One of the better aspects of taking a look back is noting what has changed and what hasn’t.

It’s interesting that 20 years ago and again in 2017, Tunica County’s public schools are under state conservatorship.

Today’s high school students weren’t even born in 1997 and don’t remember that the Tunica County School District started the 1996-97 year under a cloud. In February, the state stepped in, withdrawing accreditation from the system, and, a month later, assigned Dr. Ron Love as conservator for the district.

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A series of drive by shootings that may be tied to a January 1 nightclub shooting in North Tunica County is under active investigation by the Tunica County Sheriff’s Department.

On Thursday, January 5, officers responded to a shooting call at a home on Y Street in the New Sub. Davis said the victim reported the incident after the fact, so there are no descriptions of possible shooters or vehicles that may have been involved. The next night, January 6, in the early morning hours, officers responded to a drive by shooting in nearby Jacks Subdivision, followed by another shooting at the same Y Street location. Then, on Sunday, January 8, a vehicle in the neighborhood of Nellie Johnson Village was shot into.

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Tunica County supervisors agreed Tuesday night to begin a series of legal steps aimed toward the sale of its two healthcare clinics.

A notice to the public that the county is considering such a sale began running in The Tunica Times’ legal section this week (see Page 6). A hearing on the matter has been set for Tuesday, February 21, at 4 p.m. According to the notice, “any interested party may appear and present any relevant evidence or facts regarding this issue....”

Supervisors voted last month to consider a request for proposals, after hearing from Denise Pratt, a party who wants to take over ownership and operation of the facilities. Pratt appeared before the Board several times in 2016 to express her interest.

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When a neighbor approached her about an open job at a local bank in the spring of 1975, she had no idea that it would lead to a career spanning four decades.

This week, Billie Ruth Sowell officially retired from First Security bank after serving as a teller for nearly 42 years. Co-workers, customers, friends and family saluted her at a reception at the bank on Wednesday, Jan. 18.

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