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16, 2010 | V
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MISSISSIPPIAN THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER
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Courthouse clock to return next week BY BRITTANY STACK The Daily Mississippian
After weeks of missed deadlines, work on the Lafayette County Courthouse clock tower could potentially be finished next week. “We have authorized our attorney to file suit to retrieve our clock, and it is to my understanding Lloyd Larish, the guy with The House of Clocks who actually took our clock, will be down here one day next week to re-install the clock,” Lloyd Oliphant, president of the board of supervisors, said. Oliphant said the clock had not been working properly for some time. Mike Pickens, District 1 representative to the Board of Supervisors, said that the board wants the clock back after dealing with Larish’s problems for some time. “The guy we contracted with has not repaired it,” Pickens said. “He kept telling us that he would have it in two weeks, but we have not seen anything.” Oliphant said the board notified Larish that there would be legal action taken against him if he did not return the clock or complete the
terms of the contract. The contract stated Larish would repair the clock to working order and put it back in place at the top of the courthouse tower for the county. “Evidently, he had a change of heart after he was notified of our intent to file suit, and he has since notified the county that he will be back before the end of the month to install the clock in proper working order,” Oliphant said. Both Pickens and Oliphant said that there had been some contemplation about other ways to get the clock running, including talk of buying a new clock to place in the tower. However, Oliphant said that they have decided to get the clock back from Larish. The only reason a new clock would be bought is if the clock is not back and installed by the end of the month. The Board of Supervisors will wait to see if Larish carries through with the return of the clock next week. “He has missed several deadlines through this process,” Oliphant said. “We hope he makes this one.”
MASCOT UPDATE BY AMANDA WARD News Editor
The Ole Miss Mascot Selection Committee released five top options that came from the recent polling. Of the 11 original mascot ideas, the committee decided to move forward the concepts of the horse, Hotty and Toddy, the landshark, the lion and the bear. Ty New, committee co-chair, said the committee debated all 11 options again before approving the five released today. “We had 4,000 voters write comments,” said New. “A lot were concerned about Hotty and Toddy Muppets.” According to the committee website, mascot. olemiss.edu, this phase of the selection process includes color renderings of the final mascot ideas. The next poll will include the visuals to help voters in deciding. Some students aren’t as positive about the options pushed forward by the committee. “The only one that sounds good to me is Hotty and Toddy,” said Latrice Fox, social work major. “They are the only ones that sound like they would go with Ole Miss.” Others, however, are not pleased with the results at all. “It was disappointing that William Faulkner wasn’t on there. He seemed appropriate,” said international studies major William Bumpas. In a recent interview, co-chair Margaret Ann Morgan said the next poll will take place in the fall. According to their website, the committee has to look into issues such as the housing and maintaining of a live animal and before the decision can be made.
this week UM MUSEUM
ABSTRACT WORKS OF MARIE HULL AND ANDREW BUCCI A vivid selection of Marie Hull’s colorful, energetic abstract works on paper and Andrew Bucci’s refined, calligraphic, and organic compositions in oil and watercolor comprise an exhibition on loan from the Mississippi Museum of Art. Teacher and Student: Abstract Works of Marie Hull and Andrew Bucci remains on view at the University of Mississippi Museum until September 18. The University of Mississippi Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday, and all University holidays.
inside OPINION
IT’S A TRIPLE RAINBOW
ADDISON DENT | The Daily Mississippian
A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S
GULF OIL SPILL-PET DUMPING VIOLET, La. (AP) — Doublebunked behind the bars at the overrun St. Bernard Animal Shelter are more victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill: shiny-coated Labrador retrievers, long-haired Chihuahuas and a fluffy Shih Tzu. Among the more typical skinny, stray mutts are healthy, seemingly welltended dogs whose owners, because of the massive spill, suddenly don’t have the time or money to keep them. “It’s the economy, the uncertainty of the future, for sure,” said shelter director Beth Brewster, who saw 117 owners surrender their animals last month — up from 17 in June 2009. May was particularly bad, Brewster said: The Violet shelter took in 288 animals that month, compared with 60 in May 2009. Dean Howard of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said several coastal parishes began reporting a spike in owner relinquishments immediately after the spill. In St. Bernard Parish, nearly every livelihood is somehow connected to the Gulf. Fishermen normally ply the waters for seafood. Offshore rig workers drill for oil and longshoremen unload a never-ending flow cargo ships on the Mississippi River. But the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig, which killed 11 workers and continues to spew millions of gallons of oil into the water, has created multiple problems for pet
owners. Sasha, a rust-colored Lab mix, was dropped off with nine 1-day-old puppies by a BP oil worker who suddenly had more work than he could handle and no time for the dogs, animal control officer Shannon Asevedo said. The Shih Tzu was given up by a parish employee who told Brewster he’s now too busy, too. Other dogs and cats were abandoned by fishermen whose incomes were abruptly cut off and by families forced to downsize, moving into apartments that prohibit pets. “It’s more than we can handle,” Asevedo said. “We have way more coming in than going out.” The trend is nothing new to people who work with animals. From California to Florida, millions of pets were abandoned in 2007 and 2008 as the U.S. economy floundered. The real estate bubble burst, homes went into foreclosure and people were forced to make tough choices as they scaled back their lifestyles. “It comes down to feeding your family or feeding your dog. That’s the decision they have to make,” said Colleen Bosley of Catholic Charities of New Orleans, which is now partnering with the SPCA to supply pet food at its weekly food distributions in coastal parishes. The SPCA, backed by PetCo Foundation, Del Monte and others, is trySee DUMPING, PAGE 4
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