News Archive
This section will contain past news features from our monthly electronic newsletter, Delta Possibilities, filled with stories of events, people, and places of the Delta region.
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August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
08/13/08
Mid South Delta LISC Hosts Annual Conference
Leaders from Delta Community Development Corporations (CDCs) will converge in Tunica, Miss., for the Conference of Delta CDCs on September 22-24.
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08/06/08
East Arkansas Enterprise Community Celebrates Youth Workers
East Arkansas Enterprise Community hosted a graduation ceremony for its 22 summer interns recently. Youth build leadership and adminstrative skills in Delta-based jobs.
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08/06/08
Prize-Winning Images of the Delta
The Gladlands recently held its 3rd Annual "Showcase Our Gladlands" photo contest. A panel of Delta-based photographers judged the more 250 entries.
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08/06/08
Entrepreneur's Upscale Delta Investment
The charming cafeteria-style Pine Buff eatery, YNOT Charlie’s soul food draws a steady crowd of hungry lunchers and college poets and artists each day. So, owner Tony Dowd and his business partner decided to broaden their investment in the Delta’s business landscape.
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08/06/08
Affordable Housing Market Still Building in Louisiana Delta
Clarence Smith calls the work done by Mt. Pleasant Community Development Corporation is a sign that hope prevails despite recent sales slumps and foreclosures in the nation’s housing market.
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08/06/08
When it comes to Giving, Youth Have No Time to Play
When a playground in Wynne, Ark., needed a fence to keep toddlers from escaping, youth stepped in. When a Boy Scout troop needed new tents, youth stepped in with cash. When the city of Clarendon needed a new grill in a city park, youth bought one.
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08/06/08
Circles of Trust: A New Delta Transformation Process
With strategies in place to transform Delta communities into thriving places to live, work and raise families, the Mid South Delta Initiative (MSDI) now uses Circles of Trust to help volunteers understand the community transformation process.
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07/07/08
Youth Circle of Trust
Youth are helping to transform the Delta by learning empowerment and leadership skills like those offered during a two part “Circle of Trust” session held in Jackson and Greenville, Miss. in June.
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07/07/08
Mississippi Cultural Crossroads Celebrates Milestones
Celebrating 30 years of artistic excellence, well-wishers, guests and friends recently honored the Mississippi Cultural Crossroads (MCC) in Port Gibson, Miss. Supporters also said adieu to Patricia Crosby, Executive Director and founder, who retires in July.
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07/07/08
Delta Citizens Complete Regional Leadership Institute
Graduates of the Delta Regional Authority's Executive Leadership Institute will return to communities throughout the region armed with more knowledge and skills to help improve their areas.
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07/07/08
Job Opportunities in the Delta
There are opportunities and jobs available in the Delta. All you have to do is look here and apply.
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07/07/08
Delta-based County Selected as MATCH Pilot Project
St. Francis County in the Arkansas Delta has been selected as the state's pilot county for participation in the MATCH Project – Mobilizing Against Threats to Community Health. MATCH helps communities protect themselves and survive the threat of new and emerging infectious diseases, possibly a pandemic, says Lott Rolfe, director of the MATCH project in Arkansas.
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07/07/08
New Class of Delta Leaders Prepared For New Challenges
St. Joseph, La., Mayor Edward Brown dangled a pair of handcuffs during his recent closing remarks about being a Mid South Delta Leaders Class III graduate. He used the handcuffs to emphasize what could be in store for children in his Delta community.
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07/07/08
Public Policy Forum Explores Best Practices and Community Successes
More than 70 grassroots community activists, organizers and concerned citizens from the Mississippi Delta region gathered at the Greenwood Higher Education Center (GHEC) to share successes and concerns about public policy recently.
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07/07/08
Delta State Offers Free Workshops for Small Business
Delta State University's Small Development Center will offer free small business workshops throughout the month of July.
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07/07/08
Ouachita River Art Gallery
As an art gallery where people are not limited to only seeing and purchasing artwork, but may also interact with the contributing artists themselves, Ouachita River Art Gallery makes itself an indispensable part of the artistic culture in Louisiana.
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06/09/08
Read the Latest Issue of Premier Delta Publication
The Spring 2008 edition of "Imagine: The New Delta" recently hit mailboxes throughout the tri-state Delta region and businesses and organizations across the nation.
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06/03/08
MSDI Recognizes Design Work Groups Final Gathering with Festive Reward in Memphis
Tears, laughter and applause filled the ballroom of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis recently at a gathering celebrating the end of the 18-month commitment residents of the Delta region made to the Mid South Delta Initiative.
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06/03/08
East Arkansas Breathes Easier Thanks to EAEC Health Initiatives
The East Arkansas Enterprise Community held a health outreach project recently that helped smokers kick the habit and establish healthier lifestyles.
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06/03/08
Sunflower Freedom Project Gives Hope to a Community and Inspires Visitors
When Indiana University students unloaded their chartered bus in the parking lot at the Sunflower (Miss.) Freedom Project, Greg McCoy and some of his Freedom Project kids clapped and cheered as they greeted their visitors.
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06/03/08
Take Care Health Tour Stops in Monroe
As a red tour bus rolled into a local Walgreens parking lot recently, Monroe, La., residents got a dose of healthy advice. As part of a project that began four years ago, Walgreens and other sponsors invested $35 million to assure residents in 48 states and Puerto Rico have access to free health screenings and health awareness initiatives.
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06/03/08
Farmers and Gardeners Aim to Keep Foods Close to Home
Hardin Farms in Grady, Ark. sells organically certified foods beyond the Arkansas Delta with the help of 40 other growers in the area, and owner Jody Hardin expects the Basket-A-Month Community Supported Agriculture program they sponsor will be a huge success this summer.
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06/03/08
Delta Sees Dollar Signs in Mid South Fair's Move to Tunica
With the Mid South Fair moving to the Delta, opportunities abound for entrepreneurs, and economic development initiatives will likely take off, said James Dunn, executive director of the Tunica County Community Development Corp.
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06/03/08
Quitman County Development Organization Receives a 2008 Innovator Award
The Quitman County Development Organization received a 2008 Innovator Award from the Southern Growth Policies Board June 1 in Little Rock for its work with youth through programs and initiatives that reshape lives.
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06/03/08
Tunica Sports and Recreation Complex
Healthy lifestyles and choices become easier to create and select when there is some where to go like the Tunica Recreation Complex. Located just south of Memphis, the complex has the latest in high-tech sporting equipment such as an Olympic-swimming pool, diving platforms, baseball and softball fields, basketball courts, a boxing facility, and a health and wellness pavilion.
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05/06/08
Business Plans and Financing Workshops Held Throughout Delta in May
Delta State University’s Small Business Development Center will offer free business workshops throughout the region during May to help small business owners with start-up and expansion plans.
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05/06/08
Delta-based Colleges Graduate Thousands of Students in Commencement Exercises
A few thousand students will receive bachelor’s or master’s degrees from colleges and universities in the Delta this spring. These college graduates represent the newest wave of innovation, leadership, and academic achievement who can help lift up and transform the region.
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05/06/08
Lyon College to Provide Laptops to 2008 First-Year Students
Each incoming freshman entering Lyon College in Batesville, Ark., will receive a laptop computer programmed with software needed for classes and extracurricular activities.
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05/06/08
National Publications Spotlight Delta Attractions
Spring has sprung, and besides buying tissue this means the Delta is in full bloom with azaleas, dogwoods and apple blossoms to name a few. It also means media nationwide is paying attention to what’s happening in the region.
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05/06/08
Regional Plan in Motion to Transform Delta
Participants in the Mid South Delta Initiative’s (MSDI) regional work groups attended a two day meeting recently to revise their ideas for designing a plan that would be part of a larger strategy to “lift up the delta.”
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05/06/08
Shoe Plant Chooses Forrest City to Open Second Delta-Based Site
The Belleville Shoe Manufacturing Co. plans to open a plant in Forrest City, Ark., hiring 200 employees within the next 18 months.
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05/06/08
Southern Financial Partners President Wins Non-Profit Executive of the Year
Southern Financial Partners President Ben Steinberg was named Arkansas Business’ 2007 Non-Profit Executive of the Year in their awards ceremony on February 26, 2008 celebrating their 20th anniversary.
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05/06/08
Youth Alliance Aims to Design a Bright Future for the Delta
Since youth engagement is a vital component in transforming the Delta, the Mid South Delta Initiative (MSDI) began forming a Youth Alliance to address youth issues in the region.
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05/06/08
Mid South Community College
Located in West Memphis, Arkansas, MSCC is a public, two-year institution that offers associate degree programs, adult education, technical certificate, certificate of proficiency programs, along with business and community education programs. Since the fall of 2003, Mid South Community College has grown into an accredited, multi-million dollar, award winning, and institution.
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04/08/08
Louisiana Delta Ballet Company
Operating as a non-profit organization, the Louisiana Delta Ballet Company in Monroe offers several year round and special performances.
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04/07/08
Journal Article Published on MSDI Leadership Program
The Mid-South Delta Leaders program was highlighted in the International Leadership Association’s journal edition, “Leadership: Impact, Culture, and Sustainability.”
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04/01/08
MSDI Youth Learn to Teach Diversity Values
Mid South Delta Initiative youth representatives traveled to Boston recently to learn how to teach others the value of interacting with different cultures.
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04/01/08
Louisiana Citizens Celebrate the Past by Looking to the Future
With their plan to transform the Lousiana Delta into a thriving economic region, local citizens celebrated at a recent banquet honoring their past work and launching their future possibilities.
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04/01/08
DeltaMade Products Brought to More Customers in Promotional Event
Steve and Ludie Johnson transported parts of their photography studio in Helena to Little Rock recently to promote their 55-year-old business to Central Arkansas customers. The business joined several others at DeltaMade branding promotional event.
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04/01/08
Dickerson Helps Little Rock Central High School Museum Launch New Program
MSDI’s program director Gloria Dickerson helped launch a program the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site will feature each month that highlights books, authors and characters based on real people involved in the nation’s civil rights movement.
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04/01/08
Grant Seekers Find Aid Through Renewal
Fifty-three northeast Louisiana citizens can now apply for grants with an assurance that they know what they are doing.
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04/01/08
ASU's Delta Blues Symposium Lauds Past and Present Delta Writers
There are as many definitions of the Mid-South Delta as there are conference presenters and participants who attended the Arkansas State University Delta Blues Symposium March 27 to 29.
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04/01/08
Women on the Move Drives New Delta Transportation Service
Round trip transportation between Yazoo City and Jackson, Miss., recently became available courtesy of Women on the Move.
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04/01/08
Conference Showcases Global Opportunities for Local Communities
Those who attend the annual Breakthrough Solutions Conference on May 1 in Little Rock, Ark., will hear lessons about community development in the global economy and learn how Arkansas communities and businesses can take advantage of opportunities in this new era.
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04/01/08
Flex Fund Creators Gather for Research and Development
Regional and national thought leaders explored recently in Mississippi how to develop a flexible action fund to support the Delta 's long-term transformation.
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03/06/08
Humanities Councils Make Recognition and Appointments in the Delta
The Mississippi Humanities Council honored the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., with their Public Humanities Achievement Award.
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03/06/08
Grant Opportunity for East Arkansas Nonprofits
The East Arkansas Planning and Development District announced the availability of $250,000 in funds to be awarded as grants to nonprofit organizations serving communities in the twelve counties served by the District.
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03/06/08
Clarksdale Education Officials Ponder Charter Schools Initiatives
The Board of Trustees of the Clarksdale Municipal School District recently met to discuss a legislative proposal that will allow the district to form a Charter School Program in Coahoma County Mississippi.
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03/06/08
Photo Project Aims to Showcase Delta Transformation
Several members of the Mid South Delta Initiative’s Design Work Groups recently met in Tunica, Miss., to expose their ideas about a new Delta through pictures.
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03/06/08
Bienville Depot Museum
Built in 1908, the Bienville Depot in Arcadia, Louisiana, is the only wooden depot in existence between Marshall, Texas and Jackson, Miss.
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03/06/08
Health Policy Director Needed
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families is looking for a new policy director. The agency is a nonprofit advocacy organization that leads the fight to improve health care coverage, access, and quality for Arkansas’ low and middle income children and families.
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03/04/08
Catahoula Parish Celebrates 200 Years
Catahoula Parish in northeast Louisiana turns 200 years old next month on Easter Sunday, March 23, and a Bicentennial Committee plans a celebration like no other. Each Saturday in March, a different area of the parish will hold an event with fun activities and historical presentations.
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03/04/08
Renewal Trains First-Time Homebuyers
Twenty-four northeast Louisiana residents are ready to face the challenges of purchasing a home thanks to the training they received at Renewal Inc.'s first-time homebuyers classes offered in early February.
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03/04/08
Louisiana Nonprofits Build Tax Prep Coalition
The Northeast Louisiana Delta Community Development Corporation (NELAD CDC), the United Way of Northeast Louisiana, and several other local agencies have joined forces to spread the word that no cost tax preparation services are available through their VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) programs.
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03/04/08
Southern Growth Seeks Partners to Talk Youth Issues
Southern Growth Policies Board invites regional partners to help facilitate community discussions on youth development and engagement. Input from the discussions will be used to develop policy recommendations presented to regional leaders at Southern Growth's 36th annual conference on June 1-3 in Little Rock, Ark.
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02/15/08
Former President Visits Delta Campus
Though light-hearted and cheerful, former President Bill Clinton stressed several serious points that hit close to home with many University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff students during a recent visit to the campus.
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02/15/08
Crossroads Coalition Needs to Hire New Executive Director
The Crossroads Coalition, an east Arkansas group of organizations and volunteers geared to improve the economic, education, leadership and community conditions of the Arkansas Delta region, needs a new executive director.
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02/15/08
Delta Byways Honor Delta-based Amenities and Achievers
Ice-slicked roads and stormy weather failed to dampen the spirit behind the Eighth Annual Delta Awards banquet held Jan. 25 at the East Arkansas Community College Technical Center for the Delta in Wynne where more than 100 supporters and honorees braved the conditions to attend.
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02/15/08
Mississippi Grassroots Caucus Lures Delta Supporters
As a prelude to the annual Delta initiative held in Washington D.C. this spring, the Mississippi Grassroots Caucus prepared Delta area proponents to support presidential candidates who will benefit the region.
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02/15/08
Humphreys County Health Professionals Reach Out to Youth
Local college students recently served as special guests of the Humphreys County Health Network, after the students participated in the “Peer Health Advisors to Health Professionals Program” at Humphreys County High School.
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02/15/08
Income Tax Deductions for Storm-Damaged Timber
A crucial question facing Delta forest landowners after a disaster is how to recover losses to timber from a tax point of view.
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02/15/08
National Summit to Give Insight on Regional Growth
A national summit where more than 1,000 local, regional and national community and grassroots leaders are expected to attend will be held March 5 to 7 in New Orleans.
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02/15/08
Models for Change
A two day regional work group meeting on self-improvement and diversity forced participants to examine their thoughts and connect with their behavior choices as part of training sponsored by the Mid-South Delta Initiative (MSDI).
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02/15/08
Competing in the Global Economic Olympics
The U.S. agriculture economy is experiencing a brand new golden era in 2008, and many people in the Delta want to know how that will affect rural areas now. Dr. Mark Drabenstott, founding director of the Rural Policy Research Institute--Center for Regional Competitiveness, says that is not the right question to be asking.
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02/15/08
Mississippi Delta Children's Partnership
These five community organizations in the cities of Anguilla, Cary, Marks, Mayersville/Glenn Allen, and Webb offer after school and summer enrichment programs for youngsters in the Mississippi Delta to help lift their accomplishment goals and levels.
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01/23/08
Greater Access to Matched Savings
On Oct. 24, 2007, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Southern Good Faith Fund, and the Arkansas Assets Coalition announced a partnership to expand access to Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) and other banking products and services that target underserved populations.
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01/23/08
Rebuilding is the Focus of 'Delta Dreams' Documentary
A new documentary explores the transformation of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. Funded in part by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) documentary presents the lives of community members in the Delta town who are working to improve the quality of life of the city.
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01/23/08
Scholarships Available for First Generation Delta Students
First-generation college students hailing from the Delta region have the opportunity to receive scholarship money from a nonprofit organization with the sole mission of lifting up the Delta.
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01/23/08
The Mississippi River
A jewel shared by three states, the Mississippi River, separates Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas – making it a diamond in the Delta Region’s crown. Concrete mattes, jetties and a series of levees longer than the Great Wall of China largely control the river’s flow.
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01/23/08
New Website Highlights Delta's Greatness
A new campaign, called Lifting up the Delta, has its own website. Please visit www.liftingupthedelta.org to read stories of change and transformation in the Delta region. This website offers opportunities for you to get involved in “Lifting Up the Delta.”
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01/10/08
Alluvian
Featured as one of the state’s five-star hotels and spas, this Greenwood, MS attraction can be identified as a diamond of the Delta.
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01/10/08
High Delta Safari Park
This drive-thru zoo sits on 2000 acres of northeast Louisiana's most picturesque landscape in Delhi. Hundreds of exotic and endangered animals roam freely as visitors explore their natural habitats.
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01/10/08
East Arkansas Enterprise Community
The vision of the East Arkansas Enterprise Community (EAEC) is to sustain communities. Serving four target counties in Arkansas, Cross, Lee, Monroe, and St. Francis counties, the organization now supports four benchmarks or programmatic tools: health outreach and education; youth leadership development; agriculture and small farmer outreach and education; and business development and outreach.
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01/10/08
Youth Team Takes Community Stage to Raise Awareness
For the past decade, the Forrest City High School Mustangs Against Drugs, Tobacco and Guns (MAD-TAG) has made a difference in our school and community. Our organization has provided a “voice in the wilderness” raising an awareness of the adverse effects of drugs and the scars they leave on the lives of our youth, their families, and our area.
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01/10/08
Parents are Educators Too
Parents play a pivotal role in the social, economic, and educational development of their children. Increasing awareness around this notion was the goal of the Mississippi Delta Children’s Partnership’s Learning Community.
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01/10/08
Bastrop Visitor Center: A Delta Sign of Transformation
Louisiana Design Work Group member Dee Tubbs operates one of the state’s only visitors’ centers in northeast Louisiana. She’s a beacon in this town, because she manages the place where major parties, festivities and meetings occur.
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01/10/08
Add Credit Check to New Year's Resolutions
As you plan for the year ahead, drafting those lists of New Year’s resolutions, don’t forget to add a check of your credit file disclosure, commonly known as a credit report.
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01/10/08
Independent Retailers Boost Delta-Made Brands
Delta made products have grown longer arms thanks to the mission of the Arkansas Delta Made program. Since the program started last fall, Arkansas Delta artists, crafter, growers and dealers get help promoting their wares through a program that highlights distinct products made in the Delta Region.
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01/10/08
Federal Authority Announces Delta Grants
The Delta Regional Authority recently released its grants for 2007, including grants for infrastructure projects in the Delta regions of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
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01/10/08
New Monroe Auto Plant to Create 800 Jobs in Northeast Louisiana
Plans are underway for a new auto plant to open in Monroe creating 800 new jobs over a course of five years.
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01/10/08
Arkansas Soybean Association Brings Annual Meeting to the Delta
The Arkansas Soybean Association has set Tuesday, Jan. 22 as the date of their 44th Annual Business Session and Seminar. The informative seminar and business session will be held at the Convention Center in Brinkley with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. and program at 9 a.m. It will conclude after lunch.
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