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| Recently Major Raphael Devinci Bruce was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Ordance Branch at Fort McPherson, Ga. Lt. Col. Bruce was joined by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Percy and Barbara Bruce, along with his wife Gina Bruce and his two sons, Ramoan Bruce and Ralonzo Bruce. Lt. Col. Bruce was also joined by many family and friends as he received his new rank.
Lieutenant Colonel Bruce served in our country’s last three major war campaigns. (Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.) He is currently assigned to Headquarters FORSCOM (Forces Command), in Atlanta, Ga. where he serves as a Logistics Readiness Officer in the FORSCOM G4. Lt. Col. Bruce is a 1980 graduate of South Panola High School and is also a 1985 graduate of Rust College, Holly Springs.
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Heafner Rd. Community
Fearing Plans
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By Fredrick Cosby Jr.
Contributing Writer
Something smelled in the Batesville Courthouse Monday night, May 10, at the Zoning Board meeting, and it wasn’t someone’s left over lunch.
Landowners from Henry Heafner Road, adjacent to Hwy. 35 near Sardis Lake, came out to dispute over Elizabeth Berry building new multi-family apartments on her land, which is now used as a mobile home park.
There have been many complaints about her mobile home park because of raw sewage and the tenants who rent the trailers. Grover Canada, a vacationer from Arkansas, said his family won’t come down to Mississippi anymore.
"I’ve owned land on that road since 1990 and I use my house there as a vacation spot. Me and my family used to come down here and fish and enjoy the peace and quiet. Now my wife and kids are scared to come down here," Canada said.
From statements made by Dennis Baker, who represents about 10 land owners from that area, the Panola County Sheriff’s Department has a list of complaints and criminal acts against some of Berry’s tenants.
"People are dropping their raw sewage right on the ground," Canada said. "It smells to high heaven out there. We are good Christian folk that don’t take to the things that go on over there. I’ve even had people race through my yard on four-wheelers and give me the finger."
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Graduation Time!
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South Panola conferred diplomas on 220 graduates Sunday afternoon at Tad Smith Coliseum at the University of Mississippi. The graduates wait to march in to begin the ceremony.
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Ninety North Panola graduates march in Friday night for the 2004 commencement exercises at Northwest Community College.
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Resident Remembers
102 Years of Life |
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By Samantha Lewis-Whitt
Contributing Writer
Many lessons are to be learned in life. There are those that are learned through people such as parents, teachers, and others. And there are those that are learned through experience and time. Mrs. Cora Louise Wallace can tell you a lot about both.
At 102 years old, Mrs. Louise, as she prefers to be called, has seen both love and loss, war and peace.
"I was born in my home," says Mrs. Louise, "and home is Independence, Mississippi, where my daddy was a merchant. But that’s not all my daddy did," she adds.
According to Mrs. Louise, as long as she can remember, her daddy was a "jack of all trades."
"My daddy did everything you can think of," she added. "And he always had everything we needed."
One of Mrs. Louise’s favorite memories of growing up is helping her daddy raise sheep.
"My daddy let me have a baby sheep one time," says Mrs. Louise. "I didn’t realize the damage I was doing by butting heads with it, because any time one of the kids walked by it would run up to them and ram them.
"Daddy ended up taking my sheep away from me," she added. " But I got the last laugh ?cause that sheep wouldn’t follow Daddy out to pasture. I had to walk with Daddy to take him away. I cried the whole way."
Mrs. Louise admits that was a hard lesson to learn, and said her father taught her many more lessons on tough love, including a strong work ethic.
"I finished 10th grade in Independence and graduated in Senatobia," she said. "Back then, the school in Independence only went to the 10th grade and then the students had to move into the dorms at Senatobia to finish school to get their certificate."
After graduating, she went on to college at Blue Mountain with help from her parents, taking courses in teaching and music, which only seemed natural to her, given her love for both.
"Times were hard," Mrs. Louise said, "and I was one of 10 children. We weren’t wealthy either. Nobody was. And I knew I had to do well."
Mrs. Louise was not the only child of 10 in college either.
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Variance Passes by Vote of 3-2
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By Jason C. Mattox
News Editor
A 3-2 vote by the Batesville Mayor and Board of Aldermen will allow a Batesville couple to build an addition on to their home despite neighbors’ complaints.
For the second time in recent weeks, Linda Goodnight appeared before the board asking for a variance that would allow her the construction of a master suite.
At a previous meeting, city leaders instructed Goodnight to speak with her neighbors, the Riddicks, who had complaints about the construction in an effort to work it out between themselves.
Goodnight said her husband spoke with Taylor Riddick before approaching the board about the variance and was told it would be okay.
"My husband spoke with Taylor and he was told there was not a problem with it," she said. "That’s why I was in shock when they were against it during the public hearing."
Riddick said he did speak with Goodnight’s husband about the plans and was asked to sign something that would have given a go ahead with the project.
"After my wife and I discussed it, my wife and I decided it was not in our best interest to sign that paper," Riddick said.
Mayor Bobby Baker said the city wanted the neighbors to resolve the issue among themselves, but, since that didn’t happen, the board would have to solve it.
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