Dec. 30, 2015

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Volume 2 | Issue 73

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Inside

2015 IN REVIEW

2 Commentary

Jim Dees: Why we love New Orleans

8 Business

ROBERT JORDAN | OLE MISS COMMUNICATIONS | ADAM ROBISON | OXFORD CITIZEN

Jeffrey S. Vitter, left, speaks after being named the 17th Chancellor of the University of Mississippi. Allen Coon, Director of Social Media for Students for Dan Jones, stands at the circle at the Lyceum to ask passing students to come to the rally and support ousted school Chancellor Dan Jones.

Elections, Chancellors dominate 2015 headlines

BY ERROL CASTENS OXFORD CITIZEN

The changing of the guard in several offices of local importance comprised some of the biggest local stories of 2015, along with ongoing ef-

forts to determine directions for the area’s state-leading growth.

The deposing of University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones and the appointment of University of Kansas vice chancellor Jeff Vitter as his

successor constituted what was arguably the year’s biggest issue in the Lafayette-OxfordUniversity community – with ramifications statewide and beyond.

Hard-fought local elections provided the other biggest

PJs Wine & Liquor will offer more with move

13 Sports

LOU story of the year, drawing a huge field of contenders after several incumbents decided not to run for re-election.

Oxford’s nearly year-long TURN TO 2015 PAGE 4

Rebels, Cowboys ready to lock horns in Big Easy

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 2

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

COMMENTARY

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Why we love New Orleans xford has a connection with New Orleans that includes William Faulkner’s residency there in the 1920s, Ole Miss football trips to the Sugar Bowl in the 1950s and 60s and the great Archie Manning moving there in the 1970s. Its proximity to Mississippi makes it a Big Easy getaway for the Magnolia State to marvel at another world, our own little Europe.

What’s not to love? The music, food, architecture, and exotic vibe, all in our own backyard, makes New Orleans a rite of passage for many Mississippians. I remember road trips as a teenager and being amazed how you could purchase a fifth of Boone’s Farm wine, fully poured into a large cup, served with an ear of buttered corn for two dollars. The hangover was free.

New Orleans is Halloween, New Years and Mardi Gras all rolled into one whack-job, gonzo fever dream. One can re-invent oneself through an unholy cavort and be back within a day’s drive; dazed and confused but happily recharged. If America was founded on freedom, then New Orleans must be the most American of cities. It’s not just the spirits that are intoxicating, it’s the sights, the sounds and even the smells.

As Roy Blount, Jr. wrote: “Oh, the aromarama: fresh-ground coffee, split beer, hot pastry, sloshed Tabasco, yesterday’s fish, patchouli oil, and hints of some fortuitous compound… mule plop and olive salad?”

Blount also noted that it was in New Orleans where he “first ate a live oyster and first saw a naked woman with the lights on.”

Faulkner lived there off and on during the early to mid-1920s and claimed to work for a bootlegger, running rum in a skiff on the Gulf of Mexico. (Biographers have concluded his role was exaggerated by his antic imagination.) He did, however, actually write sketches for the Times Picayune. He has said it was in New Orleans that he made the switch from poetry to prose. In deciding what subjects to address, after a suggestion from his mentor, Sherwood Anderson, Faulkner concluded that his home terrain of north Mississippi was worth writing about. A small New Orleans apartment he shared in Pirate’s Alley is now included on literary tours.

Ole Miss football fans of a certain age can recall train trips to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl in which the Rebels appeared eight times over the years. There were also train trips to Baton Rouge for LSU games, fueled by whiskey poured into Coke bottles. The train would leave immediately after the game to take Rebel revelers to New Orleans to spend the night. No one wanted to spend the night in Baton Rouge. Old timers derisively recount that when LSU fans vis-

O

Jim Dees Tales of the Town

COURTESY

“New Orleans is Halloween, New Years and Mardi Gras all rolled into one gonzo fever dream.” ited New Orleans they arrived with “a clean shirt and a ten-dollar bill and wouldn’t change either one.”

After a stellar career at Ole Miss, Archie Manning (or, as the late Barry Hannah referred to him, “Archie of Nazareth”) moved to New Orleans in 1971 where he began a career of losing seasons quarterbacking the hapless New Orleans Saints. Archie raised his family in New Orleans including son, Eli, who would further the Oxford-New Orleans connection by playing for the Rebels. The New Orleans native now spends his off-seasons in Oxford and even has a sandwich named after him at Ajax Diner, the Big Easy.

Now, in 2015, Oxford once again looks to New Orleans as the Rebels make a return trip to the Sugar Bowl for the first time since 1970. Even the city’s formidable music culture embraces Mississippi.

This past June, for the first time, New Orleans’ premiere radio station, WWOZ, broadcast live from the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic outside of Holly Springs. The station has vowed to do so every year. This extends a wonderful cross-pollination of the two cultures.

From City Grocery’s John Currence bringing a New Orleans sensibility to his award-winning Oxford food to local actors working on south Louisiana film shoots, to Oxford artists like Jere Allen and Robert Malone showing their work there, to our sad, shared history of hurricanes, there is a strong artistic and social bond between the two neighbors.

Like many Oxonians, I will ring in 2016 in the storied city of New Orleans. I look forward to happy hour with Faulkner’s ghost - but this time, no $2 wine.

Jim Dees has lived in Oxford for over 30 years and lived to tell the tale.

OXFORD CITIZEN

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

PAGE 3

Fans making trek to New Orleans for Sugar Bowl

“

BY EMMA CRAWFORD KENT DAILY JOURNAL

It should be an exciting time. It’s the first time they’ve been in the Sugar Bowl since even I was a young boy.

“

TUPELO – The Toppin family packed their bags for New Orleans early Tuesday morning, headed to see the Ole Miss Rebels play in their first Sugar Bowl since 1970.

The family, however, originally planned to spend New Year’s Eve at a cabin outside of Nashville.

When they found out Ole Miss would play in the Sugar Bowl, Drew, 25, and his father, Bruce, 56, were excited and pitched the idea of going to New Orleans instead to the rest of the family.

“We realized that it was pretty likely that Ole Miss was going to go to New Orleans,” Drew said. “It’ll be fun to go because it’s making history, in a way.”

It probably wasn’t a hard sell considering the family used to call the Big Easy home and have visited frequently since moving away.

“It still feels like home to us,” said Mary Ann Plasencia, 52, of her and husband Bruce. “It’s the next closest thing to home for us.”

Bruce Toppin COURTESY

Alex Toppin, 22, from left, Mary Ann Plasencia, 52, Bruce Toppin, 56, Gabby Toppin, 19, and Drew Toppin, 25, packed up their cars early Tuesday morning to head to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.

As French Quarter fiends and Rebel football fans, the game presented a perfect opportunity for the family to combine a few of their favorite things into one trip.

On trips to New Orleans

they usually walk through the French Quarter as well as visit art galleries and eat at restaurants in that area, all of which they plan to do again during their visit later this week.

University publishes new views of Student Union expansion

BY ERROL CASTENS OXFORD CITIZEN

Architectural renderings have been made available of the $50 million renovation and expansion of the University of Mississippi’s Student Union, which started in July.

The ongoing renovation and expansion of the building will expand it by more than 60 percent, from 97,000 square feet to 157,000 square feet, according to a university statement.

Occupying a prominent spot facing the northwest corner of The Grove, the Union has served as a hub for student life since its opening in 1976. It house the university’s bookstore and box office as well as conference rooms, a food court, lounge areas and a multipurpose room. It has been the site of conferences, workshops, protests, blood drives, fundraisers, and countless celebrations from

Check it out Renderings of the to-becompleted UM Student Union can be seen at http://union.olemiss. edu/renderings/. mini-concerts to Black History Month kickoffs.

In addition, the Union houses offices for the Associated Student Body (student government), Greek Life, and the Dean of Students. Until this summer, when the renovation and expansion began, the Student Union also housed the University Post office and a satellite precinct of the University Police Department.

Once completed in 2019, the Student Union will serve as a home to the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement as well as a hub for students organizations and leadership devel-

opment. An 8,000-squarefoot ballroom will expand the building’s utility for larger meetings and special events.

The new Student Union is already becoming a transit hub as well. The parking lot has been gated, with access limited to Oxford-University Transit buses and other official-business vehicles.

“The Student Union expansion and renovation project supports the university’s commitment to developing student leaders by providing opportunities to enhance their leadership capacity, value-based development and social responsibility,” said Brandi Hephner LaBanc, UM vice chancellor for student affairs. “The university will capitalize on this opportunity to continue our success in providing leadership opportunities and supporting student activities for Ole Miss students for years to come.”

The family also plans to visit Tulane University and may go for a walk or run on the Riverwalk.

“We don’t really do the touristy stuff,” Gabby said.

The kids – Drew, Gabby, 19, and Alex, 22 – grew up going to the Grove and attending games at VaughtHemingway Stadium.

This will be the first big bowl game they’ve attended as a family.

“Vaught-Hemingway is kind of small, so I think it’ll be cool to see them play in a bigger stadium,” Gabby said

Bruce, who grew up in New York, said although he wasn’t an Ole Miss fan at the time, he watched all of the major bowl games when he was younger.

“It should be an exciting time,” he said. “It’s the first time they’ve been in the Sugar Bowl since even I was a young boy.”

He said he remembers being 11 years old and watching Archie Manning lead the Rebels to a Sugar Bowl victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks in 1970.

Bruce said he is hopeful the Rebels can once again find a Sugar Bowl victory on Friday, but a win is not the most important part of the experience.

“We’re just excited to go and watch the Rebels play,” Bruce said. “Hopefully they can pull out a win, but either way they’ve had a great season.”

The Ole Miss Rebels will take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the Superdome on New Year’s Day at 7:30 p.m.

OXFORD CITIZEN

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OBITUARIES THOMAS ALFRED GREENWAY Thomas Alfred Greenway, 85, passed away Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015 at his home. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 11 a.m. at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church with Rev. Bill Barksdale officiating. Burial will follow in Oxford Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be held prior to the service beginning at 10 at the church. Waller Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Memorial contributions in Mr. Greenway’s memory may be made to St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 6, Oxford, MS 38655.

EDITH LUCILLE JOHNSON MIZE Edith Lucille Johnson Mize, 90, passed away Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015, at Sanctuary Hospice House in Tupelo. Funeral services were held Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015 in the Chapel of Waller Funeral Home with Rev. Randy Hope officiating. Burial followed in Oxford Memorial Cemetery.

Memorial contributions in Edith’s memory may be made to the American Heart Association, 2170 Business Center Dr. Suite 1, Memphis, TN 38134 or the American Cancer Society, 1800 West Main St, Tupelo, MS 38801.

OSA VEAN JONES Osa Vean Jones, passed away Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015 at Baptist Memorial Hospital North Mississippi. Arrangements are incomplete at this time. Hodges Funeral Home is in charge of those arrangements.

www.oxfordcitizen.com CONTACT US • Sports Editor John Davis john.davis@journalinc.com • News reporter Errol Castens errol.castens @journalinc.com (662) 816-1282 • Advertising Sarah Brooke Bishop sarahbrooke.bishop @journalinc.com CORRECTIONS The Oxford Citizen will correct any error found in the newspaper. To request a correction or clarification, call (662) 816-1282. A correction or clarification will appear in the next issue.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

2015 FROM PAGE 1

process to update its comprehensive plan, with its latest iteration called “Vision 2037” after its bicentennial year, combined with Lafayette County’s end-of-year beginnings to its own long-range plan to create another ongoing major concern for area officials and residents.

OLE MISS AND THE IHL Jones and the 12-member Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning (College Board) had reportedly had a tempestuous relationship throughout much of his six-year tenure as Ole Miss’ leader. It came to a head over disagreements about spending priorities at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, over which, prior to his 2009 appointment as Chancellor, Jones had been Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine. (Jones is an M.D., specializing in internal medicine.)

After returning late last year from medical leave to seek cancer treatment (from which he is believed to have made a full recovery), Jones locked horns again with Board member, and in March they voted not to extend his contract, which was set to expire Sept. 14.

Statewide public outcry and a campus rally that attracted an estimated 2,500 people – mostly Ole Miss students – led to an offer to renew Jones’ contract for two years with the stipulation that it would not be renewed again. In late March Jones announced he was not willing to have the university managed under such an impasse of leadership and would leave dayto-day operations in June, using accrued personal leave to fulfill the rest of his contract.

Provost Morris Stocks served as Acting Chancellor in Jones’ absence and was appointed Interim Chancellor after Jones’ contract expired.

Jones has resumed his research at the Medical Center campus, heading a program aimed at combating obesity, which is a leading cause of health problems in Mississippi’s population.

A national search yielded several candidates for interviews, and the unanimous, enthusiastic choice of the interviewing committee was Jeffrey Vitter – so much so that a second round of interviews was abandoned as unnecessary. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and holder of a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University, Vitter also holds an M.B.A. from Duke University.

He has the number-two post at two universities – until now at the University of Kansas and before that at Texas A&M University. He has also been an administrator

ERROL CASTENS | OXFORD CITIZEN

Oxford resident and officials met with planners in April to discuss priorities for the city's long-range plan.

District 9 Senator Gray Tollison (R), held off a determined challenge from Cristen Hemmins (D), while District 12 Representative Brad Mayo (R) was defeated by Oxford Alderman Jay Hughes (D).

In both races, Initiative 42 and Alternative 42 ballot initiatives were front and center. Initiative 42 would have required the state government to establish, maintain and support “an adequate and efficient system of free public schools.”

Critics of the initiative said it would have given legislative powers and more to Hinds County Chancery Court in case of any disPETRE THOMAS | OXFORD CITIZEN pute. Alternative 42 was the LegisVoters made their way to the polling station at Stone Park in Oxford during lature-issued challenge to Initiative 42, with no new constitutional imelections in November. positions for the Legislature. and/or teacher at Purdue Univer- the Democratic primary, in each sity, Duke University and Brown case, in favor of the incumbent.

LONG-RANGE PLANNING University.

The most attention was atOxford officials spent many a Vitter described himself as “high tracted to the seats on the Board of day over the course of the year, energy” and said the Ole Miss Supervisors left open on the ballot starting March, updating the city’s chancellorship is his “dream job.” by the retirement of District 1 Su- comprehensive plan, even after He added that, having grown up in pervisor Mike Pickens after two hiring the Colorado-based Orion Louisiana, living in Mississippi will terms and of District 3 Supervisor Group to shepherd the updating be “coming home.”

Robert Blackmon after five terms. process.

Those two races together pulled in As currently drafted, the long21 of the county’s total of 44 candi- range plan has four overarching COUNTY ELECTIONS themes: Mississippi’s quadrennial dates for all positions.

After all primary, runoff and gen• Preservation of existing neighstatewide elections offered no real surprises except the nomination of eral election votes were tallied the borhoods and the Courthouse a truck driver with little political new officeholders were as follows: Square • Greg “Spankey” Pettis (D), Con• Greatly enhanced form and experience and little campaign function of commercial areas structure as the Democratic nom- stable, Northern District • Kevin Frye (D), Supervisor, Dis• Frame the direction for expaninee for Governor. sion and align future development While several local incumbents trict 1 • David Rikard (R), Supervisor, in those areas with Oxford’s Guidcoasted unchallenged to re-elecing Principles tion, many other county and dis- District 3 • Carolyn Pettis Bell (D), Justice • Align the few remaining develtrict races were vigorously Court Judge, Northern District opable places with Oxford’s Guidcontested.

The most compelling drama in ing Principles Some of those – Sheriff, Bob Barber, who heads the Chancery Clerk, Justice Court the election season was found in Judge Central, Tax Assessor/Collec- legislative races and in initiatives tor and Coroner – were settled in on the ballot.

TURN TO 2015 PAGE 5

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

2015 FROM PAGE 4

Orion team, said the new plan will aim for both more detail and more flexibility than the city’s current planning – calling for more mixed-use development and adding intermediate zoning designations between duplex and multifamily, for instance.

Instead of focusing on the usebased districts, lot sizes, building placements and uniformity of traditional zoning, Barber said form-based codes emphasize mixed uses, fitting buildings to their use and surroundings, ability to transform or preserve as needed and attention to streetscapes.

Even after the city adopts the plan, turning its intentions into code will take several months, City Planner Andrea Correll said.

Planning and the possibility of zoning were high-profile issues during the county elections. Soon after the general election was settled, the Board of Supervisors – minus its retiring members and without the two supervisors-elect – met to discuss hiring a firm to update Lafayette County’s comprehensive plan as required by law.

After a request for proposals was issued, the county engineer, board attorney, chancery clerk, two current supervisors and the two supervisors-elect met to hear from and interview three firms bidding to get the job. Intentionally without a quorum, the group could not make binding agreements, and the full board agreed later to wait until after its new members are sworn in to make offer one of those firms a contract.

Other stories reflecting prominent news from 2015 are listed by the month of their happening:

JANUARY • Local lawmakers declare the 2015 Legislative session as the one in which education, transportation and the spending of a modest increase in the state budget would be the biggest battles.

District 9 Senator Gray Tollison, thenDistrict 12 Representative Brad Mayo and District 10 Representative Nolan Mettetal all spoke in support of the Common Core standards for K-12 education in the state.

FEBRUARY

• City leaders began debating anew in February over whether the proposed downtown parking garage remained a high priority for construction. Since September 2014, metered parking around and near the Square had so effectively begun to manage available parking that except on special occasions, some city officials questioned whether the garage – long assumed as

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 5

Khayat lauded Ford as a warm man and visionary leader who had a strong and positive impact on higher education in Mississippi, leading toward better funding overall and Ole Miss’ satellite campus in Tupelo.

“Every memory I had of him … was smiling,” Khayat said. “He loved God. He loved his family. He loved his friends.”

Former State Representative Ed Perry of Oxford said Ford led the House during a time of great transition when Republicans, blacks and women went from rarities to political forces in their own right. He also recalled Ford’s conciliatory actions after the Tupelo legislator won the speakership over Perry.

• Winter weather struck again, causing both school systems to miss scheduled class days again. While both Oxford and Lafayette County school boards had built in some potential makeup days, they proved too few, and the repeated closures required both to add days to the school year to meet the state-required 180 days of instructional time.

• City officials acknowledged immediate needs for additional space at the 45-year-old Oxford Activity Center, ERROL CASTENS | OXFORD CITIZEN which houses both youth basketball A sinkhole opened in Highway 6 eastbound in April, causing delays for about 36 hours until it was repaired. and a host of senior programs from exThanks to the quick action of motorist Mitch McCoy, not only was no one killed or hurt, but not one vehicle was ercise classes to social gatherings.

• Oxford officials dedicated the new damaged.

Emergency Operations Center, which opened in December 2014, along with a dire need – would be needed in the the new Fire Station No. 1. The EOC was next few years. designed to stay operational after a di• The new $28 million Highway 7 rect hit by an EF-5 tornado or any earthbridge over the Tallahatchie River quake that is conceivable for this area. opened, replacing the steel throughThe two facilities are on properties truss bridge that had served the crossthat will, with the completion of a new ing since 1953. The new span rises emergency road, provide instantaneous high above the river, which will preclude access to the runway and parking the kind of flood-related shutdowns aprons at University-Oxford Airport for that stopped traffic on the road for days firefighting and rescue operations. at a time in 1991. It also provides wider lanes and unlimited vertical clearance APRIL along with the capacity to carry loads of • The Mississippi Legislature apthe state’s legal maximums – 80,000 proved $3 million toward the $10 milfor normal loads and up to 84,000 for lion projected cost of extending West harvest-related trucking.

Oxford Loop northward and eastward The iconic steel-truss bridge with its by some 3.5 miles, which will connect 13.8 feet of vertical clearance 12-foot Old Sardis Road and College Hill Road lanes was dismantled for scrap after efto the busy West Jackson Avenue retail forts failed to find a buyer who would corridor and the Highway 6 West gaterelocate the bridge. way. Currently residents of both areas • Snow and ice combined to provide have to take either narrow, crooked and Oxford and Lafayette County schoolhilly county roads or a long detour that children several days off from their goes east to the Old Sardis/College studies, including the chance for some Hill/West Jackson intersection east of of them to go sledding. Along with the Rebel Drive. actual snowfall/icefall, though, several Oxford and Lafayette County will near misses complicated school schedjointly fund the road, along with the exules. tension of Sisk Avenue from east of the One tragic downside to what often new Oxford High School southward to had a holiday atmosphere was the University Avenue and Highway 6. Both death of John Fenton Kottkamp, 22, an projects are still in the planning stages, Ole Miss accountancy major from but actual construction is expected to Louisville, Kentucky, who died after hitERROL CASTENS | OXFORD CITIZEN begin this year on each. ting a road sign while sledding at an • Double Decker Festival’s popular apartment complex off Molly Barr Road. The ice storm that hit Lafayette County in February was a mild one. It arts, crafts and music events partnered • Oxford Fire Department personnel coated trees without doing serious damage. with good weather to attract nearly and equipment moved into their new elbow-to-elbow crowds to the Square.

MARCH say the next fire station to be built in Station No. 1 on Molly Barr Road. The • A sinkhole opened suddenly under • Former Mississippi Speaker of the the fast-growing city will likely be in the four-bay, pull-through station replaced the old three-bay, back-in Station No. 1 northeast quadrant – perhaps in or near House Tim Ford was eulogized by a ca- eastbound lanes of Highway 6/278, Oxford Commons, which is home to two pacity crowd of state officials and other creating a chasm that rerouted eastat the corner of North Lamar and Price Street, which had been OFD headquar- hotels, two schools and the Oxford Con- mourners at Paris-Yates Chapel after he bound traffic into the median. Apparently water from a broken culvert more died after collapsing suddenly at his ters since around 1970, and Fire Station ference Center, along with The Blake, an assisted living property that opened Oxford home on Feb. 28.

No. 2, on the corner of Washington AvOle Miss Chancellor Emeritus Robert TURN TO 2015 PAGE 6 enue and Jackson Avenue. City officials near the end of 2015.

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 6

2015 FROM PAGE 5

than 30 feet deep under the highway had eroded the soil underneath the highway until the remaining soil could no longer bear the weight of traffic. City officials credited the quick thinking of lumber store employee Mitch McCoy with saving lives by stopping his vehicle ahead of the sinkhole and flagging down approaching drivers.

MAY • Ole Miss’ Spring Commencement general assembly was scheduled for the Grove, but heavy rains forced it into Tad Smith Coliseum. Chancellor Dan Jones mused that the building had “cried out for one more Commencement ‘before you tear me down.’” The longtime basketball venue and assembly space is scheduled to be vacated after the Pavilion at Ole Miss opens early next month.

• Premier Lanes opened next to the Malco movie theater complex in Oxford Commons. The new recreational facility brought bowling back to Oxford for the first time since Kiamie’s Lanes burned in 2010. It also offers a full-service bar and a state-of-the-art games arcade.

• University Police Chief Calvin Sellers retired after a career that included 25 years at Ole Miss, interrupted by his first chief’s position at Mississippi University for Women. Highlights of his three-decade career in law enforce-

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

for victims and surviving families after a 21-year-old white supremacist shot nine black people dead at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The killer told police he intended to start a race war, but some surviving church members publicly forgave him.

The significance of the location of Oxford’s prayer vigil is that Burns Belfry, now a cultural museum focused on the African-American history of Oxford and Lafayette County, was once the home of its oldest black congregation.

• Graeme Phillip Harris, a former Ole Miss student from Alpharetta, Georgia, pled guilty in federal to “threatening force to intimidate African-American students and employees” in connection with a Feb. 2014 incident in which a noose and an obsolete Georgia flag that contained the Confederate battle flag were placed on the statue of James Meredith, the black man who broke the color barrier at Ole Miss.

A felony charge against Harris was dropped in exchange for his guilty plea to the misdemeanor charge. He was sentenced to six months in federal prison and is scheduled to begin serving his time on Jan. 4.

• Oxford was named as a winner of a “Healthy Mississippi” award by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mississippi, recognizing it as the healthiest in the largecity category. Factors were as varied as health screenings and incentives for municipal employees and the city’s ban on smoking in public places. Later in

ment included leading efforts to make Ole Miss the safest university in Mississippi and in the Southeastern Conference, and one of the safest in the country. Tim Potts, then second in command at Purdue University Police Department, succeeded Sellers as Ole Miss’ top cop in June.

JUNE • Chancellor Dan Jones was named Citizen of the Year by the OxfordLafayette County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Foundation.

“During his leadership, the University of Mississippi has experienced continued success during economically challenging times that have forced many universities around the country to retreat rather than to grow,” said Chamber Chairman Kate Rosson. “He has positioned the University of Mississippi for sustained success at the national and local levels.”

Jones recalled the heartfelt impression longtime NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw once spoke at an Oxford dinner party.

“He said these two sentences: ‘You folks need to understand how fortunate to live here. This is what America is supposed to be,’” the Chancellor said.

Jones added, “Thank you for this recognition. Thank you for six wonderful years of friendship here in Oxford, Mississippi. God bless all of you.”

• Oxford-area residents held a candlelight vigil at the Burns Belfry to pray

the year BC/BS of Mississippi presented city officials added to the recognition a check for $25,000, which will be used for additional fitness equipment along the city’s bike path system.

• Preliminary plans were announced for Galleria II, which will be built on the site of the former Ewing Trailer Park.

Memphis-based Trezevant Realty Corp. will develop the site into some 220,000 square feet of retail space, with announced anchors including Dick’s Sporting Goods and Marshall’s apparel and home fashion store. The complex will have entrances on Jackson Avenue and West Oxford Loop and will connect via Home Depot Drive to Trezevant’s Galleria I, whose tenants include Belk, Kinnucan’s and a host of smaller stores.

JULY • A portion of University Avenue from 5th Street to Old Taylor Road/University Place was reconfigured from four lanes to three (and even two) traffic lanes with the addition of designated bike lanes, for July and much of August, using temporary striping tape.

The effort was to see how well the redesigned road could handle traffic and still encourage bike and pedestrian commuting. City officials declined, however, to extend the experiment beyond the beginning of the University of Mississippi’s fall semester, at the request of Oxford Fire Chief Cary Sallis, who said the reconfiguration would make it more difficult to get onto the Ole Miss campus in an emergency dur-

ing peak traffic times.

• Ole Miss opened its $22 million, five-story, 800-space parking structure to the public. Built to connect with the Pavilion at Ole Miss, the structure was aimed to help with both weekday parking shortages on campus as well as providing more premium spaces for game days. The garage is the first of two on the campus; the other is planned as a 1,500-space, seven-story garage near Kinard Hall to serve the fast-growing population of students in campus residences.

• Self-described black Confederate Anthony Hervey was killed after the car he was driving on Highway 6 left the roadway and flipped. His companion, an Oklahoma woman who owned the car, survived. She said she and Hervey were forced off the road. The two were returning from a rally in support of Confederate symbolism in Birmingham, Alabama, when the crash occurred.

• On the recommendation of City Shop Manage Bo Ragon, Oxford officials approved the purchase of two “new” British-style double-decker buses from a company in Arizona. The mid-1980s buses, while quite used, are nearly a quarter-century newer than Oxford’s two original double decker buses, which were acquired at the prompting of then-Mayor John Leslie.

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OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 7

dence on supposed drug dealers. The report alleged that confidential informants are told they have no option but to FROM PAGE 6 cooperate or face a harsh prison sentence and that as a result they may apRagon was concerned that the older proach friends or friends of friends who buses were being used beyond his have never before sold drugs but who crew’s ability to keep them roadworthy. are willing to accommodate a friend’s • Plans were revealed for the conurgent need for a tiny amount of illegal struction of a 31-suite “Chancellor’s substances – essentially creating dealHouse” hotel on the corner of University ers where there was none before.

Avenue and South Lamar. With ameniAlderman Robyn Tannehill noted CBS’ ties from a piano bar and daily high tea presence confirms both a drug problem service to pet care and a host of other and measured success in containing it. services, the hotel is currently under “We are here because drugs are being construction and is slated to open in used and sold and purchased in Oxford, time for the 2016 football season.

Mississippi,” she said. “The City of Ox• After racist implications of the Conford and Lafayette County and the Unifederate flag became a national issue in versity of Mississippi have decided our the wake of the Charleston massacre, community’s worth fighting for.” several states and cities quit displaying “The DEA and the MBN do not have the flag, including the state of South the resources to operate on a local level, Carolina. Oxford aldermen, after hearing and if that unit did not exist, we’d have several statements from local residents nickel-and-dime drug dealers on every in opposition to the flag and others in corner, trying to sell drugs to our kids,” defense of it, voted to remove the Misadded Mayor Pat Patterson. sissippi state flag, whose canton is the East acknowledged a tape shown on Confederate battle flag, from city displays. In October, after the Ole Miss AsERROL CASTENS | OXFORD CITIZEN the broadcast and weeks earlier on buzsociated Student Body Senate, the Staff This ice sculpture at the reveal party of the Chancellor's House depicts the 31-suite hotel as it will look when com- zfeed.com was one direct reason for the resignation of Keith Davis as comCouncil, and the Faculty Senate all pleted. Opening is scheduled for late summer 2016. mander of Metro Narcotics in Septemvoted for the removal of the state flag ber. (Davis now works as a deputy for from the university grounds and urged recreational center and a transportation the Lafayette County Sheriff Departthe adoption of a less controversial hub, including some 1,000 off-campus ment.) The tape shows Davis threatenbanner, Provost and Acting Chancellor parking spaces, at the old Whirlpool ing a man who was reported to have Morris Stocks announced Ole Miss plant on Chucky Mullins Drive Extended. threatened an agent’s family, East said, would “archive” the state flag.

• Regis Mister, a former Yalobusha after charges were filed against the County deputy sheriff and school reman’s pregnant girlfriend. East said SEPTEMBER source officer, pleaded guilty to two Davis instead should have called in a • Oxford-University Transit board of counts of second-degree murder in the different agency but said Davis was directors recommended the addition of Nov. 8, 2013, killings of his mother and “handling it” informally to avoid having a late-night shuttle route to provide a his little brother. both parents-to-be under charges. safe ride back to campus housing for Carol Mister Gary, 43, a Water Valley “No excuses are to be made; we didstudents patronizing downtown bars. school principal, and her younger son, n’t handle it the way we should have,” Later in the fall, Oxford’s Board of Alder- Patrick Earl Gary Jr., 12, were shot to East said. men also approved the measure, along death in their home in usually quiet • Oxford City Planner Andrea Correll with agreement by the University of South Oaks, a middle-class subdivision announced her resignation, effective Mississippi. The late-night shuttle will that fronts on South Lamar Boulevard.

March 1. Emphasizing she was very run 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Thursday and Mister was believed at times to live happy with the people with whom and Friday nights, when bars are open until with them in the home. for whom she works, Correll said her 1 a.m., during academic terms. It will Judge Kelly Luther sentenced Mister decision was strictly a family-related run from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday to 40 years in prison, with 16 years one. Work schedules and geographic nights, when bars close at midnight. suspended and 24 to serve, on each of distance, she said, had kept her from • University of Mississippi officials the counts, with the sentences to run seeing her son, who lives and works in dedicated the Will Campbell Plaza adja- consecutively, and with five years of eastern North Carolina, for nearly her cent to Paris-Yates Chapel to honor the post-release supervision. whole tenure in Oxford. memory of the minister who was Ole • Northern District Public Service “Family first,” she said.

Miss’ campus chaplain for a short time Commissioner Brandon Presley and of• Officials of California-based CoreLin the 1950s but was fired because of ficials of CenterPoint Energy announced ogic announced their company would his view that integration was necessary a recent expansion that had tripled buy Oxford-based FNC Inc. at a proand right for Christians – a very unpop- CenterPoint’s capacity to furnish natural jected price of $475 million. Both comular view at the time. gas at the Lafayette County/Max D. • The Graduate Oxford opened on the Hipp Industrial Park. The project exPETRE THOMAS | OXFORD CITIZEN panies are involved in the financial site once occupied by the antebellum tended the utility’s reach to some 200 Skipwith Cottage made another move to a new home on Bramlett Boule- technology business. FNC spokesman Jon Fisher said FNC’s presence would house Cedar Oaks and later the Holiday acres of new territory in the park, which vard at the Skate Park. not change.

Inn, which at one time housed the only is just outside Oxford’s city limits. The “FNC is very excited about the opporplace in Oxford where one could be space to supplement quarters in tightlyexpansion will also boost pressure for DECEMBER tunity that we’ve been presented with,” served a drink legally. Flowood-based packed City Hall next door. the existing industries, which include • Lafayette County Administrator Chamblee Co. partnered with the Gradu- Blauer International, Caterpillar and Long-term, officials anticipate demo- Joseph Johnson resigned from his post Fisher said. “FNC will continue to operate as we have and we look forward to ate group, which specializes in boutique Olin/Winchester, among others. lition of that building for use as a court- in early December after meeting with continuing our involvement in the comhotels in college towns, to create the Oxyard or gateway if they eventually vote three of the county’s five supervisors. to build a parking garage behind City ford-centric lodging.

NOVEMBER Speculation immediately arose that cur- munity.”

• Gov. Phil Bryant appointed James Hall. rent board members intend to hire Ox• Skipwith Cottage was moved from • Frustrated with on-again, offford City Clerk Lisa Carwyle as their new D. Maxwell II of Oxford to the Mississippi OCTOBER its nearly four-decades-long perch on State Supreme Court. Maxwell, who has again, maybe-this, maybe-that talks • Plein Air, Taylor’s planned commu- the platform next to City Hall to a new county administrator. been a judge on the Mississippi Court of • City and county officials hosted a home adjacent to the Oxford Skate Park. that have been ongoing for years, Oxnity of upscale Southern homes with a Appeals since 2009, was named to fill press conference to respond to allegaThe move was prompted most immedi- ford Mayor Pat Patterson asked for a commercial core, announced plans for tions and perceptions to national reports the vacancy left by former Justice David ately by the need to redo the leaking flat definite recommendation from the a 200-person wedding chapel to be Chandler, whom Bryant appointed as Downtown Parking Commission early in by buzzfeed.com and CBS’ “60 Minbuilt of simple materials and simple de- roof of the former RSVP building (origiutes” TV news program. The 60 Minutes executive director of the Mississippi Design reminiscent of a stereotypical Delta nally Oxford’s senior center), which con- 2016 as to whether the city should or should not pursue building a parking stituted the cottage’s platform, so that airing focused on the use of confidential partment of Family and Children’s Serchurch building. garage. informants to help drug officers get evi- vices.

• Ole Miss announced plans to build a structure can again be used as office

PAGE 8

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

PJs Wine & Liquor will offer more to customers with move

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

PETRE THOMAS | OXFORD CITIZEN

Doug Kyser, the owner of PJ's Wine & Liquor, will be moving across the street from his current location on University Avenue. The new building is expected to be completed in the late spring.

“

We opened in 1984 … I wanted to stay on the east side of town because it’s a good traffic area.

“

A growing Oxford should end up benefiting a longtime local business owner.

Doug Kyser, the owner of PJ’s Wine and Liquor and Cigar Shop, will have a new home in the spring. For the past 31 years, Kyser has been servicing residents, and through most of that time period, doing it in close proximity to Kroger.

Two years ago, Kyser found out that Kroger wanted to expand its current store. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based company purchased the land from JDN Realty out of Atlanta with the goal of offering a larger amount of goods and services. Kyser said the original plan was for Kroger to expand through the existing area that PJ’s sits in.

“We always knew that and we thought they would pay for us to move on the property,” Kyser said. “The new plan they came up with was to put a mega store in, like 127,000 square feet. Kroger now is exactly 58,666.”

The new Kroger Market Place will move forward when Kyser’s lease comes to an end April 30, 2016.

Kyser said he was “scrambling” to find a new place, but he knew that staying close to Kroger was what he wanted.

“We opened in 1984 where Abner’s is now. We’ve been associated with Kroger since 1991. I wanted to stay on the east side of town because it’s a good traffic area,” Kyser said.

“They told us that we would not be able to stay on the property. They’re going to put in a big building that is facing west. The area to the right is going to be the new building.”

Kyser was able to find a new location, and still remain close to Kroger, when he bought a lot across the street from the shopping center. He said MDOT controls the entrance and exits and Kyser had to wait six months to get an answer about the new building before he could even approach the city about his plans.

Doug Kyser, owner of PJ’s Wine and Liquor and Cigar Shop “I thought we would be breaking ground some time in the summer or even the fall,” Kyser said. “It turned out to be late November. We’re on a crunch right now. We’re hoping to maybe get one more

month because we’re looking at four months building.”

The new PJ’s will be a 40 feet x 90 feet and be three stories. It will roughly be 7,200 square feet. There will also be a patio on the roof with a balcony that will face University Avenue and then one that faces the south where the city can be viewed.

“That’s for the cigars and parties and things like that,” Kyser said of the roof.

“The guard rails will be six feet from the edge of the building. We were going to do a four foot wall all the way around the building.

We’re going to be able to offer so much more as far the cigar lounge and retail part. It’s kind of piecemeal where we are now. We tried to put a lounge in and retail store in about 1,200 square feet and I really didn’t have enough room to charge a membership fee to justify $800 or $850 fee.”

Kyser was able to open the lounge when a tenant left the shopping center.

That offering opened in 2010, and it has TVs and couches and a small poker room. Those type of things will be available at the new location, just with more room for customers.

While the new PJs will not have any more space, it will be more efficient because Kyser will own the building and he can avoid some of the hangups he currently has as a renter.

“We rent three 1,200 foot stalls. When they put them in, they said we had to put a bathroom in each stall because we may not be here forever and the other tenant would have to have a bathroom,” Kyser said. “So we have three bathrooms in the back of the liquor store that is just a total waste of space. We won’t have that in the new building, so we will have a lot more useable space in the

new store. We’ll just have one office and one bathroom now.”

There have been a number of questions about the move from customers, Kyser said.

“A lot of people are upset and disgusted because it’s so easy to park in one place and get your liquor. When we were in the old shopping center down the road, we had Take Two video, University Florist, we had Kroger, it was a one-stop shop,” Kyser said. “That’s what we’re going to miss, but we’re hoping that our connivence being so close to Kroger and just being able to turn in right there will still be good. We might lose a few customers, but since we’ll be right on that side of town, we won’t lose too much.”

Oxford has been good to Kyser, who has dealt with a lot of growth during his time in business.

“When we started, there

was 8,500, 9,000 students at Ole Miss. We’re up to 20,000. And because Oxford has turned into a retirement city, we see a lot parents.

That’s more helped us. Then the cigar deal has kind of taken off.

People kept asking me where they could get a good cigar, and I just decided to open one myself,” Kyser said. “My plan on the patio upstairs is to put a big screen TV and have Monday Night Football and stuff like that. We will have a fireplace and a pool table for members. We will have an elevator that goes to all three floors which will make it unique and a little swankier. Just offer some neat things to do. We have also put on different smoking events with other companies. It’s a unique venue that not a lot of places can offer.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 9

PAGE 10

Weesie Biedenharn

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OXFORD CITIZEN

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OXFORD CITIZEN

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PAGE 11

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OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 12

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

Oxford Cell: 662.701.7789 Office: 662.234.5344

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PAGE 13

John Davis Sports Editor

Rebels say they are more focused, ready for Sugar Bowl NEW ORLEANS

aylen Walton was on the team when the Ole Miss Rebels were freezing to death in the BBVA Compass Bowl. It’s only a handful of hours between Birmingham, Alabama and the Big Easy, but playing in the Allstate Sugar Bowl seems like light years between the two. For the second straight season, the Rebels are playing in an elite bowl. The Sugar Bowl is one of the oldest bowls, one of the most cherished, and one of the best known.

National championships have been decided in the contest, while the venue for Friday’s game, the Mercedes Benz Superdome, has hosted a ton of big games, at both the college and pro level. Not that the Rebels thought the Chick-Fil-A Bowl wasn’t special, but it’s obvious that the Sugar Bowl means something different. The game will be the only bowl played at night Jan. 1. It’s just bigger than the stage set out last year.

“It’s going to be way more to it,” Walton said. “The last time I played in the Dome, it was against Tulane my freshman year. This is a big stage. It’s a big deal. It’s a nationally televised game against a great team. It’s later in the day. It’s going to be one of those NFL-type, Sunday deals that you have always dreamed of playing in. It’s going to be a great experience.”

It’s obvious that the Rebels are looking to make up for last year when they lost 42-3 to TCU in Atlanta. Even though the team doesn’t dwell on what happened almost a year ago, a bad taste is a bad taste.

If you believe what the team is telling us, then this year will be different. The Rebels are more focused. The practices have been more crisp. At the least, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze has buttoned things up a lot more than in 2014. There aren’t as many open practices. And even if the schedule is similar, the tempo is up, according to those that have taken part in the preparations.

“The one thing that Coach Freeze has been hammering home is we have come here as a business trip,” offensive coordinator Dan Werner said. “We obviously want our players to have fun, but this is all business and we want to go and play well.”

J

TURN TO DAVIS PAGE 18

THOMAS WELLS | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze has been all business as the Rebels prepare to play Oklahoma State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Sweet matchup Rebels, Cowboys ready to lock horns in Big Easy

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

NEW ORLEANS – There was nothing but praise offered by the Oklahoma State Cowboys when they talked about the No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels at the start of the week. Quarterback Chad Kelly, who led the SEC in total offense per game (347.3 yards), was just one of the several players the OSU defenders singled out.

Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, the only receiver in the SEC to go over 1,000 yards, was another.

“They are a very talented group across the board,” said defensive back Michael Hunter. “I’ve heard people talk about the receivers, which they are very talented, and how tall they are across the board. They’re 6-2, 6-3.

Even the slot guy is 6-2 which is very rare. I think the offensive line is one of the strong points on their team. Of course it starts with (Laremy) Tunsil.

It gives the quarterback the opportunity, those receivers, a chance to make plays.”

And as far as Kelly goes, Hunter called him a “gunslinger.”

VS. Kickoff: Jan. 1,2016 at 7:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN “He has some swagger to him. He’s confident and he’s a competitor,” Hunter added. “That’s what you like to see in a quarterback.”

Kelly was also compared to Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, who finished high in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

“He is just like him. He can run. He’s more athletic than you would like to

think he is with the way he makes guys miss,” Hunter said of Kelly.

If the Rebels are able to perform like they have the last half of the season on offense, then the Rebels should leave the Big Easy with their first Sugar Bowl title since Archie Manning was quarterback in 1970.

In order for that to happen, the Cowboys (10-2 overall) have to limit the running game of the Rebels, which has improved since Tunsil was re-inserted into the lineup.

“If we make them one dimensional, that kind of plays into our hands,” Hunter said. “We know the receivers are very good and they’re going to make their plays, but we’re competitors as well and we’re going to make our plays.”

OSU safety Jordan Sterns said Ole Miss was a “physical” team that had to be matched with physical play.

“It’s important for us to go up and get the ball when it’s in the air because they’re receivers are so strong,” said Sterns, who leads the Cowboys with 103 tackles. “I think (Treadwell) is one TURN TO MATCHUP PAGE 18

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 14

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

Hard work has paid off for Ole Miss RB commit

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Since the age of 9, Jarrion Street has been perfecting his skills as a running back. Even when he wasn’t a member of the varsity squad as a sophomore, Street had goals of earning an SEC offer.

When Ole Miss offered a scholarship this summer, Street accepted and continued to grind.

“I came in and worked hard everyday and when the new coaching staff came in, they watched film and they saw me during my JV season and they knew I would be the guy,” said Street, who attends Hewitt Trussville High in Alabama. “I knew I could handle it. I just had to mature and when my opportunity came, I had to take advantage of it.”

Even if he couldn’t play on the varsity squad in 2013, Street did his part. He dominated the junior varsity games, looking to impress.

“I wanted to prove to the community that was coming out to the games that I deserved to be on varsity,” Street said. “Every night I came out with a chip on my shoulder with something to prove which I did. I went out and

KNOW YOUR RECRUIT

Jarrion Street played like it was a varsity game.”

The hard work paid off for Street enough to where he got a late shot at glory his sophomore season. In the last game of the regular season, he was able to return a kickoff for a touchdown.

“That year taught me to never get down on myself and to never give up,” he said. “It taught me to always keep working and to believe in my team.”

Derrick Nix, Ole Miss’ running backs coach, always believed in Street. He recruited him even when he was on the JV squad.

JOHN DAVIS | OXFORD CITIZEN

Jarrion Street has made tremendous strides during his career at Hewitt Trussville High in Alabama. He is one of three running backs committed to play for the Rebels for the 2016 class.

When Street came to camp this past July, he said Ole Miss and Oxford felt like home.

“Coach (Hugh) Freeze, he’s a

great guy. He loves his players. He treats them like he does his kids,” Street said. “It’s a great program.

Coach Nix is a great guy. We’ve al-

ways had that relationship. It’s just gotten stronger since he started recruiting me.”

This past season, Street, who played for Team Alabama in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Classic earlier this month, finished with 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games. He also had 11 catches for 157 yards and a score.

“I’m balanced and I have great hands. I’m a one-cut runner. I get north really quick. I let my blocks develop and I’m a patient runner,” Street said, who would like to add 20 pounds to his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame once he got to Ole Miss. “I would say I’m a powerful guy, but I also have speed. I was timed 4.52 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) at the Ole Miss camp. At my high school, I was 4.45, so I think I’m a 4.4 guy.”

Josh Floyd coached Street at Trussville. He said that he’s come a long way in just a season.

“We knew right away when we got here he had something special,” Floyd said. “It was fun to watch him grow into a better and better back every Friday night (in 2014). He had a great offseason in TURN TO STREET PAGE 14

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OXFORD CITIZEN

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

SPORTS IN DEPTH

MONDAY’S RESULT Lafayette (G) 51, West Lauderdale 37 Lafayette 13 9 14 15 – 51 West Lauderdale 7 9 5 16 – 37 Leading Scorers: Lafayette – Shaniyah Buford 18, Mariah Holland 13; West Lauderdale - Mallory Thompson 13; Records: Lafayette 8-3, West Lauderdale 10-4

OLE MISS BOWL HISTORY

OLE MISS IS 23-13 ALL-TIME IN BOWLS • 1936: Orange Catholic University 20, Ole Miss 19 • 1948: Delta Ole Miss 13, TCU 19 • 1953: Sugar Georgia Tech 24, Ole Miss 7 • 1955: Sugar Navy 21, Ole Miss 0 • 1956: Cotton Ole Miss 14, TCU 13 • 1958: Sugar Ole Miss 39, Texas 7 • 1958: Gator Ole Miss 7, Florida 3 • 1960: Sugar Ole Miss 21, LSU 0 • 1961: Sugar Ole Miss 14, Rice 6 • 1962: Cotton Texas 12, Ole Miss 7 • 1963: Sugar Ole Miss 17, Arkansas 13 • 1964: Bluebonnet Tulsa 14, Ole Miss 7 • 1965: Liberty Ole Miss 13, Auburn 7 • 1966: Bluebonnet Texas 19, Ole Miss 0

Street FROM PAGE 14

between and put on a lot of weight. He also got faster.

This past year, he’s just different. He’s more powerful and strong. If you see him in person, he still looks a little thin, so I think he can be a 215, 220 guy one day.”

The thing that Floyd really liked about Street was his ability to go the distance. He ripped off a run for 87 yards during the fall.

“He is a guy that is always leaning forward. He always gets that extra yard. It’s hard to stop him in the backfield,” Street said. “When you’re tall like he is, you have to be careful not to run up too high. He’s gotten better with that. He’s more like an Adrian Peterson type guy. He’s not a little scat back. He is a guy that can make you miss, but he’s also a guy that will make you pay for it, too.”

From a maturity standpoint, Floyd felt like Street could help Ole Miss as a freshman if that turned out to be the case.

“He is one of those type kids that is highly energetic.

He brings a lot of energy to practice everyday. That’s why we love him,” Floyd said. “You like coaching those type of kids. I think the key will be from the time our season is over

• 1967: Sun Texas-El Paso 14, Ole Miss 7 • 1968: Liberty Ole Miss 34, Virginia Tech 17 • 1970: Sugar Ole Miss 27, Arkansas 22 • 1971: Gator Auburn 35, Ole Miss 28 • 1971: Peach Ole Miss 41, Georgia Tech 18 • 1983: Independence Air Force 9, Ole Miss 3 • 1986: Independence Ole Miss 20, Texas Tech 17 • 1989: Liberty Ole Miss 42, Air Force 29 • 1991: Gator Michigan 35, Ole Miss 3 • 1992: Liberty Ole Miss 13, Air Force 0 • 1997: Motor City Ole Miss 34, Marshall 31 • 1998: Independence Ole Miss 35, Texas Tech 18 • 1999: Independence Ole Miss 27, Oklahoma 25 • 2000: Music City West Virginia 49, Ole Miss 38 • 2002: Independence Ole Miss 27, Nebraska 23 • 2004: Cotton Ole Miss 31, Oklahoma State 28 • 2009: Cotton Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34 • 2010: Cotton Ole Miss 21, Oklahoma State 7 • 2013: BBVA Compass Ole Miss 38, Pittsburgh 17 • 2013: Music City Ole Miss 25, Georgia Tech 17 • 2014: Peach TCU 42, Ole Miss 3

“

He brings a lot of energy to practice every day.

That’s why we love him.

“

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

Josh Floyd, who coached Jarrion Street at Trussville until August. I think he would be ready physically somewhat, but another half of a year in the weight room help big time. That’s where he made the most gains this past year and I think it’s where he can still make the most progress.

He’s a big personality in a good way. He’s fun to talk to and I know the college coaches have enjoyed talking to him because some kids, it’s tough to get stuff out of.”

Street promised his mother that he would walk across the stage for graduation in May. As soon as he is through with school, he was planning to be in Oxford to start working out.

Street will make his official visit this next month. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

PAGE 15

OM’s Treadwell has yet to make a decision on NFL

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

NEW ORLEANS – Contrary to whatever the NFL scouts and mock drafts say, Laquon Treadwell has not made a final decision to leave Ole Miss after the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Just because Treadwell, the only receiver from the SEC to eclipse 1,000 yards this year, could be selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft doesn’t mean he actually will be.

Treadwell said Monday that he is focused on the moment, and helping the Rebels beat Oklahoma State in Friday’s bowl matchup.

“I’m not even thinking about it honestly. I haven’t thought about it. I’ll go home after the bowl and I’ll see how I feel,” Treadwell said. “I’ll weigh all my options. Of course going on to the next level will have more benefits, but you only get to play in college once and I take that into consideration. The bond that I’ve built with my teammates, a lot of guys won’t be going on to the next level. They won’t have that opportunity. I’m always thinking about that and the chemistry of the team. Everything that we’ve built up to this point.”

Treadwell added that he wanted to “finish the job” and what was another 12 more months in the grand scheme of things?

“I take all of that into consideration instead of just running off and starting a new life and adjust to everything,” Treadwell said. “I have to see if I’m ready for it. If I’m equipped for that. I’m taking one day at a time and just enjoying these moments.”

Heading into the matchup with the Cowboys, Treadwell has 76 catches for 1,082 yards for eight touchdowns. He had five straight games with 100 or more yards receiving, setting a new Ole Miss record. Treadwell felt like he was ready to make the jump, but it was obvious

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Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell said Monday he has not decided yet if he will enter the 2016 NFL Draft. that he still had some thinking to do.

“I have to get there to really see it. It will have to happen before I can actually tell. I’m making sure that I’m really ready to move on if that’s the case,” Treadwell said adding it was hard to ignore where the draft tracks have him listed. “It’s tough with social media. I had to delete those apps off my phone. I have to stay off those for right now and concentrate on the people that are around me. I want to enjoy these moments with my teammates because you don’t get them back. That’s really how I’ve been staying away from it and staying humble about everything. I focus on what’s ahead of me and try to be the best Laquon Treadwell for this team.

There is a time and a place for everything. If I come

out, then I’ll focus on that.

If I come back, then I’ll focus on the team.”

Winning an SEC championship, and even a national title, has been a goal since Treadwell arrived in Oxford.

“It bothers us that we didn’t finish it with the guys that we have and the guys that are leaving this year,” he said. “Chad (Kelly) and Fahn (Cooper) and all those guys coming in to help us get there, seeing the same vision that we’ve seen, it kind of gets to us. We just fell short and when you’re a competitor, you want to be known for something. It’s going to bother you. If I was to come back, that will be the No. 1 goal. The way we lead our team, that will be the way lock in and talk to each other. This year we were actually developing the leadership of the team.

I think we finally figured out how to be leaders towards the end when lost a couple of games and guys had to really tell each other that we still had to go win and play these certain teams.”

With the stakes against the Rebels, they came through and pulled out enough wins to advance to the Sugar Bowl. Treadwell felt like after the Memphis loss, the offense went on the attack.

“I don’t think we played conservative. I think we came to play each week and I think a lot of guys knew they couldn’t be a young player. They had to play like a vet,” he said.

“The guys that were out there, the seniors and juniors, they had to take their game to the next level.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 16

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

PETRE THOMAS | OXFORD CITIZEN

Lafayette’s senior captains, Alley Houghton (3), Nikki Kesler, Ana Branch and Rachel Watkins, are the heartbeat of the Lady Commodores.

Focused Foursome Senior captains are Lafayette’s heartbeat

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

What has been a key for the Lafayette Lady Commodores in soccer this season is the play of the four seniors. Each is similar but different in their own way. It’s something that head coach Melinda Scruggs likes so much about her four captains, Alley Houghton, Nikki Kesler, Ana Branch and Rachel Watkins.

When the four are together on the field, working as a collective group, the Lady Commodores are tough to beat. Heading into the final month of regular season matches, Lafayette is 10-1 overall.

A year ago, the Lady Com-

modores won the MHSAA Class 4A state title, the first in school history.

“Each one of them have certain things to bring to the table. Alley, her drive and her tenacity and her passion to win and all that other stuff, that’s just her. She is driven to score,” Scruggs said of Houghton, who had 39 points after just six matches. “She wants to make sure that we win, bottom line. If we have 10 minutes left in the game, and we need to win, she’s going to say give me the ball.

She is somebody you want up top.”

Kesler, a defensive specialist, is the vocal leader on the team, according to Scruggs.

“She is like the mother hen of the team. She keeps everybody glued together. She’s been that way ever since seventh grade,” Scruggs said. “She takes care of people. If somebody is hurting, she picks them up. That doesn’t mean she’s not hard on them.

She will definitely get down and dirty and say they need to step it up. I think that’s where a lot of our players have respect for her.

She’s not scared to tell them that they need to do better today.”

Watkins, who also plays on the defensive side of the ball, is a hard worker, whether she’s completely healthy or not.

“Even if she’s sick, she will do what she can to help. She is defi-

WELCOMED ADDITION

her soccer career at Oxford before coming to Lafayette last season where she learned the finer points of the game behind former standout Jamie Williams.

“She fit in really well. It’s hard to transfer from one school to the other, especially in this town,” Scruggs said. “I feel like our team was really accepting of her. I think last year she struggled maybe with confidence. You could tell over the last six months or so that she has really stepped up and you can see the confidence that she has. I would say the only weakness that she does have is that she is super hard on herself. I told

The newest senior to the team is goalie Ana Branch. She started

TURN TO FOURSOME PAGE 17

nitely the spiritual girl on our team that lifts up everybody,” Scruggs said. “She doesn’t say a whole lot negative. She is a super positive kid, which is always a good thing. If I’m a more sensitive kid, you may go to Rachel about something. If you’re more of a tough kid, you may go to Alley or Nikki. Either way, these girls have been around the team for such a long time. I think they want to go out with a bang. They want to do something special again this year.

And I think they will have that opportunity.”

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

OXFORD CITIZEN

Lafayette’s D too much for West Lauderdale

BY BEN MIKELL SPORTS WRITER

RIDGELAND – Lafayette girls coach Shayne Linzy would like to see some more points on the scoreboard than what he saw Monday afternoon inside the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School Gym. Linzy can’t complain about how the Lady Commodores’ defense has come along and has been a consistent presence in every game. Lafayette has held seven of its 11 opponents to 40 or fewer points so far this season. Defense set the tone once again against the West Lauderdale Lady Knights in a 5137 win in the St. Andrew’s Holiday Classic.

“Right now, defense is what really has been working for us,” Linzy said. “We use that defense to generate points on the offensive end through transition, fast break, things of that nature.

We put a lot of energy and emphasis into defense.”

With a 16-7 Lafayette lead

Foursome FROM PAGE 16

her that she is such a young player in this position. She has only played it for two years. I told her to think about it that way. She has to continue to grow and to put the things that you have done behind and to start fresh. Since the season started, she’s done a good job with that. And that’s what we need from a leader in the back.”

Scruggs added that what helped Branch get better was the amount of information she took in from Williams last season.

“She trained with Jamie everyday starting back last November. She could learn from her. There are times now where she may not understand how things work because she doesn’t see it so I’ve tried to step in also to help. She picks things up as she sees it very quickly,” Scruggs said. “I think that’s where she is learning. She is in-

early in the second quarter, the good defense didn’t work to the Lady Commodores’ advantage. West Lauderdale (10-4 overall) went on a 9-1 run that lasted more than five minutes to cut the lead down to 17-16 before a mini 5-0 run allowed Lafayette (8-3) to enter halftime with a sixpoint lead.

“We weren’t able to use our defense to create offense,” Linzy said of his team’s struggles late in the first half. “In the second quarter we couldn’t hit a shot. We got a little lazy on defense too, gave up some cheap fouls, and they were able to hit some free throws like a good team should.”

When Lafayette did score, it came from other teammates and not just one or two players. Linzy thought his players reverted to the latter as the game wore on and they pulled away from the Lady Knights. A total of seven Lady Commodores scored in the contest.

“Looking at the score-

book, outside of the second quarter, I liked the balance in scoring,” Linzy said. “But in the fourth quarter, we only had three players score and only four total in the second half. We need more than that. Some people can’t focus and concentrate on one or two people.

We need everybody to be an important piece of the puzzle.”

With district play approaching, defensively Linzy feels they can compete, but the offense needs to catch up.

“We still have a couple weeks before (we start district play),” Linzy said.

“Definitely, defensively we are getting to where we need to be to be able to compete in our district. We have to start picking up the offense. We are getting there. We have to start focusing on the little cheap shots, we gotta finish those around the basket better.”

Shaniyah Buford led all scorers with 18 points with 14 coming in the second half.

fectious. Everybody wants to be around her. She’s loud, she’s fun and she is outgoing and it transfers to the field. When she has confidence, everybody else can see that. I think her personality has helped her get that point. I think each game and the success that we’ve had has also helped her get better and have more confidence.”

The Lady Commodores have eight more matches during the regular season, with the bulk of those coming against division foes. Scruggs likes how her team has come together, but she added that it’s going to take everyone to keep moving in the right direction.

“If everybody is not doing their job, we’re going to struggle. However the formula is working. If we’re playing well in the back and keeping the ball up front, we’re going to keep winning,” Scruggs said. “We got off to a slow start in the beginning as

far as meshing all together.

The pieces are just now coming together. We had a great tournament in the (Oxford) Showcase playing some big-time teams like Brandon. I would love to play them again, that’s just who I am. That’s why we play those teams, so that we can make changes and get better. That’s the goal.

“We’re all on that same page now. We have several girls that have played soccer at Lafayette for so long and they all want to make changes to get better. You can see that,” Scruggs continued. “It’s to the point now that if I making a coaching change, they will say it before I do because they all knew how to fix it. That’s the exciting part for me. They’re really learning the game and they know how to make the changes during the games that will continue to make us better, and grow.”

PAGE 17

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Davis

but the fans wanted to see more, especially as the talented 2013 class got more FROM PAGE 13 experienced. Werner said he’s noticed how different Werner said that last year, the coaching staff was the older players are compared to when the team about having fun. Again, first went to a bowl. not that they planned to “Guys have been through lose by 39 points, but lookthe whole thing and some ing back, Werner felt like the focus was about enjoy- of them have been in a bowl every year now,” ment.

“Like I said, we want our Werner said. “Each year the bowl has gotten a little bit guys to enjoy it, but this is business this year,” Werner bigger. I think they’re masaid. “At the time we didn’t turing a little bit. I think last year when we went in and feel that way. It’s not like we went into last year say- didn’t play very well, everyone, right away, was looking who cares, but this ing at what went wrong. If year, as a coaching staff, starting with Coach Freeze we would have played well, we would have looked back on down, we’ve put a lot and said we handled it permore pressure on us as fectly. Who knows? Maybe coaches. We’ve put a lot more on us to take this se- it was just one of those days and TCU, which was a riously and be ready to great team, just had our play. The schedule hasn’t number. We ran into a buzz changed that much, but we talk about it a lot more. saw. But, we’re going to use that and make sure we It’s about energy at praccover our bases.” tice and things that it’s Covering the bases in going to take to be sucthis case means playing cessful.” fast and physical and not Ole Miss has progressed each and every year under turning the ball over. Oklahoma State is one of the Freeze. Wins over Pittsburgh in the Compass Bowl best teams in the nation in creating turnovers. Werner and Georgia Tech in the Music City Bowl were nice, preaches ball protection,

OXFORD CITIZEN and in a game where both offenses can score a lot of points, a key turnover could end up making the difference.

“That’s the thing that scares you. That’s the thing that will turn a game around,” Werner said of turnovers. “The No. 1 thing on our list is to protect the football and hopefully we can do that, but they’re obviously good at taking it.”

A win over Oklahoma State, which won its first 10 games of the season, should put Ole Miss up high in the preseason rankings. TCU’s win over Ole Miss did that for the Horned Frogs. With Chad Kelly back for the Rebels, and a number of other key players, it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to see the Rebels in the top 10 of the preseason rankings for 2016. That’s if they beat the Cowboys because in today’s college football, how you finish is often how you start.

John Davis is the Oxford Citizen sports editor. He can be reached at john.davis@journalinc.com.

Follow him on Twitter at @oxfordcitizenjd.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

Matchup FROM PAGE 13

of the best in the country. He’s a big, physical guy who is not afraid to block.

You don’t see that every week, but he is definitely blocking down the field and being physical with the corners from what I’ve seen.”

Just like the Rebels, the Cowboys are looking to earn a win Friday in order to gain momentum for the 2016 season.

Sterns is a junior who would like nothing more than to enter his senior season with a lofty preseason ranking to work with.

“It gives us an opportunity to start off the 2016 year right if we go out and get this done,” he said. “It will feed into our next season and then we hope to get better with every game. I think we responded from our previous season (in 2014). We went 7-6 and we kept it going.

We want to take it to the next level and get into the playoffs. We had the opportunity. We’re still grateful to be in the Sugar Bowl, it’s a blessing to be here, but we’re aiming as high as you can. As a team that’s all you can ask for.”

Kelly has taken a business-like approach to playing the Cowboys. The focus was to win to finish the year out on a high note.

“To go out in the offseason with a win is definitely going to be huge for recruits coming in,” Kelly said. “We have to make sure to go out and execute, and to have fun doing it. This game definitely

“

To go out in the offseason with a win is definitely going to be huge for recruits coming in.

“

PAGE 18

Chad Kelly, about a possible Sugar Bowl win

can (propel team to high preseason rankings). We can’t worry about that right now. We have to make sure we win this game.”

EXTRA POINTS

Ole Miss and Oklahoma State have met two other times in bowl games, with the Rebels winning both matchups in the Cotton Bowl. The most recent meeting came in the 2010 Cotton Bowl, a 21-7 win for the Rebels. Ole Miss is 23-13 all-time in bowl games. …

Ole Miss is playing in its ninth Sugar Bowl, third most all-time. Florida and Georgia have both played in the game nine times. … The Rebels are just one of five schools to play in a New Year’s Six bowl, joining Alabama, Florida State, Michigan State and Ohio State in that category. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Citizen

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