Marion County

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Pine Belt Fire Coordinators Issue Outdoor Burning Warning Dry, windy conditions fueling grass, brush and woods fires

Fire Coordinators from Covington, Forrest, Jeff Davis, Jones, Lamar, Marion and Wayne counties are warning local residents in each county about the dangers of outdoor burning.  Over the past week,

volunteer fire departments in these seven Pine Belt counties have responded to dozens of out of control grass, brush and woods fires with several of the fires threatening structures.  “Our volunteer

fire departments have been very busy responding to grass, brush and woods fires with some fairly large acreage fires reported in the Pine Belt,” notes Lamar County Fire Coordinator George Stevens.

Adds Wayne County Fire Coordinator Doug Hutto, “The past several weeks have been extremely cold with numerous heavy frosts which has dried out the already dead vegetation.  Combine the dry

vegetation with moderate to strong winds and you have perfect conditions for rapid fire spread.”

Forrest County Fire Coordinator Chip Brown notes, “We are urging the public to be very careful if conducting any outdoor burning activities and refrain from outdoor burning if possible until

we have had some rainfall in the area.  When a volunteer fire department is out on a preventable wildland fire, they are unavailable to respond to potentially more serious calls such as vehicle

accidents and structure fires.”  Should a controlled fire get out of control, residents are urged to call 911 to report the fire and take steps to protect life and property.  Keep a water hose or

appropriate fire suppression equipment handy and be sure not to conduct outdoor burning activities when windy conditions are present.  “We’ve been very fortunate that no one has been injured

in some of these fast moving fires,” notes Jones County Fire Coordinator Dan McKenna.  He adds, “It just takes a moment for a small fire to get out of control and become a monster fire.  We just

want local residents to pay close attention to this fire warning and take steps to prevent damage to their homes and property and that of their neighbors – it’s a serious situation right now.”

Filed under: Covington County, Forrest County, Jones County, Lamar County, Marion County, burn, Dan McKenna, Disaster/Accident, Doug Hutto, fire, George Stevens, Wildfire

MARSHALL JOINS COLUMBIA FAMILY CLINIC

Shirley A. Marshall, M.D., recently joined the physicians and providers of Columbia Family Clinic, a service of Hattiesburg Clinic, to serve as a family medicine physician with a special interest in women’s health, diabetes and other chronic disease management.

Marshall received her medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and completed a family medicine residency at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, Mo.

She is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Her professional affiliations include the American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, Missouri Academy of Family Physicians and American College of Physician Executives.

Marshall joins Bert Beisel, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.; Robert R. Herrington, III, M.D.; John A. Johnson, III, M.D.; Mark A. Stevens, M.D.; Franklin W. Waller, Jr., M.D.; Harmony R. Brogden, PA-C; and Phyllis J. Burch, FNP-BC.

Filed under: Featured, Marion County, Medical, Columbia Family Clinic, Hattiesburg Clinic, Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals, Shirley A. Marshall

Legislators meet with PRCC students, faculty

Folks at Pearl River Community College heard a little good news Monday – they’ll probably get through the school year without losing any more funding.

Eighteen consecutive months of falling tax revenue meant most state agencies, including community college, were asked to cut their budgets more than once in fiscal 2010.

“The good news is five out of the last six months, we’ve met tax projections,” said Rep. Toby Barker, R-Hattiesburg. “I don’t think there will be mid-year budget cuts, but the growth is microscopic.”

Members of the Forrest County Center PRCC Faculty Association and students met with four area legislators, Sen. Tom King, R-Petal; Rep. Larry Byrd, R-Petal; Rep. Harvey Fillingane, R-Sumrall; and Barker.

“I enjoyed it,” said radiography student Logan Holden of Poplarville. “I thought it kind of gave us a bird’s eye view of the state and what’s going on.”

While the state’s economy grows at a snail’s pace, enrollment at the state’s 15 community colleges is booming, said PRCC President Dr. William Lewis.

Sen. Tom King, R_Petal, left, and Rep. Toby Barker, R_Hattiesburg, talk with Pearl River Community College radiology student Logan Holden of Poplarville Monday while Rep. Harvey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, greets another student during an open house at the Forrest County Center. PRCC Public Relations photo

Statewide, 88,000 students are enrolled in a community college this semester, 11,000 more than are attending a four-year institution, he said. Of the state’s freshmen, 70 percent are attending community college and 97 percent of community college students live in Mississippi, he said.

“We have a lot of needs,” Lewis said. “We continue to grow. We continue to need help. These are the folks we can count on.”

The economy downturn appears to have bottomed out but recovery won’t be quick, Fillingane said.

“As far as real solid growth goes, we’ll  have to have new jobs,” he said.

King agreed recovery will be slow.

“They’re telling us 2014 or 2015 to get to where we were five years ago,” King said.

Byrd predicted South Mississippi will benefit from reapportionment this year as well as economic factors such as expansion of the Port of Gulfport and the opening of the Stion solar panel plant in Hattiesburg.

“Because of the shift in population, we’ll see more lobbying efforts for South Mississippi,” he said.

Filed under: Featured, Forrest County, Government, Lamar County, Marion County, Pearl River, Harvey Fillingane, Larry Byrd, Pearl River Community College, Poplarville Mississippi, Toby Barker, Tom King, William Lewis

PRCC speaker says to laugh long and often

POPLARVILLE – Women need laughter and tears to maintain an emotional balance and cope with the changes life brings, the keynote speaker told more than 300 people Saturday at Pearl River Community College for the Women’s Health Symposium.

Sally Baskey of Arlington, Texas, reminded the audience that laughter causes the brain to release endorphins which increase feelings of happiness.

Sally Baskey of Arlington, Texas, was keynote speaker and told the audience laughter is her drug of choice. PRCC Public Relations photo

“You control the dosage,” Baskey said. “That’s what self-medicating is all about.”

Baskey spoke at the fifth annual Women’s Health Symposium, which offered women free health screenings and pampering, including manicures and chair massages; an art walk, break-out sessions on a variety of topics as well as the luncheon where she spoke.

“We’re very proud to have you come to our campus and be part of special events,” Dr. William Lewis, PRCC president, said in welcoming the women.

Health becomes more important to people as they age, he said.

“Quite frankly, we sometimes take our health for granted,” Lewis said. “We hope events like this help put a spotlight on various health issues.”

Women lined up for health screenings, including blood pressure, blood glucose, blood cholesterol and posture analysis. They also stood in line for the chair massages offered by Healing Touch Day Spa in Hattiesburg.

“It was fabulous,” said Alicia Logan of Hattiesburg.

Sharon Ezell, left, and Jean Massey, both of Petal and members of the Hub City Red Hat Dames, get their cholesterol checked Saturday during the Women's Health Symposium at Pearl River Community College. Pricking their fingers are PRCC medical laboratory technology students Kyle Payne of Purvis and Hannah Skipper of Picayune. PRCC Public Relations photo

The luncheon included entertainment by The Voices, PRCC’s jazz vocal ensemble, and more than 100 door prizes. Rachel Fucich of Starkville won the grand prize of a two-night stay at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino.

Baskey started her career as a motivational speaker after a year which started when her husband left her.

“My husband was not as happy with me as I was with him,” she said. “I so did not see this coming. I get home one day and the man is gone.”

During the next year, the divorce was finalized, their dream home was sold, her Lexus was totaled and her father died of cancer. The changes left her disliking the adage about a door doesn’t close unless a window opens.

“That much cross ventilation can blow you away,” she said.

But the adage is true, and laughter eases the pain, Baskey said.

“Laughter is a good thing,” she said. “Why is it so undervalued as a way to take care of ourselves? Laughter is my drug of choice; crying is my physical therapy. Life is about 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we react to it.”

Grand sponsor for the symposium was the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation. Silver sponsors were Firth National Bank of Picayune/Poplarville, Hancock Band and Mississippi Power Foundation. Bronze sponsors were BankPlus, Hattiesburg Clinic, Highland Community Hospital, Southern Bone and Joint Specialists, Wal-Mart Supercenter of Picayune and Wesley Medical Center.

Filed under: Featured, Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Lifestyle, Marion County, Medical, Oak Grove, Pearl River, Petal, Purvis, Pearl River Community College, prcc, Sally Baskey, Women's Health Symposium

PRCC’s HEADWAE student overwhelmed by honor

Tears threaten to spill from Cabrini Smith’s brown eyes as she talks about being named Pearl River Community College’s 2011 HEADWAE honoree.

For a single mother who didn’t go to college until she was in her 40s, the significance of being honored in the Missisisppi Legislature is almost more than she can comprehend.

Cabrini Smith

“I feel like for the first time in my life, at 45 years old, I’m proud of myself and setting an example for my girls,” Smith said.

Her daughters, 17-year-old Alexandra and 14-year-old Sarah, will accompany Smith to Jackson on Feb. 3 for the Higher Education Appreciation Day-Working for Academic Excellence events – recognition by both the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Senate, a tour of the Capitol and the awards luncheon.

She also will be accompanied by Catherine Merriken of Oak Grove, instructor of office systems technology at PRCC’s Forrest County Center. As PRCC’s faculty honoree, she selected Smith for the student honor.

“She’s very representative of the non-traditional students that I get,” Merriken said. “She works very hard to get the most out of her education.”

Merriken has taught at PRCC for 24 years.

“Catherine’s been a loyal, dependable outstanding instructor for many years,” said Dr. John Grant, vice president for instruction. “We’re pleased to recognize her for her distinguished service to the college. She’s a very deserving recipient.”

She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the master’s degree from Suffolk Univeristy in Boston. Merriken taught in Massachusetts for 19 years before moving to Mississippi.

“I’m certainly very honored,” she said. “There are so many outstanding teachers here. I was pleased I was selected from them.”

Merriken is active in community theater in Hattiesburg and in the Friends of the Library organization.

Smith, a New Orleans native, lives in Petal where she raised two adult sons along with her younger daughters. She enrolled in PRCC’s office systems technology program at the Forrest County Center in the fall of 2009 after 18 years as a manicurist, often working more than one job to support her family.

“I’d never been to college,” she said. “It’s been amazing. I feel like I’m setting an example for my girls.”

Smith, who will graduate in May with an Associate in Applied Science degree, was inducted a year ago into Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.

“I hope to find a good, stable job in the Hattiesburg area as an administrative assistant,” she said.

Filed under: Featured, Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Marion County, Pearl River, Petal, cabrini smith, Catherine Merriken, Pearl River Community College, PRCC’s Forrest County Center

Mabel Patronas Boone, 86,

Mabel Patronas Boone, 86, of Dauphin Island, died January 24, 2011 at The Grove in Columbia, Miss. Services will be at 12 p.m. Thursday, January 27, 2011 at Mobile Memorial Garden Funeral Home followed by burial in Mobile Memorial Gardens.

Rev. Cecil Jackson and Rev. Tommy Artmann will officiate. Pallbearers will be Colin Patronas, Roland Patronas, Gregory Patronas, Carey Patronas, Johnny Patronas, Patrick Patronas, Peter Morrison, Jimmy Holley and Robert Boone.

Mrs. Boone was a homemaker and a member of Dauphin Island United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James Prewitt Boone, Jr.

She is survived by two daughters, Martha (Jeff) Caldwell of Dauphin Island and Elizabeth (Alan) Covin of Hattiesburg; a sister, Eva Morrison of Biloxi; a brother, John Julius Patronas of Irvington, Ala.; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be Thursday from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to the Dauphin Island United Methodist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 294, Dauphin Island, Alabama 36528.

Filed under: Marion County, Obituaries, Mabel Patronas Boone, Moore Funeral Home, Obits

PRCC nursing graduates do well on licensing exams

POPLARVILLE – Nursing students at Pearl River Community College did extremely well on state licensing examinations following their graduation in 2010.

The PRCC practical nursing class on the Poplarville campus scored a 100 percent passing rate, said Peggy Dease, PRCC director of nursing education. Fourteen students graduated in August and took the National Council Licensing Examination for practical nurses.

Seventy-two graduates of the PRCC associate degree nursing program ranked second in the state with a 94.44 percent passing rate on the National Council Licensing Examination for registered nurses.

“The program is strong,” Dease said. “The test measures the minimum safety quality they should have. The complexity of the testing was increased on both of the exams this year.”

The PRCC nursing education program has been accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission since 1987. The program is currently undergoing the routine reaccreditation process and will host members of the commission on a site visit next month.

Students in the practical nursing program complete the program in three semesters while the associate degree program takes four semesters.

For more information on either program, telephone 601 403-1017 or visit the PRCC web site atwww.prcc.edu.

Filed under: Forrest County, Lamar County, Marion County, Pearl River, education, Medicine, Nurse education, Nursing, Pearl River Community College, POPLARVILLE, prcc

Eat at Buffalo Wild Wings all Day Today | Help Stephen St. James Fight Cancer

Eat at Buffalo Wild Wings in Hattiesburg today and they will donate 15% off all pretax food sales to the STEPHEN ST. JAMES FUND.

Stephen St. James

B95′s Allyson Scott will be broadcasting live from 11-1pm and Rock 104′s Tom Colt will be broadcasting live from 3-5pm.

Print the COUPON to present to your server on Wednesday, Jan 19th from 11am until close.

Stephen St. James has been working for Blakeney Communications for the past 14 years. Shortly after coming to Rock 104, Stephen was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Last March 2010, Stephen had his third surgery and has taken chemo continually since then.
Stephen is now back in the hospital in Jackson. His wife is not able to work because she is staying with him constantly.

We have had clients, listeners, and friends of Stephen ask if there is anything they can do to help. There is.

Blakeney Communications has an account set up for Stephen. Years ago, we helped raise money to pay his medical bills and actually wrote the checks and paid as many of his bills as possible.

Filed under: Camp Shelby, Coupons, Covington County, Ellisville, Featured, Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Jones County, Lamar County, Laurel, Marion County, Medical, Oak Grove, Petal, Purvis, Sumrall, Allyson Scott, blakeney communications, buffalo wild wings, fundraiser, STEPHEN ST. JAMES FUND, Tom Colt

Help Local Radio Personality Fight Cancer by Dining at Buffalo Wild Wings on Wednesday Jan. 19th

Donate to the Stephen St. James Fund


Donate by dining at Buffalo Wild Wings in Hattiesburg on Wednesday, January 19th from 11am until close.

Stephen St. James

Stephen St. James has been working for Blakeney Communications for the past 14 years. Shortly after coming to Rock 104, Stephen was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Last March 2010, Stephen had his third surgery and has taken chemo continually since then.
Stephen is now back in the hospital in Jackson. His wife is not able to work because she is staying with him constantly.

We have had clients, listeners, and friends of Stephen ask if there is anything they can do to help. There is.

Blakeney Communications has an account set up for Stephen. Years ago, we helped raise money to pay his medical bills and actually wrote the checks and paid as many of his bills as possible.

at WingsOn Wednesday, Jan.19th, Buffalo Wild Wings in Hattiesburg will donate 15% off all pretax food sales to the STEPHEN ST. JAMES FUND. B95′s Allyson Scott will be broadcasting live from 11-1pm and Rock 104′s Tom Colt will be broadcasting live from 3-5pm.

Print the COUPON to present to your server on Wednesday, Jan 19th from 11am until close.

Now, the best way to help Stephen is to help relieve the financial burden on his family. If you would like to donate, you can click this link and donate through PayPal.
We also have a receipt book if you would like to mail a check or stop by the radio station.

Filed under: Business, Camp Shelby, Coupons, Covington County, Ellisville, Featured, Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Jones County, Lamar County, Laurel, Marion County, Medical, Oak Grove, Petal, Purvis, Allyson Scott, buffalo wild wings, fundraiser, STEPHEN ST. JAMES FUND, Tom Colt

PRCC receives $350,000 from Asbury Foundation

POPLARVILLE – The Asbury Foundation of Hattiesburg recently gave $350,000 to Pearl River Community College for scholarships and dental hygiene equipment.

The grant will be used to further the education of students living in the eight counties served by the foundation, said executive director Bill Ray.

“They are usually students who stay at home and contribute to the Mississippi economy,” Ray said. “The money is well spent.”

A portion of the money – $150,000 – will be used to purchase digital imaging equipment, computers and software for the dental hygiene program at the Forrest County Center.

“This is a huge upgrade,” said Dr. Stan Hill, program director.

Students in the two-year program will learn how to manage charting and other aspects of a dental practice by computer as well as imaging, he said.

“Not everybody has gone digital in private practice, but it’s coming,” Hill said.

The equipment will be installed this spring, giving the instructors time to become familiar with it before putting it in use during the fall semester.

The remaining $200,000 of the Asbury grant will be used for scholarships through the PRCC Foundation.

Three full-tuition scholarships were awarded this semester, said PRCC Foundation executive director Ernie Lovell.

Although the Asbury Foundation did not restrict the scholarship funds, the preference is to assist students enrolled in an allied health or nursing program. The Asbury Foundation’s charter requires recipients of its grants to live in Covington, Forrest, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River or Perry counties.

“ Pearl River Community College is extremely grateful for the continuing support that the Asbury Foundation has shown with these latest gifts to the college,” said Dr. William Lewis, PRCC president. “Their partnership with our institution is vital to the success of our efforts to provide quality higher educational experiences for the citizens of South Mississippi.”

The Asbury Foundation was created in September 1997 with $35 million in assets from the sale of Wesley Health Systems. The foundation awards grant to strengthen education and health care in South Mississippi.

Filed under: Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Marion County, Oak Grove, Pearl River, Petal, Purvis, Sumrall, Asbury Foundation, Asbury Foundation of Hattiesburg, covington, Ernie Lovell, Jefferson Davis, Pearl River Community College, POPLARVILLE, Poplarville Mississippi, PRCC Foundation, Stan Hill, Wesley Health Systems, William Lewis