Governor Tate Reeves announced on March 31, 2022, the signing of House Bill 530, which gives Mississippi teachers and assistant teachers the largest pay raise in Mississippi history.
The legislation gives an average pay raise of $5,140 to teachers and $2,000 to assistant teachers. This major investment into Mississippi education will place average teacher starting salaries in the state ahead of the National and Southeastern averages.
“When it comes to delivering a quality education for our kids, we are getting the job done,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “These pay raises will help cement Mississippi’s competitive footing to not only incentivize educators to stay in our state, but also to proactively recruit people to move here and teach in our communities. This legislation is a stake in the ground that proudly declares Mississippi’s enduring commitment to supporting our educators and our education system, and I am ecstatic to sign it into law.”
Dr. Dennis Jones, a native of Collins and a 2002 graduate of Collins High School, is involved in research at Boston University which is aimed at stopping cancer from metastasizing (spreading) throughout the body by identifying the immune evasion mechanisms used by cancer cells to persist in lymph nodes and eventually metastasize to distant organs.
Dr. Jones is currently the Ralph Edwards Career Development (Assistant) Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine. He earned his B. S. in Biology from Morehouse College in 2006, completed Doctoral training in the Immunobiology Department at Yale University in 2012, and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Radiation Oncology Department at the Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School until 2018. He has expertise in vascular biology, cancer biology, and immunology.
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is pleased to announce unanimous Senate approval of S.623, the Sunshine Protection Act. Hyde-Smith is an original cosponsor of this legislation to make Daylight Saving Time the new, permanent standard time. The Senate-passed bill, which still requires House passage and the President’s signature, would delay implementation until Nov. 20, 2023.
“The public safety improvements, economic benefits, and the wellbeing of the American people are all excellent and credible reasons to embrace year-long Daylight Saving Time,” Hyde-Smith said. “I know the agricultural sector in Mississippi and across the nation desires this change. I believe the Sunshine Protection Act would give us an immediate and long-term boost after a terrible pandemic year and a very dark winter.”
Potential effects of making Daylight Saving Time permanent for the nation:
Benefits the economy. According to a study by JP Morgan Chase, which found that there is a drop in economic activity of 2.2 percent – 4.9 percent when clocks move back.
Benefits the agricultural economy, which is disrupted disproportionately by biannual changes in time by upsetting the synergy between farmers’ schedules and their supply chain partners.
Reduces car crashes and car accidents involving pedestrians. Better aligning daylight hours to drivers’ standard work hours’ increases visibility. Also reduces the number of vehicle collisions with wildlife by 8-11 percent.
Reduces childhood obesity and increases physical fitness. According to studies, children see an increase in physical activity during DST.
Reduces the number of robberies by 27 percent, because of additional daylight in the evenings.
“Blazing New Trails of Legacy through the Generations” is the theme for this year’s Black Heritage Celebration Association’s events in Covington County to honor Black History Month.
There have been events all during the month of February leading up to the biggest day for the festivities. The 24th annual Black Heritage Celebration will be held Saturday, February 26, 2022, in Collins.
At 12:00 noon, the Black Heritage Celebration Parade begins with the line-up at the Collins High School and the parade route continues through downtown Collins.
Following the parade, everyone is invited to the Carver Middle School Campus for the Heritage Museum in the Gymnasium and live stage performances at the campus.
Grand Marshals for the Parade are Dr. Sonya Barnes Barker, Delphia J. Barnes, J.B. “Ben” Barnes III, Deborah Denard Delgado, Katrina Mead Dennis, Charles Fairley, Kristal Mead Hillie, Dr. Sandra McCullum Mclaurin, Chelsea Sullivan, Dr. Shomari T. Thompson, and Arnitra Crosby.
The 2022 Black Heritage Celebration Honorees are The Family; Lincoln, Hopewell, Carver Alumni Association and Teachers 1954-1969.
11 Mayors across the Pine Belt have agreed to participate in Extra Table’s event, MARCH OF THE MAYORS! It’s a canned food drive, a fundraiser and it’s Mississippi’s Largest Food Box Packing Party.
The March of the Mayors is a 4-week-long event, driven by donations of specific food items, that will benefit Extra Table’s partner food pantries. Each participating city is collecting one specific food item that will be dropped off at different select locations. Food collection last for 4 weeks with a final box packing party where volunteers are needed. ALL FOOD collected in the Pine Belt will stay in the Pine Belt going directly to Extra Table’s partner food pantries!
The City of Collins is collecting “Spaghetti Noodles” from February 16 to March 8, 2022. Donation boxes are located in City Hall, Collins Fire Department and Ramey’s.
Bobby Mooney, a dedicated public servant of the City of Collins, died Monday, January 24, 2022, at his residence.
His service to the city began in 1975 where he started in the electrical department. Shortly after in 1979, he was elected as alderman where he would serve for 42 years until his recent retirement in June 2021. He was dedicated to the growth and development of his beloved city and leaves behind the legacy of a leader in the community who was fair and treated everyone equally.
“Bobby committed most of his life to serving the residents of Collins. Even after he retired, he made sure that he stayed in contact with me concerning all aspects of the city and to make sure that we stayed on the path of progress,” said Collins Mayor Hope Magee Jones. “He will be missed.”
City Clerk Suzette Davis agreed.
“Bobby was dedicated to the City of Collins citizens and the employees. He took into consideration the feelings of citizens and employees when making decisions for the city. Bobby was not afraid to vote his voice even if it was unpopular, and I admired him for that. It was an honor and a pleasure to serve under his as the City Clerk for Collins. He has been missed since he retired and will be missed even more now,” said Davis.
During his lifetime of service, he was a part of the police station renovations, construction of the fire station and later addition to the fire station, restoration of the historic train depot, construction of the civic center and senior citizens center, the VO Smith courtyard and renovations to the library, Collins softball and baseball fields and Westside Park.
His strong leadership was recognized with the honor of a certified municipal official with the Mississippi Municipal League serving on the board of directors for nine years and was inducted into the Mississippi Municipal Hall of Fame in 2017.
Alderman Mooney was a part of obtaining numerous grants for the city including the Mississippi Development Authority, Small Municipal and Limited Populations Grants, Community Development Block Grants, Mississippi Department of Transportation, Crime Prevention Grants, Department of Justice, Mississippi Forestry Grant, Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Grants and the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District Area Agency on Aging Grant.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, January 27, 2022, at the Collins Civic Center with visiting beginning at 11 a.m.
A large crowd gathered Monday, January 17, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. on the campus of Carver Middle School (formerly Carver Central High School) in Collins to unveil the school’s National Register of Historic Places Marker. The school was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on January 24, 2019. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has recognized Carver Middle School as an important and educational part of the Covington County local history.
Covington County Junior Livestock exhibitors have spent numerous hours in preparation for the 2022 County Livestock Show which will be held January 14-15, 2022.
“We hope everyone will come out and support these young people at our county show. The hard work they have put into their project animals will continue as they move forward to the District Show in Hattiesburg and as they conclude the season with the Dixie National Junior Roundup in Jackson!” says Covington County ANR/4-H Agent, Ellen Russell. “This is a year long project for most exhibitors and they have put a lot of time and efforts into making their animal look their best for these shows. These are family projects which truly involve the whole family and make for a lot of quality time in the barn at home.” Russell concluded.
For more about livestock events information please contact the Covington County Extension Office at 601-765-8252. For more information on any Covington County 4-H Activity contact, Ellen P. Russell, Covington County ANR/4-H Agent, Mississippi State Extension Service, at 601-765-8252.
Collins Christmas Parade held Thursday, December 2, 2021 was called one of the biggest and best ever! More than 45 entries participated in the Parade which included floats, bands, and so much more making it one of the largest Christmas Parades in Collins’ history.
Santa’s Village of Games brings out many children and adults in Collins
To say the children were excited to see Santa and Mrs. Claus on Friday, December 3, 2021, in Collins would be a large understatement. His arrival was met with a large crowd of children just waiting to tell Santa Claus what was on their Christmas list! Santa’s Village of Games was held in the V.O. Smith Courtyard in downtown Collins. Collins City Merchants were open for everyone to do their Christmas shopping as well as to mingle with their friends and families.
