Oxford July 7, 2016

Pick up your Sunday Oxford Citizen at locations throughout Lafayette County Volume 3 | Issue 23

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Thursday, July 7, 2016

Moving Forward

Inside 3 News

Slaughter getting closer to new comprehensive plan EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a three-part series that takes a look at the current process of forming a comprehensive plan and land use map for Lafayette County.

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

First Presbyterian VBS to help community There are a number of things that Mike Slaughter has learned about Lafayette County over the last six months. His education, and years of experience, working as an urban planning consultant has also come as an aid to the county leaders, and to residents looking to understand the comprehensive plan he is helping craft.

In the next few months, the work being completed on the comprehensive plan for Lafayette County by Slaughter and Associates will be presented to the board of supervisors. Input from residents has been a part of the process, and nearing an end.

Slaughter said there has been more interest in the plan, from citizens, than many would think at the county level.

“There has been a good bit of interest and several public meetings throughout the county. We were in Yocona for one and we had a huge turnout for that,” Slaughter said. “We had another one on Highway 30 that wasn't as successful, but it did give people another opportunity if they wanted to come out. We did have a very good one at the Oxford Conference Center. Usually we try to keep a meeting to around two hours. That's a long time to keep someone at night away from their family, especially mid week and we've had to sort of cut them off because there are so many questions.

We've done it in a good way, but two of our meetings have gone over two hours.”

TURN TO SLAUGHTER PAGE 7

6 News

Jim Dees: What will Oxford look like in 2037?

8 Sports

PETRE THOMAS

Mike Slaughter has been crafting the new comprehensive plan for Lafayette County for the past six months.

Razorbacks have been a thorn in Rebels' side recently

OXFORD CITIZEN

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

Lions Band claims another international title

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

The Mississippi Lions All State Band has just returned from Japan where they claimed their 32nd international title.

The Mississippi Lions Band is a collection of the best instrumentalists from around the state of Mississippi. The band is open to any high school band student in the state of Mississippi, and students flock from around the state to audition and be a part of this prestigious honor band. Four students from the Oxford area were a part of this year’s band.

Those students were Taylor Bost from Lafayette High School, Ben Wright and Carina Easson, both from Oxford High School.

Olivia Johnson from OHS also landed a spot in Lions Band, but was unable to accompany the group to Japan.

This was the 10th year that Lions Band Director Jeff Cannon has lead the

band in competition all over the world, but he has worked with the band for several years before that.

He has served with the Lions Band as a staff member, assistant director or head director for 24 years now. Of the 32 world championship titles the group has to its name, Cannon has been there for 15 of them. Not to mention when he marched in Lions Band in 1974 when the group claimed yet another international title.

With Japan being in a time zone that is 14 hours ahead of our own, figuring out how long the band spent over there by dates gets a little tricky. The group left from Jones County Junior College in Ellisville at 8 p.m. on June 20. The next day, they flew out of Houston and headed for Japan, a flight that takes a minimum of 13 hours to complete.

They then left Japan on June 29. Cannon said that if you went back and looked at it strictly from

MISSISSIPPI LIONS ALL STATE BAND

the hours they spent traveling to, in and from Japan, the total trip time accumulated to nine days.

Cannon said that the trip was one of the best he had ever been on in his life. He visited Japan earlier this year to view the site where they would be

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performing and lay the final groundwork for the trip. It was his first time in the country, and the trip in June was the first time the Mississippi Lions Band has ever competed in the country. The band director said that while he did really enjoy being able to visit the country and experience a different culture, being able to share the experience with his students was his favorite part.

“I went there back in January for site inspections, but when you’re there with the kids and they’re getting to see everything, that’s why I do this,” Cannon said. “I do this so I can be there with them and watch them experience all of it.”

The band held rehearsals in Narita, a city in Chiba Prefecture that lies about an hour east of

Tokyo. They took a bullet train to Hiroshima where they stayed in a hotel and visited the museums. The group also visited Miyajima Island, a pedestrian island located not far from Hiroshima that houses one of the world’s largest Shinto shrines. The competition and a parade were held in Fukuoka, a city in the country’s southern region. After being crowned the title of Lions International Parade of Nations All State Band Champions, the group of Mississippians hopped on another bullet train, returned to Tokyo and spent their last day in the country at Tokyo Disney.

Having graduated in May, this was Bost’s last year with the Lions Band.

The soon-to-be Ole Miss freshman has been trying out for Lions Band every

year since she was in ninth grade. She made the band her 11th and 12th grade years. Last year the band competed and won in Hawaii.

Bost said that being a part of the Mississippi Lions Band has been the most fulfilling and exciting venture of her high school years. She said that she encourages any students thinking about auditioning for the program to give it a shot. She marched clarinet in the band and said that she really enjoyed her time in Japan.

“It was my first time in a foreign country and that alone was really interesting,” Bost said of her time in Japan. “I just really liked seeing a different culture and getting to experience how nice everyone was to us in Japan. It’s also really great to be with a group of musicians who are as passionate as you are and are willing to work as hard as you do.”

Cannon echoed those sentiments when he said that one of his favorite parts about leading the Lions Band is that every single student absolutely wants to be there. All of them come to each rehearsal and performance ready to give it everything they have in order to make the band the best it can be.

Tryouts for this year’s Lions Band were completed in November. The band only spent one week rehearsing before the trip. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

PAGE 3

First Presbyterian VBS to help community

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

First Presbyterian Church in Oxford is preparing for its vacation Bible school, taking place from July 18 to 22, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. each day.

The theme this year will be exploring the Joseph’s journey from prison to palace with the message that God is there for those not matter the situation, whether it be prison or palace. The week will begin with children learning about Joseph’s time in an Egyptian prison and progress to his ascension to power when he began working in the palace of the pharaoh as his second in command.

Each morning will consist of a Bible study, outside recreation and arts and crafts relating to the lessons of the day. There will also be snacks provided, a music session and other activities. The last day of the camp will feature a musical where the children will have a chance to demonstrate what they have learned that week. There is also a water day planned where the kids will get to play on waterslides and spend some of the hot July day getting wet outside.

Children are also encouraged to bring donations for Lovepacks. The older kids, those in the fourth through sixth grade age groups, will be leaving the church at various points during the week to go and help out with different community organizations. They will spend time helping out at More Than a Meal, the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society, the Veterans Home and will even

spend time at Oxford Middle School, helping out with Lovepacks. On Thursday, during the water day activities, the kids will also hold a lemonade stand in front of the church. All of the money from the lemonade stand will go to benefit one of the aforementioned nonprofits.

The kids get to learn about each nonprofit and what they contribute to the community. After a discussion, the kids vote on which nonprofit they will be donating the proceeds from the lemonade stand to and are then in charge of making signs and promoting it.

Sarah McClellan is organizing the VBS and this is her second year to do so. She has been involved with First COURTESY OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Presbyterian’s VBSs for the Attendees of last year's vacation Bible school at First Presbyterian Church operate the lemonade stand they set up to donate past several years, helping the proceeds to fight childhood cancer. This year's lemonade stand will benefit a local nonprofit. out once her children became involved.

“I love doing things at my church,” she said. “I love being a part of my children’s education at our church. I love watching them grow in church and being a part of that. I also really just enjoy directing and working with all of the other parents involved in the process. There are so many parents involved in making this happen. It’s just a really rewarding experience. We have such a great group of parents and a great group of leaders.”

Registration can be completed online or in person and is open to any child in the community ages 4 to rising sixth graders. The VBS is completely free to attend. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

Children who attend First Presbyterian's vacation bible school are also encour- aged to bring donations for Lovepacks.

OXFORD CITIZEN

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

St. Andrew's getting ready to surf into VBS

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Oxford will be hosing their annual vacation Bible school on the evenings of July 17 to 21 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

The theme of this year’s VBS is Surf Shack and was organized by St. Andrew’s Children’s Director Haven Boyd. Boyd said the cutline that came with the theme is “Catching the wave of God’s amazing love.”

Each night will have a different theme, and there will be a special craft corresponding with that theme. The themes all relate to water. Kids will learn the story of Miriam caring for Moses on the Nile, the baptism of Jesus, of Jesus calming the storm and how Jesus helped Peter at the Sea of Galilee.

Dinner will be provided

OBITUARIES ANNA MAY RYAN DOBBS Anna May Ryan Dobbs, 96, passed away Sunday, July 3, 2016 at her home in Oxford. A graveside service was held in Ponchatoula Cemetery in Ponchatoula, LA on Wednesday, July 6.

Memorial contributions in Mrs. Dobbs’ memory may be made to Camellia Hospice, 2166 South Lamar Oxford, MS 38655.

BRIEFING OPC Hiking trip July 23 Our hiking trip this month will be at Long Branch Creek on Enid Lake on July 23, The cost is $5 per person.

A two and half mile nature road winds around Long Branch Creek Bottom, affording beautiful views of the water and of native Mississippi flora and fauna. This trail offers an excellent opportunity to view upland hardwoods and a cypress swamp all on one trail. We will provide transportation for the first 12 participants.

for every child attending.

Attendance is free and open to any child in the community through fifth grade.

The kids attending will also be working to make donations to the Oxford Christmas Store. The Christmas store has been serving the Oxford and Lafayette community for over four decades now, helping to bring Christmas cheer to local children who would normally not have the opportunity to experience a typical Christmas with their families. St. Andrew’s VBS does a project like this every year, but this year Boyd said that she wanted the kids to be involved in a project that had impacts they could more easily understand, something that was local and hit close to home.

“We want the kids to help collect toys that can then go to other children

in the community,” she said. “We decided to go with this instead of picking a mission that we would never get to see. We wanted the kids to see and know what they were giving back to the community and other children.”

Boyd has served as St. Andrew’s Children’s Director since she was a sophomore at Northwest Community College. The Ole Miss graduate said that when she went in to interview, she met the church’s head pastor Bill Barksdale and other members of the church and that it felt like home. She took the job and has held the position for three years.

“I just love working with the children,” she said.

“I’m getting ready to leave at the end of July, and I just tear up when I think about it. I just love spending time with them. Being able to pour into them spiritually is so nice.”

Boyd will soon begin pursuing her Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School in North Carolina.

She said that her dream job right now would be to work as a chaplain in a children’s hospital, but she still is not 100 percent sure where this road will take her. She said that she will greatly miss her church family at St. Andrew’s and the work she has been able to do with them.

“Honestly I just like the energy,” Boyd said when asked what she loves about working at the vacation Bible schools she’s organized over the years.

“There’s just so much energy. They get to learn in a new way about Bible lessons. Our decorating team is just awesome and everything always looks so nice.

The kids really get submerged in the lessons.” chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

Stuart ready to expose his music to North Mississippi

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

It was just five years ago when Mark Edgar Stuart started writing songs. The bass player turned lead singer and song writer has taken his musical ability and turned it all into a huge positive. It's been a great release for Stuart, even cathartic. Stuart lost his father in 2011. That was a couple of months after he was diagnosed with cancer.

“I had just seen the world, met a lot of cool people as a bass player prior to getting sick and losing my dad. I started writing songs about what I was feeling, without having any idea that it would take off,” Stuart said. “I just wanted to make a little record and print up 100 copies and give them to family and friends. Here locally, it grew legs, and before I knew it, I was playing gigs. Here we are five years later and I have two albums under my belt. Things are going really, really well locally.”

Stuart grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and now lives in Memphis where people have grown to appreciate and support his music in force. Stuart's first album “Blues for Lou” was named Album of the Year. Stuart has started to spread out from an audience standpoint, making stops in Nashville and Little Rock. Stuart is visiting the Blue Canoe in Tupelo on Tuesday night.

His acoustic session will begin at 8.

Stuart has never played at the venue, but was looking forward to playing 17, 18 songs for those in attendance. If everything goes well, Stuart will return, and with a band to accompany him.

“I'm trying to get us out of town and see how things go,” he said before talking about his latest single, “Don't Blame Jesus” which is the focus of shows this summer. His latest song provides insight into his feelings on current events. Part of the message was inspired by the terrorist attacks in Paris, France.

“I was watching the news and thinking this world is kind of messed up. Not trying to be too soap boxy because I'm not that way at all, I tried to write something with a little bit of humor to it,” Stuart said. “I had this vision of what is going in this world. Jesus is probably up on his cloud saying 'Ya'll have messed it all up, ya'll can have it back.' I think when people hear the word Jesus in a title, they think I'm going somewhere I shouldn't.”

For the record, Stuart was raised in the church, and he said the song is pro Jesus. He said the point is to emphasize how crazy things can get here on Earth, and how it may not inspire Jesus to return. That's the humor part, or at least the part that is light hearted. Stuart said he's been playing the song a lot and people “love it.”

“I've gotten nothing but good feedback on it,” Stuart said. “Christians have embraced it sort of.

Once you listen to what I'm singing about, there are always people in the crowd that are kind of agreeing with everything. It's definitely a pro Jesus song. I want to make that clear. It was the way I was feeling, and I think other people feel that way, too. After the Paris attacks, I

was inspired to go record it that night and it turned into a single six months later.”

Other tour stops for Stuart include the Americana Festival in September and he will appear on the Sun Sessions TV show that is aired on PBS. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

Mayor announces vacancy on planning commission

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

Tuesday evening Oxford’s Board of Aldermen met in City Hall to hold the City Board Meeting for the month of July.

The meeting began with Mayor Pat Patterson announcing that the city’s planning commission has a vacancy and that applications and brief letters of interest will be accepted for the position through the month of July until the first week of August. The mayor did not specify what the job entails. He also informed those gathered that the Oxford Fire Department will soon begin testing the pressure in fire hydrants around town. Oxford Fire Chief Cary Sallis said that they did not have an exact date in which they planned on checking the pressure, but that they would be beginning in late summer or early fall, at the latest.

The board also carried a motion to approve the Oxford Police Department’s acceptance of a Community Grant Award from Walmart. The total amount of the grant comes to a total of $2,500. Perhaps the most heavily discussed topic of the night was the Parking Department’s request to conduct a parking study on downtown Oxford.

Matt Davis of the department said that the study would evaluate the parking situation in and around the Square and whether or not there are any safety or traffic concerns that need to be addressed immediately.

Different aldermen questioned Davis about what the survey would entail, how long it would take and whether or not it was necessary. The board eventually voted to approve the request.

Director of the Environmental Services Depart-

ment Amberlyn Liles asked for the board’s approval for her to apply for a Snapple Grant that her department would use to put recycling bins in city parks. The city would not be required to contribute to or match the grant so the board immediately granted her permission. Liles then addressed the board on the topic of providing Dumpsters as well as certain kinds of recycling pick up to businesses just outside of the city limits and how much of a fee to impose on those citizens to compensate the city on the cost of sending trucks beyond the usual route. It was the first reading of the proposed ordinance that would amend Section 94-58 of city code.

The monthly fee for these would max out at $277 for businesses requiring this service six days a week. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

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OXFORD CITIZEN

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

What will Oxford look like in 2037?

Martins. The men purchased the land from two Chickasaw Indians, HoKa Jim Dees and E Ah Nah Yea.” The university opened its Tales of the doors in 1848, welcoming Town some 80 students. During the Civil War, Oxford was hile the rest of us occupied by Union troops are busy trying to in 1862 and essentially make a living and burned to the ground in not melt, our city August of 1864 by Yankee leaders are planning for Ox- Brigadier General Andrew J. “Whiskey” Smith. Many ford’s crowded future. In Oxonians lost their lives.

May of 2037, Oxford will One hundred years later, turn 200 years old, the city’s bicentennial. Officials, civic in 1962, Oxford was again occupied by federal troops leaders and volunteers are busy planning for that mo- to enforce the admission of James Meredith as the first mentous date by studying African-American student how growth, in every area at the University of Missisof city life, can be handled sippi. Two people were responsibly. killed during the ensuing According to City Hall planning documents, “Ox- riots, and over 300 injured.

Oxford has turned a page ford, Mississippi was incorand is embarking on the porated in May of 1837 built on land that had once early decades of a new milbelonged to the Chickasaw lennium poised to maintain its status as a Indian Nation. The town charming, progressive was established on 50 acres, which had been con- Deep South town, as it looks to its bicentennial. veyed to the county by According to Oxford Citithree men, John Chisholm, zen reporter, Channing John J. Craig and John D.

W

COURTESY

"My first residence was a chicken coop for $20 a month."

Green, the city unveiled its new Land Use maps two weeks ago at a public forum at the Oxford Conference Center. (The maps are on current display at City Hall.) Oxford City Planner Judy Daniel addressed the crowd and explained how the maps were created. The general consensus is that population

density will increase and that Oxford should “build up, not out,” by constructing three or four story buildings with retail on street levels and residences above.

City and university populations are expected to increase over the next few years. The city has already built new schools, including a new high school. A huge new hospital is under construction and a parking garage for the square continues to get serious study.

Construction is also exploding on the Ole Miss campus with expanded residence halls and a massive renovation of the school’s student union underway.

Among many projects, a new $100 million science building will be built. All three major sports venues have been upgraded including a 9,500-seat basketball arena with an 800-car parking garage.

Indeed, the construction

crane could be the “official bird” of Oxford.

The city has undertaken numerous comprehensive plans over the years with the most recent adopted in 2004. As of 2015, the city reported that Oxford now sits on 9,743 acres and only five percent of that is vacant.

Coincidentally rents are skyrocketing. Recent news reports have highlighted the dearth of affordable housing in Oxford, especially for working families, many lamenting the loss of the “$500 a month apartment.” Such affordable housing was a staple of Oxford in previous years.

Back in the 1980s, a $500 apartment would have been posh for me, an upgrade. When I first moved to Lafayette County one of my first residences was a renovated chicken coop in the Burgess community.

The jovial farmer who rented it charged me and a roommate $40 a month, 20

apiece, with the provision we also had to help him count his cows every day.

We readily agreed and quickly found that counting cows was harder than we thought. They don’t stand still and they all wear the same thing. I admit some days we gave him gestimates.

City officials are now tasked with counting cows they can see and those they think they will see. Again, harder than it looks. Will the town be home only to those who can afford it while teachers, young families and working stiffs commute from Abbeville or Water Valley?

Gestimates worked for me in those long ago days in Burgess. I don’t think we lost a cow. I can only hope the same for our city planners.

Perhaps their guiding credo should be: “What would HoKa and E Ah Nah Yea do?”

BRIEFING OPC Soccer Registration Registration for the 2016 Youth Fall Soccer Registration season will end on Friday. The registration fee is $55.

New to the 2016-2017 season, the Oxford Park Commission, along with other clubs in the Mississippi Soccer Association, will be early adopters of the US Soccer Federation's new "Birth Year" mandate this season. With this

change, age groups will be based on birth year. The league your child plays in will be determined by their age from January 1 to December 31, instead of August 1 to July 31, as in past years.

U5 league – born in 2012 U6 league – born in 2011 U7 league – born in 2010 U8 league – born in 2009 U10 league – born in 2008 or 2007 U12 league – born in 2006 or 2005 U14 league – born in

2004 or 2003 U16 league – born in 2002 or 2001 An observation clinic for those U10 and older will be held on Saturday, July 16. The season will begin the week of Aug. 22. Register online at www.oxfordparkcommission.com, at our administrative office at 310 South 15th or at the Oxford Activity Center. For additional information, contact Jared Barkley at jared@oxfordparkcommission.com.

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

Slaughter

Two steering committees, one on land use and policy and one that focuses on transportation and public facilities, have also met with Slaughter regularly.

“We have been getting input from the steering committee and had invited guests come in to talk from the university. We have completed recently, and in the process of mapping, existing land uses, especially around the city of Oxford where there is development spilling over,” Slaughter said.

“There is a lot of growth, a lot of development pressure, not only within the city, but outside the city as well. That existing land use map will be a basis for our future land use map in the comprehensive plan. It will also help in the zoning map when we get into preparing a zoning ordinance.”

There is a mix of reaction regarding zoning, Slaughter said.

Some people think that zoning tells them what they can and can't do with their property, Slaughter said.

“There are others that realize the benefit of zoning, especially if they have an investment in their property, to protect the property values and to insure that if development occurs in the vicinity of it, that it will be compatible development as opposed to something that will take away from it,” Slaughter said.

Future zoning will be decided by

FROM 1

There will be additional meetings in the College Hill area, while one in Taylor was set for tonight.

Input from the public has been appreciated, and Slaughter said every department head in the county has been met with. The Economic Development Foundation and the Oxford-Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the school districts and the superintendents that run both of them have also been a part of the discussions involving the comprehensive plan. Slaughter was set to meet with the superintendents, and Jon Maynard, president of the chamber, again this past Tuesday to discuss the technical center that serves students each year.

“This plan isn't about that building or that facility specifically, but, this plan is about jobs,” Slaughter said. “That facility helps train our citizens to be qualified for jobs. We want to make sure that we keep that up to date with programs, with technology. We want to have both superintendents there, the guy that needs to attract jobs there so that we can maybe put in this plan, for that facility, even more direction that it currently has by bringing everyone together.”

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PAGE 7

LOU OLE MISS CLUB

the supervisors, only. Slaughter said the main focus is the comprehensive plan and future land use.

“The best way to say it is right now, we're moving full steam ahead with this comprehensive plan, which is just a plan. It has no land use controls in it,” Slaughter said. “It will have a future land use map to use as a guide. When we do get focused on the zoning later in this process, then we will prepare a zoning ordinance which will be both the text portion that describes what is allowed in each zone. And then we will have a zoning map. First step is that I recommend they adopt the comprehensive plan. I think everyone expects that. From the zoning, my standpoint as their planning consultant, is as I told them before I was retained, is Lafayette County has needed zoning for a long time. It was my recommendation that they do a comprehensive plan as well as a zoning ordinance. It is going to be my recommendation that they adopt that. It's going to be up to the board. They're going to need at least three to vote for it. I hope they do. This county will benefit as a whole, every citizen will benefit as a whole, by having zoning in this county. It's long overdue.”

COURTESY

The LOU Ole Miss Club raised $30,000 through the Oxford University Bank Two-Man Scramble held recently at the Ole Miss Golf Course.

BRIEFING OPC hosts canoe trip The Oxford Park Commission's canoe trip this month will be at lower Tallahatchie River on July 16. Those signed up will meet at the Activity Center at 8 a.m. and the cost is $40 per canoe.

Lower Tallahatchie River starts at the beginning of the Delta just below Lower Sardis

john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Lake. The group will float down the river to Highway 51. Participants should be ready to assist with put in and pull out of canoes and should be in shape to handle the 9 mile long paddle/float trip.

Register online at oxfordparkcommission.com, at our office on South 15th Street or the Oxford Activity Center.

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

John Davis Sports Editor

Upgrades to Vaught make football season feel closer

E

ven in the middle of the Major League Baseball season, it feels like football season is ready to get going. High schools have already started 7-on-7 drills. Magazines focused on college and pro football have been available for a month, or longer. SEC Media Days will be held next week, and that has always signified the start of football for many.

Of course last Friday, just before the long 4th of July weekend really got going, the new improvements at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium were made available to the media.

The new-look Vaught isn't your father's Vaught anymore. It's not even your older brother's Vaught. This place is going to dazzle, and impress. That goes for opposing fans as well. Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Mississippi State visit this fall. So do fans of the Memphis Tigers. The new improvements should make an impact with those who are visiting for the first time, or not.

Ole Miss fans are the ones that come out ahead in the whole scenario. And that includes the Ole Miss students who are getting an extra 2,000 seats compared to last season. The entire north end zone will be dedicated to the students. The Ole Miss band will be right next to them. The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs will want to stay away from that side of the stadium late in the game for sure.

Capacity at the Vaught will be 64,038. Joe Swingle, the Associate Athletics Director for Ole Miss who was nice enough to lead the tour, talked about the irony behind that number. With Chucky Mullins such a huge part of Ole Miss football history, how could they add any more seats?

During the tour, Swingle pointed to the number of things that have been completed, or about to be completed. Work in the stadium will be finished by Aug. 18.

One of the neat things about the construction was the amount of space between the larger north end zone, and the Starnes Center. There is exactly six inches in between the two structures. You couldn't have cut it any closer. So if there is to be TURN TO VAUGHT PAGE 14

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS ATHLETICS

Bret Bielema is heading into his fourth season as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Razorbacks have been a thorn in Rebels' side recently

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Arkansas has been kryptonite to the Ole Miss Rebels the past two seasons. No other school in the SEC has been as big of a thorn in the side of Hugh Freeze than the Razorbacks. And this season's meeting is at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, a place that the Rebels have struggled at more often than not.

Head coach Bret Bielema is entering his fourth season with the Razorbacks, and he has made them better every year he's been on campus.

His old-school, rugged approach makes the Razorbacks a tough team to deal with each fall. At the end of last season, the Razorbacks were as good as any team in the SEC, winning six of their last seven overall games, including a 45-23 win over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl. The only loss in that stretch was a 51-50 defeat to Mississippi State. Of course one of those six wins was the dramatic, and heartbreaking, 53-52 win over Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

FIRST LOOK Arkansas Alex Collins and Hunter Henry, the two that pulled off the miracle lateral throw and run for a first down that extended last year's game with Ole Miss, are no longer on the Arkansas roster. Also gone is quarterback Brandon Allen, who threw the gametying touchdown for the Razorbacks in overtime and then scored the final two points of the contest to seal the win.

Austin Allen, Brandon's younger brother, is back to lead the Arkansas offense. He was named the starter during spring drills, and he has a bevy of talented targets to throw to. Drew Morgan, a rising senior, led Arkansas with 63 catches for 843 yards and 10 touchdowns, which also led the Razorbacks in 2015.

Rising senior tight end Je-

remy Sprinkle is back after making 27 grabs, with six going for touchdowns, while rising senior wide receiver Dominque Reed is also back after finishing third on the team with 28 catches and tied for second with six touchdown receptions.

Arkansas has always had reliable tailbacks, and Alex Collins was one of the best ones in school history. He will be missed by the Arkansas faithful. Rawleigh Williams III is the leading returner from a yards-per-carry standpoint (4.5), but rising senior fullback Kody Walker finished second on the team with 394 yards and six touchdowns.

Brooks Ellis, a rising senior, is back to lead the Arkansas defense from his linebacker position. He led the team with 102 tackles in 2015.

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, a rising sophomore, is also back and he finished with 95 stops. Rising senior Jeremiah Ledbetter is back to anchor the defensive line for Arkansas. He was tied for fourth on the team with 55 stops in 2015. Defensive back Henre' Toliver finished tied with Ledbetter in tackles and he had eight pass breakups and nine passes defended, which were second only to another returner in the defensive backfield, rising senior Jared Collins, who knocked away 10 passes last year. Toby Baker, a rising senior, will handle the punting duties for Arkansas after averaging 41.2 yards per punt last season. Cole Hedlund is back to handle the placekicking duties after making 9 of 15 field goal attempts as a freshman.

The Razorbacks open the 2016 season at home against Louisiana Tech. They travel to play at TCU the following weekend. A week before the Rebels travel to Arkansas, Alabama stops in on Oct. 8. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 9

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 10

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

Weesie Biedenharn 662.638.5332

Amanda Wymer 662.829.9536

Paula Crum 662.701.7789

Eileen Saunders 662. 404.0816

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OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

PAGE 11

15 CR 2016

$660,500

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COUNTRY VIEW VILLAGE Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, open floor plan in the downstairs. Just a few minutes from the shops and restaurants of Jackson Avenue as well as the University campus. FNC Park is very near as well. MLS#135383 Call Blake Thompson - 662-801-7014.

Proposed construction - Plan features a triple split design with 4BD/3BA, open floor plan is great for entertaining, large family room & rear porch area. The bedrooms are away from the main area of the house which allows privacy. The master bath has split areas for him & her, large shower & walk thru closet to access the laundry room. MLS# 135687. Call Martin Mesecke – 662-715-1111.

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CALHOUN CITY - Beautiful 3BD/2.5BA, traditional ranch home located on a huge 2 acre lot. 2 car attached garage & amazing bonus area in a detached 20 x 30 building that is heated & cooled. Bonus area makes a great play area for the kids or a heated shop/studio. MLS# 135467 Call Nicole Cain Wright – 662-617-5744.

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PAGE 12

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

PAGE 13

Ormon pleased with summer growth of his OHS Lady Chargers

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Cliff Ormon started to replace a number of starting players by taking his Oxford Lady Chargers to basketball camp at Northeast Mississippi Community College.

Competition was the big thing for Ormon to see from his group overall, especially they youngsters that started cutting their teeth.

“We were replacing experienced kids who didn't have some of the late-game experience, so going in, we wanted to see kids compete and to play as much as possible,” Ormon said. “We wanted to see them gain that experience against competitive teams. We were able to do that throughout the summer, playing lots of players, because of people being in and out. The two biggest things we wanted to see were competitiveness and then gain some game experience, where they had to make plays handling the press or becoming different shooters and rebounders, to see where they could come in and contribute.”

Tiara King, Jordan Freeze and Maggee Hobson are the top returners for Ormon. All three missed time this summer for various reasons. Of course Ormon knows what those three can do from last season and them not playing didn't grind things to a complete halt.

“As for the other players returning and those freshmen coming up, we needed a lot of work on things they could do,” Ormon said.

“Calicia Zinn really stepped up. She had a good summer for us. Kelsey Wilborn will be a 10th grader. She also had a great summer. We feel like she will play a pivotal role for us as a rebounder, hustle player. Her offensive game will continue to improve but she brings a lot of hustle. Then we have a talented freshmen group coming up that are pushing a lot of these players that are returning as well.”

Some of the things that Ormon wants to do with his team this next season weren't focused on as much as figuring out what the invidual players could actually do.

NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Oxford's Lady Chargers took part in the team camp at Northeast Mississippi Community College as part of a busy summer.

“We didn't press as much as we normally would.

Some of the players just haven't had the practice time to understand what we wanted out of our press,” Ormon said. “We actually played zone when we were at Northeast camp and we looked pretty good doing that. This team will look a little different. We want to play fast offensively to continue to be a pressure team, whether we're pressing as a zone type team or like last year when we played a lot of man-toman, full court. We're going to be a little more multiple in our defenses. But the biggest thing we wanted to do was for the players to learn what they could do.

That was a challenge in a lot of our summer games.”

Without King, Freeze and Hobson in the lineup, Ormon was hoping that would be a benefit to the team in the coming season because the others had to learn how to score without their help.

“We talked about overcoming adversity in given situations where we had to make plays. Some of these players, their biggest job

last year was just being a great defensive player,” Ormon said. “They didn't have to worry about handling the ball or being an affective scorer. We didn't look to run our offense through them where as this summer, those roles changed where we ran our offense through different players. Calicia stepped up and shot the ball well in some games and hopefully that will benefit her this year as her role changes.”

Success on the scoreboard can't match the experience Ormon was hoping his players got from the summer.

“They saw what it was like when we played a varsity game. Even our freshmen played a lot of those varsity minutes and then when we played a JV game, you could tell the game had kind of risen, a little bit,” Ormon said. “We saw some very successful JV scores when you look at the scoreboard. I don't get caught up in wins in the summer. It's more about looking at what we're improving on and what can we do going into next year to make this group better.”

JOHN DAVIS

Oxford coach Cliff Ormon was pleased with the growth of his younger players this summer.

Another help, compared to last summer, for Ormon was knowing the roster so much better because he was just hired in late May, 2015.

“We do have a little bit of knowledge on some of the things we think they can be successful with. We saw some things we feel will be positives,” Ormon said. “In high school, you have to be

able to change some of the things you do from year to year. We will have to be a different team scoring wise than what we were last year.

I thought we could put five players on the floor who could do different things last year where this year we might try and get specific players more shots. We still want our other players to know they still have a role.

Same thing defensively. We played a lot of pressure man and used our quickness with our guards where this year we may use more of our young size coming up. I think we will be a little more multiple in our defenses where we go more zone to man.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 14

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

Workers continue to build stairs leading from newly build field level at the South end zone as Ole Miss works to complete a stadium expansion that is scheduled to be complete by the end of August 2016.

THOMAS WELLS | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Scaffolding is being used to install additional speakers around Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium as part of the stadium expansion.

Crews make their way out on the field from under the new North end zone expansion at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium in Oxford.

The view of the North end zone from the club level south endzone at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium in Oxford.

Vaught FROM 8

another expansion at the stadium in the future, it's obvious that something will have to be done about Starnes.

Ole Miss had already done a number of improvements to the stadium the past two decades. It was exactly 20 years ago that the last game in Jackson was played. Just a few years

later, club seating was added. Then club seating in the south end zone and all the suites that are there now were completed.

When that project was finalized, it actually made Ole Miss look like so many other SEC schools. About the only thing that anyone could find fault with was the north end zone and how the stadium wasn't “bowled” in. That is no longer an issue, or a source of criticism.

Another big thing fans

have been excited about is the new grass. Turf took a lot of time to get used to.

Now that it's gone, it's easy to forget how it looked.

There were some big wins gained on that fake stuff, but the grass is going to be so much better.

Everything has been on schedule, and Swingle praised Roy Anderson Construction for their efforts along the way. It's been quite a project, and outside The Pavilion, the upgrades to Vaught are the

largest part of the Forward Together campaign.

The trickiest part of the whole project, Swingle said last Friday, was coordinating five general contractors along with Roy Anderson, who is in charge of the north end zone and the south field club level. Sports Turf handled all the grass installation, and also all the field turf that covers both sidelines. MUSCO and Advance handled all the lighting. Daktronics han-

Work crews continue to work on what will be consession areas under the new North end zone at Ole Miss. dled all the video boards and the new sound system.

“Coordinating all that, and making sure everyone plays nice in the sand box, has been quite the challenge,” Swingle said adding it will be nice when everything is complete.

“We will find something to do.”

Swingle was eagerly anticipating the home season opener against Wofford on Sept. 10. He wanted to get feedback

from fans on the overall experience. It's hard to believe that somebody finds an issue with anything that has been upgraded, but fans are fans. Still, the project impressed in the hour and a half tour and there is still so much left to touch up. Football season is right around the corner, and the new-look Vaught makes us all wish for it to start so much sooner. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

PAGE 15

Beard pleased with summer results, excited about upcoming camp

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Practice was the main thing accomplished for the Oxford Lady Chargers this summer on the softball field. First-year head coach Tabitha Beard said the team practiced three times a week and went “pretty hard” for three or four weeks during June. Games weren't possible due to weather but Beard was pleased with how hard the team worked.

The main thing accomplished for Beard was getting to know the players. Of course the Lady Chargers understand what she is looking to do as well now thanks to work completed in June.

“I have to get to know them and they have to get used to me.

I've had to learn them and look at some position things and day-to-day routine and figuring out what we like as a coaching staff and what we're looking for,” Beard said. “We wanted to figure out what we need to work on when we start back at the end of the month. It was leaps and bounds over where we started three weeks ago. They're still so excited and hungry and

“There is no better way to do that than to start with the younger kids. They are going to be the future of the program and I've had quite a few travel organizations and Oxford parents and those from around the surrounding area seem really excited about it.”

The camp will focus on fundamentals and how fun softball cam be, Beard added. With so many sports to offer, softball hasn't been the main focus for girls to play each year.

“I want to see how fun the sport is and how it's a great game to play and the biggest thing is to get the young kids excited,” Beard said.

Registration will begin Monday at 7:15 a.m. The cost to participate is $75, and it's open for grades one through seven.

Forms will be available at the door, and those that want to pre register for the camp can call Beard at (662) 386-2078. Water will be available, while Gatorade and other snacks will be available to purchase. Cleats, tennis shoes and a glove are needed to take part in the camp.

ready to get to work and ready to win. They worked very hard over that three week period and I couldn't be happier with the results.”

Two-a-day practices will begin the final week in July. It's something that Beard did when she was at New Hope.

“The first part of it was breaking down fundamental skills and this is more about getting into shape and starting to get mentally tough and getting ready for our season together,” Beard said.

This coming week, the team will host a camp for younger players in the area. The four-day camp begins Monday and runs daily from 8 in the morning until noon. The camp will be held at the Lafayette Sportsplex and Beard said she has gotten a good response from the community.

“That was the aim, to get the young kids, the smaller kids in the community, excited about softball. With Ole Miss right here and them having such good success, and our school being so big and the community around it, my goal was to get the community excited about softball,” Beard said.

COURTESY

First-year softball coach Tabitha Beard is hosting a camp for youth this coming week at the Lafayette Sportsplex.

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

Team First Owens willing to do anything to help the Commodores

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Between a bevy of games with basketball and workouts with the football team in the early morning, Tay Tay Owens had a busy June.

Football is the main focus for the rising senior speedster, who is expecting to fill an even bigger role for the Commodores and coach Michael Fair in 2016.

Last season, Owens was a tailback and wide receiver.

This year, he is expecting to do all of that, and even see action on defense, and on special teams.

“I think my role this year is to go in there and make plays. I'm a senior. I have to give it my all, offense, defense and special teams, to make plays,” Owens said.

“Coach Fair told me that he's going to put me all over the place. I like that.

That's what I want to do, want to help the team. I might be at a lot of different positions. I think I catch the ball way better than I did last year. My sophomore year, I was just a running back. They would hand me the ball and I ran. Then last year, Coach (Dusty) Finley tried to convert me to a receiver.”

In order to do more this coming fall, Owens has been focused on keeping his body in shape, and doing as much as he can in the other aspects of team building/conditioning.

“The workouts are definitely helping us throw the ball better but like Coach Fair says, it doesn't determine what kind of team we are. It's more about us working out and getting better,” Owens said. “It's 7on-7, it's not pads on, but it helps get our routes better and seeing how we can defend. Coach Fair stresses how we compete. He gets us out there in the sun and works us to see how we compete.”

Results have been up and down, and when a player hasn't competed like Fair would like, Owens said a point gets made.

“He has told us that he doesn't care if we win by 30

or lose by 30, he wants us to compete,” Owens added.

“We make mistakes, everybody makes mistakes, but Coach Fair, he mainly wants us to learn from our mistakes. He's real different from Coach (Eric) Robertson. Of course we want to do everything right. We want to impress him. He also knows that it's not just going to happen overnight, that we're going to be the perfect, championship caliber team overnight. It's a process. If we gradually get better, we should be fine by the start of the season.”

The only stat that Owens said he was focused on were wins. Not yards, not touchdowns, just wins. A team-first mentality is why Owens was up for the move to cornerback.

“I wasn't so good at it at first but I'm working trying to get better,” he said.

“We're going to need me at corner. I like the move. We have a lot of good, big running backs. We got a lot of guys that can run the ball, but we don't have a lot of skill guys, corners, so I like the move because it's going to help the team.”

When Owens was in the eighth grade, he came into contact with the varsity squad through his brother.

He wants to build that type of friendship with the other players in the effort to be the best total team.

“To get to the championship, you have to play together. There can't be any selfishness,” Owens said.

“We need more leadership.

There is maturity in the locker room, but we have to have better leadership every game and better focus. The coaches, they've been doing a great job of it.

It's the little things that really matter.”

Fair said it was big for Owens to be so open about the team and the overall success of the Commodores.

“We preach it and we talk about family and what it means to be a part of a family and pulling their weight inside of a family,” Fair said.

“Everybody has a role, and everybody is buying into

JOHN DAVIS

Lafayette is counting on Tay Tay Owens being able to play all over the field this fall, including defense at cornerback. that, especially our seniors.

I think they understand if we don't play together, we're not going to be very successful.”

There is a lot on Owens' plate, Fair said, but he feels like he handle it all, and has already with humility and dignity.

“He hasn't played defense that I'm aware of since junior high and when we started looking at what we have coming back, it just made sense to me that we should try him at corner,” Fair said. “Not once did he ever say anything about it. He looked at me

and said 'Yes, sir, I'll play wherever you want me to play.' He can play it and we're excited about what he bring to the table defensively. He's a great tackler.

He can really run well, and he knows and understands the game of football. We feel confident he can play

corner for us and even some safety for us at some time, too. He's a versatile athlete who understands where he's supposed to be.

We can win with guys like Tay Tay.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016

PAGE 17

Sherman saw his LHS Commodores take steps in summer action

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

There are 30 days in the month of June. Lafayette's Commodores ended up playing 24 summer games, going 12-12 in those contests. Coach John Sherman couldn't recall one of his teams seeing that much action, especially in a 17-day span.

“One day we played three games before noon. We played summer league in the surrounding areas. We played here at Lafayette and at Myrtle and Ingomar,” Sherman said. “We went to team camp at Itawamba Community College and we went to Delta State's team camp for an overnight stay.

We ended up playing four games and two games in a tournament and came within two points of reaching the finals of our bracket.

That was good for us. All the teams except one are teams we don't see. We saw teams from the Delta and a couple of Memphis teams. That was good in that respect.”

Wins and losses are only a portion of what Sherman bases his summer work and review on. He saw his players show some hurt after some close losses. One of the two areas that the Commodores struggled with last

PETRE THOMAS

It was a busy June for Lafayette coach John Sherman. The Commodores played in 24 games overall. season was fighting their way back into a game when down double digits.

“We really did that at ICC. We got down 11-0, 18-5 to a very good Winfield, Alabama team that was tough and perennial final eight in their division,” Sherman said. “We talked about it, that it's no one or two quarters, it's four. Fight to the end. We cut that game to

seven at halftime and came back and took the lead in the last couple of minutes.

“We gave up the lead, took back the lead and ended the game in a tie and then lost in sudden-death overtime. One of the guys said they gave them an extra point somewhere along the line so we might have even won that game. That was great for us. Even losing that

game, it just let them know we can do this.”

The other area that Sherman would like to see his Commodores improve in is finishing a game with the lead.

“I think they understand how to win ballgame. They understand that it's a process, it's not just about me and scoring and win it all by myself. It's a team

process,” Sherman said.

“Even though we may not have accomplished that, we accomplished knowing that's how it has to be done.”

There were some individuals that had good summer production, and some that didn't. Sherman added he liked the growth and the fight in several players.

“They know who they are and I think we really gelled

as a unit, as a group,” Sherman said. “We had some not make it all the time because of injuries or baseball.

There was a good core group, especially the one that went to Delta State.

They bonded and they should feel good about themselves as a unit. I'm big on practice, but we didn't work on a lot of things as much as just played. I never saw anyone get winded in those three games back to back to back and that's pretty tough to do.”

Sherman added that it was tough for athletes that play two and three sports to get in everything because of the overall demands.

“They get bombarded and it's gotten to be too much. I think we've all gone just slap crazy,” Sherman said. “Our athletic department, our teams, play well over 100 close to 200 games.

Soccer, softball, baseball, basketball. It's just crazy. We did get better because of it but I still think it's crazy.

Everybody is trying to get ahead and nobody gets ahead because everyone is playing. The good get better and the not so good get better. It's all in the same perspective.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Lady Commodores build important depth with solid summer

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

A full calendar year ago, Shayne Linzy was doing his best to learn what his Lafayette Lady Commodores could do. This summer, a season after advancing to play in the MHSAA Class 4A state basketball tournament, Linzy saw his returners take additional steps as a team.

“I really couldn't have asked for a better summer.

It wasn't a point of wins or losses or anything of that nature, it was the fact that I wanted to try and build depth,” Linzy said. “I did have a lot of returning players, and a few new girls coming up from the eighth grade. I wanted to try to get as much depth as possible and prepare for two years from now when I lose all

these seniors.”

Shaniyah Buford and Orianna Shaw are two of those rising seniors, and two of the better players in North Mississippi. Linzy knows he can count on them to aid in the process.

Linzy employed a platoontype system. Lafayette ended up playing 20 games overall, winning all but one.

“It was good. We lost to Ingomar by one and they're good and going to be as tough as all get out next year in 2A,” Linzy said.

“I started five seniors and I had it based on minutes and then I would sub in another group of underclassmen. Then I had a couple of other seniors in that varsity group I would get them in as well. I felt like these kids got a lot of good minutes, quality minutes. I had

a junior and a ninth grader who saw some action last year but not a lot and they got all they could stand.”

Experience gained for the younger girls, and for the seniors who didn't play much the last couple of years, were the biggest pluses for Linzy. Lauren Wilkinson, who is a rising senior, Xhiir Burgess, Azariah Buford and Kimaya Dixon were the ones who really benefited from the summer, Linzy felt. D'Ericka Booker, the Lady Commodores' lone junior, also put things together.

“You could see a difference between last year and this year with their confidence level and their offensive ability and defense,” Linzy said. “Those girls didn't surprise me because I knew they could do it, but I was proud to see them ac-

tually put in on the floor in a game. That was good.”

Defense is stressed first

by Linzy, and that will continue into the 2016-17 season. He felt like the defense was “great” in the summer, and it triggered the offense just like planned.

“I think we are able to get out into transition a little faster than some other teams,” Linzy said. “They started to mesh well together. We're going to be stronger, we're going to be faster. We shouldn't issues where we get tired in a game. We're going to be 10 to 12 deep when the season starts. The girls were very focused this summer and had a great work ethic and they are looking forward to a great season.”

JOHN DAVIS

john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Shayne Linzy saw his Lafayette Lady Commodores go 19-1 in summer league action.

Citizen

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