My Hattiesburg

Problems on the Lamar Board?

During Thursday’s session of the Lamar County Board of Supervisors, there was another termination, the second in little more than a year. Part-time county planner Marvin Strahan was asked to resign. As far as why, the board isn’t saying. To quote District 1 Supervisor Mike Backstrom, “We don’t like to air out our personnel problems”.

My concern is not about the terminations, it’s about what’s going on at the board. Many teachers and parents for that matter were left out in the cold when the bond issue didn’t pass. Was this because of bad management of public education on what it would do for the county? I think so, and the recent problems indicate that things are being mishandled in our county government. If they would let us know what’s going on, assumptions like this won’t be made.

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.

Happy New Year Hattiesburg

The best of wishes as we start 2005. 2004 was a very eventful year in my eyes, and the year in review shows have plenty to talk about. The top story of which is probably that Christians got out and voted!

Plenty of bowl games on today, and don’t forget to eat your black-eyed peas for good luck and cabbage for money in the new year.

Merry Christmas

It’s Jesus’ birthday once again, some dispute when he was born, a few dispute whether he was the son of God, but almost none argue that he did live and walk on Earth. He’s the reason we celebrate Christmas, and the wise men giving him gifts are the reason for giving on Christmas. Have a great day celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

USM gets probation

As if USM didn’t have enough problems, the University of Southern Mississippi had been placed on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This is another example of the poor management that is taking place at USM. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, if USM was a business, it would be bankrupt. USM has been in the news a lot lately, mostly because of management decisions, or lack thereof. To quote one anonymous contributor in the Hattiesburg American, “Being placed on probation is an embarrassment to the university. It raises doubts in students’ minds about the worth of their degrees; it discourages prospective students from attending Southern Miss; and it calls into question the effectiveness of the university’s leaders.”

Smokers get a new tax

Smokers in Hattiesburg are complaining about the new tax to be increased on a box of cigarettes to $10. In my humble opinion, this is completely justified. Have you been looking on the ground lately around Hattiesburg? The ground is littered with cigarette butts that smokers carelessly toss away as they hurry to light up another. Why am I so harsh on smokers? Because they are so harsh on theirselves. My only regret is that they don’t give alchohol the same punishment, it has even more detrimental effects on society as a whole.

Is it time for a change?

Many people are suggesting that USM head coach Jeff Bower should be fired after this year’s disappointing losses. It’s not the losses, it’s the decisions. The few TV games that we have had, the announcer’s are usually baffled by some of the plays that Bower decides to make. It’s been a good run for Bower, but maybe a change wouldn’t hurt. My vote goes for picking up Florida’s ex-head coach Ron Zook. This guy got a bad rap, but is a really good coach. Out with Bower, in with Zook. It’s a win-win.

SGA may boycott anti-bond businesses

The Hattiesburg American reported that the Student Goverment Association may target local businesses who were against the USM bond issue by boycotting them. This seems laughable at best, that they think that their voice holds any weight with the students of USM. That someone would deny themselves a sandwich because one hattiesburg business owner didn’t vote their way on a bond issue that would mainly help USM athletics.

There were over 30,000 people at the USM game on Saturday, paying an average of around $15 per ticket. Where is that money going? Any business that couldn’t manage it’s own money, in order to precipitate growth, would be out of business. That’s what USM is, a poorly run business. They expect for daddy (the city) to help them when they can’t help themselves with the millions of dollars that they earn every year. Why support a bond issue that doesn’t support the economy in the long run by helping academics in Hattiesburg? USM is important to this city, but not so important that we should go down with it when a major university can’t take care of it’s own problems.