The Memo

On paper, it is clear why a pair of Lee County middle schools have been labeled “at-risk” by the Mississippi Department of Education. But educators and students at Plantersville and Shannon middle schools wish people could see the things that aren’t measured by data.

Daily Journal education reporter Emma Kent (3:21) joins Derek and Chris Kieffer on today’s episode to discuss improvement efforts at the two schools.

Both schools were given F accountability rankings in 2016 and saw their test scores drop. But leaders at each cite efforts that have led to improved school cultures. They’ve also taken definitive steps to raise test scores.

 Plantersville students have become much more aware of their individual data – something that used to be studied only by principals and teachers – and they now carry data notebooks with them. The school also has built extra intervention time into the school day. At Shannon, students now have 72 minutes each day of English and math instruction through a shared second period of class time.

Emma also talks about the strong cultures at both schools and the efforts of teachers to help students in a way that goes beyond their academic needs.

Also on today’s episode, Daily Journal reporters Caleb Bedillion and Bobby Harrison (26:24) discuss the politics behind a proposed new jail for Lee County. County leaders have begun efforts to replace the current facility that is overcrowded and in need of repairs. But as they’ve sought a bill from the Mississippi Legislature to give them flexibility on a location, it has revealed a possible rift between city and county leaders. It also is unclear whether the Legislature will approve that bill or whether it is even needed.

Daily Journal health reporter Michaela Morris (41:43) talks about the unknown fate of the Delta Doctors program. The program places U.S.-trained, foreign-born physicians in underserved rural communities in eight states. The program is part of the federally funded Delta Regional Authority, which was not funded in the preliminary budget submitted by President Trump.

Daily Journal photographer Lauren Wood (50:07) discusses her recent photo essay on the MSU Bulldog Classic American Quarter Horse Association Horse Show at the MS Horse Park in Starkville.

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On today’s weekend special edition, food editor Ginna Parsons (8:06) joins Derek and Brad to give the highlights of this week’s food section. That includes a discussion on The Flour Shop, a popular Okolona biscuit store owned by Jessi Ray. This week’s Cook of the Week is Mattie Byrd Hobson, a 95-year-old Benton County woman with a coconut cake recipe that is more than 100 years old. Hobson’s recipes are from scratch, including a chocolate pie, chicken and dressing, and cranberry salad.

Ginna also talks about her new “Will It Skillet” cookbook and a recipe for pizza dip. And she discusses a few young cooks with lots of talent. Starkville’s Mark Coblentz, 13, continues to advance on the Fox TV show “Master Chef Junior.” Last week, Ginna traveled to Starkville to cover the watch party the Coblentz family holds each week the show airs. Meanwhile, Ginna had a story today about the Young Hawgers – a group of Tupelo High School students who will compete in this weekend’s Tupelo BBQ Duel. They are the youngest team ever to compete at the event.

Also on today’s episode, Derek (21:54) reviews “Get Out.” He has high praise for the directorial debut of comedian Jordan Peele. Derek said the movie has comedic elements, but finds its success as a thriller.

Derek (30:11) also breaks down the entertainment scene, including BBQ Duel and next weekend’s Tupelo Ballet performance of “Snow White.”

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The Tupelo Police Department is ready to begin using its new body cameras after city officials completed a policy for their use. Daily Journal local government reporter Caleb Bedillion (8:03) joins Derek and Brad on today’s episode to discuss the cameras and the new policy.

Officers wearing the cameras will be required to activate them into recording mode during “any enforcement contact or call for service” except for certain exceptions detailed by the policy –  such as in non-work related activities, in medical situations or in schools.

Body cameras have been more than a year in coming. City police initially ordered the cameras in January 2016. A dispute with the company that provided them caused a delay in putting the cameras into use until an alternative plan emerged during the summer. It then took several months to draft a policy for the use of the cameras.

Caleb also will talk about the likely creation of a police advisory board, which now appears to have the support of Tupelo’s City Council.

But the majority of the Council made it clear during a work session last week that an advisory board would not have any kind of oversight or investigatory authority over the Tupelo Police Department. The board recommended by the mayor’s administration would meet monthly and hear reports on police activities and events, as well as crime statistics. It would offer input and advice.

Also on today’s episode, Daily Journal Capitol bureau chief Bobby Harrison (29:46) talks about the recent unsuccessful attempts by state Rep. William Shirley, R-Quitman, to add amendments to various revenue bills that would force Mississippi’s eight public universities to fly the state flag in order to receive state funding.

None of Mississippi’s eight public universities currently fly the flag, which contains the controversial Confederate battle emblem as part of its design.

Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn is the highest ranking state official who has supported changing the flag. In order to narrowly defeat Shirley’s amendments, he has relied on a coalition that consists largely of House Democrats.

Bobby also talks about a couple of other key issues currently facing Mississippi lawmakers – education funding and crafting a new budget.

And Daily Journal education reporter Emma Kent (41:11) talks about a new report looking at health and education in Mississippi.

The Mississippi KIDS COUNT organization recently released its 2017 fact book. This year’s report focuses on the question of what it would take for Mississippi to go from 50th in the United States to number one in the Southeast in terms of overall child wellbeing. It focuses on early childhood education and chronic absenteeism and highlights some programs already in place, such as Excel by 5, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and Districts of Innovation.

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On today’s weekend special edition, food editor Ginna Parsons (4:36) has the highlights of this week’s food section. She talks about finding a recipe for a classic spinach salad that brings back memories of a beloved Vicksburg cafe – the key is the dressing. Ginna discusses Cook of the Week Donna Floyd of the Pumpkin Center community in Union County. Floyd’s specialties are cakes, pies and meat-and-three-vegetable meals. Ginna also describes her fondness for hand-written recipes.

M. Scott Morris (16:16) reviews “Logan.” He has a high grade for the latest film in the X-Men series.

Derek (24:16) discusses the weekend entertainment scene, including a pair of Jams – Monster Jam is this weekend and Winter Jam is March 16. Winter Jam, which is Christian music’s largest annual tour, will feature headliner Crowder. Also, Tupelo Community Theatre’s production of “Noises Off” is happening this weekend.

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Qualifying for municipal elections ended on Friday.

In Tupelo, five of the seven City Council races are contested, and the mayor’s race features Democratic incumbent Jason Shelton and Democratic challenger Candice Knowles. Meanwhile, two mayoral candidates and one City Council candidate have dropped out of their races this week.

On today’s episode, reporters Caleb Bedillion and William Moore (12:28) join Derek and Brad to talk about the races in Tupelo and other Northeast Mississippi municipalities. William highlights several non-Tupelo races, including police chief races in Baldwyn and Nettleton and mayoral contests in Plantersville, Saltillo and Shannon.

Also on today’s episode, Derek (3:55) talks about the Twitter account @wavecompliment2, which is designed to anonymously compliment and praise individuals at Tupelo High School.

Education reporter Emma Kent (28:05) discusses the Milam Girls Leadership Academy. The new program is focused on teaching leadership skills to a group of 32 sixth-grade girls. Last week, they took a trip to the Mississippi Capitol and Governor’s Mansion, and Emma joined them to report on it.

Business editor Dennis Seid (36:56) talks about legislation that could spur craft beer in Mississippi. The state House and Senate have passed the bill that would allow microbreweries in the state to sell beer on their premises. It now awaits Gov. Phil Bryant’s signature.

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On today’s “weekend special” edition, food editor Ginna Parsons (6:29) joins Derek and Brad to talk about this week’s food section. Topics include pecan brittle, Greek chicken kebabs with tzatziki sauce and a preview of the Tupelo BBQ Duel to be held March 17-19. Ginna also discusses Cook of the Week Sandra Lee, who has come a long way in the kitchen after learning to cook through phone calls with her sister.

Also today, Derek (19:12) breaks down the weekend entertainment scene, including Tupelo Community Theatre’s production of “Noises Off” to be held next weekend. This week’s events include “Swan Lake,” a Tupelo Middle School and Tupelo High School show choir showcase and a performance by Ginny Owens.

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It has now been 10 years since Toyota executives announced they would begin producing cars at a plant in Blue Springs in Union County.

Daily Journal business editor Dennis Seid (9:40) has covered the company’s presence in Northeast Mississippi since the beginning and recently completed an extensive special commemorative section that published on Sunday. He joins Derek and Brad on today’s episode to discuss the impact of Toyota’s arrival.

Dennis talks about the efforts to attract the company to the region, the role played by local community colleges in training Toyota’s workforce and the impact on the region’s economy. He also discusses Toyota’s effect on several Northeast Mississippi communities, its philanthropic efforts and the delay that kept the company from starting production until the fall of 2011. For more Toyota coverage, be sure to read Sunday’s special section.

Also on today’s episode, Capitol Bureau chief Bobby Harrison (34:25) has an update from the Mississippi Legislature after another deadline day killed many bills on Tuesday and advanced multiple others. Bobby discusses bills that would consolidate the school districts in Chickasaw County, remove civil service protection for state employees, tax internet purchases and repair roads and bridges.

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On today’s “weekend special” edition, food editor Ginna Parsons (8:41) joins Derek and Brad to talk about this week’s food section. That includes bruschetta chicken pasta salad. Also, Cook of the Week, Ingomar’s Jeff Reeder, specializes in baking cakes, such as tuxedo cake, watermelon cake and red velvet cake.

M. Scott Morris (15:56) reviews “The Great Wall.”

Meanwhile, Derek (23:10) has the highlights of the weekend entertainment scene. That includes Dierks Bentley, the start of a busy season for the BancorpSouth Arena, violinist Alexander Markov with the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, a performance of Cicada and more.

Also, look for Scott’s Oscars Preview conversation with GoldDerby.com’s Chris Beachum at DJournal.com.

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The new third-grade reading gate has increased the emphasis on literacy instruction in lower grades.

Daily Journal education reporter Emma Kent (4:55) joins Derek and Brad on today’s episode to talk about what teachers are doing to meet that challenge.

The so-called “gate” is a reading test students must pass in third grade in order to advance to fourth grade. There are opportunities for students who don’t pass the test to retake it, and some of them qualify for good-cause exemptions. Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, the score students must reach in order to pass the test will be raised.

Emma notes that teachers now begin teaching reading skills from the time students enter school. They will use data to monitor the progress of their students, and those who are falling behind will get help from interventionists, who will work with them in small-group settings or even one-on-one.

Schools also are looking for new ways to reach out to parents and get them more involved in helping students learn to read. They are searching for ways to provide different lessons to students who start with different ability levels.

Also on today’s episode, Daily Journal Capitol Bureau chief Bobby Harrison (26:08) has the latest on the education funding debate.

Although the proposal to change the school funding formula died for the regular session, legislators could take up the issue soon in a special session. House Speaker Philip Gunn increased the likeliness of that happening when he also declined to pass a budget for K-12 education for the upcoming year.

The Legislature is currently in the process of passing appropriation bills, and the school funding bill usually starts in the House. Gunn said it makes sense to couple the funding bill with legislation to rewrite the formula and that both issues should be tackled together in a special session. Meanwhile, Gov. Phil Bryant has said he will not call a special session on the funding formula until lawmakers reach a consensus on the issue.

Meanwhile, photographer Lauren Wood (37:49) discusses her recent photo essay on Sweet Potato Sweets in Vardaman. All the treats are made with sweet potatoes brought in from a local farm. The potatoes are peeled, boiled, pureed and used in all the baked goods and products sold at the store.

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On today’s “weekend special” edition of The Memo, food editor Ginna Parsons (7:28) discusses this week’s food section. Cook of the Week Zanthia Slaughter’s specialties include slow-cooker pork roast, strawberry-lemonade brownies and shepherd’s pie. Ginna also talks about sweet potato soup and restaurateur John Currence’s upcoming appearance in Tupelo for the Lee County Library’s “A Novel Affair” fundraiser.

Photographer Adam Robison (17:23) talks about his recent photo essay on Tupelo’s Hanger Clinic, which makes prosthesis.

M. Scott Morris (24:52) reviews “John Wick: Chapter 2.” Derek (31:57) has the highlights of the weekend entertainment scene – Carlock Ram’s Northeast Mississippi Championship Rodeo, Tupelo Community Theatre’s “Love Letters,” the Oxford Film Festival and Link Centre’s music of the Oscars. Also, Tupelo High School students are performing “The Ninth Train,” and Pied Piper Players offer a presentation of “Lizzy, Darcy and Jane.”

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