Most folks around these parts say Huey Townsend was born to be a banker.
As a youngster growing up in a tiny Delta town, Townsend spent hours in bank offices where his grandfather, Paul Townsend, and his father, Paul Townsend, Jr. worked.
In junior high school, he joined the bank in an official capacity, working part-time, sometimes operating proof machines, other times handling account services, and occasionally running a teller window.

Even though there’s plenty of speculation, no one can predict how Mississippi’s five congressional districts will be divided into four, political pundits say.
Seeing the Delta split as it once was appears to be a common sentiment. Many feel that the Delta should should have at least two representatives in Congress.
Guessing how the congressional lines would be redrawn has led to initial speculation that the 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts would be combined, with the fringe population split between the 2nd and 5th Congressional Districts.
Dr. Robert Albritton, professor of political science at the University of Mississippi says there’s reason to consider a shift in the 2nd Congressional District.

Kansas City- based Aquila Energy will begin construction in the spring on a $130 million, 320,000-kilowatt power plant and transmission line in Clarksdale.
“It’s the single largest investment that’s ever been made in Coahoma County,” says Ron Hudson, executive director of the Clarksdale Chamber of Commerce and Coahoma Industrial Foundation. “A project of that size will benefit the community with jobs, an increased tax base, and will provide an additional incentive to bring in other industries.”
Approximately 150 workers will be employed during the construction phase of the gas-fired power plant. Groundbreaking activities are slated for May 1. When the plant is operational in June 2002, about six permanent employees, including engineer technicians and laborers, will be on staff at the Clarksdale facility, said Al Butkus, vice president of corporate communications for Aquila Energy.

“The race may not always go to the swift nor the battle to the strong—but that is a pretty good way to bet.”

Well, it’s now official. What the smart money folks have been banking on for some time now has come to pass, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau – Mississippi will lose a congressional seat and must now reapportion its five congressional districts into four. Sit back, boys and girls, the fun and games are about to begin.
The redistricting process is the responsibility of the Mississippi Legislature and the ladies and gentlemen (using the terms criminally loosely) of that body must be governed by a guiding principle of “one man, one vote,” some established benchmarks within the U.S. Department of Justice, and, first and foremost, that which they determine to be in their own best personal and political interests.

Not often in an economic development professional’s career do you have the opportunity to work on a project that can literally change the landscape of your state. I can say that one of the proudest moments of my life occurred when Nissan announced that they would build a $930 million manufacturing plant in Canton, Mississippi. This project, unlike the Mercedes or Honda projects in Alabama, is much larger in scope. Rather than producing 60,000 vehicles annually, this project will produce 250,000 vehicles annually, making it a mature plant from the beginning.

They came from as far away as New York and California on the night of January 13 to attend the grand opening of one of Clarksdale’s newest businesses, Madidi restaurant. Owned by Clarksdale attorney, Bill Luckett and actor/Delta resident, Morgan Freeman, the black-tie event was one in which Clarksdale will not soon forget.
“I had a wonderful time that night,” says Freeman. “I am so pleased with the way the restaurant has turned out and the response that we have had. We have many wonderful restaurants in Mississippi, this is not the only one. However, Madidi is a wonderful addition to the dining experiences we do have around the Delta.”