Headlines – 6/1/2004

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 1, 2004

Panolian Headlines: June 1, 2004

For complete stories, pick up the 6/1/04  issue of The Panolian

Officer Remembered…
    
    
Friends and family gathered last week to say their goodbyes to Rick Johnson who passed away from a heart attack.

A special fund has been established at Union Planters Bank in Batesville for his wife and family. Anyone who is interested in making a donation is encouraged to do so.

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For more information about the account, contact Angie Hinton, Vice-president of Union Planters, at 563-5691 ext. 118
    


Rules Should Be Followed for Flag
    
By Jason C. Mattox
News Editor

With Flag Day upon us, it is important to remember there are certain rules of etiquette when displaying the United States flag.

Some of those rules are:
    

When on display or carried in a procession with other flags, the flag should be positioned to one’s right. Also, it should be placed to the right of a speaker or staging area, while other flags are placed to the left.
When the flag is displayed from a staff projecting horizontally from a window sill, balcony, or building, the stars of the flag should be placed at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half staff.
The flag should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of states, localities, or societies are grouped for display.
When the flag is displayed either vertically or horizontally against a wall, the stars should be placed at the top of the flag’s right and the observer’s left.
When the flag is unfurled for display across a street, it should be hung vertically, with the stars to the north or east.
When the flag is flown with flags of other nations they are to be displayed from separate staffs of the same height, and each should be of equal size. International law forbids the display of the flag of one nation to be flown above that of another nation during time of peace.
  During a time of national mourning, the flag can be flown at half mast by order or proclamation of the President of the United States. When flown at half mast, the flag should be hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half staff position. The flag should be raised to the peak before it is lowered at the end of the day.
  When the flag is used to cover a casket, it should be placed with the stars at the head and over the left shoulder. The flag should not be lowered into the grave or be allowed to touch the ground.

The Flag Code, a national guideline on ways in which the flag is to be respected, states that no disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America. Specific ways, in which the flag should not be used, according to the code, are:

The flag should not be dipped to any person or thing, and can be flown upside down only as a distress signal.
The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. Bunting of blue, white, and red can be used for covering a speaker’s desk, draping the front of a platform, or for decoration in general.
The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a way that would allow it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged.
The flag should never have any mark, insignia, letter, work, or other designs of any kind placed upon it.
The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
The flag should never be used for advertising purposes. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, paper napkins, boxes, or anything that is designed for temporary use. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a flag’s staff or halyard.
  No part of the flag should be used as an element of a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be worn on the uniform of military personnel, firemen, and members of patriotic or other national organizations, such as the uniforms of veterans’ service organizations or Scout uniforms.
  When lowering the flag, make certain that no part of it touches the ground. It should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag, ceremoniously fold it length wise in half, then repeat with the blue field on the outside. Finally, while one person holds it by the blue field, another then makes a triangular fold in the opposite end, continuing to fold it in triangles until only the blue shield shows.
  When a flag is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, it should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning.

Flying Our Flag
It is proper to display the flag from sunrise to sunset on all days the weather permits. The flag may also be displayed at night if illuminated by a light. But it is even more important to display the flag on national holidays and days of importance, including:

New Year’s Day, Inauguration Day, Martin Luther King Day, Lincoln’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Easter Sunday, Mother’s Day, Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day (half staff until noon), Flag Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Constitution Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, Election Days, State and Local Holidays.

The Panolian will have a special "pull-out" U.S. Flag for all subscribers to fly in their windows and places of business in next Tuesday’s edition. For sponsor information, please call 563-4591.
    


   

Almost Ready
    
Sergeant First Class John Ard of the Mississippi National Guard served as a tour guide as he showed the Batesville Kiwanis Club around the new Readiness Center on Keating Road. Ard said the new facility could be ready for its tenants within one month.
    

Mini-Storage on Hwy. 6 Questioned
    
By Fredrick Cosby Jr.
Contributing Writer

A Panola County property owner approached the Land Development Board for the second time to request zoning variances that would allow him to operate an industrial development area.

Jordan Bankhead of Oxford has requested board approval to build on Hwy. 6 East, between Batesville and Oxford. His request is to build an industrial storage parking lot for tractor trailers and mini storage buildings.

Bankhead owns 32 acres east of Batesville on which he wants to develop. The questions that arose were how much land will be developed initially, will the land be divided into sub-divisions and what exactly will be built on the land.

The board stressed precautions for anyone wanting to use the land for anything not specified during the meeting, such as adult entertainment businesses.

Bobby Phelps, a land owner from the area also had concerns. "I’m worried about things that will not preserve the surrounding property." Phelps is an agricultural and timber farmer. "I’m concerned about things such a hazardous material like oil spills. I’m a fifth generation land owner and I don’t want to see anything go bad for me or my neighbors", adds Phelps.

The building of the industrial lot may also cause traffic problems because the lot would sit in between two intersections leading to the highway. "If a tractor trailer was to leave this lot and go East he would have to go down Hwy 6 west first and then turn at the intersection to go East" stated Phelps.

The board made a motion to continue the case until next meeting because of the need to understand how much land will be initially developed and what exactly will be built.
    


McMillen Makes Rank
     of Eagle Scout

    
    
Caleb McMillen, 17 year old son of Brady and Candice McMillen of Batesville and Dorothy Annette Scott of Horn Lake, will be honored on Sunday, June 6 as he appears before the Eagle Scout Court of Honor to receive the Boy Scouts of America’s highest honor, the Eagle Scout Award. The Eagle Scout Court of Honor will convene at 2 p.m. in Lee Chapel of First Baptist Church on Panola Avenue at which time McMillen will be awarded the Boy Scout’s prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.

McMillen is a member of Boy Scout Troop 478 in the Chickasaw Counsel. He also holds the second highest rank of Brotherhood in the Order of Arrow and leads the troop’s Native American Dance team. McMillen’s receiving the Eagle Scout Award earned him a membership into an elite group, as only four percent of young men that enter the Scouting program ever achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

McMillen led and directed a group of younger scouts as they repainted the parking lot of the Mount Olivet United Methodist Church for his Eagle Scout Project.

McMillen is a member of Calvary Baptist Church where he is active in the youth and youth mission trips. He is a junior at South Panola High School where he is a member of the varsity baseball team, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Youth for Christ, Peer Counselor, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society and the Leadership Class where he recently received the TVA Youth Leadership Award.

Family and friends are invited to attend the ceremony as the Eagle Scout Court of Honor recognizes him for his accomplishment.