Monday, November 29, 2010

Oxford Mississippi Police Department fights crime using Facebook.



The Oxford Mississippi Police Department is taking a bite out of crime in a more non-conventional way. The local police department has created a Facebook page to stay connected with the University of Mississippi and Oxford, MS community. Police Chief Mike Martin was convinced to create a Facebook page to better reach its public. The department posts information about traffic flow on busy streets like Jackson and University Avenue, major crimes that have been committed in the city, and game day routines. The Facebook users have opportunities to give feedback to help the department better know exactly what the city of Oxford needs. The department also posts pictures of special events OPD has been involved with in the community.




For more on Adrienne Cowan's story, click here.



The OPD Facebook page has daily updates that are 24 hour surveillance update of statistics on the number of tickes issued, wrecks and arrests. Other surrounding police departments swith Facebook pages include Tupelo, Memphis, and Jackson, MS.

Recovering from the BP Oil Spill Disaster


Since the BP Oil Spill, many local businesses on the coast of Florida have been devastated from this disaster. Employees hours have been cut down, jobs have been lost, and businesses are struggling to survive. Joe Patti's, a famous seafood store located in Pensacola, Florida, was no exception to the toil. However, owner Frank Patti has used his positive attitude to overcome these damages and has high hopes for the future. Click HERE for the story.

OLE MISS HOSTS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BRAIN BRAWL 2010


High school students from all over the state visited the Ole Miss campus for the annual Brain Brawl competition. Thirty-six teams competed in this year's competition, with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners claiming a prize of paid tuition for summer college classes. The competition was fierce in this year's Brawl, but the students of Itawamba Agricultural High School were determined to come out victorious. Click on the video below, and get the scoop from Natalie Troutt.


Facebook: A Modern Marketing Tool


Millions of people use Facebook to connect to friends and family across the world. At the University of Mississippi and within Oxford, students, faculty and local residents use this social network not only to keep in touch with friends and find out the latest gossip, but also to know what's going on locally. With the increase in users, many local business owners are turning to Facebook as a marketing tool. The owner of LuLu's boutique, Lindsay Mitchell, uses Facebook to post discounts, new merchandise and fashion tips in order to increase customers and provide quality customer service. Many Facebook users believe taking advantage of social media outlets is key to reaching customers in this age of technology.

See more on this story here.

Panola Playhouse Presents "Annie" the Musical

Panola Playhouse Theatre presents the classic musical "Annie". The production tells the story of a spunky, red-head orphan who is has a knack for trouble. She is chosen to spend Christmas with the billionaire Oliver Warbucks and ends up charming her way into his heart. Things are almost turned upside down when the owner of the orphanage, Ms. Hannigan, her criminal brother and his floozy girlfriend turn up to stir up trouble. Never fear though, the show ends with all wrong being righted and a sing along around the Christmas tree, just in time for the holidays.

This production will include tweleve public performances, including four school matinees. Even with tweleve performances, Panola Playhouse owner Vic Henson, stresses reserving tickets early because of the popularity of the show. That can be done by clicking on this link. Showtimes are December 10th, 11th, 17th,  and 18th at 7:30 pm and a 2:30 pm matinee on December 11th, 12th, 18th, and 19th and the theatre is located on North Main Street in Sardis, MS.


    With rehearsals currently underway NewsWatch reporter Lindsey Neyman has the story about this classic broadway musical and why theatre patrons might be making two visits to see two completely different versions of "Annie" on the Panola Playhouse stage.


Lafayette Commodores Advance to State Football Championship Game

The Lafayette Commodore football team has managed to earn their spot in the state championship game for the second year in a row. They are currently undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the MHSAA 4A division.

They have worked really hard thus far and look forward to this weekend's game in Jackson, MS against North Pike.

Newswatch reporter, Kelsey Malone has the story. CLICK HERE to watch the video.






Sunday, November 28, 2010

World Class Labs Being Trained at Wildrose Kennels

If you are looking for a well behaved well trained labrador retriever to go hunting with or to have just as a family home companion than look no further than Wildrose Kennels. Wildrose is a Oxford Mississippi based company that trains labrador retrievers in different hunting retrieval skills. The labs are trained in almost every aspect of outdoor skills from hunting and retrieval skills for waterfowl hunting, to every day recreational skills. If you are not sure whether or not the company is top-notch then just look at its past accomplishments. Wildrose was recently featured in Forbes Magazine for being one of ten top entrepreneur companies.

The company is not only based in Oxford but has kennels in other areas of the country and also imports dogs from the United Kingdom. The process of training the dogs is simple. The dogs go through a certain amount of time for training. The two main programs that are used to train the dogs are the adventure dog track and the gentleman's gundog track. The company also has other training programs like the diabetic alert dog program. The potential owners then decide what they specifically want the dog to be trained in and then the dogs are sold. Prices for the dogs can range from around $1,500 to $15,000 depending on what the buyer is looking for. So if you are looking for a world class lab stop by Wildrose Kennels and see what they have to offer.

To see more about the story watch the video here.

Photo courtesy of Wildrose Kennels


Dorothy: The Ghost of Big Cedar



As tales have it, this is the ghost Dorothy, before she passed away. Dorothy loved the land right around the area the Lodge now stands. Dorothy ran off with a new-found love and was killed in Mexico. Her ashes were spread on the grounds in southern Missouri. Dorothy's love and affection for the place is the main reason her spirit haunts the grounds to this day.

Big Cedar Lodge has become one of the most well known resorts around the inner mid-west of the United States. The Lodge does a lot of business in the summer for campers and family that attend Kanakuk Kamps.




Ole Miss Sports Show Shows Success to Student Media Center















The Sportswhip is the University of Mississippi's first student-ran sports show. Starting in 2009 as a weblog, the show has grown tremendously over the year and now has its own time slot for Thursday nights. The students involved are able to get hands on experience in the journalism world.

The Sportswhip can be viewed live on Thursday nights at 7:30 on Channel 99 and or visit The Daily Mississippian's webpage.

Kicking with a Purpose


Some people say that patience is virtue, and for Senior David Hankins that is an understatement

David Hankins is a kicker for the Ole Miss Football team who until recently, does not seen the field very often.

His motivation for playing the game is remarkable considering what David has been through.

New Game Release Helps Students Relax During Finals


On November 9th, Black Ops, the newest addition to the very popular Call Of Duty series of video games was released. This was a very anticipated date for many Ole Miss students. The game offers students a way to get their minds off of the stress of classes and give them entertainment as well. Black Ops is a muli-player action game based on real Marine operations that been documented through out history. The multi-player zombie mode that was featured on a previous Call of Duty game has returned to fans delight.

Ole Miss School of Law completion delayed, but soon to be finalized.

At the University of Mississippi, law students will finally pack their books at the end of the year to move into a new building. The UM School of Law will begin to enjoy the new facilities in January 2011. In April 2009, a press release was issued with images suggesting the facilities would be ready at the beginning of the 2010 academic year. However, a very rainy year delayed construction and pushed the completion date to January 2011.
For more on this story, click here.

There is one possible catch come January: Parking.

There are approximately 200 parking spaces categorized as commuter spaces next to the new facility. Law students could possibly struggle to get to their classes on time due to this issue. The Dean of the Ole Miss School of Law, Richard Gershon, said he would observe the parking situation and determine if the parking spaces would need to be exclusively for law students.

Friday, November 26, 2010

OlE MISS MEDIA RELATIONS STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

The Media Relations Department at Ole Miss deals with sports at Ole Miss as well as Media Relations. Their job is to get interviews, keep game statistics, and make sure the national and local media have access to players and coaches. What sets Ole Miss apart is the opportunity for young students to get involved with the Media Relations Department. The students that work there all work on their own hours and can either work games or just stay in the office doing office work. Although they are given a lot of freedom they are all expected to do their work in the most professional way. Some jobs the students partake in are, helping keep the departments website working and up to date, keeping game time statistics, and preparing games for press conferences just to name a few of their many tasks. The Media Relations Department is always looking for student volunteers and usually have some spots open for students to help out.So if you are looking to get involved in a career that has to deal with sports and journalism a field in Media Relations could be for you. The Media Relations Building is located right next to the football field under the scoreboard.


Ole Miss Hockey Night


Every Tuesday night at The Library Bar and Grill the Ole Miss Ice Hockey team is putting on Hockey Night. Students and fans from the area have been showing up in larger numbers each week as the team has been seeing a great amount of success. Hockey Night is primarily a fundraiser for the Ole Miss Hockey team which is still considered a sports club at the University of Mississippi. Students and fans can two take shots on the team goalie for $5. If the participant scores he or she receives a much coveted Library VIP Card which gets them into bar with no cover charge. All profits go directly towards helping fund the team. Fans can also choose a hockey player to shoot for them for a chance to win.
Hockey is still very scarce in Mississippi, however, this group of hockey players is determined to get their name out and raise enough funding to continue to represent their school and help the growth of ice hockey in the South. CLICK HERE to watch Cody Johnson's report on Ole Miss Hockey night.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Burnin' Love: MS Man Takes Passion for Elvis to New Levels




Holly Springs, MS, doesn’t have the honor of being Elvis Presley’s birthplace (that belongs to Tupelo, MS), nor does it have the distinction of being the city that bestowed upon him the metaphorical crown (that one belongs to Memphis, TN). No, upon first glance this dusty, southern burg doesn’t appear to offer much in regards to the pelvis-thrusting, karate-chopping, jewel-encrusted jumpsuit-donning King of Rock and Roll. It doesn’t appear to offer much in regards to anything, for that matter. But when surrounded by enough rough, even the brightest, gaudiest diamonds can be overlooked. Such is the case with Graceland Too – the diamond of Holly Springs.

It’s a (currently) bright blue, century-old residence complete with two lion statues wrapped in Christmas lights and barbed wire perched on the front porch. The exterior is, however, but a minor harbinger for what’s to come. Paul McLeod – said establishment’s enigmatic proprietor – has created an alternative to the Mecca of Elvis fans that is Graceland, and five bucks is all that’s needed for a journey into, as a certain chocolatier might say, pure imagination.

The innards of the home are inundated with everything Elvis, from LPs to posters. In any shrine this is to be expected. And while the exhaustive collection of Presley paraphernalia is certainly intriguing, it’s the tour guide that’s the true show. Paul speaks with an impossible, near-nauseating stream of consciousness. The transition from “Jailhouse Rock” to Charles Bronson’s death to something about CBS and the Princess of Monaco is made while the listener is still trying to register the extraneous information from five minutes prior. His visitors are assaulted with a merciless and oftentimes incomprehensible onslaught of numbers and figures, past exploits with countless celebrities, and, of course, ceaseless proclamations asserting his allegiance to the King.

The senses are bombarded and logic is defied. Before long the tourist becomes sedated by the abnormality of it all. Earlier, one might have asked, “Paul why is there a picture of Princess Diana in the corner? Why do you keep talking about Montel Williams? And how, really, did you come into possession of all of this?” But it takes only minutes inside the walls of Graceland Too before the visitor realizes this is Paul McLeod’s world and to attempt to make sense of it would ultimately prove fruitless. It’s as if he found a void in reality and filled it with everything he saw fit: Elvis records and candy bars, plastic aliens, shopping carts filled to the brim with empty coke cans, pink limousines and more.

One would be able to discern more meaning from a conversation with an anthropomorphized and inebriated Jackson Pollack painting than from Paul McLeod and his otherworldly tour. It’s preposterous. It’s absurd. It’s nonsensical. It’s Graceland Too, baby.

For a mere peek inside, click here.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Non- Fiction Craft Workshop: Lead by Neil White

Workshops help writers rethink their writing while rewriting their thinking. Neil White, author of In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, teaches a four day non-fiction craft workshop in the Overby Center at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS. Writers from all over join together to learn about the craft of writing. The four day event has different areas that focus on anything from learning how to write better dialogue to getting a point across without offending the audience.


Watch the video below to learn more about the four day event, Katherine Watson has the story.



Rebel Pedals


All around the campus of the University of Mississippi, there are ways for students to "go green," but one of the newest ways allows students to leave the car keys at home, and hit the sidewalks... with a bike. Ole Miss Outdoors recently introduced Rebel Pedals to the Ole Miss campus. This new program allows students to rent a bike for a week at a time, and you aren't responsible if it breaks! For $15 a semester you can avoid leaving for class 30 minutes early to find a parking spot, and instead hop on a bike! It's a great way to exercise, and an easy way to help save the planet.

Life as a Female in the ROTC



Ever wonder what a career in the Army would be like? How about if you were a woman? At The University of Mississippi, the population of women in the ROTC is small, but the number of women joining the military is growing. The military has many perks, such as gaining a great education and learning great life values. Whether it's early workouts, heavy lifting, life in the classroom or on the fields, women are held to the same expectations as men in the military. They may have to work their way up on the ladder, but some females enjoy the adversity. Gabrielle Gero has more on this story below.








Ole Miss Parade of Beauties 2010: A Closer Look Behind the Scenes


Parade of Beauties is an annual beauty pageant at the University of Mississippi, which is sponored by the Student Programming Board. This year, the pageant was held on campus at the Gertrude Ford Center on November 17, 2010 at 7:30 PM. The contestants were sponsored by different fraternities, sororities, and organizations on campus, as well as family and friends. This year, 81 girls were entered into the pageant. Each of the girls were competing to win, so they had to properly prepare to look their best for the night. Let's take a closer look behind the scenes at the intense preparation process of one of this year's contestants.







All 81 contestants were judged based on an interview held the day of the pageant (10%) and their evening wear the night of the competetion (90%). After each contestant had been introduced and had walked the stage once, the group was narrowed down to the Top 25. After the girls remaining walked the stage one last time, the judges narrowed it down to the Top 10 and Most Beautiful.






Elizabeth Blossom (left) was selected as one of the Top 10 Beauties in the pageant. Crystal Ausburn, Most Beautiful 2009, handed down her crown to the new winner of the pageant, Caroline Conerly, Most Beautiful 2010.

Outstanding Ole Miss Leaders



At Ole Miss, an orientation leader plays a huge role in helping new freshmen and their parents feel comfortable in becoming a part of the Ole Miss family. The office of orientation and parent programs works hard to select a specific group of students that have the ability to lead, as well as, become a mentor for many of these students. After becoming an orientation leader, these students have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and share with them all the unique traditions Ole Miss has to offer. Each leader is trained to represent Ole Miss at its best and welcome each new incoming student with a big hotty toddy hello. Click the video below for more information on Ole Miss orientation leaders.





Volunteers Wanted: The Oxford Film Festival

Interested in movies?  Ever wondered how film festivals are produced?

A volunteer information session was held Thursday for the Oxford Film Festival to recruit new faces. Those in attendance gained insight into this fun and local event with national recognition.

Watch the video below for Scott Shilstone's report.

Rebel Pedals

Oxford, Mississippi Park Commission Hosts Youth Flag Football League












In Oxford, Mississippi, the Ole Miss Rebels aren't the only football team in town. The Oxford Park Commission heads a youth flag football league every fall.Young men ages 6 to 14 are welcome to participate. The boys get to play one game a week for 10 weeks. The season wraps up with a championship game between the top two teams in each age division.
This youth flag football league is co-sponsored by the NFL, inc. in a program called NFL Flag. In fact, each team is named after a team currently competing in the NFL.
According to the Oxford Park Commission, the flag football program is designed to teach young men teamwork, sportsmanship, and football skills. Each team is coached by a volunteer coach, and all of the games are played at FNC Park located on Old Sardis Road in Oxford, Mississippi.
The young men participating in this league look forward to their weekly games and the chance of possibly playing in their division's "Super Bowl." This year's Super Bowl took place two weeks ago and highlighted the best teams of the season. In the most popular age group, the 10-12 year old division, the Bears took on the Giants in a high intensity match-up.

To see a re-cap of this game, check out the video below.

Spotlight on Mississippi Photographer Blake McCollum



Blake McCollum is a 22-year-old photographer based out of Amory, MS. He is also the only photographer to ever capture a picture the most powerful woman in the world's biological father.

To find out who that woman is, AND to learn more about this emerging photographer, click on Allison Croghan's feature HERE.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Ole Miss Saftey


The University of Mississippi strives everyday to make its campus a safe haven for all students, falucty members and visitors. In a survey done the The Daily Beast, out of 458 schools across the United States, The University of Mississippi has been ranked No. 29 among the top 50 safest college campuses around.
With their own police force intact the University Police Department in University,MS makes it their business to inform students that although they are highly enforced, it is still up to them, the students, to maintain their own saftey. Enforcing the rules on campus, UPD also holds classes of self defense for female students and Oxford community members . Reporter Ashley Mallett has more on what other types of saftey programs the University of Mississippi's Police Department has set in place for students and thier reactions to a safe campus.
click here to view video:

Black Friday 2010 in Oxford, MS


The holiday season is here! We can tell not from the decorations,not from the food, but from the sales. Whether it is shopping in stores or online, Shoppers can find a good bargain everywhere. Many people have begun their shopping online while others await for the monday AFTER Black Friday also known as Cyber Monday.There are a few days until Black Friday 2010 and many shoppers and store owners are preparing. Even in the small town of Oxford, MS boutiques are loading stocks and getting discounts ready. Artesha Dunning has the story Watch Below.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Ole Miss Golf Course Improved, Ready To Play!













The Ole Miss golf Course has some of the best fees around Oxford to play a good course that finally came around to be what most were expecting. Some might say the course was opened too early, now it's playing up to par considering the course really needed more time to grow. Here's a closer look Matthew Hopwood has the story. Just click the link below!



Monday, November 15, 2010

FedEx Center Provides Athlete's with Acedemic Support



Being a Student athlete requires a lot of time. Most of the their time is spent traveling, practicing, meeting, etc. This can sometimes make studying and maintaining Eligibility requirments of the NCAA a hard task for the Athletets. To help their student athletes with these issues, Ole Miss uses the FedEx center that was donated to them and opened up in May of 2007. With all of the academic services this center offers it has helped the rebel sports teams recruit more athletes. For a in depth look at the FedEx center click the video below.












2010 Ole Miss Choral Festival

The Ole Miss Choral Program hosted it's annual Choral Festival this past Saturday, November 13, in the Ford Center for the Performing Arts.
High School and Junior High Choirs from all over Mississippi participated.
Lillian Askins has more on this story below.
Click the play button to watch!


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Teenage Tennis Prodigy, Ally Baker, Six Years Later

At age 14 she moved to Everett Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Florida and by age 15 she became the youngest player to win a USTA professional circuit event. She turned pro, qualified for the US Open and received sponsorships from Adidas and Babolat by age 15. She lost in three sets in the finals of Wimbledon and joined the US Fed Cup team by the age of 16. At age 18 a foot injury ended her career.


For all of those wondering "what happened to Ally Baker," or even those wondering "who is Ally Baker" click here for the story.


JOUR 378 Section 1

There are a lot of popular fishing shows on television today. People like to watch other people fish and learn how. It may seem boring, but lots of people find it entertaining. They use regular equipment and don't need anything fancy or expensive.

But have you ever seen one of these fishing shows produced? It can be a lot more fun than the show itself. Ashley Mallett has that story; just click below.



This is a New Post for JOUR 378

Look familiar? Parking lots all across the Ole Miss campus are bulging at the seams. The University Police Department says there are about 5,000 cars and only 2,200 parking spaces.

If you're looking for a place to park here is a campus map you can use. The UPD also has a list of rules and regulations related to parking.

For more on that, click on the video below to see Ashley Barnett's story: