Some of the available stories for November 1999
Publisher's Commentary
Two weeks ago Deltans witnessed a rare treat at the
Bologna Performing Arts Center on the campus of Delta State University
as author, writer, columnist and noted conservative, William F. Buckley,
helped kickoff the Levingston Distinguished Speaker Series.
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The Honorable W. Allen Pepper,
Jr. of Cleveland
On July 21, 1999, W. Allen Pepper, Jr. of Cleveland
became the newest United States District Court Judge for the Northern District
of Mississippi. Pepper is the first Delta resident to serve in this capacity
since the death of William C. Keady in 1989. Pepper's presidential appointment
was made incident to Judge L. T. Senter's taking senior status. The responsibilities
of the Court are shared among Chief Judge Neal Biggers posted in Oxford,
United States District Judge Glen H. Davidson, and Senior U. S. District
Judge L. T. Senter both stationed in Aberdeen, and Pepper, who chose to
be stationed in Greenville.
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Jitney Jungle's Predicament
How will it affect the Delta?
By Molly Matthews
By the time Jitney Jungle Stores of America filed
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month, rumors about the grocery chain's
status had been circulating for months.
Less than a week before the announcement, Jitney's
bond prices had collapsed, trading at 33 cents on every dollar of debt.
Two weeks prior to the announcement, bonds had traded at 63 cents on every
dollar of debt. To represent interest paid by the company, bonds ideally
trade at slightly more than $1 for each dollar of debt.
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Mid-Delta Regional Airport Increase
in Commercial Activity Recorded
By Mary Ellen Powell
The commercial activity at Mid Delta Regional
Airport in Greenville is up 23 percent over last year. Airport Director
Cliff Nash attributed a large part of the increase in activity to the excellent
service provided by Northwest Airlink.
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Employer-Assisted Housing Programs
By Molly Matthews
Thirty-four teachers in the Mississippi Delta
are living in new homes, thanks to Fannie Mae's Employer-Assisted Housing
programs, said Bruce Crain, director of Fannie Mae's Mississippi Partnership
Office.
Recently, film crews were sent from Fannie Mae's
Washington, D.C. office to highlight the Delta as one of the program's
success stories. In this case, the 34 teachers participated through the
teacher-assisted home loan program, but EAH applies to many industries
and trades.
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Simmons Expands Catfish Business
in Yazoo City
By Julie Speed
Simmons Farm Raised Catfish, producers of fresh
and frozen catfish and one of the area's largest employers, is gearing
up for another expansion.
The company's five-year plan consists of an increase
from 17 million live pounds of catfish to 25 million live pounds and would
boost employment at the processing plant from around 200 to almost 300
employees, said Harry Simmons, president of Simmons Farm Raised Catfish
in Yazoo City.
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Delta Regional Medical Center
By Molly Matthews
GREENVILLE - Delta residents will soon have access
to a new cardiovascular center and a comprehensive outpatient facility
when Delta Regional Medical Center completes its $13.2 million expansion
and renovation.
"The top two priorities of the $13.2 million
expansion and renovation of Delta Regional Medical Center are the establishment
of a comprehensive outpatient treatment and diagnostics center and the
construction of a new cardiovascular center," said Terri Lane, marketing
director for the 268-bed medical facility.
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Maude Schuyler Clay of Sumner Publishes
Book
Book is a photographic salute to Delta
By Hugh D. Palmer
Although many acclaimed photographers have focused their cameras on
the Mississippi Delta, no photographer, until now, has attempted to produce
a photographic interpretation of the land itself. The 75 black and white
photographs in Maude Schuyler Clay's new book, Delta Land, published
by University Press Of Mississippi is the completion of Clay's photographic
mission since returning from New York to live in her hometown of Sumner.
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