L “Jones County’s Hometown Newspaper” 75¢ E R U A L EADER ALL L TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 601-649-9388 -C www.leader-call.net TUESDAY: NOVEMBER 6, 2012 CAST YOUR VOTE TODAY! Car crashes into home Boy, 4, airlifted after crash on Lower Myrick Road A 4-year-old boy suffered life-threatening injuries and a 2-year-old girl suffered only minor injuries when their mother crashed her SUV on Lower Myrick Road on Saturday afternoon. Maria Rayner, 35, of Ellisville was traveling east on At approximately 12:30 on Monday, an unidentified black male veered off the road and crashed into Lower Myrick Road, near the intersection of Reid Road, the rental home of Elizabeth Rogers at 2813 Audobon Drive in Laurel. According to LFD Chief David when she ran off the road in her 1998 Chevrolet Blazer, Chancellor, a witness who was driving behind the victim at the time of the accident reported that the jerked the wheel and flipped “three or four times,” driver slumped over before running off the road. When paramedics arrived, the driver was unrespon- according to witnesses. Her 4-year-old son, Domenic sive and taken to the emergency room at SCRMC. Christopher, was ejected through the back window and had to be airlifted to a Jackson hospital while her 2-year- old daughter, Jody Nicole, who was in a car seat, suf- fered what were described as minor injuries. Local black pastors vote for Obama in spite “I saw the boy come out the back window,” said one witness, speaking on the condition of anonymity. of same-sex marriage, biblical beliefs SEE AIRLIFTED• PAGE A3 BY DARRYL ROBERTSON ‘I'm voting for Obama whole,” Graves said. The Laurel Leader-Call Willie Clayton, 51, of Calvary Baptist to be a president, Church says he does disagree with Obama. As the 2012 presidential election comes not a pastor.’ "If you stand for one part (of the Bible), to a close, African-American pastors from you have to stand for all of it," said Clayton. Jones County were asked how they felt about But Clayton still planned to vote for President Obama's open support of gay mar- — Rev. Vernon Graves, Calvary Baptist Church Obama. riage. Some black pastors in Jackson expressed An energetic Rev. Vernon Graves, Pastor their dismay with President Obama for sup- of Calvary Baptist Church in Laurel, asked years, is not comfortable with same-sex mar- porting gay marriage. Pastor Jerry Young of his congregation of more than 200 members riage. But that is not enough to stop him for New Hope Baptist Church in Jackson told if they were at ease in Zion? voting for Obama. his 3,000-member congregation how both- “You got people of the same sex walking "I'm voting for Obama to be a president, ered he was that President Obama supported down the street holding hands,” said Graves. not a pastor,” said Graves. same-sex marriage. “It should make you sick. It should make Obama hasn't done anything to cause you uncomfortable.” Graves to disagree with him, he said. Graves, who has been a pastor for 29 "I think he is good for America as a SEE OBAMA• PAGE A3 Domenic Rayner, 4, is loaded onto the Lifeflight helicopter for transport to Blair E. Batson Hospital in Jackson. Politics in 140 Characters or Less The importance of social media in choosing a President BY EMILY CEGIELSKI University. "Social media became a platform mate medium for political engagement." According to Fitzpatrick, engagement on these LLC-Reporter for voters and citizens that wanted to be socially Alex Fitzpatrick, the political and social sites is what matters, and the Romney campaign is During the last presidential debate, 6.5 mil- engaged with politics during those debates. It media reporter for Mashable, agrees that social claiming to have higher engagement rates. That lion political tweets were sent in approximately still is, even now that they are over." media is an important factor in this election, but being said, he's not exactly sure what that means 90 minutes, according to Twitter. Even more Leist, who left Jones County for college he cautions people from just looking at a candi- for the election's outcome. people sat in awe, staring at their smartphone specifically to get a degree that combined media dates followers as an accurate measure of popu- "There's no single tweet that's going to make screens as they watched the debate and and politics, sees social media as an important larity. someone say 'Oh my God, I'm voting for Obama, recounted tweets and Facebook statuses to their tool that is effecting the entire presidential elec- "If you look at Obama's followers, he's got and I thought I was going to vote for Romney,'" friends. tion. many more than Romney does, but that's also he explained. "That's just not going to happen. "I was checking my Facebook and and "In the 2012 election, we've seen social the virtue of being the sitting president," But as a new part of the campaign's overall mes- Twitter constantly throughout all of the media platforms propel the popularity of fact Fitzpatrick said. "You've got a lot of followers saging effort, it's the same as phone calls and debates," explained Lauren Leist, a former checkers, buzzwords and political memes," who are outside the United States, and they Leader-Call reporter and a senior political com- Leist said. "I think that's what makes social don't mean anything when it comes down to SEE POLITICS• PAGE A3 munications major at Louisiana State media so important to this election. It's the ulti- election day and voting." INDEX OBITUARIES, A5 DON’T MISS JOSH NICHOLS! CHURCH BRIEFS, A5 EDITORIAL, A4 Nola Ware Simmons CLASSIFIEDS, B6, B7 SPORTS, B1-3 Making the whole COMICS, B4, B5 Richard David Breazeale Sr. Vol. 6, No. 100 (USPS#024343) season count Jerry Johnson See page B1 Faye Lynn Frazier TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012 THE LAUREL LEADER-CALL A3 The Great American Sample Official Election HEALTH Ballot State of Mississippi Jones County Smokeout 2012 General Tuesday, The American Cancer before, and a visit to Nov. 06, 2012 Society is sponsoring your family the 37th annual Great doctor/nurse practi- For United States American Smokeout on tioner might get you a President the third Thursday of short-term prescription November — Nov. to help. Presidential Electors For 15. It is asking smokers A new study from Democrats to use the date to make the UK about women Barack Obama for President a plan to quit or to plan and smoking states Joe Biden forVice President in advance to quit on that "Women who that day. As of 2010, 45 AMY smoke have more than Presidential Electors For million Americans still ADELMAN 4 times the risk of Republicans smoke, an additional COLUMNIST dying of heart disease 13.2 million smoke in the near future than Mitt Romney for President cigars, and 2.2 million Amy Adelman is a nonsmokers of the Paul Ryan forVice President Licensed smoke a pipe. Lung Professional same age, compared cancer is the No. 1 most Counselor at with nearly double the Presidential Electors For SCRMC’s Wellness Director, David Townsend reveals startling information, at the PTK honor soci- preventable form of South Central odds for men." But Constitution ety’s meeting on campus about obesity and how it is affecting the longevity of today’s generation of cancer. Behavioral Health quitting smoking at Virgil Goode for President The addictive com- Services. She can any age brings great students at JCJC. be reached at Jim Clymer forVice President ponent of smoking fre- (601) 426-9614. benefits, and quitting quently relates to nico- smoking before the Presidential Electors For tine, a stimulant drug, age of 40 avoids more Obesity targeted by JCJC’s which is highly addicting than 90 percent of the excess Libertarian and very quickly addicting mortality. Stopping before Gary Johnson for President for most people. Nicotine is the age of 30 avoids more James P. Gray for PTK Honor Society both mentally and physically than 97 percent of it. Vice President With information that this may many health issues, like heart dis- more educated about the health- addicting, although the 72- For help to quit, contact: be the first generation of high ease, high blood pressure, stroke, related problems associated with hour physical withdrawal is • American Cancer Society, 1- Presidential Electors For school-college aged students who arthrosclerosis and stroke. All of obesity. The action plan is being not life-threatening. The psy- 800-227-2345 Green will not outlive their parents these problems are directly tied to developed, however they have chological withdrawal can • Mississippi's Quitline, 1- Jill Stein for President because of obesity related illness- being obese and can all be avoided begun doing research by gather- take much longer. But peo- 800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800- Cheri Honkala for es and this fact, Mississippi is the for the most part by changing ing the BMI indices of students ple have quit and people will 784-8669 QuitlineMS.com Vice President most obese state in the nation, what we’re eating and being more taking science classes and asking continue to quit. There are • Call (601) 426-9614 for a Jones County Junior College’s active. That’s the reality of the students to answer some ques- more quitting aids in the free consultation with Amy Presidential Electors For Phi Theta Kappa honor society problem,” said Townsend.