News

Boys and Girls Club to host fundraiser

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.

May 17, 2017 in Blog, Community

Collins donates vehicles to Sheriff’s Department

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.

May 16, 2017 in Blog, Community

Woolwine opens new dealership in Collins

New cars are rolling onto the lot at Woolwine Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep in Collins. “We are excited to offer these new lines to Collins and the surrounding area,” said John Woolwine. Woolwine said they approached the Chrysler brand four years ago about bringing the lines to Collins, and at the time the company did not have an opening for a new dealership. “We really wanted it specifically for the Dodge diesel trucks and the new Jeeps,” said Woolwine. “A lot of our customers are crazy about the diesels and the Jeeps and there is a high demand in the area.” Last year, Woolwine said, a representative with the Chrysler brand flew to Mississippi and met with the Woolwine family to discuss a possible spot that would be opening up for a dealership in the area. “She asked us if we were still interested,” he said, “because she told us there were four other dealerships looking to bring the brand to Collins.” The Woolwines committed to the brand. “Of course we wanted to bring the brand to Collins,” he said. Woolwine noted that the Chrysler product has become extremely popular with the improvements they have made. “The Ram truck is the fasting growing truck in popularity right now,” he said, “and we are ready to get on board.” Woolwine added that their inventory was beginning to trickle in. “We have been told that our allotment of new vehicles will be coming in over the next month,” he said. While the dealership receives its new shipments over the next several weeks, Woolwine added that they are able to locate new vehicles at other dealerships for their customers. “We also have a full line of program cars,” he said. Currently, the dealership is housed in the old Woolwine Ford Lincoln building. “We are remodeling that building right now,” he said. “It’s going to meet all of the Chrysler specifications.” There are plans to build a new dealership just south of the new Woolwine Ford Lincoln dealership on Highway 49 in Collins. “Chrysler wants a new building in the next few years, and we are working on that,” said Woolwine. With the addition of the Chrysler dealership, Woolwine said they will be adding several new jobs especially in the service department. “That’s where we will be adding the bulk of new jobs,” he said. “Most of our salesmen will sell at both dealerships. We will probably be adding a few salesmen along the way.”

May 16, 2017 in Blog, Community

City elections to be held May 2

Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, to cast their ballots in the primary municipal elections in the City of Collins. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. All voting in the city elections will take place at the Collins Civic Center.

A special write-in election is being held for the Ward Four Alderman’s seat left vacant upon the passing of Alderman Halbert Walker.

Candidates running the City of Collins Election are:

Mayor

V.O. Smith – Democrat

Hope Jones Magee – Democrat

Tom Brooks – Republican

 

Alderman At Large

Bobby A. Mooney – Democrat

 

Alderman Ward 1

Lester Magee – Democrat

Merria Lisa Speight – Democrat

 

Alderman Ward 2

Regina Daughdrill -Republican

Robert Thompson – Democrat

 

Alderman Ward 3

Johnathon L. Anderson – Democrat

Sally Buffington – Democrat

Ray Magee – Democrat

 

Alderman Ward 4

Ann Lot – Republican

Debbie Lundy – Democrat Write-In

 

 

April 27, 2017 in Blog

Lady Tigers graduating Top of the Class

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.

April 7, 2017 in Blog, Community

DECA Students visit Collins Veterans Home

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.

March 31, 2017 in Blog, Community

Rotary Club to host annual Spring Classic

The Collins Rotary Club “Spring Classic” golf tournament will be held Saturday, April 1, 2017, at the Okatoma Golf Club. The tournament is organized around a two-person scramble format with prizes awards for first, second and third places in First Flight and Second Flight. The entry fee for the two-man scramble is $50 and includes green fee, cart, food and beverages. The “Spring Classic” will begin with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Prizes include $250 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place the First Flight and $200 for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for third place in the Second Flight. Prizes for the closest to pin and longest drive will also be awarded. Lunch will be served beginning at 11 a.m. Mulligans are $5 each and there are only two per golfer and four per team. Mulligans may not be used on “closest to pin” or “longest drive”. For more information about the event, call 601-765-1841, or Oliver Hitt at 601-765-4466. Proceeds support the Collins Rotary Club’s scholarship program which annually awards scholarships to graduating seniors from Covington County who will attend a state college or university and also to an eligible Covington County sophomore attending Jones County Junior College.

March 28, 2017 in Blog, Community