My Hattiesburg

Hattiesburg Mayor wants volunteers?

The growing police shortage, and high turnover is a problem in Hattiesburg. Johnny Dupree thinks he has the answer. A volunteer auxiliary police force that will pick up where the regular police officers can’t fill in.

“We will continue our focus on public safety with the addition of an auxiliary force of volunteers to conduct routine traffic control and event security duties which will be able to free the police for more critical functions,” DuPree said Thursday night in his annual State of the City address.

From what I read, these police officers will have to raise money for their own cars, weapons, and even clothes. They also will not get paid. I don’t know why anyone would want to do this first of all, and secondly, I don’t know who would want to put their lives in the hands of a part-time police officer. Firefighting is one thing, but the house never shoots back. Am I wrong on this or does this sound like the answer to our police force shortage? Anyone here want to do this?

Who will be the next mayor of Hattiesburg?

Well, the Hattiesburg mayor’s race is off and running. There are many candidates pining for the position that Johnny Dupree is now filling. Republican candidates includes State Rep. Lee Jarrell Davis, Walt Coker, Betsy Rowell, and David Senne. The list of Democrats who’ve qualified includes incumbent Mayor Johnny Dupree and Catherine Starr.

If there have been press releases about what these candidates are going to do for Hattiesburg, I have missed them. I’ll save my thoughts about Johnny Dupree’s term and let the voters decide if he did a good job or not. Although, unless these candidates get out and start campaigning, I doubt he will even have a chance of not being re-elected.

The Hattiesburg Republican primary is on May 3rd, where the field will be narrowed to who the Republicans think will be the best person for the job. Whether the voters will agree, is yet to be determined.

Auto Insurance may get reform

The House has introduced bill number 722, which would increase minimum coverage requirements for automobiles in Mississippi. Here are the specifics, $25,000 for bodily injury (up from the current $10,000); $50,000 for personal injury (up from the current $20,000); and $25,000 for property damage (up from the current $5,000). The current minimums, by the way, were set in 1972.

This is great news for all of Hattiesburg Mississippi, since the current minimums are really deficient. With only $5,000 being required, if your hit by a driver with this coverage, and you have a new car, your out of luck. I personally was in this exact situation, and had to be covered by my own insurance company. I would like to give a personal vote of support for this new law.

Private schools on the rise

Just as public schools in Hattiesburg are in turmoil, the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Hattiesburg will soon receive money to build a new $1.5 million high school. It will be located near the elementary school. This sounds like good news for those parents in Hattiesburg that don’t want to send their kids to a public school.

Lamar schools may have to consolidate

It looks as though the Lamar bond issue is hitting some voters in the face by the fact that their school may be closing down. Baxterville Elementary is one of the first on the list. One of smallest public schools in Lamar County at 186 students, may be voted on by April 15th. Many parents can’t believe it, but solutions to this problem are as drastic as the closing. A year-long school term or a four day school week to save money.

The better solution would be repeating the bond issue which lost by only 1%. The extra tax needs to be tacked on to homes in Lamar county in my opinion. Someone living in Lamar County needs to support Lamar County schools.

Tsunami death toll reaches 114,000

Our prayers go out to these people as they deal with the pain and suffering right now. This was a horrific tragedy and a display of nature’s power. Thank you to all who have sent donations to help the victims.