We are pleased to see the City of Houston and Chickasaw County working together on the site that will soon house Houston fire trucks.

Supervisors loaned a back-hoe and two dump trucks to the city to clean off the corner lot at Harrington and South Jefferson last week. The dirt was then hauled to Joe Brigance Park to fill in a ditch.

Too often elected officials forget the City of Houston is in Chickasaw County and vice-versa. That also goes for the towns of Okolona, Houlka and Woodland and each of our respective school districts.

In this time of limited government revenue, our cities, schools and county need to look to each other for help with projects and specifically maintenance of infrastructure, real property and buildings.

Each of these entities has equipment and skilled personnel who can perform work efficiently and effectively and most importantly, at a reduced cost.

We hope the leaders of city, county and school boards never hesitate to go before another entity to ask for help and we hope each elected official will politely ask the questions and get the answers they need to support these joint-venture projects.

Yes, there will be times when boards can’t get together on a project. And yes, there do need to be certain agreements drawn up to define who is responsible for what and to ease questions of cost and liability.

The fire station project is probably one of the easier projects for the City of Houston and Chickasaw County to join hands on. The Houston Fire Department is often called to crank up and roll to fight a fire in the county. County volunteers are quick to lend a hand when the pager goes off on a city fire, too.

But as we look around, we see other projects that will need a united effort between the county, schools and municipalities. Centralized dispatching, economic development, road maintenance, use of inmate labor, athletic facilities, juvenile crime, industrial park improvements, disaster relief and parking lot repairs are just a few of the projects that are on the horizon.

We hope the elected officials of our county, our cities and our schools continue to work together for the benefit of all who live and pay taxes in our community.

The post Working together appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.

Not many weeks ago, I fussed about the cold weather bothering my plants and how uncomfortable the cold was. I wished for warmer weather and some sunshine. I was not alone because I heard a number of people doing the same thing.
We quickly got warmer weather and some sunshine. In fact we got some hot weather. A man told me last week that he was ready for October and I agreed. This just goes to show that the Lord of the universe cannot please everyone. My mother would have chastised me for wishing time away. All of us, including me, need to learn to live one day at a time and enjoy what God gives us.
I have also listened to the battle of the rain for awhile. I commented to some folks Sunday about the amount of rain we had gotten and a person told me his garden needed rain. Others said maybe you ought to go back and check your soil. We just find it real hard being satisfied.
This coming Sunday is Father’s Day. I realize those of us of the male gender take a beating sometimes and I am sure a lot of men deserve it. Dead-beat dads make me sick. Anyone who brings life into the world ought to support that child not only with the necessary material things needed but with their love and encouragement. There is a big difference in being a birth father and in being a “father.” Children need and cry out for a “father.”
I am happy to say that I believe I had the best father anyone could want. My father’s love could never be questioned. His love for us was unconditional. He loved us when we were not very lovable at times. He was a workaholic because he grew up that way. His father died when he was five-years-old and he said it was at that age that he took on many responsibilities around the home. I suppose he never quit working until his health failed. He was determined to provide his family the necessary physical needs.
Daddy was a very easy-going person who never raised his voice. I have always been amazed at that since he was of Irish decent. My question has always been “what happened to me?”
I let my Irish blood take control sometimes more than I like. Daddy’s philosophy toward his children was simply “do right.” He never fussed or threatened or used punishment other that to look very disappointed when things did not go well. The only threat I ever heard from him was, “If you do something and get put in jail, don’t call me because I will be too embarrassed to come.”
My mother said he would have but I was not quite so sure and never tried it.
I have nothing but happy memories of my father and am thankful for them.

A trip back in time

How long has it been since you heard these sayings,

· Don’t turn the radio on now. I want the battery to be up when the Grand Ole Opry comes on.

· Go out to the well and draw a bucket of water for me to wash dishes in.

· Be sure to fill the lamp this morning so we don’t have to do that tonight in the dark.

· You boys stay close by, the car may not start and I will need your help to push it off.

· Let me know when the Watkins Man comes by because I need a bottle of liniment.

· Soak your foot in this pan of coal oil so that cut won’t get infected.

· Just because I got bit by a chicken snake why do I have to put my foot in coal oil?

I hope each of you are having a good week and enjoying the sun. Remember to slow down driving and save some gasoline and lives as well. Also remember to attend the church of your choice on Sunday.
Billy McCord is a retired school administrator and an Elder in the United Methodist Church. He is Pastor of Shady Grove UM Church in Calhoun County and is President of the Calhoun County School Board. Contact him at P.O. Box 337, Bruce, MS or billymc@brucetelephone.com.

The post As I see it appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.

Houston, Houlka, Woodland and Okolona all had spots for mayor and aldermen up for grabs this spring.

I have always said the one of the things newspapers do best is cover elections. Getting that cute quote from an elected officials makes my day and often the day of our readers. Putting the numbers in front of you in black and white lets our readers try to figure out the political nature of their community as some neighborhoods vote one way and some . . . well a little differently.

And with city elections in Houston wrapping up last week, the summer city election season is winding down.

Okolona Elections

I was surprised that Tommie Lee Ivy was not re-elected as City Marshal in Okolona this spring.

Tommie Lee has been toting a gun and badge in Okolona for a number of years. He was deeply entrenched in the political makeup of the town and knew who everybody was kin to and how they voted. I really felt he would be around another four years.

I’ve always felt it must be tough to be an elected law enforcement official. You have to arrest people when you are a city marshal and that doesn’t always earn you votes. But if you don’t arrest people that can lose you an election, too.

Mayor Louise Cole fought off challenger Sherman Carouthers to earn a second term as Okolona Mayor.

Cole unsurped Carouthers four years ago as the political winds changed in “The Little City That Does Big Things.” In the business of politics, you have to set your sail and campaign every day because there are those out there who want your job or want it back.

Mary Gates and Regina Pickens are new faces on the Okolona Board of Aldermen, but not new faces to the community. It will be interesting to see what they bring to the table when they takes their seats in July.

The winds of change are blowing through Okolona, I am curious to see the course the new crew takes.

Houston Elections

We had Republicans run as professed Republicans in Houston this year!

Yes, who would have ever thought something like that would happen around here.

Oh, we’ve had closet Republicans run for office in these parts for years. They just don’t put themselves down as bona fide GOP candidates on the ballot.

Frank Thomas and Tony Uhiren are obviously Republicans in both their politics and the way they live their lives. I’ve watched them spend city money frugally and vote conservatively on policy issues at board meeting for the past three years. People around here know them much better than I do – and they voted them back in office.

The numbers show people still vote as Democrats in primary elections, but party goes out the door when the final round comes in the general election. That tells me there are a lot of closet GOP members in the voting booths around here, too.

Sadly, party politics has become much more racially oriented in the past eight years. That has fractured the white voting block into older, die-hard Democratic donkeys and a new, younger breed of Mississippi red elephants.

Things didn’t change as much in Houston this year. The incumbent mayor, city marshal and alderman-at-large all won by large margins in the primaries. Republicans easily won their races in the general election.

There are always those nasty letter that circulate every year and some always scream corruption in each election.

I believe voters have decided the ship is headed in the right direction and have asked Houston city leaders to sail on.

Woodland, Houlka

There were no elections in the two smaller burgs in our community this spring.

Only five people ran for the aldermen spots in Houlka and Woodland. The mayors were unopposed, too.

That does not mean there wasn’t change on boards in Woodland and Houlka. Dustin Eaton is the new guy in Houlka and Jo Bullard claimed her spot in Woodland.

Neither of these towns is known for a lot of controversy, but those elected to their respective boards say there are still hard decisions to be made at every monthly board meeting.

Being an alderman is not an easy job. You do things that cost you friendships. You go to church or the grocery store and people want to stop you and whine about the road in front of their house. And then there are those businesses and entities who are quick to sue you if something goes wrong.

Houlka pays it’s alderman $43.75 a meeting and Woodland pays a mere $25.

I can’t believe they do it for the money.

And as with most city leaders I have to believe something else prompts them to run for public office.

Maybe they like the title. Maybe they have a pet project they want to see done. Or maybe, just maybe they love their town and are willing to work and make it better.

The post Elections are always entertaining appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.

If you take a close look at most calendars, many of the dates have notations of their special significance.

Many of these dates are special dates for displaying the U.S. flag.
Many of us fly the flag every day, but there are days designated as especially important for flying our flags. We all should take an extra long look at “Ole Glory” on these days.
Take the month of May, for example. We have VE Day (May 8), Mother’s Day, Armed Forces Day (third Saturday), and Memorial Day (last Monday).
June has D-Day (June 6), Flag Day (June 14), and Father’s Day and we all remember the 4th of July (Independence Day, not cook-out day).
There are so many special times to display the flag that it has been given its own special day. June 14, Flag Day, is the birthday of the 1777 adoption of The Stars and Stripes, the country’s flag. The first record of the flag’s birthday recognition was 1885 when a schoolteacher in Fredonia, Wisconsin, organized a flag birthday party for the students. The idea spread to schools in New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Adult organizations also began to celebrate “Flag Birthday” or “Flag Day.”
In 1914, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior spoke on Flag Day. In his speech he repeated the words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning, “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.”
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation officially recognizing “Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777.” Finally, in 1949, Congress designated June 14 as National Flag Day. This act was signed into law by President Truman.
As mentioned in a previous article, there comes a time when a flag has performed its duty and is worn and tired. Yet we all know that there are laws defining proper treatment and disposal of flags.
Several years ago, the local Pilot Club, VFW and American Legion organizations joined in an effort to retire worn flags with honor in a Flag Retirement Ceremony.
This event is usually scheduled for Flag Day. Prior to the Retirement, boxes are placed in locations throughout Houston for people to deposit flags – local banks, Pearson’s Drugs, Carnegie Library, Civic Center, City Hall, Chickasaw Journal, Griffin Motors and Rex Sanderson’s Law office. Pilot members will collect these flags and prepare them for disposal.
The Flag Retirement Ceremony will be held on Friday, June 14 (Flag Day) at Joe Brigance Park at 5 p.m. Please plan to join us. If you have never attended one of these ceremonies, you have missed a very moving experience.
If you do not get off from work until 5 p.m., come anyway. It will be very easy for you to quietly blend into the group.

See you there.

Cara Chisolm
Pilot Club of Houston

The post CARA CHISOLM: Significance of Flag Day appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.

During the summer, my mother would always send my brother and me up the gravel road each day to wait for the mail. So we rode our bikes up to the gaggle of mailboxes and waited for old Mr. Jones.

The problem occurred when Mr. Jones got to the mail box.
He would not give the mail to my brother who stood by the box with his hand out.
“Gotta put it in the box,” he always would growl, slamming the lid on the box and disappearing in a cloud of dust.
This went on for several days and boy did it make my brother mad. One day, as we were leaving the house to fetch the mail, my brother picked up Mom’s old grizzled Tom cat and carried him to the mail box with us. Sure enough, he put the cat in the mailbox. As he saw Mr. Jones’ old mail truck coming over the hill, we both picked up sticks and commenced to beat on the mail box like a drum set.
It sounded terrible. As Mr. Jones’ truck rolled up, our sticks had disappeared into the weeds and my brother stepped up to Mr. Jones’ mail truck. Stifling a smile, but holding out his hand, he said, “I know, you gotta put it in the mailbox.”
“Yeah,” was all he said.
Reaching through the window of his old truck to place the mail in the box, he opened the lid. When he did, one mad cat came sailing out of the box and into the window with claws and teeth flailing. We jumped on our bikes and high-tailed it to the woods with my brother screaming to Mr. Jones, “You’re supposed to put the mail in the box, remember!”
Letters and bills were floating through the air amid the confusion.
That evening when Dad got home, he was grim. Mr. Jones had driven straight to our house and told Mom. Dad snatched us both up and took us to apologize. We were standing on Mr. Jones’ front porch at just about dark with Dad between us. When Mr. Jones came to the door, we could see his hands, arms and face were badly scratched and several band-aids were on his face which was splattered with red mercurochrome. We opened our mouths to apologize but instead busted out laughing so hard we fell down on the porch in a pile.
The next thing I knew, my Daddy’s leather belt was whippin’ the tar out of us all the way back to the truck. After we got down the road a piece, he pulled over and commenced to whip us again. That was the worst “attitude adjustment” we ever had, but we deserved it.
Why did I tell you that story?
Well, that’s kinda how the last few days of school are before we’re out for the summer. The sap has risen in trees and the students. Young students are excited about getting out for the summer activities, middle level students are trying to be “cool” and show off for the girls and older students are all in love with each other and themselves and are plotting their exploits.
Keeping the lid on schools the last couple of days each year is a lot like keeping the lid shut on the mad cat in the mailbox. Well, really, we have great kids and staff; it’s just the idea that all that summer energy is shut up!
Now, the kids are off to the ball park and the pool, teachers have sighed a great relief that another year is behind them.
And parents, well, they are your little darlings right now.
You might want to keep them away from the mailbox, though!

Dr. Steve Coker is Superintendent of the Houston Separate School District. He can be reached at 456-3332.

The post The cat and the mailbox appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.

I was fortunate to attend the State of the Region meeting Friday in Tupelo and listen to the latest trends and topics being discussed around Northeast Mississippi.

Jobs, education and leadership were the issues of the day as the best and brightest from 17 counties gathered at the BancorpSouth Conference Center to solve the regions problems.

And then House Speaker Mike Gunn told this story.

“They recently asked an NFL defensive lineman what was the secret to playing in the NFL,” Gunn said as he leaned in for the punch line. “This guy looked at the reporter and said, “Well, you know this really isn’t rocket surgery . . .”

As the room laughed at the butchered cliché, it drove home his point

Yes, jobs, education and leadership will always be top issues in this region and even in Chickasaw County.

Jobs

Chickasaw County has seen a net of four new businesses come here since 2011. While the number is nothing to write home about it, was not the negative three of Clay County, the negative 15 of Lafayette County or the negative 34 of Lee County.

The 17-county region lost 16 businesses as a whole. And as a 17-county region we need to focus on turning that number around.

In per capita income – the average income of a person in Chickasaw County – we fared much better.

In 2012 Chickasaw County has a per capita income of $32,310. We were fourth on the 17-county list, behind Lee, Lafayette and Union counties in that order.

We are blessed with a wealthy and prosperous group of people in this community who do much to help us all. They run and own our factories and many are farmers and landowners who have been around here for generations.

This economic elite needs to lead us in economic development game and help us secure the infrastructure that will benefit their businesses and bring jobs to Chickasaw County.

Education

Some schools in Chickasaw County are good and some are not so good. Sadly we have no school district in this community that is above average. Even worse we have some school leaders who like to point only to the positive and chide us when we report the negative.

One of the statements made at Friday’s meeting was the need to take an honest and sober look at the numbers and then get to work changing them.

Chickasaw County has a graduation rate of only 56.2 percent based on 2011 numbers. Okolona has a 57.6 percent grad rate and Houston stands at 62.1.That’s a countywide graduation rate average of 58.63-percent.

Forty percent of our youth do not graduate from high school with the rest of their class in any given year!

With 60 percent of today’s jobs requiring at least a high school diploma and training after high school, this is an issue we need to address quickly.

Crime, reliance on government welfare, child abuse, drug abuse, gang violence and infant mortality are all connected to unemployment. And if you don’t even have a high school diploma how in the world are you going to land a job?

Leadership

As we said earlier, there are influential people in Chickasaw County who give back much to their community.

There are also government and civic leaders who give their time to serve on city, county and school board and committees.

As I looked around the room Friday I realized it is only when a community wants to change that change comes. Things in this world either get better or they get worse and they only get better when people come together – pick capable and qualified leaders — and then get to work.

Many in Houston, Okolona, Houlka and Woodland are happy to get up every morning and watch the sun go down. They are not looking for anything new and won’t work to make something new happen.

That leaves the rest of us.

Jobs are coming to West Point. Schools are improving in Calhoun and Webster counties. And roads are being built in Pontotoc and Union counties.

I hope these numbers and these issues are cause for concern.

Let’s talk about our problems. Let’s plan some solutions. Let’s get to work and change our community.

The post State of Chickasaw County appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.

In real estate there are three factors that determine the value of a piece of property. Location. Location Location.

In the economic development business that attracts industry to a community the three factors are: Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure.

That point was hammered home time and time again at Friday’s State of the Region meeting that saw some of Northeast Mississippi’s top economic development gurus, education deans and local movers and shakers gather in Tupelo.

Houston, Okolona and even Woodland and Houlka had city elections this year and when you asked candidates what their top priority was in their campaign they all said jobs. A community with jobs has hope. A community without jobs . . . well let’s try to stay positive.

So what is this thing called infrastructure and who has it?

Four-lane highways, railroads, water, sewer, electricity, natural gas, a qualified work force and leaders who can wisely work to offer solid and lucrative tax incentives all factor into infrastructure.

Okolona has four-lane, rail, some water and it’s not too far from the natural gas reservoir at Muldon. Houston lacks a four-lane and a railroad, but it better suited with water and sewer.

Woodland and Houlka are tailor-made for light industry.

This newspaper firmly believes Okolona was quietly a candidate for the Yokohama tire plant that landed in West Point. West Point’s ace was access to a high-voltage TVA substation and a Golden Triangle team that got out and beat the bushes trying to bring industry and jobs to the Point City.

We hope Chickasaw County never looks at economic development as a Houston-or-Okolona competition.

What benefits those on the other side of the creek benefits us all.

Local chamber leaders have repeatedly pointed out hundreds of people drive to Okolona and Houston each day for jobs in local factories. People in Chickasaw County drive to Toyota and to Tupelo each morning to work at good jobs. People from here will drive to Yokohama to make tires when they open for business.

Yes, infrastructure is critical, but playing to community strengths and working as a team is the key. Chickasaw County needs to pull its team together and get in the game.

The post Infrastructure and Teamwork appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.

HOUSTON – Voters sent incumbent aldermen back into office as Ward One Alderman Tony Uhiren and Ward Three Alderman Frank Thomas reclaimed their seat on the city board.

Neither race was close in the only two contested city races in Chickasaw County that pitted a Republican and Democrat.

Thomas ran as a Republican for his Ward 3 post and collected 78 votes to challenger and Democrat Patricia Burgess-Southerland’s 19 votes. There were 97 ballots cast on election day and three absentee ballots recorded in Ward 3.

Uhiren also ran as a Republican for his Ward 1 post and tallied 142 votes to Democratic challenger Bobby Mooneyham’s 73 votes. There were 205 ballots cast on election day and 15 absentee ballots recorded in Ward 1.

“This will be my third full term and I want to thank my supporters,” said Thomas. “I do want people to know, whether they voted for me or not, they can come to me with city concerns.”

Burgess-Southerland said she had no comment on Tuesday’s election but did tell election officials Tuesday night she wanted a recount.

“I hope I treat people the same whether they voted for me or not,” said Uhiren. “I really do appreciate them putting their confidence in me.”

Mooneyham said the campaign rekindled many friendships and he also thanked those who supported him at the polls.

“I really enjoyed going to people’s homes around town and seeing people I have not seen in a long time,” said Mooneyham.

Candidates running in uncontested races for municipal offices were:

• Mayor Stacey Park – 306 votes in four wards.

• Ward 2 Alderman Shenia Jones – 11 votes in one ward.

• Ward 4 Alderman Willie Mae McKinney – 26 votes in one ward.

• Alderman-At-Large Barry Springer – 301 votes in four wards.

• City Marshal Billy Voyles – 302 votes in four wards.

City election officials are slated to meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall to canvas the votes and certify the election.

Questions or concerns about voting issues, policy and procedure for any election should be directed to the Secretary of State’s office at (601) 359-1350.

Questions or concerns about candidate qualifications, ethics and conduct while in office should be directed to the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Division at (601) 359-4258.

The post Uhiren, Thomas win city races appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.

2 Peter 1:5-8
Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives: to your faith, add goodness; and to your goodness, add knowledge; and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add patience; and to your patience, add service for God; and to your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness, add love. If all these things are in you and are growing, they will help you to be useful and productive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One evening, I mentioned to my son that I wanted him to go into his closet and see if a certain shirt was hanging in his closet. I noticed that it was taking him longer than expected, so I got up and went into the room and as I came in, he said, “Daddy, look what I found”. It was a toy that he had received during Christmas and it was still in the box. What I noticed was that he had opened it during the time of Christmas but had not even played with the toy since that time.

I stood there and wondered how God feels about the free gift of salvation we accepted, when we do nothing with it?
How does God feel when we accept the gift, then after the newness wears off, we let it gather dust?
And then I wondered more deeply, how does he feel when He sees the gift we accepted from Him, the gift that He bought for us with His life, the gift that He was faithful to go to the Cross so we can have it, gather “dust?”
The gift of salvation and eternal life is free. Salvation changes the direction our life is headed and discipleship is what changes our character and us. It is simply following Christ, living a Christ-like life. It’s when our words and our deeds match up perfectly. I am saying that we need to be more than just “hitchhikers” to heaven. We need to live out our lives as fully-devoted followers of Christ.
From our textual reading, Peter gives us the secret to Godly living. Most folks want to be successful but are not willing to take all of the steps that it will take to be successful. Peter writes well in this passage, he says a whole lot in this passage, but there is a little word that no one should miss and that little word is the word “add”.
An old guy once told me that if you keep subtracting, you will eventually end up with a whole lot of nothing but if you keep adding, you will eventually end up with a whole lot of something and when you add God and Godly traits to your agenda, you’ll end up with something spectacular and so amazing.
Peter is saying, because you have this great gift, do your best to apply the gift to your life. The word add here means to supply generously. What it means is that “these things” are to be practiced as a whole and every one is to be active all the time.
You see, some people want to pat themselves on the back if they are doing four-out-of-five or five-out-of-seven. God wants us to have all of these qualities operating at all times.

1 John 1:5-7
Here is the message we have heard from Christ and now announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars and do not follow the truth. But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.
John is very plain in his words. If we continue in our old ways, if we don’t do something with the free gift, then we are liars.
I don’t know about you all, but these passages sure motivate me to dust off my gift and try to be a little more Christ-like each day. It’s the least we can do to show our gratitude for what He has done for us.
Is it time you opened your gift from God?

Rev. Darrick Whitfield is pastor of Shady Grove M.B. Church in McCondy. His column is a regular Sunday feature found on chickasawjournal.com

The post DARRICK WHITFIELD: How do you treat your precious gift? appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.

I turned the corner Friday morning on the way to work and spotted the Flags on the Courthouse Square.

Just a moment watching dozens of grand ole red-white-and-blue slowly move in the morning breeze made my day.

I hope there were others who drove by and were also filled with pride and appreciation for things bigger and more important than work and the simple little rat race I run in Houston.

I was also fortunate to attend Memorial Day services Monday evening.

I was an older crowd, but it was neat to see youngsters show up and wave a flag.

Those are memories that will last those kids a lifetime. Those are traditions that will last a long time in Houston.

- – -

The polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and not long after the sun goes down on this great city that day, we will have picked our next Houston Board of Aldermen.

A lot is riding on this election. A lot rides on every election.

A story that ran in special edition last fall quoted an economic developer as saying one of the thing average folks can do to bring industry to town is to vote.

He didn’t clarify his quote, but we are going to venture to say that he meant good leaders have a way of making good things happen. Communities that give direction in the type of town they want – residents who will show up to vote and make things happen – are the kinds of communities industries want to locate in.

Houston has a strong tradition of showing up at the polls and speaking their mind.

Some say the winds of change need to sweep through City Hall. Others feel the wind has the boat we call Houston headed the right way

Please vote on Tuesday and help the breeze blow the right direction in Houston.

- – -

Every community and county has its own traditions, events and places that set it apart from the rest of the world.

Those of you who have grown up here may not realize how unique Houston is and some of the traditions that make it so different from other places on Earth.

They are things like red, sandy soil on rolling hills, The Courthouse Square, the intersection of North Jackson/Pontotoc/Malcomb/First Street, Saxon’s, the Natchez Trace and WCPC Radio to name a few.

Most of these things were here before most of us got here and will be here after most of us are gone.

Each and every one of them brings something special to this community.

As a newspaperman I have always looked around and tried to find those things that people do best. They make great news stories.

The same holds true for towns.

In Houston it is Homecoming on the weekend prior to the Fourth of July, the Sundancer Solar Car, Flywheel Festival, Lady Hilltopper Softball and church events far and wide.

And people say nothing ever happens in this sleepy little town!

Houston has a tradition of doing a lot of things right.

- – -

I’ve heard people say the more things changes, the more they stay the same.

As a newspaperman I have always pointed out that change is news and news is how I make my living.

But being a Son-of-the-South I also appreciate the constant traditions that make us feel safe and secure.

As change slowly frays the fabric of family, community and our culture, I am glad for those traditions that bind us tight.

The post FLOYD INGRAM: Let’s enjoy our traditions appeared first on Chickasaw Journal.