THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009 INSIDE HAPPENINGS Sonrise gives out 8,000 Local student named to pounds of food. national rodeo team. See page 2 See page 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than VOLUME 107 • NUMBER 19 75 ¢ ESTABLISHED 1882 your thoughts.” — Isaiah 55:9 National Guard officially opens armory Morgan said. not to mention that you’d get wet By Lori Watts “With this just walking through the building if Staff Writer new facility in there was a rainstorm the roof the new leaked so bad,” White recalled Scores of community and civic highly-visible about the old facility. “There’s no leaders, local and state government location where comparison. It’s about time they officials, school administrators, it can be seen had something better,” he said. veterans, current National by those Captain James Barry, Guardsmen and their families passing commander of the local unit, spoke gathered at the newly constructed through or Maj. Gen. following the invocation by James Anderson Chance III visiting our William Freeman Chaplain Toby Lofton. Readiness Center Armory for the town, the Lofton invoked the Creator to ribbon-cutting ceremony on people of Marion County will see use the facility for “a greatness that Monday. benefits from it,” he said. “Not to is pleasing in Your eyes,” thanking The new facility will be home to mention the welfare of the troops God for the building, the laborers The Army National Guard’s E Company 1-155 Combat Armored the E Company 1-155 Combat who are stationed at the facility,” he who built it, the community who Battalion stands in formation during Monday’s ceremony. Armored Battalion and can be said. supported them and the soldiers photo by Don Hill rented by any local group or Baxter White, Sr., long-time who protect them. organization for various functions. Training NCO at the older facility, Barry said, “Today is the day forward to the completion and the already been used by several Representative Ken Morgan said now retired, agreed. “I had 62 years I’ve been waiting for since I became end result far exceeds the different civic groups and thanked that the new facility was long in when I retired out there,” he said. commander of the unit. From the expectation,” he said. the community for its support of the overdue. “The existing armory was “We would nearly freeze to death, beginning I’ve been looking outdated and not really functional,” Barry said that the facility had See ‘Armory,’ Page 2 THIS EDITION: CRAZY MUSICAL JAIL DOCKET: Bluegrass Page 3 EDITORIAL: Legends Page 4 OBITUARIES: Page 6 return • Edgar L. Stringer By Don Hill • Mary Alice Wilson Editor • Roberta James • Roosevelt Lee Peavy The Legends of Bluegrass and Country Music • Jacob H.Burris returns for the 22nd time at the Columbia • Phillip H. Carney Exposition Center beginning Thursday, March 12. • Mack Reagan International Bluegrass Music Association’s 2001 Entertainer of the Year, Rhonda Vincent, • Clarence Montgomery returns with her band, Rage. This year they feature • Bobbie Nell Stuckey two new members, Ben Helson on the guitar and The Columbia High School musical “Crazy For You” opened to a crowd of 584, Friday Aaron McDaris on the banjo. Returning for their night. On Saturday night, the performance drew 516 for a total of 1,102. Above the CALENDAR: eighth season with Rage will be Mickey Harris and entire company and “Zangler’s Follies” in red, dance and sing with Ashley McEntyre, as Polly Baker, center, to “I’ve Got Rhythm.” See more musical photos on page 7. Page 5 Hunter Berry. Vincent is also IBMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year from 2000 to 2006. photo by Lori Watts New this year will be comedian, impressionist, SPORTS: singer, songwriter, and actor Johnny Counterfit. Page 8 Vincent will make the Sears opens ‘Hometown Store’ FOOD: Thursday Page 11 appearance with By Don Hill Nothin’ Fancy, Editor LEGALS/ David Davis and the Warrior Out of curiosity, Terry Wilkes CLASSIFIEDS: River Boys, Vern decided to check out an ad about Young, Digger Page 12-15 a business opportunity he saw in Davis and the newspaper. Tombstone, That curiosity led to a new UPCOMING Time Graves and Sears Hometown Store in the Cherokee and Columbia Shopping Center. WEATHER Volume Five. Wilkes, store owner and Steve Friday, the FRIDAY Mercier, store manager, performers will respectively, became interested be Johnny 80 / 52 in the opportunity, believing a Counterfit, Sears store could be an asset to Goldwing SATURDAY Columbia. They went to school Express, Jesse Rhonda Vincent and Rage for three weeks and then did 77 / 52 McReynolds and return to headline the some in-store training, and in the Virginia Legends of Bluegrass and January, they opened the store. SUNDAY Boys, Louisiana Country Music March 12 Sears stocks appliances, Grass, The Luke 76 / 54 through 14. electronics such as televisions, McKnight Band, photo by Don Hill lawn and garden tools, lawn Michelle Nixon MONDAY mowers, tools, vacuum cleaners and Drive and and hot water heaters. Wilkes 80 / 54 Branson on the Road. said they have the largest The final night of Legends will be Saturday. The new employees at the Sears Hometown Store are, selection of lawn and garden TUESDAY McReynolds and the Virginia Boys, Louisiana from left, Brittany Taylor, Cory Patterson, assistant equipment, tools and appliances Grass, Branson on the Road and Beth Stevens and manager Candis Mingo, store owner Terry Wilkes and in town. 75 / 57 Edge return and will be joined by the Larry store manager Steve Mercier. “We are happy to be here to Stephenson Band. serve Columbia,” said Wilkes, WEDNESDAY The shows begin at noon each day. Special rates will have a ribbon cutting March prices as any other store,” who lives in Bunker Hill. are available at select local hotels plus the Expo 13 and a full grand opening Mercier said. “If Sears handles 75 / 52 “People don’t have to go to Center has more than 500 camping spaces March 14. it, we can get it.” Hattiesburg or McComb, they available with recreational vehicle hookups. During the grand opening, Also working at the store are THURSDAY can now shop at home.” For more information, call 1 800-837-0785 or there will be a live remote, food, assistant manager Candis Mingo The Sears store opened with a 75 / 33 601-736-4498, or 601-736-2550. give-a-ways and gift cards. and associates Brittany Taylor “soft opening” on Jan. 20, and “This Sears store has the same See ‘Sears,’ Page 2 THURSDAY 2 www.columbianprogress.com March 5, 2009 Food for Friday final day those in to qualify for city elections need By Don Hill and Clarence Ray Odom work to unseat him. By Lori Watts Editor Currently, incumbent Cheryl Staff Writer Christen Richardson, right, signs up for the food give-away at Sonrise Bourne, a Republican, will run Mission. photos by Lori Watts Possible Columbia unopposed for the Ward 2 municipal candidates have until Monday morning 101 families position. was glad to be able to give the food out Friday at 5 p.m. to qualify for received sustenance, as Sonrise Ward Three alderman James since the mission has not been cooking the city positions of mayor and Ministries on Bullis Street in Columbia Manning will run again, but he meals for the last two weeks. “We’ve got aldermen. handed out boxes of food they received will have Stephanie Wilson as a food but the needs in our area are great. Currently three are in the from a partner mission. The mission Democratic opponent. I was looking on the internet the other race for mayor, as Harold gave 8,000 pounds of food to the elderly, Three have put their hat into night and saw the statistic that shows Bryant retires from the position. retired and handicapped of the the ring for the Ward 4 spot. Columbia families making several Current Ward 4 alderman community, as well as, laid-off workers They are Todd Pittman and thousand dollars less on average than Carolyn Finley signed up to run and others hurt by the recent economic Jason Moree, competing for the families in other Mississippi cities,” he against Reed Houston in the downturn, even sharing some with two Democrat nomination, and said. Democratic primary on other local organizations. Gregory A. Keen, a Republican Sonrise gathers personal information Tuesday, May 5. The winner Christen Richardson, mother of a candidate. Finley currently on those who come to request help and will face Ken Prillhart, a one-month-old and a 5-year-old at home, holds this alderman position, works to be sure there is no abuse of the Republican, in the general said that this was a much needed boost to but she will vacate the post system. “We try to make sure that those election June. 2. her family. Her husband works at WOW since she has decided to run for who receive the help are really the ones Alderman-at-Large David restaurant but she is not working now mayor. who need it,” Stover said. McCance has not yet decided to due to the recent birth of her baby. “We When the March 6 Stover said that Sonrise would seek re-election, so that will pit are getting food stamps but those run out qualification deadline passes, welcome anyone who would like to Vance B. Berry and Marvin before the month does. This is a miracle candidates will get ready for the partner with them to minister to those in Webber against each other in and a blessing,” Richardson said, with Larry Main, Sonrise Mission primary election on Tuesday, need.