Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of an accident on Hwy. 9W north of Banner Monday morning that caused a Bruce woman to be airlifted from the scene.

Lorie Roberts, of Bruce, was transported by helicopter from the scene from what EMRs on the scene suspected was a badly broken leg.

Roberts was headed south toward Bruce when her vehicle hit the pickup truck driven by Larry Pettigrew of Neshoba County.

Pettigrew told officials at the scene there was a third vehicle in the road – an SUV – that forced him to swerve to miss hitting it. His vehicle and Roberts’ collided as a result.

That SUV was no longer at the scene when emergency responders arrived.

The VFW Ladies’ Auxiliary in Bruce recently honored Vietnam Veterans with a luncheon with more than 60 attending.

Widows of Vietnam veterans present were Duley West (Frank West) and Dianne McCormick (Tom McCormick).

The program opened with auxiliary president Nancy Mann.

Prayer was given by Mary Clark, auxiliary junior vice president.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Carol Hardin, secretary/treasurer.  The National Anthem was played by Steve Norwood on his fiddle and veteran Freddie Buchanan sang a song he wrote about the Vietnam experience. Ronnie Hand also performed.

County Vietnam Veterans were honored recently by the VFW?Ladies Auxiliary Post 5571 with a lunch and program. More than 60 attended including Vietnam veterans, front, from left, Buddy Sanders, Sam Phillips, E.J. Bobo, Joe Barnette, Bob Gosa, Tommy David and Rex Spratlin; row 2, Bobby Cook, David Bramlitt, Joe Carnaggio, John Jasper Adams, James Hardin, William Craddock, Mike Winter, Dwight Brown and Gary Aldridge; row 3, Jimmie Tartt, Larry Embry, Billie Hitt, David Embry, Jim Scarbrough, Jerry Mitchell, Freddie Buchanan, Don Keifer, Duane Gregg; back, James Weeks, Van Russell, Elbie Wayne Dickerson and Travis Patterson. Not pictured were Stan Evans and Chick Hensley.

Following is a look at the Top 10 stories in Calhoun County in 2013 as voted on by the staff of the Calhoun County Journal.

1) Harris, McGonagill shootout in Slate Springs

Wayne “Honky” Harris, of Slate Springs, is currently in the Calhoun County Jail awaiting trial for a depraved heart murder charge, one count of touching a child for lustful purposes and four counts of sexual battery.
All of the charges carry a potential sentence of minimum 20 years to life, except for touching a child for lustful purposes, which calls for a minimum of two years with a maximum of 15 years.

Wayne Harris

The charge of depraved heart murder stems from the January shootout south of Calhoun City that resulted in the death of 51-year-old Chris McGonagill.
The shootout took place during a cookout at McGonagill’s carpentry shop near his home on Hwy. 9 South just below the 8-9 intersection.
In addition to Harris and McGonagill, others present at the time of the incident were Stacy and Bobby Wiggs and Lee Vance.
McGonagill and Harris allegedly argued and then pulled guns with both firing multiple times.

Harris was hit twice, once in each leg, with a 9mm pistol. McGonagill was shot six times with a .22 rifle.
Harris was transported to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo where he had surgery and underwent rehab. He was soon after released from the hospital.
McGonagill was transported to Calhoun Health Services and then airlifted to Oxford where he was pronounced dead.

The charges of touching a child for lustful purposes and sexual battery are a separate case. Sheriff Greg Pollan said authorities became aware of those allegations the week after the shooting and immediately began investigating.
Harris has previously served time in prison with the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He was incarcerated for approximately a year after a 2001 conviction for sale of a controlled substance.

He attracted attention from state and national media in 2012 when he was issued a pardon by Gov. Haley Barbour for the crime.
A date for Harris’ trial has not yet been set by the court.

2) Three children killed in Vardaman house fire

Hundreds gathered inside the Vardaman gymnasium in mid November to mourn three children killed when their home on First Street in Vardaman caught fire.
Seven-year-old twins Yobani and Isabel Razo and their nine-year-old brother Oscar were remembered as happy children always eager to help their friends.

“They were very loving, sweet children, always smiling,” Vardaman Elementary Principal DeDee Lee said.
The school day Monday began with a counseling session at Vardaman Elementary to help all those in need to cope with the loss of the three students.
The Razos’ classmates chose to move the students’ clips to “Ram-tastic” – the highest level on the good behavior board – for the rest of the school year. Students also wore green, pink and blue ribbons, the children’s favorite colors, in memory of the Razos.

The fire occurred around 2:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 at 119 First Street in Vardaman. Kimberly Brown, the children’s mother who works at Mounce Supermarket, and their two older sisters, Madison and Courtney Brown, students at Vardaman High, all escaped the fire.
Firemen on scene said attempts to rescue the other children were thwarted when the fire consumed the entire house so quickly.

“We tried to go in, but the fire was just too big,” Vardaman Chief Michael Whitten said.
The fire remains under investigation by the state fire marshal, but preliminary reports suggest it started from a portable space heater.
After the fire, the Vardaman community rallied around the family to try and meet all their needs including providing a temporary, fully-furnished home.

3) Calhoun City High School receives an F from the state

Seven of the county’s eight schools improved its state test scores from the previous year helping the district as a whole earn its first ever B grade in the state’s new A-F grading system, but the bigger story was the school that failed to improve.
Calhoun City High School’s overall score dropped from 173 in 2011 to 129 in 2012. That dramatic decrease caused the school to fall from a C grade of “successful” to an F (failing) – the first ever failing grade for a Calhoun County school.
“It’s unacceptable,” Superintendent Mike Moore said of Calhoun City High School’s grade. “We’re looking at everything we can possibly do to address this.”
The Mississippi Department of Education spent a week at the school meeting with Principal Mike Ray and examining every facet of school operation.
Dr. Laura Jones and Lillia Jones, with MDE, told the school board they were most concerned by the lack of community involvement in the school and the need for more rigorous and higher-order thinking skills in teaching practices.
If the school fails to improve its grade, consequences will include travel restrictions for school officials, board members per diem reduced by half and the ultimate possibility of all administrators and teachers at CCHS being fired.

4) BTC begins fiber-optic installation
Bruce Telephone Company initiated a major construction project to install fiber-optic lines to allow the company to provide improved telephone, high speed internet and eventually video service once completed to its customers.
Palmgren Construction of Alabama is performing the installation of the lines which is estimated to take three years to complete.
In 2013, the company competed west Bruce and most of Pittsboro. They will return to east Bruce in 2014.
The process of boring holes along the right-of-way and inserting the large orange fiber-optic lines hasn’t been without controversy.
Pittsboro officials have stated their intent to seek compensation for the “large number of water lines” broken by the boring process. The damages to the town’s water system have been estimated in excess of $10,000.

5) Wildcats play for state championship
The Calhoun City Wildcats advanced to the school’s ninth state championship football game in Jackson where they were defeated by Bassfield 48-7.
Coach Perry Liles took pride in the hard work and dedication of his team for their 11-4 season which included a region championship and a seventh consecutive victory over rival Bruce.
“I appreciate the hard work of our kids,” Liles said. “We were 3-3 at one time and to win eight in a row says a lot for them.”
“I’m proud of these seniors,” Liles said. “They’ve had a great run.”

6) Bruce Schools get three new principals
It was a transitional year in Bruce Schools as never experienced before with all three schools getting new principals.
Michael Gillespie became the new Bruce High School principal succeeding Mark Grubbs who left for a similar position at Ingomar. Gillespie, a Vardaman native, had previously served as principal at Houlka.
Dallas Gore, also a Vardaman native, was hired as the new principal at Bruce Upper Elementary School. He followed Paula Monaghan who retired.
Sandy Aron, of Bruce, 11-year teacher at Bruce High School, took over as principal at Bruce Elementary following the retirement of Angie Weldon.

7) 289th comes home; 858th heads overseas
It was a year of emotional homecomings and departures for many Calhoun County soldiers and their families.
About 140 members of the Mississippi Army National Guard’s 289th Engineer Company returned home in April from a one-year deployment to Afghanistan.
The unit, which is headquartered in Bruce, flew into the Tupelo Regional Airport where they were greeted by a large gathering of family and friends waving American flags.
In August, more than 150 soldiers with the Mississippi National Guard’s 858th Horizontal Construction Company, based in Calhoun City, was honored with a send-off ceremony on the Calhoun City Square as they prepared for their third deployment in the past decade.
The company left the following week for Camp Shelby for final preparations before a year-long tour in Afghanistan. The 858th was the first Mississippi engineering company deployed to Iraq in 2003 and then served another year-long tour in 2009.
They are due to return home later this year.

#8 Rudy Pope elected mayor in Bruce

Bruce Mayor Rudy Pope

Rudy Pope, retired football coach and teacher at Bruce High School, was elected as Bruce’s mayor in May defeating incumbent Robert Edward Oakley 335-189.
Pope carried all five wards in his first run for public office.
“I know I beat a good man,” Pope said. “Robert Edward has done a great job for the city of Bruce. I hope I can work with the board to continue to make Bruce a better place for its citizens.”
Among Pope’s priorities upon being elected was to pave Bruce streets. A scheduled $1 million sewer improvement project for 2014 limited the streets he could pave. The town ultimately spent approximately $150,000, half of the funds they designated, to pave portions of several streets around town. Pope said they hope to pave more in 2014.

9) Petition for alcohol started in Pittsboro

Calhoun saw its first challenge to the county’s “dry” status in many years when an effort to legalize alcohol was initiated in Pittsboro.
Charles Scott Alexander approached the Pittsboro Board of Aldermen in August about circulating a petition to legalize alcohol in the county seat.
The effort to bring about a referendum in Pittsboro is due to a relatively new state law enacted by the Legislature allowing any city with a population over 5,000, or a county seat, regardless of its population, to seek a referendum via petition.
Pittsboro has 114 registered voters on the rolls, meaning 23 signatures will be needed to force a referendum. As of Dec. 30, 11 signed petitions had been turned into town hall.

10) Farmers markets started around Calhoun County

Calhoun County saw a renewed interest in farmers’ markets in 2013 as events were started in Bruce and Vardaman to join the weekly market previously established in Calhoun City.
Vardaman’s market was held every Saturday morning on the south end of Main Street where the town constructed a “green-space” directly behind Pak-N-Snak gas station.
The Bruce farmers’ market is called “Throwback Thursday” and in addition to the many vendors selling fruits, vegetables and other homemade goods, featured live entertainment in the gazebo.
Calhoun City opened its farmers’ market last year and it has continued with vendors gathering primarily on the east side of the square every Wednesday.

Other top stories from 2013 in no particular order:
•First annual Egg Bowl Run highlighted by meeting in Calhoun City.
•Bruce mayor and alderman vote to make town “smoke-free.”
•Sheriff’s Department solves rash of house burglaries, three arrested.
•Six-year-old Bubba Melton, of Calhoun City, escapes car accident and goes for help.
•Local firemen assist in fight of giant fire that destroys Webster County Courthouse.
•BHS sophomore Dee Taylor remembered as a quiet, respectful, well-liked young man.
•Bruce board invests $30,000 for upgrades to Bruce Park.
•First ever sweet potato specialist Stephen Myers hired.
•Mike Rutherford stabbed, run over by wife and another man in Slate Springs.
•Sea Rhydr crosses Calhoun on cross-country horseback ride; later buys home in Big Creek.
•Bruce native Matt Allen arrested for bomb threat at Oxford theater.
•Calhoun City drug stores among many in region to be burglarized.
•Bruce spends approximately $150,000 to pave streets for first time in years.
•Andy Brown sentenced to life in prison for murder of Earlie Balford.
•New owners take over at Furniture Wood in Vardaman.
•Derma policeman Byron Talford, Calhoun City businessman Buck Langford involved in altercation at Clint’s in Bruce.

Editor’s Note: This list was compiled by the staff of The Journal considering the overall news value of each story, the number of people impacted and historical significance.

Despite several reports of snow flurries north of the county, none is expected to fall in Calhoun although temperatures will remain very cold heading into the weekend.

Current forecast calls for temperatures to remain in the upper 30s through the day Thursday with strong winds all day making temperatures feel even colder.

The National Weather Service calls for clear skies tonight and all day Friday with a high of only 39.

Temperatures should climb back up near 50 Saturday before rain moves back in on Sunday with the coldest temperatures of the year to follow.

The low Sunday and through the middle of next week is expected to be in the teens or lower. Monday’s high isn’t expected to get out of the mid 20s.

Temperatures won’t climb above the freezing mark until Wednesday when a high of 45 is forecast.

City of Bruce workers spent all day Thursday repairing a large, cracked water main on Murphree Street that forced water to be cut off to nearly a third of the city most of the day.

The cracked line causing the problems was located at the intersection of Railroad Street and Murphree approximately six feet below the pavement.

Workers had to take extra precaution digging it out because of a gas line running right underneath the old water main.

A large valve, estimated to have been installed around 1940, had to be cut out and the lead pipe reconnected for the repair.

Cheyenne Thomas and Kyle Poynor are shown digging out the large water main on Murphree Street. The repair work continued close to sunset in freezing temperatures.

Calhoun supervisors approved term bids and heard a citizen’s complaint alleging a slow response to a legal concern.

Melvin Smalley, of Bruce, asked the board for assistance in a complaint he filed in Calhoun Justice Court. Smalley claimed his rental house was severely damaged by a renter and in a separate instance a woman broke into his house in December but has not been arrested since he reported it nor has the other case been presented to the grand jury.

Board Attorney Sonny Clanton explained that the board of supervisors “has no control or can instruct” the courts.

“This is a court matter,” Clanton said. “I advise you to contact the district attorney.”

Sheriff Pollan, who was in the meeting on other business, stated Smalley is “failing to present all of the facts” in both his complaints, but that a warrant has been sent to Memphis for the woman he alleges broke into his home and it’s up to Tennessee authorities to pick her up.

In other news, the board rejected all term bids on limestone rock, preferring to purchase it as needed throughout the year.

Term bids accepted included:

Asphalt – Ergon, Inc.
Cold mix – Cold Mix Inc.
Hot mix – Lehman Roberts
Grader blades – G&O Supply
Culverts – G&O Supply
Wash gravel – Mississippi Gravel
Clay gravel – Teasdale Gravel
Pest control – Tri-State Termite
Bridge pilings – McKinney Construction and Double S
Trucking – Booneville Trucking
Dozer work – Jackie Earnest and B&B Contractors
Signs – G&C Supply and Custom Products

The board approved travel for Justice Court Clerk Tracy McGuirt to attend a training seminar and Sheriff Pollan to attend executive training at the Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, D.C. Pollan’s trip is paid for with federal funds. There is no cost to the county.

Bids were opened for a surplus garbage truck with Steve Parker submitting the best bid of $3,300. The other bid received was from Parker Brothers for $1,712.

The Calhoun County Board of Supervisors reappointed their board attorney and purchasing clerk for 2014 during a brief meeting Monday morning in Pittsboro.

Sonny Clanton

Attorney Sonny Clanton and Purchasing Clerk Sheryl Fleming were both retained by the board in unanimous votes during their first official meeting of 2014.

The only other business was the opening of depository bids. The only two submitted were from Regions and BancorpSouth.

Clanton noted it was the first time in several years Regions had submitted a bid.

Both were taken under advisement.

No one was injured when fire destroyed a house trailer west of Vardaman Tuesday morning.

The trailer, located on CR 431 near New Liberty, was home to Jennifer Nelson and her children. They were not at home at the time of the fire.

Vardaman firemen Becky Brown and Terry Dauzat are pictured as firemen worked to contain the fire.

The resignation of part-time policeman Byron Talford, of Bruce, was accepted at the regular meeting of the Derma board of aldermen last night.

Deneen James

Deneen James

Mayor pro-tem A.G. Gibson presided at the meeting in the absence of Mayor Dock Gabbert.
Alderwoman Andrea Corbitt asked if another policeman would be hired.

Clerk Deneen James said that Police Chief Stan Evans said they would try to go a little while without hiring someone.
In another matter, training for James in Oxford was approved.

James said that two had been added to the bad debt list– Colton Moore and Angela McFall.
Alderwoman Kendra Mays-Wright was not at the meeting.

The Pittsboro board of aldermen opened a bid on a new firetruck and agreed to adhere more strictly to the town’s water policy at their meeting Tuesday night.

Gayle Bullard

The lone fire truck bid submitted was from Pierce for $219,057. The bid was taken under advisement to allow Gayle Bullard more time to study all the specifications and to continue to seek less expensive offers.

The town’s current fire truck is out of certification and a new truck will have to be purchased to maintained the current fire rating. The town has secured a $70,000 grant to help offset the cost. Anything over the $70,000 will have to be financed.
Alderman Les Morgan said he was asked by a citizen why he “must pay his water bill when so many others don’t pay.”

Clerk Amy White showed the board the latest cutoff list and said while some residents fall a few months behind, they usually all catch up.
Water Director Charles D. Mayhan said there are cases where people generally have trouble and the town tries to work with them, but at times they have to cut the water off.

After a short discussion, the board instructed White and Mayhan to enforce the policy as it’s written and cut meters off if residents do not pay within the guidelines and let them come to the board to file complaints.
In other news, White said Kayla Watts is opening a clothing boutique in the building beside Town Hall.

The Vardaman Board of Aldermen accepted the resignation of Water and Sewer/Maintenance Supervisor Eddie Alford and agreed to advertise for his replacement at Tuesday’s meeting at Town Hall.

Caleb Tedder

Alford’s resignation was effective Dec. 5. The board agreed to retain him on a part-time basis to perform necessary water duties.
The board agreed to advertise for applications for the position with a deadline of Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. The board recessed Tuesday’s meeting until Tuesday, Jan. 28 when they will review all the applications submitted and schedule interviews for the top candidates.

In other news, the board approved several changes to the structure of the Sportsplex, including hiring Caleb Tedder as the sole director.
The board accepted the resignation of co-director Greg Pepper and agreed to consolidate the two positions into one and pay Tedder $13,500 annually for the job.

The job will also include overseeing the pee wee football league in Vardaman which the town agreed to absorb into the programs at the Sportsplex.

After much discussion, the board agreed to purchase the current equipment former league director Jay Vanlandingham has from him once all the equipment is turned over to the town.
The board also accepted the low bid from Parks and Parks for water well repair for $16,425 and agreed to pay for it out of the town’s Bond and Interest account.

The board approved a zoning variance to allow Virginia Willis to put in a trailer on  Richards Street near two other trailers that were “grandfathered” in when the town’s zoning ordinance was adopted.

The Calhoun City Board of Aldermen accepted a gift of $25,000 to the Calhoun City Library by the late James M. Robertson, Jr. for upkeep of the library at their meeting last night.

They voted 3-0 to put the money in a certificate of deposit at Renasant Bank for a three month period, in case repairs were needed on the building. Voting for the action were Jerry Vaughn, Marshall Coleman and Larry Bratton.
Barbara Goodson, who is a member of the local library board, recused herself from voting because she said that Judy McNeese, Director of the Dixie Regional System, had called her earlier. Dale Hays was absent from the meeting.

McNeese maintained that the money should be used for the purchase of books. However, a legal document from Hayes Branscome, executor of the estate, and Phil Embry, Grenada attorney, indicated that the intent of Robertson was for the gift to be used for the upkeep of the Calhoun City Library.

J.R. Denton

Mayor J.R. Denton said that the library was built on property that belonged to Robertson’s mother and was left to the city for that purpose.
In another matter concerning the purchase of a police car, the mayor advised aldermen the state-approved dealer in Gulfport has no cars available right now.

He said he talked with Cannon Motor Company, which can sometimes sell a police car at a discount and get reimbursed, but General Motors had not made the program available at this time.
Denton said that puts Calhoun City third on the waiting list with the state-approved dealer.
The mayor said Shelia Ratliff had requested a street light on West Stovall Avenue on a new pole Natchez Trace recently replaced. He suggested that Police Chief Benny Langford, who was present, check the area out and replace it if he thinks it needs to be.

In his report to the board, Mayor Denton told the board that Calhoun City’s sales tax for the year is up $1,700.
The board approved an Amended Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Fund Agreement on a revolving loan fund relative to the sewer replacement project.

They gave approval for City Clerk Raenell Moore to attend a meeting in Oxford on Thursday and Mayor Denton to attend the Mississippi Municipal League Mid-Winter Legislative Conference in Jackson in late January.
The board ended the meeting in executive session to discuss a personnel matter.

Bruce Mayor and Board of Aldermen agreed on “hour for hour” comp time for the city’s salaried employees at their regular meeting last night.

“If someone works five hours over, then they get five hours off of choice,” Bruce Mayor Rudy Pope said.
The motion passed, and Pope assured the board it would be no problem to keep up with it.
“I feel good about that,” said Pope.
Salaried employees are Rita Talford, Joe Farmer, Rodney Gray and Stan Evans.

Bruce Mayor Rudy Pope

After seeing an aerator demo recently and hearing a proposal last month from Reliance Water Technology, the mayor “called a bunch of people and they recommended it highly.”
Water department director Roderick Gray said,  “We have old aerators and one is broken down now. New ones would be beneficial.”
For under $30,000, the town would get two four-horsepower aerators and chemicals, which would come from Gray’s budget.

According to Pope and Gray, electrical use and chemical use would go down with these in place. Because of the total amount being over $5,000, two quotes would have to be presented, so it was tabled until the next meeting.
A citizen’s request to hold a wedding on the Bruce Square was approved, with the stipulation that a $25 deposit be charged, refundable upon clean-up.

For the second month in a row, a Metrocast Cable representative met with the board.
Mark Boyer talked with them about the usual standard of 10 years for a franchise agreement. After some discussion, and approval of the 18 sections of the cable ordinance one by one, the board voted to keep the 10 year agreement with 3% franchise fee, with only Alderman Danny Rodgers in opposition.

Rodgers said his problem with it is the time limit–that he would like to see five years for the next board to renegotiate, rather than 10.
A resolution requesting the introduction and passage of a bill, “Citizens for Economic Development Act”?(CEDA) was presented to the aldermen by Pope.
Through this bill, only if voted on by 60% of the citizens, taxes could be raised 1% “for money for special projects to enhance the quality of life for local citizens and improve economic development opportunities for municipalities.”

Motion was made and seconded as a means of support only of the bill, not to raise taxes.
Pope congratulated the board and said they had made a lot of headway since July.
“The board has stepped forward and gotten some things done,” he said.

They are still looking into funding for a fire truck, and pending some paperwork, the work on the AT&T cell tower near Bruce Community Living Center should get started.
Alderwoman Ellen Shaw was absent from the meeting.

Calhoun County Circuit Court is due to open its first session of the new year next Monday, Jan. 13, but the Wayne Harris murder case isn’t expected to take place during the two week term.

Wayne Harris

Harris’ defense team recently filed motions for Judge Andrew Howorth to recuse himself from the case, another seeking a change of venue and a third for a continuance.

Due to the holidays, hearings on the various motions have not been held as of yet, making it unlikely any trial will be held during the January term of court in Pittsboro.

If Howorth does agree to recuse himself from the case, it would fall to Circuit Judges Robert Elliott or John Gregory. If they were to decide to recuse themselves, then it would be up to the Mississippi Supreme Court to appoint a judge to hear the case.

The change of venue is being sought by Harris’ defense team due to their belief that the publicity of the case locally would make it difficult for Harris to receive a fair trial.

A hearing on a possible change of venue and setting of a trial date cannot be done until it is decided which judge will hear the case. Court officials said a timetable for that determination is not known at this time.

Five honorees will be recognized at the 2014 MLK Banquet sponsored by the Loggins Scholarship Committee on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. at the multi-purpose center in Pittsboro.

The 2014 honorees include the Excel staff in Calhoun City, Cannon Motors in Calhoun City, former New Hope Church pastor the late

Sinatra Williams of Bruce, retired math teacher Jettie Pettit of Bruce, and retired elementary teacher Melba Casey of Vardaman.

Vickie Coffey Lee, a 1987 Calhoun City graduate and retired U.S. Army veteran, will be the guest speaker.

Entertainment will be provided by Christian recording artist and Calhoun City native Tiffany Jennings Edmonds. Tickets are $12.

Tony Hardin lifted up the corner of a giant piece of material more than 10 feet tall and 20 feet wide that had a brightly colored floral scene including a white gazebo, not unlike the one on the Calhoun City square, set in one corner.

“This was one of our most recent projects,” Hardin said.

The giant picture was one of seven Hardin had printed at his now evolving business in the back of the old Kellwood building in Calhoun City. The client for the seven screens was none other than Donald Trump. Yes, that Donald Trump of New York City.
“I asked my contact out of curiosity what it was for, and I was told for some event in Florida, possibly a wedding,” Hardin said.

In the adjoining room were more giant banners from a similar printing job. This one was for GMC for auto/boat shows in Detroit, New York and Houston.
“We did several of those in numerous sizes,” Hardin said.

The printing jobs were done with a dye sublimation printer that is nearly 12 feet wide and has dramatically changed Hardin’s company – Varsity Pro.

What began a few years ago as a business providing pants with custom logos of various colleges, schools and more, has turned into something bigger.
“The chairs are our biggest thing right now,” Hardin said.

The chairs are designed for children and come in unlimited designs due to Hardin’s flexibility with his printing process. What separates Hardin’s chairs from others on the market is they have no wooden frame.
They are made from a sturdy foam and covered with a fabric Hardin prints per customer request. The fabric is sewn in house in

Calhoun City and can easily be removed from the chair via a zipper and washed in a washing machine.
“These have really taken off,” Hardin said.
Currently, his most popular designs are the camouflage chairs with Ole Miss and Mississippi State logos, for which he is licensed.

“It took us a long time to get set up, but now the chairs are out in stores all over the region,” Hardin said.
Hardin has worked in the apparel business for more than 20 years since starting with his father-in-law Bobby Steele at Calhoun Apparel. He started Varsity Pro a few years ago on his own and has spent the past two years developing the business.

“We’ve spent a lot of time acquiring all the equipment we needed and getting everything set up,” Hardin said.
The dye sublimation printer, which has unlimited color possibilities, was the biggest challenge. But with help from his business partner, Perry Schwartz of Gainesville, Georgia, who owns TSI Sports and other companies, Hardin is now ready to produce.
Schwartz sent Hardin the Trump and GMC jobs because Hardin could get them completed and shipped on short notice.

Now Hardin is in a position where he needs to hire additional employees that can sew.
“I have five employees right now,” Hardin said. “I expect to hire another 12-15 in the next month.”

Hardin has plenty of space in his building that sits directly behind the school district’s Career and Technical Center and beside one of A.D. Blount’s operations.

“The town has really been supportive and A.D. has been great, too,” Hardin said.
Hardin, 49, was scheduled to show many of his products at the new furniture market in Tunica this week where he admits he has “high expectations.”

“I’m not a salesman, but I really love what I’m doing,” Hardin said. “I learn something new every day, and this allows me to be as creative as I want to be.”

No one was injured last night when an 18-wheeler carrying a load of lumber wrecked on Hwy. 9 approximately a mile south of the 8-9 intersection.

The truck was attempting to turn on to the highway from CR 341 around 9 p.m. when it cut the corner too tight and the back end of the trailer slipped off into a deep ditch where a large box culvert runs under the highway.

The driver of the truck was not hurt, but the McElroy Truck Lines truck was stuck on its side in the middle of the highway for nearly two hours as Calhoun City and Derma firemen assisted Parker Brothers wrecker service with getting the truck back upright.

Photo by Joel McNeece ©

Nicki McCormick’s house – the former John Bagwell home in the Mt. Moriah Community – burned to the ground early Thursday morning.

The huge 3 a.m. fire had destroyed the home by the time Bruce and Chickenbone fire departments got the call. There were no injuries and the cause was unknown.

Photo by Joel McNeece

Area Agronomist Bill Burdine says 2013 was a solid to record year for area crops.

Burdine, speaking to the Bruce Rotary Club, said yields per acre in 2013 were 40 bushels for soybeans, 115 bushels for corn and 270 bushels for sweet potatoes around Calhoun County.

“That corn yield was one of the best we’ve ever had,” Burdine said. “Final numbers aren’t out yet for all of Mississippi, but I think we’re pushing a state record.”

He said the soybean yield of 40 bushels per acre equates to $485 per acre.

The sweet potato yields of 270 bushels per acre were down slightly, but Burdine said that still equates to a good year for the industry.

“Farmers aren’t complaining at 270,” Burdine said. “It’s not the 350s we have had a few times in the past, but good price and good yields, they’re doing pretty well.”

Burdine said the sweet potato industry generates approximately $70 million a year for Calhoun County. The next highest commodity is forestry.

“We have just as many acres of soybeans of sweet potatoes, but they only generate around $6 million,” Burdine said. “So you can see the value in sweet potatoes.”

Cotton was the biggest surprise of the year, Burdine said.

“I thought we would have a mediocre year at best,” he said. “But the weather turned at just the right time and we finished with a possible record year.”

“The cotton yields were phenomenal across Mississippi,” Burdine said. “I think when numbers are final, we will have an all time cotton yield for the state.”

A Bruce High school student was injured this morning when his car crashed into the back of a county garbage truck.

Donta Armstrong, a senior at Bruce High School, suffered a “minor” laceration to his head and tongue in the accident that occurred around 7 a.m.
Armstrong was headed north on Hwy. 9 when his vehicle crashed into the rear of the garbage truck that had turned into the highway from the road near the sheriff’s department.
Armstrong’s car suffered significant damage. The garbage truck was not damaged.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.