Mississippi’s First Lady Marsha Barbour will be the speaker at the Batesville Boys & Girls Club Steak and Steak Dinner Thursday at 7 p.m. at the new Batesville National Guard Readiness Center on Keating Road. Como native Otis Sanford, managing editor of The Commercial Appeal, will serve as master of ceremonies.

The event is a fund-raiser to help finance the programs of the local organization which offers after-school activities for children.

The organization relies on this fund-raiser to secure about 25 percent of its operating budget, according to Catie Ashburn, marketing and resource development director for the local Boys & Girls Club. So far, 600 people have bought tickets.

"It’s the biggest crowd we’ve ever had," Ashburn said. "It’s very exciting."

On average, about 140 children, ages 6-18, converge on the Boys & Girls Club on Martinez St. on weekdays after school, according to Ashburn. Five paid staff members and a number of volunteers manage a program that includes homework time, arts and crafts, computer activities, and sports and recreation. About 500 children are actually enrolled in the club, but they don’t all come every day, Ashburn said.

The name "Steak and Steak" came from the national organization’s "Burger and Steak" event, which allowed sponsors to enjoy a hamburger while sitting at a table with Boys & Girls Club members who were served steak.

Ashburn reported that the local group gets a good deal on the steaks and can serve them to both adults and children.

Immediately preceding the dinner there will be a reception and silent auction at 6 p.m.

The speakers
Emcee Otis Sanford has served as managing editor of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis since 2002. He began his writing career in the seventh grade as a sports reporter for the North Panola High School paper. He attended Northwest Community College where he edited the school’s award-winning weekly newspaper, the Ranger Rocket. Sanford received a B.A. degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi in 1975.

He has worked for The Clarion-Ledger, the Pittsburgh Press, the Detroit Free Press, and has been at The Commercial Appeal since 1994.

Sanford was named Alumnus of the Year at Northwest Community College in 1999, and in 2000 he was inducted into the Ole Miss Alumni Hall of Fame.

On April 6 he will receive the Silver Em award from the University of Mississippi Department of Journalism for his outstanding contributions as a journalist.

Sanford and his wife Elaine have four children.

Marsha Dickson Barbour grew up in Monroeville, Alabama. In 1965, her family moved to Canton, Mississippi, where she graduated from Canton High School. She majored in marketing at the University of Mississippi and received her bachelor of business administration degree in December of 1970.

Marsha and Haley Barbour were married in December of 1971 in Canton. Afterwards, they moved to Yazoo City, Haley’s hometown, and raised two sons – Sterling (30) and Reeves (25).
As First Lady, Mrs. Barbour is especially active in early childhood development issues and tourism. Regular visits to read to the students at elementary schools around the state are a priority on her schedule.

Mrs. Barbour has served as honorary chairman of numerous charitable events and causes including women’s initiatives and the arts. She is on the board of directors of the USA International Ballet Competition held every four years in Jackson and she is a member of Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, an initiative of First Spouses.

Mrs. Barbour received the First Lady Youth Leadership Award presented by Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) in December of 2004.

At a county supervisors meeting held last Friday, Board of Supervisors President Jerry Perkins seemed to fire a warning shot at Mettetal when he applauded the county’s House delegation but wondered about the senator’s support for public education.

"Warner’s working hard for us… Leonard’s working hard for us," Perkins said, referring to Rep. Warner McBride of Courtland and Rep. Leonard Morris of Batesville.

After hearing a report from Supervisor Robert Avant, who recently spoke to Mettetal, Perkins summarized the senator’s position: "Senator Mettetal is still not decided."

Perkins purposely aimed his comments for publication in this newspaper, saying the county’s school districts face a $2.7 million deficit if funding from the state falls through.

South Panola could be forced to look for $1.92 million, Perkins said, and North Panola would have to make up about $815,000 in lost funds.

"They would be expecting the local people to make that up," said Perkins, formerly a South Panola School District trustee.

Reached on the Senate floor in Jackson, Mettetal said funding for public education is his "number one priority" despite the tight budget.

"I don’t know of any senator who won’t vote for education," Mettetal said. "Just because the Senate hasn’t voted to raise taxes doesn’t mean we don’t support public education."

Mettetal, who lives in Sardis, was alluding to the ongoing battle between the House and Senate, where disagreements over tax raises and spending cuts have yet to be resolved.

While the state faces a $500 million deficit, the Democrat-controlled House has proposed a 50-cent cigarette hike and increased fees to make up the difference.

The Republican-led Senate, meanwhile, supports cutting services. Mettetal and a handful of his colleagues also support the tobacco tax hike, but Gov. Haley Barbour has vowed to veto any tax raise that reaches his desk.

A House bill that funded education, and included the new service fees and tobacco hike, later died in the Senate, The Clarion-Ledger newspaper reported over the weekend.

The Senate’s version of the funding bill is $200 million less than what was requested by the state Department of Education, the newspaper also noted.

The state legislature, which is set to adjourn its 90-day session April 3, is inching closer to a special session.

Mettetal acknowledged that’s he’s heard from Panola County educators about funding public education. His answer to them, he said, is that he "fully intends to provide funds for public education."

Told of the rumblings coming from the supervisors meeting, Mettetal dismissed Perkins’ words as political talk.

It seems the extra amount of jury summonses – and miscellaneous excuses – weren’t needed after all.

Potential jurors from an extra-large pool were dismissed Monday morning after a pair of murder trials were continued until a later date and defendants in other cases on the docket pleaded guilty.

With two murder trials on the court calendar, the Panola County Circuit Clerk’s office sent out 225 jury summonses earlier this month, about 50 more than usual.