The Owners of Country Girl Pie Shop Have Endured Many Hardships Since Opening Forty Years Ago

Former Pie House Owner, Florida Rhodes rolling out pie dough.

For centuries, sweet potato pie has been a Thanksgiving Day dessert favorite for African Americans. This holiday season sweet potato pie sales are at an all time high. 

Nestled on the corner of Union Blvd and Ashland Ave sits one of St. Louis's most famous pie houses, Country Girl Pie House. Known for their delicious homemade sweet potato pies the owners of the pie house have been through numerous hardships over the past forty years, including two of the owners being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Newswatch reporter, Danielle Randall has more on this story. 

To watch the video click here.

The use of Internet Memes thicken rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State

The Egg Bowl Championship between rivalries Ole Miss and Mississippi State is the most anticipated game of the season. Both schools play in hopes of taking home the golden egg. In November 2014, Ole Miss won the golden egg after losing it in November of 2013 from being defeated 17-10. This year, in November 2015 Ole Miss gained bragging rights after being named back to back Egg Bowl Champions by defeating Mississippi State 38-27.

Although the Egg Bowl is played by football players, fans have found a new way to participate and chime in on the rivalry with the use of Internet memes. Internet Memes have sparked across all types of social media websites. Memes are catchphrases or pieces of media which spreads via Internet. The memes consist of players, coaches, fans, and even animals that either predict the outcome of the game or tell us who came home with a victory. Ole Miss fans responded to the Egg Bowl victory with many humorous memes.

D'Lacia McKinley has more on that story where you can click below.

The state of Mississippi will not accept Syrian Refugees

The State of Mississippi will not accept Syrian Refugees

President Barack Obama will accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next year. Majority of states including Mississippi will not accept them. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant thinks this agenda is not right and misguided. Mississippi is known for its Christian and Conservative values but not letting in people from another country who are trying to escape terrorism, starvation and poverty raises questions among their religous beliefs. Governor Bryant believes that governors should have the power to decide if they want refugees or not. President Obama said that as long as he is commander in chief, the united states will welcome them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JvMbA_ok5I

           

Noxubee County Non-Profit Hosts Annual Gala on EggBowl Weekend

Distinguished Men Of Color Award Recipients.
Photo by Leah Gibson.

Many people in Mississippi spend their Thanksgiving relaxing and waiting to watch the infamous Egg Bowl rivalry football game between Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi, but for Noxubee County natives the Thanksgiving break weekend is wrapped up with a celebration of Distinguished Men of Color.

On Saturday, November 28, 2015 the non-profit organization of Distinguished Men of Color honored twenty-five men of color who graduated from the Noxubee County School District. The mission of the organization is to empower young males of Noxubee County in order for them to become productive citizens and positive role models. Honorees in attendance ranged from scientists and IT specialists to entrepreneurs and directors.

This was the second year for the annual gala, which serves as the organization's only fundraiser to provide scholarships given to young men from the county. Men of Color President Mable Jamison and many other community leaders all agree that this organization highlights the good of “The County” and proves the potential that they know their students have.

For more photos from the night, click here.

Be sure to watch footage and interviews from the night, HERE!

Living With Diabetes



 

 



Cola Mae McGee, longtime diabetic.

Photo by Rykia Bernard
 

Mrs. McGee is just one of several people who suffers from diabetes. Diabetes can cause a majority of health problem from people who suffer from the disease. The majority of at risk people of the disease, are not even aware that they have the disease. By detecting diabetes at an early stage, individuals with the disease, learn the best ways to manage. However, without checking for the disease, more irreversible damage is done to the diabetic.

 

The first known case of diabetes was first discovered in 1552 B.C. Since then, millions of people have died due to diabetes. Out of the two different types of diabetes, Type 1 diabetes has the tendency to be more vigorous than Type 2 diabetes.  Even though the realization of being a diabetic comes as a shock to most people, there are ways to help manage the disease.

 

 

Rykia Bernard has more on that story here.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Downtown Marietta's Winter Wonderland

The city of Marietta, Ga, kicked off the holiday season with the opening of a ice rink downtown. The ice rink is a part of the inaugural Marietta Sqaure Winter Wonderland, which began November 20th and will continue through January 4th.

The ice rink is located directly in the middle of Glover Park in Marietta Sqaure. There hours of operation are, Monday through Friday from 4pm to 10pm, and Saturday's and Sunday's from 10am to 10pm.

http://www.mariettasquare.com/uncategorized/marietta-square-winter-wonderland/

http://www.marietta.com/attractions/marietta-square

http://www.winterwonderlandmariettasquare.com/

UM Foodbank: Giving Back This Holiday Season

UM Foodbank (Olemiss.edu)

The mission of the Um Food Bank is to foster a healthy college community by providing nourishing food to students in an effort to alleviate hunger on the UM campus. Savannah Thomas, Food Bank President, says it is her passion to be able to run the operation for people in need.

They feed students throughout the semester but hope to be able to assist them during the holiday season as well. Anyone can donate or volunteer in the efforts to make a difference in peoples' lives this holiday season. Alicia Crane has more on the story in the video below.

"The Builder" - Final Package

The Rugged Lifestyle of an Amateur Bodybuilder

Bay St. Louis, MS- Bodybuilding is a career that requires devoted athletes to give months of their lives for only a day of competition.  Newman Forestier is among the few who are willing to make this sacrifice.  Working out four hours a day, and eating well over 5000 calories a day, Forestier has gained 30 pounds within one year.  Forestier has competed in three amateur events and has not placed once.  Forestier has also hired a private trainer to help ready himself for his upcoming competition.

Forestier began his pursuit of body building after watching an Arnold Schwarzenegger film.  At the time he was 16-years-old with no experience with any type of strength training.  Forestier soon convinced his father into turning their spare garage space into a personal gym.  Forestier's father also has no experience with weight training, so Forestier turned to Muscle and Fitness Magazine for guidance.  Forestier has been training for over five years and plans on committing his life to the sport.

Chris Frigo has more on that story here.

      

Orangetheory Fitness Creates a New Group Fitness Trend in Oxford, MS

Austin Pillow working out in the Orangetheory gym in Oxford, MS.

Orangetheory Fitness in Oxford, MS has started a popular fitness alternative for Ole Miss students and residents alike, reaching over 400 members in the community since its' opening in August 2015. Members are offered a variety of classes that incorporate different workouts each day, which helps trainees to avoid plateauing or getting bored of the sessions. Orangetheory members burn an average of 500 to 1000 calories per workout session, called “Orange 60.” 

The 60-minute sessions are lead by trainers and incorporate the science of three heart-rate based exercises involving indoor rowing, treadmill interval training, and weight training blocks. The heart-rate monitored training is designed to keep each member’s heart rate in a target zone that stimulates metabolism. This, “Orange Zone,” creates “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption,” or EPOC. “The ultimate goal of the workout is to be in the orange zone for 12-20 minutes, that’s 84% and above of your max heart rate. That’s where you see your best results and you get our after-burn, where you burn calories for up to 36 hours after the class is over,” said Orangetheory employee, Kati Tannehill.

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Shipley Do-Nuts of Clinton Undergoes Changes for the Month of December

Good news, Clinton residents, for the month of December, Shipley Do-Nuts will make a temporary change that will leave your taste buds craving do-nuts around dessert time. Shipley's is extending its hours past the normal six o'clock closing time with hopes of attracting more customers. Hot do-nuts will be served not only in the morning, but also later in the afternoon. However, this change does not apply to Sundays, which will be open from 6 am to 12 pm.

This change is one of few changes that Shipley Do-Nuts of Clinton has made. Other changes include the use of Apple Pay and renovations to the interior of the shop. This change in hours is temporary, however, according to Abraham Mazy, the store manager, this could become permanent. 

"This is a test. If we experience great results, we are considering making it a permanent change," said Mazy. 

Newswatch reporter, Daniella Oropeza, has more on this story.

Murphreesboro, Mississippi's Vickie Miller Prepares to Work with the Forgotten Children Ministries in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

The Forgotten Children Ministries ministers to this nearby garbage dumping ground where many homeless people in Tegucigalpa, Honduras live.  Image courtesy of the Forgotten Children Ministries Facebook page.

32-year-old Murphreesboro Local Vickie Miller found out about the Forgotten Children Ministries through a friend on Facebook.  The Forgotten Children Ministries' mission is "to rescue the forgotten and abandoned street children of Honduras."  According to The World Bank in 2013, 64.5% of Honduras' population lived in poverty.  Not only does the The Forgotten Children Ministries house homeless children, but they also minister to the local people.  Miller plans to work in Tegucigalpa, Honduras with the organization for one week during the Christmas break.

This was not the first time that Miller found a Christian-based, abroad organization online.  In 2009, she discovered the Network of International Christian Schools website.  Through this organization, Miller received a teaching job at the Highlands International School in La Paz, Bolivia.  Montana Byrd has more on this story and Miller's adventures below.

Professor uses competition to get students jobs and change the image of Sales

Dr. Terry Loe is the director of Sales at Kennesaw State University and has spent the last seventeen years developing a Professional Sales degree curriculum that changes the perception of what it is to be a salesperson.

   The emphasis of the Sales program is preparing students for real world sales situations while remaining ethical and competing for real world jobs. The National Collegiate Sales Competition uses a March Madness like approach to selling by putting students up against actors who are pretending to be potential buyers. The "Role Play" meetings are streamed live to a panel of Corporate judges (and potential employers) who score the competitors based on how well they take care of the client, and not just by whether or not they get the buyer to sign on the dotted line.

    The Competition has caused a boom in sales majors around the United States and now over sixty different Universities send teams of young salespeople to compete for prizes and jobs. Dr. Loe has used the money from investing businesses to build a state-of-the-art Sales Center where he hopes the world can see his vision.

"We can begin to look at someone with a professional degree in sales with the same respect in which we see lawyers and doctors."

Nathan Loe has more on the story:

College students gather at local church for worship night series

In popular college party towns like Oxford, students can sometimes find it difficult to find a wholesome activity that does not involve drinking or going to the bars. Additionally, the religious students around town struggle to connect with other students with the same spiritual beliefs as them. The Orchard Oxford is a church here that decided to try to change that.

The Orchard began a series of college worship nights that began on October 13^th of this year. It continued on through November 19^th. Worship was led by musician David Vicchiollo and sermons were taught by Pastor Don Ross. Ross decided that the main theme of the series would be “Me and My Zombie,” a look into the Christian idea that acceptance of Jesus Christ brings to life a renewed soul within that person.

Every night would begin with worship followed by the sermon. Students were then encouraged to break up into smaller groups for a discussion among their peers about the lesson taught from the sermon. Students met other like-minded students and formed friendships that would otherwise have not happened. The Orchard plans on doing another college worship night series next semester.

Hillary Clinton Visits Memphis, TN for Grassroots Organizational Meeting

  Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential front-runner, Hillary Clinton, visited LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis to organize her supporters before the primary elections in March 2016. Clinton addressed the crowd of 1400 people on the importance of defeating ISIS, preserving the Affordable Care Act, continuing funding for Planned Parenthood, fighting for equal pay, raising the minimum wage, and much more.

   Mississippi votes in the primary election on March 8, click here to find the polling location nearest you.

   Grace Miller has more on the story: