Community

The Covington County Library System is gearing up for another great year of its “Build a Better World” Summer Reading Program. This year, the system received two $3,000 grants through the Mississippi Library Commission, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, that allowed for the expansion of each library’s children and young adult collections. Hundreds of popular titles have been added to the branches, including a significant number of graphic novels. These new titles will be excellent choices for children looking to fill their reading logs during the upcoming Summer Reading Program. Beginning June 1, the libraries will be hosting a variety of events, culminating in a finale event at each branch on June 30 with Animal Tales, an educational presentation featuring live animals. Over the course of the month, participants will have the opportunity to attend any or all of these events, and will be able to add completed books to their reading log each week to earn prizes and free books. A complete list of events and a link to the registration form can be found on the library website’s summer reading page, http://www.ccls.lib.ms.us/summer-reading/. Registration begins May 22, but participants may sign up at any point during the program.

Collins Police Chief Joey Ponder announced that his department has received a “Click It or Ticket Day and Night” grant from the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety. “With the funds awarded to the City of Collins, officers with police department will be out day and night looking for unrestrained drivers and passengers,” said Ponder. The extra manpower will come at no additional expense to city taxpayers. The campaign will be going on from May 22-June 4. Ponder urged all drivers to buckle up not only themselves but children as well.

The Boys and Girls Club of Covington County will host its 20th Annual Steak and Steak Dinner & Silent Auction, Saturday, May 20, 2017. The event will be held at the Collins Civic Center. The Silent Auction will begin at 6:00pm with Dinner at 6:30pm. The special guest speaker will be Melanie Preston. Preston is a native of Collins. She graduated from Collins High School and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. She also attended William Carey University where she completed graduate studies in Counseling Psychology with a minor in School Counseling and received her first Master of Arts degree. In 2012, Mrs. Preston pursued and completed a second Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from Western Governors University, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Preston is a state and nationally board certified Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She is also a licensed school counselor, school psychologist, and administrator. She is married to Patrick Preston and they are the proud parents of three children, Nia, Nehemiah, and Nalivia. “The evening will be filled with food, fun and fellowship, but most important, we will be celebrating the commitment of our community to support the Boys & Girls Club of Covington County”, says Peggy Weary, Executive Director. The Theme for the evening will be “Going for the Goal: Academic Success.” Tickets are $100 per plate or $500 per table and seating is limited. They can be purchased from any Boys and Girls Club Board Member, Unit Director or at the Main Office. Donations to the Club and for our Silent Auction are always greatly appreciated, with all monies being used locally. For more information on how you can join this celebration of our young people and make a difference for the future by supporting the Boys & Girls Club of Covington County, please call 601-765-6300.

The City of Collins donated two vehicles from its fleet with the Collins Police Department to the Covington County Sheriff’s Department. The vehicles, according to Police Chief Joey Ponder, have approximately 200,000 miles on them and are in good working order. “They still have about 100,000 miles worth of use left in them,” said Sheriff Stann Smith. “We have a lot of ground to cover and we appreciate these vehicles.” The cars were given at a cost of $100 per vehicle as required by law. “We are happy to help the Sheriff’s Department,” said Collins Mayor V.O. Smith. “We like to help any way we can, and we are glad that the Sheriff’s Department will get some use out of them.” The Collins Police Department has just purchased two new vehicles that are being outfitted for service.

The LAST DAY for ABSENTEE VOTING will be Saturday, April 29. Voters may come by Collins City Hall during regular hours or on Saturday from 8 a.m. until 12 noon to vote absentee.

Congratulations to the Collins High School Lady Tigers and the members of the cheerleading team for being named scholar athletes. They will be graduating in the top 30precent of the CHS Class of 2017.  Pictured above (front, from left) are Ta’Shira Hawthorn, Da’Shira Hawthorn, LaChara Beasley (second row) Brenna Slay, JaShon Turner, Porsha Fairley, Alexis Harris, (back row) Zakyia Weathersby, Salutatorian CHS Class of 2017. Their participation in sports while maintaining a high grade point average provided each of them with a good experience of team work, an opportunity to achieve their greatest potential while developing the characteristics of being a leader.

Okatoma Festival tshirts are on sale now at all local banks and the Covington County Chamber of Commerce office.  The shirts are $15.

The Covington County DECA marketing students at the Vo-Tech Center visited the Collins Veterans Home where they made a contribution to the Veterans OutReach. In a countywide community service project beginning in November, the students collectively spent 1,000 hours with the community’s military heroes. They went the extra mile to raise $500 to donate to the organization which accommodates the veterans with items to make living more comfortable. The veterans have enjoyed the time spent with the students while the students were rewarded by the service as well. “Honestly, it makes me feel good because I want to give back to the people who did so much for us,” said Miercoles Keys, a junior at Collins High School. “It inspires me and makes me want to go to the army.” Jake Sanford, founder of Veterans OutReach said the money will go a long way, but the time the students gave meant the most. “It not only does my heart good to see them doing this, it does these veterans’ hearts good to know there’s a group of young people who love them, care for them, and want to do this for them,” he said.