program with Co-Lin that’s outstanding. I’m not sure how we’re doing with morals and obeying God. I see the ways locals behave on FB with swearing and threats and the plethora of misdemeanor and felony crimes committed in town and I would conclude morals are not so hot.
But I do remember growing up in the 1960’s and coming to Natchez in the late 1970’s. Crime was much less. People behaved better. A higher standard of excellence and morals were promoted by families, schools, businesses and society generally.
I’m hoping for a change but not expecting one.
by Peter Rinaldi
Felicia Irving
Mississippi has tightened its rules on conflicts of interest. The Attorney General and the Ethics Commission has advised the Natchez aldermen and Adams supervisors they should not sit in on meetings where they could personally benefit or their relatives could benefit from the discussions.
So Supervisor Kevin Wilson leaves the meeting room when discussions of his planned oil disposal site occur. Alderwoman Felicia Irving has a relative in the fire department. So she cannot vote on fire department policy or fire budget issues. But she refuses to leave the room as suggested by the AG and the Ethics Commission.
She says she’s not trying to gain advantage for herself or her family but simply represent her ward at the meetings. Her refusal is expected to bring a complaint to and investigation by the state. If the state decides to sanction her, she can be fined or suspended from office. If she refuses to comply a second time, she can be removed from office.
Irving said at the aldermen’s meeting that she will not comply.
by Peter Rinaldi
Tony Heidelberg, Shameca Collins, Danny Barber
County Prosecutor Tony Heidelberg is in a tough situation. He’s supposed to get appropriate and sometimes high or no bonds on serious violent and repeat offenders. Heidelberg’s job includes recommending to the Justice Court Judge the appropriate or no bond for the arrested criminal at the preliminary hearing. Tony is smart and able. He knows the ropes. And he has served as both prosecutor and defense attorney. So he understands the mechanics and what needs to be done.
But if he allows Justice Court Judge Shameca Collins to operate like she did as District Attorney, then the revolving door of felony offenders committing crime after crime will return. He can’t control Shameca. But he can influence her and place before the court incontrovertible evidence that the accused felon is very dangerous to society or maybe not as dangerous as some.
When county supervisors appointed Collins, they poked a finger in the eye of voters, saying “We don’t care if you want law and order, we want Shameca because she’s a political insider, one of us! If you don’t like our crime, move to Vidalia.” Supervisors ignored voters. The voters said she was lousy at her job and overwhelmingly chose Tim Cotton as DA because Collins was such a failure.
Meanwhile, citizens are content that Judge Danny Barber continues to place appropriate bonds on those arrested, whether they are white, black, rich, poor. He looks at the accused felon’s history. Has the accused been arrested and convicted before? Is he a flight risk? Is he liable to commit another crime? Is he a threat to the community? Barber’s recent return to the bench has helped Adams County. His bonding practices have been right on the mark.
But what will Tony as Prosecutor do? Will he just flow along with the normal Collins behavior? Or will he stand up for law and order and use his office to protect our citizens? Inquiring minds want to know.
For more information, go to https://www.bcbsms.com/
by Peter Rinaldi
The City of Natchez released its 2023 Silas Simmons audit, with city officials and subsequently, The Democrat, saying the city received a "clean" audit. This was a false statement, as the CPAs noted problems in bookkeeping and accounting for which the mayor, aldermen, city clerk and staff are responsible. The six major problems and findings are quoted verbatim from the audit report.
Problem 1: Some City bank accounts are not being properly reconciled to the general ledger accurately or in a timely manner. This internal control deficiency is causing the City's general ledger balances to be incorrect throughout the year. When accounts are not reconciled, it increases the likelihood that a misstatement will occur and not be prevented, or detected and corrected, on a timely basis. Timely reconciliation of bank accounts to the general ledger is a key component of any adequate system of internal control. Reconciliations should be prepared to ensure that (1) all cash receipts, disbursements, and transfers are recorded; (2) checks are clearing the bank in a reasonable time; (3) reconciling items are appropriate and are being recorded; and (4) the reconciled cash balance agrees to the general ledger cash balance.
Problem 2: In some instances, transactions are not being recorded to the City's general ledger in a timely manner. In some instances, transactions recording and other accounting errors are not identified in a timely manner. Transactions should be recorded to the City's general ledger at the time of initiation. General ledger account balances and general ledger transaction detail should be reviewed on a timely and ongoing basis.
Problem 3: A subsidiary record of all interfund transfers, interfund loans, and interfund advances not maintained by the City's accounting department. An accurate schedule of all of interfund activity that reconciles to the general ledger is necessary for City management and the Board of Aldermen to know the financial resources available for each fund.
Problem 4: During the process of obtaining an understanding of internal control in planning the audit, assessing control risk, and assessing fraud risk, a lack of segregation of duties was noted. Specifically, it was noted that the City Clerk was responsible for initiating, recording, authorizing, and reconciling cash transactions pertaining to the fiscal year. Segregation of duties is a key component of any internal control environment, with the primary objective being the prevention of fraud and errors. The objective is achieved through the separation of the functional responsibilities of a financial transaction among different individuals. Ideally, no single individual should be able to initiate, record, authorize, and reconcile any one transaction.
Problem 5: The City's Single Audit was not filed with the Federal Audit Clearinghouse by June 30, 2024. Criteria In general, 0MB Circular A-133 requires any nonfederal entity that expends $750,000 or more in federal awards in a fiscal year to have a Single Audit. The Single Audit must be completed and submitted to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse within nine months of the end of the entity's fiscal year. In addition to the Single Audit requirement, 0MB Circular A-133 requires an audit of the entity's financial statements for the same fiscal year as the Single Audit.
Problem 6: We noted instances of adjusting journal entries recorded in the City's accounting records that lacked an adequate description and proper documentation. Further, the City does not have a formal set of policies and procedures in place to track and account for adjusting journal entries. Criteria Adjusting journal entries are prepared for transactions that have not been recorded in the accounting records through another process or to correctly restate an account balance or previously recorded transaction. Policies and procedures specific to adjusting journal entries are necessary to ensure that any journal entries posted to the City's general ledger are properly prepared, documented, reviewed, approved, and recorded.
Editor's note: The city says it will fix these problems, which occur year after year, every year since the current administration took office. The city says its 'turnover in accounting staff, limited accounting staff, and accounting staff with limited training and experience resulted in these problems,' and the City Clerk will prevent these problems from occurring in the future.
by Peter Rinaldi
by Peter Rinaldi
by Peter Rinaldi
by Peter Rinaldi
by Peter Rinaldi
Industry and families look at property tax rates when locating in a community. The lower the millage rate the better. But the method of determining assessed value is equally important. Alabama has the second lowest property taxes in the nation which has contributed to a boom in development.
What are relocating businesses and families looking for? 1) An already growing job market 2) Access to good, new housing, both for rental and purchase. 3) A skilled or semi skilled workforce large enough to support new industry and new commercial ventures. 4) access to highways and railroads. 5) Good public schools. 6) Good community cultural activities and recreation. 7) Access to medical care including specialists. 8 Low crime. 9) Favorable government including good services (police, fire, streets, utilities.) and 10) modest taxes.
Look at the prevailing millage rates. These millage rates do not include city taxes. Lincoln 108 mills, Copiah 112 mills, Warren 117 mills, Adams 126 mills, Pike 136 mills.
Adams and Pike counties have already priced themselves out of the market. And when you add in the other aforementioned factors, it makes Adams disadvantaged. Only in category 6, in recreation and cultural activities, does Adams outshine its immediate and nearby competitors.
Adams is not just in competition with Southwest Miss. but the entire South, including NC, FL, AL. Even in our own state, places like DeSoto, Rankin, Madison, Lafayette and our Gulf Coast counties are growing quickly, while we have lost more than 20 percent of our jobs and people in recent years.
People get so frustrated with agencies like Natchez Inc., because honestly, it’s not possible for it to bring an economic revival because of all the factors necessary to recruit new jobs. So Natchez Inc. lies about its success or lack of to keep political support and funding. When a community like Adams has higher taxes, it guarantees that those looking for new locations will take a more in depth look at other communities. A higher millage rate combined with the current punitive reassessment program absolutely guarantees that those within your community with good resources will look elsewhere for a better quality of life as well as a lower tax bite.
About 30 percent of Adams County residents are below the poverty line. Higher millage and assessments impact the poor even more greatly, increasing their housing and vehicle costs. Current Adams County tax policy, which includes the city tax structure on top of the county millage, is truly detrimental to living with some level of economic security for poor folks. Half of our households earn less than $37,000 a year. That’s rough. Hard to raise a family of two, three or four on less than $37,000.
Combined with a job market than pays less than the going rate compared to other parts of the South, you can see why the outflow of residents, including those with the lowest incomes, has been so pronounced since the 1980’s. By itself, restructuring tax policy will not turn a declining community into a growing one. However, punitive taxes always make things worse not better. Reassessment and millage increases have pushed the Adams County budgets, including city, county and schools beyond $170 million, up 50 percent in five years. This increase in revenue includes huge federal and state COVID subsidies that will be disappearing. Then what will local governments do? Tax citizens even more?
by Peter Rinaldi
My first experience studying Mississippi goes back to 1972-1973, when I was in college in Maine and studied black history in Mississippi during the Civil War and Reconstruction extended into the Jim Crow era 1861-1890. I had never lived south of Connecticut when I actually moved to Natchez in 1978. What surprised me when I got here is that tourism was so successful based on an anti-historical and romanticized view of the era of the planter society pre-Civil War.
The hoopla and hoopskirts, Confederate uniforms and fancy Pilgrimage dresses seemed to satisfy the tourists. By the mid-1990s, it was obvious that tourists’ desires were changing. The bus tours had fallen away due to overregulation and competition from other Southern markets. There was a need to deal with that change, which included a realistic view of the history itself. That was not provided. It was still hoopskirts, Confederate uniforms and pageants forever! So the pageants began to fail, Fall Pilgrimage started falling apart and even Spring Pilgrimage declined.
It wasn’t until the 2000’s that Natchez decided it might throw in some black history, and that was done haphazardly, without much money and done by people who actually had practically no knowledge of our black history. But of course, while history can be separated into segments for study, such as planter society or slavery history by itself, it actually occurs in one big jumble all together at once and the different segments are interdependent and interrelated.
There are three major occurrences in travel in the 1990’s and 2000’s that affected Natchez that did not bring rewards. First, Americans got incredibly wealthy as a society, which meant there was much more travel with that growth in income. Second, Natchez replaced its outmoded and antiquated hotel facilities with new, modern hotels that were equal to competitor cities. And third, many of the old homes changed ownership. Rich outsiders came in, spent millions and millions on redoing their homes and gardens. Those properties are now in the best state they’ve ever been in. But still the tourism isn’t what it used to be. Why is that? I would suggest that Natchez had been slow to tell its real historical story to travelers, which should include the heyday of planter society, slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow era and even the civil rights struggle of the 1960’s.
People and tourists want the real deal, real history. And the historical experience should also be interactive. While much of the U.S. has developed interactive historical experiences, Natchez generally has not. There is good reason why our cemetery tour with locals acting as the costumed persons buried there is so successful and yet guided tours of fancy houses are actually seeing fewer and fewer numbers.
Also, we have segregated the history experience. White folks generally run the whitey Pilgrimage and black folks generally run the black history offerings, with the real history often lost. That’s one thing the Natchez National Park does not do. And it’s one reason why the Park is the number one draw in town. But as you know, the locals and the National Park don’t really work together. It’s almost as if they are in separate worlds.
As witness to our current predicament, we’ve had no visitors or welcome center operating for nearly a year. The new Depot Center is open just six days a week and there is practically no signage or online presence to announce its operation. The garden clubs, their tour agencies and Visit Natchez do not coordinate their message or activity. And the new emphasis on black history is done in such amateurish fashion to be inconsequential. And the National Park Service continues to operate in its own universe. While the fixes to these problems can be debated, the problems at the very least, are more than obvious. As a minor suggestion, I would venture that the Natchez visitor experience should be based on actual history versus fantasy and that the historical experience must be interactive not just passive.
Truth Lounge
by Peter Rinaldi
The Natchez Planning Commission will discuss Truth Lounge at its meeting this week in light of a shooting that occurred at a nearby parking lot during bar hours. The Franklin at South MLK area has become a hang out spot since the lounge opened. More than a dozen shots were fired and one person wounded recently. Law enforcement has ignored loitering, drug use, illegal drinking, trespassing, illegal parking, noise violations , blocking roadways, and the area has turned into a late night festival for weekend bad behavior.
The city had generally taken a hands off policy since the bar owners filed suit against public officials. The Planning Commission can put restrictions on the bar’s operations and the aldermen can review, adopt or reject the Commission’s rulings.
During the Grennell and Gibson administrations, the mayor and aldermen haven’t done that much about fighting the violent crime wave other than change police chiefs four times in eight years. General policy has been the same at Truth Lounge as in other parts of the city: Whatever happens, just happens.
Some city residents claim that the black-owned bar with mostly black patrons has been singled out for unfair and racist treatment. But actually, the incidence of stabbings and shootings in Natchez-Adams County bars have occurred in bars that have a majority black customer base.
Both Sheriff Patten and Police Chief Green have previously expressed their concerns about law breaking and violence at and near Truth. The sheriff and chief are both black and unlikely to discriminate against black entrepreneurs and their customers. But both their departments have scaled back their enforcement near the bar following the filing of lawsuits.
When Judge Debra Blackwell was asked to intervene to protect public safety, she declined to do so, instead allowing the city and bar owners to work out any solution they saw fit.
As a result of the passive attitude toward safety, crowd misbehavior has made it difficult for businesses near Truth to operate safely. And a number of residents noticed bullet holes in their vehicles and bricks or woodwork struck by bullets after the last violent outbreak.
While many defenders of Truth say the owners are not responsible for how people misbehave outside the bar itself, there were very few incidents of law breaking in the last decade on upper Franklin and MLK toward the fire station, that is, until the bar opened and the big crowds arrived.
Bad guys catching it
by Peter Rinaldi
There’s been a dramatic change for the good since Tim Cotton has come on as DA and Danny Barber has returned as Justice Court Judge. Tim is spearheading the indictments of scores of serious felony criminals who have been in jail or out on bond. Nearly 200 have been indicted this year so far.
Most of these guys are repeat offenders, many charged with shootings, killings and sex crimes. The volume of work coming from the DA’s office has been magnificent, especially in comparison to his lousy predecessor. Over the course of the next year, I expect many of these indictments to be resolved in trials and convictions.
As Justice Court Judge, Danny oversees the setting of bond for felony offenders, binding them over to the grand jury to see if the offenders should be indicted. Danny had been setting appropriate bonds and no bonds for some, based on community threat, flight risk and the arrest and conviction history of the accused. The laxity of his predecessor is history. Danny is responding to the threats caused by repeat felony offenders.
Both men deserve credit for this dramatic shift in performance from their offices. As a result, we’re safer. The news is good.
Accounting problems
by Peter Rinaldi
Bridgers CPAs of Vicksburg was not able to finish the Adams County 2022 audit on time, being more than six months late, because the county did not collect its data and pass it to the CPAs in a timely fashion. Findings included as follows:
1. The county did not always follow state purchasing rules. The county paid a few invoices without the proper documentation. In response to the error, supervisors appointed a new purchasing clerk.
2. Purchases from the road department were authorized by persons other than the road manager. The county says it will correct this problem.
3. Bank reconciliations were out of balance by small amounts. Circuit Clerk Eva Givens had assigned a lower level clerk to handle this, and that clerk was unable to figure out why there were discrepancies. Additionally, the fee account was not reconciled for an entire month.
4. Circuit Clerk Givens did not deposit excess funds into the county's general fund on a timely basis. Givens failed to make her annual financial report on time. Once filed, she also claimed an expense of $16,805 that was not allowable. Unfortunately, it was a lower level clerk that made the reporting error. Additionally, there were math errors in computing retirement contributions. The CPAs said Givens should re-file the report with the appropriate corrections. Givens did not respond to the problems herself. But the unnamed clerk said she would correct the errors. The CPAs pointed out that these statute responsibilities belong to Givens herself as the elected official.
5. Tax Collector Terrence Bailey showed an overage of $526,000. The Tax Collector kept his own manual accounting system on spreadsheets, instead of using the Delta software used by county offices for many years. He did not know how to use the software, despite being in office for four years. As a result, it was not possible for the CPAs to verify his accounting procedures and tallies as necessarily accurate. The Tax Collector's Office has repeatedly not performed bank reconciliations since 2018. The audit showed he did not compare reconciled cash with booked cash. And the amounts were different. Additionally, the lack of accurate bookkeeping made it uncertain as to whether Adams County, the City of Natchez and Natchez-Adams School District got the proper amounts due. The CPAs concluded the lack of controls over cash could result in the loss or misappropriation of funds. The CPAs did not feel confident that the stated cash figures from Bailey's office were accurate or could be substantiated, so they left those figures out of their report. Bailey responded saying he has passed on all collections to the various entities required, including state and local. He arranged for Delta consultants to come and teach him about the software in Fall 2023. Whether that training was successful is unknown. And whether he has corrected the glaring bookkeeping and cash control problems is unknown.
Outlook assessed
by Peter Rinaldi
While quite a few folks expressed concern on my FB pages about the mall’s idea to convert the interior of the mall to a storage facility, such a sale of the property and conversion is unlikely and would be very expensive. Natchez being such a mini market, the need for such large storage is questionable. It is more likely that the mall will remain as is, with a few stores operating that have their own individual outside entrances. Tabani had been more fortunate than some malls. It has been able to lease some space, whereas many malls have closed completely.
The retail prospects of Natchez have declined precipitously in the past generation, as we’ve lost 25 percent of our population and approximately 30 percent of our residents are living below the poverty line. The possibilities for growth of retail products and services for middle and upper income consumers here are very slim. Most entrepreneurs and chain operations want to locate in communities that are growing quickly not declining. And the near “destruction” of the mall, Tracetown and Magnolia Mall are signs that the retail market is declining. Fortunately, there are a few companies, like dollar stores, that like poor communities, since poor customers are their target consumers.
Downtown has again become more important, as several dozen local entrepreneurs have opened in the last three years. Most will blow away in the normal 3-5 year business cycle, but quite a few of their buildings have been rehabbed and will find new business tenants when the first crop plays out.
The crime abyss
by Peter Rinaldi
Natchez-Adams County occasionally places criminal penalties of time to be served or fines to be paid for commission of misdemeanors.
But very often, cases are dismissed, remanded to the files or suspended sentences awarded. Sometimes a small fine is assessed, but with it comes some sort of deal. The penalties actually earned are watered down. A pat on the fanny and let go. Shoplifting, drug possession, theft, simple assault. Misdemeanor offenders are filling city and justice court, with many of the same faces seen year in, year out.
Worse, felonies are often plead down to misdemeanors. Crimes that should bring 3-10 years in jail are given the magic eraser, plead down to suspended sentences and small fines. The plea downs include serious violent offenses, sex crimes, shootings.
If you ask why crime is bad, it’s because prosecutors and judges are played by defense attorneys. The judges and prosecutors are weak and ineffectual and perfectly willing to see crime committed at its current pace. A high rate of crime proves they are necessary and important and deserve the high and outlandish pay they make.
As to defense attorneys, there are many who will sacrifice their integrity for a buck. They will most assuredly lie to the court about their client’s behavior, even if the perp is a killer. No one forces the defense attorney to lie and scheme for money. He does so willingly and is rewarded by the system for doing so.
If you ask me who is causing the biggest problems, I’m not sure it’s the criminals. When judges and prosecutors handle 500 cases and make sweetheart deals on more than half their cases, who is making sure that we have repeat crime? If you don’t prosecute, convict and sentence appropriately misdemeanor offenders, you get more misdemeanors and more felonies. A sorry and incapable justice system that uses the magic eraser on felonies will most assuredly get more thugs running rampant around town. More violence and more property crimes are guaranteed.
Nothing says incompetence like letting shooters bond out on very low bonds who have a history of felony arrests and convictions. This is insanity. And it happens all the time in Natchez-Adams County.
Really, it’s just a few people in charge of this mess. Two justice court judges, two circuit judges, a municipal judge and prosecutors, county prosecutor, district attorney and assistant district attorneys. These officials and the defense attorneys that slug through court are going to determine how safe or unsafe Natchez-Adams County is and will be.
I wish it wasn’t this way. Watching our community slide into an abyss of crime 2010-2023 has been heartbreaking. But when incompetents are elected or appointed, this is the result. Sure as shootin’. Here’s to a 2024 that’s more resolved to convict and sentence the criminals who plague us.
Public school kids deserve a better education
by Peter Rinaldi
In the past two years, nearly 20 states have dropped testing requirements for graduating students, including Mississippi. Why? Because the students would fail the tests if forced to take them. Mississippi has moved to a phony grading system where school districts that are failing their students can still earn a B or C. Natchez has a grade of B, but only 10-35 percent of its students are proficient in math or language arts, depending on the grade and subject.
The real purpose of our public education system and our government schools is to reward employees with good pay, benefits and retirement not educate students.
If you want a quality education in Natchez, especially if your kids are in elementary or middle school, choose ACCS or Cathedral. If your kids are smart enough to get into Natchez Early College at Co-Lin, they’ll get a good education. Otherwise, put your kids at ACCS or Cathedral. Don’t be foolish and believe the lies told by the Natchez School District as to quality. It has enshrined failure.
Mississippi's mental health treatment crisis
by Peter Rinaldi
Finding the mentally ill appropriate healthcare has always been a problem in Mississippi. Most of these patients lack good medical insurance or financial resources to pay for appropriate care. They need specialized care for their drug, alcohol and other mental illness problems. As a result, the underfunded in-patient care state system almost always has a waiting list. Chancery courts sometimes order the mentally ill to be housed temporarily or not so temporarily in jail, waiting for an opening at a state funded or private care facility.
The cost for 30 days of in patient care can run $50,000-$100,000 per patient. And the support system needed to start an-inpatient center is more than $2-4 million minimum. So it’s impossible for small counties to start a new in patient mental health care facility. The only county that could actually afford a new center would be Hinds. So we’re more or less stuck with the system we have.
The Legislature has never properly funded mental health care, either in-patient or outpatient. It never will.
And mental health is differentiated just like other healthcare. We don’t treat cancer patients the same way we treat diabetics or those with kidney failure. Likewise, the treatment for alcohol and drug addicted persons is different than those with schizophrenia or patients suffering from what we used to call a nervous breakdown. This differentiation increases costs.
Without proper funding from the state for facilities and programs, continuing inadequate private insurance coverage and the low to moderate incomes of most Mississippi families, it is a problem that simply won’t be fixed.
I am reminded of the example of a family very close to me, whose mother suffered from both alcohol and drug addiction. The hospital in-patient and outpatient treatment costs out-of-pocket to help the mom regain control of her life and restore her mental and physical health was more than $200,000.
The problems are great and the resources less so. The Legislature would need to appropriate $100 million a year to begin to tackle this problem. And insurance companies would have to pay more than 80 percent of a 30 day treatment plan less deductibles. Neither is going to occur.
So some mentally ill patients will end up in jail.
Supervisors Warren Gaines Sr., Angela Hutchins and Ricky Gray
by Peter Rinaldi
Adams County supervisors wanted to award their civil engineering and trash contracts to minority contractors. Political decisions. When they did so, the cost to taxpayers rose dramatically.
It turns out that the effort by Supervisors Gaines, Hutchins and Gray to “do the good deed” and help a black contractor backfired when they chose Metro Disposal from Metairie for trash pickup, Metro did a lousy job here and in other communities they served, like Slidell and New Orleans. While other black contractors did a good job in New Orleans, Metro trucks were not maintained and broke down frequently. The company did not pick up trash as scheduled, often skipping some residences for two weeks or more. It was the same story here in Adams County.
Eventually, service in Adams completely came to an end when Metro ran out of money, and the company filed for bankruptcy. Reorganized as United Infrastructure, the former Metro owners were given a 90 day emergency Adams County contract, but this time at more than double the normal monthly price.
There was also the question of whether the bid was rigged by the three majority supervisors to give Metro the emergency contract. Supervisors could have offered a long term contract to attract many more potential bidders and to lower the price per month to households and the county. But they purposely offered a short term contract, so that Metro-United could be the winning bidder.
And of course, the company is still doing a mediocre job, not running complete routes and missing pickups.
Supervisors Middleton and Wilson have tried to point out to their fellow supervisors that the current approach to trash pickup is costing way too much, as Adams County now has the highest trash pickup rates in state plus the service issues.
Supervisors Gaines, Hutchins and Gray haven’t dealt with budgeting the extra cost either, deferring the issue to after the elections. But the extra $600,000 has to be budgeted and paid. Trash bills to homeowners should have been more than doubled by now. But no change in billing has been made because four of the five supervisors have election opponents.
Right now, the majority three seem perfectly content to allow both county and city residents and taxpayers to pay for this error. As of now, city residents are paying for their own trash pickup through their water bills. And city residents are also subsidizing their neighbors out in the county trash pickup through property taxes. Talk about unfair. And probably illegal.
In past, the state and courts have ruled that utility and trash services had to be paid by the people who actually get those services.
Please explain to me why in-city residents on Pearl or MLK Street should pay their own trash pickup and also subsidize out-in-the-county trash pickup in Cloverdale, Kingston and Cranfield.
This whole rotten mess shows how foolish the black majority supervisors are. In an effort to bend over backwards to help a minority contractor, the three supervisors are actually harming thousands of black homeowners in Adams County by providing the most expensive and lousy trash service available.
All three, Warren Gaines, Angela Hutchins and Ricky Gray, have made statements in the past about how difficult it is to be poor in Adams County. Well, the three are really putting it to those poor folks now. Big time.
Mayors Butch Brown, Darryl Grennell and Dan Gibson
by Reter Rinaldi
Natchez mayors and their citizens are always caught in the same trap: expecting a newly elected mayor to lead the community to the prosperity that never happens. What does happen is that by the end of the mayor’s term, many citizens become fed up with the lack of progress and the mayor loses support. This was undoubtedly true during the terms of Mayors West and Middleton as well as the more current Mayors Brown, Grennell and perhaps even Gibson.
Here’s what occurs. The candidate wants to be elected. So he offers hope, the promise of positive change and economic revival. When the economic revival fails to arrive, the mayor tries to convince his subjects that things are in fact moving forward economically. But citizens quickly notice the mayor’s mistakes, crookedness and lies, and sooner or later, he is overwhelmed by his errors. Revival doesn’t occur and support evaporates.
The biggest error occurs right in the beginning of the campaign, when the mayoral candidate promises to turn around the course of 40 years of history that includes the decline of the wildcat oil industry, the destruction of our manufacturing base, population outflow and a demographic shift from a majority middle class white community to a majority poor black community.
None of our mayors are God or Moses. The Israelites are not being led to a land of milk and honey.
Instead, citizens should be looking at whether the mayor does a good job running city government as an administrator. Is he wise, careful with money, hard working, honest and ethical?
Past, current and future mayors face the same core problem. Natchez does not generate enough tax revenues to meet the basic needs of the city, including police, fire, public works, streets, lights, landscaping, tourism, seniors, transportation, facilities maintenance, city employees and community development.
Unable to meet these needs, many mayors choose to borrow excessively and lie profusely to maintain their position. The result is always the same. The mayor is ejected from office and a new mayor chosen. The cycle begins anew.
Perhaps Gibson will break this trend. His supporters are counting on his political skills, hard work, energy, bull throwing, butt kissing and borrowed money for big projects to change the course of events.
To me, Gibson is the agent of change, meaning he is the mayor most likely to give us the management expertise we want to run the city bureaucracy better than it has been in the last 40 years. But I do not expect a successful economic revival led by him.
And if he and his supporters insist on such revival, he will ultimately fail and lose his seat.
What Natchez needs to stabilize and grow is a population that increases because there are more jobs paying higher wages than in past. That’s not going to happen. No mayor can make that happen. And actually, recent history of the last 10 years shows Natchez rapidly declining and the gap increasing between our low household incomes and the state average.
Through the last five mayors, we’ve declined precipitously as a community. And hopes, promises, bull throwing, schemes, scams or good projects are not going to counter the path we’re on.
So if we want to save Dan and Dan wants to save Dan, then we must adjust our unrealistic aims and concentrate on the things we can actually do with our very limited means. I’m saying we should break the cycle of failure that actually goes back to Tony Byrne’s last term, when the economy started to get shaky.
The obvious questions are, “What should we do now and in the short term to improve city management and services without breaking the bank and borrowing huge sums? How can we, through our modest means, improve government and quality of life in town for a community that is increasingly majority black, poor and lower middle class?”
We should break the cycle of disillusion and failure. We should change the way we think and the way city government is led.
NATCHEZ WATER WORKS: Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8a-4p, 601-445-5521 . After Hours, Call 601-445-5521, Then Press #8. We are committed to providing safe, high quality water services to our community, while maintaining a standard of excellence in customer service and environmental conservation. 150 North Shields Lane. natchezwaterworks.com
Crime numbers should be reported
by Peter Rinaldi
Incidents of crime are normally reported to the DOJ annually on a voluntary basis. Participation in crime reporting makes it more likely a city will get crime fighting grants from the feds.
Natchez PD had been tallying the numbers on violent and property crimes since the 1990s. For whatever reasons, the city stopped submitting those statistics at the end of 2020. There is no public info available from DOJ on Natchez for 2021 and 2022. And the PD has not made public any info it might be keeping privately.
I received repeated information from inside NPD that the 2019 and 2020 statistics were adjusted to make the city look safer. However, I was unable to confirm whether the stats were lies or truthful and simply decided to use the phrase “could be incomplete, subject to confirmation.”
It’s unfortunate that the city has decided to keep citizens in the dark. I use crime mapping software to mark where felonies occur and are reported. But I don’t have access to all the info the city and county have on calls and arrests.
For 2022-2023, it appears that violent crime is increasing once again and that property crime may actually be decreasing a bit. But I’m not sure-sure and would need more police and sheriff’s data to come to a firm conclusion.
When stats aren’t readily available, it allows law enforcement and politicians to lie about what’s happening. For example, Chief Daughtry claimed he had taken 150 guns off the street. But there was no arrest record to back up that wild claim. Fantasy and baloney. Bull.
Since citizens pay for their government with taxes, they have a right to know what’s going on. Keeping accurate crime stats, participating in DOJ reporting is normal and necessary for cities of our size and larger. We should know precisely where we stand.
Of course, if crime is getting worse or much worse, then it’s in the interest of law enforcement and the politicians to hide the facts, so they can keep their cushy jobs and mislead the peons. But it’s not in the community interest to obscure or fail to disclose the truth.
Judges should wise up
by Peter Rinaldi
One of the aspects of our local crime problem is that guns are stolen from homes and vehicles during break-ins are then sold to juveniles and young adults for prices of $35-$100. Stolen guns aren’t often traceable to the offender but often traceable to the original owner of the gun, who has usually purchased the firearm legally through a store backed by paperwork.
Unless the perp leaves good fingerprints on the stolen gun and has a felony record, the stolen gun is the perfect tool to use in a crime, shooting, a drug deal, confrontation with an enemy or another break-in.
Mississippi Legislators know gun trafficking and illegal possession of guns contribute to an explosion in crime. So the law says selling or transferring a stolen gun or possessing a stolen gun can earn the perp up to five years in jail. And any crime in which a gun is used can carry a five year enhancement or five year additional penalty.
What are Natchez-Adams County judges doing? Repeatedly, they are letting those who possess stolen guns go free, no jail time, sometimes a suspended sentence, sometimes a small or moderate fine. So do the perps learn their lesson? No, what they learn is the court is weak, the judge is a fool and the felon gets away with the illegal possession. The criminal is saved from justice to commit crime at a future date.
Another cute trick pulled by a Natchez judge occurred this week. The 18-year-old before the court did indeed possess a stolen gun. Instead of finding him guilty or binding the accused over to the grand jury, the judge retired the case to the file for one year. At the end of a year, if the young man keeps his record clean, then the case will be dismissed.
This kind of judicial malfeasance if repeated many times over has the same result as a suspended sentence or small fine. It guarantees the criminal knows he has played the game and won and escaped justice.
We acknowledge that repeat felony offenders are the primary cause of the death and destruction, the violent and property crime scourge destroying Natchez-Adams County. But we also admit that our judges are contributing to the continuation of our crime wave due to light sentencing.
Those convicted of transferring or possessing stolen guns should always get jail time of up to five years as the law provides and the circumstances of the offense dictate.
Every person who is convicted of a felony gun crime has earned jail not hugs and kisses or a stern warning from the court.
Natchez remains in crisis
by Peter Rinaldi
I have a great love for Natchez. But the incredible ignorance of its citizens always alarms me. The lack of good education, lack of skills and widespread drug and alcohol dependency help determine our future, and especially when you consider our lack of capital for growth and our isolated location. The growth of crime is a direct result of these negative characteristics.
We’ve spent millions extra on our local public schools, but overwhelmingly 25-50 percent of Natchez students fail to meet grade level expectations. And 21 percent of our adults have not even graduated from high schools. Household incomes are 40 percent below state averages. We are poorer now as a community than we have been since the 1960’s. And poverty and ignorance work hand in hand.
Thinking and analytical skills are not our strong suit, especially among our so called leaders. Our citizens elect officials who are incompetent and themselves poorly skilled and educated. You can’t expect dumb people to lead you out of a mess. They will only make it worse.
The school system is spinning out of control. The number of jobs has declined 15 percent in a decade. And the population continues to flow outward. As almost a symbol of these manifest problems is our warped view of politics. Right now, we have only three realistic presidential candidates. And similar to 2020, who would Natchez Adams County vote for? Biden, of course.
This love-worship of liberalism is reflected in local politics as well. The voters love big spenders and bull throwers. The politicians use reassessment of properties to move their city, county and school budgets above $130 million. Spend and take on debt. And while government gets bigger, the community gets smaller and poorer.
Despite this sad assessment, I like you, hope for and wish for great gains and achievements that are always on the horizon but never seem to arrive.
For me, my only recourse is to continue to write the local news and comment when things are going well or poorly. And when you are lied to or misled by the politicians for their own personal gain, those actions must be pointed out as well.
While I respect The Democrat’s role as cheerleader for the community and a recorder of all things good and positive, I would not ever feel comfortable in the role of a pom-pom girl. I’m a conservative social, political and economic reformer. Unfortunately, I can’t change. So I remain a pain in the butt for some. But if you read my FB and website posts, you will know more about our community even if you disagree with my conclusions.
My love and affection for Natchez-Adams County demands that I point out and analyze problems, make suggestions for improvement and be a taxpayers’ advocate.
I invite you to follow my news and writings on FB and miss-loumagazine.com. Weigh in when the mood or issue strikes you. I always welcome comments and opinions that differ from mine.
When I started this “news journey” more than 40 years ago, I expected our community to make significant progress. That has not happened. But I am unwilling to give up. As long as I can breathe and type, I must write what is both informative and entertaining for Natchez-Adams as well as Vidalia- Ferriday-Concordia. I’m stuck like hamster on its wheel. But it’s a good stuck.
Your input is always appreciated.
Janet and Dan Dillard
by Peter Rinaldi
It's been a shock to many of us that Alderman Dan Dillard passed away unexpectedly this week. He was a good man.
Natchez city government is always beset by the fuzzy thinking and goofy ideas of its leaders. Several times in recent memory, city government has tried to spend its way into some utopia, like it's doing now.
For more than 16 years, Dan Dillard brought reason and common sense to the Board of Aldermen, challenging collective thought and a plethora of financial miscues. Dan routinely fought theft, misappropriation, alarming overspending and borrowing. He was often the first and the only aldermen to raise these issues. He was ultimately concerned that Natchez citizens get good government. Dan was an early advocate of rehabilitating the police department, city-led tourism, city clerk's office and for fair play and balance between city aldermen and county supervisors. He played a major role in budgeting and oversight management of many city departments.
In the many years he served, he had a couple of good mayors and some good aldermen. He also had a bunch of stinkers, low-lifes and corrupt jerks to work with, too, which made his job as a conscientious aldermen much more difficult.
I've been following the aldermen since 1978, when I moved here. I would say without hesitation that Dan was the best alderman we had. A few other notables come to mind, Al Graning, Tom Middleton, Lou Salvo Jordan, but Dan was the best of the best.
He was like the little Dutch Boy of legend, putting his finger in the dyke, saving the community and government from being awash in a flood of red ink and haplessness. You could count on Dan to be honest, work hard and follow through.
What a tremendous loss for his family and our city! I should have said this to him when he was alive. "Dan, you did a spectacular job. Thanks so much for your leadership and hard work to make Natchez the city it should be."
In recent years, he suffered a great tragedy, the loss of his good wife, Janet. He recouped from her death somewhat, and resumed a normal work schedule. But the burden, loss and grief and were ever-present. He loved her so.
I would ask you to remember Dan and Janet and their kids in your prayers, as well as their extended families. God care for Dan and Janet. We miss them both.
Dan Dillard was 67.
by Peter Rinaldi
Adams County Supervisors have once again bungled their waste collection contract. Although county leaders Warren Gaines, Ricky Gray and Angela Hutchins quickly gave an OK to United Infrastructure, both Kevin Wilson and Wes Middleton objected to the high price that would saddle Adams County with the highest trash pickup rates in the state plus a guarantee of a 4.6 percent cost increase annually. That means supervisors will most likely double the trash pickup bills of residents after the election.
Gaines, Gray and Hutchins are anxious to award the final contract to United, a New Orleans area based minority contractor, that formerly went bankrupt as Metro Services. Metro failed to pickup the trash for several weeks and did a terrible job before that, as its cash flow worsened. The Three Amigos of Trash, Gaines, Gray and Hutchins, believe they will get more brownie points with the folks if they award the final contract to a black owned firm, regardless of the price or quality of service.
Wilson and Middleton both believe the price and service are most important and it doesn’t matter what ethnic group, black, white, or whatever gets the contract. Wilson and Middleton were in the Metro camp at first, because the company offered good service at a low price. But they soured on Metro when the company wouldn’t and couldn’t perform.
The Amigos did the exact same thing when they dumped Jordan, Kaiser and selected a black-owned engineering firm that charges a higher price and gives much worse service than Jordan, Kaiser.
It seems The Amigos believe many issues concerning “green” money can be solved by going “black," when the real issue is the “red” ink that the county will face as a result of their stupid decisions.
The choice should be made based on price and service. Trying to award trash or engineering services or any other contracts based on equity, reparations or race bias is ridiculous and against the interests of ALL the people of Adams County. Especially if citizens end up paying more than double the price for garbage pickup.
by Peter Rinaldi
Burlington is Vermont’s largest city, with 44,700 residents. It is the home of the University of Vermont, generally high income, next to Lake Champlain, pretty and probably the most liberal town in America. Socialists are welcome here. While just 4.4 percent of its citizens are black, it is the state’s most black city.
What Burlington has in common with Natchez and other cities across the US is growing violence, shootings committed by black males. Three in the last week alone. Doing the research on recent shootings, I found a similar pattern to what has happened in Natchez. Perps who commit felonies are given suspended and light sentences, only to come back soon to shoot up the neighborhoods and wound or kill their enemies. For Burlington, this is a new circumstance, a shock to the fiber of the community.
For us old hands in Natchez, we’re used to black teens and young adults shooting the heck out of each other. So in Burlington, they’re talking about new social programs to curb black violence because they can’t blame the economy or poverty for a cause. Merchants are talking about hiring armed security. To Burlington’s credit, shooters are not given bond. But like Natchez, most folks don’t know why the violence is out of control.
Of course, Natchez’s solution to the wave of black violence is easy: no bond for felony offenders who have been convicted of felonies before; no bond ever for shooters. 5 years extra sentence for use of a firearm in a crime, as provided for by law; maximum penalty for shooters and second time felony offenders; maximum penalty for possession of a stolen weapon.
You can clean your streets and keep your community safe by putting all the thugs in jail for a long time. Or you can opt for new social programs like Burlington or say it’s just bad everywhere and put up with it like Natchez. Or you maybe accuse The Democrat of insensitive news coverage that highlights crime too much or call me a racist for pointing out the obvious truth. Whatever option you choose and no matter how you spin the facts and theories, if you don’t put the thugs in jail for a long time, they will come back to do more and worse. And of course, the criminals will destroy your community, just like they have done in little Natchez.
City overspending is self-destructive
by Peter Rinaldi
Part of a Natchez renewal should include a dedication to careful spending of tax dollars, proper management of city employees, a lowering of the tax burden on our generally poor population and proficient supervision of accounting and bookkeeping practices. Of course, we have seen little of the aforementioned practices in recent years. What we have witnessed is joyful and exuberant spending and excessive borrowing, surely requiring an increase in taxes now and in the future, when the grants end and the city is stuck with higher operational costs it can’t fund.
Some proof of this error-filled approach can be seen by just a casual review of the city budget, which had long remained in the $25-37 million range. Now aldermen will spend $51.2 million this year on $49.3 million in revenues. As homes and businesses have their assessed values massively increased, the city bleeds those residents and business people for more taxes. Local government ensures that families have less money to pay their monthly bills. Government does better, much better. But families and businesses are doing worse, unless they completely sell off their property assets. This is not progress.
Realistically, there has been no growth in the local economy but continued deterioration since 2016. Already the post pandemic recovery has ebbed, with a drop in the number of jobs and taxable retail sales up only 2 percent, far less than inflation.
Free for all spending will not make the city better in the long term. The mayor and aldermen have taken the posture that liberal Democratic government is just what we need, that crime and poor quality education can be ignored and that a blizzard of spending will cure most evils.
There is no escape from such philosophical foolishness, only self- destruction. Living within your means and providing sound and practical management are not just lofty ideals but extremely necessary in light of our diminishing stature in the state’s economy.
Eola Hotel
by Peter Rinaldi
Natchez aldermen have discussed in private meetings their planned roles in financing the reconstruction of the Eola Hotel project. Virginia immigration attorney Robert Lubin still owns the hotel and is working with Mississippi developer Hayes Dent and Wisconsin developer Randall Roth. Who will own what portion of the stock is unclear, as is whether ownership stakes in the hotel will be sold to foreign investors. Foreigners who invest in blighted communities can get easy access to U.S. visas.
What is certain is that the city is moving forward on the idea of using TIF bonds to help the developer-owners. Additionally, the investment proposal would direct the Eola's sales and property taxes (except school taxes) toward repayment of the development bond. That means Natchez-Adams County taxpayers would subsidize both the construction and operation of the rebuilt hotel. While the total cost of renovating the hotel could be as much as $32 million, when finished, the hotel might only be worth $18 million, calling into question whether the investment could stand on its own feet without taxpayer subsidy and foreign investor dollars.
While Mayor Dan Gibson and the aldermen haven't discussed publicly the risks of another failed Eola project as a possibility, they have touted the scheme as a way to make the hotel a centerpiece for development downtown Natchez. No owner of the hotel has made money on its operation since the 1970's, and so far, no evidence has been presented that the new owners will make money either. Whether the Hotel would generate enough revenues to pay off its bond plus its operating expenses cannot be realistically determined, putting local taxpayers at some risk.
Conceivably, the primary U.S. partner-developers could make money through developer, management and consulting fees, either paid in cash or as stock options, while the foreign investors would not see a return on investment and face hefty losses, while still getting their prized U.S. visas.
Mayor Gibson has been pushing and leading the discussion about the Eola within the aldermanic meetings. Alderwoman Valencia Hall has said, the project is a "win-win" for Natchez, though she did not say specifically what she meant in this case. Neither Hall nor Gibson nor the rest of the aldermen have any experience in hotel redevelopment projects. But they all understand that even an unsuccessful project could still have re-election benefits, even if the investment is a financial catastrophe. The reopening of the hotel could be touted as a political success to voters, prettying up the Natchez skyline, even if the numbers don't work.
Aldermen voted 5-1 to begin the process of participation in the project, committing an initial $4 million. The city may also provide additional funds later on through a TIF bond.
The mayor and aldermen are not required by law to discuss real estate projects publicly and can keep their negotiations secret, until it's time to formally commit Natchez taxpayers to the financing plan. At that time, a series of public notices would be required and open meetings for public input would be held. But by that late date, the project would be a done deal and little could be added to change the course of the city's involvement or mitigate its risk.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann
by Peter Rinaldi
With redistricting led by Delbert Hosemann, Melanie Sojourner was purposely cut out of her state senate seat, put in a Democratic district she could not win.
The result means Adams County no longer has a senator or representative that actually resides in Adams. Robert Johnson actually lives in Hinds County and rarely comes to Natchez. That's why you never see or hear from him.
Not only does this make our political efforts in Jackson more difficult, I cannot understand why Mayor Dan Gibson continues to praise Hosemann publicly, telling him how wonderful Delbert is as a leader and how Natchez loves and respects him, when Delbert was obviously trying to hurt our community by destroying Melanie's district.
It's good to be courteous to any political enemy of Adams County, especially a Lt. Gov., but to publicly fawn all over him is a waste of time. He will give you only the minimum of attention, a minimum of money, because he has shown you already what he thinks of your community. You are poo-poo to him and throwing Adams into the Port Gibson based district of a Democratic senate non-entity proves that he thinks you belong in Siberia, without power, money, influence or improvement.
Delbert thinks you are nothing, worthy of nothing, so butt kissing won't do you any good. As a matter of pride and honesty, you should politely, kindly and directly tell him you know perfectly what he did to hurt us. And you don't like it or respect that behavior. And in return, you promise to be a loyal Adams County resident and Mississippian and can only support the re-election of those who actually support us, versus those who try to hurt us. The door remains open to future conversation, but the underlying principal must be that we expect state government and the Lt Gov. to help Adams County and not harm our community.
--- Note: When I posted this little commentary without the stirring headline on Del's FB page that invites public input, it was immediately deleted by his staff. Shows you, doesn't it?
by Peter Rinaldi
Why would the mayor and aldermen believe that by simply changing police chiefs violent and property crime will decrease? Unless you change the way you police and the way you manage the department, you will get the same failure over and over again. There are many towns and cities across the US that have effective policing. And a lot of communities are very safe. But Natchez is not.
We all know that the increase in crime and violent offenders is complex in nature, having to do with home life, immorality, evil, even wayward judges and prosecutors. But the job of police is simply to arrest perps. They’re not educators, social workers or ministers to the soul. Their job is simply to deter crime by having a large enough presence on the street, to use pre-emptive investigations to keep the criminals huddled down and afraid, and to arrest every felon who commits a serious crime. A big task. But some communities do this very successfully.
If your mayor and aldermen do not have a solution to the police and crime management problem, then new officials are needed. If we don’t change the current situation, Natchez will have a future but a future worse than it is now.
It’s pretty obvious that gangs, drugs, violent and property crime are out of control in Natchez and law enforcement and the politicians are unable or unwilling to deter this crime. Is it time for armed citizens to patrol their own neighborhoods? I think so. To be effective, neighborhoods would have to form their own security districts, equip and pay armed security, an expensive proposition. But if law enforcement won’t do the job, you have only two choices: armed protection or surrender to the criminals.
by Peter Rinaldi
In 2022, I noticed a significant change in the direction of the Natchez-Adams County School Board and its management. In past, the district tried to highlight its successes, while acknowledging its need to do better, especially in things like test scores and the state’s evaluation. This past year, school leaders changed direction and overblew modest improvements post Covid, trumpeting somewhat dishonest A/B/C evaluations and ignoring that only 15-35 percent of students performed at or above grade level in various subjects such as math, language arts and reading.
This change marks a reinforcement of the earlier dishonest policy when the district built a new high school when voters specifically told the bosses they didn’t want one. There remains a strong constituency within Natchez-Adams County for the repair and upgrade of our local schools, including improving the quality of teaching and student performance.
It’s strange that our nearby school districts in Catahoula and Wilkinson are engaged in lengthy discussions on how to improve their schools, discussions that include board members, administrators and the public. Weaknesses are openly discussed and hotly debated. Those districts, with far less money and resources than Natchez Adams, are dealing with these problems. They’re not lying to the public.
While Natchez-Adams supervisors and aldermen dropped the issue of an elected school board because of Philip West’s opposition, it’s now pretty obvious that he is the obstruction to change and should be removed and a new honest superintendent chosen.
In the end, the lack of positive outcomes for learning in the Natchez public schools harms the students and impairs the economic future of the community. The schools are a reflection of the community they serve. And the downhill slide of both over the last 30 years is obvious to all except the blind and corrupt insiders.
You cannot reverse outward migration of the population and a decrease in economic activity by continued poor schools, lots of crime, low-paying jobs, dilapidated housing and inferior community aesthetics. However, lying, misleading the public and failing to follow public mandates only make a bad situation much worse.
It’s sad that some black political leaders say they want our black schools to do better. But their actions reveal the truth. They want the power and money for themselves and their friends and the black kids can go to hell, if changes threaten who is at the top.
These leaders are not the champions for racial justice but the purveyors of racial injustice. So the rich and upper middle class black kids and white kids and their parents flee the Natchez public schools for AC or Cathedral or play ‘the where does the parent/kid live? game,’ and try to slip the child into the Vidalia or Franklin County schools. The failure of Natchez public schools will drive a parent manic and/or broke to save his or her kid.
Like all of us, I have more questions than answers, and solutions are easier to spout than actually enact. But I know the schools will never, ever get anywhere and succeed with dishonest leadership in charge. They will always fail and miserably so. That is inevitable.
by Peter Rinaldi
My wife and I decided to give a New Year's Eve party back in 1992, when we lived in Village Green in Natchez.
I've never liked parties much. And whether I'm the host or a guest, I get so nervous, I can't enjoy myself. But we lived in the Village Green neighborhood for more than a decade by then, so I succumbed to my wife's request-command that we sponsor a drop-in party from 6-9 p.m. and invited neighbors and their kids and told them to bring a dish or snack or whatever.
We still had the Christmas tree up, of course. I went to Piggly Wiggly and loaded up on snacks, cheese, sandwich meats, cookies, beer and Dr. Pepper and Coke. I called Domino's and asked them to deliver four cheese pizzas at 6:30 p.m., figuring people would be just a bit late in arriving. And I stopped at the liquor store to pick up two one-gallon bottles of Gallo wine. As my wife stated and against my better judgment, it's Natchez, and alcohol is a mandatory party favor.
The party went well. Lots of families came. I had a roaring fire in the fireplace. It got so hot inside the house, I had to turn on the a/c. The kids were having fun. My older son sat at the kitchen table enjoying a card game of Uno with his friends. My younger son and his friend playfully argued over a Chinese checkers game in front of the fireplace. More kids were in the TV room in the back playing the video game Tetris. The adults were milling around, drinking very little but eating a lot and talking a lot. I had a Dave Brubeck jazz cassette playing softly on the stereo. Perfect. My anxiety lessened. About 8 p.m., I noticed our neighbors Pam and Frank sitting on the couch together. They were both in their mid 70's, and many years before, they had been married to each other and had kids, though they had been divorced at least 20 years by 1992. They still lived in the area. Pam lived on Sun Court and had remarried a guy who was a semi-professional gambler, which meant they were always broke. Frank had moved over to North Temple and married fishing. No spouse. Just he, the dog and fishing.
I heard parts of their conversation that New Year's Eve. Pam was doing most of the talking and Frank was mostly listening. Pam was talking about her cake business, who she was making cakes for, what kind of cakes, the kind of icing and the decorations she put on the cakes. Back in those days, she was known for her made-from-scratch cakes. She had a little bakery in the Morgantown Plaza for a few years, where UMB is now, When they tore down the shopping center and built the bank, she moved her cake business to the house and never missed a lick, if you'll pardon the joke.
Pam was in the middle of her cake dissertation to Frank, when Frank gently reached for her hand and leaned over to Pam and kissed her on the lips, passionately and romantically. Pam started kissing him back enthusiastically. Then they hugged and kissed just a bit more. Frank then stopped and just held her hand. And I could tell she was getting emotional, and she started tearing up. They didn't talk. They just sat there on the couch, and Frank held her hand.
No one noticed the couple kissing, other than my wife and me. All the adults and kids at the party were talking, eating and playing and didn't notice the couple at all.
The party broke up about an hour later. People had a good time and everyone wished each other Happy New Year and went home. Pam and Frank went their separate ways to their respective homes.
After the party, I asked my wife what she thought. "Do you think they still love each other?" I asked. "I don't know," my wife replied and added, "It was a beautiful kiss, a beautiful moment."
Many New Year's Eves have come and gone since 1992. As the years went by, I never heard of Pam and Frank reconnecting. Pam stayed married to the gambler and Frank stayed married to fishing. Sadly, they have both passed on. Pam's husband did eventually gave up gambling. Pam did cakes until her early 90's, And Frank actually died of a heart attack while fishing at Lake St. John. A good way to go.
I think about Pam and Frank often. I think of that party, how nervous I was in advance of the party, and how they were so affectionate with each other. Almost every New Year's Eve, the memories return. I can remember their conversation, how they looked on the couch. It seems like just a few years ago not three decades.
There were two things I learned from that New Year's Eve party in 1992. First, Domino's cheese pizza is always popular and appreciated at a party. And second, no matter how old you are, you need love, caring and emotion in your life. The touch of a hand and a kiss can be so very important.
by Peter Rinaldi
Crime: Violent and property crimes continue to plague Natchez-Adams County; Concordia Sheriff's Office arrests several dozen cyber perps and sex offenders; Ferriday rebuilds police department with Chief Sam King; Natchez hires Commander Cal Green as its police chief; Vidalia daycare workers get long terms in jail for child abuse; Adams prosecutors and judges criticized for plea bargains, low bonds and light sentences Economic development: Miss-Lou employment rebounds from pandemic lows; Syrah Technologies announces major expansion; Vidalia pays utility customers 50% rebate, pays off entire city debt; Jordan Carriers to build new HQ; Magnolia Bluffs Casino and The Markets get new owners; Residents still moving away to get better jobs, population drops since 2020; Eola Hotel rehab project stalls Infrastructure and facilities: Adams supervisors and Natchez aldermen borrow more than $12 million to fix roads; Morgantown Road repair funded though not started; Adams supervisors-sheriff struggle over jail plans without resolution; Natchez aldermen repair parks and will update convention center, auditorium; Natchez-Adams County to issue bonds for major recreation improvements; Ridgecrest ties into Ferriday water system; Natchez-Adams politicians drop the ball on E911 relocation Culture: Balloon festival one of the more successful in its history; Natchez becomes solid new venue for live concerts; Natchez aldermen will spend $1 million on Civil War troops statue Top 2 Stories: Jessica Aldridge finally gets sentenced to 20 years for shooting and killing boyfriend Joey Cupit; Accused killer Semaj Jackson indicted for shooting Jamesia Brown and Cameron Jones
by Peter Rinaldi
Mabel and Howard Smith of Franklin County gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Christmas Eve, 1951. They named their only child, Howard Jr., but everyone in the family called him “Beau.” He was simply one of the prettiest, cutest babies anybody ever saw. The Smiths live just off Hwy. 33, down one of those dirt roads in a little white frame house. Howard worked cutting timber and Mabel stayed home taking care of little Beau.
As Beau grew, he became an avid reader. He would look at the picture books and pronounce words, asking for his mother’s approval each time he got a word right. His mother would smile and say, “You’re my smart boy!” And Beau would beam with pride. His dad would spend evenings reading the newspaper to his son, telling him truths about the world, why it’s important to be hard-working and to be good to your neighbors.
When Beau was just shy of his sixth birthday, he said, “Momma, I want to send a letter to Santa and put it at the mailbox.” So Beau and his Mom sat down at the kitchen table and wrote a short letter. The boy asked for a baseball glove for himself, a work shirt for his dad, and a sweater for his mom. Mabel put the letter in a white envelope and wrote on the front, “To Santa – North Pole.”
Beau and his Mom walked out to the roadside and the pipe iron mailbox to send off the letter. The boy cried, “Momma, Santa won’t see it in the mailbox. Put it on the outside between the box and the red flag.” So Mabel did as her son requested, and they walked back to the house, talking about what they could do to surprise Dad on Christmas. Mabel shared the story of the ‘letter to Santa’ with the aunts, uncles, and cousins at the Christmas dinner table.
When Beau was almost 19, he and his mom sat at the kitchen table and remembered the time when they wrote the letter and placed it on the side of the mailbox instead of in it. They both laughed. But it was a somber Christmas that year for the Smiths, as Beau had just enlisted and was scheduled to enter the army the first week in January. “It’s my duty. Whether I end up in Vietnam or not, I’ve got to do what’s right,” Beau said quietly. He could have gone to college, gotten a deferment, but chose to serve his country instead. And both his parents were worried.
It was early in September 1971; a rocket attack hit just north of Saigon. Beau was sitting on the edge of his jeep, talking with a buddy. In a second, it was over. Beau was killed. There wasn’t much to send home to bury, according to his platoon sergeant.
After Beau’s death, the family never seemed right again. Howard Sr. began drinking and was injured on the job. Mabel suffered from a deep depression over the loss of her son and her husband’s problems. Eventually, the couple moved away from Franklin County and the little frame house fell into disrepair. No one ever lived there again. The dad died of a heart attack in Dallas in 1980. Mabel died in nursing home in 1992.
If you ride down Hwy. 33 and look off that dirt road where the Smiths lived, you’ll still see the mailbox standing. The house is pretty much gone. But that old rusty mailbox is still there. And every year on Christmas Eve, you can see a fresh, white envelope stuck between the red flag and the mailbox itself. Neighbors aren’t sure who tucks the envelope there, but figure it could be a relative or someone close to the family who knows the story.
If you happen to see that person this Christmas Eve, please stop and thank him for remembering the Smith Family and Beau, even though so many years have gone by. The family has passed on, but there are still more than a few folks around who remember them, the good times they had, and the love they shared.
This short story originally appeared in Miss-Lou Magazine in 1996.
by Peter Rinaldi
The decline of Tracetown is not a new thing.
When I moved our Miss-Lou Magazine offices there in 1995, the center was already in decline, as Sears had closed and about 20% of the shops were vacant. When I moved out in 2017, there were about a half dozen tenants and today maybe three or four.
With its Winn Dixie and Sears anchors gone and excessive vacancies, the center was hugely unprofitable, with insurance, minimal maintenance and property taxes much greater than annual revenues. There was little hope of a turn around.
Tracetown also suffers from antiquated construction design, a rolling hills parking lot and would require at least $3 million for the parking lot, lighting, a/c and roof repairs. So nothing will be done to change this. Realistically, the center has practically no market value, other than for its few rentals. Post office, rehab, nail salon...maybe $200,000-300,000 in value tops, less considering the maintenance and operational problems.
Add to that, flat and leaking roofs and overhangs, antiquated ac systems and the general decline in the Natchez economy, the center just hemorrhaged money. Many of the units are so severely damaged because of the catastrophic roof leaks. The Mobile, AL owners had also sold off their frontage lots to the bank, McDonald's and Ruby Tuesday's to get some operating cash. But selling off the front doomed the Sears property. The former Sears location had no parking left. And the building itself was in such poor shape, no smart tenant would rent it. the owners then tore down the Sears building, After thieves stole all the copper and wiring out of the theater, that building was demolished, too.
The Lazarus Arts-Dr. Kumi complex is separately owned and not part of Tracetown.
The owners gave away their shopping center in Ferriday to the town to get rid of that property and operational costs. And I expect, sooner or later, the owners will approach Natchez about the same kind of deal, like the Fry Building. Politicians would tell you what a great deal it is to get a donated center or building. What they don't tell you is that the donation takes the property off the tax rolls, relieves the owner of the high maintenance costs, transfers those to taxpayers and nets the politicians some tidy campaign donations during the next election cycle.
by Peter Rinaldi
One of the puzzling things about our community is how the Pilgrimage Garden Club, Natchez Garden Club and Auburn Garden Club get a bad rap on occasion.
Most of the members of these clubs are very interested in the economic vitality of Natchez Adams. They understand that history preserved can mean more tourist dollars, more conventions, more hotel stays, more restaurant visits and more jobs. Well maintained historic properties not only bring tourists but have brought a new generation of well to do out-of-towners who have spent millions of dollars upgrading their antebellum and Victorian homes. And that investment has paid off in many jobs for people of all economic groups and all races.
There was a time in Natchez, when some connected to the clubs used their platform to try to cement their social position above others, but the time of the so called landed gentry is long gone. I’ve often heard how the garden clubs killed off IP and Armstrong. In fact, the those closures had nothing to do with the clubs. The factories were losing so much money and had serious union problems that meant making a profit unlikely. So the factories closed and the jobs were lost. And many garden club members mourned that economic downturn like the rest of us.
Remember that some of the old homes are not owned by garden club members. Some are also owned by men. And many of the new generation of old home owners continue to run their properties at an economic loss and do so because they have the extra money to do so and/or are committed to a better Natchez even if it costs them mega cash. Whether you’re a garden club member from downtown, Morgantown or Kingston, all share the same goal: a better city and county with more prosperity for all. Also, you’d might be surprised to know that many garden club members are actually very middle class and some less so. But regardless of wealth, the members share an interest in exterior and interior design, flowers, gardens, architecture, history and historic preservation.
We should be proud of their contributions to our community. Some also own businesses that have little to do with history. But they understand that successful maintenance of homes and gardens and the marketing of that history and beauty to the outside world is a necessary and important task, even more so because of the decline of our industrial base over the last 35 years.
Thank you, ladies of the Pilgrimage Garden Club, the Natchez Garden Club and the Auburn Garden Club. When you think of the garden clubs, think of the economic contributions of their members which is so vital to our present and future.
by Peter Rinaldi
Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson recently said the city CPA audit for 2021 showed much improvement for 2021 compared to 2020. He did not tell the truth, as the CPA's negative findings for 2021 continue to show that the city was not following acceptable accounting and bookkeeping practices. Of course, the failure to follow such good standards led to the theft of $36,000+ in funds by two city clerks. 2021 was the Gibson administration's first full year in office. You can't blame former Mayor Grennell for these errors. The responsibility lies with the city clerk and staff, the current mayor and aldermen. They are supposed to follow accepted accounting and bookkeeping principles and regulations. They did not.
Of the 2021 City of Natchez audit, CPA Silas Simmons said: Bank Reconciliations: Bank Reconciliations were not being properly reconciled to the general ledger or in a timely manner. Accounting Records and Financial Statement: Preparation transactions were not being recorded to the city's general ledger in a timely manner. Interfund Transfers: Due To/From, and Advances lnterfund transactions were not being recorded timely or accurately. Segregation of Duties: During the process of obtaining an understanding of internal control in planning the audit, assessing control risk, and assessing fraud risk, a lack of segregation of duties was noted. Documentation of Adjusting Journal Entries: Adjusting journal entries posted to the general ledger lacked proper and adequate documentation. Single Audit The City's Single Audit was not filed with the Federal Audit Clearinghouse in a timely manner. CPA Silas Simmons then when into detailed analysis and recommendations as to how these re-occurring problems from both 2020 and 2021 should be remedied.
Several pages of details on what to do were enumerated. If you doubt the truth as presented by both the CPA or myself, you can read the audit findings and make your own judgment. I am used to politicians lying and bull throwing. From a news point of view, I should try to verify the mayor's future claims on all subjects, as those assertions may or may not be truthful. https://www.natchez.ms.us/DocumentCenter/View/1246/2021-Audites
See pages 85-92.
by Peter Rinaldi
When completed, the City of Natchez 2020 audit showed that the city did not meet its legal obligation to provide sound and professional accounting of revenues earned and expenditures made. The audit findings reflect the gross incompetence of the city clerk's office under Servia Fortenberry and the lack of care Mayor Grennell and the aldermen showed for their legal responsibilities. That lack of care and oversight allowed Fortenberry and another clerk to steal more than $36,000 in funds during the Gibson administration, according to the state indictment of two clerks. Aldermen discussed this lack of competence during both the Grennell and Gibson administrations but took no action to remedy the illegalities.
Gibson says the 2021 audit is much better and should be posted online soon. I will report on the 2021 audit as soon as its posted. The 2020 audit reflects activity during the Grennell administration through July 2020 and the Gibson administration from July-September 2020. While the onus falls on Fortenberry, Grennell and the aldermen mostly, the audit did not show any improvements made during the first three months of the Gibson administration.
2020 Financial Statement Submission to State Auditor: The City's audited financials were not submitted to the Mississippi State Auditor's office by the statutory date required. Bank Reconciliations: Bank reconciliations were not being properly reconciled to the general ledger or in a timely manner. Accounting Records and Financial Statement Preparation: Transactions were not being recorded to the City's general ledger in a timely manner. Interfund Transfers, Due To/From, and Advances: Interfund transactions were not being recorded timely or accurately. Segregation of Duties: During the process of obtaining an understanding of internal control in planning the audit, assessing control risk, and assessing fraud risk, a lack of segregation of duties was noted. General Fund Expenditures Over Budget: The City's General Fund expenditures exceeded its budgeted amount by $1,015,773. Casino Annual Lease Fund Expenditures Over Budget: The City's Casino Annual Lease Fund expenditures exceeded its budgeted amount by $350,490. Compliance with Reporting Requirements of OMB - Single Audit: The City's Single Audit was not filed with the Federal Audit Clearinghouse in a timely manner.
by Peter Rinaldi
Town of Ferriday finances have been in a mess for years, mostly because the town's tax base is not adequate to meet the obligations of minimal government. Additionally, town management, through several mayors and clerks, has not done a very good job of bookkeeping and accounting, with many deficiencies and adverse findings. The town was again late submitting its records to its CPA to publish an annual audit for 2021.
Some of the more recent problems include: 1) Old past due and non-collectible water accounts were still on the books. 2) Financial statements were not submitted to the state on time. 3) Customer utility deposits were short $22,000. The cause could be inaccurate bookkeeping, stolen or embezzled funds, or deposits may have been used illegally to pay town bills. The CPA noted the shortage but did not conduct a review to determine the exact cause or causes. 4) The town was not in compliance with state safe drinking water standards for more than 10 years, including a failure to pay state mandated fees, which amount to more than $45,000. 5) Town bookkeeping staff did not maintain reserve accounts required by issued bonds. Ferriday should have a debt service fund, reserve fund, and depreciation and contingencies funds noted in its books and balances kept as required by the bond covenants.
Ferriday's latest audit for the year ending 6/30/21 has not been released. But Mayor Rydell Turner pledged in the last audit that the five major deficiencies noted above would be corrected. The era of bad management continues to plague this poor town. Its citizens deserve better.
I have always loved writing news and working on ads for my clients. I enjoyed 35+ years of publishing Miss-Lou Magazine in print and online. In more recent years, I’ve talked to many families, mostly moms and grand moms, who have lost kids and grandkids shot to death by vicious criminals. These tearful conversations have happened far too often since 2010.
The pain and suffering of these families never ends. And they often have to struggle against a justice system that really doesn’t care whether the murderers are punished or not. There are many things to love or dislike about our communities. But the tragedy of our young men, women and teens shot and killed (nearly all are black young people) is so troubling. I am haunted by the pictures of these kids and their families’ pleas for justice. I find myself going back to the stories and the photos of the murdered kids and again asking God to care for these victims and their crying families. There should be a special place in this universe reserved for the killers with plenty of extra seating set aside for the uncaring law enforcement officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges who do such harm to our victims’ families.
This is one reason why I have been so adamant about politicians facing the facts about our crime wave. The politicians are supposed to be in charge of public safety. All shooter killers should get life without parole or the death penalty. We should continue to advocate for no bonds and no suspended or light sentences for shooter killers. No exceptions. Justice demands that we take these crimes seriously. We can’t bring the victims back to life. We can’t end the suffering of the families. But we can do what Mississippi and Louisiana law calls for. It is our obligation to do so.
by Peter Rinaldi
If Natchez police took 150 illegal or stolen guns off the street in just six months, just how many people were arrested as a result? I haven’t noticed even 50 arrests for such. Did those with two or more guns get arrested on trafficking charges with a more serious penalty as provide by state law?
While overall incidence of crime in Natchez reached a peak in the early 90s due to the crack epidemic, the city became more violent in recent years again. In 2018, Natchez had 12 murders in the city and 6 in the county. Property crime also increased dramatically. Since then, overall crime has lessened. In 2018, Natchez was in the bottom 1% of safe communities. Today, it is in the bottom 4%. Did Natchez actually solicit its safety award rather than get the award for community safety? The answer to this question is yes. Natchez submitted an application for the award category to the Miss. Municipal League. The award was not given out of the blue because officials around the state overwhelmingly recognized how Natchez was doing so well with safety. The city filled out an application highlighting its success. And the League awards committee then chose Natchez.
I received info from law enforcement last year, that city crime stats had been sanitized and improved at the direction of the former police chief. If true, that would mean the violent and property crime stats submitted to the FBI DOJ could be suspect. At this point, I have no way of verifying whether the allegation or stats are true or untrue. But the whole affair with seizures, the award, and crime statistics makes me somewhat wary. The mayor has already announced that new crime stats will show Natchez is much safer. Are we supposed to accept this announcement as truth or just more political bull throwing? I don’t know.
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Cooking spray
1 (18 to 20-ounce) box “Family”-sized brownie mix, plus the required ingredients
2 cups pecans
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Flaky salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Generously coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with 2 pieces of overlapping parchment paper, arranging them perpendicular to each other so that the paper extends over all 4 edges by a few inches.
Prepare the batter from 1 (18-ounce) box “Family”-sized boxed brownie mix according to package directions. Transfer to the baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake until the top is dry and smooth (it won’t look crinkly) and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the pecan pie topping. Coarsely chop 2 cups pecans. Place 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/3 cup light corn syrup, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat. Add the pecans and stir to combine until evenly coated. When the brownies are ready, remove the pan from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 350ºF. Evenly spoon the filling over the brownies. Return the pan to the oven.
Bake until the pecan pie topping is bubbling all over, particularly in the center of the pan, 25 to 30 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the brownies cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Grasping the excess parchment, lift the brownie slab out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Sprinkle with flaky salt if desired before cutting.
Anna Kotova has been cooking and baking European and American dishes for more than 40 years.
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Mosquitoes and Repellants by James L. Cummins
In the United States, we look at mosquitoes as a nuisance–with their irritating, high-pitched whine that has us slapping at our own faces. But, worldwide, mosquitoes are much more than a mere pest. In other places around the globe, mosquitoes transmit diseases to more than 700 million people annually.
Mosquitoes transmit the arboviruses responsible for malaria, yellow fever, dengue, and several forms of encephalitis, resulting in as many as three million deaths annually. We tend to think of these diseases as “other world problems,” but just this past year there were reported cases of dengue fever and the West Nile Virus here in the United States. Mosquitoes are found all over the world except in Antarctica. Only the female bites and she requires a blood meal to produce eggs, which she typically seeks out every 3 to 4 days. In a normal meal, she generally consumes more than her own weight in blood. The female lays her eggs, up to several hundred at a time, on the surface of water.
For development, an environment of standing water is required. The quality of the water is of no consequence as they are known to lay eggs in fresh water, salt or brackish, marshes, containers, old tires, bird baths, or wherever standing water can be found. Despite what some may believe, mosquitoes cannot transmit HIV because the virus neither survives nor replicates in mosquitoes. The blood from its last meal is not flushed into its next victim during subsequent feeds so there is no need to be concerned with contraction of HIV.
Mosquitoes use visual, thermal, and olfactory (smell) to locate a host, with smell being the most significant factor. Carbon dioxide, released mainly from breath, but also from skin, serves as a long-range airborne attractant and can be detected by mosquitoes at a distance of nearly 120 feet. Within closer range, skin temperature and moisture serve as attractants.
Floral fragrances from perfumes, soaps, lotions, and hair-care products are also thought to attract mosquitoes. N,N-diethyl-3-methyl-
However, for casual use, a concentration of 35% provides adequate protection under most circumstances. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that repellants contain no more than a 10% concentration for children 2 months and older. Despite what many believe, DEET has a remarkable safety profile.
There are several organic and homeopathic alternative repellants offered but DEET remains the gold standard for protection. Additionally, the combination of Permethrin-treated clothing and the skin application of a DEET-based repellant create quite a formidable barrier against pervasive mosquito bites.
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Peter Rinaldi, publisher
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Tortured by Bureaucrats by John Stossel
Americans like licenses. People think they make us safer.We license drivers.We license dogs.But most government licensing is useless. Or harmful.It limits competition, raises costs, leaves consumers with fewer choices and blocks opportunity for people who want to work.
Michelle Freenor, a tour guide in Savannah, Georgia, gets good reviews from customers.But her business almost didn’t get off the ground because local politicians said, “No one can be a tour guide without first getting a government license!”Bill Durrence, a Savannah alderman at the time, told me why it’s important.
“I hear a lot of tour guides saying things that make me cringe. The licensing and testing I thought was a good idea just to make sure people had the accurate information.”While they were at it, the politicians added other requirements. Anyone who wanted to give tours had to get a criminal background check, which included urine and blood samples, take a physical fitness test, pay fees to the city, and pass a difficult history test.“
A college level history exam with tons of obscure, gotcha questions,” Freenor told me, “It could be three to five months of studying and studying. It was 120 pages!”Ironically, the test asked no questions about subjects covered by the most popular Savannah tours — ghost tours and “Forrest Gump” tours (the movie’s bench scenes were filmed in Savannah).
Freenor complained to a city official: “There’s no ghost questions on this test!”His response: “Ghosts aren’t real.”
Why would a city pass rules that block people merely from speaking?
“The city was making a nice amount of money for people failing this,” said Freenor.When I confronted Alderman Durrence about this, he admitted, “There were a couple of points that maybe went a little too far in the licensing process. Having to have the physical exam periodically. Maybe the cost of the test.”But he’s a big fan of regulation. “Little by little,” he said, “we’ve managed to get control of some things, but we still don’t have control over a lot.”
What? They control much too much!
With the help of the libertarian law firm the Institute for Justice, Freenor sued Savannah and won. Now Savannah has no licensing rule.Washington, D.C., killed its rule after IJ sued, too.IJ also won in Philadelphia and Charleston, where a court ruled that the rules were unconstitutional because, as IJ attorney Robert McNamara put it, “The First Amendment protects your right to speak for a living, whether you’re a journalist, a comedian or a tour guide.”
Good point.My point is we don’t need most of these complex consumer protection laws. Competition alone protects customers.Freenor says it well: “The free market is taking care of itself. Bad tour companies don’t last.”
Exactly. A competitive market helps consumers much more than licensing laws ever will. If such laws were once needed (they weren’t), they definitely aren’t needed now that the internet exists, because it’s so easy for consumers to learn about what’s good and what’s not.
But politicians always want more control over us.Eight years have passed since the Institute for Justice fought Freenor’s case. Despite their victories in court, cities like New Orleans and my home New York City still have tour guide licensing rules. New York guides are told to pass a 150-question exam.
Many tour guides ignore the rules, knowing bureaucrats are not likely to enforce them.That expands the “illegal” underground economy, inviting actual harm.Government’s rules almost always have nasty unintended consequences.
Licensing bureaucrats should regulate much less.We’re supposedly free people.It should be up to us how we spend our money.
You can read more of John Stossel's writing at www.johnstossel.com.
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Peter Rinaldi, publisher
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Hunting License by Amy Alkon
My boyfriend broke up with me recently. He wants to be friends, and I don't want to reject his friendship, but it's really painful when we hang out. How do I deal with the attraction I still have for him and the frustration and pain that he doesn't want more? ---Brokenhearted Gay Boy
It's hard to accept that it's over when your partner's breakup M.O. is essentially, "All good things must come to a middle."
Unfortunately, the emotional bond you have with this guy won't conveniently disintegrate into a small pile of ash. Psychiatrist John Bowlby explains that when somebody dies (or your relationship with them does), you need to "reorganize" your "inner life accordingly" so when you require comfort, attention, or support, you no longer automatically turn toward your former partner to get it.That's why one of the healthier models for recovering from a painful breakup comes out of Oxford. No, not their psych department -- the dictionary, under the definition for "dumping": to "put down or abandon (something) hurriedly in order to make an escape."
In contrast, contact with one's former partner after a breakup tends to slow a person's emotional recovery, reactivating or amplifying the "sadness, anger, or pining that had slowly dissipated since the initial separation," according to research by clinical psychologists David Sbarra and Robert Emery. In fact, though when we miss a person, we long to be around them, Sbarra and Emery find that seeing or even just talking with the ex you're trying to get over is likely to lead to "significantly more love and sadness, not less."
Your ex is doing what's good for him alone, perhaps because he's a horrible person or perhaps because you haven't told him how much you're hurting or how painful it is to be around him. Tell him what you need, whether it's no contact for a period of time (like three months or six months) or whether the no-contact period that works for you is "forever."
Don't hold back on doing what's best for your day-to-day healing and in the longterm. That's your job as a person -- not hanging out at your ex's place and letting him use you for everything but sex: "Bro, do me a favor and get on all fours, but keep your back straight so the drinks won't spill. It's just for a few days, until my new coffee table comes."
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Peter Rinaldi, publisher
Clarisse Washington, editor emerita
Can Ovarian cancer Be Found Early? by Cassandra Taylor, RNC
Only about 20% of ovarian cancers are found at an early stage. When ovarian cancer is found early, about 94% of patients live longer than 5 years after diagnosis.
Regular women's health exams
During a pelvic exam, the health care professional feels the ovaries and uterus for size, shape, and consistency. A pelvic exam can be useful because it can find some female cancers at an early stage, but most early ovarian tumors are difficult or impossible to feel. Pelvic exams may, however, help find other cancers or female conditions. Women should discuss the need for these exams with their doctor. Screening tests used for cervical cancer, such as a Pap test or HPV (human papillomavirus) test aren’t effective tests for ovarian cancer. Rarely, ovarian cancers are found through Pap tests, but usually they are at an advanced stage.
See a doctor if you have symptoms
Early cancers of the ovaries often cause no symptoms. Symptoms of ovarian cancer can also be caused by other, less serious conditions. By the time ovarian cancer is considered as a possible cause of these symptoms, it usually has already spread. Also, some types of ovarian cancer can rapidly spread to nearby organs. Prompt attention to symptoms may improve the odds of early diagnosis and successful treatment. If you have symptoms similar to those of ovarian cancer almost daily for more than a few weeks, report them right away to your health care professional.
Screening tests for ovarian cancer
Screening tests and exams are used to detect a disease, like cancer, in people who don’t have any symptoms. (For example, a mammogram can often detect breast cancer in its earliest stage, even before a doctor can feel the cancer.) There has been a lot of research to develop a screening test for ovarian cancer, but there hasn’t been much success so far. The 2 tests used most often (in addition to a complete pelvic exam) to screen for ovarian cancer are transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) and the CA-125 blood test.
Better ways to screen for ovarian cancer are being researched but currently there are no reliable screening tests. Hopefully, improvements in screening tests will eventually lead to fewer deaths from ovarian cancer.
There are no recommended screening tests for ovarian cancer for women who do not have symptoms and are not at high risk of developing ovarian cancer. In studies of women at average risk of ovarian cancer, using TVUS and CA-125 for screening led to more testing and sometimes more surgeries, but did not lower the number of deaths caused by ovarian cancer. For that reason, no major medical or professional organization recommends the routine use of TVUS or the CA-125 blood test to screen for ovarian cancer in women at average risk.
Some organizations state that TVUS and CA-125 may be offered to screen women who have a high risk of ovarian cancer due to an inherited genetic syndrome such as Lynch syndrome, BRCA gene mutations or a strong family history of breast and ovarian cancer. Still, even in these women, it has not been proven that using these tests for screening lowers their chances of dying from ovarian cancer.
Screening tests for germ cell tumors/stromal tumors
There are no recommended screening tests for germ cell tumors or stromal tumors. Some germ cell cancers release certain protein markers such as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) into the blood. After these tumors have been treated by surgery and chemotherapy, blood tests for these markers can be used to see if treatment is working and to determine if the cancer is coming back.
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News for Southwest Mississippi and East Central Louisiana, including Adams, Jefferson, Franklin and Wilkinson counties and Concordia and Catahoula parishes.
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Peter Rinaldi, publisher
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The Vidalia Conference and Convention Center is the optimal location for the event to remember. Located along the bank of the Mississippi River in Vidalia, La., directly across the river from historic Natchez, Miss., adjacent to the Clarion Suites Hotel and just north of the Riverfront RV Park. 20,000 square feet of rental space for conventions, parties, exhibits, weddings and special events. For more info, call 318-336 9934.
Visit our website: www.vidaliaconventioncenter.com
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Historic Downtown: Between Main and Franklin streets is the hub of Old Natchez with tree-lined streets, old homes, plenty of places to walk and view restored historic properties. Restaurants, antique and gift shops, banks, bars. Very visitor friendly. Call the Chamber of Commerce for specific sites worth visiting, 601-445-4611.
Stanton Hall
Vidalia Riverfront: A mile-long river walk and the best views of the Mississippi River highlight this spectacular collage of scenery of new facilities including restaurants, hotels, convention center and amphitheater. The river walk is the perfect place to unwind, relax and get a touch of exercise.
Rhythm Night Club Memorial Museum: Monroe and Betty Sago built and dedicated the Rhythm Club Museum on the actual site honoring the 209 victims that lost their lives and the 200 injured during the fire of April 23, 1940. Exhibits of photos, newspaper articles, live recordings from survivors telling their stories as to what happened that night, written documentations, and even music that the band played that night are featured. 5 St Catherine St., Natchez, 601-597-0557, www.rmconsitemm.org.
Delta Music Museum
Delta Music Museum: A restored post office in downtown Ferriday offers a glimpse into the lives of Ferriday's most famous musical natives: Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, Jimmy Swaggart, and PeeWee Whittaker. Free admission, 318-757-9999.
Duncan Park: Nice tennis facilities and 18-rounds of golf, picnic tables, driving range, handicapped accessible playground, nice biking and walking. Golf just $29 ($24 seniors), cart included. Inexpensive recreation, 601-442-5955.
Longwood
Longwood and Rosalie: These homes offer the best of the best tours of pre-Civil War mansions. Longwood, an unfinished octagonal house (800-647-6742), and Rosalie, with its original furnishings and beautiful gardens (601-445-4555), have great family histories.
Antebellum Home Touring: Natchez Pilgrimage Tours offers individual and group tickets to antebellum mansions year-round. Fall and Spring Pilgrimages offer more than 30 homes on tour, all restored, beautifully furnished with priceless antiques, art and collectibles. Many homes feature exquisite gardens and landscaped grounds, 601-653-0919.
Magnolia Bluffs Casino
Magnolia Bluffs Casino: This downtown casino offer Las Vegas-style gambling, dining, and entertainment. Call the 1-888-505-5777 for info.
Downtown Carriage Ride: The guides know just about every story about every building and the people who lived there during Natchez's historic past. Get tickets from the drivers themselves at the Canal Street Depot. Carriage rides are just $20 per person, $10 for children ages 3-10, a real value when you consider the quality and beauty of the tour.
Grand Village of the Natchez Indians
Grand Village of the Natchez Indians: A historic site and museum commemorate the Natchez Native American culture. Mounds rebuilt, nature trail, picnic tables, tree-covered grounds. Free admission. School and civic groups welcome, 601-446-6502.
Natchez Museum of African-American History: This museum on Main Street offers more than 600 artifacts that interpret the life, history and culture of black Americans in Mississippi from the 1890's to the 1950's, 601-445-0728.
MMelrose
Natchez National Historic Park: The park includes two properties, Melrose and the William Johnson House. Melrose is a stately antebellum home built in 1848, situated in a lovely park-like setting. Outbuildings are preserved. Tours are offered. The William Johnson House is a three-story townhouse, once owned by a free black businessman, 601-442-7407.
Natchez City Cemetery: This cemetery was established in 1821 and contains graves dating to the 1700's. Many of Natchez's historic figures are buried here. Tours are available, 601-445-5051.
St. Catherine Creek Wildlife Refuge
St. Catherine Creek Wildlife Refuge: This 25,000 acre refuge, located along the Mississippi River from Cloverdale Road to the Homochitto River, offers a nature trail, fishing, hunting and wildlife watching opportunities, 601-442-6696.
Natchez in Historic Photographs: Nearly 100 years of Natchez history is captured in photos hung on the walls of Stratton Chapel of First Presbyterian Church. More than 300 photographs from the 1850's-1950's. Free admission, donation requested, 601-442-4751.
Beau Pre Country Club
Beau Pré Country Club: 18 holes of beautifully landscaped golf, $50-$60 with cart. One of the best courses in the state, grill and lounge, tennis, swimming. Open Tues. through Sun., www.beauprenatchez.com, 601-442-5493.
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BLAYLOCK ENTERPRISES, LLC: Portable Building and Carport HQ. Derksen & Eagle Dealer. BUY or RENT to OWN, NO CREDIT CHECK, Low Down Payment, EZ Notes. Giant Selection of Portable Buildings, Carport, RV Covers, Barns, Garages, Workshops, He & She Sheds, We Deliver. 1634 Carter St, Vidalia. Across from Delta Bank/El Ranchero, 318-719-5278, Abner Blaylock, Owner.
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missloumagazine@gmail.com
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Dave Rubin interviews and speaks with journalists, activists, authors, comedians, and professors. Topics discussed on his show include freedom of speech, political correctness, foreign policy, and religion.
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Dennis Prager American is a radio talk show host and writer. He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Dennis Prager Show. In 2009, he co-founded PragerU, which primarily creates five-minute videos from an American conservative perspective, among other content.
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David Ramsey is an American radio personality who offers financial advice. He is the owner and CEO of Ramsey Solutions and co-hosts the nationally syndicated radio program The Ramsey Show. Ramsey has written several books, including The New York Times bestseller The Total Money Makeover, and hosted a television show on Fox Business from 2007 to 2010.
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2. Targeted Campaigns: One of the biggest strengths of online advertising is its ability to target specific audiences. You can use demographics, interests, behaviors, and even keywords to ensure your ads are shown to the most relevant people.
3. Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to traditional advertising methods, online advertising can be more budget-friendly, allowing businesses to reach a large audience even with limited resources. You can start with a small budget and scale up as your campaigns prove successful.
4. Measurable Results: Online advertising provides detailed analytics and tracking capabilities, allowing you to monitor campaign performance in real-time. You can see how many people saw your ad, clicked on it, visited your website, and even made a purchase. This data helps you optimize your campaigns and improve your return on investment.
5. Increased Customer Engagement: Online advertising can be more engaging than traditional methods, allowing you to use interactive elements, videos, and other multimedia to capture audience attention. This can lead to higher click-through rates and a more positive brand experience.
6. Enhanced Flexibility: Online advertising platforms offer flexibility in terms of ad formats, targeting options, and campaign duration. You can easily adapt your ads based on performance data, making it easy to optimize your campaigns for better results.
7. Potential for Faster Results: Online advertising can generate leads and drive traffic to your website relatively quickly, especially when compared to some traditional marketing methods. This can be particularly beneficial for businesses looking for immediate results.
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Peter Rinaldi, publisher
Clarisse Washington, editor emerita