Leader Call - County Reporter

Steve Sanders, a native of Ellisville, is back home after a 30-year absence. He is a graduate of South Jones High School, Jones County Junior College and the University of Southern Mississippi. His first newspaper job was at the Laurel Leader Call in 1974. Steve's email address at the Leader-Call is: countyreporter@laurelleadercall.com

More watch areas; early school dismissal

11:35 a.m. -- More watch areas are popping up on the National Weather Service Jackson radar. There are now about six in southwest and east-central Mississippi, and another southeast of Jones County, east-northeast of Hattiesburg. Jones County Schools are dismissing early today. Parents can pick their children up early, and buses will run at 1 p.m.

January 10, 2008 11:33 am

Watching the Weather

(The Jones County Emergency Management Agency just issued an update, basically saying there’s an increased chance of severe weather this afternoon.)
We’re watching the weather with a close eye today (Thursday, Jan. 10). It’s about 11 right now (even though the time stamp on the blogs indicates otherwise), and one small area of rain has already passed through, with another behind it.
The second has a watch area in it, southwest of McComb, just moving into Mississippi. According to the radar track, the severe part of the storm should pass close to Jones County, possibly a little north.
If any severe weather moves into Jones County, we’ll let you know on the home page of the Leader Call with “breaking news.”

January 10, 2008 10:54 am

State Needs to Investigate Cemeteries

The continuing search for owners of Sunset Gardens cemetery in Laurel is leading to dead ends. Problems with other cemeteries either owned or formerly owned by the same people are apparently statewide; maybe as many as six cemeteries.

Records at the Jones County Chancery Clerk's office indicate the cemetery was sold in 2004 for $10, probably because the owners realized they couldn't make money in the cemetery business.

The former president of the Mississippi Cemetery Association told me a few days ago those in elected positions should stand up and defend the citizens. He wants to see somebody put in jail. He also said the legislature should make it hard to get into the business of cemetery ownership.

It's sure not a real estate investment. Can't see why somebody would want ownership, unless they think they can get rich. Maybe some do, by selling plots numerous times, or by selling pre-paid services they never intend to offer. Not saying that's the case in this situation. But I'm sure it's happened before.

This hurts people on several different levels. First, families go through enough when a loved one dies. Then they find out opening and closing fees they thought were paid aren't. Maybe the vault they thought was "purchased" wasn't. Maybe they find out the plot belongs to someone else because it was sold more than once. Then fees have to be paid all over again. It happened this past weekend at one of the cemeteries in north MIssissippi.

People go through enough at times like this. This makes the time of grief even worse. I hope the state auditor's office gets involved, and finds out what has happened. Then maybe the attorney general's office can do what it needs to do, and if criminal charges are warranted, file them.

September 20, 2007 09:08 am

Hughie Thomasson Dead

Hughie Thomassson, one of the original members of the Outlaws, died Sunday night of an apparent heart attack. Thomasson, 55, as writer, singer and lead guitarist, was the driving force behind the band.

Their song, Green Grass and High Tides, was one of the best Southern Rock guitar songs ever, along with Freebird (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Whipping Post (Allman Brothers Band), Boogie No More (Molly Hatchet), 24 Hours at a Time (Marshall Tucker Band), etc.

Thomasson joined Skynyrd in the 1990s and left two years ago to reform the Outlaws. They were on a 30th anniversary tour when he died. Some of their other songs included There Goes Another Love Song, Knoxville Girl and Ghost Riders in the Sky.

Great talent.

September 11, 2007 07:56 pm

Local sports history

As has been happening a lot the past three months, I saw a few people Saturday night at the JCJC game I haven't seen in a very long time.

A.B. Howard, Joe Flowers and the late Sim Cooley were the inaugural inductees into the Jones County Junior College Sports Hall of Fame. Couldn't been any better people to go in first.

Coach Howard it seems like was around JC forever. When we used to ride our bikes to the JC campus (we were 11 or 12 maybe), we knew everybody who worked and taught there. We'd see Coach Howard, Mr. Webb, Mr. Young -- and they all knew us.

Sim Cooley was an institution at JC, well-known and respected at all of the junior colleges around the state. His son, David, represented him during Saturday's activities.

I had heard of Joe Flowers but never met him until right before halftime at the game tonight, when the three inductees were honored.

Also recognized during halftime were members of the 1977 Bobcat team which played in the Junior Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and a couple of members of the Touch of Gold who also made the trip to California.

It was a good night for JCJC sports history.

September 08, 2007 10:53 pm

South Jones Football

The crowd and the sky were both electric at the South Jones-Sumrall game in Ellisville Friday night.

Braves' fans were hungry for a win, and they got a good one. Electric skies delayed the game by about three minutes at the beginning of the third quarter. The short delay and clock problems made for a little bit of a strange atmosphere on the sidelines. Coaches wondered about the time. It was hard to mark the time while taking notes as a team scored when the scoreboard clock was wrong. I asked the refs twice for the time on the clock after a couple of touchdowns.

There were a lot of photographers on the South Jones sidelines. Me, Vernon Napp, two other newspapers (one for only the second half), a TV station (for the first half), a school photographer and Coach Hicks' brother.

It was a good game, very competitive and also very sportsman-like. This was a good re-introduction to South Jones football for me, 38 years after my graduation from there.

September 07, 2007 11:38 pm

Willie and Gregg and the boys

Farm Aid 2007 is Sunday, September 9, at Randall’s Island in New York City. It won’t be broadcast live on TV, but will probably be shown later, possibly on CMT, in a condensed form. It will be on XM’s Channel 40, Deep Tracks, starting around 1 p.m.

I’ll listen to hear the Allman Brothers Band, Derek Trucks Band, Neil Young and Willie Nelson. Gregg Allman, Willie and Dave Matthews are scheduled to play an acoustic set together. Sounds interesting. Willie’s played with almost everybody; it’s about time he and Gregg got together on something.

Some of the other scheduled performers include John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Counting Crows, Montgomery Gentry and Billy Joe Shaver. Warren Haynes is also listed by himself, not with the Allman Brothers or Government Mule. My guess is he’ll play with the ABB. Billy Joe Shaver could possibly play with the Allman Brothers or Willie, since both recorded his “Fast Train to Georgia.”

Junior college football

It’s good to be home and go to Bobcat football games again at JCJC again. It’s exciting to know that I can go to a junior college game that’s just about half a mile from the house. Jones looked good in the opener last week, but Pearl River’s looking strong again. Ranked No. 1. The two clash October 13 at Pearl River in an afternoon game at 3. Junior college football at its finest.

Seems like a long time ago when Jones had an open date, Perk and Pearl River always played that same night. Probably built into the schedule like that, with Jones fans in mind so they could go to the game.

Gators and such

I noticed on the website of the previous paper I worked for in southeast Arkansas that a seven and a half foot gator was found a couple of miles from where we lived -- 13 miles out in the country and two miles from the nearest house. A clearcut adjacent to the house was nicknamed the “rattlesnake 40.” I won’t tell the story about a huge rattlesnake I found curled up between the storm door (which had a gap under it) and the front door of the house a few years ago, or the black snake in the bathroom.

September 07, 2007 02:07 pm