Tuesday, April 8, 2014
The Daily
Mississippian
Vol. 102, No. 119
The Student Newspaper of The University Of Mississippi | Serving Ole Miss and Oxford since 1911
Abner’s files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection BY KYLIE MCFADDEN & ALLISON SLUSHER thedmnews@gmail.com
Abner’s Famous Chicken Tenders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 28, according to the Northern District of Mississippi Bankruptcy Court. The petition was filed voluntarily, citing assets and liabilities of $1 million to $10 million. Recognized as the 12thfastest-growing company in Mississippi by the Mississippi Business Journal in 2004, Abner’s was opened by former Ole Miss football player Abner White and has since become a landmark for students in Oxford. The first location was opened on Lamar Boulevard off the Square in 1993. A second location was opened on Jackson Avenue in 2000. White said that no branches will close since filing for bankruptcy. “Nothing’s going to close,” White said. “Our sales last year were up compared to the year prior, and our sales this year are up compared to last year.” White’s attorney, Craig Geno, reiterated that no busiSee ABNER’S, PAGE 5
ALEX EDWARDS | The Daily Mississippian
The Abner’s Famous Chicken Tenders restaurant on Lamar Boulevard is seen Monday. The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 28.
ASB creates safe ride council BY ALLISON SLUSHER thedmnews@gmail.com
The Associated Student Body recently created the Students for a Safe Ride Advisory Council as part of an effort to bring a safe-ride system to campus. The former safe-ride system for students, Rebel Ride, suspended its service in October. The ASB created the council as a way to raise funds for a safe ride as well as to communicate with the student body. “We have called student leaders from across campus to serve on an advisory board to help rebuild Students for a Safe Ride,” ASB President Davis Rogers said. “This group of students, the Students for a Safe Ride Advisory Council, will be charged with responsibilities such as
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advertising, fundraising and restructuring for the organization. In essence, they are the students who will provide this campus with the safe-ride program.” Student Activities Association Director Carly Eason was asked to be a member of the council. She said she hopes the council will be able to work together to bring a safe ride back to campus. “My hope is that we are able to select a dedicated and diverse group of students who are committed to the future of a safe ride here at Ole Miss,” Eason said. Council applications were released Monday and can be picked up in the ASB, SAA, Black Student Union and Greek Life offices. The deadline to return these applica-
tions is April 16. Rogers said he plans to see a safe-ride option available as early as fall 2014. “The program is already building on plans to have a fleet of buses available for the upcoming fall 2014 semester,” Rogers said. “The funds for the spring semester will be imparted as a responsibility of the newly formed student advisory council.” Rogers said he is looking forward to finding a new transportation option for students. “The safe-ride program is important to us because it is important to the students,” Rogers said. “It is what the students have asked for, thus we place accomplishing this program as high priority.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Miss. governor signs religious practices bill JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill Thursday that supporters say will assure unfettered practice of religion without government interference but that opponents worry could lead to state-sanctioned discrimination against gays and lesbians. The bill, called the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, will become law July 1. It also will add “In God We Trust” to the state seal. An early version of the bill, considered weeks ago, was similar to one Arizona’s Republican governor, Jan Brewer, vetoed after business groups said it could hurt that state’s economy. Supporters say the
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final Mississippi bill bears little resemblance to the failed Arizona measure. Outside the state Capitol on Thursday, more than 75 gayrights supporters protested against the bill. Jeff White of Waveland, a founder of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Lesbian and Gay Community Center, said as someone who is gay and Jewish, he worries such a new law could make him more vulnerable to unfair treatment. “It’s the first time in my life that I’ve actually considered moving out of Mississippi,” said White, 32. “It made me physically ill the past few days, realizing what they’re trying to do.” See BILL, PAGE 5
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