Catfish Industry – A Rise in Delta Aquaculture
By Mark Stowers The catfish are biting. The industry that began in 1959 in Yazoo County has seen its share of peaks and valleys in its economic pond. In its heyday of the 1970s there were more than 100,000 acres of catfish ponds scattered across three states. But with the high cost of feed and […]
Grenada: Right on the Verge of Greatness
Grenada has the best of both worlds. It’s firmly invested in its historic downtown and natural resources. But the city also welcomes new opportunities: a local television station, strong economic development and improvements to transportation infrastructure. Grenada makes it all work together, with impressive results. A $7.54 million grant made possible by Senators Thad Cochran […]
Steve Azar, the Delta Man
Singer\songwriter Steve Azar promotes stars as Music & Culture Ambassador of Mississippi by Becky Gillette Steve Azar grew up the Mississippi Delta, and some of his earliest musical experiences were listening to musicians playing behind Azar’s dad’s liquor store in Greenville which, by the way, was the first legal liquor store in the state. Azar […]
River Commission Should Support Change in Federal Law to Reduce Long-Term Harm to Mississippi’s 16th Section Land
By Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann Over the past several years, I have witnessed devastating changes in the more than 3,500 acres of 16th Section Public School Trust lands along the Mississippi River. Artificial flooding of the Mississippi River is causing significant damage, including increased siltation on the land, deterioration of wildlife habitats, tree mortality, […]
Kitchings Named Vice President of Member Involvement at MEC
The Mississippi Economic Council recently named Beth Kitchings as Vice President of Member Involvement. As Vice President of Member Involvement, Kitchings leads a team responsible for growing, engaging and retaining the membership base of the state’s chamber of commerce. She comes to MEC with more than 25 years of sales, marketing, and communications experience with […]
Cannon Has Built A Car Empire
By Becky Gillette Michael Joe Cannon started working at the age of eight bagging up peanuts and selling them on Saturdays. Then he ran a snowball stand and later a pool hall. At the age of 14, he started helping his father at a Calhoun City used car lot housed in a 12’ x […]
Yazoo City
Full of mystery, beauty and economic growth By Angela Rogalski Photos by Dawn Rosenberg Davis From the home county of Bentonia bluesman, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and his Blue Front Café, which is the oldest surviving juke joint in Mississippi, to American writer, Willie Morris, whose memoir “My Dog Skip,” a story about a boy and […]
Southern Bancorp Helping People Climb Economic Security Ladder
Unique banking operation plays large role in the Delta By Becky Gillette Southern Bancorp is a different kind of bank. It’s a bank on a mission. That mission is to help people in some of the most economically depressed areas of the country not only have access to financing, but educational opportunities to learn how […]
Transportation Industry Challenges
Driver Shortage, Infrastructure Shortcomings and Regulations By Mark H. Stowers Products, commodities, raw and finished goods have to get from one place to another whether by highway, the river or sometimes train. Across the Delta trucking companies and other transportation providers are feeling the challenge of finding qualified and capable drivers, finding their way through […]
Keys to Strengthening U.S. Manufacturing
By Jay Moon Manufacturing in the United States is poised for a renaissance not seen at any other time in recent history. The past decade has seen new investments in automation and efficiencies that have significantly increased industrial productivity. Added to these rapid technological advancements, new proposals by the Trump administration promise to make U.S. […]