Krystal Porter, 18, roamed the rows of employers Thursday at the Northwest Mississippi Area Job Fair, sticking out among the older applicants like a pre-schooler in a nursing home.

While other applicants said they were searching job booths for a career change or trying to bounce back from a mid-life layoff, Porter was looking for an afternoon job she could head to after attending morning classes at Northwest Community College.
 
"I have to go to college and have to have money," the young woman said.

Does she mean Porter needs money to pay for college or is she saying a degree increases her opportunity to make more money?

"Uh, both," she said, flashing the confident grin of an 18-year-old on a first job hunt.

A total of 60 employers came Thursday offering a variety of jobs, said Joe Buckner, director of the Governor’s Job Fair Network.

Buckner was overseeing a team of state workers who met applicants at the front doors of the Batesville Civic Center.

"There are literally thousands of jobs here for everything from truck drivers and law enforcement to insurance and the military," Buckner said. "People who are coming here looking for a job should leave with some hope that they found one."
An hour and a half after the doors opened for the public, Buckner reported that 856 job seekers had registered as they entered the BCC.

About 1,300 job applicants had hit the floor of the BCC by noon Thursday, said Cindy Martin, who manages the state-operated the WIN Job Center in Batesville.

On the floor of the BCC, Michael Collier had to halt his job hunt long enough to reorganize a pile of resumes, job applications and employer materials he had collected.

"I’m trying to get a career change, something better than just a job," said Collier, who is currently employed as a warehouse worker at a Batesville industry.

On the other side of the job search, Pamela Gauci welcomed a steady flow of applicants to the Steelmatic job booth. The Sardis industry, which makes raw wire into a variety of products, expects to begin operation in three to four weeks, she said.
As the applicants crowded around her, Gauci described an opening for a machine operator and an office clerk/bookkeeper, even advertising the starting hourly pay ($12 for the machine operator, $10 for the office job).

Gauci, who had travelled from the company’s home office in Canada, skimmed resumes with a polite smile, jotting down dates for a job interview to applicants who showed promise.

More than one applicant smiled at the gesture, thanking Gauci and disappearing into the sea of applicants with a little more hope.
 

For a time longer than they can remember, husband and wife Eric and Melissa Nelson wanted to sell their home in Batesville to live the country life, hoping to enjoy a slower pace of life with their five children.

A house fire on Christmas Day made that plan possible, and from the confines of a rented apartment the family began searching for a new home.

Eric Nelson believed he discovered a home for sale at 2771 Sardis Lake Drive, and he was right. The couple would later purchase a five-bedroom home and two acres of land.

That was two months ago.

The only problem with the new home is that the Nelsons are possibly the first black family to occupy a residence among the 300 homes that line Sardis Lake Drive, the main drag southeast of Sardis Lake known as Cole’s Point.

According to the Nelsons, they have endured cursings, "flipped" fingers and cold stares. Melissa Nelson and a neighbor once watched in horror as a passing motorist sped up his truck and ran down the family dog.

Down the road from their home, Nelson said a store owner refused to serve him when he approached the cash register to pay for a snack.

The intimidation became so intense, the couple said, that they contacted The Panolian editor Rupert Howell and told him their story.

"I try my best to love everybody because that is what Christ has taught us, and I know I must suffer how He suffered, but this is like being in a jail in your own home," said Eric Nelson, 29, a softspoken part-time church pastor who digs graves for funeral homes.

In an interview last week with The Panolian, Melissa Nelson, 31, spoke more bluntly about the family’s plight.

"I’m not afraid of staying here because this is my home, and I will do what I have to do to protect my family and my home," said the wife, a second-year criminal justice major.

The Nelsons’ home seemingly blends in with its white neighbors. Several room additions spread from the original single-wide trailer, a cyclone fence rings the front yard, and a deck wraps around part of the home. But once neighbors catch a glimpse of the new family, many often do a double-take, the couple said.

"When they look at them, I just say, ‘Hey,’ and wave back at ’em," said Debbie Kendall, a white neighbor and family friend who lives directly across the road from the Nelson family.

Kendall, 39, said she and her family have exchanged cross words with other Cole’s Point residents about the presence of the new neighbors.
"I tell them instead of being judgmental they need to judge themselves," said the neighbor. "This family hasn’t done a thing to nobody. They’ve got a kind heart."

Kendall described Cole’s Point as a "beautiful place with some bad seeds."

Word of the "new family" has spread up and down Sardis Lake Drive, confirmed Jeff Padgett, a Batesville attorney who also lives on Sardis Lake Drive.

"There is definitely talk in the neighborhood about the family moving in," said Padgett, who said he learned "the news" from neighbors.

"It astounds me that we’re taking up newspaper space talking about a black family moving in," said Padgett. "It’s amazing to me that it’s even news."

Batesville Realtor Leonard Morris, who is black, said he was saddened to learn of the racial discontent surrounding the Nelsons’ move to Cole’s Point.

"If this was the ’60s or early ’70s I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear about this situation," Morris said. "But if a person has the income and can afford the house, they ought to be able to live where they want."

Morris noted that federal legislation, the Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Act, tackled fair housing rights. The Fair Housing Act was passed by Congress in 1968.

Morris knows about racial strife as well as racial harmony. He was elected to the South Panola School Board in 1986 amid racial strife, the first black trustee to serve, but white voters have helped return him to the Mississippi House of Representatives since he first won office in 1993.

"What’s needed in Cole’s Point is for the good folks who are there to step up and start doing the right thing," said Morris of the racial situation.

According to Eric Nelson, he sought a home in the country to get away from the "fools" who had moved into his west Batesville neighborhood, bringing with them illegal drugs and crime.

The Nelsons lived on Noble Street in a mixed-race neighborhood.

Nelson said the irony hasn’t escaped him that his new white neighbors likely fear the very problems he and his wife were glad to leave behind.

"I know you’ve got black people who act like fools, just like there are white people who act like fools, but you should judge each person individually," said the husband and father. "If you’re covered by the blood of Jesus, then we’re all going up one day together."
 

Local humane society volunteers – Kim Strickland, Jana Burnham, and Leslie Cannon among them – played vital roles after they received calls – first from the DeSoto Animal Shelter and an insurance representative – describing the dog and the circumstances and location of her disappearance.

Marissa’s owners tentatively plan to drive to Batesville Saturday to reclaim their beloved pet. Animal rescue infrastructure is what the Panola County Humane Society raises money for, and their annual fund-raising event is scheduled for Friday, July 14.

The Second Annual Bow Wow Comedy Night will be held at The Eureka and will feature music by the Lug Nuts, a live auction and comedy by Janet Williams, the "Tennessee Tramp." Tickets are $24 for singles; $40 for couples.

Money raised at the benefit will help the Panola Humane Society with such expenses as its medical fund and its spay/neutering program, Strickland said.

The Panola Humane Society is also raising money for a cooperative project with the City of Batesville and Panola County which will construct an animal shelter in the county, Strickland said.

Stray and rescued animals from Panola County are currently housed in the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society’s shelter, which is often filled to capacity, especially during summer months, spokesman Jamie Ford said. During the first 14 days of June, the facility had accepted 256 animals; during 2005, they took in 3,247, she said.

For Bow Wow Comedy Night tickets, call 654-0926.
 

For a time longer than they can remember, husband and wife Eric and Melissa Nelson wanted to sell their home in Batesville to live the country life, hoping to enjoy a slower pace of life with their five children.

A house fire on Christmas Day made that plan possible, and from the confines of a rented apartment the family began searching for a new home.

Eric Nelson believed he discovered a home for sale at 2771 Sardis Lake Drive, and he was right. The couple would later purchase a five-bedroom home and two acres of land.

That was two months ago.

The only problem with the new home is that the Nelsons are possibly the first black family to occupy a residence among the 300 homes that line Sardis Lake Drive, the main drag southeast of Sardis Lake known as Cole’s Point.

According to the Nelsons, they have endured cursings, "flipped" fingers and cold stares. Melissa Nelson and a neighbor once watched in horror as a passing motorist sped up his truck and ran down the family dog.

Down the road from their home, Nelson said a store owner refused to serve him when he approached the cash register to pay for a snack.

The intimidation became so intense, the couple said, that they contacted The Panolian editor Rupert Howell and told him their story.

"I try my best to love everybody because that is what Christ has taught us, and I know I must suffer how He suffered, but this is like being in a jail in your own home," said Eric Nelson, 29, a softspoken part-time church pastor who digs graves for funeral homes.

In an interview last week with The Panolian, Melissa Nelson, 31, spoke more bluntly about the family’s plight.

"I’m not afraid of staying here because this is my home, and I will do what I have to do to protect my family and my home," said the wife, a second-year criminal justice major.

The Nelsons’ home seemingly blends in with its white neighbors. Several room additions spread from the original single-wide trailer, a cyclone fence rings the front yard, and a deck wraps around part of the home. But once neighbors catch a glimpse of the new family, many often do a double-take, the couple said.

"When they look at them, I just say, ‘Hey,’ and wave back at ’em," said Debbie Kendall, a white neighbor and family friend who lives directly across the road from the Nelson family.

Kendall, 39, said she and her family have exchanged cross words with other Cole’s Point residents about the presence of the new neighbors.
"I tell them instead of being judgmental they need to judge themselves," said the neighbor. "This family hasn’t done a thing to nobody. They’ve got a kind heart."

Kendall described Cole’s Point as a "beautiful place with some bad seeds."

Word of the "new family" has spread up and down Sardis Lake Drive, confirmed Jeff Padgett, a Batesville attorney who also lives on Sardis Lake Drive.

"There is definitely talk in the neighborhood about the family moving in," said Padgett, who said he learned "the news" from neighbors.

"It astounds me that we’re taking up newspaper space talking about a black family moving in," said Padgett. "It’s amazing to me that it’s even news."

Batesville Realtor Leonard Morris, who is black, said he was saddened to learn of the racial discontent surrounding the Nelsons’ move to Cole’s Point.

"If this was the ’60s or early ’70s I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear about this situation," Morris said. "But if a person has the income and can afford the house, they ought to be able to live where they want."

Morris noted that federal legislation, the Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Act, tackled fair housing rights. The Fair Housing Act was passed by Congress in 1968.

Morris knows about racial strife as well as racial harmony. He was elected to the South Panola School Board in 1986 amid racial strife, the first black trustee to serve, but white voters have helped return him to the Mississippi House of Representatives since he first won office in 1993.

"What’s needed in Cole’s Point is for the good folks who are there to step up and start doing the right thing," said Morris of the racial situation.

According to Eric Nelson, he sought a home in the country to get away from the "fools" who had moved into his west Batesville neighborhood, bringing with them illegal drugs and crime.

The Nelsons lived on Noble Street in a mixed-race neighborhood.

Nelson said the irony hasn’t escaped him that his new white neighbors likely fear the very problems he and his wife were glad to leave behind.

"I know you’ve got black people who act like fools, just like there are white people who act like fools, but you should judge each person individually," said the husband and father. "If you’re covered by the blood of Jesus, then we’re all going up one day together."
 

The South Panola School District is proposing to increase the ad valorem tax millage rate by 1.49 mills when asking for a local tax increase of $466,763 for the next fiscal year.

A public hearing will be held Friday, June 23 at noon at the Parent Center behind Batesville Intermediate School when the increase will be considered according to a notice published in this newspaper.

The notice states that the district is presently operating with a projected total budget revenue of $26,391,228 of which 22.3 percent is obtained through local ad valorem taxes which includes taxes on your home, automobile, utilities, business fixtures and equipment and rental property.

For the next fiscal year the South Panola District proposes a total budget of $28,182,719 of which 22.6 percent, or $6,373,597, is to be financed through ad valorem taxes.

The proposal would raise school millage from 43.26 to 44.75 mills.

Any citizen of South Panola District is invited to attend the public hearing on the proposed increase and will be allowed to speak for a reasonable amount of time and offer tangible evidence before any vote is taken," according to the notice.
 

A little brown and black dog which has been hanging around Lakewood Drive lately will leave for St. Louis Saturday. "Marissa" will be reunited with its owners who lost her following an auto accident on nearby Interstate 55.

Panola County Humane Society volunteers, Lakewood Drive residents and Panolian classified representative Beverly Boyett helped to connect the dots that will reunite Marissa with her family for the first time since June 5. That’s when Amy Wood was returning to Missouri, homebound following a trip to New Orleans. Her boyfriend was driving and her two children, Faith, age 4, and Luke, age 2, were riding in the back seat when the vehicle went out of control.

The vehicle "rolled over at least once, maybe two times," Wood said. Fortunately, everybody was strapped in by their seat belts with Faith and Luke both in car seats. Unfortunately Marissa, the family’s dachshund/pincer mix breed dog, was loose and perhaps even thrown from the vehicle. Nobody kept track of her in the initial shock and confusion.

Afterwards, when it had been determined that the human occupants had escaped with only minor injuries, concern shifted to Marissa. Wood’s sister, Melissa Brown, who had owned the dog before giving it to Faith and Luke, first called the DeSoto Animal Shelter and Wood’s Allstate Insurance agent whose representatives contacted the Panola Humane Society representatives, describing the dog and when it where it was lost.

Humane Society volunteer Jana Burnham called classified representative Beverly Boyett to place an ad, describing the dog and the circumstances surrounding its disappearance. "She rushed it in … so it would be in Friday’s [June 9] paper," Burnham said.

"We run free lost and found ads for the humane society," Boyett said. It runs three times – twice in The Panolian and once in the ADvantage, plus it goes on the Internet," the classified specialist said.

Meanwhile, Lakewood Drive resident Pam White had noticed the strange dog hanging around. "I saw her one day on my way to work," Pam said. She called her husband to report her sighting. "John’s the kind who thinks that if a dog’s wearing a collar, it will find its way home," she said.

After a few days, "we had seen her several times during the week," White continued, usually hanging nearby but always afraid to venture too close to the human strangers who had begun directing their attention to her.

The Whites had mentioned the strange dog to another neighbor, Colleen Clark, who had also noticed the dog herself.

"I read in The Panolian in the classified ads and saw the description," Clark said. "I called my neighbor, Pam White – the ‘Dog Whisperer.’"

White also called the Panola County Humane Society number in the ad and happened to catch them in a meeting. Humane society volunteers Kim Strickland, Burnham and Leslie Cannon joined the Whites to search for the elusive dog.

"It was like rounding up a cow," White said. One person drove a car around one side of the search area while others spread out on foot. The dog finally hid under the car. "You could tell she was tired and thirsty," White said.

The Woods received a phone call from the Panola County Humane Society Wednesday night and learned their beloved Marissa had been recovered, safe and sound. Now, every time Marissa’s story gets retold, the teller and the hearers all get a little dewy-eyed.

Meanwhile, Marissa "snuggled up to John; she’s so sweet and friendly, I know they’re going to be glad to get her back," Pam White said.