Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
SEE PAGE 7A
Baseball Tigers'
Swept Out
Of The Playoffs
One Injured, One
Arrested In
Nicholson Shooting
Vol. 131
No. 13
20 Pages
2 Sections
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
The M
Commerce News
Wednesday
MAY 13, 2009
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
City Schools
Suffer More
Funding Cuts
State Slashes Allotment By
$112,000 In April Alone
Local residents pray at Spencer Park in downtown Commerce last Thursday
at noon. The gathering was part of the observation of the National Day of
Prayer.
35 Observe Prayer Day In Park
EJCHS Jazz
Band To Play
In Park Fri.
The East Jackson
Comprehensive Jazz
Band will perform in
Spencer Park in down
town Commerce Friday
evening.
The 6:00 p.m. free
concert is part of the
Downtown Development
Authority’s Fridays After
Five series of events.
Farmers' Market
Organizational
Meeting Thursday
Anyone interested in
selling produce or plants
at the Commerce Farmers’
Market this year should
attend an organizational
meeting this Thursday
May 14, at 7 p.m. at the
Commerce Civic Center.
Topics will include mar
ket dates, market times,
USDA regulations, ven
dor setup, parking, etc.
The farmers’ market is
held each Saturday dur
ing the growing season
in the South Elm Street
parking lot on the railroad
right of way in front of
Spencer Park.
rcrrurrn
THURSDAY, MAY 14
Mostly cloudy, Low, 63;
high, 80; 20% chance rain
FRIDAY, MAY 15
Scattered T-storms Low, 63;
high, 83; 40% chance rain
SATURDAY, MAY 16
Scattered T-storms: Low, 63;
high, 82; 40% chance rain
SUNDAY, MAY 15
Scattered T-storms: Low, 57;
high, 79; 30% chance rain
Precipitation this month
2.02 inches
Precipitation This Year
20.9 Inches
INDEX
Church News 3B
Classified Ads 6-8B
Calendar 3A
Crime News 6A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 8-9A
Opinions 4A
School News .... 1 1-1 2A
Sports 1-2B
Social News 10A
Thirty-five people
observed the National
Day of Prayer around the
gazebo in Spencer Park
Thursday, May 7, at noon.
The Rev. Doug Lee, pas
tor of Freedom Church
of God, brought a mes
sage on the importance
of prayer. He emphasized
the importance of prayer
for individuals, the church,
community and nation. He
also spotlighted the his
tory of the National Day
of Prayer, observed each
By Mark Beardsley
Commerce’s finances
will improve by almost
$105,000 thanks to a “set
tlement” between the city
and the Department of
Revenue over sales taxes.
Finance director Steve
McKown told the city
council Monday night
that the DOR has agreed
to reimburse Commerce
$104,982 for sales taxes the
city or its contractors paid
during the construction of
its wastewater plant.
“The DOR agrees to send
us $104,000 and we agree
not to sue them for the inter
est,” McKown explained
in asking that the council
authorize Mayor Charles
L. Hardy Jr. to sign the
agreement. The settlement
is in addition to $4,530 the
DOR previously sent.
“I recommend you all
do this,” city manager
Clarence Bryant dead-
panned.
First Liquor
License Approved
On a unanimous vote,
the council approved the
first liquor by the drink
license in city history.
Kevin Wills also got
city council approval to
sell beer and wine by the
drink at the 1662 South
Broad Street restaurant he
will open in June — at the
location now occupied by
year on the first Thursday
of May by resolution of
Congress.
The Walls Sisters provid
ed music, and guests joined
in group singing accompa
nied by Charlotte Ramsey.
The Rev. John Webber,
Tri-County Ministerial
Association, welcomed
guests and introduced the
ministers present: the Rev.
Paul Vickery, Commerce;
the Rev. Jeremy Harris,
Community Church,
Commerce; the Rev. Larry
Vaughn’s Wing Slingers,
which is moving four doors
up South Broad Street
to the former location of
Stonewalls BBQ.
In a somewhat related
move, the council approved
a $15,000 Employment
Incentive Program loan for
Kerry Vaughn, owner of
Vaughn’s Wing Slingers.
The money will help
Vaughn purchase kitchen
equipment needed in his
new location.
New Tax For
Hotels And Motels
Hotels and motels operat
ing in Commerce will pay
a five-percent tax under
an ordinance approved by
the city council Monday
night.
There are no motels or
hotels in Commerce and
none, apparently, on the
drawing board.
“We’ll have the tax in
place if and when one is
ever built,” noted Hardy.
Also on Monday night,
the council:
•approved the rezoning
from A2 in the county to
R1 and the annexation of a
five-acre lot owned by Mr.
and Mrs. Stacey Denton
on Mount Olive Road; and
approved a conditional
use permit for New Haven
Baptist Church, Harris
Cont. on Page 3A
Whitlow, Bethlehem Baptist
Church in Danielsville; and
the Rev. Monty Nelson,
Commerce Presbyterian
Church.
In closing, participants
divided into groups, and
each person was given the
opportunity to pray for the
city, state and nation. The
National Day of Prayer in
Commerce is sponsored by
the Tri-County Ministerial
Association, which also
sponsored meetings in
Homer and Nicholson.
Trending Up
Gasoline prices in
Commerce went over
the $2 mark last week.
Ranging from $2.02 to
$2.15 for regular, local
prices are following a
national trend in which
they increased 22 cents
a gallon in just one
week.
City Issues 1
Building Permit
During April
Someone plans to build a
house in Commerce.
For the first time in months,
the Commerce Department
of Building Inspection issued
a permit for the construction
of a single-family dwelling.
The permit, issued in April,
places a $125,000 value on
the house.
That was one of only two
building permits issued by
the city during April, as
construction has virtually
stopped due to the econo-
Cont. on Page 3A
By Ben Munro
Major state funding cuts
for education are show
ing up on the Commerce
School System financial
ledger.
Reductions in monthly
Quality Based Education
(QBE) allotments — basi
cally, the state’s education
funding program — totaled
$112,167 in April alone
in Commerce, according
to school system reports.
Prior to April, the monthly
cut had been just $7,819.
Commerce schools
expect a similar financial
blow in May and June.
“Every month, they’re
just taking a chunk out,”
superintendent James
“Mac” McCoy said.
When school leaders com
posed this year’s budget,
they expected a $93,000
austerity cut from the state.
But the cut ballooned as
the state announced larger
reductions.
Commerce schools now
stand to lose $465,000 in
QBE by the end of the fis
cal year.
The school system
received a $47,000 “mid
term adjustment” — extra
money given to a school
system to compensate for
growth — but those funds
were absorbed by the state
By Kerri Testement
Graduates in area high
schools will soon turn their
tassels.
Commerce, East Jackson
Comprehensive, Jackson
County Comprehensive
and Jefferson high schools
will all hold their annual
graduation ceremonies
next week.
Commerce High School
will hold commencement
ceremonies at 8 p.m. Friday,
May 22, at Tiger Stadium.
In the event of rain, the
ceremony will be held
the following morning at
11:00.
Ninety-six graduates
will receive diplomas.
Catherine Ball is the vale
dictorian and Chelsey
Cain is salutatorian.
East Jackson
Comprehensive High
School will hold its gradu
ation ceremony Thursday,
May 21, at 8 p.m. at Eagle
Stadium.
In the event of rain,
EJCHS will move its grad
uation ceremony to the
gymnasium. Seniors will
receive their tickets for the
indoor ceremony at gradu-
cuts.
“It tore it out from under
neath us,” said Ann Stokey,
the school system’s finance
director.
Stokey noted that sys
tem started the year with
a good reserve, “but it’s
going to start getting eaten
alive.”
School board member
Arthur Lee Pattman asked
McCoy at Thursday’s
board of education work
session what the financial
situation means for the city
school system.
“It’s a wait-and-see, Mr.
Pattman — a lot of sleep
less nights,” McCoy said. “I
hope for the best; I prepare
for the worst.”
McCoy added that “every
school system around us is
struggling.”
Meanwhile, next year’s
budget remains unclear
because the amount of
state funding is uncertain.
Commerce schools were
supposed to receive their
budget sheet for 2009-2010
last week, but the state is
now unsure when it will
release that information.
“So how do you prepare
a budget when you don’t
know what you’re going to
get?” McCoy asked.
The central office has
Cont. on Page 3A
ation practice.
EJCHS will hand out
diplomas to 164 graduates.
Erika Deshon is the
EJCHS valedictorian, while
Andy Van Deventer is the
salutatorian.
Jackson County
Comprehensive High
School will hold its gradua
tion ceremony Friday, May
22, at 8 p.m. at Panther
Stadium.
In the event of rain, the
school plans to make every
attempt possible to hold
the ceremony as originally
planned.
However, in the event of
rain, JCCHS will hold its
graduation Saturday, May
23, at 10 a.m. Should rain
still delay the ceremony, it
will be held at 8 p.m. that
evening.
JCCHS will hand out
diplomas to 166 graduates.
Brandon Smith is the vale
dictorian and Allie Elrod is
the salutatorian.
Guests who may have
special needs for access to
JCCHS’s Panther Stadium
are asked to call Joe
Lancaster at 706-367-5003
prior to the ceremony.
State Repayment Gives
City Finances A Boost
High School Graduation
Ceremonies Are Next Week
o
o