From the Publisher
Delta Annual Council Meeting, May 23
By Scott Coopwood
DBJ Publisher
Mark your calendars for May 23 because that is when one of the largest events in the Delta will take place, Delta Council’s Annual Meeting.
For 73 years, Delta Council has been holding its yearly meeting at Delta State in Cleveland. The annual meeting takes place in order to provide an overview of Delta Council’s past activities of the year as well as their ongoing work in regard to agriculture and economic development.
For those who may not be familiar with Delta Council, it is the Mississippi Delta’s economic development organization representing the 18 Delta and part-Delta counties of Northwest Mississippi. Organized in 1935 by a group of farsighted citizens, their mission was to provide a medium through which the agricultural, business, and professional leadership of the area could work together to solve common problems and promote the development of the economy of the area. This mission continues today.
The speaker for the annual meeting this year will be political analyst Stu Rothenberg. Rothenberg is a regular political commentator on CNN and Fox News. You may have also seen him appear on Meet the Press, ABC’s Sunday morning program, This Week, Face the Nation, The NewsHour, Nightline, and many other television programs. He is often quoted in the nation’s major media and his op-eds have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. Additionally, Rothenberg is the editor and publisher of The Rothenberg Political Report, a nonpartisan political newsletter covering U.S. House, Senate and gubernatorial campaigns, Presidential politics and political developments. He is a bi-weekly columnist for Roll Call, Capitol Hill’s premier newspaper. Rothenberg served during the 2006 election as a political analyst for CBS News.
Delta Council news continues in this edition of the DBJ on page 31, whereby we feature their yearly Economic Progress Report. This report presents some interesting economic indicators and figures concerning our region of Mississippi, and we are pleased that they allowed us to print this report in the Delta Business Journal. DBJ
Guest Commentary
Legislative shove to school officials is good for Delta
By Robert Smith
We’re nearly two years into the three-year period for which the Delta Revitalization Task Force was authorized in the 2006 session and the much-ballyhooed group is a flop so far. It has produced plenty of legislative recommendations but nothing of any note has been adopted.
I asked Rep. John Mayo, D-Clarksdale, in a recent email about the status of the group and he indicated that it was time to take stock and regroup. The frustrating thing is that this task force was supposed to be an action-oriented body. It was supposed to move beyond studying the region’s problems and put meaty solutions on the table for the Legislature to act upon.
The result, however, has been uninspiring. The rest of the state frequently shows more interest in the Delta when the subject of political debate is voter ID or scuttling the Yazoo pumps project. The only time in recent memory that interest in the Delta really picked up steam in Jackson was when Rep. Jeff Smith and his allies in the House were looking for members of the Legislative Black Caucus and others to defect and pull the rug out from under Speaker Billy McCoy.
FULL STORY
Palasini farms prospers over three generations
By E.L. York
DBJ Contributing Writer
For three generations, the tight-knit family behind Palasini Farms has achieved the American dream through hard work and good management.
“My daddy came over in 1926 from Italy and started farming,” says Ellis Palasini, the family patriarch. “He married my mama after the 1927 flood, and then he started working as a sharecropper with the Dean Company in Tribbett. He saved his money, and started buying land, 80 acres, which we still have today. That’s how it all got started.”
Now the Palasinis, Ellis and his sons, Mike and Duke, farm over 4,000 acres in Washington County near Leland, between Dunleith and Holly Ridge. They have two full-time farm employees, one intermittent worker, and their crops for 2008 include soybeans, wheat and corn.
Through the years, the Palasini family also has expanded. Ellis’ oldest son, Butch, was a partner in the farm for over three decades. His second son, Mike, became a partner in 1980, and his youngest son, Duke, in 1986. Ellis also has four daughters, Kathryn, Donna, Ricca and Dina. His wife, Norma, manages the farm’s finances.
“My mother is in the operation as well,” says Mike. “She always brings us lunches and gets parts if something breaks on the farm.”
Mike also counts one longtime employee who recently passed away as an extended family member.
FULL STORY
Palasini farms prospers over three generations
By E.L. York
DBJ Contributing Writer
Gambling on the river takes on a different meaning every spring for a handful of farmers.
Warren County Extension director John Coccaro says hundreds of acres, some of the county’s best cropland, are 10-12 feet under water because of heavy rains well north of Mississippi. Most of the fields were planted in winter wheat last fall when the state was in a seemingly endless drought. Still, the fields have a history of flooding, which makes them too risky for insurance coverage.
Coccaro fields questions every day about cropland flooded by backwater from the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers.
“From a statewide perspective, the impact on the wheat crop will be a small percentage, but to the individual farmers involved, it’s as much as a 100 percent loss,” Coccaro says. “And there are no easy answers for how the farmers will cope with their losses.”
On April 10, forecasters said the Mississippi River would crest in Vicksburg at 50.5 feet, or more than 7.5 feet above flood stage, on April 18. The crest date gets later and the water level rises as more rains occur upstream.
FULL STORY
special report: ATTORNEYS
Small town laywers still in big demand
By Sara Coleman
DBJ Contributing Writer
The legal profession in the Delta, as throughout the country, changes with time and the advent of new rules and regulations, but according to many lawyers from across the area, the practice of law is still a stable and essential part of the region’s social and business network.
Most Delta law firms maintain general practices and serve clients in many different ways, from their house sales to business dealings to personal injury cases.
“In my opinion, the practice is basically the same after my 35 years of work,” says Kirkham Povall of Povall and Jeffreys, P.A., in Cleveland. “We represent people with varied interests – business transactions, divorce and child custody matters, litigation. We handle all types of litigation – business, commercial, personal injury, worker’s compensation and medical malpractice. We represent banks in real estate transactions as well as farm sales and loans for farmers. From time to time, we also defend people who are charged in criminal cases.”
Povall notes that modern technology has sped up the process of practicing law and aids lawyers in accomplishing more in shorter amounts of time.
“From a practice perspective, the pace of your practice has gained tremendous speed due to advances in technology and the ability to produce documents, store and save and do research online as opposed to going to the books. That is a major change,” he says.
Povall emphasizes that, regardless of any industry changes, “It’s our job to assist people who have problems and need help.”
FULL STORY
special report: BOLIVAR COUNTY
More than a hip college town
By David Lush
DBJ Contributing Writer
Bolivar County is unique in many ways. Besides the blues, Delta State University, the Mississippi River and verdant fields of cotton, corn, soybeans and rice, Bolivar County has several other distinctions.
It is one of the largest counties in the state with 876.28 square miles. It has more municipalities than any other county with 15. It has more than 1,000 miles of roads and highways. Residents support six public school districts as well as private schools. And it has two county seats and courthouses – Cleveland and Rosedale.
Against this backdrop of agriculture and small town living, Bolivar County and the county’s largest city – Cleveland – have made quite a name for themselves.
“This is a great place to work and live and raise your kids,” says Bolivar County Administrator Mimi Dossett. “Sure, we have our problems, too, but there are a lot more positives to life here.” Dossett handles the administrative duties for the day-to-day operations of the county, while also working with the Board of Supervisors. “We work to help bring along the whole county, not just Cleveland. With the state’s largest number of municipalities, it’s a real challenge to make it all work,” she says.
With the county’s size in mind, Dossett points out the two main transportation corridors that anchor each side of the county. U.S. 61 travels from Coahoma County through Bolivar and into Washington County. The same pattern flows along Mississippi 1 on the riverside with municipalities along the way.
FULL STORY
Columns
Delta’s country-blues rocker
Steve Azar launches new website
www.steveazarlive.com goes live
Mississippi Delta singer/songwriter Steve Azar unveiled his new official website,www.steveazarlive.com on April 16. The newly designed site is packed full of new content for Steve’s fans.
Visitors on the website can watch “Azar TV,” which is loaded with the newest music videos and TV features from Steve, along with a brand new jukebox filled with Azar’s biggest hits and some of his latest music.
Other special features include current news and upcoming tour dates, as well as a sign-up for e-mail updates from Steve. The newly renovated site also features a store where much of his music is available for download, including songs from his upcoming release, Indianola.
Indianola will be released on Azar’s label, Dang/Ride Records on Tuesday, May 27 and will be available on his new website, as well as other digital music stores and select stores nationwide.
Stay tuned to www.steveazarlive.com for updates on Steve Azar news, upcoming contests and exciting giveaways.
Press Contact: Schatzi Hageman, (615) 782-0078 info@hotschatzpr.com DBJ
Veteran newspaperman Ed Nichols returns to Delta
Nichols to oversee newspapers
in Clarksdale and Greenville
By Amile Wilson
DBJ Contributing Writer
Since he was 10 years old, Ed Nichols’ life has been one long string of newspaper jobs. As the new publisher of both the Clarksdale Press Register and the Delta Democrat Times, Nichols hopes he has found a permanent home after years of a life on the move in the hectic world of journalism.
Nichols, a Florida native, spent time in Greenville, Miss., back in 1997 as publisher for the Delta Democrat Times before leaving for a successful career refurbishing old newspapers and starting new ones in California.
Now known for his skills at growing and revitalizing newspapers, Nichols’ career began as a paperboy selling newspapers on the street corner. Over time he moved up the ranks to work in the mailroom, as a circulation manager and, at the age of 28, publisher of the Greensburg Daily News, circulation 6500.
From there, he has ventured on to many assignments from small neighborhood papers all the way up to the New York Times. “I became known as a fireman, or whatever you want to call it,” laughs Nichols. “I’d go in, fix newspapers up, then leave.”
Nichols’ business techniques are both traditional and innovative. While in California, Nichols became successful by both providing local relevant coverage and leading the way in putting newspapers on the Internet. His papers were some of the first to capitalize on the Internet revolution and actually make money off their Internet sites.
“I loved traveling,” says Nichols of his various news assignments. “I’ve enjoyed every place I’ve lived.”
A particular highlight to Nichols was his ability to attend colleges all over the U.S. Though he has taken classes at such prestigious universities as Columbia and Stanford, Nichols never earned a formal degree. “I have a degree in newspapers,” he jokes. “I took courses to refine my skills not to earn a degree.”
In 2004, Nichols tried unsuccessfully to retire to his home state of Florida. “I still had ink in my blood,” says Nichols. When the opportunity came to get back into the world of news, Nichols took it and ended up first in Louisiana and now back in Mississippi.
Though Clarksdale Press Register and Delta Democrat Times owner Wyatt Emmerich, might be the person who recruited Nichols for the job, it was Nichols’ love for the people of Mississippi that truly brought him back to the state. “It was the people and nothing but the people,” says Nichols.
In the two months Nichols has been back in the state, his effect on the newspapers under his command have been quite palpable. For the first time, the Press Register is now available in its entirety online. The paper exists in cyberspace as a virtual flipbook allowing anyone to peruse the pages. This service is currently available free of charge at www.pressregister.com.
Nichols’ vision for the paper is sound: To create the best local news product in the area for the amount of money in the area. “We don’t expect large profits,” he says, “just high quality journalism.”
Nichols has a particular love of community-based newspapers and the subject matters they talk about. “National papers are hurting for business while our circulation is growing,” says Nichols. “It’s growing because people want to hear about what’s happening with the school down the street. People care about local news.”
As successful in family life as he has been in publishing, Nichols is the father of five children and has 10 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. With his vision and drive, the Delta Democrat Times and Clarksdale Press Register are both in very capable hands. DBJ
Mississippi native and former astronaut Fred Haise to highlight MEC’s 59th annual meeting
American hero Fred Haise, a Biloxi native, will be the keynote speaker at the Mississippi Economic Council’s 59th Annual Meeting May 7 at the Jackson Marriott.
Governor Haley R. Barbour and Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant will take part in the event.“The MEC annual meeting gives leaders from throughout Mississippi the opportunity to join together and learn more about the great things happening in our state,” says MEC Chair Carolyn Shanks. “This year, we are excited to have Fred Haise, a real American hero, as our keynote speaker and to honor him and NASA for what they mean to Mississippi.”
“Failure is Not an Option,” will be the topic of the keynote speech by Haise. Haise gained fame as crew member on the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. He was the lunar pilot on the ill-fated mission, which was the subject of a blockbuster movie in 1995. Haise also served as backup lunar module pilot for the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions.
MEC’s Annual Meeting gets underway with registration at 8:30 a.m. on May 7th. There will be two morning sessions beginning at 9:15 a.m. The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. The luncheon program will also feature visions for Mississippi’s future from Governor Barbour and Lt. Governor Bryant. Speaker of the House Billy McCoy has been invited and there will be a special musical appearance by Miss Mississippi Kimberly Nicole Morgan.
The Mississippi Economic Council has been the voice of Mississippi business since 1949. MEC deals with broad issues that relate to businesses through advocacy, research, resources and leadership. MEC has 7,600 members from 1,400 member firms in 2,400 locations throughout Mississippi. DBJ
View Points
Sheriff Joe for President
In Maricopa County in Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio is doing something about the illegal alien problem there by implementing a radical solution known as “following the law.” What a concept! If someone commits even a minor infraction, the authorities check their citizenship status. If they are illegal then they are turned over to the feds for deportation. Interestingly, large numbers of illegal aliens are not waiting around to be shipped off, they are headed back across the border on their own. The rest of the country could, once again, learn something from Sheriff Joe’s example. DBJ
Keeping “Fair Chase”
Kudos to Governor Barbour for his veto of the deer baiting bill. Mississippi has been a “fair chase” state and we believe it should remain so. Shooting a deer while it has its head in a feed trough is not hunting, it’s just killing. Hunting is a sport and to allow shooting deer over bait is not what we would consider ‘sporting.’ Why not allow shooting turkeys in a pen or fishing with quarter sticks of dynamite then? Just because ‘they do it in Texas’ is no reason we should bait deer. Hunting is a way to teach our youth to respect nature and wildlife, and to conserve our natural resources. Baiting deer would have the exact opposite effect. DBJ
Go Grains
During this time of the year, we at the DBJ pause to think about our Delta farmers and their plight to overcome the many obstacles they face at the beginning of each growing season. While cotton continues to fade from our Delta landscape and is replaced with grain, our Delta fields look more like a scene from the Midwest as opposed to our once cotton top horizon we are all so accustomed to seeing. This scenery is a positive change for our Delta farmers as they have a higher probability of making a profit growing grain rather than cotton. We at the DBJ wish our many farmers the best at the beginning of this 2008 growing season. DBJ
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