A Tunica tradition and opportunities on the horizon were both topics of discussion at the Feb. 16 meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

Lyn Arnold, president/CEO of the Tunica County Chamber and Economic Development Foundation, said plans were underway for the Rivergate Festival. It will be held April 15 and 16 and will commemorate the 20th anniversary of Crawfish Alley.

“We are booking music,” Arnold said. “Applications for the arts and crafts and food vendors have been coming in.”

Arnold said the event will also include favorites such as a petting zoo and pony rides. The children’s tractor pull will also be held.

“We’re tossing around some ideas to get people downtown,” Arnold said.

Later in the meeting, the Board of Aldermen voted to allot  $5000 for the festival and will contribute manpower through the police and public works departments.

After recapping what the town had contributed to past festivals, Mayor Chuck Cariker said he thought it was important to support Rivergate.  Ward 1 alderman Jack Graves agreed.

Read more

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Zika virus is now among the list of mosquito-borne viruses Mississippians should guard against, but standard defenses can help prevent spread of the disease.

A suspected link between the infection and certain birth defects, including microcephaly, prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international concern on Feb. 1. Babies with microcephaly are born with smaller-than-usual heads due to interrupted brain development.

“No Zika virus cases have been reported in Mississippi,” said Wendy Varnado, an entomologist with the Mississippi State Department of Health. “But we are on the lookout. There is potential for the virus to spread because we do have confirmed cases of the virus in the United States and the types of mosquitoes that can carry the disease. People should take the standard precautionary steps to prevent mosquito bites.”

Jerome Goddard, an Extension professor of medical and veterinary entomology with Mississippi State University, said two types of mosquitoes can carry the Zika virus: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

Read more

Mississippians return to the polls March 8 for primary elections for federal offices and to elect members to county election commissions and levee boards. Races for the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals will also be on the ballot.

Candidates qualifying for the Democratic primary are: for President, Hillary Clinton, Roque ‘Rocky’ De La Fuente, Martin O’Malley, and Bernie Sanders; and for U.S. House, 2nd District, Bennie G. Thompson.

Read more

Read more