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February22,2012

FROMT

HEEDITOR

EDITORIAL

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THE REAL STORYP. O. Box 403

Columbus, MS 39703

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by Joseph B. St. JohnEditor-in-ChiefEditorsNote

The Saga of the CPD Promotions(or Lack Thereof)

e Columbus Civil Service Commissionmeeting of January 19, 2012 le more ques-tions than answers for the officers of theColumbus Police Department. e meet-ing, marked by confusion, anger

and at least one citizen lleting thedepartment, could not have comeat a worse time for Chief SelvainMcQueen. With crime perceived asbeing out of control, it was an un-timely show of discourse.

Chief McQueen, under an ex-treme amount of pressure from cit-izens, the Mayor and City Council,is confronted with a young policeforce, an overdue need for promo-tions from within the rank and le,and a perception that crime is asbad as it has ever been. Add a citi-zen, Leon Speck, ripping the de-

partment as incompetent anduneducated, and a civil service commissionill-equipped to handle the situation, and itwas a recipe for reworks.

e officers have a right to be upset. AsOfficer Wade Beard said, It feels like a slapin the face, noting that most of the nearly20 officers in attendance had supported Mc-Queen as chief, because he was the insidecandidate and now he wants to go out-side the department to promote.

e discussion, heated at times, was -nally halted when Ward 2 CouncilmanCharlie Box requested the idea be sent backto the City Council for review. It was a bold

move by Councilman Box and the correctone. e situation was getting out of hand,and someone had to take leadership in cor-recting the situation. Charlie should getcredit for that leadership.

In the meantime, Chief McQueen shouldconsider the following:

Promote the officers who are alreadyon a legitimate list that was given to theHuman Resources Director months ago.No process is perfect, but it was ap-proved by the Civil Service and the Citybefore it was administered. e Mayoreven helped choose a few of the individ-uals who sat on the selection board. As

soon as these promotions are made,emotions will simmer.

Have a plan on how and when youwould hire a person with the same rankinto the department. A person who is acaptain of a three-man department maynot be ready to be a captain at the CPD.A sergeant from a rural, 20-man depart-ment may not be ready to be a sergeantin an urban, 70-man organization. eremust be some orderly fashion in choos-ing who or who doesnt get the privilegeof coming to the CPD with rank. ismust be done before going back to theCivil Service to have your idea approved.

And nally, if you want to get a newhead of the Criminal Investigation Divi-sion or a new assistant chief, allow forofficers inside the department to apply.It was an opportunity that you were af-

forded and will take the uncertainty outof the process.

Numerous times, Chief McQueen hasstated he wants to promote from within. As

soon as he does, the uncertainty will settle,and the department can go back to ghtingcrime.

Reader Comments

Charles Divel says:January 29, 2012 at 2:50 pme so called Assistant Police Chief already costthe city money by bringing suit for discrimina-tion. Now, he costs more money by accidentlyshooting an individual in the course of duty.ACCIDENT?? A so-called highly-trained indi-vidual shooting an individual by mistake. Hewants to be Chief??? He should be relieved ofduty.

But wait theres more

is is going to be a hard article to write.Rarely do I write in the rst person, buttoday I have to. It is now apparent thatChief McQueen is NOT going to promoteoff of the promotion list that he presentlyhas in his hands. I am not going to saymuch about the list or the process. Whatcan I say? It was my list and I stand by it.

I will always believe that the officers of theCPD are some of the nest I have everworked with in the 27 years of my law en-forcement career. Chief McQueen has toldme on numerous occasions that he wasgoing to promote from the existing list. I amnot sure why he has changed his mind.

e men and women of the CPD stoodproud last night and should be proud oftheir efforts. ey should listen to Council-man Mickens and not give up the ght.Many of the officers made great pointsabout the department and should be com-mended for their courage to stand up fortheir beliefs.

Many officers have championed ChiefMcQueens cause and wanted him to beChief. Aer this shi of gears by McQueen,only time will tell what is going to happen.His officers have been his greatest support-ers. I will let others write the blow-by-blowdescriptions of what happened Tuesdaynight, but I think this change of direction

M cQ u eenhas madewill have afar-reachingimpact onthe CPDand thecommunity.As Kabirasked, last

night, whendiscussingboard ap-pointments,Why arewe chang-

ing the rules midstream? I am sure a lot ofofficers are asking the same question now.

With this promotions process obviouslystopped, and the Joe Johnson case settled, I

no longer have any unnishedbusiness at CPD. In a way, it is a re-lief. It will be easier for me to writeabout the CPD, now. From thismoment forward, I can cover it likeany other city agency. And, unlesssomeone says something ctitiousabout me and my time as Chief,that part of my life is closed.

Some may be disappointed that Iam not going to give a ght-on-ght description of Tuesdaysmeeting. It is the best thing for meto do, and Ill pick up the coverageof what is occurring at ursdaysCivil Service meeting. At that time,

I am no longer involved in theprocess.

I am now free to tell the good, the bad andthe ugly. Only time will tell what will hap-pen. But, if last night was any indication,Chief McQueen lost many of his most loyalsupporters his officers.

And, that cannot be good for our commu-nity.

Joseph B. St. JohnA/K/A Mr. MoJo Risin

Note: e next three months on theCPD could be a make or break timewe will see what happens!

Reader CommentsShelby Buckley says:February 9, 2012 at 6:36 amNo surprise to me; I mean it was ok for them tochange the qualications so he could be ournew Chief, so does anything he and the Mayordo now surprise anyone? I am sure they alreadyhave people in mind for the jobs. Columbus isin for a lot more problems then I can imagine.I really feel bad for the officers who have somemany years already invested in the department,and I know how hard it must be to keep a goodmorale and continue to work there.

Just when you thoughtit couldnt get any worse

By now, I am sure, everyone knows thatthe Civil Service Commission has passedChief McQueens new promotions plan forthe Columbus Police Department, two-to-one. What you may not know is, and whatthe Civil Service Commission failed to ad-dress, that there is no real plan. Stop me ifyou have heard this before, but, once again,a City agency has no plan.

However, with that said, what is more dis-turbing is that McQueen killed the pro-motions list that already existed. If ChiefMcQueen had done this as soon as he waspromoted, that was his prerogative. Unfor-tunately for McQueen, the police officersand the city, McQueen had told everyonerepeatedly, including e Real Story, that hewas going to promote off of the current pro-motions list as soon as he could. And, nowhe has made a complete 180 in his com-ments, and he is not going to promote any-one from the list.

At this point, both the quality of the listand the process are moot. e only thing

that really matters is that McQueen has mis-led everyone in the process. At ursdaysCivil Service meeting, confusion reigned

See SAGA Pg. 3

Chief McQueen addressing the board.

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SAGA cont. from pg. 2again, as all three Civil Service Com-mission Members Chairman AlHatcher, Glenn Jefferson and General(Ret.) omas Moore once againlooked like people stuck in an uncom-fortable situation.

Immediately, when challenged aboutthe process, McQueen always wants togo into Executive Session. He alwayssays that his concerns are about theprocess and not the people, but thatdoesnt hold water. So, here is a hint: if

you are going into Executive Session itis about people not the process. If not,you are in violation of the LAW.

Much credit goes out to WCBIs SteveRogers, who called the Civil ServiceCommission out on their confusionabout this issue and about going into ex-ecutive session without a reason. He alsostood up to General Moore, whose onlyresponse to Mr. Rogers concern was thecomment, Life is hard.

And, he is correct. Life is especiallyhard when you dont know the rules ofyour own Commission, and a televisionreporter has to call the City Attorney tocome to the meeting to set the rulesstraight. Yes, that is correct, boy andgirls; Steve Rogers was the only personwho had enough sense or desire to callthe City Attorney, Jeff Turnage, to cor-rect the problem.

But dont worry, when Charlie Box re-quested, on Tuesday, to give all Cityboard members training, it was met witha three-to-three tie. And guess what?

ayor Smith voted against the training,saying the boards can train themselves.

And, aer a faux pas like that, he won-ders why Harry Sanders makes fun of

him and the City and everyone laughs.is is the bizarreness that happens inthe City of Columbus every day and noone says a word, until now. e mem-bers of all Council-appointed boardsmust be trained!

Aer he returned from the closed ses-sion, it was revealed that it was a person-nel issue. And, it always had been. ereis a person(s) who McQueen doesntwant to promote. at is his business,but dont hide behind the fabricated factthat not enough people passed the test(ey all did, since there was no pass orfail.) or some people have been sus-

pended and there is no promotionalrestitution attached. Just stand up like aleader and say it. Dont hide behind theconcept that you dont like the process.e truth is, McQueen doesnt like cer-tain people on the promotions list andhe doesnt want to promote them. Pe-riod.

e rules he wants are vague, at best,and dangerous, at worst. It may soundgreat to say that everyone needs to passthe test with a 70 to be promoted, buteveryone better understand that if thethree worst officers are the only oneswho pass the test, they get PRO-

OTED!!!!!! ats right, campers, byusing the antiquated 1970s concept oftesting, the three sorriest officers on thedepartment could be the only ones whocan be promoted. Talk about no exibil-ty for the Chief.

As I have written, before, there is nolan about lateral transfers. No under-

standing of whom and how they woulde qualied to work for the City. Aajor on a ve-man police department

n a rural county has no business hold-ng rank in an urban city with over 70olice officers on the payroll. e lack ofplan is what has every officer upset.nd, saying that present personnel have

op priority is as cheap as the paper it isritten on. e officers have no Civilervice protection from the Chief. All heas to say is that the other person isore qualied. Without strict guide-

ines, the Chief is free to rule as he likes.

In the end, the Civil Service Commis-sion voted, two-to-one, to give ChiefMcQueens plan (?) the green light, withonly Hatcher voting no. at was atragedy, because the good officers whodid nothing wrong received the screw

job. ey paid for the perceived sins ofothers.

But, in the nal analysis, all of this ismoot. McQueen told the press and hisofficers that he was going to promote offthe present list. He then changed hismind and destroyed every bit of credi-bility he had with his officers.

Chief McQueen had very little supportoutside of the CPD to be Chief and withthe gross reversal in his comments to hisofficers, it will be years before he canevery get their trust again. He told themedia and his officers he was going topromote off the list, then he changed hismind and le the whole department inshock and disillusionment.

And as he stormed out of the meeting,officers chasing behind him angrily, allthat could be thought was, this is goingto be the metaphor for the rest of his ca-reer.

MoJo

NOTE: And, if the CPD doesnt haveenough to worry about: JudgeNicole Clinkscales pulled the doublewhammy. Reports have it, that whileon the bench Monday, January 30,2012, Judge Clinkscales found an in-dividual guilty of DUI and as soon asthe officers le the courtroom, shereversed the decision and told the in-dividuals lawyer that she hadchanged her mind, and now the per-son was not guilty. Apparently, shehad a change of heart aer the offi-cers le the area. Word has it thatProsecuting Attorney Tim Hudsonwas livid, and who can blame him ifthe allegations are true (and theyare). Chief McQueen stated that hewas aware of the situation and waslooking into the matter. Boys andgirls, I cant make this stuff up. Cananyone say Court Watch? Maybe itstime we pay close attention to whatour judges are doing.

From TRS Print Edition 020812

Reader CommentsTerry says:February 11, 2012 at 11:12 amIt will be of great interest to see who theChief promotes and as to their race. eMayor is digging a large hole that will behard to escape from. e Chief has no clueas to the repercussions of this act. is willbe a bad train wreck. anks go out to Mr.Al Hatcher who was the only one to take theright stand on this issue. How are these peo-ple picked for the civil service commission?Anyone with half sense can see the directionall this is going. I do not understand why thepeople do not demand better governmentand accountability from their elective lead-ers of this community. If Columbus is togrow, changes have to take place. Soon!

As for the Judge, we all knew what we weregetting. Same story as above on the Mayor,Chief and Council. Stop and take a good

look at what and who is running the City.Can you not see the direction we are going?is has passed the point. e inmates arerunning the asylum.__________________

Randall Robles says:February 11, 2012at 12:32 pmWhat is the promotion test?.Looking atthe rank of some officers, its apparent PT isnot involved.__________________

CRB says:February 11, 2012 at 9:33 pmis is indeed a disappointing developmentin this process. Disgruntled employeeswithin the city services, especially the law

enforcement function, will only exacerbatethe day to day issues that any city faces. Ina city such as ours, where the entire govern-ment appears to be totally dysfunctional,with the exception of the politicians whoseem to have no problems lining their pock-ets from the various resources that should

be directed to the benet of the citizenry, thiscould be catastrophic.

ese guys work for us!!! Each employee ofthe city is the direct responsibility of the peo-ple who have been elected to the various cityoffices. e most qualied employees shouldbe the ones leading each division of the city.If that is not the case, then we need to re-place those elected officials who are in thisfor personal power, personal gain, or per-sonal inuence.

I have to say that I never believed that Iwould ever nd myself in this place again,

that place where racial politics dominatesthe conversation and inuences almosteverything else. I grew up in Montgomery,AL - yes the place where MLK preached,where Rosa Parks did not give up her seat,and so many other events took place, in-cluding State Representative Alvin Holmes,in his true asinine fashion, climbed his 300+lb. rear end up on the capitol dome to try toremove one of the ags that ew there.Every issue was made a racial issue, eachday in the news, because it was a handyway to create emotional energy by thosewho wanted more power and inuence and of course more money. ey did notwant to be leaders or to solve problems, theywanted more for themselves.

I have begun to hear this more and morefrequently, here in Columbus, and can say

with certainty that the citizenry cannotallow this to continue to build, or else wewill certainly have a dysfunctional govern-ment and a failing city. If the next electioncycle does not bring sweeping changes at alllevels of local government, then the only re-course that any dissatised citizen will havele is to move away from the city.

If the next election is too long to wait, doesthe city code include a mechanism for im-peachment?

We need competent and good people lead-ing and managing the city. I dont care

whether theyre black or white, just that theybe of good heart and mind, and have the in-terest of each and every city resident as therst priority each day they show up at theoffice.__________________

Shelby Buckley says:February 9, 2012 at 6:36 amNo surprise to me, I mean it was ok forthem to change the qualications so hecould be our new Chief, so does anything heand the Mayor do now surprise anyone. Iam sure they already have people in mindfor the jobs. Columbus is in for a lot moreproblems than I can imagine. I really feelbad for the officers who have so many yearsalready invested in the department, and I

know how hard it must be to keep a goodmorale and continue to work there.

Officer Terrie Songer and Officer Wade Beard

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An Anything but Pleasant Saturday Morning Meeting

On Friday, February 17, 2012, theColumbus Police Department an-nounced that an arrest had been madein the 1997 murder of GeorgeWilbanks. Mr. Wilbanks murder hadbeen misidentied and slandered, aspart of the CBS 48 Hours televisionslop-fest that occurred in 2000. Reck-lessly and ignorantly, this total mis-truth and sham of a program took ona life of its own and shattered the con-dence of the community.

Earnest Tal-ley, 44, of

C o l u m b u s ,Miss i s s ippihas been ar-rested, andmade his rstcourt appear-ance Friday.Talley, whohas a previousc r i m i n a lrecord, was in

jail for burglary when he was arrestedin the murder of the 70-year-oldWilbanks. Talley's bond was set at $2Million.

Chief McQueen had made the an-nouncement of the pending arrest, theday prior, and seemed genuinely re-lieved in regard to having some REALnews to share about the crime. Mc-Queen noted that, over the past 14years, thousands of man-hours have

been spent solving this crime. He wasespecially thankful to Retired Chief ofPolice Pete Bowen and Retired Corpo-ral Ed Williams. Present InvestigatorL.C. Cockrell and the CID were alsocommended for their hard work insolving the case.

When asked about the investigation,McQueen said, e right pieces ofthe puzzle came together.

At this time, it is unclear if any addi-tional information was unearthed or ifa more thorough review of the previ-ously-obtained information led to thearrest. McQueen went on to thankMayor Robert Smith for his support,in allowing the investigators to go outof town, on several occasions, to dofollow up investigations. is was puz-zling - to thank someone for allowingyou to do your job - but it happened.

McQueen also reiterated his belief

that the murders that were mentionedin the 48 Hours episode were not per-petrated by a single serial killer - a factthat everyone in the local law enforce-ment community has known since therst "Task Force" was assembled tolook at the crimes. It was a fact thatwas forgotten, in many cases, by themedia, because the crimes lost a littleof their "jazz," once it became clear thecommunity did not have a rabid, yetmake-believe, serial killer runningloose.

Most members of the law enforce-ment community understand that themedia has a responsibility to share in-formation with the community. How-ever, the media also has aresponsibility to be as accurate as theycan possibly be. In the case of 48Hours, this concept was totally lost.

McQueen also asked anyone who

had any addi-tional informa-tion on cases thathave not beensolved to step for-ward, but went onto imply thatbloggers who

gave opinions,and not facts, hurtthe situation anddid not help thecases. is is aninescapabletruth.

McQueenclosed saying, Ipray for the fam-ily and hope theynd closure.

But, the reality is, the family and thecase will not nd closure. ere willbe more pictures and details laid outabout his murder, many of them falseor misleading, and his family andfriends will re-live the terror again.is information will be over sensa-tionalized and corrupted for prot and

everyone in thecommunity willbe able to replay itin their minds,over and overagain.

is is 2012, andthis is the worldwe live in. enews of the arrest

was understandably exciting and thefact that a person is possibly beingheld accountable for their actionsbrings relief to the community.

On Friday, Retired Police Chief PeteBowen, when asked by WCBI's Joey

Barnes, agreed that the whole experi-ence seemed surreal. And, it should.Fourteen years is a long time, and ifTalley is found guilty, it will be a longtime for justice to wait to be served.During the interviews, Chief Bowenstated he felt others could be arrestedin this case. If that is true, then hope-fully the other perpetrators will beheld accountable, also.

But, as the media hype continues onthis case, and you see the dead bodiesand the gruesome details, ask yourselfif everything you are reading is trueand how you would feel if that wasyour family member. And, last butnot least, remember George Wilbankswas a man. He should never have

been a greatly distorted and shammednews story. He was already murdered.Does he need to be victimized, again,for prot?

Joseph B. St. JohnA/K/A Mr. MoJo Rising

The Arrest of Earnest Talley:One Chapter Closed on an Unrelenting Myth

Chief McQueen and Retired Cpl. Ed Williams

Retired ChiefPete Bowen

InvestigatorL.C. Cockrell

Earnest Talley awaits Judge Amos.

e February 11, 2012 Town Hall meeting in Cale-donia pitted the age-old question of cold beer salesand the ability to keep the community family

friendly. However, the meeting came with twists,turns and at least one back-door switcheroo, whereone Alderman had a change of heart between theprivate board room and the open forum. e meet-ing was brisk and attended by over 20 concerned cit-izens, with both sides equally represented.

At stake was the future of the Cal-City Grocery, anestablishment that had been in existence since 1973.During that time, it had been allowed to functionfreely and has served cold beer since its inception.Additionally, it was given a "grandfather clause" ex-emption in 1982, when the Town of Caledoniamade provisions that alcohol could not be soldwithin 1,500 feet of a church. e question at handwas whether Cal-City would lose its "grandfatherstatus", aer being closed involuntarily for just overthree months.

e vote was three-to-two, with only AldermenQuinn Parham and Mike Savage voting "yes" to con-

tinue the "grandfather clause" for Cal-City. Shortlyaer the meeting, the vote was met with shock, asmany individuals close to the situation advised that

Alderman Bill Darnell had changed his mind, aersupporting the Cal-City request in private session.is reversal of fortune by Mr. Darnell switched theentire complexity of the situation.

e store was owned by Bill Pearrow, until hispassing less than two years ago. At that time, hisfamily had leased it to other individuals until No-

vember of 2011, at which time the family claims thelease was broken.

Ms. Valerie Riley, along with her attorney, SteveWallace, spoke to the Mayor and the Board of Al-dermen and stated that they have been working tokeep the grocery functioning, but have had legal is-sues and construction concerns since the store wasabandoned by its former lessees. Ms. Riley stated

that she approached the Mayor and Board of Alder-men in an October 2011 Board of Aldermen meet-ing, to ensure they understood her concerns.

When asked about Saturday's meeting, Ms. Rileysaid, "I did not even knowthey were having a meet-ing, until my husband,Richard, told me and hewas told by someone else.And that is not right."

Cal-City's potential buyer,Jeff Doty, opened the meet-ing and was careful not tobreak the balance of busi-ness and community spirit.

He stated that he wanted torun a clean and legitimatebusiness and thought thatthe store could bring inover a million dollars ofrevenue. He repeatedly as-sured everyone present

that he wanted to run a respectable business.

One of the most outspoken opponents of themeasure to allow cold beer sales was former Alder-

man Tommy Wiggins, who voted for the store to begiven a "grandfather" provision in 1982. Speakingto him and his wife, Mildred, during the break fordeliberation, both stated that if the business contin-ued to have its "grandfather clause", it was a mootissue - a statement reiterated many times by BoardAttorney Jeff Smith, during the meeting.

Both of them, however, were extremely worriedabout Cal-City being given a variance to the existinglaw, stating they were concerned if that solution waspassed, every business in town would be coming be-fore the board to request the same exemption.When this topic was broached, aer the Board re-moved Cal-City's "grandfather clause", it died froma lack of a "second" to the motion.

Citizen Roy Lemmerman also had concerns thatplague all of Lowndes County, when he stated thatwhenever Cal-City had deliveries, the vehiclesblocked the streets and, since there are no sidewalks,children walking in the area were not safe. is is acomplaint that is oen heard throughout all ourcommunities.

Aer the meeting, both Ms. Riley and Mr. Dotyexpressed their position. Ms. Riley stated," I stillhold a valid beer permit and we never tried to closethe place as a business. I went to the Board and ad-

vised them as soon as I saw the problem (with thepast lessees) develop."

When asked if he would buy the business if Cal-City could not sell beer, he stated, "No, but this has

just lit a re under me. I have already been in touchwith my attorneys." Mr. Doty also had concernsabout how the meeting was conducted and whetherthe board was required to wait 30 days to enact,what he believed to be, a new law.

See CAL-CITY Pg. 5

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CAL-CITY cont. from pg. 4

is story is not over and should be a hot-buttontopic for the next few months.

Mr. MoJo Rising

Reader Comments

Bill says:February 14, 2012 at 8:43 amYou are dealing with ignorance from the Mayor on down.No change in sight. When you elect stupid you get stupid.__________________

Doug says:February 14, 2012 at 3:09 pmNow you know why this is a one traffic light town.__________________

Frank Beall says:February 18, 2012 at 12:53 pmBrenda, Bill & Steve:I, for the life of me, cannot understand your vote to notallow Cal-City to continue operating as before.

Your vote on this matter is denitely not to the bettermentof Caledonia coffers. How much sales tax will Caledonialose because of your vote?With votes like this, I understand why we cant get otherbusinesspeople to open up in Caledonia. Where is our bank,hardware store, etc.?

What citizen input did you all have on this vote? Or didyou all only vote your own convictions.No one contacted me as to what I thought of letting Cal-City continue operating as before. Was anyone else con-

tacted or did you all just vote for what you all wanted.Take a poll of the board members and ascertain what they

have done to bring new business to Caledonia. (?)

Also ascertain what the citizens are getting for their money.Probably looking for a raise in the next budget. Oops, I for-

got, you all can vote a new salary at any time and just ad-just the budget.

During these tough times, have any of you board membersconsidered taking a pay cut or donating a portion of yourvery lucrative salary to help those who do not have jobs?I am of the understanding that alderpersons are elected toserve the people of Caledonia, not just a few, and to voteaccording to the wishes of the people that elected you.

Hopefully, in the next election, we the people will elect somenew board members that will look out for the voters, not

just themselves. We need board members that know how torun a business and make decisions to help the town grow,

not people that just want a payday for doing nothing.Frank

It doesn't take long for a newcomerto the area to realize who the two mostpowerful political gures are in Lown-des County. Board of SupervisorsPresident and District 1 SupervisorHarry Sanders and District 5 Supervi-

sor Leroy Brooks stand head-and-shoulders above all the other politi-cians and dignitaries in the area. Partmyth, part fact and part legend, thestories of Harry and Leroy are well-known and part of the cultural fabricof our community.

In many ways, they are the last stran-glehold of the Old South in our midst.ey are an ever-present reminder ofthe issues of race (both black andwhite) and the unresolved concerns ofthe past. Both men are oen seen inthe community as the "one'" who isgoing to balance out the other.

In a time and place where race stillmatters, both men have a pivotal roleof "creating balance" in the minds ofmany people in Lowndes County.From community restaurants, barbershops and private residences, theLeroy and Harry mythology playsout like a long-running televisionshow, with the community waiting forthe next exciting car chase or explo-sion.

When questioned about the percep-tion of Harry and him, Leroy pointsout, "Nine-ve-percent of all the votesthat take place (at supervisors meet-

ings) are unanimous votes." When Ihave a dispute with Harry, it is aboutpolitics, usually a personal issue and isoen not as bad as it is reported."

Leroy has been on the board thelongest of any of the Supervisors, withhis tenure starting in 1984. Harry

joined the board in 2000 and assumedthe board presidency in 2004. And,from the time the two came together,they have formed a certain Ying andYang of existence that, for better orworse, denes their political careers.

But, for all their differences - andthere are plenty - both men share

some of the same attributes. ey arestrong men, vocal men, and most ofall, two people who are willing to "tellit like it is," even if it ruffles somefeathers.

Harry's latest venture into the arenawas at a Rotary Club meeting, a fewweeks back, when he was quoted assaying, "Some of the City's (Colum-bus) Board appointees could not tietheir shoes" when asked by a reporterabout the City of Columbus andLowndes County forming one localgovernment.

Harry doesn't mince words when he

talks, and if the reader or listener does-n't understand what he is saying, it isnot Harry's fault. And, don't wait foran apology - it's not coming.

Harry was clear to point out that thequestions he had been answering thatday where more in reference to form-ing one municipal government. "Youwould have to change the MississippiConstitution of 1890 to remove theSupervisors from the leadership

process and it's not going to happen,Harry added. "If the City could annexthe whole county, they could be incharge of it all and that is not going to

happen."Harry, however, is astute and under-

stands the complexity of such issues.He is well aware of the pitfalls layingwithin the city limits. Echoing whathas already been said by InterimCMSD Superintendent Dr. Liddell andthe rest of the City School Board,Harry is direct. "People are mov-ing from the city and the schoolsystem has to be xed and if it's notxed, its going to be taken over by theFederal Government."

When it comes to the board appoint-ments and the Columbus Convention

& Visitors Bureau (CCVB), Harry ishis lively self. "Some of the boardmembers want to do the right thingand others just want to ght." Harryis clear that he is not a fan of the so-called parties that the CCVB spon-sors.

"Grilling on the River, shing tour-naments, baseball games and conven-tions make the money. e so-calledfestivals do not and are just short-term feel-good events. ey do notoffer long-term success."

In an ironic twist, Leroy also seesproblems with how the CCVB is run,but from a different angle. "I think you

have board members who joined theboard with their own agendas. With-out open minds, they do not have theexibility to do the things they need todo."

Leroy is also as direct and straight asHarry about the CCVB, just from theopposite angle. "e problem can besolved by doing two things. First, fundthe festivals and don't make everyonecome back, year aer year, and subjectthemselves to the process. If the books(recordkeeping) are correct, just fundthe event. e second is, fund theLINK."

"Once those two issues are done",Leroy continued, "the rest will takecare of itself." Knowing that people re-alize that he has a dog in the hunt,

See YIN YANG Pg. 6

The Yin and Yang ofLEROY and HARRY

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HEEDITOR

YIN YANG cont. from pg. 5with the Juneteenth festival, Leroy isquick to point out that he is doing theJunettenth Festival for the communityand that he is comfortable that hewould be elected, even without theevent.

Both men were also adamant aboutthier support for the LINK. Harryproudly announced that the LINK hadgenerated over 5,000 jobs and that onFebruary 2, 2012, the County had re-ceived a tax check for $6,300,000 from

SeverStal. is the largest tax checkever given to the County and it will beshared with the County school system.

When questioned about Columbus'lack of success in participating withthe LINK and the County, both indi-

viduals were candid in their assess-

ment. Harry's answer was quick andsharp, "It started when Jeffery Ruppchose not to have Columbus partici-pate in the Industrial Park and no one,in the last decade, doing any work toannex the Columbus Air Force Base."

"I can't really tell you what's wrongwith the City. e County tries tohelp. We give them $700,000 a year tox their roads. But, it really is up to thepeople. If they don't like how the cityis being run, they need to nd andfund candidates and elect other peoplefor Mayor and City Council."

Leroy was also rm in his response."e City is landlocked and has tolook at retail for their growth. eyhave to have open communicationwith the LINK." When asked aboutannexation, Leroy was clear, "e Cityhas to annex undeveloped land togrow. Getting areas with no tax base

is not going to help them."

e fact is, the County is better runand organized. A typical Board of Su-pervisors meeting lasts less than anhour and even when confronted withcontroversy, such as Co-Op Road, ithas never seemed to lose order, overthe past several months. It helps whenyou have money in the bank to pay foryour projects.

Harry and Leroy are opposites inmany ways and, even when they agreethat there is a problem, they oen seea different solution.

Both men, however, are bold, withHarry oen quoted as saying, I amthe bad guy for telling the truth." And,Leroy is not one to shy away from thecontroversy, either, and has no prob-lem saying, "In a small, southern town,they are not used to a 'Homeboy'being so loud."

In truth, both are loud and both areproud. At any given Supervisorsmeeting it is obvious that they are themen who run the table. In the com-munity, they are oen seen as the de-fender of the cause. And, in LowndesCounty, that cause is race.

One day the community may riseabove this concept, but it's not hereand it's not now. But, one day we will.Until then, we have Harry and Leroy,the Yin and Yang of Northern Missis-sippi, standing toe-to-toe to ght anyand all real and perceived injustices.ey are two giant men, forging to-

ward the future, each with one footplanted squarely in the past. And,strangely enough it's not all their fault.Sometimes you give the audience whatthey want.

Joseph B. St. JohnA/K/A Mr. Mojo Risin

Interim Superintendent Dr. Martha Liddell gave ano-holds-barred speech at ursday's Exchange

Club meeting at the Columbus Country Club.Holding nothing back, she addressed what could bea pending emergency situation regarding theColumbus Municipal School District (CMSD). In-stead of the usual owery speeches given by mostdepartment heads and politicians, she dove into thewater with both feet and did not stop until everyonein the audience understood that the CMSD was ina dire circumstance.

Stripping away the shiny veneer of the everydaybureaucrat, Dr. Liddell explained in detail thatCMSD had to do a better job in educating the chil-dren of the community and that technology was thekey to keeping children in school. Explaining incold, scary facts, she reported that of the 330-340children entering Columbus High School in the 9thgrade, less than 200 will graduate.

Dr. Liddell explained, unapologetically, that eachchild represented $6,000 to the school system and

honestly admitted, "If a hundred children drop outof high school, that is $600,000 taken away from ourschool system."

She then went on to explain that the problem didnot stop there. Her facts stated that 70% of the peo-ple who are in prison today are high schooldropouts. "And, who pays for that?," she asked. "Wedo. e taxpayers."

Looking back on her younger days as an educator,she reected on the idea that she was told that edu-cation was not a business. However, now she wasclear that it had to be viewed that way. With stateand federal funding declining and the money short-age reected in the CMSD budget, she was awarethat discussions have to be made with a busi-

nessperson's heart. She stated, "Education is notfree. It has to be run like a business."

She clearly stated her deci-sion to relieve people oftheir jobs was tough.Knowingly looking atSchool Board PresidentGlenn Lautzenhiser, shelamented, "It breaks ourheart to tell a teacher weare not hiring them backto teach"

Dr. Liddell tackled thetough truth that for the lasteight or nine years, theCMSD has been dippinginto the reserves to keeptheir employees and pro-grams funded and that thispolicy had put the schoolsystem at the brink of dis-aster. With the reservesdown to three million dol-lars, it is quite possible thatthe Federal Governmentcould step in and take overthe operations of theCMSD if they dig deeperinto their own pockets tocover expenses. "In cases

where school districts havebeen taken over for -nances, conservators cut

the districts expenses down to the minimum pro-gram and teachers and administrators are wholesale

released out of their contracts, sometime mid-year,and many have no opportunity for re-hire."

Dr. Liddell did not shy away from this possibility.Underscoring that if the Federal Government tookover the school system, very important programs,such as magnet schools and the AP program couldbe eliminated, immediately.

During the program, Dr. Liddell handed out thelatest budget proposal for the CMSD date February14, 2012.

Some of the highlights included:

Reduction in Force What It Means for Columbus Schools

"Although Columbus School District recently hadto implement the emergency measure of Reductionin Force (RIF) policy by treating all employees withless than two years of continuous service the same.I want to assure everyone that every certied em-ployee who was included in the RIF process wastreated fairly and consistently. Only certied stamembers including teachers, counselors, coachesand administrators, who have less than two yearscontinuous service in Columbus School District orwho had not completed a continuous period of twoyears of employment in a Mississippi Public SchoolDistrict and one full year of employment with theschool district were a part of this emergency costsavings measure. No employees who met the crite-ria was treated differently or exempted from the dis-tricts RIF policy because that would not have beenfair or legally defensible."

Dr. Liddell spoke clearly that the school districtcould not "cherry pick" who they wanted to dismissand, with less than ve teachers on disciplinary im-provement plans, the RIF policy they used was thefairest option available.

She also reiterated that if anything changed nan-cially, the CMSD would rehire the teachers whowere terminated. Unfortunately for all involved, theaffected employees had to be given their termina-tion notices in a timely manner or the school dis-trict would have to pick up the salaries for next year.is was not an option the CMSD felt they could af-ford to allow to occur.

See CMSD Pg. 7

Interim Superintendent Dr. Martha Liddell Speaks Out

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CMSD cont. from pg. 6Follow-Up Personnel InformationFollowing Board Meeting

"A question asked at Mondays School BoardMeeting was why the number of RIF of qualiedcertied employees increased from 59 to 69 fromthe original list submitted by the personnel depart-ment. Dr. Myra Gillis, CMSDs Personnel Coordi-nator, explained the changes were due to howemployees were coded when they were rst hiredand later became a certied employee. However tobe absolutely sure the RIF list was an accurate rep-resentation for affected employees, the Board didnot take action on the personnel roster to give thePersonnel Coordinator time to re-verify the list andDr. Gillis has completed verifying and cross check-ing the list today. We all realize that our educatorslivelihoods are being affected by the emergency RIF.Its important to be 100% accurate. Dr. Gillis hastaken the time to double-check and conrm that thedistricts RIF do include 69 certied staff members.e RIF distribution for certied staff by school/lo-cation is as follows:

(RIF Criteria implemented fairly across the board) Central Office (1) CMSD Alternative School (1) Cook (9) Fairview (3) Franklin (8) Sale (3) Stokes-Beard (5) Columbus Middle School (10) Columbus High School (27) CHS has a larger

number of new teachers than the norm for FY 2011-2012.

McKellar Technology Center (2)Total: 69

Dr. Liddell briey touched on the possibility ofCharter Schools, with the hope of drawing morestudents to the district and creating a more success-ful environment.

However, she focused on the bigger issue at handin during her talk, at closing.

"Schools have to be different." She said. "We haveto move forward and be a lot smarter."

Additional information can be found by visiting thefollowing pages on our website:

Budget Update for Columbus SchoolsFamily February 14, 2012

http://rspublishing.les.wordpress.com/2012/02/budget-update-for-columbus-schools-family-febru-ary-14-2012_1-1.pdf

e Nations Report Card Americas Charter Schools

http://rspublishing.les.wordpress.com/2012/02/the-nations-report-card-americas-charter-schools.pdf

Mr. MoJo Rising

Reader CommentWill says:February 17, 2012 at 2:04 pmDont forget Del Phillips. He hoodwinked the whole board(an easy thing to do), and then le town.

Odd note of the day:Robert Smith

and Del Phillips were MIA!

is week, we are going to take alittle trip way down south, for a little

visit to the French Quarter, as wevisit Cafe Quartier Latin. is cozylittle yellow cottage, located at 10011th Street South, is a slice of NewOrleans transported here for ourenjoyment.

As you walk in the door you aregreeted with an atmosphere ofwarmth that kind of wraps its armsaround you and you feel right athome, immediately. Lookingaround you are instantly enthralledby all the antiques, ags and pic-tures tastefully scattered about for

your enjoyment.Wiggling your nose, you wonder

at the aroma coming from thekitchen. Yummmmmm, coffee;good coffee. An exquisite fragrancenot oen found around Columbus,MS. Don't get me wrong, I'm not acoffee expert, but I do enjoy a goodcup of coffee and I certainly recog-nize the aroma of said coffee.Walking over to the counter to scanthe menu, I happen to catch aglimpse of Carlos, theowner, workingfeverishly at this contrap-

tion he calls a coffee maker.He calls it some otherwords, French words that Idon't understand, but I doknow that the man knowswhat he is doing and heproduces lovely concoc-tions that you can enjoyover and over again.

e breakfast sandwich Ihad was wonderful. Fresh,light, a delicacy to beshared or enjoyed withfriends on a pleasant morn-ing, when you just want tohave a time of friendship,

fellowship and breakingbread with some of the fa-vorite people in your life.

Honestly, I have not hadthe pleasure of samplingany of the other sandwiches

other than the breakfast delicacy,but aer talking to others I hear thatthe sandwiches are wonderful. I

can promise you that I will be try-ing out each and every sandwich ontheir menu, because, word is, theycan't be beat.

Once warmer weather arrives, Ilook forward to some quality timeon the inviting patio out back, whereyou can laze around in the sun orshade and enjoy the weather, alongwith your cold or warm drinks anda great snack to go with it.

If you

have somefree timeand want alittle tasteof e-FrenchQuarter inNew Or-leans, dropin to CafeQuartierLatin at

100 11th Street South and tell Car-los we sent you.

If you have a local business orestablishment you would like us

to consider for review, please e-mailus at: consumercorner

@realstorypublishing.com.You will get our honest opinion of

the business, their personalcustomer service, and the services

offered. We strive for fair,unbiased reporting, so we hope

to hear from you.

CafeQuartier Latin

Observation:Is it just me or has everybody noticed thatwith each passing week the check-out linesget longer, and the number of availablecashiers get smaller. I asked employees atseveral establishments in our area and got

the same answer every time - "ey aren'tscheduling enough people to work."

Maybe if we take our money to businesseswhere we don't have to stand in line 20 or 30minutes to check out, the management willtake notice and change their business ways.

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OPINION

Across1: The Ocereceptionist4: Blemish8: Barnyard sound

12: Not ___ bet!(2 wds.)13: ____ Lomond14: Mongolian desert15: Decay16: Busy as ____(2 wds.)17: Conduit18: Undivided20: Poets before22: ___ Moines23: Yearned (for)27: Spanish boy30: Address book abbr.31: Gardin twiner32: Hullabaloo

33: Out of the way35: Victory signal36: Moses parted one37: Maria ___ Trapp38: Stoop

39: Actress Elizabeth41: Card game for kids43: Heavenly body44: Calls forth48: Oahu dance

51: Fitzgerald of jazz53: Choppinginstrument54: Time ____ the essence(2 wds.)55: Is sickly56: Never used57: Cries loudly58: Snug retreat59: Pluralizing letter

Down1: Minute opening2: In due time3: Actor Dillon4: Signal ame

5: Ear parts6: Crack aviator7: Rolled on casters8: Utah city9: promissory note10: Network of

The Oce11: Tool ____19: Wedding vow(2 wds.)21: Actors hope

24: Bestow25: _____-steven26: Tinted27: Astronauts gp.28: Bad day forCaesar29: Genesis sailor30: Food can33: State emphatically34: Tofu base38: Siss counterpart40: Lazes about41: Oil sources42: Sailors cry45: Carol of Taxi46: Previous spouses

47: Makes a dress48: Pronoun49: GIs club50: Tennis shot52: False statement

CROSSWORD 02.22.2012

SEECROSSWORDANSWERSINO

URNEXTISSUE

Remember, about three months ago,when the Republican-establishmentGovernor of South Carolina endorsedMitt Romney for President, and themedia went crazy, talking about howher endorsement was going to insureMitt a win in South Carolina? It wasthought by the media, including FoxNews, that the other candidates didn'thave a chance anymore and that theirpick (Romney) would coast on to aneasy nomination. en, Mr. Newtstepped up to the plate and began to

hit multiple home runs in the debates,which made the people take a more se-rious look at him. ey began lookingat and comparing actual records of thecandidates, to get the facts about eachone. ey discovered Mitt had beenrunning false attack ads against NewtGingrich and saw where Mitt playedthe same kind of dirty games in 08against Huckabee and McCain. Plus,how Mitt was second to not even JohnKerry on ip-opping his position onseveral issues, while going from Inde-

pendent to Democrat to Republican.ey also looked at Rick Santorum,who claims to be a conservative and afriend of Newt Gingrich, but was stab-bing Newt in the back, every chance hegot. ey saw where Santorum en-dorsed Mitt Romney in 08, instead ofHuckabee, and how he lost badly to aDemocrat in Pennsylvania in his lastelection, but was bragging about howhe was the best at beating up on De-mocrats. It took very little of theirtime to conclude that those two cannotbe trusted, and that Newt Gingrichwas head-and-shoulders above every-body else, which was proven in a land-slide victory for Newt in SouthCarolina.

Now, that should be a lesson to otherstates top officials on who is the realconservative running for Presidentand who to endorse and who not toendorse, right? Well, apparently not,because right here in the Deep Southconservative state of Mississippi, our

Sec. of State and Lt. Governor have en-dorsed the ip-opping former one-term Governor of Massachusetts. Ithought I was voting for two conser-

vatives, Tate and Hoseman, in our lastelection, but their endorsement ofRomney tells me otherwise, and is a

very revealing example of bad judg-ment and poor decision-making. IfRomney is the nominee, Mississippiloses in more ways than one; his 59-point tax plan, for one thing, will in-crease taxes and the lack of vision hehas about space exploration is shownin the childish negative remarks hemakes about Newt's promise to get theUSA back to the moon. Not only Mittis against this, but Santorum is outthere doing the same thing; they haveno real vision --they just want to"manage the decay."

On the other hand, a Gingrich pres-idency would help Mississippi in manyways. His tax reform plan, for in-

stance, that will give us a "tax cut" isendorsed by all true conservatives, andhe will even give the Fair Tax a chanceto become law. Naturally, the StennisSpace Center in Hancock Countywould be back up and running, withNewt in the White House. Let's makeit very clear that it was B. H. Obamawho put a stop to that program three

years ago, and Romney and Santorumthinks it's a joke to start it up again.Mississippi loses with Romney andSantorum, but is helped in many wayswith a Newt Gingrich nomination.

Many science experts, includingsome Romney supporters, say Gin-grich is right on the mark when itcomes to having a rst permanent baseon the moon.

George Washington University spacepolicy director Scott Pace, who wasNASAs associate administrator in thesecond Bush administration and is aRomney supporter, said the 2020 lunarbase date Gingrich mentioned was fea-

sible. Pace went on to say that such areturn to the moon is doable.

Neal Lane, former head of the Na-tional Science Foundation and WhiteHouse science adviser during the Clin-ton administration, told the Associ-ated Press that Gingrichs proposalsmake sense and that his ideas and ac-tions are very pro-science, Lane alsocredited Gingrich with protecting fed-eral science research from budget cutsin the 1990s.

Ultimately the endorsement of Rom-ney by a couple of our leaders in Jack-son could end up hurting Mississippi

and back-re on them in the next Mis-sissippi state elections.

Raymond Gross is an Air Forceveteran who enjoys handball and

swimming. He rst became involvedin politics in the early 1960s, during

the LBJ and GoldwaterPresidential campaign.

From the Citizen is a column that will appear, periodically, in the printedition of e Real Story, and will feature commentary from members of the

community, and from both ends of the political spectrum.

Individuals who are interested in submitting commentary for this column shouldwrite to [email protected].

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February22,2012

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THE REALSTORY is

goingweekly!Look for us

Next

Wednesday!

I want to thank Columbus Police Officer, Lt Oscar Lewis for his heroics last urs-day night (February 9, 2012). At about 9:20pm, I was driving through Columbus try-ing desperately to get my husband, Jeff Morrison, to the ER.

I passed Lt. Lewis on 45 North, in front of Tina Watkins, doing about 60mph. Hedidn't attempt to stop me, but he followed me to the ER. He and the security offi-

cer got Jeff into a wheelchair & into the ER. Jeff ended up having emergencysurgery and is lucky to be alive. He has a long road to recovery.

Jeff and I feel blessed that God saw t to put Lt. Lewis in our path. isofficer really stepped up! We have not officially met Lt. Lewis, but he wassuch a blessing to us when we were so desperate. I'm told he is a humble

man, but he deserves recognition! If you see him, please acknowledge ajob well done!

Also, I would like to thank Baptist Security Personnel LarryDixon and Bernie Bell. ey were wonderful and their concern willnever be forgotten.

Tracey Morrison

A Shout Out fromTracey Morrison:On a Job Well DoneBy Lt. Oscar Lewis,Columbus PDEditors Note:Ms. Morrison is correct.Lt. Lewis is an incredible,dedicated police officer;

let's pause to say thankou!! We don't alwaysgive our men andwomen of lawenforcement enoughlove!!! And, twothumbs up toMr. Dixon and Mr. Bell!- JBS

During the Great Depression, in1933, a small valley on the north sideof Franklin Elementary School waslled in, using twenty-ve feet of soiland approximately 40 junked automo-biles. e work was performed by theCivilian Conservation Corps and req-uisitioned by Willie B. Saunders, thehead coach for S.D Lee High School.

Upon completion, it became knownas e Magnolia Bowl, until October1976, when it was renamed Willie B.Saunders Field.

It served as the athletic eld forFranklin Elementary School andStephen D. Lee High School. is nowmostly unused eld saw many footballgames. Numerous long-time Colum-bus residents remember the great ri-valry between the S.D. Lee HighSchool Generals and the Caldwell HighSchool Bobcats. S.D. Lee High Schoolplayed their homecoming game againstCaldwell High School on this very eldeach year. In fact, our Mayor, RobertSmith spent many Friday nights on thiseld, as one of the coaches of the S.D.Lee High Generals football team.

Aer the two high schools merged toform Columbus High, it was used as thefootball eld for the Columbus HighSchool Falcons, until parking limita-

tions forced its closure. Columbus

played its last game there on October30th, 1998.

Now used mainly as a walking track,the old beloved landmark has becomeshabby and in disrepair, but the LinkdYoung Professionals have stepped upand dedicated time and effort to helprestore it.

On Saturday February 11th, seventeenhard-working volunteers showed up toscrape the walls of the Magnolia Bowlwith trowels and push brooms. is isa yearly event, hosted by the YoungProfessionals, at which they donatetheir time to prepare the bowl for afresh coat of paint.

I spoke to Jason D. Spears, who is thegroups President. He explained to methat they are trying to make a differ-ence in the community, and that theyhave the following events planned fornext month: "E-Cycle Day", March23rd, 10am until 3pm, at the Farmer'sMarket (2nd Avenue @ 2nd StreetNorth); and "Clean Sweep Columbus"March 24th, 9am until 12 noon, at theFarmer's Market and the MagnoliaBowl (5th Street @ 4th Avenue North).

For more information on e LinkdYoung Professionals, email jspears@

jdswealth.com

Christy [email protected]

Scrape the Bowl 2012

Merideth Wilson & Harley Tracey enjoy playing at Lee Park Tuesday, February 7, 2012.

The volunteers that showed up to help scrape the bowl: Jason Spears, Josh Hartley,John Mitchell, Scott Colom, Megan Coughlin, Kathy West, Kacie Reeves,

Zach Thomas, Thomas Ferguson, Jason Sharp, Renee Reedy, Brianna Ruff,Christina Berry, Bain Nickels, Anthony Duty, John Turner & Andy Shurden.

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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

e premise of Tucker &Dale vs. Evil sounds like aone-joke skit. While on vaca-tion in the woods, a group ofcollege students assume thattwo country boys in a strangecabin are out to kill them. Inreality, the country boys areon vacation, too, with the

goal of restoring an old cabin.Blinded by fear, the studentswind up killing themselves ina variety of stupid ways,while the country boys try togure out whats going on.

Oddly enough, this com-edy/horror lm works best asa love story that correctsstereotypes about countryfolk in American horrormovies. Tucker & Dale vs.Evil has several funny andgruesome moments, but di-rector Eli Craig shows a con-

nection between a burlycountry boy and a pretty college girlthats sweeter than any of the movieslaughs.

e Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Deliv-erance and their imitators have givencountry folk a bad name, but our lmculture hasnt responded to thesemovies with anything like Tucker &Dale vs. Evil, a Canadian production.Tucker & Dale vs. Evildares to make afarce of Leatherfaces iconic chainsawwaving in e Texas Chainsaw Mas-sacre. In Deliverance, Burt Reynoldsobservations about life are presented

as philosophical and deep (for exam-ple: I dont believe in insurance.ere's no risk.). Tucker & Dale vs.Evil features its own version ofReynolds, with actor Jesse Moss. Mossis a college kid, with a popped collar,whose speeches about survival exposeReynolds observations as adolescentnonsense. Just because Reynolds andMoss are city folk doesnt mean theyremore cultured than country folk.

But even as Tucker & Dale vs. Eviltakes on stereotypes, it isnt preachy.e lm is simply a fun ride with so-ciology. When two of the college stu-dents enter a country store, they areput off by the stares of the clerk and acustomer. As the students walk to theback of the store for beer, the clerksuggests to the customer that the kidswere the ones looking weird. Culturalmisunderstanding oen goes bothways, and Tucker & Dale vs. Evilis ableto see the humor in it.

e lm also depicts, on both sides,the psychological violence in culturalmisunderstanding. Much of it is self-inicted and, of course, leads to phys-ical violence. Many lms, likeDeliverance and Wrong Turn, ignorethis sophisticated cultural process andpresent country folk as born killers.Tucker & Dale vs. Evil rejects theselms, with Tyler Labine, who plays theaforementioned burly country boy.When Moss threatens Labines dog

with a gun, Labine starts crying andsays, If you kill my dog, I swear toGod, I swear to God Ill be reallymad! e scene is as funny as it is au-thentic.

As I said above, the movie ultimatelysucceeds because of the relationshipbetween the burly, bearded Labine andthe pretty college girl, played by Kat-rina Bowden. eir connection isntforced, but genuine: Bowden wasraised on a farm, and Labine issmarter than he thinks he is. As theylearn about each other, the comedy

and horror take a backseat. For amovie that takes aim at cultural stereo-types in popular lms, Tucker & Dalevs. Evilis surprisingly touching.

Jed [email protected]

Jed Pressgrove is a technical writer andmasters student in sociology at

Mississippi State University.

New to DVD: Tucker & Dale vs. Evildefends country folk

Courtesy Photo

Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine sort through a violent cultural misunderstanding.

LeePark

to addParty Pavilionsis Spring, Columbus residents will

have a new place to have family func-tions. Roger Short, with the ColumbusLowndes Recreation Authority, statedthat Lee Park will have a new addition

of party pavilions. He explained thatthe CLRA is very excited to announcethe openings of the pavilions, calledthe Blue and Red Areas. ey will beopen and ready for reservations begin-ning March 1st

e party pavilions are brand new,with picnic tables and barbecue grills,and will have an attendant on-duty toassist with set-up and clean-up. eaccess road, which is normally closed,will be open when one of the pavilionshas been reserved, for set-up and forindividuals with handicap needs. echarge for rental is $100.00, plus a

$25.00 refundable clean-up fee.Short explained that the areas will be

reserved on a rst-come, rst-paidbasis. Please contact CLRA for moreinformation.


Christy is a wife, and mother of three childrenand has lived in Columbus all of her life. Sheis a photograper/ writer and wants to capture

Columbus one photo at a time.

Special to e Real Story

Columbus has been selected to premiere a three-city tour of Tennessee Williams playOrpheus De-scending, February 23, 24, and 25. eannouncement was made on February 2, 2012, bythe Tennessee Williams Tribute (TWT) VolunteerCommittee and First United Methodist Church. e

live, professional performances will be presented inthe churchs Artz Performance/Conference Center,at 602 College Street, at 7pm each evening, for athree-hour performance.

e production is a recipient of a performancegrant arranged by the Provincetown, MassachusettsTennessee Williams eatre Festival and e In-

nite eatre Company ofNew York. Aer opening inColumbus, the plays will thenbe presented in Jackson and

Oxford.e TWT is proud to be

selected by Provincetown andthe Innite eatre Companyto premiere this live, profes-sional production in Missis-sippi. e TWT, MississippiUniversity for Women, andthe Columbus Arts Councilhave a long-standing relation-ship with Provincetown, hav-ing produced other plays withthem, in Columbus, over thepast six years. Orpheus De-scendinghas been part of theProvincetown September fes-tival for the last two years, tostanding room audiences,and features a large cast,stated Brenda Caradine, chairof the local committee.

An advance team from the

festivalcame toColumbus,in Decem-ber, to lookat church

venueswhere theplay couldbe pre-sented andare pleased

that thetheatricalfacilities atFirstUnitedMethodistChurch will be made available for the play. We aregrateful to Rev. Sam Morris and the Church Councilfor their willingness to make their facilities availablefor the play performances for the Columbus com-munity and region. ere will be a drama workshop,with the actors for the church drama group and any-one from the community that wishes to attend. isis being organized by Laura Beth Berry of FUMC.Details of the time and date for the workshop will

be made available soon, Caradine said.A technical crew and cast of 16 will arrive inColumbus on February 21 and 22. ey will behoused in local homes, hotels, MUW and B&Bs.ere will be a special preview performance for high

See ORPHEUS Pg. 11

Columbus to Host Premiere Performances

ofOrpheus Descending

Photo byJosh Andrus

Irene Glezosand Thomas

BeaudoinOrpheus

Descending

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Andre Ray hasartistic talent inhis blood, and itshows. His greataunt was the cel-

ebrated Missis-sippi artist, MaryKatherine Loy-acno McCravy.

Andre has beenpainting forabout eenyears. During

that time he graduated from MississippiUniversity for Women (MUW), with aBA in Fine Arts (2000), with an emphasison Painting and Drawing. He thenmoved to Kansas, to attend Emporia StateUniversity, where he earned a Masters inArt erapy.

Aer three years in e Plains, the callof the South led him back to Columbus,whereupon he fell in love with the South,especially its music and culture, onceagain.

Andre works primarily in oil paint. Hispaintings are inuenced by his travels and

the people he has met, along the way.

An exhibit of his work is on display,through the end of March, at Caf Aro-mas (404 Main Street, Columbus).

Real Story Staff Report

ORPHEUS cont. from pg. 10school, college students, teachers and any senior cit-izens on ursday, February 23, for $5 per person.Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Colum-bus Arts Council (501 Main Street), by February 3or they can be purchased at the door. A specialopening night reception is being planned at thehome of MUW President James B. Borsig, for ad-vance ticket holders, on February 24. ese ticketsmay also be purchased at the Columbus Arts Coun-cil for adults $15, seniors and military $10 and stu-dents $5. e same ticket prices apply for the nalperformance, on Saturday, February 25th. For fur-

ther information call 662-574-4275 or 662-328-ARTS (2787).

e Tennessee Williams Tribute and Tour of Vic-torian Homes Volunteer Committee produces a fes-

tival to celebrate the lifeand literary work ofAmericas greatp l a y w r i g h tand poet,born inColumbuson March26, 1911.His child-hood homeserves as theColumbusWelcomeCenter. Located at 300

Main Street, IT houses im-portant artifacts related to his life andfamily, and is a National Literary Landmark. Duringthe each years festival, the Columbus Public Library

features a two-month exhibition ofmovie and theatre posters, play

programs and memorabiliafrom Williams life. e

TWT event, now in its11th year, takes place inColumbus each Sep-tember and is sup-ported by grants fromthe Billups-Garth

Foundation, ColumbusConvention and Visitors

Bureau, Mississippi Hu-manities Council and dona-

tions from Columbus business

organizations and citizens.

Contact Brenda Caradine, at 662-574-4275, formore information.

Photo by Josh Andrus

Skid Maher Thomas Beaudoinand Tom Drummer

Andre Ray

Photographs ofAndres artwork

by Christy Tracey

Portrait of anArtist: Andre Ray

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FASHION

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ART

S&ENTERTAINMENT

Whats ThatDelightfulAroma?

Its nice to be able to see Columbusmore objectively than I used to, when Ilived here full-time. ese frequent vis-its that I make to Possum Town makeme want to enjoy my time here as muchas possible.

Besides the smell of chicken from fast-food establishments, the city seems tosmell about the same. However, there isa delightful aroma emanating from 404Main Street, in downtown Columbus.

Jill Williams, owner of Caf Aromas,is making a mark with her coffeehouse,which is really more than a coffeehouse.Williams told me that she envisionedher shop being a meeting place for peo-ple who want to have a cup of coffee, alatte or cappuccino, a sandwich, or an-

other selection from the 35-plus itemmenu. e atmosphere is conducive togood conversation, something you cantdo in most restaurants these days.

Williams, who also owns Bliss Yoga, indowntown Columbus, is a Virginia na-tive. Her husbands job (IT Director atSeverstal, in charge of North Americancontacts) brought them from Los Ange-les, in 2008.

Her educational background is incommunications, and shes owned andmanaged a pet-sitting service in Califor-nia.

Williams chronic back problemsworsened when she was involved in aserious automobile wreck, when theywere living in Florida. Traditional med-ical approaches werent working. Shetook a yoga class; that began tostrengthen her back muscles. It alsotaught her how to relax, breatheandfocus. at led to her starting Bliss Yogain downtown Columbus. Every busi-ness owner ought to take a yoga class,she said.

EvolvingIt seems that Caf Aromas is in a con-

stant state of change. e rst time I vis-ited this bright spot, I was comfortable,as if I were in a friends large living room.I liked the open space and big tables, aswell as the plush sofas. I cant rememberseeing the art.

During my second visit I noticed Cyn-thia Mutchs paintings on the walls, andthe entire space had been altered a bit.During an Open Mic Night a week ortwo later, there was yet another cong-uration, one that magically accommo-

dated a larger group.is past week, that arrangement hadbeen tweaked, and I was beginning tofeel that Jill somehow shares a gene withmy mother, who thrived on rearrangingfurniture, subconsciously fullling aneed to satisfy the calling of the ow ofenergy, or feng shui.

Another new feature, since my lastvisit, is Sunday brunch, with items suchas quiche, buttermilk pancakes withbacon and real maple syrup, Frenchtoast, sausage biscuits (youre in theSouth), oatmeal, and blueberry parfaits.Sandwiches and baked goods round out

the menu.New art by Adrian Ray donned the

walls, and music made me want to singalong, to get up and danceand theresplenty of space for that. Furthermore, noone would care. I like that.

Live music two times a week, repliedJill, when I asked what kind of changesshe plans for the next six months.

Hiring more part-time servers.using a larger-scale ad campaign andincreasing the coverage area for deliver-ies to the large companies in thecounty

Maybe some outdoor seating in bet-ter weather and Baileys, kahluaIf peo-ple want it, well provide it, she said.

Menue menu features coffee, expresso,

cappucinno, latte, and macchiatos.However there are steamers, green teasmoothies, hot teas and fresh-squeezed

juices.

Hungry? I foundsausage and biscuits,made-from-scratchpastries (created byKristen Crater),including cup-cakes, muffins,cookies, and

breads. Sand-wiches includeroasted and smokedturkey, baked ham, roast beef andthree-cheeses.

True, its not a full-service restaurant,nor is it a formulated Starbucks. CafAromas is a well-stocked coffeehouse,with a bit of foodand personality.

Amenities

Got kids? Williams has a play room,which is separate from the rest of theshop, and a private meeting space thatcan be reserved, free of charge, with just

a phone call (662-570-4397).eres free Wi-Fi and pets are wel-

comed.

So whats the aroma? Its all the goodstuff going on at 404 Main Street, whereyou can nd really good coffee, food,and music. Check it out.

John [email protected]

John Dorroh is a Columbus resident whopresently works and lives part-time in the St.Louis area. He works as an educational con-sultant, traveling in the Midwest and South-

east. He writes short stories, essays, and

cheesy poetry about people hehas met along the way.

Renee Reedy Photography & Cinematography

www.reneereedy.com

Studio located underneath Cafe on main

downtown Columbus

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The Woman in Black cares more about charactersthan it does plot twists, so much so that the film givesaway its ending, instead of presenting it as a shock.This odd detail is the only way the film breaks fromhorror movie tradition.

As you may know, the main character of TheWoman in Black is played byHarry Potterstar DanielRadcliffe, whose maturity as an actor must be noted.The other important character is played by CiarnHinds, not a household name but a great actor, withdominating screen presence (watch him in Munich).

After facing deaths in their respective families, Rad-cliffe has gained a belief in spirits while Hinds prefersto think rationally. This dynamic makes for an effec-tive climax, in which faith and rationality are chal-lenged.

The nicest thing that can be said about The Womanin Black is that it doesnt pretend to be original. Unlikerecent shams, such as the Paranormal Activity series,Insidious and Black Swan, The Woman in Black wantsus to enjoy the things weve seen in many horrormovies: menacing villagers, strange dolls, faces thatappear out of nowhere, idle figures, decaying man-sions, ghosts talking through people the list is longand familiar. Although this film cannot be consid-ered more than a minor accomplishment in horrornostalgia, at least it isnt condescending.

It also doesnt resemble a television show, unlikethe mockumentary and found-footage horror filmsthat cash in on the success ofThe Blair Witch Project,a detestable fit of a motion picture. Thanks to good

cinematography, art directionand lighting, The Woman inBlack actually looks like amovie. The sound editing iseven better than the visuals.Clearly, director JamesWatkins is not a hack whowould be better off filming anepisode ofHoarders, thoughhe could improve as a film-maker if he developed hisown ideas.

By now, youre noticing atheme: I like this movie be-cause it doesnt suck like aslew of other horror movies.The truth is that The Womanin Black sets its goals so lowthat it wouldve been hard toscrew up. Unlike great recenthorror movies like The De-scent, Pontypooland The LastHouse on the Leftremake, The Woman in Black isntdaring or provocative, just serviceable. It also takesits sweet time building excitement; some of the firsthour is boring.

There isnt much else to say about The Woman inBlack, other than it is produced by Hammer Films, apopular horror film company that was out of thegame for decades, until a few years ago. Since TheWoman in Black has more than tripled its $12 mil-

lion budget in box office sales, we can expect to seemore horror movies from Hammer Films. Hopefully,the companys next film will be as honest as TheWoman in Black and more compelling.

Jed [email protected]

Jed Pressgrove is a technical writer and masters studentin sociology at Mississippi State University

Imagine thatyou are walkingthrough the for-mal gardens ofthe Palace of Ver-sailles. Elegantly-

dressed womenwith long, em-broidered gowns,lace bodices, and

velvet capes arejoined by men in

waistcoats, vests, leggings, and patent-leather shoes with silver buckles. e airis fresh with the scent of boxwood andlilac. You take your place next to the SunKing, at the long banquet table in the Hallof Mirrors, the gold table settings for 100reected on all sides. Chamber music byBach or Lully lls the vast hall. Aer thebanquet, you go to your bedchamber, oneof the lavish apartments of the Queen,and you and your companion sleep untilyou are awakened by liveried servants,with breakfast served on a silver tray. Asummer breeze was through the chintzcurtains and the scent of the owers fromthe Queens garden dris in.

You, however, are not actually at thePalace of Versailles, but virtually there,travelling in a world created in yourmind, but so vivid and palpable that it isreal. e sumptuous banquet table isfrom an archive. e scent of the rose

garden is from your childhood. ecolor of the walls, the music playing, thefood selected, the elegant symmetricalarrangement of the dishes composingeach course, the orchestrated service, areyours, recreated in your mind frommemory, emotion, and the particularcombination of historical informationavailable to you in milliseconds.

e BBC, a few weeks ago, reported aremarkable discovery:

Researchers have demonstrated astriking method to reconstruct words,based on the brain waves of patientsthinking of those words. The technique

reported relies on gathering electricalsignals directly from patients' brains.Based on signals from listening patients,a computer model was used to recon-struct the sounds of words that patientswere thinking.

A mind-computer link has nally beenestablished, and there is no limit to wherethat relationship will lead; and there is nodoubt that this discovery will quickly andsurely evolve into a fully-linked mind-computer network. Once the electroniccode to our thoughts has been deci-phered, we will, through the mediation of

the computer, be able to communicatewith any other individual. Equally as im-portant, we will have access to the worldselectronically-recorded information.Combining the two, we will be able tocreate our own completely virtual worldsand live in them with whomever wechoose, whenever we choose, and wher-ever we like.

is vision of Versailles is mine; but ina hundred years, virtual journeys to anyplace or point in the past will be possible.As more and more minds are linked totheir computers and from there to otherminds, we will be able to travel with any-one. Her dreams, fantasies, and imageswill complement yours. As you walk

through the formal gardens, she maysmell the honeysuckle of her youth, whileyou the boxwood. As computer sowarebecomes more sophisticated, taste will berecreated with more diversity and accu-racy; sensory feeling not only repro-duced, but enhanced and intensied.

See REALITY Pg. 16

Ron Parlato

The Woman in Blackwears a familiar dress

Courtesy Photo

Daniel Radcliffe is a long way from Harry Potter in The Woman in Black.

Shirley McCain of Columbus shoots her revolver at the Lowndes County SheriffsDepartment shooting range with the ladies from the Facebook Watch group.

These ladies have given several hours of their time to know what to do in alife-threatening situation, and would like to offer a thank you to

each of the deputies that taught the classes.

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LIFESTYLES

According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia,aluminum "is the third most abundant element(aer oxygen and silicon), and the most abundantmetal, in the Earth's crust." But, prior to 1886, whenthe smelting process of aluminum was discovered,this copious metal was somewhat of a rarity. In fact,there were probably a very small number of placesworldwide a single-digit quantity of places - thatproduced the metal. Discovered by Charles MartinHall, this new method of producing pure aluminumby electric smelting was put into practice by ePittsburgh Reduction Company (PRC), in NewKensington, Pennsylvania, in 1891. In 1903, PRCopened production in Niagara Falls, and in 1907

PRC changed its name to e Aluminum Companyof America, or ALCOA. Today, this is the primaryway that aluminum is processed, and ALCOA is the

world's third-largest producer of aluminum.

As with most industrial processes, the renementand processing of materials produces additional ma-terials. Hall's method of electric smelting passeselectricity through a substance called crolite, whichis a combination of aluminum and sodium uoride.e by-product is relatively pure aluminum andsodium uoride. ALCOA soon found that they hadan abundance of sodium uoride. At the time, theremaining substance was disposed by normal meansat the times, and verily deposited in the surroundingwater and land. In 1931, ALCOA chemist, Harry V.Churchill, proved the evidence of sodium uoridein the surrounding drinking water as a result of

dumping it in the Allegheny River. When ap-proached by the City of Pittsburgh, ALCOA dis-puted the proof of contamination, by arguing that

the levels of natural andunnatural sodium uo-ride weren't signicant.Yet by the time the wareffort of the 1940's cameabout, the pollution ofthe water had increased,due to the increasedproduction of alu-minum. By the end ofthe decade, dentistsbegan to notice the pos-itive effects of sodiumuoride upon people'steeth, and thereforeALCOA began to mar-ket its sodium uoridewith the Journal of theAmerican Water WorksAssociation, offeringtheir (by-)product forwater uoridation.(Peter Meier, Fluorida-tion Chemicals)

e aluminum industry isn't the only producer ofuoride chemicals as a by-product of their primaryprocesses. Peter Meier goes on to explain that in1950, the National Institute of Health suggestedusing sodium uosilicate, a by-product of the fertil-izer industry, to provide sources of uoride for wateruoridation. is proposal was made without anysort of testing or accounts of the effects of suchchemicals in the water supply, but was argued thatless of the substance could be used relative to theamounts necessary for sodium uoride to be used.As a result, Du Pont's Grasselli Chemicals Depart-ment in Wilmington, Delaware released a statementindicating that sodium uosilicate was toxic. But the

decision to discontinue using the term "sodium u-oride" in 1951, in favor of using more descriptiveterms such as sodium uosilicate and hydrouosili-cic acid to refer to the other forms of uoride, wasput into motion by the Wisconsin State Board ofHealth, when remarks regarding the common useof sodium uoride as a rat poison were made. Inother words, the individuals in favor of putting u-oride into our drinking water didn't want us to re-alize that the drinking water contained rat poison,so they stopped referring to it as sodium uoride.

Wait a minute.

ere could be rat poisonin our water supply?

For the answer to this burning question, as wellas the rest of Invino Veritas insightful commentson this subject, please visit our website, www.re-alstorypublishing.com.

Attempting to make sense of his universe,Invino Veritas bubbles outward from the chaos, some-

times submitting to its innite whirl, and other timesraging against its disregard for its own elements. His

writings incorporate multiple styles and energies whichcan be found on his own blog of random things at

http://musingsfortheinsane.blogspot.com/.

Fluoride: Were All Retardedby Invino Veritas

REALITY cont. from pg. 15is virtual world will be a reality be-

cause of many factors. First, the cyber-netics of brain-computer interfaceresearch will accelerate. Once scientistsand donors realize the potential of direct-mind manipulation of data - a speed-of-light, thought-generated search of allelectronically recorded data - researcherswill be ush. Second, we already live inan increasingly virtual world, for whichwe demand even greater accuracy andprecision. It must look real. As impor-tantly, the desire for virtual reality is veryAmerican. We have progressed far fromthe brick-and-mortar, eld-and-streammind of the 19th century. Our virtualworlds of games are pure fantasy and en-gage our imagination, emotions, anddreams. We would rather live in Tudor,Georgian, or Spanish colonial housesthan those that have an architectural in-

tegrity with the land or its surroundings.Social networks of today, linking us tohundreds and thousands of friends, aremodels for the more sophisticated virtualworlds of tomorrow, where connectionswill be made not with the click of amouse, but by thought and will.

In the short-term, our social network-ing will become progressively more vir-tual. Video conferencing will bethree-dimensional, and then holo-graphic. Our avatars - either real-time orpre-programmed with articial intelli-gence soware will attend meetings,

not us. Eventually we will do away withexternal hardware links and join directlyin mind-mind links, mediated by thecomputer.

When I rst wrote about virtual realityin 1973, long before it had become com-monplace, my inspiration came fromIndia, where ascendance to ever higherstates of consciousness leads to spiritual

enlightenment. e Upanishads state thatwhoever becomes fully aware of thetman as the innermost core of one's ownself realizes an identity with Brahmanand thereby reaches moksha (liberationor freedom). I understood that, as West-erners, we would never have the patienceto live a structured life of discipline andrestraint, directed towards a singular spir-itual goal. To achieve any higher state ofmind, we would have to do it the Amer-ican way through technology. Whilethe more secular of us might strollthrough the Tuileries, others might

search out more spiritual states.Whether we search for the ecstasies of theanimist religions of Mesoamerica, or thesublimity of pure ascetic and monasticcommunion, this liberating link to allknowledge and all humanity would bethe way.

I do not believe in Utopia, nor do Idoubt the potential corruption or co-op-

tion of this system by venal interests. Ionly see that now that the mind-com-puter link has been made, virtual realityis inevitable.

When I suggested all this forty yearsago, the only response I got was, I wantreality. I want to feel real grass under myfeet.

But what if you couldnt tell the differ-ence, I replied, and what if you could feelthe grass of Himalayan valleys, the man-icured lawns of baronial estates; Springgrass, Summer Grass? Cool, dewy grassof English lawns? Today the response

would be different, for the future is al-ready here.Ron Parlato

[email protected]

Ron Parlato is a writer living inWashington, DC. He has close ties with

Columbus which he visits frequently.His writings on literature, politics and

culture, travel, and cooking can be foundon his own blog, uncleguidosfacts.com.

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Christy is a wife, and mother of threechildren and has lived in Columbus all of her

life.She is a photograper/ writer and wantsto capture Columbus one photo at a time.

Zekes Indoor Archery, located at4068 Jess Lyons Road, offers three

different types of shooting experiences.e Techno Hunt experience allows you to

use your own bow and arrows, along with pro-vided tips, which provide shows scoring for hundreds of scenes and animals.

Some of the animals that are available are: Whitetail deer, Mule deer

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