Byram Banner 5632 Terry Road Byram, MS 39272
Vol. 26 ď ° No. 9
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID JACKSON, MS PERMIT NO. 249
ECR WSS ** RR CAR-RT SORT POSTAL CUSTOMER
Philippians 4:13
Byram Chamber Welcomes Baskin Robbins to Byram Baskin Robins held a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting on August 20. BR is located at 7360 Siwell Rd
SEPTEMBER 2019
CenterPoint Energy awards grants to communities for safety initiatives City of Byram Fire Department receives $1,700.00 Community Partnership Grant
Byram, MS. August 2, 2019 CenterPoint Energy's Community Partnership Grant Program awards grants to local communities to fund safety-related equipment and projects. The company recently awarded City of Byram Fire Department a $1,700.00 grant. The funds will be used to purchase an NFPA Standard thermal imaging camera to better serve the community. At CenterPoint Energy, our top priority is to encourage safety awareness and safe practices in our communities. We are pleased that through our matching grant program, we are able to help cities leverage local resources to purchase needed safety equipment, training or provide financial support for important safety-related projects," said Diane Eng let, senior director of Community Relations for CenterPoint Energy. "Through these types of grant programs, we are able to stay connected with our emergency officials and aid them in keeping our neighbors and communities safe." Since 2003, through its Community Partnership Grant Program, CenterPoint Energy has contributed over $1.8 million dollars in donations to communities for safety initiatives. To see what CenterPoint Energy is doing in the community, please visit CenterPointEnergy.com/community.
Byram Chamber Welcomes Williams Dental and Associates to Byram Williams Dental and Associates held a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting on Thursday, August 22. They are located at 100 Market Place on Terry Rd. Congratulations to the Terry High School football team for their 55-0 blowout against their biggest rivals, Raymond Rangers!
JSUNAA Byram-Terry Chapter was at Terry High School
to meet and greet parents and help students sign up for JSU High School Days.
CITY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY Monday, September 2nd 2019/2020 BUDGET HEARING - 7:00 pm - Byram City Hall, 5901 Terry Road -Thursday, September 5th BOARD MEETINGS - 7:00 pm - Byram City Hall, 5901 Terry Road - Thursday, September 12th and 26th NEW STREET BANNERS ARE COMING TO BYRAM! Contact Linda White at City Hall and join in, 601-372-7746 ext. 102 or lwhite@byram-ms.us.
Mr. Johnnie Stringer Turns 105 His family celebrating this wonderful day on Saturday, August 24, 2019, at his home in Terry, MS.
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THE BYRAM BANNER 5632 Terry Road •Byram, MS 39272 Office: 601-372-7235 Fax: 601-372-7235 E-mail: arnoldprinting@comcast.net
Est. 1993 Donna Arnold Owner/Publisher/Editor Published Monthly/Direct Mail Deadline for ads and information is the 20th of the month for the next month’s issue. Send comments, articles, weddings, engagements, birth and community information to the above address.
Any erroneous reflection upon character, integrity, or reputation of any person will be corrected when called to the attention of the publisher. The right is reserved to refuse publication of any advertisement or other matter at the election of the publisher
BYRAM OFFICES City Hall:
601-372-7746
Police Dept:
601-372-7747
Non Emergency 601-372-2327 Zoning:
601-372-7791
Fire Dept.:
601-351-9700
www.byram-ms.us P.O. Box 720222 Byram, MS 39272
FLAG
REPOSITORY
If you have a worn out, faded, tattered American flag that needs to be retired, there is a flag repository at Central Fire Station located at 200 Byram Parkway (across the road from Wee Care Day Care Center). Bring your old flag to the fire station and place it in the box which is located in the front lobby. The flags will be transferred to a boy scout troop to be retired properly in an official flag burning ceremony.
CITY OF BYRAM BURN PERMITS
The City of Byram Fire Department will allow residential burning of natural materials by permit only. The permit is FREE , is GOOD FOR ONE YEAR from the date of issuance and can be completed at the fire station at 200 Byram Parkway. Please bring your picture ID with you.
CITY OF BYRAM RECYCLE INFORMATION Byram Public Works, 550 Executive Boulevard
Hours: Thursday– Friday from 9:00am-2:00pm Saturday 8:00-12:00 noon
CITY OF BYRAM WALL OF HONOR The City of Byram is proud of our country’s military veterans and active duty members. These men and women play a vital role in the preservation of our freedoms in America. One way to honor and pay tribute to
these men and women is by recognizing them on our Wall of Honor at City Hall. Anyone who has served or is currently serving in the military and has been or is currently living in Byram is eligible to have his or her name on this Wall. Plaques for each branch of the military are engraved with each individual’s name, rank and years of service. The City of Byram would be honored to add you or your loved one’s name to our Wall. Anyone interested JULY submit a form with the above information that JULY be obtained from City Hall at 5901 Terry Rd. or online at www.byram-ms.us. Please direct any questions to Shari Collins at Byram City Hall, 601-372-7746.
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SEN. DAVID BLOUNT HOW YOUR TAX MONEY IS SPENT In last month’s column, I wrote about how Mississippi’s state budget is funded. This column focuses on how your tax dollars are spent. Overall, the state budget for 2019-2020 to tals $21 b illion. Almost half of this amount comes from the federal government for specific purposes. Another quarter of this amount is state funds directed for specific purposes. During the legislative session, most of the work on the budget focuses on the general fund (approx. $5.7 billion) since it is not obligated by law to a specific purpose. How is the general fund spent? A little more than half of the general fund goes to education, from Kindergarten through the university level. The breakdown is this: K-12 education represents 40% of the state general fund budget. A small amount of this total includes Mississippi Public Broadcasting and Library Commission (most of this money goes to local libraries). Almost all of K-12 money goes to local school districts to pay teachers and operate public schools. $2.3 billion. Community colleges and Institutions of Higher Learning (public colleges and universities, including the University of Mississippi Medical Center) represent 12.9% of the overall general fund. This also includes state sudent financial aid. $739 million. Social welfare is the second largest category (18.7%). Almost allof this total is the state Medicaid program (which draws down $5 billion in federal funds) and the Departments of Human Services and Child Protection Services (which draws down $1.4 billion in federal funds). $1 billion. Debt service where the state pays down bonds for various projects (6.7%). $385 million. Corrections (5.5%). $316 million. Hospitals and hospital schools (3.7%). These are state hospitals like the one at Whitfield administered by the Department of Mental Health (not the University of Mississippi Medial Center). $213 million. The big picture is concerning: As the national economy has grown the state general fund budget has grown by less than one percent (0.85%) over the past four years. This is due in part to reckless tax cuts passed by Republican legislative leaders. There are more on the way. If
,
those tax cuts had not been passed, economic growth could have increased funding for infrastructure, health care, education and teacher pay, etc., without raising taxes. I am committed to seeing that your tax money is spent wisely. I respect the fact that Mississippians pay taxes and I want you to be informed how your taxes are spent. I hope you will contact me with your thoughts so that I can represent all of the citizens of District 29 effectively.
Thank you again for the opportunity to work for Hinds County in the State Senate. You can contact me by email (dblount@senate.ms.gov) or by calling my office at the Capitol (601-3593232). I am also on Facebook and Twitter (@sendavidblount).
SAVE THE DATE
WALK FOR LIFE Walk with us : Check-in 8 A.M. Walk 8:30 A.M. Saturday, October 19, 2019 This is a family-friendly event, and you are encouraged to bring the whole family out. Prizes will be awarded for raising the most money. There will be three categories of winners: •Team (2 or more people) - $400 gift card from Revell Ace Hardware •Adult Individual (not on a team, 19 and up) - $300 Visa gift card •Youth Individual (not on a team, 18 and
under) - $200 Visa gift card To be eligible for the prizes listed above you must raise a minimum of $500. Day of the Walk Details: Check-in at 8:00 a.m. at St. Richard’s in front of Foley Hall, 1242 Lynwood Dr. Jackson, MS The walk will leave St. Richard's at 8:30 a.m. • There will be water and a short prayer vigil at the abortion clinic. • Upon returning to St. Richard, brunch will be served and prizes will be awarded.
TO REGISTER: www.ProLifeMississippi.org
Rummage Sale One Day Only Griffith Memorial Baptist Church 5275 Terry Rd Saturday, September 7 7 AM to 6 PM
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FRONT PORCH RAMBLINGS by Joe Woods Here we are once again sitting on the front porch enjoying the morning colors of the sky change from dark to light pink as the sun continues peaking over the eastern horizon. The sounds of nature are quite loud this morning as all of God’s creatures are waking up at the same time. It seems like only yesterday when we picked up our grandsons at Central Hinds Academy for the summer break. We were looking forward to a long and fun filled summer. A few days of summer have been filled with torrential storms and strong winds causing power outages as a result of falling trees. But those days were few and many more pleasant days with mild temperatures have followed. The ever changing southern summer weather hasn’t prevented us from having fun. We just adjusted. Some outdoor activities were postponed, leaving us with the opportunity to be creative in the way we spent our hours together. We spent a few days, early in the season, camped at Grenada Lake. We visited all of the playgrounds and had the good fortune to take naps each afternoon. We walked on the sand beaches running and splashing in and out of the shallow water. We retrieved pieces of drift wood, watched the ducks swim in wooded areas that normally aren’t flooded. We watched the water cascade over the emergency spillway, which occurs about every twenty years or so. After five days it was time to return home and tend the garden and lawn. The rains had provided more than adequate moisture and most all of our living plants were growing at a fast pace. With the chores of tending to the garden and yard behind us, Mary Anne and the boys were getting restless so off we took to Branson, MO. There we spent time in the swimming pool and hot tubs. But the highlight of the trip was the day we spent at Silver Dollar Amusement Park. The boys’ Mama joined us on this trip and I believe they rode every ride in the park. I kept up ‘till noon and for the rest of the day I found a comfortable, shaded spot sat where I could people watch. By early evening, everybody was worn out and it was nice to return to our overnight lodging, take a cool shower and hit the sack. The next morning we visited the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s visitor center on Table Rock Lake. This is a beautiful family attraction that provided educational and recreational opportunities for the boys and hydro power exhibits for us older folks, who weren’t interested in
learning about tent camping. Early that afternoon, we boarded the Branson Belle Showboat for some live entertainment and a delicious five course meal. The showboat actors just did a magnificent job of mixing singing and dancing routines that captured the interest of all ages. The next day we headed home and back to the chores there. Now all of our vegetables are gone except for the turnip greens my grandsons helped me plant in a deer food plot near our backyard. I feel certain the deer and other animals of the forest will enjoy the greens more than us. And that’s a good thing. As always, I’m available to visit with your social and service clubs to discuss my five mystery/thriller novels. joewoodsauthor.com Contact me at j1woods@att.net
MCM Annual Family Fundraiser, Discovery Night: Experiment with Us, Set for September 21
Jackson, Miss.(September 21, 2019, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM) – Discovery Night: Experiment with Usis the Mississippi Children’s Museum’s (MCM) signature family fundraising event hosted by the MCM Partners. Held to coincide with Mississippi Science Fest (MSF) which will take placeSeptember 20-21, this special evening will celebrate the fascinating world of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). MCM Discovery NightChair, Carmen Gross, has been involved with MCM since 2010 and is working hard to make this event a night to remember. “As a brand-new mother, this amazing family fundraiser means even more to me today than it did a year ago when I was asked to Chair the event. The volunteer service I'm doing for Discovery Night has so much passion and heart behind it – it is going to be such a fun event for the whole family! Doing what I can to ensure that my son and children throughout Mississippi have the opportunity to visit a place like MCM is what drives me to continue fundraiser.” Discovery Nights in its ninth year. The event is hosted annually by MCM Partners, a group of volunteers and donors committed to supporting and fundraising for MCM. This year’s
theme, Experiment with Us, was selected to encourage children to expand their horizons through experimentation! This event will feature fantastic food and drinks, along with DJ Adam providing musical entertainment, a bounce house, an obstacle course, special activities, and an exciting raffle. Proceeds from Discovery Nightsupport MCM’s Literacy and STEAM Initiatives, as well as provide critical operating revenue that enables the museum to remain accessible to all children. Tickets to the event are $10 for children and $25 for adults. To purchase online please visit: www.mschildrensmuseum.org.
YOUR HOMETOWN AGENT
Jonathan Pace 601-371-7296 6771 Siwell Rd Byram, MS
Cucurbit Downy Mildew Training – Crystal Springs
Tuesday, September 24, 2019 8:30am – 12:00pm A number of diseases, including downy mildew, can be devastating to a cucurbit crop (cucumber, pumpkin, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, etc). Agents and commercial cucurbit producers are invited to attend the Cucurbit Downy Mildew Training to learn about downy mildew and other diseases that may be mistaken for this disease. Workshop activities will take place both inside and outside and will include an instructional lecture and an on-site field visit to observe and examine disease symptoms/signs in various cucurbit crops. Please dress accordingly. Agents and producers attending the training will receive useful tools to help with disease detection and identification in the field. Agents will also be able to earn 3 hours of service learning credit for completing the training. The Cucurbit Downy Mildew Training is being offered in Northeast (Verona) and Southwest (Crystal Springs) Mississippi in 2019. Trainings in Northwest and Southeast Mississippi (locations still to be determined) are planned for 2020. The Cucurbit Downy Mildew Training is free, but advance registration is required. This training is supported by a USDA AMS SCMP grant administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), PDA No. 44187029, Subaward No. 6060-MSU-PDA-7029. Please contact Dr. Rebecca A. Melanson at rebecca.melanson@msstate.edu or (601) 857-2284 for more information or with questions.
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“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1, ESV)
We live in an area where it seems that most everyone has heard many of the stories in the Bible: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Noah and the Great Flood, Moses and the burning bush, Daniel in the lion’s den, Jesus, his birth, death and resurrection…. Those who have grown up in the Bible Belt often talk about the Bible as they believe it, follow it and obey it. Unfortunately, for some, it is more a part of our culture than an integral part of our lives. I do believe the word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is our only rule to direct us in matters of doctrine and doing – life and living – faith and practice. That said, I suspect there are many unchurched and de-churched people living around here who still have questions about the Scriptures: • Is it really possible for a sane person to reach the conclusion that the Bible is indeed God’s way of speaking directly to human beings? • And if so, on what grounds does it make those claims? • They may even ask, “What do I need to be saved from? I’m perfectly happy the way I am.” Suppose I showed you an unopened bag of Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses. How do you know that the bag of Hershey’s Kisses I am offering you really contains what I say it contains? Here are three simple tests that you can apply to know whether the Hershey’s Kisses really are authentic. First, consider the label on the bag. What does it say it is? The bag says, “Hershey’s Kisses.” If it said anything else on the outside of the sealed bag, then my claim that Hershey’s Kisses are in the bag would be nonsense. In the same way, what does the Bible say it is? It claims to be God’s Word, without error, totally reliable and completely dependable. It claims to be “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It claims to show us the only way human beings can be delivered from God’s judgment for sin. It claims to tell us there is more to life than just this physical existence. Incredible claims? Yes! Some may even say outrageous claims, but even if there is only the tiniest possibility that these claims could be true, then don’t you think the Bible deserves further examination? If the Bible turns out to be God’s word to human beings, wouldn’t it be extremely unwise to ignore its message? Here’s the second test: Look inside. Consider the contents. Open the bag of Hershey’s Kisses. Look inside. You know
STARTING AT
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what those sweet little “Kisses” look like. They are unmistakable. If we open a Bible and look, really look, at the words on the pages we will find approximately forty different writers who penned the sixty-six books of our English Bibles. They did this over a span of sixteen hundred years. They wrote in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). They presented their words in several different genres, different styles of literature: history, poetry, narrative, prophecy, letters, apocalypse. The authors were fisherman, farmers, government employees, and kings. They wrote in different time periods, in different geographical locations, and to different groups of people. One would expect a wide diversity of themes to be displayed when combining all sixty-six books into one Bible. The truth of the matter is there is an amazingly unified message that is presented in the Bible’s pages. This fact is what makes the Bible unique. Despite the incredibly diverse variation in authors and settings, there is a breathtakingly stunning uniqueness about the single, unified message of the Bible. It is about a gracious God calling a fallen people to himself through a savior, Jesus Christ, by the power of his spirit. There is one message—one person—at the center of the entire sixty-six books that make up the Bible. And that person is none other than Jesus Christ. Given the diversity of its origin, the long period of time over which the Bible was written, and the even longer period of history that is covered in the Bible, this singlefocused purpose is truly amazing! Consider the label. Consider the contents. Then, consider the proof. There is an old adage that goes something like this, “The proof is in the pudding.” Originally the phrase was “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” It was a particularly apt phrase because pudding did not mean a creamy dessert, it was the term for a kind of mixture of meat and seasonings stuffed into a casing like a sausage. And before the time of modern
refrigeration in the early 1600’s, when the first example of the idiom appears in print, meat in sausage could very easily spoil and become contaminated. One would not know if it was going to be good or bad until one took a bite. Open the bag of Hershey’s Kisses. Take one of those sweet little Kisses out of the bag. Unwrap the foil cover. Pop it in your mouth. Taste it to see if it is indeed a Hershey’s Kiss. The proof is in the pudding. The true test is in the tasting. In other words, the Bible proves itself to be God’s word. The Psalmist declares, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103, ESV) and “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8, ESV). Beginning Wednesday, September 11th at 6:00 p.m., we are going to be exploring these sorts of questions as we consider the Gospel of Mark, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). Who he is, why he came and what difference it makes? Maybe you are one of those unchurched people looking for answers. Maybe your one of those de-churched people who has been in church and never found answers and you are still asking some of those big questions about life. Maybe your simply someone who enjoys studying the Scriptures. Whoever you are, let me personally invite you to this group study as we explore Christianity’s answers to the big questions of life; as we look at this message of good news; as we dig deeply inside the message of God’s word to us and as we taste and see that God is good. If you might be interested in attending, please contact us at: http://www.wynndalepca.org/contact email: wynndalepca@att.net mobile: 601.878.6870 Pastor Mark Rev. Dr. Mark C. Spellman Wynndale Presbyterian Church, PCA 6600 Terry Rd. Terry, MS 39170 https://www.facebook.com/wynndalepca
Don’t Miss Your Ticket to the Sweetest Event of the Year Sweetest Chefs is like stepping into a live version of your favorite baking show!! What could be more fun? The South’s most indulgent party of the year, our 5th editions will feature meet and greets, photo opps and of course, dessert tastings from 12 of the South’s A-list pastry chefs. We’ll also have an upgraded demo stage featuring three amazing chefs – Food Network’s 2017 Best Baker in America Winner, Dwayne Ingraham, local favorite and 2017 Sweetest Chefs People’s Choice Winner Mitchell Moore, and Mississippi’s cake maven from Sugaree’s Bakery in New Albany, Mary Jennifer Russell. This year will bring a new twist with savory food bars throughout the event featuring regional ingredients prepared by Ridgeland’s top restaurants as well as cocktails and tastings courtesy of Buffalo Trace Distillery, wines by Magnolia Barrel House, One Sweet Welcome Tent by Mercedes of Jackson, fundraising games and much more! WHEN: Monday, September 9, 2019 TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 PM, VIP Entrance at 6:30 PM WHERE: The Lake House, 135 Madison Landing Circle, Ridgeland, MS 39157, on the Ross Barnett Reservoir next to Cock of the Walk DRESS: Dressy Casual TICKETS: VIP Admission $100 per person, General Admission $39 per person Advanced ticket purchase only. All Tickets are Will Call, but you will receive an email confirmation of your purchase. Please note: VIP and General Admission tickets have separate entrances and doors open at different times. Doors will open to air-conditioned VIP Check-In Lounge 15 minutes prior to event time. CAUSE: We’ll be raising funds at this event for Extra Table to help feed the hungry in our local area. Extra Table is a 501(c)3 organization with a mission to end hunger by delivering healthy groceries at below wholesale prices to local food pantries and soup kitchens. Absolutely 100% of your donation goes toward the purchase of food. https://sweetestchefs.com/ticket
A party without cake is just a meeting. - Julia Child
8 THE BYRAM BANNER SEPTEMBER 2019 portunity to provide for himself by tentInstruments of Our Trade making works to his advantage. Paul met Rev. Roger Collins a couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who were Grace Presbyterian Church Jewish tentmakers recently expelled from roger@gracepcabyram.net Rome. That new friendship with homeTools to do our work are critically less immigrants becomes an opportunity necessary for our daily labors. I don’t to use his skills and join with them in know of anyone who does not need them their work. Now it is not lost on me that I to work and make write this as we are about to celebrate a living. Most of Labor Day. The preacher Paul knew how us use computers to get his hands dirty and engage daily at and the better we the grind of making and selling tents. understand what But, there is other work that the Aposthey can and can- tle Paul has been called to do. I find it not do, the better fascinating that our text briefly mentions we can utilize Paul’s tent making skills. Luke is far them profitably. more interest in the zeal that drives Paul Others utilize big to work at preaching the gospel at every complex ma- opportunity. Actually, Paul is passionate chines like earth movers to do their work. about the principle work that the glorified Surgeons use tiny instruments and various Christ has commissioned him to do. So forms of diagnostic devices to fix broken Luke tells us that he “reasoned in the bodies. The development of tools and the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to history of their usefulness is a fascinating persuade Jews and Greeks ... that the reflection of our progress as a culture. Christ was Jesus.” The Apostle’s knowlThink of tools in terms of their various edge of the Old Testament Scriptures was applications. They are not always made of the tool that he used in seeking to perstuff like metal or steel. Some tools are suade his hearers of the gospel. But it was things like books which are not so much very hard work. Powerful tools do not about size and shape as about content and always make the work easier. purpose. Printed word serve to pass on a The Scriptures are a tool which, when story or communicate a message and as preached, will effect powerful positive or such they are tools, but the story is the negative results. Like a hammer that dents real tool. Stories inspire, challenge or a fender and is also useful in removing provoke us to laugh. Their message may dents, the word of God is a double edge transform a reader and make them a better sword. It cuts and divides even as it heals friend, spouse or physician. or destroys. One must be both careful and The book of Acts, which we have been reckless. Reckless because all people studying is just such a tool when it is un- need the sword of Scripture in order to derstood and embraced. It invites fascina- live. But the Holy Scriptures will do what tion because it is a story of tools written they were designed to do and we cannot by the physician Luke. We have pro- use them without recognizing and caring gressed to Acts 18 where we find the about their power to both transform or to Apostle Paul relocating to a new city to harden those who hear them preached. So pursue his work. Acts 18.1-4 reads: here, as the story unfolds in 18.5ff., Silas “After this Paul left Athens and went to and Timothy arrive to witness the severity Corinth. And he found a Jew named of Paul’s gospel preaching. The unbelief Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come and opposition of the Jews and Greeks in from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because the synogogue led Paul to exclaim: “Your Claudius had commanded all the Jews to blood be on your own heads! I am innoleave Rome. And he went to see cent.” them, and because he was of the same Paul’s later communications to the trade he stayed with them and worked, for Corinthians provide a rich study of the they were tentmakers by trade. And he power of the gospel as a tool of either reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, conversion or condemnation. In 2 Corinand tried to persuade Jews and Greeks thians 5.11 Paul writes: “Therefore, (ESV).” knowing the fear of the Lord, we perSo far, the picture of Paul on his mis- suade others.” The earnest labors of Paul sionary journeys is of a man delivering to preach the Gospel to the nations finds the gospel message in city after city. We it energy and zeal in a conscious holy really don’t know much about the meet- fear. Fear had a very powerful hold on the ing of his daily needs. We assume those man cast down to the ground by the risen who received his message provided to Christ when the King of Glory appeared some degree for his care. When Paul goes to him on the Damascus Road. In his own to Corinth the story is fleshed differently. words, he feared the very one that he Here, in this very international city of loved and preached. No doubt, he feared trade, the Apostle Paul finds that the op- the judgment of the Risen One for all who
refused his gracious offer of love, reconciliation and forgiveness. Compelled to speak truthfully and with great earnestness, he used persuasive words and even pronouncements of warning to turn his hearers from their stubborn and hard hearts. I have in my garage many tools that no longer serve a useful purpose. The
gospel of Jesus is the only tool that our Savior God has ever crafted for the salvation of sinners. It will never be relegated to the useless heep or discarded as an outdated instrument. Preaching the gospel still produces powerful effects - life or death. “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5.20).”
Local teacher awarded scholarship trip. Randolph Costilow, of the Strong Hope community in Copiah county, was recently awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) "Landmarks of American History and Culture" scholarship trip to Concord, Massachusetts, to study the life, hometown and literary works of Henry David Thoreau. While in Concord, the 70 teachers, chosen from hundreds of applicants, were also treated to excursions to the homes of other famous authors including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott. They also visited Walden Pond, the Concord Museum, the public library/archives and the local cemetery where many of the authors are buried. Costilow, a big history buff, also took day trips into historical Boston and Salem, MA. In Boston, he took the historical Freedom Trail walking tour, as well as visiting the home of Paul Revere. In Salem, he visited the Salem Witch Trials Museum and saw a reenactment of The Crucible, a 1953 play based on the 1692-1693 trials. Costilow was awarded the trip in late April and visited Concord in mid-July. In late July, Costilow's nephew, Mahmoud Anter, participated in the two-week summer acting camp at Brookhaven Little Theatre. At the end of the camp, all students performed in the musical play, Winnie the Pooh, where Mahmoud played the part of a honeybee. The performances and audiences were buzzing with excitement! (In the photo from KidFest in Ridgeland, is Costilow with friends and family, including his niece Alora and his nephew Mahmoud)
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P.O. Box 366 and Street: 27084 Highway 51 (at Hwy. 27), Crystal Springs, MS 39059. Open Monday-Friday, 9 to 5, Saturday by appointment. 601-954-6447.
Griffith Memorial Baptist Church 5275 Terry Road
GALA Fundraiser Helps Local Animals By Laurie Williams, Copiah Animal Shelter GALA Co-Chairman: Hair was slicked, poodle skirts were pressed, and saddle shoes were donned at the 2019 Copiah Animal Shelter GREASE-themed GALA Saturday, August 10, 2019, at the Gallman Safe Room. The Frosty Palace waiters served hamburgers and hotdogs to hungry guests and sent them to the soda jerks for an ice cream sundae or soda. Guests enjoyed special music by Savannah Flores, a junior at Northwest Rankin who sang “There are Worse Things I Could Do” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You”. Olivia and Stockard would have been impressed! Bidding was brisk at the silent auction and many were all smiles carrying home their treasures at the end of the evening. DJ Dwight Sullivan kept the party going with ‘50s classics like Blue Suede shoes. The evening finished with a riotous, wild, crazy team trivia game where the team "Greased Lightning" were pronounced the winners. It was a very close competition with two tie breakers. All proceeds for the GALA fundraiser go straight to the care of Copiah Animal Shelter animals and the continued construction of the Shelter building. Copiah Animal Shelter is pleased to announce that the new building shell is up at our current location behind All About Animals Veterinary Clinic in Crystal Springs. Copiah Animal Shelter is making the dream come true to increase capacity for animals that can be helped and with a building better designed for animal care. There is a long way to go - the building will be finished in phases as donations allow. Come check out the progress. CAS could not accomplish any of this without the support of the community. Copiah Animal Shelter thanks all the sponsors, volunteers and prayer partners that always come out and help for events like the GALA and year-round!
Party-goers in the Car photo: Kathy Friday, Mark Sistrunk, Tommy Burnham and Sonya Lambert
Volunteers Cathy Sumrall (on left) and Renate Huntington
A HUGE Thank You to ALL who helped with the 2019 GALA Grease Fundraiser
Youth Revival Services Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29, at 6:30 PM Featuring Bro. Cameron Tate, speaker, and Jay Taylor, music
Jewel in our Crown Dr. Chelsea B. Crittle
CAS puppy "Tilly" and her new family
“Pets of the Month" D" kittens Copiah Animal Shelter These four beautiful gray tabby kittens are nearly identical littermates about five months old. Dayzee and Dumpie are females in the back. Donald, in front, is the only boy. Daffy, female, is snoozing in the cubby so you can't see her in the picture. The kittens are looking for homes with room to run and play with their new families! Copiah Animal Shelter $60 cat adoption donation includes ageappropriate vaccinations and spay/ neuter. See the ADOPT page of the CAS website and Facebook for more pets looking for loving homes. Website: https:// copiahanimalshelter.net FB: facebook.com/copiahanimalshelter Mail:
Chelsea has been an active member of Junior Auxiliary of Byram -Terry since 2010. She has served the chapter as Ex-Officio President, Vice-President, Secretary, Crown Club Advisor, Scholarship Committee Chairperson, Welfare Committee Chairperson, Nominating Committee Chairperson, Pageant Committee Chairperson & Pack the Pickup Chairperson When asked why she joined JABT, Chelsea stated, “I joined JABT because this wonderful organization granted me the opportunity to serve the community in which I live. Being a member of JABT gave me so many opportunities to make a difference in people's lives whether it is directly or indirectly. Also, getting involved with like-minded professional women was a way to build long lasting relationships while staying connected. I have stayed an active life member because of the passion that I have for our organization and the community. I enjoy being involved and knowing that at the completion of a service project I helped to make a difference. The work we do for the children and families in the Byram & Terry community is so amazing and rewarding.”
10 THE BYRAM BANNER SEPTEMBER 2019
Opening Day | “New Symphony of Time” Saturday, September 7, 2019 11 AM - 5 PM
Museum Foyer, Galleries of New Symphony of Time The Museum is pleased to present the reinstallation of its permanent collection galleries. The new exhibition, New Symphony of Time, illuminates and expands the boundaries of Mississippi’s identity. Join us in celebrating its opening day! 10:00-11:30 AM CAPE Art & Coffee with Dr. Robert Luckett, Director of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University 11:00 AM- 4:00 PM Art Lab activities for all ages with the Museum Teaching Fellows 11:30 AM - Literary Reading 11:45 AM Exhibition Tour with Chief Curator Dr. Roger Ward 12:45 PM Exhibition Tour with Curator of American Art Elizabeth Abston 1:30 PM- Literary Reading 2:30 PM Panel Discussion with writer and Jackson State University professor Dr. Rashell Smith-Spears and Brooklyn-based artist Rico Gatson 4:00 PM Happy Hour for our opening day guests, courtesy of the Museum! These events are free and open to the public. New Symphony of Time has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support is provided by the State of Mississippi, Mississippi Department of Archives & History, Trustmark Bank, and Visit Mississippi. The Museum Teaching Fellows are sponsored by the AT&T Foundation. In the Gertrude C. Ford Galleries for The Permanent Collection The Museum is pleased to present the reinstallation of its Mississippi galleries. The new exhibition, New Symphony of
Time, expands and illuminates the boundaries of Mississippi’s narrative. Mississippi, as a real place and also as a metaphor for the basic struggles of our country, has inspired artworks that express the need to understand our concrete realities of living with each other in this moment, as well as our deep connection to those gone before us and our legacies to those who follow. Exploring the themes of ancestry and
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memory; migration, movement, and home; shared humanity; the natural environment; and liberty for all, the exhibition is inspired by Margaret Walker’s epic poem, “This Is My Century: Black Synthesis of Time.” Phrases from Walker’s poem are used throughout the exhibition to frame thematic areas that evoke ancestral wisdom, the strength of sheer survival, and the power of imagination to create a more just, empathetic world. While each section follows a particular narrative thread, certain ideas resonate throughout, such as personal and collective memory, history and the connection to place, and the roles artists play in pursuit of civil rights and racial equity. The exhibition features approximately 170 works by such prominent artists as Benny Andrews, Radcliffe Bailey, Romare Bearden, Albert Bierstadt, Elizabeth Catlett, Jeffrey Gibson, Titus Kaphar, Glenn Ligon, Deborah Luster, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Hank Willis Thomas. Mississippi artists include the state’s first native-born professional artist, James Tooley, Jr., and Richmond Barthé, McArthur Binion, Dusti Bongé, Marie Hull, Sam Gilliam, Gwendolyn A. Magee, George Ohr, and Eudora Welty. This ongoing exhibition serves to lay the groundwork for an ever-evolving visi-
tor experience that includes transparency of the exhibition process, allowing the curatorial team and our community the unique opportunity to explore new creative strategies, identify new artists, and continue to expand on themes as time goes on. Tuesday - Saturday-10 AM - 5 PM Sunday noon - 5 PM Beginning September 10, 2019 | New Museum Hours Tuesday - Thursday 11 AM - 7 PM Friday - Saturday - 10 AM - 5 PM Sunday—noon - 5 PM 380 South Lamar Street Jackson, MS 601.960.1515 (toll-free) 1.866.VIEWART
SEPTEMBER 2019 THE BYRAM BANNER 11
La’Verne Edney Selected President of Mississippi Bar Foundation
A distinguished attorney and community leader for decades, La’Verne Edney serves as the new president of the Mississippi Bar Foundation. A 1996 graduate of the Mississippi College School of Law, Edney brings significant trial experience in state and federal courts. Among her past honors, the Jackson resident was named Lawyer of the Year by the MC Law School in 2018. Mississippi Bar Foundation officials recognize outstanding attorneys in the profession. Foundation leaders administer a fund that’s awarded more than $12 million to law-related, public interest projects since 1984. La’Verne is a member of Butler Snow’s litigation department. She prac-
tices with its Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare Litigation Group in Jackson. “We congratulate La’Verne on this significant achievement,” said Don Clark, an attorney and chair of Butler Snow. “We look forward to her continued vision and leadership as she serves the foundation and helps chart their future strategy.” Her service as president of the Jacksonbased foundation for the 2019-2020 year began August 1. Edney serves with the MC Board of Trustees, the board of the Mississippi Center for Justice, as well as panels of the Magnolia Speech School and Greater Jackson Chamber. A 1988 Alcorn State University graduate, Edney offers more than 22 years of litigation experience. She received the Distinguished Service Award from the Mississippi Bar in 2012. Edney’s appointment to lead the Mississippi Bar Foundation the next twelve months is well-deserved, Mississippi College administrators say. “La’Verne Edney will be an exceptional leader of the Mississippi Bar Foundation,” said Patricia Bennett, dean of MC Law School in Jackson. “She will lead with integrity and unwavering passion, especially concerning matters where the Foundation is involved in making invaluable financial contributions to the community,” Bennett added. “She has a heart for being of service to others.” Over the years, the Mississippi Bar Foundation provided scholarship assistance and support to the state’s two law schools and backed law-related public education programs. That includes the
statewide high school mock trial competition. MC Interim Provost Debbie Norris extends her congratulations to Mississippi Bar officials for recently selecting Edney. “La’Verne has a strong service record to Mississippi College and to her community at large,” Norris said. “I am so impressed by her willingness to work for the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyer’s Project. I’m proud to call her an MC alumna and friend.” Edney serves as a member of the Mississippi Women Lawyers’ Association and the Metro Jackson Black Women Lawyers’ Association.
History of Labor Day Labor Day 2019 On September 2, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor celebrates and honors the greatest worker in the world – the American worker. Labor Day 2019 is the 125th anniversary of Labor Day being celebrated as a national holiday. Labor Day: What it Means Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well -being of our country. US Dept of Labor
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
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SEPTEMBER
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THE BYRAM BANNER 13
Reihle's Write A Mississippi Legend
President Teddy Roosevelt and Holt Collier, the cartoon that gave us the 'Teddy Bear, and Tabasco of Avery Island, Louisiana
Many in the Delta and certainly those in Sharkey county know the legend of the man called Holt Collier. His story almost defies logic and is one of adventure and intrigue. Holt Collier was born around 1848 as a slave and was in the service of the Hinds family. General Thomas Hinds served in the war of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans. He was requested by General Andrew Jackson, later to become the 7th President of the US, to survey central Mississippi and he chose the site for the state capitol, Jackson, hence Hinds county. At the outbreak of the Civil War Holt Collier, along with Tom Hinds ( his childhood companion), stowed away on a riverboat and went to Memphis, TN to fight for the Confederacy. Holt was at the battle of Shiloh in western TN. Later he had the opportunity to ride with the 9th Texas Cavalry Regiment and during that time fought in the siege of Corinth, MS and was present during the battle of Iuka, MS. After the Civil War and during Reconstruction Holt Collier was tried by a military tribunal in Vicksburg for the murder of a white Union Officer, Captain James King. One story is that an altercation between Howell Hinds and James King led to the incident. During the fight Captain King drew a knife on the unarmed Hinds. A 'bystander' shot and killed King and many believed it was Collier that pulled the trigger but it could not be proven and he was acquitted. Some also say that the altercation between Hinds and King may have stemmed from King's advocacy of using Freedmens Bureau labor on the Hinds plantation. Collier left Mississippi and worked as a cowboy on a ranch owned by his former commander and later Governor of Texas, General Lawrence Sullivan Ross. He returned to Greenville, MS when he hear of the murder of his former master, Howell Hinds. Holt was an accomplished marksman, learning to hunt at an early age and killing his first bear by the age of 10. In fact he is known to have killed more than three thousand bears during his lifetime, more than those by Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone combined. His hunting prowess and marksmanship earned during his early hunting days earned him the respect of his fellow soldiers during battle. In Greenville he was a guide and apparently a lawman. In fact, one recorded incident is a detailed description of the gunfight at Washburn's Ferry where Collier out-drew the notorious Louisiana outlaw Travis Elmore Sage. In November 1902, President Teddy Roosevelt and several other prominent people came to an area around Onward, MS to hunt bear. Major George M. Helm asked Holt if he would serve as President Roosevelt's guide and tracker for the bear hunt. Holt agreed. One of the prominent members of the hunting party was John Avery McIlhenny. His father, Edmund McIlhenny, is the man who moved from Maryland to Avery Island, Louisiana and started making Tabasco sauce. John McIlhenny rode with Teddy Roosevelt with the First Volunteer Cavalry also known as the Rough Riders during the Spanish American War. He was with Roosevelt during the battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba and claimed to have saved Roosevelt's life from a sniper's bullet. On that day of 2 November 1902, Roosevelt and company set off to hunt bear. Holt had them sit on a log and told them to wait there while he went to 'fetch' some bear. Holt left on his horse and several of his hunting dogs to go find a bear. It was several hours of waiting and the President and company got tired and decided to go back into camp and get a bite to eat. Around that time Holt was chasing a bear directly to the log where the President was told to wait. When he saw that there was no one sitting on the log, Holt and his dogs backed the bear into a swampy region. As the dogs attacked the bear, the bear apparently had cornered one of Holt's favorite dogs and was about to kill him. Holt said that he could not shoot the bear because he may accidently shoot his favorite dog with all the thrashing about by the bear and dogs. Finally he decided to wade into the swamp and hit the bear over the head. In doing so the bear let his dog go but it also bent the barrel of his rifle and therefore it could not shoot. He then went to his horse and grabbed the rope and eventfully tied the bear up around a tree. By now the President and his entourage had returned to the site of all the commotion. There he found Holt, the dogs, and the bear tied up. Roosevelt famously refused to shoot the helpless bear, although another member of his party eventually killed it with a knife. The Washington Post and other newspapers publicized Roosevelt's compassion for the animal and an editorial of the event by Clifford Berryman titled 'Drawing the line in Mississippi" which erroneously depicted the bear as a cub, eventually gave rise to the "Teddy Bear" phenomenon and the president's nickname. The cartoon was first published on November 16, 1902. The Teddy Bear tie came when a Brooklyn, NY candy shop owner, Morris Michtom, saw Clifford Berryman's original cartoon and put in his shop window two stuffed toy bears his wife had made. Holt Collier died in Greenville, Mississippi in 1936 at age 90 years. He outlived most of the bears that roamed the Delta country. He walked side by side with men of all races and background through woods, swamps, and prairies while earning their admiration and respect. In the Delta there is the Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge deserving of this man's life and legend. Paul Reihle preihle@bellsouth.net
AMERICAN LEGION POST 112 INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS 2019-2020 Front row L-R: William Jordan, Executive Board; John Allred, Sergeant At Arms; Jack Curtis, Executive Board; John Jones, Second Vice Commander; Barbara Williams, Executive Board; Robert Baker, Executive Board. back row L-R: Randall Jordan, Commander. Debbie Morris, First Vice Commander, Leck Bonds, Third Vice Commander, Tommy Farnsley. Executive Board
“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
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MSU’s Bulldog Bash in downtown Starkville
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Grammy Award-winning rapper T-Pain will headline the Mississippi State Student Association’s 20th annual Bulldog Bash. Set to take place on Sept. 20, the state’s largest, free outdoor concert will be held at the intersection of Jackson and Main streets in downtown Starkville. Following the day of the show will be MSU’s Southeastern Conference home football game against the University of Kentucky. Bulldog Bash will begin at 3 p.m. in the afternoon with Maroon Market, which includes local musicians on The Social local stage, art and food vendors, and the Riddle and Bloom kid zone. The winner of Battle of the Bands, hosted by MSU’s Music Maker Productions, will begin the night with a performance on the Clark Beverage main stage, followed by country artist Cale Dodds, Canadian all-female alternative rock band, The Beaches, and headliner T-Pain. Born in Tallahassee, Florida in 1985, T-Pain began releasing music in 2005 with his debut album “Rappa Ternt Sanga.” The artist’s 2007 sophomore album, “Epiphany,” reached the Billboard Top 200 chart. T-Pain has since won two Grammy Awards and founded his own record label, Nappy Boy Entertainment. Proceeds from Bulldog Bash 2019 will benefit MSU’s Student Relief Fund. The MSU Student Relief Fund operates out of the MSU Dean of Students Office and ensures that students affected by dayto-day crises or catastrophic disaster can get the help they need financially. The
funds received from this philanthropy directly impact students with these circumstances to help them achieve their academic success. For more information or to donate to the MSU Student Relief F u n d , v i s i t h t tp s : / / www.msufoundation.com/s/811/ foundation/interior.aspx? sid=811&gid=1&pgid=2292. Sponsors for this year’s event include 5-Hour Energy, Aramark Corp., MSU Alumni Association, 21 Apartments, Clark Beverage Group Inc., College View Apartments, Avalon Apartments, Copy Cow, DogPound Printing, Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, MSU’s Interfraternity Council, Lakeside Student Living, National Panhellenic Council, MSU’s Office of the President, the Retreat Starkville, and Rick’s Café. For more information about Bulldog Bash 2019 including sponsorship opportunities, see www.msubulldogbash.com, or contact the Center for Student Activities at 662-325-2930 or visit its office in Colvard Student Union, Suite 314. Follow on Twitter and Instagram @MSUBulldogBash. The MSU Student Association is online at www.sa.msstate.edu, Facebook @MSUStudentAssociation, and Twitter and Instagram @MSU_SA. MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu. Grammy Award-winning rapper TPain will headline the Mississippi State Student Association’s 20th annual Bulldog Bash. (Photo courtesy of Paradigm Talent Agency) “Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.” Maya Angelou
Floral event showcases holiday tablescapes
Ms. Susan M. Collins-Smith MSU Extension Service BILOXI, Miss. -- Floral enthusiasts and other interested individuals can attend a luncheon event that showcases holiday and seasonal-themed floral arrangements. Kebbie Hollingsworth, guest floral designer, will present arrangements made with exotic orchids at Celebrating the Four Seasons with Tablescapes October 17 at the Biloxi Visitors Center. The program begins at 11 a.m. with viewing of multiple tablescape floral arrangements. Lunch begins at noon and is followed by a floral design demonstration by Hollingsworth, owner and lead designer of a professional floral events business. The event ends at 1:00pm The Mississippi State University Extension Service Master Floral Designers will sponsor the program and create the tablescape arrangements for viewing. Registration is $25 per person and includes tablescape viewing, a salad sampler lunch and the floral design demonstration. Seating is limited. Registration closes Oct. 1 or when full. The Biloxi Visitors Center is located at 1050 Beach Blvd. in Biloxi. To register, visit the Extension registration portal website at https://bit.ly/2YQmIx3. Hollingsworth, who is based in Pensacola, Florida, is certified by the American Institute of Floral Designers and has designed for the National Football League, the TV show Wedding Impossible, and
private weddings and events. Her arrangements have appeared in several professional and technical publications. As the U.S. sales manager for Amy’s Orchids, a Thailand-based business, she provides educational programming for designers who want to learn about using orchids. For more information contact Jim DelPrince at 228-546-1011 or j.delprince@msstate.edu. Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution. For disability accommodation, please contact DelPrince. (Photo courtesy of Kebbie Hollingsworth)
Hinds CC graduates more than 500 in summer ceremonies Charles Bass, right, of Byram, earned three credentials from Hinds Community College in Logistics Technology during summer graduation ceremonies at the Muse Center on the Rankin Campus. Bass is an engineering analyst with VantecHitachi in Canton who returned to school to build his skills in the field. With him is Logistics instructor Dennis Thompson, right. (Hinds Community College/April Garon)
SEPTEMBER 2019 THE BYRAM BANNER 15
At Home with Real Estate by Barry Clemmer
July 2019 Existing-Home Sales The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released a summary of existinghome sales data showing that housing market activity this July rose 2.5% from June 2019. July’s sales of existinghomes inclined 0.6% from July 2018. July’s existing-home sales reached a 5.42 million seasonally adjusted annual rate. The national median existing-home price for all housing types reached $280,800 in July, up 4.3 percent from a year ago. This marks the 89th consecutive month of year -over-year gains. Regionally, three of the four regions showed growth in prices from a year ago. The Midwest had the largest gain of 8.1% followed by the South with an increase of 5.2%. The West had an increase of 3.7% and the Northeast had the only decline of 2.3% from July 2018. June’s inventory figures fell from last month 1.6% to 1.89 million homes for sale. Compared with July of 2018, inventory levels were also down 1.6%. It will take 4.2 months to move the current level of inventory at the current sales pace. It takes approximately 29 days for a home to go from listing to a contract in the current housing market, and homes only stayed on the market 27 days last year as well. From June 2019, three of the four regions showed increases in sales. The West had the biggest increase in sales at 8.3%. The South rose 1.8% followed by the Midwest with a gain of 1.6%. The Northeast had the only decline of 2.9%. From a year ago, two of the four regions showed inclines in sales. The South had the biggest gain in sales at 2.7% followed by the Midwest with a rise of 0.8%. The West fell 0.8% followed by the Northeast with the biggest decline of 4.3%. The South led all regions in percentage of national sales, accounting for 42.6 % of the total, while the Northeast had the smallest share at 12.2%. In July, single-family sales were up 2.8% and condominiums sales were flat compared to last month. Single-family home sales were up 1.0% and condominium sales were down 3.3% compared to a year ago. Single-family homes had an increase in price up 4.5% at $284,000 and condominiums rose 2.5% at $254,300 from July 2018. The U.S. economic expansion that began in June 2009 became the longest in the
nation's history, marking 121 straight months of gross domestic product growth and surpassing the 120-month expansion from 1991 to 2001. The average rate of growth during this expansion has been a milder 2.3 percent per year compared to 3.6 percent during the 1990s. Although the economy should continue to perform well for the rest of 2019, many economists see a mild recession on the horizon.
Closer to Home Residential Activity in a 10 County Area
New Listings in the Central Mississippi area decreased 3.2 percent to 767. Pending Sales were up 2.4 percent to 634. Inventory levels fell 16.5 percent to 2,304 units. Prices were fairly stable. The Median Sales Price decreased 0.6 percent to $187,900. Days on Market was down 23.6 percent to 54 days. During the record-setting 121-month economic expansion, the unemployment rate has dropped from 10.0 percent in 2009 to 3.7 percent, yet many consumers continue to struggle financially. Low mortgage interest rates have helped offset low housing affordability, but high home prices are outpacing median household income growth. In a move to stoke continued economic prosperity, the Federal Reserve reduced the benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to about 2.25 percent, marking the first reduction in more than a decade.
My Resolutions for this 2019 Drink Water Eat Healthy Sell Houses
What I've Actually Done Drink Wine Eat Tacos Sell Houses ONE OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD!
Mississippi Mortgage Rate Trends Bankrate.com reports the following as of August 23, 201 30 Year Fixed - 3.73% 30 Year FHA - 3.31% Jumbo 30 Year Fixed - 4.07% VA Home Purchase Board 3.25% Have a real estate need or question? Call Barry for a private no-nonsense professional consultation today. Barry Clemmer is a professional licensed
Expires 9/30/2019
REALTOR® in the State of Mississippi with Century 21 Maselle & Associates, 601-981-1111. His views and opinions may not necessarily reflect the opinions & views of Century 21 Maselle & Associates. Barry may be reached at BarryClemmer@FrontDoorKey.com; or 601-2142018, Mobile.
George Ohr Arts Festival Returns as Ohr Fest 2019 The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art annual Ohr Fest is one of its biggest annual fundraisers. Ohr Fest 2019 will take place on Saturday, October 5th from 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM. This year’s theme is art, beer, music, and community. The festival will offer a diverse array of arts and craft vendors, craft beer tents, a homebrewers’ competition, live music, a ceramics throw-down between the coast's finest potters, a whacky ceramics-based performance by the Mad Potter of Bay St. Louis, Steve Barney, and some of the Southeast’s most sought after food trucks—all on the beautiful Biloxi Town Green. The cost of admission is free, but access
to the beer tents will require purchasing an armband. General Admission armbands: $35 Buyers will receive unlimited 3 oz. beer pours. VIP armbands: $60 Buyers will receive a commemorative ceramic beer stein(a $40 value) Three full 16 oz. pours. Unlimited 3 oz. pours. *Only 100 VIP armbands will be availa b l e f o r p u r c h a s e . Mark your calendars for this year’s festival madness thanks to Premier sponsors TD Ameritrade and the City of Biloxi. Support also provided by Coca-Cola, F.E.B. Distributing, The Harrison County Board of Supervisors, Lazy Magnolia Brewery, The Mississippi Arts Commission, Mitchell Distributing, and Yeastie Beastie Homebrew Supplies. Contact community@georgeohr.org to get involved as a vendor or sponsor. Tickets are on sale now at http://bit.ly/ OhrFest2019. Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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2019
HINDS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT ENGAGING-EMPOWERING-ENSURING-EXCELLENCE
HCSD Host Annual Convocation 2019 “Planning to Act for Impact”
L-R: Dr. Linda Laws, Board President / District 3; Carolyn Samuel, Board Secretary / District 5; and Robbie Anderson, Board Member / District 2.
Dr. Delesicia Martin, Superintendent of Education for the HCSD Outlines District’s Expectations and three major Goals
Over 700 employees from across the district attended convocation.
HCSD 2019 Administrative Team , Ornamental peppers
have versatility and value Dr. Gary R. Bachman MSU Extension Service The late summer garden and landscape in Mississippi can be a tough place. Extreme heat and humidity result in heat index numbers that keep me, like many other gardeners, indoors enjoying the air conditioning. But, I can take solace in knowing that, while many of my flowering summer annuals are starting to succumb to the heat, my ornamental peppers will be
growing strong. What a great selection for any later summer garden! The best show is saved for late summer and lasts through fall as the plants keep producing. This means you should plant your ornamental peppers in late spring. You’ll appreciate a little garden planning. There are lots of different ornamental peppers available, but here are just a few of my current favorites. Purple Flash, which was chosen as a Mississippi Medallion winner for 2010, is an example of the versatility and value of ornamental peppers. With its purple-andwhite variegated leaves, it is one of the showiest peppers available on the market. Chilly Chili seems to explode in a dramatically colorful demonstration. This 2002 All-America Selections winner holds the fruit above the foliage. The fruit starts as yellow-green and transitions to a bright orange and brilliant red. Chilly Chili, a great choice for container plant-
ing, grows to about 1 foot tall and wide. This plant will tolerate our hot and humid Mississippi summers and have great color when other plants are fading. The peppers are not hot and are probably the safest to grow around curious children. The ornamental pepper variety Sangria holds its slender fruit pointing upward boastfully as if getting ready for a party. This pretty ornamental pepper bears fruit in almost unbelievable numbers that resemble confetti. Young fruit emerge greenish yellow and then march through a wonderful parade of colors: orange, lilac, purple and finally on to a glorious crimson red. A new ornamental pepper variety, at least for me, is Midnight Fire. This plant has unique and distinctive dark-black foliage. It is accented by abundant, smallish, dark-purple fruit, which mature to bright red. The contrast between the foliage and the fruit is an eye-catching com-
bination in any garden. Ornamental peppers prefer to grow in consistently moist soil, but don’t be overly generous with the water because the plants don’t tolerate waterlogged soil. Fertilize with a good slow-release fertilizer early in the season. Once fruit starts to set, there is no need to add additional nutrition. Whenever we use the word “ornamental” to describe any vegetable, many folks automatically assume the fruit is not to be eaten. Generally, this is true because the plants have been selectively bred for color. However, ornamental peppers can be used to spice up a dish, but just remember they tend to be very, very hot and not in a good culinary way. Chilly Chili will tolerate hot and humid Mississippi summers and keep great color when other plants are fading. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)
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Billy Byrd, Iwo Jima
By Wanda Magers The Iwo Jima Association of America (IJAA) and their tour partner Military Historical tours are returning veterans to Iwo Jima. Corporal William “Billy” Byrd, a local Iwo Jima survivor and a companion Lieutenant Colonel Ed Jones have been given the opportunity to attend the 75th Anniversary Commemoration for the Battle of Iwo Jima. The event is scheduled for March 2020 on Iwo Jima. Cpl Byrd is a member of the Marine Corps League General Louis H. Wilson, Detachment in Pearl, MS. They meet the 3rd Thursday, at Simply Southern Restaurant at noon. IJAA is providing funding for Cpl Byrd, now age 93, to attend, but they require a companion to accompany him. The detachment is raising funds for Cpl Byrd’s companion expenses. Donations can be mailed to: Gen. Louis H Wilson, Det. 173, 854 Andrew Chapel RD, Brandon, MS 39042 Additional info: The battle of Iwo Jima is recognized around the world as one of the most brutal struggles in the most costly war in history. For thirty-six days, over 70,000 US Marines and Sailors, aided by tens of thousands of Airmen and Sailors at sea, fought a tooth and nail battle against the 22,000 entrenched Japanese defenders led by LtGen Tadamichi Kuribayashi. This titanic struggle, waged on eight square miles of volcanic soil and hellish terrain, has captured the imagination of generations since the battle There will be a Joint Ceremony with the Japanese at the Memorial above Red
Beach. Visits to Mt. Suribachi and the Landing Beaches to walk the "Black Sands" are scheduled. MHT is the tour partner of the Iwo Jima Association of America (IJAA) and in cooperation with United Airlines we have chartered jets for the day long visit to walk the battlefields of this epic clash in the Pacific during World War II. Guam will again be the base of operations for the IJAA Battle Symposium and 75th Anniversary Banquet. Early in the morning the IJAA tour will depart Guam for a day-long Memorial Tour and Observance on Iwo Jima. Upon arrival, you will be met by the official U.S. and Japanese Government delegation consisting of representatives from the Armed Services. (We will land on the site of Motoyama airfield #2.) After visiting Mt. Suribachi and the scene of the famed flag raising captured by Joe Rosenthal on 23 Feb 1945. Afterwards, Veterans and their families will gather near the landing beaches to conduct Memorial Services at the Anniversary Monument. These services, attended by Dignitaries and Veterans of the United States and Japan, will remember and memorialize those young men who gave their lives during the savage campaign for the island. Following a box lunch, we will continue touring the island to include the landing beaches. Late in the day we will return to the airfield where this historic day began, to gather one last time in friendship and camaraderie on the sacred soil of Iwo Jima.
Other info about Billy Byrd *Bert Case had interviewed him 6 times. *He retired from the City of Jackson in 1987. He was first hired as a tax collector and then worked his way up to sanitation supervisor. *Billy’s parents were share croppers and traveled all through southern Mississippi. *He is known for his song writing and guitar playing. He was on the WRBC radio show “Home Towner” in the 50s and 60s. He played for the Willie Jordan band and then started his own band. He wrote many songs. Faron Young recorded
one of Billy’s songs, Once is Forever. Warren Smith, of Memphis, recorded Billy’s song Goodbye Mr. Love. Billy still plays his Gibson guitar. *He wrote a short book, By the Dawn’s Early Light on his Iwo Jima experiences. *He participates in the annual Trail of Honor event For more information piranaha6@aol.com
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”Confucius
18 THE BYRAM BANNER SEPTEMBER 2019
Famous Maroon Band keeps getting bigger and better after nearly 12 decades at MSU STARKVILLE, Miss.—Individually, they represent a variety of backgrounds, academic majors and career aspirations. Together, 420 students in Mississippi State’s 117-year-old Famous Maroon Band make up the largest college band in university history. “It is an exciting time to be a part of the university and the band program,” said MSU Director of Bands Elva Kaye Lance. “Our students represent every college and school on campus and really are a microcosm of the university student enrollment. We are excited to again serve this year as the ‘soundtrack’ for so many significant university events.” With an overall average GPA of 3.3 and ACT score of 27.3, this year’s Famous Maroon Band membership consists of 16 high school valedictorians and 10 salutatorians. Students hail from 19 U.S.
states, as well as Colombia, South America. An MSU alumna, Lance said she and associate directors Craig Aarhus and Clifton Taylor have been pleased with new and current band students’ professionalism and willingness to learn in preparation for a busy year. “Those of us in leadership positions with the band realize we are standing on the shoulders of all who have gone before us and who have established the performance traditions that have become the Famous Maroon Band,” Lance said. “With this large group, it is imperative that the students respond quickly to our instruction and that they help us keep the spaces organized and orderly,” she said. “They demonstrated outstanding cooperation in all areas. Additionally, they are talented musicians, which makes our job
as directors a lot of fun.” Aarhus said 275 high school students from across the region who make up the university’s annual Marching Honor Band will join Famous Maroon Band members in a Sept. 14 halftime performance during MSU’s home football game versus Kansas State. The band’s fall halftime performances include “Musical Royalty” and “Savage”themed shows, as well as the annual homecoming and patriotic shows. In October, Aarhus said family and community members will be invited to rehearsals as part of a Famous Maroon Band meet and greet. The MSU Wind Ensemble, the premier performing group of the university’s band program, will make two major appearances during the academic year. Lance will conduct the ensemble for its December performance in Natchez at the Mississippi Bandmasters Association State Band Clinic, as well as its March 2020 performance in Biloxi at the American Bandmasters Association Annual Convention. MSU’s Famous Maroon Band is part of the College of Education’s nationally accredited Department of Music. For more, visit www.msuband.msstate.edu, www.music.msstate.edu and www.educ.msstate.edu. MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu. Congratulation to area Maroon Band Members: Alex Howell, of Byram, graduate from Hillcrest Christian School, majoring in Mechanical Engineering; Kennedy Posey, of Byram, graduate Terry High School, Majoring in Music Education; Jalissa Young, of Byram, graduate Terry Highs School, majoring in
Biological Science. Brianna Freeman, of Terry, graduate Terry High School , majoring in Management; Katelyn Wyatt of Terry, graduate Hillcrest Christian School, majoring in English; Jared Bewley of Terry,. Graduate Hillcrest Christian School, majoring in Mechanical Engineering
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601-371-0005 Myles Moore graduates from Troy University TROY, AL (08/08/2019)-- Myles Moore of Jackson, MS, graduated from Troy University during Summer Semester/ Term 5 of the 2018/2019 academic year. Moore graduated with the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
SEPTEMBER 2019
THE BYRAM BANNER 19
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Makeba Harris, center, a billing specialist and wellness champion, walks coworkers through a tunnel at the Clinton Billing Office. By: Ruth Cummins, ricummins@umc.edu If Makeba Harris catches someone at the
University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Clinton Billing Office eating a healthy salad or taking advantage of their building’s walking trail, she might surprise them with a happy. She encourages them to meditate, perhaps pausing long enough to savor the smell of lavender. She points them toward wellness events, including a farmer’s market and Weight Watchers classes. “I stay connected with my coworkers. We talk about different ways to stay healthy,” said Harris, a billing specialist and one of the UMMC Office of Well-being’s Wellness Champions. Harris and the other champions appointed by the Office of Well-being play a vital role in transforming the Medical Center into a healthy place to work. It’s just one of the reasons UMMC is the first-place winner in the 2019 Healthiest Workplaces in Mississippi competition sponsored by the Mississippi Business Journal. “We are the leading health institution in the state and the only academic medical center,” said Dr. Josh Mann, professor and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and director of the Office of Well-being. “If we are going to lead on health for the state, we also need to lead when it comes to the health of our own community. “This award recognizes the work we are doing as an institution, and the coherent identity we have that is all about health.” Also sponsored by the Mississippi Business Group on Health and the Mississippi State Department of Health, the Healthiest Workplaces Awards go to the employers that show that they have the best worksite wellness program in the state. In 2017 and 2018, UMMC received third-place honors in the health systems category. A multi-stakeholder committee selected winners based on evaluation, planning, implementation and innovation in health industry best practices. “It is hard to overstate the importance of this program,” said Tami Jones, Mississippi Business Journal associate publisher. “We all know that our state leads the nation in a number of negative health indicators, and it is really encouraging to recognize great companies who are working hard to change that.” The Office of Well-being is a hub for a
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Senior Citizen Discount Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 7:30-5:30 • Saturday: 8:00-12:00 range of wellness activities. “In previous years, the focus was only on the Everyday Wellness program,” Mann said. “Over the past year, we have been able to add other initiatives. We started employee burnout prevention work, including measuring symptoms across the campus using the Well Being index. “We’re looking at ways to make the workplace less stressful and more fulfilling,” Mann said. “We’re blessed to have many partners on the UMMC Well-being Committee and across the Medical Center who are enthusiastic about working together to accomplish this.” That includes two large initiatives implemented outside the Office of Well-being that significantly contributed to UMMC receiving the award: Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation, sponsored by the Office of Nursing Quality, Development and Professional Practice; and the Diversity and Inclusion Champion program, sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Everyday Wellness strives constantly to educate employees on being proactive in their own health and wellness. Just a few examples: In June, the program sent all employees safety fact sheets on sun exposure, detailing how to avoid skin cancer by being aware of risks,
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including UV exposure. Employees also received information on being mindful as a way to curb stress and promote peace of mind. In May, the office sent employees education on delaying or preventing type 2 diabetes and also launched the 10-Day Fruit and Veggie Challenge in conjunction with UMMC’s Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation initiative. The challenge to get in at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day for 10 days in a row increases awareness of the importance of healthy eating. Ongoing programs include a number related to weight loss and diabetes prevention in addition to a range of campus presentations. One of the most popular is a series focusing on compassion for self and others led by Doris Whitaker, UMMC director of pastoral services, and chaplain Linda McComb. “We’ve expanded employee wellness beyond these walls to include the Jackson Medical Mall and the Clinton Billing Office,” said Brea Cole, manager of the Everyday Wellness program in the Office of Well-being. “There’s a sense of momentum and buy-in across the institution. People ask all the time how they can participate, or give a presentation in their area of expertise.”’ Cole and Harris are silver winners in the Workplace Wellness Warrior program sponsored by Active Health, a private management company that helps organizations including UMMC achieve their wellness goals. As part of her wellness champion role, Harris encourages her coworkers to exercise and eat a healthy diet. “We talk about different ways to stay healthy and different wellness events hosted by UMMC,” she said. “I promote them through emails and conversations, and we have huddles in the morning to talk about wellness and Active Health events coming up.” Her office hosted a farmer’s market and wellness fair this spring, and this fall will host a second event. There’s a weekly weigh-in, and Harris said employees enjoy meditation sessions to promote mindfulness. “It gives us ways to stay connected,” she said. On the horizon this academic year is the fall launch of RISE, or Resilience in Stressful
Events. First developed at Johns Hopkins University, RISE focuses on peer support for health care workers who are “second victims,” or those who struggle with emotional issues that stem from bad patient outcomes. Another is a program for workplace violence prevention to keep employees and students safe. “This is being recognized as an important issue nationwide for hospital employees and other health care workers,” Mann said. “We have a diverse group of people across the Medical Center who are working to develop recommendations for the main campus and off-site locations.” The focus on employee well-being is paying dividends in many ways, Mann said. “Most of us spend more waking hours at work than any place else,” he said. “We believe healthy employees will be happier, more engaged and more effective.”
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20 THE BYRAM BANNER SEPTEMBER 2019 its, and see classroom science lessons Mississippi Science come to life. Book your field trip by conFestival tacting any one of the four museums. CSI Mississippi Presented by C Spire Friday, September 20; to Celebrate STEM in 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm MSF is proud to host CSI: Mississippi, a September new MSF event which will feature a beJackson, Miss. (August 26, 2019) – The hind-the-scenes look at the career of FoMississippi Science Festival (MSF), prerensic Scientist George Schiro, Mississented by C Spire, is the LeFleur Museum sippi’s very own CSI investigator. This District’s (LMD) signature event which free event will take place at the MS Agriwill take place on September 19-21, 2019. After drawing over 4,500 visitors in culture and Forestry Museum’s Sparkman 2018, MSF has been recognized by the Auditorium. Children and adults are inMississippi Tourism Association vited to hear details from Schiro’s investias “Small Festival of the Year” and a gative cases, some of which have been featured on nationally televised crime "Top 20 Event" by the Southeast Tourism shows. Society. Mississippi Science Fest MSF aims to introduce new educaSaturday, September 21; tional opportunities in STEM industries to 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Mississippi children in hopes of bringing All four LMD museums will host a day about a brighter future for the residents and upcoming workforce of our state. dedicated to promoting STEM subjects This event features three days full of sci- and increasing science literacy. Children ence exploration and activities, with ex- and families will have the opportunity to hibitors stationed across all four LMD interact with nationally renowned STEM museums – the Mississippi Sports Hall of professionals, engage in hands-on activiFame and Museum, the Mississippi ties, and explore exciting experiments and Agriculture & Forestry Museum, the exhibits. On this special day, visitors can Mississippi Children’s Museum, and purchase a $10 ticket allowing them to the MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of visit and participate in MSF festivities at all four LMD museums. A free shuttle Natural Science. will be provided between museums and This year, six separate events will take food vendors will be onsite throughout place over three days: the day at all museums. To purchase tickC3 Jr. Coding Challenge presented by ets go to www.mssciencefest.org. C Spire Discovery Night: Experiment with Us! Thursday, September 19 Saturday, September 21; Fifteen teams from across the state have 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm been invited to the Mississippi Children’s Discovery Night: Experiment with Us is Museum to participate in C3 Jr, a coding MCM’s signature family fundraising challenge uniquely designed for elemenevent hosted by MCM Partners. Held to tary age students. Teams comprised of coincide with MSF, this special evening four fourth grade students will be guided will celebrate the fascinating world of through coding challenges by a C Spire STEM and is perfect for the whole family Mentor, treated to lunch compliments of to enjoy. Discovery Night will feature C Spire, and participate in an awards fantastic food and drinks, musical enterceremony at the conclusion of the chaltainment with DJ Adam, bounce houses lenge and an obstacle course, and a raffle. To Science After 6 p u r c h a s e t i c k e t s g o Thursday, September 19; to www.mschildrensmuseum.org. 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Mississippi Science Fest will take place The community is invited to help kick off on September 19-21, 2019. A full schedthe 4th Annual MSF at one of Jackson’s ule of activities for the festival and event coolest gathering spots, Cultivation Food t i c kets can be found Hall, for Science After 6. Tickets are $5 at www.mssciencefest.org. each and include bits and bytes by Cultivation Food Hall vendors and one signature cocktail compliments of Gold Coast Bar and Cathead Distillery. This event is sponsored by C Spire and Southern Farm Bureau. Field Trip Friday Friday, September 20; 9:00 am – 1:00 pm In partnership with MSF, the four LMD museums are inviting students to attend a special STEM-themed Field Trip Friday. The museums will host a day dedicated to promoting STEM subjects and increasing science literacy for field trip guests. Students attending Field Trip Friday will have an opportunity to participate in hands-on experiments, interactive exhib-
Church Yard Sale! Spring Ridge UMC 1083 Davis Road, Terry
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
7am-12pm. A little bit of everything.
Backwater flooding in the south Mississippi Delta (Photo by Kevin Hudson)
Here to help: MSU offers mental health support to ag producers, community members STARKVILLE, Miss.—From agricultural damage to financial challenges, the effects of a natural disaster can be physically and emotionally overwhelming for farmers and residents of an impacted region. As those in the Mississippi Delta and surrounding areas continue to cope and begin recovery from recent devastating floods, faculty and staff in Mississippi State’s Extension Service and Department of Psychology are extending reminders that can help. David Buys, state health specialist with the MSU Extension Service, said the university’s Extension agents have completed a Mental Health First Aid training program managed by the National Council for Behavioral Health. Through the program’s curriculum, Extension agents, 4-H adult volunteers and others have learned how to recognize when farmers and others may be in distress or experiencing mental health problems. Trained Extension agents can connect clients to counseling, medical care and other forms of assistance. “MSU Extension Director Dr. Gary Jackson mandated that all of our agents be trained in mental health first aid because mental health issues are important, particularly among ag producers we are charged with serving,” Buys said. “This curriculum on mental health is extremely well written, and I think it helps our agents feel very well equipped to take the material forward and share it in a way that’s accurate and helpful.” Michael R. Nadorff, an MSU associate professor of psychology and licensed psychologist, said people coping with physical and financial challenges may also struggle with a lost sense of connectedness following a natural disaster. He said support from friends, family, church groups and community organizations is
very helpful. “When you know everyone is dealing with their own difficult situations, you may feel like you shouldn’t reach out, but my biggest advice is to do that,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Other people probably feel the same way, and you can help each other.” Director of MSU’s Sleep, Suicide and Aging Laboratory, Nadorff said in addition to seeking external support, those impacted by a natural disaster can find relief through self-care. Breaking down a large amount of work into smaller, more manageable tasks and reestablishing one’s daily routine can provide a renewed sense of normalcy that is important for healing. “After a natural disaster, you may be looking at all of the things right in front of you that you need to fix or get done, so you may forget about sleeping, eating, socializing and other forms of self-care,” Nadorff said. “Even if you are able to resume doing just one thing from your routine, it can help you feel that much closer to being back where you were before everything happened. Accepting what you can control, like taking care of your family and mental health, will help you be more productive with clean-up or other things you need to do to move forward.” If you or someone you care about needs help, please call the Mississippi Department of Mental Health lifeline at 1-877210-8513. For more on MSU Extension Service’s mental health outreach efforts, visit www.extension.msstate.edu. Learn more about MSU’s Department of Psychology at www.psychology.msstate.edu. MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
SEPTEMBER
2019 THE BYRAM BANNER 21
MSH Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Serendipity Art Show on September 5 WHITFIELD — The 30th anniversary edition of the Serendipity art show and silent auction will be held at Mississippi State Hospital on Thursday, Sept. 5. The unique show was created in 1989 by Evelyn Carpenter, MSH’s recently retired Art Services Director, to display the work of MSH patients and Jaquith Nursing Home residents who are taking part in the hospital’s Art Services program. This year’s show will open at 11:30 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. in the Building 71 Conference Center on the MSH campus. Visitors are welcome, and several hundred typically attend the show over the course of the day. For more information about the show, call the Public Relations Department at (601) 351-8018. The pieces on display and up for auction will include watercolor and acrylic paintings, pencil and color pencil drawings, mixed media pictures, collages, art prints, pen and ink, and batiks. Bidders in the silent auction write their name, number and bid down next to a piece in which they are interested. Serious bidders who attend Serendipity every year have learned to be there at closing time to ensure they have the highest bid on the artwork they want. More than 250 pieces will be on display this year from about 95 different artists. All proceeds go to the artists. The work displayed in the show is produced by individuals from across the hospital’s services, including adults and children. For many, it is an important part of the therapeutic process as it gives them a chance to express themselves through their artwork. MSH’s art instructors are Ceci Whitehurst, Charla Bullard, Ricky Shelby and Shawn Cagle.
Pack The Pickup Junior Auxiliary of Byram-Terry Chapter members would like to thank everyone who donated items during their annual “Pack the Pickup” event. Enough items were collected to fill the Care Closets at GRE GRI and Byram Middle Schools making this project a huge success!
22 THE BYRAM BANNER SEPTEMBER
NEW DIVISION TO EXPAND GENETIC TESTING AS A HEALTH CARE FORCE JACKSON, Miss. – It is a familiar and tragic story: A young, apparently fit, athlete collapses on a football field, soccer pitch, basketball court or other arena – for no apparent reason. Often, in the cases of sudden death, the reason turns out to be cardiac arrest, the upshot of a genetically decreed heart disease that had not been uncovered by routine screening. Those deaths did not have to occur – if only the victims had known, early on, the potential risks of participating in demanding sports activities. Yet, there is a way to expose such risks – not just for heart disease, but for cancer and other disorders as well – one that overcomes the limitations of standard screening measures, with a potential so far-reaching it has merited the creation of a new Department of Medicine division at the University of Mississippi Medical Center: Medical Genetics and Precision Medicine. “We are at the end of the first inning, with a long game to be played,” said Dr. Javed Butler, referring particularly to medical genetics, a branch of medicine that applies the study of heredity to medical care, offering clearer paths for diagnosing and treating patients who have certain inherited disorders. “It will evolve tremendously over the next 20 years,” said Butler, professor and chair of the department and the Patrick Lehan Chair of Cardiovascular Research. “The real work starts now.” Much of the work starts with the newly appointed division director, Dr. Joe Maher, a hematologist and professor of medicine, whose current practice has been focused on hereditary cancer and
2019
other disorders such as hereditary aortic aneurysms, which can be life threatening. Some of his patients have breast cancer, which, in a small percentage of cases is hereditary and is associated with inherited gene mutations. Genetic testing can expose the mutations early on, which, of course, could save patients’ lives. Lately, genetic testing has “almost exploded” in scope, said Maher, whose division becomes one of more than a dozen in the Department of Medicine. “Genetic testing can pinpoint and confirm a diagnosis,” said Maher, who sees patients at the Jackson Medical Mall, also the site of the division’s clinical work. It can help physicians diagnose a patient early, before symptoms set in, he said. It can help them prescribe preventive measures for those who inherited certain gene mutations that can lead to disease. It can point to those family members who inherited a certain mutation – which occurs when the DNA making up a gene becomes damaged. It can also determine who did not. Testing is, of course, not limited to patients at risk of heart disease or certain cancers. “There are more than 5,000 genetic disorders that can be tested for right now,” Maher said. “We can say now, for sure, whether someone’s offspring inherited a gene disorder. We don’t have to guess. It’s no longer 50-50.” As the name of the division suggests, medical genetics’ health care partner is precision medicine, a relatively new approach to disease treatment and prevention that considers not only inherited traits, or genetic makeup, but also other factors, including a patient’s lifestyle: smoking, drinking, exercise and so forth. It offers physicians and researchers a way to more accurately predict which measures for treatment and prevention will
work on a particular disease – and with which patients. “The pace of discovery of new treatments is far faster than any physician is able to keep up with,” said Dr. John Ruckdeschel, director of the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute and Ergon Chair in Cancer Research. The work of Maher and the new division will “help physicians sort out what makes sense for patients,” Ruckdeschel said. “It’s about having one location where this can be worked through and where physicians can go to for advice.” Patients who come to UMMC for cancer treatment, for instance, “don’t need one doctor,” Ruckdeschel said. “They need a team.” Maher’s division can help the members of the team deal with a patient’s specific medical issues. As for one certain issue, both Ruckdeschel and Maher use as an example the breast cancer gene BRCA1. Confusingly, because of its name, BRCA1 does not cause breast cancer, but can actually go a long way in preventing it. But if this gene mutates, it may lose its power to do so. Anyone who has this mutation, which can be detected through genetic testing, should begin breast cancer screening at age 25, Maher said, “and, at some point, consider preventive surgeries.” As for precision medicine, one of its beauties is that it could help physicians more effectively treat their patients’ tumors, which aren’t inherited but which have genetic changes that cause cancer to grow and spread. They can learn whether a tumor will respond to a particular treatment. Or whether the risks posed to the patient by the therapy are worth it. Some cancer treatments are toxic to the heart, Maher said. “But one patient may experience fewer adverse effects than another.” Dosages could be adjusted accordingly. This is an aspect of precision medicine known as pharmacogenomics, the study of how genes affect a patient’s response to drugs; it can lead to the development of effective and safe medications that fit a person’s genetic makeup. “In the long run [medical genetics and precision medicine] can save a lot of resources,” Maher said. That means, for one thing, less time will be wasted on unnecessary treatments. Safer, and more effective, ones will be pinpointed, and sooner. But, because of the “newness” of this knowledge, particularly medical genetics, Butler said, “not a lot of people around the country are trained in it. So people who need these services aren’t getting them, not only because of that, but also because many physicians don’t realize their patients can benefit from them.” So the new division will serve as a “hub” for increasing knowledge about ways subspecialists can be more effective for their patients. For now, the division
will begin building staff, putting in place a genetic counselor and, in the future, genetic nurse practitioners, Maher said. Over time, research in the Division of Medical Genetics and Precision Medicine will expand beyond cancer, which is the focus now, he said. “And, increasingly, the division’s work will integrate with our colleagues in pediatric genetics.” Maher’s research has already embraced the Jackson Heart Study – information obtained from studying about 5,000 African American men for decades. It holds a “wealth of data” that could help predict who is at risk for early heart disease, for instance, Ruckdeschel said. For Butler’s part, he said he is “proud” of the new division in his department. “Not many places have someone with Dr. Maher’s expertise,” Butler said. “He is formally trained in both medical genetics and internal medicine. He’s a triple threat – in research, the clinic and education. He’s certified nationally, and his research on genetics and sickle cell disease is funded by the NIH [National Institutes of Health].” By developing this new division, UMMC “is a little ahead of the game,” Butler said. “I believe we’re leading the way.” From the University of Mississippi Medical Center
20th Anniversary The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") is observed around the world each year on 21 September.
Let us all create Peace Day everyday!
SEPTEMBER 2019 THE BYRAMBANNER 23
BE THE LIGHT By Carol L. Kohan Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light o my path. (Psalm 119:105)
We must realize the future of this world depends upon each person’s ability to recognize Satan. Satan’s tactics lie hidden behind titles and positions of authority. There is a definite abuse of authority and the compromise of Truth. At this moment we are witnessing a great struggle between Light and Darkness. An intense battle is going on for the Soul of the United States of America. Definitely, Pope John Paull II said the challenges of our “modern world boasts of the enticing door which say: everything is permitted. It ignores the narrow gate of discernment and renunciation.” Meet Edith Stein, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a Jewish philosopher, convert to the Catholic faith, a Carmelite nun and martyr at Auschwitz devoted herself to truth Eventually she was rewarded; she discovered that truth had a name: Jesus Christ. She wrote to a Benedictine nun: “Whoever seeks the truth is seeking God, whether consciously or unconsciously.” In our time, Pope John Paul II explained, “truth is often mistaken for the opinion of the majority.” I may remind you that although Edith Stein had been brought up religiously by her Jewish mother, at the age of 14 Edith “had consciously and deliberately stopped praying.” In fact, she wanted to rely exclusively on herself in making decisions about her life. Actually, Edith came to the surprising realization: “Only those who commit themselves to the love of Christ become truly free.” Edith’s long search for the truth ended with her decision to enter the Catholic Church. Believe Edith when she says that God is Truth. Those who seek the truth, seek God, even if they do not know it… Here is the Truth about the Soul of America: Unbelievable as it the founder of the community behind Old Century Meats erected a 30-foot concrete cross at the peak of Penitentiary Mountain in Alabama. The Cross on Penitentiary Mountain was given through the combination of
prayer, sacrifice, and severe labor for the Soul of America by Terry Colafrancesco. Indeed, we are facing a great struggle for the very Soul of America. Even former Vice President Joe Biden stated, “We are in the battle for the Soul of this nation. Yes, the character of our nation was radically changed. Will you allow President Trump to change the character of our nation back to its founding and Christian principles? America was fundamentally changed for we opened this door through our sins. Satan has been unleashed and he knows his time is short. Evil has changed our country; the United States of America. St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians commanded us to focus our lives on things that please God. Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sister, think about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Remember God is in control. Everything passes before God before it happens. We must learn to pray for His Will as Jesus taught us, “Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” We must be busy speaking the Truth. I believe that President Trump has come on the scene or America would have disintegrated by now. Furthermore, did you know that a “holy man” named Tom Zimmer, the ’Hermit of Loreto,’ prophesied in the 1980s that “Donald Trump would lead America back to God. Zimmer was so sure Trump would become a great spiritual leader of America that he wrote his name on a brick and had it placed in the reconstruction of St. Peter’s Holy Door after the jubilee so Trump would receive blessings from the Masses that would be said in the Vatican. {charismarmag.com} It is our duty to support President Trump as he places the interests of the American people first and everything that he does for our nation. The word from Isaiah 40: 31 – “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” What happened to our people’s sense of Pride in our elected President? I have never witnessed such widespread, intense
Sheila P. Davis, PhD, FNP-c, FAAN, LSM- BC Health Care Provider - at A Natural Way Family Health Clinic
Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts Adapted from Vibrant Life www.vibrantlife.com Yield: 4 -6 servings Prep Time 10 minutes 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts 4 -5 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper Preheat oven to 4500 F Wash brussels sprouts, trim off stem ends and any discolored outer leaves, and cut in halves or quarters, depending on size. Peel and roughly chop garlic cloves In 8-inch square baking dish, place brussels sprouts, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Toss until well coated. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, stirring every 10 – 15 minutes, until brussels sprouts are cooked through and begin to blacken on the edges Health tip: When to see your health care provider: increased unexplained fatigue, change in bowel movements or blood in stool, discovery of new lumps, bumps, or skin changes, a new cough or shortness of breath, chest pain, change in frequency of urination, or new anxiety or depression.
and irrational hatred towards a political leader sincerely trying to refoundation America, back to its origins. Pride has come to rule; Satan clearly is moving into position to rule the Soul of America. Despite the election corruption by the evil one in 2016, Trump was elected. It was through the Charism of a Friend of Medjugorje’ that incited millions of people through the years to pray for the Soul of American. Like Terry Colafrancesco, Friend of Medjugorje built a Cross at Caritas of Birmingham, Alabama, for the Soul of America. Countless souls have been prayed for and he was inspired to write a Consecration Prayer to consecrate the United States to Our Blessed Mother in the Field of Apparitions. Here are a few excerpts from the Consecration of Our Nation: We realize that civilizations across time and cultures who crossed the line of decadence that we have crossed, all met with their end. The signs of the time speak to us of our nation. We have little time left. We your children, therefore, make our plea of consecration at this moment, giving directly to you this nation, whose might and glory, we acknowledge, began and came through being foundationed on your Son’s, our Savior’s, principles. Through this entrustment, we beg to include our whole future into your hands. With the dreams of our fathers, on this day of remembrance of our nation’s birth, think of your Son’s birth and remember not the sins of this land, but rather how much this nation has dispensed the liberty of the Gospel to the world. Please heal this land. Lord of our nation, we crown you King with Our Lady’s hands through this consecration to rule over us, over everything. Thank you, O Mother. Thank you, Our Queen. Thank you for being present. May Christ grant our nation deliverance through this consecration. Amen {Written in Medjugorje, June 24, 2008 for July 4th} Can we clarify who is on the side of the spiritual and physical realm of Light: President Trump or Former VicePresident Biden? Moreover, during the Obama/Biden era the Natural Law as commanded by God was defied; Evil reigns! Satan can mix the reality of Truth into the reality of Darkness. We as a Nation of Truth must identify what is of Light and what is of Dark. With sincerity, the Trump Administration has finalized another set of administrative protections for religious Americans’ as he said, “Every citizen has the absolute right to live according to the teachings of their Faith and the convictions of their heart. “ President Donald Trump became the first to speak at the Annual March for Life event in D.C., via satellite. While Vice President Mike Pence was the first
to speak in person at the March for Life event in D.C. Clearly, our President Trump show through his actions that he is growing in the LIGHT. There are hundreds of actions that are changing the character of the United States of America back to its founders that made America great. Please allow Trump to call us back to our founding Christian Principles and the character and all that makes this nation great. In regards to the Soul of America, this nation, Satan is doing everything to possess it. President Donald Trump like President John F. Kennedy can ask our nation to come forward to hear the summons to forge against these enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. Kennedy goes on to say, “The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it – and the glow from the fire can truly light the world. In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility - I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own. {John F. Kennedy: January 20th, 1961} In order to experience the LIGHT and dispel the DARKNESS embrace His Word; Be the Light! Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. {Psalm 119:10}
Griffith Memorial Baptist Church 5275 Terry Road
Revival Services Sunday, September 29, at 10:30 AM Monday, September 30, at 6:30 PM Tuesday and Wednesday, October 1 & 2, at 6:30 PM
24 THE BYRAM BANNER SEPTEMBER 2019