Holding Hands With Ones Who Need It Most

Holding Hands Resale Shop

A local Oxford thrift shop has a unique and different perspective on hiring their employees, Holding Hands Resale Shop aims to create a safe working environment for those affected by mental illness. 

You can check out more and donate to Holding Hands by visiting their website here. 

At the age of 14, Donna Howard’s daughter was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was working at a local grocery store as a bag clerk. Her daughter did not gain the respect or patience she deserved and Donna saw a change needed to happen. After visiting a similar thrift shop in Nashville six years ago where the owner had opened a store to provide his own daughter who was diagnosed with autism a job opportunity, Howard was inspired to open her own business in Oxford.

With ten employees working under Howard, the desire for this kind of service is undeserved, almost every week someone comes in looking for a job. Howard explains the hardest part about her business is turning potential employees down due to an over capacity of staff already. 

To learn more about mental illness and those affected by it and become more aware of how difficult it is for those affected to receive respect within a job or career they hold, click here. 

Holding Hands is able to bring help and positivity to many different people throughout the community of Oxford. Not only by offering job opportunities and services to mental illness, but by also creating reasonable priced items throughout the store helping out those who are less fortunate. 

   

Oxford, Mississippi Underage Drinkers Recognized Not by Their Fake ID’s, but by their Attitude

 Courtesy of Google Images

As spring has sprung and the countdown to summer break is growing smaller, students at The University of Mississippi fill the square to enjoy warm weather, good company and alcoholic beverages.

However, with excitement and celebration comes the problem of underage alcohol consumption, and while not every student under the age of twenty-one can be accused of drinking, local bartenders and bouncers express how easy it is to spot the ones who do.

“I get some I.D.’s handed to me and sometimes it is a little difficult to tell, but then there are the ones I get and I’m just like ‘Come on child, you got to be kidding me’,” Maurice or “Big Mo”, bouncer at Frank and Marlee’s, said.

Missing holograms, incorrect issue and expiration dates, flexibility and dark pictures are all obvious ways to identify if a license is real or fake. If found guilty of using or possessing a fake I.D., the penalties include facing a fine of up to $500 or more, court and legal fees, community service hours, and in some situations, more.

“When I was underage I drank occasionally, I mean I think we’ve all been there, but recently we’ve started to realize how careless and reckless people can be. And with A.B.C. in town constantly, it’s getting harder to get away with things,” Jack Stevens, bartender at Frank and Marlee’s, said. 

Along with the growing and continuous problem of underage drinking, at this years recent Double Decker Arts Festival, employees complained that theft has accompanied this problem.

“I found our tip jar on the floor of the bathroom completely empty, so I went up to one of the guy's sitting at the bar, and found all the cash and tip receipts in his pocket, and he just so happened to be underage, and while obvioulsy not every underage kid is stealing, it doesn’t help make a case for them,” Stevens said.

“He was arrested and when we watched the video footage from the night it was obvious it was him. His name is known at every bar now locally, it’s just not worth it. If you’re going to drink illegally at least try to do it responsibly,” Stevens said.

The Oxford Mississippi Police Department’s Twitter profile is popular among the Ole Miss community for it’s humor and sarcastic attitude towards local crimes, and is consistent in reporting illegal activity or behavior. Daily crime reports can also be found online.

Oxford Police Department Twitter

Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society has an influx of animals this spring.

Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society has their hands full this spring as more animals are being brought it everyday. The shelters goal is help find every pet their forever home.


"Spring is definitely our busiest time we are getting new animals everyday," Brandee Ledene, Adoption Coordinator said. " I remember one day last spring we had 83 pets come in on one day. It can be very challenging with all the new animals coming in on top of the ones we already have. We get a lot of animals from owner surrenders."

OLHS is always looking for anyone to come in and fill out an application on one their fury pets. The process is very easy.

The Production Behind Award-winning Double Decker Arts Festival

The planning for the Double Decker Arts Festival begins almost a year in advance with Lee Ann Stubbs as its coordinator. Winning over 20 awards over the past few years, this festival brings in more than 60,000 people. Originally inspired by the Double Decker Bus imported from England in 1994, this festival centers more around the arts and dedicates its weekend to celebrating local artists.

The employees of Visit Oxford diligently work to bring more people to Oxford, MS for these musicians and artists. Before the crowd arrives, Stubbs and her colleagues get to The Square early making sure the art vendors and volunteers feel ready to go. The restaurants also work hard to prepare for the surplus of visitors. Bacchus is just one of many restaurants with its servers and cooks prepping extra early for customers. All of the workers and volunteers seem to agree that the hard work is worth it when they see everyone having a great time.

Final Package

                                                                                     

Social Media and Body Image: Toxic or Inspirational?

Social media's impact on society has been tremendous since its start, and studies show no sign of it slowing down. In fact, the use of social media is increasing rapidly. Everyday new ideas and new campaigns are implemented through the use of social media and all its endeavors. The problem, however, is social media's influence on peoples' body image. Many studies have discovered social media being a key factor in eating disorders. Even the health-kick accounts on instagram, facebook, snapchat, etc. who claim to promote "clean eating" and exercise are being questioned when it comes to health.

Are "fit-sporational" and other health-happy social media accounts promoting inspiration towards actual health? Or, are these platforms doing more damage than good?

Samantha Usry has more on the story-- to watch, click HERE!

Ole Miss Basketball's Sebastian Saiz prepares for 2017 NBA Draft; Pro Career

Sebastian Saiz may never again suit up in a Rebel uniform, but his playing days are far from over. The former Ole Miss forward is now getting ready for the 2017 NBA Draft, and hopes that playing his natural position, power forward, impresses scouts enough to make him one of the 60 names called on draft night.

In fact, one NBA scout even told Saiz that he could be playing a bit of Small Forward at the next level. A large change for a guy that had to play as an undersized center for the majority of his college career.

Ole Miss' Sebastian Saiz (11) defends Tennessee's Lew Evans (21)
in January's matchup. (Bruce Newman/Oxford Eagle) 

Saiz leaves Ole Miss with plenty of hardware, as well as fanfare. The 2017 Howell Trophy winner finished his Rebel career with 1273 points, 1008 rebounds, and 128 blocks. His performance in the 2016-17 season earned him first team all-SEC honors, and his rebounding numbers rivaled those of Anthony Davis and Shaquille O'Neal.

.@sebassaiz closes his record-breaking season with some impressive company. One of the best to ever wear a Rebel uniform! #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/6v1wEsqLWv

— Ole Miss Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 22, 2017

Saiz also participated in the 2017 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an event for seniors that are borderline NBA prospects that is attended by both NBA and European scouts. Saiz impressed in Portsmouth, averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds en route to a Portsmouth Invitational Championship, as well as a PIT All-Tournament team selection.

Portsmouth Invitation Tournament Champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KWr3eKUP30

— sebastian saiz (@sebassaiz) April 16, 2017

Despite a lack of elite athleticism, Saiz has length. In fact, he has the third longest wingspan of all 2017 NBA draft prospects. This shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that's watched Ole Miss basketball over the past four years.

The analyst calling the Auburn/Ole Miss game has mentioned Sebastian Saiz length literally 15 times. #SEC

— Tony Patelis (@CollegeHoopNews) January 8, 2017

All that being said, Saiz may have to wait until the NBA Summer League to prove his worth at the game's highest level. DraftExpress currently has him as the 65th ranked Senior, and is absent from the overall prospect list. Whether or not Saiz' name is called on draft night remains a mystery, but one thing is certain: Sebastian Saiz has plenty of basketball left to play.

Ole Miss Senior Linebacker Optimistic after School Imposed Bowl Ban

Ole Miss Senior Linebacker Elliot Markuson sprays his face with
water during pro day. Courtesy NFL.com 

The University of Mississippi's football team has been gaining tremendous success throughout college football since there top recruiting class stepped foot on campus in 2013. Since that time Ole Miss has two New Year's Six bowl game appearances and more top ranking recruiting classes.  The program has been looking bright until recent investigations conducted by the NCAA regarding multiple violations including recruiting have surfaced.

Ole Miss received its entail notice of the investigation in January of 2016. Since the beginning of this investigation Ole Miss has been found committing a fast amount of violations with the most serious being lack of institutional control. After this past football season the university in acted a self- imposed bowl ban that has left many people wondering what is in-store for the Rebels future. In a statement given to Fox sports Head Coach Hugh Freeze states, "From the momentI arrived in December 2011, I have emphasized to all of my staff that our program if founded on certain core values- faith, attitude, mental toughness, integrity and love."

Many have taken to social media to express there thoughts on the Universities decision with some condemning the program:

While others are a little more forgiving:

Confederate statue on Ole Miss campus still causes controversy in 2017

On October 16, 2015, students rallied together to protest the confederate flag on Ole Miss campus. Since the removal of the flag other Confederate symbols came into consideration to change. Including the Confederate statue in the circle on Ole Miss campus.

Ole Miss  added a plaque to the statue but, it came under scrutiny by the UM NAACP and Mississippi Sons of Confederate Veterans. The plaque went under revision again. One side still fights to keep their history untouched, while Confederate statues in some places find new homes from their original spot; bringing Confederate history supporters tempers to flare.  Joliasa Miller has more on that story.

The Mississippi Sons of Confederate Veterans still try to find support in their cause on social media.

Ole Miss Mud Daubers Experience Selling Artwork at Double Decker

Artwork the Mud Daubers presented at Double Decker

Every year on the last weekend in April, the Double Decker Arts festival takes over the town of Oxford, Mississippi. It is an exciting weekend for Ole Miss students and Oxford locals alike as many come to experience the music, the food, and the overall pageantry of Double Decker weekend. Even some come only for the booze.

For certain Ole Miss art students however, the Double Decker Arts Festival is an opportunity for them to showcase their best artwork to the 60,000 plus people that attend this festival every year on the Oxford Square.

One such group of Ole Miss ceramics students, the Ole Miss Mud Daubers, had the opportunity to not only showcase their artwork, but sell some of it too. 

"We will be selling bowls, cups, plates, and some of the best pottery work that the students here have made," Mud Dauber president and graduate student Nick Meyer said.

Max McCann has more on the Mud Daubers' experience below.

The Mud Daubers also contributed to the Double Decker Spring Run by making the trophies presented to the winners of the race. Check out those trophies and other social media activity involving the Mud Daubers and Double Decker below.

Ole Miss' Pavilion plays host to the C Spire Tech Experience (CTX) to give a glimpse of future technologies

Courtesy of Google Images

The Pavilion at Ole Miss opened their doors to give students, locals and anyone with a curiosity a taste of what they can look forward to for years to come in virtual reality and alternative intelligence.

On April 27th, at 2:15 pm, the crowd was greeted inside with numerous tables set up and enough lights and sounds to catch anyone's attention. Each setup had its own introduction to a seemingly futuristic type of technology.

Some of these include virtual reality headsets that makes the volunteers feel like they're in another world and actual robots rolling up to people. These advanced inventions did not come with an age limit, as both young, old and everything in between were left laughing or being freaked out by the high tech wonders.  

Zach Saranthus has more on the story. Click the video below.

The experience provided plenty of moments that were too good not to post on social media.