BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, PERFECT ALL-AMERICAN TUPELO
Tupelo has been named one of 16 finalists for the 2015 All-America City Award. This award is given by the National Civic League to 10 communities each year. It recognizes cities, towns, neighborhoods, counties and metro regions for inventive efforts to tackle various challenges. This is not Tupelo’s first year to be in the running. The town won the award in 1967, 1989, 1999 and 2011. If Tupelo is to win the award again, it will be the seventh city in the country to win the award five times. The focus of this year’s award is centered on community efforts to support vulnerable young men. The cities up for the award are required to highlight three projects that promote community involvement and collaboration. Tupelo included the city’s response to the recent tornado, the support of young men through programs such as El Centro and the Police Athletic League, along with the construction of the Aquatic Center in their application. The winner of the competition will be announced on June 14. Maybe Carrie Underwood will adjust her lyrics to “All American Tupelo” instead of “All American Girl”… it seems pretty appropriate.
FARMERS ONLY
Mississippi farmers took a hit of nearly $1 billion in personal income this past year, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The Clarion Ledger reported that this was an unusual change, as most states had an increase in personal income growth in 2014. In fact, nationally it went from 2.0 percent to 3.9 percent in improved income. Mississippi went in the opposite direction as it fell. The farming industry was hit the hardest by the decline, with construction having the next most detrimental change. Construction saw a decline of $103 million in personal income growth. Forestry and agricultural services saw an increase in income, along with the health care industry.
KOSCIUSKO COWBELLS
The TV Series “Cabin Fever” on the National Geographic channel will feature a design imagined by Mississippi State students in its next episode. Interior design students Blake Marlar of Corinth, Liz Grantham of Greenwood, Vanessa L. Holden of Biloxi and Victor Owchar of Ridgeland were all involved in the project. The winning design was for the ceiling of a Kosciusko cabin, according to WTVA News. The cabin belongs to Chris and Susan Strohm, who are the parents of MSU interior design student Ann Strohm. The Strohm family contacted the interior design program at MSU in hopes of involving the university in the show. The episode will air at 9 p.m. on NatGeo. I guess that “The School Down South” is capable of more than ringing cowbells after all.
